As The Torah Turns

Nazirite-Samson

Naso – Num. 4:21-7:89​

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

 Naso – Num. 4:21-7:89

Our Torah portion this week is Naso – Num. 4:21-7:89, and contains the laws of the Nazarite.  A Nazarite was a person (man or woman) who took it upon him/herself, usually for a limited amount of time, to observe special rules of holiness and abstinence: not to drink wine or other intoxicants (including anything made from grapes), not to cut his/her hair, and not to defile themselves by contact with the dead.   On the one had, those who take this vow are called by Torah “holy to God” (Num. 6:8) and on the other hand, when the Nazarite’s vow comes to an end, he/she is to bring a sin offering… as if they had done something wrong.  Is the sin offering presented as a result of leaving a life of holiness… or as a result of sequestering oneself from the pleasures of life itself?   Rabbi Jonathan Sacks comments on this (in Essays on Ethics – Naso) as he points out that “…these are two ways of understanding the moral life itself.  Is the aim for the moral life to achieve personal perfection? Or is it to create a decent, just, and compassionate society?… You cannot have both…” One can adopt a life of personal perfection… or realize that there are other people at stake… As Rabbi Sacks writes: “There are members of one’s own family and others within one’s own community.  There is a country to defend and an economy to sustain… We are called on by God to live in the world, not to escape from it…” (Essays, p. 225) Today… at this moment… we are called upon to live and care about and for our family, our community, our country, and our world. And… my heart is crying out… It has been almost two weeks of flashbacks to the late 1960’s and early 1970’s… Civil Rights have moved forward bit by bit… but there have been too many flash-points along the way as the decades have gone by. What CAN we do?  Solutions will not arise overnight. When more and more of us can become better advocates for anti-racism… When it can reach a tipping point… and stay there… we can make and build on systemic change.  It takes effort.  It takes courage.  It takes open hearts and open minds and open hands.  And it takes learning from and listening to each other. I sit on the Community Relations Committee of Cleveland’s Jewish Community Federation, and this past early winter I had the opportunity to take the 21-day Challenge to learn more about racial equity.  It’s not a 1-day challenge.  Change does not happen in one day.  Nor after 21 days; but 21 days are a start.   Please take a look at the following sites and consider taking the challenge yourself, or together with a group… or just making your way through some of these amazing resources… [Please let me know if I can be helpful in any way.] 

https://debbyirving.com/21-day-challenge/

 https://www.ywcaofcleveland.org/21-day-race-equity-challenge/ It is an enormous task, to create a decent, just, and compassionate society… but that does not mean we should not do our part to help be and make the change we want to see.   * “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatmas Ghandi^ “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” Pirke Avot 2:21

From Previous Weeks


Shavuot

I was invited to share a few words during a zoom meet-up for our high school class, which included our…

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Emor – Lev. 21:1-24:23

Our Torah portion this week is ‘Emor – Lev. 21:1-24:23.  We read about specific rules for Aaron, his sons, and future generations…

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Shavuot

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

Shavuot

I was invited to share a few words during a zoom meet-up for our high school class, which included our rising 8th and 9th graders who will attend next year… and another fond farewell to our graduating seniors.  In preparation for Shavuot and recalling the experience of standing at Sinai to receive the gift of Torah, I shared with our students a midrash which explained that during the Revelation at Sinai, “Each Israelite heard what was in their power to hear” (Sh’mot Rabbah 28:6).  From babies to bubbes and zadies (grandparents)… no one experienced Sinai in exactly the same way, but everybody was present and participated in the best way they could.  I then reminded the students that so many of them had begun their Jewish education here at temple with our Consecration family program, as each child stood before the open Torah scroll with his or her parent(s) and read the Shema together… And then, how almost all of the students returned (or will soon return) to the bima to become Bar or Bat Mitzvah… And then how many have come to the bima during this time of Shavuot for Confirmation… At each stage of their life, they came to the Torah and “heard what was in their power to hear” – and sharing their understanding(s) along the way. And then, the highlight of the meet-up for me, was when the seniors were asked to share a word of wisdom with the next high school class.  They got to share their Torah:  

  • “Don’t limit yourself to what are required courses; make sure you take classes that interest you, and broaden your experience.” 
  • “Don’t be afraid to try something new; it can be the best decision you ever made.”
  • “Come to Sunday School as much as you can, and participate in NFTY to appreciate the larger Jewish community. Be proud to be a Jew.”

