Questions & Answers Regarding War in Gaza

*Question:*

I am the only Jew in my office so I face a daily barrage of questions about
Israel's actions in Gaza. I don't know who appointed me as Israel's
spokesman and I am not armed with the answers. Can you help?

*Answer:*

At times like this, each one of us becomes an ambassador for Israel. Even if
you don't agree with everything Israel does, any decent person must stand up
for Israel's right to self-defense.

We can leave the military and political issues to the experts, but we should
all be clear on the moral questions raised by this war. Let's look at a few
of the most commonly asked questions.

*Q: How can Israel justify killing civilians if their intent is to crush
Hamas?

A:* The death of innocents is a tragic inevitability of war. Our hearts go
out to all those caught in the middle. The sad fact is that the Palestinian
people are being held hostage by Hamas. Just as it is clear that Hamas is
morally culpable for any harm done to Gilad Shalit, the Israeli hostage that
they hold, so too are they culpable for the fate of Palestinian innocents
amongst whom they hide. A civilian who is killed while being used by a
terrorist as a human shield is a victim of the terrorist, not the Israeli
army, who does not target innocent civilians.

*Q: Isn't Israel's response a bit disproportionate?

A:* If Israel were merely taking revenge, then it would need to be
proportionate. But Israel is waging a defensive war. Since when is war
proportionate? In war, you don't measure your response to the enemy by what
they have done to you in the past, but rather by what needs to be done to
stop them attacking in the future. Israel must destroy Hamas' capability to
continue shooting rockets at Israeli cities. Israel's actions are
proportionate to the present and future threat, not just the damage done in
the past.

*Q: Doesn't Israel understand that they are just creating more terrorists?
The anger and fury at Israel as a result of bombing Gaza will only make more
people want to join Hamas.

A:* Feelings of frustration, anger, fear and rage do not make you into
a terrorist. A culture of death and an education of hate does. Israel
doesn't need to do anything to create terrorists - Islamic extremism does
that - but Israel must act to destroy those who threaten its people.

*Q: Hamas indeed has a militant wing, but it also does a lot of good. They
are responsible for social programs, educational projects and humanitarian
work in Gaza. By destroying Hamas, Israel also destroys all the good they
do. Isn't that demonising a group that is not all bad?

A:* If a serial killer also happens to volunteer for his local hospital, has
donated money to an orphanage, and looks after his ailing grandmother, he is
still a serial killer, and should be treated as such. The danger he poses
far outweighs the concern for any good he may do.

*Q: By using violence, how is Israel any better than its terrorist enemies?

A:* That is as ridiculous as saying that a woman who fights off an attacker
is no better than her attacker. Israel would not touch Hamas if Hamas would
stop sending rockets and suicide bombers into Israel. Israel seeks to live
in peace with its neighbours; Hamas and its allies seek to destroy Israel,
no matter what Israel does.

For Hamas, war is holy. For Israel, war can never be holy. War may be
necessary, like when your citizens are being attacked unprovoked; war may be
moral, like when innocent lives are being threatened; but even then, war is
never holy.

There is a world of difference between a moral war and a holy war. A
moral soldier fights reluctantly, while holy warriors glory in the fight. A
moral soldier is burdened by the obligation, while holy warriors delight in
the pain inflicted on the enemy. A moral soldier fights when there is no
other option; a holy warrior seeks violence as a way of life. A moral
soldier takes measures to limit innocent casualties; a holy warrior seeks to
maximise them.

A holy warrior fears times of peace, because then he has no purpose. A moral
soldier dreams of a time when peace will reign. Then, the Israel Defense
Force will be made joyously redundant, as "one nation will not lift a sword
against another nation, and they will no longer learn to wage war".

Noah's Ark

Everything I Really Need to Know I Learned from Noah's Ark:

1) Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah build the ark.

2) Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone might ask you to do something really big.

3) Don't listen to critics. Do what has to be done.

4) Build on the high ground.

5) For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

6) Two heads are better than one.

7) Speed isn't always an advantage. The cheetahs were on board, but so was the snails.

8) If you can't fight or flee - float.

9) Take care of your animals as if they were the last ones on earth.

10) Remember: We're all in the same boat.

11) When the doo-doo gets really deep, don't sit there and complain - shovel!

12) Stay below deck during the storm.

13) Remember: The ark was built by amateurs & the Titanic was built by professionals.

14) If you have to start over, have a friend by your side.

15) Remember that the woodpeckers INSIDE are often a bigger threat than the storm outside.

16) No matter how bleak it looks, there's always a rainbow on the other side.

 

17) DON'T MISS THE BOAT!!!

