December 2020

pharaoh_dreams_yosef

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Mikeitz – Gen. 41:1-44:17 (Dec. 18/19)

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

Mikeitz – Gen. 41:1-44:17 (Dec. 18/19)

As we count down seven weeks to our virtual congregational retreat (January 29-30th), “Building Character – Making a Mensch,” featuring Dr. Greg Marcus, the founder of American Mussar, I thought it would be interesting to share insights into our Torah portions through the lens of Mussar.  Mussar teachers through the centuries have sought deep, accurate, and useful insights into human life.  These insights are based on different “middot” – the Hebrew term for “inner/character traits.” What makes us unique individuals, and what carves out a specific path for each of us, is the fact that those traits reside within each of us in different measures. (As it happens, the Hebrew word of measure is “middah.”) Our Torah portion this week is Mikeitz – Gen. 41:1-44:17. We left Joseph last week forlorn, forgotten, and left in prison, after he had interpreted dreams of the Pharaoh’s baker and cupbearer.  Mikeitz opens with Pharaoh’s dreams, which none of his own interpreters or magicians can interpret. Suddenly, the royal cupbearer remembers Joseph – and recommends him to Pharaoh.  Joseph is cleaned up and given a new set of clothes and brought before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams.  Before he begins, he says: “Not I – It is God Who will account for Pharaoh’s well-being.” (Gen. 41:16)  As he interprets the dreams, Joseph continues to give God credit for his perceived abilities.  Pharaoh responds with: “Is there anyone like this to be found, a man with the spirit of God in him?” (Gen. 41:38) From his cocky teen years, tattling on his brothers, being doted on by his father, sharing his own “I’m the center of the world” dreams… basically being very self-centered… to his being sold into slavery by his brothers, imprisoned in Egypt, and now standing before Pharaoh, Joseph has developed his faith – the middah of emunah.  This is a faith in something beyond ourselves; this is a faith in God. Many of us struggle with the kind of faith/emunah that is described in the biblical narrative.  Rabbi Lisa D. Grant teaches that “faith may not help if material reward is our end goal… Cultivating faith can lead to greater patience, courage in facing hardship and the unknown, and acceptance that so much of life is beyond our control.” Faith is not something that can be understood intellectually or rationally, but needs to be learned from deep experience and reflection. 


Joseph went through many difficult times and many opportunities for reflection and maturity.   In the course of our lives… in the course of these Covid times… we, too, might find ourselves in difficult or frustrating situations. From the Mussar lens of emunah, you might consider:

  • What happens when you stop and ask yourself – where is God for me at this moment?  How does asking that question shape your understanding and experience of what may happen?
  • How has emunah helped you overcome an obstacle or to cope with a challenge?

Next week, we take a look at the middah/ character trait of bitachon – trust. 

* Rabbi Grant’s commentary is found in The Mussar Torah Commentary: A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life, CCAR Press, 2020.

From Previous Weeks

Rohingya Refugees crossing river

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Jewish Justice for Rohingya Network

Humanitarian Aid Update

From the Jewish Justice for Rohingya Network – JRJN

 “Rohingya? And the Jews are involved?” you may ask… And the answer is “Yes!”  I was introduced to the JRJN two years ago through the American Jewish World Service, and invited to serve on the JRJN committee.  It is a herculean task to work to support the Rohingya people, with many organizations working together.  And the work is not easy, and as you can imagine, very frustrating.   As Chanukah comes to an end, let’s keep in mind so many – so many – who are in such need… here in our own country, and around the world – fighting for freedom and justice – and the right to live in peace. The news: Bhasan Char The government of Bangladesh has moved forward with plans to relocate Rohingya refugees from camps in Cox’s Bazar to Bhasan Char, an island in the Bay of Bengal. In early December over 1,600 refugees were moved to the island, joining 306 who had been detained there since May. More relocations are planned for the coming months. See here for a briefer about the situation, written by a number of coalition partners. Bangladesh has denied UN requests to access the island in order to complete independent technical and protection assessments. All relocations to the island must be halted until these assessments take place. There are reports that coercion and intimidation tactics are being used to pressure refugees to agree to relocation. There is also confusion and a lack of information about the situation on the island. For any relocation to be voluntary, Rohingya must have full access to accurate information, including the results of UN assessments, and ensured freedom of movement between Bhasan Char and the camps on the mainland. What has the JRJN done about this in the past?We came out with a joint statement a year ago condemning this threat. Now, it’s come to fruition. What can we do?Right now, raising awareness via social media is what we can do. SAMPLE TWEET:Bangladesh has begun to relocate Rohingya refugees to a flood prone island. Let’s stand with Rohingya people as they call for a UN assessment of the island and to affirm the need for any relocation to be voluntary. #JewishRohingyaJusticeNetwork If you want to link to an article in your tweet, here’s one: https://www.devex.com/news/as-bangladesh-moves-rohingya-to-bhasan-char-un-and-aid-agencies-face-a-dilemma-98757  What messaging can we use?This is a tricky, delicate scenario that is changing daily. Here are our main asks:

  • All relocations must be voluntary and include informed consent. 
  • All relocations must halt until the UN is allowed to carry out an independent technical and protection assessment of the island. Protection assessment by UN should also take place in Cox’s Bazar to ensure Rohingya are not being forced into agreeing to relocation. 
  • Freedom of movement and right to return to Cox’s Bazar are a must. 

 Hannah WeilbacherProgram Officer for Jewish Advocacy and Engagement(she/her) American Jewish World Service202.379.4277 | www.ajws.org | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

school backpack

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Mitzvah Opportunity

Give to Project Save


 During the month of January, the High School class at BI-TWT will be participating in  Project Save. This is a campaign to assemble backpacks full of school supplies to help serve homeless families with children in the Cleveland area. Education is a huge problem for students living in poverty, and helping them will enable the students have a path towards success in the future. The High School class has received a YOFI Grant from the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland, and will use money from the temple’s Lou and Evy Rosenblum Social Action Fund to help offset the cost of the materials. During these Covid times, we are appreciative of your support of this very important project.  If you would like to help,  please feel free to make a donation (by check or through our website) to BI-TWT, designating it for the Lou and Evy Rosenblum Social Action Fund.

Star-Studded Folksbiene Chanukah Spectacular

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A Star-Studded Folksbiene Chanukah Spectacular
Truly, if you love Yiddish – or love the sound of Yiddish with English captions – THIS is the show for you!
 
Share this Chanukah Spectacular with your friends and family (or watch it over and over again) until 
Saturday, December 12th at 7 PM EST!
Just go to nytf.org/spectacular
FREE to watch; donations are greatly appreciated so that the NYTF
can continue to bring you amazing events like this all year.
josephinthepit-600x600

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Vayeishev: Genesis 37:1 – 40:23 (Dec. 11/12)

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

Vayeishev: Genesis 37:1 – 40:23 (Dec. 11/12)

Our Torah portion this week is Vayeishev: Genesis 37:1 – 40:23, and begins the story of Joseph and his brothers, which will unfold over four Torah portions, parshiyot, bringing us to the end of the book of Genesis. As we make our way through this narrative, it is important to remember that every detail counts; what might appear as a random encounter can have epic proportions. Joseph is envied by his brothers; there is no peace between them. They cannot even talk to one another without arguing. When the brothers leave home to tend their sheep, Jacob tells Joseph to go and see how they are doing. This will ultimately lead to the dramatic incident where the brothers sell Joseph as a slave, and change everything. But it nearly didn’t happen.  Joseph arrived at Shechem where he expected his brothers to be, but they were not there. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z”l, wrote: “He might well have wandered around for a while and then, failing to find them, gone home. None of the events that take up the rest of the Torah would have happened: no Joseph the slave, no Joseph the viceroy to Pharaoh, no storage of food during the years of plenty, no descent of Joseph’s family to Egypt, no exile, no slavery, no exodus. The entire story – already revealed to Abraham in a night vision – seemed about to be derailed.” Then we read the following: 

“A man found [Joseph] wandering around in the fields and asked him, ‘What are you looking for?’ He replied, ‘I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?’ ‘They have moved on from here,’ the man answered. ‘I heard them say, “Let’s go to Dothan.”’ So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.” (Bereishit 37:15-17)

 These three verses are so detailed – and even include dialogue.  Joseph is lost, and asks directions from a stranger who finds him wandering in a field.  Who was this unnamed man?  Our Torah commentators have different answers to that question:  Rashi says he was the angel Gabriel. Ibn Ezra says he was a passerby. Ramban (Nachmanides) says that “the Holy One, blessed be He, sent him a guide without his knowledge.”  Rabbi Sacks wonders whether Ramban meant without Joseph’s knowledge or without the guide’s knowledge. It could very well be both.  “Ramban is teaching that the anonymous man represents an act of Divine guidance to make sure that Joseph went to where he was supposed to be, so that the rest of the drama could unfold.  He may not have known he had such a role. Joseph surely did not know. To put it simply: he was an angel who did not know he was an angel. He had a vital role in the story. Without him, it would not have happened. But he had no way of knowing, at the time, the importance of his role.”

I invite you to think about how this relates to experiences you have had.  Can you identify a person or people in your life who were there at just the right moment to help guide you on your course, set you on your way, to help things unfold in a certain way?  It might be very hard to recognize this at the time, but in hindsight…  Sometimes the angel can be another person. And sometimes, we can be the “angel” for another person; yet, we may never know how our acts have impacted the people we meet in our lives. 

From Previous Weeks

IRS logo

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CARES ACT and Donations to Your Favorite Charity

CARES ACT and Donations to Your Favorite Charity

 IRS Narrows Independent Contractor Relief Whether taxpayers are supporting natural disaster recovery, COVID-19 pandemic aid or another cause that’s personally meaningful to them, their charitable donations may be tax deductible. These deductions basically reduce the amount of their taxable income. Here’s how the CARES Act changes deducting charitable contributions made in 2020:   Previously, charitable contributions could only be deducted if taxpayers itemized their deductions. However, taxpayers who don’t itemize deductions may take a charitable deduction of up to $300 for cash contributions made in 2020 to qualifying organizations. For the purposes of this deduction, qualifying organizations are those that are religious, charitable, educational, scientific or literary in purpose. The law changed in this area due to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The CARES Act also temporarily suspends limits on charitable contributions and temporarily increases limits on contributions of food inventory. More information about these changes is available at www.irs.gov Beth Israel – The West Temple would be grateful if every one of our member households would consider making a donation using this one-time opportunity.  All funds will go to our General Fund. If you have questions about this program, consult with your tax expert and/or view further information on the IRS website. Thank you.Peter A. SackettPresident, Board of Trustees

Kristin Warzocha

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Feeding the Hungry in NE Ohio

Feeding the Hungry in Northeast Ohio

AN ADDITIONAL DECEMBER TOWN HALL MEETING:

NEXT WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9TH AT 7:00 P.M.

 Town Hall Discussion – Feeding the Hungry in Northeast Ohio
 SOLD OUT: Women in Leadership — Engage! Cleveland Engage ...            At 82, she keeps west side food pantry cooking | Local ...       Beth Israel – The West Temple, and Peter Sackett, will host a Town Hall Discussion,with Kristin Warzocha, President and CEO, Greater Cleveland Food Bank, and Lona Gruber, founding director of the SCAN Hunger Center Pantry. Our guests will discuss their paths to leadership, challenges in their positions, goals and needs for the upcoming holiday season and other issues. Questions may be submitted via Chat Room during the live stream. Here is the YouTube link to the livestream   https://youtu.be/b2J2jRfQdbM

Rabbi Jeffrey Schein

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Text Me

“The Ten Commandments of Monitoring Our Evolving Digital Selves”

Join Rabbi Jeffrey Schein,

author of Text Me: Ancient Jewish Wisdom Meets Contemporary Technology, 

in conversation about our Jewish values, our appreciation of digital opportunities and perils, 
and the dance between them. 
 
THIS Sunday afternoon, December 6, 2020
2:00 PM 
A community event led by Rabbi Jeffrey Schein

                        Kaplanian Surprises: The Educational Roots of our ... Join Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/92264847632?pwd=U1ZUQUhjVzBtbURsdktRS0V1d3dSdz09 Meeting ID: 922 6484 7632Passcode: 157763Dial in: 646 876 9923  This event is free, and hosted by Beth Israel – The West Temple, Kol HaLev, and Temple Emanuel.

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