tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55299453089992220722024-03-27T16:54:27.951-07:00Yosef's DreamsIdeas to Consider and Share with Others.
Working together to bring the holy to HollywoodRabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.comBlogger458125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-54695169286216729902024-03-21T06:47:00.000-07:002024-03-21T06:47:49.526-07:00 The Korban Oleh V’Yored in Our Lives<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">One of the first terms that I learned when I was working at a Jewish Family Service in NJ was sliding scale fee. As a not-for—profit mental health facility, Jewish Family Services is committed to helping those in need, irrespective of a client’s ability to pay; so most agencies have a sliding scale fee arrangement. A person pays what s/he is able to afford, based on their income and financial situation.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">One could say that the idea of a sliding scale fee structure is found in this week’s Parsha. Sefer Vayikra begins with an overview of the various types of sacrifices, and the circumstances surrounding the offering of each. Chapter Five teaches that there are some violations for which a Korban Oleh V’Yored is brought. A Korban Oleh V’Yored is a sliding scale sacrifice (Oleh V’Yored means “up and down”). One who is of means will bring a female sheep or goat as a Korban Chatat. If one cannot afford an animal then they bring two doves instead. Those who cannot even afford two birds are instructed to bring an offering of flour as a Korban. Korban Oleh V’Yored reminds us that our ability to have a relationship with G-d and to be a valued member of Jewish society is not dependent on one’s economic status. As long as one commits to the cause and they reach deep to do and to give as much as they can- then we appreciate their efforts and they are considered members in good standing within the community.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">In explaining the “sliding scale Korban” the Sefer Hachinuch makes two points. First, quoting the Talmud, the Chinuch writes that if one has the means to afford a goat or sheep as their Korban but instead brings a less expensive sacrifice, that person has not fulfilled his or her requirement and must bring another sacrifice that is on par with their economic status. The message here is clear. People must be willing to honestly prioritize their financial resources and determine what it is they are able to give. The Torah warns us not to undervalue nor undercut our religious and communal obligations.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">The second point that the Chinuch makes is that if a person of modest means overextends him or herself in order to bring a sacrifice that is out of their budget, that person has also NOT fulfilled their obligation of bringing a Korban Oleh V’Yored. It seems odd: after all, there is a rich tradition within the Halacha of Hidur Mitzvah, of spending more than the minimum in order to perform a mitzvah in a beautiful way. Why is it that a person of modest means who stretches to bring a more expensive Korban should be denied the opportunity?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">The Sefer Hachinuch is teaching us the importance of living within our means. If a person cannot afford it, then s/he should not be buying it, even for the sake of a mitzvah. It’s a difficult lesson to take seriously in this country. After all, our government is 34 Trillion dollars (that’s twelve zeros) in debt. That works out to over $101,000 of debt for each person living in this country. Is it any wonder that personal debt has reached epidemic proportions? The average household is burdened with 12,000 dollars of credit card debt. It has come to the point in this country that debt is good for your credit rating. A person with debt in most circumstances will be considered a better candidate for a loan than someone without debt. Korban Oleh V’Yored teaches us the value of living within our means and of financial independence. The Torah is satisfied with different sacrifices from different people, so long as everyone prioritizes the cause and gives it their best effort.</p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-35597241348608429402024-02-29T10:08:00.000-08:002024-02-29T10:08:59.972-08:00The Half Shekel and Tzedakah: Acting Beyond Our Egos<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">In describing the mitzvah of the half shekel, the Torah at the beginning of Parshat Ki Tisa states: “The rich shall give no more, and the poor shall give no less than half a shekel.” The half shekel is a contribution that every obligated Jew contributes in an equal fashion. The Rambam expounds on the obligation of the poor to contribute this half shekel: “Even a poor man who derives his livelihood from charity is obligated [to make this donation]. He should borrow from others or sell the clothes5 he is wearing so that he can give a half-shekel of silver.” Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zt’l notes that this is the only mitzvah in the Torah that requires a poor person to sell his garments in order to fulfill the obligation. This might be because the half shekel is referred to as “an atonement for your souls”, and everyone can use some atonement.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Additionally, the half shekels were used to purchase animals that were brought as communal sacrifices which would facilitate atonement for the nation as a whole. Rav Lichtenstein notes that it would be inappropriate for a person to enjoy the benefits of this communal atonement without participating in the burden (financial and others) required to attain it. This is an important lesson that extends far beyond the half shekel and communal sacrifices. If we benefit from Jewish communal resources, whether directly or indirectly, then we should feel a sense of responsibility to contribute to the ongoing vitality and expansion of those resources.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Rav Lichtenstein notes that when it comes to the laws of Tzedakah, the Rambam similarly writes that even a poor person who himself is dependent on charity must give something to tzedakah on an annual basis (Laws of <i>Matnot Aniyim </i>7:1-5). Why must a beneficiary of tzedakah still give his own tzedakah? Rav Lichtenstein explains that Halacha wants every person to be a giver in some way and at some time; even if that person is most often a receiver. By being a giver a person will leave his self-centered perspective and see/ assist others in need.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">The Talmud in Baba Batra (8b) teaches that Beit Din is empowered to compel a person to give tzedakah. Some of the commentators ask on this rule based on another Talmudic teaching that “any Beit Din cannot compel a person to perform any commandment that has a specific reward stated in the Torah”. And tzedakah is a mitzvah whose reward is specified in the Torah (Devarim 15:10): “You shall surely give him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him; for because of this thing the Lord, your God, will <u>bless you in all your work and in all your endeavors</u>.” Rav Lichtenstein suggested that the reason Beit Din can compel the performance of tzedakah is out of a concern for the moral health of society. Beit Din is empowered to educate the community and to compel people move out of their natural egocentric perspective and consider other people and their needs as an expression of their role as part of the Jewish community. </p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-53255017495003677352024-02-22T11:16:00.000-08:002024-02-22T11:16:28.837-08:00Why the Kohen Wears Shatnez, But We Don’t <p><span style="font-family: arial;"> The uniform of the Kohanim while serving in the Mishkan was meant to have a powerful spiritual impact, both on the priests themselves as well as on the rest of Bnai Yisrael. A peculiar characteristic of some of these garments stands out and begs an explanation. Regarding the <i>Ephod</i>, the apron from whose straps hung the <i>Choshen Mishpat</i> (the breast plate containing precious stones representing each of the twelve tribes), the Torah states (Shemot 28:6, 15):</span></p><blockquote style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-family: arial;">“And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the skillful workman.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">“And you shall make a breastplate of judgment, the work of the skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Rambam identified the type of thread that was dyed with the colors that the Torah specifies.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">(Mishnah Torah Klei HaMikdash 8: 13):</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">“Whenever the Torah uses the word <i>sheish</i> or <i>bad</i>, it is referring to linen. Whenever the term <i>techeilet</i> is used, it refers to wool which is dyed blue. The term <i>argaman</i> refers to wool that is dyed red. And <i>tola'at sheni </i>refers to wool dyed with a bug.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The <i>Ephod</i>, the <i>Choshen</i> and the <i>Avnet</i> (belt) were therefore comprised of a mixture of linen and wool, a combination that the Torah explicitly prohibits to wear as <i>shatnez</i>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the few commentators to addresses this question of <i>shatnez</i> in the Kohen’s garments was Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. In a section of commentary dealing with <i>shatnez</i> Rav Hirsch explains, “Only the priest had wool and flax mixed in his clothing, for he represents the community as a unity, and in his personality bridges all dissimilarities.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In Rav Hirsch’s view, rather than thinking of <i>shatnez</i> as something negative, it represents a higher, unified level of existence in which only special people involved in special ritual activities can access. According to Rav Hirsch we should view <i>shatnez</i> on some level as symbolizing the ideal of Jewish unity which we should yearn for and admire as it is manifest in the service of the Kohanim, even as it is forbidden to the rest of us. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Diversity and unity are important Jewish values. I have been known to say that one of the few types of people that might not feel comfortable at our shul is a person who is looking for uniformity and doesn’t want to daven in the same shul as someone who ___________ (fill in the blank).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I view the diversity of our shul as an essential feature and as a strength. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">As individuals we are entitled, even encouraged, to socialize and surround ourselves with like minded people with similar values who will support and inspire us in our lifelong pursuit of religious growth. But as a kehilla I believe that we are called upon to celebrate our diversity and to live the lesson that is taught by the priestly <i>shatnez</i> garments.</span></div></div></blockquote>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-69230836361973290432024-02-15T11:59:00.000-08:002024-02-15T11:59:06.248-08:00Give or Take- But Know How to Take<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">There is an enigmatic line at the beginning of Parshat
Terumah. Hashem commands Moshe to tell Bnei Yisrael to embark upon a much
needed building campaign (25:2):<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְיִקְחוּ־לִ֖י תְּרוּמָ֑ה</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">“Speak to the
children of Israel, and <b><u>have them take</u></b> for Me a donation”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Jewish People are being informed of the need to raise
funds and collect materials in order to build the Mishkan. We would expect
Hashem to command the people “to give a donation”, yet the word used is to
“take a donation”. This question is raised by many commentators throughout the
ages and one famous answer is the same sentiment expressed by Amschel
Rothschild, that what really belongs to us forever are those things that we
give to others and dedicate to good causes greater than ourselves. “The more
you give, the more you get” is not merely a cliché but a profoundly Jewish way
to look at life and to live life.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski offers an alternate explanation.
Instead of focusing on the power and importance of giving, Rabbi Dr Twerski
sees in this pasuk a reminder of the importance of taking. While conventional
wisdom teaches that it is easy to take and sometimes more difficult to give,
some people feel that accepting help of any kind is demeaning. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Mishnah in Peah (8:9) teaches: “And anyone who does not
need to take [charity] and yet takes, will not depart from this world before he
actually needs [charity] from others. And anyone who needs to take and does not
take, will not die of old age until he supports others with his own money.” It
seems from this Mishnah that self-sufficiency is the highest value, even if a
person needs help s/he should refrain from taking. However, Rabbi Ovadia
MiBartenura explains this Mishnah by adding an important caveat: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">“However if the work of his hands
is not sufficient for him and he afflicts himself in a life of pain that near
death, on this they said, that whomever needs to take and does not take, he is
like one who sheds blood and it is forbidden to have mercy upon him, for he
does not have consideration for his own soul, how much more so upon the souls
of others.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rabbi Dr. Twersky explains that people who are incapable of
accepting assistance when needed often suffer from low self-esteem which can
negatively impact not only one’s perception of self but also their
relationships with others. He retells a story from his own practice to
highlight this idea: (<i>Twersky on Chumash</i> pg. 157)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">One of my patients, a woman who was
recovering from alcoholism, confided in a friend that her furnace had broken
down in the midst of a frigid spell and she had slept three nights in an
unheated apartment. Her friend said, “You could have stayed at my house for
those three nights.” She responded, “I don’t like to impose on anyone.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">I called this patient and I told
her that I was disappointed because I was hopeful that she could be helpful to
newcomers in recovery. She said, “Please, you can call on me at any time.” I
said, “I’m sorry, but I cannot. Anyone who cannot accept help has no right to
give it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Perhaps the Torah uses a language of “taking” when it comes
to the Mishkan to teach us that while giving is good and commendable, if we
want to strengthen all of our relationships (with others, with Hashem, and with
ourselves) we have to also be able to take at times.<o:p></o:p></p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-50831720277651736822024-02-08T06:13:00.000-08:002024-02-08T06:13:28.254-08:00Happiness Tips from Our Daily Davening<p> Today is Rosh Chodesh Adar Rishon. This year there are two
Adar’s on the Jewish calendar. The Mishna states that “When Adar begins we
increase our joy.” We might assume that in a leap year with two Adar’s this
Talmudic statement only applies the the second Adar, the Adar in which we celebrate
the very joyous holiday of Purim. However, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, among others,
insists that the imperative to increase our joy applies to both months of Adar.
Happiness can refer to so many expressions, with just as many different causes.
What does Jewish tradition mean when it talks about happiness? Our daily
recitation of Az Yashi, the Song at the Sea, in Pesukei D’Zimra provides us
with some insight and some direction.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In Shulchan Aruch Siman 51, the Mishnah Berura quotes a
passage from the Zohar: “that when Shirat Hayam is recited daily, it should be
recited <i>B’Simcha</i>, with joy, and <u>one should imagine as if s/he is
actually crossing the Yam Suf at that moment</u>.” From this Zohar we learn
that we are supposed to be happy when we recite Shirat Hayam- BC THE JEWS WERE
HAPPY WHEN THEY ORIGINALLY RECITED IT.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Research has shown that three of the most important
qualities that happy people possess are: a feeling of control over one’s life,
a sense of optimism, and faith/ religion- a sense of purpose greater than
themselves. At the Splitting of the Yam Suf the Pasuk tells us:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“<i>Vayar
Yisrael et Mitzrayim met al sefat Hayam.”</i> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For the first time in over two centuries, Bnai Yisrael were
not slaves to a human master. At the moment that they saw the Egyptians drown,
they realized that they were now in control of their own destiny. Though this
may seem a little scary at first, possessing both free will and agency to act
are key ingredients in happiness.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“<i>Vayaaminu BaHashem ubeMoshe Avdo</i>”: In addition to
their newfound sense of agency and responsibility, the Jews had <i>Emunah</i>,
faith. They had faith in Hashem, ie a commitment to a higher purpose and to
religion; as well as faith in themselves that with the help of G-d they could
overcome any obstacles in their way.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another contributing
factor to happiness is being active: challenging ourselves to try new things
and to do things that we love. Happiness is often a pleasant side effect to
pursuing other activities: whether it is a job, a hobby or a volunteer
opportunity. Inactivity and too much leisure can be impediments to happiness.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This seems to be Hashem’a advice to Bnei Yisrael before they
even get to Yam Suf:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“<i>Ma Tizak Elai- Daber El Bnei Ysirael Vayisau</i>-“G-d
tells Moshe to convey to the people that inactivity will bring anxiety and a
feeling of hopelessness. But getting up and going, doing something, in tandem
with a feeling of control, optimism and faith in G-d, will lead to success.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A fifth and final factor in achieving happiness is to
cultivate relationships. The more quality relationships a person has, the more
likely h/she is to be happy. At the Sea, Bnai Yisrael began to appreciate these
relationships. They respond with Shira- song. Song only works when people are
relating to one another: singing their parts, and playing their instruments
together to create beautiful music. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When we put all of these factors together, we begin to map
out the components of happiness and see areas of focus for us as we enter the
month of Adar. Let us appreciate the control and agency that we execute in our
lives. Let us be optimistic, Let us strengthen our faith in Hashem and in
ourselves. Let us invest, and never take for granted, our relationships; and
let us seek opportunities to develop new relationships. At the Red Sea we
learned the key ingredients to happiness. Let us recommit to these lessons
every day of our lives and especially during the months of Adar.<o:p></o:p></p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-41147117707227257602024-02-01T06:42:00.000-08:002024-02-01T06:42:04.794-08:00Don’t Forget You’re in Galus<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">In Parshat Yitro we read how both of Moshe’s sons were given names that were reminders of the challenges that Moshe had experienced during his lifetime (18:3-4): “the name of the first sonw as Gershom, because Moshe said ‘I was a stranger in a strange land.’ The name of the other son was Eliezer, because ‘the God of my father helped me and rescued me from Pharaoh’s sword.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">The Pardes Yosef explains that Moshe chose these names for his sons because he wanted them to grow up with a perspective that they may not have otherwise had. Moshe’s sons grew up in Midian, far from the oppression and danger of Egypt. They lacked nothing and probably feared nothing. They grew up surrounded by the love of their parents and (maternal) grandparents. They had a idyllic upbringing, and that is why Moshe gave them names that would always remind them of the precarious state of the Jewish experience- even when times are good. A Jewish child in the Diaspora must be taught that Galus, whether Egypt or Midian or America, is not the Jewish homeland. Though it doesn’t always feel like it, we live a precarious existence that requires both Divine intervention and a self-awareness of the underlying vulnerabilities and dangers that always exist for a Jew. By choosing these names, it was as if Moshe was telling his son, “My life should teach you, and all of Klal Yisrael, a lesson. I grew up as a prince in Egypt. I had everything a boy could want. I lived a privileged life. And then my whole world turned upside down, and I had to flee for my life.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Moshe’s story has repeated itself many times throughout Jewish history. The Pardes Yosef gives the example of the Jews of Spain. Once upon a time the Jews experienced a “golden age” living in Spain. They were secure, respected and prosperous. Jewish leaders, such as the Abravanel and Rav Shmuel Hanagid, served as trusted advisers to the monarchs of Spain. And then things changed, and the Jews lost favor. A century of turbulence for Spanish Jews ended with the edict of the expulsion of Spanish Jewry on Tisha B’Av 1492.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">The Talmud (Baba Batra 73b) quotes a parable offered by Rabba bar bar Channah: “We were once traveling on a boat and saw what turned out to be a fish. It was so huge that sand collected on its back, and we thought that it was actually an island. We got off the boat and stepped onto this “island”. We started a barbecue. When the heat got too much for the fish, it rolled over and we fell off into the water. Had we not been close to the boat, we would have all drowned.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">The Maharsha explains the parable as follows: Those who live in the Diaspora are trying to navigate our way through the stormy seas of exile. We think we have found a safe haven to land. We get comfortable, start living our lives, and we may even prosper. Then our island turns over and we realize that we were never really safe- we had planted ourselves on the back of a finicky fish. As we recover from the latest expulsion we consider ourselves lucky to just be alive.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Whether America is in fact a finicky fish or Spain is beside the point. American Jews have been blessed and we hope that these blessings continue. But the lesson that Moshe tried to impart through the names of his two sons must resonate, especially today. Jewish life outside of the Jewish homeland should never be viewed as guaranteed. A Galus mentality must include an awareness of our relatively precarious state and that Israel needs to be part of our present identity, just as we know that it is our future. </p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-292579528216517342024-01-24T15:36:00.000-08:002024-01-24T15:36:14.548-08:00Tu B’Shevat 5784 Musings<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Tu B’Shevat 5784 Musings<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4L-kgMRUzqia94KUmQyfmyYaYGw3gR-XdCFaDOsrJausZuIbEVThxZVNei4ha10HtLcNCl5_D-N-IsFtu3sgswfDv14uhlbFtelos9mfDjqEKwrsk3zfYkZ2OuLqqG36Smrr2hvPDEvA2q5_OB2YDr9D59paQxgV_y8SJKKmMthxwX34QgFkPpsolMg/s680/Kfar%20Azza%20orange%20tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="569" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4L-kgMRUzqia94KUmQyfmyYaYGw3gR-XdCFaDOsrJausZuIbEVThxZVNei4ha10HtLcNCl5_D-N-IsFtu3sgswfDv14uhlbFtelos9mfDjqEKwrsk3zfYkZ2OuLqqG36Smrr2hvPDEvA2q5_OB2YDr9D59paQxgV_y8SJKKmMthxwX34QgFkPpsolMg/s320/Kfar%20Azza%20orange%20tree.jpg" width="268" /></a></b></div><b><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Every year on the spring holiday of Tu Bishvat, the Knesset
traditionally holds a festive event, open to the public, to celebrate both
the holiday and the Knesset’s founding in 1949. This time, however, the
ceremony began with a moment of silence in memory of the 24 soldiers who were
killed in two incidents in the Gaza Strip on Monday.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Knesset Speaker MK Amir Ohana stressed the diverse backgrounds of
the soldiers who were killed, including Elkana Vizel, who was evacuated from
Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip in 2005; Nir Binyamin, from Givatayim; and Ahmad
Abu-Latif, from the Bedouin city of Rahat.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The modern celebration of Tu B’Shevat is tied to the modern state
of Israel. This year, Tu B’Shevat is overshadowed by the war in Gaza. In honor
of our recent celebration of Tu B’Shevat, I want to share three stories of hope
