Yesterday, as the tornadoes made their way through our area and I was monitoring hallways and calming students I was asked what prayer to we say.  “Rabbi, can we say a prayer for the tornado to go somewhere else?”  “Rabbi, should we sing the Shema?”  Aside from the smile on my face at knowing our students have internalized the concept of prayer as a form of comfort, I was left to teach. 

As Jews we are taught in the Talmud that we should never make a prayer that wishes destruction to come on someone else.  When you hear a fire truck we are not allowed to say “I hope it isn’t going to my house” or “I hope that goes somewhere else.”  Our human nature pushes us to wish for our own safety in times of distress, but we are asked to move past that and know that whatever is happening is already in motion.  We can pray for safety of ourselves and others.  At that moment we sang Shomer Yisrael, God, guard Israel. 

This morning, as we all came back to the building, safe and sound we discussed what prayers we could say.  We said the blessing upon seeing an act of nature: Oseh ma’aseh bereshit, blessed is God, the one who makes acts of creation.  We discussed the miracle that with all of the tornadoes and damage there was not one fatality yesterday due to the weather.  We imagined the tornado that might have developed as God separated the sky from the waters below in creation and prayed that we continue to only see acts of creation.

We learned the brachah for hearing thunder or seeing a storm, sh’kocho u’gvurato maleh olam, God, whose power might fill the whole world.  And yet that power appeared to have protected us.  We ended our discussion by benching Gomel, Praised are You, God our God, King of the universe who graciously bestows favor upon the undeserving, even as He has bestowed favor upon me. 

Thank you God for sustaining us through storms, thank you God forsustaining our city.  Thank you God for protecting us, and the fire and police officers who keep us safe. 

In moments of fear we are pushed to turn to gratitude. 

I remember my first rock concert.  I was in third grade and New Kids on the Block were huge, and somehow my mom got me tickets.  I was beyond thrilled.  The whole day I couldn’t wait to go to the concert with my friend Erin from across the street.  We’d planned this amazing night.  Sitting through the concert I was certain, from my third row in the first balcony seat, that Joey McIntyre was staring right at me.  Erin and I couldn’t contain ourselves.  We had tears, we screamed, jumped up and down, and nearly passed out.  Years later I saw Joey on the street in LA, and it turned out he was just an ordinary person.  He wore ordinary clothes and shopped at Target, just like the rest of us.  From my perspective as an awed fan he was superstar Joey, but in reality, he was just a regular Joe.

Parshat Tzav, this week’s Torah portion, focuses on the rules and laws the Israelites must keep. Listed among the rules about sacrifices and the prohibition against eating meat and milk together are the rules about the priests.  The priest was considered an important and special role among the Israelite people.  Priests were to take care of the sacrifices and perform rituals that allowed the ordinary Israelites to come closer to God.  In a certain sense, the priest was placed on a pedestal, especially with the exceptional clothing that made him easily identifiable. 

It would appear that the text recognizes this, as it teaches in chapter 6, verse 3 that the first act that the kohen (priest) is to perform each morning is to put on ordinary clothes and remove the ashes of the previous night’s sacrifice.  These ashes are then treated in a special way with reverence.  Simchah Bunim, a 19th century commentator in Poland, interprets this verse as reminding us that this act ensures that the kohen never forgets his link to the ordinary people who spend their days in mundane pursuits.  The ashen remains of the sacrifices are treated with reverence to teach us that what was holy yesterday must be treated with respect today as well.

There are two lessons here.  Both the priest’s act of wearing ordinary clothes and the act of a sacrificial animal moving from ordinary to extraordinary teach us about remembering our roots and the value of each object of creation.  While a person or object might seem to be the most magical and extraordinary creation at one moment, we need to remember that at our core, we are all created the same. 

There is a Talmudic teaching that we should carry a saying in each of our pockets.  In one pocket we should carry a piece of paper that reads “The whole world was created for me,” and on the other it says “I am but the dust of the earth.”

Looking back on the NKOTB concert, I spent so much time in awe of the performers that I don’t even remember what songs they played.  Sometimes we get carried away by what we think is extraordinary, but the real transformation from ordinary to extraordinary comes from when we elevate ourselves and our relationships with others to a place of mutual reverence and love.  And I think that’s something even a regular Joe can appreciate.

ללמוד  To Learn: ללמד  To Teach: לשמור  To Keep:  לעשות  To Do:  As we’ve now entered into the month of Nissan, we are in the midst of a deep spring cleaning of not only our physical spaces like our house for Pesach, but also of our souls as we prepare for Pesach.  One tradition teaches that the cleaning for Pesach should be similar to Tashlich on Rosh HaShannah.  We use this time to make apologies, let go of the chametz we’ve held on to for the last 6 months and move forward with a lighter heart.  Consider using this week as we prepare for Pesach to take inventory of who you are, and who you’ve wronged and work towards making amends.

Watching the news, reading the paper, or even catching the headlines on Twitter can leave you feeling down and out about the moral standing of our leadership.  We expect the highest level of honesty and integrity out of our leaders, especially where our financial wellbeing is concerned, and it has almost become more shocking when leaders are upstanding citizens than when they do something morally disgraceful. 

The double portion we read this week, Vayakhel-Pekudei (the final portions in sefer Shemot), teaches about the work of building the tabernacle.  Moshe, the great leader of the Israelite people from Egypt back to the land of Israel, is given enormous responsibility.  He is asked not only to lead the people and be the emissary between the people and God, but also to take care of the accounting of the materials needed to build the tabernacle and all that goes with it.   

In reading the text, especially chapter 38, we wonder why Moshe is giving a detailed accounting of the materials used and their specific usage in the building of the tabernacle.  After all, Moshe was the trusted leader of the people; why did he feel the need to account for each piece of gold and silver collected?  The midrash explains that had Moses been no better at record keeping than the rest of the Israelites, the people might have begun to question his authority and lose trust in him.  In order to maintain their trust, Moshe himself took the utmost care to keep this accounting.    

Along with the necessity for the tabernacle materials, the texts teach about the importance of giving tzedakah from a place of honesty and free will, not because we might somehow benefit.  As we read these words, we’re asked to think about our own behaviors and how we want to be perceived in the eyes of others.  Am I donating to a certain organization because of the tax deduction, or am I sincerely championing the cause?

Our parshah this week approaches these financial issues from multiple angles.  First we have the example of Moshe, who understands that we don’t just expect our leaders to be decent people.  We expect them to be better people.  Then we have the reminder that we should be upfront about our actions and who might benefit by them.  Imagine a world where each of us is held to that higher standard. Let’s look forward to the day when scams and schemes no longer make the news, not because they have become an accepted way of life, but because we realize that the strength of a healthy community of people is more valuable than anything we can put a price on.

ללמוד  To Learn: ללמד To Teach: As you go through your donations for the year to come, include your children in the decision making process. Perhaps explain to them why you choose to give to certain organizations and not others.  Teach them what you see as the benefit of giving and what you hope others take away from your gift. 

לשמור  To Keep  לעשות  To Do:  Our text teaches that Shabbat is to be a day of rest, no work, creative or otherwise is to be done.  Challenge yourself to have an eco-friendly, work free day where you do not use natural resources or monetary resources.  Spend the day together as a family.  Then, tell me about it.  Participate in National Day of Unplugging on March 23rd-24th 2012.  Visit http://www.sabbathmanifesto.org/unplug for more information.

Making a seating chart is possibly the most difficult part of preparing for class.  Organizing tables for my wedding seemed easy compared to the Tetris game of names when deciding who will work best with whom and how to organize the classroom so that learners are in the optimal position for learning.  There are entire lists of criteria to keep in mind:  who fights, who chats, who needs to be up front to see the board, who needs to be in the back because they prefer to stand.  Then comes the partnering.  I have to think of each student, their strengths, their challenges, their level of patience and their work ethic.  If one of these pieces is off, the entire seating chart can crumble.  I love the challenge of getting to know the students well enough to know exactly where they should be in my room and making sure that every single student is included, comfortable and ready for the best learning opportunity.

Specific tasks require specific people on the team to ensure the best results.  God picked Moshe as the leader because he possessed a specific quality that God wanted, and God included Aaron as Moshe’s counterpart to even out the team.  This week we read parshat Ki Tissa, which is filled with group think and missteps.  The parshah begins with the commandment to give a half shekel, instructions on preparing the oil and incense for sacrifices and ends with the creation of the Golden Calf, the punishment of the people, Moshe pleading with God for a second chance, a second set of tablets and Moshe radiating after being in God’s presence.  Hidden within the depths of this turning point for the Israelites is the appointing of Betzalel and Ohilev as the artists for the building of theMishkan, the Tabernacle. 

The end of chapter 30 and the beginning of chapter 31 instruct us on the types of metals to be used in the Mishkan, the proper variety of pleasant incense and unpleasant fragrances and the specific leaders in the creation of this Mishkan.  God selects Betzalel from the tribe of Judah because he has been “endowed with a divine spirit of skill, ability and knowledge in every kind of craft.”  God also appoints Ohilev of the tribe of Dan to help Betzalel in this creation.  A Medieval midrashic commentary points out that Judah is the largest and most prominent of the tribes, and Dan is the smallest tribe.  By choosing a partnership from these tribes, God had made sure that the largest, smallest and in between parts of Israelite society were involved in the creation of theMishkan.  And, by including the requirement for pleasant and unpleasant smelling fragrances in the ceremony, God has in a way taught us that agreeable and disagreeable people are also necessarily included in the community. 

Ki Tissa means “when you will raise up,” signifying the raising up of our community when we value each other for the special gifts we all offer.  The parshah teaches us about inclusion and team building.  Ultimately, if we want our project, lesson or team to succeed, we must start with a foundation of balance and characteristics that complement one another.  While the process of considering who works best with whom takes more time, and working with a variety of people takes more patience, the end result reflects the harmony of a well balanced team. 

ללמוד  To Learn: ללמד To Teach: God has serious trouble in this week’s parshah when the Israelites and their impatience leads to a blatant disregard for the 10 Commandments and shows a lack of faith in God.  We learn that God was so angry that He wanted to destroy the entire nation, and yet Moshe stood in God’s way to protect the people from God, and God from His own anger.  Who is the “Moshe” that helps you maintain control and perspective when you’re ready to rage?  How can we act as one another’s Moshe?

לשמור  To Keep  לעשות  To Do:  The parshah begins by asking each person over the age of 20 to give ½ a shekel as part of the communal census.  The word used in the text is ונתנו and they should give.  This word is special because it is a palindrome, spelled the same way forwards and backwards.  The rabbis teach that this is because giving is cyclical and we need to give because we never know when we will need to receive.  As you enter Shabbat, make sure that you, as a family are making the gift you can to continue to mark your role in taking care of the community.