Category — Parsha

When did the Jews leave Egypt? Exactly at noon on the fifteenth of Nissan. When did they start counting down the 49 days to the giving of the Torah on Sinai? Just a few hours later on the sixteenth!

Let’s think about it for a moment. The Jews hadn’t even crossed the Red Sea yet, Pharaoh was still bound to chase them and bring them back to slavery, (as he so daringly tried to do, and only by the miraculous miracle of the splitting of the sea, and the drowning of the Egyptians was his evil plan averted.)

If that’s the case, then why were they rushing to begin the countdown to the next milestone – Sinai, immediately after the exodus?

Moreover, we can be sure that the Jews had a pretty decent hint about what would transpire at Sinai. They knew that Sinai would spell the end of doing what they want without accountability, and a whole new way of life with so many limitations and consequences/punishment.

The Jews hadn’t even had the chance to live like free men, and they were already counting down to a new form of slavery and accountability? Is there anything wrong with enjoying the delicious taste of freedom for a few days, without thinking about the next leg in this historic journey?

The answer my friend, can be found in the Declaration of Independence of the USA. Let’s take a peek:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Yup, those magic words “endowed by their Creator” are our answer. For in them lay the difference between the American Revolution which made the country the beacon of freedom and liberty to the whole world until this very day; to so many other revolutions crying the same cry of “democracy” or “all men are created equal” (communism) which did not last.

Freedom without a Creator, or in other words, without the understanding that the freedom is a gift of G-d, and that only when serving and being accountable to G-d is freedom possible, is not freedom. It might sound like freedom, it might even taste for a moment like freedom, but it is not freedom. It isn’t even a democracy. For if there are no divine principals to be accountable for, then there are no principals at all.

Just look at so many countries claiming to be democratic, and how far they really are from earning that title. Democracy without G-d is simply not possible.

Our ancestors 3300 years ago were yearning to live like free men with rights such as Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. So they rushed to Sinai to be given those rights, and to live a life of true freedom – as servants of the Creator.

We all have had those awkward moments which we wish would never have happened, and which we later tried unsuccessfully to forget. But the story of Yosef meeting his brothers definitely takes the cake as one of the most awkward moments in the Torah.

It’s so awkward, that it’s almost surreal.

Here we have siblings who took the term ’sibling rivalry’ to a whole new level (save for Cain killing Abel), and after tormenting and harassing their brother Yosef for the longest time, they then plotted to kill him. Only with some last minute intervention did they change the ‘punishment’, and instead sold him to wanderers as if he were an animal.

Jump forward 22 years. Yosef had spent portions of those years as a slave, another few years incarcerated in prison, and now he’s been appointed as second to the most powerful person in the world for the latter decade.

And now the brothers have returned, and unknowingly found themselves at the mercy of the one person whose life they had all but destroyed.

By now the sparks were flying between Yosef and his brothers. Yosef had just given his brothers a real run for their money, playing with their nerves and testing their commitment to family. And at the moment of the greatest tension…

Yosef breaks the news: “I am Yosef your brother! Is my father still alive?”

Like I said, awkward is the only way to describe that moment.

It lasted for barely one moment.

The next moment however, turned out to be (one of the) the most forgiving, mature, holy and thought provoking moments in the Torah.

“Oh, don’t be sad about what you’ve done to me, it was all a plan of G-d! Here, let me hug you! Take these presents, they are for you! Please won’t you all come down to Egypt? I will support you and your families! I love you my dear brothers, there is not a grudge in my heart against you!”

How great was this man who took the most awkward moment and turned into the greatest moment of reconciliation.

It was a moment four thousand years ago, but remains as a lesson for all time.

***

A guy had been feeling down for so long that he finally decided to seek the aid of a psychiatrist.

He went there, lied on the couch, spilled his guts then waited for the profound wisdom of the psychiatrist to make him feel better.

The psychiatrist asked him a few questions, took some notes, and then sat thinking in silence for a few minutes with a puzzled look on his face.

