Parashat Toldot: Failure To Communicate

 It’s a memorable but disturbing scene from one of my favourite films.

Luke, a decorated war hero, has escaped from the brutal penitentiary where he has been incarcerated for two years.  His original crime? Decapitating parking meters during a drunken spree. 

He has tried to escape and has been recaptured.  He is standing on an embankment overlooking his fellow prisoners who are clearing a dust track in the baking sun.  They stop to look at him being fitted with leg irons (to accompany his handcuffed hands).  The sadistic captain who oversees the prison tells Luke that he needs to “get used to wearing them chains after a while, but you never stop listening to them clinking, cos they are going to remind you of what I’ve been saying for your own good.”

Luke responds sarcastically saying, “I wish you’d stop being so good to me, Captain!” at which point the captain replies, “Don’t you ever talk that way to me.” and sharply hits Luke across the collarbone with his truncheon causing him to temporarily lose consciousness and roll down the hill.

The captain then says, “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.  Some men you just can’t reach, so you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it.  Well, he gets it.  I don’t like it any more than you may.”  Luke who is clearly stunned, crawls across the ground on all fours. 

Besides ‘Cool Hand Luke’ being a pretty damning indictment of the American penal system in the 1960s, this scene is also indicative of a particularly brutal way by which a message can be communicated.  The irony of the captain’s comments is not lost on the audience and the scene still retains its power to shock all these years later.  One of the key phrases that I remember from my undergraduate studies was, ‘Communication is the lifeblood of the company.’  I quoted it when I was writing essays on how to improve productivity within the workplace.  Just as we cannot survive without blood flowing through our arteries, so a business cannot hope to be successful unless it addresses blockages in its communication channels.  The price of miscommunication, both in our professional or personal lives is heavy indeed.

This is particularly true when examining this week’s Parasha of Toldot which I am very fond of as it happens to be my Barmitzvah sidra!  Rabbi Sacks ztl whose Yartzheit we commemorated almost two weeks ago, quotes the Netziv (Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin d.1883 who was the Dean of the famed Yeshivah of Volozhin) who observed that Isaac and Rebecca, [hereafter Yitzchak and Rivka] did not communicate closely.  In his Commentary to Bereishit 24.25, he writes:

Rivka’s relationship with Yitzchak was not the same as that between Sarah and Avraham or Rachel and Yaakov.  When they had a problem they were not afraid to speak about it.  Not so with Rivka.

The first time we read about a conversation between Yitzchak and Rivka takes place after the giving of the blessings by Yitzchak to his younger son, believing that he was the older one.  Fearing that Eisav will kill Yaakov as a result of the deception, she tells her husband:

Bereshit (27.46)

 “I am disgusted with my life because of the daughters of Chet.  If Yaakov marries a woman of the daughters of Chet, like these, from the daughters of the land, what is life worth to me?”

Yitzchak’s response is not recorded and in the next verse, we learn that he listens to his wife, calls Yaakov, blesses him and tells him that he must not marry a Canaanite woman but go “at once to Padan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father, Bethuel and there marry a daughter of your mother’s brother, Lavan”. 

Rabbi Sacks, following the commentary of the Netziv, says that the relationship between Rivka and Yitzchak was never ‘casual, intimate’.  When they had first met (as we read in last week’s Parasha), ‘Rivka covered herself with a veil out of awe and a sense of inadequacy as if she felt she was unworthy to be his wife and from then on, this trepidation was fixed in her mind’.

This lack of communication between husband and wife resulted in a series of lost opportunities and resultant errors.  The Netziv suggests that, ‘it seems likely that Rivka never informed Yitzchak of the oracle that she had witnessed before the twins, Eisav and Yaakov were born in which Gd told her that ‘the elder will serve the younger’.  This was apparently one reason why she loved Yaakov more than Eisav, knowing that Yaakov was the one chosen by Gd. 

If Yitzchak knew this, why did he favour Eisav? The answer is that he probably didn’t know as Rivka had not told him.

In the words of the captain:, “What we have here is failure to communicate.” (but I am obviously not comparing him with the saintly Rivka.)

The Netziv continues his train of thought referring to how she had to resort to deception in order to ensure that Yaakov would receive the blessing that was due to him.  That Yitzchak had intended to give each son the blessing that was suited to him meant that he intended to give the bracha of the covenant to Yaakov all along...but didn’t communicate this to his wife.  Had they talked, much resulting heartache would have been averted.

I have been considering the importance of communication over the last week. 

Winston Churchill said, “Meeting jaw to jaw is better than war.” (which was famously misquoted by Harold MacMillan as “jaw jaw is better than war war”).

The COP27 Climate Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh has now concluded.  One of the outcomes has been the announcement by ‘Team Europe’ which comprises of the EU and the African Union of an initiative on ‘Climate Change Adaption and Resilience in Africa as part of the ‘EU-Africa Global Gateway Investment Package’.

The European Commission website https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_6888  has reported that:

This Team Europe Initiative will bring together existing and new climate change adaptation programmes of over €1 billion and leverage its impact by improved coordination and a reinforced policy dialogue on adaptation between the EU and AU.  This includes €60 million for loss and damage from the overall EU contribution.

It will enhance cooperation with African partners to further respond to their adaptation needs and mitigate disaster risks.

The talks that took place recognised the impending disaster that could befall the continent of Africa due to climate change were we, the wealthier nations, to ignore the warning signs.  For three weeks, they met ‘jaw to jaw’ and hammered out an agreement.  Whether this will lead to a significant change of policy remains to be seen.  At the heart of the matter was the understanding that the delegates who represented their countries had no option but to share their fears and as a result, hope to achieve a better outcome for themselves and their countrymen and women.  They had to communicate because, unless you know what the other person is thinking, you cannot provide any assistance.  It is a salutary lesson for the rest of us.

As Roberta Metsola, the European Parliament President said to some students on a visit to Tel Aviv University in May, “[I am] Impressed by the engagement, the questions and ideas put forward by students.  Always good to listen and discuss the future with young people - where there is dialogue there is hope.”  She continued by stating that she would “advocate for strengthening ties between the EU and Israel throughout her visit and upon her return to Europe.”  https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/328092

Whether or not she stands by her words will become apparent in the future, but the fact that they had the discussion in the first place is promising.

How often do we land ourselves in trouble as a result of miscommunication?

How often do we wish we had handled a situation differently?

How often do we take the opportunity to communicate once again what we really meant and extricate ourselves from a thorny situation?

Whether quoting Hollywood films, former Prime Ministers or Organizational Psychologists, the message is identical.  Communication IS the lifeblood of all relationships.  Failure to communicate, as we see in this week’s Parasha can be disastrous.

Paul J.  Meyer (1928 - 2009), a pioneer in the self-improvement industry said:

"Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success.”

Wise words indeed.

Shavuah Tov.

Parashat Lech Lecha – A Lesson for 2022

I’ve lost count of the times someone has told me that they find it hard to relate to the events that took place in the Torah.  After all, here we are over three thousand years after the fact.  Times have changed.  People have different attitudes and the last time I looked, none of my neighbours spent their time living in tents.  Admittedly, there are some who enjoy camping out, particularly during the summer festival season (and many of them cheat by ‘glamping’), but this is for a very limited time.  Yes, it’s fine if you are an army-type or wish to achieve a DoE award…but living a nomadic life, such as that practised by Avraham, Sarah and their entourage, is strictly off the scale of many people’s idea of habitation.

On the surface, as 21^st Century citizens, how can we connect to the many episodes that are vividly described in this week’s Parasha?

Avram (later to be renamed Avraham by Gd), a 75-year-old man is told by Hashem to leave his entire life behind, namely his ‘land, birthplace and father’s house’ to travel southwards to a country that will eventually end up being bequeathed to his descendants who will comprise of a ‘great nation’.

He obeys Gd’s command and shortly after he arrives in Canaan then flees to Egypt to escape the famine ‘that was severe’.  He enters Egypt and his wife is seized by Pharaoh’s officials.  Even after Avram and Sarai are reunited, Avram’s troubles continue.  There follows an argument between Avram and Lot’s shepherds over territorial rights pertaining to grazing land.

They come to an agreement which leads to Lot and his caravan moving down to Sodom.  This in turn embroils Avram in the war between the four kings and five kings, where he has to send 318 men (or according to the Midrash, only his servant Eliezer) to rescue Lot who has been captured in the conflict. And we are only up to Chamishi (the fifth Aliyah)!

I have provided a brief sketch of how turbulent Avram’s life was.  There was a great deal more to come. 

Pirkei Avot (The Ethics of the Fathers, Chapter 5, Verse 4) tells us that:

‘Avraham our father was tested with ten trials and he withstood all of them, to make known how deep was our father Avraham’s love of Gd’.

The Tiferes Yisrael (Rabbi Yisrael Lipschitz d.1860) explains that Avraham was made to pass these to ‘demonstrate to all mankind his great love of Gd and was therefore selected by Gd for his great destiny as the Patriarch of the Jewish nation’ (Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Avrohom Davis, Metsudah Publications, 1979).  However, we note that the Mishna doesn’t expound on the nature of the tests themselves.

Rashi, the Rambam,Rabbeinu Yona ( d.1264) and many others present their own interpretations of the list of trials that Gd set upon Avraham.

Rabbi Ovadiah of Bartinura (d.c.1515) suggests the following:

1.    Avram is thrown into a fiery furnace.

2.    Gd tells him to leave his homeland to be a stranger in the land of Canaan.

3.    Immediately after his arrival in the Promised Land, he encounters a famine.

4.    The Egyptians seize his beloved wife, Sarah, and bring her to Pharaoh.

5.    He faces incredible odds in the battle of the four and five kings.

6.    He is told by Gd that his children will be strangers in a strange land. 

7.    Gd tells him to circumcise himself at an advanced age.

8.    The king of Gerar captures Sarah, intending to take her for himself.

9.    Gd tells him to send away Hagar and her son, Ishmael.

10.  .Avraham is told by Gd to sacrifice his dear son Isaac upon an altar.

(source: Chabad.org)

Note that, except for the first test which is found in the Midrash, all the others appear in Parshiot Lech Lecha and Vayera.

With this in mind, the Tiferes Yisrael’s comments make more sense.  Avraham was so devoted to Gd after everything that had befallen him that he was truly worthy of being our first Patriarch.

Returning to my initial question, how can we, in this day and age, relate to Avraham’s experiences?

The common thread that runs through all of the tests are the physical and emotional barriers that present themselves to Avraham at every juncture of his life.  No sooner has he overcome one challenge, than he is faced with the next.  He doesn’t have a chance to rest.

Does this sound familiar to us?  For the last two years, we have faced a devastating pandemic which was swiftly followed by a war in a far-off country that has shaken the world to its core.  We ask ourselves whether it is more expensive to stay home and face soaring energy bills or go out and spend exorbitant amounts of money on our food.  The UK is still reeling from the loss of the Queen and witnessing the third Prime Minister in four months.  All the while, we are fearing the actions of an unpredictable dictator who could launch a nuclear attack at any moment.  Where is our opportunity to rest?  Is Gd testing our mettle too?

A recent article in the Jerusalem Post caught my attention.  It was entitled: ‘Going to religious services will make you live longer’ (30^th September - https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-718578)

The study, in the publication PLOS ONE, focused on the mortality rate of Black American men over the age of 50 and their attendance at church services.  The researchers who carried out the analysis found that those men who attended church on a regular basis had a lower mortality rate than those of the participants who didn’t.  You can read the study in full at https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0273806#sec007.

A 2016 Harvard study in the ‘Journal of the American Medical Association: Internal Medicine (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2521827) examined and evaluated data from over 75,000 American women of all faiths (with the majority being Christian) reported the same findings.  Its senior author, Tyler Vanderweele said in a New York Times interview that:

‘This suggests that there is something powerful about the communal religious experience.  These are systems of thought and practice shaped over millennia, and they are powerful.’

This is not the first time I have heard of such studies.  There seems to be empirical evidence of something similar in the UK.  In 2018, The Independent reported the findings of another study under the heading ‘Religious people live four years longer than atheists’ (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/religion-live-longer-muslim-jewish-christian-hindu-buddhist-life-expectancy-age-a8396866.html)

Humorously, the Tablet, an international Catholic Weekly, increased that to six years demonstrating that sometimes inflation is not all bad!  (https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/9242/religious-people-live-up-to-six-years-longer-than-agnostics-and-atheists-study-finds),

These studies, pulled together with others, are indicating that there is an empirical link between a person’s faith (however one wishes to interpret this on a scale of religious practice) and general wellbeing.  This doesn’t mean that anyone who attends a place of worship is necessarily healthier than someone who doesn’t, but on a significant scale (if the research is to be believed), those of faith are more internally fortified and this impacts on their overall wellbeing.

Lockdown deprived us of our energy source, namely our Shuls but it didn’t disconnect the umbilical link to our spiritual home.  When we come to Shul, we leave our woes behind us, even if this happens to be for a short period of time.  We spend time speaking of and to Gd, praying for things to get better, to be able to overcome the tests that we are facing in our lives, both as individuals and as members of the Jewish People. 

With this in mind, I can appreciate how Avraham, through all of his trials, never lost belief that Gd would come through for him in the end.  His unshakeable faith was there when nothing else seemed to make sense.

As Rabbi Sacks ztl famously wrote in ‘Letters to the Next Generation: Reflections for Yom Kippur, 2016’

‘Faith is not certainty; it is the courage to live with uncertainty.  Faith does not mean seeing the world as you would like it to be; it means seeing the world exactly as it is, yet never giving up the hope that we can make it better by the way we live – by acts of chein and chessed, graciousness and kindness, and by forgiveness and generosity of spirit.’

Avraham, despite every challenge that faced him, held onto his faith.  As King Solomon famously wrote in Kohelet (Ecclesiastes 1.9 – ‘There is nothing new under the sun’ and how right he was. Am Yisrael chai.

Shavua Tov.

Parashat Noach - The Righteous Man

 What kind of man was this week's cover star, Noach?  This is the question that I am posing today as the first verse in the Parasha appears to be very complimentary of our protagonist.

This is the story of Noach - Noach was a righteous man; a person of integrity in his generation; Noach walked with Gd.

Rashi, as usual, enables us to look beyond the simple translation to glance at another view of Noach and how the Rabbis understood the term 'in his generation':

Some of our Rabbis explain it (this word) to his credit: he was righteous even in his generation; it follows that had he lived in a generation of righteous people he would have been even more righteous owing to the force of good example.  Others, however, explain it to his discredit: in comparison with his own generation, he was accounted righteous, but had he lived in the generation of Abraham he would have been accounted as of no importance (cf.  Sanhedrin 108a).

Before the flood, it appears as though Noach could be described using Rashi's first citation.  This man appears to have such integrity, to the point that we are told he ‘Walked with Gd'.  The Lord chooses him to build an ark to save his family, along with his assorted non-human cargo.  Everyone and everything else (aside from the fish) perish in the ensuing flood, which takes over the world, from above and below.  I think that Noach would be deserving of being known as 'righteous'.  This fellow is a hero and we are here because of him!

Why would our commentators wish to sully his fine reputation as a saviour of humanity by questioning his actions?  Could Noach have acted any differently?

 

Rabbi Sacks ztl, notes in his superb book on the Parshiot (Covenant and Conversation - Genesis: The Book of Beginnings, 2009, 'Beyond Obedience'), that throughout the detailed instructions that Gd gives regarding the building of the Ark (Ikea should take note!), Noah's response is...silence.  He writes:

What does Noach say to Gd when the decree is issued that the world is about to perish? What does he say as the rain begins to fall?  The answer is nothing.  During the whole sequence of events, Noach is not reported as saying a single word.  Instead, we read, four times [verses such as] 'Noach did everything that Gd had commanded him'...Noach does as he is commanded.  What the story tells us is that obedience is not enough.

What did Noach eventually do when he left the ark?  He planted a vineyard, drank some of the wine he produced and became so drunk that he ended up lying naked in his tent.  His youngest son, Ham, then saw 'the nakedness of his father' (which Messechet Sandedrin 70a tells us means, according to some, that he committed an immoral act upon his father) and went to tell his brothers what he'd done.  It is to the credit of his brothers, Shem and Yafeth that a shred of dignity remained within the first generation that stepped out of the Ark.  Noach, the man who we are told ‘walked with Gd’, had been utterly debased and humiliated.

Following on from Rashi's comparison with Avraham, Rabbi Sacks wonders how this man would have acted, had he been in Noach's position:

What might an Abraham have said with the possibility of a flood?

[Genesis 18:24-25]
‘Then Avraham stepped forward and said, "Would You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?  What if there are fifty righteous people?  What if there are ten? Far be it for You to do such a thing - to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous like the wicked.’ Avraham might have saved the world.  Noach only saved himself and his family.  Noah's end - drunk dishevelled, an embarrassment to his children - eloquently tells us that if you save yourself while doing nothing to save the world, you do not even save yourself.

Generations of children have been brought up to believe that Noach was a hero who saved all the animals from Gd's wrath.  Yes, he did, but only because he did nothing to plead for the survival of anyone or anything else.  Had Noach been an ‘Avraham’, perhaps the flood may not have happened, for there may have been fifty righteous people in the world, which hints to the first explanation that Rashi cites. Before we fully condemn his reputation to a watery grave (pun intended), let us look at Rashi’s final comment, regarding Noach walking with Gd. Perhaps, we can salvage his standing in society:

In the case of Avraham, the Scripture says,

[Genesis 24:40]
“[God] before whom I walked.”

Noach needed God’s support to uphold him in righteousness, Abraham drew his moral strength from himself and walked in his righteousness by his own effort (Bereshit Rabbah 30:10).

The man who stayed silent, when he could have spoken, was not the hero he could have been.  The greatness he could have achieved was denied by a significant flaw in his personality.  If he had been righteous of his own accord, he would have earned the respect due to him.  Instead, his achievements, as they were, lasted as long as the wooden structure that housed the Noahide family and their animal companions. To his credit, he did offer up a Thanksgiving Offering when he stepped out of the Ark, but aside from that noble gesture and Gd’s response, Noach’s last act focuses on the planting of the vineyard and its tragic consequences. Even his ‘righteousness’ is questionable. When Avraham's arrival is mentioned just before the end of the Parasha, it signifies the emergence of the Torah's first great individual.  His decisive actions and those of his wife take centre stage and usher in the extraordinary story of our nation - one which continues to the present day, for in the end, the righteous man was not Noach, but his 10^th generation descendant, Avraham Avinu.

Shavua Tov.

Parashat Bereshit - Version 1.0

 Dedicated to my grandfather R’ Yechezkel Shraga ben R’ Moshe zl, whose Yartzheit is today

I wrote this Drasha on Isru Chag, the day following Simchat Torah. 

A new year has begun and we are returning, as I wrote last year, ‘to our roots’.

You might be interested to note some technical details about the production of this sermon.  I am using Windows 10 Version 22H2 which is the brand-spanking-new update to the Operating System.  The edition of Microsoft Word I am utilising is Version 2209 which is the very latest one available to the non-beta-testing public. 

Do you remember the early versions of Windows and Word?

They were very different, weren’t they?  I still recall my first computer which my parents purchased for me to complete assignments for my Undergraduate Degree at the start of the 1990s.  It ran Windows 3.1 alongside the Disk Operating System (otherwise known as DOS).  It was only with the introduction of Windows 95, if you recall, that the entire operating system became functional in a way that we recognise it today.

Word, as part of the Microsoft Office suite, also went through numerous iterations and had I been writing this Drasha two decades ago, I would have probably been using Word ‘97, which is markedly different from the application I have before me.

The software manufacturers keep on trying to convince us that we need to upgrade our systems to benefit even more from their creations.  Not only that, we find ourselves eventually having no choice but to conform, as our computers and tablets become gradually unusable as the newer offerings take over the consumer market.  The relatively recent introduction of Windows 11 is a case in point.  I know for a fact that my current laptop is unable to run it, due to the operating system’s requirements and specifications.

In case you’re not familiar with all of this technical gobbledygook, I’ll cite the case of audio formats (in an abridged format)

·         Vinyl records

·         Reel to reel magnetic tapes

·         Compact cassettes (or ‘tapes’ as we call them)

·         8-track

·         Micro and Mini cassettes

·         Laserdiscs (does anyone remember those?)

·         Compact Disks (CDs)

·         Digital Audio Tapes (DAT)

·         Minidisks

·         And now, MP3 files which aren’t’ even physical entities!

You could theoretically listen to the same recording on each of these media… if you can find the devices to play them!

I have nothing against technology and the quest by its innovators to constantly modernise our world and bring us the ‘perfect sound’ as the marketing managers would have us believe.  To an extent, they are not entirely wrong.  If you compare the quality of recording on a 33^1/3 vinyl disk with the latest remastered (and sometimes remixed) version on CD, you will definitely notice the difference – particularly on the best sound system available.  My other job is teaching IT whose curriculum is constantly changing and evolving.  I joke that the textbooks that our students are using are probably out-of-date by the time they make the transition from an electronic file to the hard copy we hold in our hands!

It appears that each new version, whether it be software or hardware, or the latest TV set (Sky Glass anyone?) and so on...only whets our insatiable appetite to demand more.

Not forgetting the famous quote from ‘Oliver Twist’:

He rose from the table; and advancing to the master, basin and spoon in hand, said: somewhat alarmed at his own temerity: “Please, sir, I want some more.”

And we know the result!

So, here’s the thing.

In the Ark sit a number of Torah scrolls.  If you open them up, you’ll be greeted with exactly the same text as the one that is printed in your Chumashim.  In fact, were you to lay your hands on the Codex Leningradensis or the ‘Leningrad Book’ which was written in Cairo in either 1008 or 1009, you would be holding the oldest complete Hebrew manuscript in existence.  A codex is a bound book as opposed to a scroll like Megillat Esther.

Not version 2209, 11 or 360 (as in Xbox) – version 1.0!

Every year, we literally rewind our Torah scrolls to the very first word – ‘Bereshit’, in the very first column of the very first parchment leaf in our Sifrei Torah.  We open our Chumashim, which although they may be a later edition than the original, still contain the same Hebrew text and we start again from the beginning.  Reading the identical words that we heard a year ago (barring the initial recitals on Simchat Torah).

Next week, Apple Records are going to be releasing yet another version of The Beatles classic ‘Revolver’ album which has been remastered and remixed by Giles Martin, son of the late George.  I’ve heard the first track, ‘Taxman’ and it sounds fab! The vocals are clear and the instrumentation is so meticulously rendered that you could almost be sitting in the recording studio with John, Paul, George and Ringo.  It is a marvel of modern sound engineering.  Yet, something is not quite right.

A few years ago, Apple achieved the same feat with the famous Red and Blue albums (1962-1966 and 1967-1970) which were originally released in 1973.

A friend of mine bought the two sets (as did I, of course!) and when he’d listened to them, he told me something I’ve never forgotten:

“The sound is extraordinary.  The vocals are clear and the instruments are pitch perfect.  The one problem is that it doesn’t sound like The Beatles and the songs don’t sound like they used to on Vinyl.  They lack the warmth that those original albums had.”

My friend was making a valid point.  In our quest to always improve on almost everything, we have forsaken our ability to appreciate the original product.  The very imperfections of those records made them so special.  Does a Yamaha electronic piano sound better than a Bösendorfer Grand?  In terms of the pitch-perfect accuracy of the sound that emanates from the synthesiser’s speaker, the answer is probably ‘yes’.  Given the opportunity to play the former over the latter, I would have no hesitation in opting for the Bösendorfer precisely because of its immutable pedigree.  In the same way that I would choose a Stradivarius violin over any modern electronic clone.

The Torah has never needed to be re-written or updated.  Version 1.0 is a classic that could not be improved upon.  Many have commentated and others have provided translations into a myriad of tongues, but its innate beauty lies in the very language it employs, which comes directly from Gd Himself.  A Divine Gift does not need returning to the great Amazon in the sky!

Is Windows 11 better than 10?  Possibly.  Is it better than Vista?  Absolutely!  However, if Microsoft had ‘called it a day’ with Windows 7, would anyone have complained?  I doubt it.

Let us appreciate and value the Torah in all its ‘Version 1.0’ glory and perhaps look around us and wonder how much of the updated copies of the things we buy, we really need.  It’s nice to feel that we’re ahead of the pack by having the latest technology, but do we really give ourselves a chance to appreciate it?

Bereshit reminds us that Adam and Eve’s role was not to shop around for the latest deals on the finest technology on comparison websites.  All they had to do was take care of the Garden of Eden.  Had they done so, I believe that our lives would have been more fulfilling and meaningful.  Version 1.0 can often be timeless.

Could you ever improve on Casablanca or Gone with The Wind?

Shavuah Tov

YOM KIPPUR – כעם אחד בלב אחד (ONE NATION WITH ONE MIND)

 On Yom Kippur, exactly forty-nine years ago, corresponding with the Gregorian date of 6^th October, an event took place that would forever become ingrained in Jewish history.  At exactly 2.00 pm local time, the armies of Egypt and Syria launched devastating surprise attacks on the State of Israel.  Thus, was born the Yom Kippur War.  When it ended, three weeks later, 2,691 Israelis had been killed, the second highest number of deaths after the War of Independence.  On the Arab side, the body count from the war lay at 19,000¹

One of my earliest childhood memories was catching a sight of our boys on the Golan Heights in the midst of the war, in glorious black and white, on our not particularly glorious ancient television set.  I remember the expression of worry and fear on the faces of my parents as my mother carried me upstairs to my bedroom.  One doesn’t forget moments like that.  Whilst trawling through my parents’ books recently, following the sale of our family home last September, I came across a fascinating book entitled ‘Purnell’s History of the World Wars Special – Weapons of the 1973 Israeli Arab War’ published by Marshall Cavendish shortly after the cessation of hostilities.  Besides the fact that it only cost 55p, I was astounded to read a comparison of the weaponry available to both sides.  The chart was entitled: ‘The relative strengths at the start of the 1973 war’ and I would like to share the information with you²:

1.    Army: Egypt and Syria combined had 380,000 men; Israel had 275,000

2.    Tanks: Egypt and Syria 3,220; Israel 1,700

3.    Guns (excluding anti-tank guns and mortars): Egypt and Syria approx. 1,600; Israel approx. 1,100

4.    Surface to Air (SAM) Missiles: Egypt and Syria 850; Israel 60

5.    Combat Aircraft: Egypt and Syria 920; Israel 490

6.    Helicopters: Egypt and Syria 240; Israel 70.

In every category, Israel was outmanned and outgunned by the enemy. 

If you have seen the recent heart-breaking Israeli TV series ‘Valley of Tears’ on E4, you will understand all too well the terrifying spectacle encountered by the beleaguered Israeli troops on the Golan when their fortifications were overrun by the Syrian tank crews.

I could dwell on the significance of the number ‘49’ in Judaism (for example the forty-nine days of the Omer between Pesach and Shavuot; the forty-nine-year cycle of seven Shmittah years (one of which we are just coming to the end of) and the forty-nine levels of immorality that the Israelites were heading towards had they not been taken out of Egypt) but these are topics for an entirely different sermon!

Returning to the Yom Kippur war, the Egyptians and Syrians believed that by launching their surprise attacks on the holiest day of our calendar, the northern and southern borders would be lightly manned (as they indeed were) due to the troops taking leave to spend time with their families and/or attend synagogue services.  What they hadn’t counted on, was a perceived weakness that turned into our greatest strength.  As hundreds of thousands of soldiers were gathered in the numerous shuls across the country, it was very easy to locate and mobilise them in huge numbers in a record amount of time.

In the Sefer Shemot (Exodus), we are told in Chapter 19, verse 1 that the Bnei Yisrael entered the Sinai Wilderness on the first day of the third month following their departure from Egypt. It was Rosh Chodesh Sivan, less than a week before they would receive the Torah.

Verse 2 tells us:

Setting out from Refidim, they had arrived at the Sinai Desert, encamping in the wilderness, and there Israel camped, facing the mountain.

On the face of it, these words do not seem out of the ordinary, except for an interesting discrepancy in the Hebrew.  The original verse states “Vayavo’uh midbar Sinai (and they had arrived at the Sinai desert), Vayachanu Bamidbar (encamping in the wilderness)…”

However, the next phrase reads “Vayichan sham Yisrael (and there Israel camped)”. The word “Vayichan” refers to a single person camping.  Surely, the verse should have used the same plural suffix of ‘vayachanu’ as was evidenced previously.

Rashi picks up on this and states:

“The singular Vayichan is to be interpreted as ‘one man with one heart (or one mind)’ or in Hebrew כאיש אחד בלב אחד  but all the other encampments were with complaints and with strife”

In other words, The Bnei Yisrael were united in their understanding of the significance of what was about to happen.  It was as though they became a single entity.  A beautiful symphony instead of a collection of random notes.

Our Rabbis used this to interpolate the idea through utilising a process called Parshanut which is a type of Biblical Exegesis. Just as Rashi referred to the notion of ‘one man with one heart’ we, the Jewish people, can if we wish to, act as ‘one nation with one heart – Am Echad Be’Lev Echad’ – And this is exactly what occurred forty-nine years ago.

For had the Egyptian and Syrian operations been launched on any other day, the Israelis would not have been able to respond to the threat in such a rapid and effective manner.  It was a case that the significance and importance of Yom Kippur in the hearts and minds of our people literally enabled them to work together as ‘one people with one mind’ in the joint cause of protecting the State of Israel.

This idea is reflected in the tefillot, the prayers, particularly in the Selichot that we recite from the start of the month of Ellul (if you are Sephardi) or the week before Rosh Hashanah as we do, culminating in the Neilah Service.

From the outset of Yom Kippur, we recited both the Ashamnu and Al Cheit supplications continuously towards the end of each service.  You may have noticed that all of these are conjugated in the plural tense:

Ashamnu – We have trespassed…

Bagadnu – We have dealt treacherously…

Gazalnu – We have robbed…

When it comes to the Al Cheit prayers, the same format applies, where all the verses are prefaced with:

Al Cheit She’chatanu lefanecha – For the sin wherein we have sinned…

If you look through the machzor and siddur, you will see that our prayers are always in the plural tense, on Yom Kippur and in each Amidah because we are one nation.  When we let ourselves down, we also let our people down and crucially, we let Gd down. We hold very dearly the concept of ‘kol Yisrael areivim ze la’ze’ – all of Israel, in other words, all Jews are responsible for one another.  Just as we celebrate together in the happier times, we also join together when things are not so rosy.  One nation with one heart.

Forty-nine years ago, in complete unity, we approached Hashem and He responded to our heartfelt prayers. Despite the terrible human sacrifice, His presence, via the extraordinary operations of the IDF, delivered a victory to our people that could not have been envisaged in those terrible early days of the war, when Jews around the world feared that Israel would be no more. Only the Hand of Gd could have engineered such an outcome.

Within five years, the enemy that had been Egypt put forth a hand of peace. Within fifty, Israel has peace agreements with nearly all the Arab nations, barring Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, some North African countries and a sprinkling of Gulf States.  The relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia is so warm that I don’t think their hand of friendship will be held back for too long.

The power that Yom Kippur has in bringing us together, despite our differences, is truly remarkable.  May our prayers together bring about a year of peace throughout the world, particularly in Ukraine where we have seen how another nation has united to fight a seemingly implacable foe.

Wishing you a Shana Tova. May we all be inscribed in the book of life, good health and peace.

Amen.

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¹ _{the numbers quoted on both sides are not whole definitive according to other sources and are approximations.}

² _{the exact amount is disputed and these too are approximations.}

Rosh Hashanah – Coronation Day

They journeyed in their hundreds of thousands, and they waited in the rain and the cold for hours on end.  From the north and south and east and west.  Some, a few miles away and others, from across the planet.  First in Scotland and then in London and Windsor.  They sobbed and clapped and then lowered their heads.  Enough flowers to fill a large park were left in their wake, along with the cards and Paddington Bears and marmalade sandwiches.

All for one lady.  Diminutive in stature and modest in appearance.  Whose words lifted the spirits of millions of her subjects and global admirers.

In the heart of darkness, we knew that, when it was over, ‘We shall meet again’.

And indeed, we did.

One.  Single.  Human Being.  The Queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth and without doubt, the most famous person on this planet.

Queen Elizabeth II was not a rock star or Oscar winning actress.  She was not a media celebrity or Vlogger, a fashion icon or TikTok sensation.  She didn’t appear on Strictly or Loose Women.  She wasn’t a member of the England Women’s Football Team or reveal an armful of colourful tattoos.  She was not any of these.

What she did do, was to make this vow at the tender age of 21:

“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong."

And it was an oath that she kept until her dying day, as everyone can attest, and which explains why we have witnessed the extraordinary scenes over the last three weeks.

Queen Elizabeth, aleha hashalom, did not need to rely on the ‘majesty of her position’, in the myriad ways we can understand this statement, to carry out her pledge.  For it was her deep and indefatigable faith and belief in Gd that drove her to act in the way she did. 

She too had a difficult life.  Palaces and Castles could not shield her from the pain she suffered at losing her beloved father at a young age and bearing the weight of responsibility that she bravely took on.  The distress caused by witnessing three of her four children divorcing was no doubt traumatic, as was having her sister and then mother pass away within two months of each other in February and March 2002.  And let us not forget the Annus Horribilis of 1992.  These were but a number of tragedies that she endured.  Yet, it was her faith that came to the fore, time and time again.  And we, her subjects looked on helplessly.

Last Monday evening, she was reunited with her beloved Philip, of blessed memory.  Today is the end of her shiva, as mandated by King Charles III.  As we know, it is also the first day of Rosh Hashanah, which I don’t believe is a coincidence.

Rosh Hashanah is when we recall Gd’s act in creating humankind, through the forms of Adam and Chavah, Adam and Eve, on this very day.  Gd sits in judgement over the whole of their descendants - hence one of the names of the festival being Yom HaDin – The Day of Judgement.’

The Torah does not refer to this day as Rosh Hashanah (that name appears for the first time in the Mishna).  Instead, it calls it ‘Yom Teruah’ (the day of blowing) and ‘Zichron Terua’ (remembrance of the blowing).

Rabbi Sacks ztl, in his Machzor explains the reason why the Terua sound on Rosh Hashanah could only refer to one emanating from a ram’s horn, namely, a shofar. 

He writes:

“The book of Psalms associates the Shofar not with a human king (for it was blown when a Biblical king was anointed) but with the declaration of Gd as King…Psalm 98 makes a clear connection between Gd’s kingship and His judgement:

With trumpets and the sound of the shofar,

Shout for joy before the Lord, the King

For He is coming to judge the earth.

He judges the world with righteousness”

And all nation with equity.

It is a day on which we celebrate the kingship of Gd….”

We shall soon read the Musaph prayer, with its three components of Malchiyot, kingship, Zichronot – remembrance of everything that Gd created and Shofarot, describing the inexorable link between this ancient musical instrument, our people and Rosh Hashanah itself - on this very day when we mark the end of the mourning period for Her Majesty, whose Divine Spirit informed everything that she did, both in her capacity as Queen and the humble human being we knew her to be.

But Rosh Hashanah has another side to explore.  Just as we re-declare our allegiance to the Creator of the Universe and recall with marvel his achievements, we use the Shofar to re-dedicate His presence in our lives.

Rosh Hashanah is also a Kingship Renewal Ceremony.  In other words, the Festival demands of us to enact a Divine Coronation.  And we do this too, through blowing the Shofar, in the same way that King Charles will be crowned within the span of this new Jewish Year.  For Gd is always in our lives, through thick and thin.

Before, during and after Covid.

Before, during and after the drought that struck our nation where our fields and homes burned.

Before, during and after the seemingly insurmountable energy crisis that we are all facing.

Gd is there for us, especially on Rosh Hashanah, the festival marking His coronation.  At a time when we feel as though we cannot continue, we must hold fast and look to the future when we pray that the Heavenly King will inspire our new Terrestrial one, in the same way that He emboldened his late mother.

Uteshuvah, Utefillah, Utzedaka – but repentance, prayer and charity – maarivin et ro’a hagezera – avert the evil decree.

Today is Gd’s coronation.  Rosh Hashanah is the festival when the Jewish people have the responsibility to pray for the world to become a better place so that when King Charles is enthroned, we will have helped to ease his way, through our power to communicate with Gd during these Yamim Nora’im, Days of Awe.

King Charles has spoken passionately of his role as ‘defender of all faiths’.  He exhibited this in the week following his mother’s passing, when he brought forward a meeting for different faiths on the Friday afternoon, to enable the Chief Rabbi to attend and return home in time for Shabbat.  Additionally, he made a point of asking Rabbi Mirvis to leave shortly after the meeting had begun in order to be able to achieve this.

Both King Charles and his late mother understood that for their respective reigns to succeed, this could only happen if they placed Gd at the centre of their moral compasses and resultant decision making.  I don’t believe that it is a coincidence that our Shuls, irrespective of their various denominations pray on a weekly basis for the Welfare of the Royal Family.  Having witnessed the Queen living to such a ripe age and ruling the country for seven decades demonstrates to me the power of prayer.

This prayer has a special resonance for the wonderful community of Cheltenham, as marked on the historic plaque adorning the wall of their beautiful Shul.  They are about to embark on their bicentennial commemorations next year.  I am in no doubt Elias Myers, Lewis Isaacs and Isiah Alex, the original founders of this congregation would have marvelled at how their vision resulted in the creation of an extraordinary and dedicated community that keep it alive two hundred years later.

On this Day of Judgement, Remembrance and Coronation, we ask Gd to judge us mercifully and favourably.

We beseech Him to remember the goodness that emanated from our beloved monarch and shelter her soul, bathed in His divine presence.

Finally, we pray that our shofar blasts will usher in a new era of benevolence under the stewardship of King Charles III.  May he reign over us in good health for many, many years.

And may Gd bring about the final redemption speedily in our days – bimhera beyamenu.  

Amen.

Shana Tovah.