Trust Brings Miracles

In this week's parsha, Behar, we learn about the mitzvah of Shmita, the sabbatical year. "Six years you should sow your fields..., and gather its produce. And in the seventh year, the land must be given complete rest, a sabbatical for Hashem, you may not sow your fields..."

This is one of the most difficult mitzvahs, because if all of Israel refrains from sowing their fields, what will we eat?

In answer to this question, Hashem says, "I will command my blessing for you in the sixth year, and it will yield (enough) produce for three years." For the end of the sixth year, the whole seventh, and until after the harvest of the eighth year.

Still we find, that this mitzvah is so difficult, that during the First Temple era, seventy Sabbatical years were not kept properly. Because of this, after the destruction of the first Temple, we were in exile for seventy years. It is obvious that this mitzvah is super important to Hashem, and that keeping this mitzvah is key to bringing Moshiach.

By taking a look at what is at the core of this mitzvah, everything becomes clear. What is at the essence of this mitzvah?

We all have a relationship with Hashem. For some of us it is weak, for others it is stronger, and yet for some, it is one of rejection. Many of us run the gamut, a roller coaster ride relationship with Hashem.

What Hashem wants most from us, is that we trust in Him. And this is, what is at the core of this mitzvah.

Trust is stronger than belief, and we are tested regularly by Hashem to see if we put our trust in Him.

Yet it is hard to trust, in any person or even ourselves for that matter. How often do we watch ourselves fail at what we set out to do? How often are our hopes dashed, only to find ourselves hurt and broken? We have trust issues.

When it comes to Hashem, we need to take a different approach. Because in Him we truly can trust, and the more we get to know Him, the stronger our trust in Him becomes. You come to realize that He is the only one you can actually trust in.

Hashem is the one that takes care of us. This becomes clear in the sixth year of the Sabbatical, when one would think the field has been drained of its nutrients, due to five years of sowing and reaping. When the sixth comes, there is nothing left for the field to give. It is our trust in Hashem alone, that make our fields yield three times their normal production.

The same is true for Jewish fathers and especially Jewish mothers. As you give, and give, and give, until there is nothing left to give. It is your relationship with Hashem, your trust alone, that gives you the strength you never would have imagined you had.

I have experienced this first hand. Now, it is already three years, since I have been diagnosed with ALS. For me, though it has been difficult, it has not been draining, because I really can't do much. But watching my wife Dina, do everything, double, maybe triple her normal work load. And on top of that all, the emotional drain and the hurt and suffering of not having a regular husband to come home to. I have no idea how she does it. Then she finds the strength to smile and give inspirational talks. When there is no gas left and you can still do so much, there is a miracle happening. And this miracle is because of your trust in Hashem.

It is my hope that through our building our trust relationship with Hashem, we will merit the coming of Moshiach very soon.

Raising Spirits

This week's parsha is called Emor, which means "say." The names of the parshas hold a special significance and a lesson for life. The Midrash on the words "Emor el haKohanim, Say to the Kohanim," says "the sayings of Hashem are pure sayings." Emor is a command to say something pure, emulating Hashem. While we are generally taught, not to speak about others, here the Torah wants us to say something positive about another.

What does Hashem want us to say?

Our words have power.

When we speak negatively about someone, we affect the person negatively. This is why loshon hara, evil speech, is so bad, because it damages three people, the speaker, the listener, and especially the one being spoken about.

In the same way, speaking positively about someone, will affect the person positively.

But how can I speak positive of a person who breaks the rules? He went to yeshiva just like me, he should know better.

There are two answers, both found in Pirkei Avos, Ethics of our Fathers.

The first is, "Don't judge your friend, until you are in his situation." In this approach, when you see your friend failing in a certain area, you should consider that his circumstance is what caused him to fall short. If he would have been in more favorable circumstances, he would not have failed in this area.

The problem with this approach is, that although you have found a way to answer away your friends failings, he is still a failure in your eyes. This, obviously, cannot be what the name of our parsha, means for us to say.

The second is, "Judge every person favorably." In this approach, you focus on the positive. You recognize, that every person is given challenges, according to the greatness of his Neshama. The greater the neshama, the greater the challenges and the greater the ability to overcome these challenges. In this way of thinking, you see the positive in your friend. Although there seems to be a negative, you choose not to focus on that. Eventually, if you practice this approach long enough, you will cease to see the negative and you will only see the greatness in others.

Now this is worthwhile saying. Imagine how this boost of true praise, will affect the person being spoken about. This kind of praise, can be the thing that strengthens him, to overcome his challenge. This is the kind of "saying," the name of our parsha is asking us to do.

Since I was young, I would always try to find ways to lift others spirits. Of course, I have said hurtful things too, which I regret. But over the years, I have trained myself to see good things in people, and compliment them.

Everybody has good and when you expose that good, you raise the spirit of that person. And there is nothing better than lifting the spirit of another person.

Honesty

In this week's parsha, Kedoshim, we find the mitzvah of making and keeping honest measuring tools, whether they are for measuring weight, dry measure, or liquid, they need to be accurate. It is forbidden to make or have in your possession inaccurate measuring tools, even if you have no intention to use them.

While with many mitzvas, Hashem signs off with "I Am Hashem," or "I Am Hashem your God." After this mitzvah, Hashem signs off with, "I Am Hashem your God who took you out of Egypt."

What is the connection, between honest weights and measures, and the exodus from Egypt? Why is it a sin to merely own them, even if you have no intention to use them?

The simple answer brought by Rashi, that it is for this reason, that Hashem took us out of Egypt, to be a paragon of honesty in business dealings. Also, just like Hashem could discern in Egypt, who is a first born and who is not, so can He discern if someone falsifies his weights, to be dishonest in business.

But there is a deeper reason. This is the way of the evil inclination, he doesn't tell you to steal or rob another. You would never go for that. First he says, "what is so bad to own these false weights, your not even going to use them." Then he goes a step further. "What is the big deal using them, they are just a drop off. It is not a big deal." And step by step he drags you down until he's made a thief out of you.

Owning false weights and measures are the first steps. It is the beginning of dishonesty, though no action was done with them, they represent ill intent and bad choices, which is the prelude to dishonesty.

This is where Egypt comes in. Though Hashem decreed that the Jewish people would suffer by the hands of the Egyptians, each individual Egyptian had the freedom to choose not to. It was their ill intent and bad choices that brought them to oppress the Jewish people. The Jewish people would have been oppressed with out their involvement, because it was Hashem's decree. It was their evil intention and bad choices that got them involved and ultimately punished, etc.

It all begins with ill intent and bad choices. For example, choosing bad friends, purchasing inappropriate clothing, etc.

Hashem is saying, I took you out of Egypt, the place of ill intentions and bad choices. I want you to be better than them. I want you to be a beacon of goodness and honesty. That is why I took you out of Egypt. And honesty is the starting point for all the mitzvahs, and what defines us as Hashem's people.

To dispel dishonesty, first we need to dispel ill intent and bad choices. Get rid of self acquired bad influences, and temptations. You will find it freeing, like a weight being removed from your shoulders. And finally, being honest in business and with your acquaintances, is the way you influence them to want to be more like you, and to follow in Hashem's ways.

One more thing, by connecting honesty with the exodus from Egypt Hashem gives us a clear indication, that honesty is a prerequisite to bringing the future redemption. May it come soon.
__
Dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Moshe Muller, a good friend, who passed away this week. May his family be consoled. To help the Muller family  https://www.youcaring.com/the-muller-family-567418

Living For Hashem, Living For Our Families

In this week's parsha, Acharei, we read "And you should guard My statutes and My laws, that the person will do them, 'vachai bahem,' 'and live by them,' I Am Hashem."

The Maggid of Mezrich explains, that the words, vachai bahem, can be translated, and put life into them. We have to bring life into the mitzvahs.

How does one bring life into the mitzvahs? What can we learn from this for our relationships?

Our approach to doing mitzvas take on several different forms.

First you have the one whose mitzvahs and life have no connection. To him, there is a separation between holy and mundane. He prays with fervor in shul, but when he does business, eats, etc., holiness and refinement are not visible.

Then there is the one whose life and mitzvas are connected, he does mitzvahs with all their bells and whistles. But he does them with the hope, that by doing them, he will get what he needs from Hashem. His drive to do mitzvahs, is the physical pay out. In this case it is his mitzvahs bringing life into his needs.

