Category: A Taste of Torah

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Pinchas

Written by: Rabbi Mordechai Raizman

The Three Weeks

Every year when the Hebrew months of Tamuz and Av return, they contain the period of the three weeks. This is a time where tragic events took place in our history which ultimately led to the destruction of both Temples on the ninth day of Av. During this time, we conduct ourselves with customs of mourning and refrain from making weddings, listening to music, etc.

The Torah portion of Pinchos is usually read during the three weeks. This Torah reading includes a section that deals with all of the Yomim Tovim (Festivals). Isn’t it ironic that during the weeks of mourning and sadness, we read in the Torah portion about festive times? Since there is no such thing as a coincidence in Judaism, there must be an explanation for this juxtaposition.

Reb Elimelech of Lizensk (18th c – Rebbe) explains the reason we read this portion during this time of sadness and mourning is so that we should not be swept away by the various mourning rituals practiced during this time frame. We are being reminded that this part of our history will pass, and we will once again rejoice during the Festivals in the Temple. A famous expression gam zeh yaavor (this too will pass) personifies this idea.

We all need to remind ourselves of this lesson. In looking at our own personal histories, everyone has experienced situations where one would think there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Yet somehow, we end up seeing the light, and we do move forward. This Torah portion is read to bring us that message of hope – to keep on looking ahead. May we all merit to see that light of redemption in the near future.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Balak

Written by: Rabbi Avrohom S. Moller

Get Real

In this week’s parsha, we read about Bilaam’s attempt to destroy the Jewish nation by cursing them. If we step back and take in the context of this story, it is quite breathtaking. From the perspective of the inhabitants of Moav and Canaan, the Jews are an aggressive upstart nation leaving Egypt with the public goal of conquering Canaan and the neighboring nations. They are allied against this threat and instead of arming themselves and formalizing defense pacts, they choose to bring in a sorcerer to curse the Jews, and thereby, destroy them.

If we consider this in modern terms, it seems childish and naive. (Remember the media allegations that happened when Ronald Reagan consulted the astrologer Joan Quigley regularly during his presidency.) Yet, the Torah gives us a full account of the incident and of Hashem’s involvement with Bilaam, eventually bequeathing us with ספר בלעם – The Book of Bilaam, which the Gemara considers a distinct section of the Torah.

There is a very important message in the way this story develops. The Torah is demonstrating to us that there are many levels of reality and that there are spiritual dimensions of existence that are as real and even more real than the physical world that we engage with our senses. Even the non-Jews of the time understood this world and engaged it. The modern world has relegated “all of that stuff” to backwardness and superstition, yet the Torah validates it and deals with it.

This is not to suggest that we try to engage with the occult; the Torah actually forbids it, and today’s practitioners are all phonies.  Instead, the Torah wants us to realize that there is much more to the world than meets the eye. As Torah Jews, we can and should engage the physical world with the mindset that our actions have major ramifications well beyond the physical confines of existence both in terms of time, since our time frame is eternity, and in terms of place, since this world is merely an antechamber to a greater world.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Chukas

Written by: Rabbi Mordechai Raizman

What Do We Do With Perfection?

In this week’s Torah portion Chukas we learn the laws of the Parah Adumah (the red heifer). One essential part of the details is finding a perfectly red cow. This cow is then totally burned, and its ashes are used to purify those that became impure by being in contact with a dead body. It’s interesting to note that those involved in the purification process of those who are impure become impure as well. This is one of the chukim (law without reason) in the Torah that we can’t fully comprehend.

Rabbi Michel Twerski shared an insight about this mitzvah that contains a deep and profound lesson in how we live our lives. There must be some significance in taking a perfectly red cow and burning it? What could it be? He suggested the following. In life many of us get caught up with the pursuit of perfection. Everything has to be just right. Sometimes that dream of perfection sets us back as we become so focused on the perfect outcome we lose so much in the process itself. Much anxiety and suffering occur because of that elusive pursuit. Sometimes, it actually cripples us to the point where we can’t do anything at all because we think the end result will not be perfect.

