Rabbi's Blog

I have a hunch that everybody who listens and learns the Parsha week in and week out has grown to have chosen a parsha favored above all the others. There is no question that every boy and girl who had an opportunity to learn and perform for their bar/bat mitzva love and cherish their special, personal parsha! I can personally attest to the fact that no matter how many years it has been (at least 46) since my bar mitzva, Parshas Korach is definitely my favorite. There are six parshios in the Torah that are named for people (can you name them?). As a kid I didn’t appreciate my parsha as it is named after someone who is not looked upon well in the eyes of Hashem. Nevertheless, as we mature, we begin to learn with a different perspective. We appreciate every angle of the parsha, not only its name but all the other components of the parsha which together help us to weave the lessons to be digested.. 

God created a world replete with opposites; when something is wrong something else is right. When something is high, there are other things that counter it that are low. Somethings are heavy while others are light. There will always be a set amount of money that exists in the world, and it moves (zuz) around from one place to another, some have more while others have less, and it never stays the same. In fact, when it comes to an illness for which there is  no cure, the rabbis teach us that the cure is already in the world just waiting to be discovered. In layman’s terms, this is the concept Hashem creates - the refuah is there even before the makka; God creates the cure even before the illness. There are many more examples of this concept. To highlight one more, we find that where there is a villain there is a hero. There are situations at the outset where we cannot determine if someone is evil, acting in a wicked fashion. It is only as the individual’s actions grow clearer that we are able to  see the truth and the person’s true sense, true intentions, are revealed. At times it is difficult to see the difference, but eventually the evil just pours out.  Well, according to my theory, there needs to be a hero. Even when it comes to the good guy, heroism isn’t necessarily detected immediately, growing more and more visible only after analyzing and then seeing the situation from beginning to end. Suspicions regarding the honesty and integrity that we questioned at first now become d more obvious, slowly determining that the individual is truly innocent. Our focus then is guided by the person’s righteousness, no longer believing him/her to be evil, but actually understanding that this individual is  truly good, honest, and sincere. This is the exact scenario we find in my Bar Mitzva portion, Korach.

In this week’s Parshas Korach we find all the criteria for what a leader is truly all about.  The Torah states in Bamidbar 16:4 "וישמע משה ויפל על פניו"  “And when Moshe heard this, he threw himself on his face”. The very next passuk states: "וידבר אל קרח ואל כל עדתו לאמר, בקר וידע ה' את אשר לו ואת הקדוש והקריב אליו ואת אשר יבחר בו יקריב אליו"  “Then Moshe spoke to Korach and his entire party. “[Tomorrow] morning”, he said, “God [will show that He] knows who  who is holy, and He will bring him close to Him. He shall choose those who shall [be allowed to] present [offerings] to Him”. Reb Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the Ba’al HaTanya, charges that Moshe could have said the second verse immediately. Why was it necessary that he first fall on his face? Reb Shneur Zalman reasons that Moshe viewed himself as a shaliach, a messenger from Hashem, and perhaps the challenge Moshe was experiencing is all from above. Moshe was thinking that just as he was a messenger, so, too, could others be messengers. Certainly, an individual with Korach’s lineage (identical to Moshe) could be chosen by Hashem to act in this manner. Therefore, Moshe fell on his face, first to contemplate the matter, considering that perhaps he  was acting in a haughty manner. After checking himself out, he concluded that he did not have within himself an ounce of haughtiness. At that point Moshe recognized that Korach was not sent by Hashem but was just an individual dissenter and combatant  seeking honor. At that point Moshe understood, proceeding to  answer as he did. Reb Yonason Eibeshutz, in his sefer Tiferes Yehonason, explains that  Moshe’s falling down is an expression of the highest degree of what a leader is all about. The Gemara in Moed Kattan 17a refers to the words of Chaza”l, words of the sages. The sages say any time or place the sages “put their eyes on someone,” meaning to stare or gaze at a specific individual, that person either died or became destitute. Since Moshe did not want to harm Korach and his followers, rather Moshe was holding out, hoping these revolters would ultimately  repent and do teshuva. Despite being attacked by Korach verbally and emotionally, Moshe still waited for him to repent; repentance is the ultimate goal. Moshe realizes it’s not about Korach or about Korach and Moshe; it’s about Korach and Moshe, watched by God, to willingly do whatever it takes for however long it may take to recognize the need for repentance. Therefore,  Moshe fell onto his face so that he wouldn’t come to gaze upon Korach and either kill him or make him destitute.  Moshe is willing to put aside his own victory over Korach to bring him back, to give him every opportunity to repent.

This is the apparent difference between the villain and the hero, between the tzadik and the rasha. The evil rasha wants to do one thing while the righteous tzdadik wants to accomplish something quite opposite.  The wicked want to destroy and take down while the tzadik wants to lift up, to build the person up, to help him rehabilitate. In life we make choices. We can choose to look and to hear about the one who makes the most noise, such as  Korach, or to look a little deeper in order to find the quiet, silent voice of Moshe.

In conclusion, we are all capable of being a Korach or a Moshe. Only one of these exhibited true leadership. Let us injest this lesson and act in the footsteps of Moshe Rabbeinu, keeping our eyes down. praying for the sinners to repent and come back, to join and participate together as part of Klal Yisroel.

Ah Gutten Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

This week’s Dvar Torah is L’iluy Nishmas / in memory of HaRav Dovid Elimelech ben Shmuel HaKohein z”l

In Bereishis we read about Eliezer the servant of Avraham being guided by Hashem in getting to his destination in traveling not at fast pace but rather in the concept known as Kfitzas HaDerech. This term is understood as either the road was made shorter, or he someone jumped the road so to speak. Although I have never read or learned about this in the opposite form I did experience it this week.

This week, one of my most long-standing friend lost his father, Rabbi David Winter z”l. My friend,  Chaim and I are in touch almost weekly and I was acutely aware of his father’s health decline and his approach to Olam Habah - the next world. I was informed that medical care was slowing down and to expect the unexpected phone within a day or so. My gut reaction to may similar situations would be to want to go and be with my friend. Unfortunately living so far away historically has limited me and my family members to attend both happy and sad occasions with friends and family. My friend Chaim recently married off his third and last girl (only has girls). I had missed the first two weddings and I really intended to make the last one. Circumstances had it that I was to be iin Israel for my Mother’s Yahrzeit and really had no option to go to the wedding. It then hit me what Shlomo Hamelech wrote in Koheles, “that it is better to go to a house of mourning than to a house of rejoicing” like a wedding. It was too quick for me to attend the funeral and I reasoned that I would have more quality time with my friend at the Shiva house instead of going to the funeral where it would be too overwhelming to spend time together. At that moment I start the search for airline tickets and for reasons too long to discuss here I flew into Newark New Jersey instead of JFK in New York which was much closer as the Shiva was in Queens. The traffic in the New York New Jersey area is beyond painful. I knew there would be traffic and returning to the airport during the day would take a little longer. It is actually only about twenty-one miles from Queens to Newark airport and it took two hours and forty-five minutes, in contrast flying it took only five hours (less than double the amount of time) to travel three thousand miles from San Diego! When a righteous person travels Hashem can make a long distance go fast but if not righteous makes a short distance go extremely slow.

A perspective of traveling is how a person carries themselves. When we travel either by car, plane, horse and buggy, or the original way of travel the old plain walking way,  we are carrying our bodies from one place to another. Most often the ability to go faster sometimes depends on the load that we are carrying, as we can walk or run faster with out carrying baggage and stuff. At the end of Bamidbar and the beginning of Nasso we read of the Levite families doing their work and carrying the different parts of the Mishkan as they traveled through the desert.  Several commentators address the distinction between the work and the carrying by the Leviim.

In this week’s Parshas Nasso the Torah states in Bamidbar 4:24 "זאת עבודת משפחת הגרשני לעבוד ולמשא"  “The Gershonite family shall serve by maintaining and carrying as follows”. Chizkuni* explains the word to work or serve as the putting together the components of the Mishkan and erecting it when they camp came to rest, and to dismantle it as the people were about to move. This is confirmed by a passuk/verse earlier Bamidbar 1:51 "ובנסע המשכן יורידו אתו הלוים ובחנת המשכן יקימו אתו הלוים והזר הקרב יומת"  “When the Tabernacle is moved, the Levites shall take it down, and when it is to remain in one place, they shall set it up. Any non-Levite who participates shall die”. The Eben Ezer explains the word “to work” is putting up the Mishkan and making the showbread, slaughter and watch over. But it is the Sforno who connects the activities together by citing a different earlier verse Bamidbar 3:25 "ומשמרת בני גרשון באהל מועד המשכן והאהל..."  “The task of the descendants of Gershon involving the Communion Tent….” This speaking of the tasks when they were camped. Our verse here comes to relate that all the roles, tasks, involvement, and everything the Leviim did when the camp was “parked” and rested was also performed in the same detail when they traveled. The Levites had those same tasks of carrying it all when they traveled.

The concept of carrying and traveling is not limited to the physical items we shlep but in addition the Torah gives us a perspective to travel through our life. I am personally going through a process of leaving behind or ignoring some baggage that life accumulates along the way. When we hold on to ideas, pet peeves, philosophies that no longer serve us any good hold us back and slow us down from reaching a further greater destination in life. We only have a certain amount of time in this world, and we need to go as far as we can in the quickest way possible. We carry psychological baggage whether it is religious, work, family or world related that prevents us from accomplishing things in our life that we are capable of and will never come to realize by removing it.

We have a choice in life. We can decide to take a very short trip that will take a very long time to get to my destination and I may not even make it there. Or I can take a very long trip and get there quickly and have more time available to do even more.  We can all in a sense become Leviim and learn the lesson from Leviim to carry only the necessary things to serve Hashem. May each and everyone be Zocheh to merit work in their respective ways and with all the talents we are blessed with to serve the Creator on our journey.

*Chizkuni born in France, 1220-1260 is a commentary on the Torah of Rabbi Chizkiyah ben Manoach. Chizkuni, a compilation of insights culled from the Midrashim, as well as the writings of twenty other Rishonim, including Rashi, Rashbam and Ibn Ezra. However, Chizkuni does not name any of his sources (other than Rashi), to encourage objective study, as he felt that one should focus on the message rather than the messenger.

There are several world-renowned lines of questioning that we all either come to ask or need to answer throughout the course of our lives. One of those questions took place during while teaching  my Chumash class at SCY High. I needed to convey two pieces of information to my students, one of which I knew they would welcome while the other would cause them to want to run away.  It’s important to note that for every question or piece of information I present, the response must be accompanied by an explanation of why. And so, I presented the question: “I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?” The class was pretty much split down the middle, half stating that they wanted to hear the bad news first, deal with it and get it out of the way and  then hear better news. The other half said they want to hear the good news first and have at least something positive which would help them to better deal with the bad news that follows.

A different situation may call for what you've likely heard as the ‘sandwich method’ (sometimes called the ’feedback sandwich’). The sandwich method starts off on a positive note, mentioning a constructive criticism, then finishes off with another positive comment. But if you only have one good and one bad, how do you choose? An additional consideration is who decides - the speaker or the receiver.

According to a 2013 study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, most people with good and bad news to share prefer to share the good news first. (Researchers call it "priming emotion-protection," a fancy way of saying, "maybe this won't be so bad if I ease into it." But the same study shows that most recipients of good and bad news prefer to hear the bad news first, if only because that reduces the worry factor: If I know bad news is coming, I'll dwell on that -- and be less likely to take seriously or pay much attention to the good news. Maybe that's because we tend to prefer stories with happy endings. (No research is necessary to confirm that statement). Most people tend to feel anxiety and discomfort when receiving bad news, thus the news-recipients may choose to receive the bad news first so that the following good news will ultimately help to make them feel better.  Research confirms that most people would rather give good news first while the receiver prefers to hear the bad news first.

Studies and polls are very limited regarding the time and place where the assessment is occurring. As a result, the findings of the research is that it tends not to carry enough weight to determine permanent solutions and policies. That is not to say we do not rely on information in the short term when that is the only way to make decisions. By and large the Torah itself, which is immortal, does give us insight and direction for the past, present and future. With that said, we turn to the Torah to answer our question of what is the preferred order: the good then the bad or the bad then the good? The answer is quite simple. The Torah is replete with examples of the positive and good first,  followed by the negative. A few of the many examples of these include the blessings and the curses of Parshas Re’eh. The Torah states in Devarim 11:26 "ראה אנכי נתן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה"  “You can therefore see that I am placing before you both a blessing and a curse”. In Devarim 27:11 when it comes to Har Gerizim and Eival, the Torah states "אלה יעמדו לברך את העם על הר גריזים...ואלה יעמדו על הקללה בהר עיבל"  “The ones who stand on Mount Gerizim for the people’s blessing….the ones who shall stand on Mount Eival for the curse”. While there are many more examples, I will demonstrate one more  comes from this week’s Torah reading.

The Torah in this week’s double Parshios of Behar and Bechukosai speaks of the Tochacha, the public rebuke and warning to the Jewish people regarding what might happen if we rebel against Hashem. Here again, the Torah first mentions the good and then the bad. In the beginning of Bechukosai, the Torah states in Vayikra 26:3: "אם בחקתי תלכו ואת מצותי תשמרו ועשיתם אתם. ונתתי גשמיכם בעתם"  “If you follow my laws and are careful to keep my commandments, I will provide you with rain.” Rain is an open sign of blessing, seen throughout the Torah, while draught is a curse. Only a few verses later, in 26:14, the Torah states: "ואם לא תשמעו לי ולא תעשו את כל המצות האלה"  “[But this is what will happen] if you do not listen to Me and do not keep my commandments.” Once again, we have the positive of observing the Torah and receiving the reward of rain,  followed immediately by the negative warning: if we don’t follow the Torah, bad things will befall us. On this passuk, Rav Baruch HaLevi Epstein* in his sefer Tosefes Bracha quotes a question from the famed commentary Ibn Ezra regarding why the blessings come short and concise while the curses are extensive and elaborate. The answer, generally speaking, is because the good characteristics outweigh and are greater than bad middos.  Rav Epstein explains that the curses are only mentioned to serve as a deterrent to frighten the people from sinning-  and we can never receive enough deterrents to keep us from sinning. The brachos/blessings will surely come true, so being exact, precise and to the point is sufficient. Rav Epstein continues with a short psychological insight that “good” comes in short bursts and small amounts. In the event something good from the blessing is lacking, it is no longer good but will be replaced with something else that is good. On the other hand, when it comes to curses, the “bad” appears and piles up, one upon another until the curses become impossible to bear.

On a personal note, I interpret the coming of the good first because I hope to take the bracha, the good and use it effectively so that there will no longer be a need for the other shoe -the “bad” to drop. Let me take something good now in the hopes that the bad will never come. It is always better to hear good news than to hear bad news, whether we are the speaker or the receiver. We should all be blessed with blessings and never need the lessons learned through being receivers of the bad.

* Rabbi Baruch Halevi Epstein was a very fascinating man who lived and studied in Lithuania from 1860-1941. He was the son of the great Rabbi Yechiel Michel Halevi Epstein, Rabbi of Novardhok and renowned author of the monumental halachic work Aruch Hashulchan. Additionally, his uncle was the famed “Netziv”, Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, Rosh Yeshiva of the flagship Lithuanian yeshiva, Volozhin. In addition to coming from such illustrious Rabbinic stock, the younger Rabbi Epstein, despite being a bookkeeper by profession, was a noted Torah scholar in his own right. There is almost no shul or yeshiva in the world that does not carry his work “Torah Temima”, a highly informative and innovative commentary on Talmudic and Midrashic texts which he placed alongside the biblical source that spawned them. Despite some minor controversy, Torah Temima remains highly popular among the learned masses of Jews from across the spectrum.

Less well known, however, is another commentary he wrote on the Torah called “Tosefes Bracha”. This work is not formatted the same way as Torah Temima. Rather itis a standard-design freestyle commentary on the Chumash. Unlike Mekor Baruch, Tosefes Bracha has not been reprinted any time recently and is therefore difficult to find (in fact, it isn’t even one of the 40,329 seforim freely available on hebrewbooks.org!

The modern state of Israel just celebrated its Diamond Hebrew anniversary date, Mazal Tov! No country in the world has ever grown so rapidly since its inception as Israel. The expansion of Israel is evident in all sectors - education, agriculture, science, the military, and the list goes on and on. There is no question in most people’s minds that this is nothing short of a miracle, having been born only three years after the Jewish people were decimated, losing one third of its population worldwide. 

I look back and reflect on my own perspective of the span covering forty-one years of travelling to Israel.  My first visit took place in 1982, the year I studied in Yeshiva. Following that year,  fast forwarding over four decades, the country has changed dramatically, experiencing remarkable growth, both for better and for worse. First, the modernization of Israel is laudable.  It’s amazing to see how immigrants who arrived with minimal skills, totally impoverished, now share the wonder of seeing their children graduate from college and become part of the mainstream of Israeli life.  Building and construction used to have thirty Arabs  pouring cement, making the concrete, carrying up the bricks to buildings that were no taller than three stories. Today, there are still thirty Arabs building and constructing skyscrapers, only now one person works a crane one minute then jumps onto the Deere equipment while the other twenty-nine  stand around doing nothing. A sad change over this period is that I remember as a yeshiva student forty-one years ago, every Friday a bunch of us would catch  a Sheirut (a large nine passenger taxi) from Yerushalayim back to the Yeshiva in Telz-Stone. This number of Jewish and Arab passengers varied on each trip, but sometimes I was the only Jew traveling with eight Arabs (plus the Arab driver) through Abu Ghosh which was the town adjacent to Telz-Stone. Unfortunately, the security situation, as we’re all aware,  has deteriorated so markedly today  that terrorism knows no bounds, Rachmana Litzlan (Heaven should save us). Nevertheless, on a lighter note I’ll share both a positive and a negative observation of  Israel throughout the last forty-five years.

There are a few areas of modernization and technology where Israel has left many other advanced countries in the dust. Israel, known as the start-up nation, has earned worldwide recognition from advances in medical research, major archeological discoveries, climate change research, and  oceanographic research to name just a small sampling In contrast, parking a car in Israel has always been challenging, leading to fewer and fewer available parking spaces and more and more cars looking for a place to park. Available parking locations can be blocks away from the area the driver and passengers need to walk to. Long gone are the days of meters, and even putting a little ticket in your windshield allowing you to park for a fixed amount of time is no longer available.

Honk honk, pull over, one of the most popular parking apps is Pango, a pioneer in this field, which was founded in 2005. The app offers the convenience of cashless paying for curbside parking – without the need to use parking meters. It’s available for Android, iOS users in 60 cities in the US and Israel. This app also reminds its users when their time is running out, allowing them to buy more time, acting as a virtual parking meter at the touch of your fingertips. Pango’s last round of funding garnered $6.5 million in 2015. The Pango app currently allows drivers to pay for parking at street meters and in parking lots in over 60 cities in Israel, Europe, and the US. Drivers using Pango to park activate the app, which determines their location. Using a built-in database, the app activates an on-phone “meter,” registering the car with a municipal database. Parking enforcement officials who check meters and give out citations for vehicles parked in spaces with expired meters query the database and pass over vehicles that have the Pango app running. Upon returning to their vehicle and ending the “parking event”, drivers are told how much they owe, the sum is added to their cellphone bill or a pre-registered credit card and collected later by the parking enforcement agency.  Sounds great, right? Well… first for an old timer such as myself, it’s necessary to familiarize yourself with setting it up and checking to be sure you understand how to use the app. The major “glitch” that affected me is that it’s necessary to remember to start the Pango app when you park, and…even more importantly you also need to remember stop the timer when you leave the space! During my last trip to Israel, I paid more into the app while driving than I paid when my car was parked! Pango literally got me coming and going. The lesson is clear.  We need to know and to understand when to start and when to stop or shut down.  This is symbolized in the teachings of our sages by the life and death of Aharon’s two sons, Nadav and Avihu.

In this week’s Parshas Acharei Mos/Kedoshim, the Torah states in Vayikra 16:1 "וידבר ה' אל משה אחרי מות שני בני אהרן בקרבתם לפני ה' וימתו"  “God spoke to Moshe right after the death of Aharon’s two sons who brought an [unauthorized] offering before God and died”. Reb Yisrael ben Eliezer 1698-1760, known as the Baal Shem Tov בעל שם טוב, asks a question regarding the double language used in the verse. He explains from three different sources (Midrash Rabbah 44:6, Rashi in Sotah 33 and Rashi in Parshas Re’eh) that Chaza”l explain anytime the word אחר  (achar) is used it means something close by, and when the word אחרי  (acharei) is used it means separated or distanced. With this rule we can explain the death of Nadav and Avihu, Aharon’s two sons, in a new light. The word “after” in this week’s opening verse is “Acharei” with the yud indicating that the fear of death was far away - distant from them. Every minute of the Kohein’s service is wrought with fear that if they make a mistake, they face certain death. Nevertheless, a Kohain stands tall and ready to address the task at hand, with the full awareness of their limit and never to cross a certain line. One could imagine that every moment the Kohein grows closer to Hashem, his soul may just leave him if he makes a mistake - as his closeness grows.  Yet, they became too comfortable and distant, no longer fearing that death was an option by getting too close.

