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by Rabbi E. Tauger
Cheshvan
The Month We Pray
for Rain
The month of Cheshvan is distinguished by the fact
that in Eretz Yisrael, it is the beginning of the rainy season. For that
reason, the Rabbinic literature concerning the month focuses on rain and
the prayers to be recited if it is withheld.
Eretz Yisrael has no rivers of any substance and all the water necessary
for human consumption, livestock, and agriculture must come from above.
And so our Sages ask: Why is the land's water supply dependent on rainfall?
They explain that naturally, looking upward for rain helps a person realize
that nature is dependent on G-d, that nothing happens by itself without
His control.
What Success Depends On
This is true, not only of rain, but of all material
success. As it is written: "And G-d will bless you in all that you
do." Implied is that you must do, we cannot sit waiting for manna
to come down from heaven. But even when we work, performing professional
and commercial activities to earn our livelihood, we are existing on "manna
from heaven," i.e., it is G-d's blessings and not our own efforts
that are the source of our success and well-being. This is clearly apparent
in our everyday lives. So frequently we will see two people equally gifted
and equally applying themselves. One finds success and the other doesn't.
Why? Because G-d's providence - and not their own endeavors - is the true
source of their fortune.
Unquestionably, G-d's providence requires mediums. As said above, a person
must work, but the mediums are merely pathways for His blessings; they
are not the source of success. And for that reason, it's so important
to look upward, to continually realize that the blessings we are being
given come from G-d.
Functioning as a Trustee
The concept has a deeper dimension. Noticing the
similarity between the roots of the Hebrew terms MAASER, "tithe,"
and OSHER, "wealth." Our Sages teach: "Tithe in order to
become wealthy." Many understand this teaching in a very simple way.
"If I give others, G-d will give me." Indeed, our Sages promise
that a person can test G-d in this regard. Let him tithe and then watch
and see whether in fact G-d will give him blessings or not. And as many
who have followed this course of action will testify, it works. Through
giving, one receives.
But one shouldn't get so caught up in receiving, so that the entire purpose
of giving becomes to receive. Instead, one should appreciate the inner
dynamic involved. G-d gives a person blessing so that he can spread blessing
in the world at large. He has been given his wealth - and his intellect
and other abilities - to use them to spread good. The person should take
himself out of the picture entirely, seeing himself as no more than a
channel through which G-d's influence can be spread. When a person realizes
this concept and dedicates himself to this purpose, G-d allows greater
good to flow through that channel. As a result, the person also becomes
wealthier. But at this level of service, he is not concerned with his
own wealth, he is concerned with his mission and purpose.
Why a Person Becomes Wealthy
Indeed, giving lies at the very heart of the dynamic
of wealth. Why does one person give another money? Because he receives
something in return, something which is more valuable to him than the
money he paid for it. So who is a wealthy man? Someone who can give people
something that they consider valuable, so valuable that he becomes rich
from what they gave him.
A businessman looks at his client and sees what he can sell him. But what
is really happening is that the seller is considering the buyer's needs,
focusing on them and straining his creativity and his efforts to produce
an article that benefits the purchaser enough that he is willing to pay
for it.
Now it's true, there are con-artists who exploit others and deceive them
into thinking that they are receiving something valuable when they are
not. And there are ideological con-artists who sell people a way of life
and a system of values which make them think that some undesirable behaviors
are valuable. Nevertheless, by and large, and particularly when time is
factored in, the truth remains: Why are people wealthy? Because they have
contributed something to society. Because through their intellect and
efforts, they have given people at large good things of genuine value
which they would not have had otherwise. The rich man is a trustee, employing
the gifts that G-d gave him to make the world better. And in a very direct
way, this makes his own life better.
Down the Path of History
These concepts are not merely theories. They chronicle
the history of the multiplication of wealth in the world. The industrial
revolution altered the predatory mode of life that had prevailed for centuries
and spawned an economic system that gave men a way of producing wealth
in which the good fortune of others increased their own. For the first
time, man challenged the fundamental conception that the pie is small,
and when a piece is given to somebody else, your own share is less. Instead,
through collaboration and the division of labor, it became evident that
when society as a whole grew and profited, the share of every individual
increased.
This motif has been expanded and enhanced as the industrial society gave
way to the information and post-information societies. This approach has
led to a "virtuous cycle" of continued and growing prosperity,
benefiting all members of society. We have discovered that the pie is
ever-expanding and the people who receive the largest pieces are the ones
who enable people to partake of it.
With Eyes on the Horizon
Such a motif is a foretaste of the ultimate prosperity
that will characterize the era of the Redemption when "Good things
will flow in abundance and all the delights will be as freely available
as dust." "In that era, there will be... neither envy nor competition."
Mankind will appreciate the ultimate goodness with which G-d endowed the
world, for "all the delights will be as freely available as dust,"
as Maimonides writes.
The simile teaches an important concept: Just as no one hoards or lusts
after dust, no one will be overcome by the desire for wealth in the era
of the Redemption. On the contrary, the prosperity will be so great, there
will be no need to hoard. Instead, all of man's efforts will be focused
on the spiritual, on the endeavor to know G-d.
