TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary: Grant Bradley on Tazria - D'var Torah, Zoom Video and Screen Shots

Shabbat Shalom!

Those of you who know me know that I have a real passion for basketball. So before I even get started, I need to give a big shout out to the UCONN Mens and Womens basketball teams for making Connecticut so proud and especially to the Men for winning back to back championships!  Now, how many of YOU know that former NBA player Moses Malone was named after our very own Moshe from the Torah. JUST KIDDING. But how many of you ACTUALLY do know that in 1979, the top rebounder in the NBA was Moses Malone?  At the ripe age of 10 I knew this and that’s how passionate I am about basketball.

But there’s another reason I love basketball, and, it has to do with my Torah portion, Tazria.

Yes, Tazria is all about leprosy!  But the beauty of Torah study is that you can find interesting things to say even about a portion that is all about the grossness of leprosy.  Not only that, but it even ties into my special interest – basketball.

Yes, I know leprosy is kind of disgusting and not everyone’s favorite topic, but I ended up with the portion that deals with disease. For anyone who doesn’t know, leprosy is sort of like Covid before Covid or AIDS before AIDS.  Very scary.  Very deadly. Very mysterious and very contagious.  Just like with both of these diseases, it’s the unknown that scares people so much and often drives people apart.

Basketball, on the other hand, brings people together.  So often, it has proven to be the cure for the disease – not necessarily in a medical sense but in many other ways. I love how basketball has done that, and it’s even done that for me.

Any old pick-up game brings people together who might not have known each other beforehand, and who might have very different backgrounds. Many times I have been on a court and asked people to play… people I don’t know, or don’t know well.  I can just tell they share my love of basketball.  It doesn’t matter whether you are Black or white, American or European, Asian or African – Australian or even Antarctican, young or old, tall or short…

Well, it helps to be tall – but there are some really great short players too.

But with all this good, there are situations in the world of basketball that has had to deal with disease and isolating people, just like in Tazria.

When Magic Johnson told the world that he was HIV positive in 1991, it shocked everyone, but the NBA stood behind him, just like the Kohen in ancient Israel. We learn in the Torah, that one of the jobs of the Kohen was to integrate the sick into the community. According to Eytz Chaim commentary, religion looked to include an inflicted person, not isolate them. Many people were scared of Magic Johnson at the time of his diagnosis. Much like one would be afraid to be around someone inflicted with leprosy. But eventually he was able to play in the 1992 Olympics on the Dream Team. Basketball acted as the Kohen for Magic Johnson, allowing him to integrate back into society.

In 2020, when Covid hit, the NBA was the first league to cancel its season, but they also were very quick to find a solution, by creating a bio-secure bubble to protect their players from catching and spreading this horrible virus.

In ancient Israel, the Kohen would care for the leprosy patient and bring that person back into society.  The Torah teaches us that we heal by not isolating people or treating them like strangers.

Basketball creates an ideal universe. On the court, everyone shares love for the same thing. The beautiful game. Sure there might be fouls and arguments but when you step off that court you shake hands like nothing but a good game happened.  When the messiah comes, I believe everyone will play basketball all the time. Even the mashiach will play basketball.

And you won’t even have to be tall!

I wanted to take my love for basketball and do something good. For my mitzvah project, I’m collecting basketballs and monetary donations to give to the Boys and Girls Club of Stamford. They are always in need of equipment and I want to help keep their sports bins full. Every day, too many kids in Connecticut and around the country leave school with nowhere to go. The Boys and Girls Club of Stamford makes sure that the kids in our city ALWAYS have a place to be with people that care for them. 

Thank you everyone for being here today to celebrate. 

TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary: Liam Raz on Tazria-Metzora

Shabbat Shalom!

This week’s Torah reading is a double portion:   Tazria / Metzorah. 

Like our double portion, I know I am also speaking today to a “double audience”   .

I am talking both to people in this room and those of you who are watching from home.

So first, thank you all for coming.  

I am proud to be the first Bar Mitzvah here at Temple Beth El following our reopening.  

The Torah portion talks about Contagious diseases and Quarantine !!!

  Sounds familiar???   

It talks about a planned approach to move out of quarantine back to regular life.  