Suddenly, he looked up with an expression of delight and said, “Um, I think your problem is low self-esteem. It is very common among losers.”

Hakhel:

We are all part of one body. Each limb is needed for a compete body.

A great portion of our lives is spent on preparation. We spend two decades in school to prepare for adulthood and a livelihood. Hours are spent on cooking and baking food which will be gobbled up in an instant.
Honestly, doesn’t it seem like most of we do is one grand waste of time? A great portion, if not the majority of our time on earth, is ‘not real’? Isn’t that depressing? Well without further ado let’s switch to Torah mode, and see what G-d has to say about all of this in the Parsha. Here we go: This week we read how Abraham’s time in the spotlight was nearing its end, as it was getting ready to move over to the next
Patriarch - Issac.
With his ‘presidency’ is in its twilight, the Torah analyzes his legacy: “And Abraham led a full life, where  each day was used out in the service of G-d”.
That’s a pretty big compliment, to say the least! Listen to this: The Torah testifies that in Abraham’s 175 years in this world, he maximized every minute in the service of his Creator! Wow!
Alas it’s not only amazing, it’s also problematic. We all know that Abraham wasn’t born in a “traditional-ultra-orthodox-religious home”, just the opposite, and he had to spend many years to search for the truth. Some opinions maintain that he discovered the Almighty at age three; while others claim it was at 48! So how can we say that his days were full, if so much time was spent in ’soul-searching’?
Same question goes for children under Bar/Bat Mitzvah who are not obligated to do the Mitzvos, and fulfill them ‘only’ for educational purposes. Seemingly they don’t have equal ‘rights’ to adults, (maybe we should open a movement called ‘kidsism’ – which will fight for the equality of kids! I mean anything goes these days…) It’s not fair!
The problem with our ‘problem’ is that we think that preparation is a means to an end and for itself is worthless. The Torah however says that the journey is an end for itself! Abraham’s journey is as vital and important as the rest of his life and therefore also considered ‘full days’. And the same philosophy in regards to educating the young – it’s an end for a means and an end for an end!
So don’t mope around about how the ‘work is endless with no end in sight’, for the end is right here. It’s in the journey…
Like one 96 year Jew and former Sergeant in the United States military who’ve I met in Yerushalayim always says: You gotta just keep on drivin’!

Rabbi Rabinovitz answers his phone.
“Hello?”
“Hello, is this Rabbi Rabinovitz?”
“It is.”
“This is the IRS. Can you help us?”
“I’ll try.”
“Do you know Sam Cohen?”
“I do.”
“Is he a member of your congregation?”
“He is.”
“Did he donate $10,000 to the synagogue rebuilding fund last year?”
“He will!”

In 2005 I spent a year in Israel studying in the holy city of Jerusalem. As anyone who’s ever been in  Jerusalem knows firsthand, it is a wonderful experience. Be it the unique ‘Yerushalmi’ characters, or the beautiful scenery and mountains, the houses built with “Yerushalmi white stones”, or the trillions of synagogues on every corner… and of course the great holiness and spirituality found only in the capitol of our country. It was a memorable year no doubt.
What made it all the more memorable, and not necessarily in a good way, was the disengagement of Gush Katif that took place that August which affected everyone around the country.
Honestly, I didn’t decide to dig up old sob stories due to lack of current sob stories… rather it was that particular episode and its relevance to our Parshah that caused that painful episode in Jewish history to ring a bell.
Do you remember how all over the world debates were held, ‘if and how should we demonstrate’?
“Nah, it’s none of my business. I’m not the kinda guy!” cried the ’softy’. “It will damage my projects”, said Mr. busy. “It will ruin my image as a peace loving and understanding person”, explained Mr. Politician. “Oh, making demonstrations and holding signs are patented by the weirdoes, I will not make a fool of myself”,
shouted Mr. Proper.
It was at gush Katif more than any event in recent history, where the lives of so many were on the balance, that this ‘it’s just not my thing’ was so painfully visible by so many good people.
You know, many historians as do many of us, judge the Jews who lived in America during the holocaust. ‘They should have made more protests! They should’ve gone on hunger strikes! They should’ve stopped traffic on the major highways! And I can’t put away the thought (forgive me for saying this) that Heaven forbid were history to repeat itself, our reaction wouldn’t be any different.
Just a shrug of ‘What could I do anyway’ and back to business. Maybe even a tear.
Well let me introduce you to one of the ’sweetest guys’ in history, our founding Father
Abraham. Kabbalah affectionately calls him the ‘attribute of kindness’, oh such a nice peace loving guy. But…
When G-d decided to destroy Sodom and Amorah, suddenly Mr.-nice-guy-couldn’t-hurt-a-fly stood up
and started talking tough to his Beloved G-d. “How could you! This is unfair! Yes, they are sinners and horrible people, but for the sake of the few good people…”
And once his demonstration was over, he was back to Mr. Sweetie pie, welcoming guests and doing acts of kindness… and it was no contradiction at all. For he wasn’t being kind because he liked to; he was doing the right thing. And when the right thing meant to throw away the kindness, then he did it.
And when G-d told him to slaughter his son, he was willing to go all the way. And this is Mr. Softy!
At this moment in history, we don’t need softies; we need visionaries and fighters. No more sweet talk…

Three Jews were condemned to death by firing squad. They stood against the wall, holding hands and shivering with fear, as they closed their eyes in trepidation, waiting for the end. The countdown began: 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4…
Realizing that their time had come, one Jew opened his mouth and cried out, “Shema Yisroel Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echod!”
His companions opened their eyes in shock and quickly admonished him: “Silence, you fool! You’ll get us all
into trouble!”

Religious pride has always been a rarity. Yes, pride existed since the dawn of history, but was it used only for self-centered purposes such as wealth and conquest. It was pride that killed Abel. It was pride on which the idea to build the Tower of Babel was formed. And it was pride that caused nations to rise and fall. But pride in beliefs and religion – who ever heard of that?
Such was the way of the world for the first two millennia.
Then Abraham came onto the scene. Born to typical, upper-class, idol-worshiping parents, already as a youngster he broke the rules. All alone, he began questioning the origins of the universe, the secret of creation, and man’s purpose in life. Blind faith in rock and stone did not appeal to him as the ideal way to live.
After much searching, he found G-d. In the sun, moon and mountains, and in the depth of the human psyche; in the happiness of the sunny days, and in the tears of the rainy nights, he found the divine touch.
And once he found that truth, his life and destiny was changed for eternity. The revolution burnt in his bones, and his mission kept his soul aflame. One more touched by the message, one more connected to the divine – that was all he lived for, all that counted.
It wasn’t easy; he was betrayed by his father and thrown into a fiery pit, shunned by society and labeled an outcast, yet his conviction did not falter. Against the whole world stood one lonely creature fighting not for personal pride but for a noble cause, not for conquest of land but for conquest of hearts and minds. And he won.
In truth one may call Abraham the first man to walk out of the box; the first human to break from the norm
and be “open-minded”; the father of all philosophers.
Well it’s almost four millennia later, and the children of Abraham are still on it, fighting the forces of evil with forces of good, and dispelling darkness with the brilliant light of our faith
and our Torah.
While the Jewish nation as a whole is experiencing a renaissance, as many of us reconnect to our roots, there are still those left untouched by the message, their souls resting on low flames and religious pride is in the dust, stored in the some old dusty album up in the attic.
To them and to all of us, let the story of our grandfather be a shining example of the virtue of pride, the
obligation to question and probe for answers. And, most importantly, a reminder and call for our responsibility to share with the world. We must stand up for the right stuff (not only the preservation of endangered species) and fight the war on evil.
Change is what the world wants. Let us give to them.