TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary: Jakob Zelazny on Metzora (Photos and Text, click on photos to enlarge)

Jakob Zelazny's Dvar Torah 

A couple of years ago, my dad was showing me some of his favorite movies.  One of them was Ben Hur.  At one point some people appeared in the movie who were covering themselves up and looked very uncomfortable. My dad paused the movie and said to me that this is a leper colony.

He explained to me that these are the people who are sick and had to be separated from the people living in the city, including people who they care about, like Ben Hur’s mother and sister.  They were sick and so had to be alone, away from him.

            I enjoyed the movie, but little did I know at the time that my bar mitzvah Torah portion would be about leprosy. 

            And, little did I know that in another year or so, the whole world would be going through the same thing that these people had to go through thousands of years ago.

            Covid and leprosy are not exactly the same, but it’s amazing how much the Torah can teach us about how to cope with illness and misfortune. 

            What I’ve learned is that the key to helping people cope with all these problems is to help them to maintain their physical dignity and to overcome their isolation.

            When I was at a lacrosse camp last summer, I was inspired by a coach giving his lacrosse gear to a person who wanted to play but could not afford it.  I wanted to do something similar to this, but then I had a second thought.  What if I do something more than giving lacrosse gear? So, I decided to collect personal care items and give them to people in need at my school.

            I started the Titans’ Care Closet that people can donate to, so that whenever a student needs something, anything from toothpaste to socks to reusable water bottles, they can put in a request and a guidance counselor or the nurse will get them what they need.  This allows these classmates to have a feeling of dignity and a sense of well-being.

 The great philosopher Maimonides said that of all the different ways to give tzedakah,   or charity,   right near the top is giving anonymously, so that neither the giver nor the recipient knows who is giving and who receives.  That helps the recipient to maintain their dignity.

            I believe that when you are clean and healthy, you feel good about yourself, and when you feel good, you are more outgoing and less isolated, you are making friends and talking to people. 

            My portion teaches us that when a person had leprosy, they were forced to stay outside the camp.  But they weren’t left alone for long.  In fact, it was the priest, the leader of the community, who took personal responsibility to go out and welcome that person back in.

            Not only that, but the Cohen would also help cure the patient.  In the Torah, medical care and religion were mixed together, including sacrifices and other rituals designed to help relieve isolation and hopelessness.

            As many of you may know, hockey is a very big part of my life.  About one year ago, nearly my entire team tested positive for Covid, including me, and our head coach.  We were quarantined to our homes, just like the lepers in the Torah, we had to stay away from everyone else, including one another.

            Fortunately, we had certain advantages that they didn’t have back in the days of Ben Hur and the Torah.

            They did not have X-Box!

            Instead of having an actual hockey practice, our coach set up Zoom meetings, where we would go over past games and figure out what we could do better.  Once we got back on our skates, we had a new appreciation of how great it was all to be together. 

            In a way, that’s how we all feel right now.

            This week, Jews around the world are cleaning their homes for Passover.  Through my mitzvah project, I’ve learned how important it is to be clean and how, as we read in Psalm 24, “N’ki Capayim U’var Layvav…” “Clean hands and a pure heart will bring a special blessing” or as they say, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”

            This is how the people with leprosy must have felt when the priest came to purify them.

            And it’s sort of how I felt when I finally  got to leave the house.

            As I become a bar mitzvah today, having learned how difficult it is to face isolation and illness, I hope that I can help bring a sense of dignity and connection and help heal our troubled world.

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.

TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary: Jacob Davidson on Metzora

Shabbat Shalom!

It was a really chilly night in late March, when, instead of playing my daily dose of Fortnite before bed (just kidding), my dad and I headed for church.  Yes, not kidding, we went to the United Methodist Church of New Canaan, in order to fulfill my Mitzvah Project. 

Now that I have you confused, for my project, I went to New York with an organization called Midnight Run, where along with six others, I personally handed out clothing, fresh meals and toiletries – at midnight – to homeless people on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen.

This project in fact ties into both my Torah portion and the festival of Passover.

My portion of Metzora discusses leprosy, a disease that was very contagious. No one wanted to touch or go near people who had it, so they were excluded from the community.

Except the Kohen, the priest, who would talk to them.  In Leviticus 14:3 it says, “When (a case of leprosy) has been reported to the priest, he shall go outside the camp to see if the leper has been healed.” The commentators say that the priest was not to wait until people came to him.  He had to go to them.  Even the very contagious person with leprosy needs to be met with personal human contact… no one should be an outcast.

