The First Day of School – Parshat Re’eh 5772

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As many of you know, I love greeting families in the carpool line every morning.  Beginning my day seeing so many smiling (and sometimes sleepy) faces excited to come to school is a true pleasure.  And with this morning ritual come the morning reminders from both parents and teachers.  “Don’t forget your lunch.”  “Do you have your kippah on?”  “Tuck in your shirt.”  “Do you have a belt with you?”  “Remember to use your listening ears.”  The list goes on.  After a summer of different rules, it is important to take the time to remember the expectations of coming back to school. 
It is fitting that we read Parshat Re’eh on the first week of school.  Parshat Re’eh is a smorgasbord of laws, rituals, and reminders.  It reads like a parent drop-off list, reminding the Israelite people as we become a mature nation not to take someone else’s toys (religion), to eat only our own food (the laws of Kashrut), sharing is caring (taking care of the poor in our community), and to celebrate with our friends (holidays and our calendar).  Like a nervous parent, God gives this fledgling people reminders to ensure their success as they grow. 
Like the feeling of taking on a new set of classroom expectations, it can be overwhelming to receive all of these rules at once.  It can leave a child or adult feeling overwhelmed and unsure how to succeed.  So the Torah repeats these mitzvot many times, and that repetition makes it stick. 
In chapter 12, verse 8, our text states the ultimate guideline for success in a community.  “You shall not act at all as we now act here, every man as he pleases.”  If every person always does what is best for him and only for himself, then the community will fail to succeed.  Think of an unruly classroom with children screaming, running, taking from one another; in this space there is no cohesion or safety.  Instead, if we act according to the mitzvot, then we act with our own interest and the best interests of those around us in mind.  With a clear guide to living the Torah, or the expectations in the classroom, we can be sure to establish a community of growth, learning, and love. 
As our school year begins and we receive the expectations of the school and the classrooms, it is always important to remember that like the Torah, these guidelines were created to lead to success and growth of our greater community.  By reading these mitzvot over and over again, we stay in constant conversation with God, the rule giver, so we make sure they fit our lives today.  In the same way, by keeping in contact with your child’s teacher and school, we make sure that the lines of conversation are open and that our partnership works towards success.
THIS TOO IS TORAH: Parenting and behavior expert Wendy Mogul suggests that instead of endless lists of rules, we should set 6-7 expectations for behavior as general guidelines so our children are not overwhelmed.  Then, adding details and clarifications is possible because the student already knows the most basic expectations.  Clearly, the 613 laws in the Torah are not a comprehensive list of everything we encounter in today’s world. But with a basic grasp of what is expected of us, we’re more prepared to work, create, and adapt.

Kehilla Kedosha: Holy Community – Parshat Eikev 5772

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As I sit here days before our students will re-enter the building for an exciting year I can’t help but become giddy with anticipation over the amazing learning, growing, and fun to come.  What makes Levine Academy a special place is that we are truly a community.  We are a place that supports one another, that celebrates and comforts one another, and learns together.  This is a Kehilla Kedosha, a community of holiness.
Our parshah this week, Eikev, teaches us in many different ways how to build this community.  It begins by asking us to make the choice whether or not we will live according to God’s laws.  If we make the “wise” choice, we will be blessed, we will increase love in the world.  Adhering to these laws means, at a basic level, remembering to say please and thank you.  On another level, it means remembering that we are a part of something bigger. 
These laws test us and challenge us to have faith no matter our hardships.  The text in chapter 10, verse 12 reminds us that God can demand of us to keep Kosher or give tzedakah, but God can only ask us to love and revere God and one another.  That is to say that “everything is in the power of Heaven except whether a person will choose to revere God.” (Babylonian Talmud Berachot 33b).  Reverence and obedience are perhaps the only virtues we cannot learn by imitating God because God has no one to revere or obey.  We cannot be compelled to be good because the decision must be totally under our control.
Each of us has a choice as to how we act in a Kehillah Keodsah, how we work to make our community holy.  Throughout our coming year, we will be exploring this concept by looking at Kehillah (community), Derech Eretz (respect), Shalem (completion/wholeness), and HaMakom (God as “the place” of our universe).  These four elements make up the basis of what it means to be a holy people. 
Our parshah this week ends in chapter 11, verse 22 by asking that we all walk in God’s ways.  The best way to walk in God’s ways is through acts of compassion and kindness.  I look forward to you joining me on this walk, a walk that might seem uphill at times, and might be a breeze at others.  But walking together, we can learn and work to make our community at Levine a model of holiness. 
This too is Torah: Winning Olympic medals seems to be the goal of the Olympic games, but our parshah will teach us otherwise.  Chapter 7, verse 25 teaches us that we must not covet the silver and gold on idols, lest we become ensnared in the idea of them.  So too we must remember that while winning silver and gold medals is an amazing accomplishment, the journey to get there teaches us more than any medal will.  Take your mark, get set and let’s enjoy the journey of another year together. 

