tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86943537023889164242023-09-02T21:37:36.042-07:00Kabbalah NotesMoshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694353702388916424.post-23211326593881949292020-09-14T19:27:00.000-07:002020-09-14T19:27:48.481-07:00‘One More Year!’: G-d’s Mandate on Rosh Hashanah<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man
#1: What are you doing?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man
#2: I’m putting a yard sign in your lawn. I’m running for mayor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man
#1: Something’s wrong with your yard sign. Why is a piece of cheese cake floating
above your face?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man
#2: I did a survey. It turns out that people love cheese cake more than
anything else except their spouse – and in some cases more than their spouse.
Once I cover this town with yard signs, voters will associate their love of
cheesecake with my candidacy. I’ll win in a landslide!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man
#1: Shouldn’t people be voting for you because they like your ideas, your
10-point plan?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man
#2: I have a 10-point plan. See my brochure? Each point is a different color.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man
#1: It’s very colorful … You know, there’s another season happening now besides
election season. The High Holidays are just around the corner. G-d is, kind of,
running for reelection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man
#2: Really? I haven’t seen Him out here. What’s He running for? School Board?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man
#1: No, He’s running for king.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man
#2: Why does He have to run for king? You inherit that office by birth. I saw
this on <i>Netflix</i>. The king was coughing up blood, then he got real sick
and died. His oldest daughter, who was only like 20 or something, became queen automatically.
She got a crown fit to her head and her own credit cards and a Mazda.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man
#1: On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish people must willingly accept G-d’s commands
before <i>His </i>Will to be King is revealed for the new year. By renewing our
commitment to be His loyal subjects, we crown Him King once again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man
#2: But a king doesn’t need the love and admiration of the voters to rule. If
you’re king and you decree that everybody has to wear earmuffs, even in the
summer, and ban split pea soup throughout the kingdom, nobody can impeach you. The
electorate just has to take it. Tough beans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man:
#1: But you’re not describing a king. What you’re talking about is a dictator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man
#2: Look, I’m not giving a civics class. King’s are fat; dictator’s have
mustaches. Otherwise, we’re splitting atoms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 347.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man #1: You mean hairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 347.1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 347.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man #2: Yeah, hairs to the throne.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 347.1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 347.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man: #1: A dictator rules without the love
of the people. He forces them to do what he wants even if what he’s asking of
them is totally disdainful. A king, on the other hand, is loved by his
subjects. They want to do what he asks of them. They want to be his subjects,
and they want him to be their king. His will is their will.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 347.1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 347.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man #2: Well, now that you mention it, on
that <i>Netflix</i> show the queen was awfully sensitive to how the people
thought of her. She was giving these really lousy speeches at first. Then this
editor comes around and tells her to stop sounding like a snobby so-and-so and
start quoting Led Zeppelin songs in her talks and stuff like that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 347.1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 347.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man #1: G-d wants us to serve Him – out of
His love for us. He doesn’t want to dominate us like an autocrat. A dictator’s
subjects live in fear. They fear the dictator as a dog fears a stick. The
king’s subjects also fear him but with a fear based on will and reason better
described as “reverence.” When we love the King, and want to serve Him and even
know Him, the King responds as our loving sovereign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 347.1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 347.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man #2: Well, I guess that’ll work until He
runs again. For me that won’t be for another four years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 347.1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 347.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man #1: But you have to win <i>this </i>election
first.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 347.1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 347.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man #2: I’m confident. I’ve raised the
most money, I’ve done the most polling and I have the best yard signs. Now it’s
just a matter of watching the votes come in and moving my favorite knick-knacks
into City Hall. What I'm going to have, in the tradition of Abe Lincoln, is a “government of
the people, by the people, for the people” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">– just like it said
on Lincoln’s bumper stickers.</span></div>Moshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694353702388916424.post-92029486450285617052020-07-22T12:49:00.000-07:002020-07-23T12:06:07.916-07:00Change the World<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I waded through the crowd clutching my
Tefillin bag, searching for someone to put Tefillin </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0.5in;">on</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">. The demonstrators were
protesting a Mexican restaurant caught selling unsustainable tacos.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Hey, Rabbi, where’s your sign?” a boy
shouted at me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Let’s see what <i>your</i> sign says: ‘Sustainability.
Renewability. More Hot Sauce.’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“You look familiar,” the boy said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I’m Rabbi Isaac Zilbershtein, the
spiritual leader of Congregation Bnei Jacob Yankel here in Laredo, and the
director of the Charles and Edna T. Zohar Kabbalah Center of South Laredo.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I’m Gary Weinstock, activist and friend
of the golden hamster.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I see you’re inspired by environmental
causes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Not really. I’m just doing this as a
favor for a friend who hates tacos. What really gets me going is technology.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“You think it’s evil?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Yes. Like how on Gmail they group emails
together. You get an email from your friend Steve, and the the next thing you know you're talking about your rash with his </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Aunt Ida. Or on Facebook how they try to get you to make friends with
some guy you’ve never seen before who reminds you of your cousin Finbar, the one who has the nasal spray addiction. I want to lead a revolution against such tyranny. I want to
change the world.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Would you like to change the world right
now?” I asked him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Do I have to give up tacos?” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“No, just put on these Tefillin.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“OK, but how’s that going to change the
world?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Put them on, then I’ll explain.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I began wrapping the black leather strap
around his left arm. Just as he finished saying the <i>Shema</i> prayer, we
heard a terrifying crash. We rushed over and found a statue of the inventor of
the taco, Juan Ortega Bell, lying on the ground in pieces, toppled by some of
the more zealous protesters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We were the only ones there. All the
other protesters (and rabbis, if there were any) had fled. As I looked down at
the face of the taco’s creator, I heard the wail of a police car grow louder
and louder. Two policemen wearing sunglasses, one skinny, one burly, burst out of a police car and snapped handcuffs on our wrists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Back in the car, the skinny cop
said wistfully, “I remember when I was a little boy, I would climb up that
statue and rub his nose for extra tacos.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The burly cop read us our Miranda rights.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You have the right to remain
silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law …”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yes, with my luck,” Gary moaned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Don’t
worry, G-d will find a way to lift us out of our predicament,” I assured him.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> “Hey, you never told me how putting
on Tefillin can change the world,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Before you were born you were given a G-dly
Soul and an Animal Soul,” I began.</span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0px;">“</span>The G-dly Soul was sent down here to transform
the world into a holy place. But the G-dly Soul can’t change the world by simply
waving a wand.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Why not? It worked for Harry
Potter,” Gary pointed out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You see, the G-dly Soul is housed
within the Animal Soul and the body. To do a Mitzvah, like wearing Tefillin, lighting
Shabbos Candles or eating Matzah the night of Passover, the G-dly Soul must employ
the power of the body. And to harness the body’s power, the G-dly Soul must enlist
the Animal Soul, which animates the body.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“So what do the body and the animal
soul gain from the Mitzvah?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“The divinity of the Mitzvah descends
on the Animal Soul and the body, as they put on Tefillin or light Shabbos Candles.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We arrived at the police station.
The burly policeman put us in the same cell, where Gary and I continued our
conversation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“OK, the Animal Soul and the body are
affected when someone does a Mitzvah, but how does that change the world?” Gary
asked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“The G-dliness introduced into the
physical word by the performance of Mitzvahs throughout history will become
revealed in the era of Mashiach,” I explained. “Then the material world and its
resources, through which all 613 Mitzvahs were accomplished, will be transformed
to good and remade into a dwelling place for G-d.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Just then a young woman entered the
station. She had taken a video of the whole taco desecration: the fall of the statue;
the protestors leaving; Gary and I arriving on the scene. She had heard of our
arrest and was kind enough to come and testify to our innocence. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The policemen, now realizing
what had happened, told us we could go free.</span> I called the musical director
of my synagogue, Cantor Wasserman, to pick us up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cantor Wasserman dropped Gary off
first. Gary started up the walkway to his parents’ house then turned around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Rabbi, I promise I’ll do all 613
Mitzvahs before I see you again,” he declared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Gary,” I said, “I have a saying. Change
the world one Mitzvah at a time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Folks, it’s time to say goodbye. I
think we all learned something from our little adventure. Gary learned that
there’s another way to generate change. I learned that I shouldn’t get excited
every time a statue falls. And the police learned that above them is “an eye
that sees” (Ethics of the Fathers 2:1). Well, that’s the whole enchilada. I mean,
the whole taco.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Moshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694353702388916424.post-76160775277573605402020-06-11T13:23:00.003-07:002021-03-23T22:01:20.548-07:00G-d of Corona<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Two men wearing surgical masks are sitting
on a bench outside a suburban Walmart. One man sits next to a shopping bag
containing a large box of disinfecting wipes, a bottle of Lysol, 48 Ultra
Strong Super Mega Rolls of toilet paper and a copy of the CDC’s “Coronavirus
Disease (COVID 19) Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces,
Workplaces, Businesses, Schools, and Homes.” The other man has a bag holding
three 63-liter bottles of Mountain Dew, a large pouch of Crispy M&M’s and
the current issue of “Guns and Ammo.” They are sitting 4-and-a-half feet apart.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: Do you know who’s responsible for this virus? The Devil ... Do you want
some Mountain Dew?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: No thanks. I say it’s G-d.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: What? The deaths, the unemployment, these stupid masks. They’re from G-d?
