Mission Possible: Parshas Bamidbar

There is an underlying theme traveling through the fourth sefer of the Torah. It's called Divine Providence. That each and every occurrence in life happens for a very specific reason, with Hashem pulling the strings behind it. We see this revealed throughout the 40 years the Jews were in the midbar, and even the mitzvos handed down in these parshios relate to the theme of G-d's specific concern for each individual person.

We learn in pirkei avos that 'aizehu chochom, haroeh es hanolad' . This literally means, 'who is wise? someone who sees what will be born'. No, this has nothing to do with reading a sonogram. Who is a wise person? Someone who looks ahead into the future.

Someone who recognizes that there is a long term goal up ahead, which was predestined and set up specifically for him. Someone who realizes that every single thing that happens, including which parents he came from, the personality he was given, his mazal, and every single other daily occurrence, is part of a chain starting far back, and going way ahead. This is a person who lives in the future. Understanding that there's a rhyme and reason for it all, whether or not his binoculars can actually see it.

One who thinks that each action is coming from nowhere, and heading nowhere, is a person who lives ONLY in the present, and therefore, doesn't fall into the category of a chochom.  

But it seems like such cop out behavior to just sit back and blame everything on G-d, doesn't it?

True. There's a fine line over here which needs to be met with caution. Placing our belief in G-d's complete control over everything, does not release us from taking personal responsibility for all our actions. It's very easy and satisfying to sit back and say "gam zu l'tovah", this, too is for the best. But if I miss my train because I woke up late and left things for the last minute, I have no right to blame G-d by saying gam zu l'tovah. What does He hafta do with this? It's my fault for being irresponsible. If, however, I woke up and left the house on time, but got stuck in an unavoidable traffic jam on the way to the station, and missed the train, well then that would be out my control, and obviously willed from Above.

This is the challenge we face. To know and understand that everything happens for a reason with Hashem's constant guidance, while still being able to take responsibility for our actions, without shifting the blame to Divine providence.

 

Now, we can take this understanding to the next level as well. If each one of us was born purposely into a specific family, and we received a nature intended just for us, and we are thrown into daily circumstances that are custom made for each individual, then there must be a specific goal for each one of us to achieve based on what we were given. And that's precisely why we have to put in our utmost hishtadlus, effort, and bare responsibility for how much we actually put in. This is why, in the sedra this week, the Jews are being counted one by one... to show us the importance- not just of the Jews as a nation, but the significance of each individual.

Chaza"l teach us 'lo alecha hamelacha ligmor', it's not up to you to complete the job. We each have a Mission Possible. We have to achieve it with the tools we were given, dedicating our strengths to this cause, and baring the responsibility for trying. However, whether or not we actually fully accomplish what we want to, or the conclusion of the project or mission at hand seems to be beyond us, as long as we gave it our best, we are not responsible for the outcome. That's in Hashem's hands. And that's where we say gam zu l'tovah. 

 

Just a quick note: Lucky for us, immediately following shabbos this week, begins the special festival of Shavuot. There's a whole lot more to this special holiday than flowers and cheesecake.

Shavuot is the day that we became the Jewish Nation!

 Not coincidently (obviously), our parsha theme continues to travel throughout the holiday.

When we originally received the Torah at Mt Sinai, the hardest adjustment for the Jewish nation was the sudden responsibility that came along with it. Because Following the Torah means TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR ACTIONS.

The general attitude among human beings is that Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan. I'm responsible for everything that goes right, but someone or something else is responsible when something goes wrong.

The first step in my personal preparation for Kabbalat HaTorah is to stop making excuses for myself. To stop blaming other people or circumstances for my mistakes.
I alone am responsible for my actions.

 Have a great shabbos and a meaningful Kabbalat HaTorah!

" If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments".

Do You Prefer Pizza or Jelly Donuts?

Believe it or not, some people really do seem to have perfect lives. I know families who have multiple BMW's and go on yearly cruises, and have beautiful, smart, healthy children, they have respectable careers, they give of themselves to the community, they're popular, have harmony in the home...I mean, can anything get better? Yet, most of these people, rich, full lives and all, seem to feel as if their lives are chocolate glazed donuts. Yes, life is full and rich and shiny and enjoyable.... but there's a hole in the middle. Something's missing. There's a level of real happiness and contentment that's just not there.