Which brings me to the homeless.  It so happens that for me, homelessness is not just something you read about.  In the past, I have had friends who were homeless.  So when it was time for me to pick a mitzvah project, I didn’t want to simply donate to a homeless shelter or deliver food to a food bank. I wanted to go out to where homeless people live and personally help them out.

Also, today is Shabbat Hagadol, meaning Passover begins this week.  The story of the Exodus and the night of the tenth plague is another story about a midnight run.

It says in Exodus chapter 12:

וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה, וַיהוָה הִכָּה כָל-בְּכוֹר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם

“And it came to pass at midnight, that the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.”

At that moment, the Israelites had no choice but to prepare to leave right away.

As ex-slaves, they knew and we know what it’s like to be an outsider – and that’s why we are told to love the stranger 36 times in the Torah – because we were strangers in the land of Egypt.  And it all started with that midnight run from Egypt after the tenth plague toward a better life and a more hopeful future.  Just like the homeless people I met, who were trying to escape to a better reality.

Also, my haftarah speaks of the prophet Elijah, who visits every Seder table.  He’s not there just because he likes Manischewitz (pause), but because he brings the promise of hope to those who are poor, homeless or otherwise down on their luck.

So let me tell you more about my experience that cold night in New York City.

It’s hard to express it, but it was much more enjoyable than I expected it to be.

The other volunteers were members of the church.  My dad told them that we were doing this for my bar mitzvah. They were like, “Hey, that’s a great idea.”

Twenty-five people helped to prepare the food and load the van, most of them older volunteers and also a few teens. But as I said, only 7 of us went on the trip, and I was the youngest one.

We drove to Hell’s Kitchen – on the west side in the 40s, which is now a very touristed area.  A lot of homeless people knew we were coming, through word of mouth, but a lot were pleasantly surprised that they were going to get supplies to help them through the night.

We would drive around in our van to different stops.  Some of the people we served showed us where they sleep.  Some had succeeded in moving into a tiny apartment, with the help of Midnight Run and other organizations. Some of them sleep in front of churches, outdoors.  Others in recreation buildings open 24/7.  At each stop, I handed out sandwiches, asking each person whether they wanted turkey, meatloaf, roast beef or my homemade PB&J. 

They were all super thankful.  Some even gave us hugs.

One guy needed a sleeping bag so we gave him one and he was ecstatic.  He said, “I wanted a sleeping bag so much.”

There was another guy who was using toilet paper as socks and had purple bruises all over his feet. And the toilet paper was getting stuck between his toes.  This really hit me hard.  But he was super happy to get socks and shoes from us.

Counter to what some believe, I’d say that only a small percentage had mental health or drug issues.  Everyone we met wanted to talk with us and was very thankful.

About half a dozen of the people we helped were women and there were maybe 60-70 men.  Lots of people.  One woman had been living with her husband, and after he sadly passed away – now she is on the streets. 

The people we helped would all say “God bless” when I gave them supplies.  Everyone wanted blankets and underwear and stuff like that.  When we gave people food, most ate right away, but some took the food back for family. 

Some of them have jobs, but NONE want to be homeless.

This was an amazing experience and I hope we can do something like this here at the temple.

TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary: Shayna Finkel on Tazria-Metzora

Shabbat Shalom! 

   I will never forget the day many months ago when in between cartwheels, flips and front walkovers I first sat down to learn my Torah portion. You see, today’s readings are about leprosy. Leprosy I thought, “that’s just great”.  How could this possibly be meaningful today? In talking with my mom, dad and Rabbi Hammerman, I began to see that these teachings really do relate not only to the world around us but also to me.  

My Torah portion looks at various forms of impurity that our ancestors feared removed them from the holiness of the community.  It talks about the impurity of childbirth (Tazria) and skin diseases such as leprosy (Metzorah). The rabbis interpret the term – metzorah to be short for “Motzi-Shem-Ra,” which means a person who brings out a bad name. Rabbi Hammerman explained to me that this mean someone who gossips, or does what we call in Hebrew “Lashon ha-ra.”  Now for those who don’t know me well, you should know that I am a 100% certified chatterbox. I love to talk! Talk, talk, talk. And I know that at times despite people’s best efforts we may gossip about another person or communicate bad things about someone --- even without speech – such as when we roll our eyes or through emails, texting or even through social media.  The sages went on to say that just as someone with a severe disease is separated from the community, so are gossipers. People don’t want to be near them because they don’t trust them.

But once people are removed from the community, then what??  Well, the torah goes on to say that while people were isolated from the community the Kohen still cared for them. The Kohen would check the condition of the sick people and determine when they were healed. Then when it was safe, or in the case of gossiping---when people learned their lesson, those displaced people were welcomed open-arms back into the community.

