Nu, so?

Every year when we read Parshat Naso, I hear my father asking, “Nu, so?”  This is, for those of you not familiar, the Galitzianer (Polish Jewish) pronunciation of the word Naso.  Nu, so, what can we learn this week?

Parshat Naso features the recounting of the gifts brought by the nesi’im, the princes of the tribes. Each of these 12 leaders brough the exact same gift. Instead of saying simply that each of the 12 leaders gave the exact same gift, which could be done in a few verses, the Torah lists a separate paragraph for each leader – a whopping 71 verses. Considering that the Torah is usually pretty exact with language, what gives?

The gift of each Nasi is mentioned separately since each nasi – and each tribe – have a unique story to tell. Just because the leader all brought the same gift does not mean everything is exactly the same. Each nasi’s gift cam along with each nasi’s unique style and each tribe’s unique personality. That is worthy of teaching individually – even if it makes Naso the longest portion with 176 verses.

Each of us has a unique role to play and a story to tell. Each of our families and communities has a personality all their own. Nu, so, what do we learn from Naso? We should pay attention to each and every person and story. Even when they seem the same, they are all, in fact, quite unique.

Shavuot Ruminations

I don't know about you, but I find that there is something meaningful in commemorating America’s Memorial Day while celebrating a Jewish holiday.  It makes it feel more ritualized and appropriate. Like Yom Hazikaron in Israel.

Shavuot is a holiday that is different than the others.  One way to think about it is that on Pesach, we can eat where we want but we can’t eat it what we want. On Sukkot, we can eat what we want, but we can’t eat where we want as we eat in the Sukkah.  On Shavuot, we can eat what we want and where we want. (Thanks, Dad, for drilling this lesson into me as a kid.)

This flexibility of Shavuot can also be found in that there really aren’t any special MITZVOT (required observances) for the holiday.  There are plenty of customs (eating dairy, studying Torah all night, etc.), but no obligations.  Heightening the loose-goosey nature of Shavuot is the fact the Torah never refers to Shavuot as the anniversary of receiving the Torah.  We can figure it our based on the verses, and the Talmud is explicit. Shavuot seems to be a holiday waiting for a personality.

In a way, this is similar to our relationship with Torah and Judaism.  We are Jews, but what kind of attitude and actions will we take that reflect our Judaism on a daily/weekly/monthly basis?  As the anniversary of receiving the Torah, Shavuot is the most appropriate time to ask ourselves “What does Torah mean to me?  To my family and loved ones?  To my community?  What am I doing with God’s gift of Torah and Judaism?”

That’s a question worth asking, answering, and celebrating.

Shabbat Shalom, Chag sameach and enjoy the cheesecake!

P.S. When did the first lactose intolerant Jew ask a shayla about how to handle dairy on Shavuot.? :)