Have you ever looked up at the moon? Really, really looked. Look up tonight and be amazed. Once, exactly 50 years ago today, a man walked on the moon.

At services today, we had Oreo cookies, made just for this moment, and used a  milk glass from that day when “the eagle has landed.” Many of us gathered today remember exactly where we were and with whom. One said it was the best family time they ever spent.

“One small step for mankind. One giant leap for mankind.”

What is our fascination with the moon? It is beautiful. It waxes and wanes. As Jews, our calendar is a modified lunar calendar. Women celebrated each Rosh Hodesh, the beginning of a new month when just a sliver becomes visible again. It brings with it hope and renewal. Many of our holidays are full moon holidays. Sukkot, Tu B’shevat, Purim, Passover, all begin when the moon is full.

The LORD said to Moses, “Put Aaron’s staff back before the Pact, to be kept as a lesson to rebels, so that their mutterings against Me may cease, lest they die.”

Korach challenged Moses’s leadership, and by extension G-d. Korach and his followers.

Our text picks up just after the rebellion. After G-d smote Korach and his followers. What is going on here?

When is rebellion OK and when is it not?

This is a weekend we celebrate another rebellion. The American Revolution. The idea that a band of rebels, the Sons of Liberty, would rise up and declare independence from England. That they would reject a king’s rule.

What is the difference between what the early American patriots, you know their names…People like Sam Adams, John Adams, and Abigail, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson did. Even Dickinson who rebelled in a different way, what they did and what Korach did?

Korach did it not for the people but because he felt he would be a better leader than Moses. He was ego driven. It was about him. He did not have the best interests of the people at heart.

Now it is true that in order to be a leader you need a certain amount of ego. But ego-driven leadership is something that the business community riles against.

http://themojocompany.com/2014/01/10-traits-of-ego-driven-leaders/#sthash.paOQmJLD.dpbs

1. Often measure their success by how much others notice their success. It becomes more about being the center of attention than it does about actually being successful in and of itself.
2. Often feel better about themselves when others around them don’t achieve or earn as much as they do.
3. Tend to undermine othersso that they can appear to themselves and others to be smarter, better, etc.
4. Tend to drive others away over time. It’s incredibly taxing working for an ego-driven leader, because…
5. Tend to destroy trustand attempt to control others through whatever means necessary. This is exhausting for those who work with these leaders.
6. Are always looking for more praise, always looking for the next spotlight.
7. Status supplants service as the true, underlying motivator.
8. Tend to be easily offended, even if their own behavior toward others is far more egregious. They’re quick to call others defensive, and quick to point out what they perceive to be faulty attitudes in others.
9. Tend to have a burning desire to be right. Every. Single. Time. Or so it seems to those around them.
10. Very rarely admit their faults without somehow rationalizing or blaming others.

http://themojocompany.com/2014/01/10-traits-of-ego-driven-leaders/#sthash.paOQmJLD.dpbs

We’ve probably all worked for this kind of leader, sometime in our careers. It isn’t fun. And Korach was dangerous. The proof that is offered of is how many were killed as part of the rebellion.

On the other hand, Moses, was humble. We looked at that recently. “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:1)

“And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,” Deuteronomy 34:10

We know from this that Moses was humble, very humble and had a unique ability to communicate. He wasn’t perfect. Perfection isn’t the goal. These are important qualities in a leader.

Aaron was a communicator too. He was the mouthpiece of Moses in Egypt. He was a man of peace as Pirke Avot tells us, “Hillel would say: Be of the disciples of Aaron – a lover of peace, a pursuer of peace …” (Pirkei Avot 1:12).

Why? He kept his peace when his sons were killed, seemingly zapped. He made peace by facilitating the building of the Golden Calf. He did not participate in the gossip about Moses that caused Miriam to be punished.

The commentaries explain how Aaron is a rodef shalom, a pursuer of peace:

“Two people were having a quarrel. Aaron went and sat with one of the disputants and said to him, ‘My son, look what your friend is saying; he is distraught and is tearing his clothing.’ The disputant says, ‘Woe to me! How can I look at my friend and see his shame as I am the one who has wronged him.’ …” (and Aaron is doing the same with the other disputant) “When the two met each other, they hugged and kissed in reconciliation” (Avot D’Rabbi Natan, version A, chapter 12).

To pursue is usually a verb related to waging war. The Torah is setting up a different model of leadership. One where leaders pursue justice, as it says “Justice, Justice shall you pursue.” And “Seek peace and pursue it.” It is not, as some suggested a weak form of leadership. It is the very measure of strength.

That is part of what we are celebrating this weekend. Compare Korach’s ego driven leadership with the words of the Declaration of Independence, the very document we are celebrating:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

All the people, however that is defined and that is the subject of much debate, all the people are created b’tzelem elohim, in the image of G-d and as such have rights.

George Washington understood this so very well when he was writing to the Jewish Community of Newport RI.

Gentlemen:

While I received with much satisfaction your address replete with expressions of esteem, I rejoice in the opportunity of assuring you that I shall always retain grateful remembrance of the cordial welcome I experienced on my visit to Newport from all classes of citizens.

The reflection on the days of difficulty and danger which are past is rendered the more sweet from a consciousness that they are succeeded by days of uncommon prosperity and security.

If we have wisdom to make the best use of the advantages with which we are now favored, we cannot fail, under the just administration of a good government, to become a great and happy people.

The citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy—a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.

It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.

It would be inconsistent with the frankness of my character not to avow that I am pleased with your favorable opinion of my administration and fervent wishes for my felicity…G. Washington

https://www.tourosynagogue.org/history-learning/gw-letter

May there come a time when we are not so ego-driven as Korach, where we are as humble as Moses and pursuers of peace as Aaron. Then as Isaiah and G. Washington himself suggested at the conclusion of his letter,” may all the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants—while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.”

Later in the morning, during the usual time for the prayer for our country, we read the prayer written by the Jewish community of Richmond, VA. This prayer fascinates me because it is an acrostic spelling out G. Washington’s name. It is also fascinating because of the number of names of G-d it uses. It maybe the very prayer I use at City Council when I do the invocation on Wednesday night. I am always amazed that we Jews have garnered enough respect in this country, with the vision no less of Washington himself, that rabbis like me are called in to do such invocations.

Prayer for the Government in honor of George Washington, First President of the United States of America by K.K. Beit Shalome (1789)

Friday night I attended a Lights of Liberty event. There was a lot of online rabbinic chatter about how to do this and still observe Shabbat. I chose to go by hosting Shabbat dinner for some friends and then we all went. The event was scheduled in Elgin between 7 and 8 and before candlelighting at 8:11. There was opportunity for teaching about this important topic, some laughter and since my congregation has no formal services on Friday in the summer, a chance to host Shabbat dinner, something my husband and I miss in the summer.

The event itself was important. It filled Christ the Lord Lutheran Church. The pastor there talked about Jesus as a refugee and what happened when his church in Manhattan put up a sign that said Immigrants Welcome. It was smeared with as he put it crap. But Jesus, born in a manger, was used to crap. Jesus taught us to “Love our neighbors as ourselves and to welcome the stranger. Jesus taught us to feed the stranger and offer drink to the thirsty. To everyone. There were remarks from other clergy. The singing of This Land is Your Land and We Shall Overcome. We were assured by the mayor of Elgin that we will not help ICE if they come to Elgin. That he has directed the police to protect the rights of residents and not to help ICE. The powerful remarks of the executive director of Women on the Border. And the haunting, first hand accounts of children separated from their parents, telling horrific first hand accounts of deplorable conditions. I didn’t know if I was listening to stories of children at Terezin from the book, “I never saw another butterfly” or current stories here.

People wanted a copy of my remarks, some of which are repeated from a recent sermon:

You might think that the scarf I am wearing is my prayer shawl, my tallit, or a symbol of pride. It actually is neither. I chose to wear this tonight because I purchased it in Guatemala, when I was there as a Global Justice Fellow with American Jewish World Service. My Kippah, is also from Guatemala. One of the most remarkable memories of that trip was the statue to their hero, the migrant who has made it to the United States and sends back money to their relatives left behind.

I have a Guatemalan son-in-law who in 1983 was airlifted off a football field in Guatemala City in 1983, when the violence in Guatemala was unspeakable and people were being “disappeared”. That is a euphemism for kidnapped and killed. No, murdered.

