Author: Shayna Rosenberg

Written by: Rabbi Avrohom S. Moller

Nissan – The Month of Renewal

This week we read Parshas HaChodesh, the last of the four parshiyos, the special addenda to the weekly reading which frames the celebrations of Purim and Pesach. Our sages instituted these special readings to convey meaning and anticipation for these special times. Let’s focus on Parshas HaChodesh, which is read from Parshas Bo, when Hashem commanded Moshe Rabeinu to prepare for the Exodus. The previous year had passed with the Jewish people watching the dramatic retribution of the ten plagues being visited on their tormentors. Now it was time to get ready to leave all of that behind and face a bright future of nationhood, sovereignty, and most importantly, a new relationship with Hashem himself. Our focus would be to be his loyal people and His commitment to us would be to protect us and to teach us.

The first part of these instructions focuses on the creation of a uniquely Jewish calendar. It is based on 12 lunar months and the month of Nissan is the beginning of this year. This is because our history as a nation begins in this month when we left Mitzrayim. Our calendar is also adjusted through a cycle of leap years to make sure that the Yomim Tovim occur in the proper seasons. The holiday of Pesach, when we celebrate our birth as a nation, must take place in the spring when the world is renewing itself and all of nature is being reborn.

Our sages tell us that this month was also the beginning of the service in the Mishkan – the Tabernacle. This occurred in the year following the Exodus. We had already received the Torah at Har Sinai and because of the sin of the Golden Calf it became necessary to erect a Mishkan and to have Hashem’s presence expressed in this edifice. This became a focal point for our people for the next 1300 years. It is important to note that Hashem selected Nissan to be the time to dedicate the Mishkan as this would be another renewal of our relationship with Him. This is in spite of the fact that the Mishkan was ready for many months as it had been completed the previous Kislev.

When we enter the month of Nissan with the happy anticipation of the upcoming Yom Tov, we should also be focused on this time as an opportunity for renewal and refreshing ourselves. Our ability to reset and to renew ourselves individually and as a people is what endears us to Hashem. The Navi says, “For Yisroel is a lad (youthful) and I love him.” (Hoshea 11:1) Just as a lad is positive and full of life and always looking for new experiences, we are also constantly looking to conquer new horizons and reinvent ourselves. As we shake off the doldrums of the winter, let’s enter this new month with vigor and recommitment to the things that are really important in our lives.

Written by: Rabbi Mordechai Raizman

Is it Kosher?

In this week’s Torah portion, Shmini, the laws of kashrut (dietary laws) are discussed. The Parsha states that two signs are required for an animal to be kosher. One, the animal must have split hooves, and two it must chew its cud.

Rav Hirsch, a great Torah luminary in the 1800’s, questions the significance of these two signs. Overall, the laws of kashrut are a chok, laws which do not have a reason behind them.  However, even so, Rav Hirsch provides insight into what we can learn from why these two signs were chosen.

Through observation one can see that animals containing these two physical traits are not overly aggressive, but rather more on the tame side. Rav Hirsch points out that G-d, in His infinite wisdom, is sending us a message – you are what you eat, so to speak.  As Jews, we are obligated to adhere to a moral and ethical code in all parts of our lives. However, we are only human, and as such, we need constant reminders to identify with things that are less aggressive in nature. As we constantly work on refining our character, even the food we eat can help reinforce this character trait as well.

As parents, we are responsible to establish a framework for our children to help guide them to become Torah Jews with sound character, treating others in an appropriate manner. The Torah when it discusses the signs of a kosher animal is once again emphasizing the type of person we should be and adds one more item to the “instruction manual” to assist us in raising our children.

Purim and Jewish Exceptionalism

Our holidays are laden with meaning and themes and Purim is certainly no exception.  Purim highlights our relationship with Hashem whose watching eye is upon us even when it isn’t apparent in the depths of galus (exile). He is receptive to our sincere prayer even when all seems lost. There is another theme that should be highlighted as well and that is that we need to understand and appreciate our exceptional status as Jews. Hashem expects us to do this and will force us to appreciate it even if we choose to ignore it.

Let us begin with our nemesis, Amalek, who attacked us a short time after the Exodus. The Midrash (Tanchuma Ki Taitzai) explains that although Amalek knew he wouldn’t prevail, he still wanted to blunt the tremendous impression and respect that had been created by the miracles of the Exodus and the splitting of the Red Sea. His point was that there is nothing special about the Jewish people and that their existence didn’t differ than that of any other nation. When Amalek’s descendent Haman slandered the Jews to Achashverosh, he began with the word “ישנו” which means “there is.” However, the Gemara (Megillah 13b) interprets this word as “they’re asleep.” The Gemara explains that Achashverosh, who was aware of the history of the Jews and their resiliency, feared that there would be serious repercussion from Hashem if he would allow the annihilation of the Jews. Haman reassured him by saying, ”Don’t worry; they’ve fallen asleep in their commitment to mitzvos,” and don’t deserve Hashem’s special protection and favor.

