<p><strong>All-Blue</strong></p>

<p>The weekly Torah portion of Korach relates the story of a man by the name of Korach who debates Moses and ultimately leads a mutiny against the greatest Jewish leader. "The entire community is holy, and G-d is within them," Korach exclaims<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref1')">[1]</a>. "Why do you raise yourselves over the congregation of G-d?"</p>

<p>The Midrash<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref2')">[2]</a> specifies, in greater detail, the nature of Korach's arguments against Moses. Just prior to the Korach debacle, at the culmination of last week's portion<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref3')">[3]</a>, the Torah presents the commandment of tzitzis, or fringes, which obligates the Jew to hang&nbsp;strings on each edge of his four-cornered garments. One of the strings on each corner, the Torah instructs, should be of turquoise wool, known in Hebrew as techeiles. Now, Korach dressed two-hundred-and-fifty men who joined him in his debate with Moses, with four-cornered garments made completely of turquoise wool and then confronted Moses with the following question: Does a garment made completely of turquoise wool still require a single turquoise thread in its fringes?</p>

<p>Moses' answer was, yes. To which Korach, who was attempting to demonstrate the absurdity of Moses' law, responded: If a single strand of turquoise wool is enough for an entire garment made of a different color, does it not stand to reason that a garment of complete turquoise should not require one more strand of this wool?</p>

<p>Then, the Midrash continues, Korach approached Moses with another question: As we know, a Jewish home requires a mezuzah, a piece of parchment hanging on its doorpost, with the writings of two short sections of the Bible (Deuteronomy 6:4-10; 11:13-21) that discuss our relationship with G-d and our obligation to follow His mitzvos.</p>

<p>Now Korach asked Moses the following question: If a home is filled with many complete Torah scrolls, does it still require a mezuzah on its doorpost? Again, Moses' response was yes.</p>

<p>Once again Korach dismissed this verdict as absurd. A Torah scroll contains all two-hundred-and-seventy-five sections of the Pentateuch, while a mezuzah contains merely two. If a single mezuzah suffices for an entire home, would not many complete Torah scrolls in a home suffice to create a "kosher" and holy space? Do you really need another two portions on the door post? This was the public debate that took place in the desert between Korach and Moses.</p>

<p><strong>What bothered Korach?</strong></p>

<p>But why did Korach choose these two examples to "demonstrate" that the laws presented by Moses were illogical. He could have chosen myriads of biblical mitzvos that apparently have no place in logic. He could have, for example, scoffed at the prohibition against eating cheeseburgers or shrimp or horsemeat. He could have derided the mitzvah of purifying a defiled person with the ashes of a red heifer. He could have questioned the mitzvah to blow a ram's horn on Rosh Hashanah, as opposed to playing a violin or a chello? Why did Korach dissect and analyze the nuances of the above two particular mitzvos?</p>

<p>There is another aspect that requires reflection. From the biblical description of Korach's family lineage, it is quite clear that he was no simple rabble-rouser, craving the power or fame of Moses. Korach was a member of the holiest family of the Jewish people, a man educated and molded by the sacred souls and kindred spirits of the house of Levi. He was Moses' first cousin (their fathers' were brothers).</p>

<p>Furthermore: Joining Korach in his mutiny against Moses were "two hundred and fifty men of Israel, leaders of the community, of those regularly called to assembly, men of renown," the Torah&nbsp;records<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref4')">[4]</a>. If Korach was simply an egotistical trouble maker, he would not enjoy the companionship of 250 Jewish spiritual leaders, scholars and men of vision. One must conclude that Korach's debate with Moses was driven by a powerfully sensible argument, logical enough to persuade great leaders to join his rebellion. What was the essence of Korach's argument with Moses?</p>

<p><strong>Drama vs. action</strong></p>

<p>Why does the Torah instruct the Jew to insert into each of the fringes one strand made of turquoise wool? The Talmud explains<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref5')">[5]</a>, because this color reflects the heavens, reminding the Jew of G-d's majesty and presence.&nbsp;Now, Korach and Moses debated the nature of spiritual leadership, how to impact and inspire physical human beings to refine their lives and to transform the world from a material, selfish planet, into a place of spiritual energy where the inherent spiritual organic unity of the universe is exposed.</p>

<p>Korach believed that you must impress upon the heart the stirring drama, depth, vision, and mystique of Torah’s vision of the world. You need to shake people up and overwhelm them with the majesty, grace and splendor of G-dliness. Let their entire "garment," their entire identity, become all-turquoise. Let them melt away completely and become fully enveloped by the "blue light" of heaven.</p>

<p>Moses disagreed. He said that to move people, to let their spirits soar, is splendid, but never enough. For inspiration to leave a lasting impact, it must find expression in individual and particular actions, words and thoughts. If you wish to make a real transformation in people's lives, it is not enough to generate a dramatic momentum, to make them cry, laugh and dance, to get their souls in fire and their minds aglow with inspiration. That will last for a few hours or days, then it might vanish. You must give them a single tangible act through which they can connect to G-d and bring His morality into the world. You need to inspire people to make one strand of their lives blue.</p>

<p><strong>The future of Judaism</strong></p>

<p>This was no mere argument about how to deliver a transformative speech. It was an argument about what should become the great emphasis of Judaism.</p>

<p>According to Korach, Judaism was about awakening a passion to revolutionize the universe. But Moses learnt&nbsp;from G-d that in order to accomplish this goal, the primary focus of Judaism needed to be on individual daily behavior, changing the world one mitzvah at a time.</p>

<p>Korach's message seemed logical. If we can electrify a soul with a passion for making the world a G-dly place, is the individual mitzvah ultimately relevant? If we can turn a person into being all-blue, isn't a single strand of blue truly insignificant? Let us talk about changing people and changing the world, not about small individual acts!</p>

<p>Ultimately Korach felt, that Moses was misrepresenting G-d's true intent in the world. By putting so much focus on mitzvos, Moses was stifling the spiritual creativity to be found in the souls of Israel.&nbsp;Moses was robbing the community from its grandeur. "The entire community is holy, and G-d is within them," Korach exclaims (1). "Why do you raise yourselves over the congregation of G-d?"</p>

<p><strong>The Rvolutionary and the Leader</strong></p>

<p>Korach was a spiritual revolutionary, but Moses was a leader, a shepherd to his flock. Moses, to be sure, deeply identified with Korach's message. If anybody understood the value of impassioned idealism, it was Moses, a man who left everything behind in his quest for truth. But a leader is not an individual lofty soul; a leader is a collective soul, a person who encompasses within his own heart an entire nation, from the highest to the lowest, and who is deeply in-tune with the reality of the human condition.</p>

<p>Moses knew that a message that inspires boundless awe and excitement, but that does not demand individual life changes, will not have a lasting impact in the long run. As the fiery inspiration dies down, as the coals dim their glow, black ashes are left behind. When the concert is over, and the lights go off, what remains from all of the&nbsp;ecstasy? An empty heart.</p>

<p>When an idealistic spirit speaks of transforming the universe and lifting all of humanity to heaven, but fails to invest much focus on building the daily infrastructure that will harness their passionate energy, at the end, he might fall very low, perhaps even become swallowed by the abyss.</p>

<p>This indeed occurred to Korach and his men, as discussed in the continuation of the Torah portion, as it continued to happen to many a social revolutionary in our own times. Has this not been the story of so many artists of the "flower generation," who raised people up to the heavens and then saw themselves and followers end up in the abyss?</p>

<p><strong>Securing Continuity</strong></p>

<p>The lesson in our lives is clear.</p>

<p>We all struggle with the question of Jewish continuity. Many Jewish activists and leaders created programs which inspire Jewish passion, Jewish awareness, tikun olam (healing the world), the love of peace, the love of Israel. These are all beautiful, noble and idealistic missions, but they do not always create lasting change. Passion and excitement without tangible deeds on a daily basis are powerful but not everlasting.</p>

