Khullin 142 Elisha ben Avuya’s apostasy My siyum of massekhet Khullin

I finished massekhet Khullin on Saturday the eighth day of Tishre which was my father Bob Greene’s yahrzeit. I dedicated my siyum of massekhet Khullin on his 22^nd yahrzeit.

To better understand the Gemara, let me provide some background. In the Torah there are two mitzvot which promises the reward of a long life when observed. The first is sheluakh haken, sending away the mother bird before collecting the eggs or the young chicks as is written “Let the mother go, and take only the young, in order that you may fare well and have a long life.” (Dt. 22:7) The second mitzvah is honoring one’s parents as is written “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may have a long life …” (Dt 5:16)

Unfortunately we know that the world doesn’t really work like that. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. The Gemara tells of a story where a young boy observed the two above commandments at the same time, but died as a consequence of his observance. Theodicy is a vindication of the divine attributes, particularly holiness and justice, in establishing or allowing the existence of physical and moral evil. Rabbi Ya’akov provides such an answer how we can still understand the verse as true even in the face of this tragedy. At the siyum I left out other explanations the Gemara offered how such a tragedy could occur, but you may go to daf 142 to read them.

Next you have to know a little bit of Akher (Elisha ben Avuya)’s biography. Elisha ben Avuya was a great Sage and Rabbi Mier’s teacher. Four sages entered the pardes (the mystical orchard or divine realm) according to the Talmud (Chagigah 14b). Pardes (פרדס) is an acronym for the 4 ways of studying Torah. P(פ) stands for peshat, the simple meaning of the verse. D (ד) stands for darash, the exegetical meaning of the verse. R (ר) stands for remez, the allegorical understanding of the verse. S (ס) stands for sode, the mystical understanding of the verse. The four rabbis were Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Akher (Elisha ben Avuya), and Rabbi Akiva.

Here is what happened to each of them during their spiritual journey:

·        Ben Azzai looked upon the Divine Presence and died.

·        Ben Zoma looked and was harmed, losing his sanity.

·        Akher (Elisha ben Avuya) "cut down the plantings," meaning he turned to heresy.

·        Rabbi Akiva entered in peace and departed in peace

The Gemara shares the straw that broke the camels’ back why Akher became an apostate.

MISHNA: … And if with regard to the sending away of the mother bird, which is a mitzva whose performance is simple, as it entails a loss of no more than an issar, i.e., the value of the mother bird, the Torah says: “That it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days” (Deuteronomy 22:7), it may be derived by a fortiori inference that the reward is no less for the fulfillment of the mitzvot in the Torah whose performance is demanding.

GEMARA: The school of Rabbi Ya’akov taught that Rabbi Ya’akov says: There is not a single mitzva written in the Torah whose reward is stated alongside it, which is not dependent on a belief in the resurrection of the dead, i.e., the reward is actually bestowed in the World-to-Come, after the resurrection of the dead. How so? With regard to honoring one’s father and mother, it is written: “That your days may be long, and that it may go well with you” (Deuteronomy 5:16). With regard to the sending away of the mother bird from the nest, it is written: “That it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days” (Deuteronomy 22:7).

Despite this, it occurred that there was one whose father said to him: Climb to the top of the building and bring me fledglings; and he climbed to the top of the building and sent away the mother bird and took the offspring, thereby simultaneously fulfilling the mitzva to send away the mother bird from the nest and the mitzva to honor one’s parents, but as he returned he fell and died. Where is the length of days of this one? And where is the goodness of the days of this one? Rather, the verse “that your days may be long” is referring to the world that is entirely long, and “that it may be well with you” means in the world where all is well…

Rav Yosef said: Had Aḥer, literally Other, the appellation of the former Sage Elisha ben Avuya, interpreted homiletically this aforementioned verse: “That it may go well with you” (Deuteronomy 5:16), as referring to the World-to-Come, as did Rabbi Ya’akov, the son of his daughter, he would not have sinned. The Gemara asks: What did Aḥer see that led him to heresy? Some say that he saw an incident like this one witnessed by Rabbi Ya’akov, and some say that he saw the tongue of Rabbi Ḥutzpit the disseminator, which was cast in a garbage dump after he was executed by the government. Aḥer said: Will a mouth that produced pearls of wisdom lick the dust? But he did not know that the phrase “that it may be well with you” means in the world where all is well, and that the phrase “that your days may be long” is referring to the world that is entirely long.  (Sefaria.org translation)

For most of us moderns we don’t accept Rabbi Ya’akov’s theodicy. In every generation Jewish philosophers and theologians have tried to answer the question why bad things happen to good people. I like to suggest two books for further study. The first book is A Jewish Theology by Louis Jacobs. The second book is When Bad Things Happen To Good People by Harold Kushner.

