Continue reading »]]> Passover has Matzah, the Seder, and wine. Sukkos has the Four Species and the Sukkah. But what does Shavuos have?

It has the Torah! This is the day when God gave the Torah to the Jewish people. And because our holidays are not simply commemorations, but eternal links back to the sanctity of each Holy Day, this is the day when G-d renews His ultimate gift and enables us to grab our share.

It is truly the ultimate gift, the most important thing we have. Eating Matzah is a great Mitzvah, but it’s not equated to the combination of all the other Commandments. Sitting in a Sukkah, likewise. But Torah? “Learning Torah is equal to them all!”

I realized in the past few days that sometimes writer’s block comes because the topic is simply too big. To talk about the value of Torah should take a lifetime. It is the be-all and end-all of Jewish survival throughout the ages; it is why we are still here and still calling ourselves the Jewish people.

Do we really understand that? I don’t think so, because it defies human understanding. Our Sages tell us that it is the Torah that makes the Jewish people defy the rules of anthropology. The rule in question goes like this: whenever a nation is conquered by a new power with new beliefs — even “conquered” from within, such as by Communism, much less taken over by a foreign culture, much less if the inhabitants are exiled to other lands — within generations, the old ways die out. Yet the beliefs of all the nations that conquered us have vanished, and it is ours that remain. Nothing remains of the old idolatries of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans. And not only is our Torah still here, its influence has spread. As a nation we are reviled, but our Torah is treated as sacred by more than half the world.

The Torah is truly our link to eternity — and this Shavuos, may we all be able to grasp eternity as never before.

Continue reading »]]> Last night I got one of “those” shopping carts. Finding it blocking the supermarket door, I figured this cart was somehow meant for me. As I prepared to push it down the aisle, though, my misfortune became clear: the wheels forcefully veered to the right. My shopping experience would now be marred by the constant need to realign my shopping cart!

Man would naturally take advantage of every opportunity to grow in his relationship with the Creator, if it were not for a force that constantly pushes him off his desired path. The human soul has every desire to reunite with its source, the Al-mighty Himself. While the nature of our spirit is to mature and reach upward, our physical nature stunts the growth and pulls us in undesired directions.

These challenging circumstances are a product of the Creator Himself, designed to make our relationship with Him a result of meaningful victories over opposition. Something that comes easily is worth very little. Fortunately, G-d also provided us with the means to curb this physical force and set the wheels of our soul back on course. “I created the inclination towards evil, and I created the Torah as it’s antidote.” (Talmud Kiddushin 30b)

The Torah reading of Bechukosai begins “Im Bechukosai Teileichu – If you go with my statutes.” Rashi‘s commentary understands this as an imperative to toil in Torah study. The root word of “BeCHUKosai”, Rav Tzadok HaKohen ztl explains, is ”Chok“ which refers to something engraved. Devoting time and energy into a project has a symbiotic effect  – the project leaves an impression on those laboring over it. Says Rav Tzadok, intense Torah study, wrapping ones mind around the infinitely profound wisdom of G-d Himself, engraves the soul. The greater the dose of intense Torah study, the deeper impression it makes on the spiritual. As a result, the wheels of the soul are gradually realigned, and Man is pulled back on course in his relationship with the Al-mighty. This is what is meant by “Teileichu – you will go.” As we said, the soul naturally goes forward in its growth, its progression towards its Heavenly Source. The toil over the Torah’s wisdom gets engraved on ones heart and sets the soul back on that course.

Good Shabbos!
Rabbi Mordechai Dixler
Program Director, Project Genesis – Torah.org

Continue reading »]]> In this week’s reading, the Torah talks about Shabbos, the Sabbath. In this case, however, it comes with an unusual introduction. “Speak to the Children of Israel, and say to them the festivals of G-d, which you shall declare, the Holy Convocation — these are my festivals. Six days shall you do labor, and on the seventh day, it is the Sabbath, a holy convocation, all creative labor you shall not do…” [Lev. 23:2-3] Why does the Torah start talking about festivals, and immediately detour into Shabbos?

One answer, of course, is that the Sabbath is indeed a festival in its own right. But the Ohr HaChayim gives a different answer, especially because the total repeats “these are the festivals of G-d” after this mention of Shabbos, before going through the holidays. As with everything in the Torah, there is no needless repetition; everything has a meaning.

When the Torah says that these are the festivals “which you shall declare,” it is meant quite literally. When there was a Sanhedrin, it was responsible for declaring each new month based upon eyewitness testimony that the moon had appeared. It also decided in what years a second Adar should occur, in order to keep the holidays in their proper seasons. The calendar only became set when Hillel the Second, descendant of Hillel the Elder, realized that the Sanhedrin would be disbanded due to the exile, and laid out a calendar to be used until it formed once again.