 

 


 

 

 


For what impresses the world is not saintliness as much as strength, not character as much as courage, not piety as much as power.   Let our enemies think that we are all-powerful. As Akiva Eldar once put it in the Haaretz newspaper, "The Arab belief that the Jews rule the world has become one of Israel's most important deterrent factors, no less than its military strength.   The lunatic

idea that 6 million Jews dictate the policies of a superpower with 280 million inhabitants has contributed greatly to the decisions by Arab and Palestinian leaders, and even to that of the Arab League,  to accept – albeit with gritted teeth – the existence of the Jewish state.  When Anwar Sadat and King Hussein came to Jerusalem, they had at least one eye fixed on Washington."   Yes, let the Arab world think that we're all-powerful.  That's the only way they may somehow come to the realization that they're going to have to learn How to live with us.  And here in America, I'm sure there are some people who, when they read Vanity Fair, will have an upset stomach.  But do you think they would learn to love us if we were less successful?  Should we be less successful just to please them?  The Jews living in the shtetels of Eastern Europe were not successful, had no power. That didn't stop the Cossacks and others from destroying their homes and killing their families!  I've told you the story of someone sitting in a café in London on Feb. 28, 2001 reading the international Herald Tribune.  He couldn't get over the fact, in turning to the editorial page, five of the six columns were written by Jews: Richard Cohen, Stephen Rosenfeld, Robert Caplan, Ellen Goodman and Thomas Friedman. The sixth column was written by a South Korean by the name of Prof. Han Sung-Joo. Five Jews and a Joo!


It's true, with So many Jewish names in positions of prominence, it drives our enemies crazy. But you Know what?  It makes many of our friends feel good! And we Jews have many friends here in America.  Many of them believe that the Bible is the word of God.


And they take seriously – very seriously – the words of God's promise to Abraham when He said, "V'avorcha m'vorechacha u'mkalelcha oar – and I will bless them that bless thee and him that curseth thee I will curse." Those are very important words that God promised to Abraham; that those who will support the Jews will be blessed and those who curse us will be cursed.  You should know that it is this promise which forms the basis of much of The Evangelical Christian support for the State of Israel. Type in the words of this promise on an Internet search engine; type in Genesis 12:3 and you'll see how many Christian websites pop up.


If you are our friend, you'll be blessed … if you are against us you'll be cursed. It's one of the facts of history.  We speak of the "glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome." But that glory and grandeur soon departed after the Greeks and Romans turned against us.  Similarly, soon after Spain expelled its Jews, the sun began to set on the Spanish Empire.  And in modern times, the Iron Curtain Of Communism first began to fall when the Jews sought their freedom.  So let people Think we are blessed.  They just might be right … and they just might be blessed as well.  "I will bless them that bless thee and him that curseth thee I will curse."  On a majestic night nearly 4000 years ago, God promised our forefather Abraham that his people would be made in to a "great nation."  That pledge by the Almighty was Repeated to our forefathers and remains a solemn oath.  This month's Vanity Fair seems To indicate the pledge is being fulfilled in our day.  We are the most blessed generation in The last 2000 years of our people.


We should thank God for being that privileged generation that has an Israeli Air Force that could knock out Iraq's nuclear reactor and Syria's as well. We should thank God for living in this great country, the good old U.S. of A where a majority of the members of the New Establishment are Jewish.  "Hashem oz l'amo yitain. Hashem yevorach et amo bashalom. The Lord has given strength to His people. May He now bless us with peace." Amen.

 

Will Your Grandchildren Be Jewish?
By Aaron Moss
 

Question:

I fear for the future of the Jewish people. When I look at my family and where they are headed it is not very promising. My grandfather was a rabbi, but I am not sure my grandchildren will even be Jewish. What is the secret to keeping Judaism alive?

Answer:

I have yet to meet a Jew who doesn't proudly claim, "My grandfather was a rabbi." It seems that three generations ago everyone was a rabbi.

What they really mean is that their grandfather was an observant Jew. He probably had a beard, prayed every day, and was knowledgeable in Torah. He may have been a cobbler or merchant or baker, not a rabbi, but he was a committed Jew.

Anyone who identifies as Jewish today only need go back three or four generations to find observant Jews in their family. And from there an unbroken chain of Jewish living that goes back three thousand years. Not that everyone has always been observant. There were plenty of unobservant Jews. But we don't know their grandchildren. They have been lost to the Jewish community.

Jewishness without Jewish observance cannot last more than a couple of generations. Unless they return to living Jewishly, the children of unobservant Jews will stop being Jewish altogether and assimilate. A family of unobservant Jews will lose one or the other - either the Jewishness, or the unobservance. You can't have both.

