Joliet Jewish Congregation
Shalom!
This week, the Torah Portion tells the story of Balak, and a talking donkey. Balak was a Moabite king who hired a man named Balaam to curse the Israelites. In a strange twist, Balaam’s donkey speaks during the journey, and Balaam ends up blessing the Israelites, instead.
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This Shabbat begins a 3-week mourning period that concludes on Tish’ah Be’av. Until it’s over, we’re supposed to avoid concerts and public celebrations like weddings. Some even refrain from haircuts.
​Why? In 70 C.E., Roman soldiers broke through the walls of Jerusalem, and then, three weeks later, on what became Tish’ah Be’av, they destroyed the Second Temple.
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One of the consequences of the Temple’s destruction was that Jews stopped offering sacrifices to G-d. Previously, Jews had given offerings of animals, grains or money to the Holy Priests (or kohanim), who then offered them up as sacrifices. This was a way of connecting with our Higher Power.
When they stopped the sacrifices, or korbanot, Jews began offering up prayers to connect with G-d, instead, they began basing our religious services on the ancient rituals for sacrifices.
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The term “sacrifice” is not accidental. According to the web site, MyJewishLearning and Rabbi Daniel Kirzane, you could consider three kinds of sacrifice: sacrifice for yourself, for others, or sacrifice to come close to G-d. If you sacrifice for yourself, you essentially postpone the reward you’ll receive until later. An example of this is when, in the Bible, the Egyptian Pharaoh listens to Joseph, and saves food now to prepare for a famine later.
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The term “sacrifice” is not accidental. According to the web site, MyJewishLearning and Rabbi Daniel Kirzane, you could consider three kinds of sacrifice: sacrifice for yourself, for others, or sacrifice to come close to G-d. If you sacrifice for yourself, you essentially postpone the reward you’ll receive until later. An example of this is when, in the Bible, the Egyptian Pharaoh listens to Joseph, and saves food now to prepare for a famine later.
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“Sacrificing for others” occurs when you give up something for yourself to (hopefully) help others.
“Sacrificing to come close to G-d” could involve donations, like giving tzedakah to those who are in need. In the Torah, the kohanim / High Priests brought the Jews closer to G-d, by offering the korbanot sacrifices of animals, grain or monetary sacrifices. Moses follows G-d’s direction to build a sanctuary where the offerings take place, so G-d can “dwell among” the Israelites.
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Even though the Second Temple was destroyed, Jews still needed, and continue to need, a way to connect with G-d. Our prayer services today are based on the models of the ancient rituals for sacrifices. As we substitute prayer for them, we draw a line from our people’s history to our journey today, to connect with G-d in a more modern way.
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Today, relevant questions include: how do we sacrifice today, for ourselves, for those we love? Does prayer help us connect with a Higher Power? Some questions to ponder as we move ahead into the next week.
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May our sacrifices guide us: toward goodness, toward the people we value and to G-d. And may you find peace as you pray, as you find your way,
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Cantor Jessica