A Bima-Ready D’var Torah Every Week
12 Nisan 5779
Pesach Day 1/Shabbat
Protecting the Land
Torah Portion: Exodus 12:21-51; Numbers 28:19-25
Haftarah Portion: Joshua 3:5-7, 5:2-6:1, 6:27
Pesach Sameach!
"In a past that is now lost forever, there was a time when the land was sacred, and the Ancient Ones were as one with it. A time when only the children of the Great Spirit were here to light their fires in these places with no boundaries. When the forests were as thick as the fur of the winter bear, when a warrior could walk from horizon to horizon on the backs of the buffalo. When the deserts were in bloom, and the streams pure as freshly fallen snow. In that time, when there were only simple ways, I saw with my heart the conflicts to come. And whether it was to be for good or bad, what was certain was, that there would be change."
-Unknown Lakota Elder[i]
There are some things in life that are so beautiful that, once you see them, they last with you until your dying breath. They are the Great Lakes, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah, the Grand Canyon, the coasts of Maine and California, the plains of Texas, the dunes of North Carolina, and the glaciers of Alaska. These sights are so majestic that no words, painting, or photograph can do them justice. They humble and spellbound us, yet make us glad to be alive. Maybe it is in those moments, when we're actually there, that we can see why the Jewish artist Boris Schatz exclaimed, "Only through intimacy with nature could human beings learn the meaningless of luxury and thus set themselves free;" why Spinoza declared, "The power of nature is the power of God;" and Rabbi Steinbach passionately penned, "Let man who needs a scripture for his eyes peruse the star-built altars in the skies!"[ii]
In this holiday's haftarah reading, we come across a verse in which, standing at the outskirts of Jericho before battle, the Captain of Adonai's host (the archangel Michael according to Rashi) tells the Israelite leader, Joshua, "Remove your shoe from your foot; for the place upon which you stand is holy" (Joshua 5:15). God sets aside a patch of earth and sanctifies it, making it hallowed and precious. Joshua's act is a recognition that the land, by God's will, is revered and must be treated as such.
We, as Americans, are privileged as well to live on sacred ground of our own. As President Reagan once said, "I have always believed that this anointed land was set apart in an uncommon way, that a divine plan placed this great continent here between the oceans to be found by people from every corner of the earth who had a special love of faith and freedom."[iii] In other words, who we are is tied directly into the very soil, earth, and water themselves. If we torture our land, we degrade ourselves; if we protect our land, we hallow ourselves.
We, therefore, have a moral responsibility and duty to ensure and protect the sanctity of our land. How can we do this? We can have our Hebrew schools plant trees on Tu Bishvat, Yom HaShoah, Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Earth Day, Arbor Day, the 4th of July, and other milestones in our Jewish, American, and civic calendars. For b'nei mitz'vah and confirmation projects, we can teach our adolescent children how to build bat boxes, bird houses and feeders. Our synagogues can sell (reusable) cloth grocery bags with the synagogue's logos on them, both as a means to raise money and to cut down on our plastic bag dependence. Finally, our synagogues can hold recycling drives throughout the year. These efforts might seem small and insignificant by themselves, but when we combine our efforts, their impact is both palpable and unforgettable.
On this Pesach, one of the holiest times of our year, let us, like Joshua, not only be humbled by the sacred ground upon which we stand, but seek to honor and protect it.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Aaron A. Rozovsky
Director of Rabbinical Services
[i] The Real West (Documentary Series). The History Channel/Arts & Entertainment. Greystone Productions. 1992-1995.
[ii] Schwartz, L. W. Memoirs of My People: Through A Thousand Years. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society. 1943. 429; Spinoza, Baruch. Theologico-Political Treatise. Ch.16. 1670; Steinbach, Alexander. New York Times. May 2, 1954 (via Baron, Joseph. A Treasury of Jewish Quotations. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, Inc. 1985. 330.).
[iii] Reagan, Ronald. "Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamation". November 21, 1982 (courtesy New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/21/us/president-s-proclamation.html).
© 2019 Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life
"In a past that is now lost forever, there was a time when the land was sacred, and the Ancient Ones were as one with it. A time when only the children of the Great Spirit were here to light their fires in these places with no boundaries. When the forests were as thick as the fur of the winter bear, when a warrior could walk from horizon to horizon on the backs of the buffalo. When the deserts were in bloom, and the streams pure as freshly fallen snow. In that time, when there were only simple ways, I saw with my heart the conflicts to come. And whether it was to be for good or bad, what was certain was, that there would be change."
-Unknown Lakota Elder[i]
There are some things in life that are so beautiful that, once you see them, they last with you until your dying breath. They are the Great Lakes, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah, the Grand Canyon, the coasts of Maine and California, the plains of Texas, the dunes of North Carolina, and the glaciers of Alaska. These sights are so majestic that no words, painting, or photograph can do them justice. They humble and spellbound us, yet make us glad to be alive. Maybe it is in those moments, when we're actually there, that we can see why the Jewish artist Boris Schatz exclaimed, "Only through intimacy with nature could human beings learn the meaningless of luxury and thus set themselves free;" why Spinoza declared, "The power of nature is the power of God;" and Rabbi Steinbach passionately penned, "Let man who needs a scripture for his eyes peruse the star-built altars in the skies!"[ii]
In this holiday's haftarah reading, we come across a verse in which, standing at the outskirts of Jericho before battle, the Captain of Adonai's host (the archangel Michael according to Rashi) tells the Israelite leader, Joshua, "Remove your shoe from your foot; for the place upon which you stand is holy" (Joshua 5:15). God sets aside a patch of earth and sanctifies it, making it hallowed and precious. Joshua's act is a recognition that the land, by God's will, is revered and must be treated as such.
We, as Americans, are privileged as well to live on sacred ground of our own. As President Reagan once said, "I have always believed that this anointed land was set apart in an uncommon way, that a divine plan placed this great continent here between the oceans to be found by people from every corner of the earth who had a special love of faith and freedom."[iii] In other words, who we are is tied directly into the very soil, earth, and water themselves. If we torture our land, we degrade ourselves; if we protect our land, we hallow ourselves.
We, therefore, have a moral responsibility and duty to ensure and protect the sanctity of our land. How can we do this? We can have our Hebrew schools plant trees on Tu Bishvat, Yom HaShoah, Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Earth Day, Arbor Day, the 4th of July, and other milestones in our Jewish, American, and civic calendars. For b'nei mitz'vah and confirmation projects, we can teach our adolescent children how to build bat boxes, bird houses and feeders. Our synagogues can sell (reusable) cloth grocery bags with the synagogue's logos on them, both as a means to raise money and to cut down on our plastic bag dependence. Finally, our synagogues can hold recycling drives throughout the year. These efforts might seem small and insignificant by themselves, but when we combine our efforts, their impact is both palpable and unforgettable.
On this Pesach, one of the holiest times of our year, let us, like Joshua, not only be humbled by the sacred ground upon which we stand, but seek to honor and protect it.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Aaron A. Rozovsky
Director of Rabbinical Services
[i] The Real West (Documentary Series). The History Channel/Arts & Entertainment. Greystone Productions. 1992-1995.
[ii] Schwartz, L. W. Memoirs of My People: Through A Thousand Years. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society. 1943. 429; Spinoza, Baruch. Theologico-Political Treatise. Ch.16. 1670; Steinbach, Alexander. New York Times. May 2, 1954 (via Baron, Joseph. A Treasury of Jewish Quotations. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, Inc. 1985. 330.).
[iii] Reagan, Ronald. "Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamation". November 21, 1982 (courtesy New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/21/us/president-s-proclamation.html).
© 2019 Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life
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