BLESSINGS

   I dislike making quick assessments of situations before I know all the facts. Too often when we do react quickly, we eventually find out that we were wrong and as a result it is difficult to make amends for our poor  judgement.

   I am reminded of the story told about Chaim Weitzmann, the first president of the State of Israel. Once at a party President Weitzmann was conversing with the wife of a diplomat when the woman suddenly said "Dr. Weitzmann, I must apologize to you." "Apologize for what?" Weitzmann asked in surprise."Why, we just met!" "That's just the point", she answered. "I want to apologize for what I thought of you before I met you."

    It's truly amazing how so many of us are quick to judge others before we know the person or know all the facts of a situation.

    Without being accused of being paranoid, I sense this is always true when it comes to the Jewish People and especially to our Jewish State. There are those who are quick to criticize and find fault, just because we are Jewish.

    It is with that thought in mind that we begin to understand and appreciate the Birchas Cohanim, the Priestly Blessings which Hashem  entrusted to Aaron and his sons to bestow upon the Jewish People, as recorded in this Shabbat's Torah Reading, Naso.  These are Blessings that will give us the Chizuk to ward off any of the feelings that we may have regarding the prejudices that are directed against us.

   The Birchas Cohanim originated on a grand and historic day in the life of the Jewish Nation, as Moshe inaugurated the Mishkan Service.  It was a day when the Divine Majesty appeared over the Sanctuary.

    The Birchas Cohanim, had a very special meaning to Israel as a nation.  It was the Blessings of Hashem for the Jewish People.  Blessings which were to be absolute and unconditional. How interesting is it that the Blessings are given to the Jewish Nation  as a whole, yet the words of the blessings are in the singular form. This is expressing a great idea in Yahadus. Though we are a nation of many, we must see ourselves as one intergrated whole, as one "persona". 

    If we live our lives with this idea in mind then we will begin to realize and feel the Blessings that Hashem bestows upon us through the chanting of the Cohanim that conclude

 וישם לך שלום, "He will bless our Nation with the ultimate Peace that we so richly desire."

     It is only with the Achdut of Am Yisroel that we can weather the storms of prejudice and bigotry and forge ahead together into a brighter future that will reap the harvest of peace and tranquility.

    These are times that necessitate the reiteration of the closing words to the opening Bracha recited by the Kohanim, לברך את עמו ישראל באהבה. 

   With love in our hearts, the glorious future is ours to behold.

   May the Blessings of Hashem always be upon us. 

 

SINAI REVISITED

   As we are about to celebrate the Yom Tov of Shavout, the time of the giving of our Torah on Mt. Sinai, it is well to realize, that even greater then receiving the Torah we, the Jewish People, were privileged to experience the Revelation of G-D. What an awesome experience in Jewish History, emblazoned in our hearts and minds for everlasting time. 

   A story so apropos to this ideal comes to mind.  It is about a child who prayed at bedtime,"G-D bless Daddy and Mommy and my friends," and then he paused. After a moment of quiet he added,  "And please, G-D, take care of yourself, for if something happens to you then we are all sunk!"

    This child, in his naive but cogent fashion, clearly expressed our universal reliance upon Hashem as the mainspring of life.

     Shavout reminds us of the creative way that Hashem continues to navigate our world and imbues in every one of us His spirit to help make our universe a better one in which to live.

    Too often we are so busy in all our undertakings and in our egocentric feelings, we need to refocus ourselves in Hashem's direction and realize that we are truly created in the image of G-D and to project that image in the way we live. 

   How meaningful is it that we read on Shavout that magnificent and beautiful poem, entitled Akdamot, written in the eleventh century by Meir Ben Issac Nehorsai:  

   "Could we with ink the ocean fill,

    Were every blade of grass a quill, 

    We're the world of parchment made,

    And every man a scribe by trade,

    To write the love of G-d above, 

    Would drain the ocean dry;

    Nor would the scroll contain the whole

    Though stretched from sky to sky."

   Our message of Shavout is that the center and soul of all religion is the belief in a personal G-D which is the pillar of our Jewish religion. 

  This leads us to an everlasting lesson; the authentic  progress of man does not consist of only moving forward, but equally consist of moving inward. The crucial message that accompanies the Revelation at Sinai was that the goal of man is self transcendence rather than transcending to the mountain peak. Progress is determined by what  occurs to our personal selves.

