Ethics from the Weekly Torah portion - WAKE UP!

In this week's Torah portions, we read about the laws regarding the festivals of the year; beginning with Rosh HaShanah - the jewish new year, and Yom Kippur - the day of atonement.

During these days we reach greater spiritual heights and through the prayers and atmosphere of the day we receive much inspiration.

However, unfortunately, this is not always internalised fully and thus becomes lost with time. After the period of the high holidays are over we simply continue as before. Imagine someone was fortunate enough to win £/$ 100,000,000! He wouldn't blow it al at once (which would prove quite difficult anyway) but would invest it and ensure it lasts for himself and future generations.

Very often we fail to internalise the message of these days because they're always talking about "someone else". We fail to realise that the messages of these days are a direct line to us. We fail to release the "tweet" from Heaven is aimed @you and not @him.

This leaves us satisfied that we have performed our duties and ready for another year of potential and opportunity. We focus on lofty goals - improving the world - through various lofty resolutions that are far beyond our means. But we fail to realise that in order the improve the world we must first improve ourselves. However, the bigger picture from a few feet/metres away means we do not see the fine detail.

On Rosh Hashanah, there is one special mitzvah on this day. This is Shofar- blowing the ram's horn. We use one shofar; and a shofar is not quite a Steinway Grand Piano or a Stradivarius violin. It is a plain, simple, horn of a ram.

We blow the Shofar, to remind us we need to focus on ourselves. Whilst the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra's rendition of Kol Nidrei would no doubt be very emotional and inspiring, it is the ram's horn that gives us the ultimate message. We bring holiness and sanctity and infuse it with our spirituality. We take our ram's horns and elevate them. The same way we elevate our very selves, and by improving ourselves, we can then improve the world.


Judaism 4 U
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Why Ethics of our "Fathers"?

It would seem that the appropriate name for this tractate would be one along the lines of its common English name, "Ethics." What is the connection between Avot, "Fathers," and a code of ethics and morals?

Many reasons have been suggested for the curious name of this tractate. Here is a sampling:

While ethical teachings are imperative for all to learn and implement, they are particularly important for parents and educators. Not only to learn them and teach them to the next generation, but to be role models of the behaviors taught in this tractate. As Shammai said (Ethics 1:15): "Say little and do much."


Compressed in these six brief chapters is our entire moral code"Fathers" can also be translated to mean "general principles"; principles that contain myriads of sub-lessons. Compressed in these six brief chapters is our entire moral code. The more we study its passages, the more messages we will uncover. To use the words of Ben Bag Bag (Ethics 5:21): "Delve and delve into it, for all is in it..."

Indeed the hundreds, if not thousands, of works authored on this tractate demonstrate the truth of this idea.


The teachings expressed in this tractate are the "father" to -- i.e. they must precede -- all other Torah teachings. This idea is succinctly expressed by Rabbi Eliezer ben Azariah (Ethics 3:17): "If there is no common decency, there is no Torah."

This is also the reason why it is customary to study Avot during the seven weeks of the Omer count: the teachings of this tractate are a necessary prerequisite to receiving the Torah on the holiday of Shavuot.


Teach someone an idea -- no matter how lofty or holy that idea may be -- while you have increased his or her knowledge, you have not effected a real change in that individual. If, however, you have successfully taught that person to be a mentsch, then you have transformed that person. You have "fathered" a new, refined human being.

Ethics from the Torah portion: TZAV

צו את אהרן

“Command Aharon” – Vayikra 6:2

Rashi explains that the use of the world “tzav – command” denotes the urgency of Aharon’s action.

The Gemara in Kiddushin explains that one who is obligated in a mitzvah and does the mitzvah received greater reward than one who isn’t obligated but does the mitzvah anyway of his own accord. Tosafos explains that this is because the one to which the mitzvah is compulsory for him is under constant pressure to perform that mitzvah, whilst an optional mitzvah doesn’t carry with it the same amount of effort and pressure.

Therefore, we can understand Rashi’s comment. Because the Yetzer Hara only attacks someone who is commanded to do something, Hashem gave the urgent command – “Tzav” – to Aharon, so he could overcome his Yetzer Hara, evil inclination, before his Yetzer Hara could overcome him.

VAYIKRA: Ethics from the Weekly Torah Portion

VAYIKRA:
THE SMALL ALEF

The first letter of the Aleph-Bet, the Hebrew "alphabet" is the "leader" of all letters, as not only is it first in line, the letter "aleph" is derived from "aluf" which means leader, general (in a military sense) or champion.

In the Torah, there are a few occasions where the letters are written in an unusual way. One of these is the opening word of our Torah portion, Vayikra. The first 4 letters are written as usual, but the final letter which happens to be an "aleph" is written smaller than the others. Why is this so?

Aleph is the symbol of pride. A champion, a leader. However, in our verse it is written smaller. This was to show Moses' humility. However, why did this require the letter aleph? Couldn't another letter be written smaller to display Moses' honesty?

Because, many times, one can be modest and humble, but when it comes to the area in which they are a champion or a leader, their feelings of humility become temporarily suspended...

Therefore, the Torah is giving us a clear lesson here. Even in the areas in which we are leaders, we should retain our humility. One may be an expert in a certain field but we must realise that it is our special and unique talents that should be the very cause of our state of being humble.

Think about this; what if your capabilities were given to someone else instead of you? Wouldn't he then go on to surpass your achievements?

