Together on Two Mountains
- Leann Shamash
- 41 minutes ago
- 3 min read
#mountain #parsha #bostonredsocks #sinai #dvarim #devarim #torah #community #curses #kitavo #deuteronomy #together #byachad
It's a late post this week! Just in time for Shabbat!
This blog piece is written for the full and speedy recovery of SK, who has filled the world with light and love. Wishing you well. Refuah Shelaymah.
This week in Parshat Ki Tavo we read about what was to be a powerful ceremony as the tribes assemble on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. Carefully gathered on two mountains, the people answered Amen to a series of ethical laws shouted out to the community, which, if not obeyed, would result in a curse.
This is not our first mountain experience . Years before, the parents and grandparents of this generation stood at the foot of Mt. Sinai, which was burdened with heavy clouds and peals of rolling thunder to accept The Law. How the witnesses to this event must have trembled at the overwhelming sounds and lights and stringent restrictions before the event took place. Contrast Sinai with Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. On these mountains there were no pyrotechnics; just the gathered people, their voices and the message.
From Torah:
Thereupon Moses charged the people, saying:
After you have crossed the Jordan, the following shall stand on Mount Gerizim when the blessing for the people is spoken: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.
And for the curse, the following shall stand on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
The Levites shall then proclaim in a loud voice to the entire body of Israel:
Cursed be anyone who makes a sculptured or molten image, abhorred by GOD, a craftsman’s handiwork, and sets it up in secret.—And all the people shall respond, Amen.
Cursed be the one who insults their father or mother.—And all the people shall say, Amen.
Cursed be the one who moves a neighbor’s landmark.—And all the people shall say, Amen.
Deuteronomy 27:11-
Gathering people together for exceptional occasions emphasizes the importance of the situation. When people stand together, they see and hear each other's reactions. They play off of other's excitement and importantly, people standing shoulder to shoulder can feel they are part of something bigger than themselves.
On these two mountains, I wonder what the scene was as people stood opposite each other across space. At this point in the desert, what were their possessions? Where did the cattle stand? Could the people see each other's faces from afar? Could they hear each other's amens? Were the voices of the Leviim muffled or heard? Were the people awestruck, or was there fear or trepidation?
It is being part of expansive group experiences that I am hoping we can think about this week as we read Parshat Ki Tavo. Of course, not all powerful collective experiences are religious. Music, sports and entertainment are shared at large collective gatherings where feelings of shared joy or sorrow prevail.
I'll take just a moment to share a particularly important group experience for our family, when our extended family, along with thousands of other families, gathered from across the United States to celebrate the Boston Red Sox breaking the Curse of the Bambino and winning the World Series in 2004. Feel free to get a glimpse of this joyous event.
Thinking smaller still, consider a Shabbat service, or the power of the experience for groups of people gathered for weddings or Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and perhaps it is no accident that within weeks of reading Parshat Ki Tavo we will assemble together for Rosh HaShanah and experience the Days of Awe shoulder to shoulder with our communities.
My challenge this week is for you to recall a place where you stood and were part of something bigger than yourself. Can you recall the power of the moment? As I ask each week, I would love to hear your thoughts as your comments are part of a conversation that goes back generations.
Last, I hope you will take the time to think about those people standing on these two mountains. Perhaps it will bring a perspective separate from Parshat Ki Tavo being remembered primarily because of the curses and will help it also be remembered as a parshah, similar to Parshat Vayakhel, where people come together.
Shabbat Shalom,
Leann
Other Posts in Words Have Wings on Parshat Ki Tavo
https://www.wordshavewings.net/post/today. Today!!!!
https://www.wordshavewings.net/post/we-remember We Remember!
https://www.wordshavewings.net/post/on-the-same-page On the Same Page
https://www.wordshavewings.net/post/messages-carved-in-stone Messages Carved in Stone
The RMV and The Bikkurim Ceremony
Al Kol Eyleh performed by 12,000 for Israel's 70th anniversary, led by Shlomi Shabbat.
בְּיַחַד בְּיַחַד
בְּיַחַד בְּיַחַד
בְּיַחַד בְּיַחַד
בְּיַחַד בְּיַחַד
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