THE STAFF OF LIFE

     Summer is a time for traveling to many different places and offers valuable time to unwind and to relax. When in our travels this past week a malfunction was discovered in the computer system on our plane and we were informed that we had to return to the gate. Well, enough said about our technological advances that we have become so enamored by and for which we have become so dependent upon. Give me back my old religion that depends upon the human element to solve our problem. Oh , I can hear the groans. Come on now Rabbi, please don't take us back to the Stone Age, and you need to recognize how improved our lives have become by our technological advances. True, but don't rule out the importance of man's input in life's endeavors that is expressive with feelings and empathy which is sorely missed in the world of computers. 

   These thoughts have a direct relationship to the episode  in this week's Parsha  as we read how the Jewish People were complaining  to Moshe once again "Why did you bring us to this dessert to die? We have no water to drink."

    Moshe entreats Hashem for a solution to this water crisis. G-D tells him קח את המטה ודברתם אל הסלע, take your rod and speak to the rock and water will gush forth. This directive raises many questions. If Hashem wanted Moshe to talk to the rock why was it necessary to take his Staff and more so why did Moshe hit the rock instead of following Hashem's directive to speak to the rock?

    For this infraction Moshe was punished, and was not allowed to go into the promised land. Much discussion ensued regarding this severe punishment and many question, "Did the punishment really fit the crime and more so what sin did he really commit?"

    Many answers are brought forth. Some say he disobeyed the word of G-D by hitting the rock instead of talking to the rock, which might have brought greater Kiddush Hashem,as the people would have been more impressed by his speaking.  

   Moshe was very upset with the people's reaction and he feared that they had lost their faith in G-D. At that moment his anger overtook him and he responded in an angry fashion.I am not one to excuse him for his behavior, especially when Hashem specifically told him to speak to the rock and he seemingly disobeyed the will of G-D. 

   However, I think the main purpose of our Torah to bring this entire episode  to the fore in a very transparent way, besides its historical significance, is to teach us as the  Netziv states, "Moshe's leadership up to this point had been very supernatural, as the agent of Hashem. At this point their supernatural water supply was no longer available. Moshe wanted to teach them a very important lesson in life. It was time to make the shift to a more natural way of life, to a more realistic way of fulfilling their needs in life. Their supernatural water would not accompany them into the Promised Land, and now it was time to live in a more natural way." 

    Hashem told Moshe to take the staff, a staff that was performing for them many miracles in a very supernatural way. Hashem says; "Take this staff with you, but no longer use it to perform miracles, now I want you to speak to the rock, and thereby teach them the power of speech. Teach them as individuals and as a people that they have the ability to function and to achieve their goals in life in a very natural way , and when they are inundated with problems , let them use speech, the human element through Tefillah, through a strong commitment of prayer to help them in life's Journey."

   How magnificent these words are and insights of the Netziv, especially in our time. It is that all important lesson of the importance of using our iniative to achieve life's needs, but more so to instill in our hearts more Emunah, which is so needed in our world today. 

    The staff of the supernatural may always be there for us, but today we must strive to achieve greater Emunah, that will be realized with more intense Tephillah. 

    

     May Hashem hear our Tephillot and may we be Zocheh to see the ביאת גואל צדק in our time. 

   

  שבת שלום ומבורך

LET US AGREE TO DISAGREE

  This Shabbat morning our Torah reading is Parshat Korach. In this Parsha we are introduced to a very cynical and vicious character Korach and a serious Machloket between him and Moshe Rabeinu.

  

  Chazal describe Korach as a פקח, a very intelligent and scholarly person and yet his way of life was sinful and his ultimate intention was to make Moshe look bad in the eyes of the people and thus claim the leadership for himself. 

 In Avot 5 we read: “Any controversy which is for Heaven’s sake is destined to be of lasting worth, but any which is not for Heaven’s sake is not destined to be of lasting worth. Which controversy was for Heaven’s sake? Such was the controversy between Hillel and Shamai.  And which was not for Heaven’s sake?  Such was the controversy between Korach and all his company. “

  We can learn from this that some controversy is advisable and some controversy is destructive.  When we  study Gemarah  we come across many Machlokot between Hillel and Shamai and we see how these two great  sages always seem to disagree.  However, at all times, it was with mutual respect.  They may have advocated different opinions, but when one saw his opinion was faulty, he immediately yielded to the other.  Hillel and Shamai taught us never to be stubborn and immovable.  Their differences were always  לשם שמים motivated for higher ideals, not selfish reasons. 

  The question is; How does one determine what is    לשם שמים and what is not? The words of the aforementioned Mishna gives us a clear understanding.  The משנה states any controversy that is not for the sake of heaven in the end will not endure.We, also,learn from this that a dispute לשם שמים “in the end” will endure. 

   In this context סופה which is defined in English as “end” can have two meanings; conclusion and purpose.  We can explain the משנה as follows:  How do we know if an argument is truly for the sake of heaven; when its,סוף, it’s end, it’s purpose, is for survival.  When Hillel and Shamai argue, it is לשם שמים, for their whole reasoning behind the dispute is to assure the continuity of Halacha.  By contrast, Korach’s dispute was destructive. He wanted to remove Moshe of his leadership and consequently to defy the Torah,therefore it was not לשם שמים it was not for the survival of  עם ישראל. Thus we see that a disagreement whose goal is to perpetuate an idea, an ideal, and a commitment is a positive way to approach issues, because it is for our survival.  Such an attitude guarantees our future as an עם הנבחר.  

  As we reflect upon the term לשם שמים we realize the word  שמים  according to our Chazal is a contraction of two words, אש, fire, and מים,water. In nature fire and water cannot exist together one with the other, since water can extinguish fire and fire can boil out the water. However, when we are confronted with issues that are לשם שמים even two opposing forces in שמים can cooperate and co-exist because its goal is for the unity and the survival of the Jewish people,

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik זצ׳ל , explains that Korach’s attitude  when he said to Moshe; “כולם קדושים, all Jews are holy, why do you raise yourself above all of us?” re-confirms that Korach really did not understand the essence of  קדושה. 

The Rav explained there are two types of קדושה. One type of holiness comes from our patriarchs, from our parents and grandparents.  In this regard all Jews have the self same קדושה as a part of עם ישראל. 

However, we posses a second type of קדושה, a fulfillment of being the chosen People.  This is a  קדושת עצמו, an individual Holiness, which every individual Jew attains according to his own efforts and achievements. This reflects a more personal touch to being a Jew.

   This is an important lesson in Yahadut.There will be many times in our lives  when we will disagree with others, whether it is with our parents,or grandparents,  or with our  teachers, or even with our  friends. We can be assured that our opinions will be appreciated and accepted as long as they are rooted in the dedication to the ideals of Torah and are for the betterment of humanity.

  When we hold the Torch of Torah in our hands and carry it into the future  to perpetuate those ideals לשם שמים then we can be assured that the results will be סופה להתקיםthey will endure for all time. 

 

To achieve this goal we must always remember to pursue the Holiness that we  received from our beloved parents and at the same time to pursue our own personal  Kedusha by continuing to grow in Torah and Yiddishkeit and thereby fulfilling  our own  personal Tafkid in life as a true member of the עם הנבחר. 

   These are trying times and these goals are before us and with great perserverance and Betachon in ourselves and in Hashem we can reach and enjoy a life of Bracha and Mazal for ourselves and for Klal Yisrael.  

 

 

שבת שלום ומבורך וחדש טוב

 

 

 

 

SELF AWARENESS

     “Sow a thought, says an old proverb, and reap an act.  Sow an act and reap a habit. Sow a habit and reap a character. Sow a character and reap a destiny.”

Our destiny depends upon the content and direction of our thinking and upon self examination and self knowledge. 

      Permit me to share a story with you about James Garfield, President of the United State.  Before Mr. Garfield became president he was the Dean at an Eastern College. A man brought his son, who had registered at the college, for an interview. He said to Mr. Garfield, “My son doesn't have the time to take all the required courses. He wants to finish college quickly.  Can you make the proper arrangements for him?”  “Oh yes,” said Mr. Garfield, “He can take a short course, but it all depends on what you want to make of him. When G-D wants to make an oak tree, He takes a hundred years, but He only takes two months to make a squash. Yes, it takes time and patience for an acorn to grow into an Oak and for a boy to develop into a young man.” 

     We need great patience and understanding to develop the ‘true self.’ The self needs to be nurtured and appreciated.

     Carl Rogers, one of the most important modern day psychologists, developed a "Non directive or client centered theory.”  These essential elements in his theory are the "Self concept". The idea is based upon how a person perceives himself   and how he perceives the world around him. A person is motivated into some type of action depending upon how he sees himself- what is his own self concept. 

      Thus the self will try, whatever way possible, to bring about actualization and growth of one’s self.  However, the direction taken will depend, largely, on how one perceives himself. If one has a distorted self image he will not react in a positive way to guarantee a glorious future. 

     It is with these thoughts in mind that we visit this week's Parsha, Sh’lach. Herein, we read of the incident of the Meraglim. 

    Moshe and עם ישראל, were prepared to enter the Promised Land when the people requested that a group of leaders be sent to spy out the land before they travel any further. 

