Parshat Noach: A Beautiful Day

 The following verses might constitute the most famous instructions in the entire Torah:

Genesis 6:

(13) God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with lawlessness because of them: I am about to destroy them with the earth.  (14) Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make it an ark with compartments and cover it inside and out with pitch.

(19) And of all that lives, of all flesh, you shall take two of each into the ark to keep alive with you; they shall be male and female.

Until relatively recently, one could probably assume that most young children of nursery age in English-speaking territories knew the story of the flood, if only through learning this song almost by osmosis:

"The animals went in two by two

Hoorah! Hoorah!

The animals went in two by two

Hoorah! Hoorah!

The animals went in two by two

The elephant and the kangaroo

And they all went into the ark

For to get out of the rain.

 

The animals went in three by three...."

This multi-purpose song managed to tick both the religious education and arithmetic boxes, which accounts for its popularity amongst nursery teachers.  Having spent time in numerous shuls and nurseries, I can attest to how ubiquitous the story of The Flood truly is.  Try searching for 'Biblical Stories' on Amazon and the 'Usbourne Children's Bible', which is labelled with the familiar orange 'bestseller' tag, has (yes, you guessed correctly) an illustration of the ark crammed to the rafters with animals.  If you click the tag, you'll see that the ark features in three of the top ten titles.

The story of Noah and his ark has become embedded into our psyche.  Here was a person that the Torah tells us was:

Genesis 6:9

...a righteous man; he was blameless in his age;

Can you imagine how this 'oddball' would have appeared before his peers?

Visualise the scene.  You have an old man who is ranting that Gd is about to bring a flood that will wipe out all living creatures.  He then proceeds to build a giant boat and gathers in hundreds of animals, birds and every other creature that 'crawls upon the earth'.  If anyone had placed himself in a position of ridicule, surely Noah would be the prime example!  It is very easy to mock that one person who publicly chooses to follow a different path.  After all, how could the 'gods' permit such a calamity to take place?

As the old joke goes, “Who was the first businessman in the Bible?  Noah, because he floated the business whilst the rest of the world went into liquidation!”

Noah was different to other people and, in recent times, so was Fred Rogers.

Mister Rogers was a person who was unknown to the majority of British people but to his fellow Americans, he was a 'National Treasure'.

From 1968 until 2001, he presented his television programme ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ to millions of children.  In addition to creating the format, he also produced it and even wrote its songs which were beloved throughout the land.  He used the show as an outlet to educate children in areas which included conducting scientific experiments, showing them films (and later videos) of the inner workings of factories and playing music.

In addition to this, he also tackled very adult topics such as how to deal with death, divorce, disability and war.

At all times, Mr Roger's persona was completely natural and endearing, which inevitably resulted in the immense love that the children (who grew into adults) felt about him.

On the face of it, this kind of programme might have seemed corny and insincere but by all accounts, Fred Rogers, who was an ordained Presbyterian Minister, was not playing a role and he was indeed as genuine as the person who was fronting the show.  Like Noah, he was different to everyone around him.

Stephnie and I recently watched an enchanting biography with Tom Hanks starring in the title role.  The story that inspired ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ was loosely based on an Esquire magazine article written by investigative journalist, Lloyd Vogel (a fictional character based on Tom Junod) . 

Mr Vogel was a desperately unhappy individual who resented being tasked to interview Mister Rogers.  Naturally, he was suspicious as to the authenticity of his subject but through the course of their time together, he realised that although Mister Rogers was not perfect (his wife admitted that he had a temper), the man in front of the camera was identical to the man offscreen.  Cynicism gave way to a deep friendship which lasted until Mister Roger's untimely passing at the relatively young age of 74.

There is much which invites comparison between Noah and Fred Rogers.  They were both men living by their own moral compass whilst others, as a collective, chose to live their lives by different ethical standards.

As Gd-fearing men, they refused to let the cynics corrupt their mission.  Noah's lay in saving humanity and the animal kingdom.  Fred Rogers’ goal was to give children the greatest gift they could own and harness - that of a solid education.  He helped them to prepare their future selves from the harm that they might endure as adults, by giving them the tools to deal with problems that they would encounter throughout their lives.  He too saved them in his virtual 'ark'.