<p>The blue cloak is good but what we need most is a single strand of blue. Our youth needs to be taught the value and nobility of the performance of a single mitzvah on a daily basis. When the ideals of Judaism—the infinite dignity of the human spirit, the inherent unity of the universe, the presence of a living, loving G-d—are translated into daily deeds, we call mitzvos, they don’t remain abstract celestial reflections, that can vanish momentarily, but rather become tangible and eternal realities in people’s lives.</p>

<p>(This essay is based on a talk delivered by the Lubavitcher Rebbe to a group of teenage girls, 26 Sivan 5734, June 16, 1974<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref6')">[6]</a>. This coming Shabbos marks the 25th&nbsp;yartzeit of the Rebbe).</p>

<p><a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn1')">[1]</a> Numbers 16:3.</p>

<p><a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn2')">[2]</a> Midrash Tanchumah in the beginning of Parshas Korach.</p>

<p><a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn3')">[3]</a> Numbers 15:37-41.</p>

<p><a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn4')">[4]</a> Ibid. 16:2.</p>

<p><a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn5')">[5]</a> Menachos 43b.</p>

<p><a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn6')">[6]</a> Published in Sichos Kodesh 5734 vol. 2 pp. 220-229.</p>


How to Change the World - A Man and his Cousin Debate How to Transform People 

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A Man and his Cousin Debate How to Transform People 

How to Change the World

<p><strong>The Nightingale</strong></p>

<p>The story is told<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref1')">[1]</a> of a king who once decided to reward a peasant who had done him a great service. "Shall I give him a sack of gold? A bag of pearls?" thought the king. "But these mean virtually nothing to me. I want, for once, to truly give something -- something that I will miss, a gift that constitutes a sacrifice for me."</p>

<p>Now this king had a nightingale who sang the sweetest songs a human ear had ever heard. He treasured the nightingale over all else, and literally found life unbearable without it. So he summoned the peasant to his palace and gave him the bird . "This," said the king, "is in appreciation for your loyalty and devotion." "Thank you, Your Majesty," said the peasant, and took the royal gift to his humble home.</p>

<p>A while later, the king was passing through the peasant's village and commanded his coachman to halt at the peasant's door. "How are you enjoying my gift?" he inquired of his beloved subject.</p>

<p>"The truth to tell, Your Majesty," said the peasant, "the bird's meat was quite tough -- all but inedible, in fact. But I cooked it with lots of potatoes, and it gave the stew an interesting flavor."</p>

<p><strong>Is This Freedom?</strong></p>

<p>Why does Judaism prohibit me from doing whatever I want? people often ask. Why can't we just be free, liberated, and individualistic? Why are there so many laws, instructions and rituals in Judaism that govern every aspect of one's life, from the way we eat to the way we marry?&nbsp; Would it not have been nice if the opening of the Tem Commandments would have read like this: "I am the Lord your G-d who has taken you out of Egypt in order to set you free. Now, young women and men, listen ye to my words! You can do whatever you want, wherever you want, however you want, with whomever you want, as long as you don't hurt another person. I honor your individual rights to choose your own lifestyle and behavior, without anybody governing your decisions. Conform not to any standard; just live it up!"</p>

<p>But, as you know, G-d chose another script for the Ten Commandments. They were not written by Woody Allen, Alan Ginsburg, or Aldous Huxley. At Sinai G-d gave the Jewish people a Torah – filled with directives, instructions and restrictions. I am in the airport, my flight is delayed, and I am the only one who can’t enjoy a hot dog and fries in McDonald. As the sun rises, I am the only one who has to stand up in front of the entire plane and put on tefilin to the dismay of the flight attendants who will now testify that they have spent 11 hours with a UFO. Shabbos arrives and I am the only one who does not go to the golf course…</p>

<p>Is this why we left the house of bondage in Egypt – to become slaves to the Almighty?</p>

