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Judaism
30 JUDAISM
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Orthodox Jews and Tikun Ha’olam
BY RABBI MOSHE TARAGIN
Moshe our greatest leader, would, one day, scale the heavens and split the seas. A young stutterer evolved into one of the greatest orators of history. Deprived of food and drink for forty days, he conveyed the word of a Heavenly G-d to a human audience waiting on a billowing mountain below. Yet, Moshe wasn’t chosen for his scholarship, remarkable faith, or unusual courage. He was selected because of his compassion for human suffering and his moral indignance at the sight of injustice.
Three consecutive episodes from his early career, outline Moshe’s unusual moral conviction. In the first scene, he walks away from the posh and padded comforts of his Egyptian palace, to commiserate with Jewish slaves, subjugated by Egyptian persecution. He could easily have ignored this ugliness, and insulated himself within his palace luxury, but a compassionate man does not hide from human suffering.
During his compassionate outing he witnesses a Jew being whipped by an Egyptian, and realizing that no one will assist the victim, Moshe daringly executes the Egyptian. Witnessing human suffering, Moshe commits a capital offense, which endangered both his life and his future career.
The next day he accidentally stumbled upon a squabble between two Jews, which was quickly degenerating into a brawl. On this day he was just casually strolling through Egypt without any moral agenda or without any specific plan to study the suffering of his brothers. He could have easily looked the other way, not to be disturbed by this nuisance. Furthermore, as a fugitive, his best plan was laying low and keeping a low profile. It was not advisable to intervene in a petty squabble between two spiteful Jews.
Yet, once again, he cannot stand by idly while two Jews descend into self-destructive hatred and violence. Years of slavery-induced frustration were now being vented between these two quarreling Jewish slaves. Such is the nature of abuse: victims always victimize other weaker victims, perpetuating cycles of hatred and violence which wrecks the social fabric. Moshe cannot tolerate this self-sabotaging behavior and attempts to defuse the conflict. Sadly, his efforts are met with sarcasm and disdain and, realizing that his murder of an Egyptian official is public knowledge, Moshe quickly bolts for the safe havens of Midyan.
Arriving in this asylum, Moshe visits the local watering-well where he observes women being denied water privileges by stronger and more aggressive male shepherds. Once again, the wiser and more calculated option is to quietly disappear into the woodwork, thereby avoiding any further confrontation or any unwanted publicity. Once again, Moshe simply cannot refrain from a moral response and, despite personal danger, he rescues the harassed women from the local bullies.
The common thread of all these stories is Moshe’s compassion for the underdog and his moral indignation toward injustice. Whether facing the brutality of slavery, the futility of self-inflicted strife, or the victimization of weaker members of society, Moshe will not back down and will not tolerate discrimination or exploitation.
BELIEF AND ACTS
Judaism doesn’t differentiate between faith and charity, and it doesn’t separate religious faith from good “works”. We study Hashem’s word, speak with Him in prayer, and partner with him in history. Additionally, we trace His moral energy in our world and fashion our own personalities in His moral spirit. Through simple acts of kindness, we discover Hashem and learn more about Him. Even before Moshe gapes at the mystery of the burning bush, he encounters Hashem through intrepid acts of moral courage. Before his eyes gaze upon a blazing bush, his heart must burn with moral compassion. He discovers Hashem in charity and kindness before he ascends the mountain to encounter Him and receive His word.
A CARING SOCIETY
Acts of kindness are not just the catalyst for Moshe’s discovery of Hashem. These noble traits will, one day, form the cornerstone of the model society Moshe will construct.
In the days leading up to the delivery of the divine Torah at Sinai, Moshe assembled a rudimentary judicial system to enforce law and to protect the weak against the strong. Remarkably, in only seven weeks, he transformed a band of lawless slaves into a civil and law-abiding society. Without the framework of a judicial system in place, we would be incapable of receiving the word of Hashem.
The avot who founded our religion behaved with kindness and generosity and forged a people of compassion. Moshe, however, is the first Biblical figure who specifically defends the weak and the vulnerable from aggression and discrimination. He possesses a special eye for human vulnerability, and for this reason he was chosen as the architect of our nation and of our society.
RESTORING A LOST AGENDA
For thousands of years, we were disinherited of this crucial feature of Jewish identity. Strewn across foreign lands, often facing persecution and discrimination, we had little ability and, for that matter, little interest, in sculpting a more caring and gentle society. Doing our best just to survive unspeakable horrors and atrocities, the thought of shaping broader society with our “spirit of caring” was an absurd proposition.
Over the past 250 years everything changed, as the Emancipation movement invited Jews back into society, offering them full membership as equal citizens. Though we received equal opportunity to shape policy, remarkably, we exerted disproportionate influence upon the modern evolution toward social equality and justice.
In the 19th and 20th century, Jews piloted the development of Communism, which promised a classless society enjoying universal economic equality. In Capitalist countries, Jews established labor movements to protect factory workers against the dangers of rapid industrialization and the unfair distribution of wealth. Each of these movements reflected our ancient national commitment to equality and social justice. For the first time in thousands of years we were empowered to inspirit society with these noble values, and we did not flinch.
Additionally, in 20th century America, Jewish social activism spearheaded the battle against discrimination of racial minorities and of the oppressed. In the wake of the Holocaust, witnessing the horrors of unchecked racism, our battle against discrimination intensified. In the 20th century, tikun ha’olam became the Jewish anthem of social justice.
ORTHODOX JEWS
The Emancipation of Jews equipped our people with social influence and empowered us to participate in the construction of modern society. However, Emancipation, by welcoming us back into Gentile society, also rapidly accelerated secularization and led to a widespread breakdown of classic halachik observance. Millions of Jews abandoned classic religious experience, often replacing commitment to commandments with commitment to social activism.
Orthodox Jews recoiled at the replacement of commandments and ritual with a substitute agenda of social justice. The perception that other Jews had formed a ritually hollowed out religion centered upon tikkun ha’olam created negative associations both with the phrase and with the general value of social activism. The term tikkun ha’olam did not feel holy or pious and Orthodox Jews often ignored the value of social reformation.
Orthodox Jews must take care not to overact. Recognizing that we inhabit many worlds, we cannot build religious identity exclusively on the social activism and the repair of this world. Torah study and religious commandments are eternal elements of the many worlds we inhabit. Just the same, our national heritage is to care deeply about creating a caring society which protects weaker members who cannot fully defend their own interests.
In Israel, political polarization has created a similar Orthodox inattention toward social justice agendas. Disinterested in traditional religion and opposed to the politics of settling Greater Israel, secular Israelis enthusiastically adopted social equality and justice at the heart of their platforms. Almost reflexively, and in reaction to the secular focus upon social activism, religious Jews dropped this agenda, focusing instead on settling the land and inspiriting Israeli society with a religious flavor.
Sometimes, in our overreaction we forget how deeply ingrained social activism is within our national identity. Caring about the weak appears at the top of Moshe’s resume and it should be an important part of ours as well.
The writer is a rabbi at Yeshivat Har Etzion/Gush, a hesder yeshiva. He has smicha and a BA in computer science from Yeshiva University as well as a masters degree in English literature from the City University of New York.
32 JUDAISM
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BY RABBI SHMUEL REICHMAN
There is a strange recurring phenomenon throughout Parashas Bereishis: the Torah first describes one model of creation and then proceeds to depict a completely different, even contradictory picture of the same creation. For example: • The first perek of Bereishis describes
Adam as a being that was created b’tzelem Elokim (Bereishis 1:27), an inspiring and Divine portrayal of man and his role in the world. • However, the very next chapter describes man as a physical being, formed from nothing more than the dirt of the earth ((Bereishis 2:7), a description almost identical to the creation of animals.
What happened to the Godly, inspiring image of man?
LUMINARIES AND TREES
This same pattern extends to the creation of the luminaries: • When describing the creation of the sun and moon, the pasuk initially says that Hashem created two great lights (Bereishis 1:16). • However, the pasuk continues by stating that the large luminary would illuminate the day, while the small luminary would be dedicated to the night.
The Midrash asks the obvious question: What happened to the two big lights? Why does the pasuk begin by stating that there were two great lights, but end by calling only the sun a great light? The Midrash famously explains that the moon was originally created with equal stature to the sun, however, in an act of arrogance and ego, the moon asked Hashem how there can possibly be two dominant lights. As a result, Hashem shrunk the moon, and it became subservient to the sun (see Rashi ad loc.).
A similar pattern occurs by the creation of trees. Hashem states that there shall be “fruit trees — “eitz pri” — that bear fruits (Bereishis 1:11). The next pasuk then describes the creation of tress that bear fruit. • The Midrash explains that originally, trees themselves, including their bark and branches, were supposed to taste like their fruits. • However, when they were actually created, this did not manifest. The bark of a tree tastes nothing like its sweet fruit (see Rashi ad loc.).