His set calendar is a mathematical marvel. It is based upon an extremely precise calculation of the length of both the lunar and solar cycles, without which we would shortly end up with Pesach in the fall (with apologies to our friends in the southern hemisphere, who experience this each year). This is not because Hillel was a mathematician, but because he received this knowledge from earlier generations. The Sanhedrin always knew when it was possible for the moon to appear, yet relied upon eyewitness testimony as long as it was feasible to do so. Israel, by declaring the festivals, helps create these times each year. It is a partnership between Israel and G-d.

The Ohr HaChayim explains: not so, the Sabbath — and this is why the Torah pauses before beginning to describe the festivals. Otherwise, you might think that if the Sanhedrin says so, the Sabbath can also be put off or moved up a day. The Torah tells us that this is not the case. There is no partnership on this occasion; the Sabbath comes every seven days, “ready or not!”

The same is true when it comes to the complete limitation of creative labor on Shabbos. People sometimes mistranslate “melachah” as “work,” and then wonder why it’s okay for the Rabbi to work harder on Shabbos than any other day, and why it’s not okay to take a trip to the beach. This is because “melachah” is creative labor — changing the world.

The Torah tells us that we cannot change the time of the Sabbath, and on the Sabbath, we cannot make constructive changes in the physical world around us. And because we have an innate need to be constructive, to do something — we are left with the spiritual. The restrictions of the Sabbath force us to look inwards. We can’t change the physical world around us; we can only change ourselves, and say things that help others to change themselves as well.

On Shabbos, you can go in and change the world!

Continue reading »]]> Many of us could write up a list of rules for how we’d like to be treated by our friends. Most don’t have a physical list to hand out to people (although it might reduce some painful guesswork if we did), but this is how the list might look:

1. Be sincere — no acting.
2. Respect me, always.
3. Check up on me to see how I’m doing
4. Be supportive when I’m in pain.
5. Greet me warmly when I visit.
6. Give me the benefit of the doubt.
7. If I need some help, be ready to lend a hand.
8. Don’t act overbearing or disdainful towards me

In our eyes these expectations are within reason. We don’t delude ourselves to think our friends would give us full access to their bank accounts, or sign their house or car over to us, nor do we want them to.

We’re obliged to “Love your friend like yourself” (Lev. 19:18). The obvious question is: how can we be obligated to love others as we love ourselves? Even for someone who naturally loves people, there’s no way such love could equal the devotion they have to themselves!

We come back to our list of expectations. That’s all we really want from others, and it’s really all they want from us. Just treat others as you expect them to treat you — that’s the obligation. Are we able to demonstrate that level of love? We must be, for we couldn’t reasonably expect of others more than we’re capable of doing ourselves! (HaKsav VeHaKabalah, R’ Yaakov Tzvi Mecklenburg, 1785–1865)

Good Shabbos!
Rabbi Mordechai Dixler
Program Director, Project Genesis – Torah.org

Continue reading »]]> In this week’s reading, we read about the punishment of tzara’as, which is often mistranslated as “leprosy” because it could appear as a white blemish on skin. it was a purely spiritual punishment, however, which only existed long before the current exile. Our Sages tell us that this punishment came about due to Lashon Hora, harmful gossip.

The Metzorah had to leave the camp or city and live outside, until the Kohein declared him clean again. Why was this harsh punishment given for simple gossip? The Talmud even says that the punishment for the crime of gossip equals that of all the others — does that make sense?

Rabbi Yisrael Mayer Kagan, the Chofetz Chaim, discusses this in his work Shemiras HaLashon [Guarding the Tongue]. Opposite what it says about gossip, the Talmud also says that the reward for learning Torah is equal to that of all the other positive Commandments. The Chofetz Chaim explains that every other positive Commandment has a physical component — be it a shofar, a sukkah, an article of food or money. Torah, by contrast, is a purely spiritual activity. It is entirely tied to the upper realms of what humans can achieve.

Similarly, gossip is also entirely involved with those upper realms, but in using them for evil. It means taking the special capacities that G-d has given us, and using them for destructive purposes.

Avoiding the temptation to distribute a piece of juicy gossip can be very challenging, but refraining is literally one of the greatest things a person can do. It trains us to look at the world with a more positive eye, and affects those around us as well. Making the world a better place can be as simple as closing our mouths!

Continue reading »]]> I would like to share with you a true story, which I think has a message for us as we prepare for Passover.

There was a young family; father, mother, and one very young daughter. The father was a salesman, whose job required him to travel around the country. The mother didn’t travel, of course; their daughter needed a more stable environment.

And then there was a tragedy. The mother fell seriously ill, and was eventually admitted to a psychiatric facility for long-term care. With no other family to care for his young daughter, the father was forced to bring her along on his frequent business trips.