Whilst some others scoffed and ridiculed, Fred Rogers and Noah simply took no notice, soldiered on and eventually, were able to achieve their own miracles.  We are here today because we are all descended from Noah.  And many, many Americans know how to muster their inner strength because of Mister Rogers.

If we wish to truly appreciate the greatness and achievement of both men, let us leave the last word to The Jerusalem Talmud (Sanhedrin 4.1)

‘Anyone who sustains one soul, the verse ascribes him credit as if he sustained an entire world.’

Shabbat Shalom. 

Seventy (2nd Day of Sukkot)

 I am going to start by playing a word association game with a Jewish twist!

If I think of the number 3, the first thought that comes to mind relates to the 3 Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

With 4, you have the matriarchs.

7 is easy, that's Shabbat, the seventh day.

40 reminds me of the number of days that Moses was on Mount Sinai (for each stint) and 70 reminds me of the number of people who went down to Egypt with the convoy of Jacob.

70 however, has a different significance.

As always, we look to the Torah to start us on our journey.

In Sefer Bamidbar (Numbers), we read the following, regarding the offerings that are to be sacrificed over the Festival of Sukkot (I have not included all of the offerings, as I am only concentrating on the number of bulls):

Numbers 29

(12) On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, you shall observe a sacred occasion: you shall not work at your occupations.—Seven days you shall observe a festival of the Lord.— (13) You shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire of pleasing odour to the Lord: Thirteen bulls of the herd....Second day: Twelve bulls of the herd... Third day: Eleven bulls...Fourth day: 10 bulls...Seventh day: 7 bulls

When you add up the number of bulls offered over the duration of the festival, this number comes to 70.

The Gemara in Messechet Sukkah 55b tells the following:

Rabbi Elazar said: These seventy bulls that are sacrificed as additional offerings over the course of the seven days of Sukkot, to what do they correspond? They correspond to the seventy nations of the world, and are brought to atone for their sins and to hasten world peace.

How can we explain this strange statement?

Chazal (our Sages) explain that this refers to the original seventy nations of the world that were descended from Noah and are the ancestors of today's nations. Our people bought these sacrifices magnanimously to atone for their sins, pray for their well-being and work to strive for harmony and peace between Israel and these nations.

Which sins are they referring to? Psalm 109 gives us a clue:

(1) For the leader. Of David. A psalm. O God of my praise, do not keep aloof, (2) for the wicked and the deceitful open their mouth against me; they speak to me with lying tongue. (3) They encircle me with words of hate; they attack me without cause. (4) They answer my love with accusation and I must stand judgment. (5) They repay me with evil for good, with hatred for my love....

Gd destroyed the world though the flood and gave humanity a second chance to prove its worth. When Noah and his family emerged from the Ark, they had the opportunity to create a brand new world. The seventy nations that emerged from these individuals could have been the epitome of greatness.

Abraham, the father of monotheism had two children, one Isaac, who became the progenitor of our people and the other Ishmael, who fathered the Arab world. Indeed, Chazal tells us that Ishmael himself was the father to seventy nations, which was divided in two when he shared his dominion with Esau many years later (it also didn't hurt that he became Esau's father-in-law). With thirty-five nations apiece, the leaders of these clans could have used the beneficial influence they received through their respective father and grandfather, Abraham. Instead, both men chose to follow a different path and their descendants persecuted our nation in generation after generation.

How did we respond?

We offered up seventy bulls at Sukkot, where we celebrated the harvest bounty and dedicated ourselves to fostering peace with our cousins. We used Sukkot to reinstate Abraham's wish to be the father of many nations, to spread and promote love between all of his descendants.

A few years ago, I happened to be in Jerusalem at Sukkot time and witnessed a beautiful sight. Once a year, religious Christians from around the world gather in Jerusalem and hold a parade to demonstrate their love for the Jewish nation in its capital.

They cite this verse in the book of Zecharia:

Chapter 14

(16) All who survive of all those nations that came up against Jerusalem shall make a pilgrimage year by year to bow low to the King, Lord of Hosts and to observe the Feast of Booths.

In other words, the metaphorical as well as literal sacrifices that we made to encourage peace amongst the nations have truly paid off and although there are many of our cousins who wish us harm, there are still many others who do their utmost to live up to the message of peace that has emanated from the Talmud's dictum.

As we have seen recently, Abraham's descendants are lining up to re-connect with their cousins. Will it be too much to ask if one day soon, they too will make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to demonstrate their love for us?