It also talks about our obligations to individuals, community, and our tradition, as we deal with mysterious diseases!  

It is therefore appropriate that even though COVID is not yet behind us, we’ve found a way to feel comfortable coming back.  

We now have passed the one year anniversary of this pandemic,   and here we are,   together, in this sanctuary   as a sign that we are returning to everyday life,  slowly but safely.

This is the first weekend back, so we are trying a lot of things out.   

Combining Zoom with in-person,  and trying to make sure everyone feels a part of things.   

On this special occasion, I want to discuss the lessons Covid has taught us, one year in. 

First:  We’ve learned that you should never put off a celebration. 

Our Jewish tradition tells us that the world was created in seven days.  

And yet,   the Jewish nation was not yet created during this very crucial week. 

It goes to show that a HUMAN ACT is needed to become Jewish,   AND that we need to put in an intentional effort to continue our tradition. 

This week’s portion begins with the famous instruction that “on the eighth day, a male newborn would be circumcised.” 

 

This specific act involves HUMAN EFFORT to continue the tradition of the Jewish people. 

As some you may recall from personal experience, It is not very comfortable for a baby, or his parents, to undergo circumcision on the eighth day of life.  

Some may also think that it may not be very convenient to celebrate a Bar Mitzvah during a global pandemic.   

But, this is EXACTLY the point!  .  We do not delay a celebration! 

Why???   

TRADITION!!! 

THIS IS OUR TRADITION:   There is a time and place for everything.   and YES...  it DOES involve HUMAN EFFORT!  

Today is the Shabbat that was assigned to me at birth to celebrate my bar mitzvah . 

So pandemic or not  - our tradition continues  even if it is inconvenient, and not exactly as was planned 13 years ago. 

THIS is definitely a time to celebrate!!!  

Not only because of my Bar Mitzvah, but this so happens to be the weekend of Yom Ha’atzmaut,    The birthday of Israel.    A time when our nation moved from a disaster to establishing a new norm. 

Some of you know that my English name “LI-AM” means “my nation” in Hebrew.  

What better time than, for someone with lots of Israeli relatives, to celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah! 

SHALOM to everyone watching from Israel right now!! 

My Hebrew names are: Shevach and Aryeh, in memory of my paternal great grandfathers. 

As some of you may know, last week was also Yom HaShoah,   Holocaust Memorial Day.   

My great grandparents were Holocaust and pogrom survivors, who lost their families but rebuilt their lives again in Israel.   

My family member David Tessler, who never got to stand for his own Bar Mitzvah, was only six years old, my little sister’s age,   when he was murdered in Auschwitz. 

And yet, our nation recovered from the holocaust, and moved on to build a prosperous country. 

Celebrating My Bar Mitzvah on the same day that the state of Israel was declared is a reminder to all of us that even after bad times - recovery, and establishing a new norm, is possible. 

One of the important lessons we learned from Covid is to adapt to changed circumstances. 

Like many, It has been a rough year for me:

- My dear grandfather, Yitzhac Raz, of blessed memory, passed away at the start of the pandemic.

- My previous school closed down...   Permanently...   Not just for the pandemic!. 

- Like many here, I’ve also had my shares of quarantines, and it is not easy for a kid who loves playing soccer, and loves to play outside with friends, to go virtual. 

- Most of you may have noticed by now  - zoom is not really so much fun :-)  

But the point is…  Things are getting better!!  I’ve learned that we should try not to give up on the things that keep us going from day to day...  the routine things...   the little things that keep us human. 

Things like: cooking, exercise,   and being nice to one another.  These are all things that I’ve kept doing

I love to cook and do so often.  I love soccer,   and luckily I’ve been able to practice and play through much of the pandemic.

I’ve made new friends and had new experiences this year , and I made the most out of these times!!

Like this week's parsha,   this year also taught me that human kindness, and care for each other can lessen the burden of a disease.  

Some of you may have noticed that this week’s parsha talks A LOT about Leprosy.  BUT...  it is also about getting along with one another

The Hebrew word, Metzorah, which means having Leprosy, also, according to the rabbis, is an abbreviation for Motzi-shem-ra, which means slander.    Leprosy is seen as a spiritual disease.  

