Shabbat

 

"Shabbos invites all those who need new energy, all those who have been broken by the world of the six days, who need the world of Shabbos to make their brokenness whole again.”

-R’ Shlomo Carlebach

 

 

 

An Interlinear Haftarah Poem for B'reshit (Selected verses from Isaiah 42:5 - 43:10)

 On Parents and Their Rebellious Children

Photographic reproduction of the Great Isaiah Scroll, the best preserved of the biblical scrolls found at Qumran. It contains the entire Book of Isaiah in Hebrew, apart from some small damaged parts. This manuscript was probably written by a scribe of the Jewish sect of the Essenes around the second century BC. It is therefore over a 1000 years older than the oldest Masoretic manuscripts. ה  כֹּה-אָמַר הָאֵל יְהוָה, בּוֹרֵא הַשָּׁמַיִם וְנוֹטֵיהֶם, רֹקַע הָאָרֶץ, וְצֶאֱצָאֶיהָ; נֹתֵן נְשָׁמָה לָעָם עָלֶיהָ, וְרוּחַ לַהֹלְכִים בָּהּ. 5 Thus saith God the LORD, Who that created the heavens, and stretched them forth, Who that spread forth the earth and that which cometh out of it, Who gave breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: Just in case you forgot who is in charge here, take a look around. See this sky? You didn't make that. See this earth and all the living things that prance and pounce on it? The sustenance that grows out of the soil?  You didn't make that. The life that surrounds you and lives within you.  You didn't make that. I made this. This is my house. I pay the bills and keep the lights on and set the universe in motion. You. You just reside here for a time. ו  אֲנִי יְהוָה קְרָאתִיךָ בְצֶדֶק, וְאַחְזֵק בְּיָדֶךָ; וְאֶצָּרְךָ, וְאֶתֶּנְךָ לִבְרִית עָם--לְאוֹר גּוֹיִם. 6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and have taken hold of thy hand, and kept thee, and set thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations; We are intimate, you and I. I and thou.  You reach up and grasp my hand like a toddler learning to walk.  Or a lover with a tender touch. Or an aging parent who stumbles. My hand holding yours is a sacred agreement.  We are always connected,  and I will never let you go.  ז  לִפְקֹחַ, עֵינַיִם עִוְרוֹת; לְהוֹצִיא מִמַּסְגֵּר אַסִּיר, מִבֵּית כֶּלֶא יֹשְׁבֵי חֹשֶׁךְ. 7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house. Darkness is terrifying, and to escape the vastness of it you close your eyes, not realizing that while you refused to look, the light came. Open your eyes. The darkness isn't permanent, and  I will hold up the lamp that leads you out.  ח  אֲנִי יְהוָה, הוּא שְׁמִי; וּכְבוֹדִי לְאַחֵר לֹא-אֶתֵּן, וּתְהִלָּתִי לַפְּסִילִים. 8 I am the LORD, that is My name; and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images.  If you do not forget me, I will not forget you. But please, remember the real me, not the images of me that  others have created, the lies and slander. Remember my name. ט  הָרִאשֹׁנוֹת, הִנֵּה-בָאוּ; וַחֲדָשׁוֹת אֲנִי מַגִּיד, בְּטֶרֶם תִּצְמַחְנָה אַשְׁמִיעַ אֶתְכֶם.  {פ} 9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.   I am no fortune teller, but I know things.  I can step back from your life a few paces, a thousand yards and see things you cannot.  Your view is limited. Open your eyes and see what others see. What I see.  י  שִׁירוּ לַיהוָה שִׁיר חָדָשׁ, תְּהִלָּתוֹ מִקְצֵה הָאָרֶץ; יוֹרְדֵי הַיָּם וּמְלֹאוֹ, אִיִּים וְיֹשְׁבֵיהֶם. 10 Sing unto the LORD a new song, and His praise from the end of the earth; ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. People sing to Me all the time. I want to hear a new song. Sing me your song. Not his song, Not her song, Not David's song. Your song.   Even if you have sung it before. Even if you use their words and their tunes. Make it new. Make it yours.  יא  יִשְׂאוּ מִדְבָּר וְעָרָיו, חֲצֵרִים תֵּשֵׁב קֵדָר; יָרֹנּוּ יֹשְׁבֵי סֶלַע, מֵרֹאשׁ הָרִים יִצְוָחוּ. 11 Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of Sela exult, let them shout from the top of the mountains. יב  יָשִׂימוּ לַיהוָה, כָּבוֹד; וּתְהִלָּתוֹ, בָּאִיִּים יַגִּידוּ. 12 Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare His praise in the islands. The entire earth sings songs to me. Trees and deserts. Sidewalks and skyscrapers. The sea roars timeless lyrics and the mountaintops scream out  to me.  What do they know that you do not? What secrets do they hold -- those of simple mind and simple existence --  that lets them sing without shame? Are you thinking too hard about where you came from to let go and feel the truth? יג  יְהוָה כַּגִּבּוֹר יֵצֵא, כְּאִישׁ מִלְחָמוֹת יָעִיר קִנְאָה; יָרִיעַ, אַף-יַצְרִיחַ--עַל-אֹיְבָיו, יִתְגַּבָּר.  {ס} 13 The LORD will go forth like a warrior, He whips up his rage. He will cry, yea, He will shout aloud, He will prove Himself mighty against His enemies. Code-switch. Mood-switch. The same hand that reached out from above to guide you and keep you steady can rear back and smack you if you stop the song. If you stop singing, if you become an enemy Stay you and stay safe  יד  הֶחֱשֵׁיתִי, מֵעוֹלָם--אַחֲרִישׁ, אֶתְאַפָּק; כַּיּוֹלֵדָה אֶפְעֶה, אֶשֹּׁם וְאֶשְׁאַף יָחַד. 14 I have long time held My peace, I have been still, and refrained Myself; now will I cry like a laboring woman, gasping and panting at once. Destruction, too, is a birthing process. Anger gestates. טו  אַחֲרִיב הָרִים וּגְבָעוֹת, וְכָל-עֶשְׂבָּם אוֹבִישׁ; וְשַׂמְתִּי נְהָרוֹת לָאִיִּים, וַאֲגַמִּים אוֹבִישׁ. 15 I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and will dry up the pools.  Soon after Anger is born, it is immature, a destructive toddler, knocking down the beautiful things the mother/father created for it: Mountains and hills to romp and climb. herbs to reap and eat, rivers and pools for feeling the magic of floating. טז  וְהוֹלַכְתִּי עִוְרִים, בְּדֶרֶךְ לֹא יָדָעוּ--בִּנְתִיבוֹת לֹא-יָדְעוּ, אַדְרִיכֵם; אָשִׂים מַחְשָׁךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם לָאוֹר, וּמַעֲקַשִּׁים לְמִישׁוֹר--אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים, עֲשִׂיתִם וְלֹא עֲזַבְתִּים. 16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not, in paths that they knew not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and rugged places plain. These things will I do, and I will not leave them undone. But even amid the destruction I will reach out a hand again and let you grasp on so I can lead you toddler lover parent to a brighter place with smoother paths I promise. יז  נָסֹגוּ אָחוֹר יֵבֹשׁוּ בֹשֶׁת, הַבֹּטְחִים בַּפָּסֶל; הָאֹמְרִים לְמַסֵּכָה, אַתֶּם אֱלֹהֵינוּ.  {פ} 17 They shall be turned back, greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say unto molten images: 'Ye are our gods.' {P} יח  הַחֵרְשִׁים, שְׁמָעוּ; וְהַעִוְרִים, הַבִּיטוּ לִרְאוֹת. 18 Listen, you who are deaf; You blind ones, look up and see!  It is good to know that God, even God, rages at the children who have turned their backs on his teachings, no matter how beautifully packaged and presented. They push the lessons aside and  refuse to see refuse to listen refuse to heed כא  יְהוָה חָפֵץ, לְמַעַן צִדְקוֹ; יַגְדִּיל תּוֹרָה, וְיַאְדִּיר. 21 The LORD was pleased, for His righteousness' sake, to make the teaching great and glorious. כב  וְהוּא, עַם-בָּזוּז וְשָׁסוּי, הָפֵחַ בַּחוּרִים כֻּלָּם, וּבְבָתֵּי כְלָאִים הָחְבָּאוּ; הָיוּ לָבַז וְאֵין מַצִּיל, מְשִׁסָּה וְאֵין-אֹמֵר הָשַׁב. 