Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 29 Nisan, 5783.
14th Day of the Omer:
Today’s theme for the Omer is Malchut of Gevurah. This means Dignity of Discipline.
From Chabad:
Discipline, like love, must enhance personal dignity (see week one day seven). Discipline that breaks a person will backfire. Healthy discipline should bolster self-esteem and help elicit the best in a person; cultivating his sovereignty. And that does not compromise the discipline; on the contrary it fosters and enhances it. Does my discipline cripple the human spirit; does it weaken or strengthen me and others?
Exercise for the day: When disciplining your child or student foster his self-respect.
For me – the idea of being disciplined – or developing disciplines to support our own self care? We need to not break our own spirit or the spirit of others. How do we hold others and ourselves accountable while maintaining dignity.
There is a great book called “Radical Candor” that speaks to this. It’s the idea of accountability and direct communication paired with the a feeling of caring. And this is a fluid relationship.
If I perceive you don’t care about me – and you are candid with me? I will likely see that as “obnoxious aggression.” Likewise, if I believe you care and you never confront me – getting annoyed at me? I won’t realize it – but you are practicing “ruinous empathy.” Because part of empathy, caring and compassion – is communication about hard things.
Dignity has to come first. If I feel embarrassed, I will perceive you don’t care.
This is an important idea for us to consider!
Let’s dig into the portion:
Today’s portion addresses this very topic. The dignity of the poor. Hashem provides a way for those who do not have resources to develop a self-care discipline and not be ashamed. To preserve their dignity.
This morning I read a passage out of Mark Nepo’s book of awakening. This was it:
“By this I don’t mean being passive. By this I mean inhabiting our capacity to see and affirm the common pulse of life we find in others, no matter how different they may seem from us.”
We kick, claw and scream for others to see us. But in reality – we need to pause. Catch our breath. And then see and affirm the common pulse of life we find in OTHERS. No matter how different they may seem from us.
That is dignity. And I am reminded of the classic Adam Sandler movie “Billy Madison.” He sees a kid getting on the bus who peed his pants. And. Let’s be honest. MOST OF US can relate to that. At some point in our lives. And there is an opportunity to lose dignity. But Billy Madison affirms the child. Instead of ridiculing him, he basically splashes water on his pants to make it look like HE peed in his pants. He affirms the kid. Tells the other kids it’s “cool.” Is it REALLY cool to pee ones’ pants? No. But Billy Madison saw a higher principle. Dignity. And instead of being rigid – he took the route of dignity.
This is the dignity of discipline.
And Mark Nepo concludes with this:
“When we do this, we no longer need to be different to be valued and no longer need to be accepted to know love. In short, we no longer need an audience to fly. We simply have to extend our sincerity to each abiding day and we will be in accord with all that is valuable.
Like flowers waiting on rain, our hearts wait on love. As much as we want to be seen and known, it is the GIVING of attention that keeps us awake. For giving attention opens us up to love. And accepting that deep things wait like seed between us is believing in the world. So wake me by accepting me, and the world will sprout us up like grass.”
I think that is a beautiful sentiment in line with today’s Omer AND Torah portion. What are your thoughts?
These are the thoughts I wrote a year ago:
Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 4 Nisan, 5782
Greetings! It is so interesting what we’ve been connecting in the book of Leviticus.
I believe todays passage will hit even more; because todays portion is a repetition so to speak of the last few days. However, the Torah talks about “what happens if the Tzara’at sufferer is poor, and can’t afford all of the sacrifices required?”
The Torah has a pattern here. The message is; forgiveness and restoration is NOT ONLY for the rich; but also for the poor financially. We can take comfort that those who have limited financial means belong in the community of Israel. To me this is an additional message of God’s mercy and grace in the Old Testament. Hashem tends to get a bad rep in the Old Testament – like God is some cosmic judge with his lightning hammer ready to strike us down at any moment because we mess up.
Hopefully you have seen with my Torah thoughts over the past months (it’s been over six months people!) that Hashem in the Torah is VERY compassionate and understanding!
So let’s dig in;
God says; “If he is poor and cannot afford the above offerings, he should take;”
– One male lamb as a guilt-offering, for a wave offering to atone for him
– 1/10th of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a meal offering
– a log of oil to apply on the thumb and big toe
– two turtledoves or two young doves according to what he can afford- one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering
A lot less financial requirement there, and even in this, there is a sliding scale!
The process is the same as we read yesterday – on the 8th day, he brings everything to the priest, the priest waves the lamb and oil, then slaughter the lamb, then place blood on the right ear, thumb and toe. Then pour some oil on the priests left palm, sprinkle it 7 times before God. Then place oil over the blood on the ear, thumb and toe. The leftover oil goes on his head and the priest will atone for him.
Then one bird becomes a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.
So someone who cannot afford the purification ritual should not be prevented from cleansing.
Rabbi Schneerson wrote this about this portion:
If a rich person says, “I will bring the sacrifices of this tzara’at sufferer on his behalf” and the tzara’at sufferer was poor, then he must bring a rich man’s sacrifice, for it is within the means of the rich sponsor to bring the sacrifice.
If a poor person says, “I will bring the sacrifices of this tzara’at sufferer on his behalf,” and the tzara’at sufferer was rich, then he must bring a rich man’s sacrifice, for the person who is making the vow has obligated himself with the sacrifices of a rich man (Maimonides, 124 century).
It seems peculiar how one person could bring a sacrifice to achieve atonement for another person. After all, it is the tzara’at sufferer who is in need of atonement, so how could somebody else atone on his behalf?
The fact that one person can achieve atonement on behalf of another teaches us that the entire community are truly one “body” who need to feel each other’s pain and ease each other’s suffering. You ought to feel that another person’s problem is your own problem.
And the fact that a poor person must bring a rich man’s offering (if he sponsors the offering on his behalf) teaches you that if you will pledge a large sum of money to charity, God will help you to fulfil your pledge, even if it is well beyond your means.
An amazing thought to close today’s portion!! What are your thoughts?
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