Where is the light?

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There is no aspect of spring cleaning after a hard winter that is more satisfying than window washing. A half a bottle of Windex and a lot of paper towels later, the view of the world outside becomes clearer, brighter and in some way even lighter. Every swipe seems to wipe away a bit of sadness as the flecks and grime give way to enthusiastic manpower allowing greater light to enter. But when G-d said, “Let there be light,” was He talking about our windows? I dare posit a philosophical “Yes” as all physical manifestations are reflections of a higher world. They are the means through which we can learn more about G-d and our existence. The moral of the window-washing story is streak-free clear: When we clean up our acts, we let the light in.

We all know that beautiful things grow in the light, i.e., flowers, trees, fruit and children too. Yet, so many of us cling to the darkness, even with all its uncertainty and turmoil, because we find comfort there in the familiar blackness of doing things as usual, in retracing the tracks of our often catastrophic modus operandi. And though many feel locked in a perpetual "winter" as though summer and its healing warm rays will never come, they don't realize that they are the very ones blocking the light.

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More often than not when lost in obscurity, even while flouting His rules, we question, “Where is G-d?," rather than question ourselves, “Where am I in relation to His light?” The sages teach us that sin sullies our souls and blocks us from being vessels for the G-dly light. We become so veiled and dirtied by sin that we can neither be, nor see, the light. Nothing beautiful can radiate in or out becomes we are such a mucky mess.

Before the first man, Adam, sinned, he was enveloped in a halo of light. But after the sin, the garment of “light” which cloaked him and radiated through his body was diminished and replaced by garments of skin.  He reduced his soul to a state of opaqueness and concealment making it ever harder to recognize itself and its relationship to G-d. It is no coincidence that in Hebrew the word for “skin” and “light” are homonyms, or. The kabbalist known as Or ha-Ḥayyim teaches that when G-d turned the skin of Moses' face into light, He demonstrated that the process which had once turned light into skin was reversible and that man could be rehabilitated to the spiritual level he once enjoyed prior to the sin.

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What is our job, great nobility that we are? We are the cleanup crew. But Windex won’t do the job to raise the shattered holy sparks which became dispersed in all things in this world through creation and Adam’s sin. G-d gave us the directives on how to clean our souls and bring the light (sparks) out of the dark places if we follow His Torah and make it our Torah. Interestingly, Einstein’s famous equation E = mc² teaches us that there is light in all things. G-d teaches us how to properly retrieve it. Each of the commandments cleanses us and elevates us and makes us worthy receptacles of G-d’s blessings and Light.

But if we don’t change our ways and clean ourselves up on our own, then G-d will send in the pressure washer. In this week’s Torah reading we read of all the 42 encampments (and backtracking) the Israelites set up and broke down during their 40 years of wandering. Not an easy, smoothly-paved road. But they created many of the bumps and hurdles by themselves by continually sinning and rebelling against G-d and Moses and failing the many tests G-d set before them. Each hardship and encampment through which the Israelites journeyed was a cleansing and served as a preparation for the gift of the Land of Israel. Do you personally really want to figuratively wander blindly for 40 years and wonder why your life resembles a man-made disaster zone that only G-d can repair? Or would you prefer to take matters into your own hands? Start keeping kosher, lighting Sabbath candles, pick up a book of Judaism, stop sinning and spinning in circles…just start cleaning up somewhere in your spiritual house.

Further proof that G-d cleans what He loves is that the Israelites are not commanded to merely meander into town and make friends with their new Canaanite neighbors. Rather, they are commanded to drive them all out of the land and destroy their structures of worship and idols. Before something G-dly can enter, before blessings can enter, our inner and outer “worlds” need to be cleaned. The Israelites are also warned, “And let the land not vomit you out for having defiled it, as it vomited out the nation that preceded you.” 

It is interesting and tragic that we live in an age where every resource is available to humankind to enlighten it and yet it cannot see the light--or free the light. But friends, we are made in G-d’s image and so we have the power to radically change everything, personally and globally. If we would only clean our spiritual windows with the Word of G-d, we’d see how dramatically the stains of winter would abscond and how beautifully and powerfully the  light would shine through.

