LIGHTS OF LIFE

"Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man , but sooner or later the man who wins, is the man who thinks he can."

   Disasters in life bring about indomitable strength and unity. This was very evident as we all witnessed the devastation and havoc that Harvey brought upon the State of Texas. With all the destruction and pain that so many experienced and the need of help that was so sorely needed, we began to realize more than ever the human intervention by so many to assuage the anguish and helplessness of so many.  It makes us realize the G-Dliness that is so much a part of humanity. 

   How magnificent it is to see the light amidst the darkness as so many volunteers rally to the needs of others. At this time we begin to realize that we can solve some of our pressing issues of the day if we begin to understand the 'we' of relationships, the 'we' of responsibility and the 'we' of our unique Jewish identity. 

   Permit me to share an amazing story that I related to the participants of a Shiur that I gave this week on the meaning of Elul. It all began when I suggested that Elul stands for 

אני לדודי ודודי לי "I am my beloved and my beloved is mine," emphasizing our intense love relationship with G-D. In addition, it also stands for  ומשלוח מנות איש לרעהו ומתנות לאביונים "To give gifts to our neighbors and to take care of the poor," emphasizing our relationship and our responsibilities to our fellow man.

   Now, let me get back to my story and I am sure you will realize the important lesson we can learn from it, especially, in this awesome month of Elul. 

   A man had a very strange dream. He saw a house that was giving off a great deal of light. When he walked into the house, he saw all sorts of candles all over. Some of the candles were burning bright, some were dim, some were almost flickering out. He found the keeper of the house and asked,"What is this?"

   The keeper replied, "Each candle is a different soul living in the world. The ones burning bright are in the prime of life. The one low on oil and flickering are people who are dying. When the candle goes out the person dies."

  The keeper of the candles turned his back for a moment and the man quickly searched for his own candle. He found the candle with his name flickering in the corner. It looked as if it was about to be extinguished. The man panicked, and looked around for some oil to pour into his candle so it would burn brighter. He started to take oil from another candle burning bright. But a hand stopped him. 

 "This is not how it works here. Your candle does not burn brighter when you take oil from someone else. On the contrary, your candle burns brighter when you give oil to someone else". The man picked up his flickering candle and poured oil into several other candles. When he put it down, the flame started burning brighter. And so the man awoke from his strange dream. 

  The story speaks for itself.  It is a dynamic and important lesson that we need to take to heart, during this month of Elul.  It is a time when we hear the shofar cry out to us, עורו משנתכם, "Awake to the G-Dly element in us. Awake to perform our human responsibilities to Hashem and to our fellowman."

  In doing so, our candle of life will continue to shine brightly, insuring for ourselves and for our families a 

שנת חיים טובים. 

                               שבת שלום ומבורך

 

   

SPIRITUAL ECLIPSE

   There is a widespread tendency, today, to evade responsibility for our actions.  We are pictured as the victims of life.  As I write this blog, I am reminded of a story that happened a number of years ago.  It was about a young man who sued his parents to the tune of $350.000, accusing them of psychological Malparenting because they messed up his life.  He was never able to see that what had gone wrong in his life was his fault. Never  taking responsibility for his actions.  He lived a life blaming others for his 

failures.

   This incident can be compared to a cartoon in which a little boy complains to his father, "Mother is always blaming me for everything I do."

   It is time that we begin to realize that we are not only shaped by our environment, but more so, we shape it.

   The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can't find them, they make them.

   This theme is enunciated in this week's Sedrah,  Shoftim,in the episode of Eglah Arufah.

   The Torah relates, כי ימצא חלל, "If a murdered man is found in a open field, לא נדע מי הכהו, and the murderer is not known, there is an act of Kaparah, of expiation, that is to be performed by the elders and the judges and the people in the city nearest to where the crime took place.  After the ceremony the leaders of the the city had to wash their hands and make the following declaration: ידנו לא שפכו את הדם הזה ועינינו לא ראו "Our hands have not shed this blood nor have our eyes seen what took place, forgive us Hashem." The passage concludes, ואתה תבער הדם הנקי מקרבך, כי תעשה הישר בעיני ה׳, "So shall you put away the innocent blood from your midst, when you shall do what is right in the eyes of G-D."

