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You’ve Got To Leave It All Behind | Drasha Lech Lecha 2009

rabbifink — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 06:43:41 +0000

Special thanks to community member Elizabeth Danziger, founder of Worktalk Communications Consulting, for assisting in transforming this sermon from 2009 into an essay for this year.

Avram’s Journey

Lech Lecha 2009

The Torah begins the story of our forefather Avraham in this week’s parsha. Thus begins the story of the Jewish people. The first Jew begins his journey in Lech Lecha and that journey defines us for all time. We still feel the effects of that journey. The better we can understand and appreciate that journey, the better we can understand and appreciate ourselves and our personal journey.

God commands Avram (not yet named Avraham) to go. “Lech Lecha” means to go. If we analyze the Torah’s words there is more than meets the eye. The Torah says that GD commands Avram: “Go from your land, from your birthplace and from your father’s home.” If all the Torah wanted us to know was that Hashem had commanded Avram to leave or to go, it would have been sufficient to say “lech” or “tzei” – go. Further, the entire section that mentions leaving his land, birthplace and home is superfluous. And it is in the wrong order! First one leaves one’s home, then one’s birthplace or city, and only then does one leave his land or country.

R’ Hirsch says that the word lech comes from the word halach. And that word is related to Chelek, divided and chalak which means smooth, a surface to which nothing adheres. So halach means to go but it connotes separation as well. Sometimes one can separate for the purpose of going to another place, but in this case, the separating was lecha – for Avram’s self.

Avram is separating from three things: Eretz / country, moledes / hometown, and bayis / home. R’ Hirsch says that these three things form the foundation for one’s personality and true essence. Eretz, the country or nationality with all its moral implications. Eretz is like eres – married. Eres also means cradle. In comparison to shamayim (heaven) which is sham (over there), the land, our country gives us our cradle in which we learn our morality. Our land gives us national characteristics and the tremendous power of participation in a nation.

Moledes, birthplace, gives us civic position and independence Even narrower is the bayis, the home where we find our individuality and we grow as unique people.

These Hebrew words make it clear that the Torah values the worth of one’s home and homeland. The Torah is not belittling these concepts by asking Avram to isolate from them. Rather, the Torah is telling us the value of these realms and the greatness of the isolation GD demanded from Avram.

In fact, these demands place Avram in direct conflict with the strongest ideals of his era. Centralism was the prevalent tendency of his age. The feared monarch Nimrod, from whom Avram was running, led the Tower of Babel campaign. That campaign was marked by the slogan of “naaseh lanu shem” – we can make ourselves a name. The tower was to represent the community in general for the glory of mankind. This tendency begot an erroneous conception of a majority which has sway in every direction and every case. And eventually, what is honored by the majority ipso facto becomes the thing that is honored by everybody.

It is certainly true that the majority opinion should be well represented in the community and it should represent that which is highest and holiest by everybody. And in Judaism we would expect the same. Still at the very start of the Jewish journey we are taught: Lech Lecha, go for yourself. Stand on your own, separated from the crowd. No one should limit him or herself to the majority. You cannot be only as honest as everybody else, or as moral as everybody else. We must rise above the majority.

Each person is responsible to GD for himself and if necessary to be alone with GD if he can find no partners with whom to worship. This is what GD demanded from Avram at the start of his journey and the start of our collective journey. The beautiful insights into Hebrew language show us how important eretz, molad and bayis are to us and lech lecha tells us that they are only trumped by the bond that attaches us to GD.

There are always those who say that Judaism should be current and up to date with modern ideals. There are some modern ideals that are consistent with Torah; perhaps social conventions caused them to be ignored until they became prevalent in a modern world. We should and must celebrate those ideals. But, Avram’s first stand was not in accordance with the ancient cultures with whom he lived. While the whole world sought every effort to establish themselves; as civilizations became more complex, Avram was giving up his citizenship and his homeland. He protested the idol worship of the other nations. He separated from it all.

Avram was appointed the first Jew, but he had to prove himself first. He had to prove that he could rise up above the fray and be separate. Avram showed us by example.

Our country, our city, our homes all represent inertia. When we revert to the comfort of habits, customs, and thoughts that we are accustomed to, we are relying too heavily on our cradle that we were raised in. We often fail to move forward because of fear or doubt. Hashem tells Avram, Lech Lecha, do what is right. Do what you know you must do to ensure that you will be separate, that you will be elevated and above the customs and traditions into which you were born.

The lesson of lech lecha is that we must act with conviction and that we must act with a trust and hope for future. Avram could have been reluctant to leave all that he left behind. After all one’s country, hometown and home cane be good values, our core values in fact. But sometimes we need to rise above our complacency and elevate ourselves to heights that can only come when we act with the conviction of lech lecha and we make a substantial break from our inertia and instead act in a way that will bond even more strongly with our families, our neighborhoods, our homelands and above all with GD

In our lives we are called upon to make that same choice so many times. What are my priorities? What is the deciding factor in my decisions?

Avram was also faced with tough choices. How did he respond? What was GD’s call to him? Choose GD, above all. Choose spirituality and Torah above all.

Lech Lecha tells us that our homeland, our city and our homes are all important. They all have tremendous value, but ultimately the choice that is right is the choice that will bind us closest to GD. The choice that brings us the greatest spiritual growth and opportunity to sanctify the name of GD is the right choice. That is the call of Lech Lecha.

How Hard Was It To Split The Sea? | Drasha Beshalach 2009

rabbifink — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:11:40 +0000

Special thanks to community member Elizabeth Danziger, founder of Worktalk Communications Consulting, for assisting in transforming this sermon from 2009 into an essay for this year.

Splitting of the Sea and Doling Out Sustenance

Beshalach 2009

The most seminal event in world history occurs in this week’s parsha. The Jewish people leave the clutches of the evil Egyptian empire. After ten punishing plagues are rained down upon the Egyptians, the Jewish people are finally free. Their relief is short-lived, however, as they are caught between the proverbial rock and hard place. On one side they are met with the raging waters of the Yam Suf, which is known as the Red Sea. Even worse, rapidly approaching them is an angry Egyptian army. The Egyptians want revenge for the ten plagues as well as the return of the slaves whom they wish to un-emancipate.

