Friday 30 December 2011

Don't Worry - Be Happy! Thoughts from the Torah Portion

In this week's Torah portion of Vayigash, Joseph tells his brothers "Do not be upset". He is referring to the fact that they sold him as slaves. Naturally, they would be distraught having realised the pain anguish they put their own flesh and blood through.

But this isn't just Joseph speaking to his brothers - This is the Torah speaking to us.

The great Chassidic master; R' Aharon of Karlin explains that happiness isn't a commandment; one of the 613 mitzvot.

Rather, happiness is ALL of the 613 commandments.

By being happy, we are able to able to make sure our service of God is whole-hearted and genuine.

The story is told of a holy man who whilst learning all night long in the study hall realised an old man had suddenly appeared next to him. He ran out of the room as quickly as he could and went home. When asked the following day by his friends why he didn't stay; for perhaps the old man was none other than Elijah the Prophet, who on occasions visits devout Jews? The Rabbi answered: "It couldn't be. Elijah the prophet has a constant aura of happiness. The man in the study hall had an aura of doom and gloom. Therefore I know it was something bad so I needed to flee."

And thus, the reciprocal is also true. Depression is not a sin, but it transgresses everything at once!

We have to remember though, that happiness is not a physical condition. It doesn't depend on physical or material possessions or pleasures.

It is a state of mind. We have to appreciate what we do have. What we can do.

Happiness is positive. It is what we are. What we do. What we can do.

The opposite is negative. What we are not. What we do not or can not do.

The Mishnah in the Tractate of "Ethics of the Fathers" explains that "Who is Rich? He who is happy with what he has!"

May we all merit to be rich in the fullest sense. To appreciate what we have in life. To appreciate that however low we may feel, we always have something to be grateful for.

Wishing you all much happiness and a Shabbat Shalom.

Tuesday 27 December 2011

Ethics from the Parsha - Vayigash

In this week's Torah portion, the narrative surrounding Joseph continues. He is ruler of Egypt and is approached by his brothers, who is unaware that he is Joseph; their brother.

Many lessons can be learnt from their treatment by him.

He repays them with kindness, by giving them plenty of food. This is despite the fact he had every reason not to! They sold him as a slave, setting in motion the chain of events that caused Joseph much pain and suffering, including languishing in an egyptian jail for several years.

Why did Joseph act with such kindness towards his brothers?

This incident teaches us to convey an important, fundamental principle.

We are taught by the sages in numerous places that "Everything that God does is for the good". Therefore, all the ordeal that Joseph was put through by his brothers was for his and the greater good. Therefore, he owed his brothers a deal of gratitude, for they were the messengers that enabled this good to realised.

This incident teaches us to appreciate the good in the world; however concealed it may be.

And as we see the Channukah candles burning, with the light clearly illuminating the darkness around, it is very easy to see. However, one flick of a lightswitch quickly cancels out the inspiring glow of the candles. It is then, when the candles are just bits of surplus light; that we have to appreicate their beauty.

Assimilation and Channukah

Understanding the meaning of the Chanukah battle, a war unlike any other.

Oil is probably the most politically incorrect of all liquids. It simply refuses to compromise its uniqueness.

If oil were a person it would almost certainly be condemned for its stubborn unwillingness to blend in with others. It chooses to remain aloof, separate and distinct. Mix it with water and it stays apart and maintains its own identity.

No matter how hard you try, oil stays true to itself and just won't assimilate.

Perhaps that's why it deserved to become the ultimate symbol of the Chanukah miracle.

When we celebrate the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks, we need to remember what was really at stake in this major confrontation. This was a war unlike any other. It wasn't fought to conquer more territory. It wasn't meant to capture more booty or bodies. This was ultimately a conflict between two totally different ways of viewing the world.

The story of Chanukah is all about a clash of cultures. The Greeks weren't out to kill the Jews. Their intent wasn't genocide of a people. It was rather a battle against those who threatened their commitment to hedonism, their infatuation with the body, their obsession with athletic competitions to prove superior worth. In these they found beauty – and the very meaning of life.

Keats summed up well the Greek ideal in his magnificentOdeOn A Grecian Urn:
For beauty is truth and truth is beauty; that is all ye know and all ye need to know
What the Greeks worshiped was the holiness of beauty. What the Jews wanted to teach the world instead was the beauty of holiness.
The Greeks worshiped the holiness of beauty. The Jews taught the world the beauty of holiness.
It was the battle between these two ideas that defined the war of the Maccabees. Sad to say, there were Jews who were seduced by the seductive wiles of secularism and forsook their ancient heritage. They sold their blessings for a mess of pottage. They renounced the message of the prophets for the glory of the games. They chose the temporary rewards of the body over the eternal blessings of the spirit. They are known as the Hellenists. They assimilated – and haven't been heard from since.

The victory of the Maccabees was the triumph of those who exemplified the unique characteristic of oil and refused to assimilate, and instead chose to remain steadfast in our mission to bring the moral vision of Judaism to the world.

That is what makes the story of the Maccabees so very relevant to our time.

In the past few weeks we've been witness to a rather bitter debate about a provocative advertising campaign sponsored by an Israeli Ministry. It seems that the Ministry of Absorption thought it would be a good idea to convince Israeli expatriates living in the United States to come back home by dramatizing the risk of assimilation of their children and grandchildren in the Diaspora. The theme of the ads promoted the idea that living outside of the Jewish homeland threatened their link with the Jewish past, with Jewish tradition and with Jewish culture.

That led to huge fireworks. A prominent Jewish spokesmen declared, "I don't think I have ever seen a demonstration of Israeli contempt for American Jews as obvious as these ads." Critics assailed the campaign as a vicious attack on "the Jewishness" of all those outside of Israel.

So strong was the hue and cry of outrage that the ads were quickly removed. The campaign obviously touched a delicate nerve. In what may very well have been viewed as an over wrought slander on the possibility of Jewish life outside of Israel, the reaction nevertheless vividly demonstrated the powerful fear generated by the thought of assimilation.

And if the ads were wrong because of the way they seemed to differentiate between life in America as opposed to Israel, their message should surely be acknowledged as a wake-up call to Jews no matter where they may be living.

Because the bottom line is that after more than 2000 years, the spirit of the Maccabees seems to be losing in its battle to prevent Jews from assimilating into a fervent embrace of secular culture and ideology.

The Greeks gave us the Olympics. In an irony that defies all logic the Maccabees, who fought for the supremacy of the Temple over the sporting arena, were chosen as the name for the Maccabiah, the international Jewish athletic event similar to the Olympics held in Israel every four years.
Athletic contests are wonderful venues for physical recreation. They cease to be admirable when they take over our lives, as they sometimes do, not only in professional settings but even in collegiate contexts.

Please don't distort what I'm saying. Sporting events are fine if they are understood as adjuncts to a spiritual life. But when they become an end unto themselves, we adopt a foreign value and assimilate.
Assimilation today takes many forms.

We've assimilated when all we want is to party, never to pray.

We've assimilated when all we care about is what we look like on the outside, not what we feel like on the inside.

We've assimilated when our greatest goals are fame and fortune rather than love and learning.
We've assimilated when more than anything else we want to envied by the eyes of our fellow man instead of being treasured in the sight of God.

