Please, Look Jewish!
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Please, Look Jewish!
Parshat T'tzaveh, 5781
Saturday, February 27, 2021
פרשת תצוה, תשפ״א
Parshat T'tzaveh, 5781
by Rabbi Sydni
Saturday, February 27th, 2021
Please, Look Jewish!
We keep them in the back of the closet - those t-shirts, sweatshirts, and tote bags from Jewish camps and conferences. Some of us keep them stowed in our jewelry boxes - Star of David earrings and necklaces engraved with the word חי. Many of us have drawers full of unworn kippot from weddings and b’nei mitzvah. For many of us who have been Jewish for decades, our closets, jewelry boxes, and dresser drawers are filled with opportunities to actively “look Jewish.” And yet, “looking Jewish” out in the world, especially here in Shreveport, comes with some responsibility. So, day in and day out, we leave that Hebrew-laden clothing, jewelry, and ritual wear on the shelf. We make an active choice to avoid “looking Jewish.”
The first portion of Parshat Tetzaveh focuses on the priestly garments, commissioned by God, לכבוד ולטפרת, for the sake of honor and glory. These garments are so holy that they must be handmade only by those who are wise of heart and mind, filled with the spirit of wisdom. Each of the garments - the ephod, the breastplate, the particular turbans for the kohen gadol and for his sons, and the skirt embroidered with pomegranates, has particular colors, measurements, and ritual meaning. The specific clothing that the kohanimwear in the mishkan, and later, the mikdash - endows them with awareness of purpose and begs a feeling of awe from those who see them. When the kohanim don their clothing, they embody sacrifice and atonement; their very appearance represents the sacred. In the mishkan and mikdash, like so many places in our modern world, clothing affects the wearer and the observer, influencing outlook, intention, and reputation.
It’s no wonder, then, that today, we might think twice about wearing a kippah to the grocery store. We know that when we leave our house “looking Jewish,” there’s a good chance we’ll be stopped and asked about our beliefs, our rituals, or the church we attend. We may be seen as representatives of the Jewish people as a whole, a people who are much more diverse than just you and me. But what if we embraced that challenge? The more we dare to actively look Jewish, the more we let the world know that there are Jews here, and that we do spend time at Kroger and Planet Fitness, just like everyone else. The more we put ourselves in situations in which we are asked to explain our Judaism, the more we are pushed to learn where we stand in our own theology. When we show ourselves as confident representatives of the Jewish people, we want to show our best selves. Actively looking Jewish, then, can inspire us to practice more public mitzvot, to be more conscious of and deliberate about our every-day words and actions.
The next time you leave the house to run an errand, take on the challenge of wearing that jeweled kippah you received as a gift years ago or that ball cap with big Hebrew letters on the front. See what a simple wardrobe change can do to affect the choices you make as you scan the aisles. And then, work up the courage to wear your kippah or ball cap again on next week’s errand. Make the effort to look Jewish.
The 14th century Spanish commentator Seforno writes that those words mentioned earlier, לכבוד ולטפרת (for honor and glory), refer to the honor the kohen would bring to God’s name and the awe that the kohen would inspire in those who looked his way. Each time we look Jewish, may we remind ourselves to cling to the mitzvot God has commanded, and may we show our Judaism as a faith and culture of compassion and righteousness. May we, too, bring that honor and glory, to God and to the Jewish people. Shabbat Shalom.
Tue, October 8 2024
6 Tishrei 5785
Rabbi's Sermons
Bereshit - Genesis
- Parshat Bereshit: Oct. 26, 2019, October 1, 2021, October 2, 2021
- Parshat Noah: Nov. 2, 2019, October 8, 2021, Oct. 29, 2022
- Parshat Lekh-L'kha: Nov. 9, 2019, Oct. 31, 2020, Oct. 31, 2020 - Part 2, Oct. 15, 2021
