From the Rabbi

This week's Torah portion, Tazria, and the coming Festival of Pesach, provide seemingly conflicting messages regarding what is proper behavior. Let's see if we can figure it out.

Rav Aaron Soloveitchik writes in his book, The Warmth and the Light, “Upon delivery from Egyptian bondage the Israelites regained their self-expression. As long as they were subjected to Egyptian bondage their self-expression was stifled and suppressed. But at the moment of Exodus the Israelites regained their speech. Slaves cannot express or assert themselves properly. They cannot realize their potential. Only the free man is capable of doing so. It can be added that slaves are not given the opportunity to raise questions or ponder ideas, that is reserved strictly to free people.”

The physical freedom we achieved at Pesach also allowed us the right to free speech, to say what we wanted to say. And in fact speech is very much a part of the Pesach observance – “And you shall tell it to your children,” and the one who increases telling the story of the exodus is to be praised.” So the lesson is obvious: raise your voice. It's a sign of being a free man.

But then we have this week's Torah portion of Tazria, which discusses, among other things the symptoms of a disease called tzaraat, often (mis)translated as leprosy. It was probably a bit closer to what we call psoriasis. Maimonides tells us that tzaraat was not a natural affliction, rather it was a miraculous affliction that infected only the Jewish People for the sin of lashon harah - of speaking slander and gossip. And so our speech is not free. We can't say everything we want to say. We have to be careful not to say lashon harah, not to speak slander or gossip. But what is considered lashon harah? The Torah, when it continues the discussion of lashon hara in next week’s parsha, Metzora, simply tells us: “You shall not go up and down as a slanderer among your people.”

Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan (1838-1933), known as the Chafetz Hayim, devoted his life to studying and teaching the ins and outs of permissible and impermissible speech. The examples he discussed were practical and exhaustive. While one may debate his conclusions here and there, overall he seemed to hit the nail on the head. Based on his work, it seems that the laws governing speech are complicated and simple at the same time. The issues surrounding sharing information in professional or social settings, in letters of reference, or a phone call about a potential shidduch/match are certainly complex. At the same time, his advice was quite simple – avoid talking about people. Period. This was surely an effective way to avoid saying “the wrong things” about someone.

So, there's Pesach which gifts us the freedom of speech. And then there’s Tazria, which teaches that you get tzaraat for certain kinds of speech. Pesach and Tazria combined teach us an important lesson: You're free to say what you want … but you're smart to keep your mouth shut if you have nothing good to say.

Shabbat shalom.

This Friday evening we will welcome Shabbat at 6:30 in our chapel. Due to circumstance beyond our control it will be difficult for us to make the minyan. I ask that if you are able, please make every effort to attend the Friday service to be sure we have the numbers. 

This week we have a double header Torah portion – our regular reading, Tzav, and a special selection from the beginning of Chukat, referred to as Parashat Parah, the portion of the (Red) Cow. You will hear me speak of the Red Cow this Shabbat, but I wanted to share an insight growing out of the way Tzav describes a particular sacrifice, called the todah – thanksgiving offering.

The todah is one of a group of sacrifices called shelamim. As a general rule, these sacrifices could be eaten by the one who offered them on the day they were brought through the next day . The todah offering, which was brought in thanks to God after being saved from a dangerous situation, could be eaten ONLY on the day it was brought through that night. The leftovers were not allowed to be eaten the subsequent day. Also, unlike the other peace offerings, the thanksgiving offering was also different in that it was required to be accompanied by 40 loaves of bread.

Why the differences?

Torah commenatator Seforno suggests that the increased amount of food and decreased amount of time to eat it incentivized the inviting of guests. Unlike other sacrifices which may be more private in nature, the ideal thanksgiving offering is a public endeavor. The social setting allowed the benefactor of God’s graces to recall the details of God’s wonderous deeds to a larger audience, hence making “God’s name great” amongst the other invitees at the meal.

Studies have shown that people who demonstrate gratefulness and thanks when circumstances call for that will be more likely to “pay it forward” and make the effort to extend themselves to others in need. You can read about this more fully in Emotional Success: The Power of Gratitude, Compassion, and Pride, by Dr David DeSteno.

It is noteworthy that that the original Passover Offering – Korban Pesach, also needed to be consumed in an even more restricted time frame, at the seder meal that evening. Once again, sharing the meal with many guests was the only way to accomplish that. Even today, with no sacrifices being offered and no real time limits on the seder meal, their seems to be a natural desire to have family and friends gather together around the seder table to enjoy each other’s company, to retell the story of the Exodus and to enjoy delicious foods, all as a way to express our thanks to God for what was done then…and to express our confidence and faith that God continues to do things for our benefit.

On that note, if there is room at your seder table for a guest or two – or if you are looking for a seder to attend – please contact our office and make your wishes known. We will make every effort to match guests with hosts to spread the Pesach spirit and to encourage all to offer thanks – todah to God Above.

Shabbat shalom…and see you in shul!

Studies have shown that people with a sense of humor have more positive moods, fewer negative moods, and an increased satisfaction with life in general. Laughter is beneficial for mental health and has physical health benefits as well - it can relax muscles, improve blood circulation, reduce blood pressure, and enhance respiration.

Dr. Rod Martin, who meticulously studied the psychology of humor for over three decades, distinguished between different categories of humor, some of which can be beneficial to the self or others, while others can be damaging. Affiliative humor, used to lighten the mood, to make the self or others feel better, is psychologically beneficial. But when it is used to put down the self or others, through sarcasm, teasing, derision, or ridicule, it can be psychologically damaging.

The Talmud (Ta’anit 22a) relates a story about Rabbi Berokah Hoza’ah who was walking through the marketplace when he met Elijah the Prophet. Rabbi Berokah asked Elijah if there was anyone in the marketplace who merited a share in the World to Come. Elijah identified two average looking individuals.

Wondering what it was that earned them their share in the World to Come, Rabbi Berokah asked them their occupation. They replied that they were jesters and when they see people who are sad they cheer them up with a good joke. The Sages appreciated the healing power of humor and the potential reward one receives for using this power to heal others.

In stark contrast, a paradigm of aggressive humor is the scoffer (leitz). Our tradition offers many statements which caution against becoming a scoffer. The impulse of the scoffer is to be cynical and sarcastic, denigrating and dismissing anything of significance.

Parshat Pekudei provides a detailed—and what at first glance seems unnecessary—accounting of all of the material used to construct the Tabernacle in the desert. The Midrash offers a backstory, which suggests the context for this detailed account. Moshe overheard a conversation between two scoffers. One pointed to the robust size of Moshe’s neck and thighs, accusing Moshe of eating and drinking in excess, as he had more means and wealth than the rest of the nation. “Of course he is rich. He is responsible for all of the money collected for the Tabernacle and there is no oversight,” his friend responded. “What do you expect?”

It is remarkable that someone would accuse Moshe of stealing from the funds raised for the mishkan, the House of God, especially after having successful bargained Yet, this is the negative and debilitating power of cynicism and scoffing. This aggressive type of humor against others, may get a short-lived good laugh, but it damages relationships, and is corrosive to living a meaningful life.

Humor is clearly a double edged sword. It can be positive and it can be negative. Let us always seek to harness the power of affiliative humor to enhance our psychological and spiritual well-being.

Shabbat shalom…and see you in shul