Two of a Kind – Parshat Bereshit 5773

Eve PosenLeave a comment
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

Eve PosenLeave a comment

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

Eve PosenLeave a comment
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.”

Carpe Diem – Parshat Vayelech 5773

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YOLO.  It took some context clues and hearing it a few times to figure out what these four letters stand for.  At the end of last year, I asked the students to share with me their favorite quotes, movies, books and songs.  At least half of the students cited this acronym as their favorite quote.  The frequent texter that I am, I’m familiar with LOL, TTFN, FWIW, but this one I had never seen.  In a great moment of enlightenment this summer, I figured it out.  “You only live once.”  It became famous as “YOLO” after the singer Drake (Jewish, BTW) wrote it into his song “The Motto” this past year.  While it seems teenagers are using this phrase to excuse or justify risky or inappropriate behavior, this phrase also highlights the importance of this time of year.
We are at Shabbat Shuva, the Shabbat between Rosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur, two of the “big days” in the Jewish year.  This time is set up as a time of reflection and repentance, often calling us to take into account the year that was and make changes for the year to come.  In doing so, we are able to see what we’ve done, where we might like to improve, and make the best of the time ahead.  Why?  YOLO.
It comes as no coincidence then that we also read about Moshe as he enters his final days as both the leader of the Israelite nation and as a living, breathing person.  Parshat Vayelech, which we read this Shabbat, describes the steps taken by Moshe as he finishes preparing the Israelites for the future.  Moshe knows that he has lived a full life, and sees these final moments as time to teach his Torah, teach the lessons and values that he could not have lived without.  Moshe reminds Joshua and the Israelites of the need to come together at least once a year and listen to the words of the Torah.  Moshe insists that it not just be the adults, but the children too who will have the experience of learning to live by the code of community.
In Moshe’s final days, his focus is on the life that he has lived and the lives that future Israelites will live.  He wants to ensure that he sends the message of living the Mitzvot with love and the idea of “YOLO” into the future for all who are a part of this community.
What does YOLO mean for us as we continue through this, one of our holiest times of the year?  You only live once, so we must make sure that we live our lives in a way that continues to build community, not destroy it, just as Moshe taught.  You only live once, so our lives should be filled with meaning and purpose, with bringing joy into the world.  You only live once, so instead of carrying on destructive behavior or a grudge from the last year, live life with passion, with reflection, and by holding onto only what really matters.
We welcomed in 5773 this week and know that this year holds with it the potential for greatness. Make this year the year that you consciously make an effort to live life to the fullest with your family, friends and community.  Don’t waste it . . . YOLO.
THIS TOO IS TORAH:  Drake may be the most recent famous Jew to support living in the moment, but it was Hillel who first suggested we seize the day. Im lo achshav, ay-matai. If not now, when?

The Facts of Life – Parshat Nitzavim 5772

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“I hate you sometimes!”  Harsh words for a parent to hear, but certainly not unique to any particular family.  It could be an argument about anything, but clearly the child is unhappy with a decision that was made for her.  Despite what children may think, the decisions parents make aren’t simply to make children’s lives miserable.  Parents make decisions for their children just as their parents made decisions for them.  When you’re a baby, it might be something as mundane as what outfit you’ll be wearing or as significant as whether you’ll be a vegetarian or not.  As children grow, parents face decisions like what schools to attend and what values are important.  Parents decide whether or not to raise their children in a kosher home or keep Shabbat.  Parents make choices, and children learn to live with them, at least while they’re children. 

But it’s not just parents who make decisions for others. The fact is, some decisions affect only us and some affect those who come after us.  Parshat Nitzavim, our parsha this week, teaches us this lesson quite clearly.  It begins with God telling the Israelites about the covenant they are making with Him and how binding it is.  In chapter 29, verses 13-14 we read “And not with you alone will I make this covenant and this oath; but with him who stands here with us this day before the Lord our God, and also with him who is not here with us this day.”  This is the moment where God makes it clear that the covenant goes beyond those souls who were physically at Sinai.
Specifically, who are “those who are not here with us today?”  Many people read these words as those who physically or even mentally were not present at Sinai.  Others interpret this as the souls of every Jew who will ever live, meaning that all Jews souls were present at a Sinai moment.  However you look at it, this text is speaking about uniting us in covenant and oath with God and generations past and future. 
This covenant was an agreement to keep the mitzvot of the Torah, to follow the laws and remember our pact and connection to Torah.  We might ask, like a child who disagrees with a parent’s decision, “What right did our ancestors have to impose the obligations of the covenant on us?  Why do we have to feel bound by their actions?”  The answer is that those obligations were designed to make their lives and ours holier.  We shouldn’t be upset by the path our families have chosen to take if it brings us to goodness, health and happiness, rather we should be able to accept it. 
Too often we fantasize about what might have been had we been born otherwise, or what could have been if we had made a different decision.  This keeps us from living in the present.  We cannot change the past, nor can we predict the future.  We stand here today a product of our parents’ and grandparents’ decisions, and we move forward linked in covenant to continue to create holy communities based on love, respect and responsibility.
This Too is Torah:  Have you ever created a time capsule?  These collections of items are one way we can communicate to future generations. Many of them are buried below ground, while a few of them have been launched into space.  As a family think about what would go in your time capsule?  What do you think is most important to communicate to the future?