I have a nephew, who my brother-in-law and sister-in-law rescued from the Killing Fields of Cambodia. He is now an American citizen with an electrical engineering degree from the University of Arizona, married to an Israeli and working for the US Navy.

They are the lucky ones. They made it here and have “made it in America”. Exactly the kind of citizens we want in this country. I often hear about the “rule of law” and that we in America need to uphold the “rule of law”. That’s why we need to separate these illegal children and that’s why we need to deport these people. Let me be clear. We in the United States are not upholding our own law. And no person is illegal.

Let me tell you another story: The story of Greta. Greta was a teenager when she arrived in Saint Louis and was rescued by my mother’s own family: My mother’s own words, “My first recollection of Greta Westerfeld was her German accent and her long braids. She was the first of the children sent for safety in St. Louis to escape the War in Europe. I imagine she was terrified. She came to live with the Friedmans who were not related and a middle-aged childless couple. When they took her to my stepfather, the pediatrician, he said, “I have a kid her age. We must get them together.” The Friedmans didn’t know much about ten year olds, but always made me feel welcome in their house…At first Greta was very shy. And even her clothes were different. She word dark skirts with white blouses and long wool stockings. I guess my mother helped Mrs. Friedman buy American clothes like the other kids wore. Greta went to our school, joined our Girl Scout troop, went camping with us and became part of the group. We all knew she worried about her family who were still in Germany and dreaded their fate.”

Often times I hear people say, “We didn’t know what was happening in Europe during the war.” The Jewish community of Saint Louis in the 30s and 40s certainly knew what was happening in Europe, and tried, despite closed borders, to desperately rescue as many people as possible. Greta’s family did not survive. Greta eventually married and moved to New Jersey to begin her new life. What my mother doesn’t say in her account that I remember so vividly. She died in the late 1960s. Much like in the novel Sarah’s Key, some said of a broken heart. That’s a euphemism. Let’s be clear. All those years later, she killed herself.

My family, because of the Holocaust has worked on refugee issues for decades. We’ve worked as attorneys, immigration judges, real estate agents and/or social workers with the immigrant community, sponsors, foster parents and I did an internship with Refugee Immigration Ministry which works with asylum seekers in Massachusetts. As part of that internship we fought against for profit jails. That was 2001. Jails that were housing children. That was a year we all remember. On the Friday after 9/11, at our weekly staff meeting the executive director said that our clients were now at risk and fearful. If the United States was under attack, they wondered, where else could they run. Haunting.

We’ve done all that because our US borders were not open when Jews in Europe needed it most. The story of the USS Saint Louis haunts us and like Jews everywhere we have vowed to remember, to never forget and to pledge Never Again to anyone anywhere.

None of that matters. Let me be clear. Very, very clear. Our country’s policy on immigration, detention and deportation is wrong. Period. The idea that children are forcibly removed from their parents is unconsciousable. And like Greta likely to cause permanent damage.

The Jewish tradition is clear. 36 times in Torah it tells us to take care of the widow, the orphan, the stranger. The ger in Hebrew, the soujouner, the resident alien, the person who has chosen to join with us. There is to be one law for citizen and sojourner alike. One law. I have the full list of quotes.

But none of that matters. The only thing that matters is that we stop these raids that are supposed to begin this weekend. Now. That we close these detention centers. Now. That we return children who have been separated from their parents. Now. That we uphold US and international law concerning refugees and asylum seekers. That we provide clean, safe water, adequate food, blankets, soap, toothbrushes, and medical attention. Now. Otherwise, we are no better than the repressive regimes we have sent our troops into fight around the world. Otherwise there will be other Gretas and Henrys and Edgars. The time is now.

My tradition is clear. Love your neighbor. Love the stranger. The time is now.

This week we got a notice on the front of our building. It was a boil water notice. We didn’t find it until Friday. But it said we would not have any water until 11Pm on Thursday. However, we knew as soon as the water was turned off. No water to wash hands, to drink on a hot summer’s day or to flush the toilets. It was a water main break. Not the only one in Elgin this week.

As we watched water gushing from a hydrant, I was reminded of the poem:

“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.” Coleridge, Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Water. It is an essential element. H20. We can’t live without it. We were born in it. 60% of our bodies are water. We are told to stay hydrated in the summer especially. Drink your water. TODAY. It will be very hot. They are saying it on all the news.

The recommendation is 64 ounces of water. Pure, clean, water. That’s a gallon. That’s a privilege.

Now imagine not having access to water. Maybe you are wandering in the desert, an ancient Israelite, like in our portion today. Maybe you visiting Israel. Lishdot, Lishdot, Lishdot. Drink, Drink, Drink, the madricim, the tour guides call out. Tepid water out of a hot canteen or a warm plastic bottle is not too appealing. Ice doesn’t exist much in the desert but drink you must. Maybe you live in Tucson, like Simon’s siblings. When we first started visiting them in Tucson, I didn’t like drinking water. But Simon’s mother was insistent. And iced tea doesn’t count.

Maybe you live in Flint. Five years after the crisis began, it may finally be getting better, NPR reports. The last pipe needing replacing has been. But the jury is out on whether the children have been permanently damaged by the lead and the unemployment is still sky high. https://www.npr.org/2019/04/25/717104335/5-years-after-flints-crisis-began-is-the-water-safe

Maybe you live in Guatemala.

Guatemala has been in the news a lot this weekend. Part of the reason we hear about the violence in Guatemala is a fight over land rights and water rights. It is part of what I learned about when I traveled to Guatemala as part of American Jewish World Service. It is part of what I spoke about last night at a Lights of Liberty event.

While Guatemala’s constitution guarantees the right to clean and safe water (The US Constitution does no such thing), Guatemala and El Salvador are the only two Central American countries to not have legislation to protect the right to water access or regulate its use. So big international mining companies come in and prevent access to water by the indigenous people. This causes an increase in violence. It also creates a huge issue with pollution. Lake Atilan, one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited, is one of the most polluted, fresh water lakes. This impacts access to safe drinking water, and threatens the economy of the region.

Under the slogan, “Water is life”, thousands have marched from the border of Mexico to the coast, some 260 miles, to demand that the Guatemalan government protect the right and access to fresh water.

http://upsidedownworld.org/archives/guatemala/water-is-life-guatemalan-march-for-water-rights-connects-struggles-across-latin-america/

Yes, people fight. To the death over water. In Tucson there were two recent trials of people providing water to migrants. Leaving gallon jugs of bottled water out in the hot Sonoran desert sun. In one case, four were convicted in January. In the other, in June, the jury was deadlocked. When did it become a crime to give someone water? How does this fit with our Jewish values?

Yes, people fight. To the death over water. Abraham signed a treaty with Abimelech to guarantee access to wells. Isaac did too. Beersheva either means Seven Wells or Well of Oath, because the treaty was signed there. Water provides more than physical nourishment. It also provides spiritual nourishment. Who has not been refreshed by watching a sunset over a body of water? Wells are also where you might find your soulmate. Hagar found G-d. Rebecca was led to Isaac. Jacob found Rachel and Leah. Moses found Zipporah.

Water is life.

Bottled water may not be. Bottled water actually hurts the environment. The bottlers harm the environment by depleting aquifers and other groundwater sources. They have an impact on the local economies because they pay little, and in some cases nothing for the water they take. They can take the maximum amount they want, without regard for drought or water shortage or regard for the local needs of the people, like we discussed about Guatemala.

Plastic bottles are not sustainable. They require too much fossil fuels to manufacture, fill and ship. Nor are they biodegradable. 6 out of 7 plastic bottles in the US are “downcycled” and not recycled. Some bottled water is merely tap water at 10,000 times the cost. As much as 25% of bottled water may come from the tap. Bottled water may contain mold, microbes, benzene leached from the plastic and even more recently arsenic.

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11193/7-reasons-to-never-drink-bottled-water-again.html

So what do we do at CKI.? We have taken steps to reduce the numbers of plastic bottles we use here. You have probably noticed the pretty decanters with ice water, usually one plain and one infused with fruit. Drink it. Enjoy it. Drink deeply from it.

Our portion today starts just after the death of Miriam. Miriam, whose name means bitter waters is very much associated with water. We know her as placing Baby Moses in the basket on the Nile, for singing at the shores of the sea and for finding water while the Israelites were wandering in the desert. But then she dies.

