Connectedness

“Be Kind, For Everyone You Meet is Fighting a Hard Battle”

These words written by Plato, are so meaningful for all of us at this time in our lives.

The more secluded we are, the greater is the realization how sorely we miss the interaction between our friends and relatives.

 

In fact, throughout history, when the unity of the Jewish People was fractured, the results were catastrophic. For when there is no appreciation of Kedushat Ha’adam,then Kedushat Hamakom is lost. 

 

This safe distancing makes us realize, more, the intrinsic holiness of man, which should be predicated in our respect for each other.  מגן אברהם in או״ח, reflects

קודם תפילת שחרית יקבל עליו מצות עשה של ואהבת לרעך כמוך, We are to preface our morning prayers with a statement of our willingness to accept upon ourselves the commandment to love our fellowman.

 

Our absence from each other strikes a very definitive cord in how much we miss this daily and hourly human intercourse that, too often, we take for granted. 

 

That which we don’t have is missed more than the appreciation for that which we do have.

 

It is interesting that the Hebrew word for love, אהבה, has the same numerical value for the word אחד, both adding up to the number 13 - suggesting that if we want to achieve our oneness as a nation, then we need to express our love for one another, especially in these trying times, with a greater sense of Chesed and concern. I realize that with so many fatalities and sickness, in our respective communities,   our outlook to life is very myopic and I can readily understand our reasoning but, as loving people, we must begin to think more away from ourimmediate domicile and more to our outside world, especially to our glorious מדינת ישראל.  As we commemorate two very important days in the Jewish Calendar, Yom Hazikoron and Yom HaAzmaut  we understand, more, what it means to be  Jewish, bestowing upon us a pride that gives credence to our existence and to our identity.

 

We must never forget how it was for Jewsbefore we were Blessed with a Jewish State, and always remember the Pasuk הן עם לבדד ישכן ובגוים לא יתחשב “

“A people that dwells apart and will not receive consideration among the nations.”  That was real isolation and quarantine by the world expressing great animosity and hatred, totally restricting the Jew from all mankind. However, with this restricted living, the glory and the greatness of the Jewish People came through. These were years of incubation, bringing about tremendous growth in all facets of statehood, and especially strengthening our moral and intellectual capacity. 

 

Beyond our military strength and courage, our Jewish brethren refined their relationship with G-D.

 

After two thousand years we, once again, became courageous heroes, hearing the words of Moshe, התיצבו וראו את ישועת הי 

“Do not fear, stand fast and you will experience the salvation of G-D.”

That was the rallying call for the Jewish People in 1948, and it still is our call of assurance in our day and age, as well.

 

It was in the courage of solitude past that our Prophets heard their call, and it is in this worrisome time that the call comes to all as it did in the past illuminating  our lives today.

 

I am reminded of the words of Churchillwhen he faced, with courage, a great storm of possible devastation; 

“When I look back on the perils that have been overcome, upon the great mountain waves in which the gallant ship has driven, when I remember all that has gone wrong and remember also, all that has gone right, I feel sure we have no need to fear the tempest. Let it roar and let it rage. We shall come through.”

 

The Parsha this week is Kedoshim, Holy as Rashi comments, פרושים, Separate.  For, in this process we will achieve a greater sense of Holiness, binding us in greater proximity to Hashem and to all mankind. 

 

Permit to share the following story that exudes feelings of optimism in these trying times;

 

There was once a king who owned an enormous and very beautiful diamond. Every day, the king took the diamond from its jewel-encrusted box and looked with awe as the gem transformed sunlight into magnificent, shimmering kaleidoscopes of color. It made him very happy.

One day, the king accidentally dropped the diamond. It grazed the side of its box, and then fell heavily to the floor of the throne room. Picking it up, the king found a long, jagged scratch down one side of the stone. Horrified, he immediately called upon his royal jewelers to repair the gem, but they were unable to do so. The king then called upon other jewelers from other lands near and far, but none were able repair the diamond as the king wanted.

Finally, a pauper appeared at the palace and said that he could repair the king’s jewel. The king and his advisers were wary at first, but then, realizing they had nothing to lose; they invited the pauper to proceed. 

The pauper retreated into a cell, and after working for an entire week, he emerged and handed the king his diamond box. Sitting upon, his throne, the king opened the box, smiled with delight and held up the jewel for all to see.

The pauper had not removed the jagged line at all. Instead, he had etched an image of a rose onto one end of it, leaving the scratch as the stem of the beautiful flower. 

Some wounds won’t go away, but if we handle them correctly, we can make the wound even more beautiful than before.

Let us live with optimism to see the end of this dark tunnel, and hope that we will see our rose of life once again rather than its thorns.

  Let us continue to pray for our Yeshuah and for a Refuah for everyone. 

 

 שבת שלום ומבורך

 

                                                                                                       יום העצמאות שמח        ולתפארת מדינת ישראל                            

        

                                                                                                                                                                                            Please share your thoughts with me                     

What are we doing

These past few weeks have radically changed my entire outlook to the meaning of life and I am sure many of you look at life differently ‘today’ than ‘yesterday.’

There is no doubt that health is our first priority and much too often we take it for granted and only when we are faced with health challenges that we begin to contemplate what is at stake concerning our future. 

 

More so, the world is starting to seriously realize that our actions affect others. There is a story about a person sitting on the deck of a boat. He reaches into a toolbox, pulls out a drill and proceeds to bore a hole in the hull. Suddenly, the people sitting around him begin to shout, “Stop! What are you doing?” “I’m drilling a hole under my seat. I can do what I want. Why is it any of your business?” he answers.  “Are you kidding? We are all together on this boat! You may be making a hole under your own seat, but we are all going to sink.” 

 

With this pandemic, we are starting to realize that our personal choices have ripple effects, with consequences, not only for ourselves and for those closest to us, but also for future generations. 

 

As I write these notes searching for a greater understanding, I am reminded of a story, which brings more clarity to so many of my contemplations of this modern day crisis. 

 

Rabbi Yisrael Lau, former chief Rabbi of Israel, relates the following; He came to visit the Lubavicher Rebbe. In the middle of their conversation, the Rebbe asked Rabbi Lau, "What are Jews saying these days in Israel." He was concerned because it was right after the 1973 Yom Kippur war. Rabbi Lau replied that Jews are asking each other, 

"Vos vet zein?” "What will be?”  

The Rebbe grasped Rabbi Lau׳s arm and vehemently said:"Yidden fregen nit vos vet zein; zen fregen, vos geit men ton?" “Jews do not ask what will be, they ask, what are we going to do?” 

   "What will be? Is the question of a victim. What we are going to do? Is a proactive question."

 

 “What will be seems to suggest that there is nothing we can do to change the situation. In truth there is always something very powerful that we can do and towards this positive attitude we proceed to act and find out What are we going to do?”  

 

 

 

Our decision to be involved and to try to find solutions to the many problems we all face is to realign our lives with greater spirituality and more introspection into our value system. 

 

Then, with a bolt of Spiritual Lightning it occurred to me that this week we will celebrate the Semi Holiday of Pesach Shenei, as recorded in Parshat Behalotecha.  The Torah relates of the extraordinary petition of a group of Jewstraveling through the desert, who were excluded from the Mitzvah of Korban Pesach due to their ritual impurity, which they received while doing an act of Chesed. They asked Moshe to affordthem the opportunity to participate in this Mitzvah of Korban Pesach, to make up for missing it the first time. In fact, as you listen to their voices as they complained, you will realize their sincerity, 

למה נגרע לבלתי הקריב את קרבן הי במועדו בתוך בני ישראל

“We are Tameh, why should we be diminished by not offering Hashem’s offering in its appointed time among the children of Israel?”The words that stand out are  למה נגרעWhy should we be penalized and not be permitted to bring a Korban Pesach?” Actually begging Moshe, “Please give us another opportunity to do this great Mitzvah.” 

 

It is important to realize that this Mitzvah of Korban Pesach is special for one of its requirements is that it should be brought within a Chaburah, to be shared with a group,emphasizing the importance of the K’lal,showing compelling indications that Pesachreflects the communal covenant between Hashem and K’lal Yisrael. For this reason we can understand the urgency for the request of a second chance at bringing this Korban. For No Jew and for that matter, no person wants to ever be excluded from others. 

 

Here we see a most fascinating idea that is an integral part of our Judaic way of life, a life that is always extending to us a second chance in every facet of  Judaism, affording everyone a second opportunity to make things right and to find our way back to, once again, be, עומד לפני הי, of standing before G-D.

 

We are, always, to be thankful for our second opportunities in life, to always live lives that are inclusive, to have the ability to express our strong identification as members of בני ישראל, and to  join in with the Tzibur, with the entire congregation of Yisrael, even when it seems that circumstances prevent us from our intimate spiritual relationships.

 

According to the Sifrei, the instituting of Pesach Shenei, was intended to enable an additional opportunity to participate, effectively, and to convey the most meaningful message for all generations, “There exists an unbreakable bond of a dynamic Brit between Hashem and K’lal Yisrael.”

 

In fact, the Belzer Rebbe, speaks about Hillel’ssource for eating the Korban Pesach in a sandwich at the Seder. It is not from the Parsha of Korban Pesach, but rather from the Parsha of Pesach Shenei and he expounds, that the reason that it is taken from this Parsha, is really aPrayer, a powerful T’filah that the Moshiachshould soon come by this Pesach Shenei. 

 

This message rings out to us today more than ever. With all our T’zarot, we invoke Hashem to give us a second chance to make things better and this pandemic should come to a close, with invoking the words of the Rebbe, that this Pesach Shenei, will herald the coming of the Moshiach, and that our individual lives and the world at large will return, once again, to a life of normalcy. 

 

It is interesting to note, that when the Holidaysare mentioned an important Mitzvah is enunciated, ושמחת בחגיך , “You shall rejoice in your festivals.” A wonderful directive: Be Happy, Rejoice. However, the question that we often pose is, “What does rejoicing and being happy really mean?” We realize that this quest is more problematic in these difficult times. 

 

Real Simcha, Happiness, is not achieved by escaping from our society and our responsibilities, but rather it is an act that elevates our souls realizing that we are standing  before G-D, as our Parsha states  ושמחתם לפני ה .

Even when trouble abounds us, we feel more confident that we will overcome these difficulties as long as we feel we have the companionship of Hashem, giving us the support that we sorely need. 

 

 

Even though we may not need to eat Matzoh and Marror, at this Pesach Shenei Seder, let us recite in unison this T’fillah,  

לפיכך אנחנו חיבים להודות להלל לשבח לפאר.

 

For these are times to express our great confidence in our אבינו מלכנו  and pray that we  shall succeed in weathering the frightening storm that engulfs our world  and with our expression of optimism we will stand before Hashem our Healer, with great Simcha.

שבת שלום ורפואה קרובה לבא