Eric Berman, member of the CRS Board of Trustees, shares his words of Torah as he reflects on important issues in our world today.
April 21, 2021
This is not fair.
How is it that the scheduling fates have conspired to select this darshan to speak today: in the wake of the verdict yesterday in Minneapolis?
Preparation went out the window. With apologies and deep emotion, the following was written in haste early this morning.
This weekโs parshe (Acharei Mot and Kโdoshim) spans Leviticus 16:1-20:27. With the Chauvin trial still raw and painfulโฆ it starts with the Day of Atonement. And it concludes with the death penalty.
It covers laws of sacrifice. Of food. Of sex offenses and homosexuality. The Golden Rule.
Great scholars have dedicated lives to just a fraction of any one of these! And Jay Kranis has allotted me a few minutes to speak.
So let us set aside those other critical issues for now. And let us focus on atonement of sin. On cleansing ourselves. Trying to make right what went so tragically wrong in Minneapolis last year โ and so often across our countryโฆ yesterday in Columbus and before that in Brooklyn Center, and Chicago and Louisville and Staten Island and so many others.
But first, let us go to the text. We are here in the midst of Leviticus. Wallowing through the midst of all the laws concerning purity and holiness. We come upon this parshe about the death of Aaronโs sons and how he shall purify himselfโฆ what he shall wear and what he shall sacrificeโฆ
And then suddenly, we come upon this, an introduction to a special day: the Day of Atonement. It says:
โAnd this shall be to you a law for all time: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall practice self-denial; and you shall do no manner of work, neither the citizen nor the alien who resides among you. For on this day atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you of all your sins; you shall be clean before the Lord. It shall be a sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall practice self-denial; it is a law for all time.โ [Leviticus, 16:29-31]
And then it details how each year the people of Israel would be cleansed of their accumulated sins through ritual sacrifice and fasting. It reads:
โThis shall be to you a law for all time: to make atonement for the Israelites for all their sins once a year.โ [Leviticus, 16:34]
This is wonderful. It seems to imply that we can be purified of even our worst sins simply through self-denial and a Temple ceremony alone.
Really? Is that enough? Just going through the ritual sacrifice motions?
And here, in addition to our amazing clergy team, I also rely on James Kugel and Gunther Plaut.
Clearly, the question of whether mere ritual is adequate for atonement is a troubling concept. Plaut notes that this is why the leaders of Reform Judaism replaced this chapter โ the traditional Torah reading for Yom Kippur morning โ with selections from Deuteronomy.
But, he continues, and this to me is foundational, the Reform leadership retained the traditional Haftarah: my single favorite piece of Jewish writing, in which the prophet Isaiah cries out:
โBehold, in the day of your fast you pursue your own affairs and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with the wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on highโฆ. Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see him unclothed, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?โ [Isaiah, 58:3-7]
So perhaps this powerful sermon โ these words of the prophet Isaiah โ marked the beginning of the transformation of the Day of Atonement.
As to the question of what we must do to atone, the prophets seem adamant that sacrificial rites alone are inadequate for atonement. The sinner must have both a change of heart AND a change of ways;
Regarding the second question โ for WHOSE sins are we atoning on Yom Kippur and for WHICH sins are we atoning, note that the text reads:
โThis shall be to you a law for all time: to make atonement for the Israelites for all their sins once a year.โ
In other words, we are atoning for all of our communal sins.
And as we at CRS discuss the Jewish concept of โsinโ โ of โchaitโ โ that is, not necessarily doing wrong but also of not quite hitting the mark.
What sins do we see in our world? Do we not still see the wickedness that Isaiah decried? Do we not still see hunger and homelessness and poverty and oppression?
Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
These concepts struck me yesterday.
Because yesterdayโs verdict might have resonated around the world but it didnโt bring justice. We do not yet have justice.
I knew that when I read the words of Maya Harris โ policy nerd and sister of the Vice President โ who wrote:
โLetโs be clear: A just verdict is not the same as justice.โ
And the words of Bryan Stevenson, who wrote:
โThe opposite of poverty is not wealth. The opposite of poverty is justice.โ
That verdict serves as a critical reminder that we must pursue justice, equity and peace in our communities and across our society.
We should grieve for the Floyd family and for all those who have suffered loss โ loss of loved ones, loss of trust in our institutions and loss of shalom in their lives.
And we must resolve ourselves that our tomorrows must be better than our yesterdays.
That we as a people and a congregation of passionately dedicated individuals will continue our work for peace and for equity and โ as we are commanded by the inscription on our beautiful shul โ to pursue justice, true justice โ โjustice justice thou shalt pursue.โ
Amen.
Justin Callis (he/him), our Cantorial Intern, is a fourth-year student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. He is the recipient of the Reuben Peretz Abelson Prize for dedication to Yiddish Song, the Temple Israel of Boston Cantorial Prize, and the Lee Gura Memorial Prize for Aptitude in Synagogue Choral Music.
Sarah Adams, viola, performs locally with the New York Chamber Ensemble, theย Claring Chamber Players, the Sherman Chamber Ensemble, the Friends of Mozart, and the Saratoga Chamber Players.
Violinist Michael Roth is a native of Scarsdale, NY and received his early musical training with Frances Magnes at the Hoff-Barthelson Music School. He attended Oberlin College and Conservatory, continuing his studies with Marilyn McDonald. At Oberlin, he won the Kaufman Prize for violin and First Prize in the Ohio String Teacher’s Association Competition. He completed his Master of Music degree at the University of Massachusetts where he worked with the distinguished American violinist and pedagogue Charles Treger and was a recipient of the Julian Olevsky Award.ย Mr. Roth is currently associate concertmaster of the New York City Ballet Orchestra and has appeared in chamber music and as a soloist with the company, most recently in the debut of “Slice Too Sharp”, a ballet of Biber and Vivaldi violin concerti, and “After the Rain”, violin music of Arvo Part. In addition he is a member of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Principal 2nd violin of the Westchester Philharmonic, the American Composers Orchestra and the New York Pops. He was concertmaster of the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra for many years and often appeared as soloist there, as well as at the Caramoor and Bard Music Festivals. He has played and toured internationally with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the New York Chamber Soloists.
Known for his sweet and โsumptuousโ (New York Times) tone, American-born Doori Na took up violin at the age of four and began his studies with Li Lin at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He quickly made his first performance with orchestra at age seven with the Peninsula Youth Symphony as the first prize winner of the concerto competition. Thereafter Mr. Na went on to win top prizes in The Sound of Music Festival, The Korea Times Youth Music Competition, the Chinese Music Teacherโs Association, The Menuhin Dowling Young Artist Competition, The Junior Bach Festival, VOCE of the Music Teacherโs Association of California, and The Pacific Musical Society. Receiving full scholarships to private high school Crossroads School of Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, he moved to Los Angeles to study with renown violin teacher, Robert Lipsett, at The Colburn Music School. There he appeared as soloist with the Palisades Symphony, Brentwood Symphony, and Torrance Symphony. During that time, the summer of 2004 was Mr. Naโs first time at the Perlman Music Program where his expression and musical identity were greatly influenced. He has been a part of the program ever since and participated in many of their special residencies in Florida, Vermont, New York, and Israel.
Alan Goodis is a touring Jewish musician playing over 150 events a year. Born and raised in Toronto, Alan is a proud product of URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute. Noted for his dedication to building relationships and community through music, Alan tours throughout the US to serve as an Artist-In-Residence and performer at Temples, Youth Conventions and Jewish summer camps.
Julie Silver is one of the most celebrated and beloved performers in the world of contemporary Jewish music today. She tours throughout the world, and has been engaging audiences with her gorgeous compositions and liturgical settings, her lyrical guitar playing, her dynamic stage presence, and her megawatt smile for over 25 years.
Dan is a product of the URJ Jewish camping movement. He has toured Jewish summer camps across North America for the last 15 years. A classically trained singer, Dan received his Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance at the University of North Carolina. In 1995, realizing the potential of music to make powerful connections with Jewish youth, Dan established the Jewish rock band Eighteen. Since that time, Dan and Eighteen have released 13 albums. Songs like, Lโtakein, Bโtzelem Elo-him, Kehillah Kedoshah, Chazak, Sweet As Honey, and Asher Yatzar have become Jewish communal anthems throughout North America.
