Bulletin05.07.2011 - Emor

Continued from p. 2
Inspiration, Insights & Ideas
Bringing Torah lessons to LIFE!
Thoughts on the Parsha from Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar
physicians to save lives and limb in China and Haiti, where they
become the most proficient and efficient hospital, servicing the
indigenous population. The director of the program
commented that though the cultural, behavioral and religious
differences etc. caused an initial sense of suspicion and
distance, it quickly dissipated by the good that the Israeli team
brought.
We could point to countless examples in the millennia of
history when the standards to which the Jews were held were
180° different than the rest of society.
The reality and truth is that we are different. What makes us
different? We have the same blood types and body parts of
most homosapiens. When one receives an organ transplant or
a blood transfusion it matters not whether it comes from a Jew
or a non-Jew. We all look, walk, work, eat the same, and are part
of a common humanity. Yet we stand out as having been
chosen by G-d.
It is important to understand and recognize what makes us
different so we can strengthen those ingredients to gain the
maximum benefit of our being unique and chosen. As we look
at the general population vis á vis the Jewish population, we
find that there are two fundamental elements that make us
different than any other nation. Torah and Mitzvos.
The Torah, also known as the Bible, is more than a holy book.
Even the most just and moral nations of the world who accept
the Bible with its 24 books do not live by what it states in that
Bible, for whatever reason. For the Jewish People, the Bible is
completely different. Together with clear directives and
implications, it contains an endless reservoir of oral
interpretation and tradition articulating instruction for every
aspect of life with wondrous relevance to our life and time.
Since G-d used the Torah as a blueprint to create the world, we
study that blueprint to know how to sustain and maintain the
world and fulfill its purpose.
Our rabbis tell us to believe that there is wisdom among the
nations, but not Torah. Great secular leaders of all generations
already recognized the extraordinary quality of Torah and its
impact in molding the special uniqueness of the Jewish people.
They attribute to the study of Torah the honing of minds,
adding dimension to their perspectives, opening subconscious
levels of understanding and connecting to a higher level
wisdom. King Ptolemy commissioned 70 Torah scholars to
translate the Torah into Greek because he wanted to tap into
the power of the Jewish People.
Today in South Korea, families of the intelligentsia and upper
middle class have taken to study the Talmud which they have
translated into Korean because they want to utilize the same
mechanisms that the Jews have in order to create that brilliance
and outstanding capacity that the Jewish people have shown,
even in secular human applications.
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That’s the first thing that makes us different: the Torah.
The other aspect that distinguishes the Jewish people from the
nations of the world, is Mitzvos, the 613 precepts that G-d
commanded us (248 positive commandments - things that we
should do, and 365 prohibitions - things that we are not
supposed to do). Some mitzvos cannot be fulfilled today as the
physical elements that are required for their performance are
not extant, i.e. the Holy Temple. The multitude of Mitzvos
(Divine laws) pertain to every aspect of our lives. Only the
Jewish people have specific Divine direction for everything they
do, from waking up, washing, dressing, eating, studying,
working, relationships or business dealings. We are directed
how to tie our shoes, how to wash, what to wear, what not to
wear, what to eat, how to eat, making proper blessings before
and after eating, how to conduct business ethically as dictated
by the Torah and give charity from our earnings, and how to
have healthy and positive relationships with our spouses,
children, parents, siblings, relatives, friends, neighbors,
community and society.
Those are the 2 fundamental elements that make us different.
These are not theoretical and philosophical concepts that
address theology or scholarship but applicable practical paths
for life.
I am puzzled that when realizing and bearing the consequences
of being different, including the double standards that are
applied to us because we are Jews, the negative feelings that
are directed towards us because we are Jews, the desire by
some to harm us because we are Jews, why do we not own and
utilize that difference to achieve the power that it gives us? If
what makes us special and exclusive is the Torah and Mitzvot, it
is incumbent upon us to utilize them to continue in our holy
journey.
Of course we can attribute our differences to a much more
fundamental level in the sub-genetic pluro potential source of
our existence, but on the most practical level, our uniqueness is
in our practicing and behaving like Jews should.
The Torah reiterates often that when the Jewish people behave
in the unique way that they should, the nations of the world
respect us instead of hating us as we achieve authority by
example and by consensus bringing the wholesomeness,
holiness, morality and ethics of Torah and Mitzvahs to the
whole world. Let us be proud that we are different, not with any
sense of ego but with a sense of responsibility and gratitude to
Hashem for having given us this opportunity to be His
Kohanim, His personal representatives, representing the world
to Hashem and representing Hashem to the world.
Have a great Shabbos and a good week.