When you pray for peace, it does arrive even if it takes more than seventy generations to flourish.

Wishing you a Chag Sameach.

The Peaceful Sukkah (1st Day Sukkot)

 

It is a Bracha, a blessing that we recite every Friday night (and on festivals) in Ma’ariv, just before the Kaddish that leads us into the silent Amidah prayer:

"Baruch ata Hashem, hapores sukkat shalom aleinu ve'al kol amo yisrael ve'al Yerushalayim -Blessed are You, Lord, who spreads the shelter of peace over all His people and over Jerusalem."

On the face of it, this seems like a rather odd blessing.

What is the connection between a sukkah, the temporary structure in which we sit (and sometimes freeze in!) during the seven days of the upcoming festival of Sukkot and the notion of peace?  And why do we recite this blessing on Friday nights?

The last question is the easiest to answer. We pray for Gd to protect our people and our holy capital at an auspicious time such as on Shabbat or the Chagim.

However, this does not explain why we are asking Gd to spread a ‘shelter of peace’ over us.

The roof of the sukkah is called the ‘schach’ and indeed the very word 'sukkah' comes from the same root.  Without schach, you cannot have a sukkah!

As we sit and look up through the schach to the skies above, we are very aware of how vulnerable we are, sitting under a roof made of natural, porous materials and therefore subject to the elements.  If it rains, we will get wet and if it is cold, the heat that quickly dissipates from our bodies will replaced with a very tangible wind chill factor. Are we not at war with the external elements?

We are literally sitting under Gd's sky and there is no real protection between the base of the sukkah and the heavens above aside from our flimsy schach roof.  We therefore become aware that our very survival depends on the protection Gd will provide for us whilst we remove our bodies from comfort of our warm homes and face the weather conditions that He places into our world.

When our survival is at stake, when we no longer have the fortress of our homes to protect us, when we are open to the elements, we need a canopy to envelop us, to allow us to enjoy the festival without fear of becoming cold, wet and despondent.

Rav Kook ztl, the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel (d.1935) told us something beautiful.

He said that when we perform a mitzvah, we can only do so if the item we are using is complete.  A Sefer Torah missing a single letter is not kosher.  An Etrog with a broken pithom is not kosher.  However, a sukkah without decorations or with shaky walls, is still kosher, as long as it has the requisite type and amount of schach.  A sukkah, though imperfect can still be kosher and can still be used to fulfil the mitzvah of 'leshev ba sukkah' – ‘dwelling in the sukkah’. 

Any warrior will tell you that to create peace with an enemy means settling with less than perfection because peace cannot be achieved if everyone gets their own way.  We ask Gd to provide His canopy to protect us and in doing so, give us the state of mind we need to enjoy our time in the sukkah.  Gd does not require us to build the perfect sukkah in order for Him to grant us peace.  If we build it, He will hopefully protect it.  He will give us peace.  Imperfect perhaps, but peace, nevertheless. Gd’s protection is the peace we need to protect us in the Sukkah.

A few years ago, I gave a Dvar Torah to members of my local shul. It was the Shabbat when the terrorist attack was taking place at the Hypercacher supermarket in Paris. We entered Shabbat not yet knowing the tragic outcome of the hostage situation. I told them that on Friday nights, we make the bracha that I referred to at the start of this drasha, but instead of reciting it in its usual fashion, we should be saying “hapores sukkat shalom al Paris” – ‘who spreads a shelter of peace over Paris. Sadly, as we found out later, this shelter was not able to protect all the people in the store although many were saved by a righteous Gentile who hid them in the basement.

During this imperfect Sukkot when our tradition of inviting guests is limited by the latest regulations (although the Ushpizin, our spiritual guests are free to join us without such restrictions!), we pray to Gd that he spreads his shelter of peace over all of us and provides His protection to all nations during the festival and beyond.

In the war against Covid, when our brothers and sisters in Israel are suffering so much, we can think of no better prayer to consider at this auspicious time.

May He spread His shelter of peace over all of Israel, Jerusalem and the entire world and may the peace we seek so dearly come to us very speedily in our days.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach.

