Parshat Chukas
June 30, 2012 10 Tamuz, 5772
In his recent bestseller,The Social Animal, NewYork Times columnistDavid Brooks writes: “We are living in themiddle of the revolutionin consciousness. Overthe past few years,geneticists,neuroscientists,psychologists,sociologists,economists,anthropologists, andothers have made greatstrides inunderstanding thebuilding blocks of human flourishing. Anda core finding of theirwork is that we are notprimarily products of our conscious thinking.We are primarily theproducts of thinkingthat happens below thelevel of awareness.” Too much takes placein the mind for us to befully aware of it.Timothy Wilson of theUniversity of Virginiaestimates that thehuman mind canabsorb 11 millionpieces of information atany given moment. Wecan be conscious of only a tiny fraction of this. Most of what isgoing on mentally liesbelow the threshold of awareness.One result of the newneuroscience is that we arebecoming aware of thehugely significant part playedby emotion in decision-making. The FrenchEnlightenment emphasizedthe role of reason, andregarded emotion as adistraction and distortion. Wenow know scientifically howwrong this is.Antonio Damasio, in hisDescartes’ Error, tells thestory of a man who, as theresult of a tumor, suffereddamage to the frontal lobesof his brain. He had a highIQ, was well-informed, andhad an excellent memory.But after surgery to removethe tumor, his life went intofree-fall. He was unable toorganize his time. He madebad investments that costhim his savings. He divorcedhis wife, married a secondtime, and rapidly divorcedagain. He could still reasonperfectly but had lost theability to feel emotion. As aresult, he was unable tomake sensible choices.Another man with a similarinjury found it impossible tomake decisions at all. At theend of one session, Damasio
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on Parshat Chukat
suggested two possibledates for their nextmeeting. The man thentook out a notebook,began listing the pros andcons of each, talked aboutpossible weatherconditions, potentialconflicts with otherengagements and so on,for half an hour, untilDamasio finallyinterrupted him, and madethe decision for him. Theman immediately said, “That’s fine,” and wentaway.It is less reason thanemotion that lies behindour choices, and it takesemotional intelligence tomake good choices. Theproblem is that much of our emotional life liesbeneath the surface of theconscious mind.
TimesHashkama 8:00 amParsha Shiur 8:30 amMain Minyan 9:00 amBeit Midrash 9:15 amTeen Minyan 9:30 amGemorah Shiur 7:05 pmMincha 8:05 pmShabbat Ends 9:21 pmSunday July 1 7:30/8:30 amMon., Thurs. 6:35/7:45 amTues., Fri. 6:45/7:45 amMincha 8:15 pmLatest Times forShema/ Shmoneh EsreiJune 30 9:14/10:29 amJuly 7 9:16/10:31 amNext ShabbatBalak Candle Lighting 8:12 pmMincha 7:00 pmFriday Mincha 7:00 pmCandle Lighting 8:14 pmWed. 7:30/8:30 am
TorahArtscroll, 838Hertz, 652HaftorahArtscroll, 1187Hertz, 664
BAR MITZVAHROBERT SAMEYAHAUFRUFDOV WEINSTEINDANNY TOKAYER
Kiddush is co-sponsored byFarahnaz & Joseph SameyahIn honor of the Bar Mitzvahof their son Robert,Judith & Jerrald Weinsteinin honor of the aufruf of their son Dovand byMazal & Rabbi Marvin Tokayeron the aufruf of their Son Danny
Bima Flowers in the Main Shulare sponsored byFarahnaz & Joseph Sameyahin honor of their sonRobert’s Bar Mitzvahand Flowers in the Beit Midrashare sponsored byJudith & Jerrald Weinsteinin honor of their sonDov’s aufruf
Seudah Shlishitis sponsored by Great NeckSynagoguein honor ofRabbi Daniel & YaelSchwecter who have served ourshul for two yearsasRabbinic Intern
That, as we can now see, is the logic of the
chukkim,the “statutes” of Judaism, the laws that seem tomake no sense in terms of rationality. These arelaws like the prohibition of sowing mixed seedstogether (kelayim); of wearing cloth of mixed wooland linen (shaatnez); and of eating milk and meattogether. The law of the Red Heifer with which ourparsha begins, is described as the chok parexcellence: “This is the statute of the Torah” (Num.19: 2). There have been many interpretations of the chukkim throughout the ages. But in the lightof recent neuroscience we can suggest that theyare laws designed to bypass the prefrontal cortex,the rational brain, and create instinctive patternsof behavior to counteract some of the darkeremotional drives at work in the human mind.We know for example – Jared Diamond haschronicled this in his book Collapse – thatwherever humans have settled throughout historythey have left behind them a trail of environmentaldisaster, wiping out whole species of animals andbirds, destroying forests, damaging the soil byover-farming and so on. The prohibitions againstsowing mixed seeds, mixing meat and milk or wooland linen, and so on, create an instinctual respectfor the integrity of nature. They establishboundaries. They set limits. They inculcate the
26 Old Mill Road, Great Neck, NY 11023 (516) 487-6100 Shabbat Announcements Parshat Chukas 5772
