Clothes And The Man: Tzav.18

Clothes And The Man

D’var Torah for Parashat Tzav

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

March 23, 2018

In the excellent 1981 movie “Raiders Of The Lost Ark,” as the Nazi-sympathizing archeologist Rene Belloq prepares to open the Ark of the Covenant, he puts on priestly robes and intones an ancient prayer.  Of course, we know what happens next.  Suffice it to say that Indiana Jones’s last-minute warning to Marion to shut her eyes tight saves them both from a general meltdown.

The scene is both exciting and ironic.  We ALL want to know what’s inside that Ark.  According to ancient Jewish tradition, the contents consist of the two sets of stone tablets—the Ten Commandments—brought down by Moses from his encounter with God on top of Mount Sinai: the set he broke upon seeing the Israelites worshipping the Golden Calf, and the set he then had to recreate, all while fasting for forty days and forty nights.  In the movie, opening the Ark releases some wild spirit—presumably a wrathful form of the shechinah, God’s presence on Earth, usually protective and compassionate, though obviously given to extreme and vengeful wrath when angered.

How ironic that an anti-Semite would don an exact replica of the Priestly Robes, described in detail in the second book of the Torah, Exodus, and worn for the first time in this week’s portion, Tzav (“Command,” Leviticus 6:1—8:36).  Even more ironic is that Belloq would chant a prayer that isn’t found among the Torah’s detailed instructions.  The Aramaic language of this prayer indicates that it comes from around the 1^st-3rd century of the Common Era.  How would Belloq even know this prayer, which is chanted when Aron Ha-kodesh, the Holy Ark, is opened and its sacred contents, the Torah scroll, is taken out on Shabbat mornings and festivals?

But never mind that detail; for those who don’t know, it’s just so much mumbo-jumbo that one would expect at such a moment, when a fool tries to meddle with something that’s way beyond his understanding.  For those who do know, however, it’s a bit of sly Hollywood humor, entertainment at its finest.

Rather than this prayer, however, tonight I would like to focus on the clothing that Belloq puts on for the occasion, a costume patterned after the priestly robes that Aaron and his sons are instructed to wear when they offer sacrifices at the Temple.

Created of rare and expensive materials, intricately woven and richly decorated, the priestly clothing included linen trousers with a fitting belt, designed for both comfort and modesty.  On his head, the Priest wore a turban to which was attached a golden diadem inscribed with the Hebrew words, “Holy to God.” Covering his body were a tunic, a robe, and finally a billboard-like vest on which was fitted the mysterious, precious-stone-embedded Urim and Thumim, used by the priest for future-telling. 

Now, three thousand years later, in his super-secret hideout, Belloq has tied up Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood. Garbed in pseudo-priestly vestments, he prepares to open the Ark, not knowing the deadly force he was about to unleash.

Though an archeologist by training, Belloq must have slept through history class.  As an expert in Middle Eastern archeology, he should have known that only one person in the entire world was qualified to approach the Ark, let alone see its content.  And that person was the High Priest, a direct blood-descendant of Aaron, Moses’s brother and the first High Priest of Israel.  Belloq should have known that there was a time when non-descendants usurped the throne of the Priesthood. These were the Hasmonean kings, descendants of the Maccabees, and what they did turned out very badly in the end: Their action resulted in the fall of the Judean Kingdom and its takeover by the Roman Empire.

But Belloq made yet another mistake, a much more common one, namely taking a passage from the Torah and applying it, out of context, to his own purpose and end.  If he had bothered to read the rest of this portion, he would have known that it wasn’t the clothes that made the priest holy.  The sacred vestments were only part of a larger whole:  Through a splendid ritual held in full view of all the Israelites, the High Priest, his clothing, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar along with all its vessels and tools, were all simultaneously sanctified and ordained for the Sacred Service.  Misusing the ritual for his own selfish gain was a transgression for which Belloq was bound to pay dearly.

History is filled with people using—or abusing—religion to suit their own needs.  Where facts or text did not suit them, they forbade or burned the offending volumes.  In fact, for nearly a thousand years, the Bible itself was blacklisted; reading or translating it were strictly banned.  During the aptly named Dark Ages, merely owning a copy of either the Old or New Testament was a crime punishable by burning at the stake.

Even today one doesn’t have to go to the movies to see Scriptures misused and misinterpreted. Bible-quoting bigots defend their suppression of women, gays, people of color, and even of the original authors of the Bible, the Jews, by emptying whole sections of Scriptures of their original meaning and purpose, and then filling them with narrow-minded prejudice and ignorance.

It wasn’t his clothing that made the High Priest holy.  It was his duties.  The writing on his tiara, “Holy to God,” reminded the priest of the many rules that regulated his conduct and behavior.  The gems embedded in the Urim and Thumim were inscribed with the names of the tribes of Israel, to remind him of whom he represented when he approached the Ark of the Covenant. It wasn’t the Priest’s clothing that protected him from God’s wrath—it was his love for his people, his desire to serve them, his unselfish willingness to face danger and even death while carrying out his sacred duties and obligations. 

Holiness, we learn from this portion, isn’t in how we clothe ourselves.  It isn’t in the pomp and circumstance with which we surround ourselves. It’s in how we fulfill our purpose, the Divine purpose embedded within each of us, to make the world better; to make life better; to ease the pain and sorrow of the people who entrust their prayers and hopes to our listening ear, our willing heart, and our outstretched hand.

May we all become—in the words of Moses and the Torah—a nation of priests, all holy, all sanctified by how we fulfill our calling and the sacred tasks we take upon ourselves.

© 2018 by Boaz D. Heilman

AIPAC And Me.2018

AIPAC And Me

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

March 16, 2018

As many of you know, I was at the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. last week.  Tonight I would like to share some of my impressions with you.

AIPAC has always been there to provide me and other supporters of Israel with a boost in morale.  There is strength in numbers, and nothing beats the feeling you get when 18,000 people stand up as one to cheer a common cause.

This year’s conference, though maybe somewhat more low-keyed than in previous years, still had that effect on me. There was Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, who again received the most thunderous applause and the most number of standing ovations, competing only with Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, who, in the face of worldwide criticism and corruption charges at home, gave the speech of his lifetime and career.  Senators Chuck Schumer and Bob Menendez gave rousing speeches promising their ongoing support for Israel, and Vice President Mike Pence represented the current administration and reminded everyone—again, to thunderous applause—of the plans to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  And though several heads of state from Latin America and Africa expressed their solidarity with Israel as well, that was pretty much the extent of the political speeches.

Still, through armchair interviews, panel discussions and through video as well as live presentations, the message of AIPAC came through loud and clear: First, Israel is, thank God, strong.  It has many friends, and it is bracing through the storm.  As it has been for longer than its existence as a state (70 years this May), Israel today is still facing existential threats.  However, it is also involved in more business, political, technological and philanthropic work around the world than ever before.  But the work is never finished; now more than ever, Israel needs to educate and prepare the next generation to pick up and continue the important work of persistence and survival.

Israel’s security issues come from all directions.  In the north, in Lebanon, Hezbollah has something like 150,000 missiles pointed at the Jewish state.  In Syria, the ongoing battles have resulted in a spillover of mortar and missile onto the Golan Heights.  More worrying, however, are the ongoing threats that come daily from Teheran.  Iran’s ongoing work on nuclear centrifuges as well as on developing ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads is of utmost concern.  Equally disturbing is its increased presence in Syria. Iran is currently building military bases and supplying technology and firepower to both Assad and his allies, including Hezbollah.  Turkey and Russia are also involved in the bloody and tragic mess that Syria is today. Netanyahu and Putin, however, have a close relationship, and as Moscow continues to entrench its presence in the Middle East, their ongoing dialogue is both critical and essential. 

Hamas still controls Gaza and still vies for political viability and prominence both in Gaza and in the West Bank, where it has set up political and military cells that challenge Mahmoud Abbas, the ailing president of the Palestinian Authority. Further west, in the Sinai Peninsula, ISIS has made a reappearance, establishing an active and dangerous base in a no-man’s land wilderness.

From Israel’s perspective at least, BDS—the anti-Israel boycott, divest and sanction movement—though annoying, is of smaller significance than it seems to be in the United States, the United Nations and the European Union. In fact, Israel’s business and diplomatic outreach has actually been expanding to a far greater extent than ever, and Ambassador Nikki Haley has been doing a tremendous job defending Israel from its many bullies and detractors in the United Nations.

