This Shabbos we discussed parsha Shemini. It was a special Shabbos for several reasons. We welcome David and Norm and their families back from Israel. The Parsha happens to be Ira’s bar mitzvah parsha. And we celebrate Manny’s birthday.
We discussed the idea of a Kiddush Hashem. A Kiddush Hashem means bringing honor to his name. We bring this honor by following his Torah, and acting in an honorable way. This honorable way represents Hashem positively here on earth. We discussed how we can also honor Hashem and have a Kiddush Hashem with death. We do this by refusing to do three things, even if it means giving up our life. These things include murdering someone else, having an affair with a married woman, and worshiping idols.
We discussed the idea of counting the Omer. We count the 49 days between Pesach and Shavuous. Brett pointed out that Shavuous is the only holiday that does not have a fixed date in the calendar. David talked about how back in the times of the Temple we would give a sacrifice, and following that we start counting the Omer. We discussed the purpose of giving sacrifices, which is to thank Hashem and seek forgiveness for our sins. Today we no longer give sacrifices in the Temple, but we still count the Omer. We discussed whether or not counting the Omer is a Torah commandment. The Rabbis commanded that we continue doing this, even though the Temple no longer stands.
We discussed the idea that Hashem gives us reward and punishment, but in order to preserve free will it may not be that obvious. David asked the question of how Hashem could design the world so that we have free will, but face the consequences of all our actions. One idea is that in the long run we will be rewarded and punished, but not in the short run. Those who carry out the will of Hashem live happier and more peaceful lives. This idea is presented in an article written by David's father, Dr. George Schlesinger, entitled “No Peace for the Wicked”. It may seem like the wicked are not punished, but in the end they end up facing the consequences of their action.
I shared that sometimes reward and punishment does not come in the form of specific events that occur in our life, but in how the specific events affect us. Those who have been a Kiddush Hashem will have a relationship with Hashem in which they have more strength to deal with things.
Of course in the Parsha, Aron's sons faced immediate consequences. They went off on their own to do sacrifices they were not commanded to do. Those in leadership positions have an extra duty to bring honor to Hashem's name. On the other hand, Aron gave up his personal desires to serve our nation and was rewarded for this.
This Shabbos we discussed some more how we have a mission as Jews to represent Hashem in our world. It is hard for us to do this if we live in walled off communities by ourselves. It is good if we engage in the world and interact with others, including non-Jews, always making sure to be a Kiddush Hashem. Judaism is about bringing spirituality to our world. It is important that we do not isolate ourselves away from our world.
This is a summary of what we discussed. No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.
No comments:
Post a Comment