Rabbinic Reflections: Issue 222cb
August 2, 2024 - 28 Tamuz 5784
Parashiot Matot/Masei - Along the River-South of Moab
Guest author - Craig Basset
Dear Friends,
We are between rabbis for the month of August, so instead of the regular Rabbinic Reflection articles, we will instead share some reflections, even if they are a bit less than rabbinical.
This Shabbat, we are pleased to welcome Rabbi Joshua Shorr back to the Bimah to lead services. Rabbi Shorr was the last candidate to lead services during our search process and although he didn’t get the job, he has graciously agreed to lead services for us on August 3, 17, 24, and 31. Cantor Melissa Puius, our High Holidays cantor, will lead our Shabbat morning services on August 10. Please join us throughout the month and be sure to give a warm CBIOTP welcome to both Rabbi Shorr and Cantor Puius.
This Shabbat, we will read Parshiot Matot-Masei. The Parsha begins with Moses presenting the laws governing the annulment of vows and then, war is waged against Midian for their role in plotting the moral destruction of Israel. Next, there is a discussion about the division of the land on the east and west sides of the Jordan River. Later, we learn about the journeys of the Israelites from their exodus from Egypt to their encampment on the plains of Moab, across the river from the land of Canaan. The Parsha concludes with the story of the daughters of Tzelafchad, who married within their own tribe of Manasseh to keep their father’s estate from winding up in the hands of another tribe.
It is at this time of the year that I am always reminded of my own journey down a river, south of Moab, which occurred when I was about 11 years old. In my case, however, the river was the Colorado and Moab was the one located in Utah.
My father, of blessed memory, was an adventurous Renaissance man, and for a very special summer vacation, he took my older sister, Wendy, and me on a whitewater rafting trip down the Colorado River. The trip was my first time on a jet plane and it included a five-day journey down the Colorado.
The rafting trip began at Lee’s Ferry, in Arizona, just south of the Utah border. We rode in pontoon boats outfitted with outboard motors with about 10 adventurers in each boat. The journey involved cruising down the river and running the rapids during the days and camping out alongside the shore at night. The crew prepared the meals and dinners were eaten around a campfire. Most of the people on the trip were from Texas and Utah. My family represented New York.
Grace was said before every meal. At the end of one day, one of the boat captains asked my father to say Grace before dinner. My father didn’t hesitate to say yes.
Up to that point in the trip, I had noticed that everyone who said Grace, said the same exact words. Each time, it was the same unfamiliar prayer. When it was my father’s time to speak, he said something different, but according to my recollection, it was thoughtful, respectful, and ecumenical.
Later that evening, as the sun was setting and the stars were beginning to appear, the youngest boy from a particularly large Texan family, who was about 10 years old, came over to me. We had been friendly with each other during the trip. He walked over and asked me about the blessing my father had said. I remember telling him that we are Jewish and don’t say the same prayer as everyone else, so my father had made something up. There was a pause. Then, the boy said, “You’re Jewish? We don’t like Jews.” Instinctively, I asked him why, to which he responded, “I don’t know.”
As you can imagine, this memory has stuck with me my entire life. I have thought about it many times over the years, but probably not as much as since October 7th.
We all know that at the root of antisemitism and Jew-hatred is ignorance. There is ignorance of history, ignorance of what being Jewish is all about, and ignorance of the optimism and desire for peace that is at the heart of Judaism.
Presently, we all may be trying to do our part to counteract the ignorance by knowing the facts and figures and sharing them with our non-Jewish friends and others when we can, but my experience with the young Texan taught me that sometimes, it is best just to ask, “Why?” Forcing someone to question their beliefs may not have an immediate effect, but hopefully, it will lead to questioning, exploration, and ultimately, the truth.
Life is an ongoing journey and like the trip I took down the Colorado River, or that our people took wandering in the desert for 40 years, we never know what we will find just around the next bend. We may encounter things we don’t understand and have an initial aversion to them. We may have preconceived ideas about the things we discover along the way. But, when confronted with something we don’t understand, or like, sometimes it is just best to ask, “Why?”
Have a healthy, peaceful, and relaxing weekend. Why not?
Shabbat Shalom,
Craig Bassett
Executive Director
ed@cbiotp.org / 201-947-1555
P.S. We have four more Shabbatot before Rabbi Strom begins to share his reflections with us, so I would like to invite you to share your reflections on the weekly Parasha with the community. If you would like to write the article for next week, or one of the weeks thereafter, please give me a call or drop me a line. Thanks!