On one of his trips he met a warm-hearted Satmar Hasid, whom, for the sake of anonymity, we’ll call Mr. Scheiner (from whom I heard this first-hand). Seeing a sweet young girl who needed to be raised in a warm home with a family, in a community where she could go to school and play with friends, Mr. and Mrs. Scheiner offered to care for her, and take her into their own home.

The Scheiner children, and there were many of them, were reluctant to invite another child to their family. “We are already a large family Tatty — we don’t have so much room. We don’t want her to come!” Mr. Scheiner’s response was understanding, yet firm: “You now have a new sister. She is equal to every one of you and we will love her like anyone else in the family.” With that, she was welcomed into the Scheiner home, and raised for many years — right up until her wedding day.

She felt so close to her adoptive family that when she became engaged, she proposed that the Scheiners be the ones to walk her down the aisle. Mr. Scheiner refused this touching offer, saying that it was more appropriate for her biological father, who always loved her and had done what was best for her, to have that honor.

The night before her wedding, the girl handed a long letter to the Scheiners, one that Mr. Scheiner told me could bring anyone to tears. Overwhelming expressions of gratitude filled every line, as she tried to capture the love and kindness she had received in their home, and to offer some words of appreciation.

Sometimes, we may wonder about the length of the Passover Seder. We were slaves, G-d set us free. Thank G-d! Let’s eat… What more must be said? Why is it necessary to go through the lengthy Seder text every year?

But on the other hand, could you imagine this young woman simply leaving “Thanks for your help!” on a sticky note on the Scheiner’s fridge door? She had been spared a nomadic, unstable life and given a home of true warmth and love. The young bride recognized that, and one can only imagine how indebted she feels to the Scheiners.

The Jewish people’s redemption from Egypt, a land of intense spiritual impurity and immorality, certainly deserves similar expressions of gratitude. It affects every one of us, so it is important that we tell the story in detail, count the wonders G-d performed in Egypt, sing Dayeinu listing one gift after the next to the Jewish people, and “the more one tells of the Exodus, the more he is praiseworthy.” I know of many families who discuss many different facets of G-d’s miracles and kindness, and don’t finish their Seders until three or four in the morning! Our gratitude to the Al-mighty should have no limit, and on Passover we try to express what G-d has done for us, and attempt to express how we can never stop saying “Thank you.”

Wishing everyone a Happy, and Kosher, Passover,

Rabbi Mordechai Dixler
Program Director, Project Genesis – Torah.org

P.S. Speaking of “thank yous,” I want to add to the thanks expressed by Rabbi Menken and others of us here at Project Genesis to all those who participated in the Project Genesis $100,000 Raffle. Your generosity, in what turned out to be our most successful campaign ever, is quite touching and encourages us to continue our important work in the dissemination of Torah values. You all have a share in this holy work and we appreciate your efforts to make this a reality.

Continue reading »]]> Believe it or not, this week’s message was not inspired by the fact that the Catholic Church has chosen a new Pope; it just offers a convenient contrast. As you probably know, there is, in their beliefs, a doctrine of papal infallibility. When the Pope teaches the rules, he is always right.

It is natural to assume that Judaism has something similar. This is especially true, given the Torah’s demand that we listen to the Rabbis and Judges, and not deviate “right or left” [Deut. 17:11] from what they say.

We see from this week’s reading, though, that this is definitely not the case. The Torah prescribes special atonement for when the High Priest, the King, or the Sanhedrin [Lev. 4: 13-21], the High Rabbinical Court, makes a mistake. In other words, the Torah highlights for us that it is possible for the Sanhedrin to be mistaken.

This is not about a small matter, either. The commentaries say that the mistake described here is one in which the Sanhedrin teaches that it is permitted to do something, and the Sanhedrin later realizes that the behavior is prohibited — so much so that a person committing the act deliberately would suffer the punishment of Kares, spiritual excision [the exact definition of this is disputed, but severe]. Even in matters of religious law, where the Sanhedrin’s supreme authority is undisputed — even there, they could make a mistake.

So why, then, does the Torah tell us to listen to them? They could, after all, be leading us in the wrong direction!

One answer has to do with the power of unity. Different customs and practices are wonderful, but there has to be underlying agreement on “the basics.” One of the problems with calling different Chassidic groups “sects” is that a sect is “a dissenting or schismatic religious body.” Chassidic groups may be led by different Rebbes, but they don’t rewrite the rules. The disagreements of today are disagreements about shapes of branches on individual trees within a massive, unified forest.

And there is another answer, which requires still more humility. It is all well and good to say that everyone is fallible — but who is more likely to be making a mistake? The Torah gives leadership to people who dedicate themselves completely to Torah study, to learning the Torah’s “way of thinking.” Such people are inherently less biased by the latest news reports and the wise opinions of the chattering class, as we are. We recognize that it is much less likely that they will make a mistake, and that is why we trust their guidance.

