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Behaalotecha
“Then I, Zechariah pleaded for [Yehoshua] and said, ‘But he is missing the turban from the priestly garments. Let them put a ritually pure turban (tznif) on his head! So they put the tznif on his head” (Zechariah, 3:5). – Haftorah for Behaalotecha
The tznif is one of the special garments—a turban--worn by a kohen when he serves in the Beit Hamikdash. In this vision of Zechariah, it symbolizes that indeed Yehoshua had been forgiven by Hashem. The turban marks him as pure and righteous.
This week I read another story about a turban that marked someone as righteous and a spiritual giant. This is not a story of the turban of a kohen, but the turban of a Sikh.
This is the story of the turban of NBA Superfan, Nav Bhatia.
In 1984, Nav was living in India but he felt unsafe because of political turmoil so he moved to Toronto. Back in India, he had attained an advanced degree in engineering, but no one wanted to hire him as an engineer because of his long beard and turban. Instead, he found a job selling used cars. This too was not easy. After he succeeded in selling used cars, he was promoted by the dealership to General Manager at a different location. When he showed up for work on the first day, all the employees quit. No one wanted to work for a man in a turban. He did not quit. He worked hard and was very successful. Before long, he was running a very profitable business. After a decade of running the business he became a self-made millionaire.
In 1995, the NBA opened a new franchise in Toronto, called the Raptors. Nav purchased season tickets. He and his turban soon became a fixture at every game. He arrived on time and never left the arena early. He always cheered enthusiastically for his team. In more than 25 years he never missed attending a single game. He even started donating hundreds of thousands of dollars of tickets to children in need. He made sure to sit each child next to another child of a different faith so that the game would be a positive learning experience and help break down stereotypes.
The team took notice. He was given an official jersey and bestowed the name, “Superfan.” In 2018, the team won its first title. In appreciation of his support, the team gave him a championship ring. He became the first fan ever to receive a championship ring. Last week, Superfan Nav became the first fan ever inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame requested his turban (story is based on tweets from @joePompliano).
On the eve of his induction into the Hall of Fame, Nav tweeted out: “I made a promise to my mom I would never remove my turban. Today it is in the Hall of Fame. Embrace what makes you different. It is your superpower. This is the crown I wear each day” (@superfan_nav).
Pesach Sheini Background: In Chapter 9 of Parashat Behaalotcha, Hashem commands Moshe to remind the Israelites about the obligation to offer the Pesach sacrifice on the 14th of Nissan. However, as verse 6 tells us, there were some people who were impure that day because they had come into contact with a dead body and were therefore unable to offer the sacrifice. They come to Moshe and ask him why they should be losing out on the mitzvah because they are unclean - after all, it’s not their fault or in their control! Hashem responds to Moshe by teaching the laws of Pesach Sheini. People who were unable to do the korban on the 14th of Nissan will not have another chance to do it on the 14th of Iyar. Interestingly, Hashem applies this to two categories of people: the first is those who have come in contact with a dead body, as we would expect. The second is people who were “b’derech rechoka,” or far away. There is no further definition of what is meant by this vague term.
The mishna on Pesachim 93b asks what “derech rechoka” means. Rabbi Akiva says that it is the equivalent of the distance from Jerusalem to Modiim, which would take about half a day to walk. Rabbi Eliezer says that it refers to any distance beyond the entrance to the courtyard of the Beit HaMikdash, where the korban was offered.
Questions:
Without knowing the rabbinic explanations, how would you define “derech rechoka”?
Why do you think Rabbi Akiva defines it as half a day's walk? Does that sound like a reasonable definition to you?
Why do you think Rabbi Eliezer defines it as anywhere beyond the entrance to the Beit Hamikdash? How does this change our understanding of the purpose of Pesach sheini?
In this week's parsha, we learn about the role of the Levites. They are employed on behalf of the Jewish people to perform a public service, supporting the avodah in the beis hamikdash. As the largest public workforce, they begin their careers at age 25 and retire at age 50, with a pension and full benefits. Huh.
Anywhoo, Tot Shabbat. Aharon and Miriam tell lashon harah about Moshe, so of course, Miriam gets punished and Aharon doesn't. Go women! What exactly is the lashon harah that they tell? Ah, almost fell for it - it's assur to repeat lashon harah! So, I won't report it here. For the kids, we're going to read a book about lashon harah, called A Sack Full of Feathers. I am also considering reading statements to the kids - if they think what was said was lashon harah, they will spread white goo (tzara'as) on a doll? on me? not sure. We'll see.
Good Shabbos.
Yoni Friedman.
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