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Exhortation and encouragement.

breytonhartge
6 Feb 07, 09:52

Earth Shaking Event

by Rabbi Dovid Green

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"And Yisro the Priest of Midyan heard all that G-d had done for Moshe and Yisrael; that G-d had taken them out of Egypt" (Exodus 18:1). Rashi asks the famous question: What news (in particular) did he (Yisro) hear which caused him to come? The answer: the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, and the war with Amalek. As we may know, at the end of last week's parsha the Jewish nation was attacked and fought with a nation called Amalek. Many question the significance of these two pieces of news in particular which motivated Yisro to journey into the wilderness to join the Jewish nation.

Rabbi Shalom Noach Brezovsky, the Rebbe of Slonim, explains as follows. After the splitting of the Sea of Reeds was it still possible to have a nation who would come and challenge the Jewish people? Weren't they convinced of the might of the G-d of the Jews? Didn't they know they would lose? How could they be so foolish? As a result Yisro reasoned that it must be that faith in G-d cannot depend solely on arriving at one's own conclusions through reason or proofs. Today I can arrive at one conclusion, and tomorrow I can be convinced of the opposite. There must be a better way to maintain faith which doesn't depend on proof. For that reason Yisro made his way out to the Wilderness of Sinai to be among the Jewish people. What is this better way to maintain faith?

The Rebbe of Slonim continues. Even after every Jew experienced prophesy at the Sea of Reeds G-d still gave them the directive in the Ten Commandments to believe in Him. Did they still need to be convinced to believe? No! But being convinced through proofs, even experiential validations is not a reliable, long-term foundation for faith. Giving the directive to believe teaches us that the only consistent basis for faith is believing because we are commanded to. (Obviously this presupposes belief in the divine origin of the Torah). Here believing doesn't only mean accepting there is a G-d Who took us out of Egypt, but cultivating faith, and living with it on a daily basis. Faith which has the Torah as its foundation is a faith which will sustain through all situations and generations.

It is no coincidence that the parsha of our receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai begins with the story of Yisro's journey. It teaches us the prerequisite for receiving the Torah. Accepting the yoke of Torah means that we look to the Torah as the ultimate guide and bottom line for our behavior and attitudes.

When the Jews arrived in the wilderness of Sinai, the Torah states "And Yisrael camped there opposite the mountain" (Exodus 19:2). The Hebrew language has masculine, feminine, singular, and plural conjugation of its verbs. The Midrash points out that the word camped (VaYeechan) is written in the singular conjugation even though it referred to the entire nation. The reason given for this is that the Jewish nation at this juncture had achieved perfect unity "Like one man with one heart." The prerequisite for accepting the Yoke of Torah is the commitment to unity. The definitions of unity and divisiveness, have become obscured in our times. However, the Torah definitions are defined in this week's parsha.

As we learn from Yisro, the basis for our faith in G-d has its source in the Torah. The Torah is the authoritative reference book for all Jewish issues. Through the giving of the Torah we received our identity. It would make sense, therefore, that the Torah, and the Talmud, which go hand in hand, are the source material of any Jewish-related question. Based upon this, we arrive at the definition of Jewish unity. It doesn't necessarily mean that everyone agrees on every point. Debating issues and arriving at opposing conclusions doesn't necessarily undermine Jewish unity, as long as both sides are sincere and agree that the Torah is the authority. Even if we can't come to agree on something, I acknowledge the expertise of my opponent. I can accept that those who come to him for his legal decisions should follow them, and that that is G-d's will. Needless to say, those who make such decisions must be experts in the Bible, the Talmud, and the subsequent classical texts. Just as one would not rely on an ignorant doctor to make medical decisions, so a student of Torah would only rely on an accepted, expert authority in Jewish law.

Based upon this, we arrive at the Torah definition of divisiveness. It does not mean that an accepted authority disagreed with another after putting in his best effort at rendering a Torah decision. It doesn't mean that someone opposed behaving in a manner clearly contrary to Torah. Rather, it is when someone challenges an accepted authority without sources. If something cannot be proven using a Torah source, then it is manufactured or a product of a personal agenda. This is the source of divisiveness, when non-authorities ignorant of the sources set themselves up as opposing authorities and claim that the real authorities are divisive. We should view such people the same as we would view doctors who were found severely lacking in their training.

The giving of the Torah was an earth-shaking event. Its thunderings are still heard loudly and clearly to this day. It has shaped world history in a most profound way. It was an event which defined us as a nation - through adherence to the Torah we retain our uniqueness. By accepting the yoke of Torah, we strengthen the unity of our people. May we all merit to hear the voice which still resounds...
breytonhartge
7 Feb 07, 15:12

It Is Sufficient
"IS" (2 Cor. 12:9).

It had pleased God to remove my youngest child under circumstances of peculiar trial and pain; and as I had just laid my little one's body in the churchyard, on return home, I felt it my duty to preach to my people on the meaning of trial.

Finding that this text was in the lesson for the following Sabbath, I chose it as my Master's message to them and myself; but on trying to prepare the notes, I found that in honesty I could not say that the words were true; and therefore I knelt down and asked God to let His grace be sufficient for me. While I was thus pleading, I opened my eyes and saw a framed illuminated text, which my mother had given me only a few days before, and which I had told my servant to place upon the wall during my absence at the holiday resort where my little one was taken away from us.

I did not notice the words on returning to my house; but as I looked up and wiped my eyes, the words met my gaze, "My grace is sufficient for thee."

The "is" was picked out in bright green while the "My" and the "thee" were painted in another color.

In one moment the message came straight to my soul, as a rebuke for offering such a prayer as, "Lord, let Thy grace be sufficient for me"; for the answer was almost as an audible voice, "How dare you ask that which is?" God cannot make it any more sufficient than He has made it; get up and believe it, and you will find it true, because the Lord says it in the simplest way: "My grace is (not shall be or may be) sufficient for thee."

"My," "is," and "thee" were from that moment, I hope, indelibly fixed upon my heart; and I (thank God) have been trying to live in the reality of the message from that day forward to the present time.