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What's it all about?

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Sometimes I question myself as to why I even bother writing Torah blogs or recording videos every week. After all, I don’t get paid for it, plus the non-religious think I’m moralizing and the more religious are certain they have nothing to learn from me. And then I think about how important it is in Judaism to save even a single life, even if that single life is mine.

But saving a life is not just about keeping a person breathing, it is also about creating and recreating ourselves to be better people; It is about being better servants of G-d, learning and teaching Torah, and elevating the world and circumstances we were cast into during our limited time on this earth. If you are the same person you were yesterday, you are dying when the Torah clearly tells us “choose life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

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It is not easy. But life was not meant to be a life-long membership at Club Med or Disneyland. And though the tendency is to bask in distractions and forgetfulness, any thinking person knows life must have a greater purpose than trying to avoid it altogether with frivolous escapism. Yes, life can be hard but we must fight back the best we can.

It has been asked why from all the Torah’s great men from Abraham to Moses, why the Jewish nation has come to be called Israel, the name given to our Patriarch Jacob after wrestling with an angel who ultimately blesses him: "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, because you have striven with [an angel of] G-d and with men, and you have prevailed." It’s actually rather simple. The life of a living, breathing Jew is a constant struggle with G-d and for G-d. It is that struggle that makes us Israel; it is the struggle that makes us shine. It is that struggle that makes everything we never dreamed we could be or were destined to be, possible. But sadly, too many of us are stuck in our comfort zones:

 “I’m Jewish enough; I give at the office; at home we keep kosher; I listen to YouTube videos about religion….” Not enough. If you are not struggling daily to increase your relationship with G-d, to refine your character and to bring His light into the world with your unique gifts, you are not living, you are merely existing and slowly dying. Don’t be a comfort-zone-Jew. No statistic can show you more convincingly that we are doing something very wrong more than the fact we are losing more Jews to intermarriage than to any enemy. It’s time to redefine the enemy—it’s us and our apathy.

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In last week’s Torah reading we learned that the Jewish nation could not be cursed by their enemies because they were keeping all of G-d’s laws. And much to the dismay of Israel’s enemies the curses were turned to blessings. Yet we must remain forever vigilant as a people. For those who seek to destroy us come not only with guns and hatchets but also with miniskirts and smiles, with flattery and with false comforts, with false gods and meaningless bamboozlements.

In this week’s Torah reading of Pinchas we are introduced to four situations where people were born into a “situation” but it didn’t dictate or assure their journey in life teaching us we too can change. The most powerful example for me in this Torah portion is the transference of Moses’ leadership to Joshua. Moses had sons, why didn’t one of them get the job? Because being a Jew isn’t about nepotism; not your father, or yesterday’s victories, our last year’s donations or all your connections in the world are going to make you the person you need to be, only you can do that yourself by living day to day from struggle to struggle, by recognizing you are not struggling alone and that the power of G-d is with you.

Why do I teach Torah after having interviewed some of the most famous people in the world? Because after all the math is done, it is the only thing worth doing. It all adds up to ONE. G-d is the headline, the byline and the story: Ein Od Milvado—there is nothing but Him. If you see anything else, it’s time for new “glasses.” 

Who's Stabbing You in the Back?

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“Seeing Israel thrive… is close to miraculous,” said American President Joe Biden during his trip to Israel this past week. He was almost right. But the success of the modern State of Israel in spite of every single threat and obstacle for the last 74 years, is not close to miraculous, it is miraculous. We all know Who makes miracles happen but somehow we find it so hard to give credit where credit is due. Instead, we pat ourselves on the shoulder and conveniently convince ourselves that our own ingenuity and persistence are the reasons we succeed. As for G-d, well, He helps those who help themselves. This somewhat faulty mindset is common for nations and individuals. But the State of Israel is not like any other country nor are the Jewish people like anyone else. We know because G-d told us. And so again, Biden almost got it right when he said that Israel is a nation that will never dwell alone as long as there’s the United States. As the expression goes, “close but no cigar.” Israel and the Jewish people will never be alone because the G-d of Israel lives among them. (Article continue below)

