Keep it Burning

The best way to keep our passion for Judaism aflame is to engage in Jewish learning and Jewish observance.

Parashat Tzav / Shabbat Ha-Gadol 5770 – Youth Shabbat

It is truly wonderful to see our USY members leading the services today and speaking from the bima. Having you actively involved in the synagogue, years after bar or bat mitzvah, is a tribute to you, your parents, our school, and our youth group. Today you demonstrate that the passion that your parents ignited in you has not been extinguished. And it is a fact that we should not take for granted. You each have countless choices as to what you do with your time and what you occupy yourselves with; and the fact that you devote some of your time to Jewish life is worth taking note of and celebrating. Today, I want to talk to you about keeping that flame alive within ourselves.

This week’s Torah portion – Parshat Tzav – continues the instructions to Aaron and his sons about the burnt offerings they are to make in the Tabernacle. The beginning of Lev. 6 says, “The burnt offering itself shall remain where it is burned upon the altar all night until morning, while the fire on the altar is kept going on it.” We learn in this parsha that the fire for the altar was kept burning continually, 24 hours a day. The Midrash says that, even during our travels in the wilderness, it was kept in a kind of tinderbox. This is one of the sources for the idea of the Eternal Flame or Light that you find in synagogues to this day. But the Torah doesn’t just leave it at that. The commandment is repeated two more times! Verse 5 says, “v’ha-esh al ha-mizbe’ah tukad bo...” (The flame of the altar is to be kept there). And, verse 6 again says, “esh tamid tukad al-ha mizbeah…” (A perpetual flame shall be kept burning on the altar). As you know, we believe there are no superfluous words in the Torah. If something appears repetitive or redundant – it isn’t. Each word of the Torah has something unique to teach us. Some commentators have pointed out that the phrase “tukad bo” is ambiguous. It can mean that the flame should be kept burning in “it” – referring to altar. But, that is seemingly unnecessary because we are told elsewhere that the flame on the altar is to be maintained. However, “Tukad bo” can also mean that the flame should be kept burning in “him” – referring instead to the priest. In other words, just as it is important that the flame on the altar be kept perpetually burning, the priest who performs the ritual sacrifice must also keep his passion burning within himself.

I imagine that it must have been hard for the priests to perform their duties day-in and day-out year after year and do so with the same passion and enthusiasm that they had at the beginning of their careers. It is no less difficult for us today to keep our passion for Judaism aflame. And it is perhaps even more difficult because we no longer have the powerful rituals centralized in the ancient Temple. How, then can we keep that “eish tamid” – the eternal flame – burning in us. Our sages offer two responses to the question. For the first answer they point to our parsha which says, “This is the Torah of the burnt offerings…” The word Torah means instructions, but the verse could have used a different word. Why call it Torah? In the Talmud (Tractate Menachot) the sage known as Resh Lakish answers, “In order to teach that if someone studies the laws of an offering it is as though they had actually offered the sacrifice themselves.” Think about what Resh Lakish is implying – he’s saying that study is a form of vicarious action; that, learning is itself a religious practice. This is why – by the way – Jews talk about “learning” Judaism rather than “studying” Judaism. Study implies a certain academic distance. Learning Torah – if done with passion and identification – is a spiritual practice that binds us as Jews to our people and our narrative tradition. So, one of the ways we can keep the flame of Jewish identity alive is through learning.

The second way we keep the flame burning is in our homes. This Monday and Tuesday nights we will sit around our tables for the Passover Seders. When we gather around our family tables, we should be reminded of another rabbinic teaching. After the destruction of the 2^nd Temple, the sages said that the home became the “mikdash me’at” – “the miniature Sanctuary.” And, our family table took the place of the altar. That is why, before we eat bread, we wash our hands in a ritual manner, recalling the way the Kohanim purified themselves before making sacrifices, and why we salt the challah, to remember the way the Priests salted the sacrificial meat. In essence, we embrace the idea that we are – as the Torah says – “a kingdom of priests; a holy nation.” (Ex. 19:6). Each one of us is like a Kohen of ancient times and that is why each of must keep the flame of passion and devotion alive within us. It is what the Hasidim call “hitlahavut” from the root meaning flame. It refers to the fiery enthusiasm can feel in moments of prayer and devotion.