Continue reading »]]> The current foreclosure crisis is painful for all of us, but especially for those who have lost their homes. The feeling of failure and disappointment can be overwhelming.

When a home is seized, it is the last resort — even the lender will be happy to reverse it if at all possible. If the loan is not paid, then the borrower loses the property, but that’s not the desired result. The bank would much rather the receive mortgage payments than take away someone’s home and put it up for auction.

The building of the Mishkan, or Tabernacle, has been in the focus of the Torah readings over the last few weeks. The Hebrew word “Mishkan” literally means a dwelling place, but the Midrash (Shemos Raba 51) reads the word homiletically as “Mashkon,” a collateral. G-d lifted His protection from the Temple twice in our history: the First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, and the Second by the Romans. Those tragic events, says the Midrash, are to be seen as a lender seizing the collateral on a loan that wasn’t paid. It was a national foreclosure against the Jewish People.

The Holy Temple was where mankind, Jews and non-Jews, experienced the ultimate closeness to G-d, in prayer and with personal and communal offerings. It may be difficult for us to imagine how important its presence was to the world. It was a treasure that was ours — if we were willing to live devoted to G-d’s will. It was taken by the Al-mighty because the Jewish People failed to fulfill the bargain.

We, as a nation, experienced the most painful of foreclosures over 2000 years ago. But as the lender, G-d wants us to have the Temple, He wants to have that closeness. Whether we’ve yet earned it or not, it’s important to remember that He wants it to be ours. With patient anticipation, He waits for us to return to Him and reclaim what is ours.

Good Shabbos!
Rabbi Mordechai Dixler
Program Director, Project Genesis – Torah.org

Continue reading »]]> When it came to constructing the Tabernacle, everyone was invited to contribute as much as he wanted. Since not everyone has the same financial portfolio, it’s obvious that some people ended up giving more than others. In fact, we are told that the leaders of each tribe made a mistake. They said they would cover whatever was lacking, rather than giving immediately — and then the Bnei Yisrael gave more than was needed. This is why the leaders came at the end to bring the Shoham stones, the precious gems on the breastplate worn by the High Priest. Everything else had already been given!

In this week’s reading, we find a different plan. For the annual upkeep of the Temple, each adult male gave a 1/2 shekel coin — exactly the same amount.

There is an obvious message here: every individual has something to contribute. Every member of the Jewish people is part of a greater whole, and no one should think he or she is irrelevant.

Our teacher R’ Shlomo Katz, in his HaMa’ayan class, points to a comment of R’ Moshe Feinstein zt”l. R’ Moshe says that a person can think that he doesn’t really know much, and can’t learn like a great scholar, so it doesn’t matter if he studies or not. He can think that he’s really not a powerful or influential person, so it doesn’t matter if he goes out of his way to do a good deed.

This, says R’ Moshe, is why the opening verse [Ex. 30:11] begins, “When you raise the heads of the Children of Israel according to their numbers…” By counting them, Moshe is told, you are raising their heads. Each person is significant, and has much to contribute. Each individual is obligated to learn and do good deeds, like everyone else. Tap your potential, and you’ll find you’ve been given more than you thought!

Continue reading »]]> At a pivotal moment in the Purim Story, Mordechai sends a message to Queen Esther: go in to King Achashveirosh, and beg that he overturn Haman’s decree to annihilate the Jewish people. Esther responds that to enter the King’s chamber uninvited is punishable by death — she must wait for him to call her, or she will be killed simply for entering. Mordechai’s response is challenging and forthright (Esther 4:14): “if you don’t go in to the King, the nation will be saved some other way, while you and your family will perish.”

How should we understand this give-and-take? Was it simply a matter of Esther fearing for her life, while Mordechai urged her to put the plight of her people first?

Their argument, explains the Nesivos Shalom, was much more fundamental. Esther had accepted the fate of her people. She argued that they had reached such a spiritual low that they were undeserving of Divine deliverance from Haman’s decree. The Al-mighty has rules, and the people had broken them and were sealed for extinction. Mordechai countered that the situation is never hopeless. We will be saved “some other way,” one that defies all rules. G-d has a profound love for us and will break the rules of His kingdom, even if we don’t deserve it. If we reach beyond our limits for Him, He will go beyond His limits for us. Go into the palace against the rules, he said, and demonstrate how our love for Him also transcends all limits.

Purim encourages us to live in this plain that overlooks our natural limitations. Walled in by physical, emotional, and spiritual boundaries, we often fall short of our potential for greatness, accepting that some things are just impossible to achieve. Some things are indeed impossible, but never are they hopeless. The Al-mighty has limitless love and help waiting for us, and with Him all is possible. With that in mind, we can have the strength to attempt and hopefully achieve the impossible.

May we all have a Purim filled with boundless joy!

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Mordechai Dixler
Program Director, Project Genesis – Torah.org