Parshat Tzav
by Rabbi Avi Billet
The tragic story of a fire in Brooklyn coming on the ten year anniversary of a similar story in Teaneck has left the greater Jewish community reeling. We mourn with these families, and wish for a recovery for those still in medical care.
Having seen and experienced devastating loss, the only thing I know to be experientially true is that love and the passage of time are the most important ingredients to being able to continue with life and to find happiness once again – if that becomes a goal in life. Having faith in God is also helpful, because it can help a person find a sense of purpose in living beyond tragedy.
Towards the beginning of its commentary on our parsha, the Midrash Rabba aims to explain how those who suffer through devastating ordeals can get closer to God, utilizing the experience of King David, who said in Tehillim (Psalms 51:19): “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; O God, You will not despise a broken and crushed heart.”
How true this statement is, and how true do we hope for it to always be.
Of course, the Midrash does not raise this sentence in a vacuum. The parsha does focus heavily on sacrifices. And the Midrash paints King David’s statement as one of hope for how he could get closer to God despite having suffered terrible calamities.
One utilization of the verse asserts King David’s Teshuva (repentance) process, in the aftermath of the Batsheva incident of Samuel II 12 as, “God, I have overcome my evil inclination, and I have repented before You. If You accept my repentance, I know that my son Shlomo will build the Beit Hamikdash, and build the Mizbeach, and burn the sacrifices on it.” This is how “a broken spirit” can turn into the fulfillment of “the sacrifices of God,” when the dream of what future generations can hopefully accomplish can be articulated and hopefully actualized.
Another view utilizes the same verse as the answer to a question – not about King David and his son Shlomo, but about any person looking to find God: How do we know that a person who repents is given the credit for having gone up to Jerusalem, having built the Temple, having built the Mizbeach, and for sacrificing all of the offerings? Because this is how “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.” The broken heart that accompanies repentance can bring about the highest level of serving God.
But closeness to God is not only achieved through repentance, as is demonstrated through the concluding teaching of the Midrash, in the name of Rabbi Alexandri. If a human being is served with broken vessels, it is assumed to be an insult. But God is the opposite – He knows that the most powerful and the most poignant service comes from the brokenhearted. “The Lord is near to the broken-hearted, and He saves those of crushed spirit.” (Tehillim 34:19) God is the One “Who heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Tehillim 147:3). The prophet Isaiah (57:15) quotes God Himself, who said, “With the lofty and the holy ones I dwell, and with the crushed and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the crushed…”
What, therefore, is the meaning of “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit?” That through a broken heart one has the ability to come closest to God.
The broken heart can be demonstrated in one of two ways. Either a person sins and breaks one’s heart through repentance. Or tragedy breaks one’s heart, and the person turns to God through serving him.
When a nation can collectively have a broken heart, this Midrash is suggesting that we are experiencing the closest chance we have to seek out God’s presence, and to feel His comforting hand. When King David wrote Tehillim 51 in the aftermath of the Batsheva tale, he had two experiences which weighed heavily on his conscience.
The first was that his conduct in that story was sinful and he needed to return to God. His deed was public, his exhortation from the prophet was spelled out to him, and he was also made aware through prophesy of what was expected of him.
The second was that he had suffered the ultimate loss of several of his children – the first child born from his union with Batsheva (Shlomo was the 2nd child of that union), the deaths of his sons Avshalom and Amnon in his lifetime, as well as his daughter Tamar’s defilement at the hands of her half-brother Amnon. (Adoniyahu, another son, was killed shortly after King David’s death.)
In our local story, there is no sin. There is no prophet. And there are no answers. There is only tragedy, suffering, and loss, for a family and for a community.
There is no healing from losses of this kind. There is always an emptiness in the lives of surviving family members, as well as in the greater community.
Hopefully, with the outpouring of love and with time, everyone will be able to find some kind of comfort from the ultimate Comforter because He will see that what brings us closest to Him is the broken heart.
Showing posts with label fire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fire. Show all posts
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Monday, September 14, 2009
Lighting the Fire Before Rosh Hashana
There's an old joke.
New Year's is always January 1. Thanksgiving is always the last Thursday in November. But Jewish holidays are never on time. They're always "early" or "late"! (You can groan now)
Rosh Hashana will begin this Friday night, and it lends the question: What are we doing to prepare?