Nadav and Avihu were cocky. They lost their Yiras HaShem and were not afraid, becoming careless in their Temple service. This led to the devastating sin resulting in their death. So, too, we need to be fearful and aware of how we serve Hashem, remaining always cognizant of where we stand in front of God. If we maintain our fear, meaning how we daven, how we speak, how we treat others, how we learn, these combined focused actions will form a positive living experience, thereby avoiding the opposite results which grow from believing we can live a free-for-all lifestyle devoid of consideration for our Yiras HaShem, serving Hashem up close without overstepping the boundaries.

Ah Gutten Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

This week's Dvar Torah is sponsored anonomously for a continued Refuah Shelaima for Eitan Yakov ben Miriam Esther 

Have you ever listened to a commercial for a new drug? The advertisement gets patients excited about something that may help improve their lives only to hear a bunch of warnings quickly rattled off noting severe side effects,  potential risks and possible death if the drug is taken. Ever read the bottom of an advertisement for a new medication? It, too, has numerous warnings written in illegible, microscopic type. Have you ever received a one-paragraph or even a one-word email from an attorney that will automatically say at the bottom of the message, “Please read the legal disclaimer that governs this email and any attachments.” When you click on the underlined legal disclaimer, a twenty-page document filled with disclaimers, disclosures, and warnings opens for your reading pleasure. In the financial realm, one reads articles or attends seminars to gain knowledge and advice on an array of money matters. After all is said and done, there are disclaimers stating these are “forward-looking statements, hypotheticals, illustrations and examples”.

 What does a disclaimer do or mean? A disclaimer is a formal statement saying that the individual or business is not legally responsible for something, such as the information provided in an advertisement, an email, or  in a book. A disclaimer is in place specifically to protect your business against potential legal claims. For example, its policy will prove a key document and help to protect your business against liability, should the action result in a court case. Other declarations come in the form of a statement such as: "The author assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this site. The information contained in this site is provided on an "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness, or timeliness.”

Once upon a time a person made a statement or wrote something that had meaning and backing. That all changed, at least in the United States, when mandatory messages first appeared after the passage of the Federal Caustic Poisons Act (FCPA) of 1927, a law that ordered sellers of poisons to provide warning labels on their bottles. Of course, warnings of hazardous, and poisonous ingredients should be in bold, large font.  Information regarding vitally important ingredients or issues should not be presented in a type size so small that the reader needs to squint and strain his eyes to see, nor should it be verbally explained at high speed and in a barely audible frequency. In all my decades of  earning, I never read a commentary from any of the Rishonim, Acharonim, and or modern day Poskim who include any disclaimers at the end of their explanations, decisions, or rulings.  

In Judaism things are reversed; the warnings and explanations are up front, written  in large font, inviting easy readability with full, clear disclosure. As we now begin Sefer Vayikra - the book of Leviticus - we immediately confront all of the sacrifices that a person might come to offer.

There are many reasons given that the offering of sacrifices brings atonement to a sinner for his sins.  Both the Ramban and Rabbeinu Bachya explain that although some reasons are given, nevertheless, there are deep secrets and understandings which we are incapable of grasping. With that said, I will present five general reasons why we offer sacrifices, all of which are possible for our human intellect to process. The five reasons are taken from the Meam Loez. The first reason is to arouse the hearts of man that when he committed a sin he rebelled against God. In the event that one may contemplate how it could be possible for a lowly human being to have the audacity to go against Hashem’s will,  Hashem commanded a person who sinned to return, to repent, and do to the animal one of the four capital punishments that this individual  deserved.  Since God is compassionate, He gives an extension of life to a human being, and the sacrificial animal takes his place. Therefore, when mentioning the Korbanos/sacrifices, it is always LaHashem, representing mercy and not L’Elokim, which is judgment. Reason number two is to offer a way for the Kohanim to receive sustenance. The Kohanim do not receive land in Israel and therefore needed support through different means, in this case working the sacrifices in the Beis HaMikdash and also being exclusively entitled to certain parts of the sacrificial animal.  A person can dedicate his work and service with more attention when there is no need to worry about parnassa. The third reason, given by the author of Akeida Toldos Yitzchok, explains the sacrificial offering as a penalty. Requiring a person who sinned to shell out big money to purchase an animal created regret and perhaps a method of prevention against future violations. Money talks, and if a person would have to pay for every sin committed, it just might curb some of those instincts and spare a person’s bank account. The fourth reason, given over in the name of the Eben Ezra, is to make a person think about his/her actions and have a heavy heart when contemplating the process the animal must go through because of the person’s actions or behavior. He must watch the slaughter of the animal and then watch as it burned into ash and dust, similar to what happens to a person at the end of his life. It reminds the sinner that it is not worth the fleeting moment of physical pleasure, now realizing that his actions were all for nothing. The entire sacrificial process reminds a person that only the mitzvos and good deeds performed in this world will bring him to the next world. The fifth reason, according to the Rambam in the Moreh Nevuchim, is that we offer Korbanos – sacrifices - to distance the Jewish people from the impurity of idolatry. The Jews watched the Egyptians worshipping the lamb and sheep, knowing that it was forbidden to kill those animals. Hashem gave the Jewish people a mitzva to sacrifice the very kind of animals that represented the deities of the Egyptians. When we sacrificed these animals in the Beis HaMikdash, we reversed the distancing from Hashem,  growing closer to Him. The definition of the word Korban means ‘to get close’, and through these actions we grow closer to Hashem.

The first Parsha of Vayikra presents and lays out all the mechanisms needed to repair our relationship with Hashem. The rest of Vayikra is filled with descriptions of the sins and situations of impurity and process for correcting and strengthening our relationship with Hashem. The warnings and safety precautions are mentioned first, prior to acting inappropriately or finding ourselves in situations requiring the bringing of one of those sacrifices mentioned at the very beginning of Sefer Vayikra.  

This Dvar Torah is L'Ilui Nishmas Yocheved bas Tzvi, Anita Bogopulsky z"l on her Yahrzeit 17 Adar

Books are the core instructional tools of education, the written material shaped to meet the age and appropriate teaching level for the student. Many of the Jewish publications are focused on middos - character development and the proper way a child, and every Jew should behave. One of my favorite books which I enjoyed reading to my children and now grandchildren, is a play on words titled “Labels for Laibel”. Laibel, a boy, was taught many lessons about labels. Laibel would go around and put labels on many different items. The obvious message of this book is one which I believe presents a very important lesson for our generation.  It would be a very valuable contribution to write an adult version of this story, bearing the same title, but written to serve the opposite connotation – we should not put labels on everything, especially people.  Unfortunately, people put labels on themselves. On my last trip to Chicago, it was pointed out to me that some people were wearing a certain brand of overcoat that cost the same as a typical monthly mortgage payment. I asked, ”How do you know”? My wife  explained that a certain patch or label is displayed prominently on the outside of the coat. This is not a new phenomenon; every piece of designer clothing advertises its brand (ironically, we pay the designer companies to advertise their brand for them). Does wearing an article of clothing, driving a certain car, living in a certain neighborhood, really express anything about the quality of the individual who wears the clothing, drives the car, or lives in an affluent neighborhood? The answer: maybe yes, maybe no. 

We are fresh off the vibrant, festive days of Purim (I am currently in Yerushalayim) whereby one of the major components of the day has been to dress up, almost becoming someone whom we either emulate or despise, or dress up for the fun of being a little goofy and wild. The symbolism of the type of clothing or the uniforms we wear are often used by others to identify who that individual is, and even more concerning, to interpret what they stand for. A person who wears a police uniform is assessed from two opposite viewpoints -  either someone who is there to protect me, or if I did something wrong, someone who is coming to get me. In Judaism, and I’m sure in other religions as well, a person is identified and labeled according to his or her attire. Even cultural dress may dictate a certain bent on a person’s religious beliefs and association.

The dress code on Purim is certainly relaxed but nevertheless still must be within the guidelines of Halacha. Within the accepted parameters of Purim, we can take on a different identity; whether it is to make a statement or not is not the point. Rather, it is a reflection of a different component of whom we are which we allow to emerge and take center stage for the day. Unfortunately, the other three hundred sixty-four days of the year we find ourselves mostly dressed with and assessed by a single overt label. That label is, unfortunately, the measure of who we view ourselves as being or think who another person is and what he or she is all about. We look at and tend to judge someone through the lens of viewing how they dress and from that viewpoint determine how they think, how religious and observant they are, judging them by the ‘label’ we see them wearing. It is interesting to note that we say Purim is Yom K’Purim; the day of Yom Kippur and the day of Purim are very much related to each other. There are many beautiful interpretations, but I’ll share my own connection that I have not seen anywhere.  Yom Kippur is a day so holy that the Satan does not have the ability to influence us. The gematria, the numerical value of השטן – HaSatan - The Satan, is three hundred sixty four. It is that number of days which indicate when the Satan can harm us. But the one day, number three hundred sixty-five, the day of Yom Kippur, is hands off. So, too, is the day of Purim. During the entire year, for three hundred sixty-four days, the Satan influences us to label others and judge them by what they are wearing – viewed from their outer garb -  and not for whom they might be when viewed from within -, from their hidden selves. Only on, Purim that one day of the year, The Satan does not cause us to sin by thinking ill about a fellow Jew.

The basis for our flaw- passing judgment and labeling others - is because we do not live up to the honor of being a Tzelem Elokim, to be in the image of God. Hashem is able to see through the exterior, the outer trappings of a human being; Hashem knows the  essence which defines who we really are and what we are genuinely about. We have fallen short of a very simple directive that the rabbis have taught us:  מה הוא רחום, אף אתה רחום  - Just as He is merciful, so, too, we should be merciful. We are here to emulate God, to take on the image in which He created us. God is multi-dimensional; His many characteristics, His multiple character traits, are known as Middos. The character traits were used by Moshe Rabbeinu to defend the Jewish people in the aftermath of the greatest national sin committed by the Jewish people, the golden calf.

