Friday, June 12, 20 Sivan 6:00 PM Kabbalat Shabbat Services Please join Rabbi Plumb and Ellen Allard for a virtual "From Our Home to Yours"
Saturday, June 13, 21 Sivan 9:30 - 10:30 AM Shabbat Morning Services Please join Cantor Ellen Band and Rose Spitzer reading Torah for a virtual "From Our Home to Yours"
In our parasha this week, we find a story that has puzzled and challenged Torah readers for centuries. It is the story of Miriam and Aaron who gossiped about Moses because of the Cushite woman he married. There are many interpretations of this story. Some suggest that Aaron and Miriam were complaining that Moses did not spend enough time with his wife and was too busy ‘at work’ leading the Israelites.
But in our day, in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and others, we could see it as perhaps the first example of racism in the Bible. The land of Cush is now called Ethiopia, so it is likely the people were black-skinned. At the same time, Miriam and Aaron were both born in Egypt, so they likely had brown skin. The irony is that the consequence for this gossip is that Miriam’s skin turns white like snow. Becoming white is her punishment. Moses begs G!d to heal her, using the words we now pray and sing every Shabbat: El Na R’fa Na La, ‘G!d please heal her now.’
After Moses cries out for healing and fair treatment for Miriam, G!d is still upset. G!d protests and requires Miriam to separate herself from the community, analyze her behaviour and change her attitude.
So, in our parasha this week, we may have the first case of racism and the first protest against it. In this story, it is clear—all are equally beloved and deserving of respect.
May we too analyze our attitudes, and come to believe and know in our minds and hearts that all people are to be treasured as G!d’s children.
In our parasha this week, we also find that the Levites wash themselves and their clothes to prevent a plague, and to become pure from sin. This Shabbat as we wash our hands over and over, may we also wash away the sins of prejudice and bias from our hearts, to cleanse ourselves of both the plagues of Covid and racism.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Marcia Plumb
Congregation Mishkan Tefila 384 Harvard St. Brookline, MA 02446
