Ear versus Eye

Perhaps the most profound difference between the two civilizations of antiquity that are most responsible for the culture of the Western world ancient Greece and ancient Israel Is their focus: the Greeks were the supreme masters of the visual arts: art, sculpture, architecture and the theatre. Jews, as a matter of profound religious principle, were not.

For Israel G-d, the sole object of worship is invisible. He transcends nature. He created the universe and is therefore beyond the universe. He cannot be seen. He reveals Himself only in speech. Therefore the supreme religious act in Judaism is to listen. Ancient Greece was a culture of the eye; ancient Israel a culture of the ear. The Greeks worshipped what they saw; Israel worshipped what they heard.

Chief Rabbi J. Sacks

Parsha Va’etchanan

This week’s Parsha contains perhaps the most famous and important idea in all of Torah. The Shema has many important ideas in it, but none more important than the imperative to teach our children the ways of our people. In this sentence we learns that although a person might think that the mitzvah of learning Torah takes precedence over that of teaching others, the opposite is in fact true. We learn from the emphasis on teaching children the proper approach we should have when we begin to learn Torah.

When Jews do mitzvah’s we create a change in the physical world, we elevate physical objects and seemingly mundane tasks and make them holy buy using those objects in the performance of mitzvoth and in our service to gd. The practical performance of the mitzvah is therefore more important than the intentions of the person doing the deed. The action itself brings spiritual illumination into the world.

In contrast to this Torah learning’s purpose is to refine and elevate the individual. When a person engages in the act of studying Torah their intellect becomes united with the gdly wisdom contained within and that wisdom affects the individual. Aiding and helping us to be more gdly people whose thoughts and actions are holy. Therefore learning Torah is in essence a process of humbling oneself and nullifying oneself with the goal of approaching gd with an open heart and mind.

Before we learn Torah we must subjugate our own ego and ask ourselves what does the Torah want from me? Our Sages say that without this prerequisite, Torah learning can be like a poisonous drug. Without asking this question we can actually damage ourselves.

I’d like to thank, Chabad.org and the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt”l for this insight, Shabbat Shalom.

Post Tisha B'av Thoughts

The gemara says that the Beis Ha-Mikdash was destroyed because the Jews limited their actions to the letter of the law of the Torah and did not act beyond the letter of the law. Tosfos note that the gemara in Yoma suggests a different reason, baseless hatred. Tosfos reconcile this apparent contradiction by asserting that both of these reasons caused the destruction. The Maharal adds that these weren’t two independent reasons; they operated in tandem.

I think this is a beautiful idea. However despite its beauty it also makes me sad, by my reasoning this speaks very poorly of Am Israel as a nation. To me this means that not only do we not rush to do mitzvahs and go beyond what we have to do in our obligation to gd; we also don’t go beyond our obligation to our own people by accepting each other for who we are. We hate each other because we are different, because we cannot manage to get beyond the largely ascetic differences in the way we dress, or the way we serve gd, or the way we speak and recognize each other for what we are. What each and everyone of us are is created by gd. We are created in ha kadosh baruch hu's image and therefore are sacred.

Unfortunately I was reminded of this all too viscerally just this last Shabbat when I brought my sister over to one of my closest Rabbis houses. This was my sisters first chance to see and experience life in my new city. I wanted her to see that I have a family in Boston who loves me and takes care of me. To see that I have a Rabbi who I’m friends with. Someone whose counsel I trust, who I don’t necessarily agree with all the time but whose family I love. Unfortunately my Rabbi could not get beyond my sisters level of observance, and I unfortunately checked out of the conversation, spending my time play with his kids and not listening. Afterwards my sister tried talking with me about her concerns and fears but all I could hear from her was the stereotypical, surface level criticisms about the orthodox world and I did nothing to dispel them, instead I got angry and defensive. Not that she wasn't also acting in a similar way (we are related after all), but I should have listened to her concerns and tried to get a clearer picture of what went down between the two of them instead of reacting the way I did.

Later I was filled in on the conversation by a neutral party and I feel terrible that because I didn't participate in the conversation, mediating between the two that hostility was formed and some stereotypes were reinforced. I feel terrible that because I didn't get a clear picture of what happened and instead reacted defensively my sister and I spent the night going at each other and arguing. I could have handled it better, I should of listened and found points of commonality.

I feel like an ass, that I allowed myself to get caught up in the same surface level, petty criticisms that I accused her of, before finding out the whole story. It’s because of this that we are still waiting for the redemption and the rebuilding of the Beit Ha-Mikdash. It’s because of situations like this that we still hate one another and fight with one another and can’t come together as one nation, strong and unified.

I thought about this while I fasted the other day and I’m still thinking about it today and I can only hope and pray that next time I’ll be able to be a better example for all parties involved. I also hope that this year I can increase of performance of mitzvoth, not just in regards to my relationship with gd but also in terms of my relationship of all of Am Israel and the other nations. I hope and pray that I can go about the performance of mitzvoth with enthusiasm and vigor each and every day. That I will not feel burdened by walking in the ways of my ancestors, but will instead feel empowered and rush to fulfill my many obligations. I hope that though this I will do my part in bring the redemption and the rebuilding of the temple speedily in our days.