Yom Kippur 5781: 'We're Ready When You Are'

 There is a famous story, which probably isn't true, but nevertheless, deserves retelling (taken from www.logosconcarne.com):

"Cecil B. DeMille (known as “C.B.”), the famed producer and director of cinematic biblical epics such as 'Samson and Delilah' and 'The Ten Commandments', was directing a massive battle scene that involved a vast set filled with thousands of extras and animals.  The climactic scene involved a massive dam bursting and flooding a valley, washing away the battle and destroying the very large, very expensive set.  (Don’t worry, the extras and animals were all stunt extras and stunt animals; no harm came to any person or creature.)

Even in the days of Hollywood’s great wealth and indulgence, it would be possible for only one ‘take’.  There was no way to rebuild such a huge set.  (Of course, this was long before the days of CGI, so everything had to be actually built).  So C.B. covered himself by having the final scene filmed by four cameras.  Each camera was in a slightly different location.  Walkie-talkies allowed the director to communicate with each one.

The moment came, and the scene went off without a hitch.  Everything went perfectly!

The dust settled, the water drained away, the extras and animals were all checked to ensure they were okay.  The set, the dam and the valley, were completely destroyed (as expected), and there was no chance the scene could ever be repeated again.  Mr. DeMille picks up the first walkie-talkie and checks with the first cameraman to see if he filmed the scene successfully.

“No, I’m sorry Mr. DeMille, I’m afraid not,” is the reply, “There was a piece of film caught in the gate and it blocked most of the image.  I’m afraid we didn’t get anything you can use.”

That causes C.B. some concern, of course, but he had three other cameras, so he picks up the second walkie-talkie and asks the second cameraman if the scene was filmed successfully.

“Oh, Mr. DeMille,” comes this reply, “I’m so sorry, but it turned out the battery pack was dead, and before we could hook up another, the scene was over!”

Now C.B. is starting to really worry.  Two out of four cameras missed the scene, and he’s down to the last two.  His heart pounding, he picks up the third walkie-talkie and contacts the third cameraman.  The reply caused sweat to break out on his forehead, “Mr. DeMille, I’m very, very sorry, but the film loader put the film in wrong, the film didn’t run, and we got nothing.”

At this point C.B.  is in full panic mode.  Hands shaking so badly he can hardly work the fourth walkie-talkie; he calls the last cameraman.  To give himself a chance to calm down he starts by asking a few questions.

“Have you checked the film gate to make sure it’s clear,” he asks?

“Oh, yes, Mr. DeMille, it was the first thing we did,” comes the reply! This makes C.B. feel there is hope.

“And have you checked the battery pack to make sure it’s charged,” asks DeMille?

The reply was heartening, “My assistant did that while I was checking the gate.  Fully charged!”

Thinking this might work out after all, C.B. asks the final question, “How about the film, was it loaded correctly?”

Comes the immortal reply, “I checked that myself!  We’re ready when you are, Mr. DeMille!”

 DeMille's reaction (if indeed the story might contain a grain of truth) has not been recorded, but it's not hard to imagine.  Adjectives like fury and frustration immediately come to mind and perhaps even utter desperation and helplessness (in the long term).  And finally, possibly, regret.

Regret that he hadn't taken a different course of action, which might have resulted in another outcome or as the old Yiddish adage goes, 'mann tracht un Gott lacht' - 'man plans and Gd laughs' because even the best laid plans....

Yom Kippur is our opportunity to do our planning for the year ahead because Gd is 'all ears', as the saying goes.  He's given us a gift that lasts for twenty-five hours.  Today, we are not human because today - the holiest day in the Jewish year - we are angels.

What do we do on Yom Kippur that emanates the Heavenly Hosts that Gd created?

Firstly, we put aside our physical needs - Angels don't need to eat and drink or be sated by lusting after physical gratification.  They are Gd's messengers and therefore don't adorn themselves with the finest jewellery.  Their forms are not impacted by a lack of bathing or wearing footwear fashioned from the softest leather.  Angels are simply angelic by their very ‘being'.

Devarim Rabbah 2

The Rabbis said: When Moshe went up to the heavens, he heard the ministering angels saying to the Holy Blessed One, "Blessed is the name of the glory of God's sovereignty for all time " and brought it down to Israel...

Moses taught this verse to Israel but since it is spoken by the Angels, we are not allowed to recite it in a loud manner, because we are not angels....except for the one day in the year when we aspire to be thus - on the day when we shed our physical desires, dress in white, the colour of purity, because angels are pure...and even adopt their 'lingo' - the day when we declare Gd to be one, in the Shema - and then emulate the Angels by repeating their chant  of ''Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto Leolam Va'ed."

If that's not enough, we even recreate the most sacred ceremony, in the most sacred place on earth, on the most sacred day of the year - the Holy Temple Service, the Avodah which lies at the very heart of the Musaph service, where we say this prayer aloud, as we prostrate ourselves a number of times in an act which is only permitted on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Without the Avodah, Yom Kippur is bereft if one of its crowning moments.

We are now angels - if only for this one day – today.

Mann tracht un Gott lacht - but Gd doesn't laugh at Angels as they are his emissaries.  If on Yom Kippur, we have the spiritual toolbox of prayer at our disposal, can we not utilize it to pray at the level of Angels?  When we chant the Al Cheit prayers ('for the sin….’), let us aspire to rid ourselves of the worst traits of humanity - pride, gossip, arrogance - and use the opportunity of the moment to move closer to Gd.

Let us place ourselves into a position where our hopes, our plans and our deepest spiritual desires bring out the very best that we can be - where our eternal souls have that rare opportunity to engage with our bodies.  Let Yom Kippur allow us to appeal to Gd as angels and in this capacity ask Him to forgive us our iniquities and grant us the clemency that we seek.

My understanding of the story I related with regard to Mr DeMille, is that this man did or did not plan a scene which didn't work out the way he'd hoped.  In truth, it doesn't matter if the story is real or not, because its lessons far outweigh its 'authenticity'.  After all, he was directing a spectacle that resulted in a huge amount of devastation and destruction.  On Yom Kippur, we have a choice to plan our future.  The outcome that lies ahead could come about as result of whether we continue to act as angels - or as people whose dreams and aspirations will inevitably be brought down to earth by our very human failings.

Perhaps if we try to be more angelic next year, our world might turn out to be a more heavenly place.  Where angels will not ‘fear to tread’.  The choice is ours.

Chag Sameach and wishing you well over the rest of the Fast.

In the Beginning....

 

בראשית א׳:

(א) בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹקִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃

(ב) וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹקִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃

 

Genesis 1:

(1) In the beginning, Gd created the heaven and the earth.

(2) Now the earth was unformed and void and darkness (was) over the surface of the deep and the spirit of Gd hovered over the face of the waters.

When I think about our lives and what has transpired over the last six months, the words 'unformed', 'void' and 'darkness' do not seem out of place.

How many of us have had to check our calendars to remind us of which day of the week we have been living through? How many of us listen to the news and try to make sense of the 'void' of Covid-19 that has overtaken our little blue planet? How many of us feel as though we are living in 'darkness'?

In the beginning, there was nothing.

The spirit of Gd may have hovered over the face of the waters, but below the waters, there was a deep, deep chasm with no end in sight.

And then…. 

(ג) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹקִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר׃

(3) Gd said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

And once there was 'light', what did Gd do?

(ד) וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹקִ֛ים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹקִ֔ים בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ׃

(4) Gd saw that the light was good, and Gd separated the light from the darkness.

Gd took that light and created a contrast between this light and the darkness.

He established this difference because, although He had created heaven and earth, until He had created the light and separated it from the darkness, the earth was void and unformed and plunged into a darkness that no human being or beast can envisage.

(ה) וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹקִ֤ים ׀ לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃

(5) God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.

The first day was when Gd established a boundary between night and day or rather, the light and the darkness - you can't have a 'day' or a 'night'  when the sun and moon are three periods away from being created.

The 'light' that Gd created, according to our Sages was a spiritual light which was set aside for the righteous to use for a future world that we have not yet seen (Rashi). 

In the last six months, we have been searching for some sort of light to illuminate a path in the darkness that has overtaken our world. Some of our loved ones were nearly subsumed into the darkness but were blessed to be pulled back from the brink. Tragically, many others were beyond our reach, and we deeply mourn their passing.

The Midrash (Vayikra Rabba 29.1) tells us something fascinating:

“.... It was taught in the name of Rabbi Eliezer, "The world was created on the twenty-fifth of Elul....”

So, when the Torah tells us that:

 “In the beginning, Gd created the heaven and the earth.

Now the earth was unformed and void and darkness (was) over the surface of the deep and the spirit of Gd hovered over the face of the waters.”

