Angel for Shabbat

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.

This has been a very difficult time for us as Americans and as Jews. Anti-American and anti-Israel attitudes are sources of great distress and sadness. How frustrating it is that these two nations, representatives of the highest humanitarian ideals, should be the victims of such deep, irrational hatred.

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.

A recent scandal in our community relates to an article written by a student in an Orthodox women’s college, published in a school publication. The author of the article tells of a sexual encounter—real or imagined. Defenders of the article argue for the right of freedom of expression. Critics complain that the article (published anonymously) reflects immoral behavior and should not have been included in a student publication of an Orthodox school. The media have enjoyed reporting on this incident, as they enjoy reporting on scandals in general.

Why would a student write such an article? Why would the editors of the publication agree to publish it?

Thanks to Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams, the Egyptians were spared a terrible calamity. Joseph offered a plan whereby the Egyptians could store produce of the seven years of abundance, so that they would have food during the following seven years of famine.

What if Joseph had not been there to give this advice? Presumably, the Egyptians would have fully enjoyed the seven years of abundance, thinking that prosperity would never end. When the famine would then arrive, the people would have been unprepared for the economic downturn. They would soon have run out of food and would have suffered years of starvation.

In their fascinating book, “American Grace,” Professors David Campbell and Robert Putnam report on the state of religion in America. Based on comprehensive surveys and interviews across the country, they found that the overwhelming majority of Americans believe in God and identify themselves with a religious tradition. For religious Americans, this is pleasing news.

The great 19th-century English writer and art critic, John Ruskin, wrote an impressive work on gothic architecture. In carefully studying the details of classic gothic-style churches, he noticed a phenomenon of the deepest religious significance.

Rabbi Yitzhak Shemuel Reggio, a 19th century Italian Torah commentator, offers an interesting insight concerning the plague of darkness. The Torah states that Egyptians spent three days in deep darkness while “all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.”

Rabbi Reggio opines that the plague of darkness did not befall the land of Egypt—but rather the eyes of the Egyptians. Egypt itself was full of light; but while the Israelites continued to enjoy that light, the eyes of the Egyptians were blanketed in darkness. If an Egyptian stood right next to an Israelite, the Egyptian would be unable to see--but the Israelite would see clearly.

A major theme in Jewish liturgy and religious observance is “zekher litsiyat mitsrayim”—in remembrance of the exodus from Egypt. The exodus was a central event that has profoundly impacted on the destiny of Israel. It ties together vital ideas: the providence of God; the election and nationhood of Israel; the victory of good over evil; the importance of prayer and song in expressing gratitude to the Almighty.

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.