Their youthful wisdom rings so true: vision beyond the status quo, be prepared to move in new directions, show up with pride.

L’dor va’dor – from generation to generation; our teen’s wisdom was passed to the next generation. Each Shavuot, we again stand at Sinai and hear what is in our power to hear.  The experiences of each stage of our lives helps to inform how we share our gift of Torah.  What are your words of wisdom; what is your Torah?

From Previous Weeks


Emor – Lev. 21:1-24:23

Our Torah portion this week is ‘Emor – Lev. 21:1-24:23.  We read about specific rules for Aaron, his sons, and future generations…

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Bamidbar – Num. 1:1-4:20

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

Bamidbar – Num. 1:1-4:20

Our Torah portion this week opens the book of Bamidbar – In the Wilderness… Num. 1:1-4:20.  Our portion opens with a census of the Israelites, and that is why this book is known in English as Numbers. What is the significance of this act of counting? And why here at the beginning of the book? Besides which, there have already been two previous censuses of the people and this is the third within the space of a single year. Surely one would have been sufficient. And what does counting have to do with leadership? The place to begin, is to note what appears to be a contradiction. On the one hand Rashi says that the acts of counting in the Torah are gestures of love on the part of God…  In contradiction to this, centuries later King David counted the people, but there was Divine anger and 70,000 people died. How can this be, if counting is an expression of love? With the opening instructions of of our Torah portion, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks points out that a possible answer to this apparent contradiction lies in the phrase the Torah uses to describe the act of counting: se’u et rosh, literally, “lift the head.” This is a strange, expression. Biblical Hebrew contains many verbs meaning “to count”: limnot, lifkod, lispor, lachshov. Why does the Torah not use these simple words, choosing instead the unusual expression, “lift the heads” of the people? The short answer is this: In any census, count or roll-call there is a tendency to focus on the total: the crowd, the multitude, the mass. Here is a nation of 60 million people, or a company with 100,000 employees or a sports crowd of 60,000. Any total tends to value the group or nation as a whole. The larger the total, the stronger is the army, the more popular the team, and the more successful the company. Counting devalues the individual, and tends to make him or her replaceable. If one soldier dies in battle, another will take his place. If one person leaves the organization, someone else can be hired to do his or her job. Rabbi Sacks points to a remarkable feature of Judaism: its principled insistence on the dignity and integrity of the individual. We believe that every human being is in the image and likeness of God. The Sages said that every life is like an entire universe. Maimonides says that each of us should see ourselves as if our next act could change the fate of the world. Every dissenting view is carefully recorded in the Talmud, even if the law is otherwise. Every verse of the Torah is capable, said the Sages, of seventy interpretations. No voice, no view, is silenced. Judaism never allows us to lose our individuality in the mass. That is the meaning of the phrase, “lift the head,” used in the context of a census. In instructing Moses to count this way, God implies that there is a danger, when counting a nation, that each individual will feel insignificant. “What am I? What difference can I make? I am only one of millions, a mere wave in the ocean, a grain of sand on the sea-shore, dust on the surface of infinity.” Against that, God tells Moses to lift people’s heads by showing that they each count; they matter as individuals. In Judaism taking a census must always be done in such a way as to signal that we are valued as individuals. We each have unique gifts. There is a contribution only I can bring. To lift someone’s head means to show them favor, to recognize them. It is a gesture of love. We are a congregation… of individuals.  Individuals – each of us unique in our own way. Know that each and every one of you is a special part of what makes Beth Israel – The West Temple the special community that it is. It is not just the counting of each person, but remembering that each person counts. *****Additional note from Rabbi Lader: In thinking about the place of counting these days, I am struck by the numbers of people who have died from Covid-19 – and all we have are numbers and “big red dots” on our information maps.  We don’t have names.  This Shabbat, as we begin the book of Numbers, if you have the name of someone you know who has died from Covid-19, I invite you to send it to me so that I can include it with our list for the Mourner’s Kaddish. Also,on this Memorial Day Weekend, if you would like to include the name(s) of loved ones who lost their lives while serving our country, please send them also… to:  eclader@aol.com

From Previous Weeks


Emor – Lev. 21:1-24:23

Our Torah portion this week is ‘Emor – Lev. 21:1-24:23.  We read about specific rules for Aaron, his sons, and future generations…