Then there is the one, whose every physical need and act is so that he can do mitzvahs. He eats, he exercises, he works, and rests, just to be able to carry out Hashem's will. This is bringing life into the mitzvahs. Your whole life is for Hashem.

This is the meaning of the saying of the Tzemach Tzedek, explaining the Maggid of Mezrich's words, to his daughter-in-law, "In order to bring life into the mitzvahs, you need to have strength and be joyous... better eat in order to daven, than to daven in order to eat."

Most of us fall into all these categories, at one time or another. The goal should be, to make Hashem the focus, to bring life into the mitzvahs. You will find that you will become more refined. You will eat differently, act differently, etc., your every step will become  filled with purpose and meaning. Of course, this doesn't happen in a day, it is a life's journey. One step at a time, you have the power to reach higher, and the more you do it, the more meaningful your life will become, the closer you will feel to Hashem.

It is always difficult to balance between family and work, family and personal interests. When work and recreation are an escape from the family, you will find resentment and anger towards your work and recreation. But when your wife and children know that they are most important to you, because you treat them that way. And your work and recreation is so that you can be a better father and husband, to provide for them and be healthy. Then they will have no resentment to your work and recreation. Just the opposite, they will take pride and joy in what a great and loving father and husband you are.

Again, don't expect to become super-dad or super-husband in a day, every step in the right direction, will bring you closer. This is true for mothers and wives as well.

The key is to make Hashem most important to your family and your family most important to you. If your family is suffering, because of your relationship with Hashem, then you are doing something wrong, and you should look for a way to correct the problem, even if it means changing yourself, and your religious expression.

I remember when I was in the hospital and the question came up about doing a tracheotomy. I was asked if I wanted to do it or perhaps not and pass on to the next world. It was my choice legally and halachicly. I was tormented by the question, because, on one hand, I had suffered so much, on the other hand I love my family. It was heart wrenching, when I thought of my wife Dina and our children, how much they would suffer if I was gone. Then I thought, what would Hashem want  me to do? I thought what would be best for my family? The answer seemed clear and I went through with it. It hasn't been easy, not for me, not for Dina and not for the family. But we are all happier because of it, it was the right decision.

May we all be blessed with meaning in our lives, closeness to Hashem, and closeness to our families.

A Glimpse of Things to Come

The last days of Pesach, Shvii and Acharon Shel Pesach, are the only Yom Tov days that we don't recite Shehechyanu. The simple reason brought by the great codifiers of Jewish law, is that all the days of Pesach are considered one long holiday. Since we can only recite Shehechyanu over a new holiday, and the last days are not a new holiday, the last days, therefore, are included in the Shehechyanu of the first days.

However, had there been something new about the last two days, we would have to recite Shehechyanu.

What could have been new about the last days of Pesach, that were nevertheless refuted as a good enough reason to recite Shehechyanu?

The first is the miracle of the splitting of the sea. Perhaps this great miraculous salvation, that happened on the seventh day of Pesach can be considered a reason to say Shehechyanu.

However, the splitting of the sea, though it was arguably the greatest miracle we have experienced, it is only the culmination of our Exodus from Egypt, and the final blow in the destruction of our oppressors, Egypt.

Another possibility, is the last days connection to the future redemption. As the splitting of the sea, was a hint of things to come in the future redemption, though the future redemption will be by far greater. Just as it was the total destruction of Egypt, the future redemption will be the total destruction of evil in the world. Also we find that the song the Jewish people sang at the sea, Oz Yashir Moshe, contains prophecies of the future redemption.

The Haftora on the seventh day of Pesach, is the song of King David, the father of Moshiach, which ends with blessings of Moshiach.

On the last day of Pesach the light of Moshiach shines bright. The beautiful Haftora is all about Moshiach. And it is a holiday created by the Jewish people, and is the total transformation of the day, from mundane to holy. Moshiach is just that, it is the total transformation of the world from mundane to holy.

Perhaps the last days connection to Moshiach should warrant the recital of Shehechyanu.

However, this is refuted as well, because, you only say Shehechyanu over an event that happened in the past. Secondly, reciting Shehechyanu over the future coming of Moshiach, which we long for and has not come will have the opposite effect, as it will depress us, instead of adding joy to the holiday. And it is the joy of the holiday that brings out the essence of the last days. With brotherhood, love and joy, we get a sense of what awaits us in the future, a taste of Moshiach.

May we finally merit to experience the coming of Moshiach soon, and have a good reason to say Shehechyanu on these last days of Pesach as well.

Exodus Every Day

In the Haggada we read, "In every generation, a person is obligated to see, as if he himself went out of Egypt."

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi,  the founder of Chabad, explained: "In every generation, and every day." Every day we must go out of Egypt.

Egypt is symbolic of boundaries, being locked in either physically or spiritually. On Pesach we talk of being free, freeing ourselves is a daily task, breaking out of our status quo, to find deeper and higher meaning in Torah, Judaism, and Hashem.

To understand this, we first have to understand why Pesach is the only holiday that Hashem gave us exact times of events. Regarding the plague of the death of the first born, at which time the Jewish people were officially free, it says "And it was at midnight." Later, when the Jewish people actually leave Egypt, it says, "And it was at the essence of the day," which is high noon.

There are two different kinds of exoduses. One is out of an Egypt of darkness, midnight. This refers to one who is at a low spiritual state. He is stuck in his way of thinking, "it is a dark world, a dark exile, what is the point of trying to grow spiritually." Then there is an exodus out of an Egypt of light. This refers to a person who is at a higher spiritual state. Living a life of Torah, of light, midday, however he has become comfortable in his state, and lacks the urge to break out to reach for something higher.

Both of these Egypts are our daily struggle. Weather you find yourself in a midnight or a midday situation, you need to find a way to break out of your current constraints and attain higher plateaus of spirituality and understanding, in Torah, closeness to Hashem and the performance of mitzvahs.

This is true, in our relationships as well. We must constantly search for ways to deepen and strengthen our relationship, and not be satisfied with the status quo.

This is the life of a Jew. Always climbing higher and higher, yesterday's accomplishments, are not enough today. In every generation and every day, one is obligated to see, as if he himself went out of Egypt.

How to See a Painful Situation

In this week's parsha, Metzorah, it tells of a home inflicted with Tzaras, a spiritual infliction that took the form of green or red patches on the walls of a home.

What was the cause of this Tzaras? Rashi explains, that Canaanites hid gold in the walls of their homes, the Tzaras would show up on these homes. To purify the home the walls with Tzaras had to be demolished, revealing the gold within.

The Zohar explains, that only a small number of Canaanites hid gold in their walls. While most Canaanites were resigned to Hashem's plan to give the land of Canaan to the Jewish people, there were those who were not. These consisted of Canaanites that were deeply steeped in idolatry, and morally depraved even by Canaanite standards. These Canaanites hid their gold in their walls, with the plan to one day come back and expel the Jewish people from the land.

While the impurities of idolatry of most of the Canaanite homes were superficial and were dispelled when a Jew would enter and started doing mitzvas. The walls of the homes of the deeply depraved, soaked in the impurities and it took the presence of a very holy person to extract the impurities. Hashem arranged that only the holiest people moved into these homes. The impurities would come out in the form of Tzaras, the house would be demolished, and the gold would be found. 

What lesson are we to take from the Holy person in a house inflicted with Tzaras?

We all find ourselves in situations which at first glance seems like a punishment. Like a holy person who finds Tzaras on his home. You could rightfully think,  "What have I done to deserve this?" But with time and trust in Hashem, that He knows best, you will find, that it is all to reward you with a treasure. The same is true when you find yourself hit with a devastating blow, you must realize that Hashem specifically put you into this situation, just like putting a holy person in a depraved house, only you have the ability to extract the good from the predicament and reveal the treasure within.

Before I was born, my parents were blessed with a special needs child, my brother Shalom. My parents with great love included him in everything we did. I grew up loving him as they did and did things with him all the time. I would get teased a lot and it hurt. But I think it is my relationship with Shalom that made me into the person I am today. Now I think, what a treasure, what a gift, to grow up this way.

Of course, this is only when dealing with difficult predicaments, but sometimes Hashem hands a blow that is so devastating, for example, the loss of a loved one . What treasure could be found in this situation? Even if there is positive, it doesn't take away the pain. In this case all we can do, is accept Hashem's will and with His help the pain will lessen with time.

With all this said, it is time for Moshiach to come and put this discussion to rest.