Thus the stage is set for a monumental salvation from GD. GD commands Moshe to stretch his staff over the raging waters. Miraculously, the waters split, peeling back to reveal dry land upon which the Jews escape safely. As the Egyptians follow suit, the waters come crashing down upon them and they are killed in the Yam Suf – maybe that’s why it’s called the Red Sea.

While the Jews were walking through the Yam Suf the waters had formed a wall on either side of them. The Midrashim tell us the wonders that GD provided within these walls. If one was hungry one could just raise up one’s hand and grab a delicious fruit to eat!

To be sure, the crossing of the Red Sea, was some kind of display of GD’s power and control over his world. We base our emunah (faith) very much on this idea. When we analyze the event we understand that to us it seems incredible to split a sea but in truth it was no big deal for GD. GD can do anything.

Which leaves us to wonder and try and understand the following section from the Talmud. The Talmud in Pesachim 118A tells us: For GD, the splitting of the sea was as difficult as providing sustenance to mankind. What we see here are two noteworthy things. Firstly that somehow the splitting of the sea measured high on degree of difficulty and secondly that the splitting of the sea is just as difficult (whatever that means) as the apportionment of each person’s financial needs!

Rabbi Shimon Schwab talks about how the hand of GD is more manifested and clearer in water than it is on land. The weather changes more quickly and in general the rules of nature are more immediately manifest on the high seas. Thus the Talmud teaches us in Kiddushin that “seafarers are mostly righteous”. The idea is that someone who sees a more stunning display of GDliness cannot help but see the hand of GD.

Rabbi Schwab also brings the Midrashic source, the Mechilta in our parsha, that says that when Moshe raised his hand over the water, the angel of the seas did not wish to allow the seas to split. [Often an angel refers to the spiritual minister over a force, here it was the angel that ministered over the sea.] When he saw Moshe’s staff in his hand, the angel acquiesced. This is because the job of the angel of the seas is to ensure that GD’s hand is visible on the seas. If Moshe were to turn sea into land then the “seas would cease” and the hand of GD would be only as visible as it is on land – not very visible at all. The angel of the seas could not let this happen. So GD responded to the angel that it was worth a momentary lapse in divine revelation for the enduring divine revelation and fame of the splitting of the sea. The angel relented and the rest is history.

We have a balancing act between the commonly found divine revelation on the seas and the more intense divine revelation that occurred after the seas relented to the land.

This is something to which we can attach the word “Koshi” difficulty. Since there is an element of pulling back and a loss off the permanent fixed divine revelation in order to have a greater divine revelation we could call splitting the sea difficult.

This difficulty is the same as when we ask Hashem for parnassah – sustenance. While we are praying to GD there is a tremendous increase in Kavod Shamayim, Heavenly Honor. We are putting our trust in Him and we are showing a very high level of emunah (faith) in Hashem. When we put ourselves out there for Hashem to judge us and give us what we are asking for, we are placing our selves at a risk for a negative response. We say whatever GD wants for us good and just. This is a great sanctification of GD’s name, or Kiddush Hashem. We are creating honor for GD by praying properly. We recognize a profound dichotomy through prayer. In one breath we say Poseyach es Yadecha, “He opens His hand”, and in the other breath we say Tzadik Hashem b’chol dracahav, “righteous is GD in all His ways”. We ask for sustenance and we understand that it is in GD’s hands.

Therefore, for Hashem to provide for us and answer our prayers he is foregoing some of His honor, His Kavod Shamayim. As GD is forgoing that dichotomy which we recognize when we pray properly. In its stead it is our task to replace that Kavod Shamayim with the new and even greater Kavod Shamayim of serving GD with the sustenance He has provided us. Now that Hashem has provided you with wealth it is your job to use that wealth for more Kavod Shamayim. Therefore, Hashem is willing to forego the beauty of the one who is praying asking for sustenance and provide for him because ultimately, more of Hashem’s honor will fill the world. .

This is what is meant by comparing the difficulty of providing sustenance is like the difficulty of the splitting of the sea. There is more. The Gemara tells us that making a shidduch, a marriage match, is as difficult as the splitting of the sea. The Gemara in Sota teaches us that this refers to a second marriage. How is this to be explained?

According to what we are saying it makes a lot of sense. This fellow had experienced marriage and the beauty of a loving relationship. Now, he is missing all the beauty and intimacy of marriage in the hopes that Hashem will lead him to his true soul mate. He prays that GD will connect him with his true match. This prayer is a great Kiddush Hashem! It is “difficult” for Hashem to forgo this beautiful display of Kiddush Hashem. But Hashem does so to provide the opportunity for an even greater Kiddush Hashem when this fellow meets and marries his true love. The marriage will bring greater Kavod Shamayim than the prayers of a single person.

The lessons of this idea are many and profound in their own ways. Firstly we are reminded in these difficult financial times of the role that Hashem plays in our sustenance,.and that no matter the result we accept His will. When we are rewarded with wealth and sustenance we have the responsibility to at the least match our spirituality that we accomplished as we prayed for that very sustenance.

On a practical level we are also reminded that all our actions reflect GD’s glory. We need to bear this in mind and be conscious in our efforts to increase GD’s glory in this world.

We are blessed with this opportunity very often. The more we are able to expose our neighbors to the beauty of Hashem’s Torah the greater the Divine light will shine for them and for us.

Words Are Cheap (Without a Track Record) | Drasha Vaera 2009

rabbifink — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:53:06 +0000

Special thanks to community member Elizabeth Danziger, founder of Worktalk Communications Consulting, for assisting in transforming this sermon from 2009 into an essay for this year.

