Mitzvah d'var

Shabbat Shalom - 

So last week I got this email from the Rabbi - He wrote:

Dear Lev,
I LOVE your d'var Torah!
It is very intellectual and thoughtful. 
I'd like to see a few things though:
Spice up the beginning to gain people's attention.
Throw in some jokes or "spice" at a few different places, especially in the summary.”
So here is the spice at the beginning of my D’var Torah  (shake the bottles of spice- your choice) 

My Torah portion, Re’eh, is from the last book of the Torah, Deuteronomy chapter 14 verse 22 to chapter 15 verse 4. Normally we wouldn't be reading from Deuteronomy at this time of year but because it is the holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates Moses’ receiving the Ten Commandments at Sinai, we read this portion. 

This portion includes a speech that Moses gives to the people of Israel. God has already told Moses he can’t enter the promised land with the Israelites so Moses knows this will be the last thing he gets to say to his people. Moses says “You are people consecrated to Adonai your god: Adonai your God chose you from among all other peoples on earth to be God’s treasured people (am segulah).” Moses then goes on later and says “You have affirmed this day that י-ה-ו-ה is your God, in whose ways you will walk, whose laws and commandments and rules you will observe, and whom you will obey. And י-ה-ו-ה has affirmed this day that you are, as promised, God’s treasured people (am segulah).

In other words, Moses is saying if you follow these laws that God gave you and obey God then you will stay God’s am segulah, treasured people. If you don’t follow God’s laws you will be separated from God and won't be a treasured people anymore. 

Later in his speech, Moses talks about the most important laws that the Israelites should follow as they go into the promised land.  He tells them not to worship other gods or they will be cursed. He then goes on and talks about other laws like the kosher laws that describe what foods they shall not eat such as shellfish, pork, and milk and meat together plus anything that has died a natural death. Instead of eating it they should give it to a stranger in their community to eat or they may sell it to a foreigner. Some other laws he talks about are the requirement to give 10% of everything they produce to the Levites, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, and he tells them to create sacred spots to worship god. It also talks about the three times the Israelites are supposed to bring gifts to God, Shavuot, Passover, and Sukkot. 

I had a lot of questions about my portion. Some of my questions included why is the number seven so important in Judaism, why are gifts brought to God only on Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuot and not other holidays, and why there are so many rules about food in Judaism! 

One question I was initially really interested in pursuing and learning more about was why were the laws that Moses instructed the Israelites to follow the main ideas of his last speech. As I researched I had more questions like what is the relationship between these laws and the concept of a chosen people and an “am segulah” or treasured people and whether there is a difference between being chosen and being treasured. 

In my reading, I discovered that the medieval rabbi Rashi suggested that the people of Israel are like a precious golden cup or gem among a larger collection of cups and gems belonging to a ruler. They are precious and special, but not exclusive. Rashi talks about how our special relationship with God is only continuing because we are following the laws God told us to follow. So if we were to break those laws, our relationship with God would be over and we would no longer be treasured cups. 

Ramban, another early important rabbinic scholar, had a slightly different take on the idea of am segulah. Ramban thought that our relationship with God is more like a love relationship. We, being B'nei Yisrael or the Israelites, have to hold up our side of the connection by performing mitzvot that prove our loyalty to God. Anything else is disloyalty. 

A more contemporary Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, has a completely different view on the idea of chosenness and am segula. Kaplan writes “No nation is chosen or elected or superior to any other, but every nation should discover its vocation or calling as a source of religious experience and as a medium of salvation to those who share its life.” 

In other words, Kaplan is saying that no one is chosen or treasured but everybody has their own treasured-ness inside of them that they should share and show to other people around them. 

Now that you have heard what some famous Rabbis think about this idea of am segulah are you interested in what I think? - Well it doesn’t matter - I am going to tell you anyway. 

To start, I agree with the point that Rashi made about the Israelites being special. Rashi said we are precious, special, but not exclusive. He is correct that we are special - not in an exclusive way, but we are different and unique and we shouldn’t be ashamed about that. I think we should actually celebrate our differences and maybe that is why we are God’s chosen people. We know we are not like others, but we recognize and honor our differences. 

At the same time, it is important that we are open to non-Jews celebrating Jewish holidays, praying with us, and performing rituals with us. For example, raise your hand if you are not Jewish but are here with us today to celebrate. Right, that's a good amount of you. It means a lot to me that you are here supporting me- especially because this is not part of your tradition. 

I believe that following the laws, commandments and mitzvot causes us to  help out the world and Helps other people to be the best that they can be so that we can live in the best world we want and deserve to live in. 

This is why I decided for my mitzvah project to focus on helping out people in my community but also all across the United States. I decided to center my attention on High Fives. High Fives is a nonprofit adaptive sports foundation that helps athletes get back to their outdoor physical activity after a life-altering accident. The reason I choose to help raise money for High Fives is because I love skiing, mountain biking, and sports in general and I can't imagine my life without sports so why should these athletes have to? I am currently still raising money for High Fives (please feel free to donate!) and I hope to be involved in some of their events in the future to further expand their organization. 

So this brings me to the end of my d’var. To end off, I would like to offer a blessing that shows my hope that you all here today will take away something from what I have shared and live by it so you too can be Am Segulah- treasured people. I hope you all will continue to be able to help out people in your community, whether it is bringing food to the food shelter or just picking up trash along the roads. I would also hope that you all would share the things that bring you joy with others in your community - like sports, music, art, food, and companionship so that other people feel that joy as well. 

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH AND SHABBAT SHALOM