Monthly Update Telling Tales Torah Readings Dates to Remember
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by Rabbi E. Tauger The Month of Redemption From the redemption of our people from Egypt onward, Nissan has been known as "the month of redemption." A question, however, arises: Nissan always follows Adar - and in years like this, two Adars. Now Adar is a month associated with happiness, health, and good fortune. Why does redemption come after this month? Seemingly, it would be appropriate for the message of redemption to be proclaimed after times of darkness and difficulty. Why does it follow a month associated with goodness and well -being? It is, however, precisely such a pattern that tunes us in to what redemption is really about. Redemption is important not only when you're down and out and you think no one else but G-d can save you. On the contrary, in such a situation, you don't need redemption, you need a friend, a few dollars, a complete and speedy recovery, or some other material entity. It's when things are going well and you have what you need in both a material and a spiritual sense that redemption can be appreciated for what it truly is. In the Sequence of History These concepts apply, not only with regard to the sequence of the months, but with regard to the spiritual history of our people. Many sought for the redemption in the twilight. Look at the chronicles of our national past. In the time of the Roman persecution, the Spanish Inquisition, the Chelminitzki massacres, and the Holocaust, our people groaned for redemption. In times like the present, when the Jewish people by and large enjoy prosperity, security, and happiness, why do we need Mashiach? We are living well; we are studying the Torah and observing the mitzvos. What will Mashiach add? When Everything You Have Is Not Enough When it comes to material things, we don't say that what we have is enough. People can understand the myopia of such an approach. First of all, even from a purely physical perspective, it takes the silver lining away from the future. The convenience and affluence we have today - and I mean your common everyday people, not only the wealthy - surpasses that which the magnates of the past century and perhaps even the past generation enjoyed. And the rate of change is increasing, making what are luxuries today, common place and taken for granted tomorrow. So the future will be better, much better. But that is only one and indeed, the most minimal dimension of this near-sightedness. Man wants more than the material in his life. It is not coincidental that precisely in eras like our own when we enjoy prosperity, there is a search for the spiritual. Man does not live by bread alone. He seeks something greater than bodily satisfaction. It's true, he needs bread. And when we are beset by hunger and difficulty, it's hard to see anything else but the immediate. But as our immediate difficulties are met, we yearn for something more. It is no wonder that the search for spirituality and the reawakening of religious identification are major trends in contemporary Western society. Having achieved prosperity in a material sense, people are realizing the limits of what material prosperity can give them. They appreciate that they have to look for something beyond the physical. They understand that they have to look inside themselves and within the inner dimension of every experience they encounter. Spiritual Limits But even a person who understands the importance of spiritual awareness can and must appreciate the need for redemption. We are not speaking of those who delude themselves into thinking that they are seeking the spiritual but in fact are just looking for a different flavor of material things. Even a person who is involved in a genuine spiritual quest, who realizes that he or she must work and make sacrifices, and through his\her efforts has achieved a certain aspect of spiritual awareness, has a limited grasp and it is through redemption that he\she will attain true fulfillment. The very nature of our existence circumscribes our spiritual experience. At present, spirituality comes second; it is not our ordinary perception. When we get up in the morning, we feel our physical selves; it is our basic material needs and concerns that we become conscious of. This continues throughout the day. What affects us powerfully and what motivates us are physical things. Any spiritual thoughts and feelings that we have are ancillary. They don't hit home as forcefully as something physical. This isn't our fault. It is a result of the spiritual gestalt that governs our world which the Kabbalists call tzimtzum. As the Ari zal, one of Judaism's greatest mystic luminaries explains, what this means is that G-dliness is the truth of all existence. And yet were He to shine freely as He is, there would be no place for any other existence. Therefore to allow for other entities to exist, it is necessary for Him to withdraw Himself, as it were. Then, in the absence of His revealed presence, other entities can exist. As a consequence, they do not feel Him as He exists for Himself, for were they to do so, they would cease to exist. Any perception of spirituality they have is merely a ray and glimmer. This is the nature of our physical world, and this is why our physical world needs redemption. For whatever awareness of G-d we may achieve pales in relation to who He really is. All Flesh Will See This will change in the era of the Redemption. At that time, "the glory of G-d will be revealed and all flesh will see..." "I will pour out My spirit over all flesh...." Our perception of G-dliness will not come through work and effort, but naturally. We will readily appreciate that He is the truth of all existence. For that reason, whatever we have today - physical or spiritual - should not satisfy us. Though we have plenty and should feel gratitude for the blessings G-d has given us, this should not restrict our horizons. On the contrary, knowing that the future holds so much more prevents us from feeling content with what we have. On the other hand, this awareness should spur us to appreciate the depth, meaning, and purpose of everything that happens to us at present. For it is by conducting our lives today in anticipation of the Redemption that we prepare ourselves and the world for the era of Mashiach. When we realize that the true purpose of our world is spiritual and that is the core of all existence, that nudges this truth closer to revelation. As we live our lives in this realization, it will be extended to the settings in which we dwell and the people whom we meet. As this understanding spreads and more and more people join in it, the motif of spiritual concealment that prevails will change. For once man has appreciated G-dliness within hiddenness, He will make His presence known openly, without any veils.