We've assimilated when our chief goal is to accumulate more goods rather than simply to be good.
We've assimilated when we are far more interested in our inheritance than in our legacy, by what we get from the past rather than what we give to the future.

We've assimilated when we consider our children burdens rather than blessings and when we believe the best things we can give them are valuables rather than values.

Our tradition teaches us to revere the beauty of holiness. That was what the Maccabees fought for as they confronted an alien culture that stressed the body over the soul, the material over the spiritual. That remains our challenge.

Like the oil of the Chanukah story, we dare not assimilate.

As we bring ever greater light into our homes every night with its flame, we affirm our belief that we will succeed. We will maintain our uniqueness that has enabled us not only to survive but to be the torchbearers of morality and civilization for all mankind.

by Rabbi Benjamin Blech

Sunday 18 December 2011

Mussar from the Torah Portion - MIKEITZ


Mikeitz: Waiting for the Dream
It took a long time, but Joseph's dreams eventually came to pass.
How long? Joseph became viceroy of Egypt at age thirty, and nine years later (after seven years of plenty and two years of famine), his brothers came to buy food. So Joseph's dream that his brothers would one day bow down before him and recognize his greatness were fulfilled only when he was 39 years old. Since he had dreamt those dreams of future greatness at age 17, we see that they took 22 years to come true!
"Rabbi Levy said: one should wait as long as 22 years for a good dream to come true. This we learn from Joseph." (Berachot 54a)

What is special about the number 22? In what way is it connected to the fulfillment of dreams?
Rav Kook noted that there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Through myriad combinations of these 22 letters, we can express all of our thoughts and ideas. If we were to lack even one letter, however, we would be unable to formulate certain words and ideas.

The ancient mystical work "Sefer Hayetzira" ("Book of Formation") makes an interesting point concerning the creation and functioning of the universe. Just as words and ideas are composed of letters, so too, the vast array of forces that govern our world are in fact composed of a small number of fundamental causes. If all 22 letters are needed to accurately express any idea, so too 22 years are needed for all those elemental forces in the world to bring about any desired effect. Thus, we should allow a dream as long as 22 years to come to fruition.#
Rabbi Levy is also teaching us another lesson: nothing is completely worthless. We should not be hasty to disregard a dream. In every vision, there resides some element of truth, some grain of wisdom. It may take 22 years to be revealed, or its potential may never be realized in this world. But it always contains some kernel of truth.

Friday 16 December 2011

Thought for the Week - Vayeishev

In this week's Torah portion, Joseph is flung into a pit, to await his death, or Reuben's secret plan to rescue him clandestinely.

The Torah describes the pit as being "empty, without any water."

Asks the Vilna Gaon, why it has to relate that the pit was empty and not aqueous at all?

Rashi explains that the Torah tells us there wasn't any water in the pit to implicate the fact that there were scorpions and snakes in the pit - not the safest place to be at all!

However, says the Vilna Gaon, that the water represents spirituality and the snakes and scorpions indicate the vain pursuits that one can pursue in the physical world.

The Torah is compared to Torah in Rabbi Akiba's famous parable about a fox who tries to entice a fish to escape the fishermen by jumping up onto dry land, for the fox's lunch. The fish rebukes the fox by exclaiming that if in the water they have a chance of being caught and killed; on land they will surely 100% die!

We see from this there is no middle ground. We have to strive to fill our "pits" with water. We cannot let snakes and scorpions in. Ask any professional terminator, the best way of dealing with an infestation is the clear out the place or block the hole/crevice where the infestation takes place. By filling ourselves with spirituality, we ensure that no negative influences can come in; there simply isn't any room.

This week I shall...

...contemplate my role in bringing spirituality to my life, using the wisdom of the Torah to help me in my day to day occurrences.


Shabbat Shalom

Thursday 15 December 2011

Ethics from the Weekly Torah Portion - Vayeishev

Fighting Fire... With fire?

In this week's Torah portion we read about Joseph, who is wrongly imprisoned at Potiphar's wife's claims that he was trying to seduce her, when in actual fact it was the absolute reverse!

He was flung in jail by the corrupt Egyptian regime. Therefore it would have seemed natural for him and perfectly understandable if he would have hated Pharoah's butler and baker, who were flung in jail with him.

But once again, the absolute opposite occured. Joseph even inquired about their welfare,  having seen they were perturbed and at severe unrest by their mystic dreams; which Joseph proceeded to interpret.

And it was this that saved his life and set the balls rolling in what has become Jewish history that was set in motion way back then and continues until this very day.

By having interpreted their dreams, the butler knew he was good at interpreting dreams in general, which came in handy when Pharoah had his own troubling dream 2 years later.

It was this one act of kindness that got Joseph rescued from jail and enabled salvation for him and his brothers later on during the famine. 

We see from this that we must never underestimate what one act of kindness can do. We are told in the Talmud that good deeds is one of three things that keep the world in existence. 

We also see from this episode that we must instigate this. Many people will respond to requests; but it is far better to be the instigator. I have personally experienced many times when I have been a guest in a synagogue or a Jewish community the numerous offers of hospitality and assistance that were offered to me without any action on my part. 

This is what we learn from Joseph and this is how we should strive to act in inter-personal relationships.


Shabbat Shalom!

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Short Thought from the Parsha - Vayeishev

"your sheaves bowed down to me"
"the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed down to my star"

This week's Torah portion discusses, amongst other things, the 2 dreams Joseph has and tells his brothers about. One is about the sun and the moon, spiritual things; And the other about sheaves of grain; physical things.

However, Classic Chassidic thought tells us that the fact that both these dreams had the same meaning shows us that our physical and spiritual lives must be one and the same- we should live with the spiritual fully ingrained in us, and not two separate entities.

Today I shall...

Remember I am both a Jew and a Human being, and will try to create a fusion of these two elements for the greater good.

Sunday 11 December 2011

VAYEISHEV - Ethics from the Torah Portion


Vayeishev: The Nature of Exile

"They took Joseph and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty and had no water within it" - (Bereishit / Gensis 37:24)

When the brothers threw Joseph into the pit, the exile began — not just Joseph's personal exile from his father's house and the Land of Israel. From that dark, empty pit, began the exile of the entire Jewish people to Egypt.

Joseph's pit is a metaphor for Galut, for each exile of the Jewish people from their land.

Three Types of Pits
There are, of course, different kinds of pits. There are pits filled with water, wells that provide life to those living near them. One must be careful not to fall in and drown, but these are productive, useful pits.

Then there are empty pits. They serve no purpose, and are dangerous. Nonetheless, even empty pits have a positive side to them. With effort and skill, they may be filled with water and transformed into useful pits.
And there is a third type of pit. The Talmud (Shabbat 22a) quotes Rabbi Tanchum that Joseph's pit belonged to this third category. It was empty of water, but it contained other things — snakes and scorpions. Such a pit is of no use — neither actual nor potential - for humans.

Some mistake the pit of Exile for a well of water. Yes, one must be careful not to drown in it; but overall, they claim, it is a positive experience. If Jews are careful to act in a manner that will not arouse anti- Semitism, they can dwell comfortably in their foreign homes.

