This Shabbat coincides with Veteran’s Day.
Shalom Aleichem seems a particularly appropriate prayer. The Barcelona Gipsy Klezmer Orchestra combines several influences from their home in Spain and Ashkenaz. May the music lift our hearts to welcome Shabbat.
Wishing everyone Shabbat Shalom
Matot offers a climax to one of the troubling stories in the formation of our people.
On the verge of entering the Promised Land, the children of Israel must fight the Midianite people first. Although Moses instructs his warriors, according to God’s directive, to slay all the Midianites, Moses is angered when the army spares the women and children and reiterates the command to kill.
Were the Israelite people freed so they would unquestioningly carry out God’s dirty work? Or was this a test to see if we were worthy of freedom and the responsibilities such freedom carries? Were we ready to serve God as a righteous light to the nations? The army commanders understood the implications of this barbaric act and refused to follow the order. Moses overruled them, demanding harsh vengeance.
This kind of retaliation is appalling by our standards, and it was unacceptable for the Israelites, too. The phrase “Just following orders” sends shudders down the spine. But, even where legitimate grievance exists, morality trumps brutal vengeance. Matot is a warning for us and our interaction in an often inhospitable, antisemitic world.
However, the past cannot be the only lens we use to see the future. There was legitimate grievance against the Midianites. They attempted to undermine the nascent Israelite nation, and war appeared to be the way forward. But following orders is insufficient reason to commit atrocities. God’s vengeance is best left for God to transact (the flood, Sodom and the Korach Rebellion, to name three).
When individuals assume that responsibility and act on behalf of God, it is dangerous. A humane approach offers compassion instead of annihilation and a path toward peace. This alternative does not dismiss the history but does not make us slaves to the past, repeating and perpetuating tribalistic hate. Our tradition repeatedly admonishes us to act with benevolence and, in the words of Pirkei Avot, “Even in a place where there are no menschen, strive to be a mensch.”
Against this backdrop, we might look again at the lessons of this part of the parsha and see how we can apply them in many current world affairs and, in particular, to the situation with the Russian war’s effects on Ukrainians and Poles. We cannot be indifferent to human suffering; it goes against everything our tradition demands.
Jewish history in Ukraine and Poland is fraught. Persecution and antisemitism characterize much of the Jewish experience. Periods of welcome, such as King Casimir III inviting Jews to Poland as other countries expelled them, are countered by the infamous Khmelnytskyi and pogroms, which accounted for the slaughter and terror of the Jewish population of the region. It is little wonder that approximately 2 million-plus Jews emigrated to America at the turn of the 20th century when the opportunity to leave that place presented itself.
Furthermore, we understand that deeply rooted antisemitism enabled the Holocaust. These are substantial reasons for the Jewish psyche to be wary. But if we are limited to only that, practicing hatred in response to hate, we deprive ourselves of the very humanity our tradition teaches.
We Jews are duty-bound to see and respond to the Ukrainian people’s human suffering and the Poles’ heroic efforts. We know that the support by the Poles is something no one offered us as the Shoah unfolded. And knowing this, we can nonetheless be instruments in alleviating anguish and perhaps elevating ourselves in the process.
We can serve as Or l’goyim, a light to the nations, deeply rooted in our belief that we can be agents of change; partners in the ongoing act of creation; that we hear of the suffering and do not stand idly by as another’s blood is shed. Our values compel us to be part of the solution to the problem rather than remain mired in a history where we were seen as the problem needing to be solved.
Of course, we do not deny the past or naively presume the days of Jew-hatred are over. But we can take steps to help the world become a better place. This is a lesson I learned from Parsha Matot.
Show your support for the victims of war with your donation. For each donation of $54, we will send you the Ukrainian Sunflower to wear proudly and keep us aware you stand against the suffering. Proceeds are going to the JCC Krakow, a leader in helping Ukrainian refugees.
Nachamu-Comfort us a message for us this Shabbat shared by Elana Arian
Shabbat Shalom
Don’t buy this kippah
In fact, it is not for sale. We are not selling the Sunflower Ukrainian Kippah. Instead, we ask for your contributions to support the overwhelming needs of the Ukrainian and Polish people dealing with the horrible war that rages in Ukraine.
The JCC of Krakow is on the front lines of helping people through this tragedy.
With your donation, we are sending you this kippah as a way of saying thank you for your help and as a way for you to stand publicly, proudly, and Jewishly in support of this humanitarian cause.
Please join us.
#standwithUkraine
We welcome Shabbat, Kabbalat Shabbat with a series of Psalms beginning with Psalm 95. Rabbi Rayzel Raphael takes the words, L’khu n’ran’nah, and shares, Rock to the Rockin Joy.
Enjoy and Shabbat Shalom.
I am deeply grateful to bear witness to the important stories coming from my mission to the JCC of Krakow in support of Poland and Ukraine and to bear witness.