The lesson that came to me, and which I seek to convey to others, is, Never turn God's facts into hopes, or prayers, but simply use them as realities, and you will find them powerful as you believe them.--Prebendary H. W. Webb Peploe

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercies,
To multiplied trials His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father's full giving is only begun.
His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,

His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.
--Annie Johnson Flint
breytonhartge
7 Feb 07, 15:12

When Do We Praise

"And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me" (John 11:41).

This is a very strange and unusual order. Lazarus is still in the grave, and the thanksgiving precedes the miracle of resurrection. I thought that the thanksgiving would have risen when the great deed had been wrought, and Lazarus was restored to life again. But Jesus gives thanks for what He is about to receive. The gratitude breaks forth before the bounty has arrived, in the assurance that it is certainly on the way. The song of victory is sung before the battle has been fought. It is the sower who is singing the song of the harvest home. It is thanksgiving before the miracle!

Who thinks of announcing a victory-psalm when the crusaders are just starting out for the field? Where can we hear the grateful song for the answer which has not yet been received? And after all, there is nothing strange or forced, or unreasonable in the Master's order. Praise is really the most vital preparatory ministry to the working of the miracles. Miracles are wrought by spiritual power. Spiritual power is always proportioned to our faith.--Dr. Jowett

PRAISE CHANGES THINGS
Nothing so pleases God in connection with our prayer as our praise, and nothing so blesses the man who prays as the praise which he offers. I got a great blessing once in China in this connection. I had received bad and sad news from home, and deep shadows had covered my soul. I prayed, but the darkness did not vanish. I summoned myself to endure, but the darkness only deepened. Just then I went to an inland station and saw on the wall of the mission home these words: "Try Thanksgiving." I did, and in a moment every shadow was gone, not to return. Yes, the Psalmist was right, "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord."--Rev. Henry W. Frost
breytonhartge
7 Feb 07, 15:13

Make a Way

"I will make all my mountains a way" (Isa.49:11).

God will make obstacles serve His purpose. We all have mountains in our lives. There are people and things that threaten to bar our progress in the Divine life. Those heavy claims, that uncongenial occupation, that thorn in the flesh, that daily cross--we think that if only these were removed we might live purer, tenderer, holier lives; and often we pray for their removal.

"Oh, fools, and slow of heart!" These are the very conditions of achievement; they have been put into our lives as the means to the very graces and virtues for which we have been praying so long. Thou hast prayed for patience through long years, but there is something that tries thee beyond endurance; thou hast fled from it, evaded it, accounted it an unsurmountable obstacle to the desired attainment, and supposed that its removal would secure thy immediate deliverance and victory.

Not so! Thou wouldest gain only the cessation of temptations to impatience. But this would not be patience. Patience can be acquired only through just such trials as now seem unbearable. Go back; submit thyself. Claim to be a partaker in the patience of Jesus. Meet thy trials in Him. There is nothing in life which harasses and annoys that may not become subservient to the highest ends. They are His mountains. He puts them there. We know that God will not fail to keep His promise. "God understandeth the way thereof and knoweth the place thereof. For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven"; and when we come to the foot of the mountains, we shall find the way.--Christ in Isaiah, by Meyer

"The meaning of trial is not only to test worthiness, but to increase it; as the oak is not only tested by the storm, but toughened by them."
breytonhartge
7 Feb 07, 15:14

Blessing in the City

"If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, blessed shalt thou be in the city" (Deuteronomy 28:2-3).

The city is full of care, and he who has to go there from day to day finds it to be a place of great wear and tear. It is full of noise, and stir, and bustle, and sore travail; many are its temptations, losses, and worries. But to go there with the divine blessing takes off the edge of its difficulty; to remain there with that blessing is to find pleasure in its duties and strength equal to its demands. A blessing in the city may not make us great, but it will keep us good; it may not make us rich, but it will preserve us honest. Whether we are porters, or clerks, or managers, or merchants, or magistrates, the city will afford us opportunities for usefulness. It is good fishing where there are shoals of fish, and it is hopeful to work for our LORD amid the thronging crowds. We might prefer the quiet of a country life; but if called to town, we may certainly prefer it because there is room for our energies. Today let us expect good things because of this promise, and let our care be to have an open ear to the voice of the LORD and a ready hand to execute His bidding. Obedience brings the blessing. "In keeping his commandments there is great reward."
breytonhartge
8 Feb 07, 11:45

In Your Thinking

"Brothers, be not children in your thinking, but in evil, be infants, and in thinking, be mature." 1Corinthians 14:20

In our passion and zeal for God, we run after Him. We seek Him with all our heart, longing to be in His presence. But sometimes in our desire to experience God more tangibly and profoundly, we lose sight of the bigger picture. Like children, we become fixated on the object of our desire--and until we reach it, everyone and everything around us fades into the background. Childlike faith morphs into childish cravings, and we cross a line between wanting more of God and just simply wanting more.

"Brothers, be not children in your thinking, but in evil, be infants..." Children are naturally motivated to fulfill their own wishes above the needs of others, and it is in this way that we become "children in [our] thinking." When our zealousness for the things of God surpasses the love and care we should have for our brothers, we drift into the ways of "evil" and our passion for God becomes tainted. "In evil," we are instead to "be infants"--as we grow up in our thinking, we are to remain innocent and inexperienced in the ways of wickedness.

"In evil, be infants, and in thinking, be mature." Rather than seeking only to fulfill our own spiritual needs, we need to be concerned with the welfare and building up of our brothers in Messiah. We grow away from childish thinking and maturity in evil when we are even more zealous for our brothers' edification than we are for our own. Maturity in thinking comes not by feeding our own desires--even our desires for God--but by serving the needs of the whole Body.

We must be aware that every passion--no matter how good and holy--can be twisted to serve the cravings of our flesh. As disciples of Messiah, we are not called to follow the Master as isolated individuals--we are members of one Body, working together toward our common goal in Him. Let us run after God with unending passion, but let us do so in the company and strength of the whole Body. Let us no longer be "children in [our] thinking, but in evil, be infants, and in thinking, be mature."

