One cool aspect (IMHO) of our annual torah reading cycle does not always align with our Jewish calendar, let alone the secular one.  What this means is that we often rotate parshiyot (torah portions) year to year as we approach each holiday.  The torah portion preceding Pesah one year might be the one three weeks before Pesah the following year.  This year, we begin Parshat Kedoshim before Pesah, but with the way the holiday falls, we take two weeks to complete the parsha.

Parshat Kedoshim deals with a myriad of laws, many of which do not seem to connect with one another.  We are instructed that we will be holy, like the Lord who is holy.  Then conceivably we are given ways to act/be holy.  “Fear your mother and father”, “thou shalt not wholly reap the corner of thy field”, and “Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling-block before the blind” are but a few of the laws mentioned in Kedoshim.  There is a peculiar juxtaposition found in Leviticus 19:26: You shall not eat with the blood; neither shall you practice divination nor soothsaying.  The verse makes a bit more sense when we realize this is a prohibition of all forms of Canaanite Customs. The first half of the verse “with the blood” refers to killing a beast and drinking its blood, with the spirits coming to partake of the blood which was their food.   The second and third statements, however, become very relevant to the sports fan.  “No divination” means no charms or incantations. No enchantment, magic and demonlogy. “No soothsaying” means no remarks like “We were lucky or unlucky.” That’s not to say that we can’t demonize to say have an “evil empire” or express how “lucky” we were to have the ball go just a bit foul.  However, as fans, we have to realize that “rally caps” and power sticks do not win baseball games.  Luck, does not win a game.  But when we sing and chant from the stands, when our players are inspired and get that extra jolt of adrenaline, when we chant so loud the opposing players can’t think straight, that is not luck.  The front office knows its not about luck.  If they felt strongly about enchantments, I’m pretty sure they’d be out of a job.

As we approach the holiday of Passover, I always think of my favorite melody for this time of year, in honor of a hero of mine, Nomar Garciaparra (Nomar, in particular, is a baseball man who prided himself on his superstitious warmup ritual prior to each at bat). The song goes, “V’nomar Lefanav Shira Chadasha”- basically, Let us sing a new song.  How great to sing this time of year- springtime, baseball time.  For years, it was an important message as a Red Sox fan- that this year will be different, this year we’ll write a different script, sing a new song.  If we sing this new song this year, maybe next year we’ll be in Jerusalem!!  It is precisely because we do not practice divination/soothsaying that we can hope for this all to ring true.  We know that it’s a partnership- that it is up to humanity to write the script.  For the Red Sox, their expectations might be a tad different this year- freedom from the bondage of untimely hitting, from the opposing taskmasters who literally and figuratively whip the team, and of course, the oppression of run support.  May their voices be heard on high, and may they at least beat the Yankees in the season series. Amen

Often coupled together, the parshiyot of Tazria and Metzora deal with the skin disease known as tza-ra-at.  The Rabbis regard tzara’at (leprosy) as divine punishment for slander or tale bearing (motzi shem ra).  To slander is to not be part of our community.  The Kohanim act as both spiritual guides and medical experts, diagnosing who is allowed to remain in the camp, and who must be quarantined.

The leprosy discussed in Tazria involves both the individual and their garments, while Metzora continues to deal with leprosy in the house itself (even going as far as to remove bricks from a home if they are found to have tzara’at).  Behind all of these sets of laws, is a separation, between pure and impure. There are consequences for speaking lashon hara (literally “evil tongue”).  However, Jewish law stipulates that once you are clean for a period of time, you can return to the fold.

This separation, of pure and impure, comes full circle in this week’s glance at the NCAA tournament. On one side, we have two coaches and programs on the rise. They are mid-major athletic programs with young leaders at the helm.  No one contends that their respective rides to the Final Four are in any way tarnished by misdeed.  They are teams built on pure shooting, pure grit, pure determination. Virginia Commonwealth University boasts more than 29k undergraduate students, but it isn’t support to be in the Final Four. Neither is its coach. Butler University, on the other hand, lost a 1st round draft pick from last year’s Cinderella run yet somehow made it back to the promised land.  While the two Cinderellas try to fit into one shoe, we have the other side of the bracket.  One coach begins his probation next year but can celebrate his two NCAA championships.  The other is making his 3rd appearance in the Final Four with his third different program, but his record so far is 0-0.  That’s because both programs came under scrutiny immediately after he departed.  The banners have been removed, the records do not exist.