It seems that Haman had something going there. In fact, there really was a decree in heaven against the Jewish people which Haman had tapped into. The Gemara relates that Eliyahui HaNavi told  Mordechai that there was a decree of annihilation which was sealed with clay, not with blood. This signified the decree’s reversibility and this knowledge spurred Mordechai to muster the Jews to pray and fast to avert the decree. What misdeed did we do to deserve this decree? In Megillah (12a), the Gemara tells us that one of  the Jewish failures that brought on the decree was the fact that we enjoyed the feast that Achashverosh threw as described in the opening scene of the Megillah. Another cause for the decree is that we had bowed to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue during the Babylonian exile which preceded the story of Purim. It is interesting that the Gemara (Sanhedrin 93a) says that when the three Jewish heroes – חנניה, מישאל, ועזריה – who did defy Nebuchadnezzar and refused to bow to his image,  emerged from the furnace, the other nations said to the Jews, “You have such a mighty G-D and yet you bow to a statue?” The Jews were shown that they are different and that much more is expected of them. This inability to feel proud and strong as Jews was obvious both when they agreed to capitulate to Nebuchadnezzar and when they joined Achashverosh’s feast.

When we don’t believe in ourselves and understand our specialness, Hashem will confront us with this reality. We celebrate Purim as a reminder that we rejoice in Hashem’s closeness with all of its attendant responsibilities. We must raise our children with this proud tradition and sense of responsibility by showing them that we look at all of our interactions with the world around us through the Torah lens.

Written by: Rabbi Mordechai Raizman

All for One and One for All

As we approach the holiday of Purim, we can sense in the air a feeling of camaraderie and friendship that this holiday teaches us. The acts of giving Shaloch Manos (giving gifts to people) and taking care of the poor are designed to create a feeling of Achdus (unity) among us. Yet, we find a puzzling Halacha (law) related to the observance of this holiday.

The Talmud (oral law) in tractate Megillah states that one reads the Megillah on different dates depending on one’s location. Most of us celebrate Purim on the 14^th of Adar. However, individuals who live in a walled city celebrate Purim on the 15^th and in some cases, the Talmud tells us at different times in history there were people who even read the Megillah on the 11^th, 12^th, or 13^th of Adar. It makes one wonder why a holiday that represents Achdus does not have everyone celebrating the holiday at the same time.

Rabbi Zev Leff, (the Rav of Moshav Mattityahu and Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva Gedolah Mattityahu) a renowned lecturer and educator, explains the true understanding of being a unified people. Achdus does not mean that everyone does the same thing at the same time. Rather, Achdus means that I am happy for you with what you are doing, and you, in turn, are happy for me with what I am doing.  Achdus is respecting each other’s differences and appreciating people for whom they truly are. We are all created in the image of G-d and have something to contribute to society. Thank G-d, we are fortunate to live in a wonderful unified community. Let us all strengthen our respect and admiration for our fellow Jews. We must transmit this message to our children, and G-d willing, we will merit the ultimate reward of the final redemption and rebuilding of the Bais Hamikdosh (Temple) in our times.

Written by: Rabbi Avrohom S. Moller

In the past few weeks, the Torah discusses the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). In this week’s Parsha, Pekudai, we learn that the Mishkan was dedicated on Rosh Chodesh Nissan. However, the Midrash explains that although the dedication occurred on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the Mishkan was actually ready to be used Chanukah time, more than three months earlier. The question then arises: Why was it necessary for B’nei Yisroel to wait an additional three months to use the Mishkan?

The commentaries explain that the building of the Mishkan is a symbol of Hashem’s forgiveness to B’nei Yisroel for the sin of the Golden Calf. Close examination of the construction of the Golden Calf reveals that its cause was due to the B’nei Yisroel’s impatience. When Moshe did not come down from the mountain at the expected time, the B’nei Yisroel panicked. Their need to have a physical liaison between Hashem and themselves propelled them to act impetuously resulting in the Golden Calf. Hindsight teaches us had B’nei Yisroel taken a few moments to step back, reflect, and think things through, a different conclusion might have ensued. They could have come to the realization that they should have considered the consequences of their actions before acting so quickly.

