for Tuesday, Cheshvan 7, 5777 · November 8, 2016Editor's Note:
If you are American, you may be about to vote. Or perhaps you have already done so.
No matter whom you voted for or what the outcome, one thing is certain: This election year has left America more fractured, angry and divided than it’s been for a long time. Especially troubling for Jewish people of every party is the degree to which anti-Semitism has made a frightening return in public discourse.
But there is something we can do about it. This week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, speaks of the journey our forefather Abraham took from his father’s home in Charan, a most hateful place, to the Promised Land. It is a journey that we can also take towards our inner refinement: We must leave our negative desires, the bad influences of society, our habits until we reach the inner promised land of transcendence and unity.
We must bring this country together, and by finding that core inner-unity we all possess, we can elevate the conversation and remind every member of our great nation that while we might strongly disagree, we are still united as one.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe once shared the following wish with New York City Mayor David Dinkins:
“In the near future, the ‘melting-pot’ [of America] will be so active that it will not be necessary to underline every time [when speaking of others] ‘They are Black,’ ‘They are White,’ ‘They are Hispanic’ etc. because they are no different. All of them are created by the same G‑d and created for the same purpose, to add to all good things around them.”
The candidates would best serve their supporters by sharing with them the Rebbe’s, strong, powerful and important words: “We were all created by the same G‑d, for the same purpose.”
That purpose, and our journey on earth, should be paved with acts of lovingkindness—of mitzvahs and goodness—that truly make us great.
Mordechai Lightstone
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team
-------
Working With the Body
It used to be that the soul fought with the body, until one conquered the other by force.
Then the Baal Shem Tov came and taught a new path: The body, too, could come to appreciate those things the soul desires.
In the place of self-affliction and fasting, the Baal Shem Tov showed his students the way of meditation and joy. Every need of the body, he taught, could provide a channel to carry the soul high.[Hayom Yom, 28 Shvat. 16 Tamuz 5716. Igrot Kodesh, vol. 6 page 157. Ibid, vol. 10, pg. 240.]
But there is something we can do about it. This week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, speaks of the journey our forefather Abraham took from his father’s home in Charan, a most hateful place, to the Promised Land. It is a journey that we can also take towards our inner refinement: We must leave our negative desires, the bad influences of society, our habits until we reach the inner promised land of transcendence and unity.
We must bring this country together, and by finding that core inner-unity we all possess, we can elevate the conversation and remind every member of our great nation that while we might strongly disagree, we are still united as one.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe once shared the following wish with New York City Mayor David Dinkins:
“In the near future, the ‘melting-pot’ [of America] will be so active that it will not be necessary to underline every time [when speaking of others] ‘They are Black,’ ‘They are White,’ ‘They are Hispanic’ etc. because they are no different. All of them are created by the same G‑d and created for the same purpose, to add to all good things around them.”
The candidates would best serve their supporters by sharing with them the Rebbe’s, strong, powerful and important words: “We were all created by the same G‑d, for the same purpose.”
That purpose, and our journey on earth, should be paved with acts of lovingkindness—of mitzvahs and goodness—that truly make us great.
Mordechai Lightstone
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team
-------
Working With the Body
It used to be that the soul fought with the body, until one conquered the other by force.
Then the Baal Shem Tov came and taught a new path: The body, too, could come to appreciate those things the soul desires.
In the place of self-affliction and fasting, the Baal Shem Tov showed his students the way of meditation and joy. Every need of the body, he taught, could provide a channel to carry the soul high.[Hayom Yom, 28 Shvat. 16 Tamuz 5716. Igrot Kodesh, vol. 6 page 157. Ibid, vol. 10, pg. 240.]
-------
This Week's Features
This Week's Features
Printable Magazine
The Brand Name
The first to understand the power of branding was G‑d. by Menachem Feldman
The first to understand the power of branding was G‑d.
He understood that a brand name captures the essence of who you are, what your customers can expect of you, and what you hope to achieve. With a good brand name, you can, over time, have a deep impact on people’s thinking.He must change his name, modify his mission statement and broaden his vision
G‑d therefore decides to tweak the name of Abraham, the founder of monotheism (whose name, at that point, was Avram). The change will upgrade the brand and cause the message to catch on, creating a movement that will change the course of history.
So G‑d adds the Hebrew letter hey to the name. The change seems small, but as any good marketing expert will tell you, a small change in a brand often symbolizes a great change in direction.
The verse states:
And your name shall no longer be called Avram, but your name shall be Avraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
(The Hebrew letter hey stands for the word “hamon,” “multitude.”)
Rashi, the primary commentator of the Torah, explains:
The letter resh that was in it [his name] originally, denoted that he was the father only of Aram, which was his native place, whereas now [with the added letter hey, he becomes] the father of the whole world.
With the new and improved name, G‑d tells Abraham that he cannot be satisfied with leading and inspiring only his close circle, that he cannot limit his goal to creating a haven of divine morality; rather, he is charged with being a father to a multitude of nations. He must change his name, modify his mission statement, and dramatically broaden his vision. He must understand that his intended audience is not a few people; his audience is every nation on this earth.
Abraham must teach his children that anybody who wishes to carry the torch, to perpetuate his legacy, will have to follow the message embedded in the letter hey. He or she will have to constantly remember that the goal is to fill all the earth with the knowledge of G‑d.
There is, however, some danger in adopting so broad a goal.
For often, those who try to impact the world, those who have the passion and ambition to make a significant impact on the lives of millions of people, forget about those closest to them. They sometimes overlook the “petty” problem of their five-year-old daughter. They are sometimes too busy to remember the hungry person in their own neighborhood.
G‑d wants to prevent Abraham and his children from making this mistake. So when he adds the letter hey to the name, thus instructing him to direct the message to all of humanity, He is careful to leave the letter resh in place.
As the passage of Rashi continues: “Nevertheless, the resh that was there originally was not moved from its place.”
The marketing experts would certainly protest and argue: “If the reshrepresents that Abraham was a father only to his native land (resh stands for Aram, where Abraham was born), and the hey represents that he is a father to the entire world (‘multitude of nations’), why can’t we drop theresh? Isn’t Abraham’s native land included in the ‘multitude of nations’?”Isn’t Abraham’s native land included
Yet the resh must not be moved from its place. In the past, before his mission was expanded to include all the people of the earth, Abraham understood that he must drop everything and risk his life to save his nephew Lot. So, too, after the broadening of his goals, he must still be devoted to those closest to him.
Perhaps that is why the Torah emphasizes that Abraham ultimately does impact all of his family. Even after he is forced, by his wife Sarah and by G‑d, to expel Hagar, he does not forget about her. Eventually he is able to bring her back into his household, remarry her, and bring her back to the belief in one G‑d.
So, yes, carry the torch of Abraham, go out and make a deep impact on the world around you. But never forget about those who need you most.
Rabbi Menachem Feldman serves as the director of the Lifelong Learning department at the Chabad Lubavitch Center in Greenwich, Conn.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.© Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad.org's copyright policy.
-------Your Questions
What Is the Torah Perspective on Safe Spaces, Trigger Words and Political Correctness? by Yehuda Shurpin
Question:
I currently attend a college in the U.S., and lately there has been much controversy surrounding “safe spaces,” where students can retreat to avoid the overwhelm caused by triggering words and ideas. Many insist on their importance, while others contend that they hamper dialogue and free speech.
I was wondering, what is the Jewish perspective on safe spaces and the overabundance of political correctness on campuses these days? Should professors and other lecturers not speak about certain topics or use certain words because students might feel triggered?
Reply:
I’m well aware that this controversy is nuanced and politically charged, so without getting into the particulars of safe spaces, let me give you a Jewish perspective:
A quick visit to any Talmudic study hall is enough to make it abundantly clear that Judaism is very much in favor of boisterous, spirited (to put it mildly) debate to help sharpen one’s opinions and reach a correct conclusion. The Talmud itself is essentially arranged as a series of arguments between the rabbis, debating a host of Judaic subjects.
In fact, the Talmud tells us that one can really acquire Torah knowledge only through learning in groups, and it has some very harsh words for those who don’t want to learn with others.1
In short, it’s clear that healthy and even heated discussion between opposing viewpoints is the Jewish way. The real question, however, is: what is the Torah’s view on freedom of speech? Should some speech be curtailed?
Freedom of Speech and the G‑d Factor
First, we need to understand an underlying philosophical difference between the Constitution and the Torah. According to the Constitution, man was created with natural rights, so the government sees it as its job to create laws that protect those rights. According to the Torah, however, G‑d did not just create us and leave us up to our own devices; rather, He is actively involved in the world and cares what we do. Therefore, He did not give us passive rights, but active responsibilities and duties.
So as much as the Torah holds vigorous debate and speech in high regard, it doesn’t hesitate to prohibit certain types of speech, such as lashon hara—i.e., to speak negatively about someone else, even if it is true.2 Speaking negatively about someone violates the biblical commandment “You shall not go around as a gossipmonger amidst your people. You shall not stand by [the shedding of] your fellow’s blood. I am the L‑rd.”3 And depending on the situation, talebearing can violate up to 31 Torah commandments.4
To be sure, if keeping silent will result in physical or financial harm to someone, then one is required to speak up.5 Nevertheless, all things being equal, such speech is prohibited. (For more on this, see my article Whistle-Blowing in Jewish Law.)
Onaat Devarim—Hurtful Speech
Of course, your question isn’t so much about whether one can speak negatively about a person to someone else, but whether one can use speech that may be hurtful or arouse negative emotions in the listener.
The Torah states that “one shall not aggrieve his fellow, and you shall fear your G‑d, for I am the L‑rd your G‑d.”6 Jewish law explains that this prohibition of onaat devarim includes purposely saying something that will hurt, frighten or embarrass someone.7
Onaat devarim includes reminding someone who repented of his previous sins, telling someone that his troubles and misfortunes were caused by his sins,8 or even speaking negatively to a convert about his prior life.9 This prohibition applies to all times and spaces.10
At the same time, if one is saying hurtful things to you or someone else, you are not required to remain silent in fear of replying in a hurtful manner and transgressing this prohibition.11 (Contrary to popular belief, “turning the other cheek” is not a Jewish value. For more on that, see Is Turning the Other Cheek a Jewish Value? )
Practically speaking, if Jewish law deems certain speech to be negative or hurtful, it is prohibited in almost every circumstance. The concept of a safe space is irrelevant. (At the same time, it should be noted that not all speech that a safe space is meant to protect from is necessarily prohibited according to Jewish law.)
This leads us to the next part of your question, whether a teacher should make sure to be politically correct in the classroom and avoid certain words.
Political Correctness and Noah’s Ark
The Talmud points out a fascinating detail in the Bible’s description of Noah gathering all the animals into the ark.12 The verse states, “Of the pure animals, and of the animals that are not pure . . . two by two they came to Noah into the ark, male and female, as G‑d had commanded Noah.”13
This is an unusual expression. In general, the Torah is written in short and concise language. Every letter has meaning, and no letters are extraneous. So why call an animal “not pure” instead of “impure,” which uses an extra eight letters in Hebrew? Because the Torah is avoiding referring to these animals in a derogatory way, teaching us the importance of refined speech.
But then the Talmud goes on to say that many times the Torah does use the term “impure”—because when it comes to teaching students, one should always use clear, concise language, even at the expense of more refined speech.14
So although teachers need to be mindful of what they say, and certainly never intentionally use harmful speech, when choosing between PC and non-PC language, it is important that clear, concise and unambiguous language be used, lest the lesson become garbled and misunderstood.
Safe Spaces Are Still Up for Debate
We’ve left plenty of room for your classmates to debate the pros and cons of safe spaces from the perspective of constitutional rights. Just keep in mind that from a Jewish perspective, talking negatively is almost always prohibited.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.
FOOTNOTES
1.Talmud, Berachot 63b.
2.See Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Orach Chaim 156:10.
3.Leviticus 19:16.
4.Chafetz Chaim, prohibitions 1–17 and positive commandments 1–14.
5.See Sifra, Leviticus 19:16; Talmud, Sanhedrin 73a; Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 426:1; Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Choshen Mishpat, Hilchot Metziah uFikadon 33; Chafetz Chaim, Be’er Mayim Chaim, Hilchot Issurei Rechilut 9:1.
6.Leviticus 25:17.
7.Talmud, Bava Metzia 58b; Sefer HaChinuch 338; Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 228:1.
8.Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 228:4.
9.See Shulchan Aruch, ibid.
10.See Sefer HaChinuch 338.
11.Sefer HaChinuch, ibid. Nevertheless, if one can remain silent and it will not be detrimental, then that is the ideal.
12.Talmud, Pesachim 3a.
13.Genesis 7:8–9.
14.See Talmud, Pesachim 3b, and commentaries ad loc.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
-------
Your Questions
I’m Living in a Fantasy World by Rosally Saltsman
Dear Rachel,
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved fantasy. I never get tired of my favorite books, TV shows and movies, and I daydream about a world filled with magical people and creatures. As a kid, it was a way for me to expand my imagination, but as an adult, I wonder if I’m living more in my fantasy world than the real world. What should I do?
Living in Fantasy
Dear Fantastic,
Some people are introverts and love to curl up at home with a good book, while others would rather go out with friends. Some people love fantasy, while others prefer realism. Just because you enjoy a certain genre, it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you.
We all like to escape reality a bit, especially as our lives become more fast-paced and stressful. Just look at the explosion of social media—an altered reality if there ever was one.
Having said that, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Live a Healthy Lifestyle
Is your lifestyle too sedentary? Are you spending too much time sitting and reading or watching shows? Make sure you’re getting enough exercise and sunlight.
Do you get so involved in your book or show that you stay up too late or don’t eat proper meals? Make sure you’re getting enough sleep and adequate nutrition.
Determine Your Priorities
Is your fantasy world the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning, and the last thing you think of when you fall asleep at night? Do you wait all day to get home so you can watch your show or read your novel? Do you spend an inordinate amount of time consuming fantasy media? Would you rather watch your show than spend time with loved ones?
There is no problem with taking some time to relax and unwind at the end of a long day. However, if the world of fantasy has become the highlight of your life, you may need to rethink your priorities.
Think of ways to enrich your “real” life so that it’s more satisfying. Consider devoting more time to your relationships, volunteering, or taking on some new studies or self-actualization projects.
Maximize Your Mitzvahs
Judaism believes that time is the most precious commodity. We are allowed to transgress all but three mitzvahs in the Torah in order to prolong a life for even one minute. Time is so precious, so valuable, because every minute can be used in service of G‑d. There are many stories told of holy people who went to great lengths not to waste even a second of Torah study, or simple people who earned a place in the world to come with just a moment’s action.
Take some time to think about why G‑d put you in the world. Are you fulfilling your purpose? Are you maximizing your time to learn Torah and do mitzvahs, or are you wasting your time?
Of course, relaxation is included as part of a healthy Jewish life. Every week we have Shabbat to unwind, and there are a plethora of Jewish holidays throughout the year dedicated to feasting, praying, relaxing, recharging our spiritual batteries and enjoying family. So don’t go to the opposite extreme, where you deny yourself any pleasure or distraction. That could lead you to be more stressed-out and unhappy. But do be cognizant of how much time you’re spending on fantasy media, and balance that with time spent on holier pursuits.
Channel Your Passions
Chassidic philosophy teaches us not to shut out the world, but to transform it into a vehicle for serving G‑d. In recent decades, there has been a deluge of Jewish entertainment on artistic par with secular entertainment, without the questionable content. Music, books, movies, even television shows abound with good, wholesome, soul-enriching entertainment, with songs and topics that focus on the desires of our souls as opposed to the desires of our bodies.
Think of ways you could use your passion for fantasy to serve G‑d. Perhaps you could write a story or create a film that combines fantasy and Jewish topics.
At whatever stage you are in your spiritual growth, be true to who you are, but always aspire to loftier heights.
Wishing you a happy ending to this issue,
Rachel
Rosally Saltsman is a freelance writer originally from Montreal living in Israel.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
-------
VIDEO
The Power of One
In the book of Joshua, G-d declares, “I multiplied Abraham’s seed, and gave him Isaac.” Yet how can Isaac, one son, be seen as the “multiplication of seed” promised by G-d?
Watch (6:27)
The Brand Name
The first to understand the power of branding was G‑d. by Menachem Feldman
The first to understand the power of branding was G‑d.He understood that a brand name captures the essence of who you are, what your customers can expect of you, and what you hope to achieve. With a good brand name, you can, over time, have a deep impact on people’s thinking.He must change his name, modify his mission statement and broaden his vision
G‑d therefore decides to tweak the name of Abraham, the founder of monotheism (whose name, at that point, was Avram). The change will upgrade the brand and cause the message to catch on, creating a movement that will change the course of history.
So G‑d adds the Hebrew letter hey to the name. The change seems small, but as any good marketing expert will tell you, a small change in a brand often symbolizes a great change in direction.
The verse states:
And your name shall no longer be called Avram, but your name shall be Avraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
(The Hebrew letter hey stands for the word “hamon,” “multitude.”)
Rashi, the primary commentator of the Torah, explains:
The letter resh that was in it [his name] originally, denoted that he was the father only of Aram, which was his native place, whereas now [with the added letter hey, he becomes] the father of the whole world.
With the new and improved name, G‑d tells Abraham that he cannot be satisfied with leading and inspiring only his close circle, that he cannot limit his goal to creating a haven of divine morality; rather, he is charged with being a father to a multitude of nations. He must change his name, modify his mission statement, and dramatically broaden his vision. He must understand that his intended audience is not a few people; his audience is every nation on this earth.
Abraham must teach his children that anybody who wishes to carry the torch, to perpetuate his legacy, will have to follow the message embedded in the letter hey. He or she will have to constantly remember that the goal is to fill all the earth with the knowledge of G‑d.
There is, however, some danger in adopting so broad a goal.
For often, those who try to impact the world, those who have the passion and ambition to make a significant impact on the lives of millions of people, forget about those closest to them. They sometimes overlook the “petty” problem of their five-year-old daughter. They are sometimes too busy to remember the hungry person in their own neighborhood.
G‑d wants to prevent Abraham and his children from making this mistake. So when he adds the letter hey to the name, thus instructing him to direct the message to all of humanity, He is careful to leave the letter resh in place.
As the passage of Rashi continues: “Nevertheless, the resh that was there originally was not moved from its place.”
The marketing experts would certainly protest and argue: “If the reshrepresents that Abraham was a father only to his native land (resh stands for Aram, where Abraham was born), and the hey represents that he is a father to the entire world (‘multitude of nations’), why can’t we drop theresh? Isn’t Abraham’s native land included in the ‘multitude of nations’?”Isn’t Abraham’s native land included
Yet the resh must not be moved from its place. In the past, before his mission was expanded to include all the people of the earth, Abraham understood that he must drop everything and risk his life to save his nephew Lot. So, too, after the broadening of his goals, he must still be devoted to those closest to him.
Perhaps that is why the Torah emphasizes that Abraham ultimately does impact all of his family. Even after he is forced, by his wife Sarah and by G‑d, to expel Hagar, he does not forget about her. Eventually he is able to bring her back into his household, remarry her, and bring her back to the belief in one G‑d.
So, yes, carry the torch of Abraham, go out and make a deep impact on the world around you. But never forget about those who need you most.
Rabbi Menachem Feldman serves as the director of the Lifelong Learning department at the Chabad Lubavitch Center in Greenwich, Conn.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.© Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad.org's copyright policy.
-------Your Questions
What Is the Torah Perspective on Safe Spaces, Trigger Words and Political Correctness? by Yehuda Shurpin
Question:
I currently attend a college in the U.S., and lately there has been much controversy surrounding “safe spaces,” where students can retreat to avoid the overwhelm caused by triggering words and ideas. Many insist on their importance, while others contend that they hamper dialogue and free speech.
I was wondering, what is the Jewish perspective on safe spaces and the overabundance of political correctness on campuses these days? Should professors and other lecturers not speak about certain topics or use certain words because students might feel triggered?
Reply:
I’m well aware that this controversy is nuanced and politically charged, so without getting into the particulars of safe spaces, let me give you a Jewish perspective:
A quick visit to any Talmudic study hall is enough to make it abundantly clear that Judaism is very much in favor of boisterous, spirited (to put it mildly) debate to help sharpen one’s opinions and reach a correct conclusion. The Talmud itself is essentially arranged as a series of arguments between the rabbis, debating a host of Judaic subjects.
In fact, the Talmud tells us that one can really acquire Torah knowledge only through learning in groups, and it has some very harsh words for those who don’t want to learn with others.1
In short, it’s clear that healthy and even heated discussion between opposing viewpoints is the Jewish way. The real question, however, is: what is the Torah’s view on freedom of speech? Should some speech be curtailed?
Freedom of Speech and the G‑d Factor
First, we need to understand an underlying philosophical difference between the Constitution and the Torah. According to the Constitution, man was created with natural rights, so the government sees it as its job to create laws that protect those rights. According to the Torah, however, G‑d did not just create us and leave us up to our own devices; rather, He is actively involved in the world and cares what we do. Therefore, He did not give us passive rights, but active responsibilities and duties.
So as much as the Torah holds vigorous debate and speech in high regard, it doesn’t hesitate to prohibit certain types of speech, such as lashon hara—i.e., to speak negatively about someone else, even if it is true.2 Speaking negatively about someone violates the biblical commandment “You shall not go around as a gossipmonger amidst your people. You shall not stand by [the shedding of] your fellow’s blood. I am the L‑rd.”3 And depending on the situation, talebearing can violate up to 31 Torah commandments.4
To be sure, if keeping silent will result in physical or financial harm to someone, then one is required to speak up.5 Nevertheless, all things being equal, such speech is prohibited. (For more on this, see my article Whistle-Blowing in Jewish Law.)
Onaat Devarim—Hurtful Speech
Of course, your question isn’t so much about whether one can speak negatively about a person to someone else, but whether one can use speech that may be hurtful or arouse negative emotions in the listener.
The Torah states that “one shall not aggrieve his fellow, and you shall fear your G‑d, for I am the L‑rd your G‑d.”6 Jewish law explains that this prohibition of onaat devarim includes purposely saying something that will hurt, frighten or embarrass someone.7
Onaat devarim includes reminding someone who repented of his previous sins, telling someone that his troubles and misfortunes were caused by his sins,8 or even speaking negatively to a convert about his prior life.9 This prohibition applies to all times and spaces.10
At the same time, if one is saying hurtful things to you or someone else, you are not required to remain silent in fear of replying in a hurtful manner and transgressing this prohibition.11 (Contrary to popular belief, “turning the other cheek” is not a Jewish value. For more on that, see Is Turning the Other Cheek a Jewish Value? )
Practically speaking, if Jewish law deems certain speech to be negative or hurtful, it is prohibited in almost every circumstance. The concept of a safe space is irrelevant. (At the same time, it should be noted that not all speech that a safe space is meant to protect from is necessarily prohibited according to Jewish law.)
This leads us to the next part of your question, whether a teacher should make sure to be politically correct in the classroom and avoid certain words.
Political Correctness and Noah’s Ark
The Talmud points out a fascinating detail in the Bible’s description of Noah gathering all the animals into the ark.12 The verse states, “Of the pure animals, and of the animals that are not pure . . . two by two they came to Noah into the ark, male and female, as G‑d had commanded Noah.”13
This is an unusual expression. In general, the Torah is written in short and concise language. Every letter has meaning, and no letters are extraneous. So why call an animal “not pure” instead of “impure,” which uses an extra eight letters in Hebrew? Because the Torah is avoiding referring to these animals in a derogatory way, teaching us the importance of refined speech.
But then the Talmud goes on to say that many times the Torah does use the term “impure”—because when it comes to teaching students, one should always use clear, concise language, even at the expense of more refined speech.14
So although teachers need to be mindful of what they say, and certainly never intentionally use harmful speech, when choosing between PC and non-PC language, it is important that clear, concise and unambiguous language be used, lest the lesson become garbled and misunderstood.
Safe Spaces Are Still Up for Debate
We’ve left plenty of room for your classmates to debate the pros and cons of safe spaces from the perspective of constitutional rights. Just keep in mind that from a Jewish perspective, talking negatively is almost always prohibited.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.
FOOTNOTES
1.Talmud, Berachot 63b.
2.See Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Orach Chaim 156:10.
3.Leviticus 19:16.
4.Chafetz Chaim, prohibitions 1–17 and positive commandments 1–14.
5.See Sifra, Leviticus 19:16; Talmud, Sanhedrin 73a; Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 426:1; Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Choshen Mishpat, Hilchot Metziah uFikadon 33; Chafetz Chaim, Be’er Mayim Chaim, Hilchot Issurei Rechilut 9:1.
6.Leviticus 25:17.
7.Talmud, Bava Metzia 58b; Sefer HaChinuch 338; Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 228:1.
8.Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 228:4.
9.See Shulchan Aruch, ibid.
10.See Sefer HaChinuch 338.
11.Sefer HaChinuch, ibid. Nevertheless, if one can remain silent and it will not be detrimental, then that is the ideal.
12.Talmud, Pesachim 3a.
13.Genesis 7:8–9.
14.See Talmud, Pesachim 3b, and commentaries ad loc.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
-------
Your Questions
I’m Living in a Fantasy World by Rosally Saltsman
Dear Rachel,
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved fantasy. I never get tired of my favorite books, TV shows and movies, and I daydream about a world filled with magical people and creatures. As a kid, it was a way for me to expand my imagination, but as an adult, I wonder if I’m living more in my fantasy world than the real world. What should I do?
Living in Fantasy
Dear Fantastic,
Some people are introverts and love to curl up at home with a good book, while others would rather go out with friends. Some people love fantasy, while others prefer realism. Just because you enjoy a certain genre, it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you.
We all like to escape reality a bit, especially as our lives become more fast-paced and stressful. Just look at the explosion of social media—an altered reality if there ever was one.
Having said that, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Live a Healthy Lifestyle
Is your lifestyle too sedentary? Are you spending too much time sitting and reading or watching shows? Make sure you’re getting enough exercise and sunlight.
Do you get so involved in your book or show that you stay up too late or don’t eat proper meals? Make sure you’re getting enough sleep and adequate nutrition.
Determine Your Priorities
Is your fantasy world the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning, and the last thing you think of when you fall asleep at night? Do you wait all day to get home so you can watch your show or read your novel? Do you spend an inordinate amount of time consuming fantasy media? Would you rather watch your show than spend time with loved ones?
There is no problem with taking some time to relax and unwind at the end of a long day. However, if the world of fantasy has become the highlight of your life, you may need to rethink your priorities.
Think of ways to enrich your “real” life so that it’s more satisfying. Consider devoting more time to your relationships, volunteering, or taking on some new studies or self-actualization projects.
Maximize Your Mitzvahs
Judaism believes that time is the most precious commodity. We are allowed to transgress all but three mitzvahs in the Torah in order to prolong a life for even one minute. Time is so precious, so valuable, because every minute can be used in service of G‑d. There are many stories told of holy people who went to great lengths not to waste even a second of Torah study, or simple people who earned a place in the world to come with just a moment’s action.
Take some time to think about why G‑d put you in the world. Are you fulfilling your purpose? Are you maximizing your time to learn Torah and do mitzvahs, or are you wasting your time?
Of course, relaxation is included as part of a healthy Jewish life. Every week we have Shabbat to unwind, and there are a plethora of Jewish holidays throughout the year dedicated to feasting, praying, relaxing, recharging our spiritual batteries and enjoying family. So don’t go to the opposite extreme, where you deny yourself any pleasure or distraction. That could lead you to be more stressed-out and unhappy. But do be cognizant of how much time you’re spending on fantasy media, and balance that with time spent on holier pursuits.
Channel Your Passions
Chassidic philosophy teaches us not to shut out the world, but to transform it into a vehicle for serving G‑d. In recent decades, there has been a deluge of Jewish entertainment on artistic par with secular entertainment, without the questionable content. Music, books, movies, even television shows abound with good, wholesome, soul-enriching entertainment, with songs and topics that focus on the desires of our souls as opposed to the desires of our bodies.
Think of ways you could use your passion for fantasy to serve G‑d. Perhaps you could write a story or create a film that combines fantasy and Jewish topics.
At whatever stage you are in your spiritual growth, be true to who you are, but always aspire to loftier heights.
Wishing you a happy ending to this issue,
Rachel
Rosally Saltsman is a freelance writer originally from Montreal living in Israel.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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VIDEO
The Power of One
In the book of Joshua, G-d declares, “I multiplied Abraham’s seed, and gave him Isaac.” Yet how can Isaac, one son, be seen as the “multiplication of seed” promised by G-d?
Watch (6:27)
http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/livingtorah/player_cdo/aid/3107152/jewish/The-Power-of-One.htm
Topics: Lubavitcher Rebbe, Individual, The Power & Uniqueness of the
The Power of One
Disc 146, Program 582
Event Date: 11 Shevat 5731 - February 06, 1971
In the book of Joshua, G-d declares, “I multiplied Abraham’s seed, and gave him Isaac.” Yet how can Isaac, one son, be seen as the “multiplication of seed” promised by G-d?
Apparently, it is not quantity but quality that the verse is referring to, and in the process teaching us a valuable lesson on the value of every soul.
The Power of One
Disc 146, Program 582
Event Date: 11 Shevat 5731 - February 06, 1971
In the book of Joshua, G-d declares, “I multiplied Abraham’s seed, and gave him Isaac.” Yet how can Isaac, one son, be seen as the “multiplication of seed” promised by G-d?
Apparently, it is not quantity but quality that the verse is referring to, and in the process teaching us a valuable lesson on the value of every soul.
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The Story of Satan's Disguise
A chassidic tale on the source of arrogance. by Yossy Gordon Watch (4:59)
The Story of Satan's Disguise
A chassidic tale on the source of arrogance. by Yossy Gordon
Watch (4:59)
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.chabad.org/multimedia/mediaplayer/embedded/embed.js.asp?aid=3479452&width=auto&height=auto"></script><span style="clear:both;" class="lb" id="lbdiv">Visit <a href="http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/default_cdo/aid/591213/jewish/Video.htm">Jewish.TV</a> for more <a href="http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/default_cdo/aid/591213/jewish/Video.htm">Jewish videos</a>.</span>
http://www.chabad.org/3479452
Rabbi Yossy Gordon was born in Worcester, Mass., and serves as Executive Vice President of the Chabad on Campus International. Rabbi Gordon makes his home in Miami Beach, Fla., with his wife, Rochel, and their six children© Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad.org's copyright policy.
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Ask for a Miracle
Do you need a miracle in some area of your life? Here's why it is alright for you to ask for it--and how you can get it. by Chana Weisberg Watch (2:13)
Ask for a Miracle
Do you need a miracle in some area of your life? Here's why it is alright for you to ask for it--and how you can get it. by Chana Weisberg
Watch (2:13)
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.chabad.org/multimedia/mediaplayer/embedded/embed.js.asp?aid=3425500&width=auto&height=auto"></script><span style="clear:both;" class="lb" id="lbdiv">Visit <a href="http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/default_cdo/aid/591213/jewish/Video.htm">Jewish.TV</a> for more <a href="http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/default_cdo/aid/591213/jewish/Video.htm">Jewish videos</a>.</span>
-------Women
Three Passages to Inspire Serenity by Alyssa Rachel Gross
There I was, headed off to a women’s retreat in hot Desert Springs, Calif. Cena Abergel had never met me before, yet she cheerfully picked me up from the airport, welcomed me into her home for the night, and drove me to my next location (after the retreat), which was hours out of her way.
So when she asked if I’d like to be part of her Tehillim group, how could I say no?
That was December 2015. I’ve been in the group ever since.
Each Shabbat, I read Psalms 120 through 150, those designated for the day of rest. Being committed to the task but not observant, I’ve read the Tehillim portion in English on trains, buses, in Starbucks coffee shops and anywhere necessary to stick to my commitment. My group of six other women rely on me to finish the entire Psalms during Shabbat.
Eight months later, it all came together for me when I had the opportunity to visit the City of David in Jerusalem. That moment was simply chilling. Standing where King David might have stood, looking out over the landscape of Jerusalem as he might have, gaining a greater understanding of his enemies and the blessings before him, unlocked the words I had been saying every week for nearly a year.
Below are three passages from the Shabbat Psalms that guide and inspire me to serene pastures amid the tumultuous tides of life.
1. “Those who tearfully sow will reap in glad song.”1
Life isn’t always easy, especially when you experience periods of depression, anxiety or stress. However I feel, no matter how lousy the mood, I take one positive action after another.
I may be weeping, but I’m moving forward. Often, life comes down to consistency, grit and perseverance. This passage reminds me that no matter how depressed I feel in this particular moment, a new day will come. And I’ll be proud that I, like David, tearfully sowed.
2. “If G‑d will not build the house, in vain do its builders labor on it.”2
We attempt to control everything and everyone in our lives. We try to control finding the perfect spouse, getting the perfect job and having every plate spinning in the air perfectly balanced. As the saying goes: “Man plans, and G‑d laughs.”
Step back. Take a deep breath. And let go. Do everything in your power to create the life you want. And remember that G‑d is in the picture: that thought alone can alleviate stress.
Not everything is in your control. Phew, isn’t that a relief? You don’t have to juggle the universe. We play our part, and G‑d will play His.
3. “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, human handiwork. They have mouths, but they speak not; they have eyes, but they see not; they have ears, but they heed not . . .”3
We’ve become so defined by what we do, how much we own and our status in society that who we actually are no longer seems to matter. We’re lost in a sea of false idols: money, wealth, possessions, success, looks, vanity. We’ve become blind to the essence of other people, deaf to words of truth, and our speech has lost its value in the petty.
How much does so-and-so earn for a living? He has a beautiful trophy wife! Wow, did you see how big her house is? When is she going to settle down and get it together already?
While physicality is nice for our enjoyment, when did it become the primary goal in life? Let’s talk with such fervor about another person’s character and virtues. We are not what we own or what we dofor a living. We are who we choose to be, which is so much grander than any possession we can possibly acquire.
These psalms have the power to set us free from the societal chains of having it all—all the time in every way. We are continually blessed to have a roadmap back to our true selves. Let’s chart our course forward!
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Alyssa is a thirsty soul looking to connect to spirituality and the larger Jewish community. She invites you to come along.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.
FOOTNOTES
1.Psalms 126:5.
2.Psalms 127:1.
3.Psalms 135:15–17.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Women
Falling Off My Merry-Go-Round by Chana Scop
I really didn’t mean to.
I had the best intentions.
I really did.
I mean, after all, I’m human.
Or maybe I’m not . . .
Maybe I’m simply a bundle of emotions and crushed energy, spinning in circles on my very own merry-go-roundAfter all, I’m human that isn’t so merry at times.
I usually look up.
I rarely look down.
Unless, of course, I’ve spun right off my merry-go-round, and I taste the dust from the earth
on which I fall with a thud.
It was only a new pizza dough recipe I was trying to make.
Was I being too dreamy, too unrealistic, to think I could get lost in the creativity of my cozy kitchen?
It’s the place where the flavors of my heart come to life.
The center of wholesome nourishment and love, where meaningful conversations and licks of delectable batters and doughs take place.
You were pulling on me with full strength, that of an almost 10-year-old, making your tugs too strong to ignore.
I reminded you to be wary of my healing broken ankle.
I don’t think you know what “wary” means.
You pulled open the drawer packed with measuring utensils.
I said I only needed the three-quarter cup.
But somehow, you translated that into “unpack the drawer, piling everything onto the counter, right into mommy’s space.”
Space.
Not sure what that really means.
I think it’s somewhere close to the moon and stars because I don’t think it exists in my merry-go-round of life.
And neither did “space” find it’s way onto my counter, now splattered with flour and specks of yeast camouflaged into the marbled granite.
I had tried to include you.
I really did.
Because that’s what moms do.
You were bored. No school. Just endless “carefree” summer days.
