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Dear friends,

This week's Parsha, Shemini, gives us the lists of kosher and non-kosher animals, fish, birds and bugs. Countless sages over the centuries have hypothesized about why this or that animal made it on either list. 

Some of the most popular topics are the pig and the crawling insects. The pig appears kosher on the outside, with his split hooves, but is non-kosher on the inside, as it does not chew his cud –– a sharp reproof to those who act holy outside but are rotten inside. Crawling insects move secretly along the ground; a lesson to us to avoid sneaking around, but rather to rise up from our earth-bound impurity to holier pursuits. 

In preparing this message, I ran across another metaphor that I had never heard. Rabbi Mirwis talks about the kite, a non-kosher bird of prey, and references a tractate in Chulin describing "the kite flies around the skies of Babylon and from there it can see a Neveila (a non-kosher animal) lying on the ground in the Land of Israel.”  The simple reason for this statement is to record the excellent vision of the kite. 

But there’s a deeper meaning: Rabbi Mirwis compares the kite to those who sit in the diaspora and find the faults, the impure things, in the Land of Israel and complain and criticize. We are told the kite is not kosher because of its character. According to Rabbi Mirwis, this character is not just that the kite is a bird of prey, but also that the kite only sees the bad around it, in Israel and everywhere. We have to reject this behavior. It is incumbent upon us as Jews to find the good around us, to appreciate what we have been blessed with.

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We are blessed that things are slowly coming back to normal. We are blessed that we have Shul to come to. The Purim celebrations were a great success and we are starting to plan for Pesach; information will be going out over the next few weeks. We have also set June 15th as the tentative date for the Annual dinner. More information will be coming about that…we are still in the early stages, but
there may be an in-person component to the dinner. 

Many topics were discussed at the Board meeting this week and the minutes of the previous meeting will be sent out soon after our Secretary returns from Israel. Some of the immediate changes you will see are a new air filtration unit for the Kiddush room and changes to the entry into the sanctuary for men and women on Shabbat and Yom Tov to prevent tripping and falls. 

I'm pleased to announce that Rabbi David Shushan has been made the permanent Baal Koreh for both the early and main minyan on Shabbat and will  be with us for the High Holidays as well. A ritual committee will be formed in the near future. Its makeup and scope are being discussed in consultation with the Rabbi. 

Membership dues invoices will be going out shortly. In addition to the standard membership levels, a new reduced-fee student pass has been approved. Please pay your dues as early as you can, it makes it far easier for us to keep the bills paid and the programs running, which we all appreciate very much. 

Wishing you all a peaceful and meaningful Shabbat Shalom,

Steven Inker

Dear friends,

The book of Vayikra is very technical. It was pretty easy to find lessons in Bereishit and Shemot for my weekly emails, but Vayikrah is all about sacrifices and temple measurements and these lessons are more indirectly learned.

The exception in this week's Parsha of Tzav is the instructions about the Korban Todah — the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Rabbi Sacks z”l describes how thanksgiving played a central role in the sacrifices during the Temple period, and how it plays a central role in our prayers today. 

We start the day with Modeh Ani and continue in the same vein throughout the morning prayers. During the Amidah, the one prayer that we don't just answer "Amen" to, but actually repeat along with the Chazzan, is Modim, "we give thanks". The idea of giving thanks even extends to our name.  We are called Yehudim after the tribe of Yehudah, Judah. We learn in Genesis that the name Judah is derived from "odeh et Ha'Shem", to give thanks to G-d. 

Rabbi Sacks goes on to describe the current scientific studies on thanksgiving and gratitude. Studies have shown improved health and longer life. They have shown a reduction in toxic emotions and depression. The more we give thanks and appreciate what we have, the happier we will be. We are all truly blessed.

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This week has been jam-packed with activities and I want to thank all of the people who have made these events a success, especially all of the Raskins, Brooke and Holly. From hamantaschen baking to Shalach Manot packing, teen parties to Purim feasts, the programs kept coming. The icing on the cake was the Shulem Lemmer concert.

I want to thank all of you who have given me ideas, advice and support as this year unfolds. Please keep the comments coming. Wishing all of you a peaceful and meaningful Shabbat Shalom,
Steven Inker