<p>And yet the Sages saw it otherwise. “<em>There is no free man, save for he who occupies himself with the study of Torah” (</em>Ethics of the Fathers, 6:2.) Really?! If anything, it is exactly the other way around: as long as you don’t learn Torah, you are free to engage in so many activities, the options are open. Once you embrace Torah, there goes your freedom Charlie… Torah mixes into everything… A life that is faithful to the precepts of the Torah is indeed greatly “constricted” and “confined.”</p>

<p>Why – people often ask me -- limit myself in any way? Why not give free rein to my thoughts, feelings and inclinations, and let them lead me where they may? Why automatically exclude certain pursuits and experiences from the possible paths my life might take?</p>

<p><strong>Democracy and Laser Technology</strong></p>

<p>Among the great technological achievements of the last half-century is the development of the “laser beam.”</p>

<p>Briefly: The nature of light is such that it scatters as it moves away from its source, thereby lessening its intensity and effect. The laser overcomes this limitation by concentrating its energy in a straight line, so that it retains its potency even at great distance from its point of origin; thus its utility -- as a source of light, heat, or other uses -- can be exploited in ways previously unimaginable.</p>

<p>A laser beam is narrowly confined so that the light does not spread to the sides. It is thus completely focused in one direction only, maintaining its strength even at great distances from its source. In fact, the laser beam can even make a hole through a metal barrier several inches thick at a distance of several miles.</p>

<p>The photons in a laser beam all move in the same direction, so they can be precisely focused. This focus concentrates enormous energies on a tiny spot, allowing mere light to vaporize even steel.</p>

<p>Lasers are now used in numerous technologies, from dental drills to CD drives to household tools. Lasers are also widely used in surgery. Laser technology has allowed surgeons to develop many new techniques to reduce injury to tissues and shorten the healing time for incisions. With the laser beams, surgeons silently and smoothly penetrate deep into the body and perform various procedures to bring healing to people.</p>

<p>It is not a coincidence that during the same decades when the concept of “freedom at all costs” has overtaken our society – Divine providence allowed science to develop laser technology, because it is through this technology that we can gain insight into the true function of Torah and Mitzvos, and the objective of Jewish law. Torah is the spiritual “laser technology” of the world.</p>

<p><strong>Scattering the Energy</strong></p>

<p>On the face of it, the Jewish code of behavior is a limiting factor, something that detracts from the great variety of possibilities that life has to offer. In truth, however, the very opposite is the case. As the example of the laser beam demonstrates, it is precisely the “limitations” imposed on a force that extend and amplify its potentials and enable its optimal realization.</p>

<p>A life without parameters is a life that quickly dissipates in the cosmic heterogeneity in which we exist, draining it of all power and impact. When we follow our instincts, habits, cravings and appetites without any restrictions – our inner momentum, focus and depth are weakened. When we allow ourselves the freedom to go in every direction, when there are no boundaries or imitations and we are free to do everything and anything -- our light scatters all over the place and we never realize our ultimate power and potential. Our energies are squandered, our richness is compromised, our creativity silenced, and our brightness dulled.</p>

<p>Conversely, when we “restrict” the light, and do now allow it to flow anywhere and everywhere – we fine-tune our inner creativity, we cultivate our power, we become the most powerful people we can become, we access all of our momentum and we can vaporize even steel…&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is like the chords of a violin which must be tied down to allow the music to play. Torah and Halacha do not come to tie us down, but rather to allow our music to soar.</p>

<p>The Baal Shem Tov teaches, that Halacha is the acronym of “Hareoo L’Hashem Kal Haaretz,” let the whole earth sing to G-d.” What for one person is meat-and-potatos is for another person a nightingale capable of producing of the most beautiful music in the world<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref2')">[2]</a>.</p>

<p><a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn1')">[1]</a> Rendition by Rabbi Yanki Tauber: http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/133024/jewish/The-King-the-Peasant-and-the-Nightingale.htm</p>

<p><a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn2')">[2]</a> This essay is based on a talk delivered by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Shabbos Chanukah 5730 (1969), said in honor of the “Pegisha”-Shabbaton, a weekend for secular students, which took place that Shabbos in Crown Heights. My thanks to Professor Yermeyahoo Branever and Rabbi Yanki Tauber for their renditions of this talk (<a href="http://www.meaningfullife.com/torah/ethics/6/Concentrated_Light.php">http://www.meaningfullife.com/torah/ethics/6/Concentrated_Light.php</a>) from which I culled a few paragraphs.</p>


<p>What&#39;s With All These Laws? - Laser Technology of the World</p>


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Laser Technology of the World

Essay Shavuos

What's With All These Laws?

<p>Korach and John Lennon: The Father of Spiritual Anarchy</p>


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The Father of Spiritual Anarchy

Essay Korach

Korach and John Lennon

A Conversation Between a Religious & Progressive Jew - Rabbi Scales & Dr. Fins Debate Jewish Continuity

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Rabbi Scales & Dr. Fins Debate Jewish Continuity

A Conversation Between a Religious & Progressive Jew

<p><strong>The Verse that Says It All</strong></p>

<p>A fascinating Midrash credits an isolated verse in this week's Torah portion, Pinchas, encapsulating the quintessence of Judaism<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref1')">[1]</a>.</p>

<p>The Midrash quotes four opinions as to which biblical verse best sums up the ultimate message of Torah. One sage, by the name of Ben Azzai, believed it was the verse in Genesis<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref2')">[2]</a>: "This is the book of the chronicles of man; on the day that G-d created man He created him in the image of G-d."</p>

<p>Another sage, by the name of Ben Zoma, holds a different verse to be more central to Jewish thought: "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref3')">[3]</a>."</p>

<p>A third Talmudist, Ben Nanas, chooses this verse: "You shall love your fellow man like yourself<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref4')">[4]</a>." Finally, the fourth sage, Shimon, the son of Pazi, casts his pitch for the epic verse of the Torah. It is culled from the section in this week's portion that deals with the obligation during the time of the Temple to bring each day two lambs as an offering to&nbsp;G-d. "One sheep you shall offer in the morning and the second sheep in the afternoon<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref5')">[5]</a>."</p>

<p>This verse, according to Shimon, the son of Pazi, is the defining verse of Judaism.</p>

<p>The Midrash concludes: "One of the rabbis stood on his feet and declared, 'The verdict follows the opinion of Shimon the son of Pazi!'"</p>

<p><strong>The Big Question</strong></p>

<p>This is strange. The first three opinions make sense. The notion that all of Judaism can be traced back to the idea that a human being reflects G-d&nbsp;seems right. The same can be said about the concept of a single and universal G-d, or the injunction to love our fellow man like ourselves—these ideas, introduced 3300 years ago by the Hebrew Bible, vividly embody the essential&nbsp;<em>weltanschauung</em>&nbsp;of Judaism and its contribution to civilization.</p>

<p>But how does the verse "One sheep you shall offer in the morning and the second sheep in the afternoon" represent the core essence of Torah? How can one even begin to compare the message about offering two lambs with the global and noble ideas contained in the other three opinions?</p>

<p>What is even more astonishing is that the final verdict in the Midrash selects this verse about the sheep as the "winner." The biblical verses dealing with love, monotheism and human dignity, the foundations of morality and civilization, did not "make it" in the contest; it is precisely this verse enjoining us to offer a lamb in the morning and a lamb in the afternoon -- that was chosen as the ultimate embodiment of Judaism!</p>

<p><strong>The Depth of Perseverance</strong></p>

<p>One of the most seminal Jewish thinkers in the post-medieval period was Rabbi Judah Loew (1525-1609), who was known as the Maharal and served as the Chief Rabbi of Prague. In one of his works<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref6')">[6]</a> he offers a powerful answer.</p>