“And the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin on the first new moon and the people dwelled there at Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there. And there was not water for the community and they joined against Moses and Aaron.” (Numbers 20:1-2)

Once Miriam dies, the Israelite can no longer find water. “Spring up O Well.” They sing. Debbie Friedman, z’l gave us a lovely song using this very verse:

Lyrics:
Spring up a well, and sing ye unto it
Spring up a well, and sing ye unto it

CHORUS:
Oh the water in the well and the healing in the well
The women and the water and the hope that’s in the well (x2)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jJXCpEqO54

The verses of Debbie Friedman’s song are actually based on the midrashim about Miriam. They explain that this well, Miriam’s Well, followed the Israelites and provided the water. With her death, the well disappeared. (Ta;anit 9A). Rashi comments, saying that the rock that “Moses struck with his rod, in verse 11, was actually the no longer functional Miriam’s Well. When the Israelites complained, yes, they were kvetching again, that there were “no grain or figs or vines or pomegranates (20:4), they were expressing their profound alarm that the mayyim hayyim, the living waters that had once watered their gardens, herbs, seeds and trees and dried up. (Sefer Ha’Aggadah)

Miriam, and her well, were the source of mayyim hayyim, that living water that we all need to live. That we can still access today, if only we know how to look. Some midrashim teach that Miriam’s Well was as old as the universe, created on the second day (Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer 3) or on the eve of the very first Shabbat. (Avot 5:6). It may have looked like a beehive. Whenever the Israelites camped, the well rested close by on an elevated spot opposite the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. (Tosefta Sukkah 3:11-13 and Numbers Rabbah 1:2) http://www.jtsa.edu/miriams-legacy-of-leadership

Now let’s go back to the song, because we begin to understand how the water in the well provided hope and healing. For the Israelites and for us today:

When the world was created, there was heaven and dry land
And all the waters gathered, upon hearing God’s command
There was a bit of water, that was left or so they tell,
That was the water that became the water from the well

CHORUS:

It was in Miriam’s honor that the first well came to be,
To celebrate her music, her dance and prophecy,
The people came to Miriam when their spirits rose and fell
She nourished all their visions with the water from the well

CHORUS:

“Spring up a well!” the twelve tribes sang and the rushing waters flowed
High as pillars, into rivers to the oceans they would go
Surrounded by the trees and fruits so rich and bountiful
The Israelites were nourished by the waters from the well

CHORUS:

When Miriam dried, the well dried up, and Moses’ shed his tears
And God said, “Moses, touch this rock and water will appear”
Well Moses raised his staff in anger and upon the rock it fell
And out came springs of water, it was water from the well
CHORUS:

Bridge:
For the memory of the women, for the memory of the well
For the ones who came before us, their stories we must tell
We are searching for the water, where we wander, where we dwell
For Miriam and all of us, who thirst to find the well

CHORUS:

This is Miriam’s Cup, Kos Miriyam that many people have taken since the 70s to adding to their seder tables. This is how new liturgy is born. Recognizing the real role that Miriyam and her leadership played in allowing the Israelites to flee Egypt. Her rescuing Moses, her teaching the women to celebrate at the shores of the sea and her finding water in the wilderness, offering all of us hope.

This Kos Miriyam one that I purchased in Riverdale, NY with my chevruta partner, Rabbi Linda Shriner Cahn.

Because this is a “new custom” there is no fixed blessing yet. Let’s try this:

Zot Kos Miryam, Kos Mayyim Hayyim. 
Zakheir l’tzi-at Mitzrayim.

This is the Cup of Miriam, the Cup of Living Waters.
Let us remember our going out from Egypt.

Barukh Atah Adonay, Eloheynu Melekh ha-Olam, she-ha-kol n’hi-ye bi-d’varo

Blessed are You Lordh our God, Ruler of the Universe, Creator of Time and Space, by Whose word everything is created.

And remember, this day and every day, drink your water. And fight so that all people have access to water. Water is life.

A sermon in honor of Wendy McFadden:

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all .
Emily Dickinson

My job this morning is to tie lots of ideas together. I think I can do that. One of the best parts of my job is when a student asked a question that makes me learn something new. We thank Wendy McFadden for that this week and wish her well as she preaches on a similar topic at the National Church of the Brethren convention next week.

Our story this morning starts with spies. Both spies in the full Torah reading and spies in the Haftarah reading. Perhaps you prefer the term scout. They go to scout out the land and bring back intelligence. In the first story, every tribe sends a spy. The 10 think that while the land is a good land, following with milk and honey, it is a very difficult, impossible task ahead. After all, there are nephalim. Giants. So giant they would eat the Israelites, they appeared as small as…grasshoppers. They only see part of the story. Only Joshua and Caleb come back optimistic, thinking that the Israelites will be able to enter the land. Tie Number One. They have hope.

After enduring more grumbling, more kvetching from the Israelites, G-d’s anger reappears. The Israelites want to go back to Egypt. Why not? The battle ahead will be dangerous and without a clear outcome. Moses intercedes (again) on the people’s behalf and reminds G-d of G-d’s essential nature. G-d, You are G-d, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, full of lovingkindness… Adonai, Adonai, El Rachum V’chanun. Using those very words he learned from G-d on top of Mount Sinai, it works. Again. And G-d utters the words we know from Yom Kippur, from Kol Nidre itself. Vayomer Adonai, selacti kidvarecha. And G-d said, I have pardoned you according to your word. Tie Number Two. Moses and G-d have hope.

The Israelites set out again…now buoyed with hope.

Then G-d says:
There shall be one law for you and for the resident stranger; it shall be a law for all time throughout the ages. You and the stranger shall be alike before the LORD; Tie Number Three. This brings the sojourners hope.

We know this word hope in Hebrew. It is tikvah. Like the Jewish National Anthem, HaTikvah, the Hope. But it shows up in an interesting place. In our Haftarah, which Simon will read shortly, Rahab offers the scouts hope. A lifeline. Literally, a red thread as a sign. That thread is called tikvah.

Now I could not find much Jewish commentary on this. But Christian commentators have much to say about this red thread tikvah. And one Rosh Hashanah sermon delivered at Chicago Sinai Congregation, Simon’s home congregation. Seems appropriate as we tie the generations together.

“As the Israelites prepare to enter the Land, Joshua, the new leader of the Jewish people sends in two spies to scope it out. Upon entering, the scouts arrive a the house o Rahab and stay there…As you might imagine, when word gets out about these Israelites, the Canaanites are less than thrilled and plan to attach. IN that very moment, Rahab, the Harlot becomes Rahab the Heroine. (We could do a whole text study on Rahab and her leadership style. That’s for another time)…In order to protect Rahab, the scouts offer her a scarlet tikvah, thread to hang from her window. This scarlet thread becomes Rahab’s only guarantee that her household will be spared by the Israelites. It was literally her tikvah, her only hope.” https://www.chicagosinai.org/worship/sermons/real-kind-of-hope

Tie Number Four. Rahab has hope.

Rabbi Amanda Greene goes on to point out that Jewish hope is different that hope in general. “Our hope, Jewish hope, is much more difficult than Hallmark hope. It is not a hope that guarentees happy endings. It is not a hope that makes everything better. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel taught, “Hope is a conviction, rooted in trust..an ability to soar above the darkness that overshadows the Divine.”

The next tie that binds in our portion, is for the gift of challah.

“When the Israelites enter the land, a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey, they are directed, commanded to offer a gift. The gift of bread. Not just any bread. Challah.

“Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When you enter the land to which I am taking you and you eat of the bread of the land, you shall set some aside as a gift to the Lord: as the first yield of your baking. You shall set aside a loaf as a gift; you shall set it aside as a gift like the gift fro the threshing floor. You shall make a gift to the Lord from the first yield of your baking throughout the ages.”

This is the origin of separating challah, of “taking challah”. The book Spiritual Kneading has much to say about this tradition, which is still observed today. I think it is an offering of hope.

We still do this. It binds us together through the generations. And if you want to join us for Rosh Hodesh on Tuesday night we will separate challah, at one of the darkest times, the new moon, bringing us hope.

It is about living with gratitude and recognizing that our bread come forth from the land, with the help of G-d. It reminds me of the old Girl Scout Grace, Back of the Bread. Back of the Bread is the flour and back of the flour is the mill and back of the mill is the wind and the rain and the Father’s will.

