As I’ve mentioned before, I teach a 4th grade Religious School class for a Reform Temple on the Upper West Side. Since I started, I’ve realized that I view all of Jewish life through the lens of, “How can I make my 4th graders care about this?” I feel an absolutely desperate desire to make the students in my class feel any sort of strong feelings about their Judaism. Before I started this, when I was experiencing Jewish holidays, I just needed to make sure *I* connected to it, but now it’s a different level.
I also understand this is how *any* educator feels about their students — “How do I transmit this effectively?”
This idea connects both to this week’s parsha and to the holiday of Pesach (Passover) that starts this Saturday. So this week’s parsha is Tzav, where we learn more about the korbanot (sacrifices) in the Mishkan in the desert. Something mentioned earlier in the parsha is the command that the fire on the altar should be kept burning always, an Esh Tamid - אש תמיד (eternal fire). Not to be confused, of course, with the Ner Tamid - נר תמיד (eternal light), the light that is to kept burning in front of the Aron HaKodesh, the Holy Ark in the Beit HaMikdash (the Holy Temple). The fact that there are 2 different eternal flames that must be differentiated emphasizes the point I’m making — why can’t we can’t stop talking about continuity?
Something I listened to in the beginning of writing my weekly emails was a podcast produced by Tablet magazine, called Parsha in Progress. It ran until this past year every-other-week, hosted by a secular Jewish writer named Abigail Pogrebin and the president of the Open Orthodox yeshiva, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, Rabbi Dov Linzer. The whole premise is “two different Jews talking about the same Torah,” which is a truly fantastic premise.
The Parsha in Progress episode about this week’s parsha, Tzav, from last year (2020 / 5780), focuses on the idea of the Esh Tamid in the context of sacrifices. Abigail mentions that the message she takes from the Esh Tamid is that Jewish continuity is a huge deal. That our existence, like the Esh Tamid, is something that should be cared for and kept alight. While he agrees that the sentiment is important, Rabbi Linzer doesn’t agree that it should be so central. He explains that continuity for continuity’s sake doesn’t do anything for him. Continuity because Judaism is a beautiful, meaningful way to live your life is something else. The message of their short conversation is: continuity for continuity’s sake isn’t enough.
Pesach (Passover) begins this coming Saturday night. Pesach is when we celebrate our Exodus from Egypt, or Yetziat Mitzrayim, after over 200 years of slavery. The central events in our modern-day Pesach are the 2 seders (ordered meals) that take place on the first 2 nights of the holiday (or only 1 seder on 1 night if you live in Israel).
For full text, email me at shirajkaplan@gmail.com or join my email list here.
opening theme: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed
