"A Life Worth Living" + 15% Off

The Derusha Update This Weekend's Portion:  "If You Will Go Within My Rules..."   [ Lev 26:3-27:34 ] read on Sat May 21, Shabbath Iyyar 17   [ get candle-lighting times for your home ] Shalom to all, This week's Torah portion, "If You Will Go Within My Rules," contains twelve biblical precepts, spelled out over two main narratives. The first narrative is an outline of a covenant between the people of Israel and God. If we cherish and follow God's instructions, then we'll enjoy security, stability, and the bounty of the land. If we despise and dismiss God's instructions, then we'll face war, terror, and utter poverty. The second narrative explains the Torah's system for supporting the Sanctuary, mainly through tithing and personal endowments. What is the connection between these two segments - and why does the third book of the Torah conclude with them? Click here for an answer. Wishing you a Shabbath Shalom, Gil & Elana Derusha Publishing LLC www.DerushaPublishing.com PS - Looking for a good book? For the next six days only, enter coupon code BHUQ5771 at checkout and get 15% off your order on DerushaPublishing.com! News and Views Why Jews need to talk about the Nakba [ memories @ 972mag ] Kevin Schultz's Tri-Faith America [ review @ Book of Beliefs and Opinions ] In defense of autonomy [ reaction @ Jewschool ] Independence and mourning [ reflections @ Velveteen Rabbi] RHR Celebrates in Chan El Achmar with PA Prime Minister Salam Fayad [ schools @ Rabbis for Human Rights ] When Pigs Fly: Firing Up the Grill at a Kosher BBQ Competition [ summertime @ the Jew & the Carrot ] Looking for Something Good to Read? Try WE ARE ALL GOD'S CHILDREN by Joseph Haddad: "An American-Israeli businessman explores what it means for every human being to be a child of God. In the Hebrew Bible, humanity is asked to live according to a sound moral code, and the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are further called upon to live according to a highly-structured format — in order to be role models and teach their fellow human beings. Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, We Are All God’s Children takes a modern look at an ancient book. After reading it, you will never look at the Bible the same way again." Enter coupon code BHUQ5771 at checkout and get 15% off your order! Would your friends like this Update? Then do us (and your friends) a favor and forward this email to them!

A Life Worth Living

לק"י

This week's Torah portion, "If You Will Go Within My Rules," contains twelve biblical precepts, spelled out over two main narratives.  The first narrative is an outline of a covenant between the people of Israel and God.  If we cherish and follow God's instructions, then we'll enjoy security, stability, and the bounty of the land.  If we despise and dismiss God's instructions, then we'll face war, terror, and utter poverty.  The second narrative explains the Torah's system for supporting the Sanctuary, mainly through tithing and personal endowments.  What is the connection between these two segments - and why does the third book of the Torah conclude with them?

The first narrative of this week's portion references the covenant made on Mt. Sinai in giving us a choice.  We need only value the instructions given to us - instructions for living with integrity, for realizing human potential, for embracing reality - and dedicate ourselves to fulfilling them in everyday life, in order to experience a life truly worth living.  When we abandon those instructions - or worse, hold them in contempt - then we experience a life of frustration, fright, and suffocation.  The difference isn't found in God's turning away from us, but in our choice of trust in the source of all things or trust in something else, our turning to or away from God. When we choose to hide from God, we only bring upon ourselves our own misery, a fog of frustration through which the skies seem frozen and the earth seems barren.  When we confront God with a sincere heart, our world lights up in a dazzling spectrum of spiritual and material gifts.

After this outline of the choice before us and the value of dedication to fulfilling God's will, the Torah "brings it home" with a concrete social program for dedication to God.  In the ancient world, it was common for human beings to be dedicated to manual labor within the central religious and military institutions.  This form of "soft" slavery was publicly justified as a worthy way of sanctifying the lives of the dedicated, serving the heavenly rulers here on Earth.  On the one hand, the ideal is noble: human beings giving of themselves in service of spiritual values in the earthly realm - is this not the very basis of charity? Don't the institutions which engage in and promote these activities deserve society's support? On another hand, the reality of this ancient arrangement is barbaric - human beings held in bondage, sacrificed by powerful rulers on questionable grounds.

The Torah's answer to the dilemma is profound.  It's true that charity is a laudable act, a sincere imitation of the compassionate God who sustains all life, and in whose house all may find shelter and sanctuary - and therefore you can and should give of your flocks and your fields to support those who are dedicated to those ideals.  Yet the manual labor God desires is not in the Sanctuary itself but out in the world, labor in the marketplace and in the courthouse, a labor of social justice and fulfillment of God's instructions.  If you want to dedicate yourself to God, you may contribute some money to the public Sanctuary funds - and then promptly dedicate yourself to doing God's work in the world, to revering the word of God, to respecting the sanctity of God's home, land, and children.  It's for this service that the people of Israel were selected to receive God's instructions - that those instructions should be fulfilled and appreciated among human beings.

In this way, these two narratives are a fitting end to the third book of the Torah, which outlines the different facets of the Sanctuary, its services and its staff, and its place in the heritage of the people of Israel.  When all is said and done, all the rituals, institutions, and spiritual tools we're given won't help us sanctify our lives without a key ingredient - personal dedication.  What's more, this dedication is found in our attitudes and in our actions, in the degree of their connection to God's instructions for us.  Whether we choose to love or despise God and the gifts given to us, God's request of us remains the same: to be holy people, charitable and compassionate, worthy partners with God in creating the world every day.

We hope that this weekend we'll all find strength and renewed dedication in our spiritual and worldly lives.

Shabbath Shalom!

Independence Day + "Godly Ecology & Economics" + 15% Off Any Order

The Derusha Update This Weekend's Portion:  "On Mt. Sinai..."   [ Lev 25:1-26:2 ] read on Sat May 14, Shabbath Iyyar 10   [ get candle-lighting times for your home ] Shalom to all, On the 4th of Iyyar (this past Monday) many Israelis observed Yom ha-Zikaron (Memorial Day) - a time dedicated to recalling those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defending their families and neighbors.  This somber day was immediately followed by the joyous festivities of Independence Day, a day fixed in most Israelis' minds as a time to celebrate life, freedom, and national achievement.  Rav Shu Eliovson, a close friend of ours and the director of In-Reach, likened the experience of these two holidays to the experience of the emotionally tense Fast of Esther followed by the cathartic exuberance of Purim.  Without the preceding day of sober reflection, the day of communal celebration would lose some of its depth and meaning. This week's Torah portion, "On Mt. Sinai," contains 24 biblical precepts and discusses three themes in tandem - ecology, property rights, and workers' rights. Unlike other portions which discuss each of these issues independently (or in connection with other subjects), this week's portion treats all three as a single, organic unity. While many economists have linked workers' rights and property rights through the principle of (self-)ownership, philosophies of private capital ownership often seem at odds with ecological concerns which affect the entire community. To further complicate matters, this week's concluding reading from the book of Jeremiah (32:6-22) - giving the details of a specific acquisition which God advised the prophet to make - seems at best only loosely connected to the issues of this week's portion. What is the unifying element of this week's Torah portion, and why did the members of the Great Assembly conclude the reading with this particular narrative from Jeremiah? Click here for an answer. Wishing you a Shabbath Shalom, Gil & Elana Derusha Publishing LLC www.DerushaPublishing.com PS - Looking for a good book? For the next six days only, enter coupon code BHAR5771 at checkout and get 15% off your order on DerushaPublishing.com! News and Views Kate Braestrup on marriage, God, and love [ book review @ Velveteen Rabbi ] Women in Jewish Media [ public opinion @ Hirhurim ] Happy Independence Day wishes from a Palestinian [ outreach @ 972mag ] Eretz Yisrael / The Land of Israel In Rabbinic Thought [ audio @ YUTOPIA ] Our Future is Where our Past is [ reflections @ Lazer Beams ] Future of Legendary Essex Street Market Uncertain [ community @ the Jew & the Carrot ] Looking for Something Good to Read? Try WE ARE ALL GOD'S CHILDREN by Joseph Haddad: "An American-Israeli businessman explores what it means for every human being to be a child of God. In the Hebrew Bible, humanity is asked to live according to a sound moral code, and the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are further called upon to live according to a highly-structured format — in order to be role models and teach their fellow human beings. Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, We Are All God’s Children takes a modern look at an ancient book. After reading it, you will never look at the Bible the same way again." Enter coupon code BHAR5771 at checkout and get 15% off your order! Would your friends like this Update? Then do us (and your friends) a favor and forward this email to them!

