Miller's Musings Parshas Vayeiro: It's Not All About You

The quality of Avrohom’s hospitality is legendary.  There were no lengths that he would not go to, to provide for his guests.  No matter that it was during the intense heat of a desert day or that he had only recently undergone serious surgery, the moment he caught a glimpse of impending visitors he rushed with all possible haste to bring them to his home.  This kind of devotion may lead us to wonder why, after so enthusiastically pursuing these visitors he then only offered them “a little water to be taken”.  Was Avrohom, the paragon of generosity, only willing to offer a small amount of water, but no more? How does this fit in with everything we know about the quintessential host, Avrohom Ovinu?   

When Avrohom provided food for his guests he ensured that he would be the one to actually go and prepare these essentials. As we see in the following Pesukim it is he who personally procures the calf and lays it before them.  Yet, Reb Yaakov Neiman zt’l explains, the water was actually brought by a messenger, not Avrohom himself, which now explains the seemingly sparing amount of water offered.  When Avrohom was doing the work himself, there was nothing that he would not offer and no limit to his munificence.  But when it would require someone other than him to exert themselves, the offer had to take this into account, and would be substantially less not to insist on unnecessary exertion from another.

A person should be constantly looking to improve oneself.  Our goal in life is to always look to raise the bar of our observance and service to Hashem. This may mean taking on additional obligations and perhaps even seeing where stringencies may help us to attain greater spirituality.  But when doing this it is imperative that we bear in mind the effect this may have on others, be it our friends, family or those around us.  It is wonderful to be as devoted to a Torah life as one can be, but not when this encroaches on the rights, needs or happiness of another.  What we take on board is our own business, but it is not for us to take anything on board for someone else and the choices we make can never be detrimental to another.  Be as religious as you want to be, live a life to your maximum potential, but not to the disadvantage of another.  Improvements of that nature are no improvement at all. 

May we all enhance each other’s Shabbos.

L'ilui Nishmas Leah bas Avrohom

Miller's Musings Parshas Lech Lecho: Turn it Up a Notch

There is no one whose life does not consist of trials and tribulations, but perhaps none to the extent that Avrohom faced. Through his ten tests Avrohom's faith was tested to the point of almost superhuman proportions yet he withstood them all. Yet the test of 'lech lecho', to leave his homeland to an unknown destination, although requiring some belief,  seems to be one of lesser intensity.  He is being asked by the Creator,who he recognises and acknowledges, to leave his birthplace but is assured it will be for his benefit.  Is that really so hard given Avrohom's status and level of piety?

We have previously answered that the task may have in fact lain, not in doing the act, but in the thought process in which it was done i.e. To truly believe that it was indeed only for his good, no matter how farfetched that seemed.  Perhaps we could now suggest something even further, that not only was his challenge in knowing that it was ultimately for his welfare, but also to do whatever was necessary to make that as much of a reality as possible.  To make his circumstances, as much as he was able, into one in which it actually was something that he could enjoy and appreciate without the need for a leap of faith.  His instruction was to 'go for yourself' to make his going one that was indeed for him. 

We often perform mitzvos in a perfunctory manner, some we enjoy and some perhaps not so much.  But we are enjoined to 'serve Hashem with joy' so is it really enough to resign ourselves to long term gain only? Whether it be looking for ways to make our acts more meaningful or tactics that assist our enjoyment of the mitzvah, it is part of our responsibility to endeavour  to find these measures. 

Even for those of us whose commitment to keeping Shabbos is without doubt, there are always ways in which we can maximise our Shabbos experience and enhance it for ourselves and our families and if we can, it is incumbent on us to do so.  There is inherent beauty in all Hashem's mitzvos and certainly Shabbos, but if there's something to do to feel it all the more and feel even greater joy in its presence then that is the greatest level of observance we can achieve. 

May we all keep Shabbat at the highest level this week.

L'ilui Nishmas Leah bas Avrohom

Miller's Musings Parshas Noach: It's Time!

 

One well-known Medrash relates an incident that took place inside the Ark during the miraculous voyage that shielded the last remnants of creation from annihilation, when Noach, a little late for feeding time, was met by an angry lion who sunk his teeth into him, wounding him and leaving him limping.  The Medrash suggests Noach had performed a wrongdoing in his tardiness, a fact that seems astonishing given the situation in which Noach found himself as the one responsible for maintaining order in the most trying of conditions.  The Medrash tells us that each animal had to be fed to their specific requirements in terms of diet and timing and that Noach did not taste sleep for the entire twelve months confined in the ark.  Surely he cannot be reproached for one time that he was slightly less than punctual!

The solution to this difficulty is in understanding that the way we are judged is dependent on the time that we commit the offense.  Reb Elyashiv zt’l explains that although at other times, Noach would have indeed been blameless for an act of such minute and almost imperceptible negativity, at a moment when the entire world was undergoing destruction and rebirth, the level he was held accountable to was of a far higher degree of precision.  Perhaps as a reaction to a world destroyed due to its flagrant displays of greed and disregard for others, any act, however subtle, of selfishness, warranted some form of expiation.

If we consider our own lives, there are perhaps times in which we must look for a higher degree of perfection in our acts and performance of mitzvos.  Not all times are equal, and even if we cannot maintain a particular standard forever, this does not negate the necessity and power of deeds done even temporarily when the need arises.  When the Jewish people find themselves once again in incredibly perilous and grave times, do we not have to look to ourselves and ask if there is something more we can do?  We may lack the means and ability to do something physical for our brethren, but there is none of us who are unable to improve on our spiritual living in some way in order to gain merit for the Jewish people as a whole.  How can we not give at least this when there is so much at stake and so much we can do?