Just you and me and a bunch of little siblings with sticky hands and chubby faces.
I took a deep breath.
But I don’t think you noticed.
I was holding it all together, my feelings, that is.
Or so I thought.
I looked down at the mound of pizza dough . . .
No.
The dough was way better at being heldI just couldn’t hold it together together than my nerves at the moment.
It had just been a hard couple of days.
You were frustrated and have no words.
And I have words and much frustration.
Not a great combination.
You kept pulling on my arm as I tried to mix and knead the dough.
I asked you to please step back a bit so I could finish making supper.
I even gave you a piece of dough to keep your hands busy.
But to no avail.
You pulled on me while you whined and screeched your loudest.
And I just couldn’t anymore,
I couldn’t hold it together.
I was tired. Deeply tired.
It’s been rough.
And while you’re getting older.
It’s getting harder.
That much, we both know.
And so I fell off my merry-go-round.
Right in the middle of my kitchen.
Choked with tears, I turned around.
To hide from your sweet face.
To keep the sobs away from the purest of all souls.
But you followed me anyway.
Because you’re just like that.
Kind and sensitive.
And you looked at me with your head tilted to the side.
Sizing up the moment.
With love.
Always with love.
You put your arms around my neck.
For a long soothing embrace.
And it felt so good.
To cry.
To love.
And to be loved.
And while tomorrow may resemble today,
We’ll get back on our merry-go-round.It’s getting harder. That much, we both know
Because that’s what we do.
We dust ourselves off.
We leave the dirt on the ground.
We wipe away the tears and bandage our bruises.
Because after all, there’s so much to be grateful for.
On our merry-go-round.
Chana is a proud wife and mother living in Mill Valley, California. She is inspired by the colors and textures of everyday life, and loves sharing her creative ideas with her community. Chana writes DIY projects, crafts and recipes celebrating her Jewish life and shlichus on her blog Chana’s Art Room, and is the co-director of Chabad of Mill Valley with her husband, Rabbi Hillel Scop. To read more about Chaim Boruch, and Chana’s journey, take a look at her personal special-needs blog, Life of Blessing.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Women
Why Jewish Women Will Bring Moshiach by Elana Mizrahi
I happen to be a pretty calm woman. So far, I’ve lived through major earthquakes and fires, terrorist attacks and wars. I have accompanied dozens, if not hundreds, of women on births and evenHe was crying, holding his armdelivered a baby or two. In an emergency situation, I’m usually calm, cool and in control of my emotions. Well, this past Sunday I stayed calm and I stayed cool, but I certainly wasn’t in control of my emotions.
We were at the park with our four children. I was talking to my husband and carefully watching my toddler, making sure he didn’t put any of the interesting objects on the ground in his mouth. The older children were playing on the climbing structures in the playground. Suddenly, we heard a cry: “Avraham fell, and he can’t move his arm!”
“What?”
I hurried over to my son. He was crying, holding his arm. I looked at his pale face and saw so much pain in it. I couldn’t stop myself, and I, too, started to cry.
Emergency mode set in, and I was able to go through the motions of calming my son down, having him drink some water, asking him what happened (he fell off a play structure and broke his fall with his arm, fracturing it), and sending him off with my husband to the emergency room. I stayed behind with the other children, and we said Psalms for Avraham’s recovery.
Now, when I look at things in perspective, I can tell you that yes, thank G‑d, it was just a broken bone, and that yes, as a mother of four children (three of whom are boys), I know that these things are common. I truly was calm about the situation, and we were able to take care of our son as quickly as possible. But emotionally, when I saw such pain in my child’s face, I fell apart. Whenever you see pain in your child’s eyes, whether the cause is emotional or physical, all you want to do as a mother is take away that pain, whatever the cost.
As human beings, we have compassion and can be empathic. We see someone in pain and want to help. But only very few righteous and holy people are at the level where they would be willing, if they could, to take away that pain and feel it themselves. Yet this is how a mother (or father) feels any time her child is hurt.
How does that happen? Where do these altruistic feelings come from? They come from giving. Day after day, night after night. First, a woman gives her body over to the baby inside of her. Her legs swell, she feels back pain, nausea, exhaustion. She carries the baby inside of her, engaging in 24 hours of holy work—acts of lovingkindness. The baby is born, and then there is round-the-clock feeding, rocking, cooing and diaper-changing. The child grows, and she has daily (and nightly) opportunities for giving. Cooking meals, doing laundry, helping with homework, picking up clothes and toys, tending to sick children and playing—day after day, night after night. Mundane, everyday tasks, acts of kindness and giving. Does it ever end? No. The child grows, the needs change, the ways of giving change, but not the actual giving.
The prophet Jeremiah describes the bitter exile of Israel after the destruction of the First Temple. He then writes: “A voice is heard on high, lamentation, bitter weeping; Rachel is weeping for her children, she refuses to be comforted for her children, for they are gone [in exile].”1
Our mother, Rachel, is inconsolable as she sees her children, her nation, in pain. Oh, does Mama Rachel cry for us and want to take away our pain and suffering! The Midrash relates how the patriarchs and Moses prayed before G‑d to save Israel. Each one’s plea was valid and heart-wrenching, but G‑d refused to listen. At last came Mama Rachel, mother of the Jewish people. Rachel pleaded with G‑d to remember how she traded places with herOur mother, Rachel, is inconsolable as she sees her children in pain sister on her wedding day in order to save her sister from humiliation. Rachel reached a level of complete and total self-nullification for her sister. She saw her sister’s pain and said: “Let this pain be mine instead.” This is the level of a mother who sees her child in pain and wants with all her heart to take it away.
“So says the L‑rd: ‘Refrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is reward for your work,’ says the L‑rd, ‘and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.’ ”2
The prophet continues in the name of G‑d. Yes, Rachel, all those nights and days, all those acts of loving-kindness, are seen and will not go unrewarded. Because of yourtears and your selflessness, your children will return and the redemption will come.
Mama Rachel died in the only month of the year, Mar Cheshvan, “Bitter Cheshvan,” that contains neither a festive holiday nor a communal fast day. She died in a mundane month devoid of festival, devoid of tragedy. It’s a month of daily routine. A month of laundry and packing school lunches, a month of changing diapers and making dinners. It’s the month of the mother. The incredible Yiddishe Mama, the Jewish mother, who puts her heart, her soul, her sweat, into taking care of her children.
This mundane month, the Midrash tells us, is the month in which the Third Holy Temple will be dedicated. It’s a Messianic month, a month in which mundanity is transformed into holiness.3
Originally from northern California and a Stanford University graduate, Elana Mizrahi now lives in Jerusalem with her husband and children. She is a doula, massage therapist, writer, and author of Dancing Through Life, a book for Jewish women. She also teaches Jewish marriage classes for brides.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.
FOOTNOTES
1.Jeremiah 31:14.
2.Jeremiah 31:15.
3.Yalkut Shimoni, Melachim I, 184.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Story
"I Felt It Was My Funeral" by Menachem Posner
It was a festive day in the narrow lanes of Frankfurt’s Jewish quarter. The crowds of well-wishers surged through the Judengasse, jubilantly singing and dancing as they carried a middle-aged man upon their shoulders.
The venerable newcomer was a Polish-born Torah scholar who had recently been invited to become the chief rabbi of the prestigious community.
The procession slowly wended its way to the main synagogue where the sage was to give his first talk.
What was not known to many of the assembled was that their new rabbi, Rabbi Pinchas Hurwitz, was a follower of Rabbi Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezerich, the leader of the emerging chassidic movement. One of the major tenets of the chassidic doctrine was the importance of humility.
“Tell me, Rabbi,” asked one of his close students, “what did it feel like to be carried through the streets by such a crowd of admirers?”
“At that moment,” said Rabbi Hurwitz, “I felt just as if I were dead, and the entire parade was my funeral.”
Sources
Shaar Hachasidut, p. 125
Rabbi Menachem Posner serves as staff editor for Chabad.org.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Parshah
Why a Seed Grows in Darkness by Chana Weisberg
Dear Readers,
Where do you go when you want to get in touch with yourself? When life seems to be spinning out of control, do you escape to a special place, perhaps a beautiful retreat alone?
What do you do when you want to feel alive with every fiber and every pore of your being pulsating? Do you go for a run, paint, dance, sing or do something that pushes you to your limits?
When you’re feeling distraught, what do you do to calm yourself? Do you try a new experience or do you revert to what is familiar to you?
One of the oldest debates in psychology is the nature versus nurture debate. Are a person’s actions predisposed by DNA or do life experiences create a lasting influence on one’s behavior and decisions in life? Are we born this way, or have we become this way due to our environment?
And does the debate perhaps go deeper? Are we merely products of our genes and our environment, or is there a higher self that we can strive to be that’s totally independent of both our natural instincts and background?
In this week’s Torah portion, Abraham is told to leave everything that is familiar to him in order to find a deeper part of himself.
“Go you from your land, from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you.” (Gen. 12:1)
The Chassidic masters explain: Eretz, the Hebrew word for land, is etymologically related to the word ratzon—will and desire; so your land also translates as your natural desires. Your birthplace, moladtecha, is a reference to the influence of home and society. And beitavicha, your father’s house, refers to man as a mature and rational being, forging his mind-set, character and behavior with the transcendent objectivity of the intellect.
Just as a seed develops into a thriving plant after it first decomposes in the ground, sometimes we need to leave everything familiar to us—our natural environment, our automatic responses, our usual inclinations, even our rational self—in order to find greater growth. Away from the lights and observations of others (and free of our own self-imposed predilections), we experience the unbounded power of a new self.
Leaving behind the old “I” of everything I know and love can be really scary. The seed buried deep down in the earth seemingly decomposes into nothingness. But free from these limiting expectations, like the seed, we can also produce our greatest yield.
So, this week, let’s think about how we can free ourselves from the limits of both nature and nurture to discover our greatest selves. What can we do in one area of our lives that would free us from external and internal expectations to reach unknown terrain? Let’s start this journey by sharing ideas in the comments below.
Wishing you a week of unbounded potential!
Chana Weisberg
Editor, TJW
Chana Weisberg is the editor of TheJewishWoman.org. She lectures internationally on issues relating to women, relationships, meaning, self-esteem and the Jewish soul. She is the author of five popular books.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Parshah
Haftarah Companion for Lech Lecha by Mendel Dubov
Overview
“Nachamu, nachamu ami—Comfort, comfort My people.” These are the famous opening words of chapter 40 in Isaiah, the chapter where our haftarah begins. With these opening words the prophet delivers G‑d’s words of consolation to the Jewish people. In order to comfort, however, Isaiah must first address the most begging question of all: What can possibly justify suffering? What about all the mitzvahs and good deeds the people have done? Is this what they receive in return for remaining faithful to G‑d? “My way has been hidden from G‑d,” say the Jews; “my cause has been passed over by my G‑d.”
The response comes forth in classic biblical style. G‑d is the creator of all. There is no fathoming the depths of His plan. But there is something ultimately great that will be achieved with these afflictions, a goal that will make it all worthwhile.1 What remains certain, nonetheless, is that the time will come when the tables will turn. The Jewish people, who are tired and weary from exile, will gain renewed strength and might. Those who tormented them, while now seeming young and vigorous, will become weak and falter.
G‑d, as it were, contends with the mighty nations of the time. They are reminded that Abraham was but a single man whom G‑d elevated and assisted throughout his life. All alone, he stood up to the world in his belief in one G‑d. Although vastly outnumbered, he routed the mighty armies of four kings in rescuing his nephew Lot. So there is precedent. Just as with their forefather, G‑d will ultimately stand by the Jewish people, elevate them and assist them. (This part of the reading is the obvious connection to the Torah portion, whose story is the life of Abraham.)
Following in the footsteps of their ancestor Abraham, the Jews would always be different than the rest. While the nations of the world witnessed the miracle that was Abraham, they thoughtlessly and pragmatically continued to pursue the idolatrous lifestyle they were used to. G‑d reassures His people not to fear, for He will never leave them. He has chosen them, and will come through for them. The time will come when Israel will crush its enemies forever.2
The Worm That Is Jacob
“Fear not, O worm-like Jacob”—the prophet compares the Jewish people to a worm.
The simple idea behind the comparison to a worm is the feeble and vulnerable nature of the Jews in exile. The sages, however, see another angle to this: “Why are the Jews compared to a worm? Just as the strength of a worm lies only in its mouth, so too with the Jewish people, whose power lies only in prayer. By the same token, just as a worm, although small and weak, can destroy a cedar tree with its mouth, so too the Jewish people can make mighty but wicked nations fall with the power of their prayer.”
This comparison to the weakness yet the strength of the worm, and its analogy to our state in exile, is further expounded upon in chassidic thought:
During the time of exile, we are deprived from fulfilling most of the mitzvot in the Torah. These are mitzvot that depend on the Temple standing, on having a Jewish king, the Sanhedrin being in session, etc. But although we are unable to fulfill these mitzvot in the most literal sense, they can still be “kept” in the spiritual sense through the learning of Torah. Our sages tell us that “he who studies the laws of a sacrifice is as if he has actually offered this sacrifice.” This, then, is the comparison of the Jewish people to the worm: just as the strength of the worm is in its mouth, so too the ability of the Jew in exile to spiritually fulfil most of the mitzvot is through speech—for the ideal way of learning Torah is by enunciating its words verbally.
But this has an additional dimension, which comes back to the simple meaning of the verse. King David says in Psalms: “I am but a worm, and not a man.”3 This was his expression of extreme humility. The reason why Torah study can achieve the spiritual fulfilment of a mitzvah is because when a Jew studies Torah, he is allowing himself to enter into the G‑dly realm manifested in this particular part of Torah. On this level of reality, the physical hindrances that disable the actual fulfilment of a the mitzvah are inconsequential. The spiritual element of the mitzvah is true and existent, regardless of physical conditions. However, one must allow themselves to be elevated to and included in this G‑dly reality. Maintaining a sense of self—let alone ego—will keep one back in an earthly and and material state, not allowing one to rise at all above it.
Thus, both ideas in the analogy to the worm go hand in hand: the power lies in the mouth, but the worm-like humility is imperative to achieve the goal.4
Threshing and Winnowing
“Behold I have made you into a new grooved threshing-sledge, with sharp points; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them fine, and you shall make hills like chaff. You shall winnow them, and a wind shall carry them off, and a tempest shall scatter them.”
The “mountains” and “hills” that are being threshed refer to the nations of the world who oppress the Jews. In time to come they will be crushed, scattered and caused to be lost by the very people unto whom they sought to do just the same.
A parable in the Midrash complements this idea:
“The wheat, chaff and straw were once arguing with each other. Each one was saying, “It is for our purpose that this field was sown!” Said the wheat: “Wait until the time of threshing arrives, and we will yet see for whose purpose the field has been sown.” After being threshed on the threshing floor, the farmer proceeded to winnow the grain. He took everything aside from the kernels, and either burned it or discarded it, saving nothing else besides the kernels. So to is it with the nations of the world: some say, “We are the main thing, and it is for us that the world was created,” while others contend and say, “It is for us that the world was created.” The Jewish people respond to them: “Wait till the day comes, and we will see for whom the world was created.”5
The exile is a time when confusion prevails. In each generation, the world outside hollered and screamed, “This is it! We are what this world is all about.” But a little Jewish people, scattered among many and mighty nations, said no. The purpose of of creation is something different. The time will come when a systematic “threshing” will take place. By virtue of who they are, the Jews will bring out the straw-like weakness of worldly pursuits and the infinite value of a G‑dly life.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.
FOOTNOTES
1.See Rashi here.
2.It should be noted that the verses in this haftarah are understood in more than one way by the commentaries. The above overview follows one of many interpretations.
3.Psalms 22:7.
4.Likkutei Torah, Chukat 57a.
5.Bereishit Rabbah 83:5. See Abarbanel, Isaiah 41:15.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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A condensation of the weekly Torah portion alongside select commentaries culled from the Midrash, Talmud, Chassidic masters, and the broad corpus of Jewish scholarship.
Parshah Summary
Women Three Passages to Inspire Serenity by Alyssa Rachel Gross
There I was, headed off to a women’s retreat in hot Desert Springs, Calif. Cena Abergel had never met me before, yet she cheerfully picked me up from the airport, welcomed me into her home for the night, and drove me to my next location (after the retreat), which was hours out of her way.
So when she asked if I’d like to be part of her Tehillim group, how could I say no?
That was December 2015. I’ve been in the group ever since.
Each Shabbat, I read Psalms 120 through 150, those designated for the day of rest. Being committed to the task but not observant, I’ve read the Tehillim portion in English on trains, buses, in Starbucks coffee shops and anywhere necessary to stick to my commitment. My group of six other women rely on me to finish the entire Psalms during Shabbat.
Eight months later, it all came together for me when I had the opportunity to visit the City of David in Jerusalem. That moment was simply chilling. Standing where King David might have stood, looking out over the landscape of Jerusalem as he might have, gaining a greater understanding of his enemies and the blessings before him, unlocked the words I had been saying every week for nearly a year.
Below are three passages from the Shabbat Psalms that guide and inspire me to serene pastures amid the tumultuous tides of life.
1. “Those who tearfully sow will reap in glad song.”1
Life isn’t always easy, especially when you experience periods of depression, anxiety or stress. However I feel, no matter how lousy the mood, I take one positive action after another.
I may be weeping, but I’m moving forward. Often, life comes down to consistency, grit and perseverance. This passage reminds me that no matter how depressed I feel in this particular moment, a new day will come. And I’ll be proud that I, like David, tearfully sowed.
2. “If G‑d will not build the house, in vain do its builders labor on it.”2
We attempt to control everything and everyone in our lives. We try to control finding the perfect spouse, getting the perfect job and having every plate spinning in the air perfectly balanced. As the saying goes: “Man plans, and G‑d laughs.”
Step back. Take a deep breath. And let go. Do everything in your power to create the life you want. And remember that G‑d is in the picture: that thought alone can alleviate stress.
Not everything is in your control. Phew, isn’t that a relief? You don’t have to juggle the universe. We play our part, and G‑d will play His.