Words Are Cheap

Vaera 2009

This week’s Parsha is Vaera. The Parsha begins with a command from GD to Moshe. (Exodus 6:2) And God spoke unto Moses, and said unto him: ‘I am the LORD. And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name YHWH I made Me not known to them. And I have also upheld My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings, wherein they sojourned

GD has a number of names by which we call him. What does it mean for GD to have various names? The way we understand this is that there are so many ways that Hashem relates to us. The way he relates to us at a particular time determines the name that we identify Him by. So if He is merciful we call Him Adon-y, if He is judging us He is know as Elokim and the Name. The verse is telling us that to the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) knew Hashem by His name of Sha-dai – and “my name of Hashem they did not know me by.”

Traditionally, this verse means that the Patriarchs did not know the merciful name of Hashem. However, the Jewish people’s salvation from Egypt required the mercy of GD. Thus, GD now informed Moshe that He would be adjusting His relationship with the Jewish people in order to bring them out of Egypt and into the land of Israel.

Rabbi Shimon Schwab attempts to explain our verse more simply. He is bothered by the word “V’Hakimosi” – “that I have upheld my commitment.” GD has not yet upheld any commitment other than delivering the Jewis into slavery! How can He say V’Hakimosi?

Rabbi Schwab says that this story is the same as another story. There was a very poor man who met a very benevolent fellow who wished to make his life easier. The rich fellow decided to give the poor fellow a million dollars. So what does he do? Does he give him 10,000 $100 bills? No he transfers the money to the poor fellow’s bank account. Now at this point we would say that the poor fellow is pretty wealthy now. But in truth has the money reached his hands? Has he actually touched or used his new money yet? No. But still we call him wealthy. Similarly when Hashem promised our forefathers that they would inherit the land of Canaan (eventually becomes the land of Israel) they considered it done! It was money in the bank. And even though they never saw the settling of the land themselves the promise was enough.

This is the idea of Sha-dai. For them it was dai, which means “enough.” It was enough to have the promise and they did not need to actions for them to feel as if it was done. Therefore to the Patriarchs–V’Hakimosi is truth! To them it had already happened. To them the words were enough – Sha-dai.

The statement alone was enough for the Patriarchs to be able to live a transcendent existence and be one with GD. But the Jewish people were a massive nation now, far from the lofty levels of the Patriarchs. They needed a more tangible relationship to GD. They needed to see the results. They needed to see the promises of Hashem come to fruition. And thus, in this Torah portion the process of the exodus began. The process of extricating the Jewish people from Egypt was now underway and the relationship with GD was more tangible to the Jewish people.

The Gemara in Avoda Zara (9a) says that the world is divided into three 2000-year periods. First there were 2000 years of darkness. This was until Abraham showed the world that there was a creator and taught the world about morality. The next 2000 years were the years of Torah. This was when we went to Egypt, were redeemed from Egypt and received the Torah. This was also the period of time that we lived the Torah to its fullest as the inhabitants of the land of Israel. The final 2000 years is the period of Mashiach. How can this be? The 2000 years is nearly complete and yet here we are with no Mashiach! That is not a very good result for a 2000 year period of Mashiach!

Rabbi Schwab uses the same principle as above to answer this as well. Out current exile mirrors the Egyptian exile. In Egypt the original relationship was a Sha-dai relationship with no action and just trust. That is how we are to relate to our situation as well. In our current exile we need to feel that trust. Eventually the redemption will come as a merciful act by GD and we will relate to that as the act of Hashem using his name of compassion. So these years of exile, of pain and suffering are still called the 2000 years of redemption. Since it was promised to us by Hashem, it is as good as done. We have a track record with GD. He has delivered us from salvation in Egypt and we trust that He will save us again. Because GD’s words carry weight, they come with a track record.

For many of us, talk is cheap. We are skeptical and cynical. Today there is much talk of “change” and “hope” and while these are welcome sentiments we tend to be skeptical. This is true for us as humans but we cannot get confused between the cheap talk of humans and the meaningful gifts and love that GD promises to us.

How can we as humans make our promises and ideas more meaningful? By attaching actions to our words we can make our words carry more weight. By doing more and saying less. Just as we expect GD to follow up his promises with action, we should follow up our own words with specific actions.

Repost: Truth or Consequences – Drasha Vayigash (Sermon 2008)

rabbifink — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 21:45:42 +0000

Last year I spoke from the pulpit about the Israeli Military operation in Gaza, and the issue of partial truth and whole truth.

It was posted last year and you can read Truth or Consequences – Drasha Vayigash, by clicking here.

It is worth a read and I would love to hear your thoughts.

Repost: Yosef and the Light of [Economic] Wisdom and Kindness – Drasha Miketz (Sermon 2008)

rabbifink — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:49:57 +0000

Last year I spoke from the pulpit about the recent economic melt-down, its connection to Miketz and the coinciding holiday of Chanukah.

It was posted last year and you can read Yosef and the Light of (Economic) Wisdom and Kindness – Drasha Miketz, by clicking here.

It is worth a read and I would love to hear your thoughts.

The Jewish Home – In Memory of The Holzbergs Formerly of Mumbai | Drasha Vayetze 2008

rabbifink — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:17:13 +0000

Special thanks to community member Elizabeth Danziger, founder of Worktalk Communications Consulting, for assisting in transforming this sermon from last year into an essay for this year.

The Jewish Home

Vayetze 5769

This week marks the first anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Chabad House in Mumbai, India. I dedicate this learning to the memory of the Holzberg, who were brutally murdered at that time.

This week’s Torah portion begins with the flight of Yaakov. He is a fugitive, having just snatched the primary blessings of Yitzchak from under his brother Eisav’s nose. Yaakov begins his exodus en route to the home of Lavan his mother’s brother to find his soul mate and marry her.

Does this storyline sound familiar? Did any other biblical characters leave their parent’s home recently? Of course we know that Avraham had just recently departed from Ur Kasdim and began his life in Eretz Yisrael. This week Yaakov begins his spirit walk from Eretz Yisrael to Charan.

There is one major difference however in the types of journeys that Avraham and Yaakov make. Avraham leaves with his entire family and entourage in tow. Avraham was a made man who just needed to make his life in a holier place. His life and family as a Jew were established – they just needed to move. Yaakov was running and he was running penniless, lonely and scared. This is a stark contrast to the Abrahamic journey. Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch points out this contrast to note that this is central to us as Jews.

