Here is just a taste of the Torah you can look forward to in the month ahead. For the real thing, be sure to join us each Shabbat morning at 9 am for a lively discussion of the meaning and implications of the weekly portion. All are welcome. No previous experience required.

February 4 B’shallach Exodus 14:15-16:10
Pharaoh finally lets the people of Israel go. God leads the children of Israel in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. But all is not well. Pharaoh has a change of heart and decides to pursue the children of Israel. At the shore of the sea the people panic. Moses is told by God to hold his hand high and the sea splits. The people pass to safety but the Egyptians drown. Shirat Ha’Yam, the Song at the Sea (which includes the Mi Chamocha), is sung to celebrate the beginning of their journey to freedom. From the start it is one crisis after another. Following the scene at the sea, there is the bitter waters at Mara, the problem of no bread and meat, and the events at Massa and Meriva. The parashah concludes with the battle of Amalek.

February 11 Yitro Exodus 18:1-20:23
This portion is named after Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, who provides Moses with alternate models of leadership. Moses is reunited with his family (given Moses’ preoccupation with his “job.”) and prepares the people for Sinai. The “10 Words” (aka the Ten Commandments) are given and the people respond: “We will do and we will understand.” This Torah portion challenges us to consider how we learn from others, how we empower others to share our vision, and how we hear/understand the voice of God in our lives.

February 18 Mishpatim Exodus 22:4-23:19
This Torah portion, which discusses important rules, contains 52 of the 613 mitzvot! They cover the full range of biblical law, from criminal law to civil law; ritual laws to ethical laws. The parasha concludes with a formal ceremony of ratification of these covenantal obligations by the leadership on behalf of the people. Moses then ascends Mt. Sinai alone to receive the stone tablets, where he will stay for forty days and nights. This collection of rules seems to interrupt the Sinai narrative. It’s hard to keep track of Moses’ treks. Is he up or down, down or up?! What’s going on here? What do we learn from these laws? Why are they placed where they are?

February 25 Terumah Exodus 26:1-30
This Torah portion contains a beautiful statement concerning the many details required for building the tabernacle that will house the Tablets of the Covenant. “Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell in them,” the Torah teaches; not I will dwell in “it” but in “them,” they who are the builders. We learn more here than what it takes to build a structure. We learn about building community and creating something holy. When we engage in a sacred task, we experience God’s in-dwelling spirit within us.

The passing decades have seen many changes, transitions and growth in our congregation.  We have had 4 full time rabbis, a few part-time rabbis and a cantor over the years providing spiritual leadership.  We have learned new melodies, incorporated new traditions, and evolved in our Jewish practices together.  Our staff has multiplied, as well, to support the growing programs that fill our buildings to overflowing with Jewish activities on a regular basis.  The faces in our congregation have changed, too, and now reflect the rich diversity of the Jewish community and our world.  And we have grown in size, as well, from a handful of families to, now, nearly 300; while we have also lost dear and beloved partners over the years, whose memories continue to bless us.

Hardly anything is permanent, it seems, in our long congregational history.  But the one constant all along has been the Torah, which nourishes, guides and sustains us as a congregation.  The Torah stands at the heart of our congregation and distinguishes us from a Jewish community center or a Jewish social club.  Even when it is not readily apparent, the Torah energizes us and gives us life, creating a sacred foundation for all that we do; whether it is the guiding force in our Religious School curriculum, the values that animate our Social Justice activities, or the rich shared history that links us together as a people to the State of Israel.

Just as the Israelites carried the Ark of the Covenant as they made their way through the wilderness long ago, the Torah has accompanied us and inspired us on our 50 year journey like a sacred passport, granting us access to lush oases of Jewish stories and teachings, transporting us to new vistas of spiritual understanding, and opening the gates of our hearts to meaningful Jewish memories and adventures.