No bad comes from G-d. G-d is Good. That’s why he’s called G-d. The Devil is
Evil. That’s why we call him the Devil. And Beelzebub … Well … Can you think of
a more evil-sounding name than that?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: I still say it’s G-d. G-d created the world. He’s responsible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: That doesn’t prove anything. Let’s say you’re the owner of Walmart. Someone
was trying out some patio furniture at one of your stores, and they fell off
and landed on their face and broke their nose. Now is that Joe Walmart’s fault?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: I think he’d probably lose a lawsuit. It happened in his store.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: “<i>Probably</i> lose.” Maybe it’s the patio furniture manufacturer’s fault
– faulty furniture. Maybe the guy who fell off has done this before in other
stores. He could be some kind of professional klutz. See, G-d created the “store,”
but that doesn’t mean that everything that happens here is His fault. In most
of these cases you’ll find that the Devil was involved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: Okay, suppose you build Walmarts. You just finished building the premier
Walmart in the United States. One night the whole store – the walls and the
ceiling – collapses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: And the sinks explode … I mean it’s a better effect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: Now you’re responsible. You designed the store. You put it together bolt by
bolt, all by yourself. See ya in court!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: Well, suppose someone slipped me some faulty bolts. Maybe a phantom<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tornado flattened the store. Or the Devil
himself huffed and puffed and blew the Walmart down. Just because I made the
store that doesn’t mean I’m responsible when there’s a calamity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: So you’re saying G-d isn’t responsible for the world He made.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: G-d created the world then left us in charge. Or He at least left some
flexibility. Evil, for example, is its own separate branch – like the Congress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: All right ... You’re making that Walmart. You want to do it right this
time. You make your own bolts. Not only do you make the bolts but you give them
existence. You create them from nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: That’s impossible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: Maybe for you, but not for G-d. G-d made the world but not like how you or
I make a Walmart. Before He created the world there was no world. Only G-d
existed. To create the world he had to make it exist. He made something that
wasn’t there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: Wait a minute. I’m making a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. I got
my bread, my jar of Skippy and a good-looking banana. Now, if I made this
sandwich like G-d made the world, you’re saying I’d have to create all the
ingredients out of thin air? Man, that’s tough. That’s not even wholesale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: And that’s not all. When someone builds a Walmart, he can walk away once
he’s done. A creation constructed from already existing materials can stand on
its own. G-d, on the other hand, can’t just leave <i>His </i>Creation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: Why not?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: Because if He did, it would no longer exist. He made it from nothing. He
has to keep re-creating the world for it to continue existing. If he takes His
“hand” off for one moment, the whole Creation reverts to nothingness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: So what does that have to do with Mr. D?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: Mr. Dalrymple?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: No, the Devil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: Since G-d’s control over the world – as Creator and never-ceasing
re-Creator – is total, no creature enjoys true independence. Everything that
happens in the world happens because <i>G-d</i> makes it happen. The Devil
can’t cook up any evil by himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: Hold on a second. G-d is good. Are you with me on that?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: Yeah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: How does bad come from G-d if He’s good?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: Whatever G-d does is for the good. The good might not be revealed to us
now, but even evil is ultimately for the good. G-d created light and dark.
Revelation and concealment. He employed both to create the world and to shape
its destiny. In the end, concealment will beget revelation, darkness will
become light. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: Now that we’ve defanged the Devil, what are we going to do about these
masks?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: I’m going to keep my mask on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#1: I’m taking mine off … Want some M&M’s?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Man
#2: No thanks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Moshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694353702388916424.post-66197907089047156302019-11-24T16:32:00.000-08:002020-05-16T22:22:38.533-07:00Letter From Crown Heights: The High Holidays 5780<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rosh Hashanah</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“<i>L’Shana tova tikaseiv v’seichaseim</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“<i>L’Shana tova tikaseiv v’seichaseim</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We exchanged the traditional Rosh
Hashanah night blessing: “May you be written and sealed for a good year.” I
said it to whomever I saw as I made my way out of the Frankel Shul – even to
the Israeli guy who usually scowled at me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">According to the Torah, G-d writes the
contract for the new year that night, at least for some people, such as <i>tzaddikim</i>,
the righteous. It’s sort of like winning the World Series after the first game.
After the first night of Rosh Hashanah we no longer wish each other to be
signed and sealed for a good year because the signing has already begun and is only
pending the final seal. Instead we say, “<i>G’mar chassimah tova</i>” (“May you
have a good final sealing.”)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I saw my friend, Gavriel Greenberg, and
wished him the first night blessing with an outstretched hand. I improvised a
follow-up blessing. Not wanting to say something trite to my good friend and
sports addict, I said something silly instead: “May all your teams be winners
this year.” I got a reply in kind: “Hey, don’t give up on your Chiefs, Moish. I
still think they’re going all the way this year.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">On Rosh Hashanah we’re enjoined to keep idle
talk to a minimum. Not only were thoughts of touchdown passes now in my head,
but I had become Gavriel’s Rosh Hashanah enabler. Just then young Chaim
Horowitz, a consummate Yankees fan, passed by Gavriel, well into a full sports
monologue. Chaim, who would have been talking incessantly with Gavriel about
baseball had this been a regular Shabbos or holiday, just looked at him and
shook his head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Signed, sealed and delivered, or not, the
lengthy daytime praying started the next morning at 9:30 … Standing with my shoes
together, head bent down and the Rosh Hashanah prayer book close to my face, I
started praying the Rosh Hashanah <i>Shemoneh Esrei </i>(Amidah) prayer quietly
to myself: “… instill fear of You over all You have made … all the created
beings will<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>prostrate themselves before
You, and they all will form a single band to carry out Your will with a perfect
heart.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It gets me every time. On the day in
which we accept G-d as King over us (the Jewish people), we pray that the <i>whole
world</i> bow down in awe before Him, revealed in all His splendor. The world the
Rosh Hashanah <i>Shemoneh Esrei</i> depicts is no less than the Days of Mashiach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">… The scene shifted. Quiet anticipation, a
hush, descended. Attention turned to the center of the shul for the Mitzvah of
the Day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Standing at the <i>bima</i>, the <i>Baal
Tekiah </i>(Shofar blower), white <i>tallis</i> wrapped around his medium frame,
pronounced Psalm 47 – “… All you nations join hands – sound the shofar to G-d
with a cry of joy …” – seven times in his throaty voice with the congregation
joining in. Eight more verses were said in unison.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The <i>Baal Tekiah</i> then made two blessings
and sounded the Shofar: “<i>tekiah-shevarim-teruah-tekiah </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Shofar blowing man, Phivel
Caplan, blew loud, long and clear, making holy sound in physical space. The
Frankel Shul, like the ocean, holds treasures that no one besides its members
sees. Phivel is the whale shark of our ocean: a humble guy, serious about Torah
law, generous to those in need, with the lung capacity of Louis Armstrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yom Kippur<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before we began praying <i>Shacharis</i>,
the morning service, the rabbi led us in singing “<i>Avinu Malkeinu</i>” (“Our
Father, Our King”): “Our Father, our King, we have no King. We have no King but
You.” Those words are what Yom Kippur is all about – returning to the essential
point, the one nation reuniting with the One G-d.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">… Yossie Blumenfeld, the shul caretaker, sitting
next to a stack of folded bath towels in a clothes basket, tossed a towel to
everybody at our table, like a dutiful gym teacher, for us to bow down on. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Temple on Yom Kippur the Jews would prostrate
themselves to G-d whenever they heard the <i>Kohen Gadol</i> (High Priest]
pronounce the Divine Name. We, too, bowed four times, three when the prayer
book described the Temple prostrating and once in the <i>Aleinu </i>prayer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The prostrating was a two-step process.
First, I got down on my knees, landing on the towel I had spread out in front
of me; then I bent forward, my forehead touching the floor (without the
intervention of a bath towel). To make contact on the floor with my forehead, I
had to lift the brim of my hat at the last second.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After we finished prostrating, the praying
continued throughout the afternoon and into evening: 80 men praying and fasting
for 10 hours – in addition to the praying-fasting the night before starting at
sundown – with only one break. Like a team of astronauts traveling together in
a tight compartment, we remained in the Frankel Shul until our mission –
securing atonement for our transgressions – was completed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Finally, we could see through the
windows it was dark out. According to the clock, Yom Kippur was over. Confident
the Heavenly Court had reached a verdict of “Not Guilty,” we danced around the <i>bima</i>
singing Napoleon’s March, the tune we used to sing at the conclusion of Yom
Kippur in 770 with the Rebbe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I pictured that scene: The Rebbe has
climbed to the top of a step ladder perched on top of a raised platform so
people can see him. Dressed in a special white robe for Yom Kippur, called a <i>kittel</i>,
covered by a white <i>tallis</i>, the Rebbe sways to the singing, clapping his
hands, as the singing builds to a crescendo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Our Father, our King. We have no King.
We have no King but You.” May the king, King Mashiach, be revealed now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sukkos<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It was 7:00 am, and I was going to
bed. I had spent the last six hours reading Psalms out loud – make that <i>all</i>
of the 150 psalms in King David’s Book of Psalms. It took me that long because
I’m a slow reader, at least of Hebrew. Those tiny marks, called <i>nekudos</i>,
which vowelize the Hebrew consonants, slow me down. Actually, I don’t know why
I read so slowly. Once when I was in elementary school, my friend
Jerry Esrig’s grandfather tested our Hebrew reading speed. Jerry blew me away.
I guess I never recovered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I had been saying Psalms in the shul,
starting at midnight, because that’s what we do on Hoshana Rabbah night. You
see, even after Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Repentance and Yom Kippur, there’s
still one more day of judgement on the final day of Sukkos – Hoshana Rabbah. I
guess a more positive way of looking at it is that G-d keeps giving us chances
to repent. (According to one opinion, the final judgement doesn’t come until
Chanukah.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I set my alarm for 10:30 to make
sure I would pray <i>Shacharis</i>, the morning prayer service, before midday –
knowing full well there was little chance I’d wake up after three-and-a-half
hours of sleep. I woke up at 11:30, grabbed my Lulav and Esrog and rushed to
770, Lubavitch Central.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Hundreds of Lubavitcher <i>chassidim</i>
were standing on the service road in front of 770, outside a big tent erected
so that when 770 was filled to capacity the rest of us would have a place to
pray. The <i>tent</i> must have been filled to capacity. I immediately found a
man trying to start a <i>minyan</i> – a quorum of 10 men, the minimum required
for group prayer. I stood there in the street praying, my pocket-size prayer
book in my right hand and my Lulav and Esrog in the left. An Israeli yeshiva
student came up to me and asked in Hebrew if he could use the Lulav and Esrog.
I said, sure, and watched him disappear into the crowd. I was glad to help him
but felt uneasy not having my eye on him and my precious mitzvah items.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I prayed on, but the Israeli yeshiva
student didn’t return. It started to rain, and the big crowd ran to the tent,
squeezing under the roof at the end nearest us. “Great,” I thought, “I’m never
going to find him now.” Then another, much bigger, Israeli yeshiva student ran
over to me and, laughing, handed me my Lulav holder, without the Lulav inside
and no Esrog. I was really mad now: “Where’s the Lulav and Esrog?” He pointed in
the direction the other student had run off in. I felt I was being made the
butt of somebody’s Hoshana Rabbah joke. I pictured a hundred Israeli yeshiva
students passing around my Lulav and Esrog, making blessings, shaking – and
laughing their heads off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now <i>I</i> would have to go around
asking to borrow a Lulav and Esrog when they came up in the praying. A while
passed, then the big Israeli student tapped me on the shoulder. He pointed
behind him. There in the tent stood a third Israeli yeshivah student praying
with my Lulav and Esrog. I approached him. He handed over the goods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Reunited with my Four Species, I thanked
G-d for returning them to me. I decided to return to the Frankel Shul where the
atmosphere would be calmer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Hoshana Rabbah praying is long. It’s
the last chance during this month of fast and festival to beseech G-d to grant
us and the Jewish people a year of peace, joy and Mashiach. I finally finished,
smacking the <i>Hoshaanos </i>– five willow branches tied together – five times
on the floor of the shul to “sweeten the judgement,” the culminating act of the
Hoshana Rabbah praying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I picked up my Lulav and Esrog, their role
as mitzvahs over, and walked home. I looked ahead to the remainder of the
holiday: no more pleading; no more extended praying. This was not the time for
sharp analysis, deep thinking or meditation. Tonight we would dance with the
Torah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Moshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694353702388916424.post-38504781388615490712019-08-27T14:09:00.002-07:002019-08-29T15:49:12.736-07:00Together<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We’re always
getting together. We celebrate, join clubs, form leagues, “friend” people on
Facebook, arrange play dates, schedule meetings, participate in after-school
activities, throw parties, join parties, shop, make plans, do lunch, watch the
game, camp out, go to a museum, go to the zoo, play video games, host, attend,
give a shower (bridal or baby), organize, enter, sponsor, volunteer, chew the
fat, call, email, text, message, Skype, tweet, post, comment, chat, follow,
blog and go bowling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Today,
seemingly, we have a greater ability to “love your fellow as yourself” and to
unite with one and other than ever before. With 2.41 billion monthly active
users connected through Facebook and five billion people worldwide hearing each
other on mobile devices, the world has become, if not one big family, at least
one big community center. The Internet has enabled us to extend our connections
beyond our inner circles to circles conceivably as wide as the whole world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Our
differences, on the other hand, breed conflict: mass shootings; terrorist
attacks; religious intolerance; anti-religious bias; rancorous politics; nativism;
political correctness; epidemic divorce rates; cyber bullying; racism; hate
crimes; anti-Semitism; sexual harassment; nuclear tensions; war. Nature works against
harmony. The world’s vast diversity creates an environment susceptible to clashes.
No two things are alike in this world. Every life form carries its unique DNA,
rendering multiple varieties of each creation and multiple ways of thinking,
doing and being. There are 350,000 known species of beetles alone (and over 30 kinds
of Coke)! It’s hard to keep all this multiplicity floating in the same,
peaceful boat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The tension between the urge to
connect and the fear and hatred provoked by our differences is natural. The
world was created this way – on purpose. G-d created a world full of
innumerable, seemingly autonomous creations, all of which are in truth one with
Him and, consequently, with each other. We only see the objects, though, and
not the unity, because the Creator conceals Himself from the Creation. In his work,
the <i>Tanya</i>, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi provides an analogy to explain the
separate-yet-unified world G-d created.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Consider
the sun and its rays. The ray in the atmosphere and on earth appears to be independent
of the sun. But, of course, the ray can be tracked back to the sun, its source.
The ray’s state of being in the body of the sun is different than its state outside
the sun. In the sun, the ray merges with its source to the point that it can no
longer be called “ray.” Because the ray is only the sun’s radiation and not the
sun itself, it becomes nullified in the body of the sun. The only place where
the ray is seen to exist is in the space between the sun and the earth where
the body of the sun is not present.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The
world is like the ray of the sun. It appears here as light issuing from G-d. But
in its source the world becomes nullified to the Divine light. The ray of the
analogy, however, differs from the world in one significant way. Where the ray
can be seen, the sun is absent. G-d, on the other hand, is everywhere, even in
the place of the world. The world, then, is always one with G-d, even here
where it appears to be independent. He hides His presence, though, to render us
unaware of this constant unity so we can experience the world’s existence as
separate from Him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The
world of squirrels, condos, sunsets and cartoons G-d created is in actuality subservient
to Him; but from our perspective the world is self-made and self-perpetuating. G-d
designed a seemingly autonomous world because He wanted to make us partners in
the ongoing perfection of His Creation. By concealing Himself from the
Creation, by disguising His oneness with us, G-d enables us to help Him make
the world a little more united. And every time we make a connection between two
apparently disconnected things, we catch a glimpse of the One who holds it all together.
Every purposeful act of unity demonstrates that the world is not random but
interconnected by that oneness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Although living
in a fractured world can be painful, it’s comforting to know that we’re all in
this together and that the reward for our efforts waits for us ahead. Our
service of G-d in the darkness of His concealment readies us for the future
when Mashiach will finally reveal G-d’s Infinite Light. We will then see with
our very eyes how the entire world and all its multiplicity are bound to the
Creator. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Today we improve
the world by doing G-d’s will despite the lack of Divine revelation. In the
Days of Mashiach we will serve G-d by knowing Him through direct revelation. But
it won’t be until the Future Redemption that we will understand the greatness
of our service in the darkness. Then, according to Rabbi Sholom Dovber
Schneersohn, the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, we will long for the days of the
Diaspora. We will sorely regret not having worked harder to serve G-d when
doing so was a challenge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">One challenge is
using technological innovations for the good. The Internet has definitely been
used for both good and bad. It seems that the social network can be a force for
good and might even be a prelude to the great experience we will share with the
coming of Mashiach: “For then I will change the nations [to speak] a pure
language so that they will proclaim the name of G-d, to worship Him with one resolve <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">(Zephaniah 3:9)</span>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That will be some celebration.
L’chaim!</span></div>
Moshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694353702388916424.post-43685133588032594172015-09-09T10:13:00.000-07:002020-05-17T18:03:38.771-07:00Bird Song<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bird
#1: I’m thinking about going south about two weeks early this year … Take the
kids to Disney World.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: You know, you shouldn’t provoke Mother Nature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: Mother <i>Who</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: Mother Nature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: Don’t you believe in G-d?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: G-d, Mother Nature … I don’t know. I’m a bird, not a theologian.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: What inspires your singing in the morning?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: You know, stuff I hear on the radio …<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: It says in the Psalms of David that animals sing out to G-d in gratitude for
creating them: “Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for He commanded and they
were created … sea monsters and all
that dwell in the depths … the beast and all cattle, creeping things and <i>winged birds </i>…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 42pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: Why should I praise G-d?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: He created you. He gave you your sturdy beak, your airy wings and your sleek
tail. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: Hey, you forgot my cute dimples.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: And your cute dimples.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: But what has He done for me lately?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: He gives you water to drink, twigs and mud for your nest; worms just under
the surface after a rain so you can dig them out easily with your beak, the
whole beautiful spring. And that time
you bashed into that bay window and injured your beak, well, the Creator made
it heal. Didn’t He?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 42pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: But how do I know it was G-d that created all this? Maybe it was Mother
Nature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: Well what’s Mother Nature? She’s nature, right? Worms and grass and fields
and trees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: Bushes. Don’t forget about bushes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: OK. So let’s look at trees for a second. You know something about trees.
Tell me, do you think a tree could create the world – or even another tree?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: Are you nuts? Most trees I know couldn’t even make a decent corned beef
sandwich.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: But why couldn’t a tree make something?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: A tree’s just a tree. A tree doesn’t know about much besides trees. How’s
it going to make a whole multiverse or whatever?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: A tree is limited. A limited creation cannot create another created thing
or an entire created world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: So who can? Everything in the world seems pretty limited, especially my
talent for bowling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: Everything in the world has a cause that preceded it – except G-d. Nothing
created G-d, so nothing limits Him. Only G-d, who is not dependent on Creation,
could create a universe out of nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 42pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: So then what did Mother Nature create?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: She didn’t create anything. There is no Mother Nature. That’s just a myth
like Santa </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Claus,
the Lone Ranger and the Great Sparrow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: Somebody made up the Great Sparrow? The Great Sparrow isn’t real? Don’t do
this to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: And the power G-d used to create the world and uses to keep it going is
just a tiny, tiny fraction of His absolute power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: Now I feel like praising G-d. How’s this: “G-d you are so good/You created
everything </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">– spring,
summer, the flying squirrel, and even tasty food.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: Was that supposed to rhyme?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: Yes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: Why don’t you sing one of those songs your mother taught you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: Sure. There’s “Birdsey-birdsey-birdsey-birdsey-birdsey …”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: That’s good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: Then there’s “Birdsey-oo-birdsey-oo-birdsey-oo-birdsey-oo …”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: Excellent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: You know, I’m really singing full-throttle now to my Creator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: “Full-throttle”? Don’t you mean “full-throated”?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: Oh, right ... Could I have meant “full-<i>throattled</i>”?
... Anyway, have a safe flight south. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#1: I’d hug you, but my wings are wet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bird
#2: That’s all right. No problem. You’ll get me next time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Moshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694353702388916424.post-64930795421275193092015-03-18T11:40:00.000-07:002015-04-09T14:02:27.679-07:00Miracle Train<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
He
approached me in the subway, a good-looking African-American boy about 11- or
12-years-old wearing a green winter jacket and no head covering on a frigid
day. I stood alone at the end of the platform. He walked up to me, bold and
carefree.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“You
know those straps that you put on when you pray?” he said. “What are they for?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“The
one on the arm binds our emotions and actions to G-d, and the one around the
head binds our thoughts,” I answered. “Your actions and your thoughts are
focused on G-d.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In
my career as a New York subway rider, conspicuous in beard and fedora, I’ve
been asked two kinds of questions: the Evangelical Question on a verse or
passage in the Bible aimed at provoking an argument or proving a point; and the
Limited Curiosity Question seeking relief from puzzlement over a Jewish
practice once observed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
This
boy was different. His questions were personal and serious.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“What
about putting the strap around the hand?” he asked, wrapping an invisible
Tefillin strap around his left hand.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
I
hesitated, searching for the answer. I could see him on the periphery of a
large synagogue closely watching Jewish men putting on Tefillin. Then suddenly
he cut to the point.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“How
do I become a Jew?” he asked.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
I
paused, stunned by his question.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Do
I need a bar mitzvah?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
The
three train arrived. I didn’t have a lot of time now – now that our time seemed
suddenly precious.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Well,
first you study a lot,” I answered, as we stepped onto the crowded car. I was
traveling only one stop.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
A
gentile who declares his intention to convert is not automatically accepted. To
consider someone as a candidate for conversion, a Jewish court must determine
if the person sincerely wants to convert. To discern the candidate’s sincerity,
the court apprises the prospective convert of the difficulty and sacrifice demanded
by the keeping of the commandments and of the history of suffering and
persecution experienced by the Jewish people.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
For
those not inclined to take on the obligation of the Torah and its commandments,
the Seven Noahide Laws function as a path to serving G-d available to all gentiles
at all times. With that in mind – and considering he couldn’t convert now,
anyway, since he was apparently younger than 13 – I decided to introduce him to
the Noahide Commandments.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“You
know, conversion is not your only option,” I said, hanging on to a handrail
with passengers all around me. “You can keep what’s known as the Seven
Commandments of the Children of Noah.” I then specified the Seven Noahide Laws:
1) do not worship idols; 2) do not curse G-d; 3) do not murder; 4) do not commit
incest or adultery; 5) do not steal; 6) do not eat a limb from a living animal;
7) establish courts of justice.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
I
told him that G-d gave seven commandments to Noah and transmitted them again
with the Torah on Mount Sinai, making them incumbent on all gentiles. A
follower of the Noahide Laws must believe that their authority derives from G-d’s
commanding them in the Torah.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
The train stopped at the Utica Station
and the doors opened. I regretted leaving him there. Even though we had talked
only a short time, I felt affection for him. He valued the thing most central
to my life – my Judaism. We shared a confidence unlikely to exist between two
other strangers meeting by chance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>The
wonder of two people from such different circumstances being drawn to the same
Truth reminded me of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s reading of the world: ripe to have
its essential goodness revealed. According to the Rebbe, the dissemination of none
other than the Seven Noahide Commandments has brought the world to its current
state – ready for the arrival of Mashiach. As I emerged from the subway and
headed toward my apartment to get ready for Shabbat, I felt joy at having been
shown a glimpse of that new world awaiting.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Moshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694353702388916424.post-17381673499452708182013-03-21T11:06:00.000-07:002015-05-13T19:34:17.150-07:00Two Thumbs Up for ‘Seder’<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard: Hi, I’m Richard Elbert, movie critic for the Denver
Post.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan: And I’m Ethan Lichter, movie critic for the Cleveland
Plain Dealer. We’re devoting tonight’s show to one of our favorite directors,
Japanese auteur Kawasaki Fookiyama, and his new movie, <i>Seder</i>, which took
first place at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in the category “Most Difficult
to Understand.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard: Fookiyama is known for his obscure, head scratching
movies – and proud of it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan: <i>Seder </i>is no different. What other director
would dare to make the shank bone a recurring image or pose as a central
question, “Why on this night do we dip twice?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard: But don’t worry. Ethan and I were both Fookiyama
majors in film critic’s school. In the next hour we will guide you through <i>Seder</i>,
giving you our opinions as well as helping you understand Fookiyama’s latest
achievement.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan: <i>Seder</i> tells the story of a modern nuclear
family, the Weiners, conducting an ancient Jewish ceremony in the comfort of
their own dining room.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard: Fookiyama usually leaves the key to the meaning of
his movies in the first scene. So let’s watch as the boldly determined Mr.
Weiner makes an intriguing announcement to start off the Seder …</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mr. Weiner: This is the bread of affliction that our fathers
ate in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">land</st1:placetype>
of <st1:placename w:st="on">Egypt</st1:placename></st1:place>. Whoever is
hungry, let him come and eat; whoever is in need, let him come and conduct the
Seder of Passover. This year [we are] here; next year in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">land</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Israel</st1:placename></st1:place>.
This year [we are] slaves; next year [we will be] free people.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard: Looks like Fookiyama’s up to his old tricks. What
kind of crazy director would have his main character invite all the hungry and
needy in town to dinner at his house – when he’s already safe and sound at his
dinner table? If you really want to have guests, put some speakers in your car
and drive around <i>before</i> the Seder. Or buy space on a billboard on a
major highway: “Seder Tonight at The Weiners, Exit 3½ Miles, Across from Denny’s
– DRINKS ON THE HOUSE!!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan: But the perplexity of Mr. Weiner’s monologue doesn’t
end there. Tonight the Weiners celebrate the Redemption from <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region>. So why
is Mr. Weiner touting “the bread of affliction” the Jews “ate in the land of
Egypt” rather than the bread they took with them when they went out as free
people? And while his family is supposed to be experiencing freedom the whole
night, why does Mr. Weiner say that “<i>next year</i>” they will be free but “<i>this
year</i>” calls them “slaves”?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard: That’s kind of a bummer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan: Richard and I would like to tell you that we figured
out this movie. We didn’t. But instead of pretending like we did or turning
this into a <i>Godfather</i> retrospective, we decided to invite one of the
actors from <i>Seder</i> to explain it. Child star Sadie Weiner, playing
herself as the Weiner’s preteen, worked closely with Fookiyama in making the
movie, and she’s with us tonight … Sadie, tell us, what is Fookiyama really
like?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadie: He’s a little … How do they say it in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Japan</st1:country-region>? … <i>Meshuga</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan: But he <i>is</i> brilliant?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadie: Oh, yes. He almost beat my little brother in chess.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard: First off, that bizarre speech your father makes at
the beginning of the movie. He invites the hungry and needy to your Seder, but
the only people who hear the invitation is your family.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadie: My five-year-old brother, Zach, had some questions
for my father before we started the Seder. So in that little speech my father
was answering Zach’s questions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard: Why don’t we watch that …?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mrs. Weiner: Zach, take a tissue and blow. It’s not that
complicated. I don’t want to have to look at that the entire Seder.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Zach: Dad, I don’t get it. If G-d took us out of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region> and made
us free, why do I have to go to school? Why are all the Arabs still trying to
kill us? Why does it take so long to download <i>New Super Mario Forever 2012</i>? And if we went out of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region> with the
Egyptian’s wealth as G-d promised, why are there still poor Jews?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mr. Weiner: This is the bread of affliction that our fathers
ate in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">land</st1:placetype>
of <st1:placename w:st="on">Egypt</st1:placename></st1:place>. Whoever is
hungry, let him come and eat; whoever is in need, let him come and conduct the
Seder of Passover. This year [we are] here; next year in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">land</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Israel</st1:placename></st1:place>.
This year [we are] slaves; next year [we will be] free people.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan: That kid’s incredible. I don’t care what age he is.
He’s getting my vote for best supporting actor … I’m still not sure, though,
how your dad answered his question.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadie: My father’s telling my brother that the Redemption
from <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region>
wasn’t complete. We’re still transitioning from slavery to freedom. That’s why
we continue to eat the bread “our fathers ate in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">land</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Egypt</st1:placename></st1:place>.”
My dad’s not inviting poor people. He’s talking about <i>us</i> at the Seder.
We remain in spiritual poverty as long as the complete Redemption goes
unrealized. That’s why he acknowledges that <i>this year</i> we are slaves
while vowing that next year we will be free.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard: Then if you’re poor slaves at the Seder, why is
your mother using the good china? Why aren’t you all dressed like hobos or
members of the World Wrestling Federation?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadie: We act and feel like free people at the Seder because
the Exodus from Egypt, even though it wasn’t the Final Redemption with Mashiach,
was the opening and channel to the ultimate freedom. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan: And how did you get into the head of your character
there with your mom and dad, your brother with his runny nose, and all the
matzah?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadie: I pictured myself as a member of a nation that
embarked on a chartered flight this night many years ago, a flight that’s been
en route for a long, long time. I saw the plane finally arriving tonight – all
of us completing the journey together.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard: Sadie, that was wonderful. I think you’ve answered
all our questions. Thank you for helping us out tonight. By the way, what’s
your next movie going to be?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadie: I’m working on a project called <i>The Haftorah
Lesson</i>. It’s a prequel to <i>Bar Mitzvah</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard: Interesting. Well, good luck, Sadie!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan: So, Richard, what’s the final verdict on <i>Seder</i>?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard: I want to like this movie, but something’s holding
me back.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan: What is it?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard: I hate to say it, but I think Mrs. Weiner
overcooked the brisket.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan: Ohhhh! But other than that?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard: Other than that I thought it was great.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan: Fookiyama baffles you. But you know, if you’re
patient and pay attention, sometimes he can make sense – and be beautiful. He
can even be fun.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard: You know what they say: “<st1:city w:st="on">Kawasaki</st1:city> lets the good times roll!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan: Rich, I realize you were waiting the whole show to
say that. I just wish you’d waited a little longer.</div>
Moshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694353702388916424.post-90975047434959701982013-01-24T18:54:00.000-08:002013-02-18T12:56:26.996-08:00Shtroodle<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was
waiting outside Einstein’s office, thinking about the code name for the secret
project, “Red Penguin.” It didn’t exactly move me. Why didn’t they ask me about
it? I wondered. I would have at least picked a kosher bird.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The door opened
and he greeted me with that quizzical look of his: John Einstein, top scientist
of the Orthodox Union of Scientists, the OU-s.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Einstein
had invited me there to discuss Red Penguin, of which I knew nothing, to
prepare me for tomorrow’s press briefing introducing the secret project.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Come with
me to the library,” he said. “There’s a book I want to show you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
Einstein led me to
the stacks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“This book,” he proclaimed, pulling
an old, dusty tome from the shelf, “changed how we see the world. Isaac
Newton’s <i>Principia</i> proved once and
for all, through experimentation and rigorous mathematics, that nature
operates, not by magic, but like a machine. At least that’s what most people
thought. <st1:city w:st="on">Newton</st1:city>,
himself, never perceived nature as a machine.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Wait,” I said. “Isn’t this the guy
who discovered gravity when he got beaned on the head with an apple?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“And I suppose you also believe he
invented the Fig Newton?” he asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Well, yes,” I admitted.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“As I was saying,” Einstein continued,
“<st1:city w:st="on">Newton</st1:city> refused
to view nature as an autonomous network of impulses and responses. He insisted
that G-d operates the universe. He even wrote a friend that he hoped this book here,
the <i>Principia,</i> would serve as a proof
of G-d’s existence.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“<st1:city w:st="on">Newton</st1:city> wanted science to make G-d known, not
conceal Him.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> </i>We then proceeded to a small
laboratory tucked away in a corner of the building’s top floor. Einstein worked
the lock on a safe at the far end of the lab. He produced a leather case and
pulled out a laptop, which he placed on a nearby desk, facing me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“You are about to experience the
result of 23 years of work dedicated to proving the forgotten <st1:city w:st="on">Newton</st1:city> right,” he declared. “G-d calls the
shots. And science will show it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“My invention detects the soul’s
very will. It demonstrates that the spiritual world the soul inhabits exists.<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I don’t know,” I protested. “This is starting
to remind of the time you accidentally launched those lab mice in that propulsion
experiment.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Don’t worry,” he assured me. “Look
at the text box at the top of the page. Think of something you want. Now blink
… Okay, here’s your search result in .00027 seconds: <i style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">“</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">‘See like this </span><st1:city style="text-indent: 0.5in;" w:st="on">New
Delhi</st1:city><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> rabbi! Laser eye surgery could be for you!</span></i><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">’</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">... </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">What was your wish?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“An Indian restaurant under
rabbinic supervision,” I said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“We still have to work out a few
kinks – it’s only a beta version,” Einstein insisted. “But once it’s ready, my
new search engine will give the world its first glimpse of the spiritual world
… I call it Shtroodle.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I think you better check with our
lawyers about the name,” I said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Listen, there’s another reason why
I’ve asked you here,” Einstein revealed, dropping his voice. “Ill-intentioned
people want to thwart Shtroodle’s launch. I need your help.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Press release?” I said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“No. A rogue group from the
National Science Institute knows about Shtroodle,” he confided. “They’re trying
to steal her and destroy the evidence that anything other than random chaos
rules the universe. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Someone posted a skull and
crossbones on our Facebook page last week with the caption: ‘Red Penguin Is a
Dead Duck’. And last night this building was broken into.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“So, so what does this have to do
with me?” I stammered.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“For security reasons I made no
copies of Shtroodle,” he said. “This is the only version. I want you to take
possession of Shtroodle and guard her. No one will suspect you. By accepting
this responsibility you will be doing humanity a great kindness.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Don’t they have professionals for
this kind of thing?” I protested. “Private security firms? Guys with unlisted
phone numbers? I never hold on to anything! Give your magic search engine to me
and it’s likely to end up with Al Qaeda!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“We cannot trust Shtroodle to anyone
on the outside,” Einstein insisted. “She is too sensitive!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Well, tell her to stop being so
sensitive!” I shouted.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
Einstein made a pouty face.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Oh, all right. All right. I’ll do
it for G-d and country … in that order.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
The next day I strode to the podium
at the Union of Orthodox Scientists conference room to meet the press:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I have a short statement and then
I will take questions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“This Monday at 8 pm at the Allegro
ballroom of the Rodeway Inn, the OU-s will unveil Red Penguin, the top secret
project in development for over 20 years. Red Penguin will prove once and for
all that science and G-d are not incompatible – that science, in fact, points
the way to G-d. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“This invention will fulfill the
vision of Isaac Newton, who believed that science should show how G-d directly
intervenes in and affects the world. I hope to see you all there ... OK,
questions? Yes, you in the third row.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Isn’t Isaac Newton the guy who
discovered gravity when an apple beaned him on the head?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“That’s in all likelihood just a
story. And I’ll save you another question: He didn’t discover the Fig Newton,
either.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Isaac Newton, the first physicist,
was able to see G-d’s hand in the world with his science. The pertinent
question is ‘Why didn’t anyone else see that?’ … Yes, the gentleman from the <i>Ledger</i>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Why didn’t anyone else see that?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Good question. Newtonian physics
made nature look like a machine, convincingly. Although <st1:city w:st="on">Newton</st1:city> found Divinity there, most people
couldn’t because physics was not advanced enough yet to explain the workings of
the world as anything but machine-like … Myrna, go ahead.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Science has taken some pretty
unpredictable turns since <st1:city w:st="on">Newton</st1:city>’s
time. Does it still describe a world without G-d?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“In the 19<sup>th</sup> Century
science began to change. Eventually, as scientists probed the properties of
light and later looked inside the atom, a peculiar universe of strange behavior
emerged. Scientists themselves began to speculate that the implications of the
quantum world opened the door to the possibility of an intelligent being
transcending the physical … Yes, <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“<st1:city w:st="on">Newton</st1:city> did more than leave the door open to
G-d. He firmly believed that science and the belief in a Deity went hand in
hand. Is anyone upholding that standard?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“In the 1970s the Lubavitcher Rebbe
announced that the time had come for science to fulfill its purpose, predicted
by Kabbalah over 1,800 years ago: prepare the world for the Era of Mashiach.
Then, according to the prophet Isaiah, everyone will see tangibly the Divinity
that sustains the universe. Today’s science gives us a preview … Yes, in the
front row, Ms. Skeptical.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“That’s quite an assertion. Could
you give us an example?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Einstein’s formula, E=mc<sup>2</sup>,
states that mass and energy are interchangeable, aspects of the same thing.
E=mc<sup>2</sup> reduces the entire universe to these two equivalent states.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“The unity in the physical world demonstrated
by Einstein is a reflection of the true existence of the world, G-d’s unity. Today
science shows us unity in matter. In the future we will see with our eyes G-d’s
essential oneness in the world … You in the third row.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Can you
confirm the rumors that a rogue group from the National Scientific Institute is
trying to steal the OU-s’ much awaited secret project?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, I
cannot. I think you’ve been reading too many spy novels … Next question. In the
back.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Why is
that laptop case handcuffed to your left wrist?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“What laptop? … Oh, this? My lunch
is in here … peanut butter and jelly … and herring … sandwich. It’s my
favorite. I don’t want it falling into the wrong hands … Good, there are no
more questions … Have a nice day.”<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
I hurried out of the building, flagged
a taxi and headed home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
That night I made dinner with the
laptop still handcuffed to my left wrist. That didn’t present much of a
problem, as I rarely use my left hand while cooking. But in my highly nervous –
no, frightened – state I attempted to scratch my forehead with my left hand and
banged myself on the nose.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I decided
to unlock the handcuff and place the laptop on the dinner table. As I reentered
the kitchen, the computer began to beep. I had an email.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
I opened the email and clicked on a
smiley face. Nothing happened for a few seconds – then the computer started
making loud noises, and the screen flashed on and off. Worried, I called
Einstein.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Did you open the email and select
a smiley face icon?” he asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Yes.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“You just launched the Funny Virus,”
he informed me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“What’s the Funny Virus?” I asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“The Funny Virus takes control of
your operating system, erases your hard drive and finally melts your hardware
from the inside out,” he explained.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“What’s funny about that?” I asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Nothing – except that it tells a
joke before it destroys your computer,” he said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
Just then a commanding voice came
through my speakers:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Knock, knock.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Who’s there?” I said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Bill and Melinda Gates,” the virus
answered.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Bill and Melinda Gates who?” I
responded.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“You know, Bill Gates and Melinda
Gates. Bill is the guy who founded Microsoft, and he and his wife Melinda now
head an international foundation that gives billions of dollars a year for
global health and development …”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“What happened?” Einstein
interjected.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“The virus told a joke,” I said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Now what’s happening?” he asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“The computer hardware is melting
from the inside out,” I reported.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Yep,” Einstein said. “It’s the
Funny Virus.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“But that wasn’t even a real joke!”
