Travel On...

Parashat Lech L'cha
Genesis 12:1-17:27 

SUMMARY

Last week's Torah portion, Noah, introduced Terach, the father of Abram, Abram, and his brothers, Nahor, and Haran. Terach and his family, including Abram's wife Sarai (whom we are told is barren) and Haran's son Lot, leave their home in Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan. However, they never complete the journey, settling in a place called Haran instead. 

 

As this week's parasha begins, God says to Abram: "Lech lecha" meaning "Go forth" from your home and father's house "to a land that I will show you (Genesis 12:1)." God promises to bless Abram and make of him a great nation. So Abram sets out with Sarai, Lot, their material possessions, and "the souls that they had acquired in Haran (Genesis 12:5)." When they arrive in Canaan, God again appears to Abram to tell him that God will assign this land (Canaan) to Abram's descendants. 

 

Abram first settles in Shechem, but then moves southward. A severe famine induces him to go to Egypt. Worried that the Egyptians will kill him and take his beautiful wife, Sarai, Abram instructs her to say she is his sister. The ploy apparently works, with Sarai being taken into Pharaoh's palace for the pleasure of the Pharaoh, and Abram acquiring many animals and slaves. God, however, afflicts the palace with a plague and Pharaoh discovers the lie and sends Abram and Sarai away. 

 

Returning to the land of Canaan, conflict between Abram's and Lot's herdsmen develop, and Abram suggests that they go their separate ways. Lot chose to settle in the well-watered plain of the Jordan, near the city of Sodom, while Abram remained in Canaan. Again God appears to Abram, telling him to look in all directions at the land God will give to his descendants. 

 

As the portion continues, an intertribal war breaks out during which Lot and his family are taken captive. When Abram learns of this, he gathers soldiers, pursues the captors, and frees Lot and his family. 

Once again, God appears to Abram, promising him a great reward. Abram asks God how this can be, since he is going to die childless. But God promises him that his offspring will be as numerous as the stars of heaven. God directs Abram to offer sacrifices, which Abram does. 

 

Sarai gives Abram her handmaid Hagar to bear a child. But when Hagar becomes pregnant, tensions develops between the two women. When Sarai complains to Abram, he tells her to do what she wants to do. She treats Hagar harshly, and Hagar runs away. An angel of God appears to her and tells her to return, promising her a son, Ishmael. 

 

God again appears to Abram -- now 99 years of age -- repeating promises of the covenant. God changes his name to Abraham, which the Torah ascribes with the meaning "the father of a multitude of nations. God also changes Sarai's name to Sarah. God introduces a sign of the covenant: every male shall be circumcised at eight days old. God also promises that Abraham and Sarah will bear a son, Isaac, who will carry on the covenant. As the portion ends, Abraham, Ishmael, and all the males in Abraham's household are circumcised.

Table talk

1. In what ways do you think it is important to break with the past, and in what ways must we maintain ties?
2. The last two words of verse 2 can be translated as it (your name) shall be a blessing, or as you shall be a blessing. What is the difference? Think of one of your ancestors. How was he or she a blessing to you? How has his or her name been a blessing to you?
3. Abram might have found it difficult to leave family and friends behind, as Ramban suggests, but he packed up and settled in Canaan. When is the draw of a new place strong enough to outweigh ties to a place you’ve lived? Would you ever consider moving to Israel, as Abram did? 
4. Why do you think God insisted that Abram leave his homeland, and his family and travel to a new land? What are some of the qualities that Abram had that enabled him to make his journey? In what ways do you think this journey was both physical and spiritual? 
5. Imagine how hard it was for Abram to obey God and leave everything behind and go to a new place! What kind of person do you think Abram was? Make a list of all the words that you can think of that describe someone like Abram. How many of those words describe you?  
6. Many of our grandparents or great grandparents had to leave the place of their birth and travel a great distance in order to start a new life in America. Do some research into your family history and find out why your ancestors left their homeland.

Navigating with Noah

Parashat Noach
Genesis 6:9-11:32

Throughout the first stories of the Torah, people begin to learn about the responsibilities and boundaries of their relationship with God. In last week's parsha, Parshat B'reishit, we see Adam and Eve punished for disobeying God's rules and learn the lessons involving familial responsibilities taken from the experiences of Cain and Abel. 

