TREE OF LIFE

These past few days, after the horrific scenes that were projected to all of us from Pittsburgh, made every Jew and every free person, more cognizant of the hate that exists in our society. 

   I began to realize, more than ever, that grief is a terrible inferno and yet despite the emotional upheaval that it brings in its wake, sorrow can possesses great potential to expand our lives, to enlarge our vision, and to deepen our understanding of the true essence of the value of life. It also awakens in us greater empathy and understanding of the suffering of others.  We need to begin to purge ourselves of the pettiness and selfishness that engulfs so many. These are times that awaken, in us, the powers of fortitude and patience in our dealings with one another. 

 

  These are times when the following Psalm comes to life; 

"עוברי בעמק הבכה מעין ישיתוהו גם ברכות יעטה מורה"

"They pass through a valley of tears and convert it into a life giving fountain".

 

   I read, recently, that, in Israel, there is a rare cactus plant on which grows an exquisitely lovely flower. The flower is called "Queen of the Night", because it has the strange characteristic of blooming only in the darkest part of the night. When the blackness is deepest the Queen of the Night blossoms forth. 

   We can learn from this. that in our suffering and in our state of mournfulness, we will and we must shine forth in our entire Judaic and human splendor, and never to let hate and bigotry, overpower us, and to remember we are all bedecked in the garment of G-D'S Glory.

 

    Robert Browning said it magnificently:

        I walked a mile with Sorrow,

        And never a word said she,

        But, oh, the things I learned from her

        When Sorrow walked with me. 

 

   How we attend to our catastrophe and our bereavement will depend on our attitude and our perception of sorrow and how it can help us grow in spirit and in our relationship to each other and especially in our greater dedication and commitment to Torah. All this can help assuage, somewhat, the pain that we are  experiencing at this horrific moment. 

    Our Torah reading this Shabbat speaks of the death of Sarah and how Avraham came to mourn and cry for her at the funeral. We, then, read that after the Hesped was delivered,” ויקם אברהם מעל פני מתו, And Avraham arose from before his dead.”

   The Rav, commenting on the expression ויקם that Avraham arose, reflected on Avraham’s deep mourning after the burial of his beloved Sarah and how he was able to "lift himself up" out of his state of bereavement.  He did so by realizing that though Sarah died, her spirit would live on as the Mother of K’lall Yisrael.  She will always be alive in those she left behind and in those that she influenced in her lifetime. Truth be told, we are privileged that Sarah Imenu our Matriarchcontinues to inspire Klal Yisrael even today. 

    In a similar way, the martyrs who were murdered in Congregation Etz Chaim, will live on in our hearts and minds. They will always be remembered and continue to be The Tree of Life, inspiring us to be proud Jews. 

   We pray for their Neshamot.  We pray that all evil should be eradicated from this world.  Let us pray that we will experience the coming of the Mashiach in our time B’mheira B’yameinu.

      

    

CHESED AND KEDUSHA

The lines were out the store as everyone was caught up in the lottery fever.  They were all anticipating winning billions of dollars and for two dollars everyone bought a dream. And then I saw an interesting e-mail that said "I always wanted to win the lottery, but tonight I looked around my beautiful family and realized I already have!"

    I often wonder, “Do we really appreciate and enjoy the Blessings that  Hashem bestows upon us , or are we so involved in our daily activities that we are  indifferent to the Bràchot of life?” 

  "Life is one 'now' after another, and the now waits for no one"

  One of the most important and at the same time one of the most difficult episodes to truly comprehend in Avraham’s life is the Akedah - when he was instructed to bring his son up as a sacrifice to G-D. Avraham listened to Hashem and Yitzchaksurvived.  There are still many unanswered questions, but for now I would like to pursue one avenue of thought, that I heard from the Rav.

  The Rav said, “Although Avraham did not actually slay Yitzchak at the Akedah, he felt that the sacrifice took place, and a new Yitzchak emerged. 

  Kabbalah explains that Avraham personified the attribute of Chesed, of Loving Kindness, which suggests the idea of Hispashtut, of expansion. This idea relates that we are to take in many people, sharing with others, reaching out to others and thereby being Mekarev them to our way of thinking.  This is what Avraham continuously did.

  Yitzchak, on the other hand, personified Gevurah,Power, which implies Tzimtzum, Self Contractionand Self Limitation, which manifested itself in, Perishuth, separating oneself from the community, so that he could devote himself, exclusively to the Almighty. For Yitzchak it was an aspect of Kedusha.That is why he was not permitted to leave the Land of Israel. Yitzchak personified Kedusha,metaphorically speaking, for he was the sacrifice at the Akedah, and there is no greater form of Kedusha than being a Korban, A Sacrifice.

   I sense that not much is divulged about Yitzchak, primarily, for this reason.  For Kedusha is to be covered up and Hashem wanted, like all aspects of Kedusha should   remain a Mysterium, separated from the world. 

  From then on the Jewish People have enveloped themselves in both personality traits, Chesed and Kedusha.

  In fact, it is for this reason that there is a Parochet on the Aron, and we cover the Sefer Torahwith a Mantel -for that which is holy loses its’ special standing in our eyes through casualness, ready access and over familiarity. 

    This is our Goal in Judaism, to act with a great sense of Chesed, and never forsake the goal to achieve greater Kedusha by acting with more Anivut, and with more selflessness, and less selfishness. 

  With these thoughts, in mind I would like to share with you an interesting and fascinating story that  has a long lasting lesson for all to learn. 

  The story is entitled "A Glass of Milk".

   One day a poor boy was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school.  He found that he had only one dime left and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. 

  However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry, so she brought him a large glass of milk. 

   He drank it slowly and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"

  “You don't owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother taught me never to accept money for kindness.” 

   He answered, “I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” 

  As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger, physically, but his faith in G-D and man was strengthened too. He had been ready to give up and quit. 

  Years later that young woman was critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. 

  Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. 

  When he heard the name of the town where she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. 

  Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his Doctors gown, he went into see her. He recognized her at once. 

  He went back to the consultation room, determined to do his best to save her life. 

  From that day on he gave special attention to the case. After a long struggle the battle was won. 

    Dr. Kelly requested that the hospital's office pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it and wrote something on the edge of the bill. 

   When the bill arrived in her room she feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay it. She opened it slowly but something caught her attention on the side of the bill. 

She read these words, "Paid in full with one glass of milk!"

And it was signed "Dr. Howard Kelly.” 

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed, "Thank You, G-D, that Your love has reached abroad, through human hearts and hands"

This a true story. 

  Remember what goes around comes around, that of the Chesed of Avraham, and the Kedusha of Yitzchak. 

  May we learn to live a life of righteousness from our forefathers and from a Doctor with a Heart. 

SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND

"Every tomorrow has two handles. You can take hold of the handle of anxiety or the handle of enthusiasm. Upon our choice, so will be our day." 

  This simple but profound idea came to me as I began to recollect my experiences of a magnificent and spiritual uplifting Yom Tov in our city of Holiness Yerushalayim. No one can deny how exhilarating it is to be עולה  רגל, walking with our  Esrog and Lulav,to the Kotel, as was done all those years ago, by countless of people as they visited the Bes Hamikdash, to recite their Tephilos and to embrace the Daled Minim, as they sang הודו להי כי טוב כי לעולם חסדו. What a great Z’chut it was for my family to wave our Lulav in the same way and to feel a tremendous closeness to Hashem standing on this אדמת קודש, with the הר הבית, in our view. 

    I am reminded of the story told about the Rizhiner Rebbe, who came home to find his little child crying. "Why the tears?” He asked. "Because I have been playing hide and seek.”  “But that's no reason to cry,” said the Rebbe. "It is, Papa, because no one came seeking,” cried the youngster.  

  A poignant story relating what life is all about.  When we are hiding we are alone with our fears and doubts and our misgivings, but when we are seeking we can't be hiding. 

  At those moments at the Kotel, I felt that we were seekers not hiders.  We were seeking the ways and means as a community, to bring us closer to each other.  But more so, to climb the ladder of Yakov, מוצב ארצה וראשו מגיע השמים, feeling the pull of  Kedusha, uplifting our Yiddish Neshamot to a Higher Madrega, bringing about greater spirituality and greater works of love and kindness. 

   This is the attraction of spending Yom Kippur and Succot, in Israel.  It is a time to reinvigorate our lives with greater feelings of Kedusha and Spirituality.This was even more evident as I davened with a truly great Tzadek, and Posek, Harav Hagaon  Avigdor Nebenzahl s’hlita,  in a private minyan on Hashanah Rabah, as we lifted our voices in unison, beseeching  the Almighty, הושיעה נא,הצליחה נא. 

  This idea comes to mind as we are introduced to our Forefather, Avraham as he is told to leave his father’s house and begin to travel to the Promised Land on his  journey of bring about the Jewish Nation.

  The Parsha begins, לך לך, Go! The obvious question would be, “Why the two similar words, לך,the direction could have been said with just one לך. I am inclined to understand that though they are the same words meaning To Go, there is a great significance to the repetition. It means more than, merely, to travel.  The second לך is to influence you, to go unto yourself, to look into your inner self. “Now is the time” G-D said to Avraham, “Look into yourself, search out your Tafkid in life and to do so, successfully, you need to emotionally and philosophically search your inner being in such a way that your best will be brought out, leading you on the true path of the life that Hashem has mapped out for you.  

  This is the lesson I took with me from the exhilarating time, I spent in Israel, and a lesson for all time. Our spiritual journey must begin with a search for our inner being , for our inner soul ,that will direct us on the path of life that will bring about our true Tafkid, a Tafkid of  Chesed, of Kedusha, of Ahavas Habriyos, and a true fulfillment of Ahavas Hashem. 

SHABBAT SHALOM