Parashat Lech Lecha
"Who's Your Momma?"

by Elana Architzel

Verse Per Verse

Well the world has been created, Heaven, Earth, animals, Eden, the whole shebang. The struggles of Adam, Eve, and the serpent, are trials we are usually pretty familiar with from the opening stories in Genesis. So God said to Noah "There’s gonna be a floody floody… you know how it goes". This all leads up to a man most of us learn about at an early age. Yes… you know his name well, Abraham. So, welcome to Parashat Lech-Lecha.
This particular story reminds me of my good old days at Jewish Day school reading the classic "Lech Lecha m'artzecha, mi'moladitcha, mi'beyt avicha." Many of us also know this parsha to deal with the slicing and dicing, circumcision. So I started to look deeper into the text and was not drawn to Avram but rather the ladies of this story Sarai and Hagar.
Avram, Sarai and their crew pack up and wander around town for a bit. This whole time, without children of their own. God has promised Avram an heir and a nation as plentiful as the stars, but so far no luck for Sarai. It is at this point in the tale I would like to pick up. Sarai and Avram are in their late 70’s and I am sure Sarai has tremendous feelings about not being able to conceive. I believe it is these feelings that lead her to her next action in Genesis 16:3 (Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan ) it says:

"After Abram had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian her slave, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife."

The UAHC version states:

"So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took her maid Hagar the Egyptian-after Abram had dwelt in the land of Canaan ten years-and gave her to her husband Abram as concubine."

Two things struck me about these differing translations. First: the translation of the words ishah lo ishah. Did Sarai initially intend for Abram to simply sleep with Hagar for the sole purpose of securing an heir, or, did she mean to include her fully in their family as a second wife? When I hear the word concubine used versus wife, it has an instant reaction for me. Concubine brings up feelings of a sort of whore, or just there for his pleasure, or almost used in a way. The word concubine comes from con meaning with and cubine meaning to lie with. Nowhere are there implications of this meaning wife. When most of us hear the term wife, we think of warm feelings; a family surrounded with love and happiness and bonding. The slight differentiation in translation brings a completely different tone to this section. We do not know what Sarai’s intention truly was in regard to Hagar and Avram, but future actions lead me to believe wife was not a term she expected Hagar to hold.
Second: the placement of Sarai being Avram’s wife versus Sarai, Avram’s wife. In one translation Sarai comes after Avram where in the latter she is mentioned before. In the version where Sarai comes before him, is the intention for us to believe she is the first and only wife in his eyes? Does this give Sarai an elevated status over Hagar from the start and if so, how can Hagar ever measure up?
Some animosity Sarai might hold for Hagar could be due to the fact that Hagar does get pregnant with Avram. The conception of a child seems like such a simple act; one I am sure Sarai and Avram have attempted for years without success. Lehavdeal, just the opposite, this seems to happen in an instant for Hagar. Genesis 16:4 (Kaplan)
"Avram came to her, and she conceived…..."
The thought of years of sex with Avram leading to nothing and what seems like one hot and heavy night with Hagar and poof, baby - must have really set Sarai off. To me, this in many ways explains her abuse and harsh treatment, vt’aneh Sarai, towards Hagar driving her out.
Does this story have some insight into a polygamist lifestyle? Is it asking us to question can one man and many women really coexist peacefully? We know many men in the Torah to take on more than one wife and in my opinion, they do not turn out too well. We know what happens with Jacob and his wives and children and yet time and time again, we see this sort of thing in the Torah. Is this our first glimpse into surrogate mothers and the difficulties that go along with that process on both sides? Was the intention for Hagar to give birth to a son, Ishmael and Sarai raise him as her own? Unfortunately, that question is never answered since Hagar and Ishmael are not welcomed to stay in camp.
What is also missing for me in this piece of the story is Avram’s involvement in this whole episode. He up and moved his family, just said this is what we’re doing and yet when it comes to Sarai and Hagar, gives Sarai free reign to dictate things. Very little respect and sympathy seems to be thrown Hagar’s way on both sides. Does Avram feel guilty for sexing it up with Hagar, her in turn giving him a son? What is his parental role with his son Ishmael when Hagar returns to camp and he is born? There seems to be little words to detail these inquiries.
For a man that many consider a tzadik, and a great leader, he seems lacking as a parental role model. Many times in history and in the modern world, those we look up most to, those that inspire, those that make great strives for mankind, cannot seem to pull it together at home. Maybe Avram is like Joan Crawford…no wire hangers Ishmael, there is no written text for us to know of their relationship. What we do know is that two great nations shall come from his seed and that has to speak for itself somehow.