and resilience that relate to Israel, agriculture, and October 7:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">From Reuters January 21:<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Some of the bereaved families whose loved ones were killed in a
Hamas rampage at the Nova music festival joined an Israeli Jewish nature
project group on Sunday for a special tree-planting event at the site.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Around 1,000 people planted about 200 seedlings in the scorched
earth of the Re'im parking lot where thousands of young people were partying in
the dawn hours of Oct. 7 when armed Palestinian infiltrators swept in.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">“I still can’t believe that we are planting a tree instead of
hugging our child,” Ela Bahat, whose son Dror was killed at the festival, told
Reuters.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Family members wept while planting trees with the Israeli Jewish
National Fund, hoping to bring new life to the scene of death and desecration.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">From the Times of Israel, November 5, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The owners of a small plant nursery in Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the
worst devastated communities in the October 7 Hamas onslaught, thought they had
lost their business when they were forced to evacuate. But then they returned,
only to discover soldiers had broken in to water the plants.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">“Be’eri had a thriving nursery for household plants, a little
blossoming paradise that made everyone happy,” owner Avivit John wrote on
social media Saturday.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">“When we were forced to evacuate, it was clear that all the plants
would dry up. Rain does not get inside and the watering was done by hand. After
two days without water, the plants start to wither,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Now we found a small
miracle in Be’eri,” she wrote, posting a video of the thriving nursery they
found when they returned several weeks later and a sign explaining it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">“Sorry we broke into the nursery, we had to water the plants. With
love, the soldiers,” the sign said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">On October 7<sup>th</sup> a tank entering Kfar Azza ran over an
orange tree as it was responding to the terrorist attack. The tank was part of
the Israeli response that was ultimately able to kill 100 terrorists in the
kibbutz. Three weeks later, those who were in the tank came back to Kfar Azza
to plant a new orange tree to replace the one that they had destroyed. See
picture above of the planting, with the old tree in the background.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">When I was a high school senior I applied to Yeshivat Har Etzion
and was interviewed by the great Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zt’l. In the second
part of the interview Rav Lichtenstein asked me why I thought the founding
fathers of the United States idealized the agrarian lifestyle. The torah also
idealizes an agrarian lifestyle and a connection to the Land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps that is because Jews, like farmers,
value hard work, patience, resilience, and prayer.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-81609752463214539092024-01-17T10:29:00.000-08:002024-01-17T10:29:53.727-08:00Kiddush Hashem Doesn’t Always Have To Be Difficult<p> Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv, better known as the Alter of Kelm,
once wrote a letter of gratitude to a great Jewish philanthropist whom we
assume was Baron Edmond Rothschild. Here is a quote from that letter (recorded
in the book <i>Ohr Rashaz</i>):</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">“I am writing to thank your exalted
honor to give thanks and to bless you for all the kindnesses you constantly do
for Hashem’s flock by choosing to follow the advice of the Holy One Blessed is
He: ‘Choose life.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">“Do not suspect me, <i>chas
v’shalom</i>, of seeking my own benefit; Heaven forbid I should do that. But in
my humble opinion I am obligated to give thanks to you and to bless you for the
wonderful things you do for Klal Yisrael for when a person as respected as you
stands before kings and upholds the fortress of our religion the ordinary
people take note and learn from you. That is a great kiddush Hashem which you
have brought about and spread throughout the world and your reward will be very
great.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In that same letter Reb Simcha Zissel shares a lesson from
Parshat Bo. The last of the ten plagues is the death of all Egyptian firstborn
males. We read in Bo that the firstborn of the Jewish People, human and animal,
will forever be sanctified due to the miracle of Makkat Bechorot. The Alter
asked: What did the Jewish firstborn do in Egypt to earn this status of
heightened sanctity? Also, being a firstborn is merely an accident of birth.
Why should that warrant an elevated status? The Alter of Kelm answered that we
learn from here that even passive participation in a Kiddush Hashem is a
noteworthy accomplishment. It is meritorious if God chooses you to play a role
in a Kiddush Hashem, even if it is only a passive role.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After sharing this Dvar Torah with the Baron, the Alter went
on to write that if Parshat Bo teaches us that a passive participant in Kiddush
Hashem is rewarded to such a great degree, then how much greater must the
reward be for someone like Baron Rothschild who is an active contributor to
Kiddush Hashem. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of our major tasks in life is to bring a positive
awareness and consciousness of God in this world. This is what we mean by
creating Kiddush Hashem. Sometimes this is accomplished through hard and
difficult actions. Sometimes it can be accomplished through passivity, like by
just being a first born. Opportunities to create Kiddush Hashem lie along a
continuum, and we should not underestimate the potential of creating Kiddush
Hashem throughout our routine and normal activities. The Talmud teaches just
how easy Kiddush Hashem can be accomplished 9Yoma 86a):<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">One should do so <b>in that he</b>
should <b>read</b> Torah, <b>and learn</b> Mishna, <b>and serve Torah scholars,
and he should be pleasant with people in his business transactions. What do
people say about</b> such a person? <b>Fortunate is his father who taught him
Torah, fortunate is his teacher who taught him Torah, woe to the people who
have not studied Torah. So-and-so, who taught him Torah, see how pleasant are
his ways, how proper are his deeds. The verse states about him</b> and others
like him: <b>“You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified”</b>
(Isaiah 49:3).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Talmud also warns us that it can be just as easy to
create Chilul Hashem, a desecration of God’s name, if we are not careful with
our actions nor with the perception of those deeds. With a little bit of
attention and intention we have opportunities all the time to create Kiddush
Hashem through relatively easy, normal and routine actions and behaviors. Let
us take advantage of those easy Kiddush Hashem opportunities when they present
themselves. <o:p></o:p></p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-28385825056271882172024-01-11T06:51:00.000-08:002024-01-11T06:51:46.162-08:00Rabbi Weinstock Goes To Washington <p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">On Wednesday I was in Washington DC as part of a mission organized by OU Advocacy. Over 100 Jews from across the country traveled to our nation’s capital, on their own time and on their own dime, to advocate to our elected officials on behalf of causes important to our American Jewish community. The focus of our advocacy was support for Israel, support for the Non-profit Security Grant Program (of which our shul has been a beneficiary a number of times), and addressing antisemitism. At the White House we heard from Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, Special Envoy to monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. Ambassador Lipstadt explained that antisemitism is not only a threat to Jews, but also to democracy. She suggested that is why China has recently allowed anti-Semitic material to be disseminated through its government sanctioned internet and social media addresses. Historically the Chionese have had much affinity towards the Jewish People. But disseminating Jew hatred is a way to undermine democracy, which is something China is interested in accomplishing.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">During lunch in the Senate office building we heard from a number of senators who expressed their strong support for Israel and their condemnation of Jew hatred. Senator Katie Britt from Alabama impressed me with her sincerity and her clarity when she said, “Evil cannot be defeated through equivocation or complicity. Good will win.” Senator Susan Collins from Maine reminded the audience that the protestors are not pro-Palestinian, but rather they are pro-Hamas. Senator Collins told a powerful story of how after meeting her great aunt she carried a picture of Abigail Idan who was 3 years old when she was taken hostage by Hamas. After Abigail was returned to her aunt (her parents were killed on 10/7) the family sent Senator Collins another picture of Abigail which she keeps in her office.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Senator Kevin Cramer from North Dakota explained that his support from Israel originated with his mom who was a firm believer in the Bible, including the part in Genesis that says that those who bless the Jewish People will be blessed. Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri noted that October 7 was a “civilizational moment” for the world to understand the evils that exist in the world and the importance of combatting that evil and standing on the right side of history. Florida Senator Marco Rubio expressed dismay at the current state of elite universities and noted that we cannot have a strong country without stable communities and strong families.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">In the afternoon I was part of a small group that met with the staff of Representative Jared Moskowitz and ended my day leading a meeting with our representative, Congresswomen Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Both Debbie and Jared are proud Jews and very supportive of Israel and the fight against anti-Semitism. Debbie recently returned from a trip to Qatar in which she pushed the country to do more to bring the hostages home.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">My trip was brief but heartening. The Jewish People and the Jewish State have many friends in the halls of power in America. On my way out of the House office building I ran into Congressman Derrick Van Orden from Wisconsin. He told us that he went to Israel soon after 10/7 and was at the site of the Nova music festival massacre. He brought home with him drinking cups from the festival and sent them to members of The Squad in Congress to remind them of what really happened on October 7 and the difference between good and evil.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">It is important to engage with our elected officials: to thank them, to encourage them to keep up the good work, to challenge them when we disagree. Even though all of the Senators that came to lunch were already pro Israel, it is important for them to reinforce that support by expressing it vocally as often as possible. It’s the same reason why we daven every day. Saying something once is not enough. Speech is the bridge between thought and action. We clarify and reinforce our beliefs by verbalizing them often. We ensure that we act upon those beliefs by committing ourselves to them in words.</p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-58546086414394739312024-01-04T10:35:00.000-08:002024-01-04T10:35:00.951-08:00What is in a Name?<p> The Yalkut Shimoni quotes a tradition that Moshe had 10
names, in addition to Moshe. What was it about the name Moshe that made it his
primary identity? There are at least three answers that speak to the essential
character of Moshe and lessons we can learn from Moshe- the name and the man.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One, <b>Moshe was a non-conformist</b>. Rabbi Yehuda Amital
pointed out that water, being a liquid, takes on the shape of the container
into which it is poured. Having no shape of its own, water is constantly
adjusting to its surroundings. Water represents the ultimate in conformity.
Moshe was drawn out of the water. In a sense, he is the anti-water. Moshe did
not conform to Egyptian society, nor to the norms of Jewish behavior in Egypt.
He riles against the status quo- and when he is at first successful, he does
not give up- rather he runs away to fight another day. The name Moshe alludes
to the nonconformist behavior that our rabbis identify as the merit and reason
Bnai Yisrael were able to maintain a unique identity even during the bondage of
Egypt.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Two, <b>Moshe was exceedingly humble</b>. The Torah
testifies that Moshe was the most humble of all human beings. It was this
humility that allowed him to be so great- for God would have never allowed a
person with ego to be the greatest prophet in history. Such concentrated power
combined with ego would have been too dangerous of a mixture. What were the
origins of this humble quality? There may have been a genetic predisposition,
but it was surely his early life experience of being saved from the Nile River
that solidified his emphasis on humility. Moshe lived his life with the acute
awareness that he might not be alive at all had it not been for the grace of
God and the kindness of the daughter of Pharaoh. When a person thinks that his
very existence is a kindness afforded to him or her by others- it changes one’s
whole outlook on life. No longer are we preoccupied with our rights- what we
deserve and what we feel is coming to us. Rather everything that we get in life
is now viewed as a gift. Nothing is taken for granted, and everything is
appreciated.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Third,<b> Moshe felt that the response to his gift of life
must go beyond gratitude- and extend to responsibility</b>. Many commentators
have difficulty understanding the relationship between the name Moshe and the
reason offered by the Torah for that name. The Daughter of Pharaoh claims that
she named him Moshe because she drew him from the water. If that was the case,
then his name should have been <i>Mashuy</i>, the passive form of the verb, one
who was drawn from the water. Moshe is the active form- ie one who draws /
saves others. Seforno explains Batya’s rationale. She said, “the reason why I
named him Moshe is to indicate that he will rescue others.” Batya wanted Moshe
to remember that he was saved from the waters, and that created a
responsibility for him to go out and attempt to save others. Moshe’s name here
was a call to action in the future. He was to realize that his blessings were
meant to be used to create more accomplishments and more blessings for others. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We can learn much from Moshe the person, but Parshat Shemot
introduces us to the man by teachings us lessons from his main name, the one
that is associated with his role in the transmission of Torah from God to the
Jewish People.<o:p></o:p></p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-32175789443775944822023-12-28T06:30:00.000-08:002023-12-28T06:30:12.106-08:00Lessons Beyond the Classroom<p>Prior to his death Yaakov blessed his grandsons Ephraim and
Menashe. He prefaced that blessing with a peculiar introduction:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">וְעַתָּ֡ה שְׁנֵֽי־בָנֶ֩יךָ֩ הַנּֽוֹלָדִ֨ים לְךָ֜ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ
מִצְרַ֗יִם עַד־בֹּאִ֥י אֵלֶ֛יךָ מִצְרַ֖יְמָה לִי־הֵ֑ם אֶפְרַ֨יִם֙ וּמְנַשֶּׁ֔ה
כִּרְאוּבֵ֥ן וְשִׁמְע֖וֹן יִֽהְיוּ־לִֽי</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">And now, [as for]
your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt, until I came to you,
to the land of Egypt they are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine like
Reuben and Simeon.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rabbi Moshe Feinstein asks: why does Yaakov say that
specifically his grandsons born in Egypt prior to Yaakov’s arrival in Egypt are
considered like his sons? We would have though the opposite. Those grandsons
that were born once Yaakov arrived in Egypt should be more dear to Yaakov since
Yaakov was present for their entire lives, compared to Ephraim and Menashe who
were born in Egypt while Yaakov was still in Canaan. Rabbi Feinstein answers
that Yaakov is teaching his family- and all of us- that Chinuch, Jewish
education, must transcend the walls of a family’s home and the walls of a
classroom. The greatest testament to Yaakov’s strong Jewish identity and deep
Jewish values are evident when we consider the fact that Yaakov had grandchildren
who lived by the values of their grandfather without ever meeting Yaakov during
their early formative years. We have the ability through what we do and what we
value to make an impression on those with whom we interact, including and
especially our children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here Rabbi
Feinstein is suggesting that when we teach our children through word and deed
we can have a positive impact on our grandchildren and future generations, even
those whom we don’t meet and those with whom we do not spend much time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This idea from Rabbi Feinstein reminded me of a story that I
vaguely remembered regarding the power of a lesson beyond the classroom and the
mitzvah of Hashavat Aveida, returning a lost object. Thanks to Google I was
able to find a version of the story, as told/ quoted by Dr. Erica Brown, Vice
Provost for Values and Leadership at Yeshiva University and the founding
director of YU’s Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and
Leadership. (Quoted from <i>Weekly Jewish Wisdom</i>, February 11, 2016):<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">“Many years ago, I was teaching in
several gap year programs in Israel and carpooled with another faculty member
to one of the programs. Impressed with a student in one of my classes, I asked
my colleague if he knew her. He told me she had a fascinating story. She was
set on studying in an ashram in India. On the way, she stopped off to see
family in Israel. Her relative took her to a class in the Old City of Jerusalem
on the topic of <i>hashavat</i> <i>aveida</i>, returning lost objects. The
minutiae of Jewish law bored her to tears; she told her relative that this was
precisely why she was going to India: to escape the legality of Judaism for the
spirituality of an ashram. She studied for months with a guru. One day, she was
walking and talking with her teacher, when they saw a lost wallet. He pocketed
it and said the Indian equivalent of “finders, keepers, losers, weepers.”
Suddenly, she recalled her Shabbat in Jerusalem. But this time, the class did
not seem so boring. It seemed honest, authentic and ethical. She left India and
went back to Jerusalem, where I had her as a student. And thus, returning lost
objects helped her return to the tradition in which she was raised.”<o:p></o:p></p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-80583815970575807362023-12-21T06:33:00.000-08:002023-12-21T06:33:06.516-08:00Don't Just Exist- Really Live!<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In Parshat Vayigash, Yaakov and Yosef are reunited and Yosef brings his father to meet Pharoh. Their meeting begins with Yaakov blessing Paroh, and then Pharoh asks a question in response:</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">חוַיֹּאמֶר פַּרְעֹה אֶל יַעֲקֹב כַּמָּה יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיֶּיךָ</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">And Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How many are the days of the years of your life?"</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I view this question as an equivalent to a “How are you?” The socially correct answer in this situation would be a short factual response- which is what Yaakov initially provides:</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב אֶל פַּרְעֹה יְמֵי שְׁנֵי מְגוּרַי שְׁלשִׁים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The days of the years of my sojourning are one hundred thirty years.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But then Yaakov goes off the rails and things quickly get uncomfortable, as Yaakov continues:</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">מְעַט וְרָעִים הָיוּ יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיַּי</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The days of the years of my life have been few and miserable</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is a classic case of TMI- too much information. Pharoh was merely trying to make chit chat with his viceroy’s father, and Yaakov has to go ahead and ruin it by making things all serious.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So one lesson we can learn from this exchange in our Parsha is: let’s make sure our words are meaningful. Let’s consider a greeting other than “How are you?” and save that question for people and situations when we are really interested in the answer.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I want to turn to Yaakov’s response: It’s pretty shocking. Yaakov <i>kvetches</i> that his days have been “few” and miserable. Both claims can be challenged. The Ramban notes that by this time, a long life span was down to 70-80 years. So 130 years is nothing to complain about!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Second, things may not have always worked out in the easy most straightforward way for Yaakov. But for the most part- in the end things work out for him. Yaakov must flee from Eisav- but ultimately reconciles with him. Yaakov is persecuted by his father in law, but ultimately is able to leave as a rich man. Sure, Yaakov had <i>tzuris</i>. But we would not expect our Patriarch to describe his life as “miserable.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Malbim (19<sup>th</sup> century Russian commentator) encourages us to look at the text carefully:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">When he first answers the question, Yaakov states that his “Yemei Shnei Megurai” is 130 years. However Yaakov uses a slightly different language “Yemei Shnai Chayei” – when referring to his life as short and miserable.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Explains the Malbim: The term “Shnay Megurei” refers to the years that Yaakov had lived on this planet: which solicits a factual answer: 130 years. What was few and miserable for Yaakov was his “Shnay Chayei”- the time Yaakov felt he was able to really live. To engage in meaningful activities. To help others, to learn Torah, to connect with family and with Hashem.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yaakov’s response to Pharoh challenges us to consider what ways we are really living during the years that God gives us in this life. And how we can increase our Shnot Chayim during our sojourn on this planet.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">As Abraham Lincoln put it: “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” Let’s do our best to live life to the fullest, as taught to us by our Torah and by our tradition.</span></p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-69708510391549315052023-12-14T06:44:00.000-08:002023-12-14T06:44:04.297-08:00No Time to Slack Off<p class="MsoNormal">In Parshat Miketz we read about the rise of Yosef into the
second most powerful man in Egypt. The Torah tells us that Yosef got married
and had children (41:50): “And to Joseph were born two sons before the year of
the famine set in, whom Asenath the daughter of Poti phera, the governor of On,
bore to him.” <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The Talmud (Taanit 11) notes that Yosef’s sons were born
before the onset of the famine in Egypt and learns from here that a person is
not allowed to have children during a famine. This is codified in Shulchan Aruch
(YD 240:12). Tosfot in Taanit asks how it can be forbidden to have children
during a famine, if we have a tradition that Yocheved, Moshe’s mother, was born
to Levi as Yaakov and his family arrived in Egypt- during the second year of
the famine! Tosfot suggests that not having children during a famine is
actually a “<i>Midat Chasidut</i>”, a pious yet voluntary practice. The Ohr
HaChayim finds it problematic to suggest that Levi did not observe this pious
practice in light of the pasuk in V’Zot Habracha: <span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">וּלְלֵוִ֣י אָמַ֔ר תֻּמֶּ֥יךָ
וְאוּרֶ֖יךָ לְאִ֣ישׁ חֲסִידֶ֑ךָ</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> “And
of Levi he said: "Your Tummim and Urim belong to Your pious man”. The Ohr
HAchayim therefore explains that the restriction only applies to those who have
already fulfilled the mitzvah to “Be fruitful and multiply”. The consensus is
that this mitzvah is fulfilled by having (minimally) one son and one daughter.
