This Shabbos we discussed some interesting concepts, some of which are related to the week’s parsha Vayeitzei. We discussed commentary by Rav Malamed. And we discussed the upcoming holiday of Hanukkah. David Schlesinger led discussion.
David mentioned the observation that we are no more than a few degrees of separation from any other Jew. I remember running into someone in Israel at a synagogue who knew my father’s family in Costa Rica. Dave W mentioned that he is one of several members of our community with connections to the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families, friends and victims of the recent attacks in both Paris and Israel.
This Shabbos we discussed the prohibition against taking medicine on Shabbos. The Rabbis were concerned that we may try to manufacture medicine on Shabbos and violate one of the prohibitions against work. We discussed that there are exceptions to this rule. Certainly if we need specific medicine to stay alive it is not only permitted but commanded that we take it. There are other exceptions if the medicine is necessary to treat something that goes beyond a minor annoyance. As always, it is important to consult a rabbi on this issue, rather than rely on our discussion.
Ellie was interested in why we would continue following commandments that seem to be based on logic that does not apply today. David commented that sometimes the narrative that has been given to people is based on what would be best understood at the time, and not necessarily the exact and full reason for things. For example, in a corporation, it is not helpful or desirable for management to tell the employees the reasons for every decision. We discussed that it is not a good idea for us to start trying to figure out on our own what commandments should and should not apply. Only Hashem knows all the reasons for all the commandments.
We have discussed an important concept in Judaism that it is our mission to apply the spiritual to the physical world. There are some who think that physicality is a threat to spirituality. However, we can see in the week’s parsha that the Torah seems to support the model of embracing the physical world. Jacob would like to study Torah full time and live off of the labor of his brother. However, we see that Jacob has to make a living, and does so by traveling away from his family to a distant land. Jacob works very hard for many years before he returns.
Another concept we discussed is that nothing is all good or all bad. David brought up the example of movies, and how his Dad would allow him to go even though there was some inappropriate material.
It is important that we learn how to deal with bad things, and perhaps have a virtuous response to it. We discussed the importance of making the best decisions we can at the time we make them. We can still benefit from things that may have, or turn out to have some bad elements.
We discussed the holiday of Hanukkah and how it is different from other holidays. We discussed how hanakuh is the only holiday that we continued to observe after the second temple was destroyed. Unlike the other holidays, Hanukkah has 8 days. We discussed the miracle of the oil, and how it continued to burn allowing us time to find and extract more oil. During Hanukkah we remember miracles and how they come from Hashem. This includes miracles in our personal lives, as well as the lives of those around us.
I remember having a philosophical conversation with my father in which he shared with me the fact we can not be 100% certain of anything. Franco shared the idea that sometimes what we think and/or how we observe something can determine reality and existence. We discussed this Shabbos how Judaism has to be based on probabilities. For example, if the Eruv is up a few hours before Shabbos we can presume it is up for Shabbos. If the Eruv is actually down but we don't know about this, we have not committed an avera by carrying. Please consult a rabbi on these issues.
Sometimes we have relied on courts to make decisions for us. For example, the court would rule whether or not there was a full moon. We discussed how, even if the court turned out to be incorrect we must follow the ruling. For example, if the court rules that there is a new moon, that day remains the first of the month, regardless of what is later discovered with respect to the accuracy of the court’s ruling.
Finally, we remember around this time of Hanukkah that miracles can happen in our personal lives. However, David pointed out that we must do our part. We must do our part for Hashem to do his.
This is a summary of what we discussed. No halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.
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