Matthew 27
Pilate tries Jesus then hands Him over to be crucified.
INSIGHT
Proverbs 20:17 says, "Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel." If ever a man illustrates that truth, Judas does. Some mysterious passion burns in his breast to betray Jesus. Whether Judas seeks political ambition or mere lust for money, we do not know. But later, his remorse is so great that he throws the money away and hangs himself. We must remember Judas when illicit desire burns in our breast. Such desire always promises more than it delivers; it always turns to gravel in our mouths.
PRAYER
The sacrifice which Jesus made for us took tremendous courage, for which we praise Him:
O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens! . . .
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him? . . .
O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:1, 3-4, 9).
Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving.
Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from the power of sin:
O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak;
O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.
My soul also is greatly troubled;
But You, O Lord - how long? (Psalm 6:1-3).
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.
Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
God is Spirit, and those who worship
Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
The leading of the Lord in your life
Opportunities for personal evangelism
Your activities for the day
Whatever else is on your heart
Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Sing-a-long Seder
Sing-a-long Seder
Teddy Klaus
There are many seasonal melodies we utilize in the synagogue to herald the arrival of Pesach and the other Festivals. But, it is the music of the Seder in our homes that binds us together – from one side of the table to the other; from one side of the street to the other; from one city to another, and indeed across the globe. We Jews are interconnected by the common narrative of the journey from slavery to freedom. This narrative is codified in the Haggadah – the libretto of the story we tell in order to actually experience redemption. We tell the story so that we should never forget that “Once we were slaves; now we are free.” If the Haggadah is the libretto, then the music we sing is a sacred opera of Passover. Unlike most operas, this is one of communal singing. Singing together is how we share the power of the story. It is how we transmit the message from generation to generation. It is the social capital that builds the network of our community.
The following paragraphs offer sound files that are designed to enhance and enable communal singing. All of the arrangements were played on a Yamaha PSR-740 keyboard. You may wish to set a laptop on the table and use the following files at your Seder this year. Or you may want to use the files to brush up on some of the more familiar tunes. The texts are found in most Haggadot. The page numbers here refer to A Passover Haggadah, with drawings by Leonard Baskin, first published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis in 1974. Many of the tunes are published in the back of the book, beginning on p. 97.
The first melody, Kadeish Ur’chatz, p.97, is Babylonian in origin. It declares the order of the Seder, word by word. At our Seder, we sing this song in an accumulative fashion; as we reach each new section of the Seder, we sing the tune stopping in order to conduct that newest part of the Seder. Thus, we sing it 14 times – each time one word longer than the time before. Listen
The next tune, Ha Lachma Anya, is found on page 26, at the beginning of the Yachatz section of the Seder. It was written by Yedidyah Admon, who also wrote the familiar melody from the Hallel (Psalms of Praise) to B’tzeit Yisraeil (Psalm 114 on page 59).
ListenMost young Jews get their first taste of performance pressure from the next musical selection. It is an upbeat arrangement (using the “Miami Pop” style) of the “Four Questions,” found on p. 29. The composer is Ephraim Abileah, as we learned from Cantor Alane Simons Katzew in her excellent article, “Mah Nishtanah Tunes for Passover: Why Is This Melody Different from Other Melodies?” Listen
On p. 34, we find the words Avadim Hayinu, (once we were slaves), at the beginning of the Maggid section. The words to the following song can be found on p. 104. The setting is by Shalom Postolsky (1893–1949), who also wrote the early Israeli dance song Kuma Echa (Arise, Brothers). Postolsky was among the earliest Zionists who made Aliyah before Israel declared
Teddy Klaus
There are many seasonal melodies we utilize in the synagogue to herald the arrival of Pesach and the other Festivals. But, it is the music of the Seder in our homes that binds us together – from one side of the table to the other; from one side of the street to the other; from one city to another, and indeed across the globe. We Jews are interconnected by the common narrative of the journey from slavery to freedom. This narrative is codified in the Haggadah – the libretto of the story we tell in order to actually experience redemption. We tell the story so that we should never forget that “Once we were slaves; now we are free.” If the Haggadah is the libretto, then the music we sing is a sacred opera of Passover. Unlike most operas, this is one of communal singing. Singing together is how we share the power of the story. It is how we transmit the message from generation to generation. It is the social capital that builds the network of our community.