Since Levi had not yet had a daughter he was not bound by this restriction.
According to the Ohr Hachayim Yosef was also not obligated to observe this
restriction because he had not yet fulfilled the mitzvah of <i>Pru Urevu</i>,
but he did so for some other reason that was not relevant to Levi. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Rabbi Yochanan
Zweig suggests a different reason for the difference in practice between Yosef
and Levi. Refraining from having more children is an expression of empathy with
the plight of those who are suffering from hunger. Rabbi Zweig suggests that
this restriction only applies to those who have enough to eat, but must abide
by this restriction as a way to feel the pain of others. However those who are
actually impacted by the famine share in the actual pain of those who are
hungry. They do not need to adopt practices to show solidarity and empathy with
those who are suffering- because they themselves are suffering too. If they
have the perspective that God is the ultimate provider of sustenance, whether
it’s a lot or a little; and children are a blessing, no matter the
circumstances- then they would not be bound by the Talmud’s restriction and
they would be allowed to have children during a famine. Levi was impacted by
the famine in Egypt, so he was not bound by the Tamud’s restriction. Yosef had
access to as much food as he and his family needed; he was therefore subject to
the Talmud’s restriction meant to demonstrate empathy.<o:p></o:p></p><p>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As we
pass the two month mark for the war in Gaza, we must not lose sight of our
obligation to empathize with Israel and her citizens, to keep them at the
forefront of our minds and to fight the urge and the natural proclivity to
return to normal life. The situation in Israel is just as abnormal and serious
today as it was on October 7 and 8. In the immediate aftermath of Simchat Torah,
many of us were paralyzed. Then we became mobilized. I fear that we are now
becoming fatigued, losing our momentum, and unsure of how much longer we can
“keep this up”. We need to find new outlets, and strengthen old ones, to show
our empathy, solidarity and support until Israel is victorious and the threats
to our homeland have been eliminated.</span></p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-63242928361980541162023-12-07T06:22:00.000-08:002023-12-07T06:22:55.279-08:00The Struggle Over Ideas- Then and Now<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Chanukah celebrates the victory of the Chashmonaim over the Greeks. While the Jews won that battle, the war between these two cultures and worldviews continues to this very day. Much has been written about the clash of ideology separating Jerusalem from Athens. Nineteenth-century German poet-philosopher Heinrich Heine suggested that for the Greeks beauty was truth whereas for the Hebrews truth was beauty, and late-20th-century philosopher William Barrett maintained that while the Greeks idealized philosophic speculation and theoretical meditation, the Hebrews emphasized moral and ethical conduct in daily human behavior as being the highest good.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Rabbi Shlomo Riskin suggested another significant distinction between the Greek and Hebrew cultures, one which reverberates to this very day. The answer to the Greek Riddle of the Sphinx “Who walks on four in the morning, on two in the afternoon and on three in the evening?” is Man, who crawls about as a baby, stands upright as an adult and has need of a cane in old age. C.M. Bowra, the great interpreter of the wisdom of Hellas, suggests that indeed Man is the answer, not only to the Riddle of the Sphinx but to every question worth asking. Pythagoras taught that “Man is the measure of all things”; for the famed sculptor Praxiteles, the human form was the most perfect of all forms (and therefore for the ancient Greeks circumcision was a heinous crime because it maimed the perfect human body); and the chorus of Sophocles’ Antigone iterates and reiterates, “Many are the awesome-awful (Hebrew <i>nora</i>, <i>nora’ot</i>) phenomena, but none more awesome-awful than man.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Hence the gods on Mount Olympus were formed in the image of man, endowed with human and mostly physical characteristics: Zeus was the most powerful, unpitying and terrible; Aphrodite was the goddess of love, beauty and pleasure; Hermes was the god of speed. The gods were created in the image of humans, warring and jealous human-like beings, idealizing their most physical and even animalistic traits.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Judaism, explains Rabbi Riskin, is the very antithesis of this. Human beings are created in the image of God, duty bound to walk in God’s ways and to emulate His Divine characteristics of love, compassion, patience, loving-kindness and truth. “Just as the Holy One Blessed be He is called compassionate, so must you be compassionate, just as He grants His grace freely, so must you grant grace freely....”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">This distinction between Athens and Jerusalem is important for all Jews to remember as we navigate a society still enamored by many of the ideas that originated in Greek philosophy. But understanding this distinction is especially important for students on secular college campuses. College is an exciting time to learn and explore new ideas. Many of these ideas are directly from, or derivatives of, Greek ideas. And as the Talmud teaches us “<i>Yesh Chochma BaGoyim</i>”, we should not be so quick to dismiss ideas that are attributable to the Greeks. At the same time we must study and expand our minds from a Jewish perspective. We are first and foremost proud, educated, sophisticated Jews. The current climate on college campuses is one that is concerning to anyone who rejects the idea that all of life must be viewed through the prism of postmodernism, subjective morality, and Marxist class struggle. We celebrate Chanukah and appreciate why the Maccabee victory over the Greeks was so important then- and why we must continue to fight that fight today in ways that continue to shape our Jewish identity and serve as a light and enlightenment for the world.</p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-46998303304220007962023-11-30T06:21:00.000-08:002023-11-30T06:21:28.923-08:00Responding to Eisav’s Three Questions<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">In Parshat Vayishlach we read how Yaakov prepares to reunite with his brother Eisav after 20 years of separation. Chazal understands that the confrontation between Yaakov and Eisav serves as the model for all of history as to how the Jewish People should interact with other nations, especially when the other nations is presenting as antagonistic or unfriendly. Rashi quotes the Midrash Tanchuma:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in;">“Jacob prepared himself for three things: for a gift, for war, and for prayer. For a gift, [as Scripture says] (verse 22): “So the gift passed on before him.” For prayer, as Scripture says (verse 10): “God of my father Abraham…” For war, as Scripture says: “the remaining camp will escape.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">This is the blueprint for all time, including today and Israel’s current war with Hamas. We must engage in this battle against evil on three fronts. We must put in our effort, both on the battlefield (ie “war”) but also in supporting our soldiers on the front lines through material and moral support. At the same time we must never lose sight of the fact that our efforts are only part of the picture, and ultimately victory is decided by Hashem. We therefore must increase our efforts in terms of teshuva, tefilah, and tzedaka to create the merits that will tip the scales in Heaven towards victory and the elimination of evil.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Yaakov sends messengers to do reconnaissance on Eisav, and he tells them that Eisav will ask them three questions (32:17-18): “"When my brother Esau meets you, and asks you, saying, 'To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and for whom are these before you?' In a speech in 1964 Rav Soloveitchik explained these questions as relevant for the Jewish People to always ask as we consider our role in the world.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in;">“Jacob anticipated that Esau would ask three questions of him and his family as they approached to take up residence in Canaan. ‘To whom do you belong’- ie to whom do you pledge your ultimate loyalty? ‘Where are you going?’ ie what objectives and goals do you seek for yourself in the future? These two questions relates to Jacob’s soul and spiritual identity. Consequently, Jacob commanded his representatives to reply boldly, clearly, and precisely that their souls, their personalities, their metaphysical identities, their spiritual future and social commitment were the private concerns of Jacob. ‘They are your servant Jacob’s’ and no human power may interfere or attempt to sever this eternal bond with God which had been established in the covenant with Abraham.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Eisav’s first two questions force Yaakov- and his descendants- to acknowledge the Jewish People’s unique, and sometimes, lonely role within the world. Am Yisrael has a unique relationship with Hashem, with Torah and with the Land of Israel. We must declare this with pride whether the rest of the world is ready or willing to accept this reality.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Rav Soloveitchik continues and suggests that while we must at time stand alone, we have a mandate to contribute to the broader society and world around us:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in;">“The third question is focused on secular aspects of life. To this question Jacob instructed his agent to answer in the affirmative: ‘It is a present to my lord Esau.’ Yes, we are determined to participate in every civic, scientific, political enterprise. We feel obligated to enrich society with our creative talents and to be constructive and useful citizens.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Even as we remain firm in our Jewish identity, we have a mandate to use those Jewish values to contribute to the broader world. Today it seems that much of the world has no interest in hearing what the Jewish People have to say and have to contribute. But we know that it is through this dual commitment to both our Jewish identity and to positively impacting the world, that will ultimately bring about victory and redemption.</p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-72881813098911133742023-11-16T10:20:00.000-08:002023-11-16T11:44:03.160-08:00The Unity of 290,000<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> <span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">I am proud to have joined over 100 members of our shul at Tuesday’s March for Israel on the National Mall in Washington DC. Leading up to the day of the rally there was a lot of talk about the attendance. How many people do you think will show up? The Palestinian march in London had 300,000. Yeah, but there are a billion Muslims in the world and only 16 million Jews. The last mass rally for Israel in 2002 had 100,000 people. No, there were more, the media underestimated. Does the parks department actually count the crowds at these events? Check the internet where you can learn that the parks department does not count or estimate crowd size at DC events. The rally in Washington in 1987 for Soviet Jewry had 250,000 people. Do you think that many will show up this time? Somewhere in their permit request, the event organizers listed an anticipated crowd of 60,000. News media picked up on that phrase and began talking about the “tens of thousands” who are expected to show up. Rally organizers encouraged Jewish organizations planning to attend the rally to not talk about the anticipated total size of the rally, lest that number not be reached leading news media to spin the story as a “disappointing crowd shows up to support Israel.