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Essays on the weekly Torah portion, the holidays and Jewish thought.
Parsha Shmos – Left, Right and Center The lesson for us here in the last generation of Galus and first generation of Geulah-Redemption is that we must bury the exile constraints in the sand, i.e., recognize that Torah, unlike other disciplines, is not a “man.” Torah is Divine. When we internalize and live by the Moses-model of humility Parsha Shmos – Names, Language, Slander and Chastity The virtue of not changing their names suggests that their identities were intact. The worst part of slavery is arguably the loss of identity. A slave is just chattel; the property of his master no different from his house or his animal. Even the most benign form of slavery, is still slavery, wherei Parsha Shmos – No Denial in the Nile Dealing with the pain and suffering of others is a most difficult matter. Many grown people develop a coping mechanism, whereby they desensitize themselves to the pain of others or they are in denial that such suffering is real. This coping mechanism, while it might be necessary to prevent one from Parsha Shmos – No Rest Moses, the paragon of truth could not countenance the idea that his actions would be a “temporary fix.” It was so contrary to his nature and ideal. Therefore, Moses asked G-d to let a more consistent leader begin the process that will end in ultimate and permanent success. Parsha Shmos – Obsession for Life Whether it is praying for children, nurturing life, saving lives, showing contempt for those who take the lives of others lightly, women were always in the forefront of the Jewish nation, when it came to the quest for and promotion and preservation of life. Parsha Shmos – Reach Out and “Touch” Someone In Kabbalah we are taught that the bodily functions derive from their spiritual counterpart. Each part of our body is a reflection of G-d’s attributes, that He uses to relate to His creation. The most important and most dominant Divine attribute is kindness (chessed); G-d’s way of reaching out. Our Parsha Shmos – Remove Your Shoes In truth, every Jew was charged with the responsibility to be a leader. Being a leader is a delicate tightrope act, maintaining a healthy and productive balance between feeling the pain of others and not falling apart in despair. Parsha Shmos – Seeds of Liberation The Rebbe explained the reason for celebrating our birthdays is because it is the anniversary of G-d’s declaration to us: “You are needed and special! “Your soul is unique and its contribution to the world cannot be matched by anyone else. “If I had another soul identical to yours, it would not have Parsha Shmos – Stand Far and Close We can compare our situation to reading a mystery novel. Even if we read the first and last pages and know the outcome, we still have to read the book to discover how the events unfolded and lead to that climax. We are now in middle of the novel, closer to the end to be sure, but we still are in the Parsha Shmos – The Princes of Egypt The Rebbe has suggested that the Final Redemption will be ushered in by our dedication to the teachings of Maimonides—the second Moses—who has illuminated the world with the light of the entire Torah. Moreover, more than any other Jewish scholar, Maimonides has taught us about—thereby preparing us f Parsha Shmos – Take Off the Mask! There are restrictions that have been placed on the study of the mystical teachings of the Torah. These restrictions were not intended as red lights. They were merely stop signs to prepare us for the entry into these very powerful areas of study. Don’t go to areas that are beyond your level; find a Parsha Shmos – Were You Invited to the Inauguration? The capacity to detach oneself from the exalted palace life, literally or figuratively, in order to see another’s plight is the first criterion for a liberator. The second criterion is to never look down at the person one goes out to. And the third criterion is the ability to go into the other perso Parsha Shmos – Whose Who in Exile? In these times of freedom and prosperity we can comfortably say: “You have satisfied us with Your goodness”! So now we can truly appreciate the second part of the prayer: “Gladden our hearts with Your salvation.” G-d for Your own sake bring Moshiach and an end to exile in all of its incarnations and Parsha Shmos – Workaholics and Egyptian Bondage There are people who are so dedicated to their profession or business that they have no sense of time; they are workaholics. Frequently their obsession with constant work will cause them to neglect their families, their religious and Jewish educational responsibilities. For all intents and purposes, Parsha Shmos – Y6k Shabbos is the ultimate expression of freedom. When a Jew liberates himself from work on the day that G-d sanctified, the individual experiences an unparalleled sense of freedom. All the demands made on us from the outside world are suddenly removed. We no longer feel subservient to our employer, th Parsha Haazinu – As an Eagle In the future we will gracefully fly like eagles over the waters. This means that we will have the ability to fathom the most esoteric and elusive G-dly knowledge with relative ease. The most profound and heretofore unfathomable levels of Torah knowledge will be available to us. SHUVAH SHUVAH Parsha Haazinu – A Tale of Two Humilities There are two types of leaders. The first sees the outer trappings of power and becomes intoxicated and blinded by this newly found power. The second acquire a greater awareness of G-d in Whose presence they feel their own insignificance. SHUVAH SHUVAH Parsha Haazinu – Closer to Heaven Because we are in many ways feeling the rays of light of the future in the present, we are that much more likely to experience the closeness to heaven that is unique to Moses and is manifest in these Ten Days of Teshuvah than in the past. Today, everybody with relatively minimal effort can access th Parsha Haazinu – Don’t Sell Ourselves Short We have to be brutally honest, and not try to gloss over our faults and transgressions. Finding mitigating circumstances is commendable when judging others. It is the wrong approach when engaging in self-examination and repentance. We must not say to G-d, “I transgressed, but…” We must take full res Parsha Haazinu – Four Ingredients of Teshuvah The most basic requirement for Teshuvah is a resolution for the future. A thief who wishes to repent, must resolve to never steal again. But that resolve is unlikely to endure without the thief truly experiencing remorse and regret for the past, the second component of Teshuvah. SHUVAH SHUVAH