Printed fromChabadNewOrleans.com
ב"ה

ChabadNewOrleans Blog

The Sinai Experience - Individual or Collective?

The Sinai Experience, which we celebrate during the upcoming holiday of Shavuot, has some fascinatingly paradoxical components.

On one hand we became a nation, as it states, “You will be unto Me a kingdom of nobles and a holy nation.”

On the other hand, the Ten Commandments were addressed to each individual, as evidenced by the singular form that G-d uses for all ten of them. (E.g. I am the L-rd your (singular) G-d.)

On the other hand, the covenant was made with the people collectively, as it states, All the people responded together and said, “All that G-d has spoken, we will do.”

On the other hand, the covenant was made with each individual, as evidenced by the notion that every single Jew alive at the time, along with the future souls of Jews, native and convert, were present for the establishment of the covenant at Mt. Sinai.

On the other hand, the mandate for mutual responsibility, Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh La’zeh, comes from Sinai.

Are we an individualist society or a collectivist society? I would have to say neither, or perhaps a blend of both ideals. Certainly, Hashem desires a relationship with each of us individually. There are certain obligations and privileges that Judaism affords us as individuals. Along with that, we also recognize the value of being part of something bigger, of which the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Take a Minyan for example. The power of communal prayer is more than just 10 times the power of the individual. There is also a qualitative difference between them.

A takeaway from this seeming paradox is that while the right of an individual is highly respected in Judaism, a Jew is encouraged to embrace the strength of the collective, recognizing that it augments his or her own individual value in a most powerful manner. At the same time this power does not blur the value of the individual.

A Torah scroll contains 304,805 letters. If one letter is missing, the entire scroll is unfit for use. Additionally, each of the letters must be ringed by “white space.” Every Jew is a letter in G‑d's scroll. The people of Israel comprise an interdependent entity. The lack of a single Jewish soul, G‑d forbid, would spell a lack in us all. Yet equally important is the inviolable "white space" which distinguishes each of us as an individual. True, the letters spell a single integral message. But this message is comprised of hundreds of thousands of voices, each articulating it in its own manner. To detract from the individuality of one is to detract from the integrity of the collective.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Shavuot. May we merit to receive the Torah in a deeply meaningful and joyous manner!
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

Why Does G-d Care?

When we begin to familiarize ourselves with the practices of Judaism called Mitzvot, we realize that each Mitzvah has many details and parameters that define the proper implementation of the Mitzvah. The are time parameters (we don’t observe Shabbat on Tuesday). There are space parameters (a Mezuzah must be placed on the right doorpost, at the bottom of the top third). There are parameters of substance (we don’t cook meat and dairy together). There are parameters of attitude (we must love G-d with all our heart). There are parameters of volume (for a Mikvah to render one pure it must contain a minimum of 40 seah – 120 gallons of rainwater). You get the drift.

The question is, “Why does G-d care?” The truth is that there is a broader question of “Why does G-d care what we do altogether?” Why does the Al-Mighty creator of the universe take interest in the insignificant actions of little me or you? Are we suffering from delusions of grandeur to believe that our choices matter to Hashem?

The answer is love. G-d established a relationship of love with us, not just the collective us, but each and every individual. At Mt. Sinai, when He declared, “I am the L-rd your G-d,” He spoke in singular form, addressing Himself to each one individually. When you love, what your beloved does for you matters.

Let us examine a beautiful passage from the Talmud. Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya said: “The Holy One, blessed be He, wished to make the people of Israel meritorious; therefore He gave them Torah and Mitzvot in abundant measure, as it is written: ‘The L‑rd desired, for the sake of his [Israel’s] righteousness, to make the Torah great and glorious.’”

Hashem wants to give us merit. Therefore, he gives us Mitzvot in abundant measure, filled with detailed parameters. As we pay attention to the details and follow the parameters of the Mitzvot, our merit increases.  The Hebrew verb, L’zacot – to make meritorious, also has another connotation. L’zacot, can also mean to refine or polish. So in fact, with Mitzvot and their details, Hashem is giving us opportunities for self-refinement, the ability to polish ourselves into the finest version that we can be.

That is a lot of love!

The Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe once remarked regarding the requirement to wait six hours after eating meat before one can consume dairy, Hashem watches and waits 5 hours and 59 minutes to see His beloved remain faithful to the parameters of the six-hour wait. That one minute makes a difference to Him as much as the six hours.

Feel the love! Feel the caring! Feel the interest! For Hashem loves you with an infinite love that only He is capable of.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

Education = Radiance

In the opening words of this week’s Torah portion we read, “Say to the priests, the sons of Aaron—you must say to them (no one may ritually defile himself).” Rashi comments on the redundancy, “say… you must say” and explains that this comes to teach that the adults must be cautioned about the minors (that they too avoid ritual impurity).

This is one of the instances where the Torah encourages education of children. Education is key to continuity, in our case Jewish continuity. Education has always been an integral part of Judaism and the Jewish way of life. Jewish law teaches that as soon as a child has awareness, parents should teach the child verses of Torah and the practice of Judaism.

Education can take various forms, generally broken down into two categories, negative and stern or positive and uplifting. Successful education usually contains a blend of the two, love and discipline. A lot depends on the personality of the educator as well as that of the student.  

As we consider the balance of discipline and love, we take guidance from our sages who tell us “With the left (weaker) hand we push away (discipline), and with the right (stronger) hand we draw near (love).