The following paragraphs offer sound files that are designed to enhance and enable communal singing. All of the arrangements were played on a Yamaha PSR-740 keyboard. You may wish to set a laptop on the table and use the following files at your Seder this year. Or you may want to use the files to brush up on some of the more familiar tunes. The texts are found in most Haggadot. The page numbers here refer to A Passover Haggadah, with drawings by Leonard Baskin, first published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis in 1974. Many of the tunes are published in the back of the book, beginning on p. 97.
The first melody, Kadeish Ur’chatz, p.97, is Babylonian in origin. It declares the order of the Seder, word by word. At our Seder, we sing this song in an accumulative fashion; as we reach each new section of the Seder, we sing the tune stopping in order to conduct that newest part of the Seder. Thus, we sing it 14 times – each time one word longer than the time before. Listen
The next tune, Ha Lachma Anya, is found on page 26, at the beginning of the Yachatz section of the Seder. It was written by Yedidyah Admon, who also wrote the familiar melody from the Hallel (Psalms of Praise) to B’tzeit Yisraeil (Psalm 114 on page 59).
ListenMost young Jews get their first taste of performance pressure from the next musical selection. It is an upbeat arrangement (using the “Miami Pop” style) of the “Four Questions,” found on p. 29. The composer is Ephraim Abileah, as we learned from Cantor Alane Simons Katzew in her excellent article, “Mah Nishtanah Tunes for Passover: Why Is This Melody Different from Other Melodies?” Listen
On p. 34, we find the words Avadim Hayinu, (once we were slaves), at the beginning of the Maggid section. The words to the following song can be found on p. 104. The setting is by Shalom Postolsky (1893–1949), who also wrote the early Israeli dance song Kuma Echa (Arise, Brothers). Postolsky was among the earliest Zionists who made Aliyah before Israel declared
What will you do during the Storm?
What will you do during the Storm?
In chapter 1 of the book of Job, we read the story of Job, and his sufferings. The bible says that Job was honest inside and out. He was a man of his word, totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. He had seven sons and three daughters. His wealth included seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants. He was the most influential man in all the east (Job 1:1-3). The scripture says that when Job’s children would party like there was no tomorrow, he made it a habit to get up early the next morning to make sacrifices for them, just in case one of them may have sinned by defying God inwardly (1:4-5)
God tells Satan that Job only serves him because he blessed him with prosperity. If you take away all that he has, he will surely curse you to your face (Job 1:11). God allows Satan to test Job’s faith. All of a sudden messengers start coming in with bad news for Job. Raiders stole the oxen and donkey. Other raiders stole the camels and killed the herders. A wind toppled the house where all his children were partying crushing all his children. Messenger after messenger with devastating news. Job lost everything! Satan was sure that he had won- that Job would now curse God to his face, but the unexpected happened! Job began to say; “The Lord gave me everything I had, and the Lord has taken it away! Praise the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Instead of cursing God, Job began to worship God!
Job was in a storm. One definition for a storm from dictionary.com is, “to attack or assault persons, places, or things”. This reminds me of a storm that happened a few short years ago - Katrina. Hurricane Katrina shot through Louisiana so quickly and with such devastation. This storm brought out the best of humanity - heroes, good deeds, sacrifice, and toughness, it also brought out the worst in people - greed, selfishness, and murder. My question is, How will you act during your storm? We all go though storms in our lives. Maybe not natural storms, but a spiritual storm that blows at our faith in God. This was the case for Job. After losing property, position, and people he loved, He fell to the ground and worshipped God. Why was Job able to do this? Because Job looked at what was left instead of what was lost. Despite the storm, he still had his faith in God. Most people get depressed and turn to other things in the midst of a storm, because they hold a “scarcity mentality” instead of an “abundant mentality”. A scarcity mentality will cause you to look at loss, at what you don’t have. An abundant mentality will allow you to see potential, to see what is to come - to see that God’s word never goes out void, but will accomplish the thing to which it was sent. It is one of these ways of thinking that will cause us to either to worship during our storm, or complain during our storm. What will you do the next time you go through your storm.