But the true nature of Exile is like Joseph's pit, full of snakes and scorpions. It is a dangerous and deadly place for the Jewish people. Such a pit has only one redeeming quality, intrinsic to its very nature: it will never mislead the Jews into mistaking it for their permanent homeland.

Snakes and Scorpions
Rabbi Tanchum spoke of a pit containing snakes and scorpions. What is the difference between these two dangerous animals? A snake bites with its head, while a scorpion stings with its tail. The snakebite is a planned and intentional act, executed by the directives of the snake's brain. A scorpion stings from its tail instinctively, without thought.

Exile is accompanied by both of these blessings. There are times of intentional and malevolent persecution, such as those perpetrated by the Crusaders, Chmielnicki's Cossacks, Nazi Germany, and other sinister snakes of history. These are dark hours for the Jewish people, but they are also times of shining heroism and self-sacrifice.

Worse than these intentional snakebites are the continual, unintentional scorpion stings which are an intrinsic part of Exile. Cultural dissonance, intermarriage, and assimilation take their slow, unintended toll on the Jewish people and their connection to the Torah.

The afflictions of Exile are by heavenly decree, lest we confuse a temporary resting place in the Diaspora for a permanent home for the Jewish people. The only true remedy for these snakebites and scorpion-stings is to rescue the Jews from the pit, and restore them to their proper homeland.

by Rabbi Chanan Morrison

Tuesday 6 December 2011

VAYISHLACH - Ethics from the Weekly Torah Portion

In this week’s Torah portion of Vayishlach, the epic battle between Yaacov, Jacob and the guardian angel of Eisav, Esau takes place. This fateful occurrence led to Jacob receiving the name Yisrael, Israel, the name that the Jewish people have been identified under since its inception to this very day.

According to the Ramban, Nachmanides, the fight between Jacob and the guardian angel of Eisav alludes to the current exile facing the Jewish people.

And this is where we can learn a lovely message. Ya’acov was wounded from the battle, which caused the commandment forbidding the gid hanasheh, a specific of an animal being eaten, as this was the part of his body that was wounded.

However later on, Yaacov was healed from his injury. So why do we still have the prohibition of consuming the “Gid Hanasheh”?

This is to remind us, that all the pain and suffering we face in exile; every persecution of the Jewish people, will soon be over. Indeed if one looks at any nation in history that have persecuted the Jews, none are around today but we are. The romans came and went, as did the Babylonians and the Greeks. The Egyptian nation, the most powerful at the time, was left crippled after the Jewish people left. The Cossacks, Communists and the Nazis have all disappeared as well.

The Jewish people survived them all, whilst they exist only in violent and bitter memories of the past.
And this is what we learnt. We still have the prohibition of the Gid HaNasheh. This is the positive aspect of the battle. The prohibition isn’t for the fact that Yaacov was wounded. The prohibition is because Yaacov wasn’t killed!

A story is told of Simon Wiesenthal, the famous Nazi hunter, Ob”m, whilst he was in a concentration camp. During the Holocaust, he was once speaking to a certain leading Rabbi, and complained of an incident that happened in the barracks in the hell-on-earth that was. An observant Jew had smuggled in a Siddur, a Jewish prayer book, into the barracks. However, the price for 10 minutes with the book was half the daily ration of food.

Notwithstanding the minimal amount of “food” they got, the waiting list for use of the prayer book was never-ending. One day, the owner of the prayer book passed away, for his stomach couldn’t take the vast amounts of food he was receiving. Simon Wiesenthal couldn’t believe this apparent cruelty and lack of humanity that had become this Jew to take food away from others in exchange for use of his prayer book.

The Rabbi answered – “Don’t focus on the fact he took the food from his fellow Jews; focus on the fact they gave half their food in those absolutely terrible conditions in order to pray”
One can always look at a glass as being half-full or half-empty. The Gid HaNashe teaches us that the glass is never half-empty. It is always half full.

Friday 2 December 2011

Ethics from the Parsha - Vayetzei

Ethics from the Weekly Torah Portion – VAYETZEI

An Excellent Exile?

In this weekly series, we take a look at the lessons from this week’s Torah portion (Vayetzei) that we can take with us into our everyday life.

Yaakov, Jacob flees his raging brother Esau, who is out for the kill. He therefore leaves the land of Israel and goes to Charan. The Midrash tells us that this alludes to the present day exile.

But what connection is his “exile” to our current one?

Says the late Rabbi of Lubavitch, R’ Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, that Jacob’s descent to Charan had both a negative and a positive purpose. Besides having to flee from his life, he also went out with the intent of building a family which would provide the leaders of the Jewish people until this day.

Therefore, in the same way, our exile also has positive connotations. We are on a journey; to add spirituality to the world – to our lives. This is also deduced by the fact that Jacob’s father Yitzchak, Isaac did not even know about the negative reason Jacob had to run away for; he was just aware of the positive; of finding a suitable partner to build the future of the Jewish people. And this is what we have to focus on.

And I would like to speak about another Jacob, my great-grandfather, R’ Jacob Lax, who perished in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Today, the 4th of Kislev, marks the 69th anniversary of his death. What is remarkable is that shortly before he was murdered in the horrific gas chambers, he took out a bottle of wine and made Kiddush, the sanctification of the Sabbath day (it was Friday towards evening, when the Sabbath comes in), just minutes before dying al Kiddush Hashem – the sanctification of God’s name.

Whilst it is very easy to see all the negative things that have occurred during this exile; the holocaust, pogroms, persecutions, etc. that have ensured that not a century goes by without constant troubles for the Jewish nation around the world, it is very difficult to see the good. By adding light, we remove the darkness. The act of reciting Kiddush and praising God is a tremendous act of faith in a place that was a hell-on-earth, the cause for over a million deaths, is a bold act of faith. It is what is positive in this exile.

As expressed by the Chassidic Master, R’ Menachem Mendel of Kotzk – “For some people, their faith is like an overcoat. It is worn by them and benefits only themselves in keeping warm. However, others light a fire. This enables all around to benefit from the warmth and heat the fire provides.” This is what my great-grandfather symbolised, by thinking about others, by fulfilling the obligation to recite the Kiddush on Shabbat for not only himself, but all around, even in the valley of death – This is what we must all aspire to do.

The flame will never be extinguished. We must never forget the suffering of millions over the years. Through accentuating the positive side of the exile, we will merit to see the ultimate redemption, may it come speedily in our days.

Friday 11 November 2011

Lesson from the Torah portion - VAYERA


Lessons we can learn from the weekly Torah portion!

It’s the Thought that Counts!

The story is famous. After Abraham was circumcised at the young age of just 99 years old, he was in extreme agony. However, refusing to lay idle; he waits outside his tent to welcome visitors. In fact, the reason he had to wait outside was because God had specifically sent a heat wave; to give Abraham a much-needed day to relax from his constant hospitality activities.

God sees Abraham’s distress at not being able to serve any guests, and therefore sends a group of angels that look like Arab travellers. Abraham runs after them, putting God on hold, welcoming them in and providing them with a lavish feast, complete with juicy Beef and mustard!

But surely; if they were angels, how can the verse say that “they ate”? Angels are purely spiritual and do not eat or drink; amongst other things!

Rashi solves this dilemma by commenting that the angels pretended to eat; and it seemed to Abraham that they actually ate.