Bread does not come out of the earth as bread. It takes seeds, and a balance between rain and sun, and milling the grain, and mixing the flour, letting it rise, baking it but not too long. Farmers must have hope.  Tie Number Five. Farmers, and by extension us, must remember to live in hope. Challah represents that hope.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to deliver produce from our garden, 40 pounds of omer, our winter rye to Gene Lindow for animals in McHenry. Having grown a good crop, we shouldn’t waste the energy that went into that. And two heads of lettuce and the first radishes to the Soup Kettle across the street. We will have the opportunity to taste one of those radishes. We have set that aside as a gift and will enjoy another shehechianu moment at our Kiddush shortly.

But you might be wondering, why did I pass out a purple thread. Rahab’s thread was scarlet. Because there is another tie that binds. Our portion ends this morning with a paragraph we know so well. It is the third paragraph of the V’ahavta. It tells us to tie a blue thread, a fringe onto our garments. To remember the mitzvoth and to remember that G-d took us out of Egypt. We do that with our tzitzit and our tallitot, prayer shawls. That is the Sixth Tie that Binds.

I stand before you today, in one of my favorite tallitot. It was crafted by Rabbi Terry Greenstein and I wear it about four times a year. It was Peretz’s favorite. I wear it for Shabbat Noach, and for Joseph and his amazing Technicolor dreamcoat. I wear it for the Shabbat when people believe the rainbow appeared in the sky, usually May. And I wear it for Pride Shabbat.

There are many interpretations of why red and blue threads. Perhaps they are just two of the “royal” and expensive dyes mandated in building the Holy Temple. Perhaps, as one commentator suggested, red is for women reminding us of blood and blue is for men. But I am not sure that even then gender colors were so fixed. Remember that it was the men who put blood on the doorposts so that the Angel of Death would Passover and protect all the first born (men).

However, red and blue together make purple. So this purple thread I have given you today is to remind you to live with hope. That is the Seventh Tie.

Driving along Route 20 on the way back from Marengo I was reminded of this quote from the Color Purple:

Describing what God does to please people, Shug says,”I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.” After Celie asks what God does in response to this obliviousness, Shug replies that God creates something else people will see, because God just wants to be loved. Out of this pivotal conversation, Celie develops a deep spiritual connection.

That’s what G-d wants. G-d wants us to remember. To take notice. To live in gratitude and hope.Take your purple thread and wear it all week to remember. To take notice. To live in gratitude and hope.

Like Edmund Flegg wrote to his grandson tying those generations together: “Je suis juif parce qu’en tous temps où crie une désespérance, le juif espère. I am a Jew because in every age when the cry of despair is heard the Jew hopes.”

For an entire year, my synagoue, Congregation Kneseth Israel has studied covenant. In Hebrew the word is brit. As a concluding activity, we met for a Tikkun Leil Shavuot to figure out what we have learned and how we relate it to living in 5779/2019 and in community. The community of a congregation. A community that takes care of one another. Each month as part of my bulletin announcement I would look at one of the obligations outlines in Elu Devarim, a piece of the Ralmud that is included in the morning service. Then between Passover and Shavuot as part of our Omer Study Project we would look at a section together.

We began Shavuot night with a puzzle, broken into pieces, that had “We shall do and we shall hear.” Scribbled on puzzle pieces were 48 things we “should” do according to the Torah that are Jewish values. 48. Almost the 50 of counting the omer, the 50 days between Passover and Shavuot.

Then we did chevruta study, study in pairs of friendsThere are 346 mentions of covenant in Scripture, a good online concordance will tell you. 270 in the Hebrew Scriptures alone. Many are about the “ark of the covenant.” Those verses we didn’t study. What we did do was study verses from each of the Books of the Torah, some from the Writings and Prophets and some from the Talmud. Those verses follow.

There are several types of covenants in the Bible.

• There is the covenant of creation, of the Garden of Eden where G-d commands Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and that while they have dominion over the earth, they need to be caretakers of the earth and to be G-d’s partner in creation.
• There is the covenant with Noah where G-d promises never to destroy the world again by flood. Out of that, the rabbis deduce 7 Noahide laws. These are covenantal responsibilities for being part of the covenant. G-d’s sign of the covenant is the rainbow.
• Then there was the covenant with Abraham, where G-d promises the land of Israel to Abraham and his descendants and to make his descendants as numerous as the sands of the sea and the stars in the sky. The sign of the covenant is the circumcision, the brit milah.
• The covenant with Moses is given while standing at Mount Sinai. It is reflective of the Abrahamic covenant and described in covenantal language of Exodus 19. It includes the 10 Commandments (or the 613 Commandments). Earlier in the Exodus saga Tziporah circumcises her son (when Moses doesn’t). The sign of the covenant is Torah itself and in some communities is seen as a ketubah marrying G-d and the people of Israel on Shavuot.
• Shabbat is a sign of the covenant that is promised in Exodus 31. We sing this song joyously on Shabbat, V’shamru. We, the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath…it is a sign for all generations.

And that is what a covenant is. A promise between peoples. If you do x, I will do y. In Hebrew the language is to “cut a covenant”. There a number of combination words about covenant:

• Ot habrit, Sign of the Covenant (rainbow, circumcision, Shabbat)
• Brit Milah, Circumcision of Covenant
• Bnei brit, Children of the Covenant
  Luchot habrit, Tablets of the Covenant
• Aron Habrit, Ark of the Covenant
• Sefer habrit, Book of the Covenant
• Dam Habrit, Blood of the covenant
• Brit shalom, Covenant of Peace
• Brit hadashah, New Covenant
• Brit Olam (a political party in Israel and a designation of the Religious Action Center of the Reform Movement)

Brit Shalom fascinates me because the new JPS translation translates it as “covenant of friendship” or “pact of friendship”. I asked my Bar Mitzvah students why they thought that choice was made. They said that they thought it was because without peace you really can’t have friendship. And without friends there is no peace.

Marriage Covenant

“Blessed are You, LORD, our God, sovereign of the universe, who created joy and gladness, groom and bride, mirth, song, delight and rejoicing, love and harmony and peace and companionship. Quickly, LORD our God, there should be heard in the cities of Judah and in the courtyards of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of groom and the voice of bride, the jubilant voices of grooms from the bridal canopy, and of young people from the feast of their singing. Blessed are You, LORD, who makes joyful the groom and the bride.”

Shavuot Covenant:

Shavuot is seen as the fulfillment of the covenant. A marriage between G-d and the people of Israel.

God proposes: “Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples” (Exodus 19:5).

The people accept: “All the people answered as one, saying, ‘All that the Eternal has spoken we will do!’” (Exodus 19:8).

The people cleanse themselves, as at a mikvah (Jewish ritual bath, traditionally used by a bride before the wedding): “Moses came down from the mountain to the people and warned the people to stay pure, and they washed their clothes” (Exodus 19:14).

Then God and the people join under a chuppah (marriage canopy): “Moses led the people out of the camp toward God, and they took their places beneath [at the foot of] the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for the Eternal had come down upon it in fire” (Exodus 19:17-18).

There is a ketubah (marriage contract): “The Eternal said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and wait there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the teachings and commandments which I have inscribed to instruct them” (Exodus 24:12).

Here is a sample Shavuot Ketubah, written by Israel Najara (c.1550-c.1625)::

Friday, the sixth of Sivan, the day appointed by the Lord for the revelation of the Torah to His beloved people… The Invisible One came forth from Sinai, shone from Seir and appeared from Mount Paran unto all the kings of the earth, in the year 2448 since the creation of the world, the era by which we are accustomed to reckon in this land whose foundations were upheld by God, as it is written, ‘For He hath founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods’ (Psalms 24.2).

The Bridegroom [God], Ruler of rulers, Prince of princes, Distinguished among the select, Whose mouth is pleasing and all of Whom is delightful, said unto the pious, lovely and virtuous maiden [the people of Israel] who won His favor above all women, who is beautiful as the moon, radiant as the sun, awesome as bannered hosts: Many days wilt thou be Mine and I will be thy Redeemer.

Behold, I have sent thee golden precepts through the lawgiver Jekuthiel [Moses]. Be thou My mate according to the law of Moses and Israel, and I will honor, support, and maintain thee and be thy shelter and refuge in everlasting mercy. And I will set aside for thee, in lieu of thy virginal faithfulness, the life-giving Torah by which thou and thy children will live in health and tranquility.

