Rabbinical Assembly Tikkun Source Materials Shavuot 5780 This packet contains source sheets to accompany both the pre-recorded sessions currently available on YouTube at www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAUaYjTp5xS5DF06maAV4pbiqlM_tOpxS as well as the live tikkun, beginning on Thursday, May 28th at 9 PM EDT at www.tinyurl.com/RATikkun. Thank you to all of our colleagues who are sharing their Torah to enrich our celebration of Shavuot. Table of Contents Pre-recorded Sessions Moses and Ezekiel: Should Revelation be Hidden or Revealed? ................................................................ 1 Rabbi Abby Sosland Semi-Conscious States of Spirituality .......................................................................................................... 6 Rabbi Danny Nevins The Earthy Jerusalem and the Heavenly Jerusalem: Incident, Imagination and Imperative .................... 9 Rabbi Michael Knopf Theology and Revelation ........................................................................................................................... 16 Rabbi Ahud Sela My Teacher ................................................................................................................................................. 19 Rabbi Ed Bernstein When do we say Shema? You are the real distinction ............................................................................. 24 Rabbi Philip Weintraub How to Hug - Closeness in a Time of Social Distancing: What is Love? .................................................... 27 Rabbi Eric Yanoff Motivated by Fear of God .......................................................................................................................... 29 Rabbi David Glickman Live Sessions It’s the Night Before the Wedding ............................................................................................................. 34 Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal Top 5 Hits of the Torah: How does each Book of the Torah teach us to be Jewish? ............................... 35 Rabbi Rachel Ain Poems You Cannot Remember and Cannot Forget: A Modern Hebrew Shavuot with Shai Agnon ........ 37 Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky False Gods Rise from the Fire: An ER Doctor and a Rabbi Discuss Fear and Uncertainty During the Pandemic ....................................................................................................................................... 43 Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg and Dr. Michael Slater Acquiring Torah: The Story of Rabbi Akiva ................................................................................................ 46 Rabbi Bradley S. Artson Pesikta D’Rav Kahanna............................................................................................................................... 48 Rabbi Ellen Wolintz Fields From Where Will Our Help Come? Our Hands and the Hands of God ..................................................... 50 Rabbi Chai Levy Kisses of Your Mouth: Receiving the Gift of Torah with No Physical Contact ......................................... 