Yaakov is also known as Yisrael and the only names for the Jewish people found in the Torah are the Bnei Yisrael and Beis Yaakov. We are named for Yaakov. The Jewish people are the children of Yisrael and the House of Yaakov. Today we read about the emergence of the House of Yaakov. Avraham traveled with his family and his home. Yaakov leaves with nothing and he travels to create and family and a home. He established the first Jewish home to bring the Shechina into that home through its existence. The home of Yaakov is a home where Hashem can rest His presence. And the journey to create that home begins in our Parsha. That journey has continued throughout the millennia as we ourselves embark on that same journey to build a home and bring the Shechina into that home.

On the night of Yaakov’s first stop he sleeps on the Temple Mount. Before resting his head he builds a rock formation to protect himself;’ this is the first home of Yaakov. During his slumber Yaakov experiences tremendous Divine revelations with eternal meaning. He witnesses angels ascending and descending a ladder. They are traveling from the Home of GD in the Heavens into the first home of Yaakov. Every Shabbos we greet angels into our home as well.

When Yaakov awakes he exclaims that this place is Home of God, a Beis Elokim. It is a place where God rests His Shechina. The Jewish home is a place where God rests His presence, and thus, is a place where we can find God.

Conversely, other cultures and religions preach going outside the home to “find”God. They look at nature, beauty, philosophy and they search for God. We always hear and know about people searching for God. We don’t hear too much about observant Jews “searching” for God. The observant Jew has no need to search. The message to the Jew is that God is out there but he is in fact much closer as well – he is right here in the home. God resides in the spiritual home and we create that environment for Him. This gives us tremendous power and an important opportunity that not to be missed!

Truthfully, our enemies knew this to be true as well. Later on in the Torah the gentile (pseudo) prophet Bilaam attempts to curse the Jewish people but is unable to do so. Despite his best efforts, he is only able to speak words of blessing. One of the most poetic and moving sections of the entire Torah is where Bilaam exclaims “Ma Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov Mishkenosecha Yisrael,” “how excellent are your homes,” and he mentions Yaakov. Yaakov is the home and when we allow Hashem to enter we continue the journey that Yaakov began in our Parsha.

The most important asset to Jewish continuity is the Jewish home, which was established outside the land of Israel for the first time by Yaakov. Each one of us is maintaining that home every day. There are some people who raise the ante and are superstars in Jewish home building. Not only do those people establish a home for spirituality, they also share that home with everyone that comes their way.

This week is the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Chabad House in Mumbai, India. The Holzbergs, previously of Mumbai, took home building to its most positive extreme. They were completely in a spiritual wilderness and managed to bring the Shechina to a spiritually dark corner of the earth. The Holzbergs were tremendous performers of Chesed. Rabbi Holzberg personally shechted chickens each week for all the Jews of Mumbai and for all its guests. Mrs. Holzberg baked 600 rolls per week to give the Jewish people of Mumbai and its visitors. That amount of chesed is a very strong prescription to bring the Shechina into one’s home. Working that diligently to bring Hashem into their home brought a light to their home and to India and to the world that is missed.

One observation I have is that this is the first time I know of that the Jewish home has been under attack. We have gone through attacks on buses, yeshivas, malls, airplanes etc. all in public places. This was the first time we were attacked in the Jewish home. To me this is something to think about. It could be the message here is that our homes are supposed to be immune to attack – but that is only when the spirituality of our collective homes is strong. Our homes have been under siege spiritually for some time now. The pitfalls of Western culture relationships and notions of love and child rearing enter our insulated homes and perhaps it has weakened us to the point where we are now vulnerable to physical attack. As long as our homes are fortresses of spirituality, we are protected but it could be that our homes have suffered from the unyielding onslaught of impurity that permeated our world, leaving us susceptible to attack.

In light of this view our response to terror is not – we must prevent this and raise awareness etc. or maybe if we had more political clout this would not happen or we need to fortify our homes with guns. Our response is purely to replace the missing spirituality from the world that results from their demise. We, as observers, are now charged with the task of replacing the lost chesed and the lost shechina through our own efforts. Incredibly, this is not that hard a task. What it requires from us is a commitment to the Jewish home. To reinforce those barriers that protect us from the spiritual holocaust that is our world. The commitment to continue Yaakov’s journey of building the Jewish home on our own by integrating Torah principles into our home gives the shechina its resting place in our world. The lesson of our Parsha and the lesson of lives lost is the eternal message that we don’t need to find GD – we just need to invite Him into our homes and He will find us.

Adam, Eve and the Lesson of Marriage

rabbifink — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:12:42 +0000

Special thanks to community member Elizabeth Danziger, founder of Worktalk Communications Consulting, for assisting in transforming this sermon from last year into an essay for this year.

Adam, Eve and The Lesson of Marriage

Breishis 5769

Breishis is an incredible Parsha. Of the many pertinent topics in this week’s Torah reading, I was immediately drawn to one specific area of the Parsha. The creation of a universe from nothing is quite an accomplishment. Of course for an all-powerful GD – it’s no big deal. But the ramifications of the creation are a big deal.

As we learn about the origins of our world, we encounter the logical steps of creation. In fact, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch points of that the six days of creation are really three pairs of days. On the first day GD created light and dark, on the second day oceans and celestial waters, and on the third day dry land. Correspondingly, the fourth day is the culmination of the first day, so GD created luminaries to provide the light and energy for our world. The fifth day featured all the water and sky-creatures that were created on the second day. The sixth day completes the creation of land that GD created on the third day by providing men and beasts to inhabit that land. There is a specific order and logic to the process.

One step in the process, however, seems a bit halted. Each animal is created there in male and female forms. Each creature has a partner. The system seems to make clear – in order to reproduce, two partners are necessary. Adam himself notes this point and suddenly realizes that the system has included all creatures, save for one – himself! Imagine the confusion that must have set in when Adam discovered he was all alone in a very big world. It must have been quite disconcerting. GD responds to Adam’s concerns by providing a partner for him as well.

