Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 16Iyar, 5783.  31st Day of the Omer.

We have another double parsha this week.  Be-Har and Be-Hukkotai.  But before we jump into the Parsha, let’s look at the Omer theme.  We are 2 days before Lag B’Omer, which starts Tuesday night.

Today’s theme is “Tiferet of Hod” which means “compassion of humility.”

From Chabad:

Examine if your humility is compassionate. Does my humility cause me to be self-contained and anti-social or does it express itself in empathy for others. Is my humility balanced and beautiful? Or is it awkward?

Just as humility brings compassion, compassion can lead one to humility. If you lack humility, try acting compassionately, which can help bring you humility.

Exercise for the day: Express a humble feeling in an act of compassion.

Being humble or having humility can be out of balance if it is selective.  Those we struggle to be humble with may expose things within we tend to lack compassion for ourselves – let alone someone else. Is our humility grounded in compassion for ourselves?  Or is it based in shame (we don’t deserve to feel proud?).   Is our humility grounded in fear or joy?

These are crucial questions as we explore our parsha.

Today we start the first of two parsha – be-Har (which means “On the Mountain”).  The other parsha is Be-Hukkotai (which means “My laws”).  This week we will ALSO be finishing the book of Leviticus.

So let’s start on the Mountain.  What is it Hashem may want us to see on this mountain?

Rest.  Release.

That is it.  We hold on to SOOOO much.  It keeps us from compassion. It keeps us from humility.  We are on top of this mountain to rest and release.  And we will experience freedom in that.  We don’t need to be afraid. We don’t need to stress.  We just need to trust. Compassion. Humility.

What are your thoughts?

My commentary from a year ago:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts For 14 Iyar, 5882

Today is the 29th day of the Omer. This week begins the theme of humility.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend my 30th HS reunion (twice removed because of COVID). It was very humble being back in a place I have been running away from for 32 years. I had blocked out so much from high school and realized that by blocking it out, I blocked out a lot of good with the bad I was trying to protect myself from.

When I was 15, my dad died. My mother struggled and we really didn’t get along. The only solution was putting me in a boarding school for my Jr and SR year of High School. It was a unique experience and one that shaped a lot of who I became as an adult. And. At the same time, I’m realizing that is was also an experience where character traits were already there shaping that experience.

To realize the positive impact I made on others in a really painful time of my life is the apex of humility. A lot of healing happened in my heart this weekend. My 17 year old self- who I’ve been embarrassed by, and who is a strong layer of insecurity within me, and who I’ve been trying to run away from for 32 years has been brought a lot of peace.

I share this with all of you so you have context as we jump into this weeks Parsha!

Let’s dig in!

This weeks Parsha is “Be-Har.” Which means “on the mountain.” The idea that I feel an emotional mountain this morning going through this past weekend is not lost on me.

The preview of this weeks Parsha also is interesting. As I have recently completed my 50th year on this earth, I am exiting my sabbatical year (49th) and my Jubilee year (50th). There have already been a lot of personal connections to these concepts. The past two years have been quite the journey away from the journey. But in reality they have been the rest for the journey ahead.

Todays portion starts with the Sabbatical year:

God speaks to Moses and tells him; when you come to the land Hashem is giving you

1. The land should rest a Sabbath to God. In the seventh year the land should have a complete rest.
2. You should not reap the after growth of your previous years harvest
3. The produce which grows on its own during the sabbath of the land will be ownerless; this available to you to eat equally with everybody else.
4. All of its produce may be retained in your house to be eaten by your domestic animals, so long as there is sufficient produce remaining in your land for the wild animals.

So. In terms of our lives, when we turn 6, 13, 20, 27, 34, 41, 48. those are sabbath years of our lives. If I reflect on those years, I can begin to see the events that occurred those years being very different than other years. How about for you? Can you think about major events that happened (or didn’t?) during those years?

Next we learn about the jubilee year.

Count 7 sabbatical years, seven years, seven times. The days of this seven sabbatical years will amount to 49 years for you.

The following year, you should announce the Jubilee year with blasts of the shofar. On the seventh month, on the 10th of the month. On Yom Kippur you should sound the rams horn throughout your land.

The court should sanctify the entire period of the 50th year. And proclaim freedom throughout the land for all who live on it. It will be a Jubilee year for you.

1. Each persons hereditary land should to their possession
2. A Hebrew slave that chose to remain with their master indefinitely should return to his family
3. This 50th year is a jubilee for you; but may not be extended into the next year.
4. Just like a sabbatical year you should not sow, you should not reap
5. Because it’s a jubilee your money will become restricted (as if it had been dedicated to the Holy Temple).
6. Like during the sabbatical year you may eat it’s produce
7. If a person sells a field from his hereditary land, the property should be Returned in the jubilee year to the father who is the rightful owner.

So. When I turned 48, I entered into two years – a sabbatical year and a jubilee year. And now as I turn 50, I go back out into the world to do the work I need to do. It is interesting that for me personally, COVID hit right at this time. I turned 48 on April 12, 2020. And I had COVID then. So this COVID thing has kind of put me into this two year cycle of a sabbath and jubilee.

Going to my high school reunion this weekend was a reminder of the work I am doing now; both personally and professionally. There is a clear path forward for me. And returning to Westtown after being away is a large part of that process.

Ok. Sorry (not sorry) for how personal these Torah thoughts have been this morning; but I always try to share my authentic heart and mind with these each and every day.

When you think about the sabbath and jubilee years, what are your thoughts for yourself? No expectation to comment on my journey!

Ok. May we all have a great week ahead of us

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 15 Iyar, 5782

Today is the 30th day of the Omer!

Todays portion covers two pieces of our relationship with one another.

First. The Torah says when we make a sale to our fellow Jew or make another purchase from the hand of your fellow Jew, we should not cheat one another. The price should be based on the number of years since the last Jubilee. If more years remain, the price should be higher based on how many years worth of crops one would expect.

Now. This does NOT mean Jews should do business with others and cheat them. I believe the message is about community. When we live in community with one another, we need to treat each other fairly. And. One more thing that Rabbi Simchah Bunem of Przysucha offers:

“You may not cheat yourself either. Never inflate your own worth, and never underestimate your potential.”

Seeing ourselves in the accurate and fair place is crucial. And this is in line with the theme of this weeks Omer; Humility. Humility isn’t underestimating our potential. Humility is the balance of not over inflating our worth!

Let’s keep going with the portion.

Next, the Torah tells us not to verbally harass our fellow Jew – or give him bad advice. The Torah says “Since nobody can know your true intentions, and you could always escape blame. You must fear your God – for I am God your God. “

Rabbi Aryeh Leib Zuenz writes;

“Your income and losses for the year are allocated on the Jewish New Year

(Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 10a).

If you cheat your fellow in order to gain financially, God will have to take it away from you because the money was not allocated to you. Perhaps you will have unforeseen medical expenses or other misfortunes, God forbid”

Finally the portion today closes with a reminder that we should observe God’s suprarational commands (that we don’t understand the reason for) and guard Hashem’s rational commands and perform them- so that we will live on the land securely.

Rabbi Abraham Samuel Benjamin Sofer writes;

The next verse (tyler’s comment: that will start tomorrows portion) repeats that the children of

Israel will “live upon it securely.” Why the repetition?

A nation that settles a land fears that when it will become a successful and prosperous nation, its neighbors will invade. It also fears that it might not be successful, which would lead to rebellion and internal conflict. Therefore the Torah states twice that the children of Israel will live securely”

Some interesting thoughts this morning. What Do you think?