One side pure, the other, maybe not so pure.  On one hand, Jewish law allows for the return of those who were deemed impure back into our midst.  While they may have been impure before, I hope and pray that this amazing tournament will have a pure champion.  I hope that the coaches and universities play by the rules, or else we might all go to quarantine.

In life, we all make sacrifices.  In ancient times, the Israelites, and more specifically the Priests, offered up sacrifices to the Lord.  I can only imagine what an awesome BBQ Jerusalem smelled like.  There were daily sacrifices, holiday sacrifices galore. Each had specific requirements- the animal used, how it was brought to the altar, how it was slaughtered, and of course, how it was eaten.

The offering of thanksgiving is referred to as “zevach todah”.  Accompanied by an offering of bread, the torah stipulates that this sacrifice in particular be eaten in one day.  No leftovers saved for day two, but one day.  Our rabbis interpret this to mean that the todah sacrifices signify an appreciation for a miraculous event.  When something amazing happens, the zevach todah is brought as an offering.  This is a special category of thanksgiving offering.  No benefit is derived, but rather it is pure appreciation for the miracles of everyday life.  Those who consumed the sacrifical offering did so in one day, rather than multiple days, because there is the potential for miracles each and every day.  Savor the tastes of the todah sacrifice because tomorrow a new miracle might take center stage.

As we approach March Madness, let us appreciate each and every moment that makes this tournament so special.  The miracle of the Cinderella team can be appreciated by player and fan alike, and we should give thanks every time out for the opportunities to witness such miracles.  For as the slipper begins to fit on one team’s foot, a new Cinderella appears and we are taken aboard their storyline.  Soak it all up, from the Aggies to the Zags.

Today marks the first of the month of Adar Sheini.  As with almost every Rosh Chodesh, we read four aliyot from the book of Numbers, Chapter 28.  These chapters specifically outline the public daily and festival offerings that took place in the sanctuary.

The Miami Heat, in the midst of another dry spell, need to take a look at this special reading.  It appears as if every month the team becomes complacent with their play.  While the team boasts three individuals who’ve achieved superstardom on their own, the young talents need a reminder to play within themselves and to put on a great performance each night.   Looking at this reading in particular, we find the only instance where we are instructed to repeat a verse in the Torah chanting itself.  THe first states, “And you shall say unto them: This is the offering made by fire which you shall bring unto the Lord: he lambs of the first year without blemish, two day by day, for a continual burnt offering.” Nothing crazily out of the ordinary, but given the context of our Miami Heat, it means so much more.  Our higher power is calling for a HEAT index.  If they want to get to the festive offerings, they must first acknowledge the importance of the daily offerings.   The Heat have to realize that these offerings might mean an overtime practice and workload.  These offerings, made by FIRE, are the center and core of our worship.

In Judaism, we are taught to reflect on the past to greater appreciate our future.  When we exclaim “chazak chazak v’nitchazeik”, be strong be strong and we will be strengthened, it is not an immediate turn-the-page moment to our next book of Moses.  In fact, its a calling to look where we’ve come from.  With the end of the regular season winding down, its important to recognize that seeding in the playoffs does matter, that strong team ball is important going into the playoff run.  If the Heat are to succeed, it will be because they realized the importance of making every game matter.  Then their dynasty might be crowned the Aish Tamid, the continual fire.  As our story states, “And the (Chris) Bosh was not consumed!”

The Mishkan (Tabernacle) was the portable prayer space the Israelites used for worship in the dessert.  The torah gives exact measurements for materials to be used, what should go inside it and where.  However, I always imagined the Mishkan to be something of a vehicle that the Israelites drove around.  Whether or not that meant wheels I’m not so sure, but it might easier to think of the Mishkan as not just any car, but a NASCAR racecar.

Here are some factoids taken from this week’s Parsha, Vayakheil:

a) Moses asked the Israelites to contribute all sorts of goods- blue, purple, scarlet and fine linen; ram’s skin died red, sealskins, goats hair. They all seem a bit random, but these are in effect not just donations but sponsorships.  The Israelites who donate these particular items are endorsing the product, aka the Mishkan.

b) The Mishkan, as we know from before, is a portable ark.  There are pit stops along the way, where “oil changes” take place quite literally (oil was used for anointing the light).

c) The tires (or those carrying the mishkan) would be rotated on occasion.

