Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 20 Av, 5783

So today’s portion for me is really interesting as someone who has studied many different religions and religious texts.  The connection of Deuteronomy 12:22 to the New Testament and Peter’s Dream – and how Constantine and the Council of Nicea taught this passage is fascinating in the context of anti-semitism.

The Torah establishes – ritually impure and ritually pure people could eat together.  Just because someone considered themselves “righteous” wasn’t a reason to REJECT someone else.

Those who see Peter’s dream in the New Testament as a blanket “get out of Kosher free card” really need to contend with Peter’s OWN interpretation of his dream AND the Torah passage here.

I mean Paul does write “all scripture is God Breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

It’s fascinating that a passage that was DESIGNED to communicate love and inclusion – all are welcome who respect our boundaries – turned into a passage of exclusion.  “We are free to eat ham!” Which, given the boundaries established by the Jews would have caused Jews to not be able to sit at the table and eat with ritually impure people eating ham.

Boundaries. Spiritual freedom and liberation doesn’t mean we are free to do whatever we want.  It means we are free within the boundaries and direction our lives are headed.

In healthy relationships – respecting boundaries and having boundaries respected? The cornerstone of a healthy relationship.  Requiring someone to live by OUR boundaries? That’s a problem.  Freeing someone to choose to live in relationship with us – or apart from us – given our own personal boundaries? That is still freedom.  It’s internal sovereignty.

Now let’s get a smidge ethereal.  In a healthy relationship with Hashem – or the Universe – whatever you want to call this greater power/creator – do we respect the boundaries created by Hashem?  Or do we just want to continue to live and do whatever we want with no regards for the boundaries of the Universe?

It’s a personal question that is a challenge to answer.  And it doesn’t have to be a yes/no question – it is more a lifelong journey of learning what the boundaries of the Universe are – and then living freely within those boundaries.

Because our story as Jews? We were slaves in the Egypt. We wandered the wilderness free. And what did we do with that freedom? We created the Golden Calf. We rejected our freedom. And. We were given the Torah – not to enslave us – but to give us direction and purpose – a way to wield the freedom we are given in a manner that heals the world. Not controls it.

Those are my thoughts. What are yours?

Here is my commentary on this portion from a year ago:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 25 Av, 5782 (posted on 26 Av)

Sorry to post this so late. I was in Facebook jail for making a joke in a group. It was worth it to be honest as sometimes you need to push the envelope. But alas. If it is going to squash my ability to post Torah thoughts, then I need to keep that in mind.

Let’s dig in.

Moses is continuing his last lecture. He just finished telling us about the journey into the promised land. He got to the place we would find rest.

Moses starts by telling us – time in the promised land will have conflict. But when the rest comes, we will establish the Temple there.

Once that temple is established, that is where Hashem will rest and that is where we will bring our offerings.

I’m reflecting on whether this temple is within us. Certainly, there is an outward temple. But right now as we journey inward, where in our hearts do we bring our offerings of peace? Our tithes (self care anyone?) our first fruits (things we create as artists?)

Do we even offer our temples these offerings? Do we love our hearts? Do we give of ourselves compassion?

And Moses warns us not to offer these things just anywhere – but to trust Hashem will show us when and where to offer these up. This reinforces the notion that even in the promised land, there will be boundaries.

Then Moses says something interesting about our offerings:

If a blemish develops in an offering and you desire with all your soul to eat it’s meat, here’s what you do:

Now before get into this, I want to stop and consider, maybe the blemish is a result of past trauma? Past woundedness? We know the offering is for our best, but we can’t let go of the trauma.

Moses prescribed what to do, and it’s interesting:

• We can slaughter the offering in any place and eat it’s meat in all our cities because Hashem is giving it to us as a blessing. But we may not use its fleece or milk.
• We can only slaughter it if it is a permanent blemish that will not heal.

Interesting – there may be traumas in our life that won’t heal. They are permanent – but we need to explore their healing first. If we have not attempted to explore the trauma (a.k.a blemish) then we seem to have a responsibility to look at the trauma to see if it will heal.

Ok, Moses continues with which offerings cannot be given in our own cities and which need to be brought to the temple in Jerusalem:

• Grain, oil, wine tithes.
• The firstborn of cattle and sheep
• Vow offerings
• Pledge offerings
• First fruits

I’m chewing on this (pun intended) – why do these need to be brought to God? It also seems like maybe these are the offerings that are external? Maybe some offerings are designed for us internally within our hearts? In our relationship with ourselves? Some offerings are meant to be shared outwardly?

Pledges, vows, and first fruits makes some sense here. If Hashem has blessed us with something spiritual – like an epiphany – the first fruits of that epiphany should be given to Hashem- that may mean publishing it for others to read, sharing it at a place of worship? What fruits internally could you share? What are things you are learning that Hashem has asked you to make more exeternal?

When it comes to vows and pledges, it would also make sense to share them outward for accountability.

Ok. Next Moses is telling us about eating non-sacrificial meat. Moses said our souls will crave meat, and because of this we can eat as much meat as our soul desires. If our soul does NOT desire to eat meat, it would seem we aren’t required to eat it. It is about listening to our soul. And Moses tells us; if God brings us to a place that is far from us, and we cannot bring the peace offerings every day, we can eat from our cattle and sheep. But we must first slaughter them as Hashem commanded in the oral law.

Now; he says something REALLY fascinating – especially for those of you who identify as Christian and are familiar with Peter’s dream about food (that he interpreted as being really about people.)

He says – “you can eat the meat as you would eat a deer or gazelle. Meaning, a ritually impure person may eat together with a ritually pure person. However, unlike the deer and gazelle. Sacrificial fats are not permitted.”

This is written in the Torah.  Check it out for yourself – Deuteronomy 12:22

So Peter’s dream? Not so revolutionary. It’s actually from the Torah and it connected the Pharisees to the idea that when they refused to eat with gentiles? That wasn’t from the Torah. That’s what Peter interpreted; anyone has access to Hashem. That wasn’t blanket permission to eat ham. It was that “ham eaters” could eat with “kosher keepers” and fellowship together.

Moses gives us another limit: don’t eat the blood. The blood is the soul and we may not eat the soul with the flesh.

Now let’s consider this. Why is the blood being the soul something worth chewing on?

Because the soul is infused throughout our entire bodies. The heart isn’t the soul; it pumps the soul. If we are a soul, encased in a body; remove the blood, and the body dies. We can remove a heart – heart transplants happen. The heart is the pump of the soul. But it would seem to Indicate it isn’t the soul itself.

What are your thoughts on this?