Weekly Parsha- Noach

Weekly Parashah- Noach/Noah

“The earth became corrupt before God; the earth was filled with lawlessness. When God saw how corrupt the earth was, for all flesh had corrupted its ways on earth…” Gen. 6:11 &12.

I have read this Parsha for 34 years and I am still in awe of it. I am struck by the story, the lawlessness/violence of mankind that caused the flood. I am left to question: where are we/I today? Given our current state of affairs, one could say that this Pandemic has come to remind us of how much we are NOT in control of everything. It could remind us of the consequences of lawlessness or selfishness. So, I have to ask myself and you- how are we on the continuum of lawlessness and lawful? We are never in one or the other, this continuum is an ebb/flow constantly. I find myself being the subject of lawlessness and, at times, the perpetrator of same. Every human being is a both/and. There are no perfect people here and, rather than justify our lawlessness, it is important to acknowledge it and grow from it. When I yell/get passionate:) some people feel like violence is thrust upon them while others are propelled to action through my energy. Both are true and, rather than hate me for my passion, either absent yourself from me altogether, absent yourself when I am being passionate/yelling, or accept me for me and take what you can/need and leave the rest. Any and all of these options are valid.

Another way to understand these verses is that earth was going to ruin and God couldn’t stand to see God’s “partner” ruin God’s creation. Anyone who has created something can identify with God’s horror and sorrow. I know a parent who had to call the Police on her own daughter so she could be arrested rather than die on the street from being a junkie. I realize what it was like for my family when my life was going to ruin. What many of us don’t realize is that it is not just our live’s that are going to ruin, it is also the lives of all those around us, especially the ones we love and that love us. In addiction, the addict’s family is profoundly impacted and the addict doesn’t realize it. The same is true in families that are missatuned to each other. It is true in work places, religious institutions, classrooms, and in government also. I see the ruin that I bring to my daughter and my wife when I am not hearing them, when I am stuck in yesterday or tomorrow. I see how my going to ruin impacts my community, friends, etc. I really understand what Torah is warning us about. We have choice, God trusts us with Free Will and, rather than take it for granted or as an entitlement, we have to be responsible for it and to it as well as to all the people we interact with. We will never get it right all the time, this is another reason that God put T’Shuvah into the world. It is so important for us to not just look at the ways others are ruining life for themselves and us, we have to look at how we are also guilty so we can repair and change our path and connect with the hope that God gives us.

“…since the devisings of man’s mind are evil (negative) from his youth nor will I ever again destroy every living being as I have done. (Gen.8:21) I will establish My covenant with you…. I have set My bow in the clouds and is shall serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. (Gen.9:12,13)

Here is God’s T’Shuvah to Noah. God realizes God was wrong in destroying everything and God makes his T’Shuvah with a new plan and covenant. What I learn from this is that negativity/evil is not something we are born with. We are born with the Yetzer HaRa, which Rabbi Harold Kushner taught me means Earthly Inclination, and we need it. It is not something to be killed off or thrown away. It is a part of us. The first verse here is teaching us that we have choice as to how to use it. In our youth, either we learn how to use the Yetzer HaRa or it will use us. This is why our religious institutions have to change what they teach, how they teach and when they teach. Transforming and using the Yetzer HaRa to benefit ourselves and society is crucial to living well and most of us don’t learn this. Left to our own devices, we will start to use our Yetzer HaRa to ‘win’ and live in a ‘zero-sum’/either-or world rather than live in a ‘win-win, both-and’ world. It is a choice that God gives us, just as parents have to give their children the ability to make conchs. Torah is teaching us how to prepare children to make good choices that will help them live well: Learn Torah! Learning Torah from a young age will give us the foundation to make good choices and learning Torah means to live the principles and values. When we learn the Spiritual Values of Judaism, we are able to put them into practice. When we don’t learn them early, we form other values as I stated above. Winning is not the end/all be/all. In fact, winning at all costs is what this verse is speaking of, I believe. I think about all the times I allowed the negativity inside of me to rule me and how awful things turned out. Allowing the Yetzer HaRa to rule us (we can have this happen even though we do good deeds) begins in our youth/adolescence. This is why learning is so important. We cannot revere life if we don’t learn how to live well. Even though I had great role models and I went to Hebrew School, etc. I didn’t learn the spiritual values necessary to put their teachings into a good practice. I see this now in a way I never did. Was I taught them, certainly. Was I taught them in a way I could understand, relate to and live, not so much. Torah is teaching us to learn the values needed to rule our Yetzer HaRa and transform the energy to bring joy, goodness, creativity and love to everything we are engaged in. This is the reason I study each day and work hard to live Rabbi Heschel’s teaching more and more as well as Torah more and more each day. What are you studying to help you rule your Yetzer HaRa?

The last verse I chose is a reminder for me that God is on my side! Not like the Bob Dylan song says, not the way people use God’s name to justify their thoughts and ways, rather as God meant it to be. We have a Covenant and God knows we will violate it because we will forget it and we will let our Yetzer HaRa rule us. God is not going anywhere. I know many people speak of God being in TzimTzum, hiding, I just don’t agree with them. God is not going to intervene, otherwise how would we have free will? God knows we form negative paths in our youth, yet God is staying faithful to God’s Covenant. Our questions don’t need to be about God’s faithfulness, rather our own! How are we staying faithful to our Covenant with God? How are we/I remembering that God created the Earth, destroyed it once to show us what our lawlessness, our grab for absolute power does to us and others and gave us another opportunity. When I see all the opportunities that God has given me, I am in awe, and I am in debt. I have a way to repay the debt of my life, live well! How are you repaying the debt of life by living well? The Rainbow is, in my opinion, not for God to remember- it is for us to remember God’s Covenant and faithfulness to us. Each time I se the rainbow, I am relieved, in awe and owe a debt of gratitude that is repaid every time I do the next right thing. Every time I see the rainbow, I am reminded that there is something good I can do to repay God for all the bounty that I have in my life. This Shabbos, let us all look for ways to remind ourselves of the debt of decency, love, faithfulness, compassion and kindness we owe to God and practice these on/with other people. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Mark

Bereshit

 “In the beginning God created Heaven and Earth, the Earth being chaotic and empty”.

These two verses that being the Torah/Bible point to the rest of the story of Torah, Bible, Judaism, Religions and life. All beginnings emanate from God/Higher Power/Higher Consciousness/etc. All beginnings have within them higher purpose, utilitarian purpose and the possibility of being exploited for one person/one group’s gain. In immersing myself in these words of Torah, I am overcome with excitement, fear and trembling awe as well as Radical Amazement.

When do I notice new beginnings in my own life? This is coming to remind me and teach me to realize that each day is a new beginning and I get to choose which parts of me, Divine or Earthly, are in charge and most useful in this moment and accept that both my Divine and Earthly attributes are needed and can work together. This realization has kept me fresh for the past 32 years and now, it is reminding me to cultivate new beginnings and not be afraid of what was before and will never be again. I am realizing that much of my time lately has been in looking backward and trying to recapture something that just isn’t anymore. I am knowing that I have to protect myself against all enemies “inner and outer,” knowing that some people will protect themselves at my expense if they have to - not for sport as enemies will- for their own survival some people will ‘throw me under the bus’ - “Rabbi, it is just business” they say to themselves and me. I get it. Yet, if I let that permeate my today- then I am not beginning anew, I am stuck in old/yesterday. This year, this beginning has to start now. Each morning as I recite the Modeh Ani prayer, I will commit to a new beginning this day!

The second verse, “the Earth being Chaotic and empty” is so reassuring to me. The Chaos and emptiness that I and many others feel right now, in the midst of this Pandemic, is also part of beginnings. I/we keep forgetting that every beginning is difficult. Every beginning comes from the pain, chaos and emptiness of what was before it. Whether it is the creation stories as told here in the Bible, other creation stories from other traditions, the big bang theory, etc. all beginnings have pain, chaos and emptiness at their core. Nowhere in the Bible/Torah are we told that the Chaos and emptiness go away!! Our challenge is to live with the chaos and emptiness so that we can use them to enhance the new beginning, rather than sideline us from making a new beginning! According to Rashi, as we learned on Simchat Torah from Rabbi Igael Gurin Malous, ToHu also means astonishment. What a wonderful way of seeing chaos, unformedness, it is astonishing, not just empty. What is most astonishing to me is that God fills the chaos/unformed with nature, nurture, and all of us.

I would suggest that all true rebellions, rebellions toward something Divine and Earthly rather than just against something already established, rise out of the chaos and emptiness that is happening prior to these true rebellions. I believe in using the chaos and emptiness to enhance living rather than allow them to bring me down to a place of despair and paralyzing fear. This year, I commit to using Chaos and emptiness to enhance my living by helping me stay fresh, aware and anew.

“It is not good for Adam to be alone”.

This phrase that God speaks is the antithesis to the ideal of the “rugged American”, the “self-sufficient human”, etc. I am struck by how true it is and how much we all try to deny this truth. Again, as Rabbi Heschel says, “self-deception is a major disease”. I keep seeing myself in this phrase and wonder how I have deceived myself in this regard. I spent a long time looking for someone(s) to be with. In fact I gave up parts of me, values I held/hold to be with another(s) and I, once again, realize that it was all for naught. The first separation I/we experience is separation from God, our souls are part of the creative life-force in the universe. Acknowledging our need for connection doesn’t have to make us codependent and/or weak. Rather, it comes to help us strengthen our spiritual corpus colosseum. We are able to be in truth about our needs and desires as well as know that we can’t do it all and we are a part of the world and not the entire world.

So many people roam the world alone out of fear of being weak, being needy, being seen as lamb. In today’s climate, caring for the stranger, poor, orphan and widow is for suckers- ask Donald J Trump and his minions. Being connected means that life is no longer a zero-sum game, it is no longer a blame game, it is a way of being that enhances my soul and yours. It is a way of being that honors the dignity of everyone and everything. It is our way of connecting to God through connecting to others. We are not created to be alone, so lets connect more through love, laughter, study and zoom (for now anyway).

“Sin (negativity) couches at your door and it desires you much, you can be a master/leader of it.”

These words spoken to Cain are so relevant at this moment. All of us ‘give in’ to the sin/negativity that couches at our doors- the doors of our homes, the doors of our hearts, the doors of our soul, the doors of our relationships. It is hard to not be taken in by the desire that it has for us. We see this in our Political arena, in our communities, in our synagogues and institutions. We see this in our families and friendships. I/we am forgetful of the last part of the verse: “you can be a master/leader of it” at times. What Torah is saying to me, this year, is that I can use the power of the negativity/sin to do something good and great. I can use the power of all negativity to turn away from the desire and turn towards the desire to do good. I/we can use this power to stop being a victim and own my place in the world, community, family, etc. I/we can use this power to turn to God and to being one grain of sand better today than yesterday. We/I can use this power to stop hating and engaging in ‘zero-sum living’ and turn to both/and living, win-win, and finding ways to disagree with dignity. Cain, of course, could not do this, he had to kill his brother, Abel. We/I don’t have to follow his example, rather we can learn from it and turn to using our power to heal, help and care.

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Mark

March 26, 2020

“Prayer may not save us. But prayer may make us worthy of being saved. Prayer is not requesting. There is a partnership of God and man. God needs our help. I would define man as a divine need. God is in need of man.” This excerpt from Rabbi A J Heschel’s interview with Carl Stern in 1972 and in the book, “Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity” reminds us all of how much each of us matters! We have the opportunity to show ourselves and each other that we care for ourselves and others by social distancing, not listening to our LIAR IN CHIEF President and do what we can to help others. Prayer, as I understand prayer from Rabbi Heschel, causes us to take an action, to praise God for our ability to serve God and another human being. Prayer makes us worthy of being saved by the actions we take in response to the call of the prayers we recite.

Each and every prayer has a call to action to it, will you join me in the action of the Barchu- blessing God through our actions and being a worthy partner? Will you join me in the action of the Shema- hearing and understanding the call of our soul, the souls of another humans and being part of the Oneness that is God? I hope so, I pray so.

March 25, 2020

In his book, “Insecurity of Freedom”, Rabbi Heschel teaches: “ 

This, indeed, is the purpose of our religious traditions: to keep alive the higher Yes as well as the power of man to say, “Here I am”; to teach our minds to understand the true demand and to teach our conscience to be present. Too often we misunderstand the demand; too often the call goes forth, and history records our conscience as absent.”

Our religious traditions are not concerned with “packing the churches for Easter”, or Temples for Shabbat or Passover. What is the higher Yes today? It is to serve by following the advice/wisdom of the experts/Doctors. It is helping those around us by being kinder and less resentful. It is to say Yes to our powerless over Coronavirus and Yes to our ability to control our panic, our fear, saying Here I am by shopping for those who can’t get out of their homes, calling the people we know, Skyping, FaceTiming, Zooming, Google Hangouts, etc., thanking the workers who show up to work so we can get what we need, the healthcare workers who keep showing up to help others. 

Maybe the silver lining here is our renewed awareness of the power and necessity of kindness and our shared humanity. No one is an island and all the money in the world is not a protection against this pandemic. Like addiction, pandemics know no boundaries. We do, however, have the ability to draw a boundary around our arrogance, our anger and our self-centeredness. We also can extend our boundaries of love, care, kindness, compassion, truth and love. Will you join me in say YES and Here I Am?

March 24, 2020

“ I am afraid of people who are never embarrassed at their own pettiness, prejudices, envy and conceit...” These words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel from his lecture/book “Who Is Man” are ringing in my soul and making me angry, reflective, and concerned. I am angry at a President who is NEVER embarrassed by his own actions nor the actions of those around him- who has made a career and fortune from extolling his own pettiness, prejudices, envy and conceit! I reflect on myself and see how embarrassed I have been when I have acted in these ways and vow to act these ways a lot less. I am concerned for all of us who are and are not embarrassed by these ways of being. For those who are, I hope you can see how you do it less each day. For those of you who are not embarrassed by these ways of being I am concerned for your souls and send you Divine Pathos, Divine concern to help you realize your errors and together we can move forward from this crisis and into a better state of beingness.

March 24, 2020

The birds are wondering where are all the crazy humans- they were making a lot of noise because they miss us?:)

March 23, 2020

March 22, 2020

“Something Sacred is at stake in every event”. These words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel remind me that no matter what is happening with COVID-19, life carries on and there is holiness, love, kindness and, as Rabbi Harold Shulweis would say, Godliness at stake in life today as much if not more than 3 weeks ago. Staying in touch with loved ones and unloved ones is important because even the unloved ones matter!

I was on a Zoom meeting with family about an hour ago for my Mother’s (Mildred Borovitz) Yahrzeit (anniversary of her death). It was wonderful seeing my siblings, my daughter, grandson, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. We told stories and laughed at and with our Millie. She was one of a kind and I spoke about her love for others and how others loved her. Memory was/is sacred to me today and everyday. Memory allows me/us to cherish what is important, connection and kindness, wholeness and love, truth and spirit.
This is what my mother, father, aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings, daughter, grandson, nieces, nephews, cousins, friends give to me each day and I, give to them. I send all this to those who don’t like me so much and to those with whom I disagree. Lets all send the sacred to each and every person we know so Holiness can change them, us and the world.

March 21, 2020

Nature is moving forward during this stay at home time- maybe we can all learn from nature to not be so predatory, find ways to move forward, live in awe and remember that nature doesn’t go against itself, as my teacher Rabbi Ed Feinstein taught me. So why do we humans go against our better nature and the better nature of another? Let us all be in this moment, be in the solution for what is right now and continue to take personal inventory and do T’Shuvah- move at least one grain of sand forward each day. This is for our Government, our businesses, our communities, our families and ourselves. All of these entities moving one grain of sand each will move us closer to a cure, closer to dealing with the emergency and closer to each other.

March 20, 2020

Since we have been “staying at home” for days now, the Governor’s order is not giving me any more anxiety! I am reading from Rabbi Heschel’s “Who is Man” about embarrassment. Rabbi Heschel says that embarrassment is a response and an awareness as well as a “protection against the outburst of the inner evils, against arrogance, hybris, self-deification.” I love this- because it reminds me that I have to be so aware of my own hybris- I don’t know everything and this pandemic is teaching me/us how little we know at times. It also points up my/our powerlessness. Being embarrassed allows me to have control over me, however. I can control my response, I don’t have to blame anyone for this pandemic- only be in the solution. Unfortunately, our President wants to blame and not take responsiblity. Because Trump and his minions are NOT embarrassed about anything- they are “certain of their own wisdom” which is scary to me- because they are incapable to learn and/or be wrong.