This is not a new phenomenon. Throughout Jewish history there have been individuals and groups who tried to keep a Jewish identity without Jewish practice. It has never worked. A vague Jewish ethnic feeling, devoid of any spiritual purpose and with no compelling message that is relevant to life, cannot last long. Only proud and authentic Judaism, that offers relevance and meaning, direction and inspiration, will stand the test of time.

In the times of the Chanukah story, a small band of faithful Jews stood up against the vast majority of Jews who subscribed to Hellenism, the Greek way of life. We celebrate Chanukah today because we descend from the faithful few.

The solution to Jewish continuity is no secret, it's obvious. Living breathing Judaism produces living breathing Jews. Do for your grandchildren what your grandfather did for you - be a living example of what it means to live a vibrant Jewish life. They don't need their grandfather to be a rabbi, but they need him to be a proud and practicing Jew.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jewish Origins of Startrek
 
 
 
 
 
The Secret of the Dreidel 
 
 
 
 
By Yosef Y. Jacobson
 
Jean-Paul Sartre is sitting at a French cafe, revising his draft of Being and Nothingness. He says to the waitress, "I'd like a cup of coffee, please, with no cream."
 
The waitress replies, "I'm sorry, monsieur, but we're out of cream. How about with no milk?"
 
The Chanukah Game
 
There is a lovely tradition of playing dreidel during the festival of Chanukah.

What is a dreidel? It is a four-sided top, containing the four Hebrew letters of Nun, Gimmel, Heh and Shin. The four sides join to form a point, upon which the dreidel spins (1).

All Jewish customs contain profound spiritual meaning. Today we will discuss the deeper symbolism behind the dreidel game.
 
 
The Five Components
 
Jewish philosophy and mysticism teaches that human behavior is driven by four primary factors: ego, bodily urges, reason and a compulsion to destroy.

Each of us has an ego — a craving for power, self-dominance and self-determination. All of us experience incessant demands from our bodies. We all have the power of reason, the ability to try and make sense out of reality. And, each of us has a compulsion toward evil and destruction. For many of us, this impulse finds expression merely in a dream or a fleeting thought; for others, it is actualized in behavior.

This last impulse is unique in the sense that it rarely displays its genuinely disturbing face to the man who experiences it. Our compulsion toward evil usually disguises its demeanor behind the veil of the other three human qualities. It uses the ego, bodily needs or human reason as a means to explain and justify its abominable goals. Yet at the root of this urge is a simple craving toward evil and destruction, rooted in the human psyche.

Beneath these four familiar components of our personality lies a fifth and deeper dimension, known in Kabbalah as the "higher self," or the "inner self." This is the moral conscience of the human spirit — the spark of G‑d within us — that drives us to transcend ourselves and attemot to touch the truth of reality. This inner self inspires human idealism and reflects the goodness and integrity of its Creator.

If the four elements of the human engine are detached from the higher divine self, potentially each can become dangerous. A self-serving ego can drive us to destroy those who are standing in our way. Our bodily urges and temptations can plunge us into the abyss. Excessive self indulgence breeds addiction and chaos.

The power of reason on its own allows a person to rationalize any type of behavior and invalidate the world's moral boundaries. With reason alone we may justify cruelty and barbarism. Our rational and intellectual sophistication can even lead us to justify true evil: terrorists are turned into "frustrated militants" and human monsters who burn little children alive are judged as equals to their victims. Reason alone devoid of moral clarity can become dangerous.

Finally, our impulse toward evil may easily compel us to inflict suffering on innocent human beings.

On the other hand, if we open ourselves to the Divine essence of our personality and begin absorbing ts beautiful melodies, we can employ these four components as instruments for our spirituality and moral growth.

Our egos, bodily desires and power of reason may be used in a constructive and good fashion. Even our impulse to destroy can be used as a weapon to eradicate and destroy the evil within ourselves and to put an end to the evil within the world around us.

 
Four Empires
 
In Kabbalah, the microcosm reflects the macrocosm and vice versa. Thus, the Kabbalah explains that these four elements of the human psyche were represented by the four global empires that dominated the world in past history (2).

The first was the Babylonian Empire, notorious for its ambition of unbridled power and dominance. Its first king, Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed the first Temple in Jerusalem and exiled our people to Babylonia (present day Iraq), embodied the egotist par excellence (3).

Then came the Persian Empire, notorious for its incessant indulgence in hedonism and materialistic pleasures (4). Achashverosh, the Persian king and husband of Queen Esther, threw a party that lasted for 187 days (5)! Imagine a party that continues for six months straight…

The Greek Empire followed. Its contribution to civilization was the development of logic and philosophy. For the Greeks, the human mind was the zenith of existence.

Then came the Roman Empire. This empire was led mostly by cruel monarchs whose brutality often knew no limits. Rome destroyed the Second Temple, massacred millions of Jews and countless other innocent human beings, but perhaps most importantly, Rome turned brutality into a culture. The Gladiator, the height of Roman sports, was a chilling example of this.
 