This bride [Israel] consented and became His spouse. Thus an eternal covenant, binding them forever, was established between them. The Bridegroom then agreed to add to the above all future expositions of Scripture, including Sifra, Sifre, Aggadah, and Tosefta. He established the primacy of the 248 positive commandments that are incumbent upon all… and added to them the 365 negative commandments. The dowry that this bride brought from the house of her father consists of an understanding heart that understands, ears that hearken, and eyes that see.

Thus the sum total of the contract and the dowry, with the addition of the positive and negative commandments, amounts to the following: ‘Revere God and observe His commandments; this applies to all mankind’ (Ecclesiastes 12:13). The Bridegroom, desiring to confer privileges upon His people Israel and to transmit these valuable assets to them, took upon Himself the responsibility of this marriage contract, to be paid from the best portions of His property…

All these conditions are valid and established forever and ever. The Bridegroom has given His oath to carry them out in favor of His people and to enable those that love Him to inherit substance. Thus the Lord has given His oath. The Bridegroom has followed the legal formality of symbolic delivery of this document, which is bigger than the earth and broader than the seas. Everything, then, is firm, clear, and established…

I invoke heaven and earth as reliable witnesses.

May the Bridegroom rejoice with the bride whom He has taken as His lot and may the bride rejoice with the Husband of her youth while uttering words of praise.

“I will betroth thee unto Me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto Me in righteousness, and in justice, and in lovingkindness, and in compassion. And I will betroth thee unto Me in faithfulness, and thou shalt know the Lord” (Hosea 2:21-22) and “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel” (Jeremiah 31:31)

And here Is the culminating exercise, how we took the year’s study of covenant and created our own Shavuot ketubah for Congregation Kneseth Israel, mirroring our vision statement with Elu Devarim :

“The Israelites
gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai said “We will do and we will hear.” Even before they knew what was in it, they agreed.

On this, the 6^th of Sivan 5779 as we reckon time in Elgin, IL, we, the members of Congregation Kneseth Israel are standing again at Mount Sinai ready to receive the Torah as a sign of our covenant with the Holy One. We promise to engage in

Lifelong Learning

To attend the house of study
To learn and to teach with our adults and children
To teach our children diligently

Meaningful Observance

To pray with sincerity
To remember and keep Shabbat
To rejoice with bride and groom
To console the bereaved
To celebrate lifecycle events and holidays
To maintain a kosher kitchen

Building Community

To honor our fathers and mothers
To perform acts of love and kindness
To visit the sick
To host gatherings for men and women and children
To be warm and welcoming to all who enter

Embracing Diversity

To recognize that everyone is created in the image of G-d, b’tzelem elohim
To love our neighbors as ourselves
To welcome the stranger
To provide hospitality to all who enter
To not put a stumbling block before the blind or curse the deaf
To provide a safe, non-judgmental space for all to learn, celebrate and grow
To make peace where there is strife

And the study of Torah equal to them all, because it leads to them all.

“Ours is not to finish the task, neither are we free to ignore it.” Pirke Avot 2:21

Witnessed and signed this day of Shavuot, 5779 by the members of Congregation Kneseth Israel

Here are the chevruta texts we used:

Genesis
“And I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.” (Gen. 9:15)

“When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” (Gen 9:16)

On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto your seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: (Gen. 15:18)

“As for me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you shalt be a father of many nations.” (Genesis 17:4)

“And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto you, and to your seed after you.” (Genesis 17:7)

And God said, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed; and you shall call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto you at this set time in the next year. (Gen. 17:19, 21)

“And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.” Genesis 21:27

“So now come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.” (Genesis 31:44) (between Jacob and Laban) 

Exodus

“So God heard their groaning; and God remembered God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Exodus 2:24)

“I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned. (Exodus 6:4)

“Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.” (Exodus 6:5)

“Now therefore, if you will listen to My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then you shall be My treasure to me from among all people: for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Exodus 19:5-6).

“The children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout the ages as a covenant for all time: it shall be a sign for all time between Me and the people of Israel” (Exodus 31:16)

Then God said, “Behold, I am going to make a covenant Before all your people I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of the LORD, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you. (Exodus 34:10)

Leviticus

“You should be holy because I the Lord your G-d am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2)

“Fear (or revere) your mother and your father, because I the Lord your G-d am holy.” (Leviticus 19:3).

“And you shall take fine flour and bake twelve loaves…and you shall set them in two rows, six in a row, upon the pure table before the LORD…every Sabbath day he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, it is from the children of Israel, an everlasting covenant.” (Leviticus 23:6-8)

“then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land.” (Leviticus 26:22)

“Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.” (Leviticus 26:42)

“But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD. (Leviticus 26:45)

Numbers

“Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace and it shall be unto him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood.” (Numbers 25:12-13)

Deuteronomy

And G-d declared to you G-d’s covenant, which the Lord commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and G-d wrote them upon two tables of stone. (Deut. 4:13)

For the LORD your God is a merciful God; God will not forsake you, nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your ancestors which God swore unto them. (Deut 4:31)

“The LORD did not make this covenant with our ancestors, but with us, with all those of us alive here today. (Deut. 5:3)

“So keep the words of this covenant to do them, that you may prosper in all that you do. (Deut. 29:9)

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse: Choose life if you and your offspring would live” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

The Lord goes before you and will be with you; God will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deut. 31:8)

Covenant in Other Books of the TaNaCH

“There is no God like You, in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keeps the covenant and lovingkindness with Your servants, that walk with Your with all their heart.” (I Kings 8:23)

“The covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. (II Kings 17:38)

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:8)

I the LORD have called you to righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will keep you, and give you a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations.” (Isaiah 42:6).

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” (Isaiah 43:2)

Thus says the LORD, “In a favorable time I have answered You, And in a day of salvation I have helped You; And I will keep You and give You for a covenant of the people, To restore the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages; (Isaiah 49:8)

“For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,” Says the LORD who has compassion on you.” (Isaiah 54:10)

“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from now and forever.” (Isaiah 59:21)

“But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land,” says the Lord. “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33)

“I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. (Jeremiah 32:40)

“Thus says the LORD, ‘If My covenant for day and night stand not, and the fixed patterns of heaven and earth I have not established. (Jeremiah 33:35)

And on that day will I make a covenant with them with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground; and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the land, and will make them to lie down safely. (Hosea 2: 20)

“To do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your G-d.” (Micah 6:8)

“I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. (Ezekiel 37:26)

“My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me and stood in awe of My name. (Malachi 2:5)

“Truly is not my house so with God? For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, Ordered in all things, and secured; For all my salvation and all my desire, Will He not indeed make it grow? (2 Samuel 23:5)

“I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your seed forever And build up your throne to all generations.” Selah. (Psalm 89:3-4)

My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. (Psalm 89:28)

“The Lord has remembered God’s covenant forever, The word which God commanded to a thousand generations,” (Psalm 105:8)

Covenant in the Talmud:

These are the obligations without measure, whose reward too, is without measure: whose fruits we eat in this world, but whose full reward awaits us in the World to Come:

To honor father and mother;
To perform acts of love and kindness;
To attend the house of study daily;
To welcome the stranger;
To visit the sick;
To rejoice with bride and groom;
To console the bereaved;
To pray with sincerity;
To make peace when there is strife;
And the study of Torah equal to them all, because it leads to them all.
Mishnah Peah 1:1

The Talmud tells this story about a Sadducee who once saw Rava so engrossed in learning that he did not attend a wound in his own hand! The Sadducee exclaimed, “You rash people! You put your mouths ahead of your ears [by saying “we will do and we will listen”]! and you still persist in your recklessness. First, you should have heard out [the covenant details]. If it is within your powers, then accept it. If not, you should have rejected it!” Rava answered, “We walked with our whole being. [Rashi’s classic Talmudic commentary: “We walked…as those who serve (God) in love. We relied on God not to burden us with something we could not carry. “] Of us it is written, ‘The wholeness (meaning wholeheartedness) of the righteous shall guide them.’” [Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat, 88a.]

The sermon I tried to give.

There is much in this week’s portion. I wrote one sermon, and there are two more I could give. Do you want Door Number 1, Door Number 2 or Door Number Three?

Our story is about a journey. It starts with very familiar words, ones we just sang at the beginning of the Torah service:

“V’hi ben soa aron, v’yomer Moshe..kuma Adonai…And it came to pass, when the ark went forward, Moses said, Arise, Adonai.”

The object of this journey is to move forward. Then G-d will arise. G-d will rise up. G-d will be present. We are calling G-d to be present.