A nation constantly under attack, it’s no wonder that Israel relies heavily on the United States and feels eversafer because of that friendship as well as its great army, the Iron beam, the Iron Dome and Israel’s new peace and trade agreements with one-time enemies. All wonderful things which appear to be going in a positive trajectory, with a caveat, they best not replace the one fundamental that preserves a chosen people and its promised Land, G-d and His Torah. Beware of overconfidence and misplaced trust.

Despite our great successes, in honesty, we must acknowledge in all our worldly affairs we believe one hand washes the other. We work at our relationships to squeeze out the best results for ourselves. Yet when it comes to our relationship with G-d, we are ready to collect with both hands and serve with neither.  What right do we have to the Land of Israel altogether if not for the holy Torah? But the Torah is not just an eternal land deed, it is the holy word of Hashem teaching us how to live our lives, i.e., keeping Shabbat, observing kosher laws, giving charity, etc. Therein we also learn time and again the one on Whom we can rely and must rely on:  “I shall raise my eyes to the mountains, from where will my help come? My help is from the L-rd, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to falter; Your Guardian will not slumber.” (Psalms 121:1-3)

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Interestingly President Biden cited this week’s parashah in his speech, Balak. Sad that the prez knows which Torah section we are reading when most Jew’s don’t. But that aside, he quotes Bilaam’s words calling us “the people that dwell alone.” That is a blessing not a curse. We are a people destined to stand out, yet we try so hard to fit in by trying to emulate the ways of the world in regards to culture, entertainment, food and fashion. Our job as Jews and a nation is to remain pure and distinct in order to illuminate the world with divine light in our every day-to-day actions. Yet, we seek security, strength and fraternity in ephemeral crutches instead of serving and relying on the Almighty: “Behold the Guardian of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep…The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from now and to eternity.”

In this week’s Torah reading we see how King Balak sought out Bilaam to curse the Jewish people. But Bilaam was unable to curse them. Why? Because the Jewish nation was behaving properly.  “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel.” The Israelites left no void or crevice for curses to sneak in like an open wound accommodating infection. They were impervious to any harm because they didn’t open the door to Satan by sinning.  As such, those who cursed them would be cursed, and the haters would drown in the deep end of their own hate. I will never forget the complaint of a disappointed Hamas member years ago who said, “Their G-d changes the paths of our rockets in mid-air.”

Kabbalists teach that each act we do creates an angel--either one that serves as our advocate or as our prosecutor, depending on our deed or misdeed. And so, the question is:  What kind of army of angels are you building for yourself and our nation, good ones or bad ones? Are you building spiritual Iron Domes by keeping the commandments or stoking civil war and assisting a nation to turn against itself?  When threat comes your way, will your own army deservingly stab you in the back or will it stand as a loyal protector for you, your family and our people, and escort us safely from strength to strength?       

                                                                                         Shabbat Shalom

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Until G-d Answers

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“There is an old adage which says, “Man plans, and G-d laughs.” Despite our best efforts and sometimes extreme manipulations to direct and control our life’s course, only the Almighty knows all the hurdles and twists and turns our journey will take. For most of us, our life’s destination scarcely resembles the idyllic imaginings we’ve conjured in our youth as if life was a travel brochure and all stops along the way were meant to be pleasurable and to serve us. But then divorce and sickness come, bankruptcy and betrayals, opportunities lost or stolen, anguish, death, Corona, recessions and deep, deep disappointment. And as we travel this highway through hell, at each of its toll booths we pay a heavy price: We toss away our faith, our kindness, our trust, our mercy, our honesty. After a road long traveled, what is left of who we used to be? Very little if you don’t believe that all of life is a G-d-given test to refine us and elevate us. There is only one audience in life and it is not your neighbors, your boss, your family, or your Facebook or social networking audience—they perhaps are the provocateurs or the elaborate ways through which the L-rd will work His way—but the sole audience is G-d. Have you walked with grace along your path? Have you walked in faith? Does G-d like the “show” He is seeing or will your review be a shameful embarrassment?

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 The space between “what we want” and “what we have” is HOLY ground, and how we walk upon that space tells G-d who we are. We teach children from day one that they can’t always get what they want, mostly because we know it’s not good for them. And yet as adults we throw the worst of tantrums when things don’t go according to the wills and wants of our self-inflated egos. We resort to cheating, stealing, lying, coveting, slandering, cursing, conniving, stepping on people, hurting people, using people, working on the Sabbath, scoffing beggars and ridiculing the religious all in our efforts to self-pacify but with the result of enraging G-d. And so we lament saying that we prayed to G-d, but He  ignored us. You must realize, however, that this waiting time is in fact the incubation period for our character. When we are left languishing, it is not G-d ignoring us, but G-d watching us closer than ever.  And sometimes we are just hard of hearing:  G-d does answer us but we just don’t like the answer, because His answer is “No!”-- What kind of person will you be when G-d says “No”?

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In this week’s Torah reading, Chukat, we read that G-d was so angry at Moses for hitting the rock twice to bring forth water, instead of SPEAKING to it as he was instructed to do, that Moses was prevented from entering the Promised Land.  Why was G-d so mad? Because, a man of Moses’ holy stature had no right to display such anger and impatience  while waiting for the rock to give forth water after initially just speaking to it, even if (or especially if) the people taunted him. We must never take even the small tests for granted. For it was not a Pharaoh, nor his breaking of the stones upon which the Ten Commandments were engraved, nor was it his initial reluctance to take the job which prevented Moses from entering the Land. It was a rock. How will you behave when you're caught between a rock and hard place?

But be assured that the truth is G-d doesn’t really laugh when meritorious plans go awry, He cries and He goes down into the darkness with us when we spiritually stumble and fall. Unfortunately we recurrently fail to learn that if we won’t fall on our knees in His worship, He will bring us to our knees in other more bruising ways.

Friends, how we behave while we are "waiting" says a lot about us,  even if we wait a lifetime. Let's not behave as small-minded sojourners who look to their feet and the stumbling stones as determinants; but rather  be  a mighty expeditioner who turns to the Heavens for guidance and to the Torah to chart the course. Travel through  hardships and disappointments with faith, dignity, courage and morality. Yes, my friends, the expanse we transverse to get from here to there is holy ground. So remove your muddy squawking shoes from thine feet and henceforth ennoble your gait. Walk like a conqueror who triumphs over the moments with light and illuminates the ground beneath him and the world around him. And G-d said, “Let there be light, and there was light!”

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Shabbat Shalom!

 

If Looks Could Kill--Or Do They?

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" Jealousy, lust and the [pursuit of] honor remove a person from the world.” (Pirkei Avot 4:21)

I would imagine that the best way to know if you are getting an evil eye is to walk around with a big mirror and flash it before everyone you meet. If people start dropping dead like flies around you, there’s a good chance they’d wished you bad. Ah, but if only it were so easy to ward of all those ill-intentioned people who seem to be subverting our good luck. And so, instead, we walk around with red strings, hamsas, little plastic eyeballs and all sorts of idolatrous amulets meant to keep the demons from our door.

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But are soft little eyeballs really something to fear? Well, the Talmud teaches that a person can cause damage just by looking at another's property. It also says that 99 out of 100 people die prematurely from the evil eye. Basically, it means the graveyards are filled with those who were victims of envy. But what did the ancient rabbis know? Right? Weren’t they just as susceptible as everyone else to myth and wives’ tales? But then quantum physics came along and taught us that observation affects reality. The mere act of looking at and sizing up a particle changes it.  That certainly offers us something to think about.

Today it’s easier than ever to be jealous and to give evil eyes. All we have to do is spend an hour on Facebook to eat our hearts out reading people’s status updates. But those who cast evil eyes are not immune from backlash themselves; for the sages also teach that the act of giving an evil eye also takes a person out of this world early. The dispenser of poison is not immune to the poison it dishes out. No person is impervious to a daily diet of dioxin. And forgive me for having the temerity to offer up my opinion in the shadow of the great Talmudic rabbis, but I say giving an evil eye also makes one so darn ugly. Jealousy hangs on one’s face like a dreadful accessory that just does not match any decent outfit. 

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Jealousy/coveting never ends well. In fact, the Talmud teaches that anyone who places his eyes on that which is not his is not given what he desires and loses what he has, as we can see in this week’s Torah reading. Korach, after whom the parashah is titled, was Moses’ cousin as well as being extremely rich. He had 300 mules just to carry the keys to his treasures. But why should that be enough? He still envied Moses and Aharon and struck up a rebellion. The earth-shattering results from such mutiny were unprecedented: the earth itself opened and swallowed him up along with those who supported him.

It was not the first case of jealousy gone wrong nor the last: The rabbis teach that upon creation, the moon was envious of the sun and questioned why the sky needed two great luminaries, and so G-d diminished the light of the moon; Cain envied Abel’s sacrifice to G-d and as a result he was cursed by G-d; the primordial snake which once talked and walked, envied Adam’s relationship with Eve, with the result that G-d punished him and made him crawl the earth, eat dirt and caused hatred between him and the woman; And make no mistake about it, the moon, Cain, the snake and Korach each had tremendous potential and talents and each had great destinies of their own if they would have been busy being the best versions of themselves instead of trying to be someone else.  

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We are so busy with identity theft in the sense that we want to live the lives of others, look like another, walk and talk like them, dress like them, spend like them, that we become impostors, when our real very special selves are being smothered to death. In effect, we are really committing suicide and like aliens assuming others' identities. But make no mistake about it. We will always be the cheap wannabee knock off. All the while we feign living their life, thinking we’re living the “high life,” when in fact we are just a “lowlife”; for coveting is the biggest sin of all the Ten Commandments because it leads to the violation of all the others. If you envy you will eventually lie, cheat, steal, kill, betray, etc.

So, what is the remedy?

🐟Firstly, you can avoid looking like Cruella if you acknowledge and have faith that every person has exactly what G-d wants him to have, not one hair less or more. He knows what’s best for each of us and tests us each in a unique way.

🐟Secondly, try being happy for people when things go well for them. Instead of being like the people of Sodom, a society which begrudged each other the very air they breathed—be magnanimous. The Sodomites were consumed by their burning envy and it is no wonder that they were destroyed by sulfuric fire. In fact, we are instructed to pray for the needs of others before our own needs. Such beneficence toward others inspires Divine benevolence toward us.

🐟Thirdly, be like a fish. In the Talmud it says that fish are resistant of the evil eye because they are under the water—what is hidden is impervious to ill-wishers. What is hidden has a chance to be blessed like a seed that grows beneath the earth. The philosophy of “when you got it, flaunt it” may not be so cost efficient when it all adds up. Drape yourself in modesty and humility so that you don’t have to accoutre yourself with 100 pounds of ridiculous amulets to ward off ill wishes.

🐟Fourthly, as they say, "Be careful what you wish for." Not all things are as they appear. You covet your neighbor because your view is framed by ignorance. Know his full lot, understand his full package and you may soon find yourself pitying your neighbor instead.

🐟And finally, the best counter to all evil is keeping the commandments, doing good deeds, giving charity and studying the Torah.

Just put your ear to YOUR own life and hear your own calling.  Keep in mind that upon judgment day we will not be asked why we weren’t as good others but rather we will be asked, “Why weren’t you as good as YOU could have been?” Enough with jealousy and identity theft! Be the best version of YOU!  It will be pretty sad on Judgement Day when your own life story will be played before your eyes and you are not even in it and are costumed as someone else.

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