After a Gladiator's defeat, if the crowd gave the signal for him to die there was a ritual to be observed. With one knee on the ground, the loser grasped the thigh of the victor, who, while holding the helmet or head of his opponent, plunged his sword into his neck or cut his throat depending on his weapon. To die well a Gladiator was not allowed to ask for mercy and was not allowed to scream when killed. If defeated but mortally wounded the Gladiator was not killed in front of the audience but was taken from the arena to be executed "humanely" with a hammer on the forehead in private.
 
Now, each of these four empires dominated the world, and astoundingly, each of them saw Judaism and its carriers as a threat to their very existence and success. Babylonia, Persia, Greece and Rome each declared war against the people of Israel, attempting to destroy them. Why where these mighty empires obsessed with a tiny minority, the Jews?
The answer is that to their minds, as to the many monarchs and rulers that would follow, the Jewish people represented the “fifth dimension,” which challenged the very way they perceived the objective of life. Hitler put it in these words: “Conscience is a Jewish invention. It is a blemish, like circumcision.”
 
The Jews throughout their entire history were obsessed with the question of right and wrong. They still are. (I know of no other group that is so critical of its behavior as the Jews.) Judaism taught that the most important thing for civilization is not self aggrandizement (Babylonia), nor indulgence (Persia), nor even logic and the pursuit of knowledge (Greece), and certainly not unbridled aggression (Rome), but rather the most critical component of society its unequivocal commitment to a universal morality, based on the presence of a living G‑d who cares about human behavior.
 
The Jews saw themselves as chosen to bestow upon human history the dignity of purpose and to refine and sublimate the ego (Babylonia), the body (Persia), logic itself (Greece) and the evil impulse (Rome) as instruments to serve the moral and spiritual cause.
According to the teachings of Jewish mysticism, one of the primary reasons for the Jewish people living im exile among these four empires was to gain insight and depth into the unique energy of these civilizations and then utilize them as instruments for serving G‑d, defined in Kabbalah as "elevating the sparks." But in the process, the clash was usually profound.  
The confrontation between Judaism and Ancient Greece can serve as a good example. The most influential thinker in Greece (and perhaps in all Western intellectual history) — none other than Aristotle — argued in his Politics (VII.16) that killing children was essential to the functioning of society. He wrote: "There must be a law that no imperfect or maimed child shall be brought up. And to avoid an excess in population, some children must be exposed . For a limit must be fixed to the population of the state."
 
Note the tone of his statement. Aristotle isn't saying "I like killing babies," but he is making a cold, rational calculation: over-population is dangerous; this is the most expedient way to keep it in check.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Plato wrote of this in his Symposium (178C): "I, for my part, am at a loss to say what greater blessing a man can have in earliest youth than an honorable lover ..."
 
 
 
 
The Greeks introduced into human consciousness an idea that the human being is the center of all things. The human mind and its ability to understand and observe and comprehend things rationally is the be-all-and-end-all. To the Jews, human beings were created in the image of God. To the Greeks, gods were made in the image of human beings. To the Jews, the physical world was something to be perfected and elevated spiritually. To the Greeks the physical world was perfect. To Greeks, what was beautiful was holy; to the Jews what was holy was beautiful.
Such disparate views were bound to clash.
 
 
 
 
 
 
And they did in the second century BCE. The Syrian-Greek empire sought to Hellenize Jews by force and put an end to the faith of Judaism. Women who allowed their sons to be circumcised were killed with their sons tied around their necks. The scholars of Israel were hounded, hunted down and killed. Jews who refused to eat pork or sacrifice hogs were tortured to death. The altars to Zeus and other pagan deities were erected in every village, and Jews of every area were forced to participate in the sacrificial services. Chanukah celebrates the victory of the Jewish way of life over the Greek one.
 
Spin Your Personality
 
Now we will appreciate the secret behind the dreidel.

The four sides of the dreidel represent the four dimensions of the human psyche: ego, body, reason and evil. This is reflected in the four Hebrew letters of Nun, Gimmel, Shin and Heh, which stand for the words Nefesh, Guf, Sechel and Hakol.

Nefesh, meaning self or identity, reflects the human ego. Guf, meaning body, represents all of the bodily urges and temptations. Sechel, which means reason, defines the human quest for knowledge and understanding (6). And finally, Hakol, which means everything, symbolizes the evil force in man, which, as mentioned above, will cloak itself in everything and anything to reach its goals.
 
The sharp, almost immeasurable point situated at the foundation of the dreidel, represents the fifth — and divine — component of the human spirit. This spark of infinity within us cannot be measured by space and time, and it serves as the foundation and quintessence of each human being, just as it serves as the foundation of the dreidel.