In this week's parsha, Parshat Noach, we skip forward ten generations. The world has gotten so bad that God decides to start anew. Luckily, there was a man named Noah, a tzaddik, someone whom the Torah calls "righteous," which apparently goes a long way in a world filled with murder, meanness, and people generally not treating each other appropriately. It was such a good thing that God tasks Noah with building an ark and saving his family and a whole bunch of animals - seven pairs of "clean" (kosher) animals and one pair of "unclean" animals (B'reishit 7:2). Once the flood waters recede, it is up to Noah's family and passengers to repopulate the world.

Unfortunately, while Noah's righteousness saved his family from the devastation of the great flood, it did not seem to pass through the subsequent generations. By the time we get to the story of Babel, located towards the end of Parshat Noach, humans have grown proud and try to build a tower that will reach the sky. God disapproves, the tower comes crashing down, and humans are left with a number of different languages, unable to communicate effectively.

Some questions to ponder (perhaps at your Shabbat dinner table):

• How does the Torah describe Noah? What types of character traits do you think Noah had? How was he different from the other people around him?

• In several of the stories in the first part of B'reishit, people are punished for trying to be like God - give some examples of how it can be good to try to be like God. What are some things God can do that you are unable to do?

• How many of each animal does God instruct Noah to bring on the ark? Why are there different numbers? Are there animals you think should have been left off? Why?

• Noah's family was stuck on the ark together for a very long time - how do you think they felt at the end of their boat ride? Has your family ever taken a long trip together? What was that experience like?

• The last story in this parsha has a lot to say about communication - what are some ways your family can communicate better?

Just for fun, here is a quick animated look at Parshat Noach.

It's the Beginning, All Over Again!

Parshat Bereishit
Genesis 1:1-6:8

One of the most beautiful things about Torah is that every year, we get to revisit each story, lesson, and law. After Simchat Torah, once we have gone through the arduous task of rolling and rolling the scrolls and parchment from the end of D'varim (Deuteronomy) all the way back to the beginning of Bereishit (Genesis), we start anew. After all of the experiences of the year that has ended, we begin to read the parashot, the weekly Torah portions, with eyes that have changed just a bit since the year before.

This Shabbat we start again with Parshat Bereishit, the first parsha in the first book of Torah. Like many of the parashot in the first two books of Torah, Bereishit contains a number of pretty seminal Biblical stories. We have the story of Creation, the creation of human beings, who are given the task of protecting the Garden of Eden, the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the story of Cain and Abel (are we our siblings' keepers?), and the birth of Adam & Eve's third son, Seth. Torah lists the ten generations between Adam and Noah, and the parasha concludes with God's sorrow over human wickedness.

Some discussion questions:

• Each time God creates something, Torah says that it was "good" - what do you think this means?
• Why do you think God names things? What is the importance of a name?
• In Jewish tradition, Shabbat and holidays begin at sundown - what clue in these first verses explains why this is?
• What does it mean to be your "brother's keeper"? What are your responsibilities to other people in your family?

Check out this quick cartoon of Parashat Bereishit:

The Penultimate Parasha

Parshat Ha'azinu
Deuteronomy 32:1-52

A poem was introduced in the last line of the previous portion and is recited by Moses at the start of Ha'azinu.  Moses calls upon heaven and earth to witness his words.

Moses begins by praising God and describing the special care God has given Israel.  In response, the people have spurned God and God's laws.  Because of Israel's unfaithfulness, they will suffer God's wrath.  Ultimately, God will show mercy to the Israelites and deliver them from their enemies.

Moses tells the people to take the warning he has recited very seriously.  Israel's observance of God's laws is no trifling matter.  These laws are the essence of their lives.

The portion closest with God directing Moses to ascend Mount Debo and to look at the land promised to the Israelites.  Moses is told that he will die on the mountain.

Synopsis courtesy of Teaching Torah, by Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden

For your Shabbat table:

1. Do you think using poetry would be an effective way to get a message to a large group of people?  Why or why not?  Why do you think the Torah uses poems for important announcements?
2. Even though we are still in the fall holidays, the rabbis took some of the text in Deuteronomy 32:7 to serve as a basis for us being obligated to light the Chanukah candles.  Which Jewish obligations do you carry out in your family?  What observances do you hope future generations will maintain?
3. Another connection to Chanukah is that God is called HaTzur, the Rock, six times in this portion.  What symbolism do you see in calling God HaTzur, the Rock?
   
   

Making It Count

Parshat Bamidbar
Numbers 1:1 - 4:20

Synopsis:

On the first day of the thirteenth month following the Exodus from Egypt, God commands Moses to take a census of all the Israelite males over 20 years of age who are able to bear arms. Moses and Aaron and the heads of each tribe record the census. The total counted is 603,550.

The Levites, however, are counted in a separate census, since they are not to bear arms. Moses assigns to them specific duties for the care of the Tabernacle. They are to camp around the Tabernacle to guard it. The rest of the Israelites are told to camp in four groups of three tribes under their ancestral banners around the Tabernacle.

Originally, firstborn Israelites were consecrated to God, since they escape the plague of the death of all firstborn in Egypt. Now, God tells Moses to appoint the Levites as priests in place of the firstborn. Twenty-two thousand male Levites over one month old are counted by Moses and Aaron. They are assigned to help Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar with the work of the Tabernacle.

Moses also counts all the firstborn males over one month old among the rest of the Israelite population - a total of 22,273. A redemption price of five shekels per head is collected and paid to Aaron and his sons for the 273 firstborn Israelites in excess of the male Levites.

A separate census is taken of the Kohathite clan of the Levites which is given the task of carrying the sacred objects and their furnishings on the journeys of the people. The Kohathites are cautioned not to touch any of the sacred objects or furnishings of the Tabernacle. Aaron and his sons are charged with the job of covering and inserting poles into all the objects in the Tabernacle in preparation for the Kohathite porterage.

Finally, Eleazar, the son of Aaron, is made responsible for the Tabernacle and all its furnishings.

Synopsis courtesy of Teaching Torah, by Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden

For your Shabbat table:

• This portion is the first in the book of Numbers (Hebrew: Bamidbar) - one of the reasons it is called "numbers," is because it starts off with the counting of all of the Israelites - a census. Why might it have been important to take count of everyone, especially those males over the age of 20 who are able to fight?
• What makes you special as an individual? What special qualities do you add to your family?
• While this portion counts individuals, it also talks of larger groups of people - the families and clans within the Israelites. Even today our last names can give us information about our background - while some names have biblical tribal connections - Cohen, Kahn, Katz are often associated with Kohanim and Levy, Levine, and Leventhal are often Levites - others tell us of more recent connections in history, like where are families came from (city or place names) or the jobs they used to do. What do you know of your family history? Where do your names - first and last - come from?

Jubilee, Curses, and Rewards

Parashat Behar-Bechukotai
Leviticus 25:1 - 26:2 and Leviticus 26:3-27:34

Parashat Behar

Synopsis:

Moses speaks to the Israelites about some laws that are to take effect in the land that God will give them.

For six years, the people will be permitted to plant and harvest from their fields and vineyards.  But the seventh year is to be a year of complete rest for the land.  In the seventh year, the Israelites will not be permitted to work their fields, but they will be allowed to gather and to share whatever the land produces.  God assures the people that in the year before the Sabbatical year, there will be a bountiful harvest so that there will be sufficient food to tide them over until the harvest of the eighth year.

The Israelites are told to count seven times seven years - a total of forty-nine - and to mark the arrival of the fiftieth year with a blast of the horn on the Day of Atonement.  The fiftieth year is to be a Jubilee, a year of release for the land and all its inhabitants.

In the fiftieth year, the land is to lie fallow, property is to revert to its original owner, and all Hebrew slaves are to be freed.  Houses in walled cities are exempt from this regulation - they can be redeemed for only one year after their sale.  The houses of the Levites are to be redeemable forever.

The Israelites are to make special effort to redeem land or persons who have been forced to sell their holdings or bind themselves into slavery.  Israelite slaves are to be treated as hired laborers and are to be freed in the Jubilee year, whereas non-Israelite slaves are seen as property - they are not subject to the laws of the Jubilee year.

The portion concludes with a reminder to the people not to set up or worship idols, but to keep God's Sabbaths.

Parashat Bechukotai

Bechukotai begins with a promise and a curse.  If the Israelites follow God's laws and commandments, God will bless them.  Their land will be fertile and peaceful and their enemies will flee before them.  But if the people do not obey, God will spurn and punish them.  Their enemies will dominate them, their land will not produce, and they will live in fear.  At last, those who survive the punishment will repent, and God will remember the covenant with Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham.

