This Shabbos, we discussed Parsha Tzav, including commentary
from Rav Yeager. We also discussed some of the fundamental principles of our religion. And we discussed some
of the halakhah related to Pesach. David
Schlesinger led discussion.
From Parsha Tzav, we discussed how during the times of the temple we made
various sacrifices for various reasons. We made sacrifices for guilt, sin, and thankfulness. Today, without a Temple we say blessings instead. For example, we discussed how after surviving a dangerous or potentially risky situation we say Gomel. Situations in which we say Gomel include having been in jail, surviving a risky journey, and getting over a major illness.
We discussed how by saying Gomel, we demonstrate an
appreciation for Hashem helping us get through risky experiences. We also experience increased empathy for those who
struggle, having been through struggles ourselves. I
remember when I had a stress fracture in my foot and had to use crutches for
several months. I thought about how my
situation was not that bad compared to others although - of course - I was not always that positive about it!
We discussed why Hashem designed a world in which we would face obstacles. Just like those who fight in wars
benefit greatly from the obstacle courses their commanders put them through, we
can benefit greatly from the obstacles thrown in our way. If everything always went great, we would be
very unprepared and weak, so we should be grateful for obstacles in general, although I know there are some obstacles in which I'm still working on being grateful!
We talked about how over the short run, day to day, things
seem to be random, however Hashem is always playing a role in our lives, with the broad picture as well as certain specific events. If a stranger bumps into us, that would be a
random act, but we can think of other events that happen to us, such as who we
meet and where we end up, and connect them to an overall journey. I definitely think it is part of Hashem’s
plan we are in Memphis and meet and connect with the great community we have here.
We discussed how Hashem does his part, to create a physical world, give us a Torah, and then plays a role behind the scenes. It is up to us to use our free will, to do our part to apply spirituality and accomplish our mission.
We talked about how we lift the ashes in the Temple to symbolize us
doing our part. We also discussed how dough rising to form bread - symbolizes us doing our part - although there are
reasons we refrain from bread during Pesach.
We discussed how questions are always raised about why there is suffering, and why Hashem did this or didn't do that. We discussed how none of us has all
the answers to this, because we are not Hashem, and only Hashem has the
complete picture. We do not understand
everything, but it does seem clear that a world without obstacles in which we
experience continuous pleasure, would be a world in which we were not human
beings and simply robots and this is not what Hashem wanted, nor what we should
want either. But it is sad to me how some people suffer, including here in our community, and I do have
thoughts about how I don't understand an apparent lack of intervention by Hashem, but it is possible Hashem is intervening at least to some extent. I have thoughts that I
have been given a lot more obstacles than others.
David discussed how the virtuous response to suffering can
go on for a very long time. Thousands of
years from now, there still may be a virtuous response to suffering we are
experiencing today. Sometimes it can be
impossible to tie a particular suffering to a particular virtuous response, but
there may be a connection we don’t see.
Hashem created a physical world so we could apply
spirituality and morality. The physical world has to
be designed in a way that there is opportunity for us to apply this. If the world is already moral, then there is
not much for us to do. This seems to be
why there is immorality in our world in general.
The danger in this is that many of us may not “get it” and
get sucked into the physicality and immorality. The
Torah has many stories of those who forgot to apply spirituality and morality
to the physical world. Rob pointed out
that there is also a danger in rejecting physicality completely, and only
seeking out the spiritual rather than a way in which to apply the spiritual. It should be our goal to not only study the
Torah, but also to apply it, although we all have our different roles in our
community.
Ellie pointed out that sometimes an immoral act can lead to
something good. For example, if I decide
to not go to Shul on Shabbos, I may avoid an explosion that ends up occurring at
the Shul. However, it is still undesirable to refrain
from what we have been commanded to do. The
physical world has some randomness and is based on probabilities. The odds are that going to Shul is better for us than staying home on Shabbos.
We discussed that it is desirable to do what we are
commanded to do, even if we do not understand the reasons completely. Rob talked about the reasoning that some have
that perhaps nature has changed so certain laws no longer apply. Of course, we have no way to understand
everything and commandments are not solely based on nature.
We discussed from Parsha Tzav sacrifices we made for simply having immoral thoughts. In this case we would bring entire cows,
which would be consumed by the Kohen, except for the fat and bones which were burned and turned
into ashes. The ashes would later be
raised. We discussed how although it is
our behavior that matters in Judaism, thoughts often lead to behavior so it is
important to be aware of them.
We discussed that there are also sacrifices for thankfulness, and for sin that were made. By making these sacrifices, we began the process of repenting. Today, without the temple, we have our own
way of doing T’Shuva, which includes being in the same situation and not repeating the regrettable act or behavior.
Finally, we discussed the upcoming holiday of Pesach. We talked about how the rising dough when
making bread, symbolizes arrogance. Once a year we need to be reminded of
the importance of being humble so we refrain from eating bread. Of course, we also did not have time to wait for dough to rise when escaping from Egypt, and we symbolize this today by not eating bread during Pesach. Rising dough also symbolizes us doing our part and not leaving everything up to
Hashem. This is why we can eat bread during most of the year.
We discussed the process of getting ready for Pesach. Although consumption of Chumatz is absolutely
forbidden during Pesach, and we must do everything possible to avoid this, mere possession of tiny amounts that are less than the size of an olive are
permitted. Therefore, it is not necessary
to clean and search absolutely everywhere prior to the holiday.
If we have any questions, we should ask our Rabbi. We discussed how it would normally be
inappropriate to change the subject on a Rabbi, however it is appropriate to
ask the Rabbi questions about Pesach as long as it is within 30 days of the holiday.
This is a summary of what we discussed. No halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.
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