Welcome to the renewal of my blog. It’s been a few years since I posted anything and I’m excited to get back to sharing my thoughts. Right now, I’m in Israel for a week, some personal stuff and some work meetings. The trip got off to a roaring start when I got to the airport and lost an earring I was very fond of. I had a very comfortable seat on the plane but accidentally managed to get gum on my headphones which then stuck in my hair. After we landed, apparently some innocuous machine prints out your tourist visa, a small piece of paper that no one tells you is important and will save you taxes. Needless to say, I lost that piece of paper getting into the taxi and didn’t have it for the hotel, so I was charged taxes as an Israeli, the default visa. Jet lagged, exhausted, confused about the time difference, I went to bed hoping everything would be better in the morning. Unfortunately, in the middle of the night I was awakened by a very large cockroach in the bed. I was done. Zionism will only take me so far…
A few hours later I sat quietly enjoying an Israeli breakfast and the incredible flavours of the fruits and vegetables grown in this country. I felt a bit better. I went with my daughter to Ben Yehudah street and we shopped for a purse. I walked into a store and tried on a bag that goes across the body and noticed the strap in the front is cutting a tight line between my breasts. It was clearly not designed for a woman but the bag was so comfortable. I turned to my daughter and asked if it looked funny. She was laughing too hard to answer. There were three other women there including the store manager. The other women were clearly very observant and I was standing there in pants and no wig.
But I was beyond caring about my appearance and tired from no sleep. I boldly asked them if the strap drew too much attention to ‘the girls’. They asked if I meant my breasts and I said I did. For a moment they were quiet so I turned to each of them with a front view so they could give me an honest opinion. The store manager said she often wondered about women who buy these bags and how they wear them. One of the women said she’s seen so much worse while the other woman said she liked it and ‘the girls’ seemed okay. With everyone staring at my chest we forgot about my exposed hair and my pants. Or maybe it never mattered to them in the first place.
The lost earring, the gum in my hair, the missing visa and even the midnight cockroach didn’t matter anymore. My thoughts went to the parshah this week, Korach. In it, Moses’ leadership is challenged by his cousin, Korach. Ultimately, Korach and his followers are literally swallowed by the earth. A plague is sent by God against Israel and Moses tells Aaron to offer a sacrifice. When he does, the Torah says “he stood between the dead and the living and he stopped the plague.” To me, this is Aaron’s greatest moment.
The issue is huge. The problem with Korach and the people was their determination to create divisions of holiness within the people. They presumed to speak for God, rather than to God. They claimed to be as holy as Moses, as spiritual and as worthy. They introduced the ‘holiness competition’ into the nation – who can outdo whom in this holy race – the one who ends up closer to God wins.
Rather than competing with each other in an effort to be holier than our neighbour, the Torah reminds us again and again that it is our individual and unique voices that are needed. Since God is an Infinite Being, we are invited to explore infinite roads and relationships with God. The Torah guides us with boundaries but allows us to define the content of our spirituality.
Now, as I walk around Jerusalem, I no longer see the differences in the Jews on the street with worry about conflicting views – I’m enjoying the sight and sound of our differences. The women in the purse shop responding to me in a mundane moment as we each stood there with our differences. I see one nation of individuals, I feel the potential of our diversity and the importance of Jewish pluralism.
I can’t wait to shop again.