In this week’s Parshas Ki Sisa the Torah states in Shmos 34:6"ה' ה' קל רחום וחנון, ארך אפים ורב חסד ואמת. נצר חסד לאלפים נשא עון ופשע וחטאה, ונקה לא ינקה פקד עון אבות על בנים ועל בני בנים על שלשים ועל רבעים"   - “Hashem, Hashem, God, Merciful and Gracious, Slow to Anger, and Abundant in Kindness and Truth; Preserver of Kindness for two thousand, Forgiver of Iniquity and Willful Sin, and Error, and Who Absolves – but does not absolve completely; He remembers the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the grandchildren, upon the third and upon the fourth”. These are the Thirteen Middos/Traits of Hashem that we need to follow. It was this formula that Moshe Rabbeinu defended the Jewish people with to avoid them being wiped out. There is a Mitzvas Asei/Positive commandment to walk in the ways of Hashem within their capacity as it states in Devarim 8:9 והלכת בדרכיו  - and you shall go in His ways. The Sifri in Parshas Eikev 11 - מה הקב"ה נקרא חנון אף אתה חנון, וחסיד וגו'  - in all Middos/character traits that Hashem is described, so, too, every man needs to imitate and copy Him in His ways. Reb Chaim Vital, in his work Shaarei Kedusha Shaar Gimmel, writes that these Middos/traits are not counted among the six hundred thirteen commandments because they are the primary function and fundamental part of the Mitzvos. Without these concepts it would be impossible to fulfill the Mitzvos of the Torah. I might add that it is truly impossible to live up to what a true human being needs to be. The Vilna Gaon echoes these points in his commentary to Megillas Esther 10:3: “Hashem is multi-faceted without names and without labels.  His traits are to see through everything – every one and every thing.  If we emulate Hashem and use His Middos in the way we look at others and the way others look at us, we will all be able to drop the labels and see each individual Jew in Klal Yisrael as a unique, one-of-a-kind person to be respected, not judged. When all these individuals, each with his/her own unique brand come together, we will become that one unique nation among the world known as Am Yisrael, the one and only!     

The internet has affected everyone’s life in one way or another during the last twenty years. This week, the U.S. Supreme court  is hearing/heard arguments regarding how platforms recommend content. Besides social media, the Internet has altered the way we shop, learn, and engage in all aspects of daily life. To sum up one area, the internet has become “our agent” for many purchases.  Take airline tickets, for example. While I still have a travel agent handle my international flights, most of us now book the majority of our tickets directly online. What used to be a simple process, has now become a maze of online navigation. The most recent assortment of choices centers on choosing a seat, especially if that seat is to be the spot on which to spend six or more hours sitting.

We have gone from buying a first-class seat to the eventuality of (you’ll excuse me) buying the bathroom seat. In between those two extremes, we have moved from business class to the main cabin with five or six choices of Preferred seats. Not too many years ago, most of us tended to choose just plain economy seats.  No more. Now there is Economy Plus, paying more for extra legroom, or buying a window seat or an aisle seat, or choosing to pay a little more for the bulkhead. . On some airlines, Preferred seating includes economy seats that have standard legroom but are closer to the front of the aircraft, located in the first few rows immediately behind Economy Plus seats. In addition, there are other benefits to Preferred seating even before getting on the plane! When purchasing preferred seating, you not only enjoy a better seat in the Economy class, you’ll also receive earlier onboard service and, when you land, get off the plane sooner, so you get to wait for your luggage just a little bit longer (Sorry, ‘Preferred’ economy is not business or first class, so the luggage doesn’t get unloaded earlier – at least not yet).

There are other areas of life where the benefits of ‘preferred’ seating can have a positive impact. In a classroom setting, preferential seating means that a student's seat is placed in a location which is most beneficial for his/her learning in the classroom. For example, if a student tends to be easily distracted,  his/her seat might be placed away from doors or windows which tend to cause potential distractions. Some might believe that placing a student in a less- distracting location is just  accommodating certain students. Keep in mind that accommodations are not interventions. Accommodations change the environment in some way. For example, they may allow a student to have preferential seating in the classroom, close to the board or near the teacher to help the student to focus on the lesson and to avoid distractions. An intervention, on the contrary, teaches a skill.

A third and final concept of “Preferential treatment” is when it comes to priority seating -  a system whereby the diner arrives at a restaurant at the time specified in advance, or the diner is seated as soon as a table becomes available. Any one of these three seating situations has benefits. Sometimes such benefits cost money; at other times, it just requires a phone call to reserve. The second scenario appreciates the value of education and learning.

Other seats we tend to think of are driver’s seats, passenger seats, and finally, strategically positioned seats such as in shul. I take notice of where people sit and their choice of location when they come into shul. I believe the choosing of a seat tells a great deal about a person, whether it is sitting in an aisle seat or choosing to sit in the front or the back row. There are  many hidden mental messages regarding these seat selections. Through observation, I know most people will choose a shul seat that gives them the most flexibility to arrive late or leave early. It’s interesting to observe that when it comes to a sporting, or entertainment event, many people are willing to pay a lot more money for the box or orchestra seats for themselves. So, let’s consider a far more important seating choice: If I needed to buy a seat for God where would it be? Well, it’s a good thing that God does not need to rely on me to buy Him a seat. He figures out a way to get His own. and it is our job to figure out where it is.

There is an age-old question; ”Where is God”? There are two answers given: the first, most often to a child, is “God is all over”. The second answer, one that can be appreciated by a thinking adult, is the Chassidic master’s answer: “God is wherever you let Him in”. So which one is it? Where does Hashem sit? The first answer is God is not a corporal being who has physical characteristics. God does not need to sit. However,  the metaphor of sitting can be found in the Torah.

In this week’s Torah portion there is a most-often quoted passuk which the Torah states in Shemos 25:8 "ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם" .  Rav Nosson Shapiro*, in his sefer Megaleh Amukos, kabbalistically explains that these five words that make up this verse are a reflection from Bereishis  where the Torah states that שמים וארץ  heaven and earth were created בה' בראם  with the letter ‘Hey’ which is equal to the number five. The building of the Mishkan was comparable to creating heaven and earth. Betzalel knew the letters that God used to create the world as it is written in Shmos 25:9 "ככל אשר אני מראה אותך..." – “Like everything that I show you, the form of the Tabernacle, and the form of all its vessels; and so shall you do”. Speaking in terms of the five senses which a human being has physically, he also has five senses spiritually. The five physical senses were able to relate and therefore create the five spiritual pieces of the Mishkan: the Aron, Shulchan, Menorah, Golden Altar and the Copper Altar. So, too, the design of the Mishkan structure had ten curtains contrasting the Eser MaAmaros, the Ten statements of creation and the Ten Commandments at Har Sinai. Each one of the curtains was attached with five on one side and five on the other, demonstrating that the building of the Mishkan was a miniature world, a place where Hashem could constrain Himself within.   This portable Sanctuary of God would end up in the permanent building of the Beis HaMikdash where His presence was “all over”. Only later, the Temple would be destroyed, and at that point, one might think God was homeless, that there was no place for Him to sit and dwell.   This is why the answer to the apparent two questions is really one. At the point where there is no longer a sanctuary, we the beings with the five senses, create a world and a sanctuary for Hashem to reside within, and we become the “seat” where Hashem sits. At this point we decide how close we want to be to the action and to be closely connected to the best possible seat in the house. It all lies within us.

*Nosson Nata Spira/Shapiro *1585 – 20 July 1633) was a Polish rabbi and kabbalist, who served as Chief Rabbi of Kraków. A student of Meir Lublin, Spira played an important role in spreading Isaac Luria's teachings throughout Poland. Spira was the author of a number of works, most notably the Megaleh Amukot. Spira descended from a rabbinical family, which traced its lineage as far back to Rashi. He was named after his grandfather, who was rabbi in Hrodna and author of Mevo Shearim (1575) and Imrei shefer (1597). Spira had seven children, three sons and four daughters. While serving as Chief Rabbi of Kraków, Spira refused a salary. He is buried in the Old Jewish cemetery in Kazimierz, Krakow.

Have you come across words that are spelled the same but have different meanings? Or words that are spelled differently, but sound the same? These words are called homophones, homographs, or homonyms. Let’s have a quick look at their differences  Homophones are words that sound the same (Greek phonos – sounds) but are different in meaning or spelling. Homographs (Greek graphein – writing) are words which are spelled the same but differ in meaning or pronunciation. Homonyms (from Greek onyma – ‘name’) can be either homographs or homonyms or both homonyms and homographs. Homonyms are words that have the same spelling and pronunciation but typically have different meanings. For example, ‘quail’ meaning to cower, to cringe in fear, and ‘quail’ meaning a type of bird. are homonyms. Many homonyms differ in meaning when the word could be used as a noun or a verb, or as an adjective or a noun. The easiest way to distinguish and know how to emphasize the pronunciation is to look at it within the context of the sentence. Although homonyms have different meanings, I often found there is a connection between the two usages of the word. Let me explain.

Surfing the web I found many homonyms, but the word “interest” did not make the list on many websites. I found the word “interest” is very interesting (excuse the pun), especially in connection to the economy and to Torah. During my junior year of high school, I started working and saving my meager earnings. As a high schooler I did not have expenses that were in any way similar to the expenses of adults.  I had no car payments, home mortgage, or school loan paybacks. I had the advantage of not only saving my money, I could make more money by putting it in the bank and earning interest on my savings.  . For those with loans, the interest rate was so high it was difficult to get out of debt, but that which hurt others helped me. So much so that shortly after I turned seventeen, that July interest rates were a staggering 19%! I had no idea that it was not a good thing for the economy or for the general population; I was simply happy that my money was making money.

Fast forward almost forty years. In early 2020, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates from 1% to 0% as an emergency measure to stimulate the economy due to the negative economic effects of Covid. The U.S. economy then jumped back from its shortest recession ever recorded, partially supported by a massive policy stimulus. Just about everyone lost  ‘interest’ in interest-bearing accounts. By 2022, however, as the inflation rate hit 40-year highs, the central bank had to make its first rate increase in over two years. Following Federal Reserve meetings, interest rates were hiked 50 basis points, followed by 75 basis points increases two times shortly afterwards. With rates rising, there is a renewed interest in “interest”. As you can see, as the rates rise people become interested again. The word ‘interest’ follows its dual meaning: people are interested in interest. And then, there is yet another understanding of the word “interest”. 

The definition of “interest” is the state of wanting to know or learn about something or someone. What is a personal interest? Personal interests are activities enjoyed during a person's free time. Such interests can include hobbies, sports, artistic expression, leisure activities, volunteering, cultural activities, spiritual practices, learning pursuits, and personal development. The most significant common thread is an interest in learning or in doing something new. There is no question in my mind that the most beneficial interest a person can have is the pursuit of knowledge.  This intellectual pursuit especially applies to the Jewish people, known as the “People of the Book”- meaning the Torah. We learn, attempt to observe and practice the moral, ethical and ritual teachings of the Torah. The Torah is our conscience, our moral code, and the law of the world. Unfortunately, not everything in the Torah resonates with us on a platform of physical understanding;  at times we prefer to observe only those Mitzvos that we personally understand or happen to agree with. Logic dictates that knowledge which we find interesting and relevant finds a place in our memory.  We must be interested in what we study for it to stick with us. Nevertheless, a Torah lecture, class and the like, no matter how profound, inspiring, witty, or engaging, will never make us into better people unless we have or consciously develop a spark of self- motivation upon which the words of Torah can build. The Talmud writes similarly: One learns only a Torah topic which interests his heart (Avodah Zarah 19a). I find this true not only for myself but, I feel confident, for many others as well. The Gemara Avoda Zorah 19a brings a passuk:  "כי אם בתורת ה' חפצו" א"ר אין אדם לומד תורה אלא ממקום שלבו חפץ, שנאמר (תהלים א, ב) כי אם בתורת ה' חפצו the passuk is interpreted: “But his delight is in the Torah of the Lord”.  Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi explains: A person can learn Torah only from a place in the Torah where his heart desires and shows interest.  It is stated in Tehillim 1:2: ‘But his delight is in the Torah of the Lord’, meaning his delight is in the part of the Torah that he wishes to study. A person often studies and learns topics which are of personal interest.

In this week’s Parshas Yisro we read of the Aseres HaDibros, the Ten Commandments, which, according to the Shela”h HaKadosh, one can find all 613 commandments. The Torah states in Shmos 19:1: "בחודש השלישי לצאת בני ישראל מארץ מצרים ביום הזה באו מדבר סיני"  “In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt, on this day [the first of the month], they came to the desert of Sinai”. Rashi explains the words ביום הזה  - the same day - being the first of the month, the New Moon. It was only necessary to write  ‘on that day’; what is the meaning of ‘on this day’? It is to emphasize that the words of the Torah should be new to you as though He gave them to you today. This idea is highlighted by Shlomo HaMelech’s (King Solomon's) words in Koheles 1:9: "ואין חדש תחת השמש" - “There is nothing new under the sun.” Later in Koheles, Solomon says that the Torah is compared to a tree to those who take hold of it. The Gemara Chagiga 3b compares the Torah to a tree that is planted and is continuously growing and producing new leaves and flowers, and from those flowers come fruits. Since the time of Matan Torah (the Giving of the Torah), we have continued to delve deeper and deeper into the Torah, expounding upon its wisdom to no end. The Torah is given to each of us in the present, in the here and now, constantly deepening and broadening its roots and branches for all who cling to it, continuously causing renewed interest in growing and learning Torah.

The lesson is clear. As we invest our physical money, we are interested in the interest it will bear. In the intellectual realm of the Torah, the more interest we show in the Torah the more we are drawn to it, gaining ever-deeper interest in its newness. Through this interest, our investment continues to profit in both the physical and spiritual worlds of Olam Hazeh and Olam Habah, in this world and in the world to come!

Each city, no matter its location, carries  its own labels. Some cities are known for their beauty, others for great entertainment and tourist sites. I currently live in San Diego, known to be the city with the finest weather in the country. I also lived in Charleston, S.C., known for its cobblestone streets, antebellum homes, and Fort Sumter, location of the first shots of the Civil War. Many of you have visited Jerusalem, the holiest city in the world. As most of you reading this message are aware, I was born and raised in New York City, notorious for its rude citizens.  But I must tell you, in my opinion, That New York can no longer claim that prize. New Yorkers have been going through a rather dramatic transformation.  People are more outgoing, friendlier, and not  as self-centered as they once were. One qualification – being friendlier and more courteous doesn’t mean you’re going to be invited over for dinner.  That would be going too far. Rather, should you courageously ask someone for directions, or just for the time, you may receive a response…or perhaps a note of recognition that you’re standing there.

While this newfound attempt at kindness, may be a step in the right direction, there is still something lacking, not only in New York but all over the world. When someone asks for directions or simply greets someone with a ‘good morning’, and receives a response, this is typically internalized with “Wow! Friendly guy.”  In other words, the response is something other than the expected non-response. The questioner then just continues along with his own business.  I will illustrate this with a recent occurrence. I heard the following exchange between two acquaintances – they knew each other but were most likely not best friends.  One morning a man noticed his acquaintance and immediately greeted him, remarking,  ”How are you doing?” The man replied, ”Today is my birthday. Today I am one hundred twenty years old.” Without missing a beat, the first man responded,” Happy birthday. Have a great day,” and continued on his way.

I find myself at fault, guilty in a different but similar way. The only rational excuse I come up with is the overload of instant information we receive on a daily basis. When I read the Jewish news or receive a solicitation for a certain need, I tend to see it, maybe gasp momentarily, give a krechts (a moan or groan), and say Rachmana Litzlan - Hashem show mercy to this situation. After that, I go on with my day,  thinking this situation is far from me, almost shrugging it off with a silent ‘I have nothing to do with it’. There are dozens of charities, fund-raising campaigns, all addressing needs that are so great, but if I don’t know the people involved, sadly, these calls for help do not affect me in the least. When I do know a person is going through hardship, I often reach out,  asking how I can help, who should I call, and so forth. Even then, after a little while this, too, starts to be forgotten.    

One may ask, what can, or should I do? I do not have the perfect answer, but a good place to start is just to try a little harder, making an effort to do a little more, sincerely feel the pain of others, to demonstrate, at least within us, that we are an intimate part of that Bayis/house. I would suggest that everything that occurs in the Torah is meant to be a lesson for Jew and gentile alike. Not all scenarios are obvious or clear, but I believe the ten plagues not only served as a direct punishment and measure-for-measure against the Egyptians; they also served as a lifelong lesson for the young nation of Israel.

In this week’s parshas Bo, the Torah states in Shmos 12:30"ויקם פרעה לילה הוא וכל עבדיו וכל מצרים ותהי צעקה גדולה במצרים כי אין בית אשר אין שם מת" “Pharoah stayed up that night, along with all his officials and all the rest of Egypt. There was a great outcry since there was no house where there were no dead”.  Rashi explains: If a first born was there, he died. If there was not (actually) a first born (son), the oldest of the house is called ‘first-born’. We need to understand why Moshe didn’t warn the Egyptians that if there was no actual first born son, then the oldest of the house would be killed. The answer follows a pattern seen throughout the ten plagues regarding how the Egyptians either defied the existence of Hashem, rationalizing ways to explain how things occurred naturally, or they tried to manipulate the system and get around the exact directive of Moshe. By getting around the exact words of Moshe, they could claim that the Jewish God is not all powerful. The tenth plague was no different from the others, so the Egyptians removed their first-born sons from their homes, placing them  in Jewish homes in an attempt to be spared from certain death. Therefore, if Moshe had warned the Egyptians ahead of time, causing them to remove their first-born from their homes, someone else would have been killed.  They would have forced their actual first-born sons to remain in the house so that the rest of them would be saved. This is why Moshe was silent; he did not reveal all the follow-up details of the severity and length this plague would reach. As a result, there were far more Egyptians killed, the actual first born found in the Jewish homes and also every head of every Egyptian house. This is all good, regarding how   we explain these events during the seder, how Hashem paid back measure for measure in a ferocious manner.

The bigger lesson, however, is intended for us, the Jewish people, living in a generation where we also echo the words, ”There is no house where there is no dead.” The phrase ‘there is no dead’ is not meant to be taken literally - in the physical sense - but rather in the spiritual sense. Across the board, we find homes with children who are ‘spiritually dead’;  if those children aren’t the first born of the family, then it is another child or even a parent who is no longer connected. Mind you, ‘spiritually dead’ does not necessarily mean they don’t keep kosher or are no longer Shomer Shabbos. To the contrary, they may be talking the talk… but not walking the talk. The message needs to be clear to those who feel that their house is immune, or ‘we made it’; we all need to be mindful of our neighbor, the brethren who may not be directly related to me. It applies to all of us who received and witnessed this message during the Makkah that preceded our immediate redemption. When we hear and read stories of the tragedies – all tragedies, individual as well as collective - occurring  throughout the Jewish world, we need to be more sensitive, we need to feel the pain of others as if it were occurring in our own homes. We should find ways to support the many organizations which are assessing the loss in each home and working to heal and rebuild the many broken and torn homes in our midst.

In the merit of Klal Yisroel, feeling for one another in a deeper, more meaningful way, we will herald the redemption in our day just as our ancestors did upon leaving Egypt.  

What do Benjamin Kubelsky (aka Jack Benny) and I have in common? Perhaps the one thing people who know me well may quip is that we are both ‘economical’, the polite word for being cheap. There is a real difference between wasting something or being frivolous and careless about money and its value. Nevertheless, as necessary as money is in life (and money doesn’t necessarily bring happiness but having money can make life easier), it is almost always replaceable. Unfortunately, we only tend to pay lip service to that idea.

The importance of money was made famous in 1948 when Ronald and Benita Colman, along with “holdup man” Eddie Marr, gave Jack Benny something to think about.  This classic gag exchange took place as follows: Thug: Hey bud! Bud, you got a match? Jack Benny: A match? Yeh, I have one right here. Thug: Don’t make a move. This is a stick-up. JB: What? Thug: You heard me. JB: Mister, put down that gun. Thug: Shut up. Now come on. Your money or your life? Long pause…………Thug: Look, bud, I said, ‘Your money or your life.’ Jack Benny: I’m thinking it over.

The response reinforced the notion that Jack Benny was cheap with his money and considered his money almost more important than his life. The audience roared in laughter upon hearing this phrase from him. It has become one of the most classic lines in standup comedy ever since. For generations people have quoted this and continue to do so today.  But, as the saying goes, there’s a grain of truth in every joke.  Whenever a person is joking, they are, in actuality, disguising thoughts and emotions, either subconsciously or deliberately. There really is a moment where any of us are “thinking it over” - even when it’s “your money or your life”.

A few weeks ago, I smelled an odor in the laundry room and thought it was probably a dead rodent. Then, lo and behold, I found a defrosted meat roast in a Ziplock bag on top of the dryer which is right next to the freezer. Apparently, while I was rearranging the freezer, I neglected to put the frozen bag back into the freezer. I promptly returned it to the freezer, anticipating that the freezer would kill all the bacteria, thereby saving the roast. One Thursday night few weeks after this refreezing event, I took the roast out of the freezer to defrost, only then deciding to smell the meat. That was the moment I faced the question: ’Your money, or your life’…and actually spent a bit of time thinking about it. The meat cost about seventy dollars. “Hmm,” I thought, “Should I take a chance…”  But even I, overcoming my innate frugality, realized that even seventy dollars is not worth food poisoning or worse. As painful as it was, I discarded the meat and took out a fresh piece from the freezer. (I have to grudgingly admit that if I were the only one who would be eating the meat, I might have used it, but I could not serve it to my wife and company. Of course, in that case, if the meat wouldn’t have killed me, my wife would have). It struck me that even I had the thought of using spoiled meat to save a few dollars! This concept manifests itself in many scenarios, sometimes directly with money and other times indirectly.

In this week’s Parshas Shemos the Torah states in Shemos 2:11 "ויהי בימים ההם ויגדל משה ויצא אל אחיו וירא בסבלתם, וירא איש מצרי מכה איש עברי מאחיו"  “When Moshe was grown, he began to go out to his own people, and he saw their hard labor. [One day] he saw an Egyptian kill one of his fellow Hebrews”. Most commentaries focus on Moshe seeing the hardship of the Jews and or the Egyptian taskmaster smiting a fellow Jew. If one analyzes Moshe’s position in life in conjunction with this critical life-altering decision, we see a choice of immense proportion taking place. Moshe was brought up in the palace and would be the prince of Egypt, enjoying a worry-free life of pleasure, gratification, delight, and amusement. He would never have to worry about money or anything else for that matter. Instead of this guaranteed lifestyle, he stepped out of that world and into a world of uncertainty, a world of the unknown, a world that was both unfamiliar and foreign to all his experiences. Moshe knows he is a Jew, but he had grown up as an Egyptian. Moshe is at the crucial crossroad of “your money” - a life of leisure- or “your life” - a meaningful, challenging proactive life to help his people. Moshe could have walked out and make an about face, returning  to the comfortable life he was living. Instead, Moshe chose to sacrifice his ‘money’ for something far more meaningful. In Moseh’s case, it wasn’t ‘only’ his life and a life of this world; it was a life of destiny for the Jewish people, and, for himself, a life of eternity.

*Rav Shlomo Rabinowitz z”l in his sefer Tiferes Shlomo, elucidates this point. He explains that the Torah describes Moshe’s greatness through the fact that he went out to his brothers. Moshe, even at this time, viewed each and every one of the Jews literally as his blood brothers. Moshe was willing to give up his life of ease and luxury for his people. The word ויצא  - to go out -  is similar to the words in Shir Hashirim 5:6 נפשי יצאה בדברו : my soul departed at His decree. This is reflected in the words we say in the Shabbos morning Amidah ישמח משה במתנת חלקו  - Moshe rejoiced in the gift of his portion, so much so that he [Moshe] gave his life and soul on behalf of the Jewish people.

In conclusion, everyone makes decisions about how to spend the precious time they have in this world. An observant, religious Jew spends many hours a day following the rituals of what the Torah commands us to do. This entails the study of Torah, daily prayer, observance of the Mitzvos at hand, and then dedicating an overall adherence to what it means to be a Jew.  I have an ongoing philosophical dialogue with someone every so often. We agree and disagree on many issues, but we always analyze the pros and cons in arriving at a conclusion. We recently discussed how there are fewer and fewer meaningful life discussions. Most people just shoot the breeze and converse on very few things of substance and meaning. Many of the conversations are not about life, choosing to focus instead on nonsense and topics that do not make us or the world better. The discussions are like “the money” with regard to the choice of life - typically worthless and valueless. This behooves all of us to ask ourselves pointedly: What are the genuinely important things in life to talk about? We each need to process this, setting aside the comedy and focusing on the profound value of  asking ourselves the question: Our money or our life?

*Shlomo Hakohen Rabinowitz (1801 – 16 March 1866) was the first Rebbe of the Radomsk Chasidic dynasty and one of the great Chasidic masters of 19th-century Poland. He is known as the Tiferes Shlomo after the title of his sefer, which is considered a classic in Chasidic literature.

Ah Gutten Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

One of the many areas of Shlomo HaMelech’s --King Solomon’s --wisdom was transmitted came through  understanding the language of the animal kingdom, and, according to some, was even expressed by communicating directly with them. Although not mentioned explicitly, this was  derived from the verse in Kings I 5:13: “…Shlomo spoke of the trees, from the cedar of Lebanon down to the hyssop which grows out of the wall; he spoke of animal, of fowl, of crawling creature, and of fish”. But in sefer Targum Sheini Esther 3:1, it clearly states that Shlomo understood the speech and communication methods of the animal kingdom. The commentary Pas’shegen HaKesav explains that the animals knew Shlomo’s language as well. Interestingly,  there is a certain irony regarding the communication animals have with other animals of their kind, compared to that of humans to humans.

As far as I understand, animals do not have the same level of communication ability as humans. In Bereishis we are told of mankind’s ability to speak, giving them superiority to the animal kingdom. The last time I visited the zoo, I did not notice any animals asking for clarification regarding something they said to each other. I didn’t hear one animal grow insulted by another or completely misunderstand the message his fellow animal was trying to tell him. Yet, when it comes to humans, we tend to have serious regarding with our communication abilities despite having the highest intelligence of all living creatures. Since the beginning of time, man’s communication has evolved to the point where we are able to communicate half-way across the world instantaneously yet still manage to be misunderstood. How so? During the time of Adam Harishon, any communication was done face to face, leaving little room for not hearing or not understanding what the other person was saying. Furthermore, the person being spoken to could even read the expression and tone of what was being said. Fast forward a few thousand years. Today, we communicate through social media, apps for texting, messaging, and the like. In my own personal experience, I have misunderstood a person’s text message, thanks to poor  inflection, tone, or just poor writing.

Moreover, to add to the complexity of human communication, there is another way of getting a message across or to be understood – the ability to ‘read between the lines’. There is  much to be said,  written, or omitted altogether, intentionally or accidently, which frequently misconstrues and twists messaging.     Too often, omitting even a seemingly minor piece of information or a ‘minor’ detail here or there changes the entire meaning of the message. An astrophysicist, Carl Sagan, once said, ”The absence of something is often more telling then what is there.” Therefore, when reading something, one must not only read the words that are printed, but also the words that are not there. I heard this idea from Rabbi Wein many years ago. Rabbi Wein mentions this concept in his autobiography “Teach Them Diligently”.  He writes about one of his Rabbeim, Reb Mendel Kaplan zt” l, who was a disciple of both Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz, the famed mashgiach of the Mir Yeshiva, and Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman, Rosh yeshiva of Baranovitch. Rabbi Wein writes, “Reb Mendel’s aphorisms remained with me. I can still hear him say life is like chewing gum – a little flavor and the rest is chew, chew, chew.” Rabbi Mendel Kaplan taught me how to read a newspaper, spotting its unintended lessons in life.

I believe that this notion of ‘things being omitted’ or ‘reading between the lines’ and the ‘unintended lessons in life’ are means of communication that must be read and processed  with a keen eye. The Torah, as we know it, is not a history book. Even though Bereishis and some of Shmos reads like a history book, it is not. Nevertheless, even within the storylines of the Torah, there are always background and back drop to all the scenes of Tanach. A fascinating example comes in the way of this week’s Parshas Vayigash. The Torah in Bereishis 44:32 states "כי עבדך ערב את הנער מעם אבי לאמר, אם-לא אביאנו אליך וחטאתי לאבי כל הימים" “-  "Besides, I offered myself to my father as a guarantee for the lad, and I said, “If I do not bring him back to you, I will have sinned to my father for all time”. At this point Yehuda is fed up with the Viceroy’s shenanigans and is growing restless. Rabbeinu Bachya shares some of the details of the heated exchange between Yehuda and Yosef that are not in the actual text. Rabbeinu Bachya writes:

“After this outburst by Yehudah, Yosef told him that if he dared draw his sword, he, Yosef, would strangle him with it by wrapping it around his own neck. To this Yehuda replied: ”"If I so much as open my mouth I will swallow you”. Yosef countered: ”If you open your mouth, I will shut it with a rock.” Yehuda then asked: ”What shall I tell my father if I return without Binyamin?” To this Yosef replied,  “Tell him that the rope followed the bucket” [This is an allusion to Binyamin having a ‘genetic’ tendency to steal. Rochel, Benyamin’s mother, had stolen the teraphim having given birth to a son who also became a thief.].  Yehuda shot back that Yosef was framing them and judging them for a sin they had not committed. Yosef retorted that the only perverted justice at stake was the sale of their brother. Yehuda retorted that the holy fervor which had imbued him in their fight against Shechem, which was caused because of sin involving illegitimate relations, was beginning to fill him now. Thereupon, Yosef replied that the sin of illegitimate relations he should be thinking about was that of sleeping with his daughter-in-law Tamar. Yosef implied that it did not take much to extinguish Yehuda’s supposedly sincere fervor. Yehuda responded, shouting, “I am boiling over with fury, and no one takes me seriously!” Yosef said it would be easy to cool down Yehuda’s anger. Thereupon Yehuda announced that he was about to go paint the marketplaces of Egypt with the blood of its people. To this Yosef replied that this was nothing new, referring to his brothers who had experience in painting Yosef’s coat with blood, then bringing the bloodied coat to their father, suggesting it was Yosef’s blood, and that Yosef had been attacked and killed by a ferocious beast. At that point all the brothers agreed to destroy Egypt. When Yosef realized this, he said to himself, “I have to reveal myself to them so that they will not destroy Egypt.” At this point he faced his brothers, declaring  the famous words: “I am your brother, Yosef.”

From Rabbeinu Bachya’s explanation, in conjunction with the prior discussion of ‘reading between the lines’, we should all take a lesson concerning the importance of care with regard to  how and what we say when conveying a message. The last thing in the world we want is to be misunderstood and misguided by our language. When possible, make the effort to communicate the old-fashioned way - speaking face to face as human beings should, using their God-given power of speech with care and respect.  

Ah Gutten Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

Words that are spoken may never be heard again, while words that are recorded – either orally or in writing -  can be read or heard repeatedly! This came to mind a few weeks ago after listening to a heart-rendering eulogy that Rabbi Wein delivered twenty-seven years ago.

When I was in Yeshiva Shaarei Torah my chavrusa (study partner) to learn Yoreh Deah (for Smicha) was with someone who was a few years younger than I but was years ahead of me in intellectual learning. After receiving Smicha and getting married, he accepted a pulpit position in Norfolk Virginia at a very young age. He made an incredible impact on the small religious community of only three Orthodox families and grew it to over a hundred in a few short years. Sadly, at the tender young age of twenty-seven, Rabbi Shlomo Goder z”l passed away. At the Shloshim (thirtieth day after his passing) our Yeshiva, Shaarei Torah, had Rabbeim deliver hespedim/eulogies; the Rosh Hayeshiva, Rabbi Wein, spoke last. The words of Torah Rabbi Wein delivered to describe Shlomo z”l were taken from these parshios that we’ve been reading in sefer Bereishis. Rabbi Wein was anecdotal and pinpointed the essence of Shlomo z”l, weaving an incredible story about the mighty sequoia trees of Sequoia National Park to the Parsha of that week. He related how Shlomo was a man of vision who assessed the community’s potential in a few short weeks. He identified that the community would grow through the adding of a Kollel, and within days he brought Rabbi Wein to Norfolk to begin laying the groundwork for this endeavor. Shlomo saw what the community could look like and dreamt of the future. Rabbi Wein explained the attitude a dreamer has, and the attitude others have toward the dreamer.

In this week’s parsha, Vayeishev, the Torah states in Bereishis 37:19 when the brothers see Yosef coming they say "ויאמרו איש אל אחיו, הנה בעל החלומות הלזה בא"  “Here comes the dreamer!” they exclaimed to one another. Dreamers in general are not very popular people; dreamers make us ordinary mortals feel very uncomfortable. Dreamers see a very different world than the average person: they are not practical, they challenge us, and they irritate us. Part of the reason for our annoyance is because at some level we know that the dreamer is right; we are jealous that we don’t have a piece of the dream. Chaza”l compare Yakov Avinu to his son Yosef, but Chaza”l point out that the greatness of Yakov and Yosef together was that they were both dreamers! Yakov’s entire life was the embodiment of his dreams, from the dream on Har Hamoriah with the angels going up and down the ladder to the dream of seeing the speckled and spotted sheep for which he would negotiate, resulting in Hashem telling him to leave Lavan and return to Eretz Canaan. Ultimately, Yakov dreamt when he was going down to Egypt on his way to see his son Yosef.  Therefore, when Yosef told his brothers his dreams and repeated them judiciously to his father, bordering closely to a lack of respect,  his father had to respond -  הבוא נבוא אני ואמך ואחיך להשתחות לך ארצה  - ”What kind of dream did you have? Do you want me, your mother, and your brothers to come and prostrate ourselves on the ground before you (37:10)? What kind of behavior is that, how do you talk like that?” The Torah nevertheless concludes the section 37:11 "ויקנאו בו אחיו, ואביו שמר את הדבר"  “His brothers became very jealous, but his father guarded or watched the matter”. Yakov pondered the matter, keeping this all in the forefront of his mind, while his father waited to see the result. The Midrash Rabbah 84 asks; how did he watch the matter? The Midrash answers He [Yakov] took a quill and wrote down on what day, at what time, and in which place this was actually going to go down. In fact, it was because  Yakov took Yosef’s dreams seriously, the brothers became jealous. Yakov lent credence and validity to the dreams. Why would Yakov actually believe in these dreams that seemed so preposterous? The answer is because the dreamer appreciates the dreams of another dreamer. Yakov  lived by dreams throughout his life. Through all the hardships Yakov endured - being pursued by the sword of Eisav, when he froze during the night of Lavan, suffered the tragedy of his daughter Dina, when his beloved wife Rochel died, even the night his precious child was taken from him, Yakov never let go of the dream. Therefore, on the way down to Mitzrayim, Hashem yet again appeared to Yakov in a dream and told him not to be afraid, stating, “I go down with you and I will take you out. Yakov, don’t be afraid.”  As a dreamer, Yakov appreciated the dreams of Yosef.

The ninth chapter in Meseches Brachos discusses the realm of dreams and relates that dreams are one sixtieth of prophecy. Everybody dreams in their sleep; sometimes it’s a fantasy, other times a nightmare. Many people get nervous when they remember a dream; others just disregard them. Whichever approach a person takes, it is usually not seriously taken as some sort of sign or communication from above.  The “other” kind of dream, dreams of ambitions, desires, aspirations, wishes, and goals are no longer part of the average person’s psyche.  In our time, not only in the Jewish world, in the general world of dreaming, practicality has taken the place of dreaming for greatness or gain. There is no room for dreamers seeking dreams of greatness.  Historically, the Jewish people always had someone dreaming for the future of His people. The British philosopher James Allen wrote: “Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.”

We should not be afraid to dream. To the contrary, we should allow ourselves to dream as our forefathers did. Rav Shlomo Goder z”l was a dreamer. His prophecies on behalf of Klal Yisroel did come to fruition, but only because of his dreams and aspirations. So, too, we should allow ourselves the vision to dream in pursuit of making the world a better place, helping the Jewish people fulfill its mission in the world.       

 There are several items that we might become attached to an item of clothing or unimportant item, not because we’re in love with these ‘treasures’, but more likely because they have been with us for a long time and have served us well. A few of these items come to mind. Perhaps the attachment to these things is more unique to me than to someone else. I happen to wear my clothing to death. I have a system of categorizing my suits, each progressing from Shabbos suit - until I buy a new suit - to weekday suit, to just a basic grab-from-the-closet  remaining old jacket or pair of pants suitable for wear when nothing important is going on. I always wonder yet  never seem to remember when I purchased the suit and how many years following that initial purchase, I continue wearing it. Besides not knowing how long it’s been in my closet, I’d also like to know  how many times I’ve worn it. I would love to have the option of having a “weardometer” installed prior to purchase in a hidden pocket of every suit that is sold – at least to me.

A second example was recognized by my wife who, while traveling, had to deal with the pull tags on the zippers of her suitcase which suddenly gave way and broke off. She immediately grew very concerned that at any moment the  zipper would completely break and she’ll be in trouble, or perhaps I’d be in trouble for just commenting that it’s fine,  and then the entire zipper would refuse to open or shut.  Thanks to this mutual nervousness, we went luggage hunting. Lo and behold, we encountered a wide range of sizes, quality, and price to consider. We began to consider buying something of higher quality which would probably last longer. Then,  as my wife was looking to buy a top-of-the-line piece of luggage she said, “You know, this piece of luggage  has lasted a long time.” In truth, I know it did, and then tried to remember how many years ago we had bought it. But if you think about it, the age of these items is not the critical factor, rather it is how many trips it took and how many baggage handlers man-handled this piece of luggage over its lifetime. So, I started to look for luggage that had a ‘lug-gageometer’, a device I just devised in my mind which would record the number of trips and distance the luggage traveled.  To date, I have been unsuccessful calculating this, so if anybody does find a lug-gageometer, please let me know. What I did find on-line was a Luggage Mileage Life Testing Machine. This kind of machine is used to test the suitcase or traveling bag equipment, complete with different kinds of wheels, assessing the limit load/ appropriate weight in each specimen, intentionally causing impact concussion and abrasion on the specimen by the rubbing and impacting between emery cloth. It even tests  turbulence board and specimen wheel through use of a conveyer-walking testing machine. This machine will imitate the using condition of a suitcase by walking on the road, testing the wheels, axle, wheel carrier, pull bar, and the overall quality of a suitcase to calculate the abrasion value of the wheels.

In Judaism we also measure and meter different parts of life and society. Some things we measure and value consciously; others are evaluated sub-consciously. As Jews, we may have difficulty with these odometers, because we sometimes have something unique, referred to as Kefitzas Haderech. Kefitzas Haderech  קְפִיצַת הַדֶּרֶךְ‎, -  "contraction of the road". It is a Hebrew term used in Jewish sources which refers  to miraculous travel between two distant places within a brief period of time. This would totally throw off the calculation process. Rashi says there are two times Chaza”l speak about Kefitzas HaDerech. The first reference to Kefitzas HaDerech in the Torah is during the story when Avraham’s servant, Eliezer, travels to Ur Kasdim to find a wife for Yitzchak. When Eliezer speaks to Besuel and Lavan, the father and brother of Rivkah, he states: "I came today to the spring, and I said: O Hashem, God of my master Avraham, if You would indeed grant success to the errand on which I am engaged." Rashi explains that the usage of "I came today" indicates that "Today I started on my journey and today I have arrived here.” Hence, we may infer that the earth (the road) shrank for him” (i.e the journey was shortened in a miraculous manner), and uses the literal phrase קפיצת הדרך to reference this phenomenon.

The second reference to kefitzas HaDerech is found in this week’s Parsha Vayeitzay when the Torah states in Bereishis 28:11 "ויפגע במקום וילן שם כי בא השמש ויקח מאבני המקום וישם מראשתיו, וישכב במקום ההוא"  : “He reached a familiar place and spent the night there because the sun had already set. Taking some stones, he placed them at his head and lay down to sleep there”. Rashi, on the word ‘he reached’ or ‘he lighted’ says, “Our Sages explained the word Vayifga as prayer”. This is the source that teaches us that Yaakov instituted the evening prayer (Maariv). The verse makes a distinction by not writing ‘and he prayed’ (instead of ‘he reached’) to teach us that the earth shrank, making the distance less for him.

I feel there is another definition to Kefitzas HaDerech besides the biblical one. In everyday life the road could be ‘shortened’ not only in physical distance but also in time. For example, I made all the green traffic lights, or I got on the right checkout line; it moved  quickly without any issues, etcetera. Each of us must internalize the fact that all extraordinary help is what gives us the super strength needed to do something out of the ordinary. Rav Yaakov Aryeh Guterman (1792-1874) who was the founding admor of the Radzymin Chasidic Dynasty, writes in his sefer Bikurei Aviv that these two incidents are a remez/hint or message to future generations. In the concept ,מעשה אבות סימן לבנים, the stories or actions of the fathers are a sign to their children. There will come a time that children will grow up and face great challenges that in the natural course of events they could not succeed in accomplishing. There are situations that are hopeless, have at best only a slim chance of success, yet unrealistic expectations crystalize, helping us to organize and make something lucrative from it. There are cases when a person struggles to make a living, finds it difficult to get that first break in life and can’t get on track. In all these examples a person needs to put his/her trust, security, and faith in Hashem to make it happen despite the uphill battle and difficulties of the situation. People of faith will gird themselves and become strong, overcoming massive obstacles with the help of Hashem. The help from Hashem to overcome the ordinary path of resistance is the modern day Kefitzas HaDerech,  getting from one place to the next in a quicker and successful fashion that under normal circumstances would be blocked by an impossible impasse.

