Category — Parsha

A lawyer named Strange died, and his friend asked the tombstone maker to inscribe on his tombstone, “Here lies Strange, an honest man, and a lawyer.”
The inscriber insisted that such an inscription would be confusing, for every passersby would tend to think that three men were buried under the stone. However he suggested an alternative: He would inscribe, “Here lies a man who was both honest and a lawyer.”
That way, whenever anyone walked by the tombstone and read it, they would be certain to remark: “That`s Strange”.

Ok, we all know that G-d made a flood which only Noah and his family survived. We also know that a few years later the inhabitants of Babel decided to build the “Tower of Babel”, a structure that would reach to
the sky. Why build such a tower? Two reasons: for security, and to make a “legacy” of themselves.
Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Obviously not, just see what G-d’s reaction to this tower building was. He turned some of them into apes, mixed up their languages, dispersed them all over the world etc. I guess this wasn’t the best of ideas…
What would warrant such a response? What’s wrong with wanting to leave a legacy? Don’t we all want to be remembered for some great achievement of ours?  Why?
I’ll tell you why! It is barely a few years after the world was flooded because of corruption and sin. And all these people have to think about is ‘how are we going to leave a legacy!’ that is all that’s on their minds! How many pages of history books will be filled with our story of unprecedented architectural achievement.
Hello! How about creating a moral code? Schools? Houses of worship? Did not the entire globe get punished due to a lack of morals? Hadn’t they learned that in order to keep the world going, there are important changes that must be implemented?
No, they were busy leaving a legacy. Who cares about a legacy! There’s a world out there in distress and in dire need of help and hope. Leave your legacy alone and go make a difference. Your legacy can wait, the
world cannot. That is why they were punished by G-d.
Legacy is nice; a bit egoistic, but nice. Especially if it’s not an Al Capone style legacy. But in times like this we must put our eulogies, obituaries and grave stones aside, and go change something in this world for the better.
We need Moshiach to come. There is no time for legacy… Let’s go!

If G-d decided to make a point in a way that we - humans should understand, how would He do it?

He would write an extra letter in the Bible.

Then twenty Rabbis would debate it, filling up a few 2000 word pages in the Talmud, all the commentaries with the small words would debate what the Talmud meant when he explained what G-d meant.

Then Maimonides would offer his interpretation, some other rabbi would write a book proving him wrong. Then for the next thousand years till this very day, many pulpit rabbis would take the audacity and right to offer their own interpretation/twist on that one seemingly extra letter in the Bible. (Hey,even I try to do it once in a while…)

Point is, that when G-d Wants to get a point across he knows how to, short and sweet.

Ask anyone out there, ‘what is the Bible?’ and he’ll tell you that it is the book of laws for the Jewish people. And if he’s a bit of a scholar he might add that the word Torah can be translated as lesson and guide, a rule book.

If that’s the case, then why is the first quarter of the Torah (the entire book of Genesis and half of Exodus!) telling a story? Creation, flood, patriarchs, Twelve Tribes, Egypt, exodus, Sinai… If G-d wanted us to know our history He should have written a history book, why insert it into the Bible? And in the beginning of the Bible at the top of it!

Says Rashi in his opening commentary on the Bible, that when the nations of the world will question our legitimacy to the land of Israel, we will reply, “The entire earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He; He created it and gave it to whomever He deemed proper. When He wished, He gave it to them, and when He wished, He took it away from them and gave it to us.”

Question: Ok, so G-d wanted to bring out the point that Israel belongs to the Jewish people; but did He need to write the longest speech in history (quarter of the Bible!) to do so? Wouldn’t we have gotten the hint if it were to be said in just one letter or a word?

Do you know the answer?

You don’t? Then maybe go ask the UN, and they’ll explain you why the country with the most condemnations in the world, is a country not found on many maps, a democratic state somewhere in a region of tyrants and terrorists. Ask them why the mere mention of that country makes their blood boil.

Then you can meet the many of the residents of that very tiny country who doubt their very own legitimacy to the country they live in!

And then maybe you’ll understand why G-d had to bring out His point by “spending” a quarter of the Bible telling us a story…

Sadie is having terrible headaches that just won’t go away so she goes to her rabbi to see if there’s anything he can do. She whines, and cries and talks for hours not only about her headache, but about her terrible living conditions as well.
All of the sudden, Sadie shouts, overjoyed, “Rabbi, I think your holy presence has cured me! The headache is completely gone!
To which the rabbi responds, “No, no Sadie, it’s not gone. I have it now.”

Statistics show that one out of four people has not read even one book from cover to cover over the last year! With that in mind, there’s a 25% chance that you have not seen the final pages of a book in quite a long time…
I’m sure however, that no matter if you are a book worm or have a diagnosed phobia from literature, this is one thing we can agree on: no book concludes with these words, “Thank you for ripping up this book!” and
that simple point needs no explanation, for it’s basic common sense.
Common sense, but not G-dly sense.
This Wednesday we conclude the year long cycle of the weekly readings of the Torah. So before we roll back the scroll to the beginning, let’s us at least grab a look at the final words of the Bible:
“And there was no other prophet who arose in Israel like Moses… as manifested by all the signs and wonders… and all the strong hand, and all the great awe, which Moses performed before the eyes of all Israel.”
What strong hand and awesome deed did Moshe perform before the eyes of all Israel?
The commentator Rashi explains that this refers to the breaking of the tablets. When Moses came down from the mountain and saw the terrible sin of the golden calf he smashed the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments. Rashi Says, that by wrapping up the Torah with this episode, G-d was telling Moshe “This was your greatest deed ever, and thank you for breaking the tablets!”
Huh? Is that the way one concludes a book, by thanking the publisher who threw it out of the window? And what lesson are we supposed to learn from all of this?
One second, before we question the reason for mentioning this episode, let us first understand Moshe’s motive for breaking the tablets. Why did he throw them away? What was his motive?
Well, Moshe was on the way to deliver the constitution of the Jews from heaven. The Jews had so far only heard the reading of the constitution at Sinai, but they had not yet received the actual contract (tablets).
Meaning that they can not yet be punished for violating Commandment #2, “You shall not have the gods of others in My presence,” For they have not received the contract!
So Moshe smashed it, and with that saved his nation. And that was Moshe’s greatest achievement!
The lesson: G-d is teaching us that there is something more important than study – the Jew. Hence, at the finally of G-d’s magnum opus He tells us: “Yes, all I Write here is important, but what is more important is
the love and sacrifice for your fellow man.”