Reb Shlomo Carlebach, celebrated teacher, story-teller, and singer of the Jewish people inquired:

“Have you ever seen people dancing on Simchas Torah? There are no borders between them, no walls. They are just all together, rich and poor, old and young, parents and children.  Do you know why?  On Simchas Torah we take out the Torah, but we dance before we read it.  While we are dancing, it’s as if the Torah is blank.  What is God giving us?  A Munkatcher Passport…”  To understand what Reb Shlomo means, I have to tell you a story; a Reb Shlomo story, The Munkatcher Passport:

A chasid once came to the great Rebbe, Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, and said, “Holy Master, I hate to bother you, but I have to travel to Lublin and I don’t have a passport.  I know I could go to the police and get one, but you know what happens when the police know about a Jew; it means nothing but trouble!  I don’t want the authorities to know I even exist…

Please, Rebbe, is there some way you could help me get the passport I need?”

Rebbe Levi Yitzchak said, “Wait here.”  He went into his private room and came out a few minutes later holding a blank piece of paper.  “Here’s your passport,” he said, giving the paper to the chasid.  Then, seeing the expression on his student’s face, he added, “Don’t worry.  With this passport you won’t need anything more.”

Can you imagine how much faith it takes to come to a border and hand the guard a blank piece of paper?!  But the chasid had absolute trust in his Rebbe.  He ran home, packed his things, and set off for Lublin.  When he came to the Polish border, he took a deep breath, said a silent prayer, and handed the soldier the Berdichever’s passport.  The officer studied the blank paper for a moment, then started saluting the chasid:  “What a privilege–to meet such an exalted person.  It’s the greatest honor of my whole life!  On behalf of the Polish government, I’d like to offer you whatever help I can on your journey.  Perhaps a horse and carriage would make your travels more comfortable?”

Well, the chasid was a poor man; he’d never ridden in a carriage in his entire life!  Wherever he went in Poland, he showed the Berdichever passport, and all the gates were instantly opened.  He was treated like a king.  His trip was a success and he returned home b’shalom, in peace.

Many, many years later, in 1935, a Munkatcher chasid, from Hungary, with long peyos and a thick beard, was also in trouble.  He had to go to Germany right away.  He had a passport, but with the Nazis, he knew an ordinary passport wouldn’t be enough to keep him safe.  He didn’t know what to do, so he went to his Rebbe for help.

The holy Reb Chaim Eleazer Shapiro of Munkatch was one of the greatest Rebbes in Europe at the time.  But even the saintly Munkatcher seemed surprised when he heard of his chasid’s problem.  “Certainly I will pray for you to have a safe trip,” he told his desperate follower.  “But I don’t know what else I can do for you.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust your prayers, Rebbe,” the chasid answered.  “But I am so afraid…Do you remember the story you told us about the passport R. Levi Yitzchak gave to his student?  That’s the kind of thing I need.  Please, Rebbe–make me a passport like that!

“The Berdichever Rav was the holiest of holy,” the Munkatcher replied, shaking his head.  “Maybe he was high enough to give a Berdichever Passport.  But what makes you think I am on such an exalted level?”

“I know you can do it,” the chasid cried.  “I’m sure of it!  Rebbe, please–I am begging you.  I wouldn’t have come to you if it weren’t so terribly important. I really HAVE to go to Germany, and I’m so afraid I won’t make it back.  Rebbe, for the sake of my wife and children, please help me!”

“Alright,” the Munkatcher sighed.  “I’ll try.  Wait for me here.”  And he went into his private room.

Now to go to Lublin from Berdichev, to Poland from Russia, was one thing. But for a Jew to go from Munkatch, Hungary to Germany in 1935–and back…

The Rebbe stayed in his room for three hours.  When he finally came out, his eyes were red and swollen and his holy face was streaked with tears.  He handed his chasid a blank piece of paper.  But the paper was wet–soaked  with all the tears of all our years of suffering.  “It is only because this is such an emergency that I give this to you–but only if you promise me one thing.  You must never tell anyone about it as long as I live.”

“I promise, Rebbe,” the chasid said eagerly.  “I’ll never tell a soul!” So the Rebbe gave him the Munkatcher passport.

The chasid came to the German border. The Nazi on guard looked at his side locks and beard, and demanded with a sneer, “Where’s your passport?”  The chasid gave him the blank piece of paper.  The Nazi took one look at it and his whole expression changed.  “Sir, I am so honored to meet you, “ he cried. “You are probably the greatest person ever to visit our country.  Please give me the privilege of assisting you on your journey.  Here is a letter to the chief of police of every town in Germany. They will take care of you and protect you.”

