The Red "X"

This writing is dedicated to Ross Muller and his wonderful family. May your soul ascend and bask in G-d's presence, and may your family find peace and comfort


Many years ago, there was a land whose king found himself in a very tough bind. His adviser had just informed him, that the land's new crop of wheat was faulty. Those who had begun eating of it had begun to show signs of insanity! What were they to do? It seemed either the people would starve, or they would have to become insane. "Perhaps, my king," said the adviser, "you and I could eat from the kingdom's stored produce..."

"No," said the king. "If so, everyone will be crazy, and we will appear different. They will label us the crazy ones!" After some thought, the king told his adviser: "We too will eat from the new produce. But before we do, we will draw a red "X" on our foreheads. That way, even after we're affected by the wheat, we will know that we are different, that we are crazy. But that this isn't who we really are."

For the last 2,000 years, the Jewish people have been in exile. Our holy temple destroyed, banished from the land of Israel, our ancestors dispersed among the various lands throughout the civilized world. But this change wasn't merely a geographical one, but a spiritual one. When the Jewish people ascended to Jerusalem & its temple 3 times a year for the holidays, the Torah says: "Three times each year... [you] shall be seen in the presence of God your Lord in the place that He will choose." The Talmud teaches: 'The verse can be read in 2 ways: "be seen" or "will see."' Meaning, it wasn't just that G-d Observed his people when they came to the temple. Those that came observed G-d as well! Not necessarily with their eyes, but rather with their mind's eye. They sensed G-d's presence with the spiritual antenna of their souls. G-dliness was palpable, was felt.

But like the villagers in the above story, over the years we have "consumed" foreign influences that have made us feel different to who we are truly. We have been in a long exile; not just a physical one, but also a spiritual one. Today in America, instead of "seeing" a G-dly reality as in days of old, it's more likely we'll see a season premiere of Jersey Shore (if you don't know the show, trust me, you're better off ;) So how can we retain our inner truth? The type of person my soul was meant to express and actualize in my time on earth?
Through the Torah & its Mitzvot. Like the red "X" on the foreheads of the King and his adviser, we Jews have always needed a special reminder of the truth of who we are. No matter how "crazy" - materialistic & shallow - my society makes me, I have the Torah, with its holidays, deeds and wisdom, as an "X" on my forehead to remind me of my essence.
Now all I have to do is look at the "X" as often as I can :)

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel

Appreciation

'Say to Aharon, "Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt...and they shall become blood..." (Shemot - 7:19)
'G-d said to Moshe, "say to Aharon: Take your staff and strike strike the dust of the earth; and it will turn into lice throughout the whole land of Egypt." (Shemot 8:12)


In this week's Torah portion, Va'eira, Moshe is sent down by G-d to Egypt to redeem his brothers & sisters, the Jewish nation. During Pharaohs decree decades earlier, that every male born must be thrown into the Nile river and drowned, Moshe's mother Yocheved gave birth to Moshe. But instead of handing him over to the Egyptian authorities, she placed him in a secure basket, and placed it into the river. Miraculously, the basket flowed along until it is seen by Pharaoh's very own daughter, Batya, who saves the boy (incidentally, Batya means 'daughter of G-d.' She is named such in honor of her saving one of G-d's children, Moshe.) Needing a mother to nurse the baby, Yocheved (mother of Moshe) is chosen. She nurses & raises Moshe, teaching him of his heritage and people, before he is given back to Batya's care. One day, already an adult in Pharaoh's household, Moshe walks out of the palace and sees an Egyptian taskmaster brutally beating a Hebrew slave. A man of action, Moshe utters a secret name of G-d, killing the Egyptian, and buries him. When Pharaoh finds out, he wants to kill Moshe, so he runs away, only to return many years later upon G-d's command.

When Moshe returns to Egypt, he demands the release of his people from slavery. When Pharaoh scoffs at this cheeky request, G-d strikes the Egyptians with 10 plagues.
What's peculiar, however, as noted at the top of this page, is that G-d tells Moshe to take part in bringing down the plagues, but only the last 7 of them. It is his brother Aaron who is told to take part in the 1st 3: Water turning to blood, frogs and lice infestations. How come?
The Midrash explains: "Since the river protected Moshe when he was thrown into it, it was not stuck by him at the plague of blood or that of frogs, but was instead struck by Aharon." (Midrash Shemot Rabah 9:10) And the lice? "It was not fitting that the dust be struck by Moshe because it protected him when he killed the Egyptian & hid him in the sand, so it was instead struck by Aharon." (Rashi)

Lest you think this was an isolated case of gratitude to a non human entity in Torah, look at this commentary by one of our great Sages on the Talmud: 'What is the reason why we cover the challah? The rationale is that we do not want to embarrass the bread. If the bread was to be uncovered, it would be humiliated because every day, we bless over the bread first and afterwards we bless over the wine, but on Shabbat we start with the wine.' (Mordechai, Perek Arvei Pesachim)

If Judaism focuses on the need for gratitude toward inanimate matter, how much more so to those living around us! Those who choose to act kindly toward us. Unlike the river or earth in Moshe's life, the human beings around us who help us & act kindly - choose to do so. The "Hakarat Hatov," gratitude, we need to show our Parents, for example, is tremendous. And yet, how often is it (at least as children, hopefully we have matured) that even after receiving 95% of what we need to live happy and productive lives, we have anger toward our parents for not giving us something? The Torah teaches us, that for even the simplest thing given to us, we must show gratitude. And how much more so toward our Parents, and ultimately G-d, who gave us life, sustained us, and continue their support. As the Talmud says: "A person should not cast stones into the well from which he has drunk." (Bava Kama 92b) May we all feel gratitude, and express it to G-d & our loved ones, as often as we can!

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel
~~~~~
A beautiful story that illustrates the power of a kind deed and the attribute of appreciation:

A well-known rabbi went to visit a wealthy philanthropist for a donation. This was a man who, albeit not personally observant, supported the Torah study of many institutions. Curious, the rabbi asked him why he did this. Where did he develop such sensitivity towards yeshivot? He gave the following explanation: "I was a wild teenager, going from trouble to trouble. My parents sent me to Radin to the yeshivah of the saintly Chafetz Chaim. Perhaps there I would be inspired to calm down. Regrettably, I was not accepted. I just was not considered yeshivah material. I was not granted permission even to sleep overnight in the yeshivah. Where would I spend the night? The Chafetz Chaim said, 'You can stay at my home.' So, I went home with the Chafetz Chaim.

"The Chafetz Chaim's idea of home was a two room shack. He gave me his own bed. The room had no light and no heat. Apparently, the great Torah leader was a very poor man.

"I was a young boy, accustomed to a hot meal and a warm bed. Laying there at night, I was shivering from cold, tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep. The Chafetz Chaim walked in and noticed the frigid air in the room. Thinking to himself, 'It is too cold in here for such a young boy,' the sage took off his long frock, which was probably going to be his protective clothing for the night, and placed it on me, over the covers.

"Years later, I became a wealthy Jew. Although I had never become observant, I have never forgetten that incident, how the Chafetz Chaim took off his coat and covered me. I was a total stranger and he owed me nothing. Yet, he felt my pain and showed his love for me. I never forgot that feeling of being cared for and loved by a total stranger. I was so moved by that act of unsolicited kindness that whenever a representative of a Torah institution approaches me for a donation, I give it to him gladly. I will never forget that cold night in that little house, and the elderly man with the giant heart. That coat has kept me warm ever since."

True Self Defense

And these are the names of the Children of Israel who were coming to Egypt... (Exodus 1:1) Thus begins the 2nd of the 5 books of the Torah known as Shemot (Exodus). The Rabbis note how strange the wording of this verse is. We're talking many years after Jacob and his family came down to Egypt, so why doesn't the verse say: "the Children of Israel who came..." in the past tense?? The answer is, that the Egyptian people looked at the Jews, not as equal residents and one of their own, but as foreigners - even generations later. It was still as if they had just moved down to Egypt.


As we've seen many times before, the Torah is a blueprint and guide for us in whatever generation we find ourselves in. We see this perhaps clearest in the classic anti-semitism shown by the Egyptians, led by Pharaoh, toward their Jewish citizens. The method and thinking of the Egyptians, and the reaction of Moshe & the Jewish people, can teach us much about anti-semitism & how to combat it in 2012. '(Pharaoh) said to his people, "Behold! the people, the Children of Israel, are more numerous and stronger than we. Come, let us outsmart it lest it become numerous and it may be that if a war will occur, it, too, may join our enemies, and wage war against us and go up from the land."' (Exodus 9-10)

1st of all, it's highly doubtful that the young Jewish nation was "more numerous & stronger" than Egypt, the superpower of the time. But it's understandable to use that falsehood as a fear tactic for the masses. Ask the average person how big they think Israel is, or how many Jews there are in the world, and you are also likely to hear "I don't know, the size of Texas?" And "maybe 150 million?" Try 1/32 the size of Texas and 14 million. Because of how well Jews worldwide have done in every position imaginable, we're imagined bigger and stronger than we are. And then Pharaoh used a classic claim, that Jews would side with the enemy invader if a war occurred, a claim perpetuated by many throughout history, even though the Jewish community has proven the most loyal, generous, and supportive of their respective countries. Ask my grandfather who fought for the French in WWII, or Obama or Romney who receive massive contributions from Jews. Jews have always been very active in the support and development of the countries they live in. So where does anti-semitism, seen throughout history, really come from? And what can we do about it?

If we look a few verses later, we can find allusions to the answer.
'It happened in those days that Moses grew up and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, of his brethren. He turned this way and that and saw that there was no man, so he struck the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.' (Exodus 2:11-12)