<p>What the fourth and last sage, Shimon&nbsp;the son of Pazi, was suggesting is that the verse that ultimately defines what it means to be a Jew is the one that speaks of <strong>unwavering consistency, </strong>"One sheep you shall offer in the morning and the second sheep in the afternoon." Every single morning and every single afternoon you shall make a sacrifice for your Creator.</p>

<p>The biblical declarations that reveal the philosophical depth of Torah and its grand vision for humanity—monotheism, love, human dignity—are powerful, splendid, and revolutionary. They have redefined theology, sociology, and psychology. But what makes Judaism and Jewish life unique is the unswerving commitment to live and breathe these truths day in, day out, seven days a week, 365 days a year.</p>

<p>I can be moved to tears by the notion of&nbsp;<em>tikkun olam</em>, of healing the world; I can preach about the ideals of human dignity, love, and peace. But the ideas and inspiration are fleeting.&nbsp;The real and ultimate power of Judaism is that it managed to translate the profound visionary ideals in daily routines and behaviors. Judaism always inspired its people to cultivate their relationship with G-d on a continuous basis, every day of their lives. Torah asks the human being to make daily sacrifices for truth, for love, for peace, for G-d, for family, for marriage. "One sheep you shall offer in the morning and the second sheep in the afternoon."</p>

<p>During exciting days and monotonous days, on bright days and bleak days—“One sheep you shall offer in the morning and the second sheep in the afternoon." In the morning, when you awake, you are called to make a sacrifice to G-d. In the afternoon, when your day is winding down, you are called, once again, to sacrifice something of your ego and insecurity for G-d.</p>

<p>Judaism is not only about a moving Yom Kippur experience or an emotional memorial ceremony; it is something the Jew lives every moment of his life. It is the dedication of ordinary people to construct, through daily ordinary acts, a fragment of heaven on planet earth.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">It is a truth the great artists grasp well:&nbsp;Consistency is the soil in which creativity blossoms.&nbsp;The mission statement of Judaism is that you are&nbsp;<strong>always</strong>&nbsp;an ambassador of the Divine, an ambassador for&nbsp;love, light, and hope. When your sun rises and when your sun sets, you are G-d's agent here on earth to infuse it with meaning, purpose, and harmony, creating unity out of chaos, oneness out of fragmentation, light weaved from the stuff of&nbsp;darkness. You may be having a good day or a bad day, you may be at peace or in the midst of a struggle, but you are, in the words of the Maharal, an "Eved Hashem," a servant, a messenger of G-d. You are a ray of infinity, working for G-d, and reflecting His oneness in the world you inhabit.</p>

<p>(Please make even a small and secure contribution to help us continue our work.&nbsp;<a href="https://secure.theyeshiva.net/Donate">Click here</a>. To watch a more elaborate video presentation of this class by Rabbi YY Jacobson, please&nbsp;<a href="http://theyeshiva.net/Video/View/30">click here.)</a>&nbsp;</p>

<p>________________</p>

<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn1')">[1]</a> The Midrash is quoted in the introduction to Ein Yakov, compiled by Rabbi Yaakov Ben Chaviv. He writes there that he found this information recorded in the name of the Midrash, but could not discover the original source. He proceeds to present his own explanation to the Midrash.<br>
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn2')">[2]</a> Genesis 5:1.<br>
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn3')">[3]</a> Deuteronomy 6:4.<br>
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn4')">[4]</a> Leviticus 19:18.<br>
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn5')">[5]</a> Numbers 28:4.<br>
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn6')">[6]</a>&nbsp;Nesivos Olam vol. 2 Nesiv Ahavas Ria chapter one.&nbsp; (My gratitude to Rabbi Nir Gurevitch, spiritual leader of the Australian Gold Coast community. I first heard this Midrash and Maharal from Rabbi Gurevitch, when I visited his community years ago.)</span></p>


<p>What Is the Mission Statement of Judaism? &quot;One sheep you shall offer in the morning and the second sheep in the afternoon.&quot;</p>


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"One sheep you shall offer in the morning and the second sheep in the afternoon"