I protested.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I guess you were right, then,” he
admitted. “It’s not that funny, after all.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
After Shtroodle was torpedoed, the haranguing from the group of rogue NSI scientists stopped. I began exploring other ways to elevate
awareness that science reveals G-dliness in the world. In my trolling of the Internet I
came across an interesting scientific phenomenon, quantum entanglement. In the
quantum universe when two particles interact and then become separated – even
at opposite ends of the world – a change in one automatically yields the same
change in the other.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
I wrote a memo outlining how the
OU-s could explore this area as a possible demonstration of G-dly unity and was
directed to one of our scientists, Jerry Oppenheimer, who did work on the phenomenon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
Jerry was interested in my
proposal, and we decided to begin collaborating. While we were talking I
noticed he would occasionally drum his fingers on the lid of a green Tupperware
container on his desk. As I was about to leave, I asked him what was in the container.
He said with a smile it was his wife’s shtrudel and offered me a sample. I respectfully
declined.</div>
Moshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694353702388916424.post-38424848173762565932012-09-13T19:20:00.001-07:002017-08-06T14:42:32.929-07:00The Mashiach Hearing<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sen. Shetland: Good morning. Three weeks ago, when the
Majority Leader took away Sen. Fontaine’s speaking privileges for shouting
“Fire!” in the middle of Sen. Bridgeport’s filibuster, I said a little prayer
to myself: “O Lord, take pity on this poor, misguided Congress.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">G-d’s answer to me was “<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>,
invite the top religious leaders to testify before your Senate committee on how
to get <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">America</st1:country>’s
legislators to work together again for the good of the country.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Our first witness is Rabbi Joseph Blickstein, spiritual
leader of Suburban Torah in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Meridian</st1:city>,
<st1:state w:st="on">Idaho</st1:state></st1:place>. Rabbi Blickstein, what’s
Judaism’s best weapon to fight the bitter partisanship on Capitol Hill?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Rabbi Blickstein: Mashiach.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sen. Shetland: Excuse me, Rabbi. You said “mushy” <i>what</i>?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Rabbi Blickstein: I said, “Mashiach.” The Messiah. The person
who will perfect the world. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sen. Shetland: Now there’s an ambitious agenda! Who is this
guy? How’s he gonna get elected? Does he have an organization set up yet in <st1:state w:st="on">Iowa</st1:state> or <st1:state w:st="on">New
Hampshire</st1:state>?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Rabbi Blickstein: Mashiach will be a king. The people will
accept him as their leader based on his outstanding character traits and
accomplishments.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sen. Shetland: He’s not going be asked to kiss a baby or
make a speech on ethanol?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Rabbi Blickstein: From my understanding, no. Mashiach, according
to Maimonides, is a Jewish king who will restore the Davidic Monarchy. He will
first compel the Jewish people to observe the Torah and then vanquish <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Israel</st1:country>’s
enemies. Later he will rebuild the <st1:city w:st="on">Temple</st1:city> in <st1:city w:st="on">Jerusalem</st1:city> and inspire all Jews to return to the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Land</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Israel</st1:placename></st1:place>.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sen. Shetland: If you don’t mind me saying, Rabbi, so far
this sounds like a strictly Jewish affair. Didn’t you say Mashiach will perfect
the <i>world?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Rabbi Blickstein: Yes, I did. What I just described to you
is the first stage of Mashiach’s rule, when it will be established that he is,
in fact, the Messiah the world has been waiting for all these years. After his
identity is confirmed, Mashiach will then turn his attention to the
world-at-large.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sen. Shetland: So that’s when he’ll get us to work together
to balance the budget and create jobs?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Rabbi Blickstein: Senator, when Mashiach comes there will be
no more inflation, unemployment or credit crunch. Everyone will be able to obtain
the finest luxuries; as a result, famine, war, envy and competition will
disappear.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sen. Shetland: My word, this Mashiach’s going to be better
than Greenspan!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Rabbi Blickstein: Since the economy will cease being a
concern, Mashiach will be free to truly unite the world, inspiring everyone to
serve G-d together.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sen. Shetland: You got my juices flowing, Rabbi! Please call
my office if you have further suggestions along these lines … But now the Chair
recognizes the Ranking Minority Member, the Gentle Lady from <st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state>, Sen. Ventura.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sen. Ventura: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. <st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state> has long taken pride in being at
the forefront of so many major American cultural trends. We invented the hot
tub, skateboarding and environmentalism. <st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state>
was the first state to say, “Have a nice day!” And ours were the first voters
to make extensive use of both the popular initiative and the Ouija Board. Rabbi
Blickstein, I don’t want my state to be left out of this. What can Californians
do to prepare the nation and the world for Mashiach?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Rabbi Blickstein: The Talmud identifies seven commandments
that G-d gave the nations of the world. These statutes derive their authority from
<st1:place w:st="on">Mount Sinai</st1:place> where they were transmitted by G-d
as part of the Torah. The rabbinical sages have indicated that the nations of
the world should learn and observe the Seven Commandments as preparation for
the Age of Mashiach.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sen. Ventura: Could you please tell us what these
commandments are, Rabbi? I want to make sure they contain nothing
environmentally damaging, discriminatory to minorities or women, or that would in
any way undermine the asparagus or windsurfing industries.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Rabbi Blickstein: The Seven Laws are 1) Do not worship false
gods; 2) Do not blaspheme G-d; 3) Do not murder; 4) Do not commit acts of
sexual immorality; 5) Do not steal; 6) Do not remove a limb from a living
animal; 7) Establish courts of justice.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sen. Ventura: Rabbi Blickstein, is this a religion?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Rabbi Blickstein: The Noahide Laws are not a religion. They form
a foundation of universal ethics on which all humanity can stand as one to
acknowledge the One G-d, who endows everyone with life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sen. Ventura: Thank you very much, Rabbi … Mr. Chairman, I
yield the remainder of my time to the Gentleman from <st1:place w:st="on">Rhode Island</st1:place>, Sen. Broadcloth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sen. Broadcloth: One and a half minutes, <i>whoopee!</i> … Rabbi, my question to you is
this: What is the End Game? Where is all this Mashiach business taking us? Let
me warn you, Rhode Islanders are a proud people. We may live in the smallest state,
but we were the first colony to declare independence from <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Great Britain</st1:country>.
We will not allow ourselves to be led around by the nose!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Rabbi Blickstein: The “End Game,” as you say, is that – in
the words of the prophet Isaiah – “The world will be filled with the knowledge
of G-d as the waters cover the sea.” Humankind will become permeated with awareness of G-d to such an
extent that the old world will become “covered” with goodness – unrecognizable in its complete transformation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sen. Broadcloth: Thank you, Rabbi. My time is up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sen. Shetland: Rabbi Blickstein, I’m sure I speak for the
entire Committee when I say that we’ve learned a lot from you today, sir, much
for all of us to consider … We will now adjourn for lunch. Our next witness
will be Raj Nanda Yogi, who will show us how to balance the budget using meditation
and deep breathing techniques. Sen. Ventura, how does 90 minutes sound to you?
All right, then, we'll see y’all back here at 1:30 …</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Moshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694353702388916424.post-60252074680072892592012-07-01T19:50:00.001-07:002021-02-01T13:01:37.901-08:00A Conversation with Balaam's Donkey<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">Leonard: My next guest is currently co-starring in the
Broadway musical, “Balaam, (Don’t) Curse the Jews!” I’m very pleased to welcome
Balaam’s Donkey to our show. Hello.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: Hi, Leonard.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: Congratulations on being chosen to play this part.
You’re basically reprising your role as Balaam the soothsayer’s talking donkey
in the Biblical story <i>Balak</i>. Is the musical faithful to the original as
you experienced it?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: Well, you know, the parts about me rescuing the
children from the burning tower and leading the Israelites into battle with my
rousing oratory – for some reason those were left out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: Really. I read the Torah portion to prepare for
this interview, and I don’t recall anything like that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: Oh, yeah? Are you sure? Maybe I’m remembering it
differently.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: Why don’t you give us an overview of the story. That way we can make sure we’re both on the same page.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: It’s been called “a cautionary tale of one man’s
attempt to bend G-d’s will to his own – with a talking donkey.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: Who wrote that? One of the ancient Hebrew commentators?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: No, Ben Brantley of the New York Times. He was
reviewing the musical. Let’s see … Balak was the king of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Moab</st1:country-region>, one of
the superpowers at the time. He summoned Balaam, a seer with powers of prophecy
rivaling those of Moses, to curse the nation of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: Why did Balak want to curse the Jews? Did they
break his window?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: No, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region>
had just annihilated the two biggest superpowers, and Balak was terrified. He
thought cursing the Jews would weaken them, and then he’d be able to defeat
them militarily. So he sent his ministers to Balaam to request his cursing
services. Balaam told them to wait overnight: he needed to see what G-d had to
say about it first.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: Did they really have overnight delivery then?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: I’m afraid not, Leonard. G-d appeared to Balaam only
at night.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: And G-d gave the cursing a thumbs up “Like”?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: Not exactly. He laid down three unambiguous orders:
1) don’t go with the men to Balak’s court; 2) don’t curse the Jews; and 3)
don’t bless them, either, because they’re already blessed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: So I guess Balaam told the ministers G-d didn't want him to curse <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: Not exactly. He led the ministers to believe that<i> </i>the reason he couldn’t travel with them was not because
G-d wouldn't allow him to curse the Jews but because <i>they, </i>the ministers,
weren’t prominent enough.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: Were these UN officials?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: They were real ministers. They reported Balaam’s
demand, and the king simply sent another delegation of higher rank. Balaam made
them wait overnight again, and this time G-d told him: “OK, big shot, go
already. But you better not try any cursing.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: So now we come to your scene.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: That’s right. We’re riding down the road on our way
to the King and all of a sudden I see an angel standing there with a drawn
sword. So I turn off the road into a field. The angel appears twice more, each
time blocking my path. Before I’m forced to stop, I unavoidably cause Balaam’s
leg to be pressed against a wall.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: Balaam must not have been too happy about all that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: He struck me hard each time I strayed. So I said, "What have I done to you that you strike me these three times?" He answered that I had embarrassed him before the ministers
and that if he had had a sword he would have killed me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: Really, he threatened to kill you? What was it like
working for him?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: He wasn’t exactly the nicest guy in the world. He’d
do things like hide my oat bag.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: How do you find performing with Balaam all these years later?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: We have a lot more respect for each other now. To be
safe, though, I keep my oat bag in my briefcase.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: So what happened in the end with Balaam and the
Jews?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: G-d, through the angel, allowed Balaam to travel on
to King Balak. Balaam <i>blessed</i> the Jews. And it was quite a blessing. The
<i>Mah Tovu</i> prayer that’s said every morning was taken from the blessing.
To top it off, he foretold the coming of Mashiach. It’s one of only three
places in the Five Books of Moses that alludes to his arrival.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: Why didn’t the Jews sign him up after that? He
sounds like a valuable asset.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: He really hated the Jews, Leonard. He sought their
destruction by other means.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: So what do we learn from this story?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: One thing I took away from the experience, Leonard,
is a perspective on free will. G-d makes known His will, but He also allows
people to choose their own way. G-d made a donkey talk – that’s me – and an
angel materialize to persuade Balaam to turn back from his path of defiance. He didn’t
want to punish Balaam immediately; he gave him chances.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: Now you’re telling the story on the <st1:street w:st="on">Great White Way</st1:street>.
Musicals, though, don’t run forever. What would you like to do next?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: I’d like to try my hand at talk radio. I can see myself
doing a morning sports show – call it “Dave and the Donkey.” He’d be the
crazy-whacky guy. I’d be the cerebral one with the expert analysis of the Red
Zone Defense and the intricate labor negotiations.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: I think that would suit you real well, Donkey.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Donkey: My pleasure, Leonard.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard: That’s our show for today. Be sure to join me
tomorrow when my guests will include a certain talkative snake, who tries to
defend himself in a new autobiography …</span></div>
<br />Moshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694353702388916424.post-87697661731091379472011-07-01T13:49:00.000-07:002011-07-01T13:52:32.181-07:00The Soul of Love<p class="MsoNormal">A friend of mine once refused to go out with a guy because she was appalled by the kind of shoes he wore. Fortunately she was persuaded to meet him. They eventually married and now have two children. Still, my friend’s shoe fixation could have prevented the discovery of her <i>beshert</i>, her intended soul mate.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Although potentially catastrophic, her over appreciation of footwear has a bright side. It teaches us a graphic lesson about an all too common behavior: when we relate to someone based on his exterior we risk missing the real person inside. It’s not so easy, though, especially when we meet someone for the first time, to see past the public persona.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yet the Torah expects us to. “Love your fellow as yourself,” it asks us – <i>every</i> fellow Jew, even someone we’ve just met. But can we love someone even before we get to know him or her?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Lubavitcher Rebbe showed this is possible. The Rebbe, in his eighties used to stand up to eight hour every Sunday greeting a continuous line of people who came to him for advice or a blessing. When asked how he was able to do this, he replied, “When you’re counting diamonds, you don’t get tired.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Souls were the Rebbe’s diamonds. He loved every Jew he met because he zeroed in on each person’s soul. The language the person spoke, the way he looked, his education level, his prominence all shrank in importance in the Rebbe’s estimation. What mattered to him was the divine soul, a part of G-d residing in every Jew.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Because the Rebbe shared this secret with us he must have believed that we, too, could love every Jew by lowering our valuation of the body – the biosocial aspects of a person, external to his essence – and giving precedence to the soul.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Divided Bodies</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">All my friends seem to be just like me. We all bought the same smart phone, we all like the same ’70s rock music, we all follow the same sports, we share the same sense of humor, understand the same literary and historical references, go to the same restaurants, vote for the same political candidates. My friends are even the same size as me. (OK, there was one little, short guy we made an exception for because he’s got such great albums.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">There’s a problem, though, with this cozy arrangement. While these interests bind my group of friends, they lock out anyone of a different type. That’s because the idiosyncrasies we share in common are manifestation of the body. And the body separates us.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">G-d endows each of us with a different blend of physical features, inclinations, talents, strengths and weaknesses. But what makes each person unique undermines our ability to unite with one and other. Just think of all the jealousy, competition, lost friendships, divorce, prejudice and war triggered by excessive concern over outward differences between people, groups or nations.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the Torah, for instance, when G-d wants to squash the attempt of the builders of the <st1:place><st1:placetype>Tower</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename>Babel</st1:placename></st1:place> to climb to Heaven and challenge Him, He confuses their efforts by causing each schemer to speak in a different language. Introducing a new physiological variable among them, language, breaks their unity.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Even a friendship between two people who speak the same language – both literally and figuratively – can be undone by personal differences between them. When one person no longer shares the same things in common with the other, a friendship may collapse because it depended on those interests to keep the relationship glued together.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As these examples attest, biosocial factors don’t make the strongest possible bonds. The body presents too many opportunities to examine the many differences among us. When the goal is to love our fellow in the same way that we love ourselves, a method of loving that highlights the differences between us is bound to fail. So loving every Jew requires employing something more universal and cohesive than the body as a catalyst.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As we consider this point, my social group is beginning to realize that choosing friends on the basis of favorite album doesn’t encourage a lot of diversity. Se we’ve started to broaden our concept of friendship. The result: guys have been hanging out around here who are a lot more well-rounded than we are. It’s just not an acceptable solution. Someone’s got to come up with a way to promote unity that doesn’t involve genes or breeding.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Soul Brothers</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Unlike the body, which points up how we’re all foreign to each other, the soul demonstrates our equality. No one can see the soul. As far as anyone can tell, each person’s soul is the same as any other. While the body flaunts its distinctiveness, drawing comparison and judgment, a person’s soul, in its concealment and mystery, invites us to value its role as our connection to G-d without having to judge its performance compared to other souls. Cherishing the equalizing soul more than the body, then, enables us to love every Jew.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Although the apparent equality of all souls in their concealment encourages us to treat all Jews with love, the soul as illuminated by Kabbalah compels us even more so to love every Jew. As bodies, Jews are like everyone else. As souls, we’re unique. Besides the life-giving, natural soul G-d provides all created beings, the Jew possesses a second divine soul, which is a part of G-d. So spiritually all Jews, true brothers, descend from the same father.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">That’s why the Baal Shem Tov said we must have self-sacrifice to love another Jew, even one we’ve never seen. When we respect a fellow Jew’s soul more than his body our love for him doesn’t depend on whether we’ve met him before. We know he has a brother soul. To love a Jew, say the last remaining Jew in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, all we need to reflect on is that he’s Jewish.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Biological siblings, despite the distance caused by their squabbles, ultimately feel the intrinsic bond that unites them. Similarly when Jews hear about a brother living in some far corner of the world, they experience a feeling of kinship, of familial love.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">But when we finally get to meet that fellow Jew from a distant land, who would choose to obsess over his unusual shoes? Instead we would be moved to love him for that diamond inside him, the diamond whose worth is invaluable and whose beauty is incomparable, just like ours.</p>Moshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694353702388916424.post-2837610054739901552010-11-07T17:29:00.000-08:002011-07-10T13:26:26.059-07:00Chosen<br /><br />By Moshe Parelman<br /><br />G-d said He would choose us if we chose Him.<div><br />It was the second day of the month of Sivan, four days before the Giving of the Torah. Moses ascended Mount Sinai early that morning. G-d called out to him, instructing Moses to tell the Jewish nation encamped opposite the mountain, “And now, if you heed Me and keep My covenant, you will be a treasure to Me from among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine (Exodus 19:5).” Choose My Torah and its mitzvot, which I am ready to give you, and I will choose you as My nation.</div><div><br />G-d made His choice of the Jewish people conditional on their accepting His commandments because the mitzvot are G-d’s tools for achieving His master plan. That plan is the ultimate reason for Creation and the mission He chose the Jews to carry out.</div><div><br />G-d created the world, according to the Torah, because He desired a finite, physical place, foreign to divinity – and reside there. G-d wanted the universe to feel so familiar to Him He could be Himself there, like a person in his living room.</div><div><br />To satisfy that desire G-d gave the Jewish people mitzvot to transform an imperfect world into a dwelling place for G-d by elevating mundane physical matter to holiness.</div><div><br />One could question, however, why the commandments distinguish the Jewish people as “Chosen.” Since the beginning of time people with their good deeds have refined the material <div>G-d gave them, turning barbarianism into civilization, improving life and curing disease: stones to wheels; sounds to symphonies; mold to penicillin; sand to computer chips. Surely the march of civilization has made the planet a more hospitable environment for G-d.</div><div><br />Still there must be something unique about doing a mitzvah – some quality that makes the act the preferred way to bring out the divine in the world.</div><div><br />Maybe the difference lies in intention. When a Jew lights Shabbat candles she intends to attach herself to G-d’s will as expressed in that commandment. The inventor of the heart transplant or the mappers of the human genome, although benefiting G-d’s creation, weren’t necessarily intending to do G-d’s will.</div><div><br />Unlike in contemporary times, though, in past centuries many scientists were religious men, some even inspired by G-d to investigate nature. Consider the case of Isaac Newton. Newton, in his own words, intended with the Principia – his great work of physics which more than any other book helped usher in modern science – to demonstrate the existence of G-d in the world. Newton wanted to make the world welcome to G-d’s being here, basically the Jewish mission. Intention, then, apparently doesn’t separate the mitzvah from the societal contribution.</div><div><br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>So maybe the mitzvah’s uniqueness derives not from intention but from the mitzvah act. The mitzvah, a sacred undertaking, serves as a vehicle for G-d’s plan for the universe. The civilization advancing achievement, a secular activity, is perhaps unable to channel the divine mission.</div><div><br />But the Torah itself says otherwise. According to the Talmud, doctors don’t heal their patients. G-d does. The doctor is merely a vehicle for G-d’s blessing and will. That means that Edward Jenner, who developed the first vaccine (for small pox), Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin, your doctor, and your mother, who gave you medicine when you were sick, were all doing G-d’s work. So the contributor to society carries out G-d’s plan, just as the mitzvah achiever does.</div><div><br />Nonetheless, the secular improvement and the mitzvah are different. And the reason is there are two plans.</div><div><br />The person who makes a contribution to civilization helps implement G-d’s immediate, short-term plan: creating a settled, humane planet. When man betters the planet, he connects with G-d through Creation. He takes from the material G-d made for the world during Creation and innovates – the number zero, genetic sequencing – to improve the universal condition. The innovator improves the world, but it remains essentially the same one that G-d created.</div><div><br />The mitzvah doer, by contrast, shoulders G-d’s long-term, permanent plan: laying the groundwork for the Era of Mashiach. That strategy prescribes transforming the planet into a dwelling place for G-d. Because making over the universe is so extraordinary, indeed otherworldly, the project requires a special tool.</div><div><br />The tool, the mitzvah, converts the part of the physical world used to perform the commandment, as well as the mitzvah doer, into a vehicle for holiness. When a Jewish person gives tzedakah (charity), according to Chassidic philosophy, the time and energy spent by the person in earning that money ascends with the mitzvah to the sacred.</div><div><br />But the Jew and his mitzvah cannot revolutionize the globe employing only the elements </div><div>G-d used to create the world we’ve always known. To elevate a Jew’s labor and money into something holy – to contribute to the transformation of the planet into a Mashiach planet – the mitzvah channels new life into the world from G-d’s very essence. That is the uniqueness of the mitzvah.</div><div><br />G-d chose the Jewish people to complete Creation. At Mount Sinai He entrusted us with His Torah and mitzvot – per our approval – to purify the earth, mitzvah by mitzvah. Over three millennia of mitzvot later, the world stands on the brink of a new reality. And the two who chose each other at Sinai will finally be together, here.<br /></div></div>Moshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694353702388916424.post-57445289342573138812010-04-22T19:03:00.000-07:002011-07-10T13:32:45.820-07:00Resting with G-d<br /><br />By Moshe Parelman<br /><br /><br /> … And G-d finished on the Seventh Day His work which He had done, and He rested on the Seventh Day from all His work which He had done (Genesis 2:1).<br /><br />Six days you shall work and the seventh day you shall rest … (Exodus 23:12).<br /><br />Creating the world in six days was a mammoth undertaking. But did G-d really have to rest? We’re talking about G-d. Man getting a day off, however, makes perfect sense. What perplexes me is that G-d thought He needed to make the world’s rest day a commandment. Resting from backbreaking labor just makes good health sense. What did G-d add by consecrating my weekend? To answer that question, to understand how rest can be holy, we need to first consider something more familiar, the work that makes rest desirable.<br />Right now I am writing, which I consider work. To perform this work I must invest my creative powers. I draw from my intellect to determine what I’m going to say, how I’m going to say it, the relationship between ideas, what words to use, where to put the commas, semicolons and periods … Yes, I know you’re impressed. I also invest my emotions. I can’t write sincerely or convincingly if I don’t love what I’m writing about. Above all, I must delight in my work. Without taking pleasure in the completed piece as I imagine it, I have no reason to channel my mind and heart into the writing.<br />Now while I’m doing the actual writing I can’t deploy the full force of my intellectual and emotional powers. As I channel my knowledge of Chassidic teachings on Shabbat into these sentences, I can’t access my understanding of the law of two who grab the same tallis or Rashi’s commentary on why Abraham told the Egyptians Sarah was his sister. By the same token, the love I feel for this essay must be limited to the present topic to the exclusion of my passion for, say, Matzah or Baal Shem Tov stories.<br />Above all, I can’t delight in my vision of the finished story while I’m occupied with writing it. In the midst of expressing my ideas and emotions, gazing at the computer screen and furrowing my brow, no one can see the pleasure with which I anticipate the final keystroke. Only when the job is done, when my intellectual and emotional faculties become disengaged from the work and return to me, will I delight.<br />G-d intended a satisfying conclusion to His work, the Six Days of Creation. But while He was engaged in the job, employing the supernal powers of intellect and emotion to construct the universe, the original vision G-d delighted in was not yet realized. Delighting at that point was irrelevant. Once G-d completed His work, allowing His powers to return from their labor to rest in their essence – once the Creation was at hand – G-d delighted. That pleasure is elicited anew every Shabbat.<br />G-d, then, had good reason to make resting a commandment. Besides its physical benefits, Shabbat recharges our spiritual batteries. In fact the Shabbat rest is a whole package deal, healing body, mind and soul, with tranquil rest and pleasure.<br />What about G-d, though? We need a good Shabbat to complete what we lack during the week. But G-d is perfect. He shouldn’t have had to rest after the inaugural workweek. Truth be told, He didn’t have to. He did it for us.<br />G-d created the world in a way that we can emulate, using creative powers in six days with a seventh day of rest. He did so because He wanted us to be His partner in perfecting Creation. To strengthen our resolve to complete the work, He gave us Shabbat, a time to renew our senses and a foretaste of the perfect world to come.<br />The culmination of our refinement of the world, week by week, Shabbat after Shabbat, will be the Era of Moshiach. The Talmud calls that time, our reward after 5,770 years on the job, the “day that is entirely Shabbat and rest for eternal life.” May we soon enjoy the fruits of our labor.Moshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694353702388916424.post-55835113839012147092010-02-13T19:46:00.000-08:002011-07-10T13:34:05.481-07:00I Am My FatherAs the year of mourning for my father draws to a close, I find comfort in remembering him and the times we shared: my father standing in line to buy us tickets to baseball’s all-star game the year it was played in Kansas City, even though he wasn’t a sports fan, because he knew how much going meant to me; the way he would soothe me with a talk and walk around the block; the pride he felt in the Sukkah he built for us when I came home too late to make one myself; or just watching TV with him and laughing because <em>he</em> was laughing so hard at a funny line in “The Odd Couple” or “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”<div><br /> Memories aside, my father consoles me simply because he is my father. The love between father and son, as I happened to learn in a Chassidic discourse shortly before he died, expresses a stronger bond than any other love.</div><div><br /> Chassidic philosophy speaks of two kinds of love: emotional and essential. Love, as the other emotions, is self-interested. Completely absorbed in the Self, to become aroused love must feel itself.</div><div><br /> When I drive my car, I feel the cold steering wheel touching my hands. But I’m really not feeling the steering wheel or even the cold on it. I’m feeling the sensation in my hands. Similarly, when I’m loving someone, I don’t feel the loveable qualities of my friend; I experience my own sensations of love within me and the recognition – transmitted to my emotions from my brain – that my friend’s decency and caring are good for me.</div><div><br /> Essential love, in contrast, does not need to sense any virtue or act of kindness from the loved one to become aroused. Essential love exists whenever two people – a father and son – are connected to each other’s essence. I long for my father because I want his essence and being, my essence and being.</div><div><br /> To generate feelings of love for my friend I must think about his warm smile and the dinner he bought me on my birthday. I love my father because when I bow my head, close my eyes and think for a moment about who I am, my father is there. To want my father I just have to be his son.</div><div><br /> Love does not stop when one life ends. We remain connected, and because of that bond I say Kaddish for 11 months. The recitation of Kaddish, blessing G-d’s name in public to which the minyan answers “Amen,” eases the soul’s transition from this world to the next. Three time a day, before reciting the final “<em>Kaddish d’Rabbanan</em>,” I say to myself, as the Rebbe did when he mourned for his wife, a line from the first Lubavitcher Rebbe’s <em>Tanya</em>, which expresses the soul’s intrinsic bond with G-d: “The second, uniquely Jewish, soul is truly ‘a part of G-d above.’”</div><div><br /> Like the son, who derives his essence from his father, the soul’s essence always stays bound to its source, G-d above. And like the son, who is connected to the father even before he is born, the soul at the outset of its journey back to G-d is already one with its Father.</div>Moshe Parelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04687347830744955329noreply@blogger.com3