Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Once In A While You Get Shown The Light In The Strangest Of Places If You Look At It Right (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Scarlet Begonias")



Our third child, and youngest daughter, just turned 15. Of our four children, she is the blonde. She is the most artistic, and seems to appreciates the creative process that art embodies. Her school had its annual “Art Exhibit” this week, so we attended. Immediately I could pick out our daughter’s work. I could tell her work by the content, and by her use of color. She definitely has an “eye”. When she looks at something or someone, she sees color, shape, lines, mood, and character. She expresses this in her drawings as well as her photographs. The subjects of photographs are not only of family and friends, but also includes pictures of landscapes, sunsets, sunrises, and animals. She could spend hours looking at a fashion magazine and appreciate the colors, lines and the movement of material. Certainly she has an affinity for physical appearance. Ironically, she is hardly superficial nor is she mesmerized and in awe of beauty and perfection. Actually it is quite the opposite. Her eye is drawn to that which is interesting, to the juxtaposition of color, of shade, and line.   For example, while her older sister will comment that my beard, which is now essentially white, makes me look old; she notices my white beard in the context of the wrinkles around my eyes when I smile or squint. She is the daughter that sees the wrinkles  around my eyes juxtaposed  to my still “youthful” twinkle in my eyes when I smile. Because of her artistic eye, she is able to find beauty everywhere.
This Shabbat we read from Parshat Emor. The four chapters that comprise Parsha Emor focus on the various aspects of Perfection. First the Torah focuses upon the importance of the spiritual perfection and purity of the Kohen. He must remain in a perpetual state of purity. He is restricted in terms of whom he can marry. He is restricted in regards for whom he can mourn. He cannot go to a cemetery. He cannot make sacrificial offerings if he has physical abnormalities. The second of the four chapters reminds B’nai Yisroel that when approaching God with an offering, the individual must be spiritually pure and perfect and so must the offering. These offerings must come directly from the individual making them and not from “the hand of a stranger” (Lev.22:25). The third chapter of the Parsha deals with the perfection and the purity of time. Time is define as perfect in the season follow an order, the holidays such as Shabbat, Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are designated to come in a particular order. That order is both pure and perfect since time and the designation of “Sacred” time comes from God. The fourth chapter speaks about maintaining purity and the perfection of physical space in this case the Mishkan, and all that is in the Mishkan. The Torah even deals with perfection and purity of human relationships and the punishments meted out when that perfection, purity and holiness is violated. In a sense, this last chapter reminds us of God’s charge to B’nai Yisroel.
The Torah places an emphasis upon the physical appearance of the Kohen as it relates to his spiritual purity and eligibility of serving as the Kohen Gadol.  The last eight verses (21:16-24) explain all the physical abnormalities that exclude the Kohen from assuming the position of Kohen Gadol. Blemishes, blindness, being lame, having any  broken bones, bad skin, abnormally long eyebrows, a blemish in his eyed, are but a few of the physical attributes that make a Kohen ineligible for the position of Kohen Gadol.   How can the Torah, with its primary focus upon Mitzvot (commandments) and the importance of deeds and the Kavanah,(the intention behind those deeds), now focus upon something as superficial as appearance? Sefer HaChinuch, 13th century Spain, comments: “At the root of the precept lies the reason that most actions of people are acceptable, appealing to the heart of those who see them, in accordance with the eminence of those who do them. For when a man is distinguished in his appearance and good in his actions, he will find grace and good understanding (Prov. 3:4). With all that he does in the eyes of all who observe him. Should he be, however the opposite of this- inferior in his form, or peculiar in his limbs then eve if he is correct in his ways, his activities will not be so attractive to the hear…” (Emor 275). As upsetting and politically incorrect as that sounds, the comment and the Torah text infer a keen understanding of human nature. While watching the physically flawed Kohen conducting the ritual slaughtering in a perfectly correct manner; our attention would be upon a perceived flaw in appearance, or a perceived imperfection. As a result, our Kavanah our intention would be lacking and the sacrificial process would fail.
We are now thousands of years removed from a Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple), the institutions of sacrificial offerings, and a Priestly class upon which we relied as a conduit between the people and God. The Beit HaMikdash has been replaced by Synagogues, shtiebles or wherever a community gathers to pray. Sacrificial offerings have been replaced by the words and music of prayer. The community no longer rely upon the Kohanim to serve as a conduit between it and God. Rather, the person leading the community in prayer and the community itself connects to God. Over thousands of years, there has been a maturing of humanity, of God’s children. While a physical characteristic of a person may have once appeared as a flaw or an imperfection to spiritually immature eyes, now those perceived flaws and perceived imperfection are sources for interest and wonderment as we recognize that we are created in God’s image. As a result of spiritual maturity, what once were considered perceived physical flaws and perceived imperfections are testimony to a more spiritually mature relationship we have with God. Because, we have become more spiritually mature; we are capable of appreciating God’s presences in every aspect of creation including what was once perceived as flawed and imperfect. As I look at my daughter’s art work, and see her use of color, light and line, I see her maturing into a confident, thoughtful, intelligent free spirit.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

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