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Cantor Karp's Divar Torah ...

Divar Torah: Emor
delivered by Cantor Gail Posner Karp
Temple Emanuel, Davenport, Iowa
May 11, 2001

The Torah portion for this week is entitled "Emor". Our Torah reader, Carly Garfield, will be reading from the 24th Chapter of the book of Leviticus, verses 1-9. In this Sedrah, God tells Moses to prepare a lamp filled with olive oil "l'ha-a-lot ner tamid" to be as an eternal light with the instruction that "may-erev ad boker lifnay Adonai tamid chukat olam l'dorotaychem", "from evening to morning the lamp shall burn before God continually; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations".

How does this Torah portion have meaning for us tonight on Sisterhood Shabbat? To answer this question, I looked both within and outside the Torah for symbolic actions and events which evidence our commitment as women to the meaningful preservation of Judaism from generations past going forward into the future. 

One example that I found was THE JEWISH WOMEN'S ARCHIVE in Brookline, Massachusetts. Founded in 1995, the Jewish Women's Archive, or JWA, uncovers, chronicles and transmits the rich history of Jewish women, their impact on Jewish culture, and their active participation in society at large. One project which they do, called the Women of Valor, is an educational outreach program, is designed to bring the lives and accomplishments of Jewish women into the mainstream of Jewish and American life and education. JWA's vision is to change fundamentally the way girls and boys growing up view the role of women and, thereby, their own potential. Each year, the Jewish Women's Archive showcases three outstanding Jewish women through educational posters and accompanying resource guides. These posters and resource materials are mailed to 8,000 institutions, including synagogues, Jewish Community Centers, College Campus Hillel organizations, youth groups, summer camps, libraries, Jewish day schools and university women's studies and Jewish studies departments across the United States and Canada. Institutions are encouraged to designate the month of March, National Women's History Month, as a time to celebrate Jewish women's history. The Women of Valor campaign strives to reflect accurately the breadth of accomplishments of Jewish women in North America over the last century. Women to be featured are selected by an Academic Council, which is composed of leading scholars in American history, Jewish history and women's studies. Consideration is given only to women who are deceased and whose records are readily accessible, including visual material. Previous women featured include Yiddish actress Molly Picon, poet Emma Lazarus, activist Bella Abzug, Canadian Olympic athlete Bobbie Rosenfeld and anthropologist Barbara Myerhoff. By recognizing women who have made such an impact on Jewish Society and the world-at-large, the JWA seeks to insure that the "light of Judaism" will be kept burning continually throughout the generations.

Another example of a "burning light" in Judaism coincidentally occurred throughout the world today, May 11th, the 6th day of the month of Iyar according to the Jewish calendar. Today marked the observance of a Jewish Holiday entitled Lag B'omer (a holiday which many Jews observe by building a bonfire - another example of a burning light - and having an outdoor celebration). In order to understand the holiday of Lag B'omer we need to go back in Jewish History. In biblical times, Passover represented the season of harvesting the barley, and Shavuot, the holiday when we observe Confirmation here at Temple Emanuel, was the period of harvesting the wheat. On the 2nd day after Passover, a special offering of a measure of grain called an "omer" was mixed with oil and frankincense and waved up and down and side to side by the ancient priests in the temple as a prayer to protect the harvest from winds and weather. The people would count the days between the waving of the omer and Shavuot, and these 7 weeks - or 49 days - are called Sefirat Haomer - the counting of the omer. Over 2000 years ago, it was during the time of Rabbi Akiba and the 49 days of the Counting of the Omer, that many of his students died during an epidemic. Our Sages then declared that these days should be commemorated as partial mourning days for all times, and rejoicing is curtailed and there are no weddings, dancing or haircuts. However, on the 33rd day of the Omer, the epidemic relented, and this day is called Lag B'Omer - the numerical value of the Hebrew letters comprising the word Lag -(Lamed, Gimmel) is 33. Thus this holiday is a happy one with picnics and outdoor games. 

In conclusion I'd like to relate a modern women's tale which is recounted about Lag B'omer. Moroccan Jews on Lag B'Omer celebrate at the tombs of other revered rabbis -- a different one for each region. Charles Levy, a member of the Sephardic Jewish Community in San Francisco witnessed a miracle in his own family when his mother, distraught over his sister's five miscarriages and stillbirths, went to pray on Lag B'Omer at the tomb of Rabbi Nissim Ben Nissim in Mogador (in southern Morocco). When she opened her purse to leave a monetary offering at the tomb, a butterfly flew out. Soon after that, Levy's sister became pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby boy. 

I relate that recent story, because when I read it, it reminded me of many of the tales that were told about fertility in the book "The Red Tent" which our Sisterhood read last year for it's first book discussion. As Jewish women in the Quad Cities, it is important for us to not only transmit the stories of other women throughout history and the world, but those of our own lives as well as an eternal light to othres. Too often, we find ourselves feeling isolated as Jewish women in what many consider to be a remote corner of the world. As Sisterhood, we can do much to build a sense of "hevrutah", a sense of belonging and sharing within a community by caring and being there for Jewish community events, which we can help, mold and shape. In doing so, let us renew ourselves to the goals and principles upon which we were founded. Let us not forget that "Sisterhood is the organization of the women of our congregation who band together in friendship for programs to benefit the Temple and the community, for social activities, for study, and, above all, for the growth of the individual so that each may find an opportunity to fulfill her potential as a person and as a Jewish woman. Sisterhood provides the arena for the individual to expand and grow in a Jewish atmosphere. By doing this we can help to insure that, as our Torah portion this evening states, "from evening to morning the lamp shall burn before God continually; it shall be a statute forever throughout our generations".

AMEN

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