Hashem established a three month waiting period to teach B’nei Yisroel an important lesson. He makes them wait to emphasize that it is not enough to acknowledge the sin, but in order for it to be a true learning experience, it is necessary to determine the problem’s root and learn from that. As parents, it behooves us to teach this valuable lesson to our children. We must model reflective behavior and not jump to conclusions, and when we do, we must first understand the cause of the problem in order to solve it completely.

Written by: Rabbi Mordechai Raizman

Coming Together as a People

In this week’s Torah portion Vayakhel, the Bnei Yisroel are gathered together to build the Mishkan. Rashi tells us this happened right after Yom Kippur when Moshe came down from the mountain receiving the second Luchos (tablets). We as a people sinned with the egel hazahav (golden calf), and now it was time to rebuild. The second Luchos were given and the building of the Mishkan would begin. It was time to recognize the goal of serving G-d alone and for the Divine Presence to rest amongst us in this world. It was a time to rededicate ourselves to the values that were given to us at Sinai. It was a time to become united as a people.

A few years ago, I was part of the JUF Shimshon Mission that traveled to Poland and Israel. More than 20 day school leaders participated in this mission as we connected to the past in ways that none of us could have imagined beforehand. Walking through Auschwitz, Birkenau, Majdanek and Treblinka was extremely emotional. One could only grasp a bit of the horrors that our ancestors went through. In Auschwitz and Birkenau, it was a rainy, cold day. All of us were dressed warmly, in coats, gloves, boots, hoods, and after three hours of walking, we were shivering as we got back to the bus. We all asked, “How could they possibly survive such conditions?”

We were trying to relate but couldn’t quite connect to that reality. The enormity of the devastation and destruction hit us as we walked through the death camps. Three million out of 3.3 million Jews in Poland were killed. One participant commented, “In our group of 25 people, two or three would have made it based on those numbers.”

One person asked, “What is our take away from this experience? Communities that were vibrant and alive were destroyed and they are gone. Rabbis, scholars, laymen, religious, secular, parents, grandparents, children – it didn’t make any difference, if you were Jewish, you were persecuted. How do we relate  to this?”

It is a heavy question; there is much to say and many lessons to draw from it. I would like to focus on one take away. The fact that more than 70 years later we are visiting these sites, praying and connecting to our people, reinforces the important lesson of Vayakhel – gathering together for eternity. These 6 million kedoshim are not gone. They live within every one of us.

All Jews throughout all periods of time are eternally connected. We feel that responsibility to rebuild and to replenish what was lost. We are one people with one mission with one G-d and a value system that has kept us going for thousands of years. We are connected to the past and its memory inspires us to do more for our people in the future.

Vayakhel is the gathering of Jews throughout time. We continue to build from the past and rebuild the future. We have much to be proud of in our community as we see tremendous growth in our day schools, synagogues and Jewish life. We have dedicated Rabbis, lay leaders, and volunteers living daily by the values handed down to us. We have dedicated organizations such as the JUF with committed staff to work on behalf of the community of Jews here and abroad. We are one people gathered together over time.

Let us continue to strengthen our commitment to each other in the memory of those lost, to continue to build the legacy of the Jewish people until the rebuilding of the Bais Hamikdosh (Temple). May it come speedily in our times. Amen.

Written by: Rabbi Avrohom S. Moller

Holiness – A Charge from Previous Generations

Parshas Ki Sisa contains the commandment of creating the שמן המשחה – the anointing oil. Rashi comments on the verse of “שמן משחת קדש יהיה זה לי לדרתיכם – This shall be anointing oil for me for generations” that there was a miraculous characteristic to the שמן המשחה. The oil regenerated itself after it was used, and it was always the same amount that Moshe made initially. It simply never had to be replaced.

The question is why this special property was necessary? Couldn’t the שמן המשחה be reproduced as were many other parts of the Temple vessels and supplies? We know that  Hashem does not change nature’s course unless there is a necessity.

Perhaps one can suggest two possible insights into this phenomenon. The שמן המשחה‘s purpose was to activate the holiness of each person and vessel it was used on. Without anointing, these vessels would not “function” as כלי שרת – vessels of service. The reason the oil never was depleted served as an importance lesson about holiness in the Torah perspective. Holiness is based on the traditions from previous generations as it was communicated to them by Hashem. It is not updated or changed by the mores and norms of the time.

A second message is that holiness is eternal. Hashem will always have holiness and righteousness in this world no matter where humanity decides to go. Hashem’s  master plan is that there will always be a segment of holy people that pursue and conduct themselves in this role.

We convey values to our children about their Jewishness. We should stress the אלקי אבי – my father’s G-D as part of that message. We didn’t invent our way of life; we inherited it, and we cherish the mission of bearing this torch for all times.