Godly Ecology, Property Rights, and Workers' Rights

לק"י

This week's Torah portion, "On Mt. Sinai," contains 24 biblical precepts and discusses three themes in tandem - ecology, property rights, and workers' rights.  Unlike other portions which discuss each of these issues independently (or in connection with other subjects), this week's portion treats all three as a single, organic unity. While many economists have linked workers' rights and property rights through the principle of (self-)ownership, philosophies of private capital ownership often seem at odds with ecological concerns which affect the entire community.  To further complicate matters, this week's concluding reading from the book of Jeremiah (32:6-22) - giving the details of a specific acquisition which God advised the prophet to make - seems at best only loosely connected to the issues of this week's portion.  What is the unifying element of this week's Torah portion, and why did the members of the Great Assembly conclude the reading with this particular narrative from Jeremiah?

Another seemingly-out-of-place passage in this week's portion may offer some light in which to read the preceding themes: at the very end of the portion, we are again instructed not to substitute any authority for God, be it a concrete object or a social institution.  While the shift in theme may seem like a shift in message, careful reading of the Torah portion indicates otherwise.  Again and again throughout the Torah portion, God is named as the direct authority behind everything from letting the land rest to treating workers fairly to guaranteeing citizens' real estate rights.  We must treat workers fairly and decently not to bolster our self-images as benevolent employers, but because each and every worker is a human being made in the image of God, demanding our respect and our love - and if the worker is Jewish, our recognition that he or she is actively "employed" by an authority higher than our own.  We must respect the rights of individuals to own real estate and other capital not because these are gifts or privileges awarded by human fiat (and which may be repealed by further fiat), but out of respect for God, who truly owns the entire Earth and everything within it - especially the land of Israel - and who annually assigns property to each and every person to use as his or her personal resource.  Such a concept of land ownership effectively prevents a feudal society from arising in the land, a society in which all the land is considered the property of a central human authority and all residents are considered vassals or tenants of said authority.  So long as God is respected as the sole legitimate owner of the Earth, no one can ever be truly disenfranchised or unduly evicted from their homes.

The same thinking underlies the ecological theory developed in this week's Torah portion.  As God is the one who created and sustains the Earth, God is the one who owns the Earth, and our use of the Earth rests upon our acceptance of that property claim.  God allows each of us to reap the benefits and bounty of the land so long as we respect the rights of others to do so as well - and so long as we use the Earth's resources in a sustainable fashion, regularly giving the land (and all the creatures it supports) time to regenerate and grow.  As with the use of human labor, the Torah cautions against our use of the land turning into abuse - which would be a crime against both God and humanity!

The unifying element of this week's Torah portion - God's authority as owner of everything and as guarantor of our rights - is clearly evident in the concluding reading from the book of Jeremiah.  The narrative begins with Jeremiah's acquisition of the property by God's word, and ends with Jeremiah's recognition that all property is acquired by God's word.  Yet a theme unique to the concluding reading adds a new light to the Torah portion - that of liberation.  Jeremiah was told to buy the property as a sign of God's continued control of the land and its occupants, a beacon of confidence in God's active authority despite the attempts of human emperors to claim authority over the land, and everything on it, for themselves.  The theme of liberation is tied directly to the opening of this week's Torah portion, which describes the marriage of ecology and economics in the institution of Jubilee.  This celebrated culmination of the land's agricultural cycle marked the liberation of nearly all property and laborers in Israel, a communal testimony to the authority of God over all facets of life on the land.

We hope that this weekend, in all the lands we call home, we will find a deeper recognition of God's presence in the special relationship between the community, the individual, and the Earth we all share.

Shabbath Shalom!

Remembrance Day + "Every Life Counts" + 15% Off Any Order

The Derusha Update This Weekend's Portion:  "Declare to the Priests..."   [ Lev 21:1-24:23 ] read on Sat May 7, Shabbath Iyyar 3   [ get candle-lighting times for your home ] Shalom to all, On the 27th of Nissan (this past Monday) many Israelis observed a day of remembrance to honor the memory of all those who experienced the Holocaust - those who survived, those who did not, and those who risked their lives to save other human beings. Many people are unaware that the original proposed date of the remembrance was thirteen days earlier (Nissan), to commemorate the start Warsaw ghetto uprising.  The uprising, spurred by efforts to transfer the population of Warsaw to a death camp, ended tragically but left a lasting impression on humanity: we are all made in the image of God, and every life is precious and worth defending, in the face of any catastrophe, no matter what the odds.  What an inspiration! This week's Torah portion, "Declare to the Priests," contains 63 precepts, ranging in subject from the requirements for spiritual service in the Sanctuary to the cycle of celebrations connecting every participant to the natural world of God's creation.  These two themes comprise the majority of the Torah portion, and yet seem - at first blush - entirely unrelated.  They are relevant to two very different groups of people - the ministers and the laborers - working in two very different domains - the Sanctuary and the field.  Moreover, the closing episode of this week's portion - a tragic tale of unnecessary alienation and its social consequences - seems equally unconnected to either the priestly service or the agricultural cycle.  Why did the members of the Great Assembly teach that these three narratives together form a single unit? Click here for an answer. Wishing you a Shabbath Shalom, Gil & Elana Derusha Publishing LLC www.DerushaPublishing.com PS - Looking for a good book? For the next six days only, enter coupon code EMOR0771 at checkout and get 15% off your order on DerushaPublishing.com! News and Views What pushed Hamas and Fatah into each others arms? [ speculation @ 972mag ] Remembrance [ memorial @ Velveteen Rabbi ] Sathya Sai Baba and Rabbi David Zeller [ six-degrees @ Book of Beliefs and Opinions ] Economics and Social Justice in Jewish Law Class Series [ lectures @ YUTOPIA ] Jewish Community Members Against Jews Against Divisive Leadership calls for the end of divisiveness through a divisive public statement [ satire @ Jewschool] Aliya: Like Cleaning for Pesach [ encouragement @ Lazer Beams] When the Rabbi Meets the Imam [ neighborliness @ Rabbis for Human Rights] Looking for Something Good to Read? Try WE ARE ALL GOD'S CHILDREN by Joseph Haddad: "An American-Israeli businessman explores what it means for every human being to be a child of God. In the Hebrew Bible, humanity is asked to live according to a sound moral code, and the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are further called upon to live according to a highly-structured format — in order to be role models and teach their fellow human beings. Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, We Are All God’s Children takes a modern look at an ancient book. After reading it, you will never look at the Bible the same way again." Enter coupon code EMOR0771 at checkout and get 15% off your order! Would your friends like this Update? Then do us (and your friends) a favor and forward this email to them!

A Holy and Inclusive Society

This week's Torah portion, "Declare to the Priests," contains 63 precepts, ranging in subject from the requirements for spiritual service in the Sanctuary to the cycle of celebrations connecting every participant to the natural world of God's creation.  These two themes comprise the majority of the Torah portion, and yet seem - at first blush - entirely unrelated.  They are relevant to two very different groups of people - the ministers and the laborers - working in two very different domains - the Sanctuary and the field.  Moreover, the closing episode of this week's portion - a tragic tale of unnecessary alienation and its social consequences - seems equally unconnected to either the priestly service or the agricultural cycle.  Why did the members of the Great Assembly teach that these three narratives together form a single unit?

Upon considering the biblical precepts found in the first two narratives in greater detail, a connection slowly emerges.  The priest, acknowledged as a minister charged with mediating disputes between individuals, must be able to speak to the people from a position of integrity and clarity, unconfused by the curveballs which are inevitably thrown at us in life.  Personal dedication and aesthetic perfection characterize true service of God, creating an experience of profound empathy and awe which is the priests' gift to the people.  Yet just as God instructs the priests to psychologically and spiritually sustain the people (farmers included!) through their service in the Sanctuary, God also instructs the common laborers to sustain the people (priests included!) through their service in the field.  A balance is struck between the ministers and the laborers, between our words and our deeds, between the inner dimension of spirit and the greater world all around us, and recognition of this all-pervasive unity is truly a national treasure.

Living as if we were oblivious to this unity - as if our lives were not interdependent, as if we did not together form something tremendously significant which transcended our individual shortcomings and limitations - we would only be able to build a pale imitation of the holy social dream of this week's Torah portion.  We could achieve only an abysmal society of alienation and exclusion, where a lone stranger, made in the image of God yet born into a home of cruelty and abuse, finds not comfort and acceptance but rejection.  An unbalanced society that does not know that it needs each and every individual just as much as they need it.  A broken society where justice must step in to protect what compassion has failed to embrace - all too often, far too late to stop the weight of despair and bitter resentment from warping the hearts and minds of precious human beings.  As tragic as the concluding episode in this Torah portion is, perhaps it's inclusion alongside the priestly service and agricultural calendar is intended as a stark reminder of the stake we each have in building a society with unity, integrity, and empathy.  We hope that as we celebrate and relax this weekend, we will all find reason to draw closer to our fellow human beings.

Shabbath Shalom!