Next Wednesday evening, we begin the celebration of Purim. It is a holiday of costume, disguise, and drinking until we can no longer distinguish between Mordecai and Haman, between good and evil. It is a celebration for kids of all ages, but Purim is not only a party.

Purim is also a time when we are instructed to give gifts to our friends, mishloah manot, and, more importantly, gifts to the poor, matanot l'evyonim. There is an instructive distinction between the manner in which we celebrate the holiday with abandonment, and how we acknowledge the essence of the holiday with acts of tzedakah.

The story in Megilat Esther shows us that life can take funny turns, and that many things are beyond our immediate control. And so, at Purim, we may laugh at our place in this sometimes absurd world. But, we can control how we act toward those around us and how we confront the social injustices that we see every day. That part of Purim is something we can and should continue throughout the year.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach.

For many years, I used a small tallit bag that had belonged to my grandfather, apparently given to him on the occasion of his bar mitzvah in the late 19th century in Russia. At one time, the bag had embroidery, including a depiction of a synagogue and my grandfather’s name in Hebrew. Over the years, much of the embroidery had disappeared making it difficult to read the letters or get any sense of the original work.  Fifteen or more years ago, my wife finally took the bag from me so I would not destroy it any further and had it placed in a double-sided Lucite frame so it can now be viewed and preserved.
 
I was thinking of my grandfather’s tallit bag when I was reading this week’s parashah, T’rumah. The parashah contains a detailed description of the building and decorating of the Tabernacle which will house the Ark of The Covenant as the Israelites move through the desert. The richness of the detail signifies the importance of the Tabernacle and what it contains to the people and to God’s relationship with the people, for these are God’s building instructions. On the one hand, the glory of the Tabernacle is a reminder of the power of the gift of Torah at Sinai, so that those that were there could always remember the moment. On the other hand, the grandeur of the Ark’s home provided the people a constant symbol of the great potential of the future that God would always be among them.
 
I think that my attachment to the tallit bag was also a look back and a simultaneous look ahead. Certainly, each time I carried the bag I felt a connection with a grandfather I never knew and his relationship to Judaism. The bag also gave me a sense of potential, that the strength of our tradition was something tangible that I could pass on to my children and future generations. Perhaps we all have some kind of personal “tabernacle” that connects us to the power of the past, while engaging us in the potential of the future.    

Lee I. Sherman
President/CEO

When I was in graduate school, I took a course on the works of John Milton. In addition to the weeks we spent on “Paradise Lost,” we spent a little time on some of Milton’s other poetry and prose. We know from “Paradise Lost,” in particular, that free will was a favorite topic. The basis of freedom was also something that concerned Milton, and in his tract, Second Defense of the English People, he said “[k]now that to be free is the same thing as to be pious, to be wise, to be temperate and just, to be frugal and abstinent, and lastly, to be magnanimous and brave.” Now, I don’t know about the frugal and abstinent part, but the rest is something a scholar like Milton could readily find in his study of Torah.

This week’s parashah, Mishpatim, is the real beginning of the code of laws given by God to Moses and the Israelites. Although, many of the commandments may seem restrictive, Torah is not at its core a confining code of conduct. Rather, it is a framework for living in freedom. Remember, that the individuals receiving these laws were recently slaves in Egypt, having lived their entire lives in bondage. And so, at its heart, Torah is a code of moral conduct, a new model for a just society. “You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.” 23:9.

The new found “freedom” of the Israelites is not to do anything that they wish, but to act responsibly, justly, and morally. It is a valuable lesson for us and for those across the world who are just now finding themselves “free.” Whether for the Israelites over 3,000 years ago, Milton in the 17th century, or us today, freedom is just another word for having Torah (apologies to Kris Kristofferson).

Shabbat Shalom

Lee I. Sherman
President & CEO

Two weeks ago, while I was in Israel, I had the pleasure of meeting with the professional and volunteer leadership of NAMAG (Association of AMD Patients in Israel). Gideon Naor and Ed Fineberg, volunteers from that organization, contributed the inspiration and discussion for this week's Torah thoughts. To find out more about Age-related Macular Degeneration, you can look here.

We often discuss the idea of inclusion in our communities. This month is Jewish Disability Awareness Month featuring much information about inclusion for the many among us with a variety of disabilities. Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly, reaching over 40% of those 80 and above. Although there is no known cure for AMD, there are a number of promising new treatments and early detection can arrest the development of this disease.

This week we read in parashah Yitro about the gift of Torah to the Jewish people at Mt. Sinai. Our teachings tell us that there were no blind people among those standing at the foot of Mt Sinai. They all saw, they were all able to participate equally. In preparation to receive the Torah, each individual had been healed from any disabilities developed during the crushing labor in Egypt.

Thus, at the base of that lowly mountain, and at that rare peak of national unity, all of the people together received The Ten Commandments. All were included. In one of its central statements, we are commanded to honor our parents. Through this commandment, the Torah stresses the importance of showing gratitude to those who have given us the gift of life. Once young, now aging, they may need us, just as we once needed their help. Despite all the odds, dispersion and exile, we as a people have survived and have retained this sensitivity to care for our aging seniors so they may continue to be fully among us.

May we enjoy a Shabbat of joy and happiness with our families.

Lee I. Sherman
President/CEO