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BeHar/Be’Chukotai – Lev. 25:1-26:2/26:3-27:34

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

BeHar/Be’Chukotai – Lev. 25:1-26:2/26:3-27:34

This week, we have another

double portion – BeHar/Be’Chukotai – Lev. 25:1-26:2/26:3-27:34, which will bring us to the conclusion of the book of Leviticus.  In his book Day by Day: Reflections on the Themes of the Torah from Literature, Philosophy, and Religious Thought, Rabbi Chaim Stern notes that [Lev. 26] promises a time of security, peace, and prosperity for those who follow God’s laws and are faithful to God’s commandments.  And yet… in the midst of times when things do not go so well, Rabbi Stern teaches that “… we are wise to count our blessings and to live with gratitude in our hearts.  That, too, is faithfulness.” (p. 219) During these challenging times, it is too easy to see what we don’t have… what we cannot do… Rabbi Stern reminds us, in the midst of difficulties, to open our eyes and our hearts to see and to feel the joy and thankfulness of our blessings… of what we do have… of what we can do.  The Radziminer Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Guterman, Polish Chassidic rabbi (d. 1934), said:  We cross an ocean and are rescued from a shipwreck, so we give thanks to God.  Should we not thank God as we cross without mishap?  I am cured of a dangerous illness and recite a thanksgiving blessing.  Should I not give thanks that I am well and preserved from illness? (p. 223) As we navigate our way through the question mark of these days, may we find blessing in being able to make our way through to each new morning… May we find blessing with each new opportunity to reach out to a friend… May we find blessing with each new possibility in the songs of the birds and the budding of the leaves and flowers around us. And… as we come to the end of another book of Torah, we say, “Chazak, Chazak, v’Nit’Chazek! – Be strong! Be strong! And let us strengthen each other!”  Now, more than ever!

From Previous Weeks


Emor – Lev. 21:1-24:23

Our Torah portion this week is ‘Emor – Lev. 21:1-24:23.  We read about specific rules for Aaron, his sons, and future generations…

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Emor – Lev. 21:1-24:23

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

Emor – Lev. 21:1-24:23

Our Torah portion this week is ‘Emor – Lev. 21:1-24:23.  We read about specific rules for Aaron, his sons, and future generations of priests.  We also read about the cycle of the Jewish year with regards to Shabbat and the festivals.  In the midst of detailing the agricultural aspects Pesach and Shavuot and Succot, we read: “And when you reap the harvest of your land. you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest;  you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger.” (Lev. 23:22) This is the second time we are given these instructions.  The first time was in Lev. 19:10, and included not only the harvests of the field, but also the harvests of the vineyards.  The first mention is in the context of what it means to be holy – looking out for the poor and the stranger, and making sure they do not go hungry, but are treated in a kind and supportive way, as well as maintaining their dignity. This second iteration is in the midst of details for the harvest festivals; holiness is not only imbued in our behaviors, but also in Shabbat and our festivals.  With regards to Shabbat, in Genesis we read: “And so the Eternal blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy…” (Gen. 2:3) and this is reiterated in Lev. 23:3 – “On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a Shabbat Shabbaton – a Sabbath of complete rest, a sacred occasion.”  With regards to the festivals, each is described as a “mikrah kodesh – a sacred occasion.” Holiness is not relegated only to Aaron and his sons and the future generations of priests.  Our Torah underscores the value of holiness in our lives – through the times of our lives, and through our actions – with and for each other.

From Previous Weeks


Shabbos Chol HaMoed

The special Torah reading for this Shabbat during Chol HaMo-eid Pesach, the intermediate days of Passover, is Exodus 33:12-34:26…

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judaism

Acharie Mot/Kedoshim – Lev. 16:1-18:30/19:1-20:27

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

Acharie Mot/Kedoshim  (Lev. 16:1-18:30/19:1-20:27)

This week’s Torah portion is another double portion – Acharie Mot/Kedoshim – Lev. 16:1-18:30/19:1-20:27.  Kedoshim – Leviticus 19 – is also referred to as The Holiness Code.  “You shall be holy, for I, the Eternal, am holy.”  It is a blueprint for a holy life in imitation of God’s holiness.  And… this directive is not just for the priests, not just for the leaders, not just for Moses… it is for all of us, as God tells Moses to tell this to the whole Israelite community.   What does it mean to be holy?  What does it mean to walk in Gods ways? We learn from the Midrash – As it is God’s way to be merciful and forgiving, so we should be merciful and forgiving to one another… As God is gracious and gives freely to all, so should we give freely to one another… As God is patient, so should we be patient with each other… It’s quite possible that as we have been making our way through these past seven weeks – living in close quarters, finding ourselves in challenging circumstances – the thought of holiness has not been uppermost on our minds.  And yet, each act of kindness, each step back to give space, each patient response, each smile… can be seen as an act of holiness. Forward!