This portion is about the kind of community we want to create so that we move forward and G-d is present. But it isn’t always so easy. Those Israelites kvetch. They want to go back to Egypt. Back to what is familiar. Like leeks and cucumbers. And meat. And Moses is tired of listening to their kvetching. G-d tells him exactly what Jethro had told him back in Exodus. You can’t do this alone. Find 70 elders. 70 grey beards. Let them help you. Delegate. That’s part of leadership.

Let’s talk about what happens when Miriam and Aaron confront Moses. What is the issue here? They seem to be unhappy that Moses married a Cushite woman. Who is this Cushite woman? The daughter of a Midianite priest. So is the issue that this is an interfaith relationship? I don’t think so.

The text says that Moses was a humble man, more humble than anyone else. It is an important quality in a leader and one that often gets lost. As an act of humility, which then automatically negates the act of humility, I want to say that years ago, when taking a Bible comprehensive, this was the text I had to translate. And I did it wrong. I translated the verse as “Moses was humbled” as opposed to “Moses was humble” above all the men on the earth. I then spun it that Miriam and Aaron had humbled him with their comments. I was reading a midrash book at the time that could justify that reading. They lowered him by complaining about Zipporah. On that very translation, I flunked that exam.

Last week I made a mistake too. We were a little short on having a minyan. I told the shliach tzibbur to begin the Amidah with a silent one. Then I told him to start before everyone was done with their individual silent Amidah. This angered a member who thought that the shliach tzibbur did it on his own initiative Ordinarily, we allow everyone to finish. Almost everyone. Usually I start while Simon, my husband is still standing. That’s not fair to him. I explain before we start that this is your moment with G-d and to take as much time as you need. Later that evening, I did some research. Did you know that there are 7 acceptable, halachic ways to do a repetition of the Amidah? I was merely doing what I had seen done in another Conservative synagogue. In the process I violated our own established minhag hamakom, custom of the place, our place. And for that I am sorry. Truly sorry. So today, we will make sure everyone finishes their own individual Amidah before continuing. Everyone will get their private moment with G-d. That is part of the journey.

G-d punishes Miriam (but seemingly not Aaron) for speaking out about Moses. With some skin ailment that is white as snow. Why? Because it seems rather than going directly to Moses with whom she had a problem, she was engaging in “lashon hara” evil speech, tale bearing, gossip. This is a big sin in Judaism. Much of the sins that we proclaim on Yom Kippur have to do with not using our tongues wisely. And Miriam did not. So she is put outside the camp. For seven days. And Moses prays for her healing. With very simple (and effective) words. El na Refana La. Please G-d, please heal her. Teaching about the misheberach, our own prayer for healing is yet another sermon.

Only after Miriam is healed. And she is allowed back in the camp. Only then do the Israelites pick up and move forward. It is a journey. A journey of healing. Of completeness and wholeness. May it be so for this community as well. May we remember to guard our tongues. May we remember to treat others fairly. To not jump to conclusions. To not be afraid to admit when we don’t know. May we not long for the days of Egypt. May we not kvetch. May this be a place of wholeness and peace.

In Memory of Myra Becker. It was only a year ago when Myra and I went to visit our congressmen. When we stood outside at a rally about separating children at the border.

This is the sermon I didn’t give on Saturday, because I had something even more important to say…watch for that tomorrow. This is the sermon that makes me angry. Really, really angry. You may not agree with me. It may make you angry too. Good get angry. Then put that energy to work and find  a solution.

This week we marked World Refugee Day. A designation from the United Nations in 1980. I know, we Jews don’t always like the United Nations. Let’s save that for another time.

I just finished reading Escape to Virginia. It was this month’s book group book. It is the powerful story of how some teens, not enough, ever, were rescued from Germany in the late 1930s as Europe was becoming…unhinged. Is that strong enough? Some people had the foresight to get their teens out of Germany, then out of Holland etc. We know that story. But by following just these two students, Eva and Topper, it made it all the more real. A little like Anne Frank. Only they were the lucky ones. They survived. Barely.

Let me tell you another story. The story of Greta. Greta was a teenager when she arrived in Saint Louis. My mother’s own words, “My first recollection of Greta Westerfeld was her German accent and her long braids. She was the first of the children sent for safety in St. Louis to escape the War in Europe. I imagine she was terrified. She came to live with the Friedmans who were not related and a middle-aged shildless couple. When they took her to my stepfather, the pediatrician, he said, “I have a kid her age. We must get them together.” The Friedmans didn’t know much about ten year olds, but always made me feel welcome in their house…At first Greta was very shy. And even her clothes were different. She word dark skirts with white blouses and long wool stockings. I guess my mother helped Mrs. Friedman buy American clothes like the other kids wore. Greta went to our school, joined our Girl Scout troop, went camping with us and became part of the group. We all knew she worried about her family who were still in Germany and dreaded their fate.”

The Jewish community of Saint Louis in the 30s and 40s certainly knew what was happening in Europe, and tried, despite closed borders, to desperately rescue as many people as possible. Greta’s family did not survive. Greta eventually married and moved to New Jersey to begin her new life. She died in the late 1960s. Much like in the novel Sarah’s Key, some said of a broken heart.

We remember and we vowed never to forget and never to allow what happened to us as Jews to happen again. Any time, any place. That is why I did an internship with Refugee Immigration Ministry. That is why I am an active supporter of American Jewish World Service and HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the very group that helped so many of our ancestors immigrate to this country.

When the original Simon Klein emigrated from Kerzenheim, Germany in the 1840s, yes, the 1840s, he escaped Germany under a load of hay. Legal? Probably not. Documented, for sure not. He went on to found Klein and Mandel with his cousins also from Kerzenheim. You may know it as Mandel Brothers on State Street.

Currently there are 70 million refugees world wide. Some of them come here as asylum seekers. Trying to escape violence in their home countries.

This week has seen a battle of words about our southern border. It is hard to sort out fact from fiction. First hand accounts from people I trust, including Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitch and my own sister-in-law report deplorable conditions for children.

Others report: No soap. No clean clothes. Sometimes no beds with kids sleeping on concrete floors. Still children being separated from their parents. If this were a family reported to DCS, they would be charged with child endangerment or neglect.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/a-firsthand-report-of-inhumane-conditions-at-a-migrant-childrens-detention-facility?fbclid=IwAR3vAsR7ziYRz7Z9CdFdvEWsl5m2qKDgvsLJ5ITizG3MO047IiSk1P0XQyA

Reports of rampant sexual abuse of children in detention.

USA Today reporting 4556 children were sexually assaulting in federal custody dating back to 2015. The New York Times used the same number. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/26/thousands-migrant-children-report-sexual-assaults-us-custody-border-detain/2988884002/

New York Magazine is using the number 5800 children. https://www.thecut.com/2019/02/5-800-children-alleged-sexual-abuse-while-detained-by-u-s.html

The response? The ICE Detention Center as part of a suit filed by the ACLU has said that they are not responsible for sexual misconduct of its staff. https://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/immigrants-rights-and-detention/ice-detention-center-says-its-not-responsible

This is not the America that our ancestors dreamed of when they immigrated to this country, legally or sometimes even illegally. These are not the values that the Torah demands that we should welcome the widow, the orphan and the stranger. 36 times in the Torah it demands no less. In fact, it also demands that we love the stranger. The sojourner. The resident alien. You have heard me on this topic before.

This week there was more debate. I don’t want to engage in that here. It is Shabbat. Actually, I don’t want any more debate. Period. Let me be clear. Children should not be held in detention centers. Period. Whatever you call them. Prisons should not be for profit. Period. I fought against this in the early 2000s.

Perhaps George Takei says it best: “I was inside two of them, in America,” he tweeted. “And yes, we are operating such camps again.” “internment camps” or “relocation centers,” these terms are euphemisms. The Trump administration has used terms such as “federal migrant shelters” and “temporary shelters for unaccompanied minors.” The definition of a concentration camp is “a place where civilians are confined for military or political purposes based on their identity.” In terms of Japanese internment camps, they were “outside the criminal justice system, designed to detain Japanese Americans based solely on their racial and ethnic identity, sites like Manzanar and Tule Lake were absolutely U.S. concentration camps,” said Nina Wallace on Huffington Post, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/george-takei-concentration-camps_n_5d0be29fe4b0aa375f49b69f

The response of the Jewish community, and even of the camp survivors themselves have been mixed. However, I do not believe that the Jewish community alone owns the phrase “concentration camp.”

