Vayakhel 5774

“Every man whose heart uplifted him came; and everyone whose spirit motivated him brought the offering of the L-rd for the work of the Tent of Meeting, for all its service and for the sacred vestments.” (Shemot/Exodus 35:21)

In this week’s Torah portion, G-d makes the people responsible for constructing and furnishing the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The execution requires a high level of skill and craftsmanship.

How do these recently freed slaves acquire the know-how and experience to perform the highly skilled work of weaving, sewing and building?

Writes Rabbi Yehanosan Gefen on aish.com: “The Ramban answers that they found deep within their nature the ability. These formerly hidden powers came about as a result of their deep desire to fulfill G-d’s will. As a result of their burning desire, G-d gave them the ability to do things they had never been taught.”

Explain Rabbi Yisroel and Rabbi Osher Anshel Jungreis in Torah for Your Table: “If we truly desire to fulfill the will of G-d, if our hearts burn with fervor for His sake, then G-d will remove all obstacles from our paths and enable us to achieve the impossible. We have an enormous power within ourselves of which we are not even aware, and that is faith. Indeed, if we have faith in our Heavenly Father and seek to fulfill His will, He will enable us to tap energies and abilities that we didn’t even know we possessed. We need only to act upon our dreams and they may well become reality.”

As parents, there may be situations in which certain tasks are required and we feel we are unqualified to perform, yet there does not appear to be anyone else suitable for the job. Rabbi Hillel tells us, “In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.” (Pirkei Avot/Ethics of the Fathers 2:6) When there is no one else and the need is pressing, we must rise to the occasion no matter how incapable we feel. Rabbi Gefen assures us: “If we dedicate ourselves to doing G-d’s will, then surely G-d will bring out in us hidden talents.”

http://www.aish.com/tp/i/gl/245745601.html

Vayeishev 5774

“And the chief wine butler did not remember Yosef (Joseph), and he forgot him.” (Bereishit/Genesis 40:23)

At the end of this week’s Torah portion, Yosef still is unjustly imprisoned in Egypt and shares his incarceration with the chief wine butler. Yosef interprets the butler’s dream and foresees that the butler soon will be released. Yosef asks the butler for a favor upon his release:  to remind Pharaoh that Yosef remains in prison.

Rashi comments based on the Midrash in Bereishit Rabbah: “Because Yosef relied on him [the butler] to remember him, he [Yosef] was compelled to be confined for two [additional] years, as it is said (in Tehillim/Psalms 40:5), ‘Praiseworthy is the man who makes the L-rd his trust.’” In other words, the Midrash faults Yosef for relying on the butler, rather than solely on Hashem.

Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein in A Shabbos Vort writes that The Maharam of Amshinov notes the redundancy in the verse: “did not remember” and “forgot.” The Maharam explains that as soon as he petitions the butler, Yosef realizes his mistake and he immediately prays to G-d that the butler will forget his request.

Rabbi Yaakov Beasley on torah.org considers the balance required between having bitachon (faith) and hishtadlut (taking steps to influence results.) He explains that the requirements for tzadikim (righteous people) differ from those demanded of average people: “The average person must use every human means possible to save himself from a difficult situation. For a tzadik such as Yosef, however, this is considered lacking in his reliance upon Hashem.”

True story: A boy comes home from his first semester in high school with failing grades in every subject but gym. The boy has always struggled with academics and his mother has always helped him with homework or found tutors for more challenging material. Now it seems that this effort, this hishtadlut, is insufficient. The desperate mother turns to G-d, first thanking Him for giving her such a “good boy” and then asking Him for help. Within a day (!), she receives a phone call from someone who is able to help her find a learning specialist she would not have been able to locate without this person’s intervention.

As parents, we must by all means do everything humanly possible to ensure our children’s health, safety and well being. While this may mean turning to other people, such as doctors, teachers, rabbis or trusted relatives or friends, we must never forget to first turn to G-d to ask for assistance. After all, it is He Who looks out for our well being, guides our lives and ensures that we encounter people who can help us.

http://vbm-torah.org/archive/intparsha70/10-70miketz.htm

Chol HaMoed Sukkot 5773

During the festival of Sukkot, we leave the comfort of home to reside in a sukkah, a temporary hut, shack or booth.  The sukkah reminds us that the Israelites dwelled in huts when they left Egypt: "You shall dwell in booths seven days… So that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt."