The Orthoprax Rabbi

There has been a buzz on the Jewish blogosphere, maybe you’ve heard of The Orthoprax Rabbi's Blog,

There is one thing really struck me while I was reading it. His critiques of orthodoxy (of which there should be much debate about) and about falling out of belief are exceedingly similar to my thoughts about coming to a belief in god, in the Torah, in an absolute truth (viewed subjectively) he writes about how limiting the system is. How it emphasizes fear of god, making those who subscribe to it restrict themselves out of a fear of heaven, it constricts people and forces them into a limited world.

But I feel much the same way about the whole world and of every culture, most ideologies constrict to, that they themselves are restricting and expect people to fit into a small space. No matter what you believe, no matter how you believe you’re inevitably tying you’re self to a system and a set of beliefs and those beliefs have inherent limitations, no matter what they are.

Intense belief or non-belief of anything is or can be limiting depending on your commitment to the idea. But of course I can also be part of any group of people and still retain their ability to question and grow and struggle with what the purpose or meaning of it all is, or what’s important to them.

He relates a son of his son coming home from school and asking him it’s possible that god created everything (go to his blog and read it). He states that he doesn’t try to dispel to his son what he believes is wrong. He longs for his son to ask him the next question, well then who made god? Longing for the day when his son will ask that question and be set free. It’s a beautiful story. I to have issues with that question but I think he misses the point. While I to have trouble with that question, that one question (or anyone question) alone does not make me not believe in the Torahs truth, or in gods existence, and less for me it enhances my faith, makes it deeper and fuller.

Questions will always exist but its about what you do what you’re asking those questions that matters. That’s where your heart is and that’s what matters, when something matters to do you do it because it makes you more happy then doing something else, his anguish seems to come from his inability to be who he is, where he is.

To him and to everyone, Shabbat Shalom

I wish it wasn't so

"We are born into war, every child in Israel knows war" - Unnamed Israeli Commando

Pinchas

A thought on this weeks parsha from one of my Rabbi’s in Jerusalem.

Parshas Pinchas is always read around the beginning of the Three Weeks, the time period in which we mourn the destruction of the Beis Ha-Mikdash. The gemara (Yoma 9b) says that the first Beis Ha-Mikdash was destroyed because of the performance of three grave sins: gilui arayos (immorality), avoda zara (idolatry), and shefichas damim (murder). The second Beis Ha-Mikdash, on the other hand, was destroyed because of sinas chinam, hatred of fellow Jews. A few lines later in the gemara, we are told that the sin that lead to the destruction of the second Beis Ha-Mikdash was not revealed. How could that be? If Reuven hates Shimon, doesn’t invite him over to his house, stops talking to him, and doesn’t allow his children to play with Shimon’s, aren’t his feelings apparent? Isn’t it clear as day that Reuven hates Shimon?

I once heard a beautiful answer. Sometimes people don’t speak to others for good reasons. For example, if Reuven knows that by speaking to Shimon he will end up hearing lashon ha-ra, he must stay away from him. Reuven’s mindset is le-sheim Shamayim - he doesn’t want to do an aveira. However, if Shimon realizes that Reuven has ceased to interact with him, he may become hurt and begin to have ill feelings for Reuven. When Reuven then hears that Shimon has ill feelings towards him, there’s a very good chance that Reuven will then have ill feelings towards Shimon, unrelated to the fact that Shimon might speak lashon ha-ra; this is sinas chinam. While Reuven began with a mindset of le-sheim Shamayim, it is difficult to maintain that mindset for long. After a while, one might actually enjoy not speaking to the other person or begin to feel that he is better than him. In the times of the Beis Ha-Mikdash, the sin of sinas chinam was not revealed because on the outside it seemed that everything was le-sheim Shamayim. But Hashem knows what man’s real intentions and motivations are; He knows if they are really le-sheim Shamayim, and since they weren’t, the Beis Ha-Mikdash was destroyed.

The lesson that we learn from Pinchas is that we must constantly check and recheck our motivations. Are our actions really for the sake of Hashem? There is a beautiful mashal that illustrates this point. A woman and a cat were running around the house trying to trap a mouse. While an onlooker might assume that they were both performing the same act, there was a major difference between the two. The woman wished the mouse would never been there in the first place, while the cat was ecstatic that the “problem” existed for it to “take care of.” Sometimes, people join protests against things that are wrong, but they wish they did not have to protest at all. Others enjoy protesting and are quite happy that they have the opportunity.

Through our introspection, we can ensure that we will always act le-sheim shamayim like Pinchas (gematria 208). May the merit of our actions being le-sheim shamayim speedily bring the rebuilding of the Beis Ha-Mikdash and the ultimate comfort given by Hashem of “nachamu, nachamu” (gematria 208).

A moment of Zen

G-d lives in people, and they are rarely the most successful or even the most overtly religious. Religion, when it leads to self-righteousness, can become a barrier separating us from G-d. - The Chief Rabbi J. Sacks