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Sermon/Stories: Parshat Chayei Sarah, 10/29/21

11/04/2021 09:39:26 AM

Nov4

Rabbi Charlie

In honor of the 2nd and 3rd grade, I have some stories to share. Because it’s Halloween weekend, I like to share stories about some of the really weird things that we have in our tradition. Really weird. And because we’re celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, I will NOT be doing the song and dance routine, even though Raymond really wanted me to – you’re welcome and happy birthday.

So among the strange things in Judaism is the idea of the golem. And while Golem is a character in the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, a golem in Judaism is a bit different.

The most famous story about a golem starts with Rabbi Judah Loew, the Maharal of Prague – he was a real rabbi who lived over four hundred years ago. At a time when there was a lot of Antisemitism and the Jewish community was under threat, Rabbi Loew built a golem.

With help from his disciples, he made a figure of a person out of the clay or earth. Once it was complete, he brought the golem to life. There are some stories that say he put a piece of paper with God’s name on it in the golem’s mouth. Some say it was in his arm. Some stories say that he wrote the word “emet – truth” on the golem’s forehead, others say he breathed into its nostrils and whispered secret words in its ear.

There was no lightening like Frankenstein or anything like that. However it happened… all the stories say that the golem woke up. Yes, there is magic in Judaism! Rabbi Loew gave the golem the sacred task of defending the Jewish people and the golem did. The golem uncovered a plot to blame the Jewish community for a horrible crime. The golem fought and won against an angry mob – the slow-motion effects in the 16th century were amazing! There are also stories of the golem being used for household tasks and even making latkes when it wasn’t busy defending the Jews.

It's really amazing storytelling. At the same time, where did this idea come from? In the Talmud (Sanhedrin 65b), Rava argues that righteous people are so close to God that they can do godlike things – like creating a person. And then he proves it by creating a person, a golem – using strange mystical teachings and magic.

There’s a mystical work: Sefer Hayetzirah – the Book of Creation, that teaches people how to build a golem. Hey - 2nd and 3rd Grade – maybe that could be a class project! We can talk with your Ofek teachers… Parents and students - please know that I’m joking.

What’s fascinating is that the golem origin story is one that we have all heard before. But it wasn’t the creation of a golem – it was the creation of people. When God creates the world in Genesis, chapter 2, God forms a person out of the dust of the earth and God breathes life into us. Our rabbis actually say about the first person (Genesis Rabbah 14:8):

שֶׁהֶעֱמִידוֹ גֹּלֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ וְעַד הָרָקִיעַ

God set him up – a golem – [who stretched] from the earth to the heavens. And when God breathed life in, that made him a person – A very, very tall person. The rabbis say he shrunk to more normal size after eating from the Tree of Knowledge, but it’s really amazing to think about. Some people think evolution is weird, but how about all of humanity being a descended from a golem!

So yes, we have lots of strange teachings in Judaism. While all the stories aren’t exactly real, they can be a lot of fun. And there’s usually real lessons – and these stories are no different.

You see – all the stories of the golem end with the golem turning back to dust. Creating a golem can help, but it always turns out bad in the end. So these stories teach us that we all have the power to create. And we can create good things and we can create destructive things. That’s why we have to be careful. Because we create with our words (kind or mean) and we can create with what we do (be helpful or hurtful). Let’s think about what we want to create for our families and our community and let’s do all we can to create something good.

Shabbat Shalom!

Thu, March 28 2024 18 Adar II 5784