22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled, they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison-houses; they are for a prey, and none delivereth, for a spoil, and none saith: 'Restore.' We try to make the teaching palatable, even delicious And still our children choke on it and spit it out. And yet, and yet How easy it is to be sanctimonious about Their deafness, their blindness, their rebellion. כג  מִי בָכֶם, יַאֲזִין זֹאת; יַקְשִׁב וְיִשְׁמַע, לְאָחוֹר. 23 Who among you will give ear to this? Who will hearken and hear for the time to come? Can we see their distress? We were blind teenagers and we rage at our children for what they do not see. As if they choose the blindness and want to live in the darkness We say, “Open your eyes! Look!” So they close their eyes tighter, squeezing us out of their sight and stay in the darkness. כה  וַיִּשְׁפֹּךְ עָלָיו חֵמָה אַפּוֹ, וֶעֱזוּז מִלְחָמָה; וַתְּלַהֲטֵהוּ מִסָּבִיב וְלֹא יָדָע, וַתִּבְעַר-בּוֹ וְלֹא-יָשִׂים עַל-לֵב. 25 Therefore He poured upon him the fury of His anger, and the strength of battle; and it set him on fire round about, yet he knew not, and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart. They are blind and we are pointing, “Look here!” They are deaf and we are screaming, “Listen to me!” So they do not see the light, and they do not hear our rage But they cannot hear our reassurances: א  וְעַתָּה כֹּה-אָמַר יְהוָה, בֹּרַאֲךָ יַעֲקֹב, וְיֹצֶרְךָ, יִשְׂרָאֵל:  אַל-תִּירָא כִּי גְאַלְתִּיךָ, קָרָאתִי בְשִׁמְךָ לִי-אָתָּה. 1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art Mine. I’m still here. I want to save you. My child, the one I named. You are still mine. Can you see me? ב  כִּי-תַעֲבֹר בַּמַּיִם אִתְּךָ-אָנִי, וּבַנְּהָרוֹת לֹא יִשְׁטְפוּךָ:  כִּי-תֵלֵךְ בְּמוֹ-אֵשׁ לֹא תִכָּוֶה, וְלֶהָבָה לֹא תִבְעַר-בָּךְ. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Reach for me when you feel like you’re drowning. Call me to guide you through the burning pain of adolescence. I’ll lead you out. Are you listening? ג  כִּי, אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, מוֹשִׁיעֶךָ; נָתַתִּי כָפְרְךָ מִצְרַיִם, כּוּשׁ וּסְבָא תַּחְתֶּיךָ. 3 For I am the LORD thy God, The Holy One of Israel, thy Savior; I have given Egypt as thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. I am desperate now. Here! Remember all I’ve done for you in the past. I birthed you, fed you, clothed you, tended your wounds. I have sacrificed myself and others For you. ד  מֵאֲשֶׁר יָקַרְתָּ בְעֵינַי נִכְבַּדְתָּ, וַאֲנִי אֲהַבְתִּיךָ; וְאֶתֵּן אָדָם תַּחְתֶּיךָ, וּלְאֻמִּים תַּחַת נַפְשֶׁךָ. 4 Since thou art precious in My sight, and honorable, and I have loved thee; therefore will I give men for thee, and peoples for thy life. I love you. ח  הוֹצִיא עַם-עִוֵּר, וְעֵינַיִם יֵשׁ; וְחֵרְשִׁים, וְאָזְנַיִם לָמוֹ. 8 The blind people that have eyes shall be brought forth, and the deaf that have ears. ט  כָּל-הַגּוֹיִם נִקְבְּצוּ יַחְדָּו, וְיֵאָסְפוּ לְאֻמִּים--מִי בָהֶם יַגִּיד זֹאת, וְרִאשֹׁנוֹת יַשְׁמִיעֻנוּ; יִתְּנוּ עֵדֵיהֶם וְיִצְדָּקוּ, וְיִשְׁמְעוּ וְיֹאמְרוּ אֱמֶת. 9 All the nations are gathered together, and the peoples are assembled; who among them can declare this, and announce to us former things? Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified; and let them hear, and say: 'It is truth.' Eventually, you will be here And you will realize that I am right. What I have promised has come to pass. When you fell, I helped you up. When you reached out your hand, I grasped it tight and held on But by then it will be too late Your own rebellious children will be deaf and blind to you. I will still love you. .