How did Moshe "strike" this Egyptian? There are 3 general opinions brought by the Sages: 1) Moshe simply hit him with his fist. 2) Moshe picked up a hammer or shovel and hit him. 3) Moshe said a secret name of G-d which caused his death. (Rashi) From these 3 opinions of how Moshe dealt with the anti-semitic threats of his day, we can learn for our present day circumstances: 1) We must be physically strong; like having an army (the IDF) for defense. 2) We must build institutions that help protect us (like AIPAC, lobbying & advocacy groups, etc.) 3) We have to trust in G-d, engaging in Torah, prayer, and mitzvot, for ultimately it is G-d who watches over us and our safety.

After Moshe kills the Egyptian, he flees Egypt, ultimately meeting with his destiny when he encounters a thorn bush that burns, but isn't consumed, where G-d speaks to him. This teaches us that G-d is with his people even in the thorn bushes of life, the painful and tough situations. And we must remember that, no matter how much the nations of the world try to destroy us, we Jews have never been consumed - and never will.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel

Living On

This writing is dedicated to a special soul, Gabriel Nussbaum, whose soul left this physical plane of existence to return to his soul's original home. May your family find comfort and only good, and may your soul enjoy the radiance of G-d's glory until you are re-united with us soon with the coming of Moshiach speedily in our days


This week's Torah portion is called Vayechi - "And He Lived", which actually chronicles the passing of our forefather Jacob and his son Joseph in Egypt.
Why then is this Torah portion entitled "And he lived!?" The Lubavitcher Rebbe once explained this as follows: We only attain true life when our ideals live on in those around us. When Jacob, in his final years, saw his family in Egypt living lives loyal to the values he lived with, this proved he had lived life the right way. The Talmud goes as far as to say: "Our forefather Jacob never died." (Ta'anit 5a) Since his ideals lived on in his family and the future Jewish people, he lived on through them. And this was only possible because he had lived his ideals so powerfully as to implant them in those who learned from him. Gabe's love, kindness, joy for life and empathy for others must be continued by us. In us he will live on.

On his deathbed, Jacob gathers his family and gives each one a blessing. Significantly, Jacob blesses his forth son Yehuda (Judah) with the blessing that the kingship will never leaves his descendants. Indeed, King David, Solomon, and ultimately Moshiach, the final redeemer, all descend from Yehuda. How come Reuven, Jacob's firstborn, wasn't given this blessing? Sure, he messed up earlier in the Torah, but so did Yehuda. Reuven was a very holy and good man! What was it about Yehuda that stood out to be blessed with such a momentous blessing? Not only that, but Yehuda keeps taking the lead in the stories that follow, hinting that there must be something special about Yehuda, something we can learn from for our lives today.

When Joseph was about to be killed by his brothers (it's a long story), it was actually Reuven who stepped up and stopped his brothers! He had Joseph thrown in a pit, and the Torah states that Reuven intended to save him from there later when the brothers had left. But soon after, Yehuda speaks up and tells the brothers it isn't right to kill Joseph. So they sell him to a caravan of Ishmaelites, down to Egypt and the rest is history. But where was Reuven? Didn't he want to save Joseph? And yet he was nowhere to be found! The Midrash teaches us that Reuven "was occupied with his sackcloth and fasting." Nine years after he had sinned against his father, the extremely spiritually sensitive Reuven was still repenting with remorse over his wrongdoing. That seems pretty good, right? Reuven intended to do good with Joseph, and was busy with spirtually good actions!

But here we are taught a profound lesson in life. Yehuda was chosen over Reuven, not because he was necessarily loftier spiritually or morally. But he was a man of action. He didn't merely have good intentions (if at all!), but he acted. In reality, he saved Joseph's life from his brothers. Yes, Reuven had even better intentions. But they were just that - intentions. Often we mean well; we want to do well to others. But how many of us do? This applies to many areas of life. I may love my father or mother, my son or daughter, but do I ever show it? I may feel bad for that person, but do I do anything about it? I may love G-d, but do I ever do things that he asks of me? Pure, good intentions are important and do mean something. But we have to make sure they don't stay intentions, for the power of a good action can't be matched; it's good, no matter what. Judaism emphasizes the importance of deed, above all else. Sometimes we need to sacrifice our good, even to give up on spiritual betterment, to help another person practically. In a physical world which we are trying to form into a dwelling place for G-d, it's the proper physical actions that actually have the most affect on the world around us, and are most pleasing to G-d.

And sometimes our one deed has ripple effects that we can't possibly have imagined possible. Just like if you want to create a nuclear explosion, all you need to do is split a single atom, which can set in motion a chain reaction in billions of other atoms and transform the face of the earth over an area of many square miles, how much more so in the realm of good! Yehuda made a difference, through his courage and action. Gabriel did the same through his love and friendship. Let's emulate them both in our lives ahead, and change the world around us for the better. Each of us is allotted a certain amount of minutes, hours, and days on this earth to complete our specific missions in this world. Let's take advantage of the time we have.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel