Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 21 Sivan, 5784
Parsha Shelach-Lekha – “Send For Yourself”: (Numbers 13:1 – 15:41)
Fifth Portion: Numbers 15:9 – 15:16

Good morning! Today’s portion is seminal. Reading my commentaries from the past two years is expansive. I am excited to dig in! Let’s go!

9with the young bull he shall offer up a meal offering consisting of three tenths fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil.

10And you shall offer half a hin of wine for a libation, a fire offering of pleasing fragrance to the Lord.

11So shall it be done for each ox or ram, or for a young sheep or young goat.

12In accordance with the number you offer up, so shall you present for each one, according to their numbers.

So. We went from navigating our cravings, to navigating our ego, to confronting our fears and working on courage.  We are now learning that courage involves sacrifice. We can’t stay comfortable. Parts of us need to die.  How do we have courage? We sacrifice. Let’s keep going:

13Every native born shall do it in this manner, to offer up a fire offering of pleasing fragrance to the Lord.

“Native born.” Those who are born to the children of Israel. We are called to have courage. And.

14If a proselyte resides with you, or those among you in future generations, and he offers up a fire offering of pleasing fragrance to the Lord, as you make it, so shall he make it.

The proselyte – the convert – they get to be a part of our family. They get to sacrifice too. They get to have courage.

15One rule applies to the assembly, for yourselves and for the proselyte who resides [with you]; one rule applies throughout your generations just as [it is] for you, so [it is] for the proselyte, before the Lord.

16There shall be one law and one ordinance for you and the proselyte who resides [with you].

This is it. Yesterday, we talked about alienation: “the state or experience of being isolated from a group or an activity to which one should belong or in which one should be involved.”

My therapist – who is the most amazing therapist – challenged me on this. He focused on the word “should.”  That is a judgment word. It’s not a curiosity word. If the move is to go from judgment to curiosity, we need to let go of the word “should.”

We may be the creators of our own alienation. The Torah says – anyone can be a part of this. There is no “should” or “should not.” There is one love – one river -we all get to swim in.

The Torah seems to be helping us understand what to do with alienation. It picks up on our learning from yesterday.

Moving from judgment to curiosity, from condemnation to compassion, from exclusion to empathy.

And. If we struggle within ourselves, we need to find it externally. When the proselyte comes – we can judge, condemn, or exclude. The Torah here says – be curious, have compassion, and receive THEIR sacrifice – because Hashem does.

So – we all have choice. There is no should. I feel alienated because I have attached “should” to these groups or activities I desire to be involved with. I have given them weight. That is my choice. Freedom and liberation comes from moving from

Alienation: “the state or experience of being isolated from a group or an activity to which one should belong or in which one should be involved”

To

“The state or experience of seeing a group or activity you desire to be a part of and making a conscious decision to move in a direction of being a part of that group or activity. Or deciding without judgement you no longer want or desire to be a part of that group or activity”

You see – it’s that combination.  I want to be a part of this group. I am not a part of this group. I have to decide. I have the power – to move in the direction of being part of the group – or choosing to let go of the desire and attachment to the group. That – letting go of the attachment – that’s the key.

We create in ourselves feelings of isolation when we attach “should” to an outcome. I “should” be a part of that group and they reject me. The curious question is “why do I want to be a part of this group that keeps rejecting me?” My desire is what creates the feelings of alienation.

This makes sense as a child. This makes sense as a family. There is a design that we are supposed to be loved, accepted, and belong to the group we are born into. And – we aren’t always.

I am just sitting with this to be honest. I will leave it here.

What are your thoughts?

Here are my thoughts from the past two years:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 26 Sivan, 5783

Today’s portion (I think) is one of my favorites.  And I realize I say this a lot.  You see, today’s portion is all about belonging.  It’s about community. It’s about power. It’s about being in the moment.

If you read my commentary below from a year ago – I touch on this idea.  The Phrase “God’s Chosen People” contains ALL SORTS of energy.  It’s the source of anti-Semitism.  It’s the source of elitism.

Today’s portion seems to indicate EVERYONE is chosen. The difference is?  Not everyone gets to choose.

I talk to my young kids often about being Jewish.  Currently my seven year old is having a typical discussion with me (that I had when I was a kid).  “I don’t want to be Jewish.  It’s more fun to be a Christian!”  And to be honest?  From a seven year old’s perspective?  I am not sure she’s wrong.

The issue is – no matter what she does – she’s Jewish.  She can run as far as the east is from the west – she will always have her Neshama – her Jewish spark within her.  She may repress it.  She may choose to ignore it. But her soul (in my belief) is Jewish.  She didn’t choose to be Jewish.  God chose her to be Jewish.

For another child who is not born into a Jewish family? They get to decide. They can enjoy the joys of Christmas – the presents under the tree (which as a kid who liked math – there were always WAY MORE than 8 presents under my friends’ trees – so no. Hanukkah isn’t better than Christmas, mom and dad!), they can enjoy easter and CHOCOLATE BUNNIES (Hanukah gelt in December just isn’t the same.).  But they aren’t “burdened” like my daughter points out with “having to be Jewish.”  To miss school on Jewish High holidays.

And. That child can grow up – and CHOOSE to be Jewish.  They can convert.  And today’s portion says – there is ONE Statute.  For the Jew. And the Convert.  There are NOT two sets of rules.

And I still chew on that even today.  Hashem has made space for EVERYONE.  Some of us were chosen. Some of us where chosen to have a choice in the matter.  Some of us were given a responsibility.  Others were given the freedom to choose that responsibility.

Let me be clear – I am not bitter about this.  We should not be bitter.  We can appreciate the differences of how Hashem created all of us. And still work toward being one community. Healing ourselves within. And by doing THIS work? We will repair the world.

What are your thoughts?

 Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 24 Sivan, 5782

Good morning!

Today’s portion is relatively short, but I’m thinking it will be packed! Let’s dig in!

We left off yesterday with Hashem telling Moses about the sacrifices when they enter the promised land. Which came right after God turning them around because of the spies. We discussed how this was a sign of encouragement because God was talking about an assured future where the Jews were in the promised land.

We finish up these animal sacrifices with some pretty interesting text.

Numbers 15:13 says “Every native born should present these offerings in this way so as to offer up a fire-offering of pleasant aroma to God.”

You can imagine if we stopped here, how the native-born Jews would have felt. And how the converts may have felt. But Hashem immediately addresses this in the next verse;

Numbers 15:14-16 says “When a convert comes to live with you, or likewise for the converts already among you at any time throughout the generations, and he offers up a fire offering of pleasant aroma to God, he should sacrifice it just as you do. One statute applies for the entire assembly, both for yourselves and the convert who lives with you. One statute applies throughout your generations – just as it is for you, so shall it be for the convert, before God. There will be one Torah and one law for you and for the convert who lives with you.”

And that’s the end of the portion today.

Just sit with that. Reread it. Reflect on this. In the Torah. God literally says; “yes, the Jews are my chosen people. AND anyone who desires to join them, is welcome to join them and they will be treated as Jews.” But make no mistake, joining the Jews doesn’t mean you get to rewrite the Torah or the laws. It means you are joining US. You are aligning yourself with the Jews.

There is an important power dynamic at play here we should talk about. The Jews weren’t asked to join the converts. Or the non-Jews. The inclusive invitation was for others to join the Jews. And if you joined the Jews, you are supposed to be treated as a Jew.

Today? Not sure we are living that out. In any capacity. I have been in Jewish spaces that treat converts as second-class citizens. I have been in Non-Jewish spaces where they believe they identify as Jewish (or Israel) but aren’t doing anything that would be recognized as being in line with Judaism. They would eschew the Torah and the law and say it doesn’t apply to them. That is some cognitive dissonance on all fronts.

I’m just sitting with what the Torah says. There aren’t two different sets of rules; one for Jews (the children of Israel) and one for Jewish converts.

What are your thoughts? Today’s portion seems to be encouraging in some senses; God saying “stop arguing over who is more special to me!” And on the other “you are all special and should do what I ask. And this carries some responsibility.”

It’s a both/and not either/or.

What are your thoughts?