These are not, however, mere prophesies of the future. Instead, they are
blueprints to guide us in living our lives at present. And by anticipating
the ideals and values of the era of the Redemption in our contemporary
experience, we can precipitate the time when they become a top-to-bottom
reality in the world at large.
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Telling
Tales
In connection with the birthday of
the Rebbe Rashab, we would like to share two stories of his childhood.
Once while visiting his grandfather, the Tzemach
Tzedek, the Rebbe Rashab heard him sigh deeply. "Why are you sighing?"
the boy asked.
"Look how many people are waiting to see me. It's a tremendous burden,"
his grandfather answered. And the dialogue continued:
"G-d has more people to deal with and He does not sigh."
"How can you compare me to G-d? G-d has the Torah."
"You also possess Torah."
"I don't possess the Torah."
"If you don't possess any Torah, tell that to the people and they
will all go away."
Impressed with the child's response, the Tzemach Tzedek instructed the
boy's parents to pay careful attention to his upbringing.
Once the Rebbe Rashab and his brother Raza decide
to play act Rebbe and chassid. Since Raza was older, he played Rebbe and
the Rashab played chassid. The Rashab told his brother about a fault in
his conduct and asked for advice on how to correct it. Raza listened and
gave him what he thought was a proper reply.
Now the boy's mother was watching. A few days later, she saw that the
Rashab had ignored his brother's counsel. "Why don't you listen to
your brother?", she asked him.
"He'll never be a Rebbe," the Rashab replied and proceeded to
explain. "When he heard my problem, he thought and gave me a reply.
A Rebbe doesn't do that. A Rebbe first looks at the difficulty from the
questioner's standpoint and sighs. Only then, does he give an answer.
And the sigh helps more than the answer."
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Torah
readings of the month
Parshas Noach
The beginning of this week's Torah
reading relates how G-d tells Noach that because he was righteous, he
and his family would be saved. Although all mankind would be annihilated
in a terrible flood, Noach and his families would be saved.
For that purpose, Noach built the ark and when the rains came, he and
his family entered. But theirs was far from a pleasure cruise. For together
with Noach and his families were gathered into the ark pairs of all the
non-kosher animals and 7 pairs of all the kosher animals.
What did Noach do for the entire time he was in the ark? He brought food
for the animals, cleaned their stalls, and took care of their needs. The
animals were not particularly appreciative. Our Sages relate that once
when Noach delayed bringing food to the lion, that beast took a swipe
at him and wounded him. Is this a befitting reward for a person whom G-d
told that he was righteous?
Herein lies a fundamental lesson. No person exists for himself. Judaism's
ideal is not a world where "the righteous sit crowned with their
knowledge." That is a description of the world-to-come, the afterlife
where the souls bask in Divine light. But until a person reaches that
state, he must work, creating an environment that fits G-d's purpose.
Parshas Lech Lecha
This week's Torah portion is named
Lech Lecha, recalling G-d's first command to Abraham. Lech means "go."
G-d was telling him to leave his native land and his father's household,
to emerge from the cocoon of protected existence and set out on his own
path in the world.
Our Rabbis interpret the second word Lecha as meaning "for yourself."
Rashi explains that setting out on such a journey is fraught with danger
and there was a possibility that Abraham would lose everything which he
had. Therefore G-d promised him that the journey would be to his benefit.
His wealth, his family, and his reputation would increase.
R. Moshe Alshich offers a deeper interpretation. Lecha means "to
yourself." By journeying throughout the world, Abraham was setting
out on a path of self-discovery. The purpose of his journey to Eretz Yisrael,
his descent to Egypt, his return to the land, and all his wanderings were
to enable him to understand his own identity and express his positive
qualities in his surrounding environment.
Abraham's story is not merely a page from a history book. Just as G-d
commanded and guided Abraham on a journey to his true self; so, too, with
loving patience, He guides each one of us on our own journey through life.
Through a web of interlocking designs, He directs us all to a common intent
- that we each reveal to ourselves and to others the unique G-dly potentials
that we have been granted.
Parshas VaYeira
This week's Torah reading relates
that Abraham established an inn for guests, there he "called upon
the name of the eternal G-d." Our Rabbis interpret this phrase, explaining
that the intent is not that only Abraham himself called to G-d, but rather
that he motivated others to proclaim G-dliness.
The Hebrew term translated as "the eternal G-d," KEL OLAM has
also attracted the attention of the commentaries. KEL OLAM , would mean
"G-d of the world," i.e., there is a G-d and there is a world,
and even the world recognizes that G-d is Almighty and in control.
HEBREW KEL OLAM represents a different and deeper insight. There is no
distinguishing between G-d and the world; everything is an expression
of G-dliness. This is the intent of the phrase "G-d is one"
in the Shema. Not only that there is only one G-d, but that everything
in the world is at one with Him.
Parshas Chayei Sarah
This week's Torah reading chronicles
a unique historical event: the purchase of the Cave of Machpela. Although
G-d had promised to give Avraham Eretz Yisrael many years beforehand,
this is the first time a portion of the land became the undisputed property
of the Jewish people.
Hearing this Torah reading should reinforce the conviction that each one
of us share: Eretz Yisrael is our land. Especially in the present age
when G-d has given us back the land with miracles and wonders, we should
cherish His gift and not think of giving up portions of our national heritage.
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