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When I arrived at the rally an hour before start time there were a lot of people but there was also still a lot of space. By the time the program started the area in which I was standing was full. It would have been challenging for me to move around at that point so I decided to stay put and “rally” from one spot. It was difficult from my vantage point (towards the front, near the first set of screens) and from my height to see the size of the crowd. When it was announced that the crowd was 290,000 strong, the largest pro-Israel rally ever held in America, my heart swelled with pride. Pride in the Jewish community’s ability to mobilize and to come together with a strong voice in support of Israel. Pride that I and my daughter Shoshana had the opportunity to witness history and be a part of this moment. Pride in the strength of Am Yisrael and the virtue of Israel’s cause, one that you don’t have to be Jewish in order to appreciate. This was evident from the many “Christians Stand with Israel” signs at the rally.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While standing on the National Mall, I had no idea how many others were standing with me. Perhaps that is an apt metaphor for our current moment. The voices that today spew vitriolic anti-Israel and pro Hamas sentiment may be loud but they in fact represent a small number, too many for sure, but a small number relative to the total population of the United States. My experience makes me wonder about the little-known blessing that the Talmud records one is supposed to make when part of a crowd of 600,000: <i>Baruch Ata…….Chacham Harazeem</i>: “Blessed are You Hashem…the Knower of secrets.” On my way back from Dc I wondered: without drones or helicopters, how would anyone ever know that they were actually part of a group of 600,000? Practically this bracha is never recited. However, the language of the blessing is intriguing. What does a huge crowd have to do with God knowing secrets?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Talmud (Brachot 58s) explains that every person is unique and yet God is able to know what each of us is thinking. Perhaps the lesson for us is that in the crowd on Tuesday in DC, there were 290,000 different motivations and reasons for being there. Yet God knows that there is a common theme that united us all. I believe that those of us in attendance were able to tap into that knowledge and feel the unity during the three hours of the rally. May we find ways to tap into that unity of cause and unity of purpose going forward – in service to Israel, our community and our world.</span></p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-71225949957613956362023-11-09T07:10:00.005-08:002023-11-09T11:11:33.686-08:00Timeless and Timely Lessons from Chevron<p></p><p class="MsoNormal">In a normal year, tens of thousands of Jews spend Shabbat in
Chevron and Kiryat Arba for Shabbat Chayei Sara. In this week’s Parsha we read
how Avraham sought out the cave complex in Chevron as a family burial plot,
first for his wife Sara and ultimately for the family. Of course with the
ongoing war in Gaza against Hamas there will be no mass gathering in Chevron
this year. It is not feasible nor advisable to divert so many resources away
from the war effort at this time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Last week, as part of the OU synagogue leadership mission to
Israel, we visited Chevron. We prayed Maariv at Mearat Hamchpela and then
walked to Beit Hadasah, where there is a museum that tells the history of
Chevron (with special focus on the 1929 Hebron riots) and a community center
where we had dinner. In my few visits to Chveron I had never walked passed the
pizza shop. As I was making the 10 minute walk through Chevron (with an armed
escort of Israeli soldiers) last Wednesday night, I couldn’t help but note how
odd it was that Chevron was one of the safer places to be in Israel at that
moment. While it is true that the city numbers a few hundred Jews surrounded by
tens of thousands of Arabs, the security situation in Chevron seems to be
stable, if not calm from what I could see. And Chevron is rarely a target for
rockets, and even when it is the city is far away from rocket launches giving
people over a minute to prepare.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In Chevron we met with Eliyahu Liebman. Eliyahu was born in
Kiryat Arba and his bris was the first one held at Mearat Hamachpela after
1967. When he was 10 years old Eliyahu moved to Beit HAdasah in Chevron. In
1980 a terrorist cell came to Beit HAdasah and killed 6 Yeshiva students while
injuring 16. During the attack, young Eliyahu ran and hid in a closet; just
like how little Israeli children ran to hide on the morning of Simchat Torah.
Today Eliyahu os mayor of Kiryat Arba. One of the terrorists involved in the
1980 attack is now the Mayor of Hebron who boasts about his terrorist activities.
Eliyahu’s son, Eliyakim Shlomo ben Avishag, was working security at the music
festival. Instead of running away he and his friend Eitan Mor stayed to help
people run away as well as to preserve the dignity of the dead. As a result,
Eliyakim and Eitan were captured by Hamas and are presumed to be held captive
in Gaza. Eliyahu told us that Hamas wants Israel and Jews to be afraid. In
response we must not be afraid (neiother afraid of the enemy nor afraid to do
what must be done to permanently neutralize the enemy), and we must not rely on
miracles.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We also met Eitan Mor’s parents, Tzvika and Efrat Mor.
Tzvika told us that Israel has been in a defensive posture for the last few
decade, relying more and more on technology, cameras, and shelters in order to
survive. Tzvika suggested that we need to change our mindset- part of which is
to reconnect to our heritage, to Jerusalem and to Chevron. There is a Hollywood
connection to this story: Eitan Mor is our member Nancy Zombek’s cousin. These
are just two stories of thousands of stories of tragedy and heroism that have
emerged since Simchat Torah. Let us retell these stories as a tribute to the
individuals invo,ved as well as a tribute and source of strength for the Jewish
People.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-88215342891063929462023-11-02T11:48:00.000-07:002023-11-02T11:48:49.567-07:00The State of Medinat Yisrael<p>I am writing this as I sit in the hotel lobby waiting for my ride to Ben Gurion Airport. Phil Baratz and I have just wrapped up a whirlwind 3 day mission to Israel organized by the OU for shul Rabbis and lay leaders. We posted in real time much of our itinerary and some initial thoughts in a WhatsApp group that close to 300 of you joined. We also sent out a daily email to the entire congregation. It will take some time for me to process what we saw and heard and I look forward to sharing with you aspects of the trip in the weeks and months ahead. One of my colleagues suggested that we be deliberate and thoughtful as we “unpack” what we saw. The image of unpacking luggage from a trip is a good one. Most of us want to unpack as quickly as possible in order to put away the suitcases. Delays in unpacking can be a source of tension and arguments within some families. But when it comes to experiences that are full of significance it is ok to take your time when unpacking. Chazal say that parshat Vayera is followed by Parshat Chayei Sara because Sara died upon hearing the news about the Akeidah. In fact, Avraham did NOT slaughter Yitzchak. However the news was unpacked in a haphazard and clumsy way such that it literally scared Sara to death. And so while I am happy to discuss my trip with you one on one, I will not be sharing highlights or specifics this Shabbat. While I will do my best to unpack my actual bags before Shabbat, I plan on waiting to unpack this Israel experience until after Shabbat. US presidents often start their state of the Union address with the words “The state of our Union is….” In that spirit I will say that the state of Medinat Yisrael is strong. Israelis may be sad but they do not express fear; they are strong and resolute. They refuse to remain in a state of helplessness nor hopelessness. They are committed to not only surviving but to finding the lessons to be learned from this war that can bring some meaning to the situation and make the world a better place. As we seek out ways to tangibly support and stand with Israel at this time, let us strive to emulate this Israeli resolve.</p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-76723689751839536912023-10-27T06:12:00.003-07:002023-10-27T06:12:18.096-07:00The Long, Big Picture of Jewish History<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">On Wednesday night we hosted the Hollywood launch of the OU’s GenAleph parenting program (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://genaleph.org&source=gmail&ust=1698444861287000&usg=AOvVaw3G7Ol4G3oNr4fsByzO9Wkd" href="https://genaleph.org/" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" target="_blank">https://genaleph.org</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">). One strategy Dr. Norman Blumenthal mentioned for dealing with the stress and anxiety brought on by the current situation in Israel (in adults and children) is to try to remind ourselves of the resilience of the Jewish People throughout our history. Rav Hirsch makes a similar point from Parshat Lech Lecha. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch says there is significance in the fact that G-d told Avraham, the first Jew, to go out and look at the stars.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">If a person is accustomed only to looking at “our world”, at earth, he gets into a mode of thinking that everything is “nature”. The sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening. There are laws of physics. Everything is a set pattern that is never broken.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">This natural order of things is perhaps appropriate for the nations of the world, but it is not appropriate for Klal Yisroel.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">“You, Avraham, have to go out and look at the stars.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Amidst the vast constellations, one has a clearer view of the Hand of G-d. One becomes more aware that there is a concept of Hashgocha Pratit, Divine Providence- that there is a G-d out there who directs and takes interest in a person’s and a nation’s life.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">As Rav Hirsch puts it: “Therefore, maybe Avraham, it appears to you that you are childless. Maybe by looking merely at this earth and this world, you get into the mindset that ‘I am childless I never have had children; I never will have children.’ But look up into the Heaven, into the realm of the stars where that Hand of G-d is more apparent. That is your lot Avraham, and the lot of your children. Yours is not a destiny and a future of ‘Nature’ (<i>teva</i>), it is a ‘super-natural’ (<i>L’ma-ala min haTeva</i>) destiny and future.