Be encouraged when going through your storm, don’t look around at what was lost but look inward to the presence of an Almighty God. Then you will be able to worship during the storm.
In chapter 1 of the book of Job, we read the story of Job, and his sufferings. The bible says that Job was honest inside and out. He was a man of his word, totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. He had seven sons and three daughters. His wealth included seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants. He was the most influential man in all the east (Job 1:1-3). The scripture says that when Job’s children would party like there was no tomorrow, he made it a habit to get up early the next morning to make sacrifices for them, just in case one of them may have sinned by defying God inwardly (1:4-5)
God tells Satan that Job only serves him because he blessed him with prosperity. If you take away all that he has, he will surely curse you to your face (Job 1:11). God allows Satan to test Job’s faith. All of a sudden messengers start coming in with bad news for Job. Raiders stole the oxen and donkey. Other raiders stole the camels and killed the herders. A wind toppled the house where all his children were partying crushing all his children. Messenger after messenger with devastating news. Job lost everything! Satan was sure that he had won- that Job would now curse God to his face, but the unexpected happened! Job began to say; “The Lord gave me everything I had, and the Lord has taken it away! Praise the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Instead of cursing God, Job began to worship God!
Job was in a storm. One definition for a storm from dictionary.com is, “to attack or assault persons, places, or things”. This reminds me of a storm that happened a few short years ago - Katrina. Hurricane Katrina shot through Louisiana so quickly and with such devastation. This storm brought out the best of humanity - heroes, good deeds, sacrifice, and toughness, it also brought out the worst in people - greed, selfishness, and murder. My question is, How will you act during your storm? We all go though storms in our lives. Maybe not natural storms, but a spiritual storm that blows at our faith in God. This was the case for Job. After losing property, position, and people he loved, He fell to the ground and worshipped God. Why was Job able to do this? Because Job looked at what was left instead of what was lost. Despite the storm, he still had his faith in God. Most people get depressed and turn to other things in the midst of a storm, because they hold a “scarcity mentality” instead of an “abundant mentality”. A scarcity mentality will cause you to look at loss, at what you don’t have. An abundant mentality will allow you to see potential, to see what is to come - to see that God’s word never goes out void, but will accomplish the thing to which it was sent. It is one of these ways of thinking that will cause us to either to worship during our storm, or complain during our storm. What will you do the next time you go through your storm.
Be encouraged when going through your storm, don’t look around at what was lost but look inward to the presence of an Almighty God. Then you will be able to worship during the storm.
Monday, April 4, 2011
God Is In Control
God Is In Control
Psalm 103:19-22
Have you ever wondered whether you are truly saved? Many people struggle with this question, but my goal is for you to experience assurance.
Salvation describes what happens when God rescues us from the guilt and penalty of sin and brings us into a relationship with Himself. Jesus said that He is the only way to the Father (John 14:6); we deservedeternal separation from God because of our sin, but Christ took our penalty by dying in our place. When we trust Him as Savior and commit our lives to follow Him, we are saved.
Questions arise when believers sin and wonder if they could still be in good standing with God. Others wonder whether they ever truly surrendered their lives and believed or just went through the motions.
Let me assure you: the Bible is clear that salvation is not dependent upon any work we do (Eph. 2:8-9). In fact, it is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of our need in the first place (John 16:8). Our redemption is a free gift that God gives to anyone who acknowledges Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Once we are saved, there is nothing that can eternally separate us from Him. Our heavenly Father adopts us, and though we can choose to sin and be out of fellowship with Him, our salvation is always secure.
Do you struggle with doubt regarding your salvation? You are not alone. God wants His children to experience confidence in this regard. Through the Holy Spirit, we gain the desire and understanding that enable our redemption. Then God Himself saves. We are simply to accept and follow Him.
Psalm 103:19-22
Have you ever wondered whether you are truly saved? Many people struggle with this question, but my goal is for you to experience assurance.
Salvation describes what happens when God rescues us from the guilt and penalty of sin and brings us into a relationship with Himself. Jesus said that He is the only way to the Father (John 14:6); we deservedeternal separation from God because of our sin, but Christ took our penalty by dying in our place. When we trust Him as Savior and commit our lives to follow Him, we are saved.
Questions arise when believers sin and wonder if they could still be in good standing with God. Others wonder whether they ever truly surrendered their lives and believed or just went through the motions.
Let me assure you: the Bible is clear that salvation is not dependent upon any work we do (Eph. 2:8-9). In fact, it is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of our need in the first place (John 16:8). Our redemption is a free gift that God gives to anyone who acknowledges Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Once we are saved, there is nothing that can eternally separate us from Him. Our heavenly Father adopts us, and though we can choose to sin and be out of fellowship with Him, our salvation is always secure.
Do you struggle with doubt regarding your salvation? You are not alone. God wants His children to experience confidence in this regard. Through the Holy Spirit, we gain the desire and understanding that enable our redemption. Then God Himself saves. We are simply to accept and follow Him.
Jesus is betrayed and arrested.
Matthew 26
Jesus is betrayed and arrested.
INSIGHT
Peter is living and reassuring proof that "grace is greater than all our sin." We struggle, at one time or another, with things in our lives that ought to be corrected but aren't. We fear that our lives bring a stench to God's nostrils because we have failed Him so often. But Peter began to curse and swear and deny that he ever knew Jesus. What a colossal sin! Yet, just a few days later (in John 21), Peter is eating with the Lord in perfect fellowship and harmony. For the Christian, there is no sin so great that God will not forgive.
PRAYER
Because Jesus gave up His preeminence for our sake and became a servant, we praise His unselfishness:
Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him.
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! (1 Chronicles 16:28-29 ).
I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the
Lord Most High (Psalm 7:17).
Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving.
Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
O my God: I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God;
for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads,
and our guilt has grown up to the heavens (Ezra 9:6).
Confess any personal sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.
Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
The renewing of your mind
The needs of your extended family
Your activities for the day
Watever else is on your heart
Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You! Psalm 84:11-12).
Jesus is betrayed and arrested.
INSIGHT
Peter is living and reassuring proof that "grace is greater than all our sin." We struggle, at one time or another, with things in our lives that ought to be corrected but aren't. We fear that our lives bring a stench to God's nostrils because we have failed Him so often. But Peter began to curse and swear and deny that he ever knew Jesus. What a colossal sin! Yet, just a few days later (in John 21), Peter is eating with the Lord in perfect fellowship and harmony. For the Christian, there is no sin so great that God will not forgive.
PRAYER
Because Jesus gave up His preeminence for our sake and became a servant, we praise His unselfishness:
Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him.
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! (1 Chronicles 16:28-29 ).
I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the
Lord Most High (Psalm 7:17).
Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving.
Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
O my God: I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God;
for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads,
and our guilt has grown up to the heavens (Ezra 9:6).
Confess any personal sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.
Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
The renewing of your mind
The needs of your extended family
Your activities for the day
Watever else is on your heart
Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You! Psalm 84:11-12).
Raise A Praise!
Raise A Praise!