Yesterday I watched the Daytona 500, dvr-ed a few hours earlier so I could skip commercials and most of the boring moments. At the end of the day, Trevor Bayne, riding in his second nascar race ever, won the the Daytona 500.  Sponsors had yet to offer him a full year contract to drive for NASCAR.  Looking at his throwback #21 car, I know that the adornments on the car, while important, don’t win you the race.  The same goes for the Mishkan.  For in retrospect, while the Israelites gave an excessive amount of donations, the Mishkan would not function without the nuts and bolts assembled by its artisan Betzalel.  And what was the foundation on which the Mishkan was built? Wood.  How ironic, then, that the 20-yr old Bayne had a foundation of his own named Wood Brothers Racing.  For in NASCAR, as in life, its all about the team effort- the sponsorships, the endorsements, the nuts and bolts, the sure foundation.

Before this week’s Monday morning quarterback, a quick shout out to a lovely article about the Jewish history of the AFL.  A second shout out to Brad Wolff, who makes me wish there was blogging when I was growing up!!

The Babylonian Talmud, Baba Batra 12b states: “R. Johanan said: Since the Temple was destroyed, prophecy has been taken from prophets and given to fools and children.” Where does prophecy lie today, in a world filled with gambling on anything from Barack Obama’s tie color to the length of Christina Aguilera’s reconstructed/deconstructed national anthem?  If we are to find connections with the parsha and the world of sports, in most cases this must take place following the sports events in question, lest this site be used as a good luck charm for gambling.   That being said, lets take a look at this week’s torah portion in light of our superbowl outcome:

Tetzaveh talks for the most part about the vestments of the priests. Since I don’t remember clergy being invited to participate in the game, we must delve deeper to find the connections this week.  The head priest, of course, is Aaron, who represented the 12 tribes.  Aaron, #12. hmm….

The priests wore robes signifying their high rank as well as a breastplate to remind the priests of whom they represented.  As a side note, this image of long cape/robe and breastplate came to life in the form of the #1 Superbowl commerical this year.

“If we are to find connections with the parsha and the world of sports, in most cases this must take place following the sports events in question.” It is easy to make connections in the aftermath and say, “I knew that would happen” but much more difficult to find connections to the NFL in a text written long before Brett favre’s game’s streak began, long before Rooney’s rule or even Rabbi’s rule.  Lets look to next year to see why these connections are so difficult to make.

1) Rams.  In the parsha, we sacrifice Rams.  Looking at the schedule, the Rams have some tough opponents:

Home:

Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Away:

Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers

That’s a lot of options. The fact that two Rams are sacrificed means it may in fact be a divisional foe we are talking about.  We’ll see who stands up to the test.

2) Jason Priestley.  Star of 90210.  The original premise of the show had the Walsh family come to Los Angeles from Minneapolis, MN.  With no roof on their Metrodome, the Vikings could be looking to make a permanent trip to LA as well.

3) The TBD factor.  A lockout makes all of this utter nonsense.  The other major hurdle is the status of free-agent linebacker Keith Bulluck.  It was not only two rams that were sacrificed, but one young Bullock (Exodus 24:1).  If the Giants “sacrifice” Bulluck and let him go free, they become an instant title contender.

4) Colors.  The Priestly Team colors.  In describing the color palette for the priestly garments, we can see that a few colors emerge as favorites.  The robe as described before was woven from one kind of thread only; the color blue was the same as was found on the fringes (tzitzit).  In modern times, however, we are unclear where this dye came from.  If the color was more teal, the Jaguars might be thrilled at their chances next year.  Royal blue, honolulu blue, light blue, powder blue etc may give us a different favorite team for next season.  Thanks by the way to the website Colorwerx for information regarding all the team colors.

What about the other color favorites? Two other favorites are gold and purple. Sound familiar? The Vikings have less pressure without Favre, but then again are they the only gold and purple team? The Ravens fit the description as well! So how can we decide between Vikings and Ravens?  Ravens could sacrifice the Rams this season, but the Vikings are a team that has no roof over its head and is on its own exodus from Minnesota to the warmth of Los Angeles, a-la- Jason Priestley.

As you can see, it’s a lot easier to think of the parasha as “Aaron’s” and call it a day.  I know Mr. Rodgers would think you’re more in his neighborhood of thinking.  Plus he could never be convinced that somehow the Vikings are the Superbowl pick for this blogger.  Go Packers.

Camp Ramah taught me so much about Judaism and how to live and breathe it.  The camping movement also taught me what’s known as “Rega shel ivrit”- a moment of Hebrew.  Using bad puns, I’d like to give an example:

Person 1: Quick Quick, my hair’s on fire!

Person 2: Whatcha talkin about?

Person 1: Quick Quick, myhair’s on fire!

Quick, Maheir, Maheir, Quick. (Maheir means quick in Hebrew)

The puns can go on and on.  But in a weekend when all we get to watch in the football world is the Pro Bowl, I’d like to say that I just really miss my team- be it the Patriots or Jaguars. Hating most of the remaining teams this past weekend, I couldn’t bear to watch any of the games (though I did root for the Packers).  Instead, I practiced my torah reading for this week’s parsha, which discusses God’s ordinances.  I kept thinking, “I need to learn these ordinances, but really missmyteam though.” I really miss my team, but I need to learn these ordinances.  Ordinances, Mishpatim, Mishpatim, Ordinances.  What a rega shel ivrit!

Below is an excerpt from an email sent to the entire JJC community:

A note from Hazzan Jesse Holzer…

Over the past few years, our MJGDS choir has expanded its presence within our congregation and the community at large.  It is with great excitement that I share with you the news that we’ll be performing alongside the one and only Barry Manilow this upcoming Wednesday at the Jacksonville Arena.  What a giant leap forward! As co-director of our choir, along with Jeanine Hoff, MJGDS music teacher, I am thrilled at this rare and unique opportunity.  I hope to share this experience with you all.

Our 4th and 5th graders have been fantastic in learning about Barry Manilow and his music.  The song we will be performing with Mr. Manilow is called One Voice.  What Mr. Manilow may not know is that he will be forever linked to this Hazzan and his love for connections to the week’s torah portion.  In this week’s parsha, the Israelites receive a myriad of laws from Moses- the topics range from the pilgrimage festivals to polytheism to loans and pledges.  When all the laws are read, Exodus 24:7 has the pivotal line of “naaseh v’nishma”- we will do and we will obey, but this only can happen because of what is stated in verse 3: And Moses, came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the ordinances, and all the people answered in One Voice and said, “All the words which the Lord hath spoken we will do.”  This is the first time the nation speaks as One Voice. How appropriate it is that we can sing this song with a legend tomorrow night, during the week we read this liminal verse in our nation’s history.

I’m not a betting man, but if I was, I’d use this upcoming parasha as inspiration for my NFL playoff picks.  As we encounter the Israelite people in Parashat Beshalach, they are beginning their ultimate road journey- leaving the home they’ve inhabited for generations for a long road that will hopefully lead to the promised land.

Even on the surface, we see the power of the road team.  It’s not surprising, then, to discover that 3 out of the 4 road teams won their wild card matchup this weekend.  What might be surprising is that the one victorious home team was Seattle.  And so we return to the text, to dig deeper, in order to find our answers.

The Israelites crossed the split sea, the uprights if you would, following wit h a remarkable song and dance.  The song, known as Shirat Hayam (song of the sea), tells the story of triumph over the Egyptians who were unable to cross.  These Egyptians “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath He cast into the sea, and his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea,” the text exclaims.  Chariots led by horses, or COLTS, drowned.  Chariots ridden by chosen captains, CHIEFtains if you would, drowned.  This possibly alludes to losses by the Colts and Chiefs this past weekend.

That’s two games explained, but what about the SEAHAWKS? That’s easy- they wouldnt drown in the SEA if they are SEAHAWKS!!

The argument that the Eagles should have been victorious as well is muted by two factors- their coach and their opponent.  Often referred to as the Red Sea, the Sea of Reeds bears its name because it is filled with REED.  Andy Reed, coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, needed to drown in the Sea of Reeds- it was destiny foretold.  Reed and his Eagles also faced this year’s Superbowl sleeper, the Green Bay Packers- it sounds like the perfect nickname for the Israelites- packing only what could fit on their back, the Israelites began their journey on the road to the promised land.

There you have it.  All four games told in the prophecies of Parashat Beshalach.  As Shabbat Shira approaches, may we continue to find favorable metaphors from the torah to sing in our own lives.

This weekend the entire Jewish community mourns the loss of Debbie Friedman, a true matriarch of the American Jewish community, who reinvigorated synagogue music and worship services for over a generation. Zichronah L’vracha: May her memory be for a blessing always.