But, if they only pretended to eat and did not actually eat; this means Abraham did not really fulfil the commandment of honouring guests. This therefore implies that his interruption of the Divine presence to attend to the “guests” was unnecessary. Furthermore, a Talmudical principle is learnt from the incident, that “Welcoming guests is greater than welcoming the divine presence!”

However, in this incident, it wasn’t the outcome that mattered.
Abraham served his guests with the utmost self-sacrifice and to the best of his abilities. This is what was showcased in the commandment. Therefore, even though they did not physically eat, Abraham fulfilled his part of the deal.

It’s not about winning; It’s about taking part! By doing this mitzvah in the most exemplary manner Abraham set a message for us that we can take home with us.

When performing a mitzvah, we should have in mind that even though there may be no positive outcome for the deed we have done; we have still fulfilled our part. We have done the best we can. From there, it is out of our hands.

But what is in our control is our responsibility. By us reading about Abraham doing everything he could despite all the challenges that faced him, this opened the history books for our chances at doing the same.
The sages teach that when Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did something; this enabled similar things to re-occur in the future. This is comparable to a balloon artist who must stretch each balloon so it can be inflated to its maximum capacity and strength.

Even though Abraham interrupted God, so to speak, and didn’t actually feed them; he gave us the all-important message.

Always try your best, and don’t give up.

Shabbat  Shalom

Monday 7 November 2011

Ethics from the weekly Torah portion - VAYERA

Ethics from the Weekly Torah Portion

VAYERA

In Genesis 18:13-14, God rebukes Abraham by asking him why his wife Sarah laughed when she heard she was going to finally have a son.

The question is, why didn't God rebuke Sarah directly, why did He do it through Abraham? Sarah was also a prophetess so therefore could have received direct rebuke?

Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, the founder of what is known as the "mussar" movement; explains this with a parable.

A rabbi was once in the home of one of his congregants. He saw that the Jewish cook in the kitchen was very lazy with regards to the laws of Kashrut, Jewish dietary requirements. He went to the congregant and asked him why he wasn't careful in his Mitzvah observance. The man, puzzled, responds by asking the Rabbi how he could have possible arrived at this conclusion? The Rabbi explained that it was because his cook was lazy in observance of the commandments regarding Kashrut. The man responded saying that the Rabbi's claim was absurd; the man never enters the kitchen when the cook is there; how could the cooks problems be as a result of the man.

The Rabbi responded by saying: "It all starts with you. It is a chain reaction. First you are lazy and not so careful in Mitzvah observance. Then your wife copies your example, as you are her role model in such matters. The cook, seeing that your wife is lazy and not careful in her mitzvah observance, wonders why she has to be, and therefore is not careful which could result in you eating non-Kosher food. She doesn't check eggs for blood spots (Jews are forbidden from eating blood by Jewish law), and doesn't check the vegatables for bugs (also forbidden for consumption, even by mistake). This all stems from your example.

This can be compared to a blueprint. On a blueprint for a building; a few millimetres off a blueprint seems like no big deal. But when the blueprint is build into a building, this could turn into a shortfall of a few metres!!

This is so too with generations. We are all links in a chain. If one link is broken or weaked, the whole chain is affected from that point onward to a greater extent.

It is no co-incidendence that the anniversary of the death of my grandfather, R' Dov ben Yaakov, Z'l falls during the week of this week's portion of Vayera. Having survived the holocaust, whilst upholding his traditions and heritage to the fullest, left the Nazi inferno and moved to England, whilst managing to reach out to many people and bring them closer to their heritage. In a time when many chains were broken or weakened, he managed to remain a strong link in the chain. His example was copied by his children, and by their children's children. That is how he merits to have many grandchildren who follow in his ways and keep true to their Torah study and Mitzvah observance.

May his memory be blessed.

Character Traits... Humility

HUMILITY

We will take a look at various character traits; starting with humility.

The classic work, Orchot Tzaddikim, the ways of the righteous, lists six ways to recognise one who is truly humble.

Let us take the classic example. Someone is humiliated by his fellow. This could be either in a verbal manner, or that his fellow did something. E.g. insulted him, or even poured a bucket of water over him. The person has a golden opportunity to take revenge against his adversary, but he controls his emotions (of anger), and forgives the offender for the sake of God. This is the sign of true humility. (However, there are occasions in which such humiliation is forbidden to forgive, e.g. when the honour of the Torah or God is at stake).
Another example, as drawn by a verse in Vayikra, Leviticus. Let us say, that God forbid, one suffers a great loss. E.g. one's children, or relatives pass away. If nevertheless, he accepts God's judgement with love, this is considered humility. We learn this from the case of Aaron, the high priest. After the untimely death of his two sons; Nadav and Avihu, he "was silent". He could have cried out and challenged God's judgement, since Nadav and Avihu were greater than he and Moshe, and were the future leaders of the Jewish people. In fact, their death came as a result of their striving to come closer to God. Nevertheless, "Aaron was silent", he accepted the decision. This is indication of the great humility and submission to Hashem's will inherent in this.
If one hears others praising him for his wisdom and good deeds. One can either rejoice on this; it may even be true and deserved. But if one is convinced that his deeds still fall far short of what their potential is, this is true humility. The same goes for negative deeds, which one admits to and does not attempt to exonerate himself over them
If one is blessed from God to have wealth, wisdom and good children. If one has the response of being convinced that he is undeserving of such blessings; this is an indication of true humility. We learn this from our patriarch Abraham, when he was told about God's plans for the wicked city of Sodom, which is a great honour to be kept in the loop by God; he responds by stating that he is nothing but "dust and ashes".
If one commits harm to another person; either by speech or action; and does not wait to be reproached but comes on his own volition; this is a sign of humility, that he is willed to be degraded for his misdeed; and of course to ask for forgiveness from the other party.
One who does not seek luxuries, but is content when one's needs is satisfied, and not seek unnecessarily beautiful or expensive clothes and furnishing. His manner is gentle and he speaks softly. This is a sign of humility, the opposite of arrogance.

These guidelines serve as the tools one needs to strive for true humility. Through this we can "ascend the ladder by one can ascend to emulate the ways of God", which is the culmination of God's creation of man "in His image".

In memory of my grandfather, whose "Yahrzeit" anniversary of his death is today. Whilst having an enormous in-depth knowledge of the Talmud, he maintained his humility and never boasted or used his knowledge to his personal gain. This led to his universal respect from all types of Jews, and any praises which he never let get to his head and shunned all credit and honour that was awarded to him.

Thursday 3 November 2011

Rich people are not the enemy

Wealth & the Occupy Wall Street Movement

I wish the Occupy Wall Street movement would be a little clearer about what they're protesting.

Even as it continues to grow and gain followers outside of New York, with satellite protests in more than 60 American cities as it threatens to go global, the demonstrators still haven't directly identified their enemy.

And before I can make up my mind whether or not I support them, I think they need to tell us whether this is more about money or morality.

What troubles me is that much of the anger of the protesters seems to be fueled by a sentiment about wealth that Judaism long ago rejected. There have always been people who believed that spirituality demands that we forsake materialism. Rich people are wicked by definition. Accumulating a great deal of money is a sin.

But from a Jewish perspective, wealth is not ignoble; it presents us with precious opportunities. When Abraham first discovered God and gave the gift of monotheism to the world, we're told that he was divinely rewarded with prosperity. The philosopher Philo had it right when he summed up the Jewish sentiment in these words: "Money is the cause of good things to a good man, of evil things to a bad man."

From time immemorial Jews have recognized that their mission in life is to improve the world. They were also realistic enough to realize that a great deal of good they were required to perform on this Earth can only be fulfilled with adequate financial resources. Helping the poor, assisting the community and its needs, building synagogues and houses of study, and supporting friends, family, neighbors – all these mitzvahs require money in order to properly perform them.

In a beautiful Midrash, we’re told that when Moses was commanded to count the Jews by means of their contributing a half Shekel, Moses was baffled. He didn't understand. Then God showed him “a coin of fire" and his mind was put at rest.

What was so difficult to grasp that caused Moses to be confused? Did Moses need to be shown an actual coin before he could understand the meaning of half a Shekel? And what was the point of showing him a coin of fire?

The rabbinic commentary is profound and beautiful. The reason Moses was perplexed was because he couldn't believe that for counting Jews something so seemingly non-spiritual and materialistic would be used. How could money play a role in defining Jews and holiness?

The answer was to show him a coin of fire. Fire has two seemingly contradictory properties. Fire destroys, but it also creates. Fire may burn, but it can also cook, warm, and serve the most beneficial purposes. Money and fire are related. Wealth may destroy those who possess it but it can also be the source of the greatest blessing. Precisely because it has this quality, it becomes doubly holy. When we choose to use a potentially destructive object in a positive and productive manner, we have learned the secret of true holiness.

Twice a day Jews recite the line that defines our faith. "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” The words that follow define how we are supposed to express that belief through our actions. The original Hebrew from the Torah is often mistranslated, "with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might." The more correct reading for the last phrase is "and with all your wealth."

Having a great deal of money isn't a problem. Not knowing what to do with it is what causes almost all of our difficulties. And spending it correctly is the challenge we face throughout our lifetimes that will best determine whether we can face our final judgment with confidence.

“Show me your checkbook stubs,” said the noted psychologist, Erich Fromm, “and I’ll tell you everything about yourself.” Self-indulgence or selflessness? Wine, women, and song or charitable works? Hedonism or helping others? Forsaking God because you no longer need Him or feeling more spiritually connected out of gratitude for your good fortune?

For those whose crusade against Wall Street is synonymous with a vendetta against all those with wealth, there needs to be recognition of the great good accomplished by many of those who've been blessed with prosperity. Just because someone has "made it" doesn't make him a villain. To add the adjective "filthy" to the word rich in signs hoisted by Occupy Wall Street protesters is to unfairly castigate those who God may have rewarded because they're wise enough to work on His behalf in creating a better world.

We could all learn much from Michael Bloomberg, the self-made billionaire founder of the Bloomberg financial information firm and New York Mayor, who for two years in a row was the leading individual living donor in the United States, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy. He recently said he intends to give away most of his fortune, because “the best measure of a philanthropist is that the check he leaves to the undertaker bounces.” And that will insure that he dies a very happy man.

Capitalism isn't only about accumulating more and more money. Just a few years ago TIME named Bill and Melinda Gates as its “Persons of the Year.” Gates, a Wall Street superstar, was acknowledged as one of the most influential people in the country – not because of how much money he has but because of how much of it he is willing to give away. He came to the conclusion that greed isn’t meant to be our goal in life.

Having made more money than he will ever need, he has one more vision that drives him. He would love to convince world business leaders that being socially responsible isn’t just altruism but sound business practice. Gates says he has learned that greed is self-defeating. It destroys the very people who make it their god.

Today Gates is spearheading a drive to get the super wealthy to publicly commit themselves to giving away most of their fortunes for charitable purposes – and Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and one of the world’s wealthiest men, among others has signed on to this noble endeavor.

When the Occupy Wall Street crowd talks about cleaning up corruption, when it points a finger at all those whose financial recklessness plunged the country into the Great Recession, when it gives voice to the anger we all feel at the perpetrators of highly immoral business practices that hurt millions of innocent victims – for all of these righteous causes they deserve our unqualified thanks.

It's only when they confuse anyone who is wealthy with the enemy that I think we need to remind them that just as much as the poor don't deserve to be despised for their poverty, the rich don't deserve to be hated simply because they have money.

By Rabbi Benjamin Blech


Rabbi Blech is author of 12 best-selling books, as well as an extremely popular communal Rabbi and Talmudical lecturer.

Wednesday 2 November 2011

A former slave speaks out against injustice

The Talmud in Ethics of the Fathers, states that "Who is wise?" we would expect the answer to be one who can answer many questions, one who has studied at great length etc. But the Talmud answers "one who learns from everyone"

How can we learn from everyone? It is very tempting to take a one sided view on a topic, or only listen to certain sources. However when someone outside that circle is telling you something, then you can learn from everyone.

I saw this speech told by Simon Deng at a conference called Durban Watch.

In this weeks Torah portion of Lecha Lecha, which means "Go for yourself" we read about Abraham who was born 1948 years after creation. (according to jewish years, we are now 5772 years from creation). The number 1948 is clearly not just a coincidence. We read about Abraham's 3rd trial where he is told to go to Israel and establish the Jewish nation.

However, Abraham threw himself into a furnace rather than serve idols. We have to sometimes take similar actions in modern day.

I wish to remain apolitical, and therefore do not site any political opinions on this application. However, this article highlights the mistruth that I believe all should be aware of.

Simon Deng is a former South Sudanese slave taken by a neighbor as a young boy to Islamist Northern Sudan and he gave this impassioned speech in response to the Durban Conference in New York on 22nd September 2011.

here is his speech:

"I want to thank the organisers of this conference, The Perils of Global Intolerance. It is a great honour for me and it is a privilege really to be among today's distinguished speakers.

I came here as a friend of the State of Israel and the Jewish people. I came to protest this Durban conference which is based on a set of lies. It is organized by nations who are themselves are guilty of the worst kinds of oppression.

It will not help the victims of racism. It will only isolate and target the Jewish state. It is a tool of the enemies of Israel. The UN has itself become a tool against Israel. For over 50 years, 82 percent of the UN General Assembly emergency meetings have been about condemning one state – Israel. Hitler couldn't have been made happier.

The Durban Conference is an outrage. All decent people will know that.

But friends, I come here today with a radical idea. I come to tell you that there are peoples who suffer from the UN's anti-Israelism even more than the Israelis. I belong to one of those people.

Please hear me out.

By exaggerating Palestinian suffering, and by blaming the Jews for it, the UN has muffled the cries of those who suffer on a far larger scale.

For over 50 years the indigenous black population of Sudan — Christians and Muslims alike — has been the victims of the brutal, racist Arab Muslim regimes in Khartoum.

In South Sudan, my homeland, about 4 million innocent men, women and children were slaughtered from 1955 to 2005. Seven million were ethnically cleansed and they became the largest refugee group since World War II.

The UN is concerned about the so-called Palestinian refugees. They dedicated a separate agency for them, and they are treated with a special privilege.

Meanwhile, my people, ethnically cleansed, murdered and enslaved, are relatively ignored. The UN refuses to tell the world the truth about the real causes of Sudan's conflicts. Who knows really what is happening in Darfur? It is not a "tribal conflict."

It is a conflict rooted in Arab colonialism well known in north Africa. In Darfur, a region in the Western Sudan, everybody is Muslim. Everybody is Muslim because the Arabs invaded the North of Africa and converted the indigenous people to Islam. In the eyes of the Islamists in Khartoum, the Darfuris are not Muslim enough. And the Darfuris do not want to be Arabized. They love their own African languages and dress and customs. The Arab response is genocide! But nobody at the UN tells the truth about Darfur.

In the Nuba Mountains, another region of Sudan, genocide is taking place as I speak. The Islamist regime in Khartoum is targeting the black Africans – Muslims and Christians. Nobody at the UN has told the truth about the Nuba Mountains.

Do you hear the UN condemn Arab racism against blacks?

What you find on the pages of the New York Times, or in the record of the UN condemnations is "Israeli crimes" and Palestinian suffering. My people have been driven off the front pages because of the exaggerations about Palestinian suffering. What Israel does is portrayed as a Western sin. But the truth is that the real sin happens when the West abandons us: the victims of Arab/Islamic apartheid.

Chattel slavery was practiced for centuries in Sudan. It was revived as a tool of war in the early 90s. Khartoum declared jihad against my people and this legitimized taking slaves as war booty. Arab militias were sent to destroy Southern villages and were encouraged to take African women and children as slaves. We believe that up to 200,000 were kidnapped, brought to the North and sold into slavery.

I am a living proof of this crime against humanity.

I don't like talking about my experience as a slave, but I do it because it is important for the world to know that slavery exists even today.

I was only nine years old when an Arab neighbor named Abdullahi tricked me into following him to a boat. The boat wound up in Northern Sudan where he gave me as a gift to his family. For three and a half years I was their slave going through something that no child should ever go through: brutal beatings and humiliations; working around the clock; sleeping on the ground with animals; eating the family's left-overs. During those three years I was unable to say the word "no." All I could say was "yes," "yes," "yes."

The United Nations knew about the enslavement of South Sudanese by the Arabs. Their own staff reported it. It took UNICEF – under pressure from the Jewish-led American Anti-Slavery Group — 16 years to acknowledge what was happening. I want to publicly thank my friend Dr. Charles Jacobs for leading the anti-slavery fight.

But the Sudanese government and the Arab League pressured UNICEF, and UNICEF backtracked, and started to criticize those who worked to liberate Sudanese slaves. In 1998, Dr. Gaspar Biro, the courageous UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Sudan who reported on slavery, resigned in protest of the UN's actions.

My friends, today, tens of thousands of black South Sudanese still serve their masters in the North and the UN is silent about that. It would offend the OIC and the Arab League.

As a former slave and a victim of the worst sort of racism, allow me to explain why I think calling Israel a racist state is absolutely absurd and immoral.

I have been to Israel five times visiting the Sudanese refugees. Let me tell you how they ended up there. These are Sudanese who fled Arab racism, hoping to find shelter in Egypt. They were wrong. When Egyptian security forces slaughtered 26 black refugees in Cairo who were protesting Egyptian racism, the Sudanese realized that the Arab racism is the same in Khartoum or Cairo. They needed shelter and they found it in Israel. Dodging the bullets of the Egyptian border patrols and walking for very long distances, the refugees' only hope was to reach Israel's side of the fence, where they knew they would be safe.

Black Muslims from Darfur chose Israel above all the other Arab-Muslim states of the area. Do you know what this means!? And the Arabs say Israel is racist!?

In Israel, black Sudanese, Christian and Muslim were welcomed and treated like human beings. Just go and ask them, like I have done. They told me that compared to the situation in Egypt, Israel is "heaven."

Is Israel a racist state? To my people, the people who know racism – the answer is absolutely not. Israel is a state of people who are the colors of the rainbow. Jews themselves come in all colors, even black. I met with Ethiopian Jews in Israel. Beautiful black Jews.

So, yes… I came here today to tell you that the people who suffer most from the UN anti-Israel policy are not the Israelis but all those people who the UN ignores in order to tell its big lie against Israel: we, the victims of Arab/Muslim abuse: women, ethnic minorities, religious minorities, homosexuals, in the Arab/Muslim world. These are the biggest victims of UN Israel hatred.

Look at the situation of the Copts in Egypt, the Christians in Iraq, and Nigeria, and Iran, the Hindus and Bahais who suffer from Islamic oppression. The Sikhs. We – a rainbow coalition of victims and targets of Jihadis — all suffer. We are ignored, we are abandoned. So that the big lie against the Jews can go forward.

In 2005, I visited one of the refugee camps in South Sudan. I met a 12 year old girl who told me about her dream. In a dream she wanted to go to school to become a doctor. And then, she wanted to visit Israel. I was shocked. How could this refugee girl who spent most of her life in the North know about Israel? When I asked why she wanted to visit Israel, she said: "This is our people." I was never able to find an answer to my question.

On January 9 of 2011 South Sudan became an independent state. For South Sudanese, that means continuation of oppression, brutalization, demonization, Islamization, Arabization and enslavement.

In a similar manner, the Arabs continue denying Jews their right for sovereignty in their homeland and the Durban III conference continues denying Israel's legitimacy.

As a friend of Israel, I bring you the news that my President, the President of the Republic of South Sudan, Salva Kiir — publicly stated that the South Sudan embassy in Israel will be built— not in Tel Aviv, but in Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people.

I also want to assure you that my own new nation, and all of its peoples, will oppose racist forums like the Durban III. We will oppose it by simply telling the truth. Our truth.

My Jewish friends taught me something I now want to say with you.

AM YISRAEL CHAI - The people of Israel lives!"

(This article is taken from the New English Review website)

Friday 28 October 2011

Ethics from the Weekly Torah Portion - Noach

NOACH

In this section, I write about messages we learn from within the weekly Torah portion and how this affects us from a moral viewpoint.

In this week’s Sedra there is a lot to be learnt about morals, seeing as most of the weekly Torah deals with the destruction of a corrupt world for being immoral!!

There are 3 points I would like to focus on:



1) The verse states that the “world was filled with corruption” – The word used for corruption here is חמס, “Chamas”. (note the similarity between a certain organisation that ironically uses that name today). What does this actually mean? In the Talmud, the word “Chamas” refers to someone who forces someone to sell something to him. Whilst this doesn’t seem as bad as stealing something, as in this case the person gets a fair value for the item, this means of attaining something by use of brute force indicates a breakdown in moral values. This breakdown is what caused the flood; a twisted distortion on what is right and wrong. We also know that they stole trivial amounts, which were less than a “perutah”, a Talmudic coin, (equivalent to about £0.02 or $0.03 !!!) which doesn’t actually merit a punishment for stealing as the amount is so trivial. They simply did this to indicate a corruption where things that couldn’t be punished for led to a breakdown in the judicial system, which distorted the whole system of legal reward and punishment.

