Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 16 Sivan, 5783

Good morning! As we enter this new week, let’s get fired up about the Torah. When I wrote about this portion a year ago, it definitely fired me up.  I am now another year older – so the idea of the shifting roles of the Levites after 50? It is much more salient and present for me.  It would seem as if my role now is shifting to helping OTHERS develop and grow spiritually.  This is not to say I am not growing myself.  I am every day growing spiritually.  It’s just in terms of my “leadership” role – I do the work within – not for my own benefit – but for the benefit of myself AND others.  To help my “brothers” (and “sisters” and those who don’t conform to the gender binary).

In the Chumash I am reading, it talks about education – and I love this quote;

Education, in general, should not be limited to the acquisition of knowledge and preparation for a career, or in common parlance, “to make a better living.”  We must think in terms of a “better life,” not only for the individual, but also for society as a whole.

I love this. My spiritual development and education is not just about acquiring knowledge.  It’s about a ‘better life’ – for me – and the collective souls of those who I engage with every day.  How can we build a better life for EVERYONE?  Study Torah, develop our own spiritual practice through self-care, self-compassion, and self- kindness.  Then turn around and care for OTHERS. Be compassionate for OTHERS. And be kind to OTHERS.

Our capacity for kindness and compassion for others is LIMITED by the kindness and compassion we have for OURSELVES.  Heal ourselves. Heal the world.

What are your thoughts?

My commentary from a year ago:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 14 Sivan, 5782

Good morning! Today we continue to study how the Tabernacle was “fired up” and ready to go.

We left off with the inauguration of the Levites.

Today we start off with the Torah portion with the family of Merari being separated out – the Torah says to purify them and wave them as a wave-offering.

If Merari represents the emotional work we need to do; that’s the heavy lifting. They got the bulk of the offerings – they required a lot of labor.

The Torah says that God took Merari to himself instead of the first born (which would have been Gershon).

God goes on to call the Levites a gift; and because of this, the rest of the children of Israel will not need to approach the Sanctuary. Consequently, they will not be afflicted by a plague.

Now. I’m chewing on and reflecting on all those laws of ritual impurity. I could be wrong. I am not an expert. But the question in my head is this; if the Children of Israel did not need to approach the sanctuary, were the laws of ritual impurity (and clean and unclean) really a non-negotiable? Is it black/white right/wrong here?

Don’t hear me say – PLEASE don’t hear me say – that the children of Israel didn’t or shouldn’t care about the mitzvahs of ritual impurity – just whether or not those were “standards” for them to stress over?

Because if the Levites were a gift, then the rest of us can relax a bit. We can focus on our spiritual and soul journey, and work to incorporate ritual purity at our own pace. Because I do believe those mitzvahs are things we should aspire to do; but they are not necessarily laws for us to obey with penalty of being put in “God jail.”

I’m still chewing on this. But I keep coming back to the gift of the Levites who were given to perform the work of the tabernacle – where the idea of ritual purity would have been crucial.

Let’s get back to the Torah. The Torah then tells us the Levites did everything God asked them to do. They cleansed themselves, and performed the service of the tent of meeting.

The Torah portion closes with this:

God spoke to Moses; “This is the rule of disqualification for the Levites:”

1. He is qualified to serve from the age of 25 and up.
2. He is withdrawn from being qualified from the age of 50. He may serve no longer.
3. He may position himself around the tent of meeting to help his brothers guard the duty of erecting and dismantling the tent – but he may not perform the service.

Wow. I’m personally reflecting on this. Because my journey with God began when I turned 25. 1997 into 1998 was a formative time for me. It was the beginning of my spiritual awakening of my Neshama connecting to Hashem. I became agnostic after my father died when I was 15 in 1988.

I am now sitting at 50. The idea that my “service” could be up is something I’m really reflecting on and chewing on. And my job isn’t done. The Torah talks about the shifting role. Of helping those who are 25-50 serving God in the tabernacle. That’s an odd realization that things are shifting. I’m just chewing and reflecting on this. That somehow my spiritual role has changed.

Which makes sense, right? Given the idea that 50 is the year of jubilee? Ok. I’m going to continue to reflect.

What are your thoughts?