When you are living in close quarters, IT IS JUST as important to watch what we say as to socially distance to avoid catching a disease.

Either way,   you can cause lots of harm if you are not careful.   

Finally,   COVID has taught us how to deal with illness.  

As friends and people in the community caught COVID-19, I learned about acts of kindness that could be as simple as bringing over some chicken soup, and other food and treats, to help people through their challenges. 

When people are THAT sick, they feel lonely and helpless.  It’s important not to abandon people at a time like this. 

Covid has challenged people in lots of ways.    Everything from cancelled trips to shortages of toilet paper. 

Speaking of toiletries,   those shortages inspired my mitzvah project, which has been to collect toiletries and money for Inspirica,   an organization that provides shelter and helps people to free themselves from the cycle of homelessness.  

Please look at the brochure that I’ve prepared to learn more about my project and how you can help. As I become a Bar Mitzvah on this weekend, there’s so much to celebrate! 

PLUS... we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel for Covid. This light opens the way to a bright, more promising future!

But while we should never put off a chance to celebrate, we know that the need is still great,   and the Torah teaches us never to stop reaching out to others so we can face challenges as a community,   strong and determined to move on!

TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary: Brandon Nadel on Tazria-Metzora AND Ki Tavo

 Shabbat Shalom!

I’m the lucky one who was originally assigned the Torah portions about leprosy and infectious diseases, and then, just to make it even more challenging, was next assigned the portion about a whole bunch of curses!    In all seriousness, I believe we can tie both portions together and receive some very important lessons.

I know a lot of people have suffered because of  COVID-19   The Torah teaches us not everything in life is supposed to be pleasant.  COVID-19 is anything BUT pleasant.   Due to COVID many loved ones were taken away too early.  Those who survived may still have long term symptoms.  And overall,  this disease has resulted in social isolation.   In order to protect one another, we wear masks, which is essential, but can make it difficult to hear others or interpret their emotions correctly.   

 

Social isolation is described in my Torah portion from late April, Tazria-Metzora.  The person who has leprosy is sent to live outside the community in isolation.  We too were called upon to socially isolate,  which was necessary, but can have emotional drawbacks and mental health implications.  

From the very beginning of Genesis, the Torah teaches  it is not good for human beings to be alone.  But during the height of the crisis and even now if someone is sick, there is no choice but to be alone and isolate.

So how does the Torah portion resolve this problem?  When the priest hears about the situation he is instructed to go outside the camp – to go to the afflicted people and not wait for them to come to him.

Hence, the lesson learned,  even when you feel  alone, you are not truly alone.  There can always be the support of your community and the warmth of your loved ones to be there for you.  The key to healing is to help the person maintain connections with other people.  The Talmud states  if you visit a sick person it cures 1/60th of the illness.   Even if you need to be six feet away. 

This week’s Torah portion, ki tavo, is about the laws of Judaism, as well as the curses and blessings  people will get if they obey or disobey.   We have seen this in the past few months with coronavirus.  When we disobeyed the scientists and doctors by opening up the economy too rapidly and became more lenient about social distancing, the numbers spiked.    We have collectively been cursed for not doing what would have kept our community healthy and alive.  . The curses have not been simple, random punishments, but direct consequences of bad choices.  

Likewise, New Zealand as well as many nations in East Asia had success in dropping the COVID case numbers, because these countries listened to their government’s isolation and distancing policies.  They understood wearing masks was a health and safety issue,  rather than a political issue.  Judaism teaches the importance of protecting our fellow people, and unfortunately in many regions in the United States,  we are now suffering the consequences of not protecting one another.   If we follow the best guidance, we will be delivered from the suffering.

Another way we can “reverse the curse”  is by following an  important law in the Torah: a ten percent tax that goes to those who may need it.   We have a religious and moral obligation to use our money to help the sick and poor.  

 Many of the less fortunate can’t afford to pay their rent and/or if inflicted with the disease, their hospital bills can be extraordinary.   To make matters worse, The government hasn't been providing adequate benefits for the unemployed and hasn’t provided enough free health care.  This broken system could be helped through the mitzvah of charitable donations. 

 

Lastly, this torah portion teaches us forgiveness, with the optimism wrong-doers can learn from their mistakes, but only after being accepted back into society.   When individuals do actions they realize now were wrong and can sincerely apologize, we are expected to pardon them. When we hold grudges, we often end up in conflict, and all sides get hurt.  Tying this back to the beginning of my speech, we are to forgive those who did not originally wear a mask or take the virus seriously.   If we forgive, one is more likely to obey the rules and wear a mask, rather than rebel.    I have found from personal experience forgiving others ends conflict between the two parties involved, and heals any inner turmoil as well.   

    For my mitzvah project, I’m donating books to Fairfield County Children’s shelters.  I love to read, and would love to encourage others to read as well – especially since books can be pretty good companions when one feels isolated.  Those kids who receive the books will know someone cared about them.

From the Rabbi's Bunker, April 24: Supporting Respiratory Therapists, The Torah and Disease; Rosh Hodesh, Omer and Spiritual Help is on the Way, Confronting Fear and Putting Our Lives on the Line

From the Rabbi's Bunker

  

   

 Responding to our cabin fever, I've been leading virtual services and classes from remote locations, featuring synagogues and holy places from around the world (and beyond - on Earth Day I led services from the moon).  You just never know where I'm going to turn up!

Shabbat Shalom from the Rabbi's Bunker.

Coming up for air between episodes of "Fauda"...

I know things feel bleak in many ways, but spiritually speaking, help is on the way.  For one thing, Shabbat always provides a huge boost, and our attendance at Zoom Kabbalat Shabbat services has demonstrated that.  This evening at 6, Beth Styles and I will be joined by a special guest.  

You see, this was going to be the Bar Mitzvah weekend for Brandon Nadel. In fact, we worked on his d'var Torah way back in the days before we were confined to our homes.  It also happens that this week's double portion is all about disease and is supremely relevant to the moment. So although the bar mitzvah has been put off until the fall, I invited Brandon to deliver his message at this evening's service. 

Zoom access: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/775369802, Meeting ID: 775 369 802, Password: 131187

Today and tomorrow are Rosh Hodesh for the new month of Iyar, another sign that good things are on the way.  Some see the month's name as an acronym of the Hebrew phrase "Ani Adonai Rofecha," "I, God, am Your Healer." This is also the beginning of the third week of the Omer counting period, leading from Passover to Shavuot. You can see in the Omer counting notes, that this is the the week of "tiferet," which is associated with harmony and balance.  We are a couple of weeks from the 33rd day of the counting, called Lag B'Omer, which commemorates the end of a plague that afflicted Rabbi Akiva's students in the second century (some believe that plague was called "Rome."). So maybe it portends some great news on the medical front.... Don't know, but of course we should listen to the experts.

For Shabbat morning's Torah discussion at 11 AM, we'll be discussing the Covid-19 crisis in light of the portions of Tazria-Metzorah, which speak of communalresponsibility at a time of an epidemic. 

URL:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/620787208, Meeting ID: 620 787 208

Password: 113702

Here are materials you can download:

Text and Commentary from the Etz Hayyim Humash 

Text and Commentary for Tazria-Metzorah from the Koren Humash by Adin Steinsaltz 

Tazria Metzora Discussion Sheet

Tazria Metzora Parsha Packet: A Matter of Life and Death

Allocation of scarce medical resources during Covid-19: A Jewish Ethical Perspective

And looking ahead, we have our Healing and Hangout on Sunday at 1 and a very special Yom Ha'atzmaut mini concert with Koby Hayon and Cantor Katie Kaplan on Tuesday evening,

Mitzvah Moments:

This request came in from TBE congregant Allison Ostroff, who has been on the front lines at Stamford Hospital since the beginning of the Covid-13 crisis.

I am working in the ICU right now and raising money for the respiratory therapists.  They truly are the unsung heroes in this covid crisis. They are the unknown profession who risks their lives daily.  In two hours we surpassed our fundraising goal!  Perhaps our TBE community can help as well. 

Thanks and stay safe.

Allison 

Here is the link to donate, and below is Allison's plea - and thank you to Allison and all who are on the front lines!

While working in the ICU this past month I have witnessed first hand the unsung hero’s of this pandemic - the respiratory therapists. Nurses are amazing and we all know it, but most people do not even know what a respiratory therapist does. They endanger themselves  going in and out of COVID patient rooms to adjust their ventilator settings, putting themselves as close to the patients as possible innumerable times a day.