The chasid stayed in Germany for over a week.  The Nazis gave him a car and driver; they even paid for him to stay in the best hotels everywhere he went.  He returned safely home, and true to his promise to the Rebbe, he never told anyone about his Munkatcher passport.

The Munkatcher Rebbe left this world in 1937.  Three years later the chasid suddenly became very sick and he knew that he would not live much longer.  So he called his whole family to his bedside and said, “Before I leave this world, I have to tell you a very holy secret…”  He told them the whole story of the Munkatcher Passport, and then he said, “This is my last will and testament.  When you bury me, I want the Mukatcher Passport to be in my hand.  Because if the Rebbe’s paper got me across the most dangerous border in the world, who knows what gates it will open for me in the World to Come.” (from Lamed Vav: A Collection of the Favorite Stories of R’ Shlomo Carlebach)

The Munkatcher Passport–a blank piece of paper that had great powers to open doors and hearts–is more than a story about the magical powers of great rebbes to conjure up documents that secure us safe passage in dangerous times.  I see a deeper and more profound teaching embedded in this chasidic tale.  This meiseh, this story, in fact, can be understood as an allegory in which the passport symbolizes the powers of the Torah–also, once a blank piece of parchment–to touch our hearts, minds and spirits through its ability to root us in our truest identity, usher us into new realms so as to access learning that fulfills our life’s purpose, and create emotional bonds that connect us to our Jewish history, heritage and community.

With the Torah, God is giving us a Munkatcher passport; an empty scroll we fill with our own meaning as we cross over into the past and discover treasures for today.  The Torah may break down barriers that keep us alienated and help us discover connections that sustain us and enrich us. Maybe the Torah touches us by opening doors that are locked in our hearts.  Maybe the Torah challenges us to discover a new way of reading a troubling story.  And maybe, for some, the Torah appears only as a blank page…where we see nothing of import there.  But the Torah, like the Munkatcher Passport, when we engage with it, becomes fully activated and can then reveal its secrets.

Torah is blank like a mirror is blank, reflecting back the one who gazes into it.  So, when we look into the Torah together, we discover a many-faceted mirror that reflects the deepest truths about what it means to be human.  We can find ourselves reflected in the nuanced stories of Torah–in the foibles and shortcomings of the patriarchs and matriarchs, the family squabbles among siblings, the jealousies, the competitions, the desire to be loved and accepted.  No one is perfect, and so we can perceive ourselves in the struggles of our ancestors.  Through the stories of the Torah, we learn what it means to be in relationship, what it is to be in community, what it means to yearn, to be just, to serve, how to fail, forgive and feel God’s presence.  In this way, the Torah also inspires us to fulfill our holy potential.

The power of the Munkatcher Passport is that it allows others to see, not just how we show up in the world, but our true inner-nature, the radiant image of the Divine.  Arguably the greatest teaching in the Torah is the notion that each of us is created b‘tzelem elohim, in the image of God.  Rabbi Rami Shapiro teaches that actually “[t]he book of Genesis tells us that we are created in the image and likeness of G!d.  Yet when G!d actually creates us, Torah refers to us as the image of G!d and not the likeness…Being in the image of G!d means that we are G!d manifest. Just as a wave is the ocean extended in time and space, so each one of us is G!d extended in time and space.  What does it mean to be the likeness of G!d?  Being the likeness of G!d means that we have the potential to act in a godly manner. It means that we can, regardless of our ideology, theology, and politics, engage each moment and each other with lovingkindness.  According to Genesis, G!d intends for us to be godly, to honor the image by living out the likeness, This is not a metaphor. The Hebrew name for G!d – YHVH, when written vertically takes on the shape of a human being. Each one of us is the Name of G!d incarnate.”  (From The Sacred Art Of Lovingkindness)  The Torah becomes a passport for us, then, to the experience of our own wholeness and holiness.

In fact, the Torah, just like a passport, is meant to be used, to take us places.  Sometimes to our favorite haunts.  Sometimes to new places.  The Torah is not our destination but the access point through which we travel to discover our own soul; connecting us in the deepest ways to our community, our history, our core values and, ultimately, to ourselves and the Holy One.  The Torah empowers each of us to take charge of our Jewish journey.  There are no borders, no barriers that can’t be crossed.  We are challenged and changed by our encounters.  With the passport of Torah in hand, we are free to travel to the places that excite us most and learn according to our passions.  All expenses paid–even the carriage, no extra cost!  We argue alongside Abraham and Moses with God for justice, we become seekers of peace with Aaron, and we wrestle together with the Israelites with what it means to be kadosh, or those who emulate God.  Through the Torah, in the broadest sense, we access all of the sources of our tradition, which allows us to discover a sacred map of values and teachings that can serve as guideposts pointing us towards our highest selves, which, after all, is our sacred mission in life.

Like a well-worn passport, the Torah is filled with reminders of every crossing point, each stamp recalling the journey taken by the Jewish people.  And this is our sacred journey, as well.  When all is said and done, it is about telling the story and the meaning that we make out of our experiences.  As we engage with the Torah, it is not sufficient to simply experience it, be moved by it or even transformed by it.  We must share what we have learned with others and pass it on!  The success of Torah is in telling the stories from one generation to the next and making them come to life, allowing us to feel deeply the emotional imprint left by where we have been, the record of holy, heartfelt memory.

Indeed, the Torah is truly a passport to our Jewish future as a congregation, crystallizing and strengthening our sense of what it means to be a Jew in the world today and ensuring the safe transmission of our sacred treasures from generation to generation.  (But don’t take my word for it!  I will be setting up a few extra chairs for this Shabbat’s Torah study at 9 am in the library so you can experience the journey through Torah for yourself.)

Our synagogue has thrived on a sense of partnership over our five decades.  Yad b’yad, hand in hand, we have created a dynamic Jewish community.  So what better way to celebrate our 50^th birthday than with the creation of a Torah that will be written hand-in-hand with our scribe, Jen Taylor Friedman, the very first woman scribe.  Over the course of the next year and a half, there will be multiple opportunities, for whoever would like, to participate in this great mitzvah of writing a Torah, fulfilling the 613^th commandment.  This will not only be a golden anniversary celebration but a golden opportunity! Everyone who participates in this sacred project, I know, will experience a thrill never to be forgotten by creating this legacy for those who will be sitting in these seats 50 years from now. Literally, we will be scribing ourselves into the history of our people and writing a new chapter for the Jews of Yolo County.  This Torah, on which each of us can leave our spiritual fingerprints to bless the future, will continue to nurture and sustain Jewish life in our community for many generations to come.

On the weekend of October 28^th-30^th, we will commence the Torah project with an inspiring ritual.  Join us as we stand, surrounded by a circle of blank pieces of parchment, each held by a young person in our community; each page a sacred scroll about to be born, each radiant face a Jewish soul coming into its potential, bursting with possibility.   At that moment, all walls come down and we are all part of the grand story.  We are the generation of the builders, the ones who have the sacred responsibility to bring the future to life, to continue the dream and fashion new dreams; creating a welcoming Jewish community, not just for today, but also for our children and grandchildren.  Together we are creating a Munkatcher passport–opening gates, forging bonds, deepening our experiences on all levels! But this passport we will not take with us! We will leave it behind to provide inspiring and sustaining journeys to all those who will follow us for generations to come.

Ken Y’hi Ratzon!

Here is just a taste of the Torah you can look forward to in the month ahead.  For the real thing, be sure to join us each Shabbat morning at 9 am for a lively discussion of the meaning and implications of the weekly portion.  All are welcome.  No previous experience required.

September 3                 Shoftim                                    Deuteronomy 16:18-18:5

This week’s Torah portion opens with the command to appoint judges and legal officials to carry out justice within the community.  A specific warning against worshipping other gods is given.  Two witnesses are needed in order to impose capital punishment.  Cases too difficult to decide in one court are to be transferred to a higher court.  The laws for choosing a king are presented, including the stipulation that this leader keep a Torah by his side at all times.  A miscellany of laws follows dealing with a wide range of subjects.  The parasha concludes with regulations for war and communal responsibilities for an untraced murder.

September 10               Ki Tetzei                                    Deuteronomy 21:10-23:7

This week’s Torah portion contains a mixture of seventy-two commandments, dealing with such diverse subjects as treatment of captives, defiant children, bird’s nests, loans, vows, charity for the poor and fair weights and measures.  At the conclusion, there is a final warning to remember how Amalek attacked the weak stragglers in the desert.

September 17               Ki Tavo                         Deuteronomy 26:1-27:10

Our parasha this week opens with “when you come into the land,” as a reminder that God is the giver of all, a fact that shouldn’t be forgotten once the Israelites are settled.  Tribute is made to God by offering our first fruits and others tithes.  Procedures for crossing the Jordan are next, the building of an altar, the alternating recitation of blessings and warnings, are all part of the renewal of the covenant played out now upon acquiring the land.

September 24               Nitzavim-VaYelech                    Deuteronomy 29:9-30:14

This year we have a double portion for this Shabbat.  Nitzvavim is always read on the last Shabbat of Elul, just before the High Holy Days begin.  Just as we stand on the border of a New Year at Rosh HaShanah, the Israelites are preparing to embark on a new stage in their lives in the Promised Land.  Moses tells the Israelites that God is making a covenant with them that extends from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to them and into the future to all generations to come who keep the commandments.  We, too, are the inheritors of this covenant!  If the covenant is forsaken terrible curses will result.  However–and here is the part that relates to the Holy Days–Moses promises that even if the people stray from God’s ways, they can always return to God (do teshuva) and God will forgive them, offering another opportunity to do better.  God places the choice before the people between life and death.  God tells them:  Choose Life!

In Va’yelech, Moses informs the people that, at 120 years of age, he will not accompany them into the Promised Land.  He assures the people that they will be successful and passes the mantle of leadership on to Joshua.  Moses transmits the Torah to the priests and instructs the people to gather every 7 years at the time of Sukkot to hear the reading of the Torah.  Moses then gathers the people together to hear his final poem, which will serve as a witness to all they have been taught.

Here is just a taste of the Torah you can look forward to in the month ahead.  For the real thing, be sure to join us each Shabbat morning at 9 am for a lively discussion of the meaning and implications of the weekly portion.  All are welcome.  No previous experience required. 

August 6                     Devarim                                 Deuteronomy 1:1-2:1           

          This first parasha in the last book of the Torah begins with a series of speeches by Moses to the Israelites as they are about to enter the Land of Israel.  He reminds them of their communal history and how they are about to take possession of the land promised to their ancestors.  Moses details the highlights of their journey from Mt. Sinai.  He recounts the debacle following the report of the spies sent to scout out the land and the years of wandering that resulted.  Only Joshua and Caleb from the “old generation” are allowed to enter the Promised Land.  Then Moses tells of their travels, culminating with their victorious battles with Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan.

August 13               Va’etchanan                          Deuteronomy 3:23-5:18                                Moses stands atop Mt. Pisgah on the eastern side of the Jordan and is told by God to look in all of the directions to view the land he will not enter.  Moses appeals to the people not to forget what they have experienced.  Moses recounts the giving of the Ten Commandments followed by the Shema.  Once again the people are warned not to forget and to use the lesson of the Exodus as a way of remembering.

August 20               Ekev                               Deuteronomy 7:12-9:3                                  Ekev begins with the blessings which come from following the commandments and the consequences of noncompliance.  Moses reminds people not to arrogantly assume after they are comfortably settled in their new land that it was their own power that achieved these results.  It was God who gave them victory.  The parasha concludes with what is now the second paragraph of the Shema.

August 27                   Re’eh                                      Deuteronomy 11:26-12:28   

            This parasha continues Moses’ discourse to the Israelites.  He warns that they face a choice between a life of blessings or a life of curses, and urges them to observe God’s commandments.  He tells them to only worship at places designated by God and to destroy all idolatrous altars.  Rules about sacrifices, tithes, care for the Levites, and regulations for slaughtering and eating meat are addressed.  Moses commands them not to disfigure themselves nor eat things that are harmful.  Moses defines the Sabbatical year as a time to cancel debts and extending care to the needy.  He concludes with a review of the three Pilgrimage Festivals of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

Here is just a taste of the Torah you can look forward to in the month ahead.  For the real thing, be sure to join us each Shabbat morning at 9 am for a lively discussion of the meaning and implications of the weekly portion.  All are welcome.  No previous experience required. 

