June 14th, 2024
D’var by Stan Cohn
Shabbat shalom everyone.
So, let me give you the scoop upfront.
The Torah portion tonight is really all about holiness.
Now, some will tell me “That’s Naso!”
And I will say – you’re exactly right, it is the portion Naso.
But truly, in my mind this portion is indeed all about holiness.
Yes, the portion contains a litany of procedures and protocols for numerous acts of sins and sanctification and repurification – how to make the tabernacle just right, the numbers and responsibilities of the kohanim priests, how to deal with sins of guilt and infidelity – I’ll spare you the details and there’s lots of very problematic details – but in the end it is all about being holy. All of these details are centered on trying to find the right path – in order to sanctify individuals and the community they are in.
What a person can do to be holy, what a kohein priest can do to be holy, what makes a community holy.
Now you may ask what is holiness and why is it so important for us to strive for holiness?
And to this, I think years ago my son got it just right.
Years ago, we were on vacation at my father’s house, and as always we were having a vibrant and fun discussion around the family dinner table. My Dad then asked the question “What is Judaism” to which we all ended up in a discussion about whether it was a religion, a tribal family, a community, a civilization, and so forth, to which my son, then in 3rd or 4th grade, said “That’s easy I know!” When we asked him what he thought Judaism was he responded, “Jews are a holy people – a people who strive to be holy”.
And I think that is exactly right – Our religion asks us to strive and grapple with what it means to be righteous and holy, and how we can bring this holiness, practically, into our daily lives.
In Rabbi Telushkin’s Book of Jewish Values, a compendium of daily tidbits for Jewish Living, one entry that really struck me was one where he said that each person should strive to find the sacredness in whatever work they do. Because none of us operate in a vacuum, everything we do, especially in our daily work, almost always affects others. A taxi driver taking a family member to a wedding, a cleaner making a dress just right for a prom, a waiter making the evening perfect for that special date, a building engineer making sure that people can move through their day efficiently and safely. By striving to find holiness in our everyday work, and the way we affect the lives of others, we begin to see how what we do matters, and how our small actions can raise up the lives of others. It is these small choices we make, every day, the choices of people trying to become the best in themselves, that generates holiness – in ourselves and in the community. In Telushkin’s words – “There are few jobs so intrinsically secular that they can’t be understood as in some way spiritual and transformed into holy work”.
At my grandniece’s high school graduation last month, there was a student speaker who commented on just this fact – that one of the things he learned from high school was that sometimes small, ordinary choices can lead to extraordinary outcomes.
I also want to touch briefly on something the Torah doesn’t really mention – that there is no doubt that this striving to do what is right – both now and in our collective past – can generate very difficult conversations. Imagine a kohein priest telling a woman she has been accused of infidelity, someone telling a friend that they have undertaken a grievous sin, a child telling their parents they want to give up a normal life and become a holy Nazarite.
Conversations about doing the right thing and striving for holiness have never been easy, and not every individual or community can navigate these conversations successfully. Some of you make have heard about the letter published recently by some former RRC rabbinical students, who left the program because they felt alienated with their views on Israel/Palestine not being treated respectfully when trying to undertake difficult conversations. But what does this have to do with holy?
As you may know, I have been part of the Israel/Palestine Task Force here at JRC, often having difficult conversations for the last several months [and a number of members of the Israel/Palestine Task force are here tonight]. I could not be more honored to be working with such a dedicated and thoughtful group of people striving to know the best path forward. Our conversations have not always been easy, but I have never felt that we haven’t been able to work together, with respect and care and love for one another. I think that one reason our community can carry out this task when some others cannot, is that JRC is indeed a holy community. I have witnessed members of this community carry out countless acts of kindness and support and courage. So many people striving to make their lives and lives of others better. What other community spontaneously comes together, arm-in-arm, to support one another at the end of the kaddish? So, when it comes to having difficult conversations, we know each other not as topical adversaries, but as caring friends, all endeavoring to heal the world – where coming to any solutions is a result of first coming to understand what is in each other’s hearts.
And when it comes to blessings, there is no bigger holy blessing than the priestly blessing described by God in this week’s portion. So, if you would indulge my inner kohein, I would like to give the priestly blessing to all of you tonight. But not as a kohein to a congregation, but as one friend to another, with the understanding that it is the blessings we give to each other every day, with the words we say, the help we give, and the love we share, in which our lives and our congregations, are made holy. Please rise if you wish.
May the Lord bless you and watch over you.
יְבָֽרֶכְךָ֥ יְהוָֹ֖ה וְיִשְׁמְרֶֽךָ
May the Lord cause His countenance to shine to you and favor you.
יָאֵ֨ר יְהוָֹ֧ה פָּנָ֛יו אֵלֶ֖יךָ וִֽיחֻנֶּֽךּ
May the Lord raise His countenance toward you and grant you peace.
יִשָּׂ֨א יְהוָֹ֤ה פָּנָיו֙ אֵלֶ֔יךָ וְיָשֵׂ֥ם לְךָ֖ שָׁלֽוֹם
Shabbat shalom!