They save lives. They never complain. And they don’t look for recognition.  

As a physician helping on the frontlines, I feel the community should recognize them. Our goal is to raise this money to provide the 30 therapists each a $50 gift card to purchase food through a hospital service enabling them to buy groceries at Stamford Hospital. This is vital as they can’t get out to the market themselves because of their close proximity to infected patients. 

Thank you so much for supporting us in this very worthwhile endeavor!

Allison Ostroff

It's a small thing to say thank you - but it is so important.  This week when I brought out my recycling and trash bins, I wrote a note on top thanking those who are out there every day.  At a time like this, everyone needs a thank you! 

 

Are First Responders and Medical Workers Obligated to Put Their Lives on the Line?

I wrote about this back in February, at a time when  much of the discussion was still theoretical.  In light of this week's portion and the continued heroic work we are seeing, it is worth revisiting this question here - and please join in the Torah discussion tomorrow at 11.

Back in 2002, when we faced another potential pandemic, a Jewish medical practitioner came to me and asked what our tradition would tell him about a doctor treating a patient with SARS. This virus was truly scary because so much about it was unknown, but what was known is that SARS was deadly and extremely contagious. Unlike AIDS, it could be transmitted without intimate contact; unlike West Nile, it couldn’t be traced to infected parasites, and unlike Ebola, it was not confined to some remote jungle. It was right here, threatening to turn your local mall into that Valley of the Shadow of Death.

That’s how we are thinking of the coronavirus today.

Eventually the panic will subside as the medical community gets a handle on the virus, but that question will remain supremely relevant, especially as doctors in China have died of infection and fatigue while treating patients with the disease.

Maimonides and others long ago codified the obligation of a physician to heal, but when a patient has a contagious disease, the obligation to save one’s own life can take precedence. If the risk is very small (safek sakanah) the doctor is obligated to heal, and if it is great, s/he is not. Interestingly, according to Dr. Fred Rosner, an expert on these matters, when a doctor treats a patient despite high risks, the act is considered a “pious one” (midat hasidut) by some halachic authorities and folly (chasid shoteh) by others. The Babylonian Talmud opines that one is not obligated to endanger one’s life even if the risk is small, in order to save the life of another. In contrast, the Jerusalem Talmud states that one should take that risk. It’s interesting that the Talmud written in the Diaspora conveys the more cautious, Woody Allen-like approach, while the Jerusalem Talmud speaks in the macho tongue of an Israeli cab driver. The dialectic between the two Talmuds reflects a dialogue that has been ongoing in Jewish circles through the centuries.

In “Love and Death,” Allen is challenged to a duel. He replies, “I can’t do anything 'to the death,' doctor’s orders. I have an ulcer and dying is one of the worst things for it.”

It’s OK for Jews to be afraid. It’s OK to place personal safety - and, by extension, obligations to one’s family - above a higher cause, such as a physician’s oath or national objective. In biblical times, an Israelite who was afraid to fight in a (non-obligatory) war was sent home without censure. “Just go,” the officer would say. “Enjoy your new wife, new home or freshly planted vineyard! It’s OK!”

We have nothing to fear of fear itself.

Which is why I am in such awe of those who have placed it all on the line these past few weeks and the many more who will undoubtedly respond to the call in the days to come. A Jew isn’t doing these things out of a religious obligation (though inspired, perhaps, by the selflessness and courage our religion values) but out of pure love of humanity, and the hope of freeing others from the fears that enslave them. Like Nachshon at the Red Sea, they - and all others who are at the forefront of this medical crisis - have taken the plunge for all of us.

Recommended Reading and Viewing

This LA megachurch has served 350,000 free meals during the pandemic (RNS). In case we are tempted to become TOO self-congratulatory about all we've been doing, this is rather humbling...)

Saying Kaddish Without a Minyan? - Kaddish is not a zero-sum game. Honoring the deceased is really about living a certain life infused with Jewish tradition. In the absence of a minyan to say Kaddish there is still something perhaps more important mourners can do - commit to living that life as fully as possible.