This extra help can only come through a commitment to the belief that Hashem is the One guiding us in life. Our Avos clearly had that understanding and lived their lives with this belief firmly embedded to the core of their essence. We each could receive that extra benefit as we live our lives with the knowledge that Hashem is running the show; only He can decide how long it will take to get from one place to the next. With this said, on a mundane plane, at least let me know when it’s time to get a new suit.

Ah Gutten Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

Ever find yourself in a position when you did not want to do something, and you ended up not doing it? Have you ever found yourself in a position when you did not want to do something, but you did it anyway? Perhaps you had a situation that you wanted to do something, but you ended up not doing it? Or maybe you had a situation which bothered you and you wanted to do something about it, and you ended up doing it? These four scenarios are common real-life experiences which we may or may not take the time to reason through. I am sure there are times we struggle with making the decision to act upon or to ignore something and other times when we just allow our emotions to set the pace and course in our day-to-day lives. Life is full of decision making, ranging from  insignificant to major decisions that will alter the path of our lives forever. Many decisions in life may only affect us for the moment while others can affect ourselves and others, causing a ripple effect for years and even generations to come. Truth be told, every decision has a potential effect on more people than we can imagine. Decisions and actions play a role in our lives and on the lives of our families and others around us. Someone who works in an office and shares space with other employees  influences others - whether they choose to do so or not. A simple illustration: a co-worker who has an upbeat demeanor, choosing to view situations from a positive angle, will bring a positive vibe to the workplace, while a co-worker who tends to view situations and others from a negative perspective creates negative vibes in return.

What motivates a person to decide what to do? Certainly a few reasons pop up:  making money, attaining fame, reaching out to others. Some decisions are driven by lust and temptation, and sometimes we act without even thinking about the consequences or repercussions.  Acting without thinking is a natural reflex, working on raw instinct, a gut reaction essential  in certain high-pressure, split-second life-threatening situations. On the other hand, if a person has time to contemplate doing or not doing something and just responds instinctively, he is debasing himself, ignoring his ability to reason, choosing instead to act on the level of  an animal. A human being is blessed with intellect, with the ability to make informed decisions and think about the consequences of his actions. In fact, it is the Yetzer Hora, the evil inclination, that does not give us opportunity to think about whether we should do X or Y, encouraging us to  act on impulse.  So how do we train ourselves to process and respond in the correct manner? The answer is to make the effort to learn mussar, to educate ourselves about how to act appropriately, to be disciplined in our behavior, elevating our ethical standards and spiritual paths.  Mussar teaches us how to think and contemplate before we act. Once we reach the  level of appreciating the beauty of humility, clarity of thought, and empathy,  we will have the innate discipline to “just act” in a way that is clearly on the highest level a person can be. This is what Eliezer saw in Rivka as he was charged by Avraham to find a wife for Yitzchok. The following illustrates the level that Rivka was on which earned her the place in Jewish history to be one of the mothers of Klal Yisrael.

In this week’s Parshas Chayei Sorah the Torah states in Bereishis 24:22 "ויהי כאשר כלו הגמלים לשתות ויקח האיש נזם זהב בקע משקלו ושני צמידים על ידיה עשרה זהב משקלם"  “When the camels finished drinking, he took a gold ring weighing half a shekel, and two gold bracelets, weighing ten gold shekels, for her arms.” It interesting to note that it was only “when the camels finished drinking” - only then did Eliezer take a gold ring weighing half a shekel. *Ovadia ben Yakov, in his commentary to the Sforno, explains: Eliezer wanted to see if Rivka was a worthy mate for Yitzchok. He wanted to see if she had the qualities that was famous in the house of Avraham, namely the midah of chessed, the character trait of kindness. That being the case, why did Eliezer wait until the camels finished drinking, apparently at the very moment when Rivka said to Eliezer, “Drink and also your camels should drink” would have been a good enough sign to recognize her righteousness and give her the jewelry right then and there. Why wait until the camels literally finished drinking? The Sforno explains that Eliezer waited until Rivka gave water to all the servants and the camels to see if after she completed giving the water, she might ask for something in return. Perhaps she might ask for a favor or  wait for a tip for services rendered. Perhaps, give her a gift that was not so expensive, giving instead a little something of recognition for her being there at the right time and the right place for Eliezer and his entourage. But that was not to be the case, Rivka acted in more than a dignified manner; immediately upon finishing her chores, she quickly turned to go home as if she had done nothing that would deserve any type of reward, even a basic acknowledgement. Her act of chessed/kindness was performed naturally, in humility and empathy as if she had done nothing special and simply went about her business.    

Ah Gutten Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

*Obadja Sforno (Hebrew: עובדיה ספורנו) was an Italian rabbi, Biblical commentator, philosopher, and physician. A member of the Sforno family, he was born in Cesena about 1475 and died in Bologna in 1550.

Doing the Right Thing

This Dvar Torah is sponsored by the Adelman/Gleiberman families in memory of Mr. Lonnie Adelman, Yehuda Zev Ben Shlomo Yitzchok z”l

One of the many horrible high school experiences I endured were all standardized tests, especially the SATs. Beyond the typical multiple-choice questions which most often can be figured out through a process of elimination, these multiple-choice questions were deceptive since, in my view, most of the choices offered could reasonably have been  the correct answer. They were written in a manner to purposely confuse the already-nervous test-taker. It was not only necessary to know the material; to answer correctly, it was essential that the student understood how to accurately decode the question.   This week I was reminded of these unpleasant memories thanks to experiencing nightmares, night sweats, and flashbacks of anxiety regarding  the upcoming election. Let me explain…

This week, in good company with many Jews across America, I found myself in the middle of two major elections. First, the Israeli elections, which, after an unprecedented fifth election in three years on November 1, showed clear indications that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021, was expected to return as prime minister following the 2022 Israeli legislative election. The Israeli election, however, did not grip me with fear as I could not vote since I am not an Israeli citizen. Nevertheless, it did set the stage for the upcoming U.S. elections set to take place this coming week. I chose to vote early, but that has not calmed my deep anxieties.

Typically,  there are the usual two candidates running for office.  Most often, I vote on party lines but will cross party lines when the candidate is someone whom I feel is worthy of my vote. In addition to the typical choice of candidate,there are referendums and propositions to vote for or against. Today,  twenty-six states have the power of initiative or referendum, showing what powers—initiated statutes, initiated amendments, veto referendums, or some combination— are available to their residents. Effective in the 2021/2022 election cycle, a signature requirement, with modifications from state-to-state, applies for each type of measure. Each state has different types of initiated statutes or amendments, such as between direct or indirect initiatives. If you are really interested in all of this, you can go online to read all the details about the process in each state by searching  ‘propositions state by state’.Just click the appropriate chart.

As I was filling out my mail-in ballot,  a mental melt down reminiscent of my high school years slowly enveloped me. I began to relive the trauma regarding a line of double or triple innuendo questioning packed with confusing, misleading language, clearly designed to trick the voter to approve a measure which is not only unclear but potentially harmful.  It took me longer to go through seventeen propositions than to complete a tractate of Gemara/Talmud. And I’m still unsure if I chose the answer which I believed to be correct. Whenever I fill out these questionnaires, I say to myself, “Why don’t they just ask the question directly?” After reviewing this week’s Sidra I found an answer to my question!

In this week’s Parsha Lech L’Cha the Torah states in Bereishis 12:1 "ויאמר ה' אל אברם לך-לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך אל הארץ אשר אראך"  “God said to Abram, ‘Go away from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you’. Rashi immediately jumps on the obvious question: ‘Why didn’t God tell Abram where he was to go?’ Rashi presents a Midrash which answers that God did not reveal the land to Abram immediately in order to make it beloved in his [Abraham’s] eyes and to give him a reward for each and every word. Similarly at the end of Vayera, in the commandment of the Akeidas Yitzchok, Hashem describes an elaborate description of whom he is to take to slaughter and once again, He does not reveal the place immediately. It is revealed only after he is already on his journey.  I might add not only did Avraham receive extra reward based upon each word Hashem used to describe the command, but Avraham would receive extra rewards for every step taken while kept in the dark regarding his ultimate destination. Rav Yaakov Yisroel Kanievsky zt”l, the Steipler Gaon, writes in his sefer Birkas Peretz on Chumash:  The first reason the Midrash offers ‘to make it beloved in his eyes’ we learn that when a person looks for something toils over it for a long time, the matter becomes clear and beloved to him. The Steipler continues, explaining  if the matter (understanding) would have come easily to the person, by chance,  without undue effort,  then it would not have the same value as if he had put in the effort.

From this we derive a lesson regarding the long-lasting effects of doing Mitzvos and learning Torah. Those who immerse themselves in learning the process and details of the Mitzvos will perform them differently, developing long-lasting, positive  effects upon the individual. The same applies to learning Torah in-depth with careful analysis.  Such effort will bring more meaning and truth to the Torah and bring the devoted individual closer to God. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. Things that come without effort and toil will be regarded lightly. Truth be told this lesson extends not only to Torah and Mitzvos but to any situation and relationship in life, both spiritually and physically. Therefore, Hashem did not reveal information to Avraham immediately, rather Avraham would toil in the word of God, and it became precious in his eyes.

I now think back to the voter’s card and the proposition list that I forced myself to go over and review several times. In the end I won’t say I understood everything about each proposition but going through each one and reading over the confusing explanations accompanying each proposition helped me to understand the issues at stake in California. Whether I agree with them or not, whether I voted yes or no is not the issue. Through focused effort,   I developed  a deeper sense of understanding the issues that loom around us. With this newfound knowledge and a greater sense of appreciation of the importance of these issues, I now look forward to seeing the results of these propositions that will either alter our way of life or keep the status quo. On a deep, personal level, this valuable lesson applies to learning Torah.  All of us need to actively seek out the profound meaning of the precious words of the Torah, delving into performance of mitzvos, making every word, every mitzvah ever more sacred and beloved in our eyes.  Ultimately, this active effort to understand and to apply brings us closer to Hashem.