Bet Mishpachah D'rash: Shabbat T'Shuvah 5762

<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" LINK="#000000" VLINK="#000000" ALINK="#000000"> <CENTER><TABLE><TR><TD WIDTH=20% VALIGN="TOP"> <A NAME="top"> <P> <B><a href="http://betmish.org/text/tshuvah5762.html">Text-Only Version</a></B> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/index.html">Home</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/whatsnew.html">What's New</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/calendar.html#July8">Coming Events</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/drashot.html">D'rashot</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/do.html">What We Do</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/who.html">Who We Are</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/contact.html">Contact Us</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/faq.html">Frequently Asked Questions</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/archives.html">Archives</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/links.html">Links</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/member.html">Membership</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/credits.html">Credits</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/addbook.html">Guest book</A></B></BIG> </FONT></TD> <TD ALIGN=CENTER VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="80%> <CENTER>    <table border="0" align="center"> <tr> <td align="center"> <a href="http://betmish.org/index.html" target="_top"><IMG border=0 src="http://betmish.org/images/banner2.gif" align=center height="104" width="512" hspace=5 alt="Bet Mishpachah banner"></a> </td> <td align="left"> <font size="-5"><a href="http://betmish.org/child/descriptions/banner.html">Banner<br>Description</a></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center"> <p><font size="-1"><i>Washington, DC's Egalitarian Synagogue</i><br> <i>Embracing a Diversity of Sexual and Gender Identities</i></font> </p> <p> <b><font face="Arial"><font size="+1">Rabbi Bob Saks<br> </font></font></b><br> <font face="Arial"><font size="-1"><i>Founded in 1975 by Members of the GLBT Community<font color="white" size="-4"> </font></i></font></font></p> </td> <td align="left"> <font size="-4" color="white"> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </center> <CENTER><H1 align=center>Shabbat T'Shuvah 5762 D'rash</h1> <b>Eva Freund</b></CENTER> <P><i>Tonight we approach the end of this religious year and the end of this year's reading of Torah. In tonight's Torah portion, Moses addresses the people about the immediate and distant futures. He tells them about his vision of the good life they will have if they follow the words of Adonoi; and, his vision of the life they will not have if they fail to follow the instruction. In his vision he foresees that they will forsake the Instruction. Moses tells the multitudes that when, in the future, the Children of Israel return and repent their transgressions, Adonoi will welcome their return and will return to them their land and their prosperity.</i> <P><i>Neither we, nor they, are sure whether the words being spoken came from Moses or from Adonoi. We do know, however, that instructions were given, written down, and placed in the Ark. Neither they, nor we, are sure whether the words come from an observor or a participant. We do know that the instructions would have results that Moses never dreamed of. </i> <center><p>* * *</center> <P>Today, we are participating in a scene for which no special effects are needed because this scene <b>is</b> the special effect. Moses has recounted the key events in their wanderings; he reminds them of the disasters suffered from their rebellious acts; he reminds them of the burdens of leadership and gently explains why those who came out of Egypt will not be entering the Land across the river. <P>Then he points to the future by describing his vision of "exile and return." <nobr>Listen......</nobr> listen and you can hear his words" <ul><li>I place before you the blessing and the <nobr>curse...</nobr><P> <li>Adonoi will return to collect <nobr>you...</nobr><P> <li>Adonoi will return to delighting <nobr>you...</nobr><P> <li>... <b>if</b> you return</ul> <P>He talks about <i>that</i> time <b>after</b> the curses have fallen upon the generations. He describes what they can expect when they return to <nobr>G_d</nobr>. Moses concludes with an emotional appeal -- to choose <nobr>life...</nobr> by <nobr>harkening...</nobr> by following the Instruction. <P>I have known the <i>presence</i> of Moses all of my life, for I was born during the wandering. My mother told us about the hardships faced in the desert. She told us how Moses was <b>so</b> angry that he broke the first stone tablets containing the commandments. And she told us about Moses returning from Mt. Sinai with the <i>second</i> tablets upon which <nobr>G_d</nobr> had, again, written the commandments. Thus giving the people a second chance. <P>Today, I am present as Moses pleads and admonishes us to choose "life," so that his vision for us will be fulfilled. But Moses is not the only one with a vision. I, too, have a vision. However, my vision causes the tears to form deep within me. <P>In my vision the men will forget that Adonoi created women, and men, with the same <i>holy spirit</i>. The men, in their insecurity and their fright, will make us outcasts in our own tribe by calling us "unclean". They will deny us access to the holy places. They will deny us access to learning. They will deny us access to Torah. They will deny what we know. They will instruct us to deny these accesses to our daughters and they to their daughters and to the daughters of all the generations to come. <P>Just as Moses enumerates those deeds that will allow Adonoi to retrieve the scattered peoples; here is what the women of the tribes must do that they too might return. First, the women must cast off their own acceptance of being "unclean," for only then can they do what is not too <nobr>difficult --</nobr> <ul><li>to keep "holy" that woman part of themselves.<P> <li>to take back the Torah as their own<P> <li>to engage in learning so they too might engage in debate and teaching<P> <li>to create their own places of worship so that they may be participants, not merely onlookers </ul> <P>By doing these things, they will <b>choose</b> life and not merely <i>accept</i> life. By doing these things they will find their shuva. By doing these things they will fulfill the Instruction. By doing these things they will learn and have awe for <nobr>Adonoi -</nobr> for that is the instruction. </TD></TR></TABLE></CENTER> <P><HR> <p align="center"><FONT face=Arial><small><small><b>For a description of any of the graphics on this page, click on the D next to the graphic. <BR>For more information, contact our office at <a href="mailto:office@betmishpachah.org?SUBJECT=Request for Information from Web Site">office@betmishpachah.org</a><br> Send comments about this site to <a href="mailto:webweaver@betmishpachah.org?SUBJECT=Comments About Web Site">webweaver@betmishpachah.org</a>.<br> Copyright 1996 - 2008 Bet Mishpachah.</b></small></small></FONT> <CENTER><font face=Arial size="-1" color="#999999"><small><small><P><b>This page last modified on Sunday, May 18, 2003 at 07:59 PM EDT.</b></small></small></font> </CENTER> </body>