Selichot and Shofar
Those of us of Sephardic (Spain, North Africa and Middle Eastern) descent have been saying Selichot since the 1st of the month of Elul. Those of us of Ashkenazic descent began the same this past Saturday night.
All of us have been sounding and hearing the shofar on a daily basis for the last three and a half weeks.
What's Next?
One who truly believes that Rosh Hashana is a Day of Judgment has a lot to be concerned about. Does anyone really think he or she is perfect?
One of my favorite stories concerns a member of a certain synagogue (to remain nameless to protect the innocent) - and Yes this is a TRUE story - who approached the rabbi with a particular concern he had. You see, he was one of the few who was to serve as the chazzan/ ba'al tefillah (leader of the services) on Rosh Hashana, as the synagogue had multiple services and no offical cantor.
He told the rabbi, "I have a real problem saying the "Chazzan's Prayer" before Mussaf, in which it says הנְנִי הֶעָנִי מִמַּעַשֹ נִרְעַשׁ וְנִפְחַד מִפַּחַד יוֹשֵׁב תְּהִלּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, בָּאתִי לַעֲמֹד וּלְהִתְחַנֵּן לְפָנֶיךָ עַל עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוּנִי. וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינִי כְדַאי וְהָגוּן לְכַךְ.
["Here I am, impoverished of deeds, trembling and frightened from the dread of Him Who is enthroned upon the praises of Israel, I have come to stand and supplicate before You for Your people Israel who have sent me, although I am unworthy and unqualified to do so."]
"Rabbi, I am not a pauper of deeds - I do so much. And I am not unworthy and unqualified. I've studied the prayers and know all the right tunes. I have a real problem saying those words."
"Then I have a real problem with your leading the services," answered the rabbi.
Brilliance of the text
Most people readily admit there is much to improve in themselves. This writer included. Alas, most New Year's resolutions do not last for a very long time. We are the way we are, and continue to be the way we are because it is very difficult to change.
So at least the prayer book gives the chazzan the words to say to express the reality of his existence, that he, like the rest of us, is an imperfect human being. And though he, like the rest of us, is unworthy to serve as the defense, together we're going to make a dern good try of it.
A Possible Approach
While these next few days are not yet Rosh Hashana, maybe we can begin our process of getting ourselves into the mindset a little earlier.
I have an uncle who has always - referring to his weight - been a self-proclaimed yo-yo. We'd see him at one family gathering, and he'd be 30 pounds overweight. He'd go on a diet and by the next gathering he'd be thin as a rail. Next time, overweight again. Up and down, like a yo-yo.
He once said, "There's nothing like a doctor who can give you a good dose of 'yiras shamayim' (fear of heaven - a.k.a. reverence for God). Seriously, when a guy tells you 'If you want to live to see your grandchildren you have to lose 40 pounds (and keep it off), get some exercise and stop some of your really bad habits' you learn to listen very quickly."
Amazingly, he's kept it off and has been an average size since then.
I don't know if it's really יראת שמים (fear of heaven), or fear of death, or fear of not seeing
grandchildren. (He now has a couple of grandchildren, and I hope he enjoys the nachas they give him for a long time.) But something lit a fire under him, and he changed!
So here it is: instead of making a resolution to change (which won't work), we need to light a fire under ourselves to inspire us to want to change.
Recession-Proof
The economy has put a lot of people in a position that they are rethinking priorities. Some are out of work. Some are looking for jobs. Some are lost and need direction.
These challenges are all opportunities. Whether the fire lit under us be our children, our grandchildren, or just the drive to want to live a fulfilling life, many of us will embrace it and hit it head on.
My offer to you - To Light the Fire
My market is not HR. Sad to say, I don't do hiring.
But I learn Torah with people. I have a car, and I have a flexible schedule. I can come to your place, your turf, on your time, and open your eyes to new texts and new areas of Torah study you may have never seen before, never enjoyed before, or never saw from a perspective that makes sense to you.
We'll challenge protocol together and look for answers until we're either satisfied, or really really disturbed and challenged by the things we've found.
It's not a resolution which won't work. It's lighting a fire for which someone else (in this case, I) will stoke the coals for you. You just need to want the fire to stay lit.
New Year's is always January 1. Thanksgiving is always the last Thursday in November. But Jewish holidays are never on time. They're always "early" or "late"! (You can groan now)
Rosh Hashana will begin this Friday night, and it lends the question: What are we doing to prepare?