And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing. (Genesis 29:35)
Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, the brother of Esau and the grandson of Abraham and Sarah. Jacob's name means deceiver, or trickery. He came out of the womb holding on to the heel of his twin brother Esau. Later in life, he persuaded Esau to sell him his birthright and tricked his father Isaac into blessing him instead of Esau. Out of fear of his brother's anger, he fled to his uncle Laban's house. Laban was the brother of Jacob's mother Rebekah. He lived in a city called Haran, a city in Mesopotamia (which today is a part of Syria). For a little while everything seemed to be working out for Jacob, however. It wasn't long before he and his uncle Laban began looking to get the best of each other. First, Jacob agreed to work seven years to be able to marry Laban's daughter Rachel, but on the honeymoon night when the time was completed, Laban pulled a fast one on Jacob. He switched Leah for Rachel (Genesis 29:16-30). When Jacob complained, Laban offered him Rachel also. There would however, be a catch. He would have to work for his uncle, an additional seven years. Jacob agreed
Jacob was now married to two sisters. Rachel of whom he loved so greatly, and Leah who he was forced to marry. Leah was hurt, and God consoled her by allowing her to have children. Leah was still very hurt, and she named her sons according to her hurt. Her first son was called Rueben, because she said "the Lord has seen my affliction and now my husband will love me" (Genesis 29:32). Son number two was Simeon, "because the Lord heard that I was unloved"ť (Genesis 29:33). Her third son was named Levi because she hoped that "this time my husband will become attached (Genesis 29:34). Her fourth and last son was the only child, not directly connected to Leah's relationship with her husband. She called him Judah. She said, "this time I will praise the Lord"ť (Genesis 29:35). Judah means praise.
Have you ever been in a situation where someone has been "preferred"ť over you? Someone at work got the promotion that you know you deserved, but the boss chose them over you. Your little sister seems to get all the attention from mom and mom seems to ignore you. The person you love doesn't love you back, but is in love with someone else. All this hurts. Someone once said to me "don't follow your painť". To follow your pain would mean that decisions are made based on what pain you are in. Leah named her children while following her pain. It is hard to function normally when you have been hurt. While in pain, Leah named her first three children Rueben (sight), Simeon (hear), and Levi (feel). Leah was not comforted as long as she dealt with her emotions, her pain, her senses. As soon as she stepped out in faith and let go of the senses (see, heard, and feel), she was comforted.
Carrying past hurts and pains will not change your situation. Choosing rather to praise your way through hurts and pains will certainly change your outlook. It is time to let go of your senses, and get into the spirit. If we walk in the spirit we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Our flesh wants to dwell on the mess we are in. Instead of dwelling on what you cannot change today or even have any control over, why don't you just Raise A Praise
And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing. (Genesis 29:35)
Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, the brother of Esau and the grandson of Abraham and Sarah. Jacob's name means deceiver, or trickery. He came out of the womb holding on to the heel of his twin brother Esau. Later in life, he persuaded Esau to sell him his birthright and tricked his father Isaac into blessing him instead of Esau. Out of fear of his brother's anger, he fled to his uncle Laban's house. Laban was the brother of Jacob's mother Rebekah. He lived in a city called Haran, a city in Mesopotamia (which today is a part of Syria). For a little while everything seemed to be working out for Jacob, however. It wasn't long before he and his uncle Laban began looking to get the best of each other. First, Jacob agreed to work seven years to be able to marry Laban's daughter Rachel, but on the honeymoon night when the time was completed, Laban pulled a fast one on Jacob. He switched Leah for Rachel (Genesis 29:16-30). When Jacob complained, Laban offered him Rachel also. There would however, be a catch. He would have to work for his uncle, an additional seven years. Jacob agreed
Jacob was now married to two sisters. Rachel of whom he loved so greatly, and Leah who he was forced to marry. Leah was hurt, and God consoled her by allowing her to have children. Leah was still very hurt, and she named her sons according to her hurt. Her first son was called Rueben, because she said "the Lord has seen my affliction and now my husband will love me" (Genesis 29:32). Son number two was Simeon, "because the Lord heard that I was unloved"ť (Genesis 29:33). Her third son was named Levi because she hoped that "this time my husband will become attached (Genesis 29:34). Her fourth and last son was the only child, not directly connected to Leah's relationship with her husband. She called him Judah. She said, "this time I will praise the Lord"ť (Genesis 29:35). Judah means praise.