Who’s on First? – Parshat Naso 5772

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In the famous Abbott and Costello routine, hysterics ensue when the name of the first baseman is “Who,” confusing the question word with a proper noun.  Similarly, it can sound like a comedy routine the first time we learn that in Hebrew, me means who, hu means he, and he means she.  Without knowing the specifics of the context, it’s difficult to understand what is going on.  Just as in speech, we will often use context cues to understand a situation in our texts.
This week we read parshat Naso, the second portion in sefer Bamidbar.  The narrative picks up with a second counting of the people; laws about how we are to treat one another and the property that we own; the blessing of the priests to the people; and the laws of the Nazir, detailing how we might dedicate ourselves directly to God.  Among these laws is the notion of connection to a community, to God, and to the greater “people.” 
The text begins with God speaking to Moshe, telling him to take another counting of the people.  Chapter 4, verse 22 reads, “Take also a census of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families.”  The English translation seems easily understood, but the Hebrew leaves an opening for interpretation.  It begins with the word נשא, which can mean to lift, take, carry, marry, forgive, or suffer.  Given the context – and perhaps even knowledge of grammatical rules – the reader is easily able to intuit which meaning of the root is intended. 
Especially with a root like this, you have to pay careful attention to the use in order to understand a text, and, at the same time, we can see how each meaning of this root must be related.  Reading this verse, we understand that the census which is taken so often is intended to announce how many people are a part of each tribe and thus the nation. 
We also have the responsibility to lift up one another in our relationships and as members of our communities.  As a part of the Levine Academy community this year, we have raised each other up with our learning, our friendships, and our commitment or “marriage” to the notion that we must say Hineini, I am here.  Students said Hineini when they recognized the suffering of others and worked towards supporting one another with the Berry Family bracelet initiative and Dollars for Denim.  Over 75 families participated in our Kindle the Spark learning community and Daven and Donuts, lifting up our voices in prayer and our souls with learning.  We have stood up and been counted as we helped transform our school into “No Place for Hate” and helped to lift the burden of hunger during our Rosh Hodesh food drives. 
This week, the final week of school during the 2011-12 school year, we read parshat Naso, and we are reminded that as a community we can look back not only on our fabulous programs, but on how we’ve lifted each other up, carried each other through good times and bad, and found ourselves fulfilled and blessed to be a part of our special place.  While words can sometimes have more than one meaning, our actions and learning this year have moved us deeper into our relationship with one another and lifted up our school to a holy community.  May we move forward from strength to strength and come together again to learn and grow.