Essay Pinchas

The Mission Statement of Judaism

<p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">A Can of Beans</span></strong></span></p>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; color: black">Three guys are alone on a desert island: an engineer, a biologist and an economist. They are starving and don't have a thing to eat, but somehow they find a can of beans on the shore.</span></strong></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; color: black">The engineer says: "Let's hit the can with a rock until it opens."</span></strong></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; color: black">The biologist has another idea: "No. We should wait for a while. Erosion will do the job."</span></strong></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; color: black">Finally, the economist says: "Let's assume that we have a can opener".</span></strong></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">The Desert</span></strong></span><br>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">What was the significance of the fact that Torah was given in a wilderness, in a barren and infertile desert, not in a civilized terrain, nor on soil conducive to human living and nature’s blessing. Why did G-d communicate His blueprint for life and enter into an eternal covenant with the Jewish people in the aridity and desolateness of a desert?</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; ">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">In a past essay, we discussed three explanations.&nbsp;1. The Torah was given on soil not owned by any particular people or community, to signify that the Torah belongs to every single Jewish soul. 2. The giving of the Torah in the wilderness represents the idea that Torah is not a product of a particular culture and genre. It enriches all cultures, but transcends them. 3. The function of Torah is to confront and refine the “barren wilderness” within the human psyche and the world.</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">Today we will explore a fourth and deeper dimension, articulated by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in a pre-Shavous address, 1972. It is a message that may be&nbsp;particularly relevant to the modern Jew.</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">Feel-Good Religion</span></strong></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">One of the errors that a Jew living in the modern era is likely to make is that Judaism makes no existentially profound demands on its believers. Judaism is a feel-good religion, and its objective is to make one feel comfortable about ones self. For many religious leaders and teachers today, the primary objective is to present a version of Judaism that will fit nicely in to the mind-set and living patterns of their constituents and will reassure them that they are wonderful people. Many rabbis are committed above all to teach a Judaism that will not shake up our comfort-zones.</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">In many ways this has become the hallmark of the American version of Judaism – designed to conform to the paradigms of modernity. “In the image of the modern, American Jew, have we created Judaism.”</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">“My goal is to study and practice a Judaism that does not interfere with my conveniences,” a man once told me. “I have my lifestyle, philosophy, schedule, habits, and social patterns; as long as Judaism can fit into this, I will make room for it and enjoy it too.”</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">But if we communicate a Judaism just to make people feel good, why do we really need it? Why not just figure out what works best for our lives and pursue <i>that</i>? Therapy, yoga, exercise, suburban living, meditation, nutrition, sports, the arts, music, etc. If Judaism is merely here to nurture my pre-defined identity and satisfy my ingrained appetites, why bother with it all together?</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">And can the feel-good Judaism inspire a future? Can such a type of Judaism take root in the hearts of the youth? Can it appeal to the idealistic dimension of the human soul, searching to touch the Divine?</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">A Tale of Two Images</span></strong></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">But suppose that Judaism was real -- it was the authentic blueprint for life from the living G-d -- then the question should not be, “How do I find a Judaism that does not disturb me too much,” but rather – what does Judaism really say about my calling? What does Judaism believe about life, death and everything in between? What does Torah have to say about the most important question and dilemmas facing the human mind and heart? The question must be not&nbsp;how I can mold Judaism in my image, but how I can mold myself in the image of Torah? How can I revisit my image and recreate myself based on the visage of man articulated in Judaism?</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">If Torah is true, I must have the courage to take a hard, deep look at my preconceived notions, thoughts and behavior patterns, ready to discover truth that may challenge me.</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; ">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">This is why Torah was given in the barren desert, in uncivilized wilderness, where it had no predefined culture to contend with and to be compared with. Only in the physical and artistic silence of the desert can we open ourselves to a radical search for truth. Only in a desert, can we walk into something with our whole being, ready to find anything.