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Some have noted that Avraham was born in the Hebrew year 1948. And 75 years later (in the jewish year of 2023) Hashem told Avraham that the destiny of his descendants would be in the Land of Israel. In the secular year of 1948 the State of Israel was born. Now 75 years later we are being called upon to recommit to focus on Israel, support her and make clear to the world that the Divine promise to Avraham lives on in the modern Jewish homeland.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"> When one looks at history, where are the Egyptians, the Phoenicians, the Babylonians? Where are all these great powers that ruled the world? There is only one nation that is still around after 4,000 years. That is Klal Yisroel. This is ‘above the course of nature’. This is what G-d wanted Avraham to see by looking at the stars: Jewish history and Jewish destiny defies logic and rules of history. We must do what we can but ultimately we can rely on no one but Hashem Himself.</p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-33902397857700400492023-10-19T07:08:00.002-07:002023-10-19T07:08:13.623-07:00Bringing Out Our Best- Even After the Stress<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">After the flood, Noach sends a dove to see if the waters have cleared. At first the dove does not find any sanctuary and returns to the ark. The Midrash explains that the Jewish People are likened to a dove. Just as the dove from Noah’s Ark at first found no rest, so too the Jewish People find no rest in exile. Unfolding events in Israel have left the Jewish People particularly restless and anxious.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Though we are blessed to witness Jewish sovereignty over our Jewish homeland, current events remind us that the Geulah Sheleimah, complete redemption, has yet to arrive. These days Geulah seems very far off.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Our Torah reading depicts a drastic transformation in Noach’s character- for the worse. At first Noach is described as an ish tzadik, a righteous man, who courageously opposed the corrupt values and lifestyle of his contemporaries and charted his own path of piety and morality. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">By the time we arrive at the latter part of the parsha, however, something has changed. This downward slide begins when he plants a vineyard after the flood, and hits bottom when he becomes intoxicated and humiliates himself in the presence of his sons. What happened? Why the drastic change for the worse?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zatzal suggested that Noach’s negative transformation resulted from the absence of pressure and the resolution of any crises. Very often, the assault on a value or idea fuels the flames of devotion among the faithful. Opposition and pressure imposed by external threats, can ignite a passionate response to defend that which is attacked. Noach’s righteousness may have been the product of the world’s opposition, his response to an external force that declared war on decency and morality. After the flood, however, Noach had no opposition. He was left to contemplate himself, his own weaknesses and drives.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">When confronted with crisis and pressure, like when Israel is under attack, we, like Noach, are at our best; we remember to put aside our differences and work for a common cause. Like Noach, a new challenge arises after the crisis is resolved: maintaining that spirit of cooperation, mutual respect and achdut in the absence of any pressing forcing us to do so.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">I hope that our actions on behalf of Israel are effective and impactful. I hope that our tefillot on behalf of the State and citizens of Israel are accepted and that evil is eradicated in a way that is maximally safe and peaceful. I hope that this Shabbat inspires us to continue talking and working together on behalf of all noble causes, now and even after the threat has been resolved, that help Israel the Jewish People and the entire world.</p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-27952931644011901292023-10-13T06:21:00.004-07:002023-10-13T06:21:51.502-07:00The Mitzvah to Persevere<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">We all know intellectually that life is fragile and can change in an instant. Yet most of us (dare I say all of us?) live our lives day to day without that realization front and center in our minds. Perhaps this is for the best. Thinking about the frailty of life all the time would be depressing and cause debilitating anxiety leaving us unable to function, let alone have the energy and drive to build and to dream and to rejoice.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">For Simchat Torah I had prepared a shiur about “Spitting in Jewish Tradition”. It was inspired by the ugly news reports I had read about Jews spitting at Christians during the Tabernacle (aka Sukkot) holiday in the Old City of Jerusalem. When I was preparing the shiur and printing source sheets on Friday, that news item was one of the bigger ones coming out of Israel.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">How things have changed since then. I still feel at a loss of words to process or mourn for the horrible events of last Shabbat/ Shemini Atzeret in Israel: the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. But we must find words: words of support and solidarity, words of Tehillim and Tefilah and Torah, words of encouragement, words of care and concern and words of commitments and contributions.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">The question that every Rabbi in every American shul had last Shabbat afternoon was: what should our Simchat Torah look like? The following are some of the ideas I shared last Saturday night, between Mincha and Maariv, just before the onset of Simchat Torah. I said that to celebrate Simchat Torah as if nothing happened was not possible. It would be callous and a violation of our sacred obligation of Areivut and a rejection of our shared identity with our brothers and sisters in Israel. On the same time I felt that cancelling Simchat Torah altogether was also not the right response. First of all, there is a practical consideration. If we would cancel Simchat Torah- what would most people do instead? Second of all, most of our Simchat Torah activities were centered around and directed to children. Jewish law guides us to be careful with how we expose children to mourning practices. I felt that we needed to have a Simchat Torah celebration, at the very least for the children of our community, but that even the children should see that our celebration is not as usual and that something is wrong- without going into any horrible details.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">And so I suggested that we have an intentional and purposeful Simchat Torah; one without frivolity but with purpose. I noted that we would sing songs on Simchat Torah for three reasons. First, our songs would be songs of prayer. Second, our songs would be songs of solidarity. Last, our songs would be songs of strength and resilience.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">I found both Simchat Torah night and day to be uplifting and meaningful. I think back to last Shabbat and Sunday as an exercise in resilience. The first mitzvah in the Torah is “<i>Peru Urevu</i>”- “Be Fruitful and Multiply” While <i>Peru</i> means to have progeny the word “<i>Revu</i>” is more difficult to precisely translate. Perhaps Peru Urevu is commanding us to be fruitful- and be resilient. It’s not enough to exist or to survive. We must be demonstrate resilience in order to persevere in the face of challenges in order maximize our experiences and our purpose during our lifetimes.</p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-83582484881191194702023-10-06T08:02:00.002-07:002023-10-06T08:02:49.994-07:00Dear Friends, <p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I hope you enjoy the amazing story below.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">While Simchat Torah is an occasion for Jews of all ages to celebrate and to enjoy, it is especially a time to focus on our youth, for parents to celebrate with their children, and for all adults in our community to celebrate the future of our Jewish community. That is why much of the celebration and events over Simchat Torah are geared towards children. I invite you to take part in our Simchat Torah festivities at shul, where we will celebrate the Torah- our heritage, along with our youth of- our destiny.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Henryk was very young in 1945, when the War ended and solitary survivors tried frantically to trace their relatives. He had spent what seemed to be most of his life with his nanny, who had hidden him away from the Nazis at his father's request. There was great personal risk involved, but the woman had readily taken it, as she loved the boy.<br /><br />All the Jews were being killed, and Henryk's nanny did not think for a moment that the father, Joseph Foxman, would survive the infamous destruction of the Vilna Ghetto. He would surely have been transferred to Auschwitz -— and everyone knew that nobody ever came back from Auschwitz. She therefore had no scruples about adopting the boy, having him baptized into the Catholic Church and taught catechism by the local priest.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Not far from the house, they passed the church and the boy reverently crossed himself, causing his father great anguish. Just then, a priest emerged who knew the boy, and when Henryk rushed over to kiss his hand, the priest spoke to him, reminding him of his Catholic faith. It was Simchat Torah when his father came to take him. The heartbroken nanny had packed all his clothing and his small catechism book, stressing to the father that the boy had become a good Catholic. Joseph Foxman took his son by the hand and led him directly to the Great Synagogue of Vilna. On the way, he told his son that he was a Jew and that his name was Avraham.<br /><br />They entered the Great Synagogue of Vilna, now a remnant of a past, vibrant Jewish era. There they found some Jewish survivors from Auschwitz who had made their way back to Vilna and were now rebuilding their lives and their Jewish spirits. Amid the stark reality of their suffering and terrible loss, in much diminished numbers, they were singing and dancing with real joy while celebrating Simchat Torah.<br /><br />Avraham stared wide-eyed around him and picked up a tattered prayer book with a touch of affection. Something deep inside of him responded to the atmosphere, and he was happy to be there with the father he barely knew. He held back, though, from joining the dancing. <br /><br />A Jewish man wearing a Soviet Army uniform could not take his eyes off the boy, and he came over to Joseph. "Is this child... Jewish?" he asked, a touch of awe in his voice.<br /><br />The father nodded permission, and the soldier hoisted the boy high onto his shoulders. With tears now coursing down his cheeks and a heart full of real joy, the soldier joined in the dancing. The father answered that the boy was Jewish and introduced his son. As the soldier stared at Henryk-Avraham, he fought to hold back tears. "Over these four terrible years, I have traveled thousands of miles, and this is the first live Jewish child I have come across in all this time. Would you like to dance with me on my shoulders?" he asked the boy, who was staring back at him, fascinated.