From Previous Weeks


Shabbos Chol HaMoed

The special Torah reading for this Shabbat during Chol HaMo-eid Pesach, the intermediate days of Passover, is Exodus 33:12-34:26…

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Tazria and M’tzora (Lev. 12:1-15:33)

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

Tazria and M’tzora (Lev. 12:1-15:33)

This week, we have a double portion for our Torah reading:  Tazria and M’tzora (Lev. 12:1-15:33).  These portions have a reputation for inspiring fear and dread in many a bar or bat mitzvah student who receives it for their Shabbat service. These portions speak of bodily functions, illness, and quarantine, in relation to: Childbirth, Contact with bodily fluids, and Disease of the skin…  And the texts then go on to detail how, upon contracting these various conditions, individuals need to go through a series of separations, inspections, and ritual cleansings before they are allowed back into the community. In particular, the disease, called tzara’at, is not only a human disease; it can affect the walls of people’s homes, as well as fabric,  thereby extending the boundaries and scope of its effect. Rabbi Joe Black,  Senior Rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Denver, Colorado, recently suggested that these laws about tzara’at—which we translate as leprosy, but clearly is something else—are not included in the narrative to teach us solely about cleanliness, diagnosis or medical care. Rather, they are about our fears. Tzara’at, in our text, is a disease that clearly has a powerful impact on the Ancient Israelite community. It is not only experienced physically, but spiritually. The fact that houses can be infected, as well as humans, points to how scary this can be. And we, too, are in a very scary time.  Writes Rabbi Black: “This time of quarantine, illness, and loss has taken its toll on all of us. The facts that we cannot be physically close to one another; that our economy is suffering; that our national political discourse has become so toxic, are taking a toll on us physically, emotionally and spiritually. We do not know how long this will continue. We worry about our health and those of our loved ones—some of whom are dealing with the coronavirus, others who are vulnerable, and others who are on the front lines providing medical care, research, support, and other crucial services that allow us to function. We worry about how we will emerge from our isolation and what our world will look like once we do. In Tazaria and M’tzora, our ancestors had to deal with the unknown. They were afraid of something over which they had no control. The rituals of isolation, immersion (in the mikvah to achieve ritual purification), and re-entry were designed to provide a safe framework for the people – the afflicted and the larger community – to feel that they were not endangered by this unseen enemy…” Perhaps one of our key tasks at this time is to try to understand and anticipate our fear of the unknown and our reactions to it. As such, Rabbi Black proposes the following seven questions/encouragements for each of us to explore as we continue on our journey: 

1 – Research has shown that staying physically active during quarantine is an essential part of staying healthy.                Am I engaging in enough physical activity?2 – For those who are in quarantine with others:                Am I aware of the needs of others in my home?                Am I doing all that I can to understand what they are going through as well me?                Am I tolerant of my own missteps as well as those with whom I am living?3 – Am I doing all that I can to be productive during this time? Are there tasks that need to be completed? Do I have meaningful outlets for creativity other than television, the internet, and other passive activities?4 – Am I looking for ways to help others? Are there ways that I can volunteer my time or expertise as well as my financial resources?5 – Am I willing to receive help from others?6 – Psychologists teach us that it is important that we not dwell too long on the length of time that we have been—or will be—socially distant. We need to remind ourselves that this is a temporary situation that will be resolved someday. We also need to be “in the moment” as much as we can.7 – There will be times when our fears will get the best of us. No one can be strong all the time.                Have I been able to forgive myself for those moments when I don’t feel productive or give into the despair of the moment?

 These, indeed, are challenging times, and, like our ancestors wandering in the wilderness, there is much that we do not know. At the same time, however, we also have the blessing of being part of a sacred community that cares for one another.  Let us acknowledge our fears, and then step forward towards healing: … Spur us to take swift actionInspire us to do what we canfor those who are more vulnerable than usHelp us to transcend the false divisionsof clean and uncleansypmtom-free and symptomatichealthy and sickInside and outside the campMay we let this virus teach us Just how interconnectedWe all really are– excerpt from “Quarantine” by Cantor Abbe Lyons

From Previous Weeks


Shabbos Chol HaMoed

The special Torah reading for this Shabbat during Chol HaMo-eid Pesach, the intermediate days of Passover, is Exodus 33:12-34:26…

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5c0521052442a60cf92a9bd3_143584

Sh’imini – Lev. 9:1-11:47 (4/17-18)

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

Sh’imini – Lev. 9:1-11:47 (4/17-18)

This Shabbat, we return to our Torah readings as we make our way through Leviticus.  Our portion is Sh’imini – Lev. 9:1-11:47, and opens with the eighth (Sh’mini) day conclusion of the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests.  This is done very publicly, so that all could see and be a part of the ritual. There is a final burnt offering, which is consumed on the altar by fire from before the Eternal.  Eight days of pomp and circumstance, consecration and celebration.  The boundaries between the holy and the everyday are drawn and maintained… And then, Aaron’s sons – Nadav and Avihu – cross a line.  “Each took his fire pan, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered alien fire before the Eternal which God had not enjoined upon them. And fire came forth from before the Eternal and consumed them; thus they died before the Eternal…” (Lev. 10:1-2) And Aaron was silent. What could he say?  What words could he find at the loss of two [of his four] sons?  How much pain can one endure?  Rabbi Harold Kushner, in his book When Bad Things Happen to Good People, wrote: “Pain is the price we pay for being alive. Dead cells—our hair, our fingernails—can’t feel pain; they cannot feel anything. When we understand that, our question will change from, “Why do we have to feel pain?” to “What do we do with our pain so that it becomes meaningful and not just pointless empty suffering?” After the silence, Aaron rises and moves forward in his duties… in his life… step by step.  What did Aaron do with his pain?
Jewish tradition teaches us that Aaron was a peacemaker; when he heard that two people were arguing, he would go to each of them and tell them how much the other regretted his actions, until the two people agreed to face each other as friends.  Perhaps this was Aaron’s way of turning his grief, turning his suffering, into a meaningful tribute to the sons that he lost… and a loving model for his surviving sons. May we, too, find the courage and strength to move forward after suffering loss and grief in meaningful and loving ways.

From Previous Weeks


Shabbos Chol HaMoed

The special Torah reading for this Shabbat during Chol HaMo-eid Pesach, the intermediate days of Passover, is Exodus 33:12-34:26…

Read More

pesach-img

Shabbos Chol HaMoed

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

Shabbos Chol HaMoed

The special Torah reading for this Shabbat during Chol HaMo-eid Pesach, the intermediate days of Passover, is Exodus 33:12-34:26, which includes the 13 “Attributes of God.” (Exodus 34:6-7)  Maimonides, following the early midrashic work, Sifrei, argued that the section would be better known as the 13 d’rachim, “ways” of God; or, better still, ways that we can embrace to be god-like… The place of the 13 Attributes in the text of the Torah is important. They appear just after the story of the Golden Calf. Seeing what the people have done in his absence, Moses smashes the first set of tablets. Punishment is then exacted upon the guilty Levites and a general plague serves as a further scourge among the people. Only then does Moses go back up Mt Sinai and cut a second set of tablets. The Eternal One, the Torah reports, passes before Moses and proclaims (according to the prayer book version of the passage): “Adonai, Adonai, a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and granting pardon” (Mishkan T’filah, [NY: CCAR, 2007], p. 496).   What is most remarkable about this passage are these attributes. God is not called holy or commanding or jealous. This is a God who self-describes as being “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and granting pardon…” In these days of sheltering in place, staying cooped up at home, in many cases with our family around us a bit more often than we are used to… there is much that we can learn from this passage. 

  • When it becomes a bit overwhelming, make an effort to stop… and remember to feel or show sympathy and concern for others. 
  • When we are ready to say something a bit too quickly, it might help to take a breath, and think about how we can be courteous, kind, and pleasant.
  • When we’re reacting too quickly in a negative way, perhaps we can s-l-o-w down, and temper our anger.
  • We can model for our children how to be generous, and considerate.
  • We can put loyalty into consistent practice regardless of extenuating circumstances.
  • And we can be kind… and forgiving… 

You get the picture.  These are challenging times. God’s list of attributes/ways can certainly be a list that we can post to help us navigate through the days and weeks… and time ahead.

From Previous Weeks

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Tzav – Lev. 6:1-8:36 (4/3-4/4)

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

Tzav – Lev. 6:1-8:36 (4/3-4/4)

Our Torah portion this week is Tzav – Lev. 6:1-8:36,  and deals with the offerings that the priests and the people made in the Tabernacle for the purposes of gratitude, atonement, and daily celebration. Rabbi Jill Hammer offers these insightful teachings for these challenging times: “These offerings included the olah (an offering entirely burnt), the minhah or meal-offering, the zevah shelamim—a celebratory offering where part was given to God and people ate the rest—and the hatat and asham, two kinds of sin offerings. This week, my attention was particularly drawn to the olah, the offering that is completely burned. I want to explore three ways the olah might be relevant to us at this moment. First, to me, the olah offering, an offering that is entirely given over, speaks to the powerful offerings that doctors, nurses, midwives, EMTs, and other medical workers are making right now as they serve those who are ill even at risk to themselves. This offering speaks, to me, of the offerings grocery workers and delivery people are making as they come in to work, and the offerings of parents who are suddenly homeschooling their children. An olah is an offering entirely given over—a sacrifice without self-interest. … If we choose, we have the opportunity to understand offerings of our time and energy to others, even under difficult circumstances, as a way we show gratitude to God for the gift of life. Those of us who are essential workers and/or are volunteering to care for others are making such an olah. Even those of us who are serving others just by staying in our homes and avoiding becoming vectors for infection are making an offering that is meaningful. We are giving a gift to others, and to God’s world as a whole. We can consider this gift an olah, an offering that rises to the level of holiness. Second, the olah is relevant to our practices of intention at this time. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov understands the olah as signifying prayer, which, like a burnt-offering, rises up to God. He suggests that… prayer makes space for the Divine Presence. Prayer has this power when “we serve God with our whole heart.” In Rebbe Nachman’s point of view, the olah offering signifies something we do with our full intention, without holding anything back. This too can be a lesson for this moment. Many of us are praying with our communities, teaching, working, and learning in new ways as a result of the current situation. This has been wonderful in many ways, and it also hasn’t been easy. It is good to be reminded, amid all this change, that what matters as we pray and learn is not the perfection of the form but our intention and the heart that we put into what we do. When we serve the One with a whole heart, that service rises up and strengthens [God’s Presence in all of us.] And, there is a third way that the olah is relevant to us now. Leviticus Rabbah 7:3 teaches that the olah only comes out of doubts of the heart. In other words, this interpretation suggests, people make an olah, an offering to God, when they are worried about something. This reading suggests that the olah offering is not for atonement (like the hatat) or gratitude (like the shelamim) but rather it is offered when a person feels fear about something. The offering comes to strengthen the relationship with God and to ease the heart of the person who feels afraid. As many of us are feeling anxiety and uncertainty about ourselves, our loved ones, and the world, perhaps our prayers at this time are like an olah that is offered in a time of uncertainty. We can hope that our prayers, study, and mutual care at this time will comfort us in our time of anxiety, and perhaps bring us spiritual strength in a difficult moment. Our Torah portion tells us of the ancient offering practice of gifts made on an altar. Today’s offerings are often made through our hearts, our words, and our hands: in our houses, at our places of work, in our prayer spaces whether in-person or on-line. These offerings which are made sometimes in fullness of heart and sometimes with great doubt, sometimes willingly and sometimes because we have no choice. As we read of the olah, the offering that entirely rises to heaven, may we honor the offerings that we and others are making at this very moment._________________Rabbi Jill Hammer, PhD, is the Director of Spiritual Education at the Academy for Jewish Religion. She is the author of several books, including The Hebrew Priestess: Ancient and New Visions of Jewish Women’s Spiritual Leadership, Sisters at Sinai: New Tales of Biblical Women, and The Jewish Book of Days: A Companion for All Seasons—as well as the forthcoming Return to the Place: The Magic, Meditation, and Mystery of Sefer Yetzirah.    

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