The Talmud (Sukkah 26a) explains that we dwell in the sukkah as if it were our home. We eat there, entertain there, read, study and may even sleep there. The Talmud (Sukkah 11b) also explains that this verse refers not only to physical huts, but also to the protective Clouds of Glory which G-d spread out over the Israelite encampment to protect the people during their travels.

Rabbi Akiva Tatz writes: “Dwelling in booths is at root an exercise in ego negation; it works to build faith in the spiritual Source and not in the material domain of man's control. The sukkah requires a roof that is very insubstantial -- it must be flimsy enough to allow the rain through; it is good if you can see the stars through it, too. 

One of the root meanings of the Hebrew word sukkah is ‘to see through.’ When we leave our permanent home, the proverbial ‘roof over our head,’ and move into a booth that has hardly a roof at all, we develop the ability to see through the material and perceive the higher. The tempting illusion is that our security derives from the material; the sukkah teaches that if there is security, it comes from elsewhere.

The kabbalistic texts call the sukkah the "shelter of faith." The festival of Sukkot occurs at the harvest season. The message is that when we bring the harvest into our home, just at the time when we may feel most independent, most self-secure, most independently wealthy, the Torah warns us to stay attached to the real Source of all that we have. On Sukkot, we read Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) – ‘All is vanity’; do not invest too much in this world.

Dwelling in booths serves to sensitize us to the higher world, to draw our gaze up metaphorically, through the sukkah's thin cover and not to the security of the concrete roofs of our permanent homes. This is a tangible experience of leaving the material and going out into a different kind of existence.”

Slovie Jungreis-Wolff writes: “Sitting in the sukkah under the stars, we realize that possessions do not bring peace. Life in this world is transient and we will never find serenity in that which is fleeting. We can understand that only living with purpose will bring us a sense of lasting peace.”

As we enter the sukkah, we offer a most beautiful prayer: "May it be Your will. my G-d and G-d of my forefathers, that You cause Your Presence to reside amongst us; that You spread over us the sukkah of Your peace."

Fellow parents, as you enter the sukkat shalom, the sukkah of peace, as you sit inside its walls, take a moment to look around. See the blessings that surround you and the joy that lies right before your eyes. This Sukkot, may you be surrounded by Clouds of Glory, walls of strength and know peace and serenity. Chag sameach! Have a joyous holiday. 

 

 

Behar-Bechukotai 5772

This week’s double parsha begins with the mitzvah of shemitah (sabbatical year), the commandment to leave fields fallow for an entire year, every seven years. This is a tremendous test of the farmer’s faith in G-d that there will be enough food to sustain him and his family during the seventh and eighth years of the agricultural cycle.

Torah interrupts its discussion of shemitah to introduce the prohibition of onaah, wrongdoing. “When you sell to your fellow or buy from your fellow, do not wrong each other…And you shall not wrong, one man his fellow, and you shall fear your G-d, for I am the L-rd, your G-d.”

Why does Torah introduce the prohibition of onaah in the midst of laws about shemitah? If the first prohibition refers to behavior during sales and purchases, what form of onaah does the second address?

Rabbi Yissocher Frand cites the Beis Av who explains that the point of shemitah is to remind us that what we have, and how much we have of it, comes from G-d.  By extension, there can be no point of cheating. Writes Rabbi Frand: “A person may think that he can beat the game. He may think that his underhanded methods will bring him additional money that he would not have otherwise. But if he honestly believes that everything comes from G-d, he certainly cannot expect to outsmart Him…In the end, the bottom line will be what G-d wants it to be.”