   This is truly an amazing doctrine.  It is disturbing to think that the sages and the leaders of the community would ever do such a dastardly act to require them to utter such words of expiation.

   There is no doubt that no one would ever accuse such leaders of murder.  This entire law of Eglah Arufah, is to teach a very important lesson.  A lesson that is endemic in our time - especially as we experience the havoc that is ripping our society apart.

   In Judaism, all society is responsible for what happens in it's midst.  Crime and uncivilized behavior is the responsibility of all, especially the leaders of our communities. It is time we begin to realize and take heed that what happens in our country affects us all - not only the victims.  All of us share in the responsibility and we cannot, with all our rationalization, be absolved from blame.

   Our Parsha begins with the words, שופטים ושוטרים תתן לך, "Judges and officers you shall appoint in all your cities."  Our Sages suggest that if you are ever going to accomplish anything for the safety and good of your communities קשוט עצמך ואחר כך קשוט לאחרים "We first need to be introspective into our own behavioral patterns and then we can focus on others."

   To change the world,we must change ourselves first.  Are we taking responsibility for our actions or are we always looking to blame others for the troubles that are engulfing our society?  Too often we are 'escape artists' running away from our responsibilities, not realizing that we have choices to make.  The outcome of those choices will decide our entire destiny.

   Reflect, if you please, on my opening remarks, "The people who get on in this world are the ones who get up and look for the circumstances they want.  If they can't find them, they make them.

   תמים תהיה עם ה׳ אלוקיך. What is needed today, more than ever is a strong faith in oneself and to maintain a strong belief and trust in G-D.

   תמים, be your own person.  Own up to who you are.  Be true to yourself with pride and honor.  To achieve this glorious goal we must make adjustments in our Judaic way of life by owning up to our responsibilities as a person who was created בצלם אלוקים, and to sanctify our lives by emerging from the darkness into a brilliant illuminating light of humanity.

             LET US LEARN FROM THE COSMOS 

                  AND CREATE FOR OURSELVES 

                      A SOLAR/HUMAN ECLIPSE

                            LEADING US FROM 

                           DARKNESS TO LIGHT. 

                                    שבת שלום ומבורך

CHILDREN OF G-D

    In life, we are called upon to play many parts. Whatever part we are called  upon to play, be it a mother , a father , doctor , lawyer, teacher, one never need compromise with his own conscience.  I spoke to a youngster this past week who found himself in a dilemma and was unsure how to act. I told him,"Be who you are, don't be someone else. You are who you are. Be proud of who you are."

  It is a sorrowful affair that so many play their part in life, but are not true to themselves, because self aggrandizement or social success are more meaningful and real to them than self respect and truth. To play the part and to be true to yourself, requires real courage. 

    The Gemorah Chagigah states, אכל תחלא ושדא שחלה לברא, "He found a fruit, he ate the core and threw away the rind." The point of the parable is that in each situation of life we must learn to extract that which is essential and meaningful and to discard that which is unnecessary or harmful. What is good , we should  accept and enjoy and  that which is wrong, we should reject and discard. 

   This philosophy reflects an important part of Jewish Hashkafah, which is the essence of 

בחירה חפשית, free choice and free will. 

   The words of the opening sentence in this week's Sedrah, Reeh,  ראה אנכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה, "See," says Hashem, "I have placed before you today a Blessing and a curse. Do with your life as you see fit. Create with it. Grow with it, or destroy with it.  Build  with it or demolish with it. Sanctify it, or profane with it. It is all in your hands. It is all in your control, בחירה.  Remember, you and you alone are responsible." With proper use of this בחירה, it will lead to a life of ברכה, and the fulfillment of בנים אתם להי אלוקיכם, we are children of G-D. 

        Chazal says ,בזמן שאתם נוהגים מנהג בנים אתם נקראים בנים, "We are only considered children of G-D, when we are fulfilling the will of G-D."

        If we maintain ourselves as בנים להי , then we are Blessed. We can then influence others so that they can carry forth the banner of Judaism. 