July 2             Parashat Chukkat              Numbers 19:1-20:21

            This parasha presents the details concerning the ritual slaughter of the “red heifer.”  Miriam, Moses and Aaron’s sister, then dies at Kadesh.  Miriam has often been linked with water as the people wandered in the desert.  Immediately following Miriam’s death, the people complain that they have no water.  God explains to Moses that he needs to speak to the rock to bring forth water for the people.  (Previously, in Exodus, Moses was instructed to strike the rock.)  Moses is so frustrated with the constant complaining of the “rebels” that he strikes the rock instead.  Water comes out, but Moses pays the price for not keeping faith with God in the sight of the community.  As a result, Moses will not be allowed into the Land of Israel.  Aaron dies at Hor and his priestly authority is passed on to his son, Eleazar.  Along the way, the people complain some more and are attacked by snakes.  They also fight battles against different peoples.  In each battle, the Israelites are victorious conquering towns and acquiring large territories. 

July 9            Parashat Balak                               Numbers 22:2-38

               This week’s reading follows the Israelites on their journey to the Land of Israel, where, along the way, they encounter the nation of Moav.  Balak, the king, hires the prophet, Balaam, to curse the Children of Israel.  This parasha contains the famous story of Balaam and the talking donkey.  Instead of cursing the People of Israel, however, Balaam blesses them. A portion of that blessing remains as an opening prayer in the morning service, known as Ma Tovu.  Four oracles follow, and the parashah concludes with the story of idolatry at Baal Peor.                 

July 16                       Parashat Pinchas               Numbers 25:10-26:51

            Pinchas, who is the son of Elazar and the grandson of Aaron, is rewarded for his zeal by God.  From then on, it will be the offspring of Pinchas, the Zadokites, who will be in the priesthood.  The second census is taken to prepare for war with the Midianites and to apportion the land.  After this, the case of the daughters of Tzelophechad is pleaded and judgment rendered.  Moses goes up the mountain of Avarim to view the land and Joshua is appointed to succeed him.  The parasha concludes with the listing of all the public sacrifices offered on the holy days.

July 23                       Parashat Matot                    Numbers 30:2-31:54

            In Mattot, Moses speaks to the heads of the Israelite tribes about oaths.  The war against the Midianites occupies much of the first part, while in the latter half the tribes of Gad and Reuben negotiate to settle the east side of the Jordan as long as they participate in the conquest of the land. 

July 30                       Parshat Masei                     Numbers 33:1-49

            Masei recounts the 42 stops that comprise the Israelite’s trek in the wilderness.  The boundaries and divisions of the land of Canaan are detailed, complete with the Cities of Refuge.  This parasha concludes the Book of Numbers with laws of inheritance and the special case of the daughters of Tzelophechad.  Chazak, chazak v’nitchazek.  May we be strengthened by the study of Torah.

Here is just a taste of the Torah you can look forward to in the month ahead.  For the real thing, be sure to join us each Shabbat morning at 9 am for a lively discussion of the meaning and implications of the weekly portion.  All are welcome.  No previous experience required. 

June 4                                   Naso                          Numbers 4:21-5:10

            The census is concluded with a counting of various sub-groups of the Levite tribe–the Gershonites, Merarites and Kohathites–and a description of their work in the sanctuary.  Our text then details the three categories of impure persons who must be removed from the camp.  Moses explains how to seek forgiveness for wrongdoing and what to do in cases of suspected adultery.  The practices of the nazirite are repeated and the famous three-fold priestly blessing  (“May God bless you and keep you” etc.) is given.  The parasha concludes with descriptions of the gifts presented by the twelve chieftains of each tribe for the Tabernacle. 

June 11                                 Be’ha’alotecha                    Numbers 8:1-9:14

            This week we learn of the details concerning lighting the menorah and the purification of the priests.  The Torah also describes the celebration of the second Passover sacrifice for those who were unable to observe the first time around.  God’s signs, the cloud and the fire, lead the people during the day and night.  The people complain about the diet of manna now.  Moses asks God for help.  Moses is counseled to appoint 70 leaders to share in the burdens and the spirit of prophecy.  Miriam and Aaron criticize Moses.  Miriam is punished with a skin affliction.  Moses and Aaron plead on her behalf, “El na r’fah na la” (Oh, God, please heal her)  and she is cured.

June 18                                 Shelach Lecha                    Numbers 13:1-14:7

            This portion describes how Moses sent out 12 spies, one from each tribe, to scout out the Land of Israel.  Ten return and give a negative recommendation regarding entering the land.  Two, Joshua and Caleb, urge the people to go forward and settle the land.  Hearing the conflicting report, the people protest and call for a return to Egypt.  The people are told that, because of their lack of faith, they will die in the desert and not enter the land.  A final chapter of miscellaneous laws, ending with tzitzit, the fringes to be worn on the corner of garments to serve as reminders of the mitzvot, concludes this week’s reading.

June 25                                 Korach                                  Numbers 16:1-17:15

            In this week’s portion, we learn of the only real challenge to Moses’ and Aaron’s leadership.  They are confronted by Korach, another Levite, and his followers who accuse Moses and Aaron of taking too much power for themselves and of making themselves “holier” than the rest of the community.  Moses invites them to a “contest” where God will indicate who is God’s chosen and who is not.  The next morning many of the leaders of the rebellion and their followers are swallowed up by the earth or die by fire and plague.   The rest of the people then get angry at Moses and Aaron for bringing death upon them.  God then is furious at the people and Moses has to assuage God’s anger.  The portion ends with Moses organizing the priesthood, which will be headed by Aaron and his descendants for all time, as demonstrated through the miracle of Aaron‘s staff blooming with almond blossoms.

Here is just a taste of the Torah you can look forward to in the month ahead.  For the real thing, be sure to join us each Shabbat morning at 9 am for a lively discussion of the meaning and implications of the weekly portion.  All are welcome.  No previous experience required. 

May 7             Emor                                      Leviticus 21:1-22:16

            This Torah portion presents the laws regulating the lives of the priests, who officiated at the sanctuary and the sacrifices.  Certain donations are listed as acceptable for the sanctuary.  We are also reminded of the calendar of celebrations, including Shabbat, Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot.  The portion concludes with a series of laws dealing with profanity, murder, and the maiming of others–including the famous passage “an eye for an eye.”

May 14           Behar                                                 Leviticus 25:1-38

            Parashat Behar discusses the laws of the sabbatical year and the jubilee year.  Six years the people may till their fields, but the land must be given a Sabbath of complete rest on the seventh year and cannot be worked.  The jubilee year is to be celebrated every fifty years, when the land is to rest and liberty is granted to all Israelites enslaved during the previous forty-nine years.  Property acquired over the forty-nine years also reverts back to the original owner-families.

May 21           BeChukotai                          Leviticus 26:3-27:15

            Parashat Bechukotai expresses all the good things that will come to the people if they follow God’s ways and the misery that will result if they are not faithful.  The portion also includes a brief discussion of the payment of vows and gifts made to the sanctuary.  With this Torah portion, we conclude the Book of Leviticus.  Chazak, Chazak v’nitchazek (Let us be strengthened by our study of Torah)

May 28           Bemidbar                              Numbers 1:1-54 

            The fourth book of the Torah, Numbers, begins this week with Parashat Bemidbar, literally “in the wilderness.”   It is called “Numbers” in English because it begins with Moses taking a census of the Israelite population on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites departed from Egypt.  The Levites, who are responsible for the services in the sanctuary and don’t bear arms, are excluded from the census.  A separate census is also taken of the Kohathites, a sub-family of the Levites, who are responsible for the carrying of the sacred objects of the sanctuary.

Here is just a taste of the Torah you can look forward to in the month ahead.  For the real thing, be sure to join us each Shabbat morning at 9 am for a lively discussion of the meaning and implications of the weekly portion.  All are welcome.  No previous experience required. 

April 2             Tazria             Leviticus 12:1-13:39

            Parashat Tazria discusses the rituals of purification for a woman after childbirth and the methods for diagnosing and treating a variety of skin diseases. 

