B"H
Tuesday, Sivan 15, 5779 / June 18, 2019
Each Shabbat, during the summer months, we recite a chapter of the Pirkei Avot - Chapters of our Fathers, or sometimes called, “Ethics of our Fathers.
One of the teachings of the Talmudic sage, Hillel The Elder, in the second chapter of Pirkei Avot, , is, “Do not judge your fellow until you come to his place.”
In other words, if you see someone doing something which in your eyes seems wrong do not judge them, unless you are in their place, in their position and have experienced what they experience.
Often we judge others negatively, without giving any thought as to why they acted that way. It is only when we find ourselves in their position that we can see that perhaps it wasn’t their fault, as we originally thought.
A man came to the doctor and complained that his wife is hard of hearing.
“How do you know she has a hearing problem?” asked the doctor.
“I talk to her many times during the day, but she doesn’t answer. For sure she cannot hear, but she won’t go see a doctor,” he replied.
The doctor thought for a while and said, “I want you to conduct the following test. First ask her something from across the room. If she doesn’t reply, get a few feet closer and ask her again. Get closer and closer to her, a few feet each time, this way I will be able to gauge how bad her hearing problem is.”
The next day the man asks his wife from across the room, “What’s for supper tonight?” No answer. He walks a few feet closer to her, “My dear, what’s for supper?” No answer. He goes another few feet forward and asks the same question. No reply. Finally he gets within a few feet from her and screams, “What’s for supper?”
She yells back at him, “What’s with your hearing. For the seventh time! I told you chicken and potatoes!!!”
Too many times, we see faults in others and judge them negatively, when the faults may in fact be with us!
Hillel the Elder teaches us, “Do not judge your fellow until you come to his place.” Get close to him. Get into his shoes and you may see things very differently. You may realize that the negativity you saw is not as bad as you thought, taking into account the person’s background or the conditions which he has to endure.
Or you may even see that the fact that you perceived him or her in a negative light may actually be a result of something lacking within yourself, as the story above illustrates.
Rabbi Nachman of Breslav explains the saying of Hillel this way: G-d is called “Hamakom” (“the place”). Here the word “Limekomo” (Do not judge your fellow until you come to His place), means, G-d’s place. Hillel teaches us that unless we see things as G-d sees them, we cannot judge others. G-d sees the past, present and future, we cannot pass judgment on someone else, because we do not see the full picture.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Wednesday, Sivan 16, 5779 / June 19, 2019
This week's Parsha (in the Diaspora), Beha'alotcha begins with G-d's instructions to Aaron concerning the lighting of the Menorah (candelabra) in the Temple. But, instead of using the Hebrew word, “Lehadlik” – “kindle,” the Torah uses the word "Beha'alotcha" which means to "elevate."
Q. Why does the Torah use the term “Beha’alotcha” (to elevate) instead of Lehadlik (to kindle)?
A. The sages discuss the reason for this and many solutions have been suggested. Some say that Aaron, the High Priest, had to climb several steps (to be elevated) in order to light the Menorah.
Another explanation is that it refers to the lights of the menorah – to elevate the lights. The lights of the Menorah represent the Jewish soul (Neshama) which is compared to a candle. Just as the flame of a candle flickers upward, so too, the Neshama is drawn upward, to be connected with G-d.
Aaron's mission was to "elevate" the Jewish souls, represented by the lights of the menorah, so that they will strive to connect to G-d, like the flame of the candle which continuously strives to go upward.
"Be of the disciples of Aaron," says Hillel the Elder in Pirkei Avot. "Love peace, and pursue peace, be one who loves his fellow men and draws them near to the Torah."
The Zohar asks, “Why do Jews move to and fro when praying and studying Torah?” The Zohar replies, "The Jewish soul is derived from G-d's Holy fire. When we study Torah or pray our soul is connected to its source and like the fire of a candle that constantly flickers back and forth, so too, the soul, G-d's candle, also moves.
The Midrash tells us that the idea of lighting the menorah in the Temple surprised the Jewish people. They said, "Is there any darkness before G-d that He needs our light?"
G-d replied, "It is not for My benefit. It is for your merit." The Menorah in the Holy Temple brought forth spiritual and holy light to the Jewish nation and to the entire world.
Before the days of electricity, Russia's main streets were lit by kerosene lamps. Each night, a city employee would make the rounds and light these lamps to illuminate the street.
"The function of a Jew is to be a lamp-lighter," said Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber of Lubavitch. "It is not enough to feel spiritually enlightened and warmed by the light of ones soul, one must also use their spiritual fire and make an effort to light up the candle/soul of another Jew by bringing them closer to Torah and Mitzvot."
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Friday, Sivan 18, 5779 / June 21, 2019
In this week’s Parsha, Beha'alotcha, the Torah relates an episode in which the Jewish people complained about the manna which G-d sent them daily. They cried, "We want meat! We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt free; the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions and the garlic."
G-d gave them meat, but they were punished in a plague which killed many of them.
Q. Jews were enslaved by the Egyptians. Why did they claim that the food they ate was free?
A. Our sages answer that "free" here means free from the obligation of performing the mitzvot. They were complaining about the many mitzvot and prohibitions which G-d commanded them.
Why did G-d give us so many mitzvot to perform? The answer is given by the Talmudic sage Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya; "The Holy One, blessed be He, wished to make the people of Israel meritorious, therefore He gave them Torah and mitzvot in abundance."
Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya tells us that Torah and Mitzvot were given to us for our benefit. G-d gave us many mitzvot to grant us much merit and reward for performing them.
In one of his travels, a wealthy nobleman passed by a field and saw a peasant pitching hay. Fascinated by the peasant’s skill and the rhythmic motions of his arms, he offered the peasant more money than he was getting if he would work for him. The peasant agreed and returned with the nobleman to his estate.
He showed him into one of the rooms of the castle and asked him to proceed with his masterful hay pitching technique. The peasant worked a full day and was rewarded handsomely. However, after collecting his pay he declared that he was quitting.
"I don't understand," said the nobleman puzzled, "Isn't it better and easier for you to just make the motions of pitching hay than actually working? In addition, you're getting paid much more!”
The worker replied, "I'd rather work much harder in the field even for less pay, because there, I see the fruits of my work and feel accomplished!"
The same is with mitzvot. Reward for doing nothing is meaningless. G-d gave us the Torah and mitzvot in order to accomplish in this world and thus earn our reward for fulfilling His commandments.
In addition, “Mitzvah,” also means “connection.” Through the performance of mitzvot we become connected with G-d. The more mitzvot we perform, the greater and stronger is our connection.
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montreal candle lighting time: 8:29 / Shabbat ends: 9:45
B"H
Tuesday, Sivan 22, 5779 / June 25, 2019
This week's Parsha (in the Diaspora) Shlach begins with the story of the twelve spies (Meraglim) that Moshe sent to scout the land of Canaan which G-d promised to give to the Jewish people. He sent one person from each tribe. They scouted the land in forty days.
Moshe instructed them to see if the people of the land are strong or weak; if they live in fortified cities or not; if the land is fat or lean; are there any righteous people whose merit may protect the people of the land. He also told the scouts to bring back some of the fruits of the land. Moshe was sure they would bring back a good and positive report.
Upon their return, instead of encouraging the people to go and conquer the land, as Moshe expected of them, ten of the spies brought back a negative report which discouraged the people. They told of the giants who live in the land, "And we were in our own eyes as grasshoppers and so we were in their eyes." They also claimed, "The land through which we have passed is a land which eats up its inhabitants!”
As a result, the people refused to go into the Promised Land and wanted to return to Egypt. G-d punished them and instead of continuing to the Promised Land they stayed in the desert for forty years, until all those who refused to go to Israel died.
Q. Why did they describe the land as, "a land which eats up its inhabitants?"
A. In order that the spies should not be harmed, wherever the spies went G-d brought a plague so the people of the land would be busy burying their dead and would not pay attention to the spies.
Had their faith in G-d been complete, the spies would have realized that this was for their benefit. However, because they lacked faith in G-d's promise that the land was good, they attributed the deaths to, "a land which eats up its inhabitants!"
Q. The spies said, "And we were in our own eyes as grasshoppers and so we were in their eyes." What lesson can one derive from this?
A. Our rabbis explain that as a person is in his own eyes, so too he is perceived by others. Had the spies been positive and confident in their mission, then everyone else would look at them positively. But with their negative attitude ("we were in our own eyes as grasshoppers") they projected the same image to the inhabitants of the land; who viewed them as small and meaningless.
Lesson: When we do a mitzvah, performing our G-dly mission in this world, it is important to feel proud and positive about what we are doing. This feeling will then be projected and transmitted to others. They too will look at us in a positive way and will be influenced to do the same.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
|
Torah Fax is published daily (except Shabbat & Sunday) so you can learn something new every day |