3. “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, human handiwork. They have mouths, but they speak not; they have eyes, but they see not; they have ears, but they heed not . . .”3
We’ve become so defined by what we do, how much we own and our status in society that who we actually are no longer seems to matter. We’re lost in a sea of false idols: money, wealth, possessions, success, looks, vanity. We’ve become blind to the essence of other people, deaf to words of truth, and our speech has lost its value in the petty.
How much does so-and-so earn for a living? He has a beautiful trophy wife! Wow, did you see how big her house is? When is she going to settle down and get it together already?
While physicality is nice for our enjoyment, when did it become the primary goal in life? Let’s talk with such fervor about another person’s character and virtues. We are not what we own or what we dofor a living. We are who we choose to be, which is so much grander than any possession we can possibly acquire.
These psalms have the power to set us free from the societal chains of having it all—all the time in every way. We are continually blessed to have a roadmap back to our true selves. Let’s chart our course forward!
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Alyssa is a thirsty soul looking to connect to spirituality and the larger Jewish community. She invites you to come along.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.
FOOTNOTES
1.Psalms 126:5.
2.Psalms 127:1.
3.Psalms 135:15–17.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Women
Falling Off My Merry-Go-Round by Chana Scop
I really didn’t mean to.
I had the best intentions.
I really did.
I mean, after all, I’m human.
Or maybe I’m not . . .
Maybe I’m simply a bundle of emotions and crushed energy, spinning in circles on my very own merry-go-roundAfter all, I’m human that isn’t so merry at times.
I usually look up.
I rarely look down.
Unless, of course, I’ve spun right off my merry-go-round, and I taste the dust from the earth
on which I fall with a thud.
It was only a new pizza dough recipe I was trying to make.
Was I being too dreamy, too unrealistic, to think I could get lost in the creativity of my cozy kitchen?
It’s the place where the flavors of my heart come to life.
The center of wholesome nourishment and love, where meaningful conversations and licks of delectable batters and doughs take place.
You were pulling on me with full strength, that of an almost 10-year-old, making your tugs too strong to ignore.
I reminded you to be wary of my healing broken ankle.
I don’t think you know what “wary” means.
You pulled open the drawer packed with measuring utensils.
I said I only needed the three-quarter cup.
But somehow, you translated that into “unpack the drawer, piling everything onto the counter, right into mommy’s space.”
Space.
Not sure what that really means.
I think it’s somewhere close to the moon and stars because I don’t think it exists in my merry-go-round of life.
And neither did “space” find it’s way onto my counter, now splattered with flour and specks of yeast camouflaged into the marbled granite.
I had tried to include you.
I really did.
Because that’s what moms do.
You were bored. No school. Just endless “carefree” summer days.
Just you and me and a bunch of little siblings with sticky hands and chubby faces.
I took a deep breath.
But I don’t think you noticed.
I was holding it all together, my feelings, that is.
Or so I thought.
I looked down at the mound of pizza dough . . .
No.
The dough was way better at being heldI just couldn’t hold it together together than my nerves at the moment.
It had just been a hard couple of days.
You were frustrated and have no words.
And I have words and much frustration.
Not a great combination.
You kept pulling on my arm as I tried to mix and knead the dough.
I asked you to please step back a bit so I could finish making supper.
I even gave you a piece of dough to keep your hands busy.
But to no avail.
You pulled on me while you whined and screeched your loudest.
And I just couldn’t anymore,
I couldn’t hold it together.
I was tired. Deeply tired.
It’s been rough.
And while you’re getting older.
It’s getting harder.
That much, we both know.
And so I fell off my merry-go-round.
Right in the middle of my kitchen.
Choked with tears, I turned around.
To hide from your sweet face.
To keep the sobs away from the purest of all souls.
But you followed me anyway.
Because you’re just like that.
Kind and sensitive.
And you looked at me with your head tilted to the side.
Sizing up the moment.
With love.
Always with love.
You put your arms around my neck.
For a long soothing embrace.
And it felt so good.
To cry.
To love.
And to be loved.
And while tomorrow may resemble today,
We’ll get back on our merry-go-round.It’s getting harder. That much, we both know
Because that’s what we do.
We dust ourselves off.
We leave the dirt on the ground.
We wipe away the tears and bandage our bruises.
Because after all, there’s so much to be grateful for.
On our merry-go-round.
Chana is a proud wife and mother living in Mill Valley, California. She is inspired by the colors and textures of everyday life, and loves sharing her creative ideas with her community. Chana writes DIY projects, crafts and recipes celebrating her Jewish life and shlichus on her blog Chana’s Art Room, and is the co-director of Chabad of Mill Valley with her husband, Rabbi Hillel Scop. To read more about Chaim Boruch, and Chana’s journey, take a look at her personal special-needs blog, Life of Blessing.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Women
Why Jewish Women Will Bring Moshiach by Elana Mizrahi
I happen to be a pretty calm woman. So far, I’ve lived through major earthquakes and fires, terrorist attacks and wars. I have accompanied dozens, if not hundreds, of women on births and evenHe was crying, holding his armdelivered a baby or two. In an emergency situation, I’m usually calm, cool and in control of my emotions. Well, this past Sunday I stayed calm and I stayed cool, but I certainly wasn’t in control of my emotions.
We were at the park with our four children. I was talking to my husband and carefully watching my toddler, making sure he didn’t put any of the interesting objects on the ground in his mouth. The older children were playing on the climbing structures in the playground. Suddenly, we heard a cry: “Avraham fell, and he can’t move his arm!”
“What?”
I hurried over to my son. He was crying, holding his arm. I looked at his pale face and saw so much pain in it. I couldn’t stop myself, and I, too, started to cry.
Emergency mode set in, and I was able to go through the motions of calming my son down, having him drink some water, asking him what happened (he fell off a play structure and broke his fall with his arm, fracturing it), and sending him off with my husband to the emergency room. I stayed behind with the other children, and we said Psalms for Avraham’s recovery.
Now, when I look at things in perspective, I can tell you that yes, thank G‑d, it was just a broken bone, and that yes, as a mother of four children (three of whom are boys), I know that these things are common. I truly was calm about the situation, and we were able to take care of our son as quickly as possible. But emotionally, when I saw such pain in my child’s face, I fell apart. Whenever you see pain in your child’s eyes, whether the cause is emotional or physical, all you want to do as a mother is take away that pain, whatever the cost.
As human beings, we have compassion and can be empathic. We see someone in pain and want to help. But only very few righteous and holy people are at the level where they would be willing, if they could, to take away that pain and feel it themselves. Yet this is how a mother (or father) feels any time her child is hurt.
How does that happen? Where do these altruistic feelings come from? They come from giving. Day after day, night after night. First, a woman gives her body over to the baby inside of her. Her legs swell, she feels back pain, nausea, exhaustion. She carries the baby inside of her, engaging in 24 hours of holy work—acts of lovingkindness. The baby is born, and then there is round-the-clock feeding, rocking, cooing and diaper-changing. The child grows, and she has daily (and nightly) opportunities for giving. Cooking meals, doing laundry, helping with homework, picking up clothes and toys, tending to sick children and playing—day after day, night after night. Mundane, everyday tasks, acts of kindness and giving. Does it ever end? No. The child grows, the needs change, the ways of giving change, but not the actual giving.
The prophet Jeremiah describes the bitter exile of Israel after the destruction of the First Temple. He then writes: “A voice is heard on high, lamentation, bitter weeping; Rachel is weeping for her children, she refuses to be comforted for her children, for they are gone [in exile].”1
Our mother, Rachel, is inconsolable as she sees her children, her nation, in pain. Oh, does Mama Rachel cry for us and want to take away our pain and suffering! The Midrash relates how the patriarchs and Moses prayed before G‑d to save Israel. Each one’s plea was valid and heart-wrenching, but G‑d refused to listen. At last came Mama Rachel, mother of the Jewish people. Rachel pleaded with G‑d to remember how she traded places with herOur mother, Rachel, is inconsolable as she sees her children in pain sister on her wedding day in order to save her sister from humiliation. Rachel reached a level of complete and total self-nullification for her sister. She saw her sister’s pain and said: “Let this pain be mine instead.” This is the level of a mother who sees her child in pain and wants with all her heart to take it away.
“So says the L‑rd: ‘Refrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is reward for your work,’ says the L‑rd, ‘and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.’ ”2
The prophet continues in the name of G‑d. Yes, Rachel, all those nights and days, all those acts of loving-kindness, are seen and will not go unrewarded. Because of yourtears and your selflessness, your children will return and the redemption will come.
Mama Rachel died in the only month of the year, Mar Cheshvan, “Bitter Cheshvan,” that contains neither a festive holiday nor a communal fast day. She died in a mundane month devoid of festival, devoid of tragedy. It’s a month of daily routine. A month of laundry and packing school lunches, a month of changing diapers and making dinners. It’s the month of the mother. The incredible Yiddishe Mama, the Jewish mother, who puts her heart, her soul, her sweat, into taking care of her children.
This mundane month, the Midrash tells us, is the month in which the Third Holy Temple will be dedicated. It’s a Messianic month, a month in which mundanity is transformed into holiness.3
Originally from northern California and a Stanford University graduate, Elana Mizrahi now lives in Jerusalem with her husband and children. She is a doula, massage therapist, writer, and author of Dancing Through Life, a book for Jewish women. She also teaches Jewish marriage classes for brides.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.
FOOTNOTES
1.Jeremiah 31:14.
2.Jeremiah 31:15.
3.Yalkut Shimoni, Melachim I, 184.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Story
"I Felt It Was My Funeral" by Menachem Posner
It was a festive day in the narrow lanes of Frankfurt’s Jewish quarter. The crowds of well-wishers surged through the Judengasse, jubilantly singing and dancing as they carried a middle-aged man upon their shoulders.
The venerable newcomer was a Polish-born Torah scholar who had recently been invited to become the chief rabbi of the prestigious community.
The procession slowly wended its way to the main synagogue where the sage was to give his first talk.
What was not known to many of the assembled was that their new rabbi, Rabbi Pinchas Hurwitz, was a follower of Rabbi Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezerich, the leader of the emerging chassidic movement. One of the major tenets of the chassidic doctrine was the importance of humility.
“Tell me, Rabbi,” asked one of his close students, “what did it feel like to be carried through the streets by such a crowd of admirers?”
“At that moment,” said Rabbi Hurwitz, “I felt just as if I were dead, and the entire parade was my funeral.”
Sources
Shaar Hachasidut, p. 125
Rabbi Menachem Posner serves as staff editor for Chabad.org.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Parshah
Why a Seed Grows in Darkness by Chana Weisberg
Dear Readers,
Where do you go when you want to get in touch with yourself? When life seems to be spinning out of control, do you escape to a special place, perhaps a beautiful retreat alone?
What do you do when you want to feel alive with every fiber and every pore of your being pulsating? Do you go for a run, paint, dance, sing or do something that pushes you to your limits?
When you’re feeling distraught, what do you do to calm yourself? Do you try a new experience or do you revert to what is familiar to you?
One of the oldest debates in psychology is the nature versus nurture debate. Are a person’s actions predisposed by DNA or do life experiences create a lasting influence on one’s behavior and decisions in life? Are we born this way, or have we become this way due to our environment?
And does the debate perhaps go deeper? Are we merely products of our genes and our environment, or is there a higher self that we can strive to be that’s totally independent of both our natural instincts and background?
In this week’s Torah portion, Abraham is told to leave everything that is familiar to him in order to find a deeper part of himself.
“Go you from your land, from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you.” (Gen. 12:1)
The Chassidic masters explain: Eretz, the Hebrew word for land, is etymologically related to the word ratzon—will and desire; so your land also translates as your natural desires. Your birthplace, moladtecha, is a reference to the influence of home and society. And beitavicha, your father’s house, refers to man as a mature and rational being, forging his mind-set, character and behavior with the transcendent objectivity of the intellect.
Just as a seed develops into a thriving plant after it first decomposes in the ground, sometimes we need to leave everything familiar to us—our natural environment, our automatic responses, our usual inclinations, even our rational self—in order to find greater growth. Away from the lights and observations of others (and free of our own self-imposed predilections), we experience the unbounded power of a new self.
Leaving behind the old “I” of everything I know and love can be really scary. The seed buried deep down in the earth seemingly decomposes into nothingness. But free from these limiting expectations, like the seed, we can also produce our greatest yield.
So, this week, let’s think about how we can free ourselves from the limits of both nature and nurture to discover our greatest selves. What can we do in one area of our lives that would free us from external and internal expectations to reach unknown terrain? Let’s start this journey by sharing ideas in the comments below.
Wishing you a week of unbounded potential!
Chana Weisberg
Editor, TJW
Chana Weisberg is the editor of TheJewishWoman.org. She lectures internationally on issues relating to women, relationships, meaning, self-esteem and the Jewish soul. She is the author of five popular books.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Parshah
Haftarah Companion for Lech Lecha by Mendel Dubov
Overview
“Nachamu, nachamu ami—Comfort, comfort My people.” These are the famous opening words of chapter 40 in Isaiah, the chapter where our haftarah begins. With these opening words the prophet delivers G‑d’s words of consolation to the Jewish people. In order to comfort, however, Isaiah must first address the most begging question of all: What can possibly justify suffering? What about all the mitzvahs and good deeds the people have done? Is this what they receive in return for remaining faithful to G‑d? “My way has been hidden from G‑d,” say the Jews; “my cause has been passed over by my G‑d.”
The response comes forth in classic biblical style. G‑d is the creator of all. There is no fathoming the depths of His plan. But there is something ultimately great that will be achieved with these afflictions, a goal that will make it all worthwhile.1 What remains certain, nonetheless, is that the time will come when the tables will turn. The Jewish people, who are tired and weary from exile, will gain renewed strength and might. Those who tormented them, while now seeming young and vigorous, will become weak and falter.
G‑d, as it were, contends with the mighty nations of the time. They are reminded that Abraham was but a single man whom G‑d elevated and assisted throughout his life. All alone, he stood up to the world in his belief in one G‑d. Although vastly outnumbered, he routed the mighty armies of four kings in rescuing his nephew Lot. So there is precedent. Just as with their forefather, G‑d will ultimately stand by the Jewish people, elevate them and assist them. (This part of the reading is the obvious connection to the Torah portion, whose story is the life of Abraham.)
Following in the footsteps of their ancestor Abraham, the Jews would always be different than the rest. While the nations of the world witnessed the miracle that was Abraham, they thoughtlessly and pragmatically continued to pursue the idolatrous lifestyle they were used to. G‑d reassures His people not to fear, for He will never leave them. He has chosen them, and will come through for them. The time will come when Israel will crush its enemies forever.2
The Worm That Is Jacob
“Fear not, O worm-like Jacob”—the prophet compares the Jewish people to a worm.
The simple idea behind the comparison to a worm is the feeble and vulnerable nature of the Jews in exile. The sages, however, see another angle to this: “Why are the Jews compared to a worm? Just as the strength of a worm lies only in its mouth, so too with the Jewish people, whose power lies only in prayer. By the same token, just as a worm, although small and weak, can destroy a cedar tree with its mouth, so too the Jewish people can make mighty but wicked nations fall with the power of their prayer.”
This comparison to the weakness yet the strength of the worm, and its analogy to our state in exile, is further expounded upon in chassidic thought:
During the time of exile, we are deprived from fulfilling most of the mitzvot in the Torah. These are mitzvot that depend on the Temple standing, on having a Jewish king, the Sanhedrin being in session, etc. But although we are unable to fulfill these mitzvot in the most literal sense, they can still be “kept” in the spiritual sense through the learning of Torah. Our sages tell us that “he who studies the laws of a sacrifice is as if he has actually offered this sacrifice.” This, then, is the comparison of the Jewish people to the worm: just as the strength of the worm is in its mouth, so too the ability of the Jew in exile to spiritually fulfil most of the mitzvot is through speech—for the ideal way of learning Torah is by enunciating its words verbally.
But this has an additional dimension, which comes back to the simple meaning of the verse. King David says in Psalms: “I am but a worm, and not a man.”3 This was his expression of extreme humility. The reason why Torah study can achieve the spiritual fulfilment of a mitzvah is because when a Jew studies Torah, he is allowing himself to enter into the G‑dly realm manifested in this particular part of Torah. On this level of reality, the physical hindrances that disable the actual fulfilment of a the mitzvah are inconsequential. The spiritual element of the mitzvah is true and existent, regardless of physical conditions. However, one must allow themselves to be elevated to and included in this G‑dly reality. Maintaining a sense of self—let alone ego—will keep one back in an earthly and and material state, not allowing one to rise at all above it.
Thus, both ideas in the analogy to the worm go hand in hand: the power lies in the mouth, but the worm-like humility is imperative to achieve the goal.4
Threshing and Winnowing
“Behold I have made you into a new grooved threshing-sledge, with sharp points; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them fine, and you shall make hills like chaff. You shall winnow them, and a wind shall carry them off, and a tempest shall scatter them.”
The “mountains” and “hills” that are being threshed refer to the nations of the world who oppress the Jews. In time to come they will be crushed, scattered and caused to be lost by the very people unto whom they sought to do just the same.
A parable in the Midrash complements this idea:
“The wheat, chaff and straw were once arguing with each other. Each one was saying, “It is for our purpose that this field was sown!” Said the wheat: “Wait until the time of threshing arrives, and we will yet see for whose purpose the field has been sown.” After being threshed on the threshing floor, the farmer proceeded to winnow the grain. He took everything aside from the kernels, and either burned it or discarded it, saving nothing else besides the kernels. So to is it with the nations of the world: some say, “We are the main thing, and it is for us that the world was created,” while others contend and say, “It is for us that the world was created.” The Jewish people respond to them: “Wait till the day comes, and we will see for whom the world was created.”5
The exile is a time when confusion prevails. In each generation, the world outside hollered and screamed, “This is it! We are what this world is all about.” But a little Jewish people, scattered among many and mighty nations, said no. The purpose of of creation is something different. The time will come when a systematic “threshing” will take place. By virtue of who they are, the Jews will bring out the straw-like weakness of worldly pursuits and the infinite value of a G‑dly life.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.
FOOTNOTES
1.See Rashi here.
2.It should be noted that the verses in this haftarah are understood in more than one way by the commentaries. The above overview follows one of many interpretations.
3.Psalms 22:7.
4.Likkutei Torah, Chukat 57a.
5.Bereishit Rabbah 83:5. See Abarbanel, Isaiah 41:15.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Parshat Lech Lecha In-Depth
Genesis 12:1-17:27
Lech Lecha in DepthA condensation of the weekly Torah portion alongside select commentaries culled from the Midrash, Talmud, Chassidic masters, and the broad corpus of Jewish scholarship.
Parshah Summary
After devoting its first two sections, Bereishit (Genesis 1:1–6:8) and Noach (Genesis 6:9–11:32), to the first 2000 years of human history, the Torah moves on, in the section of Lech Lecha, to recount the origins of the people of Israel, which it traces to a divine call received by the first Jew in the 75th year of his life:
No sooner do Abram and Sarai (as they are called until G‑d changes their names to “Abraham” and “Sarah” in the closing chapter of our Parshah) arrive in the land of Canaan, than they are forced by famine to “descend” to Egypt (the Torah refers to all journeys to the Holy Land as “ascents,” and all departures from it to other lands as “descents”). And then the journey to Egypt brings on a new trouble:
Abram’s fears are confirmed. Sarai’s beauty is discoveredand praised as fit for a king, and she is taken to the Pharaoh’s palace. Abram, as her supposed brother, is given “sheep, cattle, donkeys, slaves, maids, she-donkeys and camels.”
A sudden plague visited upon the royal palace convinces Pharaoh to return the visitor’s “sister” to him, and further compensate him for the suffering caused him. Abram returns to the Holy Land a wealthy man, “laden with cattle, gold and silver.”
Soon after the return to Canaan, discord breaks out in Abram’s family. Lot, who had accompanied his uncle throughout his travels and travails, was also enriched in the process; now there developed a conflict between Abram’s shepherds and Lot’s shepherds.
Lot chooses to settle in Sodom, enticed by the fertility of its environs, despite the fact that its residents were “extremely evil and sinful towards G‑d.”
Following Lot’s departure, G‑d again appears to Abram and reiterates His promise of the land to Abram’s descendents:
The Torah now describes a regional conflict which engulfed the city-states of the land of Canaan.
Twenty-five years before Abram’s arrival in the Holy Land, an alliance of four kings headed by Chedorlaomer the king of Elam conquered the five city-states of the Sodom Valley (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Tzevoyim and Tzoar). After twelve years of subjugation and tribute, the “five cities of the plain” rebelled. For thirteen years they persisted in their insubordination, until Chedorlaomer and his allies decided it was time to put down the rebellion.
The four kings massed their armies and marched to the Sodom Valley. On the way they fought a number of battles, defeating the Rephaim, the Zuzim, the Emim, the Horites, the Amalekites and the Emorites. They then proceeded to rout the armies of Sodom and its sister cities. The cities of the plain were pillaged and their inhabitants taken captive. Among the captives was Abram’s nephew Lot. A refugee brought the news to Abram’s camp:
The grateful king of Sodom offered to Abram all the recovered property as his reward, asking only that he restore to him the freed captives, but Abram replied:
Upon his return from the battlefield, Abram is also greeted by Malki-Tzedek the king of Salem (Jerusalem), who was “a priest of the most high G‑d.” The king (whom the Midrash identifies as Abram’s ancestor, Shem the son of Noah), brought an offering of bread and wine, and blessed Abram; Abram gave him a tenth of his wealth, in fulfillment of the mitzvah of maaser (tithing).
Abram’s amazing victory, in which he and a handful of servants and friends defeated the armies which had terrorized the entire region, evoked in him not feelings of satisfaction and self-confidence, but of humility and inadequacy. Certainly, he thought to himself, the miracles which G‑d had performed for him had more than rewarded all his good deeds; he felt shorn of his merits and no longer worthy of the blessings which G‑d had bestowed upon him.
And of what use are all these blessings, he further mused, if he and Sarai are childless? Abram had passed his seventh decade, and Sarai was but ten years younger; what was the point of their achievements, if there would be no one to carry on their name and path?
G‑d appears to Abram in a vision to reassure him: “Fear not, Abram, I am your protector; your reward will yet be great.” G‑d also reiterates His promise of the great nation which will issue from him. Earlier, G‑d had promised Abram that his progeny shall be as numerous as the dust of the earth; now He compared them to the stars of the heavens:
The Torah then describes how G‑d and Abram forged a special covenant—the “Covenant Between the Parts”—in which the destiny of the Jewish people was foretold. The Holy Land is bequeathed to them as their eternal heritage, but first they must experience galut (exile and persecution).
Ten years had elapsed since Abram’s arrival in the land of Canaan, and still Sarai was childless. So she proposed to Abram that he take her handmaid, Hagar, as a wife; “perhaps I shall obtain children by her.”
Hagar conceived, and began behaving haughtily toward her mistress. Sarai responded by asserting her mastery over her maid and treating her harshly, causing Hagar to flee Abram’s home.
Ishmael was born in Abram’s 86th year.
Another thirteen years go by. Abram and Sarai have now been in the Holy Land for 24 years, most of them in the Plain of Mamre at Hebron.
At age 99, Abram’s life enters a new phase. G‑d appears to him and changes his and Sarai’s names:
Sarah, G‑d promises, will bear a son, from whom shall spring the great nation which is to issue from them.
No, said, G‑d, the nation with which I shall establish My special bond will be the offspring of a child that will be born to you and Sarah, whom you should name Isaac (Yitzchak, in the Hebrew, meaning “laughter”). Ishmael, too shall be blessed: “I will make him fruitful, and multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”
The new phase in Abraham’s relationship with G‑d is to be marked by Abraham and his household “setting My covenant in your flesh”:
The section of Lech Lecha concludes:
G‑d spoke to Abram: “Go you from your land, from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you.
“I will make of you a great nation; I will bless you and make great your name . . . and all families of the earth will be blessed by you.”
Abram took with him his wife, Sarai, and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions which they had acquired, and the souls which they had made in Charan; they set out to go to the land of Canaan, and they arrived in the land of Canaan.
Abram traversed the land to the area of Shechem, to the Plain of Moreh. The Canaanites were then in the land.
G‑d appeared to Abram and said: “To your offspring I shall give this land.” And he built there an altar to G‑d . . . and he called in G‑d’s name.
The Egyptian Ordeal
As he approached Egypt, he said to his wife, Sarai: “Behold, now I am aware that you are a beautiful woman. When the Egyptians will see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife,’ and they will kill me and leave you live. Please, say that you are my sister, in order that it be good with me for your sake, and my soul shall live because of you.”
A sudden plague visited upon the royal palace convinces Pharaoh to return the visitor’s “sister” to him, and further compensate him for the suffering caused him. Abram returns to the Holy Land a wealthy man, “laden with cattle, gold and silver.”
The Break with Lot
Abram said to Lot: “Please, let there not be strife between me and you, between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brothers. The entire land is before you—please, separate from me. If you turn to the left, I’ll go right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”
Following Lot’s departure, G‑d again appears to Abram and reiterates His promise of the land to Abram’s descendents:
“Lift your eyes and look from the place in which you stand, to the north, to the south, to the east and to the west; for all the land which you see, I will give to you and to your seed forever.
“I will make your seed like the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the grains of dust in the earth, so too shall your offspring be able to be counted. Arise and traverse the land to its length and its breadth, for to you shall I give it.”
War
Twenty-five years before Abram’s arrival in the Holy Land, an alliance of four kings headed by Chedorlaomer the king of Elam conquered the five city-states of the Sodom Valley (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Tzevoyim and Tzoar). After twelve years of subjugation and tribute, the “five cities of the plain” rebelled. For thirteen years they persisted in their insubordination, until Chedorlaomer and his allies decided it was time to put down the rebellion.
The four kings massed their armies and marched to the Sodom Valley. On the way they fought a number of battles, defeating the Rephaim, the Zuzim, the Emim, the Horites, the Amalekites and the Emorites. They then proceeded to rout the armies of Sodom and its sister cities. The cities of the plain were pillaged and their inhabitants taken captive. Among the captives was Abram’s nephew Lot. A refugee brought the news to Abram’s camp:
When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he rallied the trained servants of his household, three hundred and eighteen in number, and chased after [the four kings and their armies] to Dan.
He and his servants split up against them by night and smote them, pursuing them until Chovah, which is to the left of Damascus. He recovered all the property; also his kinsman Lot and his property were recovered, and also the women and the people.
“I have lifted my hand in oath to G‑d most high, Possessor of Heaven and Earth: Not a thread nor a shoestrap, nor shall I take anything that is yours; lest you say: ‘It was I who made Abram rich.’ Save only that which the lads have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me—Aner, Eshkol and Mamre—they shall take their share.”
The Covenant
And of what use are all these blessings, he further mused, if he and Sarai are childless? Abram had passed his seventh decade, and Sarai was but ten years younger; what was the point of their achievements, if there would be no one to carry on their name and path?
G‑d appears to Abram in a vision to reassure him: “Fear not, Abram, I am your protector; your reward will yet be great.” G‑d also reiterates His promise of the great nation which will issue from him. Earlier, G‑d had promised Abram that his progeny shall be as numerous as the dust of the earth; now He compared them to the stars of the heavens:
He took him outside, and said: “Look now toward heaven and count the stars, if you be able to count them. . . . So shall be your offspring.”
[Abram] said: “L‑rd G‑d, by what shall I know that I shall inherit it?” And He said to him: “Take Me three heifers, three goats, three rams, a turtledove and a young pigeon.”
He took to him all these, and he split them in the middle, and he placed each half opposite its fellow; the birds, however, he did not divide.
The eagle descended upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
As the sun was near to setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, a horror of great darkness fell upon him.
And He said to Abram: “Know surely that your descendants shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and they will be enslaved to them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.
“And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge; and afterwards they shall come out with great wealth.”
When the sun went down and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and a burning torch, which passed between those pieces.
On that day G‑d made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates.”
Hagar
Hagar conceived, and began behaving haughtily toward her mistress. Sarai responded by asserting her mastery over her maid and treating her harshly, causing Hagar to flee Abram’s home.
An angel of G‑d found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain on the way to Shur. He said: “Hagar the maid of Sarai! From where do you come and where do you go?” And she said: “I flee from my mistress, Sarai.”
An angel of G‑d said to her: “Return to your mistress, and suffer under her hand.”
An angel of G‑d said to her: “I will multiply your seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.”
An angel of G‑d said to her: “Behold, you are with child, and you will bear a son; you shall call his name Ishmael (‘G‑d has heard’), for G‑d has heard your affliction.
“He will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand will be against him.”
A Father of Multitudes
At age 99, Abram’s life enters a new phase. G‑d appears to him and changes his and Sarai’s names:
"No longer shall your name be called Abram. Your name shall be Abraham (‘Father of Multitudes’), for I have made you a father of a multitude of nations. . . . As for Sarai your wife, you shall no longer call her name Sarai, but Sarah (‘Princess’) shall be her name.”
Abraham fell on his face and laughed. He said in his heart: Shall a child be born to one who is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?
Abraham said to G‑d: “Would that Ishmael shall live before You!”
The new phase in Abraham’s relationship with G‑d is to be marked by Abraham and his household “setting My covenant in your flesh”:
“This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you your seed after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.”
Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. On that very day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. And all the men of his household—those born in the house and those purchased from a stranger—were circumcised with him.
From Our Sages
G‑d spoke to Abram (Genesis 12:1)
There was once a person who was traveling from place to place, and he saw a palace in flames. Said he: “Can it be that there is no master to this palace?” So the owner of the palace looked out to him and said to him: “I am the master of the palace.” By the same token, because Abraham would go around saying, “Can it be that the world has no master?” G‑d looked out and said: “I am the owner, the master of the world.”
G‑d spoke to Abram: “Go you from your land . . .” (12:1)
From the time that G‑d said to our father Abraham, “Go from your land,” and “Abraham went on, journeying southward,” there began the process of birurim—of extracting the sparks of holiness that are scattered throughout the universe and buried within the material existence.
By the decree of divine providence, a person wanders about in his travels to those places where the sparks that are to be extracted by him await their redemption. The Cause of All Causes brings about the many circumstances and pretexts that bring a person to those places where his personal mission in life is to be acted out.
Abram took with him his wife, Sarai . . . and the souls which they had made in Charan (12:5)
Abraham would invite people into his home, give them to eat and to drink, show them love, and bring them close to G‑d, convert them and bring them under the wings of the Divine Presence. This is to teach us that whoever brings a person under the wings of the Divine Presence, it is considered as if he has created him, formed him and developed him.
No sooner was this mighty one weaned—and he was but a child—than his mind began to seek and wonder: How do the heavenly bodies circle without a moving force? Who turns them? They cannot move themselves! Immersed amongst the foolish idol-worshippers of Ur Casdim, he had no one to teach him anything: his father, mother and countrymen, and he amongst them, all worshipped idols. But his heart sought . . . until he comprehended the truth and understood the righteous path by his sound wisdom, and came to know that there is one G‑d . . . who created all, and that in all existence there is none other than Him. He came to know that the entire world erred . . .
At the age of forty, Abraham recognized his Creator. . . . He began to debate with the people of Ur Casdim and take them to task, saying: “This is not the way of truth that you are following.” He smashed the idols and began to teach the people that it is only fitting to serve the One G‑d. . . . When he began to defeat them with his arguments, the king wished to kill him; he was miraculously saved. He departed to Charan and continued to call in a great voice to the world, teaching them that there is One G‑d.
More
Abram traversed the land (12:6)
Everything that happened to the Patriarchs is a signpost for their children. This is why the Torah elaborates its account of their journeys, their well-digging and the other events [of their lives]. . . . These all come as an instruction for the future: for when something happens to one of the three Patriarchs, one understands from it what is decreed to occur to his descendants.
The Canaanites were then in the land (12:6)
The Torah itself attests that the Canaanites than ruled the Promised Land. Yet G‑d granted it to Abraham, pledging, “To your offspring I shall give this land”; later in our Parshah (15:18), G‑d goes a step further, saying, “To your offspring I have given this land”—already given, in the past tense.
Therein lies a lesson for all generations of Jews. Although we may find ourselves in galut, under the dominion of nations more powerful than us, this does not in the least affect our ownership of the Holy Land. The land of Israel is ours by divine bequest, and no force on earth can take it from us.
And he called in the name of G‑d (12:8)
Said Reish Lakish: Read not “and he called (vayikra),” but “and he made others call (vayakrei)).” This is to teach us that Abraham caused G‑d’s name to be spoken in the mouths of all passersby. How so? After they ate and drank [in his home], they wanted to bless him. Said he to them: “Have you eaten of mine? Your food has been provided by the G‑d of the world! Thank, praise and bless He who spoke the world into being!”
But Abraham had a vision of humanity which convinced him that every positive deed, word or thought does have value, no matter how superficial or hypocritical it might seem to a less discerning eye. When Abraham looked at his guests, he did not see pagans and idolaters; he saw creatures of G‑d, men and women who had been created in the divine image and who possessed a potential, inherent to the very essence of their being, to recognize their Creator and serve His will.
Most often, a kind word and a helping hand will bring to light this inner potential. At times, however, a soul might be so encrusted by negative influences and a corrupted character that a certain degree of pressure must be applied to quell its resistance to a G‑dly deed. (Of course, any use of such pressure must conform to the dictates of G‑d’s Torah, whose “ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its pathways are peace”—as in the case of Abraham’s legitimate demand for payment.)
Abraham understood that no human acknowledgment of G‑d can ever be hypocritical. On the contrary: a denial of G‑d is the ultimate hypocrisy, for it is at variance with the person’s quintessential being. When a creature of G‑d proclaims, “Blessed be the G‑d of the world from whose providence we have eaten,” nothing can be more consistent with his or her innermost self.
“Behold, now I am aware that you are a beautiful woman” (12:11)
How can it be that Abram has only now discovered that his wife is beautiful?
Rashi offers three explanations. First he cites what he calls a “Midrashic explanation” that Abram was indeed unaware of Sarai’s beauty because of their mutual modesty, and that it only now became known to him by happenstance. Rashi then cites a “second explanation,” that usually a person’s looks are ruined by the difficulties of life on the road, yet Sarah retained her beauty. Finally, Rashi concludes with “the simple meaning of the verse,” which is that Abram was saying: I have been long aware of your beauty, but now has come a time that it is cause for worry.
When Abram arrived in Egypt (12:14)
And where was Sarah? Abram had locked her in a chest. When he arrived at the gates of Egypt, the tax officers said to him: “What are you transporting in this chest?” Said he to them: “Barley.”
Said they to him: “You’re carrying wheat!”
Said he to them: “So charge me the tariff for wheat.”
“You’re carrying peppers!”
“Take the tariff for peppers.”
“You’re carrying gold!”
“Take the tariff for gold.”
“You’re carrying silks!”
“Take the tariff for silks.”
“You’re carrying pearls!”
“Take the tariff for pearls.”
Said they: If he didn’t have something truly precious, he would not accept whatever we ask for. At that moment they said to him: “You’re not moving from here until you open the chest and show us what’s inside.” As soon as he opened it, the entire land of Egypt glowed from Sarai’s radiance.
There was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle; and the Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land (13:7)
The cattle of our father Abraham would go about muzzled, while Lot’s cattle would go about unmuzzled.
Abraham’s herdsmen would say to them: Has it become permissible to steal?”
Lot’s herdsmen would respond: “G‑d has said to Abraham: ‘To your seed I shall give this land.’ But Abraham is an infertile mule without progeny; tomorrow he will die, and Lot, the son of his brother, will inherit him. So our animals are eating what is ours.”
But G‑d said to them: I have given the land to his seed only after the seven nations shall be uprooted from it. “The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land”—as of now, they have rights in the land.
