This Shabbos we discussed parsha Shemini, including commentary by Rav Yeager. We discussed halakhah related to the upcoming holiday of Pesach. We also discussed some fundamental beliefs that are part of our religion. David Schlesinger led discussion.
A fundamental belief we discussed is that Hashem did more than just create the world and us; He plays an active role in our everyday life. Hashem can help us, as long as there are minimal obstacles blocking his entry into our lives. One of these obstacles is not engaging in activites - such as prayer and meditation - that demonstrate belief in Hashem, and all that he can do. There are other obstacles such as dishonesty which are discussed below.
If we have a difficult major decision to make, rather than going through the same process over and over again - that continually leads to frustration - we can pray and meditate in order to invite Hashem in. This can help the solution flow into our minds. David shared what his Dad, Dr. Rav. Geroge N Schlesinger, would say, that if we walk away and clear our mind for a while oftentimes solutions to problems will readily appear.
We discussed how Hashem gives us assets in order to carry out our purpose and mission. We discussed how we often spend too much time working on minimizing our liabilities, rather than on developing our assets. We should consider spending most of our time strengthening our assets rather than dealing with liabilities.
We discussed how in the parsha it took considerable effort before Hashem would dwell in the tabernacle. In order to achieve this, it was necessary to have the leadership and ideas of both Moshe and Aron. We discussed how just one of these two - without the other - would not have been sufficient to bring about Hashem's presence.
We discussed some of the differences between the ideas of Moshe and Aron. Moshe represents honesty, where- as Aron represents kindness. Obviously there can be some conflict between these two values, although both of them are important to have. Dishonesty can block Hashem from entering our life, as his plans for us are based on the truth and what is real. Lack of kindness is a failure to imitate the abundant kindness of Hashem. However, what do we do if being truthful is also unkind? This is one of the questions we discussed, and how sometimes there is conflict between different moral values. Perhaps we can say something nice that is honest, without telling the whole truth!
Another difference we discussed is how Moshe represents righteousness, and Aaron represents peace. There can often be conflict between these values. Sometimes we have to stand up for what is right, even if it results in lack of peace. However, we should pick our battles wisely. Sometimes we have to let someone win an argument.
Perhaps the biggest difference between Moshe and Aaron has to do with the components of Torah that they represent. We discussed how Moshe represents the written, unchangeable Torah, whereas Aaron represents the oral law, and that Torah which is flexible and evolves with the times. David commented on how important it is for Jewish continuity that we keep and follow and not alter what is known as the written Torah, and do not make changes based on short term fads. We talked about how a Jew who lives 2 thousand years ago could come to our world and see us following many of the same traditions he was familiar with.
However, it is still important that we have oral law, and that component of Torah represented by Aaron. It is important that we have some flexibility that can adopt to the ever changing world. Hashem gave us the instructions to enable our creating some Torah on our own, and much of our law comes from the Rabbis and not directly from Hashem.
We discussed how int the parsha, Aaron’s sons lose their life for carrying on a sacrifice that was not commanded. Brett asked why they were not given the opportunity to do the same T’Shuva that everyone else seems to have. The answer we discussed is that public figures are held to a higher standard.
We discussed how only Hashem knows the reasons for everything. We have halakhah that does not seem to make sense at all. For example, some of the kosher laws, known as chokem, do not seem to have a good reason. The laws against mixing wool and linen is also known as chokem. We discussed how it is forbidden to eat some parts of the cow which contain the most tender meat. We discussed how this and other halakuh may differ based on our status as Ashkenazi or Sephardi.
Finally we discussed the upcoming holiday of Pesach, and how we are not allowed to possess Chumatz during the holiday. We discussed how we have the option of selling our Chumatz to a non-Jew, and then buying it back after the holiday. If we sell our Chumatz, we can leave it in our house, although technically the Chumatz belongs to someone else during the holiday.
Rob talked about the principle of “consideration” that exists in secular law. When we sell Chumatz to a non-Jew there does need to be a fair dollar amount for consideration, however the money does not have to change hands until after Pesach, unless the non-Jew decides to return the Chumatz, which is what almost always happens. However there have been times the non-Jew has chosen to pay the price and take the Chumatz. We should always consider this possibility, although it is unlikely.
This is a summary of what we discussed. No halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.
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