May Shabbos bring enduring peace and solace to all.

L’ilui Nishmas Leah bas Avrohom

Miller's Musings Parshas Bereishis: A Little Holiness Goes a Long Way

As the six days of creation drew to a close, Hashem ushered in the very first Shabbos, whose beauty and sanctity has echoed at the end of every week since.  The Gemoro in Shabbos produces a rather cryptic statement saying that anyone who davens on Erev Shabbos and says “Vayechulu” (the verse that acts as a testimony to Hashem’s creation of all existence) is considered as a partner to G-d in the work of the formation of the universe.  How do we understand this seemingly implausible status bestowed upon this act?

The time that Shabbos begins is determined by the setting of the sun, but in actual fact, if we so desire, we can bring in Shabbos earlier than that, within certain halachic boundaries. The exact legal parameters of doing so is beyond the scope of a musing, but it will suffice to say that a person is able to start Shabbos, and all the ramifications of its arrival, before would otherwise be its commencement.  The Be’er Yosef explains that this is what is meant by the declaration of our Gemoro.  Noticing that it uses the term “Erev Shabbos”, which implies the day before Shabbos, he understands it to mean that one who davens and says “Vayechulu”, ushering in Shabbos before it would naturally begin, is a partner in creation because they have actually created Shabbos already on Friday, in the same manner in which Hashem decided that it begin the day after. 

This is firstly another startling example of the power that we have been endowed with by Hashem, but could perhaps also be highlighting the value of increasing sanctity, wherever and whenever possible, into our lives.  For most of us life is full of mundane activities that are simply necessities to our daily living, but there are always opportunities to try and squeeze some extra holiness into our days.  It need not be only by adding time to our Shabbos, but could be attained by finding even a few extra minutes a day to learn some Torah by ourselves, with our spouse, a friend or colleague. Is there some extra act of kindness we could be performing that will not take much of our time but could mean so much to another?  Or perhaps we could take what we are already doing and give it some extra depth and meaning or some extra devotion and joy in its performance.  In a world where there is so much that is impure and unholy, adding one more spark of kedusha could have an immeasurable impact on ourselves and all who walk this earth.  Give it some thought, you’ll never regret it.  

May our love and delight in Shabbos bring greater kedusha to the world.

 

L’ilui Nishmas Leah bas Avrohom

Miller's Musings Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah: Singing in the Rain

So if all is going to plan, we are all pretty happy by now.  We have left our reliance on physical requirements behind.  We have stepped out into the embrace of our Creator, connected with the infinite and are working on only truly seeking the ultimate pleasure provided by spiritual accomplishments.   So where do we go from here and what is the next step that is presented to us by the final piece/s of the Tishrei puzzle known as Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah?   

There is an inherent problem with having such incredibly special and influential days once a year, and that is that they are only once a year.  What do we do when they are no longer around and we seek to maintain the levels of commitment and devotion exhibited over these days to feel this happiness perpetually?    The answer lies in the gift of Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah.  If we were to succinctly summarise the basic themes of these Yomim Tovim, we could perhaps describe Shemini Atzeres as being one final intimate coming together with Hashem and Simchas Torah as a celebration of the completion of the Torah.  Perhaps the point of these days is to lay the blueprint for our existence in the coming months when we lack such inspiration, through perpetuating this closeness to Hashem and following the Torah.  The awareness of Hashem in our lives helps us through the dark times and the Torah is the only way we can sift through what is and is not important in this world, what in the physical world can be used and when it can be utilised so that we don’t live a morose life of total abstention but one of informed temperance and appropriate enjoyment of all G-d has given us. 

We are about to embark on the first day of the rest of our lives.  It is time to step out of our Succah into a brave new world, armed with the knowledge of Hashem being by our side and the Torah as our guidebook for a successful, rewarding and happy life.  Let’s make a decision over Yom Tov that this year should not just be another year but one when we determine to have the best life possible for ourselves, for our families and for all of existence.  You know the way, just take the first steps.  

May Yom Tov equip us with all everything we need for the coming year.

 

L’ilui Nishmas Leah bas Avrohom

Miller’s Musings Shabbos Chol Hamoed Succos Koheles: Infinite Joy

The impression may have been gained from the last Miller’s Musings that to be left always wanting more is a cause for permanent unhappiness, hence material possessions always leaving us wanting.  This can of course not be true in that we see that in spiritual gains we should always be striving for even greater levels of perfection, yet there does indeed lie happiness.  So what is the difference and what message does Koheles, read on Shabbos Chol Hamoed Succos, convey to help further attain the joy that we are enjoined to experience on this Yom Tov?

Koheles asks the rhetorical question “What profit does man have for all his labor which he toils beneath the sun?”, with the phrase “beneath the sun” seemingly superfluous and certainly requiring elucidation?  The Ibn Ezra explains that this expression is chosen to express the idea that all that man does in this world is limited in terms of its temporal nature, subject to the limitations of time.  Everything that we do towards physical pleasures will always be constrained by time, which is of course governed by the earth’s cycle around the sun and is by its very nature finite and subject to disintegration, degeneration and decline.

This perhaps may be one answer to our question.  Whereas material gratification may bring us some enjoyment, there may always be the deep rooted knowledge that this too will pass.  However wonderful the feeling now is, there is nothing in this world that lasts forever and no source of corporeal indulgence that is eternal.  Knowing this, even on a subconscious/neshomo level, leaves us always craving more and never sated with what we have.  The feeling that spiritual undertakings provide do not have this imperfection and although we will still hopefully crave more of the beauty it brings, the infinite nature of its reward brings its own complete fulfilment each step of the way towards perfection.  Our goal is to never stop growing but to enjoy each holy conquