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Not Once, But Twice Everyday - פנחס

Thursday, July 25, 2024 - 10:09 PM

Not Once, But Twice Everyday

The daily offering in the temple was offered twice every day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. As the Torah relates in this week’s portion, G-d conveys the message to the people of Israel through Moses:

And you shall say to them: This is the fire offering which you shall offer to the Lord: two unblemished lambs in their first year each day as a continual burnt offering. The one lamb you shall offer up in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer up in the afternoon. (Numbers 28:3-4)

Similarly, there is one other commandment that we are commanded to perform not just every day but twice every day: the commandment to recite the Shema, the declaration of the most fundamental principle of Judaism, the unity of G-d.

In general, life can be divided into two phases: morning and evening. Morning represents the times when the figurative light is shining, we feel the blessings in our lives, we are filled with joy and enthusiasm, and we sense the Divine presence at our side. Life, however, contains moments and experiences of “evening” and “night”, moments of pain, darkness and despair, when we feel abandoned, alone, and G-d’s embrace is not felt.

Judaism’s most important principle, the unity of G-d, means not only that there are no other G-ds, but rather that there is nothing that exists independent of G-d, and that G-d permeates all of reality. The mystical meaning of the verse in Genesis, “and there was evening and there was morning one day” is that both the figurative “evening” and the figurative “morning” are part of the “one”, the oneness of G-d.

Twice a day, we declare, and in the tomes of the temple, we express through the daily offerings, that G-d is present and available both in the morning and in the evening, both in the times when we can sense his presence and in the moments when he can be felt through faith alone.

“The one lamb”, representing complete devotion and connection to the one G-d, is offered in the morning and in the evening.

Adapted from the teachings of the Rebbe, 12 Tamuz, 1984

Is Love Blinding? - Balak

Friday, July 19, 2024 - 2:53 PM

Is Love Blinding?

Do you see the faults of the people You Love?

People fall in love, and when they do, they are blind to the faults of their beloved. They are oblivious even to faults that seem obvious to others. Such is the intoxicating power of exhilarating love.

Inevitably, however, the lovers awake to reality. They learn that, spoiler alert, the person they love is human and, like the rest of us, is imperfect. How do they respond then? Some resent the faults; some learn to make peace with them; others feel betrayed, deceived by the blinding love.

In this week's Parsha, Billam, the greatest gentile prophet who was hired to curse the Jews, tries to remind G-d of the faults of his beloved Jewish people; alas, he fails completely. In his frustration, he declares:

He {G-d} does not look at evil in Jacob, and has seen no perversity in Israel; the Lord, his God, is with him, and he has the King's friendship. (Numbers 23:21)

What is the meaning of "He does not look at evil in Jacob?" There are three interpretations of the verse, each representing a deeper level of love.

Rashi begins by directing it to the Targum Onkolos's Aramaic translation of the Torah. According to Onkelos, it is absurd to think that G-d sees no iniquity in Jacob; after all, the Torah is full of episodes where the Jewish people are less than perfect. Instead, Onkelos explains that the verse refers to the most severe sin, the sin of idol worship.

He does not look at evil in Jacob: According to the Targum {Onkelos it means: I have looked. There are no idol worshippers in Jacob}.

According to Onkelos, G-d certainly sees the faults of the Jewish people, yet he can still love us because we are free of idol worship, the severest of all sins.

Rashi, however, introduces a second interpretation, a deeper level of love, which he refers to as "beautiful":

Another interpretation: Its literal meaning can be expounded beautifully. The Holy One, blessed is He, does not look at evil in Jacob. When they transgress His word, He does not deal punctiliously with them to scrutinize their wicked deeds and their iniquity in violation of His law.

According to the second interpretation, we, of course, possess faults, yet G-d chooses to not focus on them. No one is perfect, but when people love each other they focus on each other's positive qualities and choose not to direct their attention toward the negative qualities.

And finally, we reach the deepest level of love where there is no need to look away from any part of the other person. As the Rebbe explained:

He does not look at evil in Jacob: The reason G-d does not look at the evil in Jacob is because He looks at the Jew as having already fulfilled his potential to reorient the animal concerns of his consciousness (his animal "soul") toward Divinity. He thus transforms the animal soul into a positive force in his Jewish life, harnessing its raw power to pursue its interests in the service of his higher, Divine consciousness (his "Divine soul").

(Adapted from the Rebbe by the Kehot Chumash)

The third level of love is deep enough to allow us to view every aspect of the other person through the lens of love. For when we look at the other person's fault, we see not the current incarnation of the fault but rather the potential of the deeper connection and positive growth that can emerge from it.

When The Jewish People Began to Sing On Their Own - חוקת

Friday, July 12, 2024 - 11:12 AM

When The Jewish People Began to Sing On Their Own

At first glance, it is a very sad story.

This week's Torah portion is a collection of somber episodes, among them the passing of Miriam and Aaron, who, together with Moses, led the Jewish people with love and dedication for more than forty years. It seems that even after an entire generation had passed, they were back to square one; once again, the Jewish people complained about the lack of water, questioning why Moses and Aaron led them out of Egypt. And, in a heartbreaking scene, as a result of Moses and Aaron striking the rock instead of speaking to it, it was decreed that Moses and Aaron would not lead the Jewish people into the promised land.

Yet, when we take a more careful look, we can see that in many ways, this week's portion alludes to the profound success of Moses' mission. We look at the Jewish people in this week's portion the way parents often look at their teenage children who superficially seem utterly uninterested in the perspective and values of their parents, yet, in truth, under the rebellious spirit, the children are listening. The influence of their parents is germinating and taking root, and in time, will emerge and flourish. Specifically in this week's portion, we notice that the Jewish people have internalized Moses' influence.

Toward the end of the portion, we read of the messengers dispatched to Sichon, the Emorite king, requesting permission to pass through his land. The verse states:

Israel sent messengers to Sihon the king of the Amorites, saying: (Numbers 21:21)

Rashi points out, that in the book of Deuteronomy, when Moses retells this story, Moses ascribes the sending of the messengers, not to Israel but to himself:

Israel sent messengers: Elsewhere, the sending [of messengers] is ascribed to Moses, as it says, "So I sent messengers from the desert of Kedemoth" (Deut. 2:26)... These verses supplement each other; one holds back [information by not informing us who authorized the sending of the messengers] and the other reveals [that Moses sent them]. Moses is Israel, and Israel is Moses.

After all these years of complaints, of tension between Moses' effort to raise the people to a higher vision and consciousness and the Jewish people's fear, insecurity, lack of faith, and pettiness, we read these powerful words. The visions are aligned, the teachings have been internalized, "Moses is Israel and Israel is Moses".

Forty years earlier, when the Jewish people crossed the sea, Moses led the Jewish people in the song of the sea:

Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and they spoke, saying, I will sing to the Lord, for very exalted is He; a horse and its rider He cast into the sea. (Exodus 15:1)

The Talmud explains that the verse "Moses and the children of Israel" implies that Moses sang the words, and the Jewish people repeated the words Moses spoke.

Forty years later, in our Parsha, the Jews once again sang a song of praise about water. They sang the song of the well:

Then Israel sang this song: "'Ascend, O well,' sing to it! (21:17)

This time, however, the verse does not mention Moses. This time, the people did not repeat the words Moses was saying. By this time, Moses had taught them to sing on their own.

Can Anyone Be a Levite? The Unconventional Takeaway from the Korach Story - קרח

Friday, July 5, 2024 - 11:19 AM

Can Anyone Be a Levite? The Unconventional Takeaway From the Korach Story

The rebellion erupted.

Korach, a member of the tribe of Levi, leads a rebellion against Moses and Aaron's leadership. "the entire congregation are all holy, and the Lord is in their midst", they proclaimed, "So why", says Korach, "do you raise yourselves above the Lord's assembly?"

In the aftermath of the rebellion's tragic results, G-d reiterates the unique status and position of the priests and the Levites, who are appointed to perform the service in the temple and who, therefore do not receive a portion within the land of Israel, and rely instead on the produce gifted to them by the Israelites. The Torah states that G-d tells the Levite that he will not receive a portion in the land of Israel, instead:

"I am your inheritance and portion among the children of Israel." (Numbers 17:20)

Quoting this verse, Maimonides states what seems to be the precise opposite of the message of this week's Torah portion and the exact opposite of the original meaning of the verse. Maimonides states that not only the tribe of Levi but any person can attain this level of holiness, concerning whom G-d states, "I am your inheritance".

Maimonides describes the unique position of the tribe of Levi:

Why did the Levites not receive a portion in the inheritance of Eretz Yisrael and in the spoils of war like their brethren? Because they were set aside to serve God and minister unto Him and to instruct people at large in His just paths and righteous judgments, as [Deuteronomy 33:10] states: "They will teach Your judgments to Jacob and Your Torah to Israel." Therefore they were set apart from the ways of the world. They do not wage war like the remainder of the Jewish people, nor do they receive an inheritance, nor do they acquire for themselves through their physical power. Instead, they are God's legion, as [ibid.:11]: states: "God has blessed His legion" and He provides for them, as [Numbers 18:20] states: "I am your portion and your inheritance."

Maimonides then continues to explain that, in fact, any person can attain the same degree of holiness:

Not the tribe of Levi alone, but rather any one of the inhabitants of the world whose spirit generously motivates him and he understands with his wisdom to set himself aside and stand before G-d to serve Him and minister to Him and to know G-d, proceeding justly as G-d made him, removing from his neck the yoke of the many reckonings which people seek, he is sanctified as holy of holies. God will be His portion and heritage forever and will provide what is sufficient for him in this world like He provides for the priests and the Levites. And thus David declared : "God is the lot of my portion; You are my cup, You support my lot."

While the conventional understanding is that the story's objective is to discourage an attempt to be like Korach and demand additional spiritual holiness, according to Maimonides, the precise opposite is true. The takeaway of the story is that anybody can achieve the holiness of a Levite and even a high priest, provided they do not follow the model of Korach,, who rebelled against Aaron in order to achieve the status of priesthood in the literal sense, but rather "any one of the inhabitants of the world" can attain the status of a Levite and Priest, by learning from Aaron's example and achieving the devotion and holiness of the Priest in the spiritual sense, by sharing the Torah wisdom and inspiration with others.

In 1990, the Rebbe presented this interpretation of Maimonides and suggested what, perhaps, captures the Rebbe's essential and eternal message for each of us. Each person, said the Rebbe, should follow this teaching of Maimonides and see himself or herself as a Levite. Each and every person can share the wisdom of the Torah, by increasing their own learning and then sharing with others. Each and every person should establish a formal or informal Torah class and teach the Torah's Divine wisdom to the people in their circle of influence.

[in this video clip, esteemed philanthropist Mr. Sami Rohr of blessed memory, father of our dear friend and member of Chabad of Greenwich Mr. George Rohr, headed the Rebbe’s call and then visited the Rebbe to offer thanks for encouraging him to teach a Torah class to others in his community.]

As we approach the Rebbe's thirtieth Yahrtzeit, this Monday night, the Third of Tamuz, let us internalize the Rebbe's inspiration and calling. Each of us is a Levite. Each of us is responsible for building a figurative temple and home for G-d in our surroundings, ultimately transforming the entire earth into a dwelling place for the Divine presence with the coming of Moshiach.