54 Rabbi David Ackerman Mastering Time and Space: Shabbat and COVID-19 ................................................................................. 55 Rabbi Dahlia Bernstein Table of Contents (cont.) Is Halakhic Compromise Possible? The Case of the Late Friday Lunch .................................................... 58 Rabbi Charles Arian Be More, Do Less: Self Delusion and How We Measure Success ............................................................. 59 Rabbi Lauren Henderson and Rabbi Rami Schwartzer Religious Fanatacism .................................................................................................................................. 61 Rabbi David Seth Kirshner The Mamas and the Papas: Why the Imahot Should be a Required Part of the Amidah ....................... 63 Rabbi Michael Beals Torah as Fire ............................................................................................................................................... 70 Rabbi Ravid Tilles Joseph, and the Final Answer to God’s Qurstion ...................................................................................... 73 Rabbi Randall Konigsburg V’ein oz ela Torah: Strength Refers to None Other than Torah ............................................................... 79 Rabbi Josh Warshawsky View the accompanying video session at https://youtu.be/_S6fmD2L69A Moses and Ezekiel: Should Revelation be Hidden or Revealed? Rabbinical Assembly Shavuot 5770 Rabbi Abby Sosland ​ יחזקאל א׳ Ezekiel 1 .1 ֹ In the 30th year, on the fifth day of the (1) (א) וַ ִ֣יְהי ׀ ִבּ ְשׁל ִשׁ֣ים ָשׁנָ֗ה ָֽבְּרִב ִיעי֙ fourth month, when I was in the ַבֲּחִמ ָשּׁ֣ה ַלחֶֹ֔דשׁ וֲַאנִ֥י ְבֽת ְוֹך ַ־ה ָגּוֹל֖ה ,community of exiles by the Chebar Canal ַעל־נְַה ְר־כָּ֑בר נְִפְתּחוּ֙ ַה ָשַּׁמ֔יִם וֶָאְרֶא֖ה the heavens opened and I saw visions of ֹ God. (2) On the fifth day of the month—it ַמְרא֥וֹת ֱאלִֽהים׃ (ב) ַבֲּחִמ ָשּׁ֖ה ַלחֶֹ֑דשׁ ִה֚יא was the fifth year of the exile of King ַה ָשּׁנָ֣ה ַהֲחִמ ִישׁ֔ית ְלָגל֖וּת ַהֶמֶּ֥לְך ִֽיוֹיָכין׃ Jehoiachin— (3) the word of the LORD ֹ came to the priest Ezekiel son of Buzi, by (ג) ָהי֣ה ָה ֣יָה ְדַב ֠ר־יְהוָה ֶא ֶל־יְחזְֵק֨אל the Chebar Canal, in the land of the ֶבּן־בּוּזִ֧י ַהכֵֹּה֛ן ְבֶּאֶ֥רץ ַכּ ְשִׂ֖דּים Chaldeans. And the hand of the LORD ַעל־נְַה ְר־כָּב֑ר וְַתִּה֥י ָעָל֛יו ָ ֖שׁם יַד־יְהוָה׃ ,came upon him there. (4) I looked, and lo ֽ a stormy wind came sweeping out of the (ד) וֵָאֶ֡רא וְִהנֵּה֩ ר֨ ַוּח ְסָעָר֜ה ָבּאָ֣ה ,north—a huge cloud and flashing fire ִמ ַן־הָצּפ֗וֹן ָענָ֤ן ָגּדוֹל֙ וְֵא֣שׁ ִמְתַלַ֔קַּחת surrounded by a radiance; and in the וְנַֹ֥גהּ ל֖וֹ ָסִב֑יב ִ֨וּמ ָתּוֹכ֔הּ ְכֵּע֥ין ַהַח ְשַׁמ֖ל center of it, in the center of the fire, a ֽ gleam as of amber. (5) In the center of it ִמתּ֥ ְוֹך ָהֵֽאשׁ׃ (ה) ִוּמ֨ ָתּוֹכ֔הּ ְדּמ֖וּת ְאַרַבּ֣ע .were also the figures of four creatures ַחיּ֑וֹת וְזֶה֙ ַמְרֵֽא ֶיה֔ן ְדּמ֥וּת ָ֖אָדם ָלֵֽהנָּה׃ (ו) This was their appearance: They had the ואַרָבּעה ָפנִים לאחת ואַרַבּע כּנַָפיִם ,figures of human beings. (6) However ְ ְ ָ֥ ֖ ְֶ ָ֑ ְ ְ ֥ ְ ֖ each had four faces, and each of them had ְל ַאַח֥ת ָלֶֽהם׃ (ז) וְַרְגֵל ֶיה֖ם ֶרֶ֣גל ָיְשָׁר֑ה four wings; (7) the legs of each were a וְַכ֣ף ַרְגֵל ֶיה֗ם ְכַּכף֙ ֶ֣רֶגל ֵעֶ֔גל וְנְֹ֣צִצ֔ים single rigid leg, and the feet