Woke Purity-Vayikra

Woke Purity
Parshat Vayikra

This week's portion is Vayikra, which begins a new book, topic and discussion. The third book of the Torah, Vayikra, is called in Latin "Leviticus", as it is the book that is primarily related to the laws of the tribe of "Levi" from which the Kohanim and Levi'im descend. As such, this book of the Torah is about the sacrificial rites and Korbanot found in the Torah. In Hebrew, it is also called Torat Kohanim - the Laws of the Priests, for the very same reason.

The Mesorah (tradition) of Jewish Chinuch (education) teaches us not only the WHAT about our faith, but also HOW to teach it.

There is a special age-old custom that when children begin to study Chumash (the Torah) they should begin with the opening verses of Vayikra. This custom is brought in the Midrash Yalkut Shimoni (Tzav 479): It states "Why do young children start with Torat Kohanim (Vayikra)? Let them start with Bereishit? Since the Korbanot (sacrifices) are pure and the children are pure, let the pure come and deal with the pure."
The obvious question is, why do children begin their learning with the Book of Leviticus rather than the Book of Genesis? After all, for a young child, the laws of sacrifices seem like a strange place to begin. If I was designing a curriculum for Torah study, I might choose to start somewhere different. Perhaps Genesis, as the midrash asks about. After all, it is the beginning. It describes the creation of the world. It is full of stories about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Noah and the Flood, the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. Or, maybe we might choose to begin with the Book of Exodus. It describes the beginnings of the Jewish people, the Exodus from Egypt, and the receiving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.

But no. The tradition was/is to begin with Leviticus.  Why, the Midrash asks, would we start children’s education here?

There is a certain similarity between children and the spiritual concept of sacrifices. All of the sacrifices written in Leviticus have to do with purity. Children are pure, and have not yet experienced sin. Children are sincere and precious. Therefore, the Midrash explains "the Holy One said, let the pure ones come and engage with matters of purity, and I will consider it as if you were standing before Me and offering sacrifices". In other words, it is about keeping our children holy and protected, and it is critical for our children to retain their innocence and purity as long as possible. 

In an ever-confused world, where confusion and woke culture prevail, this idea is more important than ever. It is our first job and priority to maintain the purity and innocence of our children to the very best of our abilities. Indeed, our children can quickly become the "sacrifices" of our culture in the extreme negative. It is therefore our sacred responsibility, to make sure that the opposite is achieved, and they remain enveloped in holiness and bliss. Only then, can we focus on the other matters of education.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Y. Marrus 

Vested Interest-Vayakhel-Pikudei

Vested Interest
Parshat Vayakhel-Pikudei

In this week's Torah portion we read about the actual construction of the Mishkan (the sanctuary in the wilderness). The Torah describes in great detail, every aspect of its construction, from the structure down to the specific hooks that were used for its tapestries, as well as how the project was spearheaded by two gifted individuals; Betzalel ben Uri and Ahaliav ben Achisamach. Additionally, the Torah recounts how the Jewish women contributed and got involved in the project, in addition to the men, to the extent that the women's excitement was even greater than that of the men..

What is fascinating to note, is that this portion is almost identical to the previous portions of Terumah and Tetzaveh. While the Torah generally speaking, is so careful to be concise, in our portion there seems to be repetition in abundance. The obvious question is why? Why the need for so much detail? Additionally, there seems to be an emphasis in our portion on the practical and very hands-on contribution of the Jewish community, beginning with the architects Betzalel and Ahaliav, the active participation of the men, women, tribal princes and more. Once again, we are left wondering, why is this important to the narrative of the story?

This past Purim while reading the Meggilah, I noticed some red and black stains on my Meggilah scroll. I had forgotten about these stains and it brought a smile to my face. You see, when my eldest son Mendel was young, he had put on some make-up on his face as part of his Purim costume. As he joined me for the Meggilah reading on the Bimah, he accidentally touched his face and then the scroll, staining the parchment. At the time I was quite upset, but years later, the memory of my son following the reading along with me brought back good memories and a smile to my face.

Our sages teach us that the Mishkan (Sanctuary) was very special to Hashem for two reasons. Firstly, because it was an atonement for the sin of the Egel Hazahav (the golden calf), and secondly, because it was an expression of love by the Jewish people. While G-d is certainly not needing our meager buildings or offerings, it was the effort, love and personal dedication of each and every Jew, that Hashem appreciated so much. This is why every aspect of the Mishkan is repeated in detail, similar to our appreciation of our child's gift or painting, that while it may not be worth much artistically, the feelings of love and connection are brought to the fore by it.

For some reason, parents feel the need to take care of everything. We plan, organize, schedule our children's lives and then execute our master-plan. If something doesn't go according to plan, we easily become frustrated and exacerbated. The biggest problem with this mode of behavior is, that we have not left any room for our children's involvement or for them to be personally vested in whatever it is we have planned for them. Planning and organization are very important, but having our children personally invest and get excited about their schooling, chores or where we might go on a vacation, adds so much more to the experience. Our children's activities and schedule doesn't have to be a war, it can be a collaborative effort.

Perhaps, the lesson is that Hashem is telling us that we need to listen and engage our children, and have them be part of the scheduling and planning, and we may just save a lot of aggravation and heartache. After all, didn't He allow us to plan, design, build and beautify His sanctuary?

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Y. Marrus

Transformative Spices-Ki Tisa

 

Transformative Spices
Parshat Ki Tisa

One of the most special and hallowed services in the Temple was the Ketores (incense). In this week's Torah portion of Ki Tisa we are told about this commandment (Exodus 30:34-38). These eleven ingredients (as derived by our sages) were mixed in a most special way and were offered on the golden altar twice daily. 

One of the ingredients was called Chelbena (galbanum). It had a foul aroma, yet it was included in the Ketores. Rashi commentary (1040-1106 France) brings an explanation from the Talmud (Kereisos 6b) that this foul aroma represents the sinners in our community, and how they should also be included with the community in its prayers. As such, the Ketores represents Jewish unity, no matter who or how far they may have strayed. 

One of the greatest challenges in parenting is how to curb specific behaviors of our children. Often, these negative behaviors and/or mannerisms seem to be impossible to change or subdue. As a result, we feel that our children will certainly fail at life, and we as parents, have certainly failed them as well. We then "label" the children as "poorly behaved" or even worse, as "bad kids". 

The Chelbana ingredient on its own may have had a foul aroma, yet when mixed with all the other ingredients, the Ketores had the most special aroma in the world. In fact, it was the foul aroma of the Chelbana that brought out the intensity of the other sweet smelling fragrances. As such, we need to remember that mannerisms and personality traits of our children are from Hashem. These personality traits make us who we are and very often are the secret to our success as adults. Our natural tendencies and idiosyncrasies are not necessarily bad, they just need to be "mixed" with other ingredients, so the end product smells wonderful. Left on its own, we are overwhelmed by the foul odor.

There is a story in the Talmud (Brachot 10a) of some local bandits who were always harassing Rabbi Meir. As such, Rabbi Meir prayed for them to die. His wife Bruria said " Is this permitted? The verse in Tehillim (Psalms 104:35) says : "SINS will cease from the earth - not SINNERS will cease from the earth". Rather then pray for their demise, she said, pray for them to repent and transform themselves". 

This is the lesson from the Ketores. We must use our natural talents, mannerisms and character traits, and TRANSFORM them into a positive and motivating force. While a specific behavior may be uncouth, the place that it comes from isn't necessarily bad. Used in the right way, it can be the greatest catalyst for growth and success. All we need to do is transform it.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Y. Marrus