On Chanukah, celebrating the victory of the Jewish way of life over Greek Hellenism, the triumph of divine ethics over human esthetics, we are charged with the mission to kindle our inner G‑dly flame, represented by the Chanukah candles. Chanukah is therefore the opportune time for spinning our psychological four-sided dreidel on its point, directing the other four components of our personality and reorienting them as tools to express the pure love and spirituality of the soul (7).
 
 
 
~~~~~~~~
Footnotes:
1) These four letters stand for the Hebrew words "Nes Godal Hayah Sham," which means, "A Great Miracle Happened There."
2) See at length Ner Mitzvah by the Maharal of Prague and the many references noted there.
3) See Daniel 2:37-38; 7-4 and Ner Mitzvah ibid.
4) See Kedushin 72a and Ner Mitzvah ibid.
5) Esther chapter 1.
6) In the Holy Land the Shin is replaced by the Hebrew letter Pei. In light of the explanation of this essay, it may be that Pei stands for the word "philosophy," similar to the word "Sechel" in the Diaspora dreidel (thanks to my student Rabbi Yisroel Geisinsky for pointing this out to me).
7) This essay is based on the writings of the Maharal of Prague and the Chassidic Masters (Neir Mitzvah by the Maharal; Benei Yissachar Mammarei Kislev. Cf. Ketzurim V'Hearos L'Tanya by the Tzemach Tzedek to Tanya chapters 1-2).

 

 

 

Question:

My best friend just got engaged after only a month and a half of dating. She met the guy through the Jewish dating system, a Shidduch, and they are an amazingly well-suited couple. What I don't understand is, how after such a short while can they possibly know enough to decide to live with each other for the rest of their lives? It can take years to know that you have found the right one. I don't understand how people "just know" in as little as a month or two. Can you explain?

Answer:

A guy is sitting in a bar and a girl comes and sits down nearby. They catch each other's eye and smile.

The guy says "Hi, my name's Hank. Can I buy you a drink?"

The girl says, "Before you do that, I would like to know if you are thinking of marriage or just looking for something casual. I am ready to settle down and would rather not waste my time. Also, are you the family type? I really want to have a lot of kids. What are your values? Do you have strong beliefs and convictions? I do and I want to share them with my husband. I would also like to know what vision you have for your future. Once we get past this, we can start the small talk."

Hank goes back to watching the football.

But doesn't this woman have a point? Wouldn't it make sense to find out these things before starting a relationship? Isn't it silly to risk becoming emotionally attached to someone who is on a totally different page to you? If they aren't ready for marriage and you are, if they don't want a family and you do, if they don't have the same value system as yours, then why start going down a path that will only lead to heartache? Every relationship is a risk, but shouldn't the risk be a bit more calculated and a bit less random?

The problem is, in today's world of dating, it is completely uncool to discuss any of these heavy topics in the first 6 months of a relationship. But how stupid is that? You only face the real relationship issues once you are so entangled as to not be able to see clearly anymore.

The traditional Jewish dating system is different. Before you even meet, you find out the facts about each other. By speaking to a mutual friend or rabbi or some other trustworthy outsider, you can get a basic picture of a person without even laying eyes on them. Before ever seeing their face you can know what their values are, where they are going in life and whether they are on the same general page as you.

You only date someone who has the same values as you. You would only agree to meet someone who shares your beliefs, holds dear the same values, and has a similar list of priorities in life. 

Once you have all that information, the actual date is just to see if you click, if you can communicate, understand each other, like each other and are attracted to each other. Most of the big questions have already been answered, you already know that the fundamentals are there, on paper it's all good, now you need to see if there is a real connection. With the deeper issues out of the way, this doesn't take long.

And in this system, you only date for marriage. You will either become engaged, or go back to being complete strangers. No messy grey areas, no lingering attachments, no relationships without commitment, no drawn-out entanglements that are going nowhere, no random romances that were doomed from the start.

The Shidduch system is not perfect. But it's far better than any other dating system I have seen. It definitely beats sitting in a bar watching the football.

The Modern Jew
By Yosef Y. Jacobson
 

Lost

Here is a parable from Chassidic tradition:

A long time ago, a man who had been wandering through a forest for several days, not knowing the right way out, found himself at nightfall enveloped in the darkness of the woods. He was alone, frightened, and lost. Suddenly he saw a glimmer of light in the distance. His heart grew lighter as he caught sight of a traveler carrying a lantern who was slowly approaching him.  

“Well, now I shall certainly find out which is the right way out,” he thought.  When the two travelers neared one another, he asked the man with the lantern, “Tell me, which is the right way out of the woods? I’ve been roaming about in this forest for several days.”  

The man with the lantern said to him, “My friend, I do not know the way out, for I too have been wandering about in this forest for many days.  But one thing I can tell you, do not take the way I came. That way is not the way, for it will lead you astray.” He said to his fellow traveler, “Let us look for a new way together.”  

The Blessings


Isaac grows old and his eyes become dim. He expresses his desire to bless his beloved son Esau before he dies. While Esau goes off to hunt for his father's favorite food, Rebecca – the mother — dresses Jacob in Esau's clothes, covers his arms and neck with goatskins to simulate the feel of his hairier brother, prepares a similar dish and sends Jacob to his father with the food.

Jacob receives his father's blessings for "the dew of the heaven and the fat of the land" and mastery over his brother. Jacob, dressed in Esau's clothes, has taken Esau's blessing (1).

The absurdities of this story are numerous. One question cannot be ignored: Is this the proper way for a woman to behave, to contrive a scheme to outsmart her husband's planning? If Rebecca had a good reason as to why Esau was undeserving of his father's blessings, why couldn't she communicate it directly to Isaac? Why couldn't Rebecca "follow" the glorious old tradition of Jewish wives who commonly explain to their husbands how wrong they are?

Indeed, Rebecca had a good argument against granting the blessings to Esau, one that Isaac would certainly understand. The Bible attests that Jacob was "a wholesome man, a dweller of the tents of study," in contrast to his twin-brother Esau, who is described as a "skilled hunter, a man of the field (2)." Rebecca favors Jacob for good and just reasons. Esau — the hunter, the man who "despised his birthright" and had sold it for a dish of lentils (3) — was clearly a bodily and material human being, not destined to be the faithful follower of an invisible, transcendent G‑d. The Abrahamic covenant must surely pass through Jacob, the "wholesome man, a dweller in the tents."

Jacob's descendants became the nation of Israel, who granted the world the vision of ethical monotheism; while Esau fathered the Edomite nation and ultimately the Roman civilization with its culture of ruthless power and great material achievement (4).

So why would Rebecca not share this insight with her husband, instead of manipulating the situation?

The Future

Much ink has been spilled on the subject (Cf. the essay “The Identity Crisis of the Jew”). Today, let me share with you a moving idea by one of the spiritual masters of Jewish thought (5).

Rebecca, he suggests, knew that Jacob’s grandchildren may one day strip themselves of their grandfather’s garments, and don the cloths of Esau. The matriarch of Israel was aware that the day will come when the Jew might be compelled to replace Jacob’s dress with Esau’s: Inside he will be Jewish, but on the outside he will seek to appear and project like Esau.

Rebecca understood – as only a mother could understand – the confusion and ambivalence that will most certainly consume her descendants following thousands of years of a tumultuous history, singular in the annals of any people. Rebecca, in short, keenly grasped the identity crisis of the Jew in the modern era.

The Jew in the modern era has not found a way out of the forest of confusion that might lead him to a clearly patterned life of Jewish living and commitment. He does not know what kind of Jew to be. He has not decided what kind of synagogue he should belong to – Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructions, Renewal, Chasidic, or any at all. He is not certain whether he wants his children to receive an intense Jewish education, a “light” Jewish education, or no Jewish education at all. He has not made up his mind whether the people of Israel are really a chosen people, or if the Bible is, indeed, the word of G‑d; and he is not sure how Jewish he should be: Should he accept Sabbath and Kosher, or should he stick to Yom Kippur and Hanukkah? Should he be perturbed if his children intermarry, or should he embrace it?

In our era, many a Jew is not sure weather he is Jacob or Esau. Even more: he is not sure if there is difference between the brothers. From the perspective of their “garments,” viewing themselves externally, Jacob and Esau are identical: They eat the same, enjoy life the same, struggle to make money just the same, and feel the same in so many ways.       

Rebecca could have persuaded her husband to grant the blessings directly and straightforwardly to Jacob. But then, these powerful spiritual energies would have been transmitted to the Jacob of old, the Jacob who looked like Jacob from within and without; the wholesome Jacob, the dweller in tents. How about – thought Mother Rebecca – the Jacob who would one day in history become entrenched in the glittering embrace of secularism, and appear like Esau, would he or she be lost to the blessing? Would he or she become disconnected from our people?

Rebecca knew the answer: No! They too needed to receive the blessing; they needed it even more than the Jacob who was dressed like Jacob. Even the Jacob who looks just like Esau is an integral part of the covenant, of the legacy of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  


No Background?


A story:

One of the most extraordinary philanthropists in the Jewish world today is George Rohr from New York City. Mr. Rohr once met the Lubavitcher Rebbe on one occasion just after Rosh Hashanah. George thought it appropriate to present the Rebbe with a “spiritual” gift. For that Rosh Hashanah he set up a “beginners” service at his synagogue, the KJ synagogue, in Manhattan, and on Rosh Hashanah 120 unaffiliated Jews attended this new service. Mr. Rohr decided to announce this to the Rebbe and was sure the Rebbe would receive much delight from this good news. When his turn arrived, he confidently strode up to the Rebbe and said, “Thank G–d, this Rosh Hashanah we set up a beginners service in our shul and had 120 Jews with no Jewish background participate!”

Until that point the Rebbe had a broad smile on his face, but when Mr. Rohr told him the news, the Rebbe’s face dropped, and Mr. Rohr searched his words for anything he may have said that had upset the Rebbe.

“What?!” said the Rebbe.

George repeated, “…120 Jews with no Jewish background.”

“No Jewish background?” asked the Rebbe. “Go and tell those Jews that they are all children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…”

The moment Rebecca dressed her son Jacob in Esau’s clothes to receive Isaac’s blessings, she insured that the spark of Judaism, the essence of the Jewish soul, the fountain of Jewish faith, would remain embedded in the hear of every single Jew forever, even the Jew that so many others dismiss as merely an Esau. We must hold hands with each other hand and search to rediscover our lost path.

