This week’s Torah portion offers a detailed description of the travels of the Israelites during their forty year sojourn in the wilderness. It lists the name of each stop on their route from Egypt on their way to the Promised Land.
My wife and I recently traveled to Seattle where I had the honor of speaking at Congregation Ezra Bessaroth—the congregation in which I was born and raised. It was a special experience for us to re-connect with so many family and friends in that very warm community.
One of the highlights of the flight to Seattle is viewing the majestic Mount Rainier as the plane approaches the city. The snow covered mountain is one of the awe-inspiring phenomena of nature. From the plane, we could not only see Mount Rainier but also could look southward to view Mount Saint Helens and Mount Hood. What a tremendous experience! Oh Lord, how glorious are Your works!
A Judeo-Spanish proverb advises: Va ande te llaman y no ande te queren. Go where you are invited, not where you are (or think you are) wanted. Wait for a formal invitation; do not assume that you are welcome unless you are invited. If one shows up without having been invited, this creates an unpleasant social situation that is embarrassing to host and guest alike.
This proverb reflects a sense of propriety and respectfulness. A person should not impose him/herself on others. Likewise, a person who wants someone present should take the trouble to actually invite him/her. Just as one should not assume he/she is invited, so the host should not assume that the person will attend without an invitation.
This week’s Torah portion commands us emphatically: “You shall not pervert the justice due to the stranger” (Devarim 24:17). Rabbinic tradition has understood the word “stranger” (ger) to refer to proselytes…those who convert to Judaism. Indeed, the Talmud teaches that anyone who oppresses the proselyte thereby transgresses 36 (some say 46) commandments. There is no other commandment repeated so often in the Torah.
Here are a few recent news items: (Please have your aspirins ready!)
A former Prime Minister of Israel was sentenced to a prison term for illegal business dealings.
An Israeli man was arrested for trying to export jet parts to Iran.
An Orthodox head of a Jewish charity agency in New York was arrested and pleaded guilty to embezzling millions of dollars.
An Orthodox rabbi and three accomplices, who were ostensibly raising funds for a school for disadvantaged children in Brooklyn, were arrested for embezzling millions of dollars.
All of these people are well educated. They all know right from wrong. They all know that their deeds were illegal and immoral. Yet, they went right ahead and committed crimes.
Why?
A story is told about a famous musician who was to perform a violin concert. The orchestra began the program, but just as the musician put his bow to the violin one of the four strings snapped with a loud pop. The audience gasped. The conductor stopped the orchestra.
The violinist immediately signaled the conductor and orchestra to continue with the program. He played the entire concert with a violin of three strings…and he played masterfully. He was able to improvise and compensate so that the missing string was not noticed. At the conclusion of the performance, the audience gave an enthusiastic standing ovation. Everyone was amazed.
Ancient Greek legend tells of Antaeus, a giant wrestler of incredible strength. He challenged anyone who passed his way to a wrestling match, and he invariably destroyed his opponents. But then Antaeus met a foe that he could not defeat: Hercules.
How did Hercules vanquish Antaeus? Hercules lifted Antaeus off the ground! As long as Antaeus stood firmly on earth, he was unconquerable; but once he was uprooted, his strength left him. Hercules was victorious because he understood that a rootless Antaeus would be sapped of power, unable to stand against the strength of Hercules.
This legend points to an important lesson: people who are well grounded are able to withstand opponents; people who lose their footing, who become rootless, are sapped of power.
Shalom uvrakha, I hope your academic year is off to a good start. I wish you all the best for the New Year.
Here are a few items for your attention:
YOUR MAILING ADDRESS: Please be sure that we have your correct mailing address. If you've moved, please let us know your new address. We mail you copies of our journal, Conversations, as well as other periodic mailings, and we want to be sure they reach you. You can check and update your data at jewishideas.org
Shalom uvrakha. I hope the academic year is going well for you.
Here are a few items of interest to members of the University Network of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals.
CAMPUS FELLOWS PROGRAM
The Institute sponsors Campus Fellows on campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Campus Fellows receive a modest stipend to arrange several programs per semester. The goal is to create an environment for serious study, open and honest discussion in the spirit of an intellectually vibrant, compassionate and inclusive Orthodox Judaism.
When we pray for blessings on ourselves and our families, do we really know if we are asking for the right things?
Sometimes, we may think we very much need a certain blessing—but ultimately, what we think we want actually turns out to be detrimental to us. A short-term “blessing” may indeed be the recipe for a long-term “curse.”
Or, what we may think is very bad for us actually turns out to be a blessing. At first, we think we’ve suffered a terrible setback or defeat; but in the long run, this “defeat” turns out to be a great blessing for us. It offers us an opportunity and impetus to move in new directions, to discover new strengths.