  This Shabbat we will Bless the New Month of Elul, and recite , שימלאו משאלות לבנו, "Our requests shall be fulfilled." With some leeway in our interpretation, I suggest that the word לבנו, may mean בנים, our children. The reason is quite simple. With proper nurturing and spiritual nourishment of our children they will become our Nachas and our Blessing. 

   When Yaakov blessed his children, he placed them on his knees. In Hebrew the word for knee is ברך, a word very close to the word ברכה, Blessing. What does knee have to do with Bracha?

      The knee is the point of the leg that permits us to stand up, to jump, and to move forward and when our  children walk in their parents and grandparents footsteps, by emulating them, they are truly a Blessing for their family and for כלל ישראל.  

   The choice is ours.  We can use our ברכים, to jump forward in Judaism, to spring to our responsibilities, and to teach our children, how to truly act in a Torah oriented way. 

 Indeed  בחירה, Free Will leads to ברכה.  A ברכה that encompasses our families and the Jewish People, when we maintain our identity as בנים להי.  

    The message is simple.  We hold our future in our hands, so let us take hold of this great opportunity to guarantee our  blessings.

    This new month of Elul spells out for all to experience,   אני לדודי ודודי לי, "I am my beloved and my beloved is mine."  

    As children of Hashem, and as we act continuously with the love for Hashem, we will, become the vessels that will forever receive the Blessings of G-D. 

   With this attitude we proceed to enjoy the month of Elul, and sing our praises to Hashem and affirm 

     אני לדודי ודודי לי. 

 

                                       שבת שלום ומבורך וחדש טוב

     

INCLUSIVE

    There are many thoughts that run through my mind when I write my weekly blog. Most often it is an observation that I make as I view the world around me and realize that we are not making our lives more meaningful and more inspiring. 

    With this in mind, I would like to share a story about the famous Kotzker Rebbe. 

   On one occasion, at the the Seudat Shlishit, the Rebbe turned to his disciples and asked "Where does G-D live?" They were stunned by such a question. "What does the Rebbe mean when he asks, where does Hashem live? Where does G-D not live? Surely we are taught that there is no place devoid of His presence. Hashem fills the entire world with His being."

   "No," said the Kotzker, "You do not understand. 

G-D lives where we let Him in!"

   The answer may seem so simplistic, and yet if we truly think of the reply, we begin to realize that Hashem waits for us to let Him into our lives.  To accomplish this we need to search for Hashem in all the vicissitudes of our life. 

   When we begin to know where we are, I sense we will be able to know where we can find Hashem. 

   Our Torah  reading this Shabbat, Parshat Ekev, reflects on Moshe's reminder to בני ישראל, regarding their heinous crime with the golden calf and how he attained forgiveness, for them, from Hashem.

   The Torah reminds us that after Moshe broke the first set of Luchos he was instructed by Hashem to hew out a second set. פסל לך שני לוחות הברית ,"Hew out two tablets of stone like the first ones."

   The word that intrigues me most at this directive is פסל, hew out.  This word פסל, is written in another place, but there the context is different and the pronunciation is not the same.  In the Aseret Hadebrot it states, "לא תעשה לך פסל, You shall not make a graven image." Here the word  פסל, is spelled the same way, but the pronunciation is very different. 

  We may ask, "When does the word פסל, have the meaning hew and when does it mean an idol?"

  The answer lies with the word לך that is attached to it. When the לך, the 'you' comes first before anything else then it is , לא תעשה לך פסל. Then the meaning is an idol. However, when the לך comes after everything else, then it is פסל לך.  Then we are not the center of the universe and we are subscribing to a world of concern and  respect for others. 

   What a glorious message to live by, and what a wonderful way to find and have G-D in our presence all the time. 

    In order to make our Jewish identity relevant for us today, we must shift our attitude from the 'Selfie' concept to one of appreciation and association with others and live a life of reaching out and embracing others in a more spiritual and caring way. 

   These are times that we need to be more open to other Jews, whatever their observances may be. I am sorry to say that we are becoming too much exclusive in our Jewish  way of life, when our times demands more inclusivity. 

   There are Jews out there who are searching and as  the Kotzker said, "They are hoping to let G-D in." 

    But they might not know the combination to the lock of Judaism, and are waiting for someone to unlock the spiritual doors for them so that they may enter the precincts leading to the beauty of Yahadut. 

   The problem may be that we are waiting for them to come to us.  We need to stop waiting and begin to take the initiative and approach them.  

   The Baal Shemtov, to get people involved, used the following parable, "Many people were standing under a tree, and were trying to catch a beautiful bird on the top of tree, but could not reach the top. In order to catch the bird, they decided that each person will stand on the other׳s shoulder, until the one on top will reach the bird and catch it."

  "The same with us,"said the Baal Shem Tov, "The only way we can reach to the higher spiritual spheres is when we place each other on the other one's shoulders.  When  we do so it will be a פסל לך, a new hewing out of our Ten Commandments.  As we grow together we will then be in a position to welcome the Moshiach into our presence."

                                                  שבת שלום ומבורך

  

INSIDE - OUTSIDE

   "Knowledge is only an instrument in the hand of wisdom."

   In life we should strive to have vision of our individual potential and then pursue that vision into reality. 

   In Herman Wouk's novel "Inside - Outside". He wrote,"Everyone  has an inside self which is the Jewish self. While we may show a different outside self to the secular world, there is another inside which is outside."

   The question I pose, as Jews, in this modern era is, "What is our inside and what is our outside? Better yet what part of our inside is portrayed on the outside and what part is pushed into the subterranean level of our personalities." 

    With this in mind I turn to our young adults, especially to our Jewish Singles, who may wonder where they fit in our modern Orthodox Jewish World. 

   This probing dilemma surfaces as we reflect upon two vastly different calendar experiences - Shabbat Chazon and Shabbat Nachamu.

   The Gemorah states  אלמלי משומרין ישראל את שתי שבתות כהלכתו מיד נגאלין That if all Israel were to observe two Shabbatot they would immediately be redeemed. The question that is posed, "Which Shabbatot are we talking about?"  

   The answer given is -  Shabbat Chazon and Shabbat Nachamu. Why were these two chosen and what message do they convey to all of Jewry especially in our day and age?

   There are two modes of thought that are given.

    The first idea suggests that we  must recognize  that much of our Jewish history is replete with sorrow and mourning that needs to be recalled and to a certain extent recaptured emotionally, so that we can identify with that sorrowful past and realize our great loss of the destruction of our holy Temple and for the many atrocities befallen on us, especially those of the Holocaust. By remembering, we will be more vigilant and aware to make sure that such a past does not ever again, rear its ugly head. At the same time, we need not and should not remain with such a pessimistic attitude in life. We must never forget, but at the same time we need to move on to the next stage, which is one of hope and optimism. 

   This leads us to the Shabbat of Nachamu. It is a  time to live with great hope. A time to express optimism. A time to beseech the Almighty, נחמו נחמו עמי, and bring to the Jewish People true Nechama, to move us out of the Shabbat Chazon, and lead us gloriously into the sunshine of Shabbat Nachamu. 

   Too often I see Jews observe only one of these Shabbatot. They are either  living  in the quagmire of Chazon, of mourning and bewailing , and fail to see the glory of Am Yisrael and fail to rally with the Jewish People in their joyous success, or they act In the reverse , they are Nachamu Jews and do not mourn the loss of our Mikdash and fail to see how much we are bereft of the loss of our Har Habayis. 

    This is what our Gemorah teaches, "If only Israel would observe two Shabbatot these two would be selected, Chazon of sadness and  Nachamu of joy. Then we will mingle our tears over the loss of our Holy Sites and mix them with the tears of Joy for the glory that is Israel. Then  and only then will we see the true Geulah take place. 

   Let us affirm that everyone has an  inside self which is the Jewish self which must be exposed to others  to make the Jewish persona known to all in joy and happiness. This must become our true self.

  This is our calling today, celebrate Chazon, but move on with great optimism to  the next plateau of Nachamu, of blessing, of optimism, and of hope for the glory of Am Yisrael and  Eretz Yisrael. 

ואתם הדבקים בהי אלוקיכם חיים כולכם היום

                              שבת שלום ומבורך