Vayera 5785

This past Wednesday I had the opportunity to spend part of the morning with one of the high school classes at the Waterford Country Day School. The students in this theology class were interested in learning more about certain aspects of Judaism. I began with show and tell, exhibiting and then sharing with them the meaning and use of a kippah, a tallit, a siddur and a chumash. Their teachers were also quite interested in these items. They were aware of some of these religious and ritual items, but had never seen them up close. 

I then brought out the small Torah that I received as a gift when I was ten years old from my Aunt Faye, who brought it back for me from Israel. While it is not a kosher Torah, I used to use it to practice my Torah reading in preparation for reading the actual Torah at my day school/yeshiva’s junior congregation prior to my bar mitzvah. The students were in awe, and were so excited to be able to see with their own eyes how the Torah actually looks. Needless to say, they were shocked to find out that there are no vowels as part of the Hebrew alphabet and then gazed with amazement as I opened the Lev Shalem Siddur and showed them the vowels that we use to read Hebrew. 

They had several questions. One was related to the Creation story in the Old Testament versus how we viewed it in our tradition in the Torah. At that moment Rabbi Sternberg, who had accidentally been double-booked with me, arrived and so I had him field the question. I then shared with them that they are simply reading a translation that is a commentary on the original Hebrew, and the different translations reflect the different influences of the rabbis and the Church fathers. However, if one really wants to know what the text is actually saying, one needs to be versed in Hebrew. 

One of their questions was related to ritual circumcision. I shared with them that strange as it may seem, their question is found in our Torah reading for this Shabbat. Rabbi Sternberg began explaining to them that the commandment is one that creates a covenant between G-d and Abraham and future generations. It is called a brit, a covenant. 

In our previous week’s reading we find that Abraham had circumcised himself, as directed by God. The concept is one of creating that covenant with God. 

If we look at this week’s reading, Abraham will do the same with Isaac as an infant, and we do the same in every generation. What I chose not to explain to them is why the brit involved removing the foreskin, or shall I say why that was the place in the body as to where the brit is required. 

What is that reason? In next week’s Torah reading, Abraham will send his chief servant Eliezer back to the land of Haran to find a wife for Isaac. Abraham demands that Eliezer only seek out and find a wife for Isaac from the land of Haran and not from the land of Canaan where they now dwelt. 

Abraham was fearful that Eliezer may decide that his own daughter with whom Isaac had been childhood friends would be a better bride for Isaac. He was concerned that Eliezer would return claiming that he had found no one and would then suggest that his daughter would be a suitable bride. Abraham makes Eliezer take an oath, with Eliezer putting his hand under Abraham’s thigh, stating that he would fulfill Abraham’s request and find a suitable wife for Isaac in the land of Haran. It seems that back at that time, oaths were made and kept in such a fashion. It was considered to be a covenant and a bond, a brit. And the bond is established at birth, according to the Torah, and is created by the father of a male on the eighth day, and is carried out in the same fashion as was proscribed to Abraham by God in our reading for this Shabbat. 

We know that there are other important reasons for circumcision today. Protecting women from certain cancers is one of those reasons. Many medical studies have proven that a male who has undergone circumcision has a better chance of protecting his partner from cancers and other infections. Circumcision can also protect the male from other cancers and infections. Perhaps the Torah understood more about medical realities back then and today that some do not give the Torah credit for. The Romans argued that if God truly knew this, why didn’t he create the perfect male body already circumcised. But Jewish tradition differs, stating that circumcision provides the parents with the decision and the statement to bring their child into the covenant.  

Needless to say, the simple naming of a baby girl has its own unique qualities. This past Sunday, we joined together with Stacey and Sam and our families at their homes to finally officially name our granddaughters with their Jewish names. While we had every intention of fulfilling this mitzvah earlier, due to health reasons of family members, we had to wait until we could gather the family together. This past Sunday as we celebrated the girls’ first birthdays, they were bestowed their Hebrew names. I pray that their years continue to be filled with health, happiness, success, fulfillment in life and much mazal, the love and nurturing of parents, together with grandparents, family and friends. 

Am Yisrael Chai!
Bring them home now!
Shabbat shalom

Rabbi K