According to the Midrash, this took place on the 25th of Ellul , whose date will begin tonight at sunset. In six days’ time, on Friday night, we will have reached the Sixth Day, when Gd's last act of creativity was the formation of Adam and Eve - the very first Rosh Hashanah, for this very festival marks the anniversary of the creation of mankind. 

It is no coincidence that Ashkenazim mark the week which precedes Rosh Hashanah (from around 25th Ellul) by commencing the Selichot prayers, which we will recite all the way through the Eve of Yom Kippur and indeed, during the Fast itself, culminating in the exhilarating Neilah prayer at the end of the day. These prayers are our cries to Gd, begging Him to forgive us for the sins we have committed over the last year and at the same time, beseeching him to grant us a year of health and stability. To ensure that our world does not continue to be formless, void and dark. To bring us the light that we need to survive and thrive, grow and develop and become the best versions of who we can be.  We are asking Him to bring us a new Beginning - a new Bereshit.

May you and your families be inscribed in the Book of Life for a year of good health and success in all of your endeavours and may He banish the darkness from our lives in the new year of 5781.  

Shanah Tovah Umetukah, a happy and sweet New Year.

Parshiot Nitzavim and Vayelech: Is Hakhel A ‘Mission Impossible’?

 

Deuteronomy 31:

(9) Moses wrote down this Torah and gave it to the priests, sons of Levi, who carried the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, and to all the elders of Israel.

(10) And Moses commanded them as follows: At the end of seven years, at the time of the Sabbatical Year (i.e. Shmittah) during the Sukkot Festival,

(11) when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord, your Gd in the place that He will choose, you shall read this Torah aloud in the presence of all Israel. (Rashi and Rambam explain that the king stood on a wooden platform in the Temple and read from a Torah scroll starting with the first verse of the Book of Devarim until the end of the first paragraph of the Shema, the second paragraph and the majority of chapters 14 to 28, including the Tochecha/warning).

(12) Gather (Hakhel) together the people—men, women, children, and the strangers in your cities—that they may hear and so that they may learn and they will fear the Lord your Gd and to observe faithfully every word of this Torah.

(13)  And their children who do not know - they shall hear and they learn to fear the Lord, your Gd, all the days that you live on the land to which you are crossing the Jordan to possess it.

 It is the seventh day of Adar and Moses is now one-hundred-and-twenty-years old. In a few hours, he will die and his successor, Joshua, will lead the people into the Promised Land. He knows that this will happen soon but as always, his entire focus is on the nation he has navigated through the desert over the last forty years. Through miracles and plagues, rebellions and wars, Moses has always been there for his people. He has pleaded with Gd for their salvation at times when they didn't deserve to be saved. His people - Gd's people are ready to enter the land from which he has been barred.

Others, less noble, less humble than Moses, Moshe Rabbeinu - 'our teacher', may not have been in the proper frame of mind to focus on anyone else but themselves. Moses is different. He has a job to do. There are two more mitzvot, commandments that he needs to teach the people. The six-hundred-and-thirteenth is to tell them that they each need to write their own Torah Scroll so that the holy words of our Torah will never leave their lips. Indeed, if one can inscribe a letter in a Torah Scroll, one has fulfilled this commandment (Chazal, our Sages interpret this to mean that, were one unable to do so, purchasing a Chumash is tantamount to writing in a scroll - as long as you read the book!).

The penultimate commandment however, as described above in Chapter 31 seems to be one of those that we are no longer able to fulfil, as we have neither a king nor a Beit Hamikdash/Temple.

Is it really a case of Mitzvah #612 being an example of a 'Mission Impossible'?

In 1994, I was single and without many cares in the world.

I seized the opportunity to spend a month in Israel, encompassing all the Chagim, from Rosh Hashanah through to the end of Simchat Torah.

I had a fabulous time!

A friend was renting a flat in downtown Jerusalem (in the German Colony of Emek Refaim) which meant that I could stay with him was within walking distance of both the Old and New Cities. The weather was glorious. I flitted around from Tel Aviv to Eilat and ventured to Haifa. Yom Kippur in Jerusalem was a touch challenging, granted the heat but I made it through the day without too much suffering endured.

When Sukkot came along, I heard of an event taking place at the Kotel/Western Wall that still sends chills down my spine to this very day.