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August 2, 2024 - 28 Tamuz 5784
Parashiot Matot/Masei - Along the River-South of Moab
Guest author - Craig Basset
Dear Friends,
We are between rabbis for the month of August, so instead of the regular Rabbinic Reflection articles, we will instead share some reflections, even if they are a bit less than rabbinical.
This Shabbat, we are pleased to welcome Rabbi Joshua Shorr back to the Bimah to lead services. Rabbi Shorr was the last candidate to lead services during our search process and although he didn’t get the job, he has graciously agreed to lead services for us on August 3, 17, 24, and 31. Cantor Melissa Puius, our High Holidays cantor, will lead our Shabbat morning services on August 10. Please join us throughout the month and be sure to give a warm CBIOTP welcome to both Rabbi Shorr and Cantor Puius.
This Shabbat, we will read Parshiot Matot-Masei. The Parsha begins with Moses presenting the laws governing the annulment of vows and then, war is waged against Midian for their role in plotting the moral destruction of Israel. Next, there is a discussion about the division of the land on the east and west sides of the Jordan River. Later, we learn about the journeys of the Israelites from their exodus from Egypt to their encampment on the plains of Moab, across the river from the land of Canaan. The Parsha concludes with the story of the daughters of Tzelafchad, who married within their own tribe of Manasseh to keep their father’s estate from winding up in the hands of another tribe.
It is at this time of the year that I am always reminded of my own journey down a river, south of Moab, which occurred when I was about 11 years old. In my case, however, the river was the Colorado and Moab was the one located in Utah.
My father, of blessed memory, was an adventurous Renaissance man, and for a very special summer vacation, he took my older sister, Wendy, and me on a whitewater rafting trip down the Colorado River. The trip was my first time on a jet plane and it included a five-day journey down the Colorado.
The rafting trip began at Lee’s Ferry, in Arizona, just south of the Utah border. We rode in pontoon boats outfitted with outboard motors with about 10 adventurers in each boat. The journey involved cruising down the river and running the rapids during the days and camping out alongside the shore at night. The crew prepared the meals and dinners were eaten around a campfire. Most of the people on the trip were from Texas and Utah. My family represented New York.
Grace was said before every meal. At the end of one day, one of the boat captains asked my father to say Grace before dinner. My father didn’t hesitate to say yes.
Up to that point in the trip, I had noticed that everyone who said Grace, said the same exact words. Each time, it was the same unfamiliar prayer. When it was my father’s time to speak, he said something different, but according to my recollection, it was thoughtful, respectful, and ecumenical.
Later that evening, as the sun was setting and the stars were beginning to appear, the youngest boy from a particularly large Texan family, who was about 10 years old, came over to me. We had been friendly with each other during the trip. He walked over and asked me about the blessing my father had said. I remember telling him that we are Jewish and don’t say the same prayer as everyone else, so my father had made something up. There was a pause. Then, the boy said, “You’re Jewish? We don’t like Jews.” Instinctively, I asked him why, to which he responded, “I don’t know.”
As you can imagine, this memory has stuck with me my entire life. I have thought about it many times over the years, but probably not as much as since October 7th.
We all know that at the root of antisemitism and Jew-hatred is ignorance. There is ignorance of history, ignorance of what being Jewish is all about, and ignorance of the optimism and desire for peace that is at the heart of Judaism.
Presently, we all may be trying to do our part to counteract the ignorance by knowing the facts and figures and sharing them with our non-Jewish friends and others when we can, but my experience with the young Texan taught me that sometimes, it is best just to ask, “Why?” Forcing someone to question their beliefs may not have an immediate effect, but hopefully, it will lead to questioning, exploration, and ultimately, the truth.
Life is an ongoing journey and like the trip I took down the Colorado River, or that our people took wandering in the desert for 40 years, we never know what we will find just around the next bend. We may encounter things we don’t understand and have an initial aversion to them. We may have preconceived ideas about the things we discover along the way. But, when confronted with something we don’t understand, or like, sometimes it is just best to ask, “Why?”
Have a healthy, peaceful, and relaxing weekend. Why not?
Shabbat Shalom,
Craig Bassett
Executive Director
ed@cbiotp.org / 201-947-1555
P.S. We have four more Shabbatot before Rabbi Strom begins to share his reflections with us, so I would like to invite you to share your reflections on the weekly Parasha with the community. If you would like to write the article for next week, or one of the weeks thereafter, please give me a call or drop me a line. Thanks!