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June 23, 2023 (4 Tammuz 5783)
Dear Friends, I hope this correspondence finds you doing well and in good health. Please join us this Saturday morning at 10:15AM in the sanctuary for our festive Shabbat services, followed by kiddush and kibbitzing! The services will be simultaneously available on our regular Zoom prayer link. One of my favorite two-part Jewish trivia questions is as follows: Part One: What are the names of the five portions in the Torah that are named after specific individuals? Part Two: Of those named portions, how many of those biblical namesake characters are Jewish superstars? The reason I ask this timely question is, of course, due to this week’s reading of Parashat Korach (correct answer #1). Korach, as we will learn over Shabbat, was a Levitical descendant and leader of an ego-driven rebellion against Moshe and Aaron. Korach and his followers meet an untimely death this Shabbat due to their disrespectful objection of Mosaic leadership. He was anything but a paragon of virtue. As we continue our way through the book of Bemidbar, we will find two other Torah portions named after specific individuals: Balak and Pinchas (correct answers #2 and #3). External to the book of Bemidbar, the other two sections named after individuals include Noah (our friend from the flood in Genesis [correct answer #4]) and Yitro from the book of Exodus (a Midianite priest and the father-in-law of Moshe [correct answer #5]). Ironically, while not expecting perfection from any individual, these characters (except for Yitro) would never qualify as “player-of-the-year” in the annual Torah cycle! To add to the irony, of the five “named” Parshiot, three are named after non-Jews! Balak, who we will meet in a few weeks, is the non-Jewish king of Moab who hires Bilaam, a non-Jewish prophet, to curse the Israelites after the King sees the Israelites defeat various foreign nations in battle. You are likely familiar with end of the story when Bilaam’s donkey sees an angel of God blocking the mountainous path and verbally refuses to move any further. (Come back in a few weeks for more details.) Balak, the King of Moab, who tries to curse the Jewish people, would certainly not qualify as player-of-the-year! Later in Bemidbar, we meet Pinchas, a religious zealot and vigilante who takes the law into his own hands and unceremoniously thrusts a spear through two fornicating partners. The zeal of Pinchas is a great cause of consternation to rabbinic commentators, who would have preferred a non-violent approach to retribution and potential repentance. While many of us romanticize Noah through art and music, commentators are troubled by his automaton-like response to hearing of the pending destruction of the world and his unwillingness to go to bat for his fellow human beings. By the conclusion of the Parasha, Noah is drunk on the ground and naked. Frankly, by the end of the story, he is somewhat of an embarrassment to both family and friends. Fortunately, our fifth example is Yitro, who is the father-in-law of Moshe and a continual source of support and guidance to the young prophet. Yitro, a well-known Midianite religious official, offers sagacious wisdom as Moshe slowly learns how to delegate responsibility and balance the needs of leadership and family. Arguably, Yitro’s generous acts of consultation and counseling merit a Torah portion being named after his righteous and selfless deeds. While most of us are unlikely to ever have a biblical book named after us, there is still a lot of wisdom that our tradition shares about the importance of names. The Mishna teaches us in Pirke Avoth: "רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, שְׁלשָׁה כְתָרִים הֵם, כֶּתֶר תּוֹרָה וְכֶתֶר כְּהֻנָּה וְכֶתֶר מַלְכוּת, וְכֶתֶר שֵׁם טוֹב עוֹלֶה עַל גַּבֵּיהֶן:Rabbi Shimon said: There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of royalty, but the crown of a good name supersedes them all.” Two thousand years ago, Rabbi Shimon was sharing how we begin life with inherent attributes, or crowns, including the gift of Torah (our spiritual guide to living a life of blessing) and the gift of peoplehood (our lineage as a Mamlechet Kohanim, or members of a treasured priestly/godly clan). Nonetheless, it is up to us to make choices and offer deeds of lovingkindness that will make our good name on earth, even superior to fine oil (Ecclesiastes). As we enter Shabbat, perhaps we can combine Rabbi Shimon’s teaching with the familiar words of the Kaddish response, Ye’he She’may Raba (the challenge to make a name great). While the Kaddish is referencing aggrandizing the name of Hashem in the world, perhaps we can do so for ourselves by adopting a Mitzvah, increasing our learning, forging our community, and becoming a blessing to all who know us. Shabbat Shalom and Happy Official Start to the Summer, Rabbi Eric L. Wasser, EdD, Hon.DM
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