Author: Eve Posen

What’s in a Name? – Parshat Lech Lecha 5773

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In times gone by, it was common for our names to represent us in literal ways.  Last names like Shoemaker and Taylor indicated a profession.  Today we might be described with added adjectives like redhead Eve or little Jay.  Perhaps our first names hold special symbolic meaning as they do for the characters in the best-selling trilogy by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games.  Names also carry a great deal of meaning in – you guessed it – this week’s parshah, Lech Lecha.
In The Hunger Games, the main characters are Peeta and Katniss.  These two take center stage through their experiences in the capital and at the games, and a keen reader is quick to understand who these people are by their identifying names.  Peeta, while spelled differently from the bread we eat, comes from a family of bakers known for their delicious breads.  The other main character Katniss even recalls being saved from starvation only because of a loaf of bread this boy gave her.  Thus, the name Peeta stands for the giving of sustenance to others. 
Parshat Lech Lecha, the portion for this Shabbat, tells the narrative of Avram as he heads out on his journey.  Much like in The Hunger Games where Katniss and Peeta don’t know what is really before them, so too, Avram is on a journey without a known ending.  As Avram’s journey begins, he receives a brand new name; he goes from Avram to Avraham.  This new name holds in it a description of who he will be in the world, the father of a great nation.  
The names that we carry help to connect us to who we are and where we’ve come from; they become our identity, but they can also become our salvation.  In another moment of triumph in The Hunger Games, Katniss is again fighting for survival.  This time it’s her father’s advice that comes back to her and gets her through.  “If you can find yourself, you will always live.”  This reminder to be true to your own self is also the foundation of Avram’s evolution. 
Avram became Avraham as he left home and went on his journey to find himself and discover faith and belief in God.  Like our forefather, the two Hunger Games protagonists discover themselves as well.  Peeta makes a name for himself as a generous and nourishing soul.  And Katniss, the strong, wild girl who stands up for herself and her family is only able to reach her full potential after she realizes deep down who she really is. 
Life is a journey.  It has its ups and downs, and most of the time, we aren’t completely sure what lies ahead on the path.  What we learn from Lech Lecha and The Hunger Games is that the best way to make the most of this adventure is to be true to ourselves.
THIS TOO IS TORAH: What is the origin of your last name or first name? Is it from a profession? A location?

The Rainbow Connection – Parshat Noach 5773

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“Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what’s on the other side?”  Kermit the Frog, one of my favorite Muppets, is famous for this song that ponders the magic of a rainbow and my good friend, Roy G. Biv.  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.  These seven lines come together to create one of the most stunning images in nature.  YouTube videos and countless online photo albums are filled with beautiful pictures of radiant rainbows, single and double.  We are in awe of this splendid display of color and calm after the tumultuous storms that pass. 
Parshat Noach, our Torah portion this week, is made famous for the central two accounts that take place: first, the flood of the earth to drown out those who were not righteous, second the Tower of Bavel and the subsequent spreading out of the nations and languages.  These two narratives are bridged together by the expectations for humankind to behave in an honorable and righteous manner and the covenant established between God and the generations to come, symbolized by the rainbow. 
In our Parshah, chapter 9 verses 12-16, the rainbow officially takes new meaning.  The text states: 
“God further said, “this is the sign that I set for the covenant between Me and you, and every living creature with you, for all ages to come.  I have set My bow in the clouds, and it shall serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.  When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature among all flesh, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all humankind.  When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures, all flesh that is on earth.  That,” God said to Noah, “shall be the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and all flesh that is on earth.” 
Rambam, the great medieval commentator Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, teaches that the rainbow is a sign of God’s covenant not to destroy the world again, a sign of peace.  This sign is the only phenomenon that had already existed in the world that becomes invested with a new symbolic significance.  The rainbow, in Hebrew keshet, represents all of the different shades and colors of our world bound together in a single instance.  It stands as a reminder that while each of us has our differences, those differences should never push us apart.  And just as importantly, it sets an example of how we should keep our promises to each other, as God did to us. 
When we see a rainbow, we are obligated to say the following brachah,
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה אֱ לֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, זוֹכֵר הַבְּרִית, וְנֶאֱמָן בִּבְרִיתוֹ, וְקַיָּם בְּמַאֲמָרוֹ.
Blessed are you, Adonai our God, ruler of the world, who remembers the covenant and is faithful to it and stands by his word. 
Even today, every rainbow we see is a reminder of God’s relationship with humankind.  More than that, when we take the time to take in the rainbow, to pause and remember that the covenant God made comes with expectations of humanity to treat one another with kavod, respect, we renew our covenant with God and create a kehillah kedosha, a holy community.
So, Kermit, there are so many songs about rainbows because they remind us of unity, understanding, faith and God.  Who knew a felt frog could be such a Torah scholar?
THIS TOO IS TORAH: Certain individual colors also hold special significance in Judaism.  For example, we’re commanded to dye a thread of our tallitot (prayer shawls) with techelet, an indigo/blue color.  This serves as a permanent reminder of the tablets given to Moshe on Sinai, which, it is said, were made of the sapphire stone on which God “stood.”

Two of a Kind – Parshat Bereshit 5773

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Did you catch a certain video that made the rounds earlier this year featuring Doug Pitt, the second most famous Pitt in his family? As you might have guessed, Doug is Brad’s brother, and the video is a commercial for Virgin Mobile Australia, in which Doug explains how normal and understated his life is compared to his superstar brother Brad.  When Doug was interviewed on Today, Matt Lauer asked him if he would ever want to trade places with his brother; after all, Brad Pitt has fame, fortune, a gorgeous wife, and everything he could ever want.
It’s natural to think Doug should be jealous.  We learn about jealousy early on in parshat Bereishit with Cain and Abel, the first sibling relationship in Torah.  Cain and Abel are typical brothers; they argue, they fight, they drive each other mad, and each one wants to be the favorite.  At the outset we learn that Abel, the younger child, is the keeper of sheep.  Cain, the oldest, is a tiller of the soil.  This is the first comparison between the brothers and the source of a number of inferences by the commentators.  Perhaps Cain became a farmer to be just like his father, or maybe to somehow reclaim what his parents lost by leaving the garden and live out their dream.  Abel is the shepherd, a position held by many younger children (Abraham, Moshe, David), which gives us certain clues about Abel’s perspective.  The commentators help us see similarities and form conclusions based on these surface qualities.  Four chapters into the Torah, and we’re already analyzing.
After a while Cain brings an offering to God from the fruit of the soil, and Abel brings the choicest fruit of the firstlings of his flock.  As we learn, God chooses Abel’s offering over Cain’s, and Cain falls to the ground in emotional pain, wondering why he and his offering aren’t good enough.  Ultimately, Cain kills his brother Abel out of rage, and when confronted by God about this, he answers “Am I my brother’s keeper?” It’s a questioning of the entire concept of brothers and what it means to be related.
It’s a complicated lesson that Cain and Abel teach us, especially because no one really shines through as truly good.  Even today we don’t hold Adam, Eve, Cain or Abel in high esteem as part of our lineage the way we do with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses or even Noah.  One reason is because it’s not enough to either differentiate yourself or take care of your relationships.  You have to do both.  Cain saw neither the value in his uniqueness or the responsibility to his family.
The Torah, which we begin anew this week with parshat Bereshit, is a living document that not only shares with us the narrative of our past, but the entire spectrum of human emotions and actions.  Reading the Torah from the beginning each year reminds us that our understanding and connection to our narrative changes too.  As we all start our new beginnings with the New Year, we must remember that no matter who we’re related to or what we think is expected of us, what we each have to offer truly matters.
May we find the strength and the vision to see each other not as a copy of another or as merely the “second most famous,” but as individuals joining together on this journey.
THIS TOO IS TORAH: Big Brothers Big Sisters, our nation’s largest mentoring network, was started over 100 years ago to provide role models for children and help them succeed as individuals.  Which person from the Torah do you think would have made a good “big brother” or “big sister” role model?  Which person from the Torah do you think most needed a “big brother” or “big sister” role model?

Time of My Life – Sukkot 5773

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Cue the lights. Pick up the hairbrush.  “Now, I’ve had the time of my life, and I’ve never felt like this before.”  Yes, it’s the hit song from the best movie ever made, but it also speaks to the moments we cherish.  In Dirty Dancing, Baby and Johnny thank each other for the best summer they’ve ever had, but you’ve likely experienced this feeling too.  Perhaps you’ve found a moment where everything in the world is at peace, where you feel ultimate joy. 
You might call these moments Z’man Simchateinu, the time of our happiness.  It’s a time of rejoicing, usually with food, friends, and family.  This term, z’man simchateinu, is designated for the three pilgrimage festivals: Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot.  These are holidays that originated as agricultural celebrations. 
Sukkot is specifically celebrated by engaging our senses with the smells and sights of the lulav andetrog, the tastes of harvest fruits and vegetables, and the feeling of the cool weather that hopefully starts to descend upon us.  Sukkot is a special time in the year because it requires us to note just how very temporal life is.  We set up a temporary structure, which can easily be taken down by us or by a strong wind, and we eat the end of the summer harvest, knowing that we’ll be waiting long months until strawberries, melons, and cherries are in season again.  For this reason, our z’man simchateinu is also a moment when we recognize the ups and downs of our year.  Like the breaking of a glass at a Jewish wedding, these eight days in our sukkah allow us to marvel at the gift of nature and seasons and at the same time see how lucky we are to have a permanent, sturdy structure to protect us during the rest of the year, not to mention different types of food to eat.
The book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) teaches in chapter 8, verse 15, “For the only good a man can have under the sun is to eat and drink and enjoy himself.”  These words accurately describe our practice during z’man simchateinu, and remind us that there are many in our world who do not have this “good” life.  During the days of the Temple, Israelites would bring their fruit offerings to share with God and the rest of the nation.  They would come together with food, drink, and family in order to create the time of their lives in partnership with God.
Today, organizations like MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger work towards ensuring that a better life is possible for people around the world.  As we celebrate together, I hope you will join your Levine family in making sure that during z’man simchateinu, everyone has the opportunity to have the time of their lives.
THIS TOO IS TORAH: While the chart-topping single “The Time of My Life” probably wasn’t directly inspired by the themes of Sukkot, another Billboard #1 hit was. “Turn! Turn! Turn,” written by Pete Seeger and popularized by The Byrds, takes its lyrics almost verbatim from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes.

Teach Your Children – Parshat Ha’azinu 5773

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One of my favorite pastimes is hearing stories about families and their ancestry.  When I was very young, I learned that we have the family tree on my maternal grandmother’s side dating back to 1492 and the Spanish Inquisition, when the name was changed to Auslander.  With that kind of history, there’s plenty to tell about my great-great-grandparents and how my family came to America.  I also take pride in knowing that my husband’s family owned the first kosher bakery in Dallas.  For me, knowing where I’ve come from helps me find my place in our world today.
I am not alone in my love of genealogy.  These days it seems that one of the most popular trends is tracing your genealogy back as far as you can go.  You have probably seen the genealogy.com ads that encourage you to find out where your grandparents or great-grandparents came from, what their occupation was, and where and when they entered the United States.  One of the most well attended sessions at LearningFest for the past two years has been the session that Meyer Denn leads on researching your genealogy.  It’s human nature to want to know where we’ve come from.
The Torah reminds us that family history is an important piece in completing the puzzle of our lives.  So many times the Torah teaches us that we do something because “you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”  While I wasn’t actually there, I’m sure my family knew what it was like to be strangers when they were ousted from Spain, a part of history which certainly helped determine that I would be here today to talk about it.  And I am most definitely fortunate to have had the opportunity to ask my grandparents about this history personally.
This week we read parshat Ha’azinu, Moshe’s final poem to the Israelite people.  In it, he reminds the people of God’s grace, compassion and loving leadership, while at the same time criticizing the Israelites for their lack of faith and understanding.  In this poem we read “Remember the days of old, Consider the years of ages past; Ask your father, he will inform you, Your elders, they will tell you.” As Moshe is moving towards his final farewell to the people, he implores them to ask their elders to clarify laws and to share their stories.
We often think of this mitzvah at Pesach when the story of the Israelites in Egypt is fresh in our mind, but Moshe and God in our parshah tell us that once a year is simply not enough.  In order for our people – and our families – to continue to move forward, we must teach the past.  We have an obligation to educate our children in Jewish history, traditions and observance so that they will share our love and passion.  In a world where we have access to so many stories and so much information, we depend on the past to enlighten their future.
THIS TOO IS TORAH: Graham Nash, who wrote the song “Teach Your Children,” was partly inspired by Jewish photographer Diane Arbus, who captured the iconic image “Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park.”