So, to our youth I want to say, y’yasher ko’che’chem, for the Esh Tamid – the eternal flame – that you keep alive, and which you demonstrated here today. And my prayer for you is that you should keep fueling that flame. You can keep that flame burning through learning and deepening your knowledge of and appreciation for our tradition; and you can keep the flame burning through Jewish practices as simple as celebrating Shabbat or a holiday around your family table.

Shabbat Shalom.

"Let all who are hungry come and eat..."

This Monday night we will open our Seder with the words of “Ha Lachma Anya” which says “This is the bread of poverty that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt… Let all who hungry, come and eat; Let all who are in need, come and share the Pesach meal.” This statement is not meant to be a symbolic feel-good gesture, but rather a reminder of our moral obligations as we prepare to celebrate the “Feast of Freedom.”

There are many families in our community who will not have a feast on Seder night. Especially in our current economic climate, it is important for us to remember those who are oppressed by poverty. Please join me in making the declaration of Ha Lachma Anya sincere. Consider making a donation before Pesach to an organization that provides for those who are hungry.

One option is to give to the JFS-Weinberg Food Pantry. A donation of less than $50 is enough to provide an entire family with everything they need to have a Seder meal. In-kind donations of food and volunteer time are also welcome. Read more about the Passover program here or contact Nancy Benyamin at (303) 597.5000 x369. Jewish Family Service agencies around the country have similar Passover programs. Find your local JFS here.

If you want your donation to have a more global reach, I recommend donating to American Jewish World Service, Oxfam International, or Mazon.

L'shanah ha-ba'ah b'nei chorin - May we soon see the day when we are all truly free.

Hag Sameach,

Salomon

Elevating Our Work. By Melanie Gruenwald

This sermon was given by Melanie Gruenwald in honor of HEA Sisterhood Shabbat.

Shabbat Ha-Chodesh 5770 / Parshat Vayak'hel-Pekudei

A man once came across three masons who were working at chipping chunks of granite from large blocks. The first seemed unhappy at his job, chipping away and frequently looking at his watch. When the man asked what it was that he was doing, the first mason responded, rather curtly, "I'm hammering this rock, and I can't wait 'til 5 when I can go home."

A second mason, seemingly more interested in his work, was hammering diligently and when asked what it was that he was doing, answered, "Well, I'm molding this block of rock so that it can be used with others to construct a wall. It's not bad work, but I'll sure be glad when it's done."

A third mason was hammering at his block fervently, taking time to stand back and admire his work. He chipped off small pieces until he was satisfied that it was the best he could do. When he was questioned about his work he stopped, gazed skyward and proudly proclaimed, "I...am building a synagogue."

Three men. Three attitudes. Three ways of approaching the work they do every day.

We spend much of our time working; And some of our time seeking God and spirituality. Perhaps, we seek spirituality when we come to shul, when we are at a wedding, baby-naming, or funeral. But, how often do we seek God in our day-to-day work? What would it look like if we did?

This week's Torah portion is filled with seemingly mundane details about the building of the Mishkan - the tabernacle that our ancestors carried with them in the wilderness. But our ancestors didn't think the details were mundane at all. The Torah describes them - men and women - engaging in their work with enthusiasm and creative energy, like the third mason in the parable. Artisans of all sorts brought their unique skills and talents; and the people brought every sort of fine material. So generous were their donations that Moses had to tell them to stop. If only we could all infuse our day-to-day work with that kind of holy enthusiasm!