P R A Y E R

Adonai, my God, I praise You and love to be in Your presence. Show me, Father, where I have been childish in my thinking, so that I may grow and become mature in the way I follow You. Teach me to be zealous for serving others, instead of always being so self-serving. Change my thinking, Lord, that I may no longer be consumed by my selfish passion, but devoted to selflessness and sacrifice for the sake of Your Great Name...
breytonhartge
8 Feb 07, 11:45

Whether You Are Loving

"Do not listen to the words of that prophet [who says, 'Let us go after other gods']... for Adonai your God is testing you, to know whether you are loving Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul. After Adonai your God you [should] walk, and Him you fear, and His commands you keep, and to His voice you hearken, and Him you serve, and to Him you cleave." D'variym (Deuteronomy) 13:3-4

The voices of our lives are calling us, enticing us, distracting us from the only Voice we are supposed to hear. They are a din in our heads--the shouting of the world, the cries of our flesh. They are an eerie whisper in our ears--the sound of rationalization, the siren of sin. The cries of Self-gratification and Individualism, the wailing of Tolerance and Compromise--these voices come at us from all sides, vying for our attention... and the message they proclaim is the same.

"Let us go after other gods," the voices beckon. Whether from the world around us, or through our own hearts of selfishness and conceit, the voices are making themselves heard. But worse than their volume is the allure of their sound--they feed us, satisfy us, and tell us what we want to hear. We like to listen because we enjoy the song, and soon we are singing right along. We resonate with the timbre of rebelliousness as we turn a deaf ear to righteous rhythms.

The voice that we love is the one we will hear... and the voice that we hear is the one we will follow. This is why Adonai tests us "to know whether [we] are loving Adonai [our] God with all [our] heart, and with all [our] soul." We wander astray and follow after other voices and "gods" because we love what they are saying to us. But if we will only refuse to listen to their words, and instead give our love to Adonai our God alone then "to His voice [we will] hearken," and "after Adonai [our] God [will we] walk."

The voice of the Lord is not one among many, though we make it so when we force Him to compete for our attention. He will not shout above the commotion of our lives in the hopes that we will hear Him. Rather, He will wait patiently for us to decide whose voice we prefer. The voices of life are shouting all around us, while the One voice we should hear is getting lost in the noise. Will we lose ourselves in the clamor of their very convincing rhetoric, or will we tune them out completely and listen only to the One we truly love?

P R A Y E R

Adonai, I bless Your Name, for you test me to know whether I am loving You or not. Father, I desire to hear Your voice alone, for Yours is the one I love--the One who first loved me. Teach me to walk only according to Your ways, Adonai, that I may keep Your commands and serve You all of my days. I praise You, Master, for You are calling even when I cannot hear. You are forever faithful to speak until I am finally ready to listen....
breytonhartge
8 Feb 07, 11:46

Until We All Arrive

"...until we may all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the recognition of the Son of God, to become a mature man, to the measure of stature of the fullness of the Messiah." Ephesians 4:13

We are on a long journey, but the destination is in sight... and its name is Maturity. For too many of us, however, this is a particularly arduous trip because we are traveling all by ourselves. What's worse, we think we're the only ones on the path because no one else even knows how to get there! But Maturity is not a place of privacy and isolation. On the contrary, it is when we remain in seclusion that Maturity eludes us. There is only one way that we can hope to reach Maturity, and that is together.

Being mature is more than just having a good and well-developed characterÂ—in fact, how we behave toward others is a large measure of our maturity. All too often, we remain at arm's length from one another, believing that maturity directs us to rely only upon ourselves as we navigate the course of life. But according to the Scriptures, Maturity is not located in the State of IndependenceÂ—it is at the center of the Commonwealth of Unity.

We are exhorted to "arrive at the unity" not only "of the faith," but also "of the recognition of the Son of God." If we are to grow toward maturity,we must first be collectively unified both in faith and in Who we believe to be the Son of God. Who He is, what He came here to do, what He has done on our behalfÂ—we must recognize these simple truths according to the Scriptures if we have any hope of becoming mature. Many times, we walk alone because we are unable to be unified on these fundamentals. But Maturity is calling us to arrive at that unity if we ever desire "to become a mature man."

We will have achieved maturity when we together reach "the measure of stature of the fullness of the Messiah." If we cannot agree on the facts about Messiah, we have no common goal to which we may aspire. We must fight for the truth, swallow our pride, perhaps even concede defeatÂ—whatever it takesÂ—but we must be one in order to be like the One who has called us.

If Maturity is your destination, and you appear to be on the road alone, perhaps it's time to stop for a moment and look around for those who are going the "wrong way." When you find them, who knows? Maybe they took a detour for the same reason... and ran into you....

P R A Y E R

Yeshua, my Master, I bless Your Name. You alone are perfectÂ—the measure of maturityÂ—so teach me to seek You in fullness. Humble me, Lord, that my pride will not keep me from unity within the Body and from maturing in You. Make me strong in my convictions, Adonai, but weak in following them through without the strength of others around me. Unite me, Lord, with all who follow in Your waysÂ—that we may be one, and arrive together... in maturity....
breytonhartge
8 Feb 07, 11:47

From Strength To Strength

"How beloved [are] Your dwelling-places, Adonai Tz'vaot! My soul desiresÂ—yes, it has also been consumedÂ—for the courts of Adonai. My heart and my flesh cry aloud to the living God. O the happiness of those inhabiting Your HouseÂ—ever do they praise You. Selah. O the happiness of a man whose might is in YouÂ—highways [to You] are in their heart. They go from strength to strengthÂ—He appears before God in Tziyon." T'hillim (Psalms) 84:1-7

To be consumed with desire for the courts of Adonai to cry out in joy with every heartbeat for the living God to live in the House of Adonai and praise Him unceasingly forever. The thought of such enthrallment can be almost too much to bearÂ—the mere mention of it makes some of us go weak at the knees. But on the Day that Adonai dwells again in Tziyon, weakness will be the furthest feeling from us. The burning passion to be in His presence will lead us into nothing but blessing, pure joy and strength.

As we draw closer to the One who is the aim of all our devotion, a hurricane of happiness and joy within us begins to gather strength. It relentlessly seeks an outlet through which to release its mounting, mighty power. No force on earth can withstand it. And as the powerful storm within us finally bursts forth, all fears and weaknesses are dashed upon the rocks. We pour out unending praise to the living God of Yis'rael, and in His presence, we are fulfilledÂ—we appear before God and go from strength to strength.