Thank you to Rabbi Jeremy Weisblatt of Temple Ohav Shalom in Allison Park outside Pittsburgh and to Rabbi David Ackerman of Beth Am Israel of Penn Valley, PA outside Philadelphia for graciously opening your shuls to me.
Help us help them. Please invite me to share this very Jewish and very human story with your community.
Why do these kippot cost so much?
It is because we are trying to raise as much money as we can to help the victims of war. We are not in the business of selling Kippot.
These kippot are unique and designed to represent the Sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine and a symbol of hope, in the Ukrainian national colors. The Kippot are made in a fair trade arrangement with a Guatemalan Women’s cooperative; we want them compensated adequately. Our goal is to get money to one of the influential NGOs in Poland, the JCC Krakow.
The JCC is dedicated to helping refugees in need, whether Jewish or not. It is an extraordinary opportunity for the Jewish community of Poland to lead in a time of crisis. It is likewise an extraordinary opportunity for the Jewish community of the United States to support the work.
Please help us with a generous donation and proudly wear a symbol of our humanity. #standwithUkraine
Acharei Mot
God’s Miracle is not in the thunder and lightning but in people sheltering others from the storm. ~The Radmal
Our recent Hineini Mission to help Ukrainian refugees in Poland gave me a new perspective on Parshah Acharei Mot, teaching me how to help people move forward in the wake of catastrophe. Acharei Mot opens with God telling Moses to instruct his brother. Moses serves as the compassionate human connection so that Aaron can serve as the High Priest of the community, the children of Israel. For those of us watching the Ukraine tragedy unfold, we play the part of Moses, and the refugees are in the role of Aaron. We are like the loving brother who carries the message of moving forward and offering caring support. Helping the mothers and the children is our role.
The Parshah opens with God directing Moses, after the death of Aaron’s two sons, to tell Aaron to abide by the detailed instructions to follow. Moses shares what Aaron must do to fulfill his responsibilities as the High Priest. Many interpret this as a way to get Aaron’s full attention lest he suffers the same fate as his sons. But there is more here than that. Moses brings humanity to the otherwise stark directives and comforts his brother by serving as the carrier of the message. As a result, Aaron can begin to focus on how to move forward with his life so brutally and irreversibly changed by the death of his sons.
Aaron’s loss is a harrowing event. We witness similar excruciating anguish in the war on Ukraine. The brutality of the country’s destruction; the torture and murder of its civilians, including the elderly, babies, and children; the depravity of routinized rape and torture practiced by the Russian invaders are staggering. In our time in Krakow and at the border, we witnessed women and children coming to Poland to escape the horrors of this war, seeking asylum and leaving everything behind, including their men left to defend the homeland, knowing they too might be slaughtered. Such is the Ukrainian reality. These women and children refugees are like Aaron.
Aaron receives specific instructions on doing his job as the High Priest. These continued instructions coming after the deaths of Nadav and Abihu tell Aaron, and us too, that life must continue even after a catastrophe. Responsibilities to the children do not cease because of personal loss, even the most challenging kind. Our work and our lives remain in front of us. We must move forward. But it is almost impossible to do that alone.
Moving forward is complicated and often overwhelming. Moreover, the loss brings a sense of isolation. Aloneness makes us feel cut off from the community, from life itself. But Moses’ presence informs Aaron that he is not alone. And the instructions Moses carries help Aaron move forward.
Moses informs Aaron that he may enter the Shrine only with a specific offering, and he must appear dressed appropriately. In other words, moving forward is deliberate, done with forethought and intention. It requires structure and resolution and others to help you through the fog of loss.
We support our brothers and sisters of Ukraine. In our rabbinic mission to help the Ukrainians, we brought needed supplies to heal the physical needs and our presence as rabbis to heal the emotional and spiritual needs. We did this sacred work with the support of our communities and congregations. But the task is barely begun. The people of Ukraine continue to need everything- food, shelter, clothing, and a place to make their forever changed lives. After death, life must continue, but only with the help of us, their loving brothers and sisters, will the victims find a path forward. May this be our continued mission.
God’s Miracle is not in the thunder and lightning but in people sheltering others from the storm. ~The Radmal
Rabbi David Levin focuses on bringing Jewish wisdom to seekers of meaning. He is the Founder and Director of Jewish Relationships Initiative, a 501(c)3 focused on human relationships, end-of-life challenges, and outreach. Rabbi Levin’s teachings include “The Ethical Legacy Will, Jewish Wisdom Reimagined“- a new approach to the Ethical Will, “Gleanings of a Wandering Jew,” the lessons of our history and personal travel, “Kavod v’Nichum, Understanding Jewish end-of-life rituals,” exploring the ‘why’ underlying our practice,” Resilience” a mash-up of Jewish Wisdom and Disaster Spiritual Care training.
Rabbi Levin is the co-editor of the acclaimed book Jewish End-of-Life Care in a Virtual Age: Our Traditions Reimagined.
