the ritual of the scapegoat with which we begin this week's parasha, Acharei Mot. While the High Priest, Aaron, brother of Moses, designates one goat as sacrifice for the Holy One, another goat is escorted by a designated individual into the wilderness of Azalzel. Before departure, Aaron lays both his hands upon the head of the live goat and confesses the iniquities and transgressions of the Israelites, whatever their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, (Lev.16:21). Carrying the weight of the people's sins, the goat is now destined to a life of isolation in an inaccessible region, an atonement for the misdeeds of the community. Recalling this ritual, we acknowledge that repentance/t'shuva/turning towards our deepest selves, a place without the hubris of hametz brings us closer to what is holy and sanctifies not only ourselves but the community as well.
We live in difficult times. Social media is ripe with incentive to react in the extreme. One must be deliberate in offering reflective responses from a place of commitment and wisdom. According to the Rambam, the ritual of the scapegoat was designed to tap into our emotions and motivate us towards change and renewal, a fresh start. Life without hametz at Passover invites us to practice living into freedom from what puffs us up and focus on the (re)birth of our people. These commemorations call us to build and rebuild from one moment into the future. In this way, they embrace the tag line of l'shana haba'ah b'y'rushalayim - hab'nuyah/rebuilt. Next year in the rebuilt Jerusalem.
On Sunday, we welcome the month of May, and on Saturday night, we begin a two day welcoming of the new month of Iyar. Iyar marks both Yom HaZikkaron/Israel's Memorial Day and Yom HaAtzma'ut, Israel's Independence Day. They live precariously on the edge of one another, sadness and sweetness, mourning and joy, inextricably linked to a narrative of the past transformed for the story of today. In this new month, I encourage you to consider what and how you are building. We work deliberately to rid ourselves of hametz on Pesach. The days that follow call us to maintain that discipline while reintroducing our regular practices. How much spiritual hametz can we hold? What becomes of our taste of freedom? Living in this way, we build towards peace, the anchor and root of the word Yerushalayim/Jerusalem (shalem). To honor this commitment and celebrate Israel's 74th year, I invite you to enjoy the inaugural Israel Independence Day Film Festival, sponsored by Menemsha Films. One ticket, 6 nights, 11 new films. Purchase your ticket here . Be sure to use the Habonim Discount code - BRACHA1 and build up your relationship with the place and people of Israel.
Shabbat Shalom,
rg