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-ol-le-concentration-camps-immigrant-detention-20190615-story.html

https://nypost.com/2019/06/24/us-holocaust-museum-denounces-aocs-concentration-camp-remarks/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/06/19/never-again-means-nothing-if-holocaust-analogies-are-always-off-limits/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c665fc0eab5d

I had heard the news that ICE was planning a major round up of undocumented refugees in Chicago this weekend. They were hoping to find 2000 immigrants who have had deportation orders finalized. This news should also be chilling to us as Jews.

Round ups. Deportations. Internment camps (or whatever you want to call them.) We have heard this language before. We have vowed never again. The time to be aware is now. The time to act is now.

If you have friends that are immigrants, know their rights. They do not have to open their door to an ICE agent. An ICE agent cannot enter their abode without a signed warrant from a judge. They do not have to answer any questions. They have the right to an attorney. https://immigrantjustice.org/know-your-rights/Preparing-for-ICE-Enforcement-Actions

What does this have to do with our portion today? Our portion begins the words B’ha’alotecha. It is the instructions of how to light the lights, the menorah. Literally to “Raise up the lights.” You. Raise the lights. It takes all of us being responsible. Together.

It comes from the same root as aliyah, to go up, to Israel or to go up on the bimah for the Torah blessings. It is a spiritual going up. A spiritual high. Lighting the lights is that too. You might expect the word to be l’hadlik, to light, like the Shabbat and Chanukah candle blessing. But it is more than to light, it is to raise up that light.

All of this makes me think of the poem on the Statue of Liberty. You know the words.

The New Colossus

BY EMMA LAZARUS

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

It seems directly connected to the words of today’s portion. Raise the light. “I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” We Jews have been so proud of these words of Emma Lazarus, the daughter of Jewish immigrants who penned them as part of a contest. What happened to that hope. That promise.

But there is more to it. Maybe it needs to be reset into its historical context.

““The New Colossus” emerges at a pivotal moment in history. The year before Lazarus’s poem was read at the Bartholdi Pedestal Fund Art Loan Exhibition in New York, in 1883, the Chinese Exclusion Act became the first federal law that limited immigration from a particular group. Though set to last for 10 years, various extensions and additions made the law permanent until 1943. The year after Lazarus’s poem was read, the European countries met in Berlin to divide up the African continent into colonies. “The New Colossus” stands at the intersection of U.S. immigration policy and European colonialism, well before the physical Statue of Liberty was dedicated. The liberal sentiments of Lazarus’s sonnet cannot be separated from these developments in geopolitics and capitalism.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/01/the-story-behind-the-poem-on-the-statue-of-liberty/550553/

We Jews must continue to keep Emma Lazarus’s vision of America alive. We Jews must never forget the lessons of the Holocaust and the pain of closed borders. We Jews must never forget the mandate of the Torah to welcome the widow, the orphan and the stranger. We Jews must never forget. The time to act is now.

A few weeks ago we “installed” the new board of Congregation Kneseth Israel. Here are my remarks on leadership and courage and stepping up to the plate or into the water:

Today we will finish reading the Book of Leviticus. The full reading begins:
“If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments, I will grant your rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce and the trees of the field their fruit…. I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down untroubled by anyone; I will give the land respite from vicious beasts, and no sword shall cross your land.”

It is covenantal language. If you do my commandments, I will take care of you. And as was pointed out to me, none shall make us afraid. The difference between a covenant and an ordinary contract, according to Myron, according to Rabbi Lord Sacks, is love. Love is that special ingredient. People who rise to the occasion and go into synagogue leadership is because they love. They love Judaism. They love the institution of the synagogue, They love this very building. They love their children. Next week we celebrate the connection between covenant and love as we celebrate Shavuot, the marriage between G-d and the people of Israel.

Our portion today ends with:

“These are the commandments that the LORD gave Moses for the Israelite people on Mount Sinai.”

We hold these commandments in sacred trust. They are our legacy that we give to our children and our children’s children. Much like the story of Honi whose ancestors planted for him, and he planted for his children and his children’s children, so do we choose to plant for our children and children.

When we finish the reading we will say, chazak, chazak v’nitchazek, be strong, be strong and be strengthened.

The Book of Leviticus is addressed mostly to the priests who were tasked with sacred service, with the leadership of the people before G-d. But is also repeated says to Moses, Speak to the whole Israelite people and say. Those sections are amongst the most important, and the most beloved, because they are addressed to all of Israel. And not just to those standing there that day, but even to their children and their children’s children to a thousand generations. To those yet unborn. To us today. It tells us how to set up a kehilah kedosha, a holy community. That is the business that we as a synagogue is engaged in.

One section in particular is called the holiness code and it tells us that we should be holy because I the Lord your G-d am holy.

There is a wonderful book of essays, by Rabbi Larry Kusher, I’m G-d and You’re Not, Observations on Organized Religion and Other Disguises of the Ego. It talks a lot about what the function of a synagogue is. It also talks a lot about leadership and what the function of a board is. Basically, it is to make sure that we are a “house of prayer for all people”, a house of study and a house of assembly, the three main functions of a synagogue. That’s our vision statement, to provide lifelong learner, meaningful observance, building community and embracing diversity. When the board spends too much of its time on ancillary tasks—worrying about the mortgage or how many photocopies people are making, Kushner’s examples, necessary questions, maybe the priorities are wrong.

As leaders, you have set the priorities, lifelong learning, meaningful observance, building community and embracing diversity. The devil is in the details. You are tasked with carrying out the details. But, you don’t have to do it alone.

When Jethro, Moses’s father in law and a Midiante priest was worried about Moses doing too much, he told Moses that he could not do what he was doing alone. He told Moses to appoint people under him. Which is exactly what Moses did. Moses learned to delegate. It was only then that they came to the foot of Mount Sinai ready to receive the Torah.

Even then, leadership was a difficult thing. The people got scared. They begged Aaron to build a golden calf. Aaron, being a peacemaker, did. Moses was aghast when he came back down the mountain and saw the people dancing around the cow. He was angry, really, really angry. He smashed the tablets. G-d told him that he had to go back up the mountain. Moses argued with G-d, demanding to know who will go with Moses. G-d answered, “I will go with you and give you rest.” No less than G-d will lighten Moses’s burden. Any of our burdens.

Rest is important as a leader. None of us can do the task of leadership alone. Pirke Avot teaches that “Ours is not to finish the task; neither are we free to ignore it.”

So to those of you who are going off the board, or who are taking a break from a formal leadership role, we say thank you. Thank you for your vision and your courage. Your willingness to say, “We will do and we will hear.”

To Dick, who stepped up, or maybe like Nachson Ben Aminidav, you stepped into the water, you waded into the water, we say thank you. You never thought you would be a synagogue president and you led us through a difficult time period with grace and compassion. It is now time for you to sit under your vine and fig tree, and enjoy that new patio—and maybe another long run, bike ride or swim. You were the very first person I met at CKI. You were the one Sue sent to O’hare to pick me up and we bonded before we left O’hare over marathoning. No more, what does Sue call it, PI. You can rest now.

And to your partner, your life partner, your beloved, who you married almost 50 years ago this month, right in this very room, Sue, who is also going off the board after long service, we also say thank you. Thank you for being you. Thank you for being there day in and day out. Thank you for Thursday morning phone calls and endless cups of coffee brainstorming. For all the little things you do—too numerous to count and some of which you will continue to do.

To Jana, who has edited HaKol for 14 years (I think) and the chaired the kitchen. Thank you for all the little details because both require such attention to little details. You kept me on task. Thank you.

It isn’t always easy to be a leader. Sometimes when just beginning, you may be afraid, perhaps even be quaking. Someone else, please raise your hand? Why do I have to do this? But like Abraham and Moses, you have said Hineni, here am I. That requires courage.

There are different forms of leadership in the Bible from our leaders that demonstrate courage, emetz lev. Abraham and Moses argue with God, Abraham on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah, Moses after the golden calf when God again gets angry. Shifrah and Puah defy Pharaoh and deliver the baby Hebrews. Nachson ben Aminidav first puts his toe in the water and then wades up to his nostrils. Queen Esther overcomes her own fear and figures out a way to speak up and save her people.

At the very end of Deuteronomy and at the beginning of the Book of Joshua G-d tells Joshua, chazak v’emetz, be strong and of good courage. Three times G-d repeats it at the beginning of Joshua. First about leading the people. Second about keeping Torah and then about entering the land of Israel.

First about leading the people. That’s what we are going to explore this year together. How do we lead the people. The Torah might answer that by saying with Torah as our guide. With deeds of lovingkindness.

The Torah says about keeping the Torah, “Be strong and very courageous to observe and do in accordance with all of the Torah that Moses My servant has commanded you. Do not stray there from right or left, in order that you succeed wherever you go…then you will succeed in all your ways and then you will prosper.” This message is for Joshua and for all of us and brings us comfort as we transition leadership.

We echo this promise of chazak, strength, when we finish reading a book of the Torah as we will do today. Chazak, chazak v’chazaik. Be strong, be strong, be strengthened. We will chant as we raise the Torah high and finish reading Leviticus. We are linking ourselves all the way back to Moses and Joshua.

Pirke Avot tells us at the very beginning about leadership change, Moses received the torah at Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly. (Pirke Avot 1:1) We are a link in that chain. We preserve Torah for our children and our grandchildren and our great grandchildren, just as I will say to our Bar Mitzvah next week. That is why we are Jewish leaders. To transmit this holy tradition.

In the Talmud, it tells us that there are four areas where we must strengthen ourselves. The first two are Torah and good deeds. “Be strong” refers to Torah and “courageous” means we should do it with gemilut chasidim, acts of love and kindness. (Likkutei Sichot volume 25 p. 474)

It is my job, as rabbi and teacher, to support you in this holy work, this holy service. Just as there were differences between Moses and Joshua, between the time of the desert and the time in Jerusalem, the time with the Holy Temple and the time of the exile. We are at a moment in the Jewish community that is another sea change, a moment of profound transformation. It will require new leadership, new ideas, new energy and new models to take us forward into a great future. Moses knew when he said chazak v’emetz to Joshua that the road would not be easy, that leadership is not easy. It requires, as Ron Weinberg said, bravery, clarity of vision and strength of conviction.

We repeat the words chazak v’emetz as part of the Psalm leading up to the High Holidays. Psalm 27 ends with the words, Chazak v’ya’ametz libecha, be strong and strengthen your heart.” This is a personal charge to each of us here today. As Jewish leaders that’s what we must do. Be strong and strengthen our hearts.

The Hasidic master Rabbi Nachman of Breslov is known for his famous teaching: Kol haolam kulo gesher tzar me’od, vehaikar lo lefached klal. “The whole world is a very narrow bridge, and the main thing is not to fear at all.”

Today you have stood here and taken on the mantle of Jewish leadership. You have passed the baton, just like in a relay race, from one to another. That baton is Torah. You have stood here and like Abraham and Moses, you have said, Hineini, Here am I.

Please join with me in the Shehechianu:

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha’olam Shehechianu v’ki’imanu v’higianu lazman hazeh. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, Ruler of the Universe, who has kept us alive and sustained us and enabled us to reach this very moment.

Last week we began reading the Book of Numbers with a census. And our Bar Mitzvah student talked about how we all count. He reminded us that in the days of slavery in this country slaves only counted as 3/5 of a person and that is wrong.

There has been much talk about the American census again in the news this week. There is already a committee in place here in Elgin to make sure that everyone is counted. In fact, there is a subcommittee of religious leaders to make sure that happens. Our schools, our social service agencies, our libraries depend on accurate counting. Those committee meetings are a volunteer effort, headed by the Chamber of Commerce.

Today is about a different kind of counting. Today it is about how we count, tribe by tribe, for sacred service. What the tribal heads brought as an offering. How much of each thing. Down to the weight of the silver. How much flour and oil. It is a real accounting.

For “avodah”. It is said the world stands on three things, on Torah, on Avodah, on Gemilut Chasadim, acts of loving kindness. We know the song,

Al shlosha devarim..al hatorah, al ha’avodah, v’al gemilut chasadim.

But what is avodah? One name of the sacrificial offerings that the Israelites made was Avodah. It gets translated as service or sacrifice or work. You might know the song Zum gali, gali, gali, the Israeli folk song that praises work as a way to peace. Avodah in its root noun form can mean both slave, like avadim chayeinu, we were slaves in the land of Egypt. Or servant, as Moses was eved Adonai, servant of the Lord. This has always fascinated me. When we left Egypt did we trade slavery to Pharaoh for servitude of G-d?

But we don’t have a sacrificial system any more. So what relevance is today’s portion? How do we find meaning in it?

There was just such a conversation amongst the ancient rabbis. It is included in our siddur. Let’s listen in:

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai was once walking with his disciple, Rabbi Yehoshua, near Jerusalem after the destruction of the Temple. Rabbi Yehoshua looked at the Temple ruins and said: Alas for us!! The place that atoned for the sins of the people Israel lies in ruins! Then Rabbi Yochannan ben Zakkai spoke to him these words of comfort: Be not grieved, my son. There is another equally meritorious way of gaining ritual atonement, even though the Temple is destroyed. We can still gain ritual atonement through acts of loving kindness. For it is written (Hoshea 6:6) “Loving kindness I desire, not sacrifice.” Avot D’Rabbi Natan 4:5

Lovingkindness. Rather than an avodah sacrifice, what G-d requires, actually desires is acts of lovingkindess. G-d is looking for us to volunteer. And to be kind while we are doing it.

When I thought about what it means to volunteer, I found this quote on the City of Elgin website:

“The spirit of volunteerism among the residents of Elgin is one of the city’s greatest assets of our community! No matter what your talents, gifts or interests, there are many rewarding ways you can give back to your community through volunteerism. Whether you are interested in helping at a one-time event, or looking for a regular volunteer job, there are many opportunities available.”

So what is volunteering? You know I enjoy linguistics and etymology. Volunteer as a verb was first recorded in 1755. It was derived from the noun volunteer, in C.1600, “one who offers himself for military service,” from the Middle French voluntaire. Now we are back to last week’s portion and taking a military census. In a non-military sense it was first recorded in the 1630s. In more recent usage has a sense of community service. Volunteering is often considered an altruistic activity where an individual or group provides services for no social gain “to benefit another person, group or organization.”

But what I want to suggest today is that very act of volunteering here at CKI is sacred service. It is avodah. It is, in fact, what G-d desires of us. Sacred service is elevated in some way—because it is the work that is required for the worship of G-d. Sacred service is called Avodat HaKodesh. There is a wonderful book about Jewish liturgy called Service of the Heart by Evelyn Garfiel that covers this transition from sacrifice to prayer.

Ernest Bloch wrote an entire Jewish service called Avodat HaKodesh. The history of that sacred music composition is fascinating:

https://www.milkenarchive.org/videos/category/documentaries/ernest-blochs-sacred-service-avodat-hakodesh/

Sacred service here includes opening the building and turning the lights on. Setting the Torah to the right portion. Being a gabbai. Reading a haftarah. Leading a part of the service. Sacred service can be visiting the sick. Bringing a meal to them. Or blowing shofar for them. Consoling the bereaved. Going to a shiva minyan. Helping to make a minyan. Singing in the choir or with MishMosh. Sacred service can be sharing your unique talent. Teaching in our Torah School or other adults. Sacred service can be volunteering in our kitchen. Baking challah as we are learning through the book, Spiritual Kneading. Preparing other food. Growing other food. Here at CKI or for the hungry. Sacred service can be moving tables and chairs. It can be making sure the heat or the air conditioning is working. It can be vacuuming or steam cleaning the carpets. It can even be taking out the garbage.

Sacred service is a blessing. Just before our portion begins,the verse immediately before where we pick up our reading,  is the priestly benediction.
Yiverechecha v’yishmarecha,
May the Holy One bless you and keep you.
Ya’ar Adoani Panav elecha v’chunecha,
May G-d’s face shine light upon you and be gracious to you.
Yisa Adonai panav elecha, v’yasem lecha shalom,
May the Eternal One’s face turn to you and grant you peace.

May G-d smile on you! What a lovely blessing. So sacred service brings us closer to G-d. Sacred service makes us smile.

Here at CKI, we have a number of tasks that you can volunteer for—and most of you in the room do. If you are looking for other ways to volunteer, see Risa, I’m sure she has ideas. However when you choose to volunteer, just like the tribes we are about to read, do it with lovingkindness, do it to draw closer to G-d, do it with a smile. Just do it.