Parashat Noah

G!d Learns


By Akiva The Believer

Verse Per Verse

Whaddya mean, G!d learns?
I thought G!d was perfect.
That everything is preordained.

I was taught that even though WE believe we have free will, in fact, G!d supposedly knows HOW we will respond.
And He knows it BEFORE we do anything. He sees all and knows all.

Excuse me, but that is NOT what the Holy Torah says. Not in THIS parasha.

Parashas Noah is my favorite portion of the whole Torah. Here we have the first inkling that the Torah is not just about us, the humans. It is also a journal about G!d.

AND OF G!D'S GROWTH!
What?
G!D grows?

Let us go to the text:

"Now the earth had become corrupt before G!d." (Genesis 6:13.) Usually "corrupt" is explained as idolatry, immoral behavior and even robbery.

(Let us not stop to debate the pros and cons of what corrupt means. Let us grant that we humans somehow displeased our Creator in a fundamental way.) What is HaShem's solution?

"The end of all flesh has come before me...and I am about to destroy it (all flesh) from the earth." (Ibid.)

Great. We sin. We die.
Along with all living creatures, except the fish who couldn't drown.

Try explaining this to any child. They just look at you with wide uncomprehending eyes. Remember, not just the "sinners" drown. All living flesh ends. All. Every newborn, every puppy, every cricket, all. Some commentators try to tell us that in fact all flesh was, by this time, sinning. Not very believable.

Some folks, at this point, throw up their hands, in disgust, and say "I'm outta here. Keep your punishing G!d. I'm going East or maybe out of the religion racket altogether."

The key, I think, to this riddle, and to many other riddles, occurs AFTER the flood. After what is really the first Holocaust.

"G!d places a rainbow in the sky. "And G!d said,'This is the sign of the covenant that I give between Me and you and every living being that is with you, to generations forever......
"I will remember my covenant...
"And the water shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh." (Genesis 9:12-15)

I believe these words come to teach us that G!d has regret. That G!d acts, as we do, hastily, rashly and without full understanding.
I know this is very radical. But it explains so much.

Doesn't G!d flash anger and nearly destroy all of us all right after the Golden Calf? Doesn't Moses have to talk G!d out of doing just that? Again, G!d seems to show signs of regret or remorse.

I believe this is "Young" G!d. Or "Early" G!d. The G!d of black and white. The G!d who destroys as a way of teaching. The G!d of Judgment without Mercy.

So the rainbow is not just a reminder for us that the covenant exists. It is also for G!d. G!d is learning.....

Are we not in G!d's image? Why wouldn't our G!d, then be like us, learning, growing even suffering?
One of the reasons we pray is to offer solace or comfort to G!d.
That's why praying should always be done with kavana and not just by rote.

Do you wish everyone "Shabbat Shalom" or "Gut Shabbos" on Friday evening? What about G!d? Ever look G!dward and wish a silent blessing to the resting G!d?

When I wish Gut Shabbos to G!d I affirm that rainbow, that covenant. The Promise that reminds us all of Mercy, of Love, of Learning and of Growth.

The Last Temptation of Moses

Denver, The LAB at Belmar

Saturday Night, Oct. 6 2007


By Amichai Lau-Lavie

Storah On The Road

"It was a great evening and I think a wonderful kick- off to the whole series. Amichai is amazing. It was funny, touching and very thought provoking...I loved it. I hope Amichai was happy with the evening. We had a pretty diverse audience which was great as well." - Jamie Polliard, Assistant Director of the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Denver.

The Lab at Belmar is a brand new performance venue in Denver, overlooking an ice-skating ring and from its balcony offers a breathtaking view of the mountains. Last Saturday night 150 people gathered here for an evening of sacred story, climbing up a mountain in the footsteps of the dying Moses. This was the first event as part of my six weeks residency in Denver, as scholar and artist in residence at the University of Denver's S'hema program – a year long focus on 'what Jewish culture sounds like'

As soon as the show was over, an elderly gentleman walked over to me with tears streaming down his cheeks. 'You made me cry', he told me, 'and I haven't cried in ten years. I didn't come here expecting this at all.' Another audience member came right after him – a young woman who works for the University of Denver's Public Relations team – 'you were really funny! I didn't think the Bible could be funny!' Following her were several rabbis, a team from a Baptist church in town and a dozen or so young students from DU, all of them sharing interesting feedback that has mostly to do with their surprise at what 'The Last Temptation of Moses' had to offer them – a totally different theatrical experience.