Selichot and Shofar
Those of us of Sephardic (Spain, North Africa and Middle Eastern) descent have been saying Selichot since the 1st of the month of Elul. Those of us of Ashkenazic descent began the same this past Saturday night.
All of us have been sounding and hearing the shofar on a daily basis for the last three and a half weeks.
What's Next?
One who truly believes that Rosh Hashana is a Day of Judgment has a lot to be concerned about. Does anyone really think he or she is perfect?
One of my favorite stories concerns a member of a certain synagogue (to remain nameless to protect the innocent) - and Yes this is a TRUE story - who approached the rabbi with a particular concern he had. You see, he was one of the few who was to serve as the chazzan/ ba'al tefillah (leader of the services) on Rosh Hashana, as the synagogue had multiple services and no offical cantor.
He told the rabbi, "I have a real problem saying the "Chazzan's Prayer" before Mussaf, in which it says הנְנִי הֶעָנִי מִמַּעַשֹ נִרְעַשׁ וְנִפְחַד מִפַּחַד יוֹשֵׁב תְּהִלּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, בָּאתִי לַעֲמֹד וּלְהִתְחַנֵּן לְפָנֶיךָ עַל עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוּנִי. וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינִי כְדַאי וְהָגוּן לְכַךְ.
["Here I am, impoverished of deeds, trembling and frightened from the dread of Him Who is enthroned upon the praises of Israel, I have come to stand and supplicate before You for Your people Israel who have sent me, although I am unworthy and unqualified to do so."]
"Rabbi, I am not a pauper of deeds - I do so much. And I am not unworthy and unqualified. I've studied the prayers and know all the right tunes. I have a real problem saying those words."
"Then I have a real problem with your leading the services," answered the rabbi.
Brilliance of the text
Most people readily admit there is much to improve in themselves. This writer included. Alas, most New Year's resolutions do not last for a very long time. We are the way we are, and continue to be the way we are because it is very difficult to change.
So at least the prayer book gives the chazzan the words to say to express the reality of his existence, that he, like the rest of us, is an imperfect human being. And though he, like the rest of us, is unworthy to serve as the defense, together we're going to make a dern good try of it.
A Possible Approach
While these next few days are not yet Rosh Hashana, maybe we can begin our process of getting ourselves into the mindset a little earlier.
I have an uncle who has always - referring to his weight - been a self-proclaimed yo-yo. We'd see him at one family gathering, and he'd be 30 pounds overweight. He'd go on a diet and by the next gathering he'd be thin as a rail. Next time, overweight again. Up and down, like a yo-yo.
He once said, "There's nothing like a doctor who can give you a good dose of 'yiras shamayim' (fear of heaven - a.k.a. reverence for God). Seriously, when a guy tells you 'If you want to live to see your grandchildren you have to lose 40 pounds (and keep it off), get some exercise and stop some of your really bad habits' you learn to listen very quickly."
Amazingly, he's kept it off and has been an average size since then.
I don't know if it's really יראת שמים (fear of heaven), or fear of death, or fear of not seeing
grandchildren. (He now has a couple of grandchildren, and I hope he enjoys the nachas they give him for a long time.) But something lit a fire under him, and he changed!So here it is: instead of making a resolution to change (which won't work), we need to light a fire under ourselves to inspire us to want to change.
Recession-Proof
The economy has put a lot of people in a position that they are rethinking priorities. Some are out of work. Some are looking for jobs. Some are lost and need direction.
These challenges are all opportunities. Whether the fire lit under us be our children, our grandchildren, or just the drive to want to live a fulfilling life, many of us will embrace it and hit it head on.
My offer to you - To Light the Fire
My market is not HR. Sad to say, I don't do hiring.
But I learn Torah with people. I have a car, and I have a flexible schedule. I can come to your place, your turf, on your time, and open your eyes to new texts and new areas of Torah study you may have never seen before, never enjoyed before, or never saw from a perspective that makes sense to you.
We'll challenge protocol together and look for answers until we're either satisfied, or really really disturbed and challenged by the things we've found.
It's not a resolution which won't work. It's lighting a fire for which someone else (in this case, I) will stoke the coals for you. You just need to want the fire to stay lit.
So send an email - avi.billet@yu.edu - or pick up the phone and call our Boca office at 561 852 3152
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