Beth El of Manhattan, Two-Testament Synagogue

The path of God-following offers us guidance at times seeming supremely wise, and at other times, outright folly. How shall we find our way forward with such polar opposites of possibility?

The ritual at the end of this Parasha ends with a statement of the impact of "doing what is 'yashar' in the sight of God." Yeshua our Messiah taught us often, saying, "The kingship/dom of God is like ..." followed by a parable to open up how God's reign "works" in the real world. We use these Scriptures and others to open the idea of seeking God's view of what is "yashar" in any given situation.

In this week;'s Torah parasha, "Re'eh" – are commanded to see. This by the God who made us capable of "scotoma" - the willful blanking out of relevant ideas and rational thought leading to healthy conclusions, and replacing them with ill-formed prejudices, gaslighting, and other unhealthy psycho-gymnastics. What is a human-being trying to find and walk in truth to do?

Parashat "Ekev" - a study in the nature of, and results from, hearing God, when He calls to each of us.

It is natural for human beings to seek comfort: relief from stress, or healing from harm. In this, as with all human appetites, we are prone to both accuracy and error. CAN genuine comfort be found? And if so, WHERE? What IS it? WHAT does it feel and look like? What placebos try to replace it? This week's parasha "V'Etchanen" and its Haftarah (from which the Shabbat's title, "Nachamu" derives) propel us to explore these ideas.

Essentially, this sermon is about living during season of history when shalom is in short supply. In an era of conflict, how do we, as believe ... live, and do more than just survive? How do we love, enjoy life, do meaningful work that brings us personal satisfaction ...? All these, during times of crisis or war? We explore.

This week's Haftarah shows how far into folly we humans can go when we invent "religion" from of our own ideas. How do we avoid falling into the traps of false religion, and end up with genuine "revelation" – knowledge or direction from On High?

The central concept in this week's parasha is rightful "zeal," as demonstrated by Pinchas ben Eliezer. We look this week at such zeal in modern Zionism - in Hemda Ben Yehuda, the 2nd wife of Eliezer ben Yehuda, and partner in the resurrection of the Hebrew language, whose unpublished autobiography of the life she and her husband lived for the sake of their work was, "The War With Satan" – clearly, not a tale of life in any kind of Disneyland. A tale of unflinching commitment. Zeal.

From the Haftarah for "Balak" (Micah 5:6-8) - a stunning portrait of Israel's sojourn in Exile, easy to read past because of the poetry within which it is expressed; and the uneasy subject of human jealousy as it influences Antisemitism and other behavior from ancient times up to the present day. We dive in - deep.

After our People lived 430 years next to the Nile River - a four thousand mile source of always-flowing fresh, drinkable water -God led us into a terrifying desert: "The Tzin Wilderness." It was a landscape appearing void of water, food, and safety. Then, Miriam the prophetess died, so our leadership team was down from 3 to 2. Our People were being tested to the limit of their endurance. What can we learn from the Torah's record of this season in our history? A great deal, indeed. Let's dig in.