Prior to the construction details, Moses instructs the people: "On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord…" (Exod. 35:2). The word for work - Melacha - is the same as the verb by which God created the universe. From this, our sages derived that the work of the mishkan was parallel to God's work in creating the universe. Thus the kinds of work that are prohibited on Shabbat are those tasks that were involved in building the tabernacle. Just as our work is a reflection of God's creative energy, so, too, is our Shabbat rest a way of imbuing our weekday work with deeper spiritual meaning. Shabbat is when we can step back and recognize that we were created in the image of God and that what we create on the other days of the week is a reflection of the divine.

In our day-to-day lives, we check emails, create to–do lists, fill calendars, file papers, shuttle kids, meet with clients, meet with committees, create marketing plans, strategic plans, and weekend plans. It may not be for the building of a mishkan, but how can we also recognize that the mundane tasks serve greater purposes? How can we raise the mundane and make it holy? We have in our community some great examples.

On this Sisterhood Shabbat, we honor the memory of Clara Gertz - long time member of the HEA and the Sisterhood - who passed away this year. Many of us knew Clara for her work at the Bagel Deli and for her tireless volunteer work at the synagogue. Most of all, we remember Clara for her unique personality. But, in that quirky way she had, there was something very holy - something that can help us understand how we can elevate our work. When Clara met you, she wanted to know about you - because every human being mattered to her. Clara made a point to connect with our kids and with me—always offering to babysit and even offering us to sell us her house. She was a holy woman in our community….

The work of our Sisterhood is also instructive. The women of the Sisterhood plan events- and always elevate them with meaning. Sisterhood Soup in the Sukkah is not just a luncheon. The sisterhood asks for donations to benefit the JFS Food Pantry… This event sent ripples through our community—it inspired the HEA preschool to run an incredible Thanksgiving Food Drive. As a result of Soup in the Sukkah- our son decided to ask friends for donations to JFS instead of gifts for his birthday. Many of his friends have done the same over the years—elevating birthday parties and family events with requests for tzedakah instead of gifts.

Our shul also approaches bnai mitzvah with meaning and a commitment to tzedek through the amazing projects our young adults perform. Once again, transforming what can be a passive experience into one in which the young adult and entire community are engaged.

This is so much bigger than the physical work we do each day-- Every act of creation we do changes the world. When we encounter a stranger, a clerk who is trying to assist us, a homeless person on the freeway exit, a frustrating client, friend, or relative—what is it that we are going to ‘put out in the world’? We have a choice in how we are going to engage with this individual. We can decide what will make it a moment of creation and building, rather than one of destruction.

As we expand beyond ourselves- we should examine what our role is in building the mishkan for our community- as we make decisions in consumption, life style, and philanthropic efforts. We can choose to be builders—to make these choices in ways that are meaningful rather than impulsive. We can choose to build homes of intention, so our children can continue our story of creation. We can build community institutions that are visionary and affect the world we live in.

I think of Ramah in the Rockies, the first specialty camp of the Ramah camping movement, combining outdoor adventure and environmental awareness with Jewish living and learning. This unique camp is opening in June for rising 6th through 10th graders. I have been blessed to work with Ramah since last summer, when we celebrated with an Open Camp day. Ramah in the Rockies, is a vision of a mason, becoming a reality. I am constantly reminded of creating a holy mishkan by the inspirational volunteers and visionaries who brought this dream- of a Ramah in the Rockies- to the amazing reality it is today. There are hundreds of donors, families, and community members who are invested in the success of this institution. THESE are the people making the holy from the mundane- the masons who chip at the granite, seeing the sanctuary they are building for our community.

And this brings us back to the masons- chipping away at the granite. Which mason are we? Which would we want to be? And what can we do to make the change- to create meaning in our every day- to sanctify, and to create in the image of God…?? I bless our community with the ability to make the choice to elevate- to contribute our skills, wisdom, and gifts to the mishkan, To bring our “selves” to our work, and to elevate our day-to-day experiences with holiness. If our days are filled with this intention, just imagine what our mishkan can be….

Shabbat shalom