Rabbi's Blog

Due to the fact that San Diego is the best city in the world, other than cities in Israel, of course, it tends to attract many tourists. The popularity of San Diego includes people of every stripe from gentiles to religious Jews. Certain times of the year bring a stronger presence of the 'chareidi-looking Jew'. My wife and I always chuckle when we see the Shul parking lot dotted with an array of sports cars, convertibles and other highly unlikely cars to be found in predominantly Jewish neighborhoods. Popping out of the vehicles are men changing out of their 'disguises' by removing their colorful polo shirts and baseball caps, exchanging them for their black fedoras and black jackets hurriedly draped over their unfamiliar colorful shirt. We ask each other, "When these Jewish tourists are out and about San Diego do they really think that no one recognizes them as Jewish?" From time to time I get stopped in grocery stores and parking lots as gentiles see my black velvet yarmulke on my head and ask me, "Are you Jewish"? I wonder if women wearing a burka are asked if they are Muslim. Nevertheless, when I am asked if I am Jewish and I proudly reply "Yes," my response is usually followed by statements such as, "I love the Jewish people,", "I've been to Israel,", "I support Israel,", "I have Jewish friends,", "I love kosher food,", etc. Interestingly, as I waited on the security line at JFK Airport in New York, I could identify and pick out the Jews - both male and female. Whether a woman was wearing a sheitel, tichel, or was just appropriately dressed, she stood out from the crowd. The same was true regarding men. A man who was wearing any type of head covering or was just plainly dressed like a Jew was easy to spot. Despite having these Jews in plain sight, I didn't notice anyone approaching them - or me either, for that matter - and asking if we were Jewish. What is the obvious difference between the Jews in New York versus San Diego? In this week's Parsha Yisro we read of the birth of Moshe's two sons Gershom and Eliezer. In Shmos 18:3 the Torah states 'V'Eis Shnei Baneha Asher Sheim HaEchad Gershom Ki Amar Ger Hayisi B'Eretz Nachriyah' 'and the name of her two sons; of whom the name of one was Gershom, for he had said, "I was a sojourner in a strange land"'. The very next verse states: 'V'Sheim HaEchad Eliezer Ki Elohei Ahvi B'Ezree Vayatzilainee MeiCherev Pharoah'. 'And the name of the one was Eliezer, for the God of my father came to my aid, and He saved me from the sword of Pharoah'. Rabbeinu Bachya* (some pronounce it Bechaya) claims that on this latter verse the Torah should have said 'and the name of the second son was....'Why does it repeat 'one' and not indicate Eliezer as the second son? Quoting from the Pesikta D'Zrutrasa, the first 'one' was specific to his mother; this 'one' was specific to his father. Gershom, who was the first born, was specific to his mother. Perhaps she had the rights to name their first child. (This could be the source for today's Minhag that the mother gets to name the first child). Moshe got to name the second child Eliezer, thanking Hashem for saving him, hence the name Eli- my God and Ezer helping me. Rabbeinu Bachya gives another insight regarding the word 'Echad'- 'One' . Eliezer had extra strength through his oneness. This 'oneness' represents achdus - unity. Later on in history God would influence the power of Eliezer through his one and only son Rechavya. Rechavya is mentioned in Divrei Hayamim, Chronicles I 23:17: "And the sons of Eliezer were: Rechaviah the chief, and Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rechaviah multiplied greatly". The Ralbag explains they multiplied greatly more than the usual birth rate. The Gemara Brachos 7a expounds on the words Rabu L'Maala as above or more than the six hundred thousand. Eliezer was the progenitor of a similar number of people that we had in Egypt. Therefore, the verse intentionally uses the word 'one' to indicate the power and influence of even ONE person. From the one - Eliezer - came six hundred thousand people. The Malbim explains they were of great stature and were entrusted with the vast wealth of the Temple treasuries, a fortune entrusted only to men of the highest character. The uniqueness of one individual has the potential to create magnificent things in this world. Often in life we view the second of something as nothing more than a repeat of the first and therefore do not treat it as something unique and special. I sometimes feel that the Jewish view on Jews of the world are categorized, placing Jews living in major cities as primary and Jews living in other second or third tier cities as secondary-type Jews. If my perception is accurate, (you could disagree) this is a very unfortunate situation for Klal Yisrael. Every single Jew is not only seen equally in the eyes of Hashem, each and every individual must feel as strong and as essential as every other Jew - anywhere else in the world. The Jew in New York may be viewed as the Gershom, the first- born of Moshe. The second son, Eliezer, represents Jews who live elsewhere including here in San Diego,though we must remember that we are 'also' the 'one' and similar to the first- born. We Jews living in San Diego may serve a more important and significant role as the representatives of the Jewish people to gentiles who really don't know what a Jew is really all about. The responsibility of the Jews living in San Diego lies in the potential of becoming a Rechaviah - the forbearer of thousands of Jews who will follow us. An extra degree of responsibility falls on our shoulders to represent the Jewish people and to make sure we are on our best behavior in following the Torah and, of course, secular law as good, law-abiding citizens. Hopefully, through our actions, we can also create a following of six hundred thousand and become the leaders of the Jewish people who will take us out from the final exile and return us all to Eretz Yisrael in the coming of Moshiach Tzikeinu B'meherirah B'Yameinu. Amen! Ah Gut Shabbos Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky   *Bahye ben Asher ibn Halawa, also known as Rabbeinu Behaye, 1255 - 1340, was a Rabbi and scholar of Judaism. He was a commentator on the Torah, Tanach and is noted for introducing Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) into the study of theTorah.. He is considered by Jewish scholars to be one of the most distinguished of the Biblical exegetes of Spain. He was a pupil of Rabbi Shlomo Ben Aderet (the Rashba). Unlike the latter, Bahya did not devote his attention to Talmudic science, but to Biblical exegesis, taking for his model Rabbi Moses ben Nahman who is known as Nachmanidies or Ramban, the teacher of Rabbi Solomon ben Adret, who was the first to make use of the Kabbalah as a means of interpreting the Torah. He discharged with zeal the duties of a darshan ("preacher") in his native city of Zaragoza, sharing this position with several others, and on this account received a small salary, which was scarcely enough to support himself and his family.Neither his struggle for daily bread nor the reverses that he suffered (to which he referred in the introduction to his commentary on the Torah) diminished his interest in Torah study in general, and in Biblical exegesis in particular.