The commentators interpret the second verse as referring to the prohibition of onaat devarim, doing harm with one’s words. Why does this injunction appear in the midst of laws about shemitah? Rabbi Frand makes this connection: “The motivation behind snide remarks is really a lack of satisfaction with one’s own portion in life. It reflects an insufficient trust and faith in G-d.”  When we speak badly about a person, it is just as if we have cheated him in a business transaction – we have diminished him in order to enrich ourselves.  The verse concludes with “I am the L-rd, your G-d” in order to remind us that only G-d has the ultimate say on one’s portion in life.

Talmud (Bava Metzia 58b) provides examples of onaat devarim. One is not permitted to remind a penitent of past transgressions. To a person who has rectified his behavior, such a reminder can be painful and embarrassing. As parents, we should keep this in mind when speaking to our children, or when sharing humorous stories about them. No child is comfortable recalling how difficult he was as a toddler; no young adult wants herself or others to hear about the trouble she got into as a teen. Once children have matured and moved beyond old behaviors there is no need to embarrass them with outdated stories.

Mishpatim 5772

In this week's parsha, Moshe reads the people mishpatim (ordinances), which are 53 mitzvot (commandments) that are mostly civil laws. The people of Israel respond, "All that the L-rd spoke, we will do and we will hear/understand (na'aseh v'nishma)."

The classic question is, how can one "do" before one "hears/understands"?

Our tradition understands the phrase na'aseh v'nishma to be the consummate commitment to Torah observance. By putting action before understanding, the people express their faith in G-d and their promise to follow G-d's laws, even before fully comprehending what is required of them.

Some have called this "blind faith." In fact, the Talmud quotes a Sadducee who calls Jews "you rash people who gave precedence to your mouth over your ears…First you should have listened, and if it is within your powers, accept; if not, you should not have accepted."

The Midrash says that when the people of Israel give priority to "we will do", a heavenly voice proclaims, "Who revealed to My children this secret, which is employed by the angels? As it is written, (Tehillim/Psalms 103:20) 'Bless the L-rd His angels, those mighty in strength, who fulfill His word, who hear the voice of His word' – first they fulfill, then they hear."

The Chassidic masters say: "The greatness of the people of Israel was not that they were prepared to 'blindly' do G-d's bidding without understanding (in which case they would have said only 'we will do' ), but that they placed their doing before their understanding. G-d desires that we should do as well as 'hear' and comprehend His will, so that we serve Him not only with our hands and feet, but also with our minds and hearts. But our doing should serve as the basis of our understanding rather than the other way around."

Judaism is not a religion that encourages blind faith; by contrast, our tradition values study, questions and multiple interpretations. Judaism is not just an ideology or faith; it is a way of life. You are born a Jew and remain one whether or not you ever do anything "Jewish." However, to live a Jewish life means to act upon the teachings of our tradition. Through doing, we come to appreciate and understand the wisdom of our way of life.

Writes Rabbi Label Lam on torah.org: "One can study the laws of Shabbat and read a thousand doctoral theses on the subject, interview subjects and still never know what it's really about without having first tasted a Shabbat itself."

As parents, it is not enough to drop off our kids at after-school religious school programs, or to send them to day schools and yeshivas so that they can learn about our traditions. We, ourselves, must actively participate in Jewish life in public and, more importantly, at home. Only then, when our children question and challenge us, will we be prepared to answer. In the words coined in the hallowed halls of Madison Avenue, "Just do it!" (Or was that "Just Jew it"?)

Masei 5771

This week's parsha begins with a recapitulation of the journeys of the Israelites in the desert wilderness. "These are the journeys of the Children of Israel, by which they went forth out of the Land of Egypt…" Forty-two times the parsha reiterates "and they journeyed…and they camped."

Why does Torah use the plural form of the word "journey" and then reiterate 42 seemingly separate journeys and encampments?

It took forty-two stages for the Israelites to get from Egypt to Israel, over a period of forty years. Each stage of the journey was determined exclusively by Divine decree—42 times, the cloud which hovered over the Jewish camp began to move on when they were required to relocate. Sforno explains that G-d wanted to record in Torah all of the stops and starts in the wilderness to demonstrate the Israelites' faith in G-d and their readiness to travel at His direction regardless of the difficulties, or their lack of understanding the route.