Thanks to the powerful IDF, Israel’s Defense Force, and thanks to the ongoing support of the Israel’s chief ally, the U.S., Israel is geared to defend itself on all fronts. Constantly being tested keeps its defenders sharp and ready for anything, though in this part of the world the unexpected can always—and should always—be expected.

It’s never short of amazing to see Israel’s technological breakthroughs.  We have almost gotten used to Iron Dome, the anti-missile defense system developed by Israel and used successfully during the Gaza war of 2014; but it was heartening at this point also to be informed of new methods to detect and destroy tunnels dug and used by Hamas to attack targets deep inside Israel.  

Other innovations unveiled at this year’s AIPAC conference include StemRad, which provides protection from gamma radiation.  Used in medicine as well as space exploration, StemRad was developed in Israel following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan seven years ago, which saw first responders going into the damaged reactor with little or no protection from the poisonous radiation.

Edgy Bees is a system that uses drones to locate with exact precision and provide prompt emergency aid to people stranded in floods, fires, hurricanes and other disasters.

Also using drones is CropX, a hi-tech agricultural innovation that measures soil moisture and temperature to determine the rate and amount of irrigation needed to produce maximum crops.  Collected data is sent from the soil itself, into the virtual Cloud, where it can be accessed from any stationary or mobile device.

Israel’s philanthropic work all over the world should not be news to anyone at this point.  Aid missions following recent earthquakes in Mexico saw field hospitals set up and health workers hard at work saving lives night and day.  Israeli doctors and hospitals also offer help on a daily basis to Syrian men, women and children injured in the bloody warfare in that part of the world.  Most recently, Israel sent an entire team of social and psychiatric workers to Parkland, Florida, site of the tragic high school shooting that took the lives of 17 students and teachers.

In Africa, a continent that has for too long been neglected, abused and raped by world powers, the work of MASHAV cannot be overstated. MASHAV is an organization set up by Israel’s Foreign Ministry with the goals of empowering, teaching and training third world countries in their efforts to achieve sustainable social, agricultural and technological development. (By the way, Yossef Abramowitz, husband of past-TBI-Rabbi Susan Silverman, is active in this organization, as well as with a company called Energiya Global, which develops solar projects worldwide, with the goal of providing clean electricity for 50 million people by 2020).

Education has always been a key part of AIPAC’s mission.  Ignorance breeds fear, and fear breeds prejudice and hatred.  And so, as one of the most important aspects of its work, AIPAC arranges for every newly elected United States senator and Congress member, as well as for members of various ethnic and religious groups, to go on fact-finding trips to Israel to learn first hand about a complex situation that few understand, yet so many are willing argue and fight about. 

AIPAC does not spread propaganda.  Its work is done through education.  AIPAC is nonpartisan; its policy is to be inclusive for all people, regardless of gender, color, faith, nationality, political affiliation and age.  Among the thousands who attended the AIPAC Policy Conference this year were 4,000 high school and college students. In addition, many families brought their children, of all ages, with them.  Seeing all these young and eager faces was terrific.  The younger generation is, after all, our future.  Their participation and work on behalf of Israel and the Jewish People is of vital importance to Jewish continuity.  AIPAC understands that and works hard to make sure that its important work will continue well into the next decade and beyond. 

The Jewish People stands alone and unique in the world.  Since it first appeared, 3600 years ago, it has withstood prejudice and stigmatization.  It has survived attack and persecution in every age and every part of the world.  Its survival in spite of all has never ceased to amaze and astound. Its tenacity is due to many reasons—not the least being the sense of mission it took upon itself and maintained through the centuries. The values we have taught and shared include democracy; improved quality of life; and progressive ideals for people of color, gender diversity, culture, knowledge and education.

It is for these reasons that I am such a strong advocate for AIPAC. I believe in making the world a better place, and in AIPAC I find thousands like me, people who share my views, goals and methodology. AIPAC inspires me, strengthens me and restores my dedication to a cause that I believe is both sacred and attainable.  I believe that together, AIPAC and I CAN make a difference in the world.  That, after all, has been the goal of the Jewish People, from time immemorial and into the infinite future.  I invite you to join me next year, at the AIPAC Policy Conference 2019.

© 2018 by Boaz D. Heilman