 

The parsha this week speaks about reward and punishment in regard to the mitzvos. Im bechukosai teleichu...if you go in the way of my 'chukim'...then the Torah goes on to list a whole bunch of brachos that'll come your way. But, im bechukosai tima'asu...if you despise my 'chukim'...then the Torah presents a whole group of klalos- curses to send upon the person.

 

I have 2 questions on this:

1. Why does the possuk use the word teleichu, which means to 'walk' with the mitzvos instead of the word tishmoru, to 'keep' the mitzvos?

2. What exactly are the chukim?

 

So, Rashi answers the second question. He says shet'hiyu ameilim baTorah... put effort into learning Torah.

K so instead of solving this problem, I think another one was just created. Rashi seems to be explaining that the learning of the Torah is a chok.

What's a chok? It's a law in which the human mind can't see the reason behind it.

Um... learning Torah is a chok?? It's obvious that it hasta be a mishpat, since we do know why we learn it. We learn Torah so that we can keep it.

Like when that long awaited moment of receiving a drivers' license arrives... in order to be able to do the driving, you must first learn how to drive.

How are we supposed to keep the mitzvos without first learning what they are and how to keep them?

 

Here's the amazing chidush. The learning is not a chok. Of course we understand why that's a must. It's the ameilus, the toiling in Torah that we don't understand. The constant delving into deeper depths, the round the clock shuckeling, the never ending  thumb swaying... that's what we don't understand. How could it be that people spend 50 or 70 years of their lives sitting on a bench, that might as well have been a swing, and read, learn, and shake, and actually feel fulfilled?

It's because they understand the beauty of Torah, they appreciate its worth. If someone came into your office 5 minutes before closing time and offers you $1,000,000 for staying 5 hours overtime, who will think twice about staying? Of course you'll work longer, since you understand and appreciate the value of the dollar.

So, the learning of the Torah, we understand is a mishpat, but all the extra toil is a chok since we, as outsiders, can't humanly understand why someone will stay up til 2 AM learning, only to wake up again at 4 and resume... but it's because he appreciates it and loves it. And that brings him to an extremely high level of happiness. True happiness.

 

Now, remember  the other issue we had? The 'walking' thing. This is the act, other than breathing, that comes most naturally to a person. We don't hafta think 'right, left, right, left...' as we walk, unless we're at our graduation. We just walk. Now, obviously we hafta watch where we're going as we do so,or we might end up in places...or in things we don't wanna be in. !

To walk is literally, a way of life, since it's one's most natural action.

 

The Torah is supposed to be, not something we just 'keep' or 'do' or 'study'. It should become a way of life. Like we walk without thinking, since it's a part of us, we need to do the mitzvos like they're a part of us. They need to become a part of us.

Remember the people we spoke about whose donut lives have holes in them? So here's an idea. Let's fill up the holes! Listen to the recipe. There are some donuts that come completed, with, say jelly. Ever taste those? Ya know, the kind where the white powdered sugar dandruff gets all over your nose and makes freckles on your clothes.

 So, there are 2 types of Jews in the world. There's a Jelly Donut Jew and a Pizza Pie Jew. Let's see which group we're members of.

When you have a pie of pizza, and you have 8 people waiting to eat, you slice up the pie into 8, pull out each sizzling slice, and each person receives there own piece. Now, say we have a jelly donut with 4 people waiting to indulge. So the donut gets cut into 4, with each person receiving a quarter, but together with each piece, comes along a little bit of the jelly in each corner. Because the Jelly is the central point of the donut.

There are different ways of using our unique Jewish lives. We can act and dress and speak and think just like our non Jewish coworkers, although of course remembering to throw in some prayers and maybe even bentch (if no one's looking)... where each slice of pizza is individual and disconnected.

Or, we can act, speak, dress, feel, think, and walk like a Jew no matter where we work, or what we do. Each action will have a little bit of the jelly at the tip. Every step we take will be guided by the Torah. Because Judaism is not a religion. It's a way of life. We walk with it.

And this is what brings us fulfillment and happiness. This is what people need to fill into their holes in order to be truly happy. A life of understanding and appreciating the value of Torah , and bringing it into your life making it part and parcel of who you are.

