Minyan Replay with Rabbi Lizzi — Parashat Naso

Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. Our Thursday sessions are hosted by Mishkan's Founding Rabbi, Lizzi Heydemann. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.

In our June 1st, 2023 session, Rabbi Lizzi taught us about Parashat Naso, the Torah portion which contains commandments on nazirite vows (like not drinking wine or cutting your hair!), as well as sotah, the ritual drink given to women suspected of adultery.

****

For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.

Transcript

Transcript

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann  
All right, I want to invite you to sit up a little bit straighter or stand whatever position you're in. That allows you to take a deep breath, maybe multiple, maybe just ongoing sustainable, deep breaths in through your nose relaxed shoulders, relaxed elbows and fingers. Allow your head to be pulled to the sky as if by an invisible string letting your spine rest one vertebrae supported by the one beneath it. And wherever you are, I happen to be outside near the Adama and Shemaiah near the earth in the sky. But even if you're inside you're not that far from the Adomah and shamayim from the earth and the sky so if you can feel your feet on the ground maybe it's ground maybe it's floor but underneath the floor at some point you'll get to the Adam you'll get to the actual earth so feeling supported by the Earth and connected to the heavens knowing that we are full of fire and that we are also calm like water and full of life like water this is like a call response so stay muted, but you can respond Dima this Shama Comhar a steel Hi my name Mikey so goofy he then Nish Makati it at this Shama calm ha Ah, so, you'll have my name Mikey. Pig will be. There we'll see. It ay ay, ay. Ay ay. Ay ay ya hey ya hey ya

Speaker 2  
this summer from my mind you mid sci fi niche Mattie. Love the her love here love the sky. He the fire drop of water I can feel it in my body in my spirit in my soul. Hey, yeah, Hear hear hear hear hear hear it

Unknown Speaker  
this Shamaya home Hi a steel hammer emaki So, big ol fie. We'll see then Nish Matty

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann  
so I came out this morning to water my plants. Because I looked at the weather before leaving the house and looked and saw like it's gonna be a hot one. You know, it's gonna be a hot day today. So okay, I want to make sure that my plants get their water so that they'll feel good, even though it's gonna be hot out, you know, they can't advocate for themselves, you know. So I have to come out here and make sure they get their water in the morning. And just I'm thinking how, you know, wouldn't it be nice if there if you could like get on your phone and there was an app to let you know how the day was going to be emotionally. Like you can get on you can get on an app and see like what the temperature is going to be and then plan accordingly. Feed the plants in the morning wear shorts or a tank top, put on your sunscreen. But like if you could pull out the phone and be like okay, today I am going to be tested 15 times by people who are going to push my buttons. Okay, great. You know and then like really meditate, take a deep breath you know go through your day wondering like I What point will I be tested? And how will I respond? But like nobody, nobody has that app, we just have the opportunity every morning to sit, you know, in minion together, or in meditation or both. And say, I will probably be pushed today my buttons will probably I don't know, when I don't know where maybe I'll be lucky. Maybe they won't be. And how can I, in this moment? That was speaking of buttons being pushed, the AC just went on over here. I'm sorry if that sound is annoying. How can I prepare emotionally so that I'm ready. And I'm kind and I'm generous, and my feet are planted firmly on the earth. You know, as I say to my kids in the morning, when they leave for school, be kind, have fun, stick up for yourselves. You know, clean up, follow instructions, ask good questions. But so that we're really really present so that we're really really present. So I think minion is part of that. So even if there's not even if there's not a way to predict the future, we can still be prepared for the future

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann  
all right. Going to this particular mitzvah this commandment before we go into VARCOE.

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann  
The foundation for every behavior, every interpersonal behavior, that have to learn how come Oh ha that you should love your neighbor as yourself that you should respond in the way that you would want somebody to respond to you in the same situation.

Speaker 2  
Ramy Maccha belay line add me spy Bori Tyler come off Laurie. Camo rainy Makka Belen add me it's boring

Unknown Speaker  
come on come on rainy man and me

Unknown Speaker  
Come on come off five you're able

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann  
to stand I invite you to stand with me

Unknown Speaker  
as we go into the birth

Speaker 2  
barrier door nine hot move or I die your turn

Speaker 2  
don't I don't say Rubery horshack. I say shadow Mowbray attack ca um, the air that our ads for that I remember they have a rock a meme of Turbomeca dashboard. Williams I made my savory sheets.

