National polls conducted by the Gallup Organization report that, of all religious groupings in the United States, Jews are least likely to attend public worship at least once a week. The only group scoring lower than Jews consists of atheists, agnostics or those with no religious affiliation!

Less than 15 percent of the Jewish community attends synagogue services weekly. When the Gallup poll is adjusted to exclude Orthodox Jews who attend synagogue more regularly, it turns out that less than 5 percent of all other Jews attend weekly synagogue services.

How many times has this happened to you? You’ve gone out of your way to help someone. You’ve spent time and energy, and possibly even incurred financial expense. Yet, once the person has benefitted from your kindness, he/she doesn’t bother to show appreciation, not even to say a sincere thank you.

I call this the “paper towel syndrome.” People use you like a paper towel, and then toss you out without a second thought. They’ve gotten what they needed out of you, and then they move right along with their lives as though they had always been entitled to your acts of kindness.

At a recent lunch meeting with friends, we were discussing the ugliness and lack of civility which too frequently characterize blog sites and online comments.  Modern technology makes it quite easy for people to post hostile remarks against those with whom they disagree. These ad hominem attacks gain lives of their own, being forwarded to readers who then forward them to others etc.  In a matter of a few seconds, people can spread “lashon hara” to a wide audience.

The Sages of Talmudic times often expressed profound ideas in terse, enigmatic statements. An example of this is found in the Midrashic comment: “The world was created in the merit of three things: in the merit of [the mitzvoth of] Hallah, tithes, and first fruits” (Yalkut Shimoni, Bereishith 1:2). If we were to speculate as to which mitzvoth were absolutely vital to the creation, we might have chosen other—seemingly more important—commandments: e.g. the Sabbath, the laws of holiness, the sanctification of One God etc.

 This week’s Torah portion includes the instruction that we do that “which is right and good in the sight of the Lord” (Devarim 6:18).  Rabbinic tradition has understood this phrase to mean that we are required not merely to follow the letter of the law (that which is right), but to be compassionate beyond what the exact law demands (that which is good).  If we can conduct ourselves on this level of righteousness, we can live better lives for ourselves and can impact on the improvement of society.

The people of Israel witnessed the singular Revelation of God at Mount Sinai, an experience that was to change the course of history. No other people before or since has had such a direct public communication from God.

I have been reading a new book by Israeli Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Daniel Kahneman, “Thinking, Fast and Slow” (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, New York, 2011). On p. 47, he cites a fascinating psychological experiment conducted some years ago by Walter Mischel and his students.

In this week’s Torah portion, we read of the tragic deaths of two of Aaron’s sons. When he learned the sad news, “Aaron was silent,” vayidom Aharon. Commentators have offered various explanations of Aaron’s silence. He may have been speechless due to shock; he may have had angry thoughts in his heart, but he controlled himself from uttering them; he may have been silent as a sign of acceptance of God’s judgment.

Within biblical tradition, there are a number of phrases relating to confrontation with tragedy.

“Min haMetsar Karati Y-ah,” I call out to God from distress. When in pain, it is natural to cry out to God, to shed tears, to lament our sufferings and our losses. To cry out when we are in distress is a first step in the grieving process.

Shalom uvrakha, and best wishes for a happy Pessah.
Here are a few items that may be of interest to you:

1. We are now accepting applications from those who wish to serve as Campus Fellows during the coming academic year. Campus Fellows receive a stipend of $300 per semester, plus some funding toward event expenses. Campus Fellows arrange two events per semester, dealing with topics of interest to those seeking an intellectually vibrant, compassionate and inclusive Orthodox Judaism. If you'd like to apply, please email Raif Melhado for details: [email protected] Deadline for applications is May 15, so please contact Raif asap.