David Schlesinger led discussion of this week’s parsha and Rav Yeager’s commentary on the parsha. We also discussed the current month of Elul, and how we are getting ready for the high holidays that are coming soon. With many of us, there is a feeling of fear during this time of year. There is this fear that we are going to be judged harshly over the high holidays, and that somehow the purpose of these holidays is to avoid a negative. But instead of fear, we discussed how we should have confidence, and strive to have a great positive experience.
We discussed how T’shuva includes putting ourselves in the same situation as before, however this time around there are safeguards built in and we do the right thing. We should look forward to t’shuva as an opportunity to turn negatives into positives and reach new heights with our spiritual growth and relationship with Hashem.
We discussed how this month of Elul corresponds to a time when Moshe had ascended Mt. Sinai and we awaited once again to receive the commandments. This is a month following the sin of the Golden Calf and now during Elul Hashem shows us a great deal of mercy. Elul is known as the month of repentance when we should be asking for forgiveness and making a major effort at self-improvement, as we did as a nation at Mt. Sinai. We discussed how the months in the calendar such as Nissan and Elul have characteristics built in. Nissan is a month of redemption, and Elul is a month of repentance. Sometimes these characteristics get triggered, and this is when events occur. These events include our being able to leave Egypt, and our being able to get another chance at receiving the commandments.
We discussed how none of us are perfect. We also discussed how we should be satisfied to be moving in the direction of our goals, rather than dissatisfied to have not yet achieved our goals. David made the point that we should focus on the vector or the direction in which we are headed, and be satisfied if we are moving in the right direction, rather than dissatisfied that we are not yet there. This applies to us in our personal life, as well as our communities and our nation as a whole.
There are 74 mitzvah in this week’s parsha. We did not discuss all of them, but did touch on a few. We discussed the laws of kindness towards animals, and having to send a mother bird away before taking her young. We discussed certain prohibited marriages, such as those between a Kohen and a divorcee. The reason for this one is because it is the job of Kohen’s to keep marriages together. We discussed that it is not allowed to remarry someone who has been married to someone else since a divorce. We discussed some of the laws in which offenders can be sentenced to capital punishment. We discussed how although capital punishment is allowed in Judaism, we make it very hard to actually have this imposed.
We had an interesting discussion about reward and punishment. When we are children we are motivated by external rewards and punishments. David told us how his father, Dr. George N Schlesinger, would say that the most effective way to motivate children is to make sure reward and punishment is certain. This is even more important than the size of the reward or punishment.
We discussed how this month of Elul corresponds to a time when Moshe had ascended Mt. Sinai and we awaited once again to receive the commandments. This is a month following the sin of the Golden Calf and now during Elul Hashem shows us a great deal of mercy. Elul is known as the month of repentance when we should be asking for forgiveness and making a major effort at self-improvement, as we did as a nation at Mt. Sinai. We discussed how the months in the calendar such as Nissan and Elul have characteristics built in. Nissan is a month of redemption, and Elul is a month of repentance. Sometimes these characteristics get triggered, and this is when events occur. These events include our being able to leave Egypt, and our being able to get another chance at receiving the commandments.
We discussed how none of us are perfect. We also discussed how we should be satisfied to be moving in the direction of our goals, rather than dissatisfied to have not yet achieved our goals. David made the point that we should focus on the vector or the direction in which we are headed, and be satisfied if we are moving in the right direction, rather than dissatisfied that we are not yet there. This applies to us in our personal life, as well as our communities and our nation as a whole.
There are 74 mitzvah in this week’s parsha. We did not discuss all of them, but did touch on a few. We discussed the laws of kindness towards animals, and having to send a mother bird away before taking her young. We discussed certain prohibited marriages, such as those between a Kohen and a divorcee. The reason for this one is because it is the job of Kohen’s to keep marriages together. We discussed that it is not allowed to remarry someone who has been married to someone else since a divorce. We discussed some of the laws in which offenders can be sentenced to capital punishment. We discussed how although capital punishment is allowed in Judaism, we make it very hard to actually have this imposed.
We had an interesting discussion about reward and punishment. When we are children we are motivated by external rewards and punishments. David told us how his father, Dr. George N Schlesinger, would say that the most effective way to motivate children is to make sure reward and punishment is certain. This is even more important than the size of the reward or punishment.
As we mature, we become motivated by internal rewards. The same is true for us as a nation. We should no longer need rewards and punishments for doing mitzvah. We should be doing them based on a mature internal motivation. As our motivation moves from external to internal, our focus moves from the short to the long term.
We discussed how the Torah and all the mitzvahs are for us, and not for Hashem. Hashem does not need us to do mitzvah. We discussed how we are all created in Hashem’s image, and thus created to do good, however we have a "layer of desire" to go after short term pleasures rather than focusing on our long term spiritual goals. The purpose of the mitzvah in the Torah, is to help us “break through” this layer and be who we were meant to be by our creator. David talked about how we are born with the potential to do mitzvah and do good, which is analogous to potential energy. But in order to actually do the mitzvah, analogous to kinetic energy, do good, and carry out our mission, we need to overcome obstacles, and it is the purpose of the Torah to provide us specifics that can help us accomplish this and get through this "layer of desire".
Yaki talked some more this Shabbos about how everything comes from Hashem. Yaki discussed how even our income comes from Hashem, and that an important purpose of income is to do mitzvah and give tzedukuh. Yaki discussed how when we realize everything comes from Hashem, it is a lot easier to forego work on Shabbos. In the short run it may seem we are losing out by not working, but in the long run Hashem will take care of us.
We discussed how the Torah and all the mitzvahs are for us, and not for Hashem. Hashem does not need us to do mitzvah. We discussed how we are all created in Hashem’s image, and thus created to do good, however we have a "layer of desire" to go after short term pleasures rather than focusing on our long term spiritual goals. The purpose of the mitzvah in the Torah, is to help us “break through” this layer and be who we were meant to be by our creator. David talked about how we are born with the potential to do mitzvah and do good, which is analogous to potential energy. But in order to actually do the mitzvah, analogous to kinetic energy, do good, and carry out our mission, we need to overcome obstacles, and it is the purpose of the Torah to provide us specifics that can help us accomplish this and get through this "layer of desire".
Yaki talked some more this Shabbos about how everything comes from Hashem. Yaki discussed how even our income comes from Hashem, and that an important purpose of income is to do mitzvah and give tzedukuh. Yaki discussed how when we realize everything comes from Hashem, it is a lot easier to forego work on Shabbos. In the short run it may seem we are losing out by not working, but in the long run Hashem will take care of us.
This is a summary of what we discussed. No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.
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