Archive for the ‘shabbos table’ Category

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LIGHTING UP THE WORLDLY MATTERS

Saturday, February 4th, 2012

This week’s Torah reading, Yitro, narrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. About this central event in the history of the Jewish people the Torah states, “And G-d spoke all these words, saying.” Our commentators ask a logical question: What is the meaning of the seemingly superfluous word “saying”?

Throughout the Torah, wherever the word “saying” appears, the intent is for those words to be transmitted and repeated to those Jews who were not present at the time when G-d uttered them.

However, at the giving of the Torah, every single Jew was present. Everyone was there at Mount Sinai, everyone heard the Ten Commandments – even the souls of Jews yet to be born in future generations were present. Why then, in this instance, does the Torah employ the word “saying”?

The Maggid of Mezeritch, Rabbi Dov Ber, successor of the Baal Shem Tov, answered this question as follows:

“Vayedabeir – And G-d spoke” alludes to the Aseret Hadibrot – the Ten Commandments.

“Leimor – saying” alludes to the Aseret Hama’amarot – the Ten Utterances by which G-d created the world.

The intent of the verse “And G-d spoke all these words, saying” is that the Torah was given for the purpose of drawing down the Ten Commandments into the Ten Utterances of the physical world, i.e., that the light of Torah would illuminate the world to such an extent that it is perceived on the physical plane of existence.

This job was given to the Jewish people when G-d gave them His Torah. Our task as Jews is to cause the light of Torah (“And G-d spoke”) to illuminate the world (“saying”). We must never think that the Torah and the world are two separate entities. It isn’t enough to conduct ourselves according to Torah when studying and praying. Rather, the light of Torah must be brought down to even our most mundane affairs. Everything a Jew does, no matter how worldly, must be carried out in accordance with the Torah’s dictates and performed in a spirit of holiness.

This, then, is the core of the giving of the Torah: bringing the light of Torah, the Ten Commandments – “And G-d spoke” – not only into the realm of Torah, but also into the realm of physical existence, into the world that was created by the Ten Utterances – “saying.”

 

Adapted from the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Reprinted from www.LchaimWeekly.org – LYO / NYC)


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BEYOND THE OPINION POLLS

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

In this week’s Torah portion, Beshalach, we read about the splitting of the Sea. This miracle prepared the Jewish people for the giving of the Torah and the Final Redemption.

Concerning the splitting of the sea, the Torah tells us about Nachshon ben Aminadav, who risked his life to jump into the Sea. It was only after Nachson entered the Sea that the waters parted and the Jews were able to proceed.

How could Nachshon disregard his life and jump into the sea? How could he not! For Nachshon knew that G-d had taken the Jewish people out of Egypt for the sole purpose of giving them His Torah at Mount Sinai. Nachshon was guided by the desire to advance toward the Torah. It mattered not to Nachshon that a body of water obstructed his path; he jumped into the Sea.

Faced with a seemingly impossible situation the Jewish people had been of several opinions. Nachshon, however, was uninterested in any of their “options” — returning, waging battle or running away — for he knew that none of this would bring them closer to Mount Sinai. He was also not interested in arguments or calculations. There was only one solution: to go forward to Mount Sinai. And so he did so, with great mesirat nefesh (self-sacrifice).

The portion of Beshalach is generally read on the Shabbat preceeding or following the 10th of Shevat, the anniversary of the passing of the Previous Rebbe Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn. The circumstances surrounding the splitting of the Sea contain a timeless lesson; so do the actions of the Previous Rebbe.

For throughout his life the Previous Rebbe acted with mesirat nefesh and set an example for all future generations. The Previous Rebbe did not specifically seek out mesirat nefesh; this was not his intent, as his sole objective was to spread Torah. The Previous Rebbe didn’t stop to consider if self-sacrifice was necessary, nor did he pay attention to the prevailing opinions and views of the other Jews of his time. To him, their arguments carried no weight at all. The only thing that motivated the Previous Rebbe was the need to get closer to Mount Sinai. Even if a “sea” stood in his way, he would jump in. What would happen next? That was G-d’s concern, not his. This was immaterial to the Previous Rebbe. He simply did what he had to in order to reach Mount Sinai.

From this we learn a lesson to apply in our daily lives. Our function on earth is to serve G-d, to love His creations and bring them closer to Torah. Differences of opinion and approach are not our concern. Our only true goal is to draw nearer to Mount Sinai, and to do so without consideration for anything else.

 

Adapted from the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Reprinted from www.LchaimWeekly.org – LYO / NYC)

 


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NOT JUST ANOTHER SLAB OF ROASTED MEAT

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

This week’s Torah portion, Bo, enumerates the details of the Passover offering.

The lamb had to be selected, watched for four days, slaughtered, and then eaten roasted with matzot and bitter herbs.

In his Sefer Hamitzvot, Maimonides counts the mitzva of the Passover offering as two separate commandments: 1) slaughtering the lamb at dusk on the 14th of Nisan, and 2) eating it on the night of the 15th.

These two mitzvot are connected to each other and interdependent. Thus, at first glance, it is not clear why Maimonides counts them as two separate commandments.

The exodus from Egypt was a pivotal event for the Jewish people, as it was then that they were born as a nation. No longer were they slaves to Pharaoh; instead, they were transformed into the servants of G-d.

The purpose of the Passover offering was to prepare the Jews for the exodus. Every detail was significant, for each one readied them in a different way for the great event.

Precisely because it is so fundamental, the mitzva of the Passover offering is reckoned as two separate commandments: the sacrifice itself, and the eating of it.

Both particulars were required to prepare for the departure from Egypt and the Jews’ transformation into servants of G-d.

In ancient Egypt the lamb was worshipped as a deity. By offering it as a sacrifice, the Jewish people shook off their yoke of subjugation.

It took a great deal of mesirat nefesh (self-sacrifice) for the Jews to publicly take that lamb and kill it in front of their horrified neighbors. But in order to be a true servant of G-d, self-sacrifice is necessary. This was the mitzva of slaughtering the Pesach offering.

The second mitzva was to actually eat the lamb. When a Jew ate the Passover offering, which had been sacrificed with mesirat nefesh, its flesh was transformed into his own. The substance of the offering was digested and became one with his physical body.

Self-sacrifice has to be the central theme in the life of the Jew; it must surround him, permeate his being and fill him completely, spilling over into the physical plane of his existence.

In this manner, mesirat nefesh became part and parcel of the Jew’s being, preparing him for the exodus from Egypt and enabling him to become a “servant of G-d.”

 

Adapted from the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Reprinted from www.LchaimWeekly.org – LYO / NYC)


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