Chukat Excerpts
חקת
Shabbat Shalom
(20:24-29) At Hor HaHar, Ahron is told to be gathered to his people, as he is not going to enter Israel.
Right after he is reassured he is not going to Israel and death...If you are not going to Israel, your task is fulfilled, you should die. What is there to accomplish in this community? Loehmann's is already gone...There is no future here. We have seen the youth services. There is no future. Maybe in another 40 years...
The shule Israel trip. Nobody went. You all gathered in protest. 'How dare you go to Israel?' That is where our Jewish people live.
'Boo Israel,' was the chant coming from the back right. As if we were in a football game against them. And that is why our shule is not going to the Maccabia. Competing against Israel is anti-Antisemitism. As Jews it is wrong to be chanting, 'Go Topeka. Boo Israel.'...It was supposed to be a group tour Bernie. Yes, a shule tour. Nobody joined. That is not our fault. It was in the calendar and me and the Rebbetzin went. Somebody has to bring some holiness to this community.
But you all went on the tour of the cheese factory. You gathered for cheese. You have more of a connection with cheese then the Jewish people...Yes, it can taste real good when melted. We all love mac-n-cheese.
Just going to Israel, that is a task. Living there, is life. You might as well die if you know you are not going. If you can't travel from here, the best option is death...
‘Gathered to his people’is the terminology used for death. Melvin and Vivian died. When your community likes you, you are gathered to them...
(20:28) He gives his clothes over to Elazar. Yes. Before his death, Ahron makes sure that our heritage continues. That our tradition continues. And now we see Frank, sitting in Erwin's seat. Frank was not handed a seat even in his father's section...legacy. Sitting in the back right. And you wonder why none of these people joined the shule trip.
There is no legacy. There is nothing to gather. Life was not worth it.
(20:29) After they saw his death, the mourned for 30 days. We had a hard time mourning Melvin’s death for three days... because nobody cared Bernie. Did you even realize Vivian was gone?
Because all they did was complain. And again the Jews complain, (21:5) ‘Why have you brought us here to die?’...That is when they die, when they complain about death.
And then Melvin and Vivian die. After a long life of complaining.
Yes, the serpent plague ended when Moshe intervened with prayer again. But it is the complaining. It just kills people...We lost to Israel in the Maccabia. Good. But you kept on complaining about the refs. And that is what keeps you from going to Israel?
Melvin and Vivian always complained. The Jews who complained, didn’t get gathered to their people. They died. They died in plagues…Why? Because they did nothing positive for the people. They complained about H.’ They didn’t work with H.’ I ask us here today, as Melvin and Vivian are a testimony of failure, Are we complaining against H' in this congregation?...You are definitely complaining about the rabbi. All the time...I am not talking about the Israeli family that just joined our shule. The Ben Hamus have been an annoyance. But Israel. But our belief in H.'...
And what did Melvin and Vivian accomplish? They didn't join the group tour to Israel.
We will be running the next Synagogue tour of Israel in three weeks. The rebbetzin and myself are going. If nobody joins, that is fine. We will not be complaining about the Holy Land. The shule will be paying for the stay at the finest lodging facilities...Because you gather when you go to your people.
***These are excerpts from the sermon. For the sermon in its entirety, come see David Kilimnick perform at the Off The Wall Comedy Basement, in downtown Jerusalem.
David also tours as a Maggid around the world, with very few stories.
Shabbat Shalom
David Kilimnick
Off The Wall Comedy Basement
(050) 875-5688 in Israel
+972 (50) 875-5688 from the Diaspora
Comments
Post a Comment