Parashat Naso (Numbers 4:21-7:89)

Reflections on the Jewish Calendar – Rabbi Andy Vogel

Shavu’ot begins tonight!

The festival of Shavu’ot begins tonight, Tuesday, May 22, primarily celebrated as the date of the Giving of the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai.  But this complex holiday has many layers of meaning.  Originally it was a harvest holiday, when the first fruits were brought as offerings (see Exodus 23:14, Leviticus 23:9-22 and Deuteronomy 16:9).  For 49 days, seven weeks of seven days each, the Israelites were told to let their wheat grow; then, on the 50th day, they would celebrate the harvest through expressing their thanks. 

The ancient rabbis, however, wanted to assign some historical meaning to this agricultural holiday, and the meaning of Shavu’ot began to deepen.  Examining the Torah’s description of the number of days the Israelites wandered before reaching Mt. Sinai, they calculated that the revelation occurred on the 6th of Sivan, exactly 50 days after the 2nd day of Passover.  Today the festival Shav’out, as Rabbi Michael Strassfeld writes, “is more than the receiving of the Torah – it is the experiencing of the Divine, an experience shared by all Jews of all time” (The Jewish Holidays, p. 69).  We celebrate this experience, through the modern ritual of Confirmation, the reading of the Ten Commandments from the Torah, and late-night Torah study discussions.  Chag same’ach!

            - Rabbi Andy Vogel

Sinai Update – May 13 – 19, 2007

Parashat B’midbar (Numbers 1:1 – 6:1)

Reflections on the Torah Portion – Rabbi Andy Vogel

The beginning of the Book of Numbers describes how each tribe marched in formation around the Mishkan, the desert Tabernacle, each carrying its own flag.  Rashi notes (Numbers 2:2) that “each flag had its own distinctive sign, each with its own distinctive color that was different from the colors of the other tribes.  In this way, everyone would recognize his own tribe’s flag.”

A flag is often beloved by the masses, a frequent rallying point for patriotism or loyalty to a particular group or nation.  But Rabbi Stephen E. Cohen suggests that the medieval rabbis sought to downplay the role of the flags and banners, because, “perhaps, of their tendency to divide Jew from Jew.”  We do well to remember that often the same symbols or messages that unite our people and enrich our lives can also be flashpoints for division and conflict, when experienced in another context or time.  Ultimately, our goal as Jews is to point to the ultimate truths of the Oneness of the universe, truths which can unite people.  At the same time, we must be aware of the things that divide us, and to sift out those real-life concerns which are substantive and worth keeping even if they create boundaries between people, versus those which are merely symbolic and divisive.  Some flags are worth waving.

- Rabbi Andy Vogel

Sinai Update – Week of April 29 – May 5, 2007

Parashat Emor  (Leviticus 21:1-24:23)

Reflections on the Torah Portion – Rabbi Andy Vogel

A partnership exists between God and humans in creating holy experiences.  As we read a list of the Jewish calendar and holidays in this week’s Torah portion, we hear this divine-human collaboration emphasized:  “These are the fixed times of Adonai, which you shall proclaim as holy occasions” (Leviticus 23:2).  A key phrase, repeated throughout the Torah portion, is “proclamations of holiness,” and just two verses later, in Leviticus 23:4, the idea is repeated:  “These are the fixed times of Adonai, proclamations of holiness, which you are to proclaim at their appointed times.” The message:  Our proclamation of the holy day is, in part, what makes it holy.

This gives humans tremendous power!  It’s not only God who decides when Passover, Shavu’ot or Sukkot fall.  We humans have the ability – and the responsibility – to  proclaim it!  And our announcing of the holiday makes us God’s partner in putting the holy day in place.  (If we fail to do so, if we forget or ignore the holiday, it ceases to be holy.)  As a practical matter, we are reminded of this mind-boggling theological concept because the verse is recited at a Kiddush lunch on festival holidays, telling us of our power to make the holy real.

            - Rabbi Andy Vogel