The Book of Leviticus concludes with a section detailing three types of gifts which might be promised to the sanctuary.  The first type of gift consists of a promise to contribute a certain sum of money (specified in the text) equal to the valuation assigned to persons based on gender and age.  For example, the amount to be given for a male of 60 years is 15 shekels and, for a female over this age, 10 shekels.

The second type of gift involve the giving of animals or property.  Both were sold, and the proceeds went towards the maintenance of the sanctuary.  Animals without blemish could be specified by the donor for use as a sacrifice.  Gifts of this type are redeemable at their value as assessed by a priest, plus one-fifth.

The third type of contribution, which a person dedicated to God (be it man, beast, or land) cannot be redeemed; everything thus given is totally consecrated to God.

The Book of Leviticus concludes with several versus on tithes and the redemption of tithes, and with the statement: "These are the commandments that Adonai gave to Moses for the Israelite people on Mount Sinai."

Synopsis courtesy of Teaching Torah, by Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden

For your Shabbat table:

• Behar details two different ways of marking significant amounts of time, both of which serve to be a "reset" - for the land and also for the people.  Why do you think it is important to designate time to let the land rest? 
• Behar talks about the Jubilee year, which occurs every fifty years as a way for the land and for its inhabitants to be "released" and to rest.  What are ways you create a fresh restart for yourself?  Are there other times of the year that are set aside as a Jewish way to give yourself a reset or a new beginning?
• Many commentators note that the blessings that follow observing the commandments are described briefly only in ten versus of Bechukotai, whereas the curses resulting from rejecting God's laws are 28 verses long.  Do you think someone choose to follow rules because of the rewards they might gain or the punishment they might get from breaking the rules?  What motivates your choices?
  
  

Sacred People, Sacred Time

Parshat Emor
Leviticus 21:1 - 24:23

Synopsis:
Moses is to inform the priests of the special rules which they must obey. The priests are to refrain from coming into contact with a corpse, they are not to shave smooth any parts of their heads, and they are forbidden to marry a divorced woman. The priests are to be scrupulous as they carry out their duties. Any priest who has a physical defect or is ritually unclean is forbidden to offer sacrifices to God. So, too, the Israelites are to take care to bring blemish free offerings to God. No animal less than eight days old is acceptable as a sacrifice and no animal shall be slaughtered on the same day as its young.

Then Moses speaks to all the people about the holy days in the year. Apart from the Sabbath, which occurs every seven days, the Israelites are to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread and, seven weeks later, a celebration of the harvest.

The first day of the seventh month, the people are to mark as a sacred occasion with loud blasts and the tenth day of the same month shall e a Day of Atonement.

The fifteenth day of the seventh month is the Feast of Booths. This holiday is to be observed for seven days, and the people are to mark the eighth day with a special sacrifice. On all of these holidays, the Israelites are told not to work at their occupations, and special observances are prescribed.

Moses further reminds the Israelites to bring clear olive oil for the regular lighting of the lamps in the Tent of Meeting. He then instructs them in the baking and displaying of the twelve loaves of display bread for the altar.

The portion concludes by describing an incident wherein a man born of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man fights with another man born of two Israelite parents. The half-Israelite blasphemes God's name in the course of a fight. God tells Moses that the man is to be stoned to death as punishment. So Moses tells the Israelites of the penalty for blaspheming God or pronouncing God's name, and also of the rules by which restitution is to be made for crimes.

Synopsis courtesy of Teaching Torah, by Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden

For your Shabbat table:

• The beginning of this week's portion describes the special rules for those people who are the priests. Why might they need to act different than the rest of the people? Do you think it would be difficult to be treated so differently in order to have such a special position among the Israelites?
• Part of this parasha explains the observance of Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot and includes a reminder to leave corners of the fields untouched for the poor. What does this kind of action have to do with these holidays?
• How do you think your holiday celebrations are the same as in biblical times? How do you think they are different?
• It’s difficult to imagine that Jews have been observing and celebrating holidays such as Shabbat, Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot for thousands of years. Why do you think these holiday celebrations have survived for so long?
• What is your favorite Jewish holiday? What is it about that holiday that makes it so special for you?

And now... time for your favorite Torah cartoon: