tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72668398489253608512024-03-08T11:48:57.590-05:00Timeless TorahAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-32249355670349381812012-10-14T23:11:00.001-04:002012-10-14T23:12:10.852-04:00CREATION: A RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS (1:1)
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">CREATION: </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">A</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> R</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">ECIPE </span>FOR </b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">H</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">APPINESS (1:1)</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same
hospital room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One man’s bed was next to
the room's only window, the other’s was not. They talked for hours on end. They
spoke of their wives and families, their homes, jobs, and where they had
vacationed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Every afternoon,
when the man by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing
all the things he could see outside. His roommate began to live for those hours
when his world would be broadened and enlivened. The window overlooked a park
with a lovely lake. Graceful swans glided on the water while teenagers sailed
their model boats. Young children played amidst flowers of every color. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Days and weeks
passed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One night, the man by the window
died peacefully in his sleep. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other
fellow asked if he could be moved to the window. The nurse was happy to make
the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slowly he propped himself up to take his
first look at the real world. He looked out the window. It faced a blank wall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The man asked
the nurse what could have compelled the deceased to portray and create a
make-believe world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The nurse responded
that the man was in fact blind. “<i>Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt;">There is
tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situation. Shared
grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared is doubled. If you want to
feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy. Today is a
gift; that is why it is called the PRESENT.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">According to a recent survey, the number
one thing that people lack is happiness. Why is it so hard to be
happy? How come so many find life impossible to cope with? Imagine for a
moment, that someone gave you a unique, priceless, gift. You open it, you
start using it, and you begin to discover its features and abilities. You
barely glance at the small paperback manual that comes bundled inside.
You might skim it, but like most you throw it away or put it on a shelf. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">After a while you start to notice that
things are not working perfectly. In fact, it’s getting worse. You go to
a specialist to fix up your life, put it all back together and regain joy. He
shows you a copy of that small forgotten manual. You read it and for the very
first time you find clarity and direction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">This week we start reading the Torah from
the beginning. How many times have we heard its first words and really
understood the phrase, “<i>In the beginning, G-d created heaven and earth</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Torah is much more than a book of
instructions or laws; it's a MANUAL OF LIFE. G-d could have just listed the
commandments, making sure that we are getting them done. But G-d also wants us
to add flavor and depth to our lives, hence His introduction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">What is the secret to happiness? It
should be simple: We are happy when life works out how we want it to. If
I want to go to Israel and I arrive at Ben Gurion airport, I will be
happy. If I end up having to stay at home, I will be unhappy.
Unhappiness is a result of our desires conflicting with reality. We
become angry and upset when our hopes or expectations are dashed. So here
is the ticket to happiness. We don't have much control over the universe, but
we do have the ability to select our wants and desires. So you want to be
happy? Have realistic expectations. You want to be a millionaire?
Ask yourself whether it is realistic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Let’s be honest. One person might believe
that winning the lottery is realistic, another might still believe that he will
find the unattainable woman. Reality is not how we would like to define
it. Reality is defined by Torah. If you set your expectations according
to the MANUAL OF LIFE, if you define your reality in accordance with that true
reality, you will never know of fear or worry in your life. G-d wrote the Torah
not just as a guide for us, it’s the blueprint for all life and the entire
universe. Reality, nature and Mazal follow the Torah, not the other way
around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">In His very first words, G-d shares a
critical, and often overlooked, detail of creation. G-d purposefully created a
dichotomy, heaven and earth. Two different realms: good and evil, truth
and falsehood, the physical and the spiritual. And though these forms seem
complete opposites, they are not in conflict, for G-d and the universe do not
contradict themselves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">In regards to these contrary domains, He
created the heaven first in order for it to rule the earth. We therefore
might translate the opening verse as, “<i>G-d first created the spiritual
heavens and only then the physical earth.</i>” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">In Torah there are no
contradictions. If life ever seems to diverge from your being happy, if
we are ever anxious or experiencing stress, it is because we have forgotten the
opening line of His manual. We have forgotten that our physical existence
is subservient to our spiritual lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">This is the foundation of
everything. Chassidus tells us that in truth the physical world is only a
veneer of reality. G-d’s creative energies have to continuously compel the
fragile framework of physicality into an illusion that it is a more powerful
entity than the spiritual energy that gives it shape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">All stress in our lives is a result of
having an erroneous perspective and unrealistic expectations. In order to
live a happy and fulfilled life, we must set our expectations to the blueprint
of the Torah. We must put heaven before earth, we need to fit our lives
into the reality of the Torah rather than trying to fit the Torah into our
physical lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">There is another lesson we should learn
from the opening words of The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to Life, the Torah. Every so
often a company like Microsoft launches another version of Windows. But
before it is finished it is in the Beta stage. Beta is when a company
sends the unfinished product to many individuals, who test it, send feedback,
and help them fix all the problems. If you would take a closer look at your
Life’s manual, you would notice that our world too has the words ‘Beta’ written
all over it. The universe G-d created is not the finished product. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The second Torah passage reads, “<i>The</i> <i>spirit
of G-d hovered above</i>…” If you were building a home, wouldn’t you
enter it? Wouldn’t you go and live it in it? Yet He hovers above
it. Why? Because His world was incomplete. He is waiting for
us to finish the job. How can we improve that which He has personally
created?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By testing the world and
identifying its bugs so that it is perfect for it’s big launch, the coming of
Moshiach and the completion of creation: Universe 1.0<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Until then we do our job...happily. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-11207628904893301872012-10-14T22:56:00.003-04:002012-10-14T22:57:27.982-04:00A LESSON FROM TWO FAILURES (11:4)
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps; letter-spacing: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">A Lesson from two Failures
(11:4)</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Abraham does
not tolerate selfishness or central planning. What then is the basis of a
Jewish society? <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps; letter-spacing: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">A Lesson from two Failures
(11:4)</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The two great epochs
of human history described in this week’s portion are not mere historical
accounts but rather they are portraits of a classic human dilemma that persists
till today. It is therefore no accident that these two time periods dissect
this Biblical reading precisely in half. The first <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">seventy seven</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">verses</span>
deal with the life of Noach prior to the promise of, <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">“This is the sign of the covenant.”</span> And immediately following
the appearance of the rainbow and a new world order we are told the story of
the succeeding generations and their attempt at building the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Tower</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Babel</st1:placename></st1:place>...in
exactly <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">seventy seven verses</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The flood was brought
upon the world because of robbery and immorality. Where bridges of trust might
have been built, gridlock occurred as competing interests collided. The fabric
of society thus frayed and became irreparably eroded due to rampant individual
selfishness. Ultimately, with no central authority, anarchy flourished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the picture of pre-Deluge humanity which
till today remains a model of societal failure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The next great era was
a response to the prior. The age of corruption and thievery was washed away by
the powerful waves of the Flood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A sense
of tranquility and brotherhood reigned as all put aside their personal
agendas<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to rally around a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>symbol of unified strength and common goals.
A tower would be built to correct the problems associated with the chaotic
past. Thus a king arose who herded everyone together. An iron curtain was
created to hem humanity into a single location and the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Tower</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Babel</st1:placename></st1:place>
became the showpiece of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>man’s new spirit
of cooperation. Yet this experiment in creating the paradigm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of what a community<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>should be<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>disintegrated and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>toppled like a
house of cards. Why? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Interestingly enough,
not one person is mentioned by name in the recording of that event. Instead we
are informed that<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">, “Come let <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">us</span> build a city and a tower with its
head in the heavens and let <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">us</span>
make a name for <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">ourselves</span></span>.<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">”</span> The achievement and the accolades
were for the group. Individual identities were to be rendered meaningless and
merged automatically with the purposes dictated by the whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Sages expressed it this way: when a brick
fell down people agonized because of the lost material, but when a person died
in the process of building they carried on without acknowledgment. <span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">These two stages in
human development represent the ongoing human dilemma. When the individual
enjoys unfettered freedom and society places supreme value on personal
happiness, then lawlessness prevails and the goals of humanity as a whole are
frustrated. Conversely, when society is all-powerful the individual suffers.
All his personal ambitions are squelched<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>his talents are sacrificed, and his liberties are repressed for the sake
of the state made holy above all. <span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">What then is more
important? The individual or the society! Is this not the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the debate of every political election? Is
this not the argument that has worried us since 9/11 as we try to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>balance security with personal liberty? And
is this not the cause of much of the struggle in the world today? <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The answer is simple
and difficult. The answer is Abraham, the Jew. After the dispersion of the
Tower builders, the first patriarch appears on the Biblical horizon. How does
Abraham’s life show us the solution? Because even with the Torah’s focus on one
person and his extraordinary accomplishments, it does not mean that the
pendulum has swung back to a time when selfish individuals occupy center stage.
Neither is Abraham who is called and revered by his neighbors as, <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">“The Most High, Maker of heaven and earth”</span>
a megalomaniacal tyrant. But if Abraham’s life is not either extreme, neither
is it the healthy compromise of the two. The answer is a radical departure: An
existence that does not include selfishness or dictatorship, but rather a life
of service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because a society of
Abraham-like people would produce a qualitatively different world order that
would address everyone’s private needs as well as the general public. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">How can such service
oriented individuals be produced and how can they appreciate that they too
would benefit? Listen to the following story. The saintly Chofetz Chaim once
softly rebuked two students who came late to class one day. It was not the
lateness that was the issue. Each had retrieved a chair after realizing that
all seats in the room were occupied. The Chofetz Chaim pointed out to them the
lost opportunity. If each would have gotten a chair for the other, both would
have had a chair and both would have had an act of kindliness. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This was the principle of thoughtfulness and
kindness exhibited by Abraham. It was this new order upon which our Jewish
heritage and communities were built!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-1407441362190504532012-10-14T22:56:00.001-04:002012-10-14T22:57:27.984-04:00BABEL: ON REACHING HEAVEN (11:4)
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">B</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">ABEL</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">: O</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">N</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> R</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">EACHING</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> H</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">EAVEN</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span>(11:4)</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only when G-d is G-d can man be man. That
means keeping heaven and earth distinct.</span></i><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">B</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">ABEL</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">: O</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">N</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> R</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">EACHING</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> H</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">EAVEN</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span>(11:4)</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The story of a Tower rising in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">valley</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Shinar</st1:placename></st1:place>
is central to the Biblical vision of what can go wrong in society. The story
itself, told in a mere nine verses, is a compact masterpiece of literary and
philosophical virtuosity. The first thing to note is that its historical
background is exceptionally precise. The tower or ziggurat was the great symbol
of the ancient Mesopotamian city states. It was here that human beings first
settled, established agriculture, built cities, and invented (along with the
wheel, the arch and the calendar) the ability to manufacture building
materials, especially bricks. This made possible the construction of buildings
on a larger scale, which came to have a profound religious significance.<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Essentially these towers, of which the remains of at
least thirty have been discovered, were man-made “holy mountains,” the mountain
being the place where heaven and earth most visibly met. Inscriptions on
several of these buildings refer, as does the Torah, to the idea that their top
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“reaches heaven.”</i> <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Not only is the story of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Babel</st1:place></st1:city> historically accurate. It is also shot
through with literary devices. One of the most masterly is that the two key
words, </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-hansi-font-family: David;">לבן</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>-<i>brick</i>, and </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-hansi-font-family: David;">נבל</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>-<i>confuse</i>,
are precise inversions of one another. As so often in the Torah, literary
technique is closely related to a deeper message. In this case it is the
phenomenon of <i>inversion</i> itself; the results of human behavior are often
the opposite of what was intended. The builders wanted to concentrate humanity
in one place, <i>“And not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”</i>
The result was that, <i>“The L-rd scattered them over the face of the whole
earth.”</i><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Their pride lay in their newfound technological
ability to construct buildings of unprecedented grandeur. They did not realize
that the greatest creative power is language (<i>“And G-d said . . . and there
was”</i>). Thus it was not a technical problem that caused them to abandon the
project, but the loss of the ability to communicate. What is holy for the Torah
is not power but the use to which it is put, the medium in which we frame our
ideals, construct imaginative possibilities, and call others to join us in
realizing them. The <i>word</i> is prior to the <i>work</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">What though was the builder’s sin? To understand we
must return to Genesis and its description of creation. Two words in that
account are decisive. The first is </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-hansi-font-family: David;">טוב</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Davka David"; font-size: 11pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>/</span><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">tov</span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">-<i>good</i>, which appears seven times. G-d says, <i>“Let
there be,”</i> and G-d sees, <i>“That it is good.”</i> Creation is not about
the power of G-d but about the goodness He provided in the universe. This is an
extraordinary statement. For the ancients saw the world as a dangerous and
threatening place, full of dangers, disasters, famines and floods, a result of
clashing gods. Against this, Judaism made the astonishing assertion that the
world is good. It is the result not of blind collisions or random mutations,
but of a single creative Will. This alone set Judaism apart as the most hopeful
of the world’s faiths. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">There is another key word </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-hansi-font-family: David;">הבדיל</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>/</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">hivdil</span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">-<i>to separate</i>, which appears five times in
Creation (light & dark, upper & lower waters, etc), signifying that the
<i>goodness</i> of the universe is due to order and boundaries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So important was this idea that we have a
special ceremony, <i>havdalah</i>, to mark the end of Shabbat and the beginning
of each week. Like G-d, we begin our creative weekdays by <i>havdalah</i>:
consecrating distinctions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Creation itself is seen as the slow emergence of order
from chaos. An ordered universe is a peaceable universe in which every being
has its proper place. Violence, injustice and conflict are forms of disorder, a
failure to respect the integrity of others. The pagan world of old was one in
which boundaries were not observed. There were human beings who were like gods
and gods who were like human beings. There were strange mythological hybrids,
like the sphinx, half human, half animal. Religious ecstasy was often
accompanied by a ceremonial breaking of boundaries in various ways. So while
G-d created order, man created chaos.<span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">That was the sin of the builders of the tower. Their
aspiration to <i>“reach heaven” </i>was laughable, and indeed the Torah makes a
joke of it. They imagined that their edifice had reached heaven, whereas G-d
had to, “<i>Come down.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However it
was worse than laughable. The Tower was the world’s first construct into
totalitarianism in order to control the masses. Intoxicated by their
technological prowess, the builders of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Babel</st1:place></st1:city>
believed they had become like gods and could now construct their own Cosmo
polis, their man-made miniature universe. Not content with earth, they wanted
to build an abode in heaven. <span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">When human beings try to become more than human, they
quickly become less than human. Only when G-d is G-d can man be man. That means
keeping heaven and earth distinct, organizing the latter only under the
conscious sovereignty of the former. Without this there is little to prevent
human beings from sacrificing the many on the altar of the State which sees
itself above the law (after all, the State has reached Heaven). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Babel</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> was the first civilization, but sadly not the last,
to begin with a dream of utopia and end in a nightmare of hell. A world of <i>tov</i>-good
is a world of <i>havdalah</i>-limits. Those who cross those boundaries make a
name for themselves, but they name they make is <i>Babel-</i>confusion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-76148325261831989412012-10-14T22:55:00.003-04:002012-10-14T22:57:28.005-04:00HOW HIGH HAVE WE GONE? (11:1)
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">How High Have We Gone?</span><span style="font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> (11:1)</span></b><span style="font-size: 24pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Meet the fellow who slept cross-wise on his bed since
it provided the illusion that he had grown taller. </span></i><b><i><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">How High Have We Gone? </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(11:1)</span></b><span style="font-size: 24pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Man had fallen so low
that it no longer seemed possible for punishment to serve merely as a deterrent
or a warning. What evil had the human race perpetrated that it was perceived as
unredeemable and thus slated for destruction? According to the Torah, <i>“The
land was corrupted before G-d, and the land was filled with violence.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The word used for
violence, <i>Chamas</i>, is explained by Rashi to mean <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">robbery</i>. It was on this chaos that the flood descended, laying the
world bare and ready for a new beginning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">If we read further on
in this week's Biblical portion, it seems as if man had finally learned his
lesson. The generation that built the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Tower</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Babel</st1:placename></st1:place>
exemplified the opposite behavior. They organized a social system under which
men suppressed all private interests for the common good. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Yet, if one but
peruses the various commentaries, it becomes obvious that in their opinion, the
children were in fact repeating the sins of their fathers. The only thing that
changed was their methods, for now they were far more efficient. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">In truth, the
generation at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Babel</st1:city></st1:place>
had no interest in reaching heaven and its values. Their intent was to keep
heaven at bay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Quoting Rashi once
again we come across this comment, <i>"After the flood, the people
calculated that 1656 years had lapsed since the beginning of time till the
Flood. As a result they declared that once every 1656 years the heavens
crumbled and caused a catastrophe."</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Imagine that! The
Flood had occurred but once and already it was reduced to a natural phenomenon,
one within man's power to foretell and forestall. Thus the verse describing
their efforts, <i>“Let us make a tower with its top to the heavens...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>lest we be scattered,”</i> suddenly makes
sense.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Like the robbers and
thieves of the generation prior to the Flood, they desired no moral
interferences from Above. So while man had made enormous technical progress,
there was no spiritual growth. This can be compared to the man who would sleep
cross-wise on his bed since this gave him the pleasing illusion that he had
grown taller. In reality, his stature remained the same; only his position was
altered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Today as we rocket to
the stars and distant galaxies, it might be worthwhile to consider how much
further we really have traveled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-4024716767904781072012-10-14T22:55:00.001-04:002012-10-14T22:57:27.995-04:00Every JEW is an ARTIST (9:27)
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<b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Every
J</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 11pt;">EW</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is an A</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 11pt;">RTIST</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">(9:27)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">What
is the true purpose of Jewish art?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Every
J</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 11pt;">EW</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is an A</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 11pt;">RTIST</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">(9:27)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Which of these statements is true? <b>1)</b>
Torah has been an inspiration for Jewish art. <b>2)</b> Torah severely
discourages and limits the use of art.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">On the one hand, Moses introduced the idea
that G-d should be “adorned” with beautiful religious implements. </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(Exodus 15:2) </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The
first artists (Betzalel and company) mentioned in the Bible were contracted to
design a Sanctuary for G-d. </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(Exodus 35:31)
</span><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Inference:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> Decorative items for ritual purposes are firmly
rooted within Judaism. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">On the other hand, the Second Commandment
reads, <i>“You shall not make any graven image, or any likeness of anything
that is in the heaven above, or the earth below.”</i> <b>Implication:</b>
Judaism is antagonistic to art. But, upon further study, this verse forbids
imagery only if used for idol worship. True, the text does not specifically
permit representational art for other purposes; and hence the ambiguity
concerning the propriety of artistic endeavor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Surprisingly, human figures do appear in
3rd century Syrian synagogue murals. However, Jewish visual art did not acquire
a ‘Kosher’ stamp, until the 11th century, when Rashi allowed two-dimensional
wall frescoes depicting Biblical scenes. </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(Shabbos,
149a) </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">In the next century, Maimonides
permitted three-dimensional animal sculptures. </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(Avodas Kochavim.3:10-11) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">In Medieval Europe, religious intolerance
excluded Jews from the world of art. Western art was Christian art commissioned
by the Church or nobility. So instead of painting and sculpture, artistically
talented Jews used art for utilitarian purposes: to make a living. They became
jewelers, goldsmiths, silversmiths, engravers, ceramicists, weavers,
embroiderers, glassblowers, wood-carvers, calligraphers, and illustrators of
Hebrew manuscripts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Kabbalistically speaking, creative expression
can be traced back to the Biblical persona of <i>Noach</i>. When spelled
in reverse, <i>Noach</i> (</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "David","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">נח</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>) becomes <i>Chen </i>(</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "David","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">חן</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>), meaning <i>grace</i> or <i>beauty</i>.
<b><i>Ch</i></b><i>e<b>N</b> </i>itself is an acronym for <b><i>CH</i></b><i>ochmat
<b>N</b>istar</i>, <i>hidden wisdom</i>. <b><i>Ch</i></b><i>e<b>N</b></i>
thus denotes inner beauty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Of Noach’s three sons, we read, <i>“G-d
shall enlarge <b>Yafet</b>. He shall dwell in the tents of <b>Shem</b>. <b>Cham</b>
shall be their servant.” </i>The name <i>Yafet</i>, the progenitor of Greek and
Western civilization, is related to the word <i>Yafa</i>, <i>visible</i> or <i>surface
beauty</i>, while <i>Shem </i>correlates to <i>Shma</i>, <i>hearing</i>,
and <i>Cham</i> to <i>CHomer</i>, <i>matter</i> and <i>tactility</i>.
Just as <b>Noach’s</b> family includes three sons, so too <b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">CHen</span></b>, true artistic beauty must
incorporate these three modalities; the visual, aural, and tangible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">In different cultures, one modality tends
to dominate. Ancient ethnic art is largely tactile, albeit symbolic (i.e.,
African masks from the family of <i>Cham</i>). Modern Western art is
primarily visual. Jewish art, <b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">CHen</span></b>,
requires a union of modalities. Example: At the climactic Giving of the Torah
at Sinai, <i>“The people heard that which was normally seen and saw that which
was usually heard.”</i> In Judaism, the sense of sight is not always
limited to surface perception. It is associated with insight.
While, most cultures see the external and hear the internal, in Judaism, the
opposite is true. <i>Panim</i>, <i>face</i> and <i>P’nim</i>, <i>internal</i>
are the same word.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">This dynamic interplay of the aural and
visual, where perception penetrates beyond the surface to the interior, is
essential to Jewish art. So though G-d’s “<i>enlarging of Yafet</i>” allowed
Cyrus, a descendants of <i>Yafet</i>, to build the Second Temple, the Divine
Presence was manifest only in the First Temple which King Solomon built.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Though<i> Yafet</i>, the master of the
visual arts “constructed a glorious edifice,” </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(Succot 51b) </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">he could not create a
perfect beauty. Only King Solomon’s First Temple, the epitome of
splendor, actualized the ideal of <i>CHen</i>. For Jewish art not only
combines the different senses, it connects the physical and spiritual
dimensions of our lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Thus the words for spirit, <i>ruach </i>(</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "David","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">רוח</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>)<i> </i>and matter, <i>chomer</i> (</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "David","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">חמר</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>) are intimately related when inverted. (In
Kabbalah, the letters ‘<i>vav</i>’ and ‘<i>mem</i>’ are also interchangeable.)
Whereas in certain traditions you have to renounce physicality in order to
attain spirituality, in Judaism they are essentially one. Jewish art,
then, is about the spiritual nature of one’s encounter with the physical world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">This unique interchange necessitates an <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">active</span> involvement on behalf of the
viewer, since Jewish art is a multi-media, all-involvement event. Compare the
passive spectator of traditional Western theatre to a Passover Seder. We follow
a Haggada, but it is not a text in the classic sense. We drink four cups of
wine, we cry over bitter herbs, we chase an Afikomen. The audience and the
performers are the same people. It is a multi-sensory, multi-media event. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The Temple in Jerusalem embodied that same
totality of experience. One smelled the incense, ate the sacrifices, heard the
Levites singing, etc. Thus the Sanctuary established the essential
prototype of Jewish art: <b>1) </b>Man does not create for the sake of art
alone; <b>2) </b>art reveals the spiritual in the physical, the <i>ruach</i> in
the <i>chomer</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Sadly enough, true Jewish art did not
flourish during much of our history. Many non-Jewish factors contributed to
this phenomenon. Under Islamic rule, much of art was off-limits. In the
Christian world, the illiterate masses required pictures, while Jewish children
who could read the Biblical stories made depiction unnecessary. A more
encompassing reason: Unlike churches, ornate art in synagogues did not exist
because of political and economic weakness of Jewish communities, plus their
own desire not to draw attention. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">In the twentieth century, Jews are no
longer restricted by the outside world. Consequently, Jewish artists have
proliferated. The Rebbe addressed one such artist. “The essential quality of an
artist is his ability to detach himself from the superficial appearance of the
image ... [and] penetrate the true essence of the object and transform his
impression into a picture with physical dimensions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">“This artistic production reveals to the
viewer that which he could not recognize on his own, an essence that was
obscured by superficial layers. Only an artist has the skill to reveal the
inner dimensions of an object, thus enabling the observer to see it with a
different perspective, and to realize the limitations of his previous
awareness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">”In short, one who is divinely gifted,
whether in sculpture, painting or another artistic endeavor, has the privilege
of being able to convert inanimate objects (such as paint, brush and canvas)
into a vital form. In a deeper sense, this implies the ability to transform the
material into the spiritual…In the esoteric teachings of the Torah the entire
creation emanates from, and is constantly sustained by, the word of G-d.
However, because of the process of divine concealment, His word is hidden, and
only the material substance is visible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">“Therefore, the challenge (as well as<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>goal)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>become<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>aware<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the
G-dliness extant in all objects, and in so doing, minimize the concealment of
the true G-dly reality.” </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(<i>Igros Kodesh</i>,
Vol. 4, p. 223) </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">This is the true purpose of Jewish art, and indeed, of
all life. In that sense, every Jew is required to be an artist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-35299359428235134732012-10-14T22:54:00.005-04:002012-10-14T22:57:27.992-04:00EXPERIENCING LIFE or LIVING IT? (9:20)
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">E</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">XPERIENCING</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">LIFE or<b> </b></span><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">L</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">IVING</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">IT<b>?
(9:20)<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Noach walked
in the footsteps of Adam. Big mistake!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">E</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">XPERIENCING</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">LIFE or<b> </b></span><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">L</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">IVING</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">IT<b>?
(9:20)<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">After saving humanity and the animal
kingdom from oblivion, Noah is given no rest. Once again he is charged with a
Divine mission; rebuild civilization! So the one time shipbuilder and zookeeper
embarks on a new project. He plants a vineyard. Unfortunately, it did not end
there. He becomes drunk and uncovers himself in his tent. What is the meaning
behind this strange episode? Why did Noah, formerly called “<i>a saint and
perfectly complete</i>,” start drinking? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Could it simply be that Noah cracked under
the strain?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was this Noah's method of
dealing with a completely devastated world?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead of joining the Twelve-Step Program, he went for the bottle! This
may be an all-too-familiar human failing, but for Noah!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One who “<i>walked with G-d</i>”! Could Noah
not have opened an AA chapter!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">One more question. Noah lived another 350
years after the flood. Yet, we are told absolutely nothing of what he did
during all this time, save the one incident of his intoxication. Since Torah
stories serve as a blueprint for life, it follows that Noah's drinking is
relevant today. How so?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The Talmud provides a hint. Some 1,500
years before Noah, Adam and Eve betrayed G-d's explicit command by eating the
fruit of The Tree of Knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
results were life-changing. Adam and Eve were banished from Eden, while
struggle, pain and death became the plight of the human condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One Talmudic opinion is that the tree was a
grapevine. Eve squeezed the grapes and presented Adam with a goblet of wine. So
G-d said:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>Noah, you should have
learned from Adam</i>. Here we learn of a link between Adam and Noah. Both
degraded and debased themselves through wine. The great foundational work of
Kabbala, the Zohar, takes this a step further. Noah was determined to fix
Adam’s mistake by redefining the act of drinking. Unfortunately, he also
failed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Let’s retrace history. What was so
tempting about the Tree of Knowledge? True, “<i>It was a delight to the eyes,
and attractive as a means to wisdom.” </i>But was this the only attractive tree
in Paradise?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Answer: This tree was not
merely tasty, delightful and attractive. It embodied the very experience of
taste, delight and attraction. Originally, Adam & Eve did not feel
themselves; they lacked self-consciousness. They did not experience taste,
delight or attraction - <i>because they did not experience themselves</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">It is difficult for us today to comprehend
what this even means. We, who process all of life via awareness of the self,
cannot appreciate man’s psyche prior to the forbidden fruit. In fact, in our
culture, a person who does not experience himself is seen as dysfunctional and
is sent to a therapist. In truth, Original Man’s lack of self was a symptom of
the ultimate healthy life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">How do you know when your body is healthy?
When you don't feel it! When you feel a body part - because of pain or for any
other reason - it is a sign that something is wrong. The healthier the body,
the less you sense it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is true not
only in respect to our physical; it is equally valid for our psyche. How do you
know when your psyche is healthy? When you don't feel it! Artists are keenly
aware of this axiom. When writers or musicians cease to be conscious of their
existence as an independent entity, when they solely experience themselves as
conduits for a deeper creative spirit, it is then that the artist performs
best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His self has seamlessly merged
with his work. They are not separate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Another example: A two-year-old playing in
the mud. Ask him:<i> Do you feel good about your life? Do you feel worthwhile? </i>The
toddler will look at you strangely, implying: <i>How would I know; I'm too busy
living.</i> When you're busy living life, the "<i>you</i>" does not
occupy independent space. This was man’s initial condition. But Eve was
tempted. The snake stopped her in her tracks and offered her the one thing she
lacked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The Hebrew term for <b><i>knowledge</i></b>-<b><i>da’as</i></b>,
can also be translated as <b><i>experience</i></b>. Eve now encountered
for the first time something completely unfamiliar - the reality of experience.
Eve learned that a human being could experience reality in terms of “<b><i>I</i></b><i>
like</i>; <b><i>I</i></b><i> feel; <b>I</b> crave</i>.” Till then, she had not <i>experienced</i>
life; she was <i>living</i> it. So Eve and her husband reasoned that this would
be a better way to live and thus serve G-d. <i>They decided to experience what
it was like to have an experience</i>. So they partook of the <i>Tree of
Experience</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">This also explains G-d’s question to Adam,
“<i>Ayekah! Where are <b>you</b></i>!” At first glance, this seems strange. Was
G-d truly ignorant of Adam's location? No! G-d’s “<i>Where are <b>you</b></i>?”
contained a profound psychological query. Until then, Adam knew exactly who he
was. He was one with life, one with the music and rhythm of reality. He was
unaware of how he was feeling because he did not feel himself. But once he ate
from the Tree, he began to experience his “<b><i>I</i></b>”<b><i> </i></b>as a
detached, separate existence. At that moment, he - and by extension, us -
became consumed: <i>Am I happy or miserable? Do I like myself? Am I secure? Am
I normal? </i>So G-d asked,<i> "Where are you? Where have you gone? How
did you get so lost from yourself?”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Until then, the first human beings, “<i>were
naked and they were not embarrassed</i>.” But now, they were ashamed of their
nudity. When there is no sense of self or ego, being naked does not matter. You
are as innocent as a naked newborn, and similarly unembarrassed. But when Adam
& Eve began to experience themselves, they could no longer ignore their
nakedness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The birth of the human ego, man's
perception of a self divorced from G-d’s intentions for humanity, became the
root of moral degeneration and led to the total destruction of civilization. So
Noah decided to go back to the source of the problem and fix it. Noah reasoned
that Adam & Eve used wine as a means to experience themselves; he would use
wine as a means to forget about himself. They savored every drop, relishing <i>the
experience of having an experience</i>. Noah would drink in order to cease
having experiences; he would become drunk, uncover himself, and become one with
life itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Many alcoholics and addicts have followed
Noah’s path. Like him, they hoped to liberate themselves of their
self-conscious perceptions. Noah's intentions may have been profound. But the
results were horrible. Intoxication only gives one the<i> illusion</i> of
self-transcendence; in reality it merely confuses the mind and alienates the
drinker from feeling what is going on inside his self. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">So what path leads to self-redemption?
We’re no longer innocent. The paradise of Adam & Eve no longer exists. The
stupor of Noah also holds no answers. Is there any hope for man? A few
hundred years later, another individual planted grapevines. Abraham “<i>planted
an orchard in Be’er-Sheva, and there he proclaimed the name of Hashem, G-d of
the universe</i>.” Abraham understood that we cannot escape the self. Our job
is to search through the self, and discover in the very vestige of self, the
hidden light of G-d.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><i>That story
will be told next week.</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-72058936209945800722012-10-14T22:54:00.003-04:002012-10-14T22:57:28.003-04:00FROM A PAGE IN NOACH'S DIARY (9:2)
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">F</span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">ROM </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">A</span><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"> P</span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">AGE </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">IN</span><b><span style="font-variant: small-caps;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">N</span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">OACH'S</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"> D</span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">IARY</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"> </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">(9:2)</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">If we truly do live by the law of the
jungle, what prevents man from becoming the hunted? <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">F</span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">ROM </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">A</span><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"> P</span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">AGE </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">IN</span><b><span style="font-variant: small-caps;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">N</span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">OACH'S</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"> D</span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">IARY</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"> </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">(9:2)</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Dear Diary,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Even
among the ancient ones, I would be considered old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having now lived over 600 years, I have seen
many changes, including the advent of idolatry, the invention of musical instruments,
the growth of the world's population and all the problems<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>associated with "progress". I
thought I had seen it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this past
year…with the Flood and all, you can imagine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">At
my age, to be responsible for all the thousands of birds and beasts is no
picnic: Each one demanding specific foods at different times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see this limp that I got, that's from the
lion that once kicked me when I was late with dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the stench, you wouldn’t believe it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">For
the most part however, I got along with the animals fairly well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it should all be attributed to the
promise G-d made to Adam that man shall have, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Dominion over the fish, over the fowl, over the cattle and over every
creature that creeps upon the planet.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">What
I can’t understand is why now, after the Flood, G-d has decided to place<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, “The <b>fear </b>and <b>dread </b>of man
upon every beast?”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why the need for
this fundamental change that sets up this unbridgeable chasm between humans and
animals?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Let
me share with you one of my innermost thoughts on the subject, and you - Dear
Diary - can keep it for the sake of posterity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At first, man being created, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“in
the image of G-d</i>” was pretty close to perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the animals sensed that Adam possessed a
spiritual entity that made him - and the human race alone - worthy of being the
Creator’s guardian upon earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Man,
under Divine direction, was to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“work and
guard”</i> the planet, bringing all that was in it closer to G-d and to
perfection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">But
over the years man changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As he
behaved more and more like an animal, his G-dly image became dulled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon <b>Homo sapiens</b> resembled nothing more
that a two-legged creature and even the animals knew it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following the rule of the jungle whereby the
strong rules the weak (and most beasts are stronger than man) G-d has to now
place a fear of humans upon the animal, lest man become the hunted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus, man’s primary role has changed from
perfecting the world to first perfecting himself in order to regain the image
of G-d.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
is all theory, you understand. But if I am right, I guess I should tell my
children about this. So let me go and I'll talk to you tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Signed,<i>
Noach</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-42564712123091382652012-10-14T22:54:00.001-04:002012-10-14T22:57:27.997-04:00THE LAST LION (8:18)
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The Last Lion </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(8:18)</span></b><span style="font-size: 24pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Who is responsible for Noach <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">walking </span></b>in to the
ark and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">limping</span></b> out? Was it the lion or Noach himself? </span></i><b><i><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The Last Lion </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(8:18)</span></b><span style="font-size: 24pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It’s a wonderful
Midrash; fanciful, interesting, insightful and relevant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Noach briskly <i>walks</i> in to the ark at
the outset of the Great Flood and one year later he slowly <i>limps</i>
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason for the change is that
one day Noach was late in delivering lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The lion, not appreciating the fact, took a swipe at his benefactor and
hence the unsightly disfigurement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">A question that has
been raised in regard to this Midrash is why should G-d, who thrust this
enormous responsibility upon Noach, have allowed this mishap to occur?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine trying to feed every animal the exact
type of food they require, day in and day out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And then figure, Noach was late one afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s the big deal?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The truth is that had
there been other lions, this <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">faux-pax</i>
would have been deemed inconsequential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, because this was the last lion in the world, what affected this
particular animal would impact the entire species.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If this lion died, there would have been no
more lions- <i>ever! </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That being the
scenario, we can now understand why Noach was held so accountable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">A very powerful lesson
can be gleaned from this episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each
and every child in our care is the last link in the chain that connects their
generation of Jewish children back to Sinai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If we do not save this young boy or girl, it is not just a question of
what will happen to this individual youngster, but rather will there be another
Jewish generation from this family ever again?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">This is not only a
concern that each Mom and Dad must deal with at home, but an issue that the united
Jewish community must address. One response, also borrowed from the story of
Noach, is the building of an <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Ark.</st1:state></st1:place>
Our youngsters are constantly bombarded by the treacherous waters of apathy,
ignorance and false information. Our job is to build a <i>Teiva</i>, (Hebrew
word for <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ark</i></st1:place></st1:state>). This refuge and sanctuary will not
only protect them while they are young, but carry them to a better world filled
with rainbows of color and promise.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-28858418366965289602012-10-14T22:53:00.003-04:002012-10-14T22:57:27.987-04:00WHEN OBEDIENCE is not ENOUGH (8:15)
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">W</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">HEN</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> O</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">BEDIENCE</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">is not</span><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> E</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">NOUGH </span>(8:15)</b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">How did <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Noach,
w</span>ho once <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">walked with G-d,</span>
now roll in the mud?</span></i><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">W</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">HEN</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> O</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">BEDIENCE</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">is not</span><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> E</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">NOUGH </span>(8:15)</b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">What shall we make of
Noach, one of the Bible’s more elusive characters? His introduction is full of
promise: <i>“Noach was a righteous man, faultless in his generation. Noach
walked with G-d.</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">”</i> No one else in
Torah receives such accolades: not Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or even Moses. <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">However, a mere three
chapters later, the narrative records Noach’s final project. <i>“Noach began to
be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard...he became drunk and lay
uncovered in his tent. Cham...saw his father’s nakedness and told his two
brothers outside. But Shem and Yafes took a garment...and covered their
father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would
not see.”</i><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Shem and Yafes may
have <i>covered their father’s nakedness</i>, but even they could not hide the
sad fact that their father who once <i>walked with G-d</i> now rolled in the
mud. How did such a man fall so low? This question has yielded a variety of
answers. Try this one on for size.<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Once the waters had
abated, Noach <i>should</i> have left the ark. However, Noach thought, I only
entered with G-d’s permission when He said, <i>“Go into the ark.” </i>Shall I
leave on my own?<i> </i>The Holy One said, <i>“You need permission? Very
well…Come out of the ark.”</i> Rabbi Yehuda Bar Ilai said, <i>“If I had been there
I would have broken down the ark to go out.”</i> </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(Tanchuma)</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">To understand this
midrash one has to appreciate the anti-climax after the Deluge. G-d announces
the imminent destruction of life on earth. He orders an ark built, specifying
precise measurements and what must be brought on board. Civilization perishes;
those in the ark survive. When the waters recede we naturally expect Noach to
emerge. Instead, Noach seems stuck. First he sends out a raven; then a
dove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He waits seven days only to send
it out again. It returns with an olive leaf. Another week passes and the dove
is sent a third time. Even when it does not return, Noach does not quit the ark
until G-d Himself says, <i>“Come out.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Midrash sounds
exasperated. A shattered world needs rebuilding, and you’re waiting for
permission! Can Noach not take the initiative? <span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">But then, what does
Noach <i>say</i> when universal death is decreed; when he is told to make an
ark to save his family; when the rains begin to fall? Nothing. During the whole
sequence of events, Noach is not reported as saying a single word. Instead we
read, four times, of his silent obedience, <i>“Noach did everything just as G-d
had commanded him.”</i> Noach is the paradigm of biblical obedience. He does as
he is commanded. But that is not always enough.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">One might reasonably
assume that for a life of faith, obedience is the highest virtue. Yet strangely
enough, despite the fact that the Torah contains 613 commands - there is no
Biblical word for ‘<i>obey</i>.’ Instead the Torah uses the word <i>lishmoa -</i>
to <i>listen</i>, <i>hear, understand, </i>or <i>reflect</i>. Judaism requires
something greater than mindless submission, it demands responsibility.<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Thus the hero of our
faith is not Noach, but Abraham. The same Abraham who prayed for the wicked
people of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Sodom</st1:place></st1:city>;
who challenged Heaven itself with the words, <i>“Shall the judge of all the
earth not do justice?”</i> What might Abraham have said when confronted with a
flood? Abraham <i>might</i> have saved the world. Noah saved only his family.
Noach’s drunken end, eloquently tells us that if you save yourself while doing
nothing to save the world, you do not even save yourself. <span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The difference between
Noach and Abraham is best reflected by the words, <i>“Noach walked with G-d.”</i>
A parable explains. A king had two sons, one grown up, the other a child. To
the child, he said, <i>“Walk <b>with</b> me.”</i> To the adult son he said, <i>“Walk
<b>before</b> me</i>.” So it was by Noach of whom the Torah says that he, <i>“walked
<b>with</b> G-d.”</i> But to Abraham, G-d said, <i>“Because you are
wholehearted, walk <b>before</b> Me.”</i> </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(Bereishis
Rabbah)</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It takes courage to
rebuild a shattered world. Just <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">ask</span>
the brave women of ancient Egypt who defied Pharaoh’s decree of infanticide and
continued bearing children; or the valiant Jews who witnessed the destruction
of two Temples and their homeland, yet re-established flourishing communities
in exile; or the resolute Holocaust survivors who, against all odds, recreated
Jewish institutions of learning that no one imagined would attract any
‘customers’. Unlike Noach, they did not wait for Heaven to hold their hand or
give them permission. <span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">We are the “Seed of <i>Abraham</i>.”
So claim your rightful place and go the <i>front</i> of the line. Take
responsibility for Judaism. Walk <i>ahead</i>, He won’t mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-63858883829233641482012-10-14T22:53:00.001-04:002012-10-14T22:57:28.001-04:00SHIPS AHOY! (7:1)
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Ships Ahoy! </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(7:1)</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 24pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We too must enter into the ark to discover a sanctuary
from the flood of moral disarray. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Ships Ahoy! </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(7:1)</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 24pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Outside the ark, the
violent floodwaters raged, cleansing a world that had sunk into the abyss.
Within, Noach presided over a floating, miniature universe which included humans,
animals and foodstuff in order <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“to keep
seed alive.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">When the waters
finally calmed down and receded, Noach dispatched a raven followed by three
doves to see if the waters had completely subsided. Obviously, Noach was eager
to rebuild, but could he act on his own? He had first entered the ark by G-d’s
explicit command. It would therefore seem that as long as he did not receive
instructions to the contrary, the divine injunction, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Come into the ark”</i> remained in force.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Hence the question:
For what purpose did Noach dispatch his winged emissaries?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Baal Shem Tov,
founder of Chassidim in the 1700’s, explains the relevance of, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Come into the ark,”</i> to our daily lives.
The Hebrew word for ark, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tievah</i>,
means “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">word</i>”, while the term <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mabul</i>, translated here as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">flood</i>, also connotes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“disorders and confusion.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Come
into the ark”</i> thus becomes, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Enter
the words”</i> of Torah and prayer. Within them you will find a sanctuary from
the flood of moral disarray. But like Noach of old, we not only create islands
of tranquility for ourselves, we bring in “specimens” from the outside world
into the sanctity of our “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ark</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Through our observance
of mitzvot, we employ a great variety of elements to fulfill G-d’s will: the
animal hide that is made into a mezuzah, the food that graces our Shabbat
table, the money given to charity. They are all brought into the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">teivah</i> and made part of the safe haven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Our ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">arks</i>’ however, are not ends onto
themselves. They serve as the seeds from which a new world, one dedicated to
G-dliness will grow. Thus the directive, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Come into</b> the ark”</i> is but a prelude
to heaven's marching order of, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Go forth</b> from the ark,"</i> when
the revelation of holiness will extend to all of creation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">As Noach did, we await
the word. We cannot decide the era of Moshiach has begun but neither can we sit
passive. We send out messengers to test the waters thus hoping to hasten the
process of redemption.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The story of Noach is
then more than a recollection of ancient history. It is this week’s Biblical
challenge to each and every one of us not to insulate ourselves and hide the
glory of Judaism. We must open wide the windows and extend our islands of
holiness to encompass all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-85986672690124425462012-10-14T22:52:00.003-04:002012-10-14T22:57:28.007-04:00METEOROLOGIST AIRS ON TORAH CHANNEL (6:22)
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Meteorologist Airs on Torah Channel </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">(6:22)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Hear about the Rabbi who predicted a Flood or a Holocaust? Is the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Perfect Storm</b> on the horizon?</span><b><span style="font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Meteorologist Airs on Torah Channel </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">(6:22)</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">In <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country>, the end of the holidays
marks the start of the rainy season. A colleague of mine fears that the ominous
storm clouds on the horizon portend more than foul weather. Indeed, at the very
same time that Jews were praying for rain, fellow Jews were targeted in Taba. <span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">But for most of us, life goes
on. As long as one’s family is not directly affected, it is hard to feel the
impact of what is going on in someone else’s backyard. The storm clouds on the
Weather Channel, we want to believe, will not rain on <i>our</i> party. And
that is exactly the way it was in Noach’s time as well.<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>This reminds me of a movie
called, “The Perfect Storm,” about a massive hurricane that did a lot of damage
in 1991. In one scene, the meteorologist looking intently at the picture
forming on his computer screen notices three weather fronts converging from
totally different directions. Speaking to an uninterested co-worker, he
describes the ‘Perfect Storm’; <i>“You could be a meteorologist all of your
life, and never see something like this.”</i> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">What the meteorologist
summed up was not just the events that create a freak storm, but all of
history. He encapsulated how small actions, each one not that dangerous on its
own, can simultaneously occur and generate horrific results. It shows how
easily people can fall for the illusions of everyday life, and be caught
totally by surprise in the middle of deadly storms. </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It is similar to the final
straw that breaks the camel’s back. Everything in life comes down to turning
points of no-return. The trick is recognizing the dangerous trend before it is
too late. <span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>They
say that in the 1920’s the revered <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chofetz
Chaim</i> used to bang his table during the final Shabbat meal and call out, <i>“Millions
are going to die, and they are doing nothing about it!” </i><span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>After
the Holocaust, it became clear what was meant. So how did the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chofetz Chaim</i> know this beforehand?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because long before G-d carries out His
plans, He allows the righteous among us to sense the peril. This allows us, if
we pay attention, to thwart it.<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">But then there comes that point
of no-return, when the spirit of evil can no longer be restrained. Like the
moment that Noach was told to board the <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ark</st1:place></st1:state>,
and too many straws had been loaded on the camel’s back. <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Imagine this scene: The
neighborhood boys are playing baseball. You hit the ball a little too far and
watch it sail...right for the expensive window in a neighbor’s house. Watching
helplessly, pride quickly turns to fear as your brain calculates the trajectory
of the ball while the little voice inside your head is already whispering, <i>“It’s
a goner and so am I.” </i><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The owner of the house, out in
his backyard gardening is unaware of the projectile. In fact, even the other
players don’t see yet where it is heading. And for a few precious moments time
seems to stand still, but not the emotions which await with trepidation the
explosion of glass. <span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span>It’s
all so deceptive. The sun is shining, the air is fresh, and all in all it is a
beautiful day. The boys are having fun, and the gardener is still obliviously
happy as that nasty little ball just follows the laws of nature, or more
accurately, Divine Providence. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">And then it finally happens:
SMASH!! And then like a hurricane, everything suddenly changes. The game ends,
the batter catches his breath, and the gardener jumps in shock. All of a
sudden, it is a different world, and an unpleasant one at that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that is only a baseball and a piece of glass.
Imagine an entire world. <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Some
contend that nothing has fundamentally changed. They say that the world is just
as dangerous and calamitous today as it has always been. What’s different is
our ability to report events from every corner of the globe and to bring into
your living room instantly. <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Perhaps. But what about Noach’s
time? What would you say about a ‘crazy’ man who spends 120 years building a
large water-tight vessel in his driveway or about a Rabbi who rants about the
death of millions when the world is building towards international peace?
Probably not the same response you would have when the rains actually show up
and the door of the <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ark</st1:place></st1:state>
closes in your face. <span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span>Now
you know why my colleague is worried. He argues that no one is listening to the
warning signs occurring all over the world. As a <i>chassid</i>, I have a
different perspective. True, we are experiencing turbulent times, but they
represent the last stand of the forces of evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span>I
don’t believe we’re too late. We can change history, before it changes us. But
just to be on the safe side, and not be caught up in a storm with no lifeboat,
tune in to our recognized spiritual meteorologists. They’re on your local Torah
channel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-4824422501143321972012-10-14T22:52:00.001-04:002012-10-14T22:57:27.999-04:00MY MONKEY, THE PSYCHOLOGIST (6:19)
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;">M</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;">Y</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;"> M</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;">onkey</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;">the</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;"> P</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;">sychologist</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;">(6:19)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Just because scientists argue that our
closest <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">mishpocha</span></b> are the primates, doesn’t mean you have to monkey
around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><b><i><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;">M</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;">Y</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;"> M</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;">onkey</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;">the</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;"> P</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;">sychologist</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-transform: uppercase;">(6:19)</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Once
upon a time, and not so very long ago, many educated and worldly individuals
turned to the Bible for guidance on how to live their lives. It was evident
that the Scriptures were not just tales of ancient history, but paradigms of human
nature. Then Freud and psychology arrived on the scene and changed where we
search for answers. Now one had to plumb the subconscious for insight into the
human condition. But even that is now <i>passe</i>. Recently, it has become
popular to turn to our closest relatives for answers in understanding our core
drives and needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, I do
not mean, Grandpa Hershel with the big beard on our living room family tree,
but our supposed <i>mishpocha</i> in the evolutionary tree, our fellow
primates. As writer Steven Sailer pointed out in the National Review, <i>“We
look less to Scripture nowadays and more to our cousins with the low
foreheads.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Sages of the Talmud say that if we did not have the Torah to guide us, we would
be able to acquire specific moral behaviors from studying the animals. We would
learn modesty from the cat, honest industry from the ant, fidelity from the
dove, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Modern
students of nature, notwithstanding the fact that they rarely pay attention to
Rabbinical advice, have long been studying the life patterns of a wide variety
of creatures. The bulging dossier they have assembled is brimming with beastly
goings-on, a far cry from the sanguine picture put forth by the Talmud.
Infanticide, for instance, has been documented among lions and jacana birds.
The noble silverback gorilla broods in polygamous mastery over his harem. And
even among the celebrated chimpanzees of wildlife heroine and campaigner, Jane
Goodall, there were some rather vicious practitioners of genocidal warfare
against their own kind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 6.5in 7.0in 7.5in 8.0in 8.5in 9.0in 9.5in 10.0in 10.5in 11.0in 11.5in 12.0in 12.5in 13.0in 13.5in 14.0in 14.5in 15.0in 15.5in 16.0in 16.5in 17.0in 17.5in 18.0in 18.5in 19.0in 19.5in 20.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Indeed,
without Torah’s clarity of ethical vision, isn’t it conceivable that man might
draw conclusions for society that are at the least, misguided. Let me offer
just two examples. One, the common chimpanzee is a thug. Their social unit
basically resembles a pack of Hell’s Angels. Thus scientific studies have only
confirmed (mistakenly, I might add) that the human species will never fare
better. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 6.5in 7.0in 7.5in 8.0in 8.5in 9.0in 9.5in 10.0in 10.5in 11.0in 11.5in 12.0in 12.5in 13.0in 13.5in 14.0in 14.5in 15.0in 15.5in 16.0in 16.5in 17.0in 17.5in 18.0in 18.5in 19.0in 19.5in 20.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Second,
a recently discovered rare species of chimp, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bonobo</i> or pygmy chimp, has feminists delighted since in this
particular animal group the female plays a much more central role. In a poetic
soliloquy of female bonding between human and chimp a Washington Post reviewer
rhapsodized that the study of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bonobos</i>
would, <i>“Be the key to a more harmonious human future.” </i>Once again, man
is in vain measuring his capabilities based upon the faulty assumptions of
evolutionary equivalency. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 6.5in 7.0in 7.5in 8.0in 8.5in 9.0in 9.5in 10.0in 10.5in 11.0in 11.5in 12.0in 12.5in 13.0in 13.5in 14.0in 14.5in 15.0in 15.5in 16.0in 16.5in 17.0in 17.5in 18.0in 18.5in 19.0in 19.5in 20.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Based
on all of the above, one must wonder why the Rabbis would suggest that without
Torah one must observe the creatures of the wild. Could not man possibly
conclude that the self-centered behavior that G-d gave to the vast majority of
the animals are meant to be our role models, while the cat, ant and dove are
priggish deviants?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And why should we humans
impress upon ourselves the good traits from good animals? Why not the <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 6.5in 7.0in 7.5in 8.0in 8.5in 9.0in 9.5in 10.0in 10.5in 11.0in 11.5in 12.0in 12.5in 13.0in 13.5in 14.0in 14.5in 15.0in 15.5in 16.0in 16.5in 17.0in 17.5in 18.0in 18.5in 19.0in 19.5in 20.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">cruelty
of the jackal? Or perhaps we should adopt the promiscuity of the rooster? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
answer is that it depends on what you’re looking for. For those who inquire into
the world around them in order to learn how to behave like human beings, and
not like animals, the incongruity of refined behavior in a bestial habitat will
cry out for explanation. The existence of even <b><i>a tiny minority of animals
that act in a non-animal-like way</i></b> will force the question: Why do they
act that way? There is no apparent reason, no prohibition on animals against
promiscuity, immodesty, or theft. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 6.5in 7.0in 7.5in 8.0in 8.5in 9.0in 9.5in 10.0in 10.5in 11.0in 11.5in 12.0in 12.5in 13.0in 13.5in 14.0in 14.5in 15.0in 15.5in 16.0in 16.5in 17.0in 17.5in 18.0in 18.5in 19.0in 19.5in 20.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">What
the Sages are telling us is that nature does have a few, good lessons to teach
us. Just as there are animals which exhibit non-animal behavior, we too,
although we are much like animals in our physical make-up (we may even act like
animals sometimes), possess an essential something within us that transcends
the merely animal. Simply put, just because you are a two-footed animal,
doesn’t mean you have to act beastly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And secondly, the very fact that those animal role models constitute a
minority reminds us that just because everybody else is doing it, doesn’t make
it right. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Somewhere
along the line however, the lessons that G-d intended to teach us through
nature were lost. So now, it’s look to the Torah for direction or be lost in
the wild jungle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-30764488460221977712012-10-14T22:51:00.003-04:002012-10-14T22:57:27.990-04:00AN OPEN WINDOW (6:16)
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">An
Open Window </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">(6:16)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Noach was not a carpenter or an engineer, but he was given
one directive. Make a window. Why? <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">An
Open Window </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">(6:16)</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Never before had one
man undertaken such a task. It seemed impossible to ask of one man that he take
upon his shoulders the weight of the entire world. Yet that is precisely what
G-d had commanded of Noach. This lone man, already well advanced in age, was
not even allowed to share the burden of building the ark. All by himself, for
what must have seemed like endless years, he labored on this monumental
assignment. </span><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The job might have
been easier had Noach been a carpenter or an engineer. But Noach was none of
these. And so the elderly scholar was given specific instructions on how to
build the floating menagerie that would save the world. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Three hundred were to be its length, fifty cubits its width, and
thirty cubits its height,”</i> G-d commanded. So that the rain would slide off
the ship, G-d even taught Noach concerning the design of the roof. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Make it slanted,”</i> He ordered. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“In addition, place the door on the side,
and allow for three floors.”</i> All of the above seems understandable. The
only detail slightly incomprehensible was the directive to make a window for
the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Ark.</st1:state></st1:place> What
great sights did G-d wish Noach to see that would necessitate incorporating a
skylight into the <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ark</st1:place></st1:state>’s
structure? Was Noach really meant to sit, calm and tranquil, only to see the rest
of the world being destroyed before his eyes? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The <i>Ateres
Mordechai</i> poignantly explains the purpose of this window. The portal was to
serve as a symbol of man’s moral obligation to others. Noach was not allowed to
feel secure in his being spared from the terrible fate meted out to the rest of
humanity. Noach was enjoined to look outside to reflect and acknowledge G-d’s
kindness to himself and his family. At the same time he was not to feel
relieved at his own rescue and ignore the sorrow of others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">There is a beautiful
story of a man who, although not having great wealth himself was always willing
to share with others. Years passed and he was blessed with great prosperity.
Strangely enough, his success did not make him more charitable. Instead he
became insensitive to the needs of others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Realizing what had
happened; the man’s Rebbe and spiritual mentor came to visit his disciple in
his mansion. Taking the man over to the window that looked out to the street
that ran past the home, the Rebbe asked what the other saw. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Chaim the water carrier, Sarah the cleaning
lady, and Berel the peddler,”</i> came the reply. Leading him by the hand the
Rebbe took him to the mirror on the other side of the room and once again asked
him what he saw. This time the man replied, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Why,
myself.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Chassidic mentor
then inquired, if both the window and the mirror were made of glass, why did
they function so differently. After thinking it over for a moment the host
answered<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, “Because the mirror is covered
with silver in the back.”</i> The Rebbe then concluded with these instructive
words, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“When one is wrapped up in his own
self-worth and importance, it is difficult to see others. We must never shut
our eyes.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-91971230179404227532012-10-14T22:51:00.001-04:002012-10-14T22:57:28.010-04:00NOACH'S STANDARD (6:9)
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Noach's Standard </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">(6:9)</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 24pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">When the world was in its spiritual
infancy, Noach represented the ultimate in human. Not any more. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Noach's Standard </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">(6:9)</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 24pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">We've
all heard of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zohar</i></b>, or should I say the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Book of Splendor</i></b>, which for
centuries has illuminated the Torah and the lives of our people. Commenting on
the opening verse of this week's Biblical portion, <i>"Noach was a
righteous and perfect man in his generations"</i>, the Zohar says,<i>
"In <b>his</b> generation, but not in <b>other</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">s</b>, such as those of Abraham, Moses and David."</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">While
the comparison being made might an unfavorable, the very fact that the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zohar</i></b>
measures Noach's worth in relation to these particular three giants of history
implies that Noach's life included elements that were later to comprise the
uniqueness of the first Jew, the transmitter of Torah, and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Israel</st1:country></st1:place>'s first king. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Abraham
was born into a world that worshipped idols of wood and stone. Alone, he defied
the might of kings, the conventions of society and was prepared to sacrifice
his very life for his convictions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">But
there is more to life than standing up to an adversarial world. The Torah is
G-d's <i>“blueprint for creation,”</i> and outlines our mission in life, which is
to set the world upon its divine foundation. In the generation of Moses, the
relationship of man vis-à-vis his world entered a new phase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beginning with Abraham, the world was a force
that could be successfully resisted; beginning with Moses, it was a resource to
be developed. Before Sinai, the world was a challenge to the integrity of man;
after Sinai, the world was an opportunity waiting to evolve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Still,
even development is not enough, for the world is a finite thing and thus its
perfection is limited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ultimate
objective is not the civilization of earth, but its sanctification. In other
words, the aim is not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">human</i>
perfection, but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">divine</i> perfection. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
will be achieved by Moshiach, who will perfect the world as the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">kingdom</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">G-d</st1:placename></st1:place>, heralding an era in which, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“T<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">here
will be no hunger or war, no jealousy or rivalry... and the world's sole
occupation will be to know G-d.”</span></i> But this process was begun by
Moshiach's ancestor, King David.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
true meaning of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘king’ is not one who
merely rules over a people, but one who imbues their lives with the sovereignty
of G-d. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">That
explains why Moshiach<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is called “Son of
David” not only as a reference to his ancestry but also to imply that he<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>completes what David began,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the introduction of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a divine<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>perfection into creation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However great the achievements of Abraham,
Moses and David were, they all had their precedents in the life of Noach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Abraham, Noach retained his integrity in
an evil generation. In a time when <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“the
earth was filled with<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>violence,” </i>Noah
resisted their influence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Like
Moses, Noah set the foundations of a stabilized world and elicited G-d's
eternal covenant. And like the Messianic world, Noach's ark which included all
species, even those who naturally prey on each other, dwelled in perfect
harmony: A microcosmic precedent to a world in which <i>“the wolf shall dwell
with the lamb.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevertheless, Noach's righteousness does not
measure up to the achievements of Abraham, Moses and David.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abraham's confrontation with the world was
not over corruption, but over paganism and self-serving beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses stabilized the world not with a code
whose purpose is to civilize life, but with the Torah, whose purpose is to
serve G-d. And King David introduced a dimension of harmony into the world not
to ensure its continued existence, but to reveal the infinite harmony and
perfection of its Creator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
contrast, Noach only resisted wantonness. The world he established upon
emerging from the ark was a more stable world because it was founded on the
principles of fair play, not on a Divine Code of Morality. And the messianic
harmony that prevailed within the ark was strictly utilitarian. If the world
was to be rebuilt anew, the wolf and the lamb would have to learn to live with each
while cooped together on the ark. They did not<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>however intrinsically or fundamentally change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Torah does not wish to belittle Noach's greatness; on the contrary, in his day,
when the world was in its spiritual infancy, his achievements represented the
ultimate in human potential. Rather, the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zohar </i></b>wishes to tell us that after
the advances made by Abraham, Moses and King David, we must not limit ourselves
to the standard set by Noach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-15248666117430235432012-10-14T22:46:00.001-04:002012-10-14T22:47:41.340-04:00WE NEVER LOST POWER
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">W</span>E</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> N</span>EVER</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> L</span>OST</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> P</span>OWER</b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">After Hurricane Wilma, we were given our
own <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">B’reishis</span>; an opportunity
to light our darkened world. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">W</span>E</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> N</span>EVER</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> L</span>OST</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> P</span>OWER</b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
beginning of a new world: A blank slate with the chance to make a real
impact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Into that setting the first man
was placed with enormous opportunity. We, on the other hand, are stuck.
Hardened by habit; molded by the environment. If only we had the opportunity
that Adam had...but alas those heady days are long gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“In
the beginning...the world was in an astonishing state of void, emptiness, and
darkness.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Sound familiar? Seen your
neighborhood recently? Perhaps things haven’t changed all that much. Maybe our
prospects for good are no less incredible. That is what the Sages meant when
they taught that every person is obligated to feel as if, <i>“The world was
created for me.” </i>This is not pride or haughtiness, but a new opportunity
and greater responsibility. We are each given our own <i>B’reishis</i>; to fill
our present void and emptiness, to light our darkened world. <span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Since
Torah is a never-ending continuum, there arose a custom of homiletically
connecting the end of the Torah to its beginning. The Torah’s final words are, <i>“Never
again has there arisen in <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Israel</st1:country>
a prophet like Moses... as evidenced by the signs and wonders... and by the
awesome power that Moses performed before the eyes of all <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Israel</st1:country></st1:place>.” </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rashi explains: <i>“Before the eyes of all <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Israel</st1:country>”</i> refers to Moses shattering the two
Tablets after descending from <st1:place w:st="on">Mount Sinai</st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is on this note of seeming despair that
the Torah ends. The Torah then begins again with a more promising description of
the world’s creation. <span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Have
you ever noticed how little time it takes to destroy even the most majestic of
structures? It’s almost depressing. In come the wrecking crews, or the
hurricane, and in a matter of hours the work of years or even decades is laid
waste. While creation is a painstakingly slow and arduous process, destruction
is swift. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It’s
all very well to break down that which is faulty. And it’s true that the
breaking of the Tablets was the first step in recognizing our national sin. But
broken Tablets do not a life make. Subsequently, we must begin the painstaking
process of building anew. So immediately after the destruction of the Tablets
the Torah continues with, <i>“In the beginning, G-d created...”</i> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Rosh
Hashana may have brought to light some of our flaws, and hopefully Yom Kippur
breast-beatings, and Simchas Torah <i>Hakofos</i>-stompings shattered a few of
those.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Genesis promises us a new
beginning.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>But we, who
are so far removed from the world’s early years,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>can this truly be expected from us? Adam’s
two sons now, they must have had that clarity of mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what does the Torah say about Cain the
farmer and Abel the shepherd?<span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“And
it was <b>miketz yamim </b>(at the end of days), Cain brought an offering from
the produce of the land (<b>pishtan</b>-flax). Abel also brought an offering
from the first-born of his flock. Hashem accepted Abel’s offering, but not
Cain’s...” </span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the verses don’t explicitly reveal at
the <i>end of which days</i> this episode took place, the <i>Kli Yakar</i>
offers the following insight: The two brothers were at philosophical odds as to
what was the purpose of man’s life. Cain believed that there was no World to
Come. Success in <i>this</i> world was the sole measuring stick of man. He
therefore chose to work the earth as it represented the only reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abel, however believed that there was a
future world that offered another, and higher, reality. He thus chose to be a
shepherd, affording himself the solitude necessary for introspection and
personal growth. <span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>Cain,
true to his philosophy of life, had great difficulty spending his assets on
spiritual pursuits. The party of life was still going on. But, as he grew older
and began to slow down, or as the Torah formulates it, <i>“Miketz yamim,”</i>
as he was nearing the end of his life, <i>“Cain brought an offering.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, even at this point, what did he bring?
The cheaper produce, the <i>pishtan</i> (flax). In contrast, Abel brought his
best.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is fascinating to note that the last letter of each of the letters that spell
out the word <i>korbon</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(</span></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-hansi-font-family: David;">קרבן</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>)<i> </i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">/sacr</span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-language: HE;">ifice </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">(<i>koof’s</i> last letter is <i>pay</i>, the end of <i>reish</i>
is <i>shin</i>, of <i>beit</i> is <i>tof,</i> and of <i>nune</i> is <i>nune) </i>spe</span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-language: HE;">lls </span><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">pishtan </span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-hansi-font-family: David;">פשתן</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>)</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">/flax. Even at the <i>end</i>, Cain was only willing
to give from the bottom of the barrel. A case of too little, too late.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">One
Sukkot holiday, <st1:place w:st="on">South Florida</st1:place> was pummeled by
Hurricane Wilma. Damage, although not extreme, was extensive. While the
communities we live in were awash with downed trees, our little <i>shtetel </i>was
awash with kindness and sharing. Shared meals in hastily constructed <i>sukkahs</i>,
uplifting <i>hakafos</i> by candlelight, police cars offering us safe escort as
we walked home from evening services in the total darkness, congregants coming
together to<i> shlepp </i>heavy branche<i>s, farbrengens</i> by candlelight,
neighbors bringing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>lanterns, extra food,
even generators...all prove that we may have lost electricity, but <b>we never
lost our power</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">What
an auspicious beginning! From the very darkness produced by the hurricane,
light more brilliant than ever brought forth by FPL shone its way from people’s
hearts into other people’s homes. We gave our best, not our leftovers, and
definitely not our <i>pishtan</i>! Let’s build our universe together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-71977169909692943622012-10-14T22:45:00.003-04:002012-10-14T22:47:41.349-04:00DARWIN vs. SURVIVAL
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">D</span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">ARWIN</span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> vs. <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">S</span></span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">URVIVAL<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It’s<b> </b>more
than game or a roll of the dice.<b> </b></span></i><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">D</span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">ARWIN</span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> vs. <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">S</span></span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">URVIVAL<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">At first, it was nothing more than a game. Board games, like chess and
backgammon, which have been around for centuries, were simply for fun. Even
when card and dice games lured professional gamblers, most people still played
for leisure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then came professional
sports, and games became big business. Nonetheless, it was all part of the
entertainment industry. But one day the game left the living room and the
baseball field and entered into the research labs of mathematicians and theoretical
economists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“<b><i>Game Theory</i></b>” had been largely unnoticed until one of the
most brilliant minds of the 20th century, John von Neumann, realized that the
mathematical models used in economics did not mirror the way decisions are made
in the real world. Rational choice is not simply a matter of weighing
alternatives. Reactions and decisions by other people must also be taken into
account. Example: the Prisoner's Dilemma.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Imagine two people in jail. While there is insufficient evidence to
convict them on a serious charge; there is enough for a lesser offence. The
police therefore separate the two prisoners and make each the following
proposal: If you testify against the other, you will go free, and he will be
imprisoned for ten years. If he testifies and you stay silent, you will receive
ten years, and he will go free. If you both squeal, it’s five years each. If
you both stay silent, you will each be convicted of the lesser charge and face
a one year sentence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The paradox is that while the best outcome would be for both to remain
silent, <b>neither will opt for this strategy</b>. Since each is unable to know
if the other is ‘<i>dealing</i>’, they cannot take the risk of staying silent.
The Prisoner's Dilemma is remarkable because it shows that two people, both
acting rationally, will produce a result that is bad for both of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Yisroel
Robert. J. Aumann, the Israeli mathematician who attended the Rabbi Jacob
Joseph Yeshiva in <st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:placename>,
won the 2005 Nobel Prize in Economics for his work in<i> “conflict and
cooperation through game theory analysis.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In 1985, Aumann demonstrated that Game Theory has its origins in the
Talmud </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">(Kesubos
93a) </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">that
discusses dividing a late husband’s estate amongst his three wives. (<b>Note:</b>
This particular Mishna has puzzled Talmudic scholars for two millennia.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In short, Game Theory argues (quite convincingly) that individuals acting
in self-interest do not always produce positive results. In fact, the opposite
is true. When people learn to cooperate, instead of compete, it is advantageous
to all parties. But, as the Prisoner's Dilemma suggested, only after repeated
encounters would all concerned realize this. Thus, in the late 1970s a
competition was announced to find a computer program that generated the most
beneficial outcomes, in which the same opponents indeed met repeatedly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The winning program was devised by another Jew, Anatole Rapoport, who
conducted and composed music in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vienna</st1:place></st1:city>.
However, due to the rise of Nazism, he fled to <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country> and mathematical theory.
His winning entry called <b><i>Tit-for-Tat</i></b> was simple: it began by
cooperating, and then repeated the last move of its opponent. It worked on the
rule of, <i>“What you did to me, I will do to you,”</i> or <i>“measure for
measure.” </i>According to <i>Peace Magazine</i>, the program “punished the
other player for selfish behavior and rewarded for cooperation…This proved
exceptionally effective, quickly showing the other side the advantages of
cooperating. <i>It also set moral philosophers to proposing this as a workable
principle to use in real life interactions</i>.” (<b>No Joke:</b> His children
reported that he was a bad poker player. Any surprise there?)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Can there be such a thing as an <i>objective/scientific</i> basis for
morality? For some, the idea seems absurd. Morality is relative. Moral
judgments are not truths, but choices. Indeed, this was the accepted wisdom in
philosophy for over a century after Nietzsche had argued for the abandonment of
morality, which (parenthetically) he saw as the product of Judaism. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">But as Game Theory makes clear the moral principle of <i>measure for measure</i>
(in Hebrew, <i>middah k’neged middah</i>) actually works. This axiom can
actually be traced back all the way back to the Bible itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the covenant G-d made with Noah, He
declared, <i>“Whoever sheds the blood of man; by man shall his blood be shed.”</i>
This is simply retributive justice: <i>Tit-for-Tat</i>. In fact, at this point
the Torah does something very subtle. The six Hebrew words are a mirror image
of one another: [1] Who sheds [2] the blood [3] of man, [3] by man [2] shall
his blood [1] be shed. Here, <i>style</i> reflects <i>substance</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The ‘Game’ has a sequel. In 1989, another program, called <i>Generous,</i>
beat <i>Tit-for-Tat</i>. It overcame one weakness; a particularly nasty
opponent is likely to draw one into a potentially endless and destructive cycle
of retaliation, which is bad for both sides. <i>Generous</i> avoided this by
randomly but periodically forgetting the last move of its opponent, thus
allowing the relationship to begin again. What the programmer named <i>Generous</i>,
the Torah refers to as <i>Forgiveness</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Once again, there is a connection to Noah. After the Flood, G-d vowed, <i>“Although
the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; I will not destroy every
living thing as I have done.”</i> This is the principle of <i>Divine</i>
forgiveness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Morality is no longer just a ‘<i>nice</i>’ idea; science and reason
demand that we make it a part of our life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In one of the early works of Jewish philosophy, <i>Sefer Emunos v’Deos</i>
(<i>The Book of Beliefs and Opinions</i>), Rav Saadia Gaon </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">(882-942
C.E.) </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">explained that the truths of the Torah could be
established by reason. Why then was revelation necessary? Because it takes
humanity time to arrive at truth, and there are many slips and pitfalls along
the way. Therefore, long before the first game came along, G-d revealed various
moral truths that are the basis of His covenant with man: cooperation is as
necessary as competition, that cooperation depends on trust, that trust begets
justice, and that justice is incomplete without forgiveness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Darwin</span></st1:place></st1:city><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">
preached <i>Survival of the Fittest</i>. Morality guarantees <i>Survival for
the long</i>(<i>est</i>)<i> run</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-13675070136857607242012-10-14T22:45:00.001-04:002012-10-14T22:47:41.338-04:00THIS IS THE BOOK (5:1)
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">This is the Book </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">(5:1)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In a world where standards and morality
change swiftly, Bereshit remains vital. </span></i><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">This is the Book </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">(5:1)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
first book of the Torah is a perplexing compilation of stories about people. No
apparent master plan or blueprint of morality is readily discernable from its
contents. It does not prescribe a set of rules to live by, there are no “Ten
Commandments” within its pages, it is almost completely devoid of mitzvot -
divine ritual commandments - and the narrative details of the lives of its
heroes are incomplete and sometimes cryptic. As such, who needs the book? What
does it come to teach us? What is its purpose? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">All
of these questions are raised by Rashi in the opening paragraph to his immortal
commentary on Torah. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Said Rabbi
Yitzchak: The Torah should have begun from the first commandment regarding the
mitzvah of the New Moon!”</i> Rashi presents the answer that the Torah begins
with creation in order to impress us as to God’s control over the world’s
events and property and parcels out land to whomever He desires and has
assigned the <st1:placetype w:st="on">Land</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Israel</st1:placename> to the people of <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country>. But that does not answer
why all of the other narratives and stories appear in this holy book. In fact,
the entire book of Bereshit is an enigma. It tells us much but not all about
the founders of our people; it records historical events that shaped world
civilization but does not really place them in a true historical perspective;
and it certainly reveals almost nothing to us about the nature of the God of creation
and Israel. So, why the ‘Book’? <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">My
rabbinic teachers taught me many years ago that the secret of the entire book
of Bereshit lay in the simple understanding of the verse: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“This is the book of the generations of mankind.”</i> The Torah does
not come to define G-d; it leaves that to the theologians. The Torah does not
explain creation; it leaves that to the astrophysicists and geneticists. The
Torah comes to direct, counsel, guide and strengthen each and every individual
human being in that person’s journey through life and its vicissitudes.
Therefore, the Torah is devoted to personal detail about people’s lives. It
tells of human heroism and greatness, as well as recording the petty, violent
and dark side of our nature. But most importantly, it provides us with role
models, real heroes who inspire and challenge us to live up to our humanity and
to the service of our Creator. Each of the heroes, Abraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov,
Sarah, Rivka, Rochel, Leah, Yosef, Yehuda, etc., illustrates for us the unique
path in life that a Torah believer should follow. We become aware how to
overcome adversity, how to accept defeat and even tragedy, how to be positive
in a negative society, how to be God-centered in an earth-bound mortal body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is no wonder therefore that the Rabbis of the Talmud demanded that Jews ask of
themselves: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“When will my actions in life
reach the level of faith and performance of my original (Book of Bereshis)
forebearers?”</i> I may never be able to achieve or accomplish what Abraham and
Sarah did, but I am duty bound to measure my goals and attitudes in life
according to the goals and standards that they established for their
descendants, the people of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Israel</st1:country></st1:place>,
many millennia ago. And the establishment and explanation of those attitudes
and standards, as actually lived in the lives of these heroes, is the basic
message of the Book of Bereshit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In a world where standards and morality change
swiftly, where there are no fixed definitions of right and <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">eras.
The evil people bring destruction to civilization, no matter how enticing the
momentary enjoyment of that evil appears to society. The righteous person
preserves all humanity and brings eternal blessing to generations yet unborn.
Therefore each of us should write our own book of Bereshit, through our
behavior, our loyalty to Torah and its standards, our learning the lessons of
the original book of Bereshit. Then we will appreciate the true greatness of
this first book of the Torah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-42520637454983872992012-10-14T22:44:00.003-04:002012-10-14T22:47:41.346-04:00G-D IS NOT SPEAKING TO ME! (4:8)
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">G-d is not Speaking to Me! </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(4:8)</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">People always imagine G-d does not mean
them. </span></i><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">G-d is not Speaking to Me! </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(4:8)</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Kayin
and Hevel each brought sacrifices to G-d. G-d accepted Hevel’s offering, but
not Kayin’s offering. Kayin was very upset at this rejection. G-d inquired of
Kayin why he was so upset. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“If you will
do good (from now on and not be cheap in bringing future offerings - which is
why I rejected your offering) then you will be forgiven. But if you will not
improve, then the evil inclination will be with you forever. Its desire is toward
you, yet you can conquer it.”</i> This is the first lecture in ethical
improvement (in chassidic parlance, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">farbrengen</i>)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the history of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
very next verse says, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And Kayin said to
Hevel his brother. And it happened when they were in the field that Kayin rose
up against his brother Hevel and killed him.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The commentaries are bothered by an obvious
question. We are told that Kayin said something to his brother, but we are not
told what he said. What was the nature of this conversation? What did Kayin say
to Hevel before he killed him? <span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Ibn Ezra offers a very simple interpretation that fits in very well with the
flow of the pasukim. The Ibn Ezra explains that Kayin repeated to Hevel the
contents of G-d’s ethical lecture. He told Hevel what he heard from G-d, and
then proceeded to kill him. <span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
other words, Kayin’s reaction to the ‘mussar shmooze’ from G-d was that <i>“I
liked the lecture, but it has nothing to do with me! It does not apply to me.
Maybe I’ll try it out on my brother Hevel. He is the one who needs to hear this
chastisement.”</i> <span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">However,
Hevel did not accept the lesson from Kayin, and he therefore retorted, <i>“Kayin,
you have the wrong man.” </i>Then Kayin killed Hevel. This is the classic
response to every lecture, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“He is not talking
to me!”</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Sometimes
when I speak in certain places, I have great trepidation about what I am about
to say. I am afraid people will become offended. They might take my comments in
the wrong way and think that I am insulting them. But, invariably people tell
me, <i>“It was a great speech. It is a shame the people who should be hearing
it were not</i> <i>here.” </i>This is the classic response to every corrective
ethical lecture. The source is Kayin. <i>“G-d did not mean this lecture for
ME”.</i> (Keep in mind that there were only a very few people in the world at
that point.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Talmud says that if a Hebrew slave does not want to go free after six years, we
pierce his ear and say, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The ear that
heard on Sinai ‘they shall be My servants (and not servants to other servants)’
and ignored this exhortation, shall be pierced.”</i> But the question can be
asked, why should we pierce the ear lobe? That is not the part of the ear that
hears! If we wanted to make this an effective lesson, we should have pierced
the eardrum! What does the ear lobe have to do with hearing? <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
answer is that the purpose of the ear lobe is to funnel the sound. The eardrum
certainly heard the message at Sinai, but it was not directed correctly. The
direction of the message was deflected to someone else. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“This does not affect me. The message is meant for someone else.”</i>
That is not the fault of the eardrum; it is the fault of the ear lobe whose
function is to properly direct the message. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-25749702870096196602012-10-14T22:44:00.001-04:002012-10-14T22:47:41.341-04:00THEIR EYES WERE OPENED (3:7)
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">T</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 11pt;">HEIR </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">E</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 11pt;">YES</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> W</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 11pt;">ERE</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">O</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">PENED </span>(3:7)</b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">We are at our best when we are least aware of ourselves. Consciousness
is actually a sign that something is wrong.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">T</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 11pt;">HEIR </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">E</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 11pt;">YES</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> W</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 11pt;">ERE</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">O</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">PENED </span>(3:7)</b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The story of the world’s first sin -
eating the forbidden fruit - has impacted our lives; more than we realize and
for the worse. But what could be so terrible about a Tree of Knowledge? After
all isn’t education positive? The Bible also exposes their self-inflicted
damage: <i>“Their [Adam & Eve] eyes were opened!”</i> But isn’t that a good
thing?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Our ability to be conscious of ourselves
and others is what makes humans superior over all other creatures: so we are
informed. But doesn’t consciousness also suggest that we are disconnected from
the thing we are conscious of? Let me explain: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The natural universe (unless upset by man)
is seamlessly connected to its purpose. Observe the remarkable symmetry of the
natural order where each molecule plays its part in a complex mosaic that
complements each other and never wavers from its course. Even the animals seem
to be plugged into the Master Plan of the universe and live up to their raison
d’être. Humans, on the other hand, are conscious of themselves and thus often
disconnect from their purpose. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Consciousness then is actually a
misalignment. If you are conscious of the life coursing in your heart, it is a
sign that something is wrong with your heart. Health has no sensation. Only
when there is pain or illness do we feel something. Simply put: We are at our
best when we are least aware of ourselves. The truest experience is when you
feel completely immersed in the experience, to the extent in which one cannot
distinguish between oneself<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and the
experience. When you are “in the zone” so to speak, you have become <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">one</span> with the experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Before Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of
Knowledge they were seamless vehicles for their soul’s mission. Symmetry
existed between spirit and matter, between soul and body and between being and
purpose. That is why they felt no consciousness about their own nakedness and
sexuality (just like a newborn child).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">But all that changed when they ate from
the Tree. They became detached. Now there was an “I” and a “you,” a creature
and a Creator, a means and an end: which is only one step away from the means
becoming an end unto itself. By eating they gained ‘Knowledge’, but in turn
they lost their innocence. When their ‘eyes were opened’ a life of duality
began. Every experience now consists of the experience itself versus how we <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">experience</span> the experience. And
duality is but a small step towards duplicity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">History then forged a new path, one that
led man away from the Garden of Eden and all of its benefits. Now everything
would be an experience; most of them unpleasant; childbirth, relationships,
earning a living and, of course, death itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Imagine a machine not being used for what
its engineers intended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How long would
it function, if its purpose was <b>A</b>, and it was being used to accomplish <b>B</b>?
People are no different. If you are living a dichotomy, if you are disconnected
from your inner calling and your sense of self is separate from your sense of
purpose, then your love, your work, your children, your dreams, everything you
cherish and aspire to, will suffer from the dissonance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">As soon as we taste the knowledge of self
awareness, we stop just being alive: now we start to worry; now we begin to
die. At that point, our life activities - even the more beautiful and joyous -
are fraught with challenges and anxiety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Don’t believe me! Check out all psychiatrists’ couches bowed under by
analysis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">But man was not the only affected party.
Adam & Eve introduced a note of discord into the entire universe. As
"they opened their eyes,” they simultaneously opened the eyes of every
other creature </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(see Rashi on Bereishis,
3:6).</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> Now, for the first time, a created
being had asserted its own will, in defiance of the Divine. There was bound to
be a domino effect. The formerly docile animals developed angry and predatory
tendencies; the previously generous earth became contrary and unpredictable.
Previously synergetic organisms would now be forced to deal with conflict. From
that time on, there would be an element of tension between man and the animal
kingdom, between the sexes, between man and nature, between parents and
children, and perhaps most striking and most devastating of all, within the
body itself </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(All of the above are
mentioned in Bereishis 3:14-19).</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> When
Adam & Eve chose to set themselves apart from creation, to be independent
and liberated, it came at a cost, not only to themselves but to all of
creation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Each of us undergoes a similar transition,
from a pre-Tree of Knowledge artlessness to a post-Tree complex. This is easily
discerned in our journey from childhood to adulthood. Observe a young child and
you will get a sense of unself-conscious behavior. Though some feel that adult
life is superior to a naive childhood, the fact remains that we remain drawn to
the innocence and enchantment of our youth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
when one leaves his innocence behind and enters the adult years, then he had
better “open his eyes.” In a world deeply divided against itself and everyone
else in it, self awareness is suddenly a “healthy” and necessary state. Indeed,
it’s not only a prerequisite for survival in our dog-eat-dog culture, it is the
most vital tool we possess to reclaim our lost lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">True there are moments when we are
required, and able to achieve a unity with our inner voice that does not
require a state of self-awareness. At such times, we need not open our eyes,
because we just feel the experience in every fiber of our beings. This is why
we cover our eyes when we say the Shema and declare the Divine Unity that is
inherent in all of existence. When we are living in a dual universe we must
keep “our eyes open.” In a dark world (in which the blind often lead the blind)
it wouldn’t be very wise to close our eyes. But when we are immersed in the
most intimate experiences of our lives, when we connect in prayer or in love
with our Creator, when we throw ourselves totally into serving a Higher Cause,
we can have our eyes closed. That works wonders during davening, but would be
disastrous while transacting business. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">We read the Biblical story of the world’s
first sin, not as history, but as a lesson in our own fragmented lives. We
retell the tale of the birth of self-consciousness, so that our awareness of
our awareness serves as a wake-up call to help us regain our innocence and
seamlessly immerse ourselves in the purpose of our lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-42683303115319224312012-10-14T22:43:00.005-04:002012-10-14T22:47:41.348-04:00NOT EAT of ANY TREE (3:1)
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">N</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">OT</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> E</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">AT</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">of</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> A</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">NY</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">T</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">REE</span></b><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(3:1)</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The snake did not dare challenge G-d openly. But his
half-question was enough to sow doubts.</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">N</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">OT</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> E</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">AT</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">of</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> A</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">NY</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">T</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">REE</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i>(3:1)</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The snake said to the woman, “<i>Even if G-d said, ‘You
shall not eat of any <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">tree</b> of the
Garden.’” </i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">(3:1)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Why
is the snake’s statement not a complete sentence? Rabbi Nachum of Horodna
explained: It was once common that when the community needed to raise money for
some need, the community’s elders would announce in a town meeting that every
family must donate the equivalent of its expenditures for one Shabbat. If any
family did not donate the required amount, that family’s food would be deemed
to be non- kosher. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
method of fundraising was, of course, possible only so long as people observed
the mitzvah to obey the Sages, and only so long as people took seriously the
elders’ edict that food which was in fact kosher should be considered
non-kosher (even by its owner). Therefore, this system ceased to function when
people no longer had complete faith in the elders. <span style="mso-tab-count: 8;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Thus,
if someone wanted to oppose the elders’ decree, he did not have to challenge
the elders openly. It was enough for him to weaken people’s faith in the
elders, perhaps by raising his eyebrows when the elders spoke, perhaps by
winking at his neighbors mockingly, or perhaps by uttering a half-question, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Even if the elders did say, ‘It’s not
kosher’?”</i> He did not even need to finish his thought, and the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“So what?!”</i> could remain unspoken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
is why the snake’s question went unfinished. He did not dare to challenge G-d
openly, but even his half-question was enough to sow doubts in Eve’s mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
snake’s question may also be translated as follows: <i>“Did, perhaps, G-d say,
‘You shall not eat of any <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">tree</b> of
the Garden’?”</i> The above verse may be explained based on verse 6, where we
read, <i>“The woman perceived that the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">tree</b>
was good for eating.” How did she know? </i><span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span>Verse
1 reflects the cunning of the snake in asking whether Hashem had in fact
prohibited eating the trees of the Garden. Eve responded (in verse 2) that
Hashem permitted eating the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fruits</i> of
almost all trees and prohibited eating the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fruit</i>
of merely one tree, i.e., the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">eitz
ha’daat / tree of knowledge</i>. The implication was that, as for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">trees</i> themselves (i.e., the bark, trunk,
branches, etc.), Adam and Eve were permitted to eat these if they chose. To
prove her point, Eve proceeded to break off a piece of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">eitz ha’daat</i> (the tree itself) and chew on it, just as the snake
had hoped she would. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">According
to one opinion in the midrash, the<i> eitz ha’daat</i> was an etrog <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tree</i>, a tree whose wood, our Sages say,
has the same taste as the etrog <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fruit</i>.
This is how Eve knew, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“that the tree was
good for eating,”</i> and how the snake caused her to eat of the tree’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fruit</i> also.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-3338723589266761702012-10-14T22:43:00.003-04:002012-10-14T22:47:41.343-04:00ADAM. WHAT A NAME! (2:20)
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Adam. What a Name!</span></b><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(2:20)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">No matter how high man soars, if he makes the wrong
moves he comes back to what he really is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ADAM(a)</b>
- dust. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Adam. What a Name!</span></b><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(2:20)</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
find later in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">parsha</i> (Torah
portion) that, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Adam assigned names to
all the creatures... </i>(<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2:20</i>)” The
Medrash mentions that G-d challenged the Angels to name the creatures, but they
were unable. G-d showed them that man was greater than them, for Adam was able
to name all the creatures of the world. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Hebrew
names, unlike names in other languages, are not merely arbitrary unique labels.
Assigning Hebrew names to the animals was defining their very essence. The
Hebrew word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Shor”,</i> for example,
defines the physical and spiritual essence of what an ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ox’</i> is. This is true for all the other creatures of the world. This
is something the angels were incapable of providing. <span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Rav
Samson Raphael Hirsch relates the word ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">shem</i>’
[name] to ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sham</i>’ [there]. The
assignment of a name defines where a being exists spiritually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Medrash then relates that G-d asked Adam
to give himself a name and Adam responded that a fitting name for himself would
be Adam, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“For I was created from the
earth (adama).”</i><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Here,
seemingly, Adam failed. When it came to the ox, Adam was able to define his
physical and spiritual essence and give it the name ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">shor</i>’. He did not deal with the superficialities and the surface.
But when it came to his own name, it seems he just made a simple pun. I should
be called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ADAM</i> because I was created
from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ADAM</i>a. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Alter from Slabodka says this was a great insight on Adam’s part. The challenge
of man is to always remember that he comes from the ground. Man can indeed
achieve the highest level of spirituality. His wisdom may, in fact, be greater
than that of the Angels but it can all fall apart in a split second. Man is
very human and very frail, because ultimately he came from the dust of the
earth. <span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">No
matter how high man soars, if he makes the wrong moves he can come back to what
he really is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ADAM</i>(a) - dust. Behind
all his potential and greatness man is very earthy and earthly. <span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Many
question the choice of the Torah reading for the afternoon of Yom Kippur. In
the morning we read the Torah portion from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Acharei
Mos</i> describing the High Priest’s service in the Sanctuary and the Holy of
Holies. We soar, spiritually, at the description of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Temple</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Service</st1:placename></st1:place>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Yet
at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mincha</i> on Yom Kippur afternoon, we
read the chapter of the forbidden sexual liaisons. We are warned not to commit
incest and other forms of sexual immorality. We are even warned against
committing acts of bestiality. These acts are the lowest of the low. Is this
appropriate for Yom Kippur?! Could not the Rabbis find a more inspirational
Torah Reading than this? <span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
answer is that this is just what we need to hear on Yom Kippur. We should never
make the mistake that just because we are soaring in the clouds with the angels
that it cannot all come crashing down the day after Yom Kippur. In the final
analysis, we must always remember that we are physical, we are not angels.
There is a component of man that is very, very tied to this earth, with earthly
pleasures and earthly desires. <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
wisdom of Adam was to realize this and give himself a label by which he could
never think, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I am beyond that.”</i> It
is always feasible and always possible to slip back. We have temptations of
human beings and we must constantly be on guard against them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-87611679532285558492012-10-14T22:43:00.001-04:002012-10-14T22:47:41.353-04:00CREATION OF MAN: WAS IT “GOOD”? (1:27)
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt 3.0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Creation of Man:</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"> <b>Was it “Good”?</b></span><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(1:27)</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The tree, the bird, and the insect all reach their
potential on Day One. But Man still has to grow.</span></i><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt 3.0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt 3.0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Creation of Man:</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"> <b>Was it “Good”?</b></span><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(1:27)</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Concerning
the creation of all the species, the Torah writes, <i>“And G-d saw that it was
good.” </i>However when G-d creates Man we do not find this expression. There
is no <i>‘Ki Tov’</i> by the creation of Adam. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
insect gets a <i>‘Ki Tov’</i>. The elephant gets a <i>‘Ki Tov’</i>. Indeed,
every creature gets one. But Man, formed in G-d’s own Image, the top of the
pyramid, does not merit a <i>‘Ki Tov’</i>! <span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
<i>Sefer HaIkrim</i> by Rav Yosef Albo discusses this matter. When an insect is
created, it is possible to say, <i>“It is good.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So too, an apple tree. <i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>Concerning every creation in the world it
is possible to say these words and mean it. The reason why is that when an
elephant is created it has reached perfection. We do not expect anything more
from him: Similarly, with the apple tree. Thus everything as created is already
“Good,” except for <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Man.</st1:place></st1:state><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Regarding
the fellow blessed with brains, soul and freedom of choice, it is not merely
sufficient that he was created. That is merely the beginning. At that stage in
his development he is far from perfect. So we wait. Sometimes, we wait a
lifetime, before he reaches his full potential. <span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">What
a difference. The apple tree, the bird, and the insect all reach their
potential on Day One. But Man’s achievements are still waiting to blossom. That
is why we cannot say <i>“Ki Tov;”</i> hopefully after 120 years, but not on the
day of his creation. <span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Talmud says </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(Berachos 17a)</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> that when the Rabbis used to take leave of each
other, they gave themselves a blessing, <i>“You should see your world in your
lifetime” (Olamecha tireh b’chayecha).</i> What do these words mean? What kind
of blessing is this?<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<i>Olamecha</i>-your world” comes from the
root <i>he’elem</i> (that which is <i>hidden</i>). <i>He’elem </i>is the word
for potential. Therefore our Sages of old wished themselves and each other that
they should be able to see their own potential in their lifetime. <span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">A
similar thought exists in connection to the curses delivered by G-d after the
sin of the Tree of Knowledge. <b><i>“The earth will be cursed </i></b><i>because
of you; with pain you will eat from it, all the days of your life.” </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A careful reading of the text reveals that
while the curse <i>seems</i> to be directed to man, that he would have to work
hard for his sustenance, it is actually the earth that will be cursed. <span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
fact, the earth received the worst curse of all. If it is difficult to wrench
the fruits out from the land, then the earth cannot see its potential. Imagine
possessing the potential but having it suppressed and inaccessible. That is an
awesome curse. If this is true for the ground we walk upon, it is only more
relevant for mankind as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-91191753920254733072012-10-14T22:42:00.003-04:002012-10-14T22:47:41.355-04:00IT WAS “GOOD” (1:13)
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">It was “Good” </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">(1:13)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The All Powerful went out of His way to
leave something undone. This is why<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we
do not always immediately perceive the “good.” <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">It was “Good” </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">(1:13)</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The third day of Creation is the only day in
which the expression, <i>“G-d saw that it was good” </i>is mentioned twice.
This expression is mentioned both following the gathering of the waters which
divided the seas from the dry land, and following the sprouting of vegetation
and seed- bearing plants - both of which occurred on the third day of Creation.
<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">As
a result of the fact that Tuesday had a double portion of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“ki tov”</i> (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that it was good</i>),
Tuesday is considered a particularly fortuitous day of the week. Many people
specifically plan their wedding for this day. When moving into a new house,
many people plan to move on Tuesday. Many people try to start a new job on
Tuesday. <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
the other hand, on the second day of Creation, there is no mention at all of
the expression, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“That it was good.” </i>Rashi
comments that the reason “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ki tov</i>” is
not mentioned on the second day, is because the creation of the water (i.e. -
its assignment to the seas) was not completed until the third day. A value
judgment of “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ki tov</i>” could not be
pronounced until the work was complete. Therefore “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ki tov</i>” is mentioned twice on Tuesday - once in connection with the
completion of the water (which was started previously) and once in connection
with the vegetation (which was both started and completed on that same day). <span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">This,
however, begs for further explanation. G-d is all powerful. What does it mean
that, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“H<span style="display: none; mso-hide: all;">h</span>e did not complete the job on Monday?”</i> Why not?
Clearly, He does not become tired or run out of time. Rather, He purposely did
not finish the job on Monday. What is this trying to teach us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Shemen HaTov writes that the Holy One,
Blessed Be He, is teaching us a lesson through the events of Creation that we
as human beings must learn. This lesson is that, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“It’s not over, until it’s over.”</i> Sometimes things occur in life
and we do not see the benefit therein. Sometimes we do not understand exactly
what is happening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Sometimes
we will be able to understand what the event was really about, on the very next
day. Then we will see the benefit of the inexplicable occurrence of the
previous day. In the middle of creating the world, the All Powerful went out of
His way to leave something undone, to leave something with a question mark at
the end of the day, to leave something where the “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ki tov</i>” was not immediately apparent. The lesson is that “life”
follows the same pattern as the days of Creation. We do not always immediately
perceive the “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ki tov</i>”. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Life
would be much easier to live if within 24 hours we would immediately perceive
that elusive “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ki tov</i>”. Sometimes we
do not even understand events the following week or year. Sometimes we do not
even understand until the next lifetime. But the lesson of the delayed “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ki tov</i>” is that we should not expect to
always see immediate results and immediate outcomes. Sometimes the good does
not come until later. <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">G-d
disrupted the order of Creation, leaving something purposely unfinished, in
order to teach us this crucial lesson of life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-40224306833585605142012-10-14T22:42:00.001-04:002012-10-14T22:47:41.345-04:00CREATION IN THREE STEPS (1:3)
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Creation in Three Steps </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">(1:3)</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Man has the capacity not merely to adapt to his environment,
but to shape the world. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Creation in Three Steps </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">(1:3)</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Torah </span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">means <i>instruction</i> and <i>teaching</i>. The name
itself defines the Book. It is not a syllabus of ancient history, geography, or
old family tales. It is a Book of laws, guiding us as to proper conduct and
behavior. Torah answers not, <i>“How did we come to be?” </i>but, <i>“How shall
I live?”</i> Therefore, even a fact as fundamental as Creation does not, in and
of itself, justify its presence in the Torah. <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">How then are we to
understand the opening chapter of Genesis? One of Judaism’s more striking
propositions is that we, who are formed in G-d’s image, are called upon to
imitate Him. <i>“Be holy, for I, the L-rd your G-d, am holy.”</i> </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(Vayikra 19:2)</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Or
as the Sages put it: <i>Just as G-d is gracious, so you be gracious. Just as He
is merciful, so you be merciful.</i> The qualities that are attributed to G-d
must be cultivated by man. Implicit then in the first chapter of Genesis is
this momentous challenge: Just as G-d is <i>creative</i>, so you be <i>creative</i>.
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">In making man, G-d
endowed one creature with the capacity not merely to adapt to his environment,
but to adapt his environment to him; to shape the world that surrounds him. The
narrative of Creation tells us <i>how.</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">G-d said, <i>“Let
there be…and there was…and G-d saw that it was good. </i>Three small steps:
each on its own will not produce something greater than ourselves, but taken
together they offer the most comprehensive account of all successful
initiative.<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">G-d said, “Let
there be.”</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> What singles out man among
other animals is his ability to speak. Because we can communicate, we can share
with others our vision of a world different from the one that currently exists.
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Of course, we all
possess grandiose ideas. But how many of us conceal our brainchild for fear of
it being shot down as a pipedream? Imagined embarrassment has probably stifled
the inspiration of too many individuals who just did not have the boldness to
declare, <i>“Let there be...”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">All creativity
therefore begins with a dream articulated. This is why Judaism takes words so
seriously as the Book of Proverbs says, <i>“Life and death are in the power of
the tongue.”</i> But perhaps the wise Solomon was referring to the “<i>Life</i>
and <i>Death</i>” of any project that depends if we use our tongue or not.
Foreshadowed here, at the dawn of time, is the Biblical doctrine of Revelation;
G-d reveals Himself not in stars, wind, or storm, but through His sacred words
that invite us to be co-speakers in Creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><b><i><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“And there was.”</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> If the first stage of creation requires courage, the
second demands perseverance. It is one thing to suggest an idea, another to
execute it. Because between proposition and reality, lies struggle, opposition,
and the fickleness of the human will. It is all too easy, having tried and
failed, to conclude that ultimately nothing can be achieved, and that our
endeavor is destined to fail.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“And there was,”</span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> proves that though ‘creation’ is difficult and
fraught with setbacks, we are summoned to it as our essential human vocation.
There is a lovely Rabbinic phrase, <i>Machashvah tovah Hakodosh baruch Hu <b>mitztaraf
le-maaseh</b></i>. This is usually translated as, <i>“G-d considers a good
intention as if it were the deed.”</i> Let<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>us suggest a variant translation: <i>“When a human being has a good
intention, G-d joins in helping it become a deed,”</i> meaning - He gives us
the strength, if not today, then eventually, to turn our <b><i>maaseh - </i></b>our<b><i>
effort </i></b>into accomplishment.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Many philosophers
maintain that the human will is an illusion and the idea that we are what we
choose to be is a myth. Our lives, they argue, are determined by other factors;
genetically encoded instincts, economic or social forces, and conditioned
reflexes. Judaism is a protest against determinism. We are not pre-programmed
machines; we are persons, endowed with choice. Just as God is free, so we are
free,<i> “And there was,”</i> is a call to mankind to exercise that freedom. <span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“G-d saw that it
was good,”</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Nerve and effort,
however, will only get you so far, unless you integrate the lesson of stage
number three. In the course of counseling many young people (in trouble) and
couples (in trouble with each other), I discovered a common malaise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They, like you and me, had begun with hope,
ambitions, and aspirations. They did not want to fail. Their tragedy was that
no one ever told them that they were <i>good</i>. The other people in their lives
(parents, teachers, or spouses) always pointed out their flaws and failures.
They therefore lacked self-respect, and a sense of their own worth.<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Within all of us is
something positive, but which is all too easily injured, and only grows when
exposed to the sunlight of someone else’s recognition and praise. This is done
not by criticism but by searching out the good in others, and helping them
recognize it, and live it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Thus to <i>see</i> <i>good</i>
in someone else and to point it out is perhaps the most creative act we will
ever do. In the words of the Jerusalem Talmud, <i>“Greater is one who causes
others to do good than one who does good himself.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mark of a true creator - in true
imitation of the first Creator - is to give birth to the creativity in someone
else’s soul. That is what G-d does for us, and what He summons us to do for
others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266839848925360851.post-84705031670681517882012-10-14T22:41:00.003-04:002012-10-14T22:47:41.351-04:00THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE (1:3)
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">The Speaker of the House</span></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(1:3)</span></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We formally introduce the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE</span>, the one who
SPOKE and the universe came to be</span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;">The Speaker of the House</span></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(1:3)</span></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">After
all these years of utilizing the <b>Timeless Torah</b> venue and talking so
much about Him, I feel we ought to formally introduce Him. Of course, I refer to
the Speaker of the House. No not Newt Gingrich (update to Bill Frist or any
other politician occupying the post). I refer not to that Speaker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean the <b>SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE</b>, the
Man Upstairs, of whom the Bible says, He SPOKE and the universe came to
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">According
to our Sages, He actually SPOKE ten times for the entirety of Creation to unfold.
But how does something come into existence from mere words? For in fact, what
are words? Nothing really; at least not in the material sense. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Physically,
speech has no substance. It's a pattern of sound waves. Yet there is no
mistaking the power of the word. The simple word has the power to move you, to
inspire you, to utterly transform your perspective on reality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Nonetheless,
the Torah describes the creation of the world as a series of divine statements
as in, <i>“Let there be light.”</i> Thus if we wish to understand the nature of
the created reality, we must examine the phenomenon we call speech.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As speech, G-d's words did not actually
create anything of substance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All they
did was change a perception, change the manner in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>which the preexisting reality would be
perceived. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">When
G-d said, <i>"Let there be light"</i> nothing really happened, other
than the impact this had on us, the listeners, to whom it made a world of
difference. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Listener</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Say
something; any word or phrase. Say it again. As you quickly repeat your words
they spin into meaningless noises and lose their impact. Spoken words that are
not perceived by any listener have no effect. But say them again, this time to
someone who hasn't heard them yet, and they will regain their meaning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">If
G-d speaks a world into existence, then by definition, someone is listening. Someone
outside of Himself; ‘outside’ in the sense that he perceives his own reality as
something<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>separate from G-d's, failing
to comprehend that he is but the embodiment of the Divine desire that he exist.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Someone,
so far removed from G-d, that he<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>might
consider G-d to be nothing more than an idea, something to think about; or
someone who might question G-d's existence altogether.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone like <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Man.</st1:state></st1:place> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Language</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">You
hear someone speak. He is saying something very powerful; something with the
ability to enlighten you, to provoke you, to open new vistas before you. You
realize as much from the tone and timbre of his words. But you are unmoved for
he is speaking Chinese. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">For
the word to impact the listener, he must know the language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To appreciate the significance of the divine
speech we call <i>“universe”</i>, we must first acquire the language in which
it was spoken. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">"G-d
looked into the Torah and created the world."</span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can spend
a fruitful lifetime just listening to the tone and timbre of the galaxies He
articulated. But if you sense significance in the grandeur of the stars, if you
sense the whisperings of nature to be a communication, look to the Torah, the <i>dictionary</i>
of creation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
gave us the Torah in order to teach us the language of creation, to enable us
to comprehend His communication to us, and in turn, to communicate with Him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Conversation</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A conversation may sometimes serve no purpose
other than to convey the information contained in its words; directions to the
bank, the price of the dress in the window. But this is speech at its
shallowest. Meaningful speech is the endeavor to communicate, to reveal oneself
to another. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>G-d spoke to us so that we may understand
Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not just the world He said, but
Him, its speaker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By mastering the
language of Torah, we not only gain insight into the significance of the
created existence, we also enter into a heart-to-heart conversation with its
author, the <b>SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04665100067291629751noreply@blogger.com0