April 9             Metzora          Leviticus 14:1-32

            Parashat Metzora  continues the discussion of afflictions to the skin and the purification rituals for a person cured of them.  Attention is also given to the appearance and treatment of fungus or mildew in the home.

April 16          Acharei Mot   Leviticus 16:1-17:7                          Shabbat HaGadol

            Shabbat HaGadol (the Great Shabbat) is the Shabbat just prior to Passover and takes its name from the special Haftarah of Micah, which speaks of the great and awesome final redemption.  Even before we tell of our redemption from Egypt in the past, we look forward to the final redemption, which will be heralded by Elijah the prophet.    Purification is the main topic Acharei Mot.  Following the opening that recalls the death of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, which occurred a few weeks back, we hear descriptions of the rituals for the sin offerings that Aaron is to present in the Mishkan for himself and the people.  Yom Kippur is designated as the occasion for this elaborate ritual, which became known as the “scapegoat.”  At this ceremony, two goats are set aside.  The sins of the people are placed on one of the goats who then carries the sins into the wilderness.  The other goat is offered up to God as a sacrifice.  Chapter 17 begins what is known as the “holiness code” and introduces certain forbidden sexual relations which are inconsistent with holiness

April 23          The Shabbat of Pesach      Exodus 33:12-34:26

            This is a special reading for the holiday of Passover, taken from the portion called Ki Tisa, which discusses the three Pilgrimage Festivals, Sukkot, Passover and Shavuot.

April 30          Kedoshim                              Leviticus 19:1-37

            Kedoshim concerns itself with matters of holiness and lists those ritual and ethical laws that, if followed, will make the Jewish people a “holy” people.  The passages this week are punctuated by the refrain “You shall be holy, for I, the Eternal your God am holy.”  Probably the most famous verse from this portion is “Love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Eternal.”

            Here is just a taste of the Torah you can look forward to in the month ahead.  For the real thing, be sure to join us each Shabbat morning at 9 am for a lively discussion of the meaning and implications of the weekly portion.  All are welcome.  No previous experience required. 

March 5          Pikudei                      Exodus 38:21-39:21

            This is Shabbat Shekalim, the first of the four special Shabbatot which precede Pesach.  We read a special maftir that mentions the special half-shekel donation the Israelites made each year for the maintenance of the Temple.  It was read each year at this time as a reminder of this special obligation. 

            Our portion this week describes the records kept of all the work and materials used in the construction of the mishkan, the Tabernacle, as well as all the donations given by the Israelites.  When the mishkan is completed, Moses and the Israelites celebrate by anointing it.  God’s Presence fills the sanctuary and leads the people throughout their journeys.  With this Torah portion, the Book of Exodus comes to a close.  Chazak, Chazak v’nitchazek.  Be strong, be strong and let us be strengthened by one another.

March 12         VaYikra                    Leviticus 1:1-2:16

            The Book of Leviticus begins here with the Torah portion VaYikra, which describes the five different kinds of sacrifices to be offered in the sanctuary.  The sacrifices include: olah/burnt offering, minchah/meal offering, zevach shelamim/offering of well-being, chatat/sin offering, and asham/guilt offering.  The manner in which each offering is to be made is described in detail.

March 19         Tzav                          Leviticus 6:1-7:10

            The Torah portion Tzav expands on the various sacrificial offerings discussed last week.  Details are given as to how the offerings were performed.  The ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests and the dedication of the first sanctuary is also described.

March 26       Shemini                     Leviticus 9:1-10:11

            This Parasha challenges us with the strange death of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu.  Moses instructs Aaron and his sons regarding the offerings they are to bring to atone for sins they or the people may have committed.  Aaron follows the instructions very carefully, but Nadav and Avihu bring a “strange fire” of their own and are punished with death.  Moses tells Aaron and his others sons not to mourn for them.  The portion concludes with a listing of which foods are forbidden and which are permitted.

Date:          February 27
Location:  Congregation Bet Haverim

Date:          March 6
Location:  United Methodist Church of Davis

Time:          12:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Cost:          $35/pp includes lunch

For more information and to register go to – CPR day 2011