~~~~~~~

Footnotes:
1) Genesis ch. 27. 2) Ibid. 25:27. 3) ibid. 25:34. 4) Esau lived in the ancient country of Edom, or Idumaea, southeast of Israel. The relationship between Edom and Rome is a frequent theme in rabbinic literature and explained in Otzar Yisrael (Eisenstein), under the entry of Edom. 5) Chedushei Harim Parshas Toldos, by the first Gerer Rebbe, Rabbi Yitzchok Meir of Ger.





 

 

BeyondDistancing[1].pdf

 

Three Layers of Human Identity

 By Yosef Y. Jacobson

 

The Human Tree

“The human being is a tree of the field (1),” we read in this week’s Torah portion (Shoftim). In fact, the Jewish calendar reserves one day each year, the “New Year for Trees” on the 15th of Shevat, for us to contemplate our affinity with the botanical universe.

Why is the human being compared, in the biblical imagination, to a tree?

Roots, Body & Fruit

A tree’s primary components are: the roots, which anchor it to the ground and supply it with water and other nutrients; the trunk, branches and leaves that comprise its body; and the fruit, which is harvested and enjoyed by humans or animals and also contains the seeds through which the tree reproduces itself.

This is why the Torah compares us to trees, because a human being is also comprised of three components: roots, a body, and fruit. This comparison holds true on three levels: psychologically, chronologically and spiritually.

The roots of the tree, buried underground and mostly invisible, represent the subconscious layers of the human psyche, which are for the most part invisible.  Just like the roots of a tree, the composition, breadth and depth of the human subconscious are disguised and constitute the roots of all manifestations of the human self.

The body of the tree – the conspicuous manifestation of its roots — symbolizes the conscious personality of the human being, the way we describe our existence consciously to ourselves. It is the “person” you (think you) know.

The fruit of the tree – harvested and consumed by others – represent the impact we have on the lives of people around us; it embodies our ability to plant a seed in a fellow human being and see it sprout, grow and bear fruit.

 

Childhood, Adulthood & Leadership

On a chronological level, the roots represent the childhood years, when our subconscious convictions and feelings are being molded, which is why investing time and energy in children is the most noble and critical endeavor. A scratch on the trunk does not amount to much; a defect in the roots can impact the entire tree in dramatic ways. The significance of childhood is often invisible like roots of a tree, but it is the foundation of everything that comes later. Nurture those roots and your tree will be beautiful.

As we graduate childhood and become self-efficient humans, we are compared to the tall and projective trunk of the tree. At last we have emerged to become independent and self-standing adults.

Then, as we grow older and become leaders in our communities, as we marry, bear children and create something larger than ourselves, we begin to produce “fruit” that continue to procreate and impact generations to come.

 

Conviction, Study & Giving

 On a spiritual level, the roots represent faith, our source of nurture and perseverance. The trunk is the visible “body” of our spiritual lives — our intellectual, emotional and practical achievements; our study of Torah, observance of mitzvos and daily ethical activities. Finally, the fruit represents our power of spiritual procreation — the ability to influence others, to plant our seeds in their souls.

Faith, just like roots, constitutes the foundation of life (without roots, a tree cannot survive). Our belief in the essential spirituality and meaning of life is the foundation of our entire “tree.” From it stems the trunk of our understanding, from which branch out our feelings, motivations and deeds. Yet the true extent of faith is concealed from others and even from ourselves (2).

