My Dear Friends,
This week’s Torah portion deals with minute descriptions of
the Priest’s duties – as well as providing details about their ordination, and
even the garments they are supposed to wear. There’s a lot of repetitiveness in
the descriptions of what the Priests were required to do
o
It
tells us about the times of the sacrifices
o
The
materials needed to perform them
o
The
clothes that the Priests were required to wear
o
It
even tells us how the High Priest – Aarpn, and his sons, were commanded to take
out the garbage left over after the sacrifices
Here’s a Limerick I wrote about this week’s Parasha:
Aaron and sons are ordained
Their job is carefully explained
It’s oily and bloody
Messy and muddy
No wonder their robes got all
stained!
Tzav has another interesting distinction:
It falls exactly in the middle of the Torah – although how we measure “middleness”
varies depending on if we count letters, sentences or chapters.
As I thought about what the theme for this week of our Social
Distancing (or Distant Socializing – as I prefer to calls it…) these two concepts
of the minutia of our parasha and the fact that we are in the middle of
the Torah called out to me.
The truth is, we are now in the midst of a “New Normal” (or new
“abnormal,” as the case may be). For those
of us staying in place and doing our best to stay healthy, we are settling into
a routine of daily living. We are
adapting and adjusting to the fact that our lives have been overturned and
radically transformed. Despite our desire to have some control over timing of
our enforced isolation, and despite the pronouncements of some of our leaders
who have attempted to set dates to end this situation, if we follow the advice
of medical experts (as we should), the truth is – we don’t know how much longer we will be living
like this. This is one of the most
difficult aspects of our lives in this moment. But it’s the hand we’ve been dealt,
and we must play it.
For those who are ill – who have contracted the virus – or who
are finding themselves in difficult medical, financial, emotional, or spiritual
situations – the uncertainty of the unknown can be frightening and, in some
cases devastating. Our prayers are with all who are struggling. Please let us
know what is going on and we will try to help as best we can. You can send an email to Shalom@EmanuelDenver.org and someone
will get back to you soon.
For others – for whom this isolation is more of an
inconvenience than an existential threat, we need to find ways to come to grips
with the fact that, like the Israelites wandering the in the Wilderness – we are
stuck somewhere in the middle – looking at how far we have come – but also
seeing that there is no concrete end in sight.
Whenever I read the book of Vayikra (Leviticus), I
invariably ask the question: Why was
there a need to include so much detail about the daily duties of Aaron and the
rest of the Priests? This year, I think that I have found an answer. I believe it is because we human beings crave
normalcy. It was the “in betweenness” of the wandering in the desert that made
the rituals of the Temple so vitally important. They provided a sense of both rhythm and purpose
to the lives of our ancient ancestors.
We, too, are creatures of habit and routine. Rituals help us
to both measure time and appreciate the moments we are together. During the
course of this past Shabbat, we were overwhelmed at how many of you shared how meaningful
our online worship and study have become. Just last night, Shwayder Camp hosted
a beautiful online Havdalah service. The familiar melodies, the beauty of the
candle, spices, wine and the knowledge that over 700 people tuned in to
participate – from all over the world – shows us just vitally important it is for
us to find ways to come together – in community – REAL community (not just virtual)
– and that act of coming together brings us a sense of Sheleymut – or wholeness.
My friends – we are stuck in the middle…together – and we
truly don’t now how long we will be doing this.
I promise you this:
All of us at Temple Emanuel – your clergy, staff and lay leadership –
will continue to do all that we can to help us to stay connected.
This is a time when Jewish tradition, practice and rituals
are so vitally important. The more that we can do to provide ourselves and one
another with ways to remind ourselves that we are part of something much bigger
than ourselves, the better it will be for all of us. And so, with this in mind, I want to ask
these 7 questions for us to ponder this week:
- What daily personal rituals am I doing that help me to keep a semblance of normalcy in this uncertain time?
- Have I taken advantage of the gifts of my tradition: of lighting Shabbat Candles, saying blessings and observing other mitzvot?
- How am I maintaining my physical health through hygiene, diet and exercise?
- A key aspect of Jewish ritual is the act of Tzeddakah – righteous acts and charity. How am I helping others who are in need?
- Have I done all that I could to reach out to others who might appreciate the simple, but vital gesture of someone checking in to see how they are doing?
- Have I set a schedule for myself that keeps me focused on my daily tasks
- A key ritual of daily spiritual living is taking an inventory of those things for which we are thankful. For what am I thankful?
My friends, these are just a few suggestions that might help
us all to both process and experience this liminal time of “in-betweenness”
with both mindfulness and purpose. We pray that soon we might return to a new
normal that allows to take the lessons that we have learned from this difficult
time and apply them to make our lives and our community even stronger. Ken Yehi Ratzon – May It Be God’s
will. I look forward to seeing you all
online soon.
B’vracha V’Shalom - in Blessing and in Peace,
Rabbi Joseph R. Black
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