Fervor and zeal for the presence of Adonai is all-consumingÂ—it fills and completes us in a way that nothing else can. In Adonai's presence, we grasp the reality of what we were made forÂ—without any verbal explanation, the question of who we are at our very core is answered. When we desperately desire the consuming fire of Adonai's presence, every area of our lives becomes edified and strengthened.

O the happiness that awaits us when we find our might in Him alone, relying solely on Him for our provision, growth, and strength. So let us desire, extol, and cry out for the living God, that we may go from strength to strength, being ever-filled by the power of His praise.

P R A Y E R

Adonai, You are God! You are worthy to receive all praise, glory, and honor! I magnify Your NameÂ—I exalt Your Name forever and ever! You alone are Holy my soul longs for Your great Name to be exalted through all the earth! My heart and flesh cry aloudÂ—I glorify and sanctify the Name of the living God of Yis'rael! Adonai Tz'vaot, how happy is he who finds his strength in You!
breytonhartge
12 Feb 07, 08:22

Sealed and Delivered
This parsha is called Mishpatim. Simply translated it means ordinances. The portion entails laws that deal with various torts and property damages. It discusses laws of damages, of servitude, of lenders and borrowers, employers and laborers, laws of lost items and the responsibilities of the finder. Many of these mitzvos that are discussed in the section of Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat. But there are quite a few mitzvos mentioned that engage the purely spiritual quality of the Jew. Some of them deal with kosher restrictions, others with our relationship with the Almighty.

One verse that deals with the requirement of shechita (ritual slaughter) begins with a prelude regarding holiness. "People of holiness shall you be to Me; you shall not eat flesh of an animal that was torn in the field; to the dog shall you throw it (Exodus 22:30). The question is simple. There are many esoteric mitzvos whose only justifiable reason is spiritual. Why does the Torah connect the fact that Jews should be holy with their prohibition of eating meat that was torn as opposed to ritually slaughtered? There are myriad mitzvos that require self-control and abstention. Can there be another intonation to the holiness prelude?

(I heard this amazing story a number of years ago from a reliable source; I saved it until I was able to use it as an appropriate parable to answer a scriptural difficulty. I hope that this is it!)

Dovid, a serious yeshiva student, boarded the last flight out of Los Angeles on his way back to his Yeshiva in New York. He was glad that they were going to serve food as he had left his home in a rush and did not get a chance to eat supper. Sitting next to him on the airplane, was a southern fellow who knew little about Judaism, and considered Dovid a curiosity. As the plane flew eastward, he bantered with Dovid about Jews, religion and the Bible, in a poor attempt to display his little bits of knowledge. Hungry and tired Dovid humored him with pleasantries and not much talking. He was pleased when his kosher meal was finally served. The kosher deli sandwich came wrapped in a plastic tray, and was sealed with a multiple array of stickers and labels testifying to its kosher integrity. His new-found neighbor was amused as Dovid struggled to break the myriad seals and reveal the sandwich, which unbelievably looked just as appetizing as the non-kosher deli sandwich the airline had served him.

"Hey," he drawled, "your kosher stuff doesn't look too bad after all!" Dovid smiled and was about to take his first bite into the sandwich when he realized that he had to wash his hands for the bread. He walked to the back of the plane to find a sink. It took a little while to wash his hands properly, but soon enough he returned to his seat. His sandwich was still on his tray, nestled in its ripped-open wrapping, unscathed.

And then it dawned upon him. There is a rabbinic ordinance that if unmarked or unsealed meat is left unattended in a gentile environment, it is prohibited to be eaten by a Jew. The Rabbis were worried that someone may have switched the kosher meat for non-kosher.

Dovid felt that in the enclosed atmosphere of an airplane cabin, nothing could have happened. After all, no one is selling meat five miles above earth, and would have reason to switch the meat, but a halacha is halacha, the rule is a rule, and Dovid did not want to take the authority to overrule the age-old Halacha.

Pensively he sat down, made a blessing on the bread and careful not to eat the meat, he took a small bite of the bread. Then he put the sandwich down and let his hunger wrestle with his conscience. "Hey pardner," cried his neighbor, "what's wrong with the sandwich?"

Dovid was embarrassed but figured; if he couldn't eat he would talk. He explained the Rabbinic law prohibiting unattended meat and then added with a self-effacing laugh, "and though I'm sure no one touched my food, in my religion, rules are rules."

His neighbor turned white. "Praise the L-rd, the Rabbis, and all of you Jewish folk!" Dovid looked at him quizzically.

"When you were back there doin' your thing, I says to myself, "I never had any kosher deli meat in my life. I thought I'd try to see if it was as good as my New York friends say it is!

Well I snuck a piece of pastrami. But when I saw how skimpy I left your sandwich, I replaced your meat with a piece of mine! Someone up there is watching a holy fellow such as yourself!"

The Pardes Yosef explains the correlation of the first half of the verse to the second with a quote from the Tractate Yevamos . The Torah is telling us more than an ordinance. It is relating a fact. "If you will act as a People of holiness then you shall not eat flesh of an animal that was torn in the field; to the dog shall you throw it. The purity of action prevents the mishaps of transgressions. Simple as that. Keep holy and you will be watched to ensure your purity. Sealed and delivered.

Good Shabbos
breytonhartge
12 Feb 07, 08:25

Growth Investment

by Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky

In a portion replete with commands and laws that detail hundreds of the most diverse aspects of Jewish life, our sages look carefully at the juxtapositions of those commands, garnering even more wisdom and moral guidance from the holy words of the Torah.

That is why they explicated the very interesting placement of two commands that seem as diverse as ends of the spectrum. One verse tells us about the laws of a treifah animal, "People of holiness shall you be to Me; you shall not eat flesh of an animal that was torn in the field; to the dog shall you throw it" (Exodus 22:30). The next verse tells us about carrying a false or evil reports, "Do not accept a false report, do not extend your hand with the wicked to be a venal witness" (Exodus 23:1).

The two seem quite disjointed; yet the Talmud in Pesachim 118 quotes Rav Shaishes in the name of Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah who connects the two. "Whoever speaks or accepts gossip (lashon horah) is worthy to be thrown to the dogs, as it is written Â‘to the dog shall you throw itÂ’ and immediately afterwards it is written, Â‘do not accept a false report.Â’"

At first the connection, albeit homiletic, is difficult to understand. What does throwing non-kosher meat to a dog have to do with a gossip? The two seem totally unconnected. According to the Mechilta, the meat given to the dogs is a payback for their reticence on the night of the Egyptian exodus. That night, despite the cries and wails of the Egyptians as their first-born were smitten, the dogs were still. "Against all the Children of Israel, no dog shall whet its tongue, against neither man nor beast, so that you shall know that Hashem will have differentiated between Egypt and Israel" (Exodus 11:7). Therefore they are rewarded with the meat that a Jew must refrain from eating. How is their reward of reticence a lesson for Jews who slander?

I recently read of a man who was going on vacation to one of the islands south of the United States. He wanted a room for himself and his pet dog, and asked if the establishment, a hotel in Kingston, Jamaica, would allow an animal. A few weeks later he received his reply:

Dear Sir,
I've been in the hotel business for forty years and never had to eject a disorderly dog. Never has a dog set a mattress on fire while smoking in bed. Never has a dog stolen a towel or sneaked an unpaid guest into his room. Never has a dog acted disorderly, drunk or otherwise. Your dog is welcome. If he can vouch for you, you can come along as well.
Thank You

The Chafetz Chaim explains that the Talmud is making an amazingly profound comparison.

The reason dogs were rewarded was because their nature is to yelp and bark at tragedy. Despite their instinct, they went against their nature and held back. They followed the command of the Almighty and held their tongues. The Torah rewarded their reserve with the spoils of our control treif meat.

But when humans, who are supposed to control their desires and their tongues, lose control, there is no better method to learn how to mend the folly of their ways than through the very animals who mastered self-control in most trying times.

How fitting is it that the two verses, one that rewards the canine for constraint be juxtaposed next to one which upbraids their mortal masters who unfortunately lose perspective all too often. We are the masters of our animals, but more so must be the masters of our desires! Often, however, when our dogs get their just rewards it is not only time for us to appreciate their constraint. Instead of just teaching our dogs new tricks, we can learn a lesson as well.
breytonhartge
12 Feb 07, 08:32

Positioning Impositions

by Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky

How would you feel? That is a question asked by a wide-ranging group of inquisitors ranging from kindergarten teachers chiding their immature charges, to philosophy professors lecturing to disciples about the worlds of the theoretical. Its validity sets the tone from issues that vary from the golden rule to admonitions at the supper table. And at first glance it seems that the Torah uses the maxim to mitigate a deficiency in our very own human nature.

"Do not taunt or oppress a ger (newcomer) because you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 22:20). According to most commentators, the verse refers to the ger -- a convert to Judaism. Others comment however, that it also applies to any newcomer, be it to a neighborhood, a synagogue, or a school. Rashi explains that the Torah forewarns the Jewish nation from being c 0 c k y toward anyone who would join our people. "After all," Rashi expounds, "the stranger can easily remind us of our since-forgotten experience in Egypt, where we, too, were strangers."

However, something bothers me. The Torah's set of values is pure and unmitigated by personal partiality. So let us ask. Does it truly matter that we were once strangers? Is not it inherently wrong to taunt a newcomer? Shouldn't the Torah just say, "Do not taunt a newcomer? It is morally wrong!" Why is there even a mention of our Egyptian experience? Had we gone directly from Jacob's home to a settled life in the land of Israel, would we then be allowed to taunt newcomers? Of course not! Our years of servitude should not influence the morality of taunting others! So why does the Torah consider our bad experience a factor?

Dr. Norman Blumenthal has published extensively about the unique experience of Holocaust survivors' children. Without revealing actual details, he related a case history of a young man whose father had escaped from a Nazi concentration camp at the age of 16 years old. The fugitive did not hide in the forest or in a barn, rather he joined a group of gentile partisans. For the duration of the war, he lived with them, ate with them, and killed Nazis with them. Still, the courageous young man never gave up his convictions and feelings of Judaism. On that day his father, by then a very successful executive who was very active in the American Jewish community, turned to him and said. "Son, now the easy life is over. Just like me, now you must learn what it takes to survive amongst the gentiles!" He sent the young teen to a university in the southern part of the United States where Jews were as rare as snow. Within months, the young man, mercilessly taunted in a foreign environment, suffered a nervous breakdown. It took years of therapy to undo the shambles.

Perhaps we can understand the posuk in a new homiletic light. The sages declare that our experience in Egypt was very necessary, albeit uncomfortable, one to say the least. Under the duress of affliction we fortified our faith. Under the pressure of ridicule we cemented our resolve. Under the strain of duress we built families and sustained our identity. And perhaps it was that experience that laid the ability to endure far-reaching suffering, tests of faith that were only surpassed by the tests of time.

And now enter the convert John Doe who hails from a corporate office in West Virginia and has made a conscious, comfortable decision to join the ranks of Moses' men. Our first reaction may just be to have him bear the test of the Jew. Like bootcamp in Fort Bragg, or beasting at West Point, we may have the urge even a compulsion to put Mr. Doe through the rigors of our oppression. After all, that is the stuff of which we are made. We may want to taunt and tease because "we were slaves in a foreign land." The Torah tells us not to do so. "Do not taunt or oppress a ger (newcomer) because you were strangers in a he land of Egypt." Do not impose your difficult experiences in life on others that are newcomers to your present situation. It is easy to say, "such men are made from sterner stuff" and proceed to harangue those who would join us. That should not be. Life has a personal trainer for every individual, and each soul has a particular program mapped out by the Almighty. Jews from birth may have had to suffer in Egypt, while converts have other issues to deal with. One's particular experience may not be fodder for the next person. Do not use your encounters as the standard for the entire world. One cannot view the world from the rear view mirror of his personal experience.
breytonhartge
12 Feb 07, 08:35

Aha!

By Rabbi Label Lam
And they said, Â“Everything HASHEM says, we will do and we will hear!Â” (Shemos 24:7)

The classic question is asked, Â“How can one do before hearing?Â” There are many approaches to decoding this unanimous declaration made by the Jewish Nation prior to receiving the Torah. LetÂ’s try one!

One Friday evening as the Shabbos meal began, the Kotzker Rebbe said, Â“The world is filled with wise and learned men, researchers and philosophers, who spend their time pondering and philosophizing about the verity of G- dÂ’s existence and function. How much can they really come to grasp? How much can they truly understand? No more than the limits of their own intelligence.

The people of Israel, however, were given tools- the Mitzvos- with which they could reach far beyond their own limitations. This is the whole truth in the meaning of the words: Â‘We shall do and we shall hear!Â’ If we have tools with which to act, then we will be able to hear, to understand, to attain anything, even in the highest and loftiest realms beyond our normal and mortal capabilities.Â”

A man sits down in a restaurant and orders a full seven course meal. The waiter delivers a piping hot bowl of soup. The customer requests that the waiter should taste the soup. The waiter begs forgiveness and offers to reheat the soup but the man insists that he just taste the soup. The waiter offers to not charge him for the soup if he is displeased but the man persistently demands that he just taste the soup. After a few more exchanges the waiter agrees, Â“OK IÂ’ll taste the soup! Hey, whereÂ’s the spoon?Â” To which the customer declares, Â“Aha!Â”

One can analyze for decades the chemical component of chicken soup; the carrots, celery, onion etc. and write a scientific exposeÂ’ on its nutritional and health benefits. However, nothing will ever substitute or inform better than a single taste on a Friday night. Aha!

One can study the laws of Shabbos and read a thousand doctoral theses on the subject, interview subjects and still never know what itÂ’s really about without having first tasted a Shabbos itself. It is very much like a blind person learning about colors. By opening one window of experience manifold vistas of understanding become accessible.

The Talmud tells us that the Caesar asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanania, Â“Why do the cooked foods of Shabbos give off such a fragrant smell?Â” He answered him, Â“We have a special spice called Â“ShabbosÂ” we put into the food that gives off a fragrant smell.Â” The Caesar demanded, Â“Give us some!Â” Rabbi Yehoshua replied to him, Â“Anyone who keeps the Shabbos it will help. It will not work for anyone who does not keep the Shabbos!Â” (Shabbos 116A)

I think we can all easily appreciate what a difference it makes to have the correct tools? The total number of stars visible to the naked eye under ideal conditions is not more than 2,500. Now with some visual assistance from sensitive telescopes it is estimated that 70 thousand million- million - million stars come into view.

Shabbos, the Talmud tells us, it is 1/60th of the Next World. Any number no matter how large is infinitely shy of infinity, and 1/60th of eternity is still a huge helping of soup. Only by keeping Shabbos can one ever hope to understand what that really means- Aha!
breytonhartge
12 Feb 07, 08:38

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36).

Don't aspire to acquire the world's success at the expense of your peace, happiness and spiritual health. True and lasting success springs from a prosperous soul.
breytonhartge
12 Feb 07, 08:39

"He restoreth my soul..." (Psalm 23:3).

When you become born again, Adonai restores your mind, will and emotions. Your soul now has the potential to come into perfect alignment with Hashem.
breytonhartge
12 Feb 07, 08:40

"But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it" (Luke 11:28 ).

When you hear the Word of Hashem, you are empowered to have success in every arena of your life. Hold on to the Word you hear so that your life can bear fruit that glorifies Hashem.
breytonhartge
12 Feb 07, 08:41

"The Lord is my Strength and my [impenetrable] Shield; my heart trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song will I praise Him" (Psalm 28:7, The Amplified Bible).

You can rejoice because Yahweh is your strength. You don't have to try to make it through difficult situations by yourself. Trust Hashem and He will support you.
breytonhartge
12 Feb 07, 08:41

"Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me" (Psalm 119:133).

When you abide in Hashem's Word, your steps will be ordered and you will stay on the right path for your life. The key to avoiding the traps of the enemy as you go through life is to make Hashem's Word your final authority.
breytonhartge
12 Feb 07, 08:42

"Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee..." (Psalm 84:5).
breytonhartge
12 Feb 07, 08:46

Praying the Lord's Prayer
by Max Lucado

HereÂ’s an example of how the LordÂ’s Prayer can guide your prayers:

Our Father

Thank you for adopting me into your family.

who is

Thank you, my Lord,
for being a God of the present tense:
my Jehovah-jireh (the God who provides),
my Jehovah-raah (the caring Shepherd),
my Jehovah-shalom (the Lord is peace),
my Jehovah-rophe (the God who heals),
and my Jehovah-nissi (Lord, my banner).

in heaven,

Your workshop of creation reminds me: If you can make the skies, you can make sense out of my struggles.

Hallowed be thy name.

Be holy in my heart.
You are a Â“cut aboveÂ” all else.
Enable me to set my sights on you.

Thy kingdom come,

Come kingdom!
Be present, Lord Jesus!
Have free reign in every corner of my life.

Thy will be done,

Reveal your heart to me, dear Father.
Show me my role in your passion.
Grant me guidance in the following decisions Â…

On earth as it is in heaven.

Thank you that you silence heaven to hear my prayer.
On my heart are the ones you love.
I pray for Â…

Give us this day our daily bread.

I accept your portion for my life today.
I surrender the following concerns
regarding my well-being Â…

Forgive us our debts,

I thank you for the roof of grace over my head,
bound together with the timbers and nails of Calvary. There is nothing I can do to earn or add to your mercy.
I confess my sins to you Â…

As we also have forgiven our debtors;

Treat me, Father, as I treat others.
Have mercy on the following friends
who have wounded me Â…

Lead us not into temptation,

Let my small hand be engulfed in yours.
Hold me, lest I fall.
I ask for special strength regarding Â…

Our Father Â… give us Â… forgive us Â… lead us

Let your kindness be on all your church.
I pray especially for ministers near
and missionaries far away.

ThineÂ—not mineÂ—is the kingdom,

I lay my plans at your feet.

ThineÂ—not mineÂ—is the power,

I come to you for strength.

ThineÂ—not mineÂ—is the glory,

I give you all the credit.

Forever. Amen.