<br />"This is my Torah scroll," he cried.<br />Abe Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League -- the Avraham in our story -- remembers this as his first conscious feeling of a connection with Judaism and of being a Jew.</p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-61704365574717492442023-09-27T09:20:00.000-07:002023-09-27T09:20:01.417-07:00Goodness First<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Sukkot is a holiday with a strong emphasis on Chinuch, properly educating the next generation of Jews. The Talmud tells a story that Shammai cut a hole above the bassinet of his infant grandson and placed kosher schach on the hole, so that the baby would be able to fulfill the mitzvah of dwelling in a Sukkah. Perhaps it’s due to the message of Sukkot: God’s ongoing protection- that we especially want to include children in the mitzvah of sukkah.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"> Halacha also pays special attention to the need, and mechanics, of educating children in the mitzvah of the 4 Minim. In Sukkah 46b, Reb Zeira insists that parents not give a child their lulav and etrog on the first day sukkot. For a child can acquire a gift, but cannot legally give a gift. On the first day of Sukkot there is a special obligation for the lulav and Etrog to be <i>Lachem</i>, yours. If parents give their child their set, the child will acquire it but then be unable to gift it back to the parents. There is an entire category of 4 Minim called “chinuch sets”. (Rav Moshe Feinstein is adamant that such sets be at least nominally Kosher, for we should only be educating our children with items that are kosher to be used.) Perhaps this special emphasis on chinuch by the 4 minim is due to the fact that we wave them in all four directions, indicating that Hashem is everywhere- a crucial lesson for our children.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"> Children learn what is important to their parents based on the praise that they receive. Rabbi Joseph Telushkin notes that today’s children most often receive the highest praise in one of four categories:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Academic/ intellectual achievement, Athletic abilities, Artistic attainment, or Physical appearance.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Everyone loves a compliment. But what about kids that don’t excel in any of the above? Usually the best compliment they will hear about themselves is that “S/he is a really GOOD kid.” This causes children to infer that being good is not a big deal. Rabbi Telushkin suggests that parents ask their children: What do you think I as your parent want you to be? Successful, good, smart or happy? (Many children do not pick Good)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"> It’s fine to compliment for other traits as well. But Good needs to be at the top of the list.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Germany perpetrated the Holocaust not due to a lack of smart people, but a lack of good people.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Examples of being good are things that everyone can do: 1) speaking out against a bully 2) befriending a new kid at school 3) finding a lost wallet or phone and working hard to locate the owner 4) offering one’s seat to an older person 5) treating siblings decently 6) not cheating on a test.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Save our highest praise for individual, one-to-one acts of goodness and integrity- and children will derive their self-esteem more from their goodness than from anything else.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">On Sukkot we celebrate being successful, being smart and being happy. Being Successful: Sukkot celebrates the harvest, when the farmer feels a sense of security and satisfaction due to his full silos and the success of his efforts. Being smart: for an integral aspect of Sukkot is knowledge. The Torah says that we dwell in sukkot for 7 days</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">“In order that your [ensuing] generations <b><u>should know</u></b> that I had the children of Israel live in booths.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Being happy: for sukkot is called <i>Zman Simchateinu</i>, the time of our rejoicing.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">On Sukkot we celebrate being successful, being knowledgeable and being happy. But we can never lose sight of the importance of being GOOD. Goodness must be celebrated above all of the rest.</p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-30443778019133644942023-09-21T06:52:00.003-07:002023-09-21T06:52:25.342-07:00Yom Kippur is Just the Beginning<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Most machzorim translate Yom Kippur as the Day of Atonement. Rav
Soloveitchik objected to the imprecision of this translation for a few reasons.
First, in the Amidah that we will recite at Maariv we say: Vatiten Lanu Hashem
Elokeinu B’Ahavah…..</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">“You, Hashem have given to us with love this day of Yom HaKippurim
for forgiveness and pardon and atonement….” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">If Kippurim was synonymous with atonement, then it would not make
sense to define a word, kippurim, with the same word, kaparah.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Second, the Torah names holidays from the perspective of what we do
on them, not what Hashem does or did. For example, Pesach is called Chag
Hamatzot, not Chag Yetziat Mitzrayim, and the Torah refers to it as Shavuot,
not Chag Matan Torah. Rosh Hashanah is referred to as Yom Hazikaron, a
reference to the shofar, which is what we do on that day, and not Yom Hadin,
which is what Hashem does on that day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To be consistent
with the other holidays, the name Yom Hakippurim must reflect the idea that
atonement does not come automatically from Hashem. Rather atonement must be
attained through our efforts. Therefore Rav Soloveitchik suggested that the
more literal and precise translation of Yom Hakippurim is the day on which we
must perform specific actions in order to attain atonement. When translated
more precisely it becomes clear that Yom Kippur is not about God bestowing upon
us some status of atonement; rather today is about earning that selicha and
kaparah- through our actions and our commitments. Our task on Yom Kippur is
focused on Teshuva. The reason why the holiday’s name is in the plural,
Kippurim, is because there are many different types of teshuva: complete
teshuva and incomplete teshuva, thoughts of teshuva and acts of teshuva. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">And Yom Kippur is not just the culmination of the Aseret Ymei
Teshuva. It is also a beginning, a fresh start, the first day of the rest of
our lives. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson asked his father, the Rebbe Rashab,
what to do after Yom Kippur. His father answered, “Now, we repent.” This
reminds me of the story a person who attended a silent Quaker service. During
the worship, he turned to an usher and asked, “When does the service begin?”
The usher looked at him and said, “Sir, we believe that the real service begins
when you leave the sanctuary and begin to live your real life again.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Nechama Leibowitz once noted, “When I was a child, they used to
tell us in school that we needed to improve our actions during the auspicious
time of Aseret Yemei Teshuva, between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. At home, my
father would tell me that is true, however you also have to act just as good
between Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">If we put in the work, and view Yom Kippur as just the beginning then
we can be confident that we have done our part to bring about Kaparah and be
ready to receive many blessings in the new year.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529945308999222072.post-79577052836061752392023-09-14T06:18:00.004-07:002023-09-14T06:18:30.746-07:00Thank Hashem. Then Ask for More<p>If we take a moment to look at the additions to our Amidah
during Aseret Ymei Teshuva we will notice a progression. First we ask Hashem
“Zochreinu L’Chaim”, Remember us for life.” Next (“Mi Kamocha”) we refer to
Hashem as He “who remembers His creatures <u>for life, in His mercy.”</u> At
the end of the Amida our requests become bolder: “Inscribe for <u>a good life</u>
all the children of Your covenant.” Finally we ask for a lot: “In the book of
life, blessing, peace and abundant maintenance, may we be remembered and
inscribed before You…” The lesson of this progression is simple and profound:
We thank Hashem for life. Life alone is a priceless gift deserving of our
thanks to God. But during this time of year, when “the King is in the field” we
don’t stop with the basics. We take advantage of the moment and ask for much
more.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rav Yitzchak Tuvyah
Weiss, who passed away last summer, would often tell the story that in his
youth he lived in the town of Pesing that was about four kilometers away from
Pressburg. When the Germans entered his city, the community leaders didn’t know
how to deal with the Nazis. He didn’t know whether the community should listen
to the Nazi's demands, or whether they should escape and seek to evade them.
The head of the Jewish community sent the young Tuvyah Weiss to Pressburg, to get
advice from the communal leader of Pressburg. In Pressburg he was told that the
situation was very bleak. The leader in Pressburg also told young Tuvyah Weiss
that the King of England sent a train to save one thousand Jewish children, and
he received a thousand tickets to distribute. “I don’t know who to save, and
who has precedence over whom, but since you’ve come here, take a ticket, and
save yourself.” Reb Tuvyah went home, quickly packed his bags, said goodbye to
his parents, and went to the transport. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Before long, he was in England with a thousand other
children. The king wanted to see with his own eyes the thousand children the he
saved. The children stood on both sides of the road, and the king drove between
them. Rav Weiss recalls that standing next to him was a courageous boy. When
the king’s chariot came near this boy jumped into the king’s chariot. The
king’s servants wanted to send the boy away, but the king said that he wants to
hear what the child has to say. The child thanked the king for saving so many
children, "but it upsets me that the king's compassion isn't perfect,
because I left behind my parents and family. How can I be happy with my
salvation when I’m worried about the plight of my parents and family…” The king
asked him for the boy’s parents’ details. Two weeks later, his parents and all
his extended family were in England. Rav Weiss made the following observation:
If the king was in his castle, this child wouldn’t be able to speak to the
king. But now that the king is traveling he was able to come close to the king
and plead for the lives of his parents. This is exactly what takes place on
Rosh Hashanah. During Aseret Ymei Teshuva we have access to a special power of
tefillah. On that day in England 999 children remained in their places; they
didn’t take advantage of the king’s appearance. Only one child didn’t let this
opportunity slip away. See how much he gained seizing the moment. Let us do the
same this Yomim Noraim season.<o:p></o:p></p>Rabbi Yosef Weinstockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925533523362858322noreply@blogger.com0