The Torah tells us the process by which Adam was given a partner. GD originally had created man as a being that was male and female in one. The human was an asexual being and was not divided into two genders like other beings. This did not sit well with Adam; he felt lonely. Then Eve was created from within Adam. Eve was someone who had once been part of him but was now independent. Why did GD arrange things this way? Why was the original plan to have one being? And when that plan failed, why was Eve merely fashioned from Adam’s spare parts? Something deeper must be going on here.

Additionally, we could ask what purpose Adam’s partner serves at all. If GD can do anything why did he create a system that requires two partners for reproduction? The system could have been more efficient if it was not necessary to involve a second party in reproduction. We can eat by ourselves, we can dress ourselves, we can earn a living by ourselves, and we can provide shelter by ourselves – so why can’t we reproduce by ourselves?

If we take a look at the text we find that GD blesses Adam and Eve as the verse states: ”Vayevarech Osam Elokim Vayomer Lahem, Pru, Urvu, Umilu es Haaretz Vikivshuha…” “And GD blessed them and said to them, reproduce, fill the land and conquer it.” Rav Hirsch offers a beautiful insight about this verse. When GD blessed the fish in the seas with a similar bracha the text reads: “Veyavarech Osam Laymor, Pru Urvu” and so on. What is the difference between the two blessings? So Rav Hirsch explains that the word “Laymor” is the key. “Laymor” connotes an automatic execution of GD’s will, meaning that if GD gives a blessing using the word Laymor it is more of an expression that GD wills the result of the blessing to occur as a fact of nature. It is due to HIS will and thus the fulfillment of the blessing is automatically given. The creatures in the water were blessed, by default, with tremendous powers of multiplication. In contrast, when GD blessed Adam and Eve it says, “Vayomer Lahem” which connotes a blessing that gives us the free will to fulfill the blessing. This is what separates us from the beasts. Reproduction is a function of our free will. As Rav Hirsch puts it, “That which in animals is a purely physical act becomes in man a free-willed moral act.” And with this charge of “Pru Urvu” GD delivers the four-fold mission of the moral development of the entire human race.

There are four steps to this blessing / commandment. 1) “Pru” is the marriage, the physical opportunity to produce offspring. Just as in beasts and plants the traits of the parents are transferred to the offspring, in mankind the spiritual traits of the parents are transferred to the children. This is what is colloquially known as being fruitful!

2) “Revu” is the family. We already see that physical increase of humans is more than a numbers game. There is a family aspect as well, which means that the role of the parent continues even after the child is born. The task of all parents is to provide a spiritual, moral education to their children. Only by carrying out this duty does the calling of “Pru” attain its high moral significance.

3) The word “Milu” is society. As humans populate earth, the blessing and demand to reproduce turns to a social requirement to watch out for the welfare of our fellow humans.

4) “Kivshuha” is property, which implies mastering the physical world in which we live for the furtherance of human goals. Acquiring wealth to provide the environment to accomplish these goals we have set forth is acceptable and is even admirable if done with the proper intent. Forming a physical home to raise a family to impart the values and morals we have discussed is the 4th step.

By these instructions in the creation story, GD has provided the basic instructions for all of society. But there is more. Is there an aspect to marriage that helps us to serve GD better? Or is it merely the condition that helps us fulfill the requirement to be fruitful?

We were created in the image of GD. One thing that this means is that our lives and the lessons of our lives can be applied to our relationship with GD. Many of the mitzvos are designed to help us connect with GD directly. However, there are other mitzvos that we can use as guides to learn how to connect with GD on our own. It can be hard to have a relationship with an all-knowing GD and He knows that. That is why he gave us marriage. It is a great analogy to our relationship with Him. In a marriage the two partners are connected at all times. Each one’s actions reflects directly upon the other. Similarly, in our relationship with GD, He is always with us and everything that we do reflects upon Him.

The implications of this idea are huge. Marriage is practice for our relationship with GD. There is much to learn from one’s marriage to one’s relationship with GD. For example. unconditionally loving one’s spouse no matter how we feel or how our day went can be tough, but it is good practice for times when we may not feel very inspired in our spiritual relationship with GD. Using this approach it is important for us to consider marriage and all our relationships using this four-step model: reproduction, family, society, and mastery over the material world. We need to consider the takeaway lesson of the 4th step, that is to use our resources, opportunities and material possessions to grow spiritually

Truth or Consequences – Drasha Vayigash

rabbifink — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:25:48 +0000

Thank you to community member Milton Simon for editing these Shabbos speeches given at the Pacific Jewish Center from my notes into these essays.

Today we are going to talk about truth. We will also discuss the opposite of truth. What is the opposite of truth? Something is true when it is in accordance with the facts and reality. The opposite of truth is when something is not in accordance with the facts and reality. Let us keep these definitions in mind as we progress.

As we jump back into the Parsha story we head to end of the Parsha. We have just experienced the most dramatic and moving section of all of Torah and perhaps in all of history. Yosef has revealed himself to his brothers. Yosef forgives his brothers. Yosef tells his brothers it was all part of a master plan and it is water under the bridge. The brothers are then invited to join Yosef and his family in Egypt to avoid the famine (and bring the fulfillment of the prophecy that the Jewish people would be slaves in Egypt.)

We can imagine the good spirits the brothers were in as they returned to their father in Israel. When they left him last they were on the verge of tragedy. One brother was in jail, the entire family was threatened and all this was aside from the gnawing guilt the brothers most certainly felt every day of their lives, imagining their lying to their father caused him massive suffering. They saw their father wither away and lose his spark due to their actions and lies. Now the brothers have their chance at redemption. They see that it was all part of a plan! They are forgiven! Yosef wants them to move to Egypt! We can only imagine their elation as they journeyed back to Yaakov their father.

The psukim tell us what happened when the brothers reached Yaakov. This should be another climactic scene. If we could imagine a movie about when the brothers tell Yaakov the news, the music would swell while the camera goes in real close to capture Yaakov’s unbridled joy. As Yaakov would hear the news the room would brighten, years of sadness would melt off Yaakov’s face as he would stand up from his seat and the scene would slowly fade to black. Well let’s see how it really happened. In fact, Yaakov didn’t believe them!!

What? Yaakov did not believe his sons. Did he think they playing a practical joke on him? Couldn’t he see their genuine joy? How are we to understand this?

Let us continue in the Chumash. Amazingly we see that eventually Yaakov believed that Yosef was alive. What convinced him? How did the truth become evident?

R’ Schwab mentions the saying in Avos of R’ Shimon. “The punishment of the liar is that even when he tells the truth no one listens to him” and we see from the brothers of Yosef that when they lied to their father by telling him that Yosef was dead they were not believed when they tried to tell their father that Yosef was alive.

At this point the Shevatim understood that by covering their misdeeds they would NEVER succeed, even with the truth. Therefore they realized their only option is to now tell Yaakov the entire story. They decided to tell their father all about their jealousy and plots to kill Yosef. The eventual sale of Yosef was discussed and they asked for forgiveness from Yaakov. That is what is meant by they told Yaakov ALL about Yosef – es Kol divrei Yosef. The full truth was finally revealed. At that point Yaakov was able to believe his sons and see the truth.

The truth is not only that the words are true. Truth is consistent with all the facts and reality. Truth does not exist in a vacuum – it is part of a greater whole. It must fit in with the song of the universe and be in perfect harmony with all the other parts. Yaakov was on too great a spiritual level to be a piece of the truth. He needed all of it to complete the circle of truth of reality.

The Talmud teaches us that Emes – truth stand on its own. And sheker – the opposite of truth always falls. We can visualize this by looking at the letters that form the word Emes and the letters that form the word Sheker. Emes is Aleph, Mem, Taf. These are the first, last and middle letters of the Aleph Beis. Truth is from start to finish with a solid middle. This is consistent with what we are saying that truth is part of a greater whole of reality and not independent. Perhaps even more interesting is the formation of each letter. The Aleph has two legs to stand on, the mem has a base on its bottom and the taf has a base as well as two legs. If we would stand these letters up they would not fall. Let’s look at Sheker. Shin, kuf and reish. Those letters all have but one leg and when stood up will topple. Further these letters are “out of alphabetical order” and are all right next to each other in the aleph beis. This indicates that sheker can work for a time because it is kept close and private but once the sheker gets out it cannot stand on its own.

Our Torah world is predicated on Emes. The Torah is emes and stands on its own. We don’t need to make excuses for Torah and it stands the test of time.

The lesson of Yaakov in this week’s parsha is that sheker is hard to undo – we can’t just press control z and magically the sheker disappears. Sheker can stand for a little while but eventually it gets toppled. This is why we need to be so careful to always begin with the absolute emes. It can be very difficult to undo sheker as we saw with Yaakov.

What was are witnessing in the world right now as Israel rains attacks upon its enemies is frightening. When the world is so immersed in sheker the truth is very hard to find. But the truth stands on its own and will eventually be seen. We need to do our part as advocates for Israel and prevent lies from spreading. I say this not because I am concerned with international opinion and political clout – rather I say this because when Jews look bad it reflects upon GD and it is very important to me to help prevent further Chillul Hashem. We can do our part as advocates for Israel.

But why are these lies so easy to spread? Shouldn’t the truth be obvious?

The last point I want to make is that while we do 100% back our brothers and sisters in Israel we also recognize there is a flaw in their reality. The official line of the Government of Israel is not that Hashem put the land of Israel in our hands, they say WE DID IT OURSELVES. Is it any wonder the world disbelieves our stories about the war, or anything? The world KNOWS the truth, and disbelieves us when we hold sheker. Amazing!

Is our leadership in the land of Israel taking all of reality into the equation? Do they recognize the role that GD plays in their lives? So long as they do not have the complete truth, with all its realities and all its beauty – the world will not see that the truth is with us. As we saw with Yaakov – only the whole truth is recognized as the truth. The only time a truth is recognizable to all and stands on it own is when the truth is consistent and the truth is in sync with the realities of the universe. When the truth is part of the harmony of the world then everyone will see it. When our leadership in the land of Israel embraces the spiritual component to the land of Israel the tremendous amount of Torah that spouts from the land of Israel, when the message of truth is consistent with all the facts and realities – that GD gave us this land – he should have a say as to how we use it, when that message is clear – the truth will be unequivocal and unchallenged.

Yosef and the Light of (Economic) Wisdom and Kindness – Drasha Miketz

rabbifink — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 18:15:03 +0000

Thank you to community member Milton Simon for editing these Shabbos speeches given at the Pacific Jewish Center from my notes into these articles.

It is no coincidence that Shabbos Chanukah always coincides with Parshas Miketz. There are many ways to look at this fact and we will attempt to work out one idea today.

The narrative of this week’s Parsha discusses the impending famine that was to sweep the entire middle east. Egypt was the financial capital of the world and this was a very critical time for them as a country. If they would fail the world in this time of need then the entire world would fall with them. Egypt needed to succeed and Yosef had a plan to keep Egypt afloat. He predicted the famine when he interpreted the dream that Pharaoh had but he also, surprisingly provided a solution at the same time.

Yosef’s solution was to tax the country a 1/5th agriculture tax and to store the grain in federal depositories. In addition there was to be no exporting of grain during the years of plenty that were to precede the famine. R’ Hirsch explains that in years of abundance human nature is to eat double, and during years of financial difficulty human nature is to eat half of what one normally intakes. Hence in years of high quantity one would eat four times what one eats in a famine year. So, in Torah terms the 1/5th formula ensured that even in the famine years there would be enough to go around.

Yosef was appointed the chief executive officer for this monumental project. He INSTANTLY ascended the ranks of Egyptian royalty up to the second in command to the Pharaoh. What was so incredible about his idea (or Yosef himself) that Pharaoh elevated him to this status? How did Yosef spin this simple idea into something worthy of such incredible promotion? What is the secret behind Yosef’s idea?