How do we know if we have been successful in finding the proper balance and blend of love and discipline? For that we explore the beautiful insight that Chassidus offers on Rashi’s comment cited above on our Parsha. The Hebrew word for caution that Rashi uses is “L’hazhir.” The other connotation of L’hazhir, is Zohar – radiance or illumination. You want to know what successful education looks like? If it causes the child to shine and be illuminated. Does it bring out the light of their soul and personality? Does it place them in a space where they are focused on their light rather than their darkness? Then you know you are on the right track.

In truth, this principle applies to the education of adults as much as children.

I am blessed to be surrounded by generations of successful educators. I was raised by educators. I am married to an educator. Together we have raised children who are educators. My life experience confirms this teaching (not that truth needs my confirmation). Successful education equals radiance.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

 

The Universe, Our Telescope to the Creator

Last week I heard a radio interview with Dr. Kelsey Johnson, an astrophysicist at the University of Virginia. She was talking about what motivated her to keep probing and researching things that we have not, up until this point in time, been able to wrap our minds around. She did not get into religion, although G-d did come up in the discussion. I suspect, although I could not ascertain, that she is not an atheist. She said something to the effect of this. To our current knowledge, we are the only beings in the universe who are aware of their place in the universe and are aware of what they know and do not yet know. As such we must remain curious and seek to learn and discover as much as we are able. She left G-d out of the equation in that conversation, but a person of faith would come to realize that the more we learn about the universe, the more we appreciate about the Creator.

As I heard her words, it reminded me of a conversation between another scientist who was probing the cosmos, NASA’s Dr. Velvl Greene, and the Rebbe. Dr. Greene was part of the Mars Project. As he became more involved in Judaism and started to live a more observant lifestyle, he was told by some, that searching for intelligent life on other planets was a conflict with the Torah. He brought this dilemma to the Rebbe who assured him the opposite was the case. The Rebbe declared, “You should look for life on Mars, and you should keep looking for life on Mars. If you don’t find it, then keep looking elsewhere, and do not stop looking, because to sit here in this world and say there is no life elsewhere is to put a limit around what G-d can do. And nobody can do that!”

In Psalms there are two verses that are often quoted as the impetus for humans observing “Niflaot Ha’boreh” – the Wonders of the Creator. One is from Psalm 92:6, “How great are Your works, O L-rd.” The other is from Psalm 104:24, “How manifold are Your works, O L-rd!” When we encounter the diversity of species of plans and animals, on land and in the oceans, one declares “How manifold are Your works, O L-rd.” When we learn more about the intricacies of the human body, the profundity of the genome system, the value of every element within every cell, we declare “How manifold are Your works, O L-rd.”

When we become aware of the vastness of the universe, discovering more and more about the cosmos, appreciating how much we don’t know or understand, we declare “How great are Your works, O L-rd.” The more advanced one’s awareness is in the sciences of physics, biology, and astronomy, the more profound one’s sense of humility ought to be before the greatness of the Creator.

What King David is telling us with these two verses is that the universe is our telescope to the Creator. Our discoveries and the awareness that we develop should leave us in awe at the great power of the Creator. This notion should leave us thirsting for more and more.

If this is true about the physical universe, how much more so when we think about the spiritual cosmos and the limitless levels of Divine Manifestation. If this is true about the body, how much more so about the intricacies of the soul. Developing greater awareness in these areas should certainly awaken a sense of awe, leading us to declare, “How great are Your works, O L-rd” and “How manifold are Your works, O L-rd!”  

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

Bless Your Heart

Down here in the South there is an understanding that as long as you preface your statement with “bless your/his/her heart” you can follow it up with whatever you want, no matter how disparaging it may be.

While “bless your heart” has become cliché, and no longer has any real meaning, there is real value behind this concept. If you really love someone, then the criticism should come from a desire to help them. It will then be couched in constructive terms and presented in a loving manner that is designed to have the maximum positive outcome.

We find this idea reflected in the Torah. One of the worst consequences in the Torah is when a person is afflicted with Tzara’at (a leprosy-like skin condition that was brought upon a person because of “lashon hara” - negative speech). A person with Tzara’at was not only designated to be ritually impure, but they were also required to be separated from anyone else in the community, including their family, until the affliction passed. In a society that values community, this separation is particularly painful.

We find something fascinating about the process of Tzara’at designation. The laws are quite complex. The lesions of the skin that are considered Tzara’at are very specific. There are many lesions that are similar but do not render a person ritually impure with Tzara’at. Only an expert can truly identify the criteria for this designation. Yet, even if an expert has positively identified the conditions associated with Tzara’at, only a Kohen can pronounce this designation. The Kohen should (if he is not an expert) accept guidance from the expert, but the power to designate someone as impure due to Tzara’at, is the Kohen’s alone.

Why is this so? Because a Kohen was appointed by G-d to be the source of loving blessings and kindness for the people of Israel. The text of the introductory blessing that is recited before the “Priestly Blessings” given by the Kohen is, “Who commanded us to bless His nation Israel with love.” When love is the underlying motivation, the Kohen will do everything in his power to make sure that the person is really deserving of this designation before actually pronouncing them impure. He will work equally hard to see the process of purification through to the end so that the person can rejoin his family and community.

The lesson for us is obvious. Before we offer criticism or point out the flaws of another, we must make sure that we are motivated by love for the other and not our own internal rot, that requires us to push others down to feel elevated. The best proof will be how our words are received. A heart feels a heart. Words that come from the heart enter the heart of the other in the same manner. Love reflects love.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

Looking for older posts? See the sidebar for the Archive.