The Torah, through the laws of the Parah Adumah, sends us a strong message about how we need to live life. BURN PERFECTION. Obsessing on perfection is not the way on how to live. No human being is supposed to be perfect. That is for angels, not for people.

We all want the best for ourselves and our children. We need to make sure we don’t set up the future generations for failure. False expectations and pursuit of perfection are not healthy options. We need to teach our children a strong work ethic and how to set goals, along with the understanding that failures will come along the way as well. That is how we succeed and grow in life – as human beings who are just fine working hard and building character every day.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Korach

Written by: Rabbi Avrohom S. Moller

In the aftermath of Korach’s insurrection against Moshe Rabeinu, the Jewish people struggled with its outcome. Initially, they blamed Moshe and Aaron for having “killed the nation of Hashem.” Rav Shamshon R. Hirsch explains that they misunderstood Hashem’s reason for destroying Korach. They believed that Moshe and Aaron had invoked Hashem’s retribution on Korach for personal motives. They believed that Moshe and Aaron had been personally affronted by Korach and his assembly. This was not the correct understanding.

Hashem had destroyed Korach because he was challenging the authority of the kehuna and the system of leadership that Hashem had prescribed. Hashem made this point clear by punishing the people for leveling the charge of personal vendetta against Moshe and Aaron. The Jewish people finally realized that the issue was that they needed to accept Hashem’s system of religious leadership, and that they would have to abandon Korach’s populistic argument that “the whole congregation is (equally) holy.”

To drive this message home, Hashem instructed Moshe to invite each of the tribal princes and Aaron HaKohein to present a staff before the aron, the ark, where the staff submitted by Hashem’s chosen person would blossom immediately. When this was done, it was Aaron’s staff that produced almond blossom flowers and leaves overnight while the others did not. What is the symbolism of the almond branch and its characteristics that can serve a symbol of the special status of the kohanim?

Rav Hirsch explains that the almond is unique in the way it presents its fruit blossoms before the leaves are formed. All other trees first form leaves to collect and process the sunlight and nourish themselves. Once that is in place, they begin to form fruit to benefit others. The Kohanim were chosen because they put the community before themselves. This was demonstrated at the incident of the golden calf and during the episode of the meraglim, the spies.

Jewish leadership must be focused and unwavering. It needs to be held by people that truly have the community as a top priority. They have to resist the whims of the times and be able to inspire others with the eternal truths of the Torah.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Sh’lach

Written by: Rabbi Mordechai Raizman

Heads Up

In this week’s Torah portion we read about the sin of the spies. The spies were leaders of the Jewish people who were sent on a mission to check out the land of Israel. The spies returned with a pessimistic report claiming the Jewish people would not be able to conquer its inhabitants and inherit the land. The people believed them and cried upon hearing this report, causing Bnei Yisroel to be punished by wandering 40 years in the desert before entering the land of Israel.

This story is retold later in Sefer Devorim with a fascinating insight given by the Seforno (a 16th century scholar). The Seforno asks why were the Bnei Yisroel really crying?   Did they really think that G-d was incapable of bringing them into the land? Didn’t they just witness miracles saving them from the plagues in Egypt and at the Red Sea? How can we understand this?  The Seforno says they were crying because they served idols in Egypt and felt they were unworthy of entering the land of Israel. Their doubts were not about G-d’s ability rather their own frailties. They felt that they had sinned in the past and were unworthy of entering the Holy Land.

According to this interpretation, why was this action of crying such a grave sin that the Bnei Yisroel received such a harsh punishment? In reality, weren’t the Jewish people just being remorseful for their past sins?

One can learn a great lesson from this narrative. Yes, it is proper to reflect on one’s past; yet one has to be careful not to allow it to paralyze oneself and give up hope. In G-d’s eyes, there is never a point where one is totally unworthy. There is a phrase – seeing is believing. The opposite is just as important – believing is seeing. When one believes in oneself and in the G-d given talents that one receives, one will be able to keep on moving forward and see the potential of what lies in store.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Beha’aloscha

Written by: Rabbi Avrohom S. Moller

How to Avoid the Pitfalls of “Stinkin Thinkin”

The colorful term “Stinkin Thinkin” was coined by Zig Ziglar, an American motivational speaker and sales guru in the 1920’s. His main premise was that goals and aspirations are realized when we aspire to make others happy as part of our goals, and when we are focused on the right things and are not focused on the wrong things. This is true at the personal level and at the communal level.

Some common “Stinkin Thinkin” pitfalls are:

Overstatement, magnifying the negative: Nothing is going right today. Nobody cares. I never get a break. My whole day/week/life is ruined!

Choosing to focus on small things: If I don’t get this ….., I’ll never be happy.  Live for… My vacation was ruined because I didn’t get the car rental I had chosen.

Disproportionate reactions: I will block the whole lane of traffic because he cut me off. I’m entitled to act angry and rude because my order wasn’t ready when promised.

Making it all personal: If my …. would respect me, they wouldn’t … I know he has it out for me. I can tell she doesn’t like me from the way she…

Blaming: I was late because that server at the… was so slow. Someone moved my stuff that I left on the dining room table. My company can’t succeed because my employees are so

The point is that faulty cognition and attitude feeds poor and unproductive behavior which than causes a downward spiral of self-reinforcing negative beliefs and behaviors.

With this in mind, let us turn our attention to the story of the מתאוננים, The Complainers. The Torah describes an episode in which the Jewish people were acting discontented. They had just spent a considerable amount of time (over a year) at Har Sinai receiving the Torah and the mitzvos and now they were heading to Eretz Yisroel. The אספסוף, riffraff, suddenly became overwhelmed with feelings of discontentment and a feeling of want, “…we recall the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost, the squash and melons, etc. Now our lives are barren with nothing but manna.” They succeeded in finding company for their misery when they involved others in their complaining. It came to a point that entire families stood by their tents crying with misery.

This was an absurd situation. They were pining for the “good ole’ days” of harsh slavery in Egypt because the food was better! The food wasn’t really free at all, but it was without any moral requirements. The manna was a delicious and miraculous food, but it came with divine accountability. If you were not on your best behavior, the manna fell far from your tent and everyone saw that. Nobody likes to be held accountable and that made them miserable. This made them declare that they missed Egypt and that their lives were wasted.

This is the power of bad attitude and bad self-talk. The Hebrew verb א.נ.נ , mourning, is always conjugated as a reflexive verb -להתאונן- to make oneself mourn. A person can suffer and be happy and a person can have everything and be miserable. That is because happiness really is a state of mind. If a person is focused on big ideas and the big picture, he will not lapse into pettiness and misery. If the Jews had not “run away” from Har Sinai and that which it represented, they would have retained their exalted status. When people threw that away and got focused on mundane and petty things, they talked themselves into being unhappy and discontented. This brought about a great calamity and a fierce response from Hashem in the form of a devastating plague.

The lesson is obvious. We need to stay focused on what is important, work hard, do the right thing and not wallow in self-pity about imaginary problems.

There is another important point in this story, the danger of mob mentality. We are living through it right now as our enemies distort the truth, vilify those who are acting morally and champion the vicious murders of innocents. There are so many people who don’t even know the basic facts of the matter, but they become drawn in by the rhetoric and join the chorus of condemnation and defamation of our people. We are prone to do similar things if we keep the wrong company and if we don’t think clearly for ourselves.

Let us stay the course, strengthen ourselves and do what is right. It will pull us through the challenges of the times.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Nasso

Written by: Rabbi Mordechai Raizman

The Strength of Community

In the last verse of this week’s Torah portion Naso, it states, “When Moshe will come to the Ohel Moed to speak with Hashem, he will hear the voice speaking to him … between the Keruvim.”  What is the significance of the word of G-d coming through the Keruvim? Why does G-d specifically speak through this venue?