So, how does this relate to us today -- well, only a few short months ago, our world was shaken by the EBOLA virus. People came into the United States with EBOLA that could be spread quickly. These people had to be isolated in the hospital. And despite the severe health threat, care givers tended to these patients, often putting their own lives at risk. Through these efforts, the EBOLA virus has not been allowed to spread through the United States.

And think about Lashon ha-ra or gossiping. My favorite site - -INSTAGRAM -- let’s you post pictures and people get to comment on how you look, about what you are wearing, and even your shoes. You can comment on everything! While it can be a lot of fun, sometimes you may say things that are hurtful. When someone gets hurt, usually a mom will yell and say "GET OFF THE PHONE AND STOP LOOKING AT THAT SITE." If that happens then that kid is no longer in the group.  In those cases, the torah says you need to apologize, make the person feel better and include them back into the group chat.

What all of this is really teaching us, is that as a community we all have an obligation to reach out to those who are troubled, the sick or poor, to those who are disabled, and those who are hurting. We have to find a way to bring them back into the community.

So this difficult Torah portion teaches us something very important: We need to confront what is broken in our world to begin to fix it. None of us is perfect. Neither is our world. So, each of us in our own ways, need to help others. 

In light of these teachings, I decided that for my mitzvah project, I wanted to work with David’s treasure tree Toy Closet at Stamford Hospital.  This organization collects toys and gift cards and gives them to the kids in the pediatric unit. Right now, while we are celebrating, there is a family in the pediatric unit of Stamford Hospital, removed from their daily life, dealing with an illness. While they are there someone from David's Treasure Tree is going to come in and bring the child a brand new toy or a new ITUNES gift card. At that moment, this little present is going to help that child focus on something other than the illness that has landed them in the hospital and out of the community in which they live. Since I, my brother and sister, have all been in Stamford Hospital before and received presents from David's Treasure Tree, we know how cool it is to get a present when you are not feeling well. So, I wanted to give back to my community and help others. And, I want to thank all of you for helping me collect toys and gift cards for David's Treasure Tree. Together, we have done what my torah portion asks of us today, to make our community better.

TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary: Stephanie Hausman on Metzorah

Those of you who know me know that I love to laugh. They say that when you laugh the world laughs with you, and it’s absolutely true with me. I am known for my laugh. And whenever I laugh, people around me seem to start laughing too! Or sometimes they just stare, confused, having no idea what I’m laughing at. Sometimes, I have no idea what I’m laughing at. I just love to laugh!

I have several different kinds of laughs. There’s my nervous laugh, the kind that comes out when I’m on a scary ride or when I’m about to do a Torah reading… Then there’s my laugh when something is really funny, my laugh at myself when I do something dumb, like when I trip on my Uggs, my sneakers, my socks, or just about everything else. So rather than being embarrassed, I laugh.

Sometimes people laugh at their own jokes because they are afraid no one else will. I do that too, and it’s true… people rarely laugh at my jokes. But this really feels good now!

So what in the world does my portion have to do with laughing? Well, nothing. But everything.

You see, my portion talks about disease and how to cure it. And I feel that one of the best ways to help cure someone who is ill is to put a smile on their face.
For my mitzvah project, I collected 100 DVDs, 900 books and five boxes of toys. In total, I had 19 boxes. I brought them to the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx and gave everything to Doctor Rick Abbott, who was the doctor that saved my father’s life six years ago. My dad was diagnosed with a non malignant brain tumor and without Dr. Abbott and his team, my dad wouldn’t be sitting here at my bat mitzvah here today.

I’m sure that everything I gave lifted the spirits of many patients. I know that when I brought the gifts over, the doctors were all smiles. They had a little reception in Dr Abbot’s office and thanked me for everything I had brought. There was lots of laughter and many tears. Laughter and tears always seem to go together.
The disease that is mentioned in my portion is leprosy, which the rabbis compared to gossip because it spreads quickly. In Hebrew, the expression used for gossip is “Lashon ha-ra” – which means literally “bad language.” But what about lashon ha tov? Can good words be healing? They certainly can, and laughter even more. The rabbis said that even simply visiting someone in the hospital can lift their spirits and help them get well.

But laughter is the most contagious thing of all – aside from a yawn. Did you know that people yawn when others yawn because it is an age-old way of showing empathy? Laughter is the same. When someone laughs, the whole room can feel your happiness and everyone’s spirits are then lifted.

Now that I am a bat mitzvah, I hope to be able to share my gift of laughter to make more and more people happy.