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Friday LetterFriday Letter Archive | Friday Letter AlertsDvar Torah Chapter 19 of Leviticus is known as the “Holiness Code.” It is a section of the Torah that contains many mitzvot that provide instruction for us on how to live proper lives and in turn, how to be a holy nation unto God. I was particularly struck by verse 17 which states: “Lo Tisna Et Achicha Bilvavecha” –You shall not hate your kinsman in your heart. This is generally understood to mean that we should not consciously think to hate someone. Our commentator Ibn Ezra offers a slightly different view when he states that this verse is “hefech v’ahavta l’rayacha kamocha,” the opposite of the positive Commandment “Love thy neighbor as yourself” [also from this Torah portion]. Of course, we know that our Sages attribute the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem as a result of “sinat hinam” –hatred between people, in essence, the application of this verse. One might infer then, that in order to see Messianic times and a restoration of our Temple in Jerusalem (whether you wish for a literal restoration or not), we must observe both the positive command to love our neighbors and the negative not to hate others in our heart. For me, the fascinating word in this verse is “bilvavecha” (in your heart). Why does the text need to state this? Why doesn’t God just command us “do not hate your fellow kinsmen?” This unique language teaches us that this mitzvah is not really one of action, but one of emotion, what my father z”l used to call “a mitzvah of the mind.” This mitzvah of the mind teaches us that our inner thoughts and reflections must be equal to our outer appearance and action. In other words, as Jews, we cannot believe one thing in our heart and then go and act the opposite way in our community. We can all probably think of countless examples of this in society today. Perhaps the most obvious is the recent actions of our former Governor Elliot Spitzer. In his public life as Attorney General and Governor he prosecuted people in an effort to clean up what he termed “both Wall Street and Main Street.” Yet, in his own private life, we now know that he was unfaithful to his wife, unscrupulous with his finances and immoral in his behavior (not to mention all the illegalities). While this is one example, I also think that the message not to hate our fellow in our hearts goes beyond the lesson not to be two-faced. Below are three other messages I learn from this one word in verse 17. 1) At the end of the Amidah, we recite a final paragraph which contains the phrase “v’chol hachoshvim alai ra’ah hafer atzatam v’kalkel machasavtam.” For all those who think badly upon me [we ask God to], destroy and break up their thoughts. In praying for such action, we recognize that it is not possible for us to fulfill God’s command not to have hateful feelings for another by ourselves. Therefore, we ask God to intervene and help us in overcoming those who think ill of us. 2) The Mishnah in the Tractate Yoma (dealing with the laws of Yom Kippur) teaches us that with regard to mitzvoth between man and his fellow man [bein adam l’chaveiro], we do not receive atonement for these sins “ahd she’yirtze libo,” until our heart desires it. Asking for forgiveness in person is one thing, but if our heart does not follow our action, then according to our Sages, we have not made complete repentance. Perhaps this ruling of our sages was also influenced by their understanding of “bilvavecha” from the verse in our Torah portion. 3) Our sages in teach us that: “kol makom sh’asru chachamim mipnei maarit ayin, afilu b’chadrei hadarim assur,” wherever our Sages prohibit an action because of appearances sake, that action is also prohibited in private. [Tractate Shabbat 64B and 65A] This one speaks for itself and clearly reminds us of another valuable lesson from the message of “in our hearts” that anything prohibited in public is also prohibited in private. In each of these cases, our Sages were equally concerned that we show consistency in both our outward actions AND also a commitment to be true to our inner selves. As the message of verse 17 suggests, Kedushah, holiness, comes not just from what we do, but clearly also from what we think and what we feel inside. As the Torah teaches us, even our emotions are controllable –at least, in part—by certain religious parameters. Every moment in our life has the possibility to capture the power and beauty of God’s holiness if we just let it enter our hearts. May each of us find our own path to understanding and fulfilling the mitzvot of “v’ahavta l’rayacha kamocha,” and “lo tisna et achicha bilvavecha.” Doing so will truly lead us to truly becoming an “am kadosh,” a holy nation. Shabbat Shalom, ************************************************************************ To our wonderful son Jared Weiss. 27 Nissan 5768 Candle Lighting 7:31 pm Dear Schechter Parents and Guardians, Fifth Grade students brought honor and dignity to our school’s Yom Ha Shoah presentation on May 1st. Under the guidance of Ms. Yael Bronstein, Ms. Esther Goldsmith, Ms. Lizet Romano, and Ms. Orit Yair, our fifth grade students shared with the second, third, and fourth grade classes a lesson about our history through various readings, poetry recitation, and song. It gently reminded us of the tragedies that occurred during the Holocaust while delivering the message that we must constantly be aware of what is going on around us. We must help prevent any such comparable happenings. The presentation ended on a note of hope. The students spoke about the butterfly- its color and beauty. As a finale, the children sang HaTikvah.Congratulations to Alex Taub on serving as “Head of School for the Day” on May 2nd. Together with Rabbi Herrnson, Alex administered the day, extending recess by a few minutes and cancelling homework for Thursday night. Students wore blue and white to celebrate the day. Alex also requested that every student contribute five cents on Friday toward a special tzedakah project—a charitable gift to the Bio-Dome in Quebec. Everyone was appreciative of Alex’s vision and wisdom. Rabbi Herrnson informed me today that the Elementary School will be receiving two SmartBoards, to be installed later this year or this summer for the following year. SmartBoards provide a white board with a computer interface for cutting edge instruction. The SmartBoards are a gift of the Legacy Heritage Fund. Legacy Heritage will also provide training for teachers and administrators, all at no cost to Schechter.
Tuesday, May 6th the Elementary School is sponsoring a Walkathon. It will benefit the children of Sunrise Day Camp. Sunrise Day Camp is the only day camp in the nation that is dedicated to children with cancer and their siblings. On May 6th our students will walk our outside fields and collect donations for their efforts. Please make certain that you have received a sponsor sheet. Please click HERE for a flyer with additional information. If you are in need of a sponsor sheet please call Ms. Kathleen Niebling at 935-1441. Please note the new dates! The Fifth Grade Family Program and the Second Grade Family Program have been moved! The Fifth Grade Family Program will be on Monday, May 19th from 7:00- 8:30 pm. It will involve storytelling, changes, memories and “moving on up” as in going on to middle school. The Second Grade Family Program will be on Tuesday, May 27th from 7:00- 8:30 pm. The topic will be on Restoring the Environment and this program focuses on the second grade studies about taking care of our world. Save the date: SMART NIGHT – May 15th 6:00-8:00 pm. Our annual Science, Music, Art Night is officially scheduled! The evening will begin with our band students presenting from 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm. The Science Fair will follow from 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm. The evening will finish with a musical choir presentation by our SSDS students under the direction of our Music teacher, Ms. Elana Stern. We are excited that we will be able to share so many of our talents with our full community. Sunday, May 4th is the Aquafina Pitch, Hit and Run Competition. Please see the FLYER for additional information. Todah Rabbah A “todah rabbah” is extended to our PA for providing the storyteller Eva Grayzel. She entertained our children with Passover stories on April 15th. Also, a strong thank you goes out to all of the class parents who helped with the various sedarim. Everyone enjoyed and we too appreciate Del Mir Catering for making certain that we had all necessary supplies. Shabbat Shalom and kol tuv,
PDF filesChesed CornerGrandParents and Special Friends Calendar Ad Forms Jamie Zimmerman's Mitzvah Project IDF Music Ensemble |
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