Naomi Less is an internationally celebrated singer/songwriter, ritualist and educator. Beloved for her warm smile and inviting presence, communities celebrate her imagination and innovation, tenderness and pizzazz! Her original music is sung in worship communities worldwide. Naomi serves as Co-Founder, Ritual Leader and Associate Director of Lab/Shul and is a leader in amplifying women’s voices through her work at Songleader Boot Camp and her Jewish Women Rock show on Jewish Rock Radio. Naomiadvocates for people struggling with fertility journeys as a performance artist and speaker for Uprooted: A Jewish Response to Fertility Challenges. Fun fact: Naomi and her husband wrote the song shine/Yivarech’cha, a Friday night blessing, specifically composed for URJ Crane Lake Camp, sung every Friday night in the dining hall.
Her destiny became obvious to Joanie Leedsโ parents when, at the tender age of 2, Joanie grabbed the performerโs mic at a party and belted out the entire songโTomorrowโ from Annie. Jaws dropped! No one could remember ever hearing a big voice like that coming from one so tiny and certainly no one would have thought she would one day earn a GRAMMYยฎ Award for her original music.
A composer, multi-instrumentalist, and prayer leader, Elana Arian is one of the leading voices in contemporary Jewish music. Elanaโs music is part of Jewish life across the globe, and her compositions are sung in spiritual communities, summer camps, and synagogues from Louisville to London, from Chicago to the CzechRepublic, and everywhere in between. Elana just released her fourth album of original music, The Other Side of Fear, and her compositions have been published in countless Transcontinental Music collections. Elana serves proudly on the faculty of Hava Nashira (Oconomowoc, WI), the Wexner Heritage Foundation (Aspen, CO), Shirei Chagiga (London, England), and as an instructor at the Hebrew Union College in New York, where she teaches in the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. Elana has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Tanglewood, and perhaps most memorably, five separate appearances at the (Obama) White House. She lives in New York with her wife, Julia, and their two daughters, Maya and Acadia.
Known for his unique, engaging, and deeply soulful approach, Noah Aronson is considered one of the most sought after Jewish musicians in North America, making over 65 community appearances each year.
There is a reason why Time Magazine has listed Michelle in their Top Ten list of Jewish rock stars.
Kol BโSeder has been composing and performing contemporary Jewish music since the early1970s. Rabbi Dan Freelander and Cantor Jeff Klepper met as college students; over the past 50years they have released numerous CDs and songbooks. With Debbie Friedman (z”l) and others, they forged a new musical sound for American Jewish camps, schools and synagogues. Their songs, such as “Shalom Rav,โ โModeh Ani,โ and “Lo Alecha,” have become traditionalJewish melodies around the world. They are delighted to be inaugurating their fiftieth anniversary celebration by appearing in support of URJ camps, where they first composed and incubated many of their early songs.
Rabbi Mira Weller (she/her) received her ordination at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles in May 2022. She studied Culture and Politics at Georgetown Universityโs School of Foreign Service and received her Masterโs in Jewish Education at the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at HUC-JIR. She is the proud recipient of awards for her studies in rabbinic literature, her work in Jewish education, and she was granted the Myrtle Lorch Pfaelzer-Monroe Pfaelzer Award for an Outstanding Female Rabbinical School Student (2022). Rabbi Mira speaks Hebrew and Spanish (so please practice with her!). She has a passion for uncovering new possibilities in the great wealth of our tradition and for making music inspired by Judaismโs many cultures. Her guilty pleasures include cupcakes, classical music, and philosophy.
New York bassist Roger Wagner enjoys a long and diverse career. As soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral bassist, Mr. Wagner has appeared on many of the world’s great concert stages.
Sarah Adams 
Leonard Bernstein described 
Praised by the New York Times as โirresistible in both music and performance.โ flutist, 
Margaret Kampmeier, 
Michael Roth
Our initiative for young children and their grown-ups provides a slate of offerings including Shabbat and holiday celebrations, music, classroom readiness programs, and new parent experiences. During the pandemic, we have leaned on $1m of seed funding for Sholom Sprouts established through this campaign as we offer age-appropriate virtual programs for our families with young children, who are the future of our community. We look forward to welcoming our littlest members and their grown-ups back to our new fifth floor, as well as hiring a Program Assistant to increase the capacity of Sholom Sprouts to grow. This program provides a crucial entry-point to the congregation and membership for young families.