ThineÂ—not mineÂ—is the power. Amen.
breytonhartge
12 Feb 07, 08:47

WHO'S ON FIRST
But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. 1 Peter 3:1

Leonard Bernstein, the famous conductor of the New York Philharmonic was once asked, Â“What is the hardest instrument to play?Â” Without a moment of hesitation, he answered, Â“Second fiddle. There are plenty of first violinists, but it is hard to find someone who is willing to play second fiddle with enthusiasm. This is a huge problem because if I donÂ’t have a second fiddle, I donÂ’t have harmony.Â”

HARMONY IN YOUR HEART

Is there peace and harmony in your heart right now? Can I tell you a little secret? As long as you are trying to play first chair, there will never be peace. The Lord is first chair. He MUST be in control in order for you to be at peace.

The Christian life is all about playing second fiddle. It is all about the back seat. Jesus is the Lord and MasterÂ… the One who drives and plays the lead. We are to yield to Him and let Him take control of everything in our lives. When He is truly set apart as Lord in our heart, then and only can we start to experience his love, joy, peace and power.

CONTROL FREAK?

Do you remember the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10? Martha loved to play first chair. She had an advanced degree from Control Freak University. As she was busy cooking an elaborate dinner for Jesus, her sister Mary slipped out of the kitchen to sit at the LordÂ’s feet and listen to His word. Martha was livid! She told Jesus to tell Mary to get back in the kitchen and help her. She told Jesus what He was to do. She took the lead and began to bark out the orders. It is always a bad plan when you start ordering God around.

With love and grace, Jesus told her that she was worried and bothered about so many thingsÂ… so many things that did not even really matter. She needed to let Him lead so that the peace and joy Mary felt would come to Martha also.

MAKING THE CHOICE?

God is waiting for you to make the choice today to move from the driverÂ’s seat to the passengerÂ’s seat. The moment you give your life to Christ, you die (Col. 3:3). A dead man has no rightsÂ… no agendasÂ… and no business leading anything.

It is all about Jesus. We are here on this earth to glorify Him - Â“For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your bodyÂ” (1 Cor. 6:20). We do that by letting Him have complete control of all.

Why not stop right now and evaluate what seat you are sitting in. If need be, turn in your violin for second fiddle so that harmony can come to your life and people can see Jesus in you. You will be so glad you did.

Love,

Jeff Schreve
breytonhartge
12 Feb 07, 08:48

OVERPOWERING THE CAPTORS
Matthew 12:29
How can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man?

A prime target for our authoritative prayer is the "strong man" mentioned in Matthew 12:29. Jesus was saying that you cannot rescue people from the bonds of spiritual blindness or demonic influence unless you first overpower their captors. Satan's power is already broken, but he will not let go of anything he thinks he can keep until we exercise the authority delegated to us by the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we pray we are not trying to persuade God to join us in our service for Him; prayer is the activity of joining God in His ministry. By faith we lay hold of the property in Satan's clutches which rightfully belongs to God, and we hold on until Satan turns loose. He will hold on to these people until we demand their release on the basis of our authority in Christ. Once Satan is bound through prayer, he must let go.

Understanding the spiritual nature of our world should have a profound effect on our evangelistic strategy. All too often we proclaim the virtues of Christianity to unbelievers like someone standing outside a prison compound proclaiming to the inmates the virtues of the outside world. But unless someone overpowers the prison guards and opens the gates, how can the prisoners experience the freedom we're telling them about? We must learn to bind the strong man before we will be able to rescue his prisoners.
breytonhartge
17 Feb 07, 08:38

Rabbi Label Lam
Volumes in Volume

And these are the laws that you should set before them. (Shemos 21:1)

Like a laid out table (Shulchan Aruch) and prepared for a meal before them. (Mechilta)

It's interesting to note that not one of the many laws mentioned in this week's reading can be properly executed based upon the bare bones of the verses alone. In fact, not one Mitzvah in the entire Torah is capable of being carried into action given only the parameters provided in the text. There are almost 30,000 details that comprise phylacteries and 5,000 in the ubiquitous mezuzah with little information to guide to their uniform completion. What's called "killing"? When does life begin? When does it end? What one person calls "family planning" another calls murder!

The Torah cries out for explanation. There must, by definition, have been a concomitant corpus of information that accompanied the giving of the laws and that is what we call the "Oral Torah". Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch uses the analogy that the Written Torah is like the notes to a scientific lecture. Every jot and squiggle has significance. If properly understood it can awaken the actual lecture. The notes remain practically useless to someone who has not heard the lecture from a Master. Therefore in the Oral Torah is the sum of the lecture while the Written Torah is merely a shorthand record. Why was so much left to Oral Transmission? What is the wisdom of this system?

A) It is designed to make easier the carrying of large amounts of information. If one grasps the handle the rest of the package will follow. Theoretically, with a Torah Scroll alone, as a memory queue, the entire oral tradition can be reconstituted and transported compactly throughout history.

B) The Oral Torah provides all the necessary cases that are meant to be applied to the changing material conditions of life. To produce a book that would include all the detailed laws of the various times and places over 3315 years would be cumbersome and impractical. What sense would it make to speak about the role of electricity on Shabbos before Franklin ever flew his kite? Instead, all the principles that guide the applications of law for all time are found and founded in Written and Oral Law.

C) Even though the Oral Torah can be found in written form it was written in such a way that it must be verbalized. It cannot be read like a novel or an op-ed piece It invariably needs to be discussed vigorously. This helps to ensure that the ideals of the Torah do not remain on the book shelf alone but are internalized and refined in every generation by the fires of passionate debate.

D) The Oral Torah teaches a method of thought. It is more interested in teaching "how" to think than "what" to think. It is not an answer book. It is process driven by questions. Like a good math class where one must prove a theorem the teacher wants to know how you arrived at your answer. If one gave a correct answer without showing work the grade may be lower than if one showed all the work and made a minor math error. How you got there matters.

E) The Oral Torah was set up in such a way that in order to gain a true appreciation one would have to have had real contact with a living teacher. That real teacher would have to have had more than a passing contact with a real teacher or teachers going all the way back to Sinai link after link.