</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">If Torah would have been given in a city or amidst a beautifully natural terrain, it would have, by definition, conformed to the culture prevailing in those particular areas. In the great river lowlands where civilization began (the Tigris-Euphrates rivers and the Nile), the eye is captivated by the shifting scenes of nature; in cities, the eye is overtaken by the works of man -- art and architecture. In such environments, the Israelites would only be able to absorb a religion that would fit into their psyches, patterns, and sensibilities, like all the Pagan religions of the time. The Jews could never attune themselves to the word of a G-d who transcends nature.</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">Sinai challenged the Jewish people to revisit all of existence from its deepest genesis; to reexamine life and history from its very nucleus; to see the world not from the human perspective, but from the perspective of G-d who cannot be confined in human modalities. A revolution of this magnitude cannot take place in a populated environment, not even in an environment where life blossoms and nature flourishes. Only in the emptiness and desolateness of the wilderness is the ego subordinate to the search for truth. Only in the silence of the desert</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #675785">, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">can a person bid farewell to all of his or her paradigms and allow his soul to absorb radical transcendence.</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">A Rash People</span></strong></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">This explains a deeply enigmatic episode which occurred at Sinai.</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">The Bible relates that when Moses presented the covenant before the Israelites, they responded, "We will do and we will listen" (Exodus 24:7). This expression has always been a source of wonderment and surprise to rabbis and a refutation of the anti-Semitic portrayal of Jews as calculating and self-protective. "We will do and we will listen" implies a commitment to observe the covenant even before the Jews heard its details and understood its ramifications.</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">The Talmud (Shabbas 88b) tells a story about a Sadducee who once saw one of the great Talmudic sages, Rava, so engrossed in learning that he did not attend a wound in his own hand. The Sadducee exclaimed, "You rash people! You put your mouths ahead of your ears [by saying "we will do and we will listen"], and you still persist in your recklessness. First, you should have heard out [the covenant details]. If it is within your capacity, then accept it. If not, you should have rejected it”!</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">His argument was logical. Imagine somebody offers you to invest a large sum&nbsp;of money in a developing company. To respond, “Sure, here is the money, and then afterward I will listen to the details,” is ridiculous. If you do not know what the company is all about, why subject your money to possible loss? And yet, in this case, the Jews declared that they were ready embrace a life-altering covenant, even before they heard all the details and knew what Judaism was all about! Why? How?</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">Rava answered the Sadducee with these words: "We walked [into it] with our whole being.”</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">What Rava meant was this: By definition, a relationship with G-d cannot be created on our terms; it must be on His terms. If there is something called Truth, if there is something called Reality, we cannot define it; it must define us. We cannot accept it on condition that it suits our senses and expectations. On the contrary, we must realign our condition to it. Once the Jewish people knew that G-d was communicating with them, they did not want to fit religion into their imagination; they had no pre conditions for a relationship with truth. It was in the desert that the Jews can declare, “We will do and we will listen.”</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black">This process must occur each year anew. To receive Torah, we must have the courage to walk into a desert; we must strip ourselves from any pre-defined self-identity. We need to be ready to hear the sound beneath the sounds we are accustomed to. Torah is not merely a cute and endearing document filled with rituals, to satisfy nostalgia or tradition. Torah demands that we open ourselves up with our whole being and declare, “We shall do and we shall listen!”</span></span></div>

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 7.5pt; color: black">(This essay is based on a talk delivered by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, on Shabbas Parshas Bamidbar, 29 Iyar, 5732, May 13, 1972.)</span></span></div>


Entering into the Wilderness - The Feel-Good Judaism of the Modern Jew

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<p>The Healthy Immune System of Halacha. This discussion by Rabbi YY Jacobson folowed his daily morning Gemarah class, in response to the question of how Rabbis decide what is permitted or forbidden nowadays.</p>
<p>This conversation took place in Tamuz 5776, July 2016, at the Ohr Chaim Shul in Monsey, NY. &nbsp;</p>

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How Jewish Law Developed Over Millenia

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How Jewish Law Developed Over Millenia

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