We, however, can be embarrassed! We can protect ourselves from these inner evils by remembering WE ALL MATTER! Controlling our response means that we be of service to each other, we help our family and friends and strangers. We can Skype, Zoom, FaceTime, call, text, email and wave to people all day and every day. Being in the solution means practicing safe practices, no touching, social distancing, covering up and washing our hands often. We can volunteer to help those around us who are shut in- we can stop hating and hold people responsible to BE HUMAN.

Tonight is Shabbat, I propose getting together virtually with those we want to. I think we should look at the Parashah with hope because at the end of the Parashah, God’s presence fills the Mishkan. Our challenge and our joy comes from allowing God’s presence to fill us! Shabbat Shalom.

March 19, 2020

Less anxiety today also- as the news is still uneven about what is happening and what is needed to mitigate this deadly disease- we are in Palm Desert in our house here and the sense of happy and secure that I experience here makes me less anxious. Harriet and I have been talking about who we are without work, hanging out with friends, family, etc. I deeply understand Rabbi Heschel’s teaching about despair. In her book, “Essential Writings”, Dr. Susannah Heschel has a piece from an unpublished manuscript of her father’s, speaking of arriving at the gate of the seventies of the 20th Century says: “The supreme question is: How does the road sign read: Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Or: To despair is to betray; at the end His mercy will prevail”.

Abandoning all hope is easy and allows us to be victims without responsibility. Unfortunately this has become a theme of blaming others and not taking responsibility for what is happening - from the tops of our government to our kids at home. Rabbi Heschel teaches us that “in a free society, some are guilty all are responsible” We all need to take responsibility for ourselves and for those around us and for “the stranger in our midst” as the Torah tells us.

How can we despair?? I ask myself. The Jewish people have been on the brink of extinction forever, yet we have persevered and we are resilient. We can look to our history and find the heroes are all regular people, Jewish History, American History and World History. We all can be heroic by not despairing and keeping hope alive- will you join me in this endeavor?

March 18, 2020

Less anxiety today- no “reason” just faith. The outpouring of comments and the connections we have made over these years keep Harriet and me strong and hopeful (well I am hopeful😉). I am thinking:
Rabbi Heschel teaches us “Do not Despair” which seems really difficult with all of the news that is coming our way. Yet, what does despair get us... more despair and depression - which will help NO ONE. People of faith can use the strength of God/Allah/Jesus/Buddah/etc to find solutions to our current situation and how to rebuild. Jewish history is replete with disasters that we have returned from. T’Shuvah as return and response will get us through this with love, compassion, kindness and care.
Reaching out by phone, email, text, zoom, FaceTime, etc. is one solution. Making sure that people who need supplies that we can get for them or have extras of is another solution. This is a time for creating not for despairing. Rabbi Heschel’s words have never been more important in my lifetime than they are now. Please join me in creating solutions and ways of being hopeful and helpful. Add your comments here, please. Stay safe, healthy, hopeful and connected.

March 17, 2020

As I sit in self-quarantine I am struck with all types of thoughts and anxieties. What is the question that this virus is the answer to? Maybe it is to teach all of us how important connection really is. Maybe it is to help us understand that the policies of hatred, zero sum, either/or., good guys/bad guys, etc. is ridiculous. What faith one is is less important than being a person of faith. Understanding that there are many paths to the Ineffable One and all paths are compatible with kindness, truth, mercy, love and compassion for everyone- not just those who agree with us/are members of our tribe.

I am anxious about contracting the Coronavirus, I am anxious about losing connection with community, I am anxious about other addicts losing connection to their communities. I am anxious about what isolation and social distancing is doing to our sense of caring for and about each other. I am anxious about what’s next and what does the future look like. I am anxious about hoarding and scarcity.

My solace comes in connection to my wife, Harriet Nadell Rossetto, my daughter, Heather Garrett, my grandson, Miles Stuart Garrett, my family, Neal Borovitz, Sheri Borovitz-Linda, Jeremy Borovitz, Abby Borovitz Friedman, Jessica Linda, Rachel Walentik, Josh Matthew Linda, Jeff Borovitz, Marina Chiaramonte, Catarina Chiaramonte, and all of you.
Thank you for your years of love and friendship