So we learn from the very letter "aleph", the root of pride and arrogance, the very art of being humble.

Leadership 4 U

Follow the Leader: Insights into Jewish Leadership

In Last week's Torah portion of Ki Tisa we read how Moses already had his own tent of meeting and his "personal mishkan - tabernacle".

Considering that he wasn't going to benefit anything extra from constructing the communal tabernacle, why did God instruct Moses to get involved in the building of the Mishkan that was primarily for the Divine presence to dwell amongst the Jewish people?

We can learn an important lesson in leadership from here. One cannot simply worry about his own person spiritual growth.

One needs to concern himself with others' Torah study and spiritual development. This takes after Moses who wasn't just a leader in theory but also in practice.

At the moment I am situated in southern Israel, which is under a barrage of rocket attacks from terrorists in Gaza. This reminds me of the following story of Rabbi Nosson Zvi Finkel, the late Rosh Yeshiva (head of the Talmudical College) of Mir, one of the largest Yeshivot of pre-war Europe that to this day has several thousand people learning under its' roof. Despite R' Nosson Tzvi's Parkinson's disease, this did not stop him becoming one of the greatest leaders of our generation.

During the Gulf War, there was a scare that Saddam Hussein would use biological weapons. Therefore, every building had to have designated sealed rooms that would be isolated from all sources from air, and one had to use a gas mask to breath.

After one such siren, some students of the Mir Yeshiva ran to their designated sealed room. They had put on Gas masks and had already sealed off the door with special masking tape.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?", one of the students asked. "It is Nosson Tzvi" came the response from the other side of the door. The students in the room were clueless as to what to do. They were sure that there was a student who had been late in getting to his sealed room and therefore had to impersonate the Rosh Yeshiva, so they refused to open the door. After much persistence, they felt guilty and opened the door. Imagine their shock when they saw the Rosh Yeshiva standing there with his gas mask.

The Rosh Yeshiva lived a few minutes walk from the Yeshiva and was not supposed to be in or near the Yeshiva at the time. So what was he doing there, wondered the students in the sealed room?

"I had a pre-arrangement with my driver. Immediately upon the sound of the alarm he was to collect me and drive me straight to Mir. In times of crisis, I just wanted to be with my boys".

Thus should a leader act. For the people and with the people.

KI TISA: Small Things; Huge Impact

In this week’s Torah portion, as we discussed in the “It’s in the Name” section, we read about the devastating incident of the Golden calf.

What is remarkable about this tragedy, was that only 3,000 men were involved with the sin, out of the Jewish population at the time of a few million people!

Nevertheless, Moses, who wasn’t even affected by their sin, was instructed by God to “go down” from the Mountain.

Is there anything positive we can learn from this?

Of course! If such a tiny proportion of the population could make such a huge negative impact on the entire Jewish nation, just think of the huge positive impact a similarly proportioned positive act could bring!

Therefore, this incident must inspire us and give us hope; that we all have the potential to change the world; for the bad or for the good.

The potential is there; we just need to realise it.

Ethics from the Torah portion - Tetzaveh

Pure Olive Oil

In this week’s Torah portion, the commandment of lighting the Menorah (candelabrum) in the tabernacle was given. The Torah commands us to use pure olive oil.

This raises a question. Anything used in the temple had to be pure. So why the emphasis on the purity of the oil here – it is obvious and surely the verse doesn’t need to mention that the oil specifically needs to be pure.

We know that the Torah, being not a history book but a guide to life, is always as brief and concise as possible. So this addition of the word “pure” is there for a reason.

I heard a beautiful story that illustrates this perfectly.

Channukah.

Brings back memories, doesn’t it?

Every winter we light the Channukah Menorah (candelabrum) and eat donuts and latkes (fried potato pancakes) and spin the dreidel (spinning top) – but Channukah is all about the Jewish victory over the Hellenist Greeks and the miracle of the oil. There was miraculously oil left over for just one day but it lasted for 8 days until new, pure oil could be brought to Jerusalem to the temple. This very same oil that we are commanded to use in the temple from this week’s Torah portion.

A man was preparing his Menorah for lighting on the first night of Chanukah. It was a beautiful and exquisite piece of silver, handed down from generation to generation with immense physical and sentimental value.

His son comes home from school, holding a small metal menorah. “Daddy, I won this in school today! Please let us use it to light the Chanukah lights”. The man did not know what to do! There is a concept of Hiddur Mitzvah, beautifying the mitzvah, which warrants using the nicer candelabrum.

Finally, he sets out to his Rabbi to ask him what to do. The Rabbi answered him by saying that he should use the menorah that his son brought home.

Why?

Let us think back to Chanuka. What happened? We celebrate Jewish military victory over the Greek army; an out-numbered and out-armed group of mean gaining victory over one of the most powerful nations in the world at the time. Therefore, the mitzvah to light the chanuka lights is to publicise the miracle, to spread the word, and to light up the world.

To use the man’s son’s menorah shows a dedication on the child’s part to go against a world filled with corruption and morality; to remove darkness and replace it with light.

This is what we must do. We are like the olive oil. We are crushed and ready to give out light to the world. But we must be pure. Pure intentions create a unique paradigm shift and only then can we fully devote ourselves to the service of God.

I am writing this hours before Shabbat commences. In the Shabbat services we pray to God and ask God to “purify our hearts to serve you with truth”.

May we merit purifying our hearts and bringing truth and light to the world.

Shabbat Shalom.