Yochi Brandes’ The Orchard is a novel about Rabbi Akiva’s life and the story of the four rabbis entering the orchard plays a dominant role. I read it in the original Hebrew and I highly recommend this book.

 

Findind happiness during these difficult times My Yom Kippur sermon

Nowadays we have a lot of worries, some economic, some physical, and some spiritual. On top of that we worry about Israel, and the threat of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in our midst.

I believe despite all our worries we can still find happiness. I read somewhere we should try to make someone happy each day of our lives, even if it means leaving him alone.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is quoted as saying: “I read where a wife plans to divorce her husband as soon as she can find a way to do so without making him happy.”

Is there anybody in this world during these difficult times who is truly happy?

There was a Peanuts cartoon years ago in which Lucy asked Charlie Brown if he had ever known anybody was really happy. Before she could finish her sentence; however, Snoopy came dancing on tiptoe into the frame, his nose high in the air. He danced and bounced his way across two frames of the cartoon strip.

Finally the last frame, Lucy finished her sentence, “Have you ever known anybody who was really happy and still in his right mind?”

Do you know anybody who is truly happy?

We certainly know many unhappy people. In the United States 133 people commit suicide every day and another 6000 attempt it. That means about 2.2 million people every year are unhappy enough to put an end to the very existence. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young and young adults ages 15-34. Adults aged 75 and older face (thank God I’m only 74 ½ years old) some of the highest suicide rates of any age group in the United States.

Why is happiness so elusive?

Our Bible has plenty to teach us on the subject of happiness. We shall read from the book of Kohelet on Shemini Atzeret this year. According to our tradition King Solomon who wrote it learned a valuable lesson while seeking happiness.

At first, he sought happiness in material possessions as he states: “I multiplied my possessions, I built myself houses and vineyards. I laid out gardens and groves, in which I planted every kind of fruit trees.”

Nevertheless, he ended up no happier than before. He realized that all this was “הַכֹּ֥ל הֶ֙בֶל֙ וּרְע֣וּת ר֔וּחַ וְאֵ֥ין יִתְר֖וֹן תַּ֥חַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ: -futile under the sun and the pursuit of the wind; there was no real value under the sun.” (2:11) Kohelet learned that happiness doesn’t consist in the pursuit of material things.

Happiness doesn’t depend on who you are or what you own. Money in the bank doesn’t guarantee happiness. If it did, all the characters in soap operas should be the happiest people in the world.

A noted theologian says the reason why so many people never find happiness is because they don’t know where to look for it. Too many people make the mistake of seeking one more material thing, one more pay raise, one more promotion, one more problem solved, one more handicap overcome. “If I had only that,” they would say “I would be happy. Too late they learned that happiness doesn’t come from the outside but from within.

We should also know that happiness isn't synonymous with the avoidance of pain.

Most of us do everything in our power to go through life avoiding any situation that’s potentially uncomfortable or unpleasant. Many wives won’t stand up to an overbearing and even abusive husband because they don’t want to rock the boat. Many people fail in business because they can’t pick up the phone and straighten out a bad situation. Many people don’t come to shul for fear of appearing foolish or incompetent.

Yet, we’re still not happy for happiness is neither found in the pursuit of pleasure nor in the avoidance of pain.

Nu, so where is happiness found? First of all happiness is found in purposeful living.

George Burns expounded this aspect of happiness in his book Dr. George Burns Rx for Happiness. “If you were to go around asking people what will make them happier, you’d get answers like a new car, a bigger house, a raise in pay, winning the lottery, a face lift, more kids, less kids, a new restaurant to go to-probably not one in 100 was a chance to help people. And yet that may bring the most happiness of all.

