This Passover marks the temporary exodus of one of our congregants, Ron Baker.

Every congregant is valuable, every congregant has roles to play, and the departure of any congregant is remarkable. All this is more so in a small congregation like ours.

Still, Ron’s leaving is worth a special comment.

Ron’s life and career have taken him from Tupelo to the world, from Christianity to Judaism, and for the moment, back to his home and family in Israel. He had been back in Tupelo for a year to take care of family matters here. In that time, he was back at Temple B’nai Israel, where his intelligence, his scholarship, his humanity, and most of all his friendship have left a gap impossible to fill. At our Torah Study, which Ron inspired and helped to start, we leave a chair for him like Elijah at the seder.

It is difficult to summarize Ron’s life and accomplishments. Fortunately, the Daily Journal’s religion editor Galen Holley did that so very well a few weeks ago in a profile, Divine Encounter.

Ron is returning to Israel to take on a new and extraordinarily important job as Director of the Bat Kol Institute in Jerusalem. For those unfamiliar with Bat Kol, their mission is:

To promote the study of Torah (the Word of God), oral and written, as transmitted today through Jewish Traditions.

To foster an understanding and appreciation of Jewish prayer and the Jewish biblical cycle—with the Sabbath as its central festival.

To facilitate the integration of these studies into a Christian self-understanding in a manner that respects the Jewish people and reveres the integrity of their traditions.

To extend the riches of the Hebrew Scriptures and Traditions in regular study of the Bible by Christians.

Ron enriched our lives, our congregation and our community, and we look forward to his being back in Tupelo before too long.

As usual, there was an excellent service led by Religious Leader Marc Perler, followed by a potluck dinner. The tables were filled with all kinds of homemade food, including lots and lots of latkes—hundreds of latkes, both the traditional kind and a tasty sweet potato-carrot version.

When all the eating was done, something new and exciting was added this year. B’nai Israel held its first annual Dreidel Spinning Championship. Though not conducted precisely according to Major League Dreidel rules, there was a standard 18-inch by 18-inch spinning area, and a suitable competitive dreidel was selected.

No one there had ever taken part in a dreidel competition before, and some players even claimed to have little or no spinning experience (though it appeared that this inexperience may have been overstated by some Hanukkah hustlers in the group). After much cajoling, thirteen people entered the contest, and most agreed to choose a spinning nickname.

Here were this year’s competitors:

Al (Saltillo Slim)
Alice (Dizzy Al)
Cindy (The Houston Hurricane)
Glenda
Kathleen (K.-Top)
Linda (Loopy Lyn)
Marc (Top Rebbe)
Polly
Richard (Latke Louis)
Ron (Rally Ron)
Skylar (Little Dreidel)
Tracy
Tyler (Butterfingers)

After three elimination rounds, the championship came down to two competitors: Latke Louis and Saltillo Slim.

Latke Louis

Saltillo Slim

Up to that round, Louis had a best spin of 13.2 seconds, while Slim had kept his dreidel going for 13.4 seconds. In the final spin, it was Latke Louis who prevailed by a mere 0.2 seconds. Temple B’nai Israel had its first ever Dreidel Champion.

Here is an excerpt from Torah portion Vayera:

⁶Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. He himself took the firestone^a and the knife; and the two walked off together. ⁷Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he answered, “Yes, my son.” And he said, “Here are the firestone and the wood; but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” ⁸And Abraham said, “God will see to the sheep for His burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them walked on together.

⁹They arrived at the place of which God had told him. Abraham built an altar there; he laid out the wood; he bound his son Isaac; he laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰And Abraham picked up the knife to slay his son. ¹¹Then an angel of the Lord called to him from heaven: “Abraham! Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.” ¹²And he said, “Do not raise your hand against the boy, or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me.” ¹³When Abraham looked up, his eye fell upon a ram, caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son. ¹⁴And Abraham named that site Adonai-yireh,^c whence the present saying, “On the mount of the Lord there is vision.”^d

¹⁵The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, ¹⁶and said, “By Myself I swear, the Lord declares: Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your favored one, ¹⁷I will bestow My blessing upon you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore; and your descendants shall seize the gates of their foes. ¹⁸All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, because you have obeyed My command.” ¹⁹Abraham then returned to his servants, and they departed together for Beer-sheba; and Abraham stayed in Beer-sheba. (Genesis 22:6-19)

Please offer your comments about this or any other part of Torah portion Vayera.

Lech Lecha

Genesis 12.1-17.27

The Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

^2I will make of you a great nation,
And I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
And you shall be a blessing.^
3I will bless those who bless you
And curse him that curses you;
And all the families of the earth
Shall bless themselves by you.”…

In Washington D.C., churches are still clamoring to have the Obamas join their congregations. Nothing does more to raise the profile of a congregation than to have a worthy celebrity in their pews.

Temple B’nai Israel can go that one better. Not only does the congregation include one of the most recognized people in the state, but the famous man and his famous voice can frequently be heard leading Shabbat services. “Kindly be seated” never sounded so commanding.

This month, Mississippi Sports magazine features a cover story on Jack Cristil:

For the past 55 years, many head coaches in various sports have come and gone at Mississippi State University.   But over that half century plus, there has been one constant voice for the fans of MSU athletics: Jack Cristil.

Starting his MSU broadcasting career in 1953, generations of fans have grown up listening to the smooth voice of Cristil. Describing a game like no other over the airwaves, Cristil has delivered the majority of high and low points concerning the Bulldogs’ football and basket­ball programs.

You can read the story on Jack Cristil (along with a profile of Michael Rubinstein, Executive Director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum) here.

What is the truth about the tree of knowledge?

Before getting to the tree, I want to talk about how we view the wisdom of the past, individually and collectively. In times of progress, as these are supposed to be, we have mixed perspectives. We honor really, really smart individuals, recognizing their towering wisdom and intellect by listening to them and following them (sometimes slavishly). But when we look at how smart people of a certain time were as a whole, we tend to reflexively think–know–that we are today better and smarter.

Much scholarship tells us that the attribution of the Torah to Moses is almost certainly apocryphal, and that the text we now read is the patchwork of generations of writers and editors. (Jews are far from alone in this. There is reputable Christian and Buddhist scholarship that has taken some of the words out of the mouths of Jesus and the Buddha too.) For some this a problem requiring outright rejection of the hypothesis; for others it is accepted as a welcome marker of 21st century enlightenment.

There is a middle ground between rejection and acceptance. To reach it, we first have to believe that many people in the long past, now individually lost in the collective, are smarter than us, maybe a lot smarter than us. In Judaism, we are used to thinking about the big names, Rashi and Maimonides and dozens of others. But the wise men behind the Torah have no name. Yet there they are, this week and every week, generation to generation. We call them Moses, not to take anything away from that figure, but to give those unnamed wise men the respect and attention they deserve.

This wisdom of the Torah is on display from the beginning, and certainly in the story of the tree of knowledge.

Some Torah stories are so familiar that we take the details for granted. We know what the Torah says, we’ve heard it a million times, so let’s move on. Nothing to see here. On top of that, we ignore the details about the tree of knowledge the way that we don’t care about the details of a gun in a crime drama. It may matter to detectives whether it is a .22 or a .38 or a .45, but let’s just get to the good stuff. Serpents, naked people, death.

The tree of knowledge, though, isn’t just a prop in a bigger, juicier story. It is the story.

Exactly what kind of tree is it, and exactly what knowledge makes it so important?

That’s easy. It’s the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

That convenient answer only raises more questions. If it is good and evil, why aren’t we supposed to know about them? And if it is good and evil, why would that knowledge lead in this story to suddenly realizing we are naked when we have no clothes on, and to the end of human immortality?

Why shouldn’t we know the difference between good and evil? Prohibiting that knowledge makes absolutely no sense in light of everything else that happens and is commanded in the rest of the Torah, starting with the rest of this portion. Isn’t the Torah-in fact all of Judaism-about being able to make those distinctions and acting accordingly? If nothing else, the Torah is all about one way or the other, right choices that are rewarded, wrong choices that are punished.

But maybe it is not “good and evil” at all. Richard Elliott Friedman suggests that the Torah word “ra” is not limited to the simple moral category “evil,” and from the various connotations he chooses the word “bad” to make this clear. Even with this choice of language–”good and bad”–he goes on to suggest that by focusing on that word alone we are taking our eye off the ball. It may be that God/Torah is warning Adam/us to quit focusing on distinctions and dualities.

This concept is a part of all religious traditions, Judaism and others. Simple to say but not always easy to grasp, the idea is that we suffer when make distinctions and too tightly embrace those distinctions. If we look at the commandments, or even at the rest of this portion, we can see this in action. Don’t be greedy, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t kill, etc.

In general, we place relative values on things (including our own brilliant thoughts, our good looks, etc.). You have more, I have less, so I take yours, or I’m miserable, or both. Or just the opposite: I have more, you have less, you are inferior, so I overvalue my trivial qualities, and can’t see your more important qualities. And so on. In particular, the stories in the Torah and in this portion are all include difficulties resulting from these distinctions. Cain and Abel, the Smothers Brothers of the Bible, are all about this. In Cain’s vision of duality, Cain thinks that God likes Abel’s offering better, so Cain gets angry and kills him. The fruit of the tree of knowledge itself is about coveting and stealing something bigger, better and Yours-all of these comparative distinctions.

Let’s look at this portion’s two stated consequences of this knowledge, that is, of being bound up with this duality and these distinctions. Adam’s nature was to be unaware of his clothing, or actually his lack of clothing. Clothed versus naked means nothing to him. He is who he is, he looks like he looks. But suddenly he is aware of how he looks, and in the process forgets who he is, focused only on looking better, or at least more decent. At a much higher level, the same thing applies to the loss of immortality. Buddhism and other traditions talk about “defeating” death with the realization that life and death are in essence no different (they appear to be different, or more carefully are and are not different, but that will have to wait for another discussion). Here, immortality was possible as long as Adam/us didn’t make the life/death distinction. But Adam being Adam, and us being people, we live with and by all kinds of distinctions, this one and many others.

God and Adam are at a standoff at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, or good and bad, or good and not-good, or whatever.

Adam can’t stop himself. He is a typical guy (as he later proves when he turns Eve in), and he is going to make these distinctions, and he is going to suffer for them.

God, as usual, is in a much more complex position. On the one hand, he does want people to know the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, light and dark, etc. He knows the world will be better for it. On the other hand, he knows that people would be happier, would suffer less, if they got past the distinctions that actually get in their way. The world would be better for that too. On top of all this, there is the danger that people won’t easily understand that they can and should hold both of these thoughts at the same time, that is, know and follow the important distinctions while also letting them go. Even God’s head is hurting from all this.

In the end, here is what God and the Torah decide. People will start out in a position of non-duality, which is a position of non-suffering. They will be told/warned that this is a precious gift, an ultimate way of being that is easily lost. People being people, they will lose it, they will spoil the gift, they will live lives filled with distinctions of all kinds, and with these and because of these distinctions, they will be good and not good, they will heal and they will suffer. Maybe they will get back to where they were before the tree, maybe not. So begins the Torah and so begins history.

God knows all this when he puts the tree there. The truth, God knows and the wise men of the Torah write, is there in the story of the tree. If we can handle it and learn from it.

Bob Schwartz

Everything the congregation could have hoped for with this very special event was realized. Skylar took on the challenge of chanting not just his haftarah, but a part of the Torah portion too. His consistently hard work, along with the expert teaching of Burt Paikoff, resulted in a perfect performance. Marc Perler conducted the service with with the knowledge, kindess and warmth that we are fortunate to have in our Religious Leader. There were a number of non-Jewish guests, and for them, Marc’s service and explanations were  an enlightening introduction to the traditions.

Most of all, we thank Skylar Wolfe for the gift he gave the congregation. He is a welcome member of the Jewish community, and we look forward to his thoughtful participation in the future.

Saturday, October 3, 2009
10:30 a.m.

