Dash Of Drash

This was a Yom Kippur sermon offered as a response to contemporary antisemitism and reflecting on some of my recent journeys.

Recorded live at Camp Ramah in the Rockies, Rabbi Marc is joined by Rabbi Noah Farkas of Valley Beth Shalom in Los Angeles. They reflect on identity, leadership, unique personal gifts and so much more; all inspired by Parshat Hukkat (Numbers 19-22) and the experience of being up at camp.

The space beyond words is no words. Silence. We so need more of it in this chattering world. Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing down the Bones and many other books, teaches writing as spiritual practice. Natalie has been a Zen practitioner and teacher for many years and in this conversation, she reflects on her search to find silence in her own Jewish lineage and how everything is practice, watching the mind.

As well as the Season of Freedom, Passover is also known as the Festival of Spring, and spring is exploding with sensuality as the birds sing and the blossoms bloom and all of this is reflected in the liturgical themes of Pesach.

Communities can be complex because people are complex. It is so easy to judge, to dismiss, even to diagnose others when without the skills, knowledge or right to do so! The Torah readings of Tazria and Metzora (Leviticus chapters 12-15)speak of particular conditions, diseases, symptoms and part of the healing is that the Kohen, the Priest sees the person beyond their affliction. We are all imperfect and need to see each other beyond the blemishes.

Hazan Sabrina Sojourner is a spiritual leader, cantor, activist and writer based in Maryland. The Torah in Vayikra (Leviticus) brings the categories of "Tahor" and "Tamei" often translated as "pure" and "impure." They cannot really be translated and refer to states of being inside and outside. As a Jew of Color, Sabrina reflects on how these terms refer to those on the margins and those inside the camp and how, ultimately, we all belong.

The Zohar is the central work of Kabbalah, Jewish Mysticism and Professor Danny Matt spent 18 years translating it into English. He has also written about a dozen books on Kabbalah and taught all over the world as one of the most renowned scholars on the subject. Danny combines academic knowledge with deep and thoughtful spiritual wisdom and opens up this mystical world. He was a scholar in residence in Boulder and I had the privilege of spending some time with him and having this conversation about Kabbalah

On a writing retreat in Santa Fe with Natalie Goldberg and Rob Wilder, I learned a lot about writing as a spiritual practice and the importance of details. This applies to all forms of creativity, including the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle/Sanctuary) in the desert, which begins in this week's parsaha, Terumah (Exodus 25:1-27:19). What does it mean to create? With the help of Natalie Goldberg and the German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, we explore that question.

On a seven hour road trip from Telluride, Colorado to Taos, New Mexico, listening to The Power of Myth with Joseph Campbell in conversation with Bill Moyers, I downloaded some revelations on Revelation at Sinai. How does the power of that myth impact us past, present and future?

Joey Weisenberg is one of the most inspiring voices in the contemporary Jewish music world and is the director of Hadar's Rising Song Institute risingsong.org and author of The Torah of Music. In the week of Shabbat Shirah, the Shabbat of Song, recorded live from then Ohalah Conference, join this amazing conversation about the blues, Jewish music and so much more. As the Israelites cross over the sea on their journey to freedom, they joyfully sing the Song of the Sea and the spontaneous act of singing comes from the journey to liberation.

This conversation was recorded at a very special gathering of rabbis in Vail, Colorado called the Oneg Conference. I am joined by Rabbi Elyse Frishman, editor of Mishkan T'Filah, the Reform Movement's prayer book published in 2007. Reflecting on this week's Parsha, Bo (Exodus 10:1–13:16)we talk about hard and soft hearts, vulnerability and much more.

This week I have been a participant in Hadar Institute's "Singing Communities Intensive." 100s of people gathered together at B'nai Jeshurun in Manhattan to sing, teach, learn and listen led by Joey Weisenberg and other amazing teachers. Rabbi Aviva Richman, a teacher of Talmud at Hadar, integrates heart and song into her teaching and, as we begin The Book of Exodus, we discuss the role of music and song through chaos and into redemption.

The Book of Genesis ends again with Parshat Vayechi, which means "and he lived," but is actually talking about Jacob's death. It is the second parsha in Bereshit whose title refers to life, but tells of death, which invites us to see the life that comes out of death through legacy and memory. This also marks the second anniversary of Dash of Drash! Mazaltov

And Judah approached Joseph - vayifgash alav. These are the opening words of Parshat Vayigash (Genesis 44:18-47:27) and describe a profound moment of encounter that is not just about the intensity of this moment that leads to a breaking of a mask and a reconciliation, but any deep encounter that we have in our lives.

A selection of some spoken word poetry written over the last month in Alabama, Warsaw, Auschwitz, Krakow, Berlin and Prague. Even though the words reflect some darkness, they come with a blessing and hope of Hanukkah light as that festival approaches!

I have had the amazing gift of time in Warsaw, Krakow, Auschwitz, Berlin, Prague and Thereseinstadt in the last couple of weeks. Of course, I have seen absolute horror that defy the imagination, but I have also seen hope and renewal. In Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4-36:43), the Torah describes a reconciliation of Jacob and Esau, but the rabbis are not sure if it is really that.

I visited Auschwitz for the first time last week and am still processing that whole experience, which has left a lasting imprint on me. In Parshat Vayetze (Genesis 28:10 - 32:3), there are several references to HaMakom - the place, which can be any place where we are conscious. Jacob happens upon a "random place" and lays down his head and dreams of a ladder with angels ascending and descending. He awakes and says "manorah hamakom hazeh - how awesome is this place." After many years, wives, children later, he sets off on another journey and is accompanied by angels; they punctuate the journeys. Can angels exist even in Auschwitz?

I had a very powerful week in Montgomery and Birmingham, Alabama. I was part of a delegation of 35 rabbis and other Jewish leaders with T'ruah - A Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, visiting the Legacy Museum and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, both created by the Equal Justice Initiative. In Parshat Vayera in the Torah, we read the painful story of Akedat Yitzhak, the binding of Isaac. This episode reflects on how this morally problematic story mirrors contemporary issues of racial injustice.

The stories in Genesis are full of depth, mystery and profound lessons for each generation. Parshat Noah begins with the story of the catastrophic flood and ends with tale of The Tower of Babel. Michael Kagan, a friend and teacher in Jerusalem, shares some deep insights on this Babel story its comment on human civilization in a conversation with Rabbi Marc. Apologies if the sound quality is not as good as usual.

This week we begin the Torah over again with Bereshit, Genesis. Adam, the first human, was created on the sixth day, seemingly as the pinnacle of creation before the first Shabbat. The eternal question is whether the creation of humanity was a good thing or not.