“I don’t know Dr. Jonas Salk, but after what he’s done for us with his polio vaccine, if he isn’t happy he should have that brilliant head of his examined. Of course, not everybody can do what he did.

“But the point is, it doesn’t have to be anything that extraordinary. It can be working for a worthy cause, performing some needed service, or just doing something that helps another person.”

“The sense of uselessness,” said Thomas Huxley, “is the severest shock which our system can sustain.” Conversely, when we have a great purpose to live for, a purpose that is high and noble, our whole being is enhanced. Success can corrupt, usefulness can only exult. Happiness is given ourselves to a higher and noble purpose.

Secondly, George Burns also teaches us to find happiness by being people oriented. You won’t find happiness sitting alone in your house. Move out of your comfort zone and join our community by coming to shul for our services, learning opportunities, or social opportunities. Or volunteer at a hospital or any other great tzedakah opportunity. Or join any social group like a bridge club.

In the last place, happiness is to be found in a right relationship with God. In his later years, King Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs, “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord.”

Many years ago a little boy was given a priceless procession, his zayde’s gold pocket watch. How he treasured it. But one day while playing at his father’s ice plant, he lost the watch amid all the ice and sawdust. He searched and searched but no watch. Then suddenly he realized what to do. He stopped scurrying around and became very still. In the silence, he heard the watch ticking.

Just like that zedyde, God has given each one of us a priceless gift of joy by observing the mitzvot found in our Torah. We easily lose our joy in the scurrying around in our lives. Yet we can always find it when we pause and pay attention as the Torah says in last week’s Torah portion, “כִּֽי־קָר֥וֹב אֵלֶ֛יךָ הַדָּבָ֖ר מְאֹ֑ד בְּפִ֥יךָ וּבִֽלְבָבְךָ֖ לַעֲשֹׂתֽוֹ-but the word of God is very close unto you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may observe it.” (Dt. 30:14) 

We who are in the synagogue on this Yom Kippur have much to be happy for.

Menachem Mendel the Vitebsker taught:

1.  Rejoice that you have an opportunity to sing unto God.

2.  Rejoice that you are a Jew.

3.  Rejoice that you’re able to pray, to study, and to perform God’s will.

4.  Rejoice before the endlessness of God, the highest saint and the lowest commoner are equal.

5.  Be content with your achievements in affairs of the spirit as well as your early status.

6.  Don’t doubt yourself, but enjoy the light of God.This year 5787 you’ll be able to find happiness by giving yourself over to a high and noble purpose, by being people oriented, and having a right relationship with the Holy One Blessed be He.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Protecting the landscape of your life #Yomkippur#devartorah

The British have had trouble with foxes. According to The Wall Street Journal, the sly little fellows had moved into London and are making a general nuisance of themselves. They knocked over rubbish cans, swiped shoes left out to dry, destroyed gardens, and leaved a foul odor. With the city borders being pushed farther into the countryside, the little troublemakers are adapting rather than moving—and many Londoners are frustrated and upset.

When you stop to think about it, little “foxes” can become great aggravations for us as well as Jews. What we may consider “little” or “harmless” sins can be our downfall. “Stretching the truth,” for example, is actually lying. And gossip is nothing less than character assassination. The trouble is that those little sins will inevitably grow larger. Before we know it, we’ll need to do some serious repenting and confessing.

If some little foxes have crept into the backyards and gardens of your spiritual life, Yom Kippur is the time to deal with them. The Machzor, the High Holiday prayer book, helps us identify them when we daven the confessional. Al Chet. Admit your guilt, confess these pesky little practices to God, make amends to those you’ve wrong, and get rid of them before they ruin the entire landscape of your life. 

Time is a spiritual commodity My Rosh Hashana Sermon 5787

Unlike God who remembers even our most forgotten deeds, I have to write everything down I want to remember. That way, instead of spending a lot of time trying to remember what I wrote down, I spend my time looking for the paper I wrote it on. Judy says that I should have become a college professor because I already have the absentmindedness part down perfectly.

The passage of time confronts us during these High Holidays. The seasons have gone through another complete cycle. We’re all one more year older and some of our most beloved family and friends have gone to their eternal home. No wonder we think about the meaning of time and his purpose in our lives.

Time is a spiritual commodity. Unlike the old Rolling Stone song “Time is on my side,” we don’t have an inexhaustible supply of time.

How we invest our time matters as someone once put it:

To realize the value of one year: ask a student failed his final exam.

To realize the value of 1 month: ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of 1 minute: ask a person who missed the train, bus, or plane.

To realize the value of 1 second: ask a person who survived an accident.

To realize the value of 1 millisecond: ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.

The use of time is just as much a measure of our spiritual concern as the use of our money. Don’t we often say: “Time is money.” That’s true more that many of us realize.

A man dreamed he walked into an impressive building that was somewhat like a bank yet not a bank, because the brass marker said: “Time for Sale.” He saw a man breathless and pale, painfully pulling himself up the stairs like the victim of some dreaded disease. “The doctor told me that I was five years too late in going to see him” the man told the teller. “I’ll buy those five years now and then the doctor can save my life.”

Then came a woman, older in years, who said to the clerk: “When it was too late, I discovered that God had given me great capacities and endowments, and I failed to develop them. Sell me 10 years so that I can become the woman I should have been.”

Then came a younger person who declared: “The company has told me that starting next month I can have a big job, if I’m prepared to take it. But I’m not prepared. Give me two years of time so that I’ll be ready to take the job next month.

And so they came in a steady procession-the ill, hopeless, despondent, worried, unhappy-and left smiling, each person with a look of unutterable pleasure on his face, for he had what he so desperately needed and wanted-time.

Charles Spezzano put it like this: “You don’t really pay for things with money. You pay for them with time. ‘In 5 years,’ we say, ‘I’ll have put enough away to buy their vacation house we want. Then I’ll slow down.’”

That means the house will cost you 5 ½  years of your adult life. Translate the dollar value of the house, car, or anything else into time and then you see if it’s still worth it. The phrase spending your time isn’t a metaphor. It is how life works.” Our time is as valuable as the material treasures.

Are we good stewards of our time when comes to ourselves? As we ponder the passage of time and its meaning, we need to answer that question. It’s amazing how much we might accomplish if we put our time to better use

Think about how much time you spend watching TV or surfing the Internet and afterwards thinking what a waste of time it was. I could have been reading a good book. I could have taken a walk in the park. Almost anything else would have been a better use of my time.

Nobody would ever think of throwing away money or material goods even though they can be replaced. But why are people heedless of time, an irreplaceable commodity? When we use time to maximize our human potential, we discover the spiritual meaning we crave.

Are we good stewards of our time when comes to our family and friends?

There’s a story about two steamships that left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled side-by-side, sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail pace of the other. Words were exchanged and soon they were in a race. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the deep South.

One boat was falling behind due to lack of fuel. There had been plenty of coal for the trip, but not enough for a race. When the ship ran out of coal, the sailors fueled their boat with the cargo that they been signed to transport. They ended up winning the race, but burned her cargo.

God has entrusted cargo to us too: children, grandchildren, spouses, and friends. I hope we tend to our significant others better than this husband. A husband tells his friend that his wife complained that he ruined her birthday. He tells his friend that’s impossible because “I didn’t even know it was her birthday.”

Our job is to do our part in seeing that this cargo reaches its destination. Yet when the program takes priority over people, people often suffer. How much cargo do we sacrifice in order to achieve the number one slot?

As usual my sermons are really directed to me. My granddaughter Layla at the age of 6 ½ knows how to guilt schlep. She complained to Judy that I never play with her because I’m always at shul working.

Understanding that she is correct, Judy and I spent a whole Sunday with Layla at Coney Island. I joined her on rides at Luna Park and then swimming in the ocean. We also spent a week with our Boston grandchildren Eli and Addie. We took Eli to the MIT Museum and aboard the USS Constitution as well as seeing Addie star in her JCC play Shrek Junior.

Certainly you’re familiar with the story of the Iliad and the Odyssey or at least seen the new movie the Odyssey staring Matt Damon as Odysseus.

Odysseus leads his army in the rescue of Helen of Troy. During the 10 year battle, he discovers a taste for challenge and adventure. While his wife and sons wait faithfully for him to come home, he and his men spend 10 more years on the high seas, seeking out enemies to fight and heroics to perform.

Odysseus wanderlust prevents him from going home to those who love him. This is until he learns a very important lesson.

Odysseus sails so far that he sails right to the edge of the world, to the land of shadows, that the Greeks called Hades. In Greek culture, the afterlife was represented by a shadow world, void of any love, joy, hope, or peace.

There in Hades dwelled all of Odysseus’s heroes whom he was emulating, but they have no glory now. Instead, they are desperate for news from the land of the living. What has become of the family and friends? What has become of the people who love them? Suddenly, Odysseus realizes only love that will last beyond the land of the shadows. Only love that will last beyond them grave.

How are you doing with the stewardship of your time? Are you investing in that which will never die? Are you giving time to those who love you the most?

Finally, are you giving enough of your time to God? One of the most unfortunate byproducts of the frantic schedule that many of us live, is we’re neglecting time developing a personal relationship with the הקב"ה.

Too few of us are training our children or grandchildren to include God in their busy lives. How many of us spent time with our children or grandchildren studying Torah together? How many of us come to the synagogue as a family? One of my colleagues wanted to put a sign outside his synagogue school wing that read: “At least slow down, before dropping your children off.”

How many of us use Shabbat as a vehicle to add a spiritual dimension to our families’ lives? Will our children and grandchildren be able to build their spiritual future upon the foundations we lay for them today?

Time is the spiritual commodity that can reach every moment of our lives. The great band Chicago wrote a song about time too just like the Rolling Stones. But they ask a very poignant question for us Jews during this High Holiday season. They sing: “Does Anybody Know What Time It Really Is?

Rabbi Tarphon taught in Pirkei Avot: “הַיּוֹם קָצָר וְהַמְּלָאכָה מְרֻבָּה, וְהַפּוֹעֲלִים עֲצֵלִים, וְהַשָּׂכָר הַרְבֵּה, וּבַעַל הַבַּיִת דּוֹחֵק:-The day is short, the task is great, the workers indolent, the reward is bountiful, and the Master insistent.” (2:20)

All we need is some Jewish time management penciled in our busy lives, time for her own personal spiritual growth, time for family, and time for relationship with God this year 5787.

No wonder we pray to God during these High Holidays to help us number days so that we may get a heart of wisdom.

 

 

 

 

 

Khullin 124b and 127a Two short passages too good to pass up. Some things never change.

 “A scholar named Rav Avia Sabba asked Rabbah bar Rav Huna a difficult question about whether a closed bone containing marrow could pass on ritual impurity. Instead of answering the question directly, Rabbah bar Rav Huna looked up and said, “See, there is a raven flying past!

“Rabbah bar Rav Huna was not trying to be rude. He used the raven as a distraction because he was simply too exhausted and drained to answer.

“Later, his son Rava asked him why he brushed off such a great scholar with a story about a bird. Rabbah bar Rav Huna explained his state of mind by quoting a verse from Song of Songs (2:5): "Sustain me with dainties, refresh me with apples; for I am love-sick." He meant that he was physically and mentally weak at that exact moment and did not have the clarity or energy needed to properly engage in a complex legal debate” (TB Khullin, 124b, Sefaria.org translation)

We do the same deflection. How many times have I’ve said with a smile, “Look! Hayley’s Comet!

Who says the rabbis don’t have a sense of humor

“If a resident of Neresh kisses you, count your teeth to make sure he did not steal one.” TB Kullin, 127a, Sefaria.org translation)

In this section of massekhet Khullin, the Talmud discusses a few different towns in ancient Babylonia whose citizens had a reputation for being tricky or dishonest. The sages used colorful, exaggerated humor—like stealing a tooth right out of someone's mouth during a friendly kiss—to tell travelers to keep their guard up

 

Khullin 130 Why were the Zeroa, Lechayayim, and Keiva given to the kohanim?

The 10^th chapter of our massekhet discusses the gifts given to the kohanim, priests as commanded in the Torah. “MISHNA: The mitzva to give the foreleg (Zeroa), the jaw (Lechayayim), and the maw (Keiva) of slaughtered animals to the priests, known as the gifts of the priesthood, applies both in Eretz Yisrael and outside of Eretz Yisrael, in the presence of the Temple and not in the presence of the Temple, and it applies to non-sacred animals, but not to sacrificial animals.” (TB Khullin 130, Sefaria.org translation) Why were these three parts of the animal given to the kohanim?

The Sefer HaChinuch, written in the Middle Ages by and an anonymous author enumerates and explains the mitzvot as they appear in each of the weekly Torah portions. The positive commandment to give the Zeroa, Lechayayim, and Keivah to the priest originates from the biblical text in Deuteronomy 18:3 and is mitzvah number 506.

The Sefer HaChinuch explains the "root of the commandment" by linking these three specific body parts directly to the historical actions of Pinchas (the grandson of Aaron the High Priest.

When the Jewish people were sinning in the desert, Pinchas risked his life to stop a public act of defilement by killing Zimri (a prince of Israel) and Kozbi (a Midianite princess). Because he zealously stood up for God's honor, God rewarded him and his descendants (the priests) with these physical cuts of meat forever.

The physical cuts act as a measure-for-measure reminder of his actions:

·        The Front Leg/Shoulder (Zeroa): Represents the arm of Pinchas, which he used to take up a spear and execute judgment.

·        The Lower Jaw/Cheeks (Lechayayim): Represents the mouth of Pinchas, which he used to pray out loud to God to stop the plague ravaging the nation.

·        The Stomach (Keivah): Represents the stomach of the woman, which is the exact location where Pinchas thrust his spear to end the sinning.

The Psychological Lesson

The Sefer HaChinuch notes a deeper psychological lesson here. It teaches that publicly sanctifying God's name earns long-lasting, tangible rewards. By forcing Jews to give these physical gifts every time they slaughter a farm animal, God ensures the nation never forgets Pinchas's bravery and the eternal benefits of serving Him.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Where+in+sefer+hachinuch+does+it+explain+why+the+priest+get+the+front+leg%2C+the+stomach+and+the+lower+jaw&oq=Where+in+sefer+hachinuch+does+it+explain+why+the+priest+get+the+front+leg%2C+the+stomach+and+the+lower+jaw&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRiPAjIHCAIQIRiPAtIBCjk3NDg0ajBqMTWoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&source=chrome.rb&ie=UTF-8#sv=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

 

Moses Maimonides in his masterpiece The Guide to the Perplexed provides a more philosophical reason why the Zeroa, Lechayayim, and Keivah were given to the priest. We should be liberal with our tzedakah and devotion to God and limit our appetite and desire for acquiring lots of possessions.

“The law concerning the fruit of a tree in its fourth year has some relation to idolatrous customs, as has been stated by us (chap. xxxvii.), and is connected with the law concerning the fruit of a tree in its first three years. But it has in addition the same object as the law concerning the heave-offering (Deut. 18:4), the dough-offering (ḥallah) (Num. 15:20), the first-fruit (Exod. 23:19), and the first of the shearing (Deut. 18:4). For the first of everything is to be devoted to the Lord; and by doing so man accustoms himself to be liberal, and to limit his appetite for eating and his desire for property. The same is the reason why the priest took the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the maw (Deut. 18:3); the cheek being the first part of the body of animals, the right shoulder the first of the extremities of the body, and the maw the first of all inwards.” Rambam Guide Part 3 39

 

 

My emai devrai torah for #Slikhot#KiTavo#KiTetze

 Saturday night our heshbon hanefesh introspection in preparation for the High Holidays intensifies with special midnight prayers called Slichot. Slichot in Hebrew means forgiveness, in the plural.  We seek forgiveness from God, from our fellow human beings, and from ourselves. This Saturday night we shall join our friends from Hillcrest Jewish Center and the Jewish Center of Kew Garden Hills for a joint Slichot evening of reflection, learning, and prayer at the Hillcrest Jewish Center.

Studies by a number of psychologists show that it is not great riches that makepeople happy, but friends and forgiveness.  Commenting on these findings in a USAToday article, Marilyn Elias says, "The happiest people surround themselveswith family and friends, don't care about keeping up with the Joneses next door,lose themselves in daily activities, and most important, forgive easily."

University of Michigan psychologist Christopher Peterson says that the ability toforgive others is the trait most strongly linked to happiness.  He calls it "thequeen of all virtues, and probably the hardest to come by."

An unforgiving spirit is often the last emotional fortress we yield to the powerof God.  Even as Jews, we may cling to anger and bitterness, feeling that thosewho have wronged us should suffer for their offenses.  But when we realize how much God has forgiven us, we are compelled to extend mercy to others.  Ben Sira in the Apocrypha taught, "Forgive your neighbor...and then, when you pray, your sins will be forgiven you." (28:2)

Forgiveness is God's command to us and is part of a life of love, peace, thankfulness, and praise.  Freely are we forgiven, let us freely forgive.  This High Holiday season, let our prayer be: "Lord, help me be kind and forgiving-/Your loving forgiveness You've shown/ To me for the sins I've committed;/ Lord grant me a love like Your own." (anonymous)

Our joint Slichot evening begins at 8:30 PM. The rabbis’ study opportunities and refreshments will follow. Slichot services will begin at 10:30 PM. Please join us for all or any part of the evening.

 

This week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo, begins by discussing the farmer’s obligation to bring his first fruits to the Temple and to thank God for blessing his land. The farmer is commanded to be full of joy and happiness as result of all the plenty that God bestowed upon him. “And you shall enjoy, together with the Levite and the stranger in your midst, all the bounty that the Lord your God has bestowed upon you and your household.” (Deuteronomy 26:11) Right after this, the Torah goes on to a different topic. It talks of the farmer’s obligation to give a percentage of the crops to the poor, the orphans, and the widows, every third year.

What is the connection between the mitzvah of joy and happiness to that of tzedakkah? The Ba’al HaTurim offers an explanation. He writes that the connection between these two passages is that we can only be truly happy if we look after and provide for the needs of the poor and helpless.

This message is reinforced in Yom Kippur’s haftorah. Isaiah says: “No, this is the fast I desire: to unlock the fetters of wickedness, and untie the cords of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free; to break off the yoke. It is to share your bread with the hungry, and to take the rich and poor into your house; when you see the naked, to close him, and not to ignore your own kin. Then shall your light burst through like the dawn and your healing spring up quickly….” (58:6-8)

Prof. Norman Cohen writes in his book Hineini in Our Lives: “Yet, Isaiah reaches across the generations, calling out to us like the blast of a ram’s horn, signaling to us that not only can we survive, but we can even flourish once again. If only we can set aside our selfish concerns and sacrifice for others, we can move beyond own pain and then experience healing and wholeness. We will see the light burst forth like the dawn, as it breaks through the darkness of our own lives.

“And in the end, it turns out to be our own light illuminates the world. Our lives can be made better in the world to move closer to a messianic sign of healing and redemption, if only we realize that our sacrifices should not merely involve the giving up of food on a fast day, but rather the giving of self to the other in our lives every hour of every day that we live.” (Page 106)

There can be no greater joy than being God’s partner by bringing the world closer to humanity’s final redemption.

According to this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tetze an Ammonite or Moabite may never join the Jewish people as it is written: “No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted into the congregation of the LORD; none of their descendants, even in the tenth generation, shall ever be admitted into the congregation of the LORD, because they did not meet you with food and water on your journey after you left Egypt…” (DT 23: 4-5) Rabbi Pliskin in his book Love Your Neighbor explains why. “Rabbi Shimon said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer that from here we see the punishment of those who withhold kindness.” (page 417) They should have offered our ancestors food and drink as a common kindness.

Were you an ardent reader of L. Frank Baum’s Land of Oz books? Do you remember the book Rinkitink in Oz? Who didn’t laugh at the antics of Baum’s irrepressible, good-hearted King Rinkitink with his down-to-earth goodness. Young Prince Inga described him best: “His heart is kind and gentle and that is far better than being wise.”

How simple and how sensible! Yet who has not wounded the heart of someone dear to us by a harsh word? By doing so, we disturb the peace and quiet of the hour and we can undo much of the good we have done toward those we love. “A small unkindness is a great offense,” said Hannah More, an 18th-century English writer.

Here’s the good news: Anyone can be kind. We may not be a Torah scholar, able to answer hard questions, or be an extremely successful business person, but we can all be kind.

As we prepare ourselves for the High Holidays in order to become the person we truly want to be, kindness one of the most helpful and healing things we can offer to others and to ourselves.