It was the custom of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi to officiate as the “reader” (baal korei) of the weekly Torah reading in his synagogue. One year, the Rebbe was away from home on the Shabbat on which that the section of Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26-29) is read. In the Rebbe’s absence, someone else did the reading.

Ki Tavo contains the “Rebuke”, a harsh description of the calamities or “curses” (kellalot) destined to befall the Jewish people should they forsake the commandments of the Torah. That week, Rabbi Schneur Zalman’s son, DovBer, who was about twelve years old at the time, was so affected by the “curses” of the Rebuke that he developed a heart ailment. Three weeks later, when Yom Kippur came round, he was still so weak that his father was hesitant to allow him to fast.

When the young DovBer was asked, “But don’t you hear the Rebuke every year?”, he replied: “When father reads, one does not hear curses.”

Hmm… that story is really on target for what’s been going on in recent weeks. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were taken over by the government, Lehman brothers, AIG… the financial market is not doing too great to put it mildly.

Oh and China is thinking of buying out half of Morgan Stanley… and “Der spiegel” says that American capitalism has died…Welcome back Mr.’s dark and gloom…

I was on the train today and some ‘optimistic’ preacher was telling us that this is the beginning of the end, “you’re all gonna die, three people in a casket… communist China will take over the world…” ouch.

Ok 2.8 trillion dollars lost is no joke, granted. But gloom and doom is no joke either. It’s at these times that you look back and think to yourself, ‘wasn’t it just a few decades ago when our grandparents worked eighteen hours a day just to earn enough money to put a rusty loaf of bread on the table’?

It’s 2008, how many of us had only plain bread for breakfast and supper (who was able to afford lunch those days)? Aren’t we all reading/hearing/watching the news about this meltdown by such media that just a short time ago couldn’t have even been dreamt of?

I think the lesson we should learn from the above story; at least for people like us who are neither at the level of the “reader” nor of the “listener”, is to look at what’s happening with a different perspective. Same facts, same story, just with a different color lenses.

‘Think good and it will be good’, said the fifth Chabad Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek.

Let’s take it to heart; it works in medicine (fact!) it works in psychology, it works in school… and it works in money as well.

Oh, and by the way a new year is upon us… an opportunity for a fresh new start.

One nice day, the Russian czar decided to make a surprise visit to an army base somewhere in Russia. Dressed in civilian clothing, he trudged through the snow. When he finally reached the base, he found it neglected and empty. A Russian himself, the czar knew where to find his men: in the tavern.

Indeed, the tavern was full of soldiers making merry and drinking hard. The czar stood at the side, waiting.

Finally, about two hours later, one soldier stood up and reminded his comrades of their duties and how they better go back before the general would arrive to the base.

Hanging on each other for support and balance, the drunken soldiers began the mile-long trek “home”. Foot by foot, step by step, men were falling. What had begun as a group of two hundred soon dwindled down to a mere handful. And the czar didn’t do a thing.

About five feet before the gate, a soldier collapsed. The czar walked over to him and made a red mark on his neck. Two feet ahead, another soldier collapsed. Only three soldiers made it to the base.

The next day, the whole division was informed of an imminent inspection by the czar. The soldiers quickly got into high alert, cleaning and polishing. This was no joke.

The czar walked through the rows of soldiers, oblivious to the cleanliness and effort of his men. He was looking for something; he was after the mark.

And he saw it. He ran up to the soldier, raised his hand and slapped the lad over and over, mercilessly.

With the last ounce of his strength, the beaten soldier begged for an explanation. The czar replied that this was a consequence for him going to the bar.

The beaten soldier was at loss. “But, but…. everyone else went!” he sputtered. “Besides, I deserve credit for making it so close to base.”

The czar looked at him thoughtfully and said, “We are humans, and humans make mistakes. Am I upset that my soldiers left their posts? Yes, but I can understand and forgive them.

“Why do I forgive them? Because when those drunken soldiers fell to the floor, I watched how they fell with their head towards the base, proving their commitment and loyalty to the place where they want to be – my army. Okay they failed, but their hearts were in the right place.

“You on the other hand made it almost all the way – your body was in the right place, your heart however was in the wrong place. How do I know? Because when you fell, you fell backwards, your head away from the base. Thus, your true loyalties were revealed.”

What a lesson for life!

It’s now so much where you reach in life; it is where you are headed. As long as we are on the right road, G-d can forgive us for the reverses. However if we’re on route 95 instead of route 75, the more we travel, the further we are from where we should have begun…

‘Massei’ – journeys is the name of our Parshah in which the 42 journeys of the children of Israel are discussed in detail. Note how we refer to those 42 steps as journeys, not as stops.

Forward. One step at a time…