 

BRING ON THE JELLY!

 

As you go thru life,

No matter what your goal

Keep your eyes upon the donut,

And not upon the hole.

 

Have a great shabbos

The Crime of Mediocrity (Parshas Emor)

There are many cross breeds out there on the farm (and in San Diego) but the most common one by far, is that of a donkey stallion and a horse mare. What evolves is a Mule. The mule is known to be exceptionally strong. The reason being, that although the offspring is fully developed as a male or female, it is almost always born sterile, and therefore, unable to naturally further mule production. 

Sometimes, when an animal has a certain blemish or imperfection, that lack is compensated by an increase in strength or value of the animal. Unlike the mule who's sterile by birth, some animals are purposely castrated in order to increase their strength.

But, as taught to us in the sedra, this week, although these animals with blemishes might have a greater value because of it, they are still unfit for a korban.

 

Throughout the Torah, we find that completion and wholeness takes precedence over quantity. Say you have two types of bread on the table in front of you. One is a large loaf, conveniently pre-sliced. The other is a round, bite-size roll, strangely resembling a meatball. Which of these would have the honor of receiving your Hamotzee? Obviously the meatball one. Why? Because although the other is bigger and fluffier, and you even bought it at the French bakery, it has a blemish. It's not whole anymore. So the bracha goes on the one that's whole and pure, since that perfection makes it more choshuv.

 

Our avodas Hashem is not measured by quantity, but rather, by how close it is to perfection. The object of the game isn't about how many chumrahs we take upon ourselves, but rather, how carefully we do each mitzvah.

 

There's a gemorah that says: Haosek b'mitzvah patur min hamitzvah, when you're busy with one mitzvah, you're exempt from doing another one. Why is that? Shouldn't we spend the whole day grabbing 'em off the shelves and filling up our shopping carts with as many mitzvos as we can fit in? Sort of, but not quite.

When we're involved with a mitzvah, we have to make sure that it will be done properly and with completion. The gemorah warns a person very sternly, listing terrible punishments  which will be brought onto one who doesn't finish a mitzvah that he started. The idea is that if you're gonna do something, do it right. Otherwise we're settling for mediocrity. Mediocrity is problematic because it means that one does not allow himself to do or become something of ultimate value and therefore he sells himself short. Like, if someone would steal my Porsche and sell it on Ebay for the best bid. Ouch. That's painful, because it's worth soooo much more than that.

And this is the meaning of the gemorah- that we should be so focused  and active on the mitzvah at hand, and we're trying to fulfill it to completion and perfection, that we don't have to get involved with another one until the original is successfully done.

Now, if anyone just perked up, excited about learning a  Torahdik approach to allowing a lifestyle of laziness and procrastination, and you just got comfortable on the couch after refilling your glass with coke and ice, waiting to hear more about spending your whole life being busy with just ONE mitzvah, well, here's where I awaken you by spilling your cold, diluted coke all over you. Wait- first listen to me, then go change your clothes. 

This 'focus on one mitzvah at a time' thing is not to encourage laziness or stagnation. On the contrary. Of course we're trying to fill up our shopping carts, but if the new item is going to ruin one of the old ones in there, it's better that we first move the old one out of the way before adding a new one. If taking a new mitzvah upon yourself is going to interfere with doing the present one properly, we are not obligated to accept the new one. But, a person who wants to have the most items at checkout is going to finish up the original mitzvah quickly, and complete it as fast as he can, in order to be prepared to start the new one. So it's constant movement, focus, involvement, thinking, and determination. Any more questions Mr. Couch Warmer?

 

Ok, here's a great story about a great person, with a great moral. Rav Simcha Wasserman once gave an ultimatum to the principals of a few yeshivos in the United States, telling them that they have to make a choice. Either they teach secular studies properly and thoroughly in their yeshivos, or they shouldn't teach them at all. Because otherwise, he explained to them, they're teaching their b'nei Torah to be mediocre. And that's a crime.

We have to try our hardest to reach perfection in our actions. We have to give everything our best shot.

Success isn't measured by quantity, but by quality. It's not measured by how many kids we have, but rather by what kind of parent we are to them. Not by how many people we were mekarev, but by how much of a kiddush Hashem we make in their presence. Not by how many items we sold in our store today, but by how much of our heart was in it, and by how beautiful our business ethics were.

 

So, an animal can have many extra qualities because of a certain negative physical condition, but since it's lacking in its ability to reach perfection, it will be rejected as a korban. 

Before I sign off, there's one small thing bothering me.

We're supposed to be perfect. Yet, as human beings, we never can be. So why don't I just stop before I even start, so I don't hafta look like a drop-out?

 

Because no one's saying that we have to be perfect. Chill. Nobody is perfect- that's why pencils have erasers. Human beings are not capable of creating perfection, only G-d can make something perfect, and I really don't want His job. What can we do though? Great timing for this question. We're in the process right now of counting the days of sefiras haomer. We count up to 50, which is the numeral representing perfection. But we don't actually count the 50th day. We stop at 49. Because we're not capable of reaching perfection. But we are capable of counting 49. By counting 49, it's as if we counted 50. Why? Because 50 is the automatic result of putting in effort and achieving the first 49.

Now in English.

We cannot be perfect, but we can desire perfection and strive toward it. There are no perfect men in this world, (only perfect women?) only perfect intentions. We have to aim for the top and try our best in all our actions. If we spend 49 days striving for completion and perfection in our avodas Hashem, the results will be viewed by Hashem as perfection, as they're carried up to 50.

I just wanna share with you something awesome that I heard from a former student Leba (you know who you are) who heard it from Yocheved (you also know who you are), with special thanx to her anonymous chavrusa (do you know who you are?), and here it is. It's a mishnah in yuma:

Lifnei mi atem metaharim umi metaher eschem- Avichem shebashamayim- before whom are you purified, and who purifies you? Our Father in Heaven.

Take the word mi that's written twice. The numerical value of that word is 50. So now, let's understand this quote differently.

"Before 50, we hafta purify ourselves,  (umi) and from 50, Hashem purifies us." 

This is sooo groovy. Shkoyach. 

 

"The closest one comes to perfection is when he fills out his job application form".

 

Does My Holiness Have Holes in it?

 Parshas Kedoshim begins with a commandment for us to be holy, just like Hashem is holy.

What is holiness? What does it mean to be a person of sanctity?

Is holiness kissing every mezuzah within arms distance throughout your day?

Maybe the Holiness Award goes to he who can shuckle the most wildly, both frontward and backward and still maintain his balance.

Perhaps a person of sanctity is one who carries a magnifying glass around his neck so he can be confident that each glass of water he drinks is 100% bug free.

Oh, I know- holiness means making a bonfire and burning your avoda zara sheitel. Or better yet, if you wanna be one of even greater holiness, go pick a sheitel store of  your choice, and burn it down to the ground! C'mon- DO THE WORK OF THE LORD!

 

I'm afraid not, my friends. Perhaps we should take a close look at the words in the p'sukim to help us understand what it means to be a truly holy person.

 

The very first sentence written, after telling us to be holy, is not, surprisingly,  'shmoneh esrai should take a minimum of 25 minutes', but it's  'HONOR YOUR PARENTS'. Then, the verses continue with a large variety of mitzvos- bein adam l'chaveiro, between man and his friend. Yes, there are two or three commandments that are bein adam laMakom, between man and G-d, but the overwhelming majority seem to be focused on the proper behavior patterns among human beings.

 

In order to bring Kedusha, holiness, into the world, we need to exercises the use of our neshama, soul. Let's try to understand this by taking a good look at your neighborhood cat. Or, maybe at your neighborhood dog. I'm lucky- on my street, I have more dogs than people, so visualizing the scenerio is easy. Could those animals ever be holy? I don't think so. An animal behaves on impulse. He acts based on his instincts. There are absolutely no thoughts activating his actions. He just does what his nature leads him to do. When a cougar attacks someone and kills them, he's behaving according to his nature. Free choice does not exist.

 

True holiness and sanctity is brought about by an action as a result of a thought process. Not by simply following impulses, but by fighting for the truth, and by making a clear decision to do something right. Because every time we decide in the affirmative and therefore do a positive action, we become holier and bring holiness into the world.

