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The Torah portion, or parasha, this week focuses on Shavuot. Shavuot is one of the three pilgrimage festivals where the Israelites traveled to Jerusalem.  Readings include Exodus 19:1-20:23 and Numbers 28:26-31.  The first passage start with the giving of the 10 Commandments where God tells Moses to instruct the people to prepare to receive the Torah at Mount Sinai. Amid thunder and lightning, thick clouds, and the sound of a shofar, God speaks the Ten Statements (Commandments). The people are overwhelmed but Moses reassures the people and tells them that God wants them to remember that day and always worship God and not the idols of other nations. The second passage tells the Israelites to celebrate the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) by bringing their first fruits of their grain to the temple, and specifies the sacrifices for the occasion.

Shavuot is a time when we reflect on our covenant and connection to God, and renew our commitment to the Torah.  But the Torah did not come easy to us when we received it. It was not something we found when we arrived at a land flowing with milk and honey, but rather at the foot of a very ominous mountain. We had to first cross the Sea of Reeds and enter the wilderness to receive it.  We also experienced uncertainty and hardship in the wilderness. But it was our mountain encounter and wilderness experience that helped us learn the meaning of what the Torah teaches us—to love God, love one another, live a life of character, and make the world a better place.  Only then did we enter a land flowing with milk and honey.

So when we celebrate Shavuot this year, whether we are engaged in deep Torah study remembering that first encounter or eating blintzes and cheesecake, let us remember that in life, we will face a lot of mountains and wilderness experiences, with many ups and downs.  But God who was with our ancestors through those mountain and wilderness experiences and guided them to the promised land, will be with us as well.

The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Shmini and is found in Leviticus 9:1-11:47. In this parasha, God tells Moses and Aaron to instruct the people about the animals they are permitted to eat. Land animals must have cloven hooves and chew their cud. Animals that have only one of these signs and therefore are not permitted are listed. Sea creatures must have fins and scales. No signs are given for birds; forbidden species are listed. Permitted insects are listed; all the rest are forbidden.

The passage focuses on a list of animals that may or may not be eaten. These guidelines provide support for our practices of kashrut today. Whether we follow these rules literally or symbolically, the selection of what we eat is still important. How balanced is our diet?  Are we promoting life and health? Are we respecting ourselves?  If we were with Moses in the desert today, what kinds of dietary guidelines might be included?  Would they involve trans-fats, cholesterol, and refined foods?  In addition to selecting foods that promote our health and well-being, the passage also challenges us to think of our treatment of living things. How are the animals we eat treated? Is it in a way that respects life?  How do we treat the soil and land we get our food from?  Is it in a way that preserves the earth or weakens it?  This week, may we remember that even the little things we do each day can impact our lives and the lives of those around us.

This week we review the story of Passover. God calls Moses to go back to Egypt and lead the people out of Egypt. Pharaoh is an unwilling partner, so God brings 10 plagues upon the Egyptians, each plague becoming more destructive.  Moses announces the final plague – the death of the firstborn – to Pharaoh, but once again Pharaoh doesn’t listen. God then tells Moses to instruct the Israelites to prepare a lamb to be slaughtered and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs on the 15th of Nisan, the night on which God will strike down all the Egyptian firstborn. Moreover, this date is to begin a seven-day celebration in subsequent years. Moses speaks to the elders and tells them to prepare for the first Passover and the people do as they have been taught. The final horrible plague occurs and the firstborn of all Egyptians of all strata of society are dead. Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron and tells them to take the Israelites and go immediately. The Israelites finally leave Egypt. God leads Moses and the Israelites by the wilderness at the Sea of Reeds.  God leads the people, providing a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day and stays close to the people.  When Pharaoh finds out that the Israelites fled Egypt, he orders 600 of his best chariots and officers to pursue them. As Pharaoh’s army draws near, the Israelites become afraid and cry out to God. Moses reassures the people that God will fight for them. Then God tells Moses to lift up his rod over the Sea of Reeds. The angel of God who had been in front of the Israelites now moves to the back, between Pharoah’s army and the Israelites creating a cloud of darkness, so that the people were protected. Then Moses held out his arm over the sea and God parted the waters so that the Israelites were able to cross safely.  When the Egyptians entered the sea, God threw the army into a panic and locked the wheels of the chariots so they could only travel with difficulty. When Pharaoh’s army tried to turn back, God commanded Moses to hold his arm over the waters and the waters returned to their normal state, covering Pharaoh and his entire army. In gratitude, Miriam leads the women in the famous, “Song of the Sea” and the people rejoice, praising God for their redemption. God gives Moses and Aaron the laws of the Passover festival that is to be observed in future years.

In this reading, the Israelites are freed from physical slavery. They see evidence of God’s power through the plagues, and make the first steps to freedom. However, they had to take the initiative to cross the Sea to journey toward their destination. Likewise, in our lives we encounter obstacles that seem as prohibitive as the sea and it is easy to simply put up with the obstacles or wait for circumstances to change before we act. Midrash adds to the Sea of Reeds the story of Nachshon, who is the first to step into the water and walk in head-deep until the waters finally part and a dry path appears. This week, regardless of what challenges we face in life, may we continue to find the courage to push forward, to test the waters, and persevere until we are on dry ground and the path ahead is clear.

The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Vayeshev and is found in Genesis 37:1-40:23.  Jacob and his family are now settled in Canaan. The parashah begins when Joseph is 17 years old. He is hated and envied by his brothers because he is the favorite of his father. They see him as a tattletale and are perturbed by his dreams which talk about the brothers bowing to him. When Jacob sends Joseph to find out how his brothers and the family’s flocks are getting along, the brothers sell Joseph into slavery to a passing caravan and dip Josephs’ coat of many colors in goat’s blood so they can bring it to Jacob as evidence of Joseph’s fate. Meanwhile, Joseph is brought to Egypt where he becomes a slave in the household of Pharaoh’s courtier Potiphar. Joseph is successful in Potiphar’s house until Potiphar’s wife unjustly accuses him of trying to rape her. Potiphar sends the young man to prison. In time, Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker are imprisoned. Each has a disturbing dream that Joseph interprets, telling the cupbearer that he will be restored to his position and the baker that he will be executed. Events unfold as Joseph has foreseen; still, the chief cupbearer forgets his promise to bring Joseph’s case before Pharaoh.

In this story, Jacob ends up causing family discord by favoring Joseph over his other sons. Uniquely, this same type of favoritism was something that caused him problems as a child, yet, instead of making a different decision, he chose to repeat this unhealthy family pattern.  Had Joseph and his brothers had adult role models that could have taught them different responses, it would have been easier for them to work out a more positive relationship with one another. Instead, Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery and plot a cover-up story.  They live with emotional slavery for years based on their actions.  Joseph, on the other hand, is actually changed by his slavery and imprisonment in Egypt and chooses instead to become a man of integrity and influence.  Favoritism is not repeated with his children Ephraim and Manasseh, which we see clearly when Jacob blesses them in the future.  We can learn from Joseph: When we hit difficult situations in our lives, we have choices about how we will respond and how we will allow the events to shape our character. We cannot change our history, but we can control our responses to those events and how we choose to live our lives in the future. 

The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Devarim and is found in Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22. In this parasha we begin the book of Deuteronomy, or Devarim, which, in Hebrew, means “words”.  In Numbers or Bamidbar (“in the wilderness”), we end with the people getting ready to enter the land of Israel.  They pause at the border where Moses will not be crossing over with the people; therefore, he gives his last sermon to the people, invoking them to be faithful to God. The entire book of Deuteronomy is that sermon. It is essentially a retelling of the history of the wilderness years, a review and elaboration of the statutes and ordinances of the Torah, Moses’ final blessing, and his death. This parasha’s subject is history. Moses begins by describing how he appointed judges and officers to help him lead the people, and then he reminds the Israelites about what happened the first time they were about to enter the land. After the spies’ report caused the people to panic and refuse to continue, God decreed that the generation of the Exodus would die in the wilderness. God also decreed that Moses would not enter the land, either.

In retelling this history and sharing his reflections, Moses attempts to prepare the people for uncertainty ahead, for changes in leadership (i.e., Joshua), and for their continued existence as a people who are ready to settle down in a land, rather than simply pass through.  What Moses is hoping the people will understand is that, although the journey in the wilderness is ending, they are really simply entering a new journey, one that will be just as difficult and will try their patience. The lessons they have learned in the journey through the wilderness have prepared them for the experiences and lessons they will encounter in their journey in settling the land.  They only need to remember.  This week, as we go forward to the tasks and duties that await us, let us remember that we have nothing to fear for the future, except as we forget how God has led us in the past.

The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Tzav and is found in Leviticus 6:1-8:36.Last week’s parasha gave a description of the different types of sacrifices and their uses. Parashat Tzav provides instructions on how the kohanim (priests) are to offer the various sacrifices. We also learn that the zevah sh’lamim, the offering of well-being, was to be brought for three reasons – for thanksgiving, in fulfillment of a vow, or as a freewill or voluntary offering. A person in a state of ritual impurity was not allowed to eat from any of the sacrifices. No one is permitted to eat chelev (the fat covering an animal’s internal organs) or blood. Portions of these offerings were to be set aside to be given to the priests. God instructs Moses about the ceremony of consecration of the priests. Aaron and his sons are washed, dressed in their ceremonial garments, and anointed. Moses offers sacrifices on their behalf. The ritual of ordination continues for seven days.

There are a couple of things we can learn from this passage. First, we learn that the rituals the priests perform are done in a way as to allow the person who brought the sacrifices to be accepted and respected (not judged), and that casual observers of another person’s sacrifice would not necessarily know why the other person was bringing a sacrifice. This would help others not to judge their fellow beings. Another thing we learn is that no matter how menial the priests’ tasks appeared to be, every act performed for God was considered holy.  From this passage, we learn the importance of respecting others, not judging people’s past lives, and learning to forgive ourselves.  We also learn that no matter what small tasks we do each day, they can be holy.

The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Vayigash and is found in Genesis 44:18-47:27. The story continues with Joseph’s brothers still in Egypt and Benjamin being accused stealing Joseph’s divining cup.  Judah, the brother who had originally come up with the idea of selling Joseph, steps up and offers himself as a substitute slave, so that Benjamin can return home and their father’s heart will not be broken. Joseph realizes that his brothers have changed and reveals his identity. He tells his brothers that he realizes that what they had done to him was, in fact, part of God’s plan to save lives. Joseph sends his brothers home to bring Jacob and the entire family to Egypt so that they will not suffer during the remaining years of famine. Joseph goes to meet his father and tells him of his plan for the family to settle in the region of Goshen. Joseph brings his father and some of his brothers to meet Pharaoh, who gives his approval to Joseph’s plan. As the famine continues, Joseph acquires the Egyptians’ livestock and land for Pharaoh in exchange for food and transforms the population into serfs. During the same period, the Israelites in Goshen prosper.

In this parasha, Joseph has tested his brothers, sees they have changed and reveals his identity. He also tells them that it was part of God’s plan to have Joseph sold into slavery so he could be in Egypt to help save lives, including theirs, during the famine. Joseph did not have to forgive his brothers.  He could have easily punished them for their past actions. He could have dwelt on family skirmishes and injustices. However, he chose to see the good from events in his past and look for meaning in seemingly meaningless events.  He re-framed these events in a healthy way, and used them as an incentive to help him achieve great things in the future. Like Joseph, we do not have control over certain events in our lives. However, we do have control over how we choose to handle those events. We can let the events weigh us down, or we can use them to climb to different heights.  The choice is ours.