Wisdom For Unwelcome Experiences (MyJewishLearning)  The founder of Hasidism sought to help his followers to cope with unwelcome experiences - distracting thoughts during prayer and any encounters with brokenness. He offered a three-pronged approach: hachna’ah (yielding), havdalah (discernment), and 

hamtakah (sweetening).

Israel and Earth Day (WJC)

Does Judaism Believe in the Right to Die? All denominations of Judaism prohibit assisted suicide and euthanasia, but there is some room for nuance.

The Subversive Kaddish (Torah.com) Perhaps in this season of mourning-for the students of Rabbi Akiva, said to have died during the period of the omer; for the victims of the Shoah; for the fallen soldiers of the State of Israel-the Kaddish Yatom’s spirit of defiant hope in the face of overwhelming opposition might still continue to resonate.

I Know the Rabbi in "The Plot Against America (Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin, RNS)

Rabbi Bengelsdorf is a metaphor. His presence in the narrative reminds us of a grim truth.  He writes:

• There have always been Jews who have been far too open to the seductions of celebrity and imagined power and influence. Sometimes, as with the hofjuden (court Jews), they could be useful in gaining advantages for their people. All too often, however, like in Germany, those pseudo-powerful Jews realized, too late, that they had been dupes.
• There have always been Jews who are far too willing to cling to a popular ideology, blinding themselves to its implications to their people and to others.
• There have always been Jews who are far too willing to think that rising tides of hatred will not include them, that they will somehow be the exceptional Jews.
• They have always been Jews who misjudge and/or minimize and/or pirouette around Jew-hatred and Israel-hatred. They are on the left and the right.

By the end of the series, Bengelsdorf and Evelyn discover themselves to be characters in a Greek tragedy -- their hubris paving the road to ruin. "The Plot Against America" is a warning -- far deeper than even Roth could have imagined

11 fun ways to celebrate Israel Independence Day in lockdown (Israel 21c) 

Bone up on Israel’s history, make yourself a pita with hummus and party like no one’s watching from the comfort of your own home.

Find Out What Delicious Israeli Snack You Are 

To Celebrate Israel's 72nd, you can listen to this playlist of 895 Naomi Shemer songs!

What is Yom Ha'atzmaut?

And finally, I share some lovely words penned for Easter services by a close friend and colleague, Rev. Frances Sink:

New Beatitudes-For the Essential

Blessed are the doctors, the nurses and orderlies, the EMTs, and chaplains, for they are guarding the kingdom of life even as they must shelter the kingdom of grief.

 

Blessed are the farmworkers, the truck drivers, the warehouse workers, the checkout clerks, and the gig workers, deliverers and stockers, providers of food pantries and bringers of meals, for they are feeding a nation.

 

Blessed are the public educators for their dedicated and noble work- may their so generous giving to their students sustain the still growing minds they guide.

 

Blessed are those whose lives of racial and economic disadvantage, high density living, working, and commuting conditions place them at extreme risk for infection- may the human cost of their servitude shame our hardened society into repair.

 

Blessed are the out of work and the out of money-

may their tireless phone calls for promised aid be answered.

 

Blessed are the imprisoned, the congregated, and the closely confined-

may they be released into more protected care.

 

Blessed are those without shelter and those without healthcare and those without a safety net and no right to benefits- may they too be known as essential to our collective wellbeing.

 

Blessed are the postal workers, the Zoomers, the multimedia journalists, reporters,

photographers, the poll workers and the census takers for keeping communication open and democracy alive.

 

Blessed are the builders, the supply chain rerouters, and the retoolers of factories, for their relevant and responsive initiative- may they open new paths out of chaos.

 

Blessed are the research and clinical scientists whose answers will break this virus' grip- may their efforts bring success and restore us to health and freedom.

 

Blessed are the volunteers, the donors, the neighbors and the tireless and the relentless caregivers for they sustain our confidence in the human spirit.

 

Blessed are all who now are named essential to our profoundly interdependent lives, whose necessary contributions and just as necessary needs went unrecognized, the failure of our moral imagination and commitment. May we all now be seen as essential to each other, the wellbeing of each, precious and essential to the life and care of us all.

 

Rev. Dr. Frances Sink

Easter Sunday, 2020

Shabbat Shalom and stay safe!

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman