Rabbi's Blog

Dear OZ family,

Today is a day on the Biblical calendar. On this day, the 5^th of Tamuz 2,588 years ago the prophet, Yechezkel delivered his cryptic opening message known as “Ma’aseh Merkava”, God’s chariot, in which he describes what Jewish mysticism teaches, the metaphysical secrets of the universe. Yechezkel had been exiled 30 years earlier, in the year 597 BCE, and he began to teach his people how to relate to God while being estranged from Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple. Yechezkel taught his audience how to experience the Divine in new and creative ways without the Mikdash. He taught them to create what he calls a “Mikdash Me’at” (11:16), for prayer, study and religious and spiritual activity. We have had to be similarly creative in the last year and a half, and we are ready for a full return from “exile”.

The description of Yechezkel’s chariot may offer a message about how to best navigate our return. The four sides of the chariot had faces. One was that of a human, one a lion, one an ox, and one an eagle. Ib’n Ezra and Radak point out that those four figures were the pictures on the flags of the four leaders of the encampments in the desert. Rueven, who was accompanied by Shimon and Gad, had a flag with a human face. Yehudah, who was flanked by Yisachar and Zevulun, had a flag with the face of a lion. Ephraim, who camped with Menashe and Binyamin, had a flag with the face of an ox, and Dan, who was joined by Asher and Naftali, had a flag with the face of an eagle. God’s chariot makes the universe run smoothly, say these commentaries, when the tribes of Israel travel together in tandem and in peace.

Let us hope that Israel is blessed with abiding peace, from within and from without. Let us push to assure that our political, communal, and religious leaders do everything possible to protest the rising Anti-Semitism that is rearing its ugly head in our country and in Europe, to say nothing of the Moslem world. There are hundreds of territorial conflicts around the world, and the Israel haters, concentrate all their energies on one small nation. We should hold our elected officials to the standard of speaking out against the outrageous hatred reserved for Israel. The City College system has put out a ridiculously one sided statement against Israel regarding her recent conflict with Hamas. The statement makes no reference at all to Hamas’s launching of thousands of rockets onto population centers in Israel. If anyone reading this is an alumnus of any City university, please respond to this outrage. A petition is being prepared to do so in large numbers. In the meantime, let us pursue the vision of unity that Yechezkel spoke about on this day so long ago.   

Be well. Be safe and healthy. Be excellent.

Rabbi Allen Schwartz

Rabbi Allen Schwartz

Congregation Ohab Zedek

118 West 95^th Street | New York, NY  10025-6604

Phone 212.749-5150, ext 200 | Fax 212.663-3635

E-mail ras@ozny.org

Website:  www.ozny.org