A Playlist for Aliens: What Would You Add?

What song would you send to space to introduce humanity to the universe?

In 1977 we sent the "gold record" on Voyager. The BBC created a playlist that you can listen to here. It's cool, but outdated. Take a listen here:

To the Makers of Music -- All Worlds, All Times

We sent Bach, Louis Armstrong, Aboriginal singing, animal noises, panpipes and drums, and Chuck Berry's "Johnny B Goode," among others.

Basic assumptions:

1. Aliens can hear

2. Aliens have complex thoughts

3. Aliens have emotions that can be stirred by music

4. Aliens have record players

Just go with it. 

So, what would you add? 

Add a comment below, or just think about it. It's a great mental exercise to try and narrow your choice to one.

Here's my choice, a piece called "Time" by Hans Zimmer, written for the movie "Inception," which I have not yet seen. It has no vocals, so there is no language barrier, and it's designed to evoke an emotional response. (In humans. I've been playing it on repeat and the cat shows no signs of feeling uplifted or nostalgic.)

While we're at it, I'd also add a photograph, the Hubble Deep Space Field. The view from our planet when we stopped and focused our telescope on a seemingly empty and dark slice of space only to discover thousands of galaxies, millions of stars, and maybe life. Maybe some alien species out there will get this image, take a look, and say, "Hey! That's us!" and then reverse engineer their way to Earth. 

*If you haven't seen the video explaining this image, it's definitely worth 6 minutes of your life.

Our Tragic Conditioning

I pass by one of the local high schools every day on my way to work. Usually, there's very little to remark upon. A few kids walking to the bike path who should obviously be in class. Parents zooming into the carpool lane and kids hopping out while the car's still rolling.

This morning, though, was different.

There was a fire truck with lights flashing parked by the front door. Kids were streaming out of the doors -- haphazardly but not panicked.

But my mind jumped straight to the conclusion:

Oh no
Not here
Not again

Please not here

I know the numbers. There are over 100,000 schools in the United States and a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction have had school shootings. There are thousands of movie theaters in the United States and two have been the sites of mass shootings.

The odds are with us.

But the mind is not always rational. It ignores numbers and statistics in the face of what it has seen.

And over the last 20 years, I've seen too much of this:

 So you'll forgive me if it took a minute for reality to set in.

Fire drill.
It's a fire drill.
It's fine.
They're OK.

This is not a post about guns. This is not a post about gun control. This is not a post about mental health care, or politics, or the NRA, or whether schools should hold lock-down drills.

This is a post about what we've become. What we've gotten used to. What has become routine, normal, unexceptional and indistinguishable from one event to the next. Our hearts break over and over again and so often that it's a wonder we can put the pieces back together between shootings.

Or can we?

Yes, I'm Crazy. Meet Ellie's Bat Mitzvah Tutor

"I can open doors and take from the shelves
All the books I’ve longed to hold
I can ask all the questions,
The whys and the wheres
As the mysteries of life unfold
Like a link in a chain
From the past to the future 
That joins me with the children yet to be,
I can now be a part
Of the ongoing stream,
That has always been a part of me" -- Yentl

I always wanted to be a yeshiva boy, in the style of Yentl of course. To study full-time, to argue, to immerse myself with like-minded folks. I still might, but first I have to pass this Torah, l'dor vador, from generation to generation, to my younger child.

If you want your child to study Torah, study Torah in front of them. Because if you only tell them to study, you will instead have children who will one day tell their own children to study Torah.
The Kotzker Rebbe

 I used to have this quote hanging on my office door when I led the religious school at our synagogue. When my life was focused around the Jewish world, the mandate was quite easy. I was always studying Judaism, rituals, holidays, books, web sites, and Torah itself. My kids spent hours waiting for their mom to roll the Torah scrolls to the right parsha, practice her chanting, and prepare to give a drash or lead a Torah study.

Now I go work in a cubicle at an IT company and my life runs on its quarterly calendar, not the Jewish calendar. I'm now one of those parents I was trying so hard to influence when I was principal. Study with your kids. Make the time, It's so important. And study for yourself. Let them see you just flipping through a book where half the text is Hebrew. Easy for me to have said.

It's not so easy, to take the time and make room for Torah when you're not a professional Jew. My own study (and by extension, theirs) has suffered.

So I'm getting radical.

I will be Ellie's bat mitzvah tutor. (She will also study her parsha with the rabbi, but I'll work with her on leading the service, learning how to chant Torah, and all the other ins and outs of the big day.)

Ellie and I have both committed to studying the weekly parsha every week, even if we only takethree minutes to watch the relevant G-dcast video.(If you don't know G-dcast, get to know G-dcast. They have videos and apps for everything Jewish, including at least one for every Torah portion. It's brilliant. www.g-dcast.com)

Wish us luck.