“The human being is a tree of the field.” We operate on three levels. There is who we are (the roots); who we think we are (the trunk), and who others think we are (the fruit). In a tree, the three components are integrated into a single, wholesome entity. Our job, the Torah is intimating, is to integrate the components of our “tree,” so that our roots, bodies and fruits become one (3).

 

 

Life Is Just a Pot of Cholent
Rabbi, I don't have time for spirituality
 
 

Question:

Rabbi, I appreciate your invitation to join your classes, but I just don't have time in my life for spirituality right now. My week is packed with work, family commitments, fitness and a little socialising and time to relax. I don't see where I can fit in spiritual activities. I don't want to burn out, do I?

Answer:

There was once a rabbi teaching a classroom full of students. He started his lesson by saying, "My dear students, today is our last class together before you graduate. For this special occasion I am going to do something different. I am going to teach you the secret of a good cholent."

The students were aghast. Cholent, the traditional Shabbos stew, is a classic of Jewish cooking, but hardly a profound subject for a rabbi to teach his students for their final lesson.

The rabbi took out a crockpot and filled it to the brim with potatoes. He then turned to his students and asked, "Tell me, now that I have filled the pot with potatoes - is the pot full?"

"Yes," his students replied, confused by the simplicity of the question, for there was no way to fit in any more potatoes into the pot.

With a smile the rabbi took out a bag of beans and poured it into the pot, and the beans managed to slip between the spaces among the potatoes. "Ok," said the rabbi, "now is the pot full?" Looking into the pot the students agreed that it was indeed full.

Without missing a beat the rabbi took out a bag of barley and poured it into the pot. The small kernels meandered effortlessly between the cracks and crevices among the potatoes and beans.

"Now it's full," said the students.

"Really?" said the rabbi, taking out his collection of spices. He then began shaking generous amounts of salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder all over the pot. The students watched dumbfounded as the spices easily settled into what had seemed to be a completely full pot.

The rabbi, obviously enjoying himself, asked again, "Is it full yet?"

Without waiting for the answer, the rabbi produced a jug of water and proceeded to pour its contents into the pot. To the amazement of his students, he was able to empty the entire jug of water into the pot without a drop spilling over the sides.

"Alright, " said the rabbi, a look of satisfaction on his face. "Now it really is full, right?" The students all nodded in agreement. "Are you sure?" prodded the rabbi., "Are you absolutely certain that I can't fit anything more into this pot?" Suddenly unsure of themselves, the students looked at each other nervously  and said, "Surely you can't put anything else into there!"

With drama and pathos, the rabbi raised a finger in the air, lowered it slowly and flicked a switch on the side of the pot, turning on the heating element lying beneath. "You see," said the rabbi triumphantly, "I just filled the pot with the most important ingredient of all - warmth. Without it, the pot may as well be empty."

The rabbi paused, and looked deeply into the eyes of his stunned students. "My children," he finally addressed them, "you are about to leave my class and go on to live busy lives. In the big world out there you will no longer have the luxury of studying holy texts all day. In time you will be consumed by the pressures of looking after a family and making a living. But always remember this: your material pursuits are just the potatoes and beans of life. Your spirituality, that is the warmth.

"Until the fire is turned on, the pot is full of disparate ingredients. It is the warmth that unites them all into one single stew.

"If you don't maintain a spiritual connection, through praying every day, studying the holy books, and keeping focused on the true meaning of your lives, then you will end up as a cold cholent - very busy, very full, but completely empty. When you have lost touch with your soul, your family life will suffer, your career will be unfulfilling, you won't even be motivated to exercise.

"But if you keep the fire burning in your soul, if you stick to a daily schedule that nourishes the spirit, even if it is only for a few minutes a day, then those few minutes will bring warmth and inspiration to all your other activities. A spiritual connection imbues your entire life with meaning, keeps you anchored and directed, inspired and motivated. It permeates all you do with a sense of purpose, and makes you succeed."

"You may be wondering," continued the rabbi, "how will you have time for all this? How will you be able to juggle the demands of material life along with your spiritual development? You will find the answer by looking at the cholent. Did you notice that though the pot seemed full of potatoes and beans, barley, spices and water, when I added the warmth it did not overflow? Never think that adding spirituality to your schedule will overburden you. On the contrary, it will bring everything else in your life together, because it will remind you why you do all these other things in the first place - you work in order to be able to live a life of meaning, you get married in order to bring the best out in yourself and your spouse, you have children in order to educate them in the ways of goodness, you keep fit in order to have the strength to fulfil your mission. Spirituality is the warmth that does not take up space, it creates more."

With a loving smile the rabbi concluded his farewell with words of wisdom that I think apply equally to you:

 "You should never think that you are so busy that you can't afford to concentrate on your soul. The truth is, you can't afford not to. May G‑d bless you, that each and every one of you should always be a warm pot of cholent."