- Parshat Vayeira: Nov. 16, 2019, Nov. 7, 2020, Nov. 7, 2020 - Part 2, Oct. 22, 2021, Oct. 23, 2021
- Parshat Hayei Sara: Nov. 14, 2020, Oct. 30, 2021
- Parshat Toldot: Nov. 30, 2019, Nov. 21, 2020, Nov. 6, 2021
- Parshat Vayeitzei: Nov. 28, 2020, Nov. 13, 2021
- Parshat Vayishlah: Dec. 14, 2019 , Dec. 5, 2020, November 20, 2021
- Parshat Vayeisheiv: Dec. 12, 2020, Nov. 27, 2021
- Parshat Miketz: Dec. 4, 2021
- Parshat Vayigash: Jan. 4, 2020, Dec. 26, 2020, Dec. 11, 2021
- Parshat Vay'hi: Jan. 11, 2020, Jan. 2, 2021
Shemot-Exodus
- Parshat Sh'mot: Jan. 18, 2020, Jan. 18, 2020 - Part 2, Jan. 9, 2021
- Parshat Va'eira: Jan. 25, 2021
- Parshat Bo: Feb. 1, 2020, Jan. 23, 2021
- Parshat B'shalah: Jan. 30, 2021, Jan. 15, 2022, Feb. 3, 2023, Feb.4, 2023
- Parshat Yitro: Feb. 15, 2020, Feb. 6, 2021, Feb. 6, 2021, Feb. 21, 2022, Feb. 22, 2022
- Parshat Mishpatim: Feb. 22, 2020, Feb. 18, 2023
- Parshat T'rumah: Feb. 29, 2020, Feb. 29, 2020 - Part 2, Feb. 20, 2021, Feb. 4, 2022, Feb. 5, 2022, Feb. 25, 2023
- Parshat T'tzaveh: March 7, 2020, Feb. 27, 2021, Feb. 12, 2022, Feb. 11, 2022
- Parshat Ki Tisa: March 14, 2020, March 6, 2021, February 19, 2022
- Parshot Vayak'heil-P'kudei: March 21, 2020, March 13, 2021, February 26, 2022, March 18, 2023
Vayikra-Leviticus
- Parshat Vayikra: March 20, 2021, March 11, 2022, March 24, 2023, March 25, 2023
- Parshat Tzav: April 4, 2020, March 27, 2021, March 19, 2022
- Parshat Sh'mini: April 18, 2020
- Parshot Tazria-Metzora: April 25, 2020, April 17, 2021, April 2, 2022, April 20, 2024
- Parshot Achrei Mot-Kedoshim: May 2, 2020, April 24, 2021, May 7, 2022, May 3, 2024, May 10, 2024
- Emor: May 9, 2020, May 1, 2021, May 13, 2022, May 14, 2022, May 6, 2023
- Parshot B'har-B'hukotai: May 8, 2019, May 16, 2020, May 7, 2021, May 21, 2022, May 28, 2022, May 24, 2024, May 31, 2024
Bamidbar-Numbers
- Parshat Bamidbar: May 15, 2021, May 20, 2023, June 7, 2024
- Parshat Nasso: June 6, 2020, June 6, 2020 - Part 2, May 22, 2021, June 10, 2022, June 2, 2023, June 14, 2024
- Parshat B'ha'alotcha: June 13, 2020, June 13, 2020 - Part 2, June 9, 2023, June 10, 2023, June 21, 2024
- Parshat Sh'lach: June 20, 2020, June 20, 2020 - Part 2, June 5, 2021, June 28, 2024
- Parshat Korah: June 27, 2020, July 18, 2020, July 24, 2023, July 5, 2024
- Parshot Chukat-Balak: June 26, 2021, July 12, 2024, July 19, 2024
- Parshat Pinchas: July 11, 2020, July 11, 2020 - Part 2, July 2, 2021, July 3, 2021, July 22, 2022, July 23, 2022, July 26, 2024
- Parshot Matot-Masei: July 18, 2020, July 18, 2020 - Part 2, July 10, 2021, July 30, 2022, August 2, 2024
D'varim-Deuteronomy
- Parshat D'varim: July 25, 2020, July 25, 2020 - Part 2, July 17, 2021, August 6, 2022, August 9, 2024
- Parshat Va'et'hanan: Aug. 1, 2020, July 24, 2021, August 12, 2022, August 13, 2022, Aug. 16, 2024
- Parshat Eikev: Aug. 8, 2020, July 31, 2021, August 19, 2022, August 20, 2022
- Parshat Re'eh: August 7, 2021, August 30, 2024
- Parshat Shoftim: September 7, 2019, Aug. 22, 2020, August 14, 2021, August 14, 2021 - Part 2, September 3, 2022, September 6, 2024
- Parshat Ki Teitzei: Aug. 29, 2020, August 20, 2021, September 13, 2024
- Parshat Ki Tavo: Sept. 5, 2020, Sept. 5, 2020 - Part 2, August 28, 2021, Sept. 17, 2022, Sept. 20, 2024
- Parshot Nitzavim-Vayeilech: Sept. 11, 2021, September 24, 2022, Sept. 27,2024
- Parshat Ha'Azinu: Sept. 26, 2020, October 4, 2024
- Parshat Haberakhah
Rosh HaShanah: Sept. 19, 2020, Sept. 19, 2020 - Part 2, Sept. 19, 2020 - Part 3, Sept. 20, 2020, Sept. 7, 2021, Sept. 8, 2021, Sept. 9, 2021, Sept. 26, 2022
Yom Kippur: Sept. 28, 2020, Sept. 16, 2021, October 5, 2022
Sukkot: Oct. 3, 2020 , Sept. 20, 2021
Passover: April 3, 2021, April 23, 2022, April 7, 2023, April 12, 2023 April 27, 2024
Rosh Hodesh: April 22, 2023
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Kol Nidre Service : 6:20pm |
Candle Lighting : 6:28pm |
: 7:30pm |
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: 1:30pm |
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Havdalah : 7:35pm |
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