Still playing catch-up. But here is Re’ah. It is based on a recent experience I had learning of a family that chose organ donation.

“Ani l’dodi v’dodi…I am my Beloved and my beloved is mine.” These words from Song of Songs, are chanted at many weddings. Is also the acronym for the month of Elul that starts tonight. Tonight we celebrate, yes celebrate Rosh Hodesh Elul—just 40 days to Yom Kippur. As the midrash teaches, it was on Rosh Hodesh Elul that Moses began his journey back up Mount Sinai to receive the second set of tablets of the 10 commandments.  

G-d was willing to give Moses, and the people of Israel a second chance.  

Yes, even after the sin of the Golden Calf, G-d will take us back in love. G-d will go with us and give us rest. So very needed in these complicated times.  

But what happened to the first set of tablets?  

According to Torah, the first set was inscribed by God’s finger – whereas the second were chiseled out by Moses and rewritten by God – but it doesn’t tell us what happened to shards. One Talmudic tradition states the broken tablets were placed in the Holy Ark along with the second, which were intact. Another tells us: “Two Arks journeyed with Israel in the wilderness. One in which the Torah was placed, and the other in which the tablets broken by Moses were placed.” 

Estelle Frankel said in her book, Sacred Therapy, that “If the two sets of tablets represent developmental stages we go through in our spiritual and emotional development, the first tablets correspond to our youthful dreams and ideals. . . . The second tablets represent our more mature visions and dreams, which perhaps are not as lofty as our youthful visions and dreams but are more viable. . . . Gathering up the broken pieces suggests that we must salvage the essential elements of our youthful dreams and ideals and carry them forward on our journeys so that we can find a way to realize them in a more grounded fashion. For ultimately the whole and the broken live side by side in us all, as our broken dreams and shattered visions exist alongside our actual lives.” 

They are like the pieces of the glass that are shattered at a wedding, that many couples keep for placing in a mezuzah to reminds them of their dreams on their wedding day.  

Today’s Torah portion, we are told “See I set before you blessing and curse.” It implies then that we then have a choice, to choose blessing. That part seems easy. Who wouldn’t want to choose something good?  

Melissa, you have chosen Jason and Jason you have chosen Melissa as your beloved. Ani l’dodi v’dodi li. As a blessing.  We, as your congregation, are excited for you. You have dreams and goals of happiness. Visions of the way life will be in your new married status. 

There are books with titles like Finding Joy and Choosing Happiness—and there is some evidence in modern psychology that you can in fact choose happiness or at least put it as a slogan on a coffee cup or a t-shirt.  

The reality is that each of us will go through experiences that will seem like curses. Can we find the blessing in the curse? That can be really, really hard to do.  

That’s because there are a couple of challenges here. The first is to not blame G-d. While our parsha tells us explicitly that blessings and curses come from G-d, I am less sure of that. The name of Rabbi Harold Kushner’s book is When Bad Things Happen to Good People, and not why? The question is what do we do when bad things happen. 

We have a choice. We can choose how we respond to tragedy. One thing I tell people preparing for a marriage is to prepare wills and health care proxies and power of attorneys. I pray that you then don’t need them for a long, long time. As part of your advance directives, I strongly encourage people to become organ donors.  

Sometimes people are surprised. They had heard that Judaism rejects organ donation. But it is not true. Even in the Orthodox world, organ donation is now encouraged. Of course, we Jews argue about everything—even this. But here are my positions as your spiritual leader. 

It says in the Talmud that if you save one life it is as though you have saved the whole world. I actually quoted this earlier this week as it related to the vaccine clinic. Some were disappointed that so few people that night chose to be vaccinated. Let’s look at that another way. While I don’t have the final number of people vaccinated that night, you can think about it that at least 5 people’s lives may have been saved.  

For much of this past year, we have talked about the principle of pekuach nefesh, saving a life. That principle relates to organ donation too. 

While some have argued no to organ donation, because Judaism prohibits the unnecessary mutilation of the dead. However, if the mutilation is done with the purpose of saving life, the principle of Pikuach Nefesh allows it. 

Judaism encourages the quick burial of the dead and prohibits the postponement of burial, and harvesting organ may postpone burial, if it is done with the purpose of saving life, the principle of Pikuach Nefesh allows it. This applies as well for donating a body “for medical science” 

We are also prohibited from benefiting from the dead.  Although the recipient of the dead person’s organs benefits, since this was done with the purpose of saving life, the principle of Pikuach Nefesh allows it. 

Israel, in particular, in 2008 passed laws allowing organ donation passed with the full support of its Chief Rabbinate. The Halachic Organ Donor Society and other organizations like that, including Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz my friend and colleague who happens to be an Orthodox rabbi,  who has donated his own kidney and arranges for others to do likewise, encourages and supports organ donation. 

In my role as police chaplain, I recently learned about a family that chose, our key word, to donate the victim’s organs, after tragedy. Six people received the gift of life. I am grateful that that family in the midst of unspeakable tragedy had the courage to choose blessing. May we all be able to do likewise. See, I set before you blessing and a curse. Choose blessing. Be a blessing.