MAN IS NOT AN ISLAND UNTO HIMSELF

The Hebrew poet, Chaim Nachman Bialik,  when describing the Jewish Holidays said,  “If the Holidays seem empty to you it is because we are empty and if they are full of insights, it is because we come to them with open minds and open souls”. This idea can be applied to our textual study of the Torah, specifically, to a very interesting episode in the lives of Moshe and the Jewish People as described in this week’s Sedrah of Chukas.

 I am referring to the story, that we are all familiar with, when Moshe commits a grave sin. The Jewish people asked for water and Moshe was told:קח את המטה והקהל את העדה אתה ואהרן אחיך ודברתם אל הסלע לעיניהם ונתן מימיו והוצא להם מים מן הסלע

To take his rod and speak to the rock and water will gush forth. From the text we read that G-D told Moshe to speak to the rock rather than to hit the rock.  The act of hitting the rock by Moshe caused him to lose the opportunity to enter the Promised Land.  I am sure many would ask, “Was it such a dastardly act that warranted such a drastic punishment?”  There have been many reasons given by many distinguished Poskim. One reason was that Moshe did not sanctify the name of Hashem amongst the people  which would have been achieved by merely speaking to the rock which would have shown greater Kiddush Hashem than hitting the rock. 

Another reason we can understand by this act was that  Moshe expressed anger,  which was not the way a leader should act.

However, I am still searching for a more insightful answer.

Permit me to direct your attention to the words that Moshe uses in admonishing the people for their lack of faith in G-D

Moshe says “Shimu na hamorim”, “Listen, you rebellious people.” The word Hamorim, is a very harsh expression, “Why are you such ingrates that you dare to speak this way after all that Hashem did for you.   Where is your faith and reverence for G-D?”

Though the People needed to be admonished for their action, we need to look at the verse more carefully which will clarify  why Moshe was punished.

 The torah states,”שמעו נא המורים המן הסלע הזה נוציא לכם מים"

“Listen now, Oh Rebels, shall “WE” bring forth water for you from this rock?” I put emphasis on the word “WE”, which implies, that Moshe and Aaron by themselves had the power to produce water from the rock. Moshe should have said “Shall HASHEM bring forth water from this rock?”  I, strongly, feel that this is the reason why Hashem said to Moshe and Aaron “You have not sanctified my Name to the Jewish People”.

The Lesson is quite simple. We may all succeed in all our endeavors in life, but at all time we must never  lose sight of the role that G-D plays in our successes. We need,  at all times, to use  all our G-D  given  capabilities and qualities to achieve our goals and then turn our heads to Shamayim and say Thank you Hashem for being there  for me and encouraging me on the דרך האמת    for which I am most grateful and appreciative.

This idea can indeed be extended to our Parents, to our Grandparents and to all who have paved our road to success. “ Man is not an island unto himself, he is part of a greater nuclear family.”

Hakara Hatov can go a long way in making our lives more meaningful and successful.

DREAM ON

 

This past week I had a true nachas experience of attending the graduations of three of my grandchildren from elementary school. During the exercises I heard insightful messages from a number of graduates. The main theme that was repeated was ‘Dream of a Glorious Future’. They expressed their appreciation to their respective families and teachers encouraging them to pursue their dreams to make them a reality.

            As I listened I was reminded of an idea I once suggested about ‘Dreams.’  When life gets hectic, it can be hard to remember what our dreams are. We need to take a little time each day visualizing our dreams.  Not only will they start to feel possible, they will become possible. To achieve this motivational directive we must act with truth and sincerity.

 

            This idea was poignantly suggested in our Parsha this week when Moshe was faced with the controversy with Korach, a man who may have dreamed of being a leader and went about fulfilling his dreams in an insincere and dissenting fashion.

             As we read in Pirkey Avos

 כל מחלוקת שהיא לשם שמים סופה להתקים ושאינה לשם שמים אין סופה להתקים ,איזו היא מחלוקת שהיא לשם שמים זו מחלוקת הלל ושמי,ושאינה לשם שמים זו מחלוקת קרח וכל עדתו

 

    The flaw in Korach’s personality was not that he differed with Moshe, but that he was not motivated by sincerity and honest dissent. He utilized unworthy and unscrupulous methods. In a word ‘He spread lies and falsehoods to achieve his goals in life.’

            Judaism does not shy away from controversy and differing opinions as long as they are לשם שמים ,for the betterment of Yiddishkeit.  However, if they are merely used as a means to destroy our Judaic way of life then they must be obliterated for the sake of our survival as an Am Kadosh.

            Our Gemara records, many times, the Machlokes between Hillel and Shamai, Interestingly, they always did so with mutual respect and were always open to the other’s opinion and never were they stubborn and resolute in their opinions. They were not relentless and incorruptible in their ways.

            As long as our controversies and opinions are L’shem Shamayim and we do so with the idea that we are motivated towards the goal of Sofo L’Hitkayem, to assure the future of Am Yisrael, then and only then is differences of opinion acceptable. This was not true for Korach. His goal was self aggrandizement and the defeat of Moshe and for such a demoralizing attitude defeat is the only answer.

            I recall the legend of the wise man who watched the building of the Temple at work. He approached one of the masons and asked “What are you doing?” To which the mason replied, “Foolish man, can’t you see I am cutting stone”.

            The wise man approached a second worker and asked the same question, to which the reply was, “I am working for 10 shekels a day to feed my family”.

The wise man then asked a third worker “What are you doing?”

His reply was “What am I doing? Why, I am helping to build the Temple of G-D”.

This is our lesson of the day. Korach was destroying the Judaic way of life while Moshe was building for the future, and it was for this reason his dreams were fulfilled.

“Happiness is the state of consciousness, which proceeds from the achievement of our values”

Let us dream of a better tomorrow and let us do so with respect and menshlechkeit .Then and only then will we see the Jewish People in all their glory.

                It is at this time we pray for the safe return of the three young boys, who were abducted, to their families and K’lal Yisrael; Eyal Yifrach and Gilad Shaar and Naftali Frenkel.ושבו בנים לגבולם.

IDENTIFY YOURSELVES

    Carl Rogers, one of the most influential modern day thinkers, developed a theory referred to as “Client Centered”. His theory enunciated the self concept, which reflected upon how a person perceives himself and how he perceives the world around him. If a person perceives himself in a positive way, then he will be motivated to live life in a positive and constructive way. However, if he has a distorted self image then he may begin to withdraw into his own cocoon and be very negative in the way he sees himself and the world around him. Our goal in life is to have a good self image that will motivate us to achieve our goals in life with great dedication and productive results.

    In our Parsha this week, Shlach, we are told of that infamous story of the Meraglim, the 12 spies that were sent by Moshe to spy out the land of Canaan before they were to proceed to the Promised Land. I am sure we all are familiar with the fact that 10 of the 12 spies came back with a somewhat dismal report, ‘  ושם ראינו את הנפילים בני ענק מן הנפלים ונהי בעינינו כחגבים וכן היינו בעיניהם

 ‘And there we saw in the Nephillim the sons of Anok and we were in our own sight as Grasshoppers and so we were in their sight’

    As we hear their report, we immediately react to these great leaders who, not only, saw themselves as Grasshoppers, but they also reflected on the fact that the Nephillim also saw them as Grasshoppers.

   What a distorted self image.  It is bad enough to be seen by others as Grasshoppers, insignificant, but to see themselves in the same derogatory way is truly a denial of one’s self which ultimately can lead to  self destruction.  This indeed, in my opinion, was the true sin of the Meraglim.

   This attitude must not prevail in our lives and in the lives of our children. We must rid ourselves of our own self negativity and replace our perception of ourselves with a positive self image leading to a positive self esteem. As human beings, and more so, as Jews, we must see the great potential that Hashem has blessed us with to go forth in life to achieve our true self actualization. We must never belittle ourselves and see ourselves as Chagavim, but, rather, to walk with pride and confidence projecting a good self image that will bring about greater respect and admiration from others.

 This idea must also be the attitude for our State of Israel.  Artzeinu Hakidosha must never see itself as Chagavim, insignificant and second class citizens to other world powers, but rather to walk with pride and confidence.  With this pride and confidence we will not let the world trample upon our glorious land as they did only a short time ago.

 Life is magnificent and we can truly be productive in so many ways as long as we have a good “Self Image” as a Jew and as a person created in the Image of G-D.

OUR BELOVED RUTH

    As we approach the Yom Tov of Shavuot, my mind seems to turn to the true heroine of this Holiday, Ruth. She indeed represents all that is beautiful in Judaism and, more so, she epitomizes true dedication to a Torah oriented way of life. Not only did Ruth join the congregation of Hashem, but for her commitment to Yiddishkeit she merited to become the ancestor of the Moshiach. A tremendous  Z'chut for a Jewish Woman.

    This achievement indicates that her conversion was not simply an exterior type of conversion, but rather a true metamorphosis at the core of her being.

    Ruth is cataloging her transformation when she declares to her mother-in-law Naomi " כי אל אשר תלכי אלך עמך עמי אלוקיך אלוקי" "Your G-d is my G-d.  Wherever you go, I shall go.  And your people are my people."  It is a change of belief, a change in nationality, a change in lifestyle, and a definite change in theology. Ruth does not run away from accepting a new way of life, but rather she runs after her new identity with great enjoyment and awareness.

   More so, Ruth becomes the epitome of loving kindness. Her ancestors were so cruel that they would not give the Israelites travelling through the dessert a piece of bread or a drink of water and here was Ruth acting in total opposition by assuming responsibility for her mother-in-law and for all her needs by  working in the fields in a truly humble fashion.

    Ruth and Shavuot speak of change. The story tells us we can overcome any obstacles that stand in our way and it is  relating to us that individuals can transcend their environment and engender change.

   This is my lesson for this Shavuot, and may we be Zocheh to meet the progenitor of Ruth, our Beloved Moshiach in the very near future.

NESIYAT KAPAYIM

            This is the season for Graduations.  With pride we attend the ceremonies and listen to many commencement speeches.  As one sits and listens, as I did this past week, I wondered to myself, “Do these speeches have an impact on our graduates and how does it affect their attitude for their future?” 

            I was asked to speak at a commencement exercise a number of years ago. I hoped that what I expressed left an impression on the graduates and those who were in attendance.  It was the week we read the Parsha of Nasso.  I  reflected on one of the most inspirational Brachot in our Torah, the Nesiyat  Kapayim , the Priestly Benediction.

      The Halachah stipulates that when the Kohanim bestow these Brachot upon the congregation, there are specific rules they need to follow. I wanted to convey to the graduates how these rules, set forth in our Torah, are life worthy for all to follow as they continue to achieve their goals in life;

    1.   The Brachot must be recited in Lashon Hakodesh, in Hebrew.

    2.   They are to be recited with Nesiyat Kapayim , with Uplifted Hands.

    3.   They are to be recited B’shem Hamiforash, using the Ineffable Name, the Holy   

           Name of Hashem

    4.   They are to be recited Standing.

    5.   They are to be recited Panim El Panim, Facing the Congregation.

 

            To truly be a be a Beis Kibul, a Receptacle, to receive these beautiful Blessings,

not only must the Kohanim fulfill these requirements , each one of us must, equally, live by these requirements .

Reflecting on Birkat Kohanim I wanted the graduates and their guests, to understand the deeper meaning of the Brachot and how they must be recited. They are life long messages to everyone.

We need to realize the importance of the Lashon Hakodesh, the Hebrew language, for Hashem  used it Himself when he transmitted the Torah to us. Hebrew unites Klall Yisrael.   We become Ish Echad B’leiv Echad.

            I conveyed to those assembled that we need to Stand firm with dedication to everything that Yiddishkeit asks of us.  More so we need to Stand with pride as a Jew in face of our worldly friends and antagonists.

            We must be with Uplifting Hands, Nesiyat Kapayim to help our fellow Jews wherever they may be and to show them that no Jew Stands alone.  When help is needed we Stretch forth our hands in fellowship to them. Hands, Kapayim  represent action, not passivity, always reaching out to others.

            All the while we will act in the name of Hashem , B’shem Hamiforash and our voice will echo the Praises and our deep appreciation for the beneficence that Hashem constantly bestows upon us.

            Finally, I told the graduates “I want you to learn to face your responsibilities squarely and to come Face to Face, Panim El Panim  with the issues that will confront you in the future.”

            I continued to share that, “Our Kohanim are our examples of how we are to live as a Goy Kadosh and a Mamleches Kohanim to bring our Yeshuah closer. You, our graduates are our future and with this lesson in mind you will be a glory to Am Yisroel, especially as we prepare for the glorious Yom Tov of Shavuot the Holiday of Divine Revelation.”

MY INNER BEING SPEAKS

    These past few weeks have been ones of turmoil and anguish for our family. This unfortunate and unexpected experience has encouraged me, on a personal, level to think and ask “What is life?”

          I know well that our Torah states U’Vacharta Bachayim, choose life. As I have said many times, if you live life according to our Torah than life will have substance and meaning. However, there are times, in our true meaning of life, man is enveloped in much anguish and feelings of depression and despondency and begins his search for some feelings of solace and comfort.

          Again, I assure myself and all who read this blog, that when you live according to Torah ideals and beliefs that life has meaning and that we can achieve  a modicum of joy and happiness. This I do not deny. But we need inner strength to assuage the anguish, pain and illness that life brings.

          It is at this point in our game of life that I say “Stay in the game”. Play to the best of our abilities and continue to reach down in our inner selves for our personal Tafgid that Hashem has set forth for us and continue to be strong in our Belief that we will be able to see, in some way or other, the light at the end of the tunnel. We need to accept life as it is and to use all our energies to achieve the optimum of life’s expectations.

          I am reminded of the great educator John Dewey who was asked  on his 90th birthday, “What is the good of all your thinking, where does it get you?”

Mr. Dewey replied, “The good is that you climb mountains.”

To which the reporter asked, “What is the good of doing that?”

Dewey replied, “To see other mountains”, and then placed his hands on the reporters shoulders and said “When you are no longer interested in climbing mountains  to see other mountains to climb, then life is over.”

           Life, in a simplistic fashion, is the act of climbing all kinds of mountains. We climb the mountains of life and very often they are treacherous ones, involving much positive energy that permits us to see that this rough terrain of mountains can be climbed even though our energy is beginning to wane. There is this inner spiritual G-dliness implanted in all of us that produces an indomitable strength that rings in our despondent hearts and minds that says to us “Gather your inner strength and bring hope and faith into your life and persevere and continue to climb those mountains of life and as you do, so may you gain the momentum to reach the summit to see the glorious sun light of life’s sustaining forces”.

          To take our minds off the difficulties that we may encounter, let us try to take on more acts of kindness, of goodness, of charity, of philanthropy and friendliness to others, and then we will have a clearer perspective of what life is all about. Understandably, our pain may still continue to linger, but doing good for others will bring us a greater sense of comfort.

          As we prepare for the Yom Tov of Shavout - The Holiday of Revelation, I echo the words of our Torah in describing Moshe's action at this most auspicious hour, ומשה עלה אל אלוקים. Moshe climbed the mountain to meet with G-d to receive a great moral code. 

            In a like manner we must continue to climb the Mountain of Hope and Faith 

reaching upwards to be in the presence of Hashem bringing Peace and Tranqulity to K'lal Yisrael.

 

לחיים

During this Sephira period I am inclined to think of life's value and how we appreciate our priorities in life. As I count Sephira on a daily basis I realize more and more that the directive וספרתם לכם "Count the days for yourself", suggests that we not worry so much about where we are going or what our final goal may be, but rather to count each day, and to make each day count. In doing so, our days will be תמימות, will be whole and complete.

    Life is to use each  blessed moment to the best of our ability and to infuse each day in a way that has meaning and makes a difference in our world.

If we do so, then eventually we will find ourselves standing at Mount Sinai, and will feel that we are standing in the presence  of G-D.

    This Shabbat we will conclude Sefer Vayikrah and read Parshat  בחוקותי, which begins with , אם בחוקותי תלכו  "IF you will walk in my Statutes".The word אם, the word "IF"always fascinates me , because IF is a little hinge on which the door of destiny swings. The very word LIFE , has a big "IF" in the middle, suggesting that within life we always have the idea "IF".

    What iF I had chosen a different profession, what IF I had married a different person. IF always seems to crop up in all aspects of our life.

     I recall the poem by Robert  Frost ״The Road Not Taken", wherein he describes walking through the forest and he comes upon a fork with two paths branched out. The poem describes how he chose one path  and always wondered what would have been if he had chosen the other path. Frost concludes , that the path he chose was the correct one and it made all the difference in his life.

     I sense, that despite all the uncertainties in life, we have to accept life as it is and live the best way we know and not go through life with the "IF" on our minds , always second guessing , "What if ...."

     That is what our Torah is teaching us, אם בחוקותי - we can turn our IFs into a positive note, by walking and fulfilling the Mitzvot of our Torah.

    A scholar once said "Judaism is not Optimistic , nor Pessimistic", but is 

"IFistic". It tells us we can make our lives more meaningful and more rewarding 

"IF" we will fulfill all the conditions that are recorded in our Torah and live by the word of G-D.

    It is worth noting that the Hebrew word for life is, also, a four letter word.  It is חיים. But unlike its English counterpart, which has IF in the middle of it, the Hebrew word for life has Two Yuds in the middle.  And "Two Yuds" as we know, spell the name of Hashem.

    IF we put Hashem in the vital center of our lives, we can meet any contingency without being defeated or overwhelmed. We can then live with the certainty that LIFE  has meaning, purpose and unlimited possibilities for fulfillment.

   With this in mind, I salute Yeshiva University's Tennis Team who won the Skyline Conference Division Title.  The first time that the University has qualified for an NCAA Tournament and they do not even have a tennis court of their own.  But with the Maccabees victory came a dilemma.  Thank G-d all Yeshiva players are all Orthodox Jews who observe the Shabbat which means they cannot compete in the Saturday matches.  Yeshiva notified the NCAA and to it's credit the league came up with a schedule that will not require the Yeshiva Team to violate the Shabbat.  I salute Yeshiva for their decision which did not involve any IFs or BUTs but rather they stood on our religious principals and  in doing so our Torah way of life won out and a great Kiddush Hashem was achieved.

    Indeed, if we live by our principals, our lives will be חיים for ourselves and for K'lal Yisroel and we will march together to Mt. Sinai, כאיש אחד בלב אחד.