Rabbi's Blog - Chabad of the Bay Area

12 tribes, 12 voices

Friday, May 30, 2014 - 8:03 AM

This week's Torah portion recounts how the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel brought special offerings to celebrate the inauguration of the Mishkan (the tabernacle in the desert).

Although the offerings they brought were identical, surprisingly, the Torah recounts for us – in seemingly avoidable repetition – the exact gifts each of them brought.

Ramban (aka, Nachmanides), one of the great commentators on the Torah, offers two explanations:

1) G-d listed each tribe’s gifts individually to afford each of them the recognition they deserved.

2) In truth, this wasn’t really repetition at all. For while it is true that externally the gifts appeared very much the same, internally, however, the intention and meaning behind each gift was completely unique and reflected that tribe’s unique service of G-d.

While we unite as one people in serving G-d through Torah study, Mitzvot and prayer, let us not forget that when we put our own personal inner feeling and intention into that activity, it transforms that one voice into a beautiful chorus.

Every. One. Counts.

Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 11:55 PM

Throughout the Jewish people’s sojourn in the desert they were counted numerous times. This counting conveyed a two-fold message:

You are a 'one'. You are indispensable. You have a role to play that is unique to you alone.
You are part of a larger number and every part of that number is equally important. The greatest person and the most lowly are counted exactly the same: as one, not more and not less.

The lesson for us is that on the one hand we must realize that we have an irreplaceable value, we are unique and each of us has a unique mission to fulfil in life; on the other hand, we must remember that to achieve great vision of perfecting this world we must act together with a sense of humility, respect and appreciation for each and every person.

I don't want to be a hypocrite!

Friday, May 16, 2014 - 11:16 AM

I’ve had Jewish folk tell me at times, “Rabbi, I’d love to do the Mitzvah that you are suggesting, but I don’t want to be a hypocrite! You know, I don’t exactly live as an observant Jew in my daily life.”

Good argument?

While this comes from a sense of honesty, it is built on a mistaken premise:

It’s like saying, “I can’t go to the gym today, because I’m having junk food for lunch.”

Being a Jew, that IS the real you! Engaging in doing a Mitzvah, that is natural to who you really are inside, it’s in your spiritual DNA.

If some aspects of your daily life might not be fully consistent with your inner self, well nobody’s perfect and we all have room for improvement, but don’t let that take away from the opportunities to express the true inner you!

(Mentioned in this week’s JLI class)

Goodness all around

Friday, May 9, 2014 - 1:18 AM

There is so much goodness built-in to the natural function of the world, says Maimonides. Think about it:

We cannot live more than a few minutes without oxygen, and there it is, all around us, plentiful and free.

Water. We wouldn't manage for more than a few days without it. It is also widely available and at little or no cost.

Food. We can get by a little longer without food, commensurately, it is quite readily attainable for just a modest amount of effort or expense.

You see, says Maimonides, the world is not nearly as bad as people tend to make it out to be - on the contrary it is quite good. But it is up to us to bring it to its full potential.

Courtesy of this week's JLI class.

Today is an important day

Friday, May 2, 2014 - 6:08 AM

An hour goes by, a day, a week... Do we have the feeling that a priceless commodity is passing us by?

We are in the midst of the period known as Sefirat Ha'Omer, the counting of the Omer - counting 49 days from Passover to the holiday of Shavuot, gearing up for the big day when the Torah was given.

Every day, every single day of our lives, has its purpose and potential for accomplishment. When a day goes by, when a week goes by, a month, it should be a day that can be counted, or in other words, a day that 'really counts.'

Furthermore, when we count the Omer, we also make mention of that day's specific emotional and spiritual character. Kabbalah says that in a broader sense, this is really true for every day since the beginning of time, that the spiritual energies of each and every day are unique and will never be repeated. Which means that the possibilities and potentials for our own accomplishment within a day like today are completely unique.

As we count the Omer, let us reflect on this idea and endeavor to make every one of our days truly 'count'!