Rabbi's weekly messages - Chabad of Olney

Naso-“It’s not me”

Friday, May 25, 2018 - 12:09 PM

"I'm sorry I did that yesterday. It's so not me. I don't know what got into me".

When you hear that, you wonder: Who IS the real "you"? The one who claims the next day - "I can't believe I actually did that", or the one who actually did it.

This week's Torah portion supports the authenticity of the "it's not me" claim. When describing a person's moral failing, the Torah uses an unconventional term (Tisteh), the Talmud explains that a person will only commit a sin if overtaken by foolishness at the moment of their moral failing.

In other words, the real me is good, upstanding and noble. It is just that I have moments when "something got into me". In the heat of the moment, we may temporarily lose sight of our inherent goodness and morality and make a silly choice (which we certainly need to fix and clean our mess).

The Torah's message to us is simple: You are essentially good people; don't let yourself down!

Behar-Bechukotai- Your deleted files

Friday, May 11, 2018 - 12:07 PM

Has this happened to your kids?! My five-year-old Mordechai, would build a nice Lego or Magna-Tiles tower, and just as he's putting the finishing touches to his masterpiece of work, my two-year-old, Rivkah, rushes over and enthusiastically crashes it down to pieces. I'm not sure I get why Rivkah destroys his work, but I certainly relate to why Mordechai gets extremely frustrated.

We are hard-wired to experience a sense of accomplishment. Our work must bear fruit, otherwise, it will leave us feeling empty and deeply frustrated. Think of the time you worked for three-plus hours on a document only to have the file deleted and lost forever.

This is why in this week's Torah portion, we are commanded not to delegate unnecessary jobs and meaningless tasks (e.g. "Warm up this drink for me,” when you do not need it - Rashi) even if we hired them to work for us.

The same must carry into our Divine service too. Every G-d given Mitzvah is infused with purpose. If we find ourselves growing frustrated with a Mitzvah, it must be beckoning us to revisit the meaning and depth behind the Mitzvah.
Don't let a Mitzvah be a source of frustration, when it has the ability to provide deep satisfaction.

Emor- Is Judaism Relevant?

Friday, May 4, 2018 - 12:02 PM

Is Torah still relevant? Does it have anything enlightening to share with a modern American Jew today occupied with creating a comfortable life for themselves and their family, advancing a career and saving up for a car upgrade?

I know, I know – Judaism certainly has answers to questions like when to light Shabbat candles, what makes a marshmallow Kosher and how to hang my Mezuzah. That's when you pick up the phone and call a Rabbi. But does Judaism contribute to my pursuit of finding happiness in life, becoming more successful at work and improving my communication skills?

In this week's Torah portion, Emor, we read about Shabbat. Here’s a quote from the intro to Shabbat: "Six days you may work and on the seventh day you shall rest". On the surface, this seems like a Mitzvah about Shabbat. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (The one for whom we celebrated yesterday on Lag Ba’omer), however, tells us to read it again. This is not only a Mitzvah to rest on Shabbat, but a Mitzvah to engage in work and productivity the other six days.

In other words: Torah wants me to be successful and live a happy and meaningful life.

If we incorporate time to study Torah's timeless wisdom, not only will we get a better idea on Jewish rituals like Shabbat, but we will likely live a happier, more productive life on the other six days too. Because your best interest is G-d's interests too!