The Baal Shem Tov teaches that the forty-two stages from Egypt to the Promised Land are replayed in the life of each Jew, as our soul journeys from birth, to its return to its Source at death. Until we arrive at the ultimate goal, we are always in the process of leaving Egypt.

The Hebrew word for Egypt is Mitzrayim. Its root is tzar, which means "narrow" or "constricted" and it is related to the Hebrew word meitzar, which means "strait." Life is a succession of tight and narrow spots followed by relief and expansion. At every stage in our life's journeys, we face obstacles and tests. Through overcoming these difficulties and learning from their lessons, we become strengthened, and our awareness of G-d is expanded.

This parsha is always read during the three weeks of mourning that mark the tragic period of the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem by Babylonians and Romans thousands of years ago (the 17^th day of the Hebrew month Tammuz, this year July 19), to the destruction of our Temples on Tisha B'Av (the ninth day of the Hebrew month Av, this year August 9.) This period also is known as bein ha-meitzar, which means "between the tragedies" or "between the straits or narrow confines."

As parents, when our journeys become difficult, when we are tested and challenged, especially when we face tragedy, we should remember that our journeys have a purpose. G-d directs us and leads us to an ultimate destination. In Torah (Exodus/Shemot 3:8), the Land of Israel is described as eretz tova u'rachava, a good and spacious land. The psalmist writes: "From the straits I call out to G-d and He answers me from the wide open spaces." (Psalms/Tehillim 118) Eventually, we all will arrive in the Land of Israel. Each of us will experience a personal redemption, and the entire Jewish nation also will be redeemed. May it be speedily in our days.

Shelach 5771

This week's parsha begins with G-d telling Moshe to send men who "will explore the Land of Canaan which I am giving to the Children of Israel." The parsha ends with the passage we recite every morning and evening in the Shema: "they shall make for themselves tzitzit (fringes) on the corners of their garments…This shall be tzitzit for you, and when you see it, you will remember all the commandments of the L-rd to perform them, and you shall not explore after your hearts and after your eyes after which you are going astray."

Why does the same word for "explore" (v'yaturu/lo taturo) occur in the opening and closing verses of the parsha?

Rashi comments on the latter verse: "The heart and the eyes are 'spies' for the body, and they act as the body's agents in sinning. The eye sees, the heart desires and the body carries out the sins." The fringes of the tzitzit surrounding us on all four sides are a visual reminder of G-d's presence everywhere.

In this week's parsha, twelve men are sent to explore the Land of Israel. Ten of the explorers (the commentators call them meraglim—spies) reject the report that that G-d promised to take them to a land "flowing with milk and honey." They cannot take it on trust. They want to check out the land with their own eyes and decide for themselves. They see exactly what they want to see: a land governed by natural laws, where people live and die (there are many funerals); a beautiful land, but one that goes against all the laws of nature (the produce and the people are unnaturally large.) They wrongly conclude that they will not be able to conquer the land. "We were in our own eyes as grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes."

The sin of the spies is a failure of faith. They allow themselves to be misled by the external appearance of the natural world into a colossal failure of nerve, despite all the promises given by G-d that He would bring them to the land. They then conduct an ingenious operation of public opinion manipulation, using skillfully chosen words to implant in the people's minds a vision of the impossibility of achieving their natural destiny. The people should have focused their vision on that which is beyond nature -- the miracles that had been performed for them. This should have given them the faith that G-d has the power to fulfill His promises.

Faith does not depend upon what the eyes see. We declare our faith wrapped in the tallit (prayer shawl), clutching the tzitzit by our hearts, closing our eyes to the visual world around us and covering them with our hand: "Shema Yisrael, HaShem is our G-d!"
The tzitzit are the remedy for faulty and sinful vision.

Being a parent demands this kind of faith. Each of our children represents a promise from G-d. Only we, as parents, can see each of our children's potential. We need to focus on the vision we have for our children and not be swayed by competing attempts to distract us and confuse our hearts. It is up to us as parents to recognize that with G-d's help, all is possible for our children.

Excerpted from an article by Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Greenbaum. Read it in its entirety at http://www.azamra.org/Parshah/SHELACH.htm.