I think we can all relate to the times that the Egyptian people now feared they were about to go through. The Nile had delivered prosperity to the Egyptians year after year. The economy was flourishing and NOW it was all about to come to a halt. The famine would come and the Egyptian economy w ould suffer and ultimately the world economy would suffer as well. It almost reads like the Wall Street Journal summary of 2008! We live in a time of financial uncertainty. The prosperity America has known for nearly ¾ of a century may be coming to halt. The world economy, which has come to rely on our economy, is in fear of a major collapse. Are there lessons here to be learned?

Let us turn to the Chanukah story. After defeating the Syrian Greeks, the Maccabees return to the Temple victorious. They wish to light the menorah and they cannot find any pure oil. All the oil has been defiled by the Greeks. What are they to do? Miraculously they find a tiny oil jug forlorn in the corner. The jug is so small it only holds enough oil for one day. The Greeks overlooked the jug because it was inconsequential. It was an afterthought. Like when you have a little but of honey left in the honey bear – you don’t sit around waiting for the last drops to come out – you buy a new honey bear! This jug was the end of the oil it was just like the end of that honey bear.

R’ Pam points out that normally in times of prosperity we would throw away that honey bear with the last few drops and normally one would discard the tiny oil jug. But it was not thrown away. The small jug of oil was cherished and was kept even though it had so little inside it. This the Torah way. We value our resources. In good times and not such good times we need to be mindful of what we have and we need to put it to good use. The Jewish people of the time which the Chanukah story took place valued the small jug and in turn it came back to save them in their time of need.

This is the message Yosef imparted to the Egyptians. Value what you have – you never know when your situation will change. Use only what you need and be sure not to squander even the smallest amount of you have left over. But20the broader lesson is to use our resources wisely. Allocation of resources, project planning and emergency preparedness. These are the values Yosef was teaching the Egyptians. These are Jewish ideas that a pagan society could possibly be incapable of discovering on their own. These are ideas which are founded in Torah. Yosef knew that his father Yaakov went back across the Yabok River at great risk to himself to rescue his small containers. We know how to appreciate what we have because we recognize it is all a gift.

I recently read an opinion in the NY Times. The writer had just returned to Kennedy Airport from Asia. And he contrasted the two experiences. It was like taking a time travel capsule from Hong Kong where the airport was decked out with the latest in modernity and comfort. A high speed train with high speed internet and static free cell phone service. He commented that leaving that and coming back to Kennedy was like traveling from the Jetsons to the Flintstones. Back home, at the arrivals area in Kennedy the ceilings were low and not well lit. He went to Penn Station where the elevators are too narrow for a man plus a suitcase. The train is not high speed, there isn’t any internet access and dropped cell phone calls are the norm. What happened to America? Where is the infrastructure? And then the news hits that GM needs a bailout. What is going on in our country?

My father mentioned to me a recent quote from R’ Riskin. He said that Americans used to want to “do good”, now Americans just want to “do well”. What I have noticed is most of our capable young people and the creative thinkers in our country have been going into finance. Consequently our industry has suffered. This is not a good allocation of resources! We need a Yosef to remind us how to use our talents, abilities, time and money the right way. Our country needs to go back to building better products, not figuring out ways to leverage money into more money. Until we start creating better products our economy will be unable to recover.

But there is hope – today is Rosh Chodesh. A new month. A time for rebirth. We can start again. We just need to believe it is all possible. Sometimes to develop that belief we need to be reminded of what the ultimate level of proper allocation of resources actually should be.

I want to conclude by returning to our Parsha for a moment. Yosef sent his brothers back home with money in their sacks as well as Yosef’s golden cup. Yosef sends the police to apprehend the framed thieves. The police search the brothers’ bags and find the missing golden cup in Binyamin’s sack. The brothers are caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Yosef demands that Binyamon return to Egypt to face a jail sentence. They are fo rced to return to Egypt or else they will end up returning back to Yaakov without Binyamin.

Yosef organized this scheme to incriminate the brothers so that he could arrest Binyamin. But why was the golden cup necessary? The Rosh is bothered by this – why not just arrest them for stealing the money? The Rosh answers beautifully. Yosef had instituted an incredible policy. Whenever a very destitute family came to buy food he would have his officers return the money. In fact this happened repeatedly. The policy was to return the money if the family needed it desperately. Therefore there was no way he could have the brothers arrested for taking the money – it was a common occurrence for him to return money to those who needed it most!

This is the kind of economy (both of Yosef’s innovations) that can survive tough times is one that combines allocation of resources and sensitivity to the needy. We must use what we have properly, respect what we are given, appreciate what we are blessed with and most importantly we must exercise sensitivity to others. If we use our talents to produce great products, produce cutting edge infrastructure and modern facilities we will see our country reborn (without forgetting our duties as custodians of God’s earthly resources).

The lessons of Yosef and the little jug of oil are an eternal inspiration for us as we traverse these hard times. Let us take those lessons and do our part in helping our country pull itself back together. And in the same vain when we are trying to build our community let us use our resources properly and maximize our impact on the community.

A Good Man Never Rests – Drasha Vayeshev

rabbifink — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:04:15 +0000

Thank you to community member Milton Simon for editing these Shabbos speeches given at the Pacific Jewish Center from my notes into these articles.

The Torah tells us in this week’s parsha, “Vayeshev Yaakov b’eretz megurei aviv b’eretz Canaan” Yaakov and his entire family returned to the land of his parents – the land of Canaan. Yaakov has successfully survived the life-threatening conflict with Eisav after preserving his integrity after his father-in-law Lavan has tried to cheat and swindle him during his 20 years of labor. Amazingly, Yaakov developed tremendous wealth despite all of Lavan’s best efforts.

One can imagine a very successful retiree going back to his roots to ride off into the sunset. Yaakov raised 13 children, he had 2 wives plus 2 quasi wives to keep happy. Yaakov has worked very hard to be able to now enjoy his last days basking in the glory of his life’s work. If it were us that is what we would do.