of each were ֹ like a single calf’s hoof; and their sparkle ְכֵּע֖ין נְח֥ ֶשׁת ָקָֽלל׃ (ח) וידו [וִ ֵ֣ידי] ָאָד֗ם .was like the luster of burnished bronze ִמַתַּ֙חת֙ ַכּנְֵפ ֶיה֔ם ַע֖ל ְאַרַבַּ֣עת ִרְבֵע ֶיה֑ם They had human hands below their (8) wings. The four of them had their faces ְוּפנֵ ֶיה֥ם וְַכנְֵפ ֶ֖יהם ְל ְאַרַבְּעָֽתּם׃ (ט) ֽחְֹברֹ֛ת ֹ (and their wings on their four sides. (9 ִא ָשּׁ֥ה ֶא ֲל־א ָחוֹת֖הּ ַכּנְֵפ ֶיה֑ם ל ַא־יִסּ֣בּוּ Each one’s wings touched those of the ְבֶלְכָתּ֔ן ִא֛ישׁ ֶא ֵל־עֶ֥בר ָפּנָ֖יו ֵֽיֵלכוּ׃ (י) other. They did not turn when they וּדמ֣וּת ְפּנֵיהם֮ ְפּ ֣נֵי ָאָדם֒ ְוּפ ֨נֵי אַר ֤יֵה moved; each could move in the direction ְ ֶ ְ of any of its faces. (10) Each of them had ֶא ַל־ה ִיָּמין֙ ְל ְאַרַבְּעָתּ֔ם ְוּפנֵי־שׁ֥וֹר a human face; each of the four had the ֵֽמַה ְשּׂמֹ֖אול ְל ְאַרַבְּעָתּ֑ן ְוּפנֵי־נֶֶ֖שׁר face of a lion on the right; each of the four had the face of an ox on the left; and each ְל ְאַרַבְּעָתּן׃ (יא) ְוּפנֵ ֶ֕יהם וְַכנְֵפ ֶיה֥ם 1 ְפֻּרד֖וֹת ִמְלָמְ֑עָלה ְלִא֗ישׁ ְשַׁ֚תּיִם חְֹבר֣וֹת (of the four had the face of an eagle. (11 ֹ ,Such were their faces. As for their wings ִא֔ישׁ ְוּשַׁ֣תּיִם ְמַכסּ֔וֹת ֵא֖ת ְגּוִיֵת ֶֽיהנָה׃ (יב) they were separated: above, each had two וְִא֛ישׁ ֶא ֵל־עֶ֥בר ָפּנָ֖יו ֵיֵל֑כוּ ֶא֣ל ֲא ֶשׁר֩ touching those of the others, while the יְִה ָיֶה־שָׁ֨מּה ָהר֤ ַוּח ָלֶלֶ֙כת֙ ֵיֵל֔כוּ ֥לֹא ַיִסּ֖בּוּ other two covered its body. (12) And each ֽ could move in the direction of any of its ְבֶּלְכָֽתּן׃ (יג) ְוּדמ֨וּת ַהַחיּ֜וֹת ַמְרֵא ֶיה֣ם faces; they went wherever the spirit ְכַּגֲחֵל ֵי־א֗שׁ ֽבֲֹּערוֹת֙ ְכַּמְרֵא֣ה ַהַלִּפִּד֔ים impelled them to go, without turning היא ִמתהלּכת ֵבּין החיּוֹת ונֹגהּ לאשׁ when they moved. (13) Such then was the ִ֕ ְ ֶֶַ֖ ֣ ַ ַ ֑ ְ ַ֣ ֵָ֔ appearance of the creatures. With them ִוּמ ָן־הֵ֖אשׁ ֵיוֹצ֥א ָבָֽרק׃ (יד) וְַהַחיּ֖וֹת ָרצ֣וֹא was something that looked like burning וָשׁ֑וֹב ְכַּמְרֵא֖ה ַהָבּזָק׃ (טו) וֵָאֶ֖רא ַהַחיּ֑וֹת coals of fire. This fire, like torches, kept ֽ moving about among the creatures; the וְִהנֵּה֩ ַאוֹפ֨ן ֶאָ֥חד ָבּאֶָ֛רץ ֵאֶ֥צל ַהַחיּ֖וֹת fire had a radiance, and lightning issued ְל ְאַרַ֥בַּעת ָפּנָֽיו׃ (טז) ַמְרֵא֨ה ָה ַאוֹפנִּ֤ים from the fire. (14) Dashing to and fro ַוּמֲע ֵשׂ ֶיהם֙ ְכֵּע֣ין ַתְּר ִשׁ֔ישׁ ְוּדמ֥וּת ֶאָח֖ד among] the creatures was something that] looked like flares. (15) As I gazed on the ְל ְאַרַבְּעָ֑תּן ַוּמְרֵא ֶיהם֙ ַוּמֲ֣ע ֵשׂ ֶ֔יהם ַכֲּא ֶשׁ֛ר creatures, I saw one wheel on the ground ְיִה ֥יֶה ָה ַאוֹפ֖ן ְבּת֥ ְוֹך ָה ָֽאוֹפן׃ (יז) .next to each of the four-faced creatures ַעל־אַרַבַּ֥עת ִרְבֵעיה֖ן ְבּלְכָתּ֣ם ֵיֵל֑כוּ לֹ֥א As for the appearance and structure (16) ְ ֶ ֶ .of the wheels, they gleamed like beryl ַיִסּ֖בּוּ ְבֶּלְכָֽתּן׃ (יח) וְַגֵ֨בּ ֶיה֔ן וְגַֹ֥בהּ ָלֶה֖ם All four had the same form; the וְ ְיִראָ֣ה ָלֶה֑ם וְַגבָֹּת֗ם ְמֵלאֹ֥ת ֵע ֛ינַיִם ָסִב֖יב appearance and structure of each was as of two wheels cutting through each other. ְל ְאַרַבְּעָֽתּן׃ (יט) ְוּבֶלֶ֙כת֙ ַֽהַחיּ֔וֹת ְיֵלכ֥וּ When they moved, each could move (17) ָה ַאוֹפנִּ֖ים ֶאְצָל֑ם ְוּבִהנֵָּשׂ֤א ַֽהַחיּוֹת֙ ֵמַע֣ל ;in the direction of any of its four quarters ָהאֶָ֔רץ יִנְָּשׂא֖וּ ָה ַאוֹפנִּֽים׃ (כ) ַע֣ל ֲא ֶשׁר֩ (they did not veer when they moved. (18