    After these leaders returned with a negative and pessimistic report, they stated 

                                                                          ונהי בעינינו כחגבים וכן היינו בעיניהם  

"We were in our own sight as grasshoppers and so were we in their sight"

     It is truly devastating to perceive that others see us as insignificant, as mere grasshoppers.  But even more destructive is to have a poor image of ourselves and to see ourselves as lowly grasshoppers. 

      Think of this as a crucial aspect of our existence. It is bad enough to be seen by others as insignificant. However, to have a destructive view of ourselves, to have such a poor image of whom we are, and to see ourselves as mere grasshoppers, is a denial of faith in oneself and can lead to a total destruction of oneself. The sin of the Meraglim, was a sin of self-destruction, a sin of non self actualization. 

     We are to see the blessings and the opportunities that G-D has given to us rather than belittle ourselves and to continue to live our lives as Chagavim.

     What faces Modern Orthodox Jewry today is a need for an improvement of our self image, of a spiritual uplifting, that permits us to see ourselves not as Chagavim, but rather to emulate the words of גור אריה יהודה, to have a more positive self image, of a lion, that roars aloud in a glorious and positive way. 

 

EVERY MOMENT IN LIFE IS A NOTE IN THE DIVINE SYMPHONY OF THE PROJECTION OF SELF AWARENESS

            

                                          

LIGHT UP THE WAY

"The only purpose of the Mitzvot is to refine people".  (Midrash)

"The important thing is not how many separate Mitzvot we fulfill, but how and in what spirit we fulfill them".(Baal Shem Tov)

 

  It is related that the great Talmudist R' Pinchas Horowitz, author of the monumental commentary, Haflaah, heard of the Chassidic master, the Maggid of Mezeritch, and was curious to investigate Chassidus. After the visit, the Maggid suggested that he engage R'Zusia in a scholarly discussion. 

  R' Zusia kept his erudition a secret. No one ever saw him studying. Rather, he was sweeping the floor or tending to some of the needs of the Bes Medrash. When R'Pinchas approached him, R' Zusia said, "There must be some mistake. I am not a scholar and there is nothing you can discuss with me.”  At the insistence of R'Pinchas, R'Zusia said "I can tell you something I overheard the others say.”

    “I heard the students reading the Gemorah where R' Hunah says, תשעה וארון מצטרפין, "Nine men and the Aron Hakodesh can constitute a minyan".

R' Nachman challenges this, saying ארון גברא הוא,"Is the Ark a person that you can count for a Minyan?"

   What kind of a question is R' Huna asking?  Surely he knows that the Ark is not a person to be counted for a Minyan.  “Perhaps” asked R' Zusia, “You can explain that to me.”  

  R' Pinchas was taken aback. He had no answer to so obvious a question. 

   R' Zusia shrugged his shoulders and said, " Maybe the Gemorah meant it this way; R' Hunah was of the opinion that since the Aron was full of Torah, it could contribute to a minyan. R' Nachman's challenge was, "Granted the Aron is full of Torah, but a minyan requires the Human element.” 

    Life for Judaism is to be full of Torah, but we must never lose sight of the need to always be a Mensch and in doing so to reach out to our fellowman with love and understanding. 

   The opening words of this week's Parsha, Baha'Loscha, relates how Aharon is instructed to light the Menorah in the Mikdash, wherein it states בהעלותך את הנרות. Immediately we realize that even though the Hebrew word to light is להדליק, the Torah uses the unique word בהעלותך. “Why?” One may ask.

  I sense that the message that our Torah wants to impress upon us is that this lighting was not only referring to the physical Menorah, but more so to kindle, within us, the flame of religious zeal. When doing so, we are to realize the importance of the direction that this inner flame must take. Everything must be an act of עלה, of ascending, of acting always לשם שמים, for the sake of the true principles of Yahadut, of our religious advance Heaven ward. We must be inspired from above, and our guide is, always, to be Torah oriented. 

  In fact, Chazal say שצריך להדליק עד שתהא השלהבת עולה מאליה   the essence of this spiritual light is to nurture it in such a way that the flame, the enthusiasm of Judaism, will burn brightly by itself, and the glow will be so strong that it will continue on an everlasting path. For this to succeed only Aharon, could light the Menorah, for he represents אוהב שלום ורודף שלום. Aharon sought peace and pursued peace. 

  This is our mission in life. To be of the disciples of Aharon, and to ignite the lights of Torah, to ignite the lights of Menchlikeit, to ignite the lights of Shalom, between all Jews, for every Jew is our brother and sister.  

   The light of life is in our hands, and all we need to do is grab hold of it by embracing each other with the true  אהבת ישראל. 

 

                                              שבת שלום ומבורך

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