In fact Rashi brings the Medrash Rabba which states that when a Tzaddik has earned a lion’s share of riches in the “world to come” and they ALSO desire to live out their wealthy retirement days in peace and quiet before they die, the Satan (he is the prosecuting angel) complains. He says – “Is it not enough that the Tzaddik will live out his eternal life in Olam haba (afterlife) but he also wants to enjoy a tranquil existence in this world?” The Satan’s complaint “forced” G-d to prove Satan’s complaint unfounded, and this is what happened with Yaakov – just as he is ready to relax the entire incident of Yosef’s kidnapping and sale into slavery occurs. Now Yaakov sits for many years in pain and anguish over his lost son.

Rav Schwab asks the obvious question on this Midrash. What power (why should G-d listen to him?) does the Satan have to stop a Tzaddik from living out his days in peace and tranquility? Leave the poor man alone! Especially when the man is a Yaakov Avinu and his plan is learn Torah day and night!

Avraham, Yaakov’s grandfather took it upon himself to spread the goodness of the Creator to the masses. Avraham made it his life’s mission to inform anyone and everyone that the world has a Master and He has an opinion about how we are to live our lives. Everything Avraham did reflected this mission. His “guest service” was a tool to introduce people to the idea of a single living and loving G-d, and he was rather successful in this endeavor.

As the possuk in Lech Lecha says: Avraham built a mizbeyach (alter) and called out to G-d. Onkelos translates this calling out to G-d as prayer. Ramban disagrees. Ramban learns that the words mean what they say. Avraham literally called out the name G-d to the world. When he was in Ur Kasdim, Avraham was unable to influence anyone due to the prevailing idol worship culture and a dictator in Nimrod who killed all non-idol worshipers. But now Avraham was blessed with “V’avarech Avarechecha” he proclaimed G-d’s existence to the masses and his voice was heard. Ramban continues and says that G-d promised Avroham’s son, Yitzchak that He would be with him and Yitzchak also built a mizbeyach and called out to G-d. Yitzchak was keeping the family tradition alive by proclaiming G-d’s glory to all. Ramban says that we don’t find this anywhere for Yaakov.

Yaakov took a subtler route. Yaakov had children. Yaakov produced a large family which he trained in the ways of G-d. By default they transmitted the message of their grandfather Yitzchak and their great grandfather Avraham to the world. And we continue this mission to this very day.

Rav Schwab adds that Yaakov did actually build mizbeyach but his calling out was personal. He named places with names that reflected a recognition of G-d but (what are you trying to say here?) his influence was certainly palpable. Yaakov wanted to influence the world through his family and this is what is meant by Yaakov seeking peace and tranquility at the end of his days.

On this there is a legitimate complaint the Satan could make. Yaakov should be spreading the word to everyone not just his family. He has limited his exposure to the masses and thereby limited the influence that he could have. This was unacceptable. Yaakov had the responsibility to carry on the tradition of his father and grandfather and bring the masses of people closer to G-d. This was the flaw in Yaakov’s plan.

And it is for this that Yaakov suffered at the hand of the sale of Yosef to Egypt. Yosef goes down to Mitzrayim (Egypt) and affects the masses of mankind, and the “old” Yaakov eventually follows and with 70 family members in tow. They as a group are could have carried out a tremendous influence on the masses, but it was Yosef alone who took the lead.

Yaakov would no longer be able to sit back and raise his family in isolation and avoid the outside world. It fell to Yosef (and eventually his brothers) to influence the world around them. The message of the “fathers” was very clear, be a light to the world, do good and spread Torah and the ways of G-d.

When my great-grandfather Reb Elyah Lopian retired from his post in England as a Torah leader where he served as the Rosh Yeshiva in Etz Chaim he wished to emigrate to the land of Israel. He was 76 years old at the time. He was an accomplished Torah scholar. He had been Rosh Yeshiva at a number of yeshivas already. He had a very large family and desired to live out his days in Eretz Yisrael. He wanted to learn from the Torah of the great scholars of Israel and he looked forward to taking a secondary, less public role to focus on personal growth and Torah study. Reb Elyah was very reluctant to take public speaking roles as his goal was to remain out of the public eye while in the land of Israel.

Reb Elyah had an audience with the Chazon Ish who was the Gadol Hador (the leader of the Jewish religious world, d. 1954). The Chazon Ish asked him what he planned on doing in Israel, Reb Elyah explained that his desire was to learn and imbibe of the Torah of the gedolim (great sages) who were living there. He was convinced that at his age it would not be realistic to seek a position such as a mashgiach or spiritual mentor for teenagers. The Chazon Ish responded with a blessing from Tehillim in our Shir Shel Yom for Shabbos. Od yenuvun bseiva dsheinim veraananim yihyu, which means “they shall yield fruit in a ripe old age.

The mishna in Avos explains that seiva refers to the stage of life where man is in his seventies. The Chazon Ish then added, lehagid ki yashar Hashem, “to proclaim the righteousness of G-d” – yes, he said, at your age you are to be a teacher. Reb Elyah heeded the advice of the Chazon Ish and became the mashgiach in Kfar Chassidim for the next 22 years! His hundreds of Talmidim are ever grateful to the Chazon Ish.

The story echoes of our parsha’s story. There is no rest for the Tzaddik. We can always make a difference.

I know that our community has already accomplished great things in outreach. I know of the many religious families that exist today only due to our influence. You can say confidently – “I did my fair share, it is time for me to take it easy.” To that I say no! You are too great to take it easy. There are people in your neighborhood who are waiting to be invited by you, waiting for you to reach out to them. Bring them to our events. Bring them Monday night to the Chanuka party, bring them every Monday night, bring them to shul on Friday night, bring them to shul on Shabbos morning. Bring them over to me. Let me make a connection with them and give them another reason to come back in all senses of the word.

Together we can do it. We have done it in the past and it is time to get back in the game. We have a variety of opportunities for our neighbors to learn more – let’s reach out to them and give them those opportunities. There is so much energy here ready to be unleashed. We have the infrastructure in place what we need now is the raw material. Don’t ride off into the sunset. Bring Torah to your community by bringing them to the Torah and love for Torah and love for our fellow Jews that we offer at the Pacific Jewish Center.

We can make lay claim to the title Pacific Jewish CENTER – the center for Jewish life in Venice. But only if we make it into a “center” by doing the outreach we are capable of doing.