HONOR AND GLORY

 There was once a family so poor they could not afford to buy enough food.  One day, the wife found two coins. She gave them to her husband and asked him to go out and purchase their necessities. He returned home with a loaf of bread in one hand and a rose in the other. “We need the bread to sustain us,” he explained, “and we need the rose to make life worth living”. 

  “We need to live a life that is truly worth living.”

Let us search, together, for that road that will lead us on that path. 

   As I reflect on this statement, my mind travels back a number of years to my son’s Bar Mitzvah, when he focused on  two words  from this week’s Sedrah, T’tzaveh, לכבוד ולתפארת, “We are to live lives that bring glory and honor to G-D and man.”

    The Menorah and the the בגדי כהונה, are described as being made  לכבוד ולתפארת. The Torah  is using this description to express a very important concept in Yahadut. 

    The Mitzvah of being Madlik the Menorah in the Mikdash, is to enhance  the glory and honor of the בית המקדש. Thus, we see that the purpose of the Menorah is that those who will see the Nerot will realize the importance of מקדש של הי יתברך and, as a result, will shape their lives, in a way, that will be לכבוד ותפארת, to עם ישראל.

  The other Mitzvah, which brings about לכבוד ולתפארת, is the בגדי כהונה, the priestly garments. One may wonder why there was so much emphasis placed on the garments of the Kohen. 

  I sense, that the garments worn  by the Kohen, were to remind him of his responsibilities to  

בני ישראל, and to G-D, and all those who see him bedecked in his Priestly garments, will be reminded of their responsibilities to Judaism.  As the Kohen views these garments he will, equally, realize in his heart, “Before whom he stands”, and this will bring לכבוד ולתפארת to Hashem and will create a change in his attitude and personality, bringing about a true redemptive way of life. 

   This is our charge in life - a charge that will result in bringing about a world of לכבוד ולתפארת to humanity and to bring the light of the Menorah that will illuminate the world with Holiness.

     It is well to realize that this it is not what man finds in the world, it is what he creates and how he fashions  his  life that will have a positive  impact on the universe. 

   Man can take an ordinary life and make it a Blessing to the world. It is a fact that “Life is not to get ahead of the next person, but to conquer oneself.”

   As long as we keep living, let us continue to learn how to live in a more positive and constructive way, thereby, becoming  Jewish  citizens of eternity. 

    

  

    

  

BE JOYFUL

 It was a distinct pleasure to hear my Rebbetzin Mimi, deliver a truly inspiring D’var Torah at a sisterhood luncheon in Boynton Beach.

Her main theme was a reflection on the uniqueness of the month of Adar, a month that emphasizes the concept of Simcha, as Chazal, states, משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה. In fact, our entire directive in life, and especially in our relationship with Hashem, can be summed up in one idea, עבדו את הי בשמחה.

She went on to discuss the impact that the Holiday of Purim, has on our agenda of life, and the affect that Mordechai and Esther played in the history of the Jewish people.

As Mimi, glowingly extolled the magnificent virtues of Mordechai, and especially Esther, as they worked harmoniously to bring salvation to the Jewish People. As she spoke I began to realize how important it was for Esther to have her story be included in the Tenach. Her main intent was a selfless one. Beyond the fact that Esther jeopardized her life to bring about the Yeshuah, she wanted her story to be recorded so that her message would reach far into the future. Her message was clear and instructive. When similar threatening situations arise and when Anti Semitism rears it’s ugly head, it is incumbent upon every Jew, to act on behalf of Jewry with whatever power they possess. No one has the right to be indifferent to the plight of our brethren when the need arises. This is the Message of Esther and her life. A life of dedication and Chesed. Her Heroism must be our Hallmark. 

Mimi emphasized that our lives are in our hands and what we do with it will determine our future. As Mordechai said to Esther “This is your hour. It was for this moment in history that you were created and you must seize the moment or the salvation will come from someone else.”

Mimi made an interesting analogy between a thermometer and a thermostat. A Thermometer measures the temperature and tells us what the climate is. Whereas, a thermostat regulates the temperature of the environment. We need to become thermostats of life, whereby we take control of our environment and our life’s situations.

As Jews we must realize that when G-D created the world, He used the word good, not perfect. He did so, purposely, to form a partnership with man to help bring about the תיקון העולם.

This lesson is brought home to all of us, by the lives of Mordechai and Esther, for they were the true partners of Hashem, and it was only through them, that the Yeshua took place.

Let us rejoice with Hashem and let us do so by involving ourselves in the enrichment of the world in which we live. 

Our world sorely needs our total involvement and complete commitment. We will then have a world of peace, of respect, of tolerance, of understanding, thereby becoming a true partner with Hashem. 

The question for every one is, are we the thermometers of life or are we the thermostats of life?

JUST REPORT FOR DUTY

  A wise, elderly, gentleman, seated next to a younger man, overheard the young man’s prayers, “ Please G-D,” he was saying, “let my boss give me that promotion, and get my wife to stop nagging me. Let me win the lottery.” He went on and on with many requests of G-D. The sage, listening to all this, turned to him in a soft tone and said, “Don’t give G-D instructions, just report for duty.”

Life, indeed, is reporting to duty. Our Judaic way of living is, even more, a life of devotion and commitment of Kedusha and of Performance.

This week’s Parsha, Mishpatim, begins with the letter “VAV” ואלה to emphasize that we are to connect this Sedrah with last week’s Parsha of Yisro, wherein the Ten Commandments are mentioned. This was done to connect that great spiritual experience at Sinai, with the Mitzvot , ofבין אדם לחברו, as suggested in this Sedrah of Mishpatim. The Torah did so to emphasize that life is not only one that lives on a high spiritual level represented by Mt. Sinai, but to teach us that as we move forward in our daily life and it’s mundane and prosaic way, we always need to be influenced and controlled by that great experience at Sinai. The”VAV” teaches us that there must be Discipline in our lives. By living such a meaningful and influential life, we keep Torah and Sinai in our existence.

This is the great wisdom of Yahadut. Judaism recognizes that these great pronouncements and these great visions, must not be allowed to remain on the mountain of inspiration, but they must be brought into the arena of our daily activities. 

Too often people have a tendency to separate their religious observance from their daily activities. This never was and must never be our Judaic way of life. For Jews there is a dynamic synthesis between Sinai and Mishpatim, between our relationship, בין אדם למקום ובין אדם לחברו.

The more scientific and technological savvy we become, the more character building religion is needed. Albert Einstein wrote, “Science at best can only teach us “ What Is.” We need religion to show us “What Should Be.” Science provides us with instruments. Only religion can give us goals toward which the instruments of science must be used”.

The more we study Torah the more we realize that true religion is determined by the life one lives, not just by the creed one professes. Religion is to be prose for everyday living, not just poetry for rare moments.

The Baal Shem Tov, was once walking with his disciples when they came to a pond. Across the body of water was stretched a rope on which a man was balancing himself as he crossed from one end of the pond to the other. The Baal Shem was entranced by the tight rope artist and lingered behind to watch the performance. Because his pupils did not think that their saintly teacher should waste time, they were surprised that he payed so much attention to such a frivolous feat. He explained that as he was watching that tightrope walker, it occurred to him, that he had to train his feet before he could perform such a difficult feat.

Oh, said the Baal Shem, if only people could learn to train their souls as well as that man had trained his feet, what a wonderful world this would be”.

Now more than ever we need to realize it is through the power of Torah and Yiddishkeit that the human soul can be shaped and fashioned. Judaism is not an escape from life, but life itself.

Remember Judaism is not something you have, but something that has you.