Rabbi Shaya's Thoughts

Building Fences

Thursday, August 27, 2020 - 1:29 PM

Fences are meant to define a property line. Perhaps they even offer some privacy and as the saying from Robert Frost goes, “Good fences make good neighbors.” However, if you think about this idea of a fence, it might bring people closer together—not from kindness, but from lack of fighting.

Perhaps there is another kind of fence. A fence that comes from personal growth, a fence that can teach us how to be a better person.

In this week’s Torah portion, we are taught that when we build a new home, we should build a fence – not necessarily on the property line, but on the roof! Why on the roof? For practical reasons. Roofs were used as porches (we are talking about flat roofs) and someone could easily fall off the roof; therefore, the Torah is teaching us that it is our obligation to protect those who live in, or visit, our home.

Question: Is a synagogue or public building obligated to build a fence on its roof? Since it is “ownerless,” the question becomes who is obligated to build one? Since no one really owns the building, there is no obligation to have a fence. However, the Temple that was not only supported by the public, but the public was “invested” in it by partnering and making the Temple their “home,” did in fact have a fence.

We should look at ourselves as mini-temples. We too must invest in our own wellbeing, and make sure that we are well fortified. As we build our own self-confidence, we should keep in mind that we also need to have a fence to keep our self-confidence in check so that it doesn’t turn from confidence into arrogance. Especially as we reach the roof, the highest level of success, we might start to think of ourselves in the most flattering terms. The Torah teaches us that when we reach the “top floor” – or to use the Torah’s terminology, the “roof”— it is of utmost importance to put up that fence, so that we don’t fall off.

The Torah doesn’t say to stop doing what we are doing – just the opposite: We must continue being successful, but we should do so with humility. The fence is a reminder.

Can I dare say it is like a face mask? It is a protection. It protects us, and it protects others.

Think about this as we prepare for Rosh Hashana.

It’s All About Me. Or Is It?

Thursday, August 13, 2020 - 11:01 AM

I must think about myself first. The world surrounds me. We have become a culture that celebrates the individual, but more than that, on some level a culture that convinces us that our primary focus should be on what is better “for me.” If it suits me, then I should do it and if it doesn’t, then I should not.

For example, the most recent hotly debated issue is about schools opening in the fall. The debate is not exclusively about what is best for the children, but mixed into the arguments we hear issues such as “I am worried what could happen in an in-person environment,” or, “I need my kids to go back to school. I can’t work at home with them around.” Neither of these arguments is about what is better for the child even during this COVID cloud, but about how the parents feel. It’s all about the “me.”

Is this me culture a bad thing? After all, we do need a guiding post as we make our decisions.

Let’s see what the Torah has to say on the matter.

In this week’s Torah portion, there is a verse that says: “You shall not eat an abomination.” How would you explain this verse? If this is referring to a food that G-d prohibits, then this verse seems to be repetitive. Therefore, Rashi, the famous commentator, says that if it is an abomination to you, you shall not eat it. This is about you, not a general, overall statement.

There are times when we know in our own hearts what is “kosher” and what is not. What is right and what is wrong. What is an abomination—to us. This is not about what others will think about us, but rather how we think about ourselves. No one is judging us; we are judging ourselves. This is an internal audit of our own soul and we are the auditor. The question that we should ask ourselves is: Are we proud of the “trick” that we are playing on ourselves, that we are using to justify our decision? Are we really being truthful or our we outsmarting ourselves by not addressing the issues head on? Is our decision selfishly motivated or is it G-d-motivated? This is a question that we should be asking in every area in our lives.

As we work on ourselves to not outsmart ourselves and to be there for others, we pray that G-d will provide the smarts to those who are working to help us move on from this pandemic into a brighter future.

What is in a Bribe?

Thursday, August 6, 2020 - 12:56 PM

Bribe. The word itself smells of corruption. No one should ever take a bribe. The Torah testifies to the fact that a bribe “blinds even the wise” to be able to judge a case clearly. G-d himself tells us in this week’s Torah portion that we cannot bribe Him! That’s how malicious a bribe is.

However, let’s be truthful, don’t we all take bribes from time to time? Maybe not financial bribes, but bribes of words. For example, if someone wrongs us but they apologize, and we forgive them for the “sin” that they committed against us, isn’t that a bribe? If they changed their action, that is one thing; they become a different person, a changed person. However, if it is just words, why are we trusting someone just on their word?

The truth is that at times, we may not accept someone’s apology–depending on the severity of the crime. That is why it is so important for a judge not to take any kind of monetary bribe, since that could cloud their judgment. A judge has no idea if a person means what they are saying or not when they say that they will change their ways.

G-d, on the other hand, does know. That is why when we show G-d that we intend to make a change in our life, He knows our true intention. If our goal is to better ourselves and we are not there yet, it doesn’t mean that we are not on the road to change. We are! G-d recognizes that. That is why it is not called a bribe—G-d sees the end of the road, while we may still be at the beginning of the road.

As we live through this coronavirus outbreak, we have a choice to make. Do we look at the world through our eyes, at what is in front of us only, or do we look at the end of the road, through “G-dly eyes,” knowing that there is an end, even if we cannot see it?

If we look through our worldly eyes only, we are prone to taking a bribe. We may be convinced one way or another, by some news media or whatever, to believe a certain way, which can cloud our judgment. If however, we have faith in G-d that there is a plan for this world, we change ourselves – not the world – but ourselves, knowing that there is an end to the road. Things will get better. This is G-d’s world, after all. Then we will not be bribed by the media, etc. We will stay focused on doing our part to keep this world safe and healthy.

Shabbat Shalom.