   Sinai placed man as one who was created in the image of G-D with a capacity of self authentication and self realization. Hashem asks man to engender a transcendental occurrence to his personality, to the "I" of man rather than a mere physical progress. 

    As we celebrate this awesome Yom Tov, let us ponder the thought that Judaism, with the Torah, and only with our Torah, places us on a higher level; on a plateau which we can ascend by lifting our personality and our world to a higher spiritual plateau, bringing about our true Geulah and the redemption of mankind.

     שבת שלום וחג שמח

   

   

IF אם בחוקותי תלכו

   The most crucial word in our lexicon is the word "IF". It is said that the word  "IF" is a little hinge on which the door of destiny swings.

 The very word L"IF"e, contains the word "IF"in the middle. This suggests that life itself has many "IF"s, which we live by and often contend with. There are many times in life that we say, 'IF'; 'IF' I would of have done this and that, how our lives would have been different; 'IF' I  would have married that person; 'IF' I would have chosen that profession, and thinking all along 'IF', 'IF', and then thinking how different life would have been. Truth be told , the life we chose is the life that is ours to cherish and to enjoy and to live with. The 'IF's of life can only cause a psychological upheaval in our existence and it does not serve us any benefit whatsoever.

   Our second Torah reading this Shabbat begins:

       אם בחוקותי תלכו ואת מצוותי תשמרו ועשיתם אותם

"'IF' you will follow My decrees and observe My commandments and perform them", and the פסוק goes on to tell us that the result will be 'a life of serenity and fulfillment'. 

     Here we are introduced to the word "IF" in the context of obeying G-D's commandments. However, here the word 'IF' is not an afterthought, but rather a direct result of an initial action, causing a specific result to occur. For example, "'IF' you service your car properly than you will drive in a much safer fashion, and thereby avoid any unforeseen breakdowns."

   Life has its inevitable results, but the Torah is giving us a blueprint for a life of peace and tranquility and it requires a certain religious and ethical program to achieve the ultimate positive results.

   Robert Frost in the poem "The Road Not Taken", makes this point when he describes walking through the forest and coming upon a fork in the road where two paths branched out. He stood gazing at these two paths and knows he can only take one of them. He wonders all the time what would have been 'IF' he took the other one. He concludes that the path he had taken made all the difference.

  As one scholar said, "Judaism is neither pessimistic or optimistic, it is 'IF'istic, and  we can make a better life for ourselves 'IF' we fulfill the dictates of our Torah."

   It may be true that in certain aspects of life we may not be in control, however, there are many crucial areas  of life where we and we alone must take control to avoid some  of the "IF"s afterthoughts.

   This week we will be celebrating the glorious and magnificent holiday of  יום ירושלים, the reunification of our Holy City in Yerushalayim, with our brothers and sisters in Israel and with Jews from all over the world. 

    Can we even imagine 'IF' we would have been defeated by our enemy at that time?  Can we imagine 'IF' we did not have Hashem as our partner?

     It is worth noting that the Hebrew word for L'if'e is also a four letter word.  It is 'חיים'. But unlike its English counterpart, which has 'IF' as the middle letters, the Hebrew word for L'if'e, חיים׳' has 'Two Yuds' as the middle letters. The '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 that life brings us. 

     Thank G-D we did not have to worry about 'IF's.

Our faith in הקדוש ברוך הוא and our בטחון in Hashem and especially our faith and trust in our IDF's bravery, brought us through to victory - no 'IF's involved when it comes to our Holy City. 

     Who can never forget the  jubilation  that took place when we heard the cry 

     ירושלים בידינו  

    and today we can add לעולם ועד.

     The future of Judaism is in our hands and we must not live a life of 'IF'isms, of waisting our time and energies and wondering what 'IF'? Now is the time in our personal as well as in our nationalistic affairs, to grab on to all the possibilities in life and to see them through to fruition. 

     Life has meaning, purpose, and unlimited possibilities for fulfillment 'IF' we put Hashem in the middle of our lives, לחיים .

SFIRAT HA'OMER

    As we observe the world around us and wonder, "Why is our world in such a turmoil? So many are acting out their hatred for others with murder and disregard for human life. Have we lost our way to a better and more humane world? Will we find our way back to civility and humanity and achieve what Hashem tells us is our goal in life, קדושים תהיו כי קדוש אני?"

   During this Sefira period, though it is a time to count, it is even more important to use this time as a period for Cheshban Hanefesh.

        Rabbi Joseph  Soloveitchik זצ׳ל  perceives an important lesson embedded in the act of Sfirat Ha’omer. The Rav suggests that in a Jewish experience, an individual can perform the act of counting within two realms: the realm of Sfira and the realm of minyan.  The root of each of these terms means “to count”.

       When you count in the realm of Minyan, the Rav explains, all that matters is the attainment of the ultimate goal, the end point  of your counting. Nine upstanding, righteous men can assemble for a prayer service but, without a tenth, there is no minyan.

      When you count in the realm of Sfira, however, things are different. Although you still count towards a goal, each individual unit in the calculation becomes a goal, as well. While someone counting precious diamonds, for example, is certainly interested in the total number of diamonds he has, he also pauses and holds each gem up to the rays of the sun, admiring its unique facets, color and shape.

     The act of Sfirat Ha’omer teaches us to “count our days in the realm of Sfira” – to see each day as a goal unto itself.

     Too often, we live exclusively goal-oriented lives; moving from accomplishment to accomplishment, from milestone to milestone, rarely stopping to appreciate the significance of each passing day. And yet, when all is said and done, the quality of the journey, in large measure, defines our lives – and the ordinary moments spent with family and friends are as significant, if not more significant, than the milestones themselves.

     The Rav’s observation may also be mirrored in two versions of the verbal formula for Sfirat Ha’omer which have developed over the years. Some communities recite, “Today is the —-day la’Omer ,literally “to the Omer” ,while others count “ba’Omer ,literally “in the midst of the Omer”. Taken together, these two versions form the balance that should mark our approach to life. 

     On the one hand, without goals our lives are aimless. We therefore count la’Omer, towards the end point of the Omer count. On the other hand, never losing sight of the journey’s value, we also count Ba'omer, in the midst of the Omer.

      May we remember the reason that Rav Akivahs  students died and for whom  we mourn and to set our goals to achieve a greater sense of Ahavas Chinam to one an other and in doing so we will be able to approach the Yom Tov of Shevous, כאיש אחד בלב אחד.

     We, who live in far more sophisticated times might find it instructive to pause to take inventory among our priorities and values.

With an attitude of  Achdut we  will encourage the   ביאת גואל צדק במהרה בימנו.

KEDOSHIM

      When I heard the sad news that Harav Hagaon Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein זצ׳ל was niftar, my mind started  to travel back on the road to my youth when my beloved father ע״ה was concerned how I was progressing in my Gemarah studies. At that time our family was living in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and we davened at The Young Israel of Eastern Parkway where the parents of Rav Aharon were also, members of distinction. Rav Aharon  a young man at the time, was already known as an Elui and for being a very warm and wonderful teacher. My father, knowing Rav Aharon  and his family very well, approached Rav Aharon  and asked if he would entertain the possibility of learning Gemarah with me. Rav Aharon  agreed.  I found those shiurim to be most inspiring.  Rav Aharon taught me the right Derech in learning for which I will always be indebted. 

   It was very special for our family when this kesher  with Rav Aharon continued with my grandson Yonatan learning at Gush and how he was influenced greatly by his ShiurIm and more so by his warmth and interest that he showed for each Bachur in the Yeshivah.

   The words of Pirke Avot clearly describes the life of 

Rav Aharon הוי מתלמידיו של אהרן אוהב שלום ורודף שלום אוהב את הבריות ומקרבן לתורה.

We pray to הקדוש ברוך הוא that  Rav Aharon's זצ׳ל    

נשמה have an עליה and may he be a מליץ יושר for his family and כלל ישראל.

   

     This week's  Parsha, Kedoshim, speaks extensively about Kedusha , which indeed is the aim of Yahadus, of living a life of Holiness. The Parsha details many mitzvos that, when observed, will lead to a true state of Kedusha. 

     One Mitzvah  stands  out in my mind, "לא תעמד על דם רעך", " You shall not stand aside while your fellow's blood is shed". Rashi explains, that one should not stand idly when a human life can be saved through ones help.  This idea is extremely important in our relationship to each other. And yet I question, why did the Torah use the negative, לא תעמד, I would have preferred the positive directive, תציל את רעך! Save your fellowman?

  I sense the Torah wanted to emphasize the importance and necessity of rendering help promptly.  When one is in danger, even when the chances seem slim for his survival, לא תעמד, do not stand around, thinking, calculating, should it be done? Don't waste time.  Go to it immediately and try to do whatever can be done and don't waste a moment trying.

     When life is at stake it is a time for action - not to stand around and quibble- should we or shouldn't we?

     This idea is most important when it comes to our State of Israel, especially when we feel we are so alone in this world. לא תעמד, we must do whatever is in our power, be it financially or politically to help. We have suffered enough and even with all our, so called friends we are alone to our own fate.

    We are in the midst of the Sefira period. The mitzvah of Sefirat Haomer is dependent on counting each and every day for forty nine days. One cannot leave out, even, one hey day. If one forgot to count a full day, then the next day cannot be counted with a Bracha. (You can still continue to count, but without reciting the appropriate Bracha.)

  This Halacha emphasizes a very important  concept in Yahadus, "Life is dependent upon consistency and endurance." Sefirat Haomer is to teach us that to be a good Jew, to be a good Human Being, it takes more than a few good acts.  It takes consistency and endurance. 

     In Judaism, it is not only the occasional acts of Chesed, of Kibud Av Vaem, of attending Minyan, of giving charity.  Those things are important.  However, Judaism wants and encourages us to be consistent and to act with constancy in our performance of all our Mitzvos. 

 This is especially true of the Mitzvah, לא תעמד, we need to always be ready and to constantly be involved in helping and saving our fellowman and surely our State of Israel. 

  קדושים תהיו, let us sanctify the everyday to make life  a constant act of fulfillment, בן אדם למקום ובן אדם לחברו - to lead us to the time when our counting Sefirah will see its fulfillment in the bringing of the Omer to our Holy Beit Hamikdash.

                                                    

OUR TORAH IS OUR TREE OF LIFE

       The attitude of a religious Jew, especially how he presents himself to others, is very important in defining what is seen as a קידש השם or a חלול השם.

  With this in mind I begin to explore and to try to understand an enigmatic episode in the death of Nadav and Avihu as described in this morning's Torah reading.

וירחו בני אהרן נדב ואביהו איש מחתתו ויתנו בהן אש וישימו עלי קטרת ויקריבו לפני השם אש זרה אשר לא צוה אותם.          

"The sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, each took his firepan, put fire in them and placed incense upon it and they brought before Hashem a strange fire that Hashem had not commanded".

 For this infraction, they were punished with death.

The obvious question is why such a severe punishment and more so what was the sin that they committed?

    I sense that our first impression to our quest, is that they entered the Holy of Holies to burn incense which they had not been commanded, even if they did so in adoration of G-D, but they decided to do so on their own accord. Can we persist in our quandary and say, 'So what was so bad'?True, Hashem did not command them to do so, but they did do so for the love of G-D.

   Nechamah Leibowitz explores this dilemma and states the following, "Their guilt resides, not in a formal violation of any of the regulations involved in the sacrificial service, but rather in their desire to break through, as it were, to the Almighty, to cleave unto Him, not in accordance with the prescribed ordinances but rather in conformity with the dictates of their own hearts. 

     The acceptance of the yoke of heaven, which is the aim of our entire Torah, is replaced, here, by a religious ecstasy which is free from the restraints of normative religious discipline, unrestrained and  not subservient to the Divine will and for this they were punished.

     In understanding this dilemma, I also need to reflect upon what Rabbi  Samson Raphael Hirsch said in his understanding of the severe decree. It was to emphasize to us "To avoid personal and subjective predilections and ordinances of their own intervention in their approach to the service of the  Sanctuary which  belongs to G-D".   

     I share these sources with you to encourage you to think for yourselves in your analysis of why this "Eish Zara" caused such a condemnation. However, beyond our study , there seems to be an important modern day lesson to be learned from this tragedy.

      The tragedy of Aaron's sons is our lesson in the attitude that  accompany's our  observances and  how we approach our religious behavior. 

     It is well and good to be observant and to fulfill the will of Hashem as prescribed in our Torah, but one wonders what are the consequences of excess zeal and fanaticism, which comes about through our own subjective opinions, of what Judaism demands of us . We have a Torah B'ksav, we have our Torah Sh'Baal Beh,we have our Shulchan Orech, and we have our great sages through out our  history, and if we abide within these boundaries we will succeed as true Jews.

    Greater observance does not demand greater Chumros and our Torah especially does not want us to inject into our rituals our own subjective opinions of how Halacha is to be performed. 

    Let us live within our prescribed  Halacha , and leave any of our subjective opinions, which often border on fanaticism out of our Judaic way of life.

    עץ חיים היא למחזיקים בה , Judaism is our tree of life,let's maintain it in this fashion, for the GLORY of 

 G-D and the GLORY of Man.

GO FORWARD

       "   True honor comes from actuallizing  one's innermost strengths". 

      The Yom Tov of Pesach is a time when the inner beauty of each individual is revealed, and a time when we are to work on our individual spiritual strengths. In our counting Sefira, Kabbalah plays a very important role as we reflect upon the lower Sefirot as we count each day. Each week a different Sefira is perfected and refined. This first week of Sefirat Haomer reflects upon the attribute of Chesed, wherein love predominates.

   With this thought in mind I begin to reflect on how our Seder experience, with all it's beauty and inspiration, will continue to influence our behavior in the coming months.

     I sense our answer is forthcoming from our celebration of the last two days of the Yom Tov.

   On the Seventh day of Pesach we will read from our Torah the episode of the parting of the Red Sea  permitting the Jewish People to escape the wrath of the onslaught of the Egyptian army that were in hot pursuit .

    I am always in awe of that great miracle that took place at ים סוף permitting the Jewish People to walk through on dry land to safety while the Egyptians were catapulted into oblivion. 

    As the Jews realized the great miracle that was performed for them, they uttered the following words

עזי וזמרת קה ויהי לישועה ,"The Lord is my strength and He is my salvation"

זה קלי ואנוהו אלוקי אבי וארוממנהו "

"He is my G-D and I will glorify Him, my father's G-D and I will exalt Him".

    As I revisit this great episode in Jewish history, though it is a historical event to be remembered always in our hearts and minds, I am beginning to realize, more and more, that it has become an existential experience which seems to always happen in the life of a Jew. It can be summed up in these words, הלכו ביבשה בתוך הים, the Jew always seems to walk in the midst of torrential seas.  So many are watching and waiting for our demise in these waters of hate and it is at these times that we need to walk through these waters of destruction with all the energetic force we can muster for our survival. 

  It is at these times of crisis that I hear, once again, the words of Hashem to Moshe at the Red Sea as he crys  out to Hashem in desperation. G-D says to Moshe,

 מה תצעק אלי, " Why are you crying out to me , why do you stand so inactive, tell the people, יסעו, "Tell them to go forward". 

    In life one has to take the initiative. One has to move forward. Standing and doing nothing will not solve our problems and surely will not bring upon our salvation.

   The Medrash stresses this point even more so when it relates, אמר הקבה לא עת עתה להאריך בתפלה כשישראל נתונין בצרה"Hashem says to Moshe, "This is not the time for lengthy prayer when Israel is in trouble, now is a time for action". 

    No one is denying the importance of  Prayer. Indeed our Betachon evidences it's efficacy, but we must begin to realize that life demands our action and our efforts to achieve our goals in life. If we stand on the sidelines, rather than jump into the fray of life we will not  achieve our life sustaining forces. We must remember , יסעו, to travel the roads of life and with our actions and our deep abiding faith we will  reach our Promised Land.

    As the holiday of Pesach concludes, we take the memories of this beautiful and inspiring Chag with us on our journey towards Sinai.

   We pray that Almighty G-D'S Chesed will always be showered upon us and we will all declare, together,

 זה קלי ואנוהו ,

"This is our G-D and we shall glorify Him".

    " We may not be able to control the wind , but we can adjust the sails"

                                         חג שמח