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One year, on the eve of the first Pesach Seder, the Rabbi of Berdichev delayed the start of the Seder and asked his attendant to procure some tobacco. "Tobacco?" the attendant protested. "It's illegal." "Please get me some," the Rebbe said. The attendant proceeded into town. He knocked on the door of a family. "The Rebbe asked for tobacco," he explained when the man came to the door. The man replied, "I don't have any, don't you know that it's illegal?" "The Rebbe asked for it," the attendant responded. And furtively, the man went upstairs and produced the desired leaves. When the attendant brought them to the Rebbe, he asked for more, and again the story repeated itself. The people protested: "Don't you know that I can get thrown in jail for possession?", but after several requests, they opened their stashes and gave some for the Rebbe. After the attendant had brought him a rather large quantity of tobacco, the Rebbe asked his attendant to get him some bread. Again, the attendant went from home to home. This time, however, the reply was different: "Bread, G-d forbid!" No matter how much the attendant asked the reply was always the same. Empty-handed, he returned to the Rebbe. The Rebbe was elated. Holding his hands up high, he declared, "Master of the Universe, the Czar forbids the importing of this tobacco. He has soldiers and policemen to help enforce this law. But, yet there is tobacco everywhere; some in every home." "Master of the Universe, three thousand years ago, You commanded Your children not to bring bread into the house on Pesach. You have no soldiers or policemen, yet there is no bread to be found in all of Berdichev. Truly, Your children ARE special!" |
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Parshas Tazria This Torah reading begins with the commandment of circumcision. Now we all know that circumcision is "the covenant of Abraham," as told in he Torah portion of Lech Lecha, and our observance of this mitzvah stems from his fulfillment of G-d's command. Why then is it necessary to repeat the command in this Torah reading? Implied is a fundamental concept. Abraham observed the mitzvos on his own free will. It was not until the Giving of the Torah that the mitzvos became obligations incumbent on the Jewish people. For that reason, all of the mitzvos stated before the Giving of the Torah were repeated afterwards. For they had to be given again as "commandments." What is the advantage of fulfilling a commandment as opposed to acting voluntarily? Mitzvah, the Hebrew term for commandment, relates to the word tzavta, meaning "bond" or "connection." Every mitzvah establishes a bond with G-d, enabling us to relate to Him on His terms, not on ours. Parshas Metzora This Torah reading focuses on the concept of ritual purity and impurity. Our Rabbis explain the distinction between the logical prohibitions-Mishpatim and the laws of impurity as follows: Logical prohibitions-Mishpatim guard against evil that our minds and hearts can relate to. The laws of purity, by contrast, protect against a dimension of evil which we cannot comprehend. As the Midrash states: "It is a statute which I (G-d) ordained, a decree that I instituted." Although the evil associated with a Mishpat can be understood more readily, there is a more severe dimension associated with impurity. For since the evil associated with impurity is not easily discerned, it is much more difficult to guard against and to eradicate. Casually coming into contact with an impure substance can change an individual's personal state and prevent him from entering the Temple or touching substances that are characterized as holy. Moreover, just as ritual purity is a quality which cannot be grasped by our mortal intellect, it effects the levels of our souls that transcend reason and understanding. It has an effect on the dimensions of our being that are connected to G-d above the level of logical thought. Parshas Acharei This Torah reading describes the sacrificial service of Yom Kippur. The fact that it is called Acharei, meaning "after," is also significant. Everyone feels inspired on Yom Kippur. What's important is acherei, what happens afterwards. Are we able to sustain the spiritual peaks experienced on that day and translate them into consistent Divine service in the days that follow? |
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Nissan 2 - the yahrzeit of the Rebbe Rashab, Rabbi Sholom Dovber of Lubavitch Nissan 11 - the Rebbe's birthday Nissan 13 - the yahrzeit of the Tzemach Tzedek, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch Nissan 14 - the birthday of the Rambam Nissan 18 - the birthday of the Rebbe's father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson
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