Rambling

Or Some Random Thoughts from the Last Couple of Weeks

Here are some ramblings or thoughts that I have had over the last few weeks. They are in no particular order but I wanted to share. 

Achrei Moat: Last week’s parsha (portion) from the Torah was Achrei Moat, which means after the death, and in this case, after the death of Aharon’s 2 sons. It immediately goes into a series of conditions required before Aharon can enter the Holy of Holies within the Tabernacle. 

The Holy of Holies, or Kodesh ha’Kodashim as it is named in Hebrew, is the most holy section of the Tabernacle and later, the Israelite Temple that stood in Jerusalem. 

Jewish liturgy and parables often use the idea of the Holy of Holies to describe the most intimate time and place between a wife and Husband. It is sacrosanct. Using this connection we can reverse the parable to more deeply understand the relationship between Gd and the Jewish People. In essence, we are striving to have a deep and intimate relationship with Gd. 

So, in fact, we can read the parsha as an intimacy handbook. You want to build a holy relationship then know, וְאַל־יָבֹ֤א בְכׇל־עֵת֙ אֶל־הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ Do not come to the Holy of Holies at any time. There is a right time and a wrong time.

The High Priest would prepare himself for 7 days before entering the Holy of Holies. Think of your week, every day, as a time for preparation, building towards intimacy. Kind words, kind acts, little actions go a long way in building the relationship.

There are special garments for the High Priest before entering. Pay attention to your attire.

Aharon, the High Priest, was to cleanse himself of his sins and those of his household: וְהִקְרִ֧יב אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־פַּ֥ר הַחַטָּ֖את אֲשֶׁר־ל֑וֹ וְכִפֶּ֥ר בַּעֲד֖וֹ וּבְעַ֥ד בֵּיתֽוֹ How important is it to recognize our mistakes and work to fix them before entering our own Holy of Holies.

And for those failings that cannot be fixed or undone then let them go, release them into the desert where they can no longer harm your relationship. וְהַשָּׂעִ֗יר אֲשֶׁר֩ עָלָ֨ה עָלָ֤יו הַגּוֹרָל֙ לַעֲזָאזֵ֔ל יׇֽעֳמַד־חַ֛י לִפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה לְכַפֵּ֣ר עָלָ֑יו לְשַׁלַּ֥ח אֹת֛וֹ לַעֲזָאזֵ֖ל הַמִּדְבָּֽרָה׃

In the end, intimacy is achieved, we build our own Holy of Holies. 

But the parsha ends reminding us that if we do not sanctify these intimate relationships we are liable to bring destruction and chaos on ourselves and our loved ones. Gd implores us not to follow the ways of the Egyptians and the Cananites and lists the illicit relationships that were deeply rooted in their societies. אַל־תִּֽטַּמְּא֖וּ בְּכׇל־אֵ֑לֶּה כִּ֤י בְכׇל־אֵ֙לֶּה֙ נִטְמְא֣וּ הַגּוֹיִ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִ֥י מְשַׁלֵּ֖חַ מִפְּנֵיכֶֽם׃ Do not defile yourselves in any of those ways, for it is by such that the nations that I am casting out before you defiled themselves. The Land of Yisrael literally spits them out before the Nation of Yisrael. 

So maybe re-read the parsha, put it into your Husband Handbook or self-help guide, or weekly planner or some such thing and build your own Holy of Holies.

Passover: One of the great things about learning a language is that you are constantly gaining greater understanding of words and phrases. This is how it is for me and Hebrew. I regularly read over something that I have read scores of times only to suddenly realize that it had a whole other meaning or aspect. Over the week of Passover I ran into this in the musaf service:

אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ, מִפְּנֵי חֲטָאֵינוּ גָּלִינוּ מֵאַרְצֵנוּ, וְנִתְרַחַקְנוּ מֵעַל אַדְמָתֵנוּ, וְאֵין אֲנַחְנוּ יְכוֹלִים לַעֲלוֹת וְלֵרָאוֹת וּלְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֹת לְפָנֶיךָ בְּבֵית בְּחִירָתָךְ, בִּנְוֵה הֲדָרָךְ, בַּבַּיִת הַגָּדוֹל וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ שֶׁנִּקְרָא שִׁמְךָ עָלָיו, מִפְּנֵי הַיָּד שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּלְּחָה בְּמִקְדָּשָׁךְ.

Gd, and Gd of our Fathers, due to our sins we were driven from our land, distanced from our portion, and we are not able to rise, present ourselves and bow before you in your chosen House….

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, מֶלֶךְ רַחֲמָן, שֶׁתָּשׁוּב וּתְרַחֵם עָלֵינוּ וְעַל מִקְדָּשְׁךָ בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים, וְתִבְנֵהוּ מְהֵרָה וּתְגַדֵּל כְּבוֹדוֹ. אָבִינוּ, מַלְכֵּנוּ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ, גַּלֵּה כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתְךָ עָלֵינוּ מְהֵרָה, וְהוֹפַע וְהִנָּשֵׂא עָלֵינוּ לְעֵינֵי כָל חַי, וְקָרֵב פְּזוּרֵינוּ מִבֵּין הַגּוֹיִם, וּנְפוּצוֹתֵינוּ כַּנֵּס מִיַּרְכְּתֵי אָרֶץ, וַהֲבִיאֵנוּ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ לְצִיּוֹן עִירָךְ בְּרִנָּה, וְלִירוּשָׁלַיִם עִיר מִקְדָּשְׁךָ בְּשִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם, אָנָּא אֱלֹהֵינוּ, וְשָׁם נַעֲשֶׂה לְפָנֶיךָ אֶת קָרְבְּנוֹת חוֹבוֹתֵינוּ, תְּמִידִים כְּסִדְרָם וּמוּסָפִים כְּהִלְכָתָם.

May it be Your will, our Gd and Gd of our Fathers, merciful King, that You will return and have mercy upon us and on Your Holy Place… and bring together our dispersed from amongst the nations…and bring us Gd, our Gd to Zion Your city and to Jerusalem the city of your Temple…

Well, He has done exactly what we have been praying for since the time of the destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples. He has brought us back to Zion, created a state, rebuilt the city of Jerusalem, gathered the majority of the Jewish people into the Land, handed us pretty much the entirety of the Promised Land including the Temple mount in the 6 Day War and we did what? We walked away from it. We keep reading the same texts as if we have been distanced from our land, driven from our portion, have no ability to rise up, present ourselves and bow before Him.

Sometimes understanding brings a great deal of frustration. Moshe Dayan certainly knew Hebrew better than me.

Kedoshim: Lastly, this week's parsha, Kedoshim, Holy you will be! Another entry into the self-help guide. What does it take to be holy in Judaism? How do you reach those spiritual heights? Fasting. Long hours of meditation. Seclusion. Celibacy.

Ahhh….NO!

Gd says: קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם You will holy, for I am Holy, Gd, your Gd. And then He continues: Revere your mother and father, leave the corners and gleanings from your fields and orchards for the poor, keep honest weights and measures, do not lie, do not steal, pay your laborer his wage, do not place a stumbling block before the blind or insult the deaf, do not corrupt justice, do not cut or injure yourself on purpose, show deference to the elderly, etc, etc.

Of course there is more, and there are particulars that go with each of these statements but it is not rocket science. Yet, Gd lays before us the meta-physics of how to achieve holiness and build a holy society. Give it a read and find something to work on. Who knows, if enough of us do it we might get somewhere.

So ends the rambling. Blessings for a Holy and Intimate Shabbat. 

Meir

Hebrew text from Sefaria.org
Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay