Rabbi Shaya's Thoughts

A Little Vulnerable

Friday, September 16, 2022 - 9:14 AM

A good place to go to free your mind of all worries is nearby water, whether the beach or the waterfront. Some people feel even better if they can go for a boat ride. The image of a person in a rowboat sitting quietly in contemplation comes to mind. For the more active person, being on a surfboard, going into the water in a carefree environment gives them a sense of freedom and tranquility. I assume that this is why these images are popular for people to hang on their walls as art to help calm the mind.

What is it about being on the water that brings people peace? While on the water you can feel so vulnerable. You shake from right to left; every wave causes your whole body to move and perhaps to even tip over. Why do people find it so thrilling to be placed in a position that is susceptible to regret?

In this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tova, we read blessings and warnings made to the Jewish people. In what may seem like a harsh curse, G-d warns the Jewish people that if they don’t follow the commandments they will return to Egypt in boats, and will ask to be sold as slaves, since they would rather be slaves than be in such dire circumstances on those crowded and uncomfortable boats.

The commentators ask: Why does the journey back to Egypt need to be on boats? Why can’t they go by foot?

Slaves can be led in any fashion. Boats are not the only mode of transportation. In addition, when the Jews left Egypt, they went by foot as well!

From here we deduce that it is within the “boat” that we will find our answer—that this is not really a curse, but a blessing in disguise.

By putting the Jews on a boat, forcing the Jew to feel vulnerable, they make them much more aware of all of their senses. Their physical and their spiritual senses as well.

Just as we enjoy a nice, pleasant boat ride, the Jews on this boat held as “captive” in a very compromised position will think long and hard not only about their physical discomfort but about their spiritual decay as well.

This will awaken within them a call to be redeemed. They will say that anything is better than this. This is what Teshuva is all about.

Sitting by the sea or on a boat today gives us that same sense of allowing us to feel every fiber of our being. We become in tune to who we are and what we are made of. A good surfer is not only in great shape, but they also “know” their body well.

As we get ready to surf through the coming year, let us become sensitive to every fiber of our soul. Let us come to know it well, so that we can become the best surfer.

Opposing Forces

Friday, September 9, 2022 - 9:22 AM

How do we deal with differing thoughts that enter our mind simultaneously, especially when they are opposing thoughts? While they are all important, they may collide one with the other.

A person might be looking for a thrill while at the same time they know that they should be responsible. Do they take the risk and have fun, or should they be more responsible? How do we make that decision? There is a process.

This process of going from thought to speech and then to action can be complicated for some people to work through. Can we use this process to navigate through life?

This week’s Torah portion, Ki Tietze, gives us two thoughts, and commands us to always remember them. These thoughts seem to be opposing as well. One thought is positive, to honor Shabbat. The second thought is more somber, to constantly remember how Amalek (the famous anti-Semite) wanted and wants to destroy us. Now, if we are told to always keep two positive thoughts in mind, that is easy to do, even if they are not the same thought. Since they are on the same wavelength, we can keep both side by side. However, thinking of opposite thoughts, one good and one bad, one that puts us in a good mood, while the other puts us on high alert, doesn’t jibe well. How do we deal with this? This can put us in a swing mood. One second we are happy, the next we are on high alert.

How do we balance our life?

Think about wine and vinegar. On the one hand they are opposites. Wine is an enjoyable drink while vinegar is bitter. Yet they both come from the vine. The difference is how they are used. When vinegar is added to our food, the flavor enhances our food and makes it very delightful. Wine, when we drink it responsibly, is enjoyable as well. Life is a matter of perspective.

We can find good in everything that we see and experience. It all depends on our attitude. Like vinegar, the bitter thought, Amalek hated the Jews because he saw our good qualities. But we can shift our attitude—instead of us allowing that thought to unhinge us, we have to look at the deeper meaning of what the Torah is telling us, and then we will see that the message of Shabbat and the message of Amalek are one and the same.

Just like wine and vinegar both come from the same source—although they cannot be used the same way—so it is with Shabbat and the anti-Semite. However, it doesn’t mean that we should not be looking a little deeper to find the connecting dots.

We can take our thoughts, bring them to words, and then to action to make this world a brighter place. As long as we are connected to the brightness of this world, we can always strive for better.

Wishing you a Shana Tova and Shabbat Shalom.

Does my mitzvah accomplish anything?

Thursday, September 1, 2022 - 12:31 PM

When you think about it, one can ask the question, why do I need to do a mitzvah to feel connected to G-d? If you just look around you, you will see living testimony of the existence of G-d in the world, from the heavens above to the earth below. Everywhere you look you can see G-d, as long as you are willing to see. Why do I also need to add my mitzvot into the mix?

In this week’s Torah portion, Shoftim, we learn that we rely upon two witnesses to establish the facts on the ground. However, there are two kinds of witnesses. There are those who just tell us the facts that happened but they don’t create anything new. For example, if two people have a business transaction, like borrowing money from each other, the witnesses do not create the reality, they only testify to the facts of what happened. The reality was created between the two people. Yet, there is another type of testimony in Judaism with witnesses of a different nature. Here, the witnesses don’t only watch something happen so that later it cannot be disputed, but if they are not there, the act is meaningless. An example of that is marriage. If a man gives a woman a ring with the intention of marriage but there were no witnesses present, the marriage is questionable, even if the bride and groom admit to the action. In other words, in such a case, not only do the witnesses testify to the facts, but they also create the reality!

That is why it is not enough for us to see the wonders of the world and see how they testify to the existence of G-d, as that is the obvious “witness.” We want to create the facts that are not as obvious, we want to bring a greater level of G-dliness into this world, one that doesn’t exist just by looking at the world around us, but by uncovering what is deep inside the world. We do this by performing a mitzvah.

Just as marriage brings two people together, revealing the deeper dimension of their souls closer to each other—and this is done not just by being with each other but with witnesses under the chupah—so too, when it comes to our connection with G-d that is created with mitzvot, when we perform a mitzvah, we are not just going through the motions, we are testifying to our connection to G-d, we are revealing a deep desire to become closer to G-d in a way in which we were unable to prior to fulfilling this particular mitzvah.

As we prepare for Rosh Hashanah, the marriage of the Jewish people and G-d, we should find our own set of witnesses to testify to our connection to the Creator so that when the High Holidays come around, our relationship should be a healthy one.