I will make your progeny like the dust of the earth (13:17)
Just as the dust of the earth is from one end of the world to the other, so too will your children be scattered from one end of the world to the other. Just as the dust of the earth is made fertile only with water, so too the people of Israel are blessed only in the merit of the Torah, which is analogous to water. Just as dust erodes all metal utensils while it itself lasts forever, so is it with Israel: all idolatrous nations disintegrate, while they persist. Just as dust is trodden upon, so too your children are destined to be trodden upon by the nations.
Not a thread nor a shoestrap, nor I shall take anything that is yours (14:23)
In reward for Abraham’s saying, “Not a thread nor a shoestrap,” his children merited two mitzvot: the thread of blue [in the tzitzit] and the strap of the tefillin.
Look now toward heaven and count the stars. . . . So shall be your progeny (15:5)
When they rise, they will rise as high as the heavens; when they fall, they will fall as low as the dust.
And he split them in the middle (15:10)
Rashi explains that it was the custom in those times that two people who wished to pledge everlasting friendship and devotion to each other conducted a ceremony in which they passed together between the divided halves of a slaughtered animal, symbolizing that just as the two halves are in truth a single creature, so too their persons, though ostensibly two distinct beings, are henceforth to be regarded as a single entity. Thus, a “smoking furnace and flaming torch,” representing the Divine Presence, passed “between the parts” together with Abraham.
In addition, our sages explain the symbolism in the animals which G‑d told Abraham to take. On one level, they correspond with the various offerings brought by the Jewish people in the Holy Temple. On another level, they represent the galut of Israel in its various incarnations—the powers to which the Jewish people will be subject in the course of their history (Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, etc.) The eagle which came to consume the carcasses but was shooed away represents Moshiach (the Messiah), who will be prevented from liberating the people of Israel until the time for the Redemption has come.
Galut is thus revealed to be not merely a punishment for the failings of the Jewish people, but an integral part of our destiny, foretold to the very first Jew at the forging of our covenant with G‑d.
Your descendants shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and they will be enslaved to them, and they will afflict them, four hundred years (15:13)
The “four hundred years” refer to the period from the birth of Isaac (in the year 2048 from creation—1713 BCE) to the exodus from Egypt (in 2448), during which time Abraham’s descendants were “strangers in a land that is not theirs.” The actual sojourn in Egypt was for 210 years, of which the final eighty-six were a time when the children of Israel were enslaved and afflicted.
Sarai had an Egyptian handmaid, whose name was Hagar (16:1)
Hagar was Pharaoh’s daughter. When Pharaoh saw what was wrought upon his house for Sarah’s sake, he took his daughter and gave her to her, saying: “Better that my daughter be a maid in this house, than a mistress in a different house.”
An angel of G‑d found her . . . and he said. . . . An angel of G‑d said to her. . . . An angel of G‑d said to her. . . . An angel of G‑d said to her (16:7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
How many angels did she meet? Rabbi Yossi bar Chananiah said: Five; each time that it says “said,” it was another angel. The other sages say: Four; each time it says “an angel,” it was another angel.
Said Rabbi Chiya: See the difference between the earlier and later generations! Manoach said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen an angel” (Judges 13:22); but Hagar the maid of Sarah sees five angels one after the other, and is not afraid of them.” Said Rabbi Yitzchak: “The members of Abraham’s household were all prophets—she was used to seeing them.”
But according to this, his name should have been changed to Abham. Why was the letter reish, which stood for the ram (exalted) in his name, left in? There is no reish in the phrase “a father of multitudes of nations.”
Often, there is a tendency for teachers and leaders to water down their message to their constituents. For myself, they say, I must set the highest standards and strive to understand the most sublime truths. But it is foolish to expect the same of everyone else. If I speak of such matters and make such demands, I will only be perceived as out of touch with reality. Indeed, the rarefied insight and pious behavior I have attained will only be coarsened and debased by its communication to the masses.
Therein lies the lesson of the “irremovable reish” in Abraham’s name. G‑d added a hei, anointing him as a leader for the hamon (multitudes), but left the reish of “exalted” in. For the true mark of a teacher is one who can convey the most sublime truths to the most ordinary of minds, and the true mark of a leader is one who can inspire the loftiest aspirations in the most mundane of hearts. Such a teacher and leader was Abraham, and such is the quality of leadership he bequeathed to his heirs in their role as a light unto the nations.
Lifestyle
Easy 15-Minute Pizza Nachos by Miriam Szokovski
I'm not sure this qualifies as a proper recipe, but it's fun and easy and quick to prepare. These are definitely not traditional nachos—more like pizza ingredients but on tortilla chips instead of a base.
Toppings are up to you. I used my favorite pizza toppings: mushrooms, peppers, purple onion and olives. Keep in mind that you'll want to cut the veggies pretty small so that you can get lots of them on each chip.
One more tip: if possible, use a block of cheese and grate it yourself. Cheese that comes pre-shredded is usually coated with a solution to prevent it from sticking together, but the downside is that the cheese does not melt as well. Go for the block! Always!
Ingredients:
tortilla chips
tomato sauce
mozzarella cheese, shredded
mushrooms, sliced
peppers, finely diced
purple onions, finely diced
olives, sliced
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a cookie sheet pan with parchment paper
Spread a layer of tortilla chips over the pan.
Drizzle the chips with tomato sauce and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Add your toppings and another layer of cheese.
Bake on 400°F until cheese is bubbly—approximately 10 minutes. Be careful not to leave them in the oven too long because the chips will start to burn.
Serve immediately.
Miriam Szokovski is the author of the historical novel Exiled Down Under, and a member of the Chabad.org editorial team. She shares her love of cooking, baking and food photography on Chabad.org’s food blog, Cook It Kosher.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Lifestyle
Hachnasat Sefer Torah by Chana Helen Rosenberg
A new Torah Scroll is brought into the synagogue accompanied by music and joyous dancing. Two more Torah scrolls are taken out of the ark to join in with the celebrations.
Chana Helen is a British-born Israeli artist with an art degree from Maidstone, U.K., who is now living in Be'er Sheva. She enjoys painting contemporary Jewish life viewed mainly through the festivals, using movement and color to express different moods, but also likes to paint Biblical themes.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Jewish News
‘Houston Business Journal’ Names Young Rabbi to VIP List by Eric Berger
Rabbi Mendy Traxler, pictured with his wife, Rachel, was named to the 2016 “40 Under 40” list issued by the “Houston Business Journal.”
Rabbi Mendy Traxler drives hours each week from Houston to various regional correctional facilities to spend time with Jewish inmates.
He also organized a Chanukah event last year in front of Houston City Hall for more than 2,500 people.
When asked about the long drives and impressive events, the program director at Chabad Outreach of Houston responds: “I guess we do everything Texas-sized.”
Others have taken notice of Traxler’s efforts. The Houston Business Journal recently named the 33-year-old rabbi to its annual “40 Under 40” list. More than 500 individuals from across all industries were nominated this year, with the honorees ranging from CEOs and other leaders at major for-profit and nonprofit companies to a Texas state representative and, well, a rabbi.
“He has committed his life to making communities more engaging, fun, and connected,” Daniel Cotlar, the chief marketing officer of Blinds.com, wrote in nominating the rabbi. “He is uniquely able to pull diverse constituencies together in pursuit of ambitious community goals.”
The large-scale Chanukah event and prison chaplaincy work are just two examples of how Traxler makes a determined effort to build Jewish community in Houston.
The rabbi’s wife, Rachel Traxler says: “People can relate to him. He’s fun. He’s engaging. He’s very real.”
Traxler was born in Austin but moved to Houston as an infant when his parents, Rabbi Moishe and Shoshana Traxler, started a Chabad center there, Chabad Outreach of Houston. “My whole life revolved around finding ways to help other people through programming or just with an actual helping hand; it’s really all I know,” says Traxler, a father of three girls.
That ability to help other people was tested early in Traxler’s career. In 2005, he was working at Camp Gan Israel in Parksville, N.Y., when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, killing more than 1,000 people and causing some $100 billion in damages. Chabad leaders directed Traxler to travel to Baton Rouge, La., to lead services and provide kosher meals for Jewish residents and volunteers. Some of the food came in the form of Meals Ready to Eat, or MREs, the type of provisions usually handed out to military troops. Traxler also cooked meals himself and had them come in catered from Houston. All told, he spent a month in the city, including during the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.
“It was just a lot of devastation,” he recalls, “and having a chance to help someone a little bit in that situation, you can see that it picks them up emotionally.”
The 33-year-old rabbi works with everyone from students to prison inmates, noting that helping people has always come naturally.
‘See the Good Inside’
In addition to helping people and an abundance of tzedakah in Katrina’s wake, another good thing came from the storm: Traxler met his wife, Rachel, because she and her family had evacuated New Orleans and taken refuge in Houston, where they were introduced.
Since then, the pair has dedicated much of their time to a variety of community endeavors in Houston. At the correctional facilities, Traxler will lead services and discuss the week’s Torah portion, or talk with inmates about a range of issues, both Jewish and personal.
“The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught us to see far enough into any person to see the good inside of them. You’re never too old, you’re never lost; it’s never too late to start anew,” says Traxler. “This is why I visit ‘my prisoners,’ as I call them. I didn’t send them there, but I will make sure they have access to spirituality and a chance to set a new course.”
Chanukah Fest 2015 was by far the most inclusive, and largest, such event in Houston’s history. It featured jugglers, live statues and live music, food vendors, arts-and-crafts and a menorah-lighting with leaders from the Houston community, topped off with a fireworks show.
“It really raised the bar for Houston Jewish events,” Cotlar wrote in his letter.
In keeping with his Texas roots, Traxler also helps organize the annual Houston Kosher Chili Cookoff, a fundraiser for local organizations like the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center’s “Meals on Wheels” program. And every year, he produces and sends out the Jewish Art Calendar to the 18,000 Jewish households in the Houston metropolitan area.
More than 500 individuals from across all industries were nominated this year, with the honorees ranging from CEOs and other leaders at major for-profit and nonprofit companies to a Texas state representative.
Traxler gets particular enjoyment out of the Living Legacy program, in which he visits various Jewish day schools and supplementary education programs around holidays. As part of that effort, he makes matzah, shofars and Havdalah candles with the students. “It’s always awesome when I’m walking through the halls and the kids say, ‘Hey rabbi, are you coming to our class today?’ Because they know when I’m coming, something fun is going to be there.”
While not impartial, Rachel Traxler thinks her husband’s honor is well-deserved. “He really has a special way of connecting with people when he delivers the d’var Torah,” she says. “People can relate to him. He’s fun. He’s engaging. He’s very real.”© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Jewish News
Suburban Atlanta Celebrates a New Campus Honoring a Beloved Emissary by Mindy Rubenstein
An aerial view of the new facility for Chabad of North Fulton in Alpharetta, Ga. It is named “Rashi’s Campus” in memory of Rashi Minkowicz, who passed away suddenly in March 2014.
For the past 18 years, the Minkowicz family has served as a beacon of light to Jews living in the tranquil Atlanta suburbs of Alpharetta, Johns Creek and other nearby areas.
It’s also now been more than two years now since Rashi Minkowicz—the wife of Rabbi Hirshy Minkowicz and a mother of eight—passed away suddenly at the age of 37.
While she ran many programs, she is perhaps best known for one called “Torah & Tea.” As it grew, she shared her friendship and guidance with women locally and around the world; and after her passing, thousands of those same women, and many more, took it upon themselves to do mitzvahs, good deeds, in her honor. They also began their own local study sessions, bringing together family, friends and community members in intimate settings to learn and grow, and to sit and enjoy kosher refreshments—“food for thought”—as Rashi always provided.
Now, as Chabad of North Fulton in Alpharetta, Ga., prepares to mark a milestone of 18 years (its chai celebration) at a Nov. 13 dinner event, hundreds will gather to toast to the past, present and future of this community.
One of them is Jeannette Sinasohn, who moved her family to Alpharetta nine years ago, and says “the shul has been our second home since day one.”
“I love that everyone can be involved as much or as little as they want,” she says. “As our lives change, our needs change. There is something for everyone, and everyone is important.”
Plans are also moving forward with “Rashi’s Campus,” an expanded new facility that will include a larger synagogue, a social hall, classrooms, space for the Hebrew school, a kosher kitchen and a facility for the Gan Israel summer day camp. Much of the construction work has been done for the foundation, and about 75 percent of the funds needed for the building have been raised.
Rabbi Hirshy Minkowicz, director of Chabad of North Fulton, and family
“Somehow, over the past two years, we have been able to hold our heads high,” says Rabbi Minkowicz. “The community really rallied around us.”
“After the first year, there was a renewed energy and strength,” he continues, “and we’ve been able to keep the mood positive and move forward. . . . I’m very grateful to Hashem.”
Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker, who frequents the Chabad center, thinks the world of the rabbi and his family: “I was fortunate enough to meet him when I moved [here] not long after they started. I have seen Chabad grow from an idea to the wonderful community that it is today.”
‘Spiritual Nourishment’
The Minkowiczes settled in Georgia shortly after they married, like thousands of other emissaries of the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—who set up homes and Chabad Houses all over the world. The couple went on to have eight children, and as a family, turned their fledgling home-based synagogue into a thriving center for residents and visitors, bringing together Jews of all backgrounds and observance levels.
The goal has been to draw Jewish people in for services, classes, events and programs—sometimes easing an initial reticence for those who have never experienced Chabad. Once exposed to the wealth of Yiddishkeit, says the rabbi, the usual response tends to be: “Wow, my family gets spiritual nourishment here!”
With the loss of Rashi, he adds, there has been a new kind of connection as well—of people feeling comfortable, and offering comfort, because of what they have gone through.
Of the current anniversary, he explains that “the number 18 signifies life. The experience we had makes us appreciate life much more. Now, we have this moment to celebrate the life of our community. To feel and experience a Jewish community that thrives.”
‘There for Everyone’
Organizers expect as many as 300 attendees at the upcoming gala at the Alpharetta Marriot.
Event planner Melissa Miller has been friends with the Minkowiczes for a long time. Her children—she now has two in college and one in high school—attended their preschool and the summer camp, and the family has been to many Chabad holiday programs over the years. As there is no local Jewish Community Center, she says “Chabad fills that void.”
Miller notes that the rabbi has long provided counsel to her and her family. “He’s always there for everyone, and he’s always welcoming to anyone. He’s the pulse of the community.”
She adds that he inspires people from other communities to help, physically and financially, which is no small feat.
Rashi Minkowicz
“I met him a long time ago shortly after they arrived,” said Mike Leven, chairman and chief executive officer of the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. “I’ve been a friend of his for many years. I’ve admired his tenacity and what he’s accomplished.”
Leven was an early supporter of the day camp, bought part of the land for the new campus and is a major donor of the synagogue. He states something many think but don’t say out loud—something relevant and practical in the world of building and monetary contributions. “He’s very good and intelligent with the way he handles funding. There’s no waste when you donate to Hirshy.”
“I think the rabbi has done an extraordinary job,” says Leven, reaching out to include others who “would not be involved Jewishly without his efforts and those of his family.”
An artist's rendering of “Rashi’s Campus,” currently under construction© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Jewish News
Campus Bistro Hits the Spot as First Kosher Restaurant in Northern Colorado by Carin M. Smilk, Chabad.edu
A Kosher Bistro now serves lunch and dinner for students at Colorado State University. It was years in the making, prompted by the efforts of Rabbi Yerachmiel Gorelik, at left, co-director of the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center of Northern Colorado & Colorado State University. (Photo: Kasen Schamaun/The Rocky Mountain Collegian)
For some students at Colorado State University, the recently opened Kosher Bistro is simply another place on campus to pull up a chair and savor a bite to eat before heading off to class. But for Alex Ingber, who started keeping kosher in college, it’s “life-changing.”
The political-science major from Potomac, Md., can’t hide his enthusiasm when he describes the new development. “I’m used to making something in my apartment. This is so convenient when I study; I can stay on campus and eat. For me, it’s made a monumental difference in my life.”
The bistro celebrated its opening on Oct. 10 at a school where only several hundred Jews attend and just a handful observe some level of kashrut. But Ingber, 21, says numbers aren’t the issue. “A lot of Jewish students know the importance of it and are now going out of their way to get a kosher meal. As my rabbi says, ‘If one Jew eats there, it’s worth it.’ ”
His rabbi is Yerachmiel Gorelik, who with his wife, Devorah Leah, has co-directed the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center of Northern Colorado & Colorado State University in Fort Collins since 2005.
As area Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries, they work with the general Jewish community in addition to running their roster of comprehensive campus activities. That means offering Shabbat meals and services, Jewish holiday events, Hebrew school and youth programs, bar and bat mitzvah classes, chaplaincy and visitations, Torah classes and women’s programs—albeit in a style reflecting a smaller, frontier-style community. And because Jews don’t tend to have family close by (like they do in swaths of the East and West coasts), on Passover, for instance, they get hundreds at their seders.
Fare for the Oct. 10 opening (Photo: Kasen Schamaun/The Rocky Mountain Collegian)
An eatery has been years in the making, says the Australian-bred rabbi. The nearest kosher restaurants are in Denver, an hour-and-a-half away, and in Boulder, about an hour away. The Goreliks host weekly Shabbat meals at the Chabad House for students and community members, but now they can hold lunch-and-learns and other programs at the bistro, too. (It also means that they occasionally get to eat out.)
“It’s doing pretty well, considering the context,” says Gorelik. “Word is getting out. They didn’t expect such good numbers; there are as many as 40 to 50 people at meals.”
The rabbi and Alex Ingber
The menu features a wide range of fare, including a variety of meat, chicken and turkey dishes; roasts; salmon; matzah-ball soup; salads; sandwiches; burgers (students rave about the home-made burgers); and hot dogs. Israeli-type fare such as falafel and shawarma are in the works. A full-time mashgiach(kosher supervisor) operates on the premises.
The bistro joins a number of new campus choices, including a kosher food truck at Vanderbilt University, kosher food stand at the University of Maryland’s basketball arena and kosher dining option at the University of California, Berkeley.
‘Like You’re Eating Well’
Remy Kaskel just started her sophomore year at CSU after transferring from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She came primarily for her major—wildlife conservation. Originally from Skokie, Ill., she also keeps kosher, living in a house off-campus.
The timing of the bistro, she says, is “perfect.”
She also notes the often challenging reality of keeping kosher in out-of-the-way places. “When I leave Chicago,” says Kaskel, “sometimes I don’t eat meat until Shabbat.”
Graduate physics student and teaching assistant Mathew Mehrian, 25, recently stopped eating non-kosher beef, so for him as well, the existence of the bistro is key. Now he gets to dig into those burgers, which he feels is far beyond the quality of those served at school facilities.
Mehrian, from the Denver area, earned a bachelor’s degree at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and returned to Colorado for his master’s degree and Ph.D. He acknowledges that it’s harder to find people who “understand what I’m doing—the Jewish stuff.”
From a Sephardic family (his father is Persian and his mother is Israeli, of Iraqi descent), he has long been aware of kashrut. But Northern Colorado, he states, is nowhere near “the level of awareness on the East Coast.”
He sits on the Chabad student board, and attends Shabbat dinners, holiday events and other programs. Back in D.C., he says, he didn’t have to be so active; Judaism was all around him. At CSU, he has made certain decisions, saying “the lack of people, of Jewish life here, has encouraged that. I feel more unique. I feel more ownership of it, I guess.”
‘A Minor Miracle’
The rabbi acknowledges that it’s a significant undertaking to meet the needs of such a small number of kosher consumers. (He calls it “a minor miracle,” expressing gratitude to the university for facilitating it.) But for those students and local community members—and for prospective families who tour the campus and visitors to the area—it’s a notable addition. “This is the first kosher establishment in Northern Colorado,” says Gorelik. “It’s all part of the Jewish community we’re building here.”
That’s something Ingber relates to. As vice president of Chabad’s student organization, he works to get students involved and helps set up for programs. He jokes that school takes up 40 percent of his time and Chabad, 60 percent. In fact, just as a recent survey—the Hertog study, a groundbreaking analysis of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement’s impact on university campuses throughout the United States—has supported, he credits Chabad for being a positive force at college and influencing his Jewish identity.
On the menu: roasts, salmon, matzah-ball soup, salads, sandwiches, burgers and more. (Photo: Kasen Schamaun/The Rocky Mountain Collegian)
He recalls Chanukah a couple of years ago when he traveled with the rabbi to cities throughout Northern Colorado, helping organize public menorah-lightings. Ingber sometimes lit the candles or just set up elements of the event, working to provide a service for Jews and educate others.
“It was such an amazing time,” says the college senior, an experience he emphasized will stay with him for a while.
As for his meals at school, since keeping kosher he has had to pick through the local grocery for staples, and rely on the Goreliks to bring back meat and fish for him when they go to Denver for orders. Ingber cooks out of necessity, but he has a busy schedule, it’s time-consuming, and he’s not so into it at this point in his life. Now, he has options.
The bistro, he says, is a “game-changer” for students (and their parents), who can get excited about this aspect of Jewish life.
While Ingber plans on returning to the East Coast after graduation, he says going to CSU was one of the best decisions he’s made. Out in the West, in the mountains, clean air and spectacular vistas, “I became closer to Judaism. Not having so much here wound up boosting my Judaism.”
The Kosher Bistro is open for lunch Monday through Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; and from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. for dinner.
Cutting the ribbon at the opening are, from left: Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell; CSU President Tony Frank; Gorelik; Jim Dolak, executive director of the university’s housing & dining services; Blanche Hughes, vice president for student affairs; and Liz Poore, director of dining services. (Photo: Kasen Schamaun/The Rocky Mountain Collegian)
Colorado State University President Tony Frank, who was integral in helping get the bistro up and running, addresses the audience at the opening. (Photo: Kasen Schamaun/The Rocky Mountain Collegian)
Gorelik and Frank. About 100 people came out to sample the food and wish the bistro well. (Photo: Kasen Schamaun/The Rocky Mountain Collegian)
The rabbi with City Councilman Ray Martinez, left, and Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell (Photo: Kasen Schamaun/The Rocky Mountain Collegian)© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Chabad.org Magazine - Editor: Yanki Tauber
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ב"ה
There was once a person who was traveling from place to place, and he saw a palace in flames. Said he: “Can it be that there is no master to this palace?” So the owner of the palace looked out to him and said to him: “I am the master of the palace.” By the same token, because Abraham would go around saying, “Can it be that the world has no master?” G‑d looked out and said: “I am the owner, the master of the world.”
(Midrash Rabbah)
MoreG‑d spoke to Abram: “Go you from your land . . .” (12:1)
From the time that G‑d said to our father Abraham, “Go from your land,” and “Abraham went on, journeying southward,” there began the process of birurim—of extracting the sparks of holiness that are scattered throughout the universe and buried within the material existence.
By the decree of divine providence, a person wanders about in his travels to those places where the sparks that are to be extracted by him await their redemption. The Cause of All Causes brings about the many circumstances and pretexts that bring a person to those places where his personal mission in life is to be acted out.
(Rabbi Sholom DovBer of Lubavitch)
Go you from your land, from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you (12:1)
“From your land”—from your will. (Eretz, the Hebrew word for land, is etymologically related to the word ratzon—will.) “From your birthplace”—from your emotional and behavioral self (which is the product of a person’s environment). “From your father’s house”—from your intellect. (In the terminology of Kabbalah, the intellect is referred to as the father within man, since it is the progenitor of and authority over his feelings and behavior patterns.)
(The Chassidic Masters)
MoreAbram took with him his wife, Sarai . . . and the souls which they had made in Charan (12:5)
Abraham would invite people into his home, give them to eat and to drink, show them love, and bring them close to G‑d, convert them and bring them under the wings of the Divine Presence. This is to teach us that whoever brings a person under the wings of the Divine Presence, it is considered as if he has created him, formed him and developed him.
(Sifri, Va’etchanan)
Maimonides describes Abram’s early years:No sooner was this mighty one weaned—and he was but a child—than his mind began to seek and wonder: How do the heavenly bodies circle without a moving force? Who turns them? They cannot move themselves! Immersed amongst the foolish idol-worshippers of Ur Casdim, he had no one to teach him anything: his father, mother and countrymen, and he amongst them, all worshipped idols. But his heart sought . . . until he comprehended the truth and understood the righteous path by his sound wisdom, and came to know that there is one G‑d . . . who created all, and that in all existence there is none other than Him. He came to know that the entire world erred . . .
At the age of forty, Abraham recognized his Creator. . . . He began to debate with the people of Ur Casdim and take them to task, saying: “This is not the way of truth that you are following.” He smashed the idols and began to teach the people that it is only fitting to serve the One G‑d. . . . When he began to defeat them with his arguments, the king wished to kill him; he was miraculously saved. He departed to Charan and continued to call in a great voice to the world, teaching them that there is One G‑d.
(Mishneh Torah, Laws Concerning Idol Worship 1:3)
Other accounts give different numbers for the age at which Abraham discovered the truth of the One G‑d. The Talmud (Nedarim 32a) states that Abraham recognized his Creator at age three; other sources cite the ages 4, 48 and 50. The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that these sources are not in conflict, but rather relate to the various levels of recognition and understanding achieved by Abraham. (Indeed, Maimonides, who places Abraham’s moment of truth at 40, “the age of understanding,” also tells us that his quest began soon after he was weaned, when he was but a small child.)More
Abram traversed the land (12:6)
Everything that happened to the Patriarchs is a signpost for their children. This is why the Torah elaborates its account of their journeys, their well-digging and the other events [of their lives]. . . . These all come as an instruction for the future: for when something happens to one of the three Patriarchs, one understands from it what is decreed to occur to his descendants.
(Nachmanides)
The Canaanites were then in the land (12:6)
The Torah itself attests that the Canaanites than ruled the Promised Land. Yet G‑d granted it to Abraham, pledging, “To your offspring I shall give this land”; later in our Parshah (15:18), G‑d goes a step further, saying, “To your offspring I have given this land”—already given, in the past tense.
Therein lies a lesson for all generations of Jews. Although we may find ourselves in galut, under the dominion of nations more powerful than us, this does not in the least affect our ownership of the Holy Land. The land of Israel is ours by divine bequest, and no force on earth can take it from us.
(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)
And he called in the name of G‑d (12:8)
Said Reish Lakish: Read not “and he called (vayikra),” but “and he made others call (vayakrei)).” This is to teach us that Abraham caused G‑d’s name to be spoken in the mouths of all passersby. How so? After they ate and drank [in his home], they wanted to bless him. Said he to them: “Have you eaten of mine? Your food has been provided by the G‑d of the world! Thank, praise and bless He who spoke the world into being!”
(Talmud, Sotah 10a)
When Abraham’s guests wished to bless him for his generosity, he would say to them: “Has the food you have eaten been provided by me? You should thank, praise and bless He who spoke the world into being!” If they refused, Abraham would demand payment for the food they had eaten. “How much do I owe you?” they would ask. “A jug of wine is one folarin,” Abraham would say; “a pound of meat, one folarin; a loaf of bread, one folarin.” When the guest would protest these exorbitant prices, Abraham would counter: “Who supplies you with wine in the middle of the desert? Who supplies you with meat in the desert? Who supplies you with bread in the desert?” When the guest would realize the predicament he was in, he would relent and proclaim: “Blessed be the G‑d of the world, from whose providence we have eaten.”
(Midrash Rabbah; Tosefot Shantz, Sotah 10a)
What value, we might ask, was there in such an unwilling proclamation, extracted under duress? Was this not a mere mouthing of words, devoid of any conviction as to the truth of the One G‑d or any desire to thank Him for His providence?But Abraham had a vision of humanity which convinced him that every positive deed, word or thought does have value, no matter how superficial or hypocritical it might seem to a less discerning eye. When Abraham looked at his guests, he did not see pagans and idolaters; he saw creatures of G‑d, men and women who had been created in the divine image and who possessed a potential, inherent to the very essence of their being, to recognize their Creator and serve His will.
Most often, a kind word and a helping hand will bring to light this inner potential. At times, however, a soul might be so encrusted by negative influences and a corrupted character that a certain degree of pressure must be applied to quell its resistance to a G‑dly deed. (Of course, any use of such pressure must conform to the dictates of G‑d’s Torah, whose “ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its pathways are peace”—as in the case of Abraham’s legitimate demand for payment.)
Abraham understood that no human acknowledgment of G‑d can ever be hypocritical. On the contrary: a denial of G‑d is the ultimate hypocrisy, for it is at variance with the person’s quintessential being. When a creature of G‑d proclaims, “Blessed be the G‑d of the world from whose providence we have eaten,” nothing can be more consistent with his or her innermost self.
(From the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe)
“Behold, now I am aware that you are a beautiful woman” (12:11)
How can it be that Abram has only now discovered that his wife is beautiful?
Rashi offers three explanations. First he cites what he calls a “Midrashic explanation” that Abram was indeed unaware of Sarai’s beauty because of their mutual modesty, and that it only now became known to him by happenstance. Rashi then cites a “second explanation,” that usually a person’s looks are ruined by the difficulties of life on the road, yet Sarah retained her beauty. Finally, Rashi concludes with “the simple meaning of the verse,” which is that Abram was saying: I have been long aware of your beauty, but now has come a time that it is cause for worry.
When Abram arrived in Egypt (12:14)
And where was Sarah? Abram had locked her in a chest. When he arrived at the gates of Egypt, the tax officers said to him: “What are you transporting in this chest?” Said he to them: “Barley.”
Said they to him: “You’re carrying wheat!”
Said he to them: “So charge me the tariff for wheat.”
“You’re carrying peppers!”
“Take the tariff for peppers.”
“You’re carrying gold!”
“Take the tariff for gold.”
“You’re carrying silks!”
“Take the tariff for silks.”
“You’re carrying pearls!”
“Take the tariff for pearls.”
Said they: If he didn’t have something truly precious, he would not accept whatever we ask for. At that moment they said to him: “You’re not moving from here until you open the chest and show us what’s inside.” As soon as he opened it, the entire land of Egypt glowed from Sarai’s radiance.
(Midrash Rabbah)
There was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle; and the Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land (13:7)
The cattle of our father Abraham would go about muzzled, while Lot’s cattle would go about unmuzzled.
Abraham’s herdsmen would say to them: Has it become permissible to steal?”
Lot’s herdsmen would respond: “G‑d has said to Abraham: ‘To your seed I shall give this land.’ But Abraham is an infertile mule without progeny; tomorrow he will die, and Lot, the son of his brother, will inherit him. So our animals are eating what is ours.”
But G‑d said to them: I have given the land to his seed only after the seven nations shall be uprooted from it. “The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land”—as of now, they have rights in the land.
(Midrash Rabbah)
I will make your progeny like the dust of the earth (13:17)
Just as the dust of the earth is from one end of the world to the other, so too will your children be scattered from one end of the world to the other. Just as the dust of the earth is made fertile only with water, so too the people of Israel are blessed only in the merit of the Torah, which is analogous to water. Just as dust erodes all metal utensils while it itself lasts forever, so is it with Israel: all idolatrous nations disintegrate, while they persist. Just as dust is trodden upon, so too your children are destined to be trodden upon by the nations.
(Midrash Rabbah)
Not a thread nor a shoestrap, nor I shall take anything that is yours (14:23)
In reward for Abraham’s saying, “Not a thread nor a shoestrap,” his children merited two mitzvot: the thread of blue [in the tzitzit] and the strap of the tefillin.
(Talmud, Sotah 17a)
Look now toward heaven and count the stars. . . . So shall be your progeny (15:5)
When they rise, they will rise as high as the heavens; when they fall, they will fall as low as the dust.
(Pesikta Zutrati)
And he split them in the middle (15:10)
Rashi explains that it was the custom in those times that two people who wished to pledge everlasting friendship and devotion to each other conducted a ceremony in which they passed together between the divided halves of a slaughtered animal, symbolizing that just as the two halves are in truth a single creature, so too their persons, though ostensibly two distinct beings, are henceforth to be regarded as a single entity. Thus, a “smoking furnace and flaming torch,” representing the Divine Presence, passed “between the parts” together with Abraham.
In addition, our sages explain the symbolism in the animals which G‑d told Abraham to take. On one level, they correspond with the various offerings brought by the Jewish people in the Holy Temple. On another level, they represent the galut of Israel in its various incarnations—the powers to which the Jewish people will be subject in the course of their history (Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, etc.) The eagle which came to consume the carcasses but was shooed away represents Moshiach (the Messiah), who will be prevented from liberating the people of Israel until the time for the Redemption has come.
Galut is thus revealed to be not merely a punishment for the failings of the Jewish people, but an integral part of our destiny, foretold to the very first Jew at the forging of our covenant with G‑d.
Your descendants shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and they will be enslaved to them, and they will afflict them, four hundred years (15:13)
The “four hundred years” refer to the period from the birth of Isaac (in the year 2048 from creation—1713 BCE) to the exodus from Egypt (in 2448), during which time Abraham’s descendants were “strangers in a land that is not theirs.” The actual sojourn in Egypt was for 210 years, of which the final eighty-six were a time when the children of Israel were enslaved and afflicted.
(Rashi)
Sarai had an Egyptian handmaid, whose name was Hagar (16:1)
Hagar was Pharaoh’s daughter. When Pharaoh saw what was wrought upon his house for Sarah’s sake, he took his daughter and gave her to her, saying: “Better that my daughter be a maid in this house, than a mistress in a different house.”
(Midrash Rabbah)
An angel of G‑d found her . . . and he said. . . . An angel of G‑d said to her. . . . An angel of G‑d said to her. . . . An angel of G‑d said to her (16:7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
How many angels did she meet? Rabbi Yossi bar Chananiah said: Five; each time that it says “said,” it was another angel. The other sages say: Four; each time it says “an angel,” it was another angel.
Said Rabbi Chiya: See the difference between the earlier and later generations! Manoach said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen an angel” (Judges 13:22); but Hagar the maid of Sarah sees five angels one after the other, and is not afraid of them.” Said Rabbi Yitzchak: “The members of Abraham’s household were all prophets—she was used to seeing them.”
(Midrash Rabbah)
No longer shall your name be called Abram. Your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you a father of a multitude of nations (17:5)
Abraham’s name change, in conjunction with his circumcision and his entry into a covenant with G‑d, marked a profound turning point in his life. Up until this point, the thrust of Abraham’s life was his spiritual relationship with G‑d; from this point on it was to be his role as a leader of the masses, a teacher of the divine truth to the “multitudes.” Thus the Hebrew letter hei was added to his name. Abram (Avram, in the Hebrew) is a compound of av ram, which means “exalted father”; Abraham stands for av hamon goyim—a father of multitudes of nations.But according to this, his name should have been changed to Abham. Why was the letter reish, which stood for the ram (exalted) in his name, left in? There is no reish in the phrase “a father of multitudes of nations.”
Often, there is a tendency for teachers and leaders to water down their message to their constituents. For myself, they say, I must set the highest standards and strive to understand the most sublime truths. But it is foolish to expect the same of everyone else. If I speak of such matters and make such demands, I will only be perceived as out of touch with reality. Indeed, the rarefied insight and pious behavior I have attained will only be coarsened and debased by its communication to the masses.
Therein lies the lesson of the “irremovable reish” in Abraham’s name. G‑d added a hei, anointing him as a leader for the hamon (multitudes), but left the reish of “exalted” in. For the true mark of a teacher is one who can convey the most sublime truths to the most ordinary of minds, and the true mark of a leader is one who can inspire the loftiest aspirations in the most mundane of hearts. Such a teacher and leader was Abraham, and such is the quality of leadership he bequeathed to his heirs in their role as a light unto the nations.
(From the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe)
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Easy 15-Minute Pizza Nachos by Miriam Szokovski
I'm not sure this qualifies as a proper recipe, but it's fun and easy and quick to prepare. These are definitely not traditional nachos—more like pizza ingredients but on tortilla chips instead of a base.
Toppings are up to you. I used my favorite pizza toppings: mushrooms, peppers, purple onion and olives. Keep in mind that you'll want to cut the veggies pretty small so that you can get lots of them on each chip.
One more tip: if possible, use a block of cheese and grate it yourself. Cheese that comes pre-shredded is usually coated with a solution to prevent it from sticking together, but the downside is that the cheese does not melt as well. Go for the block! Always!
Ingredients:
tortilla chips
tomato sauce
mozzarella cheese, shredded
mushrooms, sliced
peppers, finely diced
purple onions, finely diced
olives, sliced
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a cookie sheet pan with parchment paper
Spread a layer of tortilla chips over the pan.
Drizzle the chips with tomato sauce and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Add your toppings and another layer of cheese.
Bake on 400°F until cheese is bubbly—approximately 10 minutes. Be careful not to leave them in the oven too long because the chips will start to burn.
Serve immediately.
Miriam Szokovski is the author of the historical novel Exiled Down Under, and a member of the Chabad.org editorial team. She shares her love of cooking, baking and food photography on Chabad.org’s food blog, Cook It Kosher.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Lifestyle
Hachnasat Sefer Torah by Chana Helen Rosenberg
A new Torah Scroll is brought into the synagogue accompanied by music and joyous dancing. Two more Torah scrolls are taken out of the ark to join in with the celebrations.
Chana Helen is a British-born Israeli artist with an art degree from Maidstone, U.K., who is now living in Be'er Sheva. She enjoys painting contemporary Jewish life viewed mainly through the festivals, using movement and color to express different moods, but also likes to paint Biblical themes.© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Jewish News
‘Houston Business Journal’ Names Young Rabbi to VIP List by Eric Berger
Rabbi Mendy Traxler, pictured with his wife, Rachel, was named to the 2016 “40 Under 40” list issued by the “Houston Business Journal.”
Rabbi Mendy Traxler drives hours each week from Houston to various regional correctional facilities to spend time with Jewish inmates.
He also organized a Chanukah event last year in front of Houston City Hall for more than 2,500 people.
When asked about the long drives and impressive events, the program director at Chabad Outreach of Houston responds: “I guess we do everything Texas-sized.”
Others have taken notice of Traxler’s efforts. The Houston Business Journal recently named the 33-year-old rabbi to its annual “40 Under 40” list. More than 500 individuals from across all industries were nominated this year, with the honorees ranging from CEOs and other leaders at major for-profit and nonprofit companies to a Texas state representative and, well, a rabbi.
“He has committed his life to making communities more engaging, fun, and connected,” Daniel Cotlar, the chief marketing officer of Blinds.com, wrote in nominating the rabbi. “He is uniquely able to pull diverse constituencies together in pursuit of ambitious community goals.”
The large-scale Chanukah event and prison chaplaincy work are just two examples of how Traxler makes a determined effort to build Jewish community in Houston.
Traxler was born in Austin but moved to Houston as an infant when his parents, Rabbi Moishe and Shoshana Traxler, started a Chabad center there, Chabad Outreach of Houston. “My whole life revolved around finding ways to help other people through programming or just with an actual helping hand; it’s really all I know,” says Traxler, a father of three girls.
That ability to help other people was tested early in Traxler’s career. In 2005, he was working at Camp Gan Israel in Parksville, N.Y., when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, killing more than 1,000 people and causing some $100 billion in damages. Chabad leaders directed Traxler to travel to Baton Rouge, La., to lead services and provide kosher meals for Jewish residents and volunteers. Some of the food came in the form of Meals Ready to Eat, or MREs, the type of provisions usually handed out to military troops. Traxler also cooked meals himself and had them come in catered from Houston. All told, he spent a month in the city, including during the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.
“It was just a lot of devastation,” he recalls, “and having a chance to help someone a little bit in that situation, you can see that it picks them up emotionally.”
The 33-year-old rabbi works with everyone from students to prison inmates, noting that helping people has always come naturally.
‘See the Good Inside’
In addition to helping people and an abundance of tzedakah in Katrina’s wake, another good thing came from the storm: Traxler met his wife, Rachel, because she and her family had evacuated New Orleans and taken refuge in Houston, where they were introduced.
Since then, the pair has dedicated much of their time to a variety of community endeavors in Houston. At the correctional facilities, Traxler will lead services and discuss the week’s Torah portion, or talk with inmates about a range of issues, both Jewish and personal.
“The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught us to see far enough into any person to see the good inside of them. You’re never too old, you’re never lost; it’s never too late to start anew,” says Traxler. “This is why I visit ‘my prisoners,’ as I call them. I didn’t send them there, but I will make sure they have access to spirituality and a chance to set a new course.”
Chanukah Fest 2015 was by far the most inclusive, and largest, such event in Houston’s history. It featured jugglers, live statues and live music, food vendors, arts-and-crafts and a menorah-lighting with leaders from the Houston community, topped off with a fireworks show.
“It really raised the bar for Houston Jewish events,” Cotlar wrote in his letter.
In keeping with his Texas roots, Traxler also helps organize the annual Houston Kosher Chili Cookoff, a fundraiser for local organizations like the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center’s “Meals on Wheels” program. And every year, he produces and sends out the Jewish Art Calendar to the 18,000 Jewish households in the Houston metropolitan area.
More than 500 individuals from across all industries were nominated this year, with the honorees ranging from CEOs and other leaders at major for-profit and nonprofit companies to a Texas state representative.
Traxler gets particular enjoyment out of the Living Legacy program, in which he visits various Jewish day schools and supplementary education programs around holidays. As part of that effort, he makes matzah, shofars and Havdalah candles with the students. “It’s always awesome when I’m walking through the halls and the kids say, ‘Hey rabbi, are you coming to our class today?’ Because they know when I’m coming, something fun is going to be there.”
While not impartial, Rachel Traxler thinks her husband’s honor is well-deserved. “He really has a special way of connecting with people when he delivers the d’var Torah,” she says. “People can relate to him. He’s fun. He’s engaging. He’s very real.”© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Jewish News
Suburban Atlanta Celebrates a New Campus Honoring a Beloved Emissary by Mindy Rubenstein
An aerial view of the new facility for Chabad of North Fulton in Alpharetta, Ga. It is named “Rashi’s Campus” in memory of Rashi Minkowicz, who passed away suddenly in March 2014.
For the past 18 years, the Minkowicz family has served as a beacon of light to Jews living in the tranquil Atlanta suburbs of Alpharetta, Johns Creek and other nearby areas.
It’s also now been more than two years now since Rashi Minkowicz—the wife of Rabbi Hirshy Minkowicz and a mother of eight—passed away suddenly at the age of 37.
While she ran many programs, she is perhaps best known for one called “Torah & Tea.” As it grew, she shared her friendship and guidance with women locally and around the world; and after her passing, thousands of those same women, and many more, took it upon themselves to do mitzvahs, good deeds, in her honor. They also began their own local study sessions, bringing together family, friends and community members in intimate settings to learn and grow, and to sit and enjoy kosher refreshments—“food for thought”—as Rashi always provided.
Now, as Chabad of North Fulton in Alpharetta, Ga., prepares to mark a milestone of 18 years (its chai celebration) at a Nov. 13 dinner event, hundreds will gather to toast to the past, present and future of this community.
One of them is Jeannette Sinasohn, who moved her family to Alpharetta nine years ago, and says “the shul has been our second home since day one.”
“I love that everyone can be involved as much or as little as they want,” she says. “As our lives change, our needs change. There is something for everyone, and everyone is important.”
Plans are also moving forward with “Rashi’s Campus,” an expanded new facility that will include a larger synagogue, a social hall, classrooms, space for the Hebrew school, a kosher kitchen and a facility for the Gan Israel summer day camp. Much of the construction work has been done for the foundation, and about 75 percent of the funds needed for the building have been raised.
Rabbi Hirshy Minkowicz, director of Chabad of North Fulton, and family
“Somehow, over the past two years, we have been able to hold our heads high,” says Rabbi Minkowicz. “The community really rallied around us.”
“After the first year, there was a renewed energy and strength,” he continues, “and we’ve been able to keep the mood positive and move forward. . . . I’m very grateful to Hashem.”
Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker, who frequents the Chabad center, thinks the world of the rabbi and his family: “I was fortunate enough to meet him when I moved [here] not long after they started. I have seen Chabad grow from an idea to the wonderful community that it is today.”
‘Spiritual Nourishment’
The Minkowiczes settled in Georgia shortly after they married, like thousands of other emissaries of the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—who set up homes and Chabad Houses all over the world. The couple went on to have eight children, and as a family, turned their fledgling home-based synagogue into a thriving center for residents and visitors, bringing together Jews of all backgrounds and observance levels.
The goal has been to draw Jewish people in for services, classes, events and programs—sometimes easing an initial reticence for those who have never experienced Chabad. Once exposed to the wealth of Yiddishkeit, says the rabbi, the usual response tends to be: “Wow, my family gets spiritual nourishment here!”
With the loss of Rashi, he adds, there has been a new kind of connection as well—of people feeling comfortable, and offering comfort, because of what they have gone through.
Of the current anniversary, he explains that “the number 18 signifies life. The experience we had makes us appreciate life much more. Now, we have this moment to celebrate the life of our community. To feel and experience a Jewish community that thrives.”
‘There for Everyone’
Organizers expect as many as 300 attendees at the upcoming gala at the Alpharetta Marriot.
Event planner Melissa Miller has been friends with the Minkowiczes for a long time. Her children—she now has two in college and one in high school—attended their preschool and the summer camp, and the family has been to many Chabad holiday programs over the years. As there is no local Jewish Community Center, she says “Chabad fills that void.”
Miller notes that the rabbi has long provided counsel to her and her family. “He’s always there for everyone, and he’s always welcoming to anyone. He’s the pulse of the community.”
She adds that he inspires people from other communities to help, physically and financially, which is no small feat.
Rashi Minkowicz
“I met him a long time ago shortly after they arrived,” said Mike Leven, chairman and chief executive officer of the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. “I’ve been a friend of his for many years. I’ve admired his tenacity and what he’s accomplished.”
Leven was an early supporter of the day camp, bought part of the land for the new campus and is a major donor of the synagogue. He states something many think but don’t say out loud—something relevant and practical in the world of building and monetary contributions. “He’s very good and intelligent with the way he handles funding. There’s no waste when you donate to Hirshy.”
“I think the rabbi has done an extraordinary job,” says Leven, reaching out to include others who “would not be involved Jewishly without his efforts and those of his family.”
An artist's rendering of “Rashi’s Campus,” currently under construction© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Jewish News
Campus Bistro Hits the Spot as First Kosher Restaurant in Northern Colorado by Carin M. Smilk, Chabad.edu
A Kosher Bistro now serves lunch and dinner for students at Colorado State University. It was years in the making, prompted by the efforts of Rabbi Yerachmiel Gorelik, at left, co-director of the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center of Northern Colorado & Colorado State University. (Photo: Kasen Schamaun/The Rocky Mountain Collegian)
For some students at Colorado State University, the recently opened Kosher Bistro is simply another place on campus to pull up a chair and savor a bite to eat before heading off to class. But for Alex Ingber, who started keeping kosher in college, it’s “life-changing.”
The political-science major from Potomac, Md., can’t hide his enthusiasm when he describes the new development. “I’m used to making something in my apartment. This is so convenient when I study; I can stay on campus and eat. For me, it’s made a monumental difference in my life.”
The bistro celebrated its opening on Oct. 10 at a school where only several hundred Jews attend and just a handful observe some level of kashrut. But Ingber, 21, says numbers aren’t the issue. “A lot of Jewish students know the importance of it and are now going out of their way to get a kosher meal. As my rabbi says, ‘If one Jew eats there, it’s worth it.’ ”
His rabbi is Yerachmiel Gorelik, who with his wife, Devorah Leah, has co-directed the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center of Northern Colorado & Colorado State University in Fort Collins since 2005.
As area Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries, they work with the general Jewish community in addition to running their roster of comprehensive campus activities. That means offering Shabbat meals and services, Jewish holiday events, Hebrew school and youth programs, bar and bat mitzvah classes, chaplaincy and visitations, Torah classes and women’s programs—albeit in a style reflecting a smaller, frontier-style community. And because Jews don’t tend to have family close by (like they do in swaths of the East and West coasts), on Passover, for instance, they get hundreds at their seders.
Fare for the Oct. 10 opening (Photo: Kasen Schamaun/The Rocky Mountain Collegian)
An eatery has been years in the making, says the Australian-bred rabbi. The nearest kosher restaurants are in Denver, an hour-and-a-half away, and in Boulder, about an hour away. The Goreliks host weekly Shabbat meals at the Chabad House for students and community members, but now they can hold lunch-and-learns and other programs at the bistro, too. (It also means that they occasionally get to eat out.)
“It’s doing pretty well, considering the context,” says Gorelik. “Word is getting out. They didn’t expect such good numbers; there are as many as 40 to 50 people at meals.”
The menu features a wide range of fare, including a variety of meat, chicken and turkey dishes; roasts; salmon; matzah-ball soup; salads; sandwiches; burgers (students rave about the home-made burgers); and hot dogs. Israeli-type fare such as falafel and shawarma are in the works. A full-time mashgiach(kosher supervisor) operates on the premises.
The bistro joins a number of new campus choices, including a kosher food truck at Vanderbilt University, kosher food stand at the University of Maryland’s basketball arena and kosher dining option at the University of California, Berkeley.
‘Like You’re Eating Well’
Remy Kaskel just started her sophomore year at CSU after transferring from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She came primarily for her major—wildlife conservation. Originally from Skokie, Ill., she also keeps kosher, living in a house off-campus.
The timing of the bistro, she says, is “perfect.”
Remy Kaskel
“I’m a college kid. I’m on a tight budget with a crazy schedule, and I don’t always eat the best, but now I have this choice,” says the 21-year-old. “The food looks good and tastes good, and it feels like you’re eating well. And it’s reasonably priced. I am so happy; just thrilled.”She also notes the often challenging reality of keeping kosher in out-of-the-way places. “When I leave Chicago,” says Kaskel, “sometimes I don’t eat meat until Shabbat.”
Graduate physics student and teaching assistant Mathew Mehrian, 25, recently stopped eating non-kosher beef, so for him as well, the existence of the bistro is key. Now he gets to dig into those burgers, which he feels is far beyond the quality of those served at school facilities.
Mehrian, from the Denver area, earned a bachelor’s degree at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and returned to Colorado for his master’s degree and Ph.D. He acknowledges that it’s harder to find people who “understand what I’m doing—the Jewish stuff.”
From a Sephardic family (his father is Persian and his mother is Israeli, of Iraqi descent), he has long been aware of kashrut. But Northern Colorado, he states, is nowhere near “the level of awareness on the East Coast.”
Mathew Mehrian
The advent of a kosher lunch-and-dinner place helps in that regard. “I get to talk about it; I get a lot of questions,” says Mehrian. “It’s a great way to help educate other students, and it’s nice to see the school supporting diversity on campus.”He sits on the Chabad student board, and attends Shabbat dinners, holiday events and other programs. Back in D.C., he says, he didn’t have to be so active; Judaism was all around him. At CSU, he has made certain decisions, saying “the lack of people, of Jewish life here, has encouraged that. I feel more unique. I feel more ownership of it, I guess.”
‘A Minor Miracle’
The rabbi acknowledges that it’s a significant undertaking to meet the needs of such a small number of kosher consumers. (He calls it “a minor miracle,” expressing gratitude to the university for facilitating it.) But for those students and local community members—and for prospective families who tour the campus and visitors to the area—it’s a notable addition. “This is the first kosher establishment in Northern Colorado,” says Gorelik. “It’s all part of the Jewish community we’re building here.”
That’s something Ingber relates to. As vice president of Chabad’s student organization, he works to get students involved and helps set up for programs. He jokes that school takes up 40 percent of his time and Chabad, 60 percent. In fact, just as a recent survey—the Hertog study, a groundbreaking analysis of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement’s impact on university campuses throughout the United States—has supported, he credits Chabad for being a positive force at college and influencing his Jewish identity.
On the menu: roasts, salmon, matzah-ball soup, salads, sandwiches, burgers and more. (Photo: Kasen Schamaun/The Rocky Mountain Collegian)
He recalls Chanukah a couple of years ago when he traveled with the rabbi to cities throughout Northern Colorado, helping organize public menorah-lightings. Ingber sometimes lit the candles or just set up elements of the event, working to provide a service for Jews and educate others.
“It was such an amazing time,” says the college senior, an experience he emphasized will stay with him for a while.
As for his meals at school, since keeping kosher he has had to pick through the local grocery for staples, and rely on the Goreliks to bring back meat and fish for him when they go to Denver for orders. Ingber cooks out of necessity, but he has a busy schedule, it’s time-consuming, and he’s not so into it at this point in his life. Now, he has options.
The bistro, he says, is a “game-changer” for students (and their parents), who can get excited about this aspect of Jewish life.
While Ingber plans on returning to the East Coast after graduation, he says going to CSU was one of the best decisions he’s made. Out in the West, in the mountains, clean air and spectacular vistas, “I became closer to Judaism. Not having so much here wound up boosting my Judaism.”
The Kosher Bistro is open for lunch Monday through Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; and from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. for dinner.
Cutting the ribbon at the opening are, from left: Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell; CSU President Tony Frank; Gorelik; Jim Dolak, executive director of the university’s housing & dining services; Blanche Hughes, vice president for student affairs; and Liz Poore, director of dining services. (Photo: Kasen Schamaun/The Rocky Mountain Collegian)
Colorado State University President Tony Frank, who was integral in helping get the bistro up and running, addresses the audience at the opening. (Photo: Kasen Schamaun/The Rocky Mountain Collegian)
Gorelik and Frank. About 100 people came out to sample the food and wish the bistro well. (Photo: Kasen Schamaun/The Rocky Mountain Collegian)
The rabbi with City Councilman Ray Martinez, left, and Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell (Photo: Kasen Schamaun/The Rocky Mountain Collegian)© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Chabad.org Magazine - Editor: Yanki Tauber
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