 

Now, of course there's kedusha in mitzvos that are bein adam laMakom. Plenty of it. Those are also human acts that depend on the spiritual side of a person. But the ultimate  in sanctity is dependent on our behavior in the earthly, worldly activities. On channeling our impulses and choosing correctly.

You can take every chumra you've ever heard of upon yourself, and fast every other day, and buy only Glatt kosher ice cream and cholov yisrael meat... but while waiting on line for it you're blabbing loshon horah on your cell phone with one hand, and with the other, you're elbowing [hard!] the guy who took your parking spot, and you're giving the death stare to the lady in front of you because she took the last fat-free carb-free taste-free potato knish...well that's a bit oxymoronic, dontcha think?

 

So, the chidush over here is that who we really are, and how we rank on our level of spirituality, is based on our behaviors bein adam l'chaveiro. How we speak to others, and how we respect them. Dealing fairly with others, feeling and showing care and concern, judging favorably, giving tzedakah, giving our parents the proper honor and respect that they deserve, etc... That's how we measure true holiness. That's how we become sanctified people.

 

So, for all of you out there who are trying to change the world, here's an idea. Let's try forgiving someone who wronged us and not bearing a grudge or not taking revenge, and watch the world transform into one of true holiness. 

 

"A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices".

 

The Power of the Nose; Parshas Vayakhel

I'm going to share a secret with you. If you're trying to sell your home, right before a potential buyer arrives, knead together a fluffy dough, and put it in the oven to bake. As the customers come inside, the delicious aroma of fresh bread will enter his nostrils, bringing a message to the brain that this is a homey, comfortable house, which might ultimately lead him to buy it.

We often come in contact with the sense of seeing, the sense of hearing, as well as the senses of touch and taste. How many times has the sense of smell  been acknowledged? Let's get in touch a bit with our smelling sensation.

The Torah speaks a lot about the korbanos, describing them as a REIACH NICHOACH for Hashem. By wording it like this, the possuk seems to indicate that there must be something spiritual about smell.

So... you all think I'm about to tell you what a holy, spiritual, enlightening, and inspiring concept smell is. Don't hold your breath. I'm not really sure yet.

I was thinking that smell is the only one of the five senses that connects directly to the brain, without an intermediary. In order to see, we need the use of our eyeball lenses. To touch, we need the assistance of our nerves. To taste, or course we need taste buds. To hear, we need the vibrations in our eardrums. But for smelling, all we do is sniff... and BINGO! the sensation goes straight to the brain.

But then I was wondering... what would happen if we didn't have a nose? Who nose if we'd still be able to smell? Maybe there is an intermediary? If anyone has an answer to my dilemma, please let me know ASAP. 

Chaza"l  tell us that a talmid chacham is compared to the Arzei halelvonon, a type of tree. Why? Rav Adler from Baltimore said once that it's because by the arzei halevonon, not only do the flowers release a delicious smell, but the branches and leaves do as well. When a talmid chacham does mitzvos, of course they're done beautifully and sweetly. But the insight over here is that when a person is a talmid chacham, then even his regular and mundane activities are done with beauty and emanate a certain sweetness. The way he talks, walks, deals in business...everything has a delicious smell. Not only the maasim tovim. 

 Why am I saying that his mitzvos and maasim tovim are compared to the smell of the fruits of the tree? Cuz the essrog, which smells incredibly good is compared by chaza"l to the maasim tovim of a person.

Another topic is spoken about in the parsha this week. It's something especially applicable to the lucky members of the  female species, but the lesson is for everyone. No, I'm not having an ADD moment; we'll connect the two topics in a minute.

The gorgeous, shiny kiyor in the mishkan, as everyone knows, was crafted by using the famous mirrors of the women in Mitzraim. Why were these mirrors worthy of being used for the holy kiyor? Because of the reason the women used them. They didn't sit and stare at themselves all day to make sure every hair was in place, and all the spare tires are tucked in tight. That's what car and store windows are for. These righteous women had a plan. Their husbands were tired and depressed from the backbreaking labor they were busy with all day. They looked at the future in darkness. Due to budget cuts, the light at the end of the tunnel was out. They wanted to discontinue life. They couldn't allow children to be born into such misery.

But their brilliant, holy wives realized that even though the light was out, it will shine brightly again one day. And then they would regret not doing the mitzvah of peru urevu- having children. So they decided that the only way to fix up the situation was to seduce their husbands to make them want to fulfill this mitzvah. So they put on makeup, and flirted, and using the mirrors, they pointed out to them how beautiful they looked. Obviously, it worked. And this is why those mirrors are so holy. 

Because in the world we live in, there's a time and place for everything. Hashem  put into the nature of a woman, the ability to flirt and seduce. Unfortunately it's usually used, and therefore viewed, as something negative. But actually, it's not something to just be denied and deleted. G-d gave it to us to use in the right time and the right place, which is what those women in Egypt realized. Their intentions were pure. Their motivation was directed upward. And they used their abilities l'sheim shomayim.

And that's with everything G-d gave us. Our duty in life is to take the regular, mundane things, and elevate them. To turn neutral into good.  Like the Talmid chacham.  Even the regular and the mundane is sweet. The whole tree smells good, not just the fruits and flowers.

This has been brought to you by....ALLURE, a perfume by Chanel. Just follow your nose. If you have one.

"Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it."

To Do Or Not To Do...Parshas Titzaveh

Does it make sense to give tzedakah to a wealthy person? I feel it's a bit of a waste.  You probably do, too.  Well, we're not in this alone. Rav Dessler seems a bit troubled by a guarantee Hashem offers us in the p'sukim.

V'ATAH T'DABER EL KOL CHACHMEI LEV ASHER M'LEITIV RUACH CHOCHMA, and you should tell the wise people that I'll fill them up with wisdom.

Why would someone who's already wise need more wisdom? The first person who tried taking a second helping of wisdom ended up wearing clothing! We wouldn't want something like that to happen again.

R' Dessler believes that you give wisdom to one who needs it. So, if these people already have chochma why is G-d giving them more?

 

Oh, before you go, there's something else bothering me. These smarties that we're speaking about, so the Torah calls them CHACHMEI LEV, people that are smart in their hearts.  But doesnt wisdom take place in the mind and not the heart? The heart is for emotions, feelings, and all those other warm and mushy things. But not wisdom.

 

R' Dessler explains that chochmas lev means a wise heart. The heart represents the desires of a person. So chochmas lev means a desire to do the right thing.

 

Now, I know that there are no lack of Jewish architects around [whose mothers are still sitting shiva for them since they're not doctors] but how did the Jews manage to find enough craftsmen and architects to build such a magnificent mishkan?  That takes creativity, talent, training, and a whole lot more. How did they find so many people with the proper credentials?

 

When Moshe announced the start of the building of the mishkan, the first to people to send in their applications were the chachmei lev- those who wanted to be a part of building the house of Hashem. Did they have the training required? Proper credentials? Those specific talents? No. But that didn't matter. They came to Moshe saying "I wanna help". Obviously, Moshe would ask them "well, what can you do?"   "Uh, dunno. Maybe I'll make the paroches. But I don't know how..."

No matter. Moshe arranged for them to start creating whatever they offered to make, encouraging them that Hashem will assist them in their work. And ya know what? That's exactly what happened. G-d inserted into those chachmei lev the knowledge, creativity, and wisdom to build and create the holy and beautiful structure.

 

It seems like Moshe took a pretty big risk by hiring non qualified workers to undertake such a big project. How was he so confident it was going to work out well?

 

When a person has a desire to do something for klal yisroel or for haKadosh Baruch Hu,  he may not  possess the necessary kochos (strengths)  and talents for the job. Whether it's bigger projects like building  a  shul  or a mikvah where it's needed, or smaller, yet significant ideas about creating necessary shiurim, support groups, gemachs, or anything else. You don't have to be the most creative person on the planet. You don't have to have been the G.O. president in high school. Or even the main part in the play. The only requirement for success in  your holy endeavor, is to maintain a deep, sincere desire to help klal yisroel  serve their Creator, and G-d will make sure you have all the power you need.

 

Who thinks R' Dessler is one to talk? I do. He helped establish the famous Gateshead community, just because there was a simple Jew named R' Dovid Drayan who lived in Gateshead but was very disturbed by the lack of yeshivos  there. He would not live in a place with out a yeshiva. Since he, himself wasn't qualified to be the Rosh Yeshiva, he managed to find R' Dessler who jumped at the opportunity. Then he went on to open up a kollel in order to keep the boys there after marriage. Oh- marriage. Right- who would these boys marry? So, R' Dovid went on to open a girls seminary. And y'know what?!  The Gateshead community became and remains the largest makom Torah on the entire European continent. All because of a simple Jew with a sincere desire.

 

"If you're still talking about what you did yesterday, you haven't done much today."

 

I Don't Give Autographs To Jews: Parshas Mishpatim

This week, we're told about many of the mitzvos asei and mitvvos lo saasei- the positive and negative mitzvos, and each one is explained in depth. One famous commandment, which we've learned about since kindergarten, is the prohibition of Idolatry. Worshiping or serving another god.

Now, some of you are thinking "Hey, I live in the Five Towns, or in Brooklyn, or in Eretz Yisrael, or in any other choshuve Jewish community in the world. We don't do avodah zarah! We'd rather die!" But, nonetheless, the Torah speaks a lot about the issur of avodah zarah, serving a foreign god, so it must be speaking to us in some way.

So the question is, Is there really the concept of avodah zarah today?

There are two basic fundamentals of Judaism that we're all probably aware of.

#1- There are two worlds. A- the physical world and B- the spiritual world. The physical world is where we use all of our senses. The spiritual world is something abstract, untouchable.

#2- Everything that happens in the physical world is a projection of the spiritual. There isn't a movement in the physical world that doesn't have a source in the spiritual world.

An example of this would be looking at a human being. A- they have a body. B- they have a soul. The body uses the five senses. The soul is the persons' essence, personality...

When you like someone, you like them not because of their physical body, but because of their essence. You get to know them, and then you like them. Yet, you can't touch their essence, no matter how close you are to them.

When we see a physical emotion, it's a projection of how the spiritual is feeling. If you see someone smile, it's a projection of what the neshama is doing. The way you see a person walking down the street is usually a projection of his essence.

I remember back to when my first child was born. She was only two days old when she did the most brilliant thing any two day old baby has ever done. She smiled! I was so proud that my child was so content with her new life. All those other babies out in the nursery, with their post birth smashed cone-heads, were crying day and night, and my bundle of beauty was smiling in my arms. Ahhh, what an expression of the soul. Well, my fantasies were shattered as soon as the nurse interrupted my bragging by explaining that she's not smiling at me- it was 'just gas'.

Any slight movement projects what a person really is. Body language sometimes says more about a person than words. How one walks, talks, laughs... its all written right there.

 Now this can be problematic sometimes.

Lets take a trip into Hollywood for a second. What's an actor? Physical body. His essence is acting. The body movements aren't real. He's constantly acting in a certain way because he has to. 

We became so used to looking at someone's body and deciding who they are- by the way they move, by the things they say or do- that we don't get to know who they really are.   Therefore, when we have an opportunity to really know them, we might be disappointed.

Someone once said that when he was younger, he was obsessed with a certain baseball player. He lived and breathed this guy. He worshiped the ground he walked on. Then, one day, after a successful game, a long long line of fans opened up before him, all eagerly awaiting his name in ink on their beloved balls or tees. Our friend was standing on the line,  wearing his yarmulke and tzitzis, making his nationality obvious. Suddenly, in a booming voice, in front of everyone, and carrying over to the mikes which were broadcasting live in every living room, were the star players' blunt words: "I DONT GIVE AUTOGRAPHS TO JEWS".

 Bang. Smash. Shatter. This boys' image was completely ruined. He was depressed for weeks. What an idiot!! But the problem was, the star didn't just become an idiot. He was always the same. But we get so carried away with the externalities that we don't see the inside.

An  IDOL  , was meant to be a representative to G-d. Throughout the generations, people would sometimes make a physical representative of Hashem.  The problem is, though, that at times they would forget what it represents and they would start bowing down to and worshiping the image instead of G-d himself.

Hence the double usage of the word idol. The ones in Hollywood are also called by that name.

Rav Dessler teaches us that the yetzer horah of avodah zarah is the humans ability to see the outside and not the inside. To focus on the external instead of the internal. To concentrate more on the shuckeling, than on the davening itself.

When we get carried away with the projection and not the source, THAT'S avodah zarah.

Have you ever had deja vu? Have you ever had deja vu?   ;-)