Based on the original Bible text for Simchat Torah – in which Moses dies, the Torah ends, and the world is created again as Genesis starts, this performance went the gamut from the death to the birth, with a lot of breathing in between. The highlight for me was the last minute addition of Danya Rivlin – an amazing singer who chanted, sang and filled the room with a soft but penetrating voice. Ayal Rivlin – her newly wed husband, and Ariel – a local percussionist added the music. Ayal and I know each other since the mid 90's, in Israel – and this was the first time we got to really play together. It was, we both knew right away – the beginning of many more to come.

An Apple, A Day

By David Loewy

Storah On The Road

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Naomi Less and I presented "An Apple, A Day" -- our take on Adam, Eve, the Serpent, and the world's most famous mid-afternoon snack -- at Temple Har Shalom of Warren, NJ.

We conducted a brief discussion following the performance to field any questions about how the show was developed, who we are, etc. After a couple of minutes a 10th-grader named Amanda raised her hand and asked, "Why did G-d create temptation?" (This made her my new best friend.) With only ten minutes for the "talk-back session," I didn't want to give short shrift to her very deep question, so I asked her to approach us afterwards to talk about it at length.

Downstairs in the social hall, I was being greeted by a number of the people who had been in the congregation that evening and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amanda, hovering and waiting. I told her that she asks good questions. She said, "Thanks. Can you answer it?"

I tried. I said that temptation was a natural by-product of being passionate about something, and Jewish tradition admires passion. We should "wake like a lion" and "run to do mitzvot." I explained that being drawn towards things is not a problem in itself, but it should be viewed in light of our "good inclination" or "bad inclination." If we are stirred, tempted, drawn to things that also serve greater good or at least cause no harm, there's no problem with that. It's only when we are tempted toward things that are entirely self serving that there might be real sin involved.

My answer is almost insignificant, however. What is important is Amanda, who stood there, voice quavering, full of the fidgets, but with her eyes intent and her chin set, determined to get answers. She was the very embodiment of Eve as we had seen her in that day's story. Everything she had been told did not satisfy her curiosity, her drive to know. The status quo was insufficient, so she went outside her comfort zone and sought new sources. Almost defiantly, she endured the nerves and uncertainty in the hopes of becoming a more advanced human being, of having her eyes opened, of better knowing good from bad. (Many thanks to Amanda, whose last name I never caught.)

On Second Glance


Verse per verse: The Weekly Storah

By Naomi Less

Ahh, the Garden of Eden! Just when you think you’re done purging your sins on Yom Kippur, you turn around and it’s Simchat Torah – back to the beginning – back to the first recorded sin. Eve, The Serpent and Adam ...Whose decision was it?

In Genesis, Chapter 3, verse 6, our friends at JPS translate the verse as follows:

When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate.

I’m interested in that word ‘saw’ – or tereh. Was it something about the appearance of the tree that Eve saw on the surface that caused her to be magnetically and uncontrollably drawn to that tree? James Kugel translates that “the woman understood that the tree was good…”

This struck me – Eve understood. She had an epiphany. The snake didn’t convince her or trick her. She wasn’t force-fed. She had external information that she listened to, evaluated, surmised and made a decision. She added one and one and realized it would be fruitful to access this wisdom. Only then, did she eat. Eve had a trigger, a catalyst that caused her to rise up to the 20,000 feet perspective and literally see the forest for the trees. And then she saw. And then, she made her decision.

The nachash, the serpent, was arum, usually translated as clever or subtle . Interestingly though, the root of of that word A.R.M. (ayin.resh.mem) is the same root as the word for “naked” – arom. The serpent had candor and gave eve the naked truth to help her gain perspective.

Eve is a model for decision-making. She had an outside source of information, a trigger, a catalyst that caused her to check her assumptions. She weighed and evaluated – and then made a strong decision. So, instead of blaming Eve for the first sin, we should thank her for creating the first internal decision-making process. All we can do, in this life, is receive those information sources, seek perspective and hope that we can make strong and confident decisions based on the information we have and our ability to evaluate. Thanks, Eve!

Yom Kippur Afterthoughts

By Storahtelling Musicians

Storah On The Road

How can we, as human beings and Jews (or non-Jews) who want to do good in the world - how can we live with the innate contradictions of our own humanity? We say this list of ways we have missed the mark; yet it's in our nature to be here again next year, reading the same list. One answer offered by a brave fellow: "Well maybe next year my own personal list will be smaller."

Personal/Communal/Political: What I love about Storahprayer is that we are not allowed off the hook. We are individuals, responsible for our own personal growth. We are also part of a community (even if "tempororary") and must acknowledge our role within the group - are we participators? Leaders? Spectators? All of the above at different times? Are we contributing to the overall good of the group? Finally, we are making political choices even if we don't phrase it that way - our love of iPods and fancy buildings (like WTC Bldg 7 with fancyelevators) are part of what creates unequal distribution of wealth in the world.

Yet still we sing a new Shehecheyanu! Still we belt out Avinu Malkeynu as if our life depended on it (for perhaps indeed, it does)! Still we have each other's backs. We, Storah musicians, watched each other intently for signals. We learned to communicate our needs as much as we could. When Amichai asked the group to get in groups of three as Bet Din before Kol Nidre, we did it too. When Amichai sobbed for the gates to open, we pushed harder into the music. Although we are not perfect, we achieved some moments of spiritual/musical perfection.

A sweet year for all of us!

- Chana Rothman

An amazing time...I know you all know that, but it must be said again and again. I found myself struggling at times with the performance aspect. That is to say, it was not easy at every moment to receive the blessings and inspiration, when my musician self was focusing on a missed note, a problem with the sound, etc. However, each musician at one time or another played something or did something or said something that brought me back to the place I needed to be. Thank you all.

I remember Kol Nidre night, Amichai said something like, "Each breath we take could be the last breath we take" (it was during the conversation that included the kayaking story). The moment he finished that statement, literally EVERYONE in the room took a deep breath in. The sentiment of that statement and the sound that resulted has stuck with me. Just one of many truly amazing moments.

Thank you all again, and I can't wait till we can do it again. (Shemini Atzeret, anyone?)

-Jeremy Brown

Yom Kippur was in a word - AWEsome.

I am blessed with the privilege of sharing these days with you and have learned so much not only about myself as a fellow human being but about you all and the incredible talents, compassion, kindness, and wisdom you all possess.

Amichai, you are truly one of the greats - as Naomi would say "The Real Deal"

I learn so much from you every time I'm part of a Storah service and am always deeply moved and profoundly affected by it for days. The energy in the room was beautiful and present and flowing always and that is in large part because of your spirit and open heart and commitment to the higher good in all of us.

-Katie Down

ONE GIANT LEAP at Congregation Beth El in New Jersey Sunday, September 16, 2007

By Jake Goodman



Storah On The Road

By Lauviticus

This last Sunday Chana Rothman and I traveled to Congregation Beth El in South Orange, New Jersey to perform our musical, puppet-filled production of ONE GIANT LEAP. The play begins the moment after all the Israelites have crossed the Sea of Reeds and explores the tension between faith and doubt. Chana brilliantly played the faithful, guitar-playing Miriam while I puppeteered the frightened, neurotic and very hungry Nachson. According to Midrash, when Moses raised his staff to part the Sea of Reeds, nothing happened. All the Isrealites just stood there, waiting for a miracle. An Israelite named Nachshon, however, jumped straight into the water and it was actually his faith that caused the sea to part. In ONE GIANT LEAP, this Midrash on its
head: Nachshon is now the doubter, the one who does not think that the Israelites will be provided for in the desert, and who wants to go back to being a slave in Egypt where at least he knew he would
(usually) be fed.

One funny story: ONE GIANT LEAP is a play that encourages audience participation and, gratefully, the kids at Beth El eagerly obliged.
At one point, when Nachshon was complaining about his terrible thirst, one of the older kids shouted out, "Why don't you go back to Egypt and drink from the Nile?" Without missing a beat, this blue puppet retorted, "We can't! The Nile has recently gone through a...transformation. Let's just say: it's not kosher anymore!" This was a great moment because many of the adults and older kids who understood the joke burst out laughing. The younger kids, who did not understand the reference to the Nile turning to blood during the first plague, quickly turned to their neighbors and demanded to know what was so funny. And then a second, louder wave of laughter began! It was hilarious, and a clear demonstration of how engaging this type of ritual theater can be.

SHEDDING THE CRUST OF LIFE

Storahtelling Tashlich Ritual September 14 2007



Verse per verse: The Weekly Storah

By Lauviticus

About twenty of us from the Storahtelling family gathered on the second day of Rosh Hashana on the Hudson River pier, to shed away the year that was.

Sitting in a circle on the lawn, under a grey sky, we were led by Jake Goodman, who beautifully md’d an original version of the Tashlich ritual. First we chose pieces of bread, two each, of different varieties, symbolizing our life’s choices. Then we went around in a circle, spreading strawberry jam on our bread to represent our sweet moments from the year that passed, then peanut butter to represent what will stick with us for the next year – worthwhile challenges and personal goals. The sharing took a while and was very moving. And then came the tasty bit – we made our sandwiches, ate the middle, and saved the crusts for the fish. The crusts, Jake explained, represent that part of our life that we are grateful for but are shedding in order to make room for new experiences. Together we climbed the rails along the pier and tossed our crusts into the Hudson River, much to the delight of a local flock of seagulls. A Chinese feast followed and a new year ushered, carb free.

Kicking off 5768


Verse per verse: The Weekly Storah

By Lauviticus

The 40^th floor of 7 world trade center in downtown Manhattan is home to the NY Academy of Science, and a bronze bust of Charles Darwin graces its entry hall. Under his austere and hopefully amused gaze, a few hundred people gathered on September 12 and 13 to mark the 5,768^th birthday of the planet – not exactly in line with evolutionist theory. Storahtelling’s fourth annual Rosh Hashanah celebration featured a partnership with Tribeca Hebrew – a growing and dynamic grassroots NYC Jewish community, and attracted many guests off all ages, backgrounds and faiths. Amazing music and liturgy was led by Amichai Lau-Lavie, Shira Kline, Chana Rothman, Ronen Itzik, Jeremy Brown, and Katie Down. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah we held a memorial service for 9/11 – just a previous day and a few hundred feet away. 7 World Trade Center is the first of the ground zero buildings to be rebuilt, and this powerful symbolism was echoed as we remembered the loss and started a new year with a prayer for world peace and self renewal.

The following day we split up – offering a children’s’ service and activities in one room while the adults gathered in the main space for musical liturgy and the telling of the Torah tale for Rosh Hashanah – the birth of Isaac and the banishment of his brother Ishmael. The Storahtelling version of this dramatic tale, entitled ‘Child’s Play’, directed by Franny Silverman and featuring Shawn Shafner and Emily Warshaw, brought alive the Genesis tale of a dysfunctional family that happens to be the ancestral soap opera of both the Jewish and Muslim nations. At one point during the telling, the voice of Hagar, the other mother in this tale, and the mythic matriarch of Islam, was speaking to us, voicing pain, anger, hope and possibilities for healing of old wounds. Many people reacted later, in person and via emails – “I Loved how you brought in Hagar's point of view..It left me pondering ..We discussed it all through lunch later that day!”

Rabbi David Kline (Shira’s dad) was our shofar blower and blew a record 58 seconds long final blast… Darwin seemed to like it, and the 300 people who were there left with a lick of honey and a taste for more. To be continued on Yom Kippur.

COMING HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, SORT OF


Verse per verse: The Weekly Storah by Sarah Sokolic

By Sarah Sokolic

Last Saturday night, Chana Rothman and I went to The Jewish Center in Princeton, NJ, home synagogue of the Sokolic family for the past 20 years (my "in-law" shul, if you will) to be a part of a Princeton-Mercer-Bucks community-wide Slichot program. Chana and I premiered a new piece which I conceived and wrote with the help of some of previous works from Storahtelling. Entitled "Like A Prayer", and directed by the lovely and talented Annie Levy, the piece retells the collective stories of some of our most cherished archetypes of the season (Aaron, Sarah, Hagar, Chana), focuses on the origins of prayer, and reflects on themes of "birth and rebirth", forgiveness and introspection. "Like A Prayer" was unique for Storahtelling in that it was not a Shultime or Maven program that would take place during the Torah service, nor was it a traditional theatrical piece. This was a "hybrid" model - I chanted in character amidst the dialogue, and Chana translated as part of the storytelling.

This technique resonated deeply with the congregation. During our half-hour long talk balk after the performance, many audience members commented on how moved they were to see characters they have known all of their lives portrayed as "real people", and how the use of chanting throughout made them remember that the stories and the dialogue come right from the text. Following the program Rabbi Adam Feldman, who worked with Storahtelling to put the program together wrote in an email:
"What a great evening. It was everything I wanted and more. Chana and Sarah are both very talented and a pleasure to work with and the performance was thought provoking and very well done. You helped us set the tone for the holidays in a way unlike anyone else can do. I am sure that many of us will think back to the performance as we read these stories in the Torah and Haftorah over the holidays."

Shana Tova.