feeling that we may not do to our animal andplant environment everything we wish. Somethings are forbidden – like the fruit of the tree inthe middle of the Garden of Eden. The wholeEden story, set at the dawn of human history, isa parable whose message we can understandtoday better than any previous generation:Without a sense of limits, we will destroy ourecology and discover that we have lost paradise.As for the ritual of the Red Heifer, this is directedat the most destructive pre-rational instinct of all: what Sigmund Freud called Thanatos, thedeath instinct. He described it as something “more primitive, more elementary, moreinstinctual than the pleasure principle which itover-rides”. In his essay Civilization and ItsDiscontents, he wrote that “a portion of the[death] instinct is diverted towards the externalworld and comes to light as an instinct of aggressiveness”, which he saw as “the greatestimpediment to civilization.” The Red Heifer ritualis a powerful statement that the Holy is to befound in life, not death. Anyone who had been incontact with a dead body needed purificationbefore entering the sanctuary or Temple. Priestshad to obey stricter rules, and the High Priesteven more so. This made biblical Judaism highlydistinctive. It contains no cult of worship of deadancestors, or seeking to make contact with theirspirits. It was probably to avoid the tomb of Moses becoming a holy site that the Torah says, “to this day no one knows where his grave is.(Deut. 34: 6). God and the holy are to be foundin life. Death defiles. The point is – and that iswhat recent neuroscience has made eminentlyclear – this cannot be achieved by reason alone.Freud was right to suggest that the death instinctis powerful, irrational, and largely unconscious,yet under certain conditions it can be utterlydevastating in what it leads people to do.The Hebrew term chok comes from the verbmeaning, “to engrave.” Just as a statute iscarved into stone, so a behavioral habit is carvedin depth into our unconscious mind and altersour instinctual responses. The result is apersonality trained to see death and holiness astwo utterly opposed states – just as meat andmilk are. Chukkim are Judaism’s way of trainingus in emotional intelligence, above all aconditioning in associating holiness with life, anddefilement with death. It is fascinating to seehow this has been vindicated by modernneuroscience. Rationality, vitally important in its
Great Neck SynagogueShabbat Activities Program
Dale Polakoff, RabbiIan Lichter, Assistant RabbiDr. Ephraim Wolf ,z”l, Rabbi EmeritusDaniel Schwechter, Rabbinic InternZe’ev Kron, CantorEleazer Schulman, z”l, Cantor EmeritusRabbi Sholom Jensen, Youth DirectorMark Twersky, Executive DirectorRabbi Avraham Bronstein, Program DirectorDr. Scott Danoff, PresidentHarold Domnitch, Chairman of the Board
GNS
June
Chesed
Project
Ohel
and
Camp
Kaylie
are
in
great
need
of
new
and
gently
used
sports
equipment.
The
equipment
will
be
utilized
for
special
needs
programs
and
after
school
programs.
Please
drop
off
your
donations
on
June
27,
7
‐
8:30
P.M.
at
GNS
any
questions
please
feel
free
to
call:
Susie
Goldman
at
516
‐
456
‐
9386.
Great
Neck
Synagogue
Men’s
Club
GOING
FISHING
On
the
CAPT.
PETE
from
Freeport,
NY
(30
minutes
from
GN)
on
Sunday,
JULY
1,
2012
The
boat
will
be
departing
at
9:00
am
(which
will
be
enough
time
for
those
attending
the
early
minyan
to
join
us),
with
the
return
to
dock
at
2
pm.
The
cost,
which
includes
a
light
Breakfast
and
Deli
lunch,
is
$48
per
person
&
$36
for
children
under
12
The
Capt.
Pete
is
a
luxury
65ft
fiberglass,
twin
engine
charter
boat
with
amenities
such
as
an
oversized
cabin,
large
dinette
area,
custom
bathrooms
and
two
levels
to
help
you
enjoy
your
day
out
on
the
water.
On
the
Capt.
Pete,
all
bait,
tackle
and
ice
are
always
included.
I
am
going
fishing!
Children
under
17
MUST
be
accompanied
by
an
adult
Name
____________________________________
Phone
#
___________________
Number
of
adults
and
teenagers
_________
at
$48
per
person
$
_______________
Number
of
children
11
and
under
_________
at
$36
each
$
_______________
Total
(Check
attached)
$
______________
Contact
Steve
Blumner
639
‐
8941,
Mark
Friedman
384
‐
5491
or
Hilly
Milun
448
‐
4890
DIRECTIONSFrom
NYC:
Take
Long
Island
Expressway
to
Exit
38
Northern
State
Parkway.
Take
Northern
State
Parkway
to
Exit
31A
Meadowbrook
Parkway.
Take
Meadow
State
Parkway
South
7.8
miles
to
Exit
M9W
Merrick
Road.
Exit
off
ramp
and
move
to
left
lane.
Make
left
onto
Mill
Road.
Take
Mill
Road
to
Main
Street
and
make
a
left.
Take
S.
Main
Street
to
Atlantic
Avenue
and
make
a
right.
Drive
.4
miles
to
Guy
Lombardo
Avenue
and
make
left.
The
Boatmen's
Association
marina
is
on
right
just
past
third
traffic
light.
Join
Great
Neck
Synagogue
Sisterhood
for
a
day
at
the
National
Museum
of
American
Jewish
History
Tuesday,
July
10,
2012
Our
docent
‐
led
tour
will
last
about
one
‐
and
‐
one
‐
half
hours.
We
are
allowing
additional
time
at
the
Museum
for
you
to
explore
on
your
own
and
to
visit
the
gift
shop,
which
features
traditional
Judaica,
gifts,
and
Museum
merchandise.
Cost:
$72.00/person
Includes:
Lunch,
Docent
‐
led
tour
of
Museum,
Coach
Bus
Transportation
(with
restroom).
Open
to
women,
men,
and
older
children.
Please
respond
to
Brenda
Parver
by
email
at
bparver@gmail.com
or
phone
at
(516)
‐
829
‐
8079
by
June
25,
2012
to
make
a
reservation.
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