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann  
Every day you renew us. You make us good. We just like the just like the blades of grass in my yard wake up new every morning and need what we need to be healthy and strong. And are healthy and strong as we are surrounded by people around us and other creatures around us who we can also give some of our strength to remembering that they too every morning woke up and maybe woke up on the wrong side of the bed or with a crick in their neck or up pain under their right toenail and you know might not be their best self either. And every day you renew us and you make us good and we work hard How to Be good and see the good in others even when it's hard or die shots Aeon tag here and his cat Hello that oh my Hara they are all

Speaker 2  
by yourself, me or oh

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann  
I like it when you can find the good nigga and that works as a kind of bass melody for almost everything else you see I'm sort of trading out the morning Noosa for the tune of that Hi rainy Myka bel behold I take upon myself the mitzvah of loving other people the way I want to be loved taking care of other people the way I want to take be taken care of responding to other people in the way that I would like to be responded to. hard it's hard to remember sometimes. But if you can keep this tune in your mind, maybe you can keep the idea in your mind to I have that I have tiny why don't I let you know I'm glad to do it. It's here I'm outta lino. We are loved by an unending love for the sake of our ancestors who trusted in you. You taught them life giving laws and instructions help us remember them. Vino, have Harada man hamre hemraj him Alina, father, mother womb like creator who held us in your womb. Help us take care of others plays inside of our hearts the ability to understand and to discern and to use our intelligence and intuition to listen, to teach to learn. To observe to uphold to be an upstander in all of the different ways your Torah invites us bid ahava with love.

Speaker 2  
The earring a new Vito burrata da fleabane new Oba mitzvah to si live they knew the man on never they

Speaker 2  
never and I keep fishing good shefa got dawn I know Rob he loves me Smith savvy shoot issue at ai ai ai ai maybe a new Shilo gather the four corners of your seat seat may not come full time. They're totally easy no comment me you lay ahead. Say you kill Paul Ishiwata to vana MacArthur Nikola ambulance showing the captain of the ship ca hagadol sativa M Medlow Douglas to be grateful to you will be offended fat and to bring you together the AHA with love by Ruka tattoo and I have a clarity I'm always thrilled that we cover close our eyes

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann  
with each word of the Shema

Speaker 2  
Shema ah nice re doing Hello Hain Jonah die

Speaker 2  
eighth I don't I don't know how to call the Bubba Hall now Chicago home now Jessica. There how you had very high ala share. I know he messed up. Hi Oh my Alibaba. She doesn't live on the bar to bomb. They actually have to hop have a tough time. Uber likes to have Dara who shows up awesome Have comesa hooks are timely Oh Talia Dhaka the how you live tota for to being a NASA will Kotov ha ha mom, Azusa Bay tak Ha, movie Chares

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann  
going to meet Homolka and see me Homolka as a healing prayer this morning after me Homolka I'm going to read to you a little bit of, I'm going to read you a little bit of a particular Torah commentary from a teacher in Jerusalem named ru Ben Dahveed. And he talks a little bit about temptation. And so in particular this morning as we go into thinking about who, who needs healing, who needs a prayer who we want to send support and love to thinking in particular those struggling with addiction, and those struggling with anger management and depression and so many of the different things that are not physical ailments that people might see but that are emotional and that are on the inside. That we want to help and support anybody who we know who needs a little bit of that love. Go ahead and place the names in the chat. And then of course folks recovering from surgery thinking about Susan Morrow and sending love people going through treatment for all manner of different ailments. So many names so much love. I'm not going to read them all out loud but I am reading over them and taking them in. Feel free to do the same for yourself just to let all these names and you know on your on your end of the screen feel free as we're singing to actually say some of these names out loud.

Speaker 2  
Mi M O Aly Majo nine mi como Fayyad di Bacco dash no aura dat he loved Oh say fella. Oh say me by any measure oh nine B camo dash dash D lot. Oh say Oh say she Rafa Dasha Ah she flew goalie Leshem ha ha yah, yah fog lamp ball do the English I'm rue de I have to use Rahel come up as routed through a lift station and mess it up daddy's girl no I don't knights about oh Chimo good. She's throwing straightaway

Unknown Speaker  
got you through a lesson are

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann  
you the one who redeems heals and rescues us? Lessons are we who allow ourselves to lean into healing and redemption who allow ourselves to hold on to that rope when it gets thrown? Even if it's hard sending love and refreshingly Matt to everyone on that list. Alright, I'm gonna pull the screen down for a moment. Alright, so in this week's Torah portion, it begins very similarly to when we began the Book of Numbers, when we were looking at the way that the Census is described, and it's not like a census, it's actually a raising up a lifting up the head of each person. And that's how parsha And so begins as well, like a raising up and lifting up the head of each person. But then a lot of weird stuff happens in the Torah portion. And there's not enough time for me to go through and describe every single case. However. Rabbi Ben Dahveed is going to make references to some of the interesting and strange scenarios that are described in this week's Torah portion. Okay, this is his book around the Shabbat table, and he basically gives a like a little idea for free At night around the Shabbat table Saturday at lunch if you were having a Shabbat table discussion, and Saturday evening, and they all have a slightly different emotional or intellectual quality to them. So this one's called parts of the whole. In Genesis, Abraham was told you will be a blessing. Abraham acquires the power to bless people's lives, to help them unite the physical and spiritual domains to transform their awareness of the world. And now, six generations later, it's hard to believe this is only six generations later. God's promise to Abraham is finally being fulfilled. This gift in the form of the priestly blessing is conveyed to Moses and Aaron In this week's Torah portion, and you may be familiar with this. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His face to you and grant you peace. Right? You have our FFR at a navy America, your air out on a panel they left a vehicle naffaa You sat I don't I open up LF Ave assembler class Shalom. Everything seems to be in place for the Jewish people to begin their mission. In last week's Parsha, the organization of the camps of Israel was precisely defined in this week's reading. The Jewish people have been endowed with the power to affect and elevate the world through our conduct, culminating with the priestly blessing. In next week's parsha the Jewish people will finally depart from Mount Sinai and begin their journeys as an autonomous people. Yet one last piece is missing. For some reason immediately preceding the priestly blessing. This week's parsha dwells on a number of paradigms of socially problematic behavior. One, someone who has stolen from a convert to the sotah, who is a woman suspected of being unfaithful to her husband, three, the Nazirite are one who has taken an oath not to cut his hair, or drink wine or other intoxicating beverages. Why are these cases mentioned before the Jewish people are ready for their mission? Is it by chance? Why has the Torah chosen this precise moment to discuss these problems? Now, if we had more time, I'd stop here. And I'd ask you for your ideas on that. And I'll say after minion for a minute to have a discussion about that very question, why right here right before they're about to set off, does the Torah pause for these particular scenarios? So an important principle is conveyed through the presentation and placement of these cases. Their presence illustrates that even with God's providential care in the desert, even with the wisdom of the Torah and leaders like Moses and Aaron and Miriam. Every human society is fraught with vices and failings, there will always be problems, there can be no blessing, no potential to perfect the world. If Jewish society has not first heeled itself, Jewish society is not measured through external excellence and achievements, but by its morality, and compassion, for those who have, for whatever reason, stumbled morally or through no fault of their own. The value and well being of Jewish society is determined by how well it facilitates the return of those individuals into the mainstream, no one is superfluous. On a different level, a number of Hasidic commentators see these cases representing classic human struggles. The thief has been physically tempted and has hurt the community. The SOTA has failed to remain emotionally faithful to her husband, and has hurt the family. And this of course happens for all genders. This is just a particular case, the Nazirite has moved to a spiritual excess, presenting an extreme relationship between the human being and God. The physical, emotional and spiritual drives are all capable of consuming and controlling an individual. Despite their failings, and the damage or pain they consequently inflict on the community, family and spiritual dimensions of Jewish society. All of these people remain part of the hole. Before the Jewish people are able to bless others, they must themselves we must ourselves become whole. We must care for the health and welfare of each member. And the question he asks, he asks a personal question, which of these drives physical, emotional or spirit John, do you think is the most difficult can to control and direct positively for the majority of people? But He also asks What is the blessing that you would give the Jewish people so can hold on to that will bless our learning, and also blacks and remember the names of all of our family and friends who are no longer with us. So if their names you want to say for Kathy Chateau mourners Kaddish or put in the chat feel free in this moment.

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann  
Florence ADA Feldman, my mother Lloyd Robinson, my father and Ray Gottlieb Jones, Joan Freedman. Any other parents of yours or folks in our community who have died in the last year? All right. Do you hear the horn on Libra? Ha May their memories be blessings? I'm going to stamp

Speaker 3  
you to get down here to Kadesh shimmy Arabba I mean, Bell Maddie for accurate Dave, Emily's marco de ba Hi hon. Have you my home of Highgate Hobbit Israel. But Allah with his mind, Kareem Imro. I mean, I mean, you hit me on. Barbara. Visa back. Are you from Vietnam say you'd had our Viet Alev yet Hello, Schmid could Shah who? The LM in Kabir Heartsaver Shirota. To Sabah davanagere Mata Demi ran Delmarva in rue. I mean, the Haish llama Raba means Shemaiah Hayyim la nouvelle Cali sir alien ru Amin will say Shalom be Romain who yeah say Shalom. Elena Val Coleus or Al, Elko yo che Teva the AME Rue and many more all their memories be blessings

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann  
I'm going to close out with an OC Shalom channeling all of that internal blessing into external blessing

Speaker 2  
Oh say shallow beam ro Ma. Goo Yes, he shall know. They go through it. Yeah, cool. You're shaping the human memory

Speaker 2  
Oh say shadow. Ooh, yes. The Shadow Monday, new day. Google is throwing yo speak to them.

Speaker 2  
And then I and and I and I and I, and I and and I and I lai lai la jai lai lai La la la la la la la Osage? Yes, it's shallow money. globally through your street data.

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann  
Yay. We start the morning by just waking up and truly like blessing our own breath and body. We start in the most intimate of concentric circles starting with ourselves. And then we go, then we say actually out loud May. May this not stop with me and may I love other people the way I love me. I have to start with me in order to love other people that way. This week's parsha invites us to think about how we want to bless our people and be in relationship with our people. But then, of course, every important Jewish prayer, the Kaddish, the Amidah ends with a prayer and a blessing for world peace, literally, for taking the cosmic order and helping you know and asking God to help us. Put that into the world and ask God to put out into the world and not limit that to us but cool Yoshi Tay Bell all people we can say I am mean