15 Tishrei 5770

First Day of Sukkot

Temple B’nai Israel is honored that on this very special Shabbat, Skylar Wolfe will mark his becoming bar mitzvah.

Bar mitzvah means “son of the commandments” in Aramic. Having reached his thirteenth birthday, Skylar is now a full member of the congregation, with all the privileges and responsibilities.

This is also a special Shabbat, the first day of Sukkot. Both the Torah portion and the haftarah are related to this “Feast of Booths,” one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar.

When he stands on the bema on Sukkot, Skylar will be a part of some very special company. Moses instructed the Israelites to gather every seventh year on Sukkot to hear the Law read. King Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem on Sukkot. And when the Jews returned from the Babylonian exile, Sukkot was the first sacred observance in Jerusalem.

The Torah portion for Skylar’s bar mitzvah day is Leviticus 23:33-44.

Skylar will chant the haftarah, Zechariah 14:1-21.

Skylar has worked extraordinarily hard over the past year to prepare for this Shabbat. We appreciate all that hard work, which benefits not just Skylar but the entire congregation. We also appreciate the work of two of our most esteemed members  who diligently helped Skylar to prepare for this day: Marc Perler, our Religious Leader, and Burt Paikoff, our master of Hebrew. Thank you.

Religion is a serious business, and the great scriptures of all religions have vivid moments of high drama. The Torah alone contains countless unforgettable scenes: Abraham standing ready, knife in hand, to sacrifice his son Isaac. Moses smashing the tablets, as he watches his people dancing around the golden idol.

There should be more to life and to scripture than drama. Yet there is surprisingly little scriptural comedy. In fact, there is hardly any. Which is why we should all be delighted by this week’s Torah portion.

Balak is the King of Moab. He sees the Israelites in his territory, and he is afraid that, “This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” So he hires Balaam, a famous diviner and prophet, to curse Israel.

Now Balaam appears not only here, but elsewhere in the Bible, and is thought to have actually been a real or legendary Semitic figure. He takes the job, but in a rather confusing and disjointed series of events—confusing because the portion is taken from different sources—Balaam ends up obeying God, and blessing rather than cursing Israel.

About one event, however, there is no confusion. In the Bible’s number one slapstick comedy routine, the Torah makes a complete and utter fool of Balaam.

Here’s the scene. Balaam has already informed Balak that God has told him not to curse Israel, but the King won’t take no for an answer. God says: Fine, go ahead and go with them, but do only what I tell you. Inexplicably, when Balaam does set out to go, God gets angry with him (I told you this was confusing).

The Torah picks up the story in Numbers Chapter 22:

22God’s anger was kindled because he was going, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the road as his adversary. Now he [Balaam] was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23The donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand; so the donkey turned off the road, and went into the field; and Balaam struck the donkey, to turn it back onto the road.

24Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. 25When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it scraped against the wall, and scraped Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck it again.

26Then the angel of the LORD went ahead, and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. 27When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it lay down under Balaam; and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff.

28Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me! I wish I had a sword in my hand! I would kill you right now!” 30But the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I been in the habit of treating you this way?” And he said, “No.”

31Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road, with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed down, falling on his face. 32The angel of the LORD said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? I have come out as an adversary, because your way is perverse before me. 33The donkey saw me, and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let it live.”

Long before Mr. Ed, long before Shrek, there was Balaam’s donkey. “Hey, what’d I ever do to you? Have I ever steered you wrong?” he says. And Balaam, who as a professional prophet has seen some pretty weird stuff, who has actually heard directly from God, can only do a slack-jawed double take and dumbly mutter, “Uh, nope.” Great stuff.

Now this scene comes in the middle of some very serious times in a very serious text. The journey of the Israelites is coming to an end, and there is still some serious history to chronicle and some serious issues to resolve. But just for a moment, in the midst of all this, there is a time for a laugh.

There’s a lot been written about Jews and comedy. There are a lot of theories about why so many Jews try and succeed at making people laugh. If you ask me, maybe that interest and that talent all go back a few thousand years, way back to the Torah and Balaam’s amazing talking ass.

Bob Schwartz