Emor
Sunday’s Times featured an interesting article entitled “The Outsourced Life.” Noted sociologist Dr.
Hochschild argues that we seek professionals for more and more of our personal
decisions. “As we outsource more of our
private lives, we find it increasingly possible to outsource emotional
attachment…. Focusing attention on the
destination, we detach ourselves from the small — potentially meaningful —
aspects of experience. Confining our sense of achievement to results, to the
moment of purchase, so to speak, we unwittingly lose the pleasure of
accomplishment, the joy of connecting to others and possibly, in the process,
our faith in ourselves.”
Years ago when I went to my first bar mitzvah there was no
such thing as party enhancers. My
friends and I made the party. It did not
matter if we danced expertly or not, as long as we danced. (There were no give aways as well, only
sweaty hugs of joy when the evening ended.)
As the article makes clear, years ago there were no life coaches
offering personal direction for a fee.
To help answer our questions of what we should do there were instead
parents, siblings, spouses and friends.
Granted sometimes the advice and counsel was not solicited. Still it was always free and offered with our
best interests at heart.
Hundreds of years ago many Jewish rituals were performed in
the home and not in the synagogue. To be
certain these rituals were expertly observed the lighting of Shabbat candles
and morning blessings for example were moved into the synagogue. With this move from the home into the
synagogue, more fell on the hands of rabbis and cantors. We turn to
professionals to lead our rituals and celebrations. We turn to experts for the most intimate of
advice. We are hesitant to dance if not
led by the hand of experts.
The Torah portion opens with details about the requirements
of the priesthood. In ancient days they
and they alone performed our rituals. Only someone descended from Aaron, only a
person without any perceived defects could offer a sacrifice. “The Lord spoke further to Moses: Speak to
Aaron and say: No man of your offspring throughout the ages who has a defect
shall be qualified to offer the food of his God.” (Leviticus 21:16-17) These priests were trained in the intricacies
of the sacrificial rites.
The reliance on these experts was because the ancient
Israelites believed that the world would collapse if the sacrifices were
performed incorrectly. They were in
effect the surgeons of their day. For
such important and intricate work only experts would do. Lives depended on their expertise.
There are of course those in the Jewish world who view
today’s rituals in a similar manner and perceive them likewise as surgery. A misplaced word, an incorrect blessing, a
forgotten candle lighting and the world tumbles toward destruction. Such is not my view. Life is not surgery. Prayer is not akin to the ancient sacrifices
sacrifices. Rabbis are not priests.
Cantors are not the descendants of Aaron. Our spiritual lives need not be left for
surgeons.
I would rather we stumble and offer these prayers ourselves. I would rather we join with our cantor and
sing our tradition’s songs. I would
rather we dance—even when it appears out of step. Let joy be our own. Let our people’s rituals and prayers not be
left to experts.