The Keruvim were angelic-like figures that were on both sides of the Ark. Their wings were spread upwards, yet they were facing each other. Their stance is a physical reminder of how we should study and apply the timeless lessons of the Torah in our daily lives.

We all need to look upwards and strive to improve ourselves every day. Yet, there is a condition being taught to us here how to grow spiritually. As we climb the ladder, we must be cognizant of our brothers and sisters around us.  Personal growth cannot come at the expense of others. When we grow as individuals, it is in the context of doing it together with our community. We are responsible for each other and need to keep everyone in mind to grow as a tzibbur (community), helping each other attain greater heights.

That is why Hashem speaks to us through the KeruvimHashem wants His presence to be felt in this world. It is felt through the words of Torah that He has given us. The symbolism of the Keruvim is the ultimate goal. He wants all of us to strive for greater heights with the people around us as a community.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Bamidbar

Written by: Rabbi Avrohom S. Moller

This week’s parsha is devoted to the regimentation of the Jewish people during their years in the desert. The 12 שבטים (tribes) were counted and organized into camps with a very specific configuration, both during traveling and when they camped. The center of the camp was always the holiest. When they were encamped, it was the אהל מועד (Tent of Meeting) containing the ark and the holy vessels that stood in the center surrounded by the 12 tribes in their designated configurations. The mishkan was the center of the communal service and sacrifice to Hashem. During travel, the holy vessels were covered and carried in the midst of the procession. Throughout the description, there are warnings to maintain careful boundaries and that the Holy should not be trespassed upon.

Rav Shamshon R. Hirsch (prominent Jewish thinker and Chumash commentator 1808-1888) notes the dichotomy in this arrangement. The Tabernacle and the Torah that sanctifies it are the unifying presence in the midst of the camp. This conveys a message of affinity to the Torah and its constant presence in our lives. However, at the same time, the Torah must be regarded with extreme awe and approached with respect and trepidation.

Rav Hirsch explains that these formalities are an expression of the Jew’s relation to the Torah. The Torah is not a set of communal values that were developed by the Jewish people to guide the community’s interaction. It is a G-d given Torah, imposed  from the outside which we must accept and use to model our thinking and our lives. Nothing else will work for us. Therefore, it is in our midst; yet, it is also separated from us by boundaries to assure that we have the correct attitude when we relate to it with respect and trepidation.

The centrality of the Torah to our lives, the accountability it creates for us and the awe we have for it are merged with our joy that Hashem has chosen us to receive His Torah. It is the Torah that testifies that we are His chosen people, and it is the Torah that is His expression of love to us. We reciprocate by expressing our love for Him by learning His beloved Torah, toiling to understand it and to come closer to Hashem through it.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Behar-Bechukosai

Written by: Rabbi Mordechai Raizman

Reflections on Meron

Parsha Bechukosai begins with Hashem’s words, “If you will walk in my chukim and keep my mitzvos and fulfill them…” Chukim generally refers to laws for which there is not an explanation. Therefore, we don’t usually understand the depth of their significance. Mitzvos, on the other hand, describe those commandments for which we do have a level of understanding, e.g. charity, justice, etc. The question is often raised about the order of the choice of words that is being described in the posuk. Wouldn’t it be more fitting to say first if you walk in my mitzvos since one has the ability to understand what is expected? Then wouldn’t it follow that the natural progression would be that one would be able to even keep the chukim as well? Why does Hashem begin with the commandments that we cannot understand?

I believe this goes back to the beginning of our relationship with Hashem at Har Sinai. We uttered the famous words Naaseh Vnishma, we will do and then we will understand. Our faith in Hashem led us first to accept whatever He sends our way. Our ancestors had total faith that whatever it would be, it was for our good.  They clearly saw the Hand of Hashem in their lives redeeming them from Egypt and all the miracles performed for them. They saw His loving embrace, and they knew enough to understand that they did not understand everything. We need to follow this behavior and walk with the chukim and move forward like our ancestors did.  We need to continue experiencing and developing the relationship between ourselves and Hashem by observing the chukim. After we make that commitment, we can progress in our relationship with Hashem. At that point, we are ready to grow and move further. If it started the other way around, we would question and question and perhaps never move forward.  The following story illustrates this point.

The Klausenberger Rebbe Zatzal was a survivor of the Holocaust who lived through several concentration camps including Auschwitz. He lost his wife and 11 children. On one occasion he was asked the question, “After all that you have been through, do you have any questions for Hashem?”

He replied, “Yes, I have many deep questions. I know if I would ask them, Hashem would invite me up to Heaven to give me the answers Himself. However, I prefer to stay down here on earth with the questions than up there with answers.” He moved forward and continued teaching and building Torah following the war. He walked with the chukim.

The grief and pain that Klal Yisroel is feeling now is immeasurable. We are all reeling from last week’s events. Forty-five souls left this world, many young with so much yet to offer this world. We do not have the capacity to understand this, and yes, we may have questions.                                                                                               

Let us take a moment to step back and see all the miracles and good in our own lives, the tremendous growth of the Jewish people after the Holocaust, the millions of Jews now living in Israel, and the mere fact that we were able to have 100,000 people plus celebrating in Israel together on Lag Ba’omer from all different backgrounds, Chassidic, Sephardic, Litvish, Secular, etc., that came together in unity. Aren’t all those events miraculous? Haven’t we all seen the Hand of Hashem just like our ancestors?  Let us take a cue from them and the Klausenberger Rebbe. Let us walk with what we do not understand as well.

Sometimes faith lies in the question not the answer.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Emor

Written by: Rabbi Avrohom S. Moller

This week we read about the mitzvah of Sefiras HaOmer, the counting of the Omer. Reb Yaakov Kamenetzky (Rov and Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Vodaas, 1891-1986) quotes a midrash which attributes this mitzvah to the fact that the Jewish people expected that the Torah would be given immediately upon leaving Mitzrayim. When this did not happen, they asked Moshe Rabeinu for an explanation. Moshe told them that Hashem expects a 50-day preparatory period before the Torah would be given. The Jews began counting the days until Matan Torah as they prepared their minds and souls for their encounter with G-D and the receiving of the Torah. To remember this special anticipatory period, the Torah made a mitzvah to remember and capture the excitement we had when we prepared to receive the Torah.

Reb Yaakov z”l connects this idea to another theme of the sefira days, the death of Rabbi Akiva’s students. The Gemara (Yevamos 62b) tells us that Rabbi Akiva had 24,000 students and they all passed away during the weeks between Pesach and Shavuos because they “did not give honor to each other.” Why was this failure visited upon Rabbi Akiva’s students during this time in particular?

Reb Yaakov explains that the sefira period is supposed to take us back to the freshness and excitement we had regarding the gift of Torah. When someone really cherishes an idea and an ideal, they cannot get enough of it. If the students of Rabbi Akiva, who no doubt were very learned, would have been sufficiently excited about learning Torah, they would have given each other respect and gotten along so that they could have gained insight or Torah thought from each other. Once there was competitiveness and disrespect, it showed that they were not relating to Torah learning as the greatest opportunity and exhilarating experience; it was content to be mastered. This was a failure for them and a desecration of the Torah ideal.

In the weeks leading up to Shavuos, we should reflect not only on our commitment to Torah learning and volume of Torah that we learn. We should also reflect on our relationship with Torah, our Ahavas HaTorah. Do we find it exciting? Is it a high priority for us to develop ourselves as people of Torah? These questions are very important because that is what Hashem wants us to develop as a ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש – a nation of priests and a holy nation.