What is the meaning of this recurring pattern? Why are so many elements of creation depicted in one way before being described in a contradictory fashion?
THE ANSWER: AN IDEAL, FOLLOWED BY THE STARTING POINT
in Judaism. The Arizal, Ramchal, Vilna Gaon, and many other Jewish thinkers explain that every process contains three stages: • The first stage is the high, the inspiration, an experience of perfection and clarity. • Next comes the second stage: a complete fall, a loss of everything that was experienced during the first stage. • Then there is the third stage, a return to the perfection of the first stage. However, this third stage is fundamentally different from the first. It is the same perfection, the same clarity, but this time it’s a perfection and clarity that you have earned. The first time it was given to you, now you have worked to build it for yourself.
The first stage is a gift, a spiritual high. It’s there to help you experience the goal, the destination. It’s a taste of what you can and hopefully will ultimately accomplish, but it’s not real. It’s given as a gift and is therefore an illusion. It serves only as a guiding force but cannot compare to the genuine accomplishment of building something yourself. It is therefore taken away to allow for the second and most important stage: building it yourself, undergoing the work required to attain this growth in actuality, to work for the perfection that you were shown. A gift isn’t real; something chosen and earned is. We’re in this world to choose, to assert our free will, and to create ourselves. Now that we have tasted the first stage, we know what we’re meant to choose, what we’re meant to build. The third stage is the recreation of the first stage. While it appears the same, it’s fundamentally different. It’s real, it’s earned, and it’s yours. The first stage was a gift, an illusion; the third is the product born of the effort and time you invested. In our next article, we will answer our original questions and continue deepening this powerful principle.
THE IDEAL ADAM
There are many explanations for the contradictory descriptions of Adam in the first and second chapters of Bereishis, but it can be explained clearly and beautifully according to the principle we just established. The ideal and goal of man is to become Godly, to become perfect, all-knowing, all-good, all-kind, and to have complete self-control. However, this is the goal, not the starting point. We begin as animalistic beings, with limited intellectual abilities and undeveloped character traits. A baby is selfish, the center of its own world, the only person who exists. This is the exact opposite of Godliness. The goal of life is to become Godly, to go through the process of actualizing our potential, and in doing so, we become a true tzelem Elokim. As we have previously explained, the fetus learns kol haTorah kulah in the womb, and then loses it upon being born into this world. We are born imperfect so that we can journey through this world with the mission of becoming perfect, recreating and earning what we once received as a gift. Adam was created first as a perfect being, the model of who we each strive to become before being reduced to the lowly and animalistic being that we begin our lives as.
THE SUN AND THE MOON
The sun and moon are representative of an entity and its vessel. The goal of a vessel is to fully and loyally contain and project the essence within it — to serve as the medium of revelation for its inner content. A light bulb does not block the light within but loyally projects it out into the world. This is the ideal as well for the body in its relationship to the soul; the body must carry the soul and serve as its enabler, allowing the spiritual self to manifest correctly into the world. The entire physical world as well should ideally serve as the perfect projection of its spiritual source.
This ideal is modeled in the creation of the sun and moon. While the moon was never equal to the sun in size, it was originally able to fully reflect the light of the sun. The moon destroyed this through the sin of ego, a projection of self that prevented it from fully and properly reflecting the light of the sun. When you assert yourself and your ego, you are unable to reflect anything higher than yourself. As a result, the moon “shrank” and was no longer able to fully reflect the light of the sun.
This same theme applies to the human body as well. Originally, the body was a clear reflection of the soul. The Midrash explains that when you looked at Adam, you did not see his body, you saw his essence, his soul. When you look at a light bulb, all you see is radiant luminescence; only if you look really closely can you make out the vessel which contains the light. This is what Adam’s body was originally like. Once Adam sinned, however, the body fell to its present form — a vessel that hides the soul, not one which loyally projects it.
Every time we say Birkas Ha’chodesh, we daven for Mashiach, where the moon will once again fully reflect the sun, where the physical world will fully reflect the spiritual, where the body will fully reflect the soul. As the Ramchal explains, in the times of techiyas ha’meisim (resurrection of the dead), the body will return to its perfect state, where it can fully reflect all the light and spiritual greatness of the neshamah (Derech Hashem 1:3:13).
TREES TASTING LIKE THE FRUITS
A fruit represents the end goal, the destination, the result of a process. A tree represents the process, the stage of growth and becoming. The ideal is for the process, the tree, to be as enjoyable and euphoric as the destination itself, the fruit. However, the world was created in such a way that we do not naturally enjoy the process. Most people do not want to undergo the process of becoming great; they simply want to be great. This impatience causes many to give up on their journey toward greatness.
This theme touches upon something very deep. Olam Haba is a place of being, a place of endpoint, where you enjoy everything you’ve built and become in this world. The consciousness and person you create in this world is what you will enjoy in the World to Come. This world (Olam Hazeh), however, is the place of becoming, the place of process, where you create yourself. The goal is to learn how to enjoy the process itself. When you realize that you are creating your eternity, you are able to enjoy the building process as well. This is what it means for the tree to taste like the fruits. The process is just as important as the destination, because you only get to the destination by building your way there. [From this perspective, one can actually enjoy the process just as much as (if not more than) arriving at the goal itself.] Every part of the process is fundamental; every moment spent correctly becomes eternal. When you know this, you get to live in Olam Haba while still in this world!
Genuine happiness comes from enjoying the process of becoming. You’ll never be perfect, but you can always become more perfect. Happiness comes from enjoying the process of becoming your best self, fulfilling your unique purpose in life. The ideal is for the process (tree) to be every bit as sweet as the end result (fruits), but in this world, we must work toward that ideal; it is not a given. It takes choice and willpower to enjoy the journey toward greatness.
THE PROCESS OF LIFE
This is the process of life. The ideal is revealed, taken away, and then remains as our goal as we journey through life, trying to recreate that ideal. The key is to be inspired by the goal, not discouraged by the struggle. We must understand that our goal is to become Godly, fully reflect our higher selves, create oneness, and enjoy every single step of the process!
Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is a bestselling author, international speaker, and the CEO of Self-Mastery Academy. He has lectured internationally on topics of Torah thought, Jewish medical ethics, psychology, and leadership. His bestselling book, The Journey to Your Ultimate Self, serves as an inspiring gateway into deeper Jewish thought. He is also a business, executive, and leadership coach, with a unique approach based on Torah values. After obtaining his BA from Yeshiva University, he received Semicha from Yeshiva University’s RIETS, a master’s degree in education from Azrieli Graduate School, and a master’s degree in Jewish Thought from Bernard Revel Graduate School. He then spent a year studying at Harvard as an Ivy Plus Scholar. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife and son where he is pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago. To enjoy more of Rabbi Reichman’s content, to contact him, or to learn more about his services, visit his website: ShmuelReichman.com
Weekly Dvar Torah
FROM ERETZ YISRAEL It’s All in the Family
BY RABBI SHALOM ROSNER
The opening of Sefer Shemot references the 70 offspring of Ya’akov that descended to Mitzrayim. Yet, the actual names specifically mentioned are limited to the eleven sons of Ya’akov (Yosef was already situated in Mitzrayim). Rather than rename all of the individuals as appears in Parashat Vayechi, the Torah uses the phrase םיִאָּבַה לֵאָרְשִי יֵנְּב תוֹמְש הֶלֵאְו וּאָּב וֹתיֵבוּ שׁיִא בֹקֲעַי תֵא הָמְיָרְצִמ, “And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt; with Ya’akov, each man and his household came.”
The emphasis at this juncture is twofold. One on the “family” unit. Each of the tribes arrived in Egypt with their respective children (households). Second, each tribe had their own family but the common denominator was that they were tied to Ya’akov, not only physically, but in the spiritual arena as well.
Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch explains the significance of the family at this time. As we embark on the second book of the Torah, referred to by the Ramban as “sefer hagalut v’hageula” (the book of the exile and exodus), the book that relays the story of the creation of the Jewish nation, we must understand that a nation is comprised of not only individuals, but of families. Tradition is transmitted from parent to child. In order for a nation to survive, family must serve as its foundation. As the tribes entered galut, they took with them what they learned from their father Ya’akov and transmitted it to their children. Only by combining the strength of each family are we able to build an everlasting nation.
We not only descended to Egypt as families, there is an emphasis on families when we exited as well. The korban Pesach which was sacrificed on the eve of Yetziat Mitzrayim, had to be eaten together with one’s family. The salvation was not merely on an individual level, but for it to be eternal, it had to encompass the family.
It is no coincidence that we refer to a family structure as a “family tree” rather than a family map or chart. A family tree consists of many branches – each representing another family unit, yet they are all connected to the same trunk or roots. Essentially, they receive their “nourishment” from the same source, even though they are independent from each other. Each child builds their home based on the masoret, the morals and principles received from their parents.
Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach explains why we compare a chatan and kallah to “invey hagefen”, the vines of grapes in a similar manner. Vines, unlike trees, cannot stand on their own. They require something upon which to lean. Both the bride and groom should lean on each other and use the lessons they learned from their parents as a foundation upon which to build their bayit ne’eman b’Yisrael! We may add that families are referred to as “mateh” a stick, perhaps to highlight that they serve as that backbone.
As we begin our journey through sefer Shemot, let us utilize this time to fortify our household. To appreciate the unique attributes of each child, while maintaining a cohesive family unit. To avoid the sibling rivalry that permeates the parshiyot in sefer Bereshit. To be able to properly convey the beauty of the Torah and our excitement when engaging in the performance of mitzvot to our children. By transmitting the masoret to the next generation, we are ensuring the eternal blossoming of the Jewish nation.
Rabbi Shalom Rosner is a Rebbe at Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh and Rabbi of the Nofei HaShemesh community. He is a member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau (www. mizrachi.org/speakers).
Shemot Sidra Summary
“Moshe saw and behold! The bush was burning in the fire but the bush was not consumed” (Shemot 3:2)
1ST ALIYA (KOHEN) – SHEMOT 1:1-17
The Torah names the sons of Yaakov who came down to Egypt. Yosef’s death is recorded again. His brothers also die. The nation increases in number. A new Pharaoh comes to power, who subjects the nation to hard labour. Yet the more they are afflicted, the more they increase. The Egyptians intensify the labour. Pharaoh instructs the Hebrew midwives to kill new-born Hebrew males. They refuse, instead giving the babies food and drink (see Rashi’s commentary). Point to Consider: What miraculous birth-rate is hinted to in verse 1:7? (see Rashi)
2ND ALIYA (LEVI) – 1:18-2:10
Pharaoh commands the Egyptians to drown all new-born males in the River Nile. Moshe is born. After hiding him for three months, his mother Yocheved places him in a basket in the reeds at the riverbank. Pharaoh’s daughter retrieves the basket and identifies the baby as a Hebrew infant. Moshe’s sister Miriam, watching from afar, offers to get a Hebrew nurse. Pharaoh’s daughter agrees; Miriam brings Yocheved, who looks after him until he is weaned. Moshe is then brought up in Pharaoh’s house.
3RD ALIYA (SHLISHI) – 2:11-28
Moshe encounters an Egyptian striking a Hebrew; he kills the Egyptian. Pharaoh hears of Moshe’s crime. Moshe flees for his life, arriving in Midian, where he meets the daughters of Re’uel (also known as Yitro) by a well. Moshe marries Re’uel’s daughter Tziporah. They have a child, called Gershom. G-d hears the Hebrews in Egypt crying out because of their hard labour. at the ‘Mountain of G-d’. He encounters a fiery blaze in a bush, which is not consumed by the flames. G-d appears, instructing Moshe to take off his shoes. G-d tells Moshe that He will rescue the nation and that Moshe should go to Pharaoh and instruct him to let the nation leave Egypt.
5TH ALIYA (CHAMISHI) – 3:16-4:17
G-d reassures Moshe that the elders of Israel will respond to his call. Moshe is to request from Pharaoh that he let the Hebrews out for three days, to bring offerings in the desert. Pharaoh will refuse, after which G-d will smite Egypt with plagues. G-d empowers Moshe with three signs to show the people – a staff that turns into a snake, his hand turning white with the appearance of leprosy and water taken from the Nile turning to blood. Moshe is reluctant to take the leadership. G-d tells Moshe that his brother Aharon can be his spokesman.
6TH ALIYA (SHISHI) – 4:18-4:31
Moshe returns to Egypt from Midian. G-d tells Moshe to warn Pharaoh that He will eventually kill the Egyptian firstborn if Pharaoh refuses Moshe’s requests (Rashi). Moshe fails to circumcise his new-born son Eliezer when they stop in lodgings on the way; Tziporah does it instead. Aharon greets Moshe, who relates G-d’s words to him. Aharon in turn relays these words to the people. Moshe performs the three signs.
7TH ALIYA (SHEVI’I) – 5:1-6:1
Moshe and Aharon approach Pharaoh. Pharaoh refuses their requests and increases the work load. The people complain to Moshe and Aharon. Moshe asks G-d why He sent him, if his intercession has only made life more difficult.
HAFTARAH
The prophet Yeshaya depicts how low the nation of Israel has stooped and bemoans the drunken arrogance of the tribe of Ephraim and the other lost tribes. However, one day a great shofar will be blown and all those cast away in foreign lands will return to Jerusalem.