2) God tells Noach to “go out of the ark”. This may seem puzzling. Surely after being holed up in a boat, Noach would be bursting to leave and go onto dry land. This however teaches us an important lesson and may even be speaking to us. God tells Noach to get out of the ark, this is telling us that even when we may want to lock ourselves up in an ‘ark’, whether it be at home, not wanting to go to work or school, whether it is in a certain place, where we are unwilling to move to a certain place even though we are supposed to move there; it is tempting to lock oneself in. However we are told to go out; to take responsibility for the world around us. To do out bit in improving and correction the world: to quote Apollo 11 – “One small step for mankind, one giant leap for humanity.”

3) In one seemingly out of place episode in this week’s Torah portion, Noach plants a vineyard and gets drunk from the wine this vineyard produces. He is then seen in a state of nakedness by his son חם, or “Ham”, who “looked at his father’s nakedness”. We see that when one sees another stumble or “mess-up-big-time”, there are two reactions one can provide: a) to be disgusted by the act and reprimand the person, b) to do one’s best to rectify the matter at hand.
Ham takes the first approach, and looks at his father’s nakedness, the negative aspect of his father’s misdeed. However we know that Noach’s two other sons, Shem and Jafeth שם , יפת, “did not see their father’s nakedness”. Instead, their backs turned, they walk towards their father and clothe him, without shaming him. This is the correct matter. When one sees another person in a negative state; do the positive thing.
The great Chasidic master and founder of the Chasidic movement, the Baal Shem Tov comments on this. How did these brothers act in profoundly different ways?
The answer is simple. When one is himself repulsive; one sees and is frustrated by the repulsiveness of others. (This is related to today’s Short Thought for the Day that quotes a Mishnah that states that “One can determine all blemishes except for his own). However, one who is pure does not see the repulsiveness in his fellow human being. Instead, his only reaction is to think on how he can help the person and how his actions can benefit mankind as a whole.

This is the correct path to take.

May we all succeed in seeing only the good in others, and doing our best to contribute to a moral and peaceful society.

This week’s “Ethics from the Weekly Torah Portion” is dedicated in honour and recognition of Rav Chaim Drukman,שליט"א , who miraculously escaped the Holocaust, missing the first ship he was supposed to be on which was sunk by a German submarine with no survivors; and making his way to Israel, whereby in thanks to God for saving his life he devoted it to helping others, in his past roles as Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs and a Member of the Israeli Parliament, to his current roles as leaders of educational institutions across the country that help develop the youth of today into the leaders of tomorrow.

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Sukkot: Netivot Shalom on the 4 Species

Taking the Lulav on Shabbat (Advanced)

Based on writings by the Rebbe of Slonim Z"l


Unity themes abound regarding the Four species. Different midrashim emphasize different angles, but the common denominator is that they see unity growing out of plurality. Each of the four species is different, distinct. They may represent different parts of the body, or different kinds of Jews, but the bottom line is the same. The many are bidden to come together and form a unified collective.

This approach is a favorite source of discussion on Sukkot, but its logic is not immediately compelling. What does unity have to do with Sukkot, more than other times of the year? Additionally, the Torah specifies how the Four Species are supposed to affect us. We are told to rejoice with them when we take them. How does the unity theme give make us want to jump for joy?

If we understand Sukkot to be the other side of the coin of the Yamim Noraim, the pieces all fall into place. We have already established that the point of Rosh Hashanah is to coronate the King, to fully realize and accept the authority of God in our lives. During the first part of the month of Tishrei we work on this through the modality of yirah, or approaching God through a sense of reverence. On Sukkot, we do the same, this time using the tools of ahavah, of love of God.

More specifically, Sukkot is the time when we can turn the Kingship of God from an abstraction to a reality vested in every part of our being. This is the significance of the Four Species as representations of the different parts of the body. On Sukkot, as at no other time of the year, we can internalize His Kingship in all parts of ourselves. Cleansed of our shortcomings on Yom Kippur, we put our newly-won taharah to good use, applying it through love of God to accomplish what yirah alone did not do. (The Torah provides a strong allusion to the role of ahavah, in the pasuk that commands us in the mitzvah of the Four Species: "And you shall take on the first day.and rejoice."The first day of Sukkot is linked to Avraham, the first of the Seven Shepherds, whose middot, traits, are chesed and ahavah. While we may fail in attempts to achieve this clarity at other times of the year, Sukkot - with its gift of simchah and ahavah - can get us there.

A different medrash provides a variation on the unity theme. Each of the four species, it notes, has a different complement of qualities. When taken together, one compensates for what the next lacks. We can view this as a guide to life's challenges. Maharal teaches[3] that wholeness and perfection comes in three varieties. True perfection comes only if we are perfect in our relationship to God, to others, and to ourselves. Like the Four Species, life provides situations that have taam v'rei'ach - taste and aroma, while others have one or the other. Some situations have neither.

This holds true for each of the areas of perfection. At times, God makes His presence and closeness felt, and we sense the richness in serving Him. At other times, He withholds part of the experience, as if we could detect the taam but not the rei'ach, or the opposite. There are also times when we feel nothing, making it much harder on us. Our job, however, is to serve Him as the absolute King, regardless of how He presents Himself to us. Like the eved Ivri - the indentured servant of Shemot 21 - we are to work day and night, i.e. whether He illuminates our lives, or leaves us in the dark.

Our relationships with others are governed by the same diversity. Some people appeal to us in all aspects, while others offer at least some likeable characteristics. Still others do not excite us in any way at all. Nonetheless, we are instructed by the Torah to practice ahavas Yisrael to all Jews, regardless of how they strike us.

Similarly, we face mood changes that threaten the way we relate to ourselves. At the extreme, some people are subject to so many stresses and psychic changes, that peace and tranquility are distant and elusive goals. They become fundamentally dissatisfied with themselves. Here too, accepting the malchutt of God in its fullness demands that we not slip into moroseness and lethargy, but rise above our natural feelings. We must remain satisfied with our selves, confident that everything God sends our way serves His purpose. He made us who we are, where we are, and what we must deal with. This allows us to bear all burdens with joy and love.

The message of the Four Species - the lesson that this mitzvah was designed to impart to our neshamot - is that all four types and situations require the same response from us. Some may be more difficult or more attractive for us than others, but we are required nonetheless to remain steadfast and consistent in our pursuit of perfection in all our relationships, whether to God, to others, or to ourselves. From the diversity of qualities in the four species, we arrive at a point of uniformity.

Uniformity is desirable in other areas as well. Elsewhere, we have spoken about the differences between emunah felt in different parts of ourselves. We recognized a cerebral emunah, as well as one emunah of the heart, and one which takes hold of every fiber of a person's being. The same distinctions apply to deveikut. We can cling to God with our minds alone, or with our feelings and heart, or with everything that is in us. The Four Species beckon us - and help us along the way - to attach ourselves to Him with all the we have, not just with one faculty or aspect of ourselves. On Sukkot we find that we have become a choir of different instruments, all ready to sing His praises. The different parts of ourselves come together in a unity of belief and commitment.

This internal uniformity in our deveikut leads us directly to joy and exultation. Our closeness to Him leads to simchah. Indeed, while simchah is part of the celebration of every Yom Tov, on Sukkot it is the overarching quality of the entire week. We call it zman simchaseinu, the season of our joy. The simchah of uniform deveikut to Hasham, deveikut with all parts of us, is not another element of the holiday, but its very essence.

Some years, we seem to lose out on the experience. Chazal ruled that we do not take the Four Species when the first day of Sukkot, the only day that the mitzvah applies on the Torah level rather than rabbinically. They were concerned that people might, in their zeal for the mitzvah, inadvertently violate the prohibition of transporting in a public domain. If our approach has merit, we can understand why Chazal were so ready to seemingly sacrifice a mitzvah that occurs but once a year because of what seems to us like a remote possibility of Shabbat violation.

They may not have sacrificed anything at all. Shabbat is called yoma d'nishmata - the day of the soul. During its rarified hours, accomplishments move within range like at no other time. Shabbat is characterized by the twin mitzvos of zachor and shamor, or remembering and of guarding. The latter is observed passively, while the former requires only speech, not action. Another way of looking at this is that speech alone can accomplish on Shabbat what requires concrete action the rest of the week.

The mitzvah of the Four Species ordinarily requires a physical activity to help us internalize the malchut of God in every part of our being, or attach ourselves to Him with every dimension of ourselves. On Shabbat, we do the same without the physical lulav and esrog. When Shabbat and the first day of Sukkot coincide, we can find in the tranquility of its hours the same insights without needing to grasp the species in our hands. We do not sacrifice the mitzvah, so much as engage it more internally.

We return to our original discussion. Many people take the different unity themes of the Four Species as a lesson, a celebration of the value of coming together. We have added a few dimensions and variations. Sukkot, through the Four Species,, is a time of joyfully enthroning God in all parts of ourselves, and finding a uniformity in our attachment to Him in all the varied days of our lives.

Friday 23 September 2011

Mussar from the weekly Torah portion


Near the end of his life, Moshe Rabbeinu commanded the people, "Now write for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites" (Devarim . 31:19). This verse is the source-text for the obligation of each Jew to write a Torah scroll. (According to most authorities, this mitzvah is fulfilled nowadays by purchasing books on Torah.) But why did Moshe refer to the Torah as a 'song'? In what way should we relate to the Torah as song?

Why study Mussar?

Once, a young scholar wrote Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook Zt"l a letter probing certain philosophical issues, raising questions that had eluded him. Rav Kook was delighted to see the scholar immerse his talents analyzing the philosophical aspects of Torah, unlike most Torah scholars who dedicate themselves solely to Talmudic and practical Halachic studies. Exploring abstract philosophical issues, Rav Kook stressed, is especially important in our times.
Nonetheless, Rav Kook urged the young scholar to approach this field only after a prerequisite study of mussar texts.

"You should first acquire expertise in all moralistic tracts that you come across, starting with the easier texts. Great scholars, wise-hearted and exceptionally pious, wrote this literature from the heart. Many subjects of inquiry cannot be fully grasped until one's emotions have been properly prepared."
In other words, it is important to precede academic inquiry into Torah philosophy with the study of simpler texts that elucidate the unique holiness of Torah. What is the function of this preparatory study? By studying mussar, we gain a proper appreciation and reverence for the subject at hand. Only after this emotional preparation are we ready to delve into an intellectual analysis of Torah.

Engaging the Emotions
It is for this reason, Rav Kook explained, the Torah is called a 'song.' Just as the beauty of song stirs our hearts, so too, the special power of mussar literature lies in its ability to awaken our inner sensitivity to the divine nature of Torah. This emotive preparation is essential, as the study of Torah philosophy only becomes clarified to those who are pure of heart.
While ethical works do not engage the intellect to a high degree, they nonetheless enable the soul to recognize its inner foundations. Of course, one should not be content reading moralistic literature, but should continue with in-depth, analytical study of the Torah and its worldview.

Hence the value of learning Mussar, and the relevance of Mussar nowadays.

This is also elucidated by the opening line of Iggeret HaRamban which quotes the verse from Mishlei:
שמע בני מוסר אביך ואל תיטוש תורת אמך

"Listen my son to the Mussar (instructions) of your father and do not abandon the Torah of your mother."

Mussar is mentioned first, implying a prerequisite to learning Torah. However the verse can also be read somewhat differently. It can be interpreted to mean :
"listen to the Mussar of your father so that you won't abandon the Torah of your mother"

By learning Mussar and gearing ourselves by familiarising ourselves with Jewish ethics, can we retain the Torah forever.

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Mesilat Yesharim - Jewish Ethics

Mesilat Yesharim is written by the Ramchal, and unlike his other works, is solely an ethical / mussar work, and not philosophical.
The aim of the book is the perfection of character. Unlike many other musar books, which are ordered the authors' own lists of character traits, Luzzato builds his work on a Beraita (quoted in many places, including (Bablylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 20b)) in the name of the sage Pinchas ben-Yair, whose list goes in order of accomplishment: "Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair said: Torah leads to watchfulness; Watchfulness leads to alacrity; Alacrity leads to cleanliness; Cleanliness leads to abstention; Abstention leads to purity; Purity leads to piety; Piety leads to humility; Humility leads to fear of sin; Fear of sin leads to holiness; Holiness leads to prophecy; Prophecy leads to the resurrection of the dead".
Within each step, Luzzatto explains the step itself, its elements, how it can be acquired, and what might distract from its acquisition. For example: Watchfulness can be acquired by setting aside time for introspection, and acquiring watchfulness can be impaired by excessive mundane responsibilities, wrong company or a cynical stance in life. The same pattern is used for every single one of the traits mentioned.
Mesilat Yesharim enables one to be a better person; a better Jew; and to help create a better world.

Pirkei Avot - Jewish Ethics

INTRODUCTION -
Pirkei Avot, literally Chapters of Our Fathers, is a section of the Mishna, one of the most fundamental works of the Jewish Oral Law. The Mishna was authored in the third century C.E., and discusses laws and customs of virtually all areas of Judaism, ranging from holidays, dietary laws, Temple service, marriage and divorce, and civil law. It records opinions of scholars from approximately the five centuries preceding the Mishna's writing. Pirkei Avot is the only section, or tractate, of the Mishna which is devoted exclusively to the ethical and moral statements of the Sages. For this reason, it is usually referred to in English as Ethics of Our Fathers.

Sunday 18 September 2011

Introduction to Mussar

The purpose of these articles are to enable us to get familiar with the Mussar movement and to enable us to strive closer to G-d, both in the personal and communal sense.

The Mussar Movement as we know it was founded by Rabbi Yisrael Salanter as a response to the Haskalah / Enlightenment movement, which drew many Jews away from Authentic Orthodox Judaism. This came after Anti-Semitism grew more vicious, and the segregations and pogroms lured many to integrate and assimilate with the Nations of the World.

Mussar comes in many different styles and about many different subjects, including Torah Study, service of G-d, treatment of fellow humans, relationship between the Jewish people and G-d, and Teshuva, repentance.

We will look at the different styles and different messages of many classic and contemporary authors such as:


  • Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato (Ramchal)
  • Rambam
  • Rav Kook
  • Chafetz Chaim
  • Rabbeinu Yona
  • Many more
As is stated in the introduction to the Mesilat Yesharim by the Ramchal, the sefer is designed not to teach us new and novel ideas, but rather to remind us about the areas in which we have neglected and need to perfect ourselves in.

Therefore Mussar is not to tell us off and feel depressed and in low spirits;  on the contrary! Mussar is to enable us to be happier, and live a more meaningful life -for our own good.