Center of Attention – Parshat Bamidbar 5772

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As a kid I remember the long road to my summer camp.  As soon as the bus turned onto that dirt road, we would start to sing the camp song.  “We are on the road, to anywhere, never heart ache, never care…”  And we knew we had made it when we looked out the window of the bus and there, right in the center of camp, stood the main flagpole.  It was the first thing that caught your eye on the way in and the last image you had of camp on your way out.  This was the center of the camp.  Now, think about your home.  When you walk in, what is your eye immediately drawn to?  A family picture?  The television?  A mirror or wall hanging?
This week we begin reading sefer Bamidbar, the fourth book of the Torah.  Sefer Bamidbar begins with a census of the people and tells us more intimate details about the daily life of the Israelites as they camped out in the desert.  Specifically in parshat Bamidbar we learn not only of the number of Israelites in the camp (603,550) but also of the main setup of the camp.  Earlier in the Torah inparshat Yitro, we learn that the Israelites camped around Mount Sinai and the mountain that God had chosen was the center of their camp.  In the middle of the camp is the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, where the stone tablets with the 10 Commandments are kept and where God dwells.
Placing these tablets at the center of camp meant that it was the first part of camp seen as one entered and the final object one saw when leaving.  The Mishkan was the heart and soul of the camp, the central meeting spot.  And the rest of the Israelites’ camp was set up based on how it related to the placement of the Mishkan. 
The tablets contained the basic guidelines for living in the community.  Each person understood the central rules and regulations, what their role was, and what they needed to give in order for the community to be sustained.  The model put forth in our parshah teaches us that the Torah is the center of our community and also the center of our souls.  This model urges us to live with a focus on Torah, on actions that bring forth a greater good.
As this Shabbat ends we will begin Shavuot, the festival where we stay up all night learning in preparation for receiving the Torah.  We have the opportunity to open our hearts and receive the Torah this year as we do every year, but perhaps this year there’s more we can do to make the values of Torah the center of what we do.  Think about a year in which the first thing and last thing we think about each day are the values that make our families and our community better.
ללמוד  To Learn: ללמד To Teach: לשמור  To Keep  לעשות  To Do:  The Torah teaches us that as we prepare for a new adventure or new learning, we must first take stock in ourselves, a census of our values, goals and needs.  Only then are we of a free mind and clear heart to move forward with the best possible outcome.  Shavuot is the perfect time to renew your learning and take stock in yourself.  Use this long weekend to reflect on what you hope to gain as you receive new learning.

The 50 Year Itch – Parshat Behar Behukotai 5772

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It seems like the campaigning starts earlier and earlier with every election. As soon as a politician is voted into office, the reelection campaign starts. This may be a sign of our 24/7 media access, an obsession with the power struggle, or simply the evolution of politics.  Although the era of the constant campaign doesn’t seem to help the ever more partisan landscape, it’s also reassuring to be reminded that no one person will have all the authority indefinitely.
For all its blemishes, the real beauty of a democratic society is that our country never really belongs to one person, and it’s never managed by the same person for more than eight years. It’s our built-in level that helps to restore balance.
This week we read a double portion, Behar-Behukotai, which focuses primarily on the laws of agriculture and land.  What makes this section of text unique is that it takes the notion of land ownership and farming and uses that to create a society in which no one group holds complete power forever.  We read about the 50-year land ownership cycle in which we are required to allow the land to rest every 7th year.  In the 50th year of the cycle, all land returns to its original owner.  Imagine a farmer who comes across bad times because of a draught or poor crop.  In order to sustain his family, he might sell off parts of his farm acre by acre.  After 10 years, he might have nothing left, and he might be evicted or have to find another way to make a living.  According to our Torah laws, in the 50th year, this farmer would receive back all his land and become his own landlord again. 
This law seeks to ensure that the circumstances of today do not completely limit your potential in future years.  They level the playing field and account for both good and bad times.  These laws also remind us that we are not the ultimate owners of our land, property, or destiny.  Rather, God is the ultimate creator.  The restoration of land to its original owner and the opportunity to start over serves to awaken our spiritual sense of unity in our community.  Ultimately, we may help someone out by purchasing their land to help them make ends meet, and we may still have to work harder to get where we want, but this week the Torah reminds us that our lot in life is up to us to figure out. 
What is the leveler in your life?  What gets you back on track?  Is it time with your family?   Prayer?  A good night’s sleep?  Find these moments and take advantage of them.  Hard times will come your way, that’s a given, but it’s up to you how you handle them.  You can let an unfortunate situation consume you or you can remember that life is a cycle, and pretty soon it will be time to elect a new attitude.
ללמוד  To Learn: ללמד To Teach: לשמור  To Keep  לעשות  To Do:  Take a rest.  Allow yourself one day out of every 7 to relax.  If we only rest once every seven years like the land, we will be over worked and unable to truly enjoy all that God has created for us.  By taking on this day of rest you will be better able to engage in the world around you.