Have you ever been in a situation where someone has been "preferred"ť over you? Someone at work got the promotion that you know you deserved, but the boss chose them over you. Your little sister seems to get all the attention from mom and mom seems to ignore you. The person you love doesn't love you back, but is in love with someone else. All this hurts. Someone once said to me "don't follow your painť". To follow your pain would mean that decisions are made based on what pain you are in. Leah named her children while following her pain. It is hard to function normally when you have been hurt. While in pain, Leah named her first three children Rueben (sight), Simeon (hear), and Levi (feel). Leah was not comforted as long as she dealt with her emotions, her pain, her senses. As soon as she stepped out in faith and let go of the senses (see, heard, and feel), she was comforted.
Carrying past hurts and pains will not change your situation. Choosing rather to praise your way through hurts and pains will certainly change your outlook. It is time to let go of your senses, and get into the spirit. If we walk in the spirit we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Our flesh wants to dwell on the mess we are in. Instead of dwelling on what you cannot change today or even have any control over, why don't you just Raise A Praise
M’tzora: Providing a Way Back from Prejudice
M’tzora: Providing a Way Back from Prejudice
Naamah Kelman
The laws pertaining to the person with what is commonly but incorrectly called leprosy, are very clear in this week’s portion M’tzora. These skin diseases disclosed a condition of impurity, and therefore the afflicted persons went through a thorough process whereby they were distanced from the camp and healed of the disease, and then this period (seven days) was followed by a cleansing purification and reentry process (an additional day).
The most famous “sufferer” of this skin affliction, known as tzaraat was Miriam. She gossiped about her sister-in-law, and was immediately afflicted with “leprosy.” The Rabbis play on the word m’tzora (the name of our parashah) and claim that Miriam slandered her brother and sister-in-law’s good name in that she engaged in the act of “spreading a nasty name/rumor,” motzi-shem ra (see The Torah: A Women’s Commentary).1 The Torah and the Rabbis understood these skin afflictions were serving as some kind of punishment for estrangement from God. This period of censure served to “rehabilitate” the person, so as to enable the person to rejoin the community.
Sadly, the idea of a “leper” or a tzaraat has become synonymous that of an outcast; someone who must be shunned: someone who can never return to the tribe, or worse, cannot be allowed to enter it.
This parashah also introduces us to the idea of women’s impurity through menstruation. Women are rendered impure because they discharge blood (the symbol of life). A woman is called a nidah, which actually means “to expel” (ibid.).2 The Hebrew word, nidah, can also mean variations of the word: “ostracized.”
These categories of m’tzora and nidah designated clear lines of “in and out” in ancient Israel. Perhaps the only comfort in these difficult laws was that you were never completely isolated by them: there was a way back, through cleansing, ritual sacrifice, and priestly intervention.
By contrast, today, one is baffled and furious when bus lines in Jerusalem are segregated between men and women. One is enraged when the ultra-Orthodox try to create separate passages along sidewalks in their ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Meah Shearim for men and women, as they did this year during the holiday of Sukkot. The Israeli Supreme Court intervened and demanded that the barriers be brought down. And lest we forget, there is also the never-ending saga of our heroic Women of the Wall, whose voices have, been called “impure” and “defiling.” This is not our biblical way; this is not the Jewish way!
In the beginning of the second decade of the twenty-first century, the most troubling aspect of all this is how little has changed. We still live in segregated, isolating communities. There are the pure and the impure, the leper and the defiled. Recent decrees and public stands by state-sanctioned “rabbis” in the State of Israel have brought these issues to center stage. When over forty state-supported rabbis tell the public not to rent apartments to Arabs and foreign workers, one wonders if we are reading the same Torah. These rabbis’ wives take to the streets to plead that we can only protect the purity of the daughters of Israel if they don’t come into contact with Arabs. These positions fan the flames of fear and suspicion that pit the weak against the weak. The foreign workers flooding Israel’s borders are moving into the impoverished neighborhoods of those who are already disenfranchised. The affluent do not have to confront these “foreigners” going after their jobs or their housing.
Would their neighborhoods welcome the “other”?
These are complicated issues and complicated times. Yet, I hope that our tradition of welcoming the stranger and rehabilitating the impure can be translated into twenty-first century language and norms.
In the summer of 2008, I found myself in New York at the theatre. I went to see the first ever revival of the musical classic South Pacific. This Rogers and Hammerstein masterpiece is about racism and ageism! In the 1940s in America, anti-Semitism, racism, ageism were accepted forms of social mores, some more genteel than others. And I haven’t even mentioned homophobia. As tears streamed down my cheeks watching this glorious production, I could not help but be overwhelmed that for the first time, an African-American was running for president.
These powerful words from South Pacific3 were first sung at a time when no one dared confront these societal norms:
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!
Our biblical text recognizes that we ostracize, we banish, and we exclude, but only in the context of sanctifying God’s name. More importantly, we must enable the banished and the excluded, a way back in. Our beloved Miriam had gossiped about her sister-in-law pointing out her racial identity. God wasted no time, showing “zero tolerance” for this kind of talk. The Children of Israel waited for Miriam as she healed and was purified. She made amends for ostracizing Zipporah, and she herself became a temporary outcast.
How do we confront racism, sexism, and ageism today? We must call its name, we must show “zero tolerance,” we must embrace the victim and rehabilitate the perpetrator. We must not allow our Torah to fan the flames of hate, slander, and segregation. We must be able to admit when we are accomplices and partners in these acts willingly and unwillingly.
This week’s portion, M’tzora, could be dismissed as another chapter in our ancestors’ attempts to make sense of a messy universe where skin diseases and body fluids left them confused and frightened. Or we can look at our own skin, as it were, and remember that skin afflictions do not differentiate between skin colors. And we can demand that women be full citizens in our community because they are no longer bound by childbirth and biology. The age of pure and impure is long over; the age of segregation and prejudice is not. Our ever-renewing tradition must confront this with its greatest “weapon”: We were all created in God’s image in order to spread the sense of holiness everywhere. This is what we must teach our children before it’s too late!
1. See The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, ed. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi (New York: URJ Press and WRJ, 2008) p. 672, for the sources of this midrashic wordplay
2. ibid., p. 668, Note, the word nidah can also mean variations of the word, “ostracized”
3. “You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught,” lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, 1949
Naamah Kelman
The laws pertaining to the person with what is commonly but incorrectly called leprosy, are very clear in this week’s portion M’tzora. These skin diseases disclosed a condition of impurity, and therefore the afflicted persons went through a thorough process whereby they were distanced from the camp and healed of the disease, and then this period (seven days) was followed by a cleansing purification and reentry process (an additional day).
The most famous “sufferer” of this skin affliction, known as tzaraat was Miriam. She gossiped about her sister-in-law, and was immediately afflicted with “leprosy.” The Rabbis play on the word m’tzora (the name of our parashah) and claim that Miriam slandered her brother and sister-in-law’s good name in that she engaged in the act of “spreading a nasty name/rumor,” motzi-shem ra (see The Torah: A Women’s Commentary).1 The Torah and the Rabbis understood these skin afflictions were serving as some kind of punishment for estrangement from God. This period of censure served to “rehabilitate” the person, so as to enable the person to rejoin the community.
Sadly, the idea of a “leper” or a tzaraat has become synonymous that of an outcast; someone who must be shunned: someone who can never return to the tribe, or worse, cannot be allowed to enter it.
This parashah also introduces us to the idea of women’s impurity through menstruation. Women are rendered impure because they discharge blood (the symbol of life). A woman is called a nidah, which actually means “to expel” (ibid.).2 The Hebrew word, nidah, can also mean variations of the word: “ostracized.”
These categories of m’tzora and nidah designated clear lines of “in and out” in ancient Israel. Perhaps the only comfort in these difficult laws was that you were never completely isolated by them: there was a way back, through cleansing, ritual sacrifice, and priestly intervention.
By contrast, today, one is baffled and furious when bus lines in Jerusalem are segregated between men and women. One is enraged when the ultra-Orthodox try to create separate passages along sidewalks in their ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Meah Shearim for men and women, as they did this year during the holiday of Sukkot. The Israeli Supreme Court intervened and demanded that the barriers be brought down. And lest we forget, there is also the never-ending saga of our heroic Women of the Wall, whose voices have, been called “impure” and “defiling.” This is not our biblical way; this is not the Jewish way!
In the beginning of the second decade of the twenty-first century, the most troubling aspect of all this is how little has changed. We still live in segregated, isolating communities. There are the pure and the impure, the leper and the defiled. Recent decrees and public stands by state-sanctioned “rabbis” in the State of Israel have brought these issues to center stage. When over forty state-supported rabbis tell the public not to rent apartments to Arabs and foreign workers, one wonders if we are reading the same Torah. These rabbis’ wives take to the streets to plead that we can only protect the purity of the daughters of Israel if they don’t come into contact with Arabs. These positions fan the flames of fear and suspicion that pit the weak against the weak. The foreign workers flooding Israel’s borders are moving into the impoverished neighborhoods of those who are already disenfranchised. The affluent do not have to confront these “foreigners” going after their jobs or their housing.
Would their neighborhoods welcome the “other”?
These are complicated issues and complicated times. Yet, I hope that our tradition of welcoming the stranger and rehabilitating the impure can be translated into twenty-first century language and norms.
In the summer of 2008, I found myself in New York at the theatre. I went to see the first ever revival of the musical classic South Pacific. This Rogers and Hammerstein masterpiece is about racism and ageism! In the 1940s in America, anti-Semitism, racism, ageism were accepted forms of social mores, some more genteel than others. And I haven’t even mentioned homophobia. As tears streamed down my cheeks watching this glorious production, I could not help but be overwhelmed that for the first time, an African-American was running for president.
These powerful words from South Pacific3 were first sung at a time when no one dared confront these societal norms:
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!
Our biblical text recognizes that we ostracize, we banish, and we exclude, but only in the context of sanctifying God’s name. More importantly, we must enable the banished and the excluded, a way back in. Our beloved Miriam had gossiped about her sister-in-law pointing out her racial identity. God wasted no time, showing “zero tolerance” for this kind of talk. The Children of Israel waited for Miriam as she healed and was purified. She made amends for ostracizing Zipporah, and she herself became a temporary outcast.
How do we confront racism, sexism, and ageism today? We must call its name, we must show “zero tolerance,” we must embrace the victim and rehabilitate the perpetrator. We must not allow our Torah to fan the flames of hate, slander, and segregation. We must be able to admit when we are accomplices and partners in these acts willingly and unwillingly.
This week’s portion, M’tzora, could be dismissed as another chapter in our ancestors’ attempts to make sense of a messy universe where skin diseases and body fluids left them confused and frightened. Or we can look at our own skin, as it were, and remember that skin afflictions do not differentiate between skin colors. And we can demand that women be full citizens in our community because they are no longer bound by childbirth and biology. The age of pure and impure is long over; the age of segregation and prejudice is not. Our ever-renewing tradition must confront this with its greatest “weapon”: We were all created in God’s image in order to spread the sense of holiness everywhere. This is what we must teach our children before it’s too late!
1. See The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, ed. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi (New York: URJ Press and WRJ, 2008) p. 672, for the sources of this midrashic wordplay
2. ibid., p. 668, Note, the word nidah can also mean variations of the word, “ostracized”
3. “You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught,” lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, 1949
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