1993-94 (or 5753-54) was the seventh year in the Shmittah cycle,  which meant that Chol Hamo'ed Sukkot was also the time when, in the past, the Hakhel Assembly had taken place in the Women's Courtyard of the Beit Hamikdash. This ceased with the destruction of the last Temple but was reinstated with a modern twist by the Israeli Government in 1952. To my delight, I happened to find myself in Jerusalem over Chol Hamo'ed Sukkot, at the exact time when the ceremony was being re-enacted.

I made my way to the Kotel and was greeted by what appeared to be an ocean of people. Men, women and children as far as the eye could see. The throng of the crowd took up the entire plaza in front of the Wall, all the way back to the security barriers. 

Proceedings began with the Kohanim/Priests, dressed in their traditional white robes, blowing the silver trumpets (Chatzotzerot) which had been recreated from the Biblical specifications by the craftsmen at the Temple Institute,  an organisation which are currently preparing the artefacts that will be (Please Gd) used when the Moshiach finally arrives.

The Kohanim were lined up along the wall by the gentlemen's entrance to the Kotel, just north of the hand-washing area.

Trumpets having been sounded, we were then treated to speeches by the respective Ashkenazi and Sephardi Chief Rabbis who described the Hakhel ceremony (as per this week's Parsha) and its significance in our collective history.

With the speeches over, we then had the opportunity to move over to one of the numerous shaded tables where Baalei Korah/Torah readers were reciting the said chapters from a myriad of Torah scrolls of different shapes and sizes. I heard the familiar Ashkenazi melody from one, a fascinating and virtually unrecognisable chant from a Yemenite sage (which is probably one of the most authentic versions, along with those emanating from the Iraqi and Persion traditions) as well as many other recitation.

We may not have witnessed a single king doing the job that day, but each Baal Korei was wearing a crown, in my opinion, for they were all magnificent. For all intent and purpose, I was present as the Hakhel Assembly prescribed by Moses, all those years ago.

It is interesting that we spend a great deal of our year mourning the destruction of the Temples, particularly the recent period of the Three Weeks, encompassing the Nine Days and Tisha B’Av.

Four out of our six annual public fasts have come about as a direct result of these catastrophic national events. The fifth fast , our most important one, is Yom Kippur whose highlight (during the repetition of the Musaph prayer) consists of the intricate description of the Avodah, the holy service which took place every year in the precincts of the Temple on this very day.

When we bow down and say "Baruch Shem Kevod...." numerous times, we are instinctively and directly connecting with a tradition that has survived two millennia. In fact, you could even add that the sixth fast, of Esther, would not need to have taken place had the Jews not been exiled to Persia as a consequence of the events that took place after the Babylonian Exile and destruction of the first Temple. Six fasts, all linked with Jerusalem.

As for myself, a twenty-first century Jew, to be able to participate in this ancient ceremony, at our holiest site, in the city of Jerusalem, the capital of Medinat Yisrael is truly remarkable.

Hakhel will (Please Gd) take place again in two years’ time. It will be another opportunity to fulfil a mitzvah that previous generations could never have envisaged and most importantly, Moses would have been extremely proud to see his vision enacted. 

He may not have physically entered the land of Israel but there is not a single day that passes when his name is not mentioned in awe – in our Promised Land.

Shabbat Shalom.

Parshat Ki Tavo: The Blink of An Eye

Jean-Dominique Bauby and Sarah Ezekiel.

These two names might be unfamiliar to most of us but each of these respective individuals has managed an incredible feat.

Jean-Dominique was a French journalist and author who was a former editor of the French fashion magazine, 'Elle'.

Sarah is a British artist whose works have been exhibited internationally.

There are many talented writers and artists in the world, however very few can claim to have created their output without the use of their hands.

Or feet (remember Christy Brown of 'My Left Foot' fame?).

Or virtually any other limb in their body.

Apart from their eyes.

In 1995, at the young age of 43, Jean-Dominique suffered a major stroke.  He woke up in hospital unable to speak, completely paralysed aside from the use of his left eye, which still had the ability to blink.  He was diagnosed with 'locked-in' syndrome (LIS), which is also known as 'Pseudocoma'.

Sarah was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) when pregnant with her second child.  She was only 34.  She has been living with this condition for twenty years and is unable to walk, talk or move on her own. Both Jean-Dominique and Sarah were afflicted with life-altering conditions.  A successful writer and journalist found himself 'locked-out' of his own body overnight.  An artist who expressed her innermost thoughts through her artwork lost control of how her most personal creation, namely her body, could function effectively.  To the point where she too, was 'locked-out'.

What makes these two individuals so inspirational is how they faced these challenges and 'what they did next'.

Jean-Dominique decided to write his memoir 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly', which was adapted in 2007 into one of the most critically acclaimed films of the 21st Century's first decade.

He had the entire book composed, edited and arranged in his head.  In order to have this inscribed, his literary assistant (technically called his 'amanuensis'), Claude Mendibil, recited the alphabet over and over again.  Whenever Claude (what a great name!) reached a letter that matched Jean-Dominique's choice, he blinked and Claude wrote it down.  Letter by letter, word by word, paragraph by paragraph, chapter by chapter.  Each letter was dictated by a blink. 

The system is known as 'partner assisted scanning'.

The book was published on 7th March 1997 and Jean-Dominique died unexpectedly two days later from pneumonia.

Sarah, meanwhile, utilizes a technology called ‘Eye Gaze’.

Its website explains that "Thanks to an inbuilt light sensor, the (electronic) tablet monitors reflections from the pupils, tracking eye movements and converting them into mouse movements and co-ordinated commands.  By looking anywhere on the screen, the user’s eye controls the cursor, while blinking performs a click."

Despite not being able to use her greatest assets, namely her hands, Sarah has created inspirational works of art and she even sells these online on a highly successful 'Etsy' website (you can read about her at http://sarahezekiel.com/photos/4534201453).

This week's Parsha of Ki Tavo contains the apocalyptic nightmare that is the Tochecha, Gd's warning to the Bnei Yisrael/Israelites of what will happen to them if they don't follow the just path described in the Torah.  The description is particularly disturbing, not only because it describes the horrors that our nation will endure but specifically due to its unnerving accuracy.

A cursory reading of Chapter 28 (Pesukim/verses 15-69) leaves one in no doubt as to how prophetic these words proved to be, granted the suffering our nation has endured since the time they were written.  I don't wish to dwell on the minutiae of horror therein but one Pasuk relates to both Jean-Dominique and Sarah and their ability to overcome the seemingly unsurmountable challenges that faced them:

In describing the horrific events that will befall the Jewish people, Pesukim 28 and 29 state:

“The LORD will strike you with madness, blindness, and dismay.  You shall grope at noon as a blind man gropes in the dark; you shall not prosper in your ventures, but shall be constantly abused and robbed, with none to give help.”

No-one can imagine what it must have felt like to experience the respective medical conditions inflicted on both Jean-Dominique and Sarah.  The startling image of a blind man 'groping in the dark' feeling completely vulnerable and open to potential abuse is surely not dissimilar to the way that Jean-Dominique and Sarah must have felt when faced with their stark new realities.

Which is why the way they faced these obstacles is so inspirational.

They were reduced to communicating through sight, blinking or scrolling a message over and over again until they achieved their result.

In the ghettos of Warsaw and Lvov, in the Shtetls of Russia and Poland, in the hidden cellars of Spain, in the walled inferno of Clifford's Tower in York or in the hidden tunnels of Jerusalem, our relatives and ancestors groped in the dark.  Verily were they robbed and oppressed and yes, there were very few who lifted a hand to save them.

But, despite all odds, they refused to stop blinking, letting in light wherever they were able to find it.  Whether it was scratching messages in their own blood, burying diaries under floorboards, hiding Shabbat candles behind closed cabinets or leaving behind reminders of their peril in the ancient Jerusalem dust, they refused to be browbeaten.

They may have groped in the darkness, but they never once closed their eyes.

We all face challenges, some more significant than others but the lesson that we can learn from people like  Jean-Dominique and Sarah is that, despite the hurdles and perils that face us, even those described in this week's Parsha, the human spirit has the ability to overcome these.

Victor Frankl a survivor of Auschwitz and described by Rabbi Sacks as 'one of the moral heroes of the 20th century' famously wrote:

"The prisoner who lost faith in the future - his future - was doomed.  With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and become subject to mental and physical decay."

Jean-Dominque, Sarah and Victor bring light to the darkness because they prove that, in the blink of an eye, we can indeed save the entire world.

Shabbat Shalom.