Rabbi's weekly messages - Chabad of Olney

Korach- Who does the baby look like

Friday, June 23, 2017 - 1:18 PM

Devorah and myself were blessed with a precious baby girl, Miriam, this past Sunday. It is common for parents and friends to compare the looks and personalities of our children against a sibling or other relative.

This story of the great Hassidic leader, Zusha of Annipoli should give us pause in our obsession with comparing one child to another, or ourselves to our neighbors.

Once, Reb Zusha seemed distressed. His peers approached him: "Zusha, what's the matter? You look frightened!"

"The other day, I learned of the question that I will be asked in heaven when it my time to stand before G-d." His peers looked puzzled: "Zusha, you are pious. You are scholarly and humble. You have helped so many of us. What question about your life could be so terrifying that you would be frightened to answer it?"

Zusha turned his gaze to heaven. "I have learned that they will not ask me, 'Why weren't you a Moses, leading your people out of slavery?’. They will not ask me, 'Why weren't you a Joshua, leading your people into the promised land?'"

“But what will they ask you”, his confused friends asked. Looking into their eyes he replied, "They will say to me, 'Zusha, why weren't you Zusha?'"

G-d expects each of us to be the best version of ourselves we can be. Not what somebody else is, or what somebody else thinks I should be.

It's a liberating thought, but at the same time it is demanding; so give it all you got!

Shlach- Dinner with a toddler

Friday, June 16, 2017 - 1:01 PM

When was last time you sat down for dinner with a toddler at the table?!

As dinner concludes, you don't just clear the table... but the floor, walls, face, belly and pockets too.

Actually, it's quite boring watching an adult eat - whatever is on their plate typically gets consumed, just the way it was meant to be. Pretty predictable.

Contrast that to a toddler - roughly 5% of their plate contents end up in their mouth. But precisely because of that challenge, we find it most amusing. Parents derive the greatest pleasure in watching them get 5% of the food content into their little mouth.

This gives us insight into the story of the spies sent to scout the promised land in this week's Torah portion Shlach. They returned from their mission with a negative report, seeking to deter the Jews from entering the land. G-d was upset, and as a result, they wandered the desert for forty years.

The Chasidic masters shed light on this episode, explaining that they were hesitant to enter the land - not because they were afraid and questioned G-d's ability to lead the Jews in conquest - but because they were living a perfectly spiritually focused life in the desert. All material needs were being provided for worry free (Manna/Well of Miriam/Clouds of Glory etc.) and they did not want that to change.

But they missed the point. G-d loves watching His little toddlers live in a land, build and economy, and still, in between their jobs, communing, laundry and bills, manage to get 5% of Spiritual nourishment into their lives.

Be a good toddler; and give our father in heaven the greatest Nachas!

Emor - Staying focused

Monday, June 12, 2017 - 1:18 PM

It's always interesting when someone asks my Musia or Mordechai: "What does your Tatty do?" They usually say something like: "He fixes chairs", or "He types on his computer".

It's a good thing they're not writing my resume. But why is it that they don't make a better case in 'selling' me - like "He teaches" or "does Mitzvos with people"?

I think it's because in reality, we spend 80% of our time on things that are not our mission in and of itself, they merely lay the groundwork and enable us to ultimately achieve our goals in life, the things we ultimately take pride in, and consider our accomplishments.

So how do we maintain a sense of fulfillment throughout our journey, and don't resent the petty and sometimes annoying 80% of our time?

The story of Pesach Sheni, "the second Passover" celebrated this Wednesday offers us great insight. A group of Jews approached Moses, frustrated that their occupation in worldly matters held them back from participating in the Passover temple service, they demanded a solution. G-d responded: Give them another Passover. Indeed they should not lose out.

The key is that these Jews got their desired result, only because they never got entangled in their daily routine and lose sight of their goals in life - to ultimately achieve a deeper connection with our creator and celebrate another Mitzvah.

The message here is this: Don't lose focus going about your daily grind, and forgetting why you do what you do, and what your all about. A few moments of reflection during morning prayer is a great way to reorient ourselves for the day. If we stay focused on our "why" we can bear and inspire almost any "how".