F) The real benefit here is that the Torah is not just a set of rigid laws or an academic pursuit but rather a system of living. If one would have a chance to witness the behavior of someone whose life is saturated with Torah ideals they would be experiencing a living symphony as opposed to studying sheet music. There are often as many subtleties between the words as in the words. To behold an artful master applying the priorities of principles to the complexities of life is to see Torah being lived and it speaks volumes in volume.
breytonhartge
17 Feb 07, 08:42

Rabbi Label Lam
Where the War is Fought

Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe will blind those who see and corrupt words that are just. (Shemos 23:8 )

The word in Hebrew for bribery is "shochad". Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch points out that the Hebrew word helps to explain the dynamic of the concept. A person is caused by some level of self-interest to look at a situation with one "chad" eye instead of with the balance of the two eye approach.

It is for this reason that a person has a hard time evaluating himself. Since we have various biases, objectivity becomes an almost impossible mission. The Talmud says it best, based on the premise that a relative is not a valid source of testimony, "A man is a relative to himself."

The famous psychiatrist and author of many Torah books, Rabbi Abraham Twersky had just finished telling us that he had not written fifty some odd books, but he had only written one book fifty different ways. His singular and constant theme is the idea of authentic self-esteem. I asked him for a working definition of self esteem. He said simply, "Knowing your good points and your bad points simultaneously!"

It took a bit of good thinking to come to appreciate how wise these words were. If a person looks at himself alternately as good or bad then the score is always lopsided. If I am only aware at a given moment of my good points, I'll likely become intoxicated with my own success and fall prey to the ills of hubris. If I see my faults and failures alone, I am a serious candidate to become lazy and depressed. If however a person sees both simultaneously, one cures the other.

King Solomon opens the conversation in Proverbs (1:8 ) speaking as a father would caution his own child. "Listen my son to the admonitions of your father and do not abandon the Torah of your mother." Two different types of requests are being made. In one case, the child is being called to listen and grow up to the standards of a father's vision. This is an endless unfolding ladder of expectation. The one with his eye to sky may grow discouraged by feelings of inadequacy. The task may seem too tall at times.

On the other hand, in the same breath, that same child is being told not to abandon that which is inherently good. It only needs protection that piece of perfection. The mandate is only not to jettison those qualities which, either acquired or inherited are considered worthy.

Every person has a little of both. There are points that need constant improvement and at the same time there are sterling qualities that are installed as part of the furniture of our being. King Solomon seems to be cautioning for the need to look with both eyes.

One of the great experiences in Yeshiva was when a new fellow would arrive that unfortunately didn't know Hebrew from Hieroglyphics. When any of us would be given the chance to begin to learn with such a novice there was an instant sense of accomplishment. Six months earlier I didn't know which way to hold the siddur and now I'm capable of coaching him on a thing or two. This was a simple way to measure growth and progress.

Lest we delude ourselves and presume that we had graduated to prophecy and were ready to hang a shingle, Talmud class was a taste of humble pie. By observing the Rabbis and their children who knew more at a tender age than even we with advanced degrees was a swift reminder of how far we were from the goal.

Holding those two pictures simultaneously may not give us the perfect picture of self but it helps avoid the problems associated with over and under estimating ourselves. It also serves to keep us appropriately motivated as one constantly bridges the healthy tension between the "is" and the "ought". That's where the war is fought.
breytonhartge
17 Feb 07, 08:47

Rabbi Label Lam
To Choose to Choose

There is nothing more dramatic in the entire universe than when, within a private moment, a person girds his loins (whatever that means) and make a decision. There, I said it. I realize that it doesn't sound all that eventful. Allow me to explain, please.

We usually think of decisions with a small "d". Those types of decisions are between Coke or Pepsi, Chinese or Italian food etc. They can really be categorized as preferences since they exist on a horizontal plane and can easily be reckoned by the family pet as well.

A real decision with a capital "D", for example, is something I observed by a friend of mine who used to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day for almost two decades. I don't know when he had time for anything else. It sounds like a full time job. One day, for some mystical reason, he decided to quit, and that was that. Since then he never touched a cigarette. That's dramatic!

Accompanying a sincere decision is a mini-power pack that gives the person the ability to withstand all the future consequences of that decision. The next day and forever more he'll have to find something new to do with his hands. He'll need some nifty social response when an old crony offers him one from his pack. He will need an awesome commitment to his principles and a superhuman energy to survive "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."

When I began to understand the power of this single act of heroism I started to appreciate why we make such a big deal about weddings. I always wondered why everyone is so willing to cross the ocean or the George Washington Bridge. Why was so much money and man hours being spent on such a brief celebration; for harps, flowers, booze and some 400 chickens have to give their lives for the event!?

What is so extraordinarily appealing is simply that two people are making a decision. They are deciding to remain bound together forever. At that moment a huge power pack is available that will enable them to remain constant for fifty or seventy years in the face of millions of unforeseen variables. The economy, health, the in-laws, society around them, and the children will take them on a roller coaster ride that will test "whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated may long endure." The enormity of the energy available at that moment is staggering. People intuitively come to bask in the light as if it's a space ship launching.

Even the grandest of weddings is merely a faint echo of an original event 3312 years ago. No romance or attraction could ever truly approximate the real magnetic pull that lured an entire nation out into the barren wilderness to forge an eternal bond.

We can only imagine the enormous superhuman energy that was endowed when the entire nation declared "in a singular voice saying; 'everything Hashem says we will do!'" (Shemos 24:3) That commitment unleashed an enduring force that has allowed us to remain through the gauntlet of persecution and expulsion "till the last syllable of recorded history", till the day when "Hashem will be one and His name one." (Zachariah 14:9)

All that abundance was buried in an initial challenge, "And now Israel if you will listen well to My voice and guard My covenant, I will make you a treasure from all the nationsÂ…" (Shemos 19:5) Rashi comments; "If you will commit yourselves it will be sweet from here and further because all beginnings are difficult". The hardest part is the initial decision, to move from zero to one. Afterwards there is a momentum of mitzvos and then the inertia compounds with each ensuing choice and reconfirmation.

Life is lived or lost in the millions of decisions we make or default on daily. While all creatures and entities in the universe are compelled to obey the will of their Creator only a human being has the option to experience Mount Sinai; wedding the ordinary to the sublime at each moment of life with a unique and profound ability to choose to choose.

Good Shabbos!