Emor: Art That Sanctifies

Before I "officially" begin this week's segment, I want to acknowledge something: This is my 300th blog post. I find it incredibly hard to believe it myself, but it's true. And after nearly six years, and an astounding 75,000 pageviews (well, 73,841, but you know what I mean...), I am so grateful to all of you for sticking with me. I still enjoy writing these (which is also a minor miracle), and I hope you enjoy reading them. I look forward to many more years here together, but I also like to stop and voice my gratitude and appreciation for milestones when they occur. So thank you. And now, Parashat Emor...

If you're gonna do something, do it well. If it's worth your time/energy/money/effort, then make it really count, and go the extra mile to achieve a sense of genuine gratification and satisfaction. 

I hear this message in our Torah portion, loud and clear, and I think it's an essential one in our lives today as well. From the Torah's point of view, it's about God. All of this - being Jewish, observing the laws, treating others with kindness, etc., etc. - is for God, so do it with passion and care. For you and me today, God is sometimes still the motivating factor. But we don't have to hear "God" in the text for the message to be meaningful. Ultimately, I think the Torah is still saying "CARE about what you do!" Take pride in your effort, get emotional about what you do, and invest in your projects, even if there's risk of failure, disappointment, and dejection. Elsewhere, the Torah tells us to "Love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might" (Deut. 6:5). What would our lives look like if we placed THAT kind of effort into everything we did?

Our parashah is mainly interested in sacrifice and holiday observance. Technically speaking, it isn't addressing other aspects of life or how we should care about ALL that we do. But we extrapolate; that's what it means to interpret Torah and make it meaningful in our lives. 

So when the Torah says, "When you sacrifice a thanksgiving offering to Adonai, sacrifice it so that it may be acceptable in your favor" (Lev. 22:29), how do we understand the term "in your favor"? I think it's saying that the sacrifice will speak well of you, before God, IF you demonstrate that it's important to you. If you think you can get away with giving the crappiest animal in the flock, or the rotten apples you weren't going to eat anyway, it won't work! And not because God demands high-quality produce, but because it says something about YOU when you pull these kinds of stunts! You're showing how little you care, so your minimal investment will pay minimal returns. It won't help you, because YOU won't help you.

This weekend, at Ohev Shalom, we're embarking on a major art endeavor. Over the course of the next year, we are installing fourteen beautiful, incredible mosaic panels in our Main Sanctuary, depicting 

the Twelve Tribes of Israel, as well as a thirteenth for the Levitical priests, and a fourteenth for Jacob's daughter, Dinah, to break up the testosterone-overload. The first two panels are being dedicated this weekend; the tribes of Reuben and Naphtali. The panels are amazing, just from an artistic point-of-view. And they have added meaning, because embedded among the tiles are personal artifacts from members of the congregation; so the panels tell OUR communal story as well. But I also think the project, as a whole, says something larger about us as an organization.

A traditional, even Biblical perspective would say we're doing this for God; "l'Sheim Shamayim," "for the sake of Heaven." By making our prayer space, our sanctuary, a more beautiful and spiritual place, we 
are elevating our worship and creating new and (hopefully) profound ways to connect with prayer. And I don't disagree. Our Torah portion tells us, "that I may be sanctified in the midst of the People Israel; I, the Lord, who sanctifies you" (Lev. 22:32). God may be the One who does the blessing, but we bless God right back! And yet, it isn't just a theological thing. Prayer, in Judaism, 
is bi-directional; it goes out and it goes back in, inside ourselves. We elevate and sanctify ourselves with this project. The process, the journey, the togetherness it creates, and the investment of resources from SO many people; all these things create holiness. I, for one, am very eager to see how our Children of Israel Collection will unfold. And I'm excited for the plethora of ways in which it will enrich our community. Once the panels are in our midst, I know we will be "mekadishchem," "sanctified by them." 

Photos in this blog post:
1. The Tribe of Asher (olive tree) - mosaic panel to be installed later this summer
2. Past presidents of Ohev Shalom, David Pollack, Bruce Godick, and Frances Sheehan, working with me on the Tribe of Reuben (mandrake flower).
3. Members of our USY youth group working on The Tribe of Naphtali (deer). Danielle Berman, Shannah Stone, Leah Cohen, Jordyn Kaplan, Julia Katcher, Carly Paul, and Sarah Lieberman.
4. Reuben, the panel completed!
5. Naphtali, the panel completed!