Chukat excerpts

חקת

Shabbat Shalom 

Mazal Tov to Brian on his upcoming wedding. It is about time. You are old as Gehenom.... 

I think the whole community has been waiting for you to stop sinning.

We are happy to have you and your friends in shule this Shabbat. It has been many years, but H' does heed the call of the sinner in repentance. By the way, you are all wearing your Yarmulkes perched up real hi and it looks kind of weird. Maybe you all want to take the gel out of your hair and then you might look like a party of people who go to shule every once in a while. The silk yarmulkes do not sit well on gel.

We will pray with you all this week, even though you should all be stoned...Where has Brian been for the past 40 some-odd years. Brian. What have you done? Have you been contaminated? 

In 19:20 the Pasuk reads- 'a person who is contaminated and does not purify himself, shall be cut off from the congregation'

If you so not purify yourself, and you serve in the congregation, you are not allowed to share in the communal life.

'You have contaminated the sanctuary'

How many years has Brian been contaminating this congregation?..It is commendable that Brian did not come to shule...How many in this congregation have been involved in 'Brian' activities? Yet you still come to shule...Chen and Alex, we see you coming back from the bar every night. You should not come to shule (perfect place for a rabbi to weed out the incorrect congregants)...But we are not a holy congregation. We are open to all...Even the Great Sanctuary was open to all- as long as they were purified...This community needs a Mikveh...Until then, all sinners should come to shule. 

The verse speaks about the duty of the individual to respect the congregation. Not to come in shorts. and a tank top. I have told this to the Chazan many of times....

To act just and to treat the congregation as holy is a call we have to each other. As individuals, we may not bring the congregation down...As individuals, we must raise up...We must bring down the level of holiness together. As the Jews who once again complain about lack of water.

We have  a Shabbat Chatan this week, an ufruf. We have not seen this Groom in shule since his Bar Mitzvah.

Did he go to the mikveh? Most probably not.

Brian. Our blessing to you this Shabbat is that you enter into your marriage a holy man, who pays dues. Marriage, Kiddushin- meaning Holy... Everything you have been doing for the past 40 years, you can make holy. Take out the gel and purify yourself...Just as the calf was used as a sin, and now we see the Red Heffer is used to purify...Do not contaminate the marriage, the way you have contaminated the Bimah/stage, with your poor rendition of a transliterated Barchu....

Purify yourself from your fraternity brothers. Make a new start, so that you can once again participate in the holy communal life... so we do not have to stone you.