Parshas Bereishis: In Times Like These

This week’s Parsha is dedicated to the zechus for besoros tovos from Israel. May Hashem protect our soldiers, may He bring a speedy healing to the wounded, and may He let peace reign. Please continue to read in the merit of a refuah shelaima for Chaya Sofya Sara bas Mera, Tova bas Perel, and Binyamin ben Simcha.

If you will pardon my saying it, it seems strange that this week’s parsha is Parshas Beireishis. This is usually a time when we are all still burbling with the excitement of the Yom Tovim or laughingly complaining about the laundry and the cleanup. But we aren’t like that now…not this year. Not in 5784.

Five thousand, seven hundred and eighty-four years and about four weeks ago, Hashem infused the first form of man with His Divine spirit. And for almost a day, it was perfect – until humankind thought they had a better grasp of what was good for them. Perhaps the swallowed seed of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad is that need to feel that we have control, that we are setting the path to our own destinies.

When Hashem calls to Adam after they have eaten the fruit, Adam responds: “And he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I am naked; so I hid” (2:10). He hid…in the garden…from Hashem Who is Omniscient! Adam ate the fruit, and suddenly he thought he understood life and the choices that have to be made in it.

Hashem’s response is interesting as well: “And He said, "Who told you that you are naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" (2:11). It is such an obviously rhetorical question. There is no one who could have told Adam such a thing…except Adam himself. Perhaps we can read this as the ultimate rhetorical Divine question: Is anyone really in control of the world except Hashem?

The answer, of course, whether a tragedy is personal or communal, is no. All of this is in Hashem’s control, and all of it has purpose.

This week’s parsha also introduces us to the first acts of violence. Cain struck and killed his brother Abel. It is here also interesting to note because he did this act out of jealousy. Hashem showed favor to Abel’s offering, which was, indeed, superior. Cain believed that he had the ability to control the world enough to remove the obstacle in his way from receiving Divine praise, when, of course, the obstacle was himself (since he chose mediocre items to bring rather than the finest of what he had).

Klal Yisrael’s enemies have long sought to remove us from being an obstacle between them and the status of ultimate Divine favor. Even more so, however, is that like Cain, our enemies have refused to see how assessing and changing their own lives would elevate them.

This is all philosophically lovely and an example of relating the text of the Torah to the world we live in, but what is it that we can take away from these thoughts. So our enemies are jealous – stating that doesn’t make any of the pain diminish (which nothing can, really) or give comfort. It may, however, help us shape our reactions and our focus on what we need to do.

What is it that we need to do? Alas, I am a descendant of one who ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad, and so I will continue totry strive to change the world around me as I see fit. But with the guidance of the Torah, I recognize that the most critical act I can do is to pray and to remember that Hashem is Omnipotent and Omniscient and everything is part of His plan.

Please Hashem, may is be Your will that we only have besoros tovos (good tidings), that our enemies should be stopped, and that we should find strength and come together as a people, and truly see Your glory.

EREV SHMINI ATZERES: Our Place in the Relationship

What holiday will you be celebrating this weekend? (Hint to Canadians, this question has nothing to do with Canadian Thanksgiving, which - for the Americans - is scheduled for this Monday.) Most people would answer that we are about to celebrate Simchas Torah, the awesome holiday during which we celebrate starting over on the cycle of reading the Torah.

People who know me can probably predict what I am going to write: Simchas Torah is great, but there is no holiday in the Torah listed as Simchas Torah. There is only Chag Ha’Atzeres, the Festival of the Gathering.

The fascinating question is WHY we prefer to call the holiday Simchas Torah rather than Shmini Atzeres. It isn’t like one is easier to pronounce than the other or there’s something weird about Shmini Atzeres. Nevertheless, most people don’t walk around discussing their plans for Shemini Atzeres, but they do talk about what they are doing for Simchas Torah or for the second days (which is a whole other misnomer).

Of course there is the obvious statement that the overwhelming atmosphere of Simchas Torah, with its abundant candy and leibadik dancing, leaves an indelible mark on our memories. Chag HaAtzeres does not have much excitement attached to it. It has not rituals. It has no special and unique minhagim.

I am going to say something radical here. This is not going to be my usual type of Dvar Torah… The other day a friend and I were discussing how hard it was to relate to Simchas Torah as women. The conversation segued into a discussion of the drinking that occurs at shul and a question on why the drinking was necessary… I’m a bit of a tea-totaller by nature, so I won’t write my full feelings on that here.

People talk about drinking as a way of enhancing simcha. They speak of the freedom from inhibition and the lifting up of spirit. But when I think about Simchas Torah, I wonder if that level of joy should not - in an ideal world (and certainly we are far from that) - come straight from the joy of Torah and the celebration of learning. And I think this question is at the heart of why we refer to the holiday as Simchas Torah rather than Shmini Atzeres.

We are, alas, a humbled nation. We are a chosen people who has been exiled and distanced. Part of our exile is the challenge that many of us face with connecting spiritually, and that comes from an underlying insecurity. Because Hashem had to hide Himself away, we struggle to feel His hand fully in the world, and because we struggle to connect to Divinity - because it takes constant work - we have trouble truly celebrating Shmini Atzeres.

Although connected to Sukkot by its place on the calendar, Shmini Atzeres is a separate holiday. It is the day Hashem asked from us to stay with Him a little longer after the inter-national celebration that is at the heart of Sukkot. Chag HaAtzeres is translated as the Festival of the Gathering because Hashem wanted us to gather with Him a little longer. Think about that. On Shmini Atzeres we are answering Hashem’s request to spend more time with Him. What greater gesture of love is there than a request to stay in company longer?

But when you are insecure, when you are hesitant of your connection, it feels awkward to receive this invitation, to be the recipient of this affection.

We often compare the relationship of Bnei Yisrael and Hashem to that of a bride and groom, of people in a relationship. In our state of exile, however, we are the insecure partner in the relationship. We are the partner who, when a long moment of companionable silence occurs, needs to fill the space with noice. We do not know how to properly celebrate Shmini Atzeres, how to just gather and be… and so we focus on the celebration of Simchas Torah.

On Simchas Torah we acknowledge and celebrate our relationship with Hashem, but we do it loudly. We make certain that we are giving back to Hashem by verbously announcing our love for Him and our love for Torah. We are not secure enough to receive, but we are connected enough to want to try to give - and that is beautiful.

Please don’t get me wrong. This is not a criticism of the wonderful celebration of Simchas Torah. To see such gatherings of Jews pouring out their love to Hashem, declaring through prayer and song and dance how delighted we are to have the Torah is lovely and inspiring. This is a quest of thought on the state of our being today, so many years since we could gather and celebrate in the Beis Hamikdash. We have just welcomed in the year 5784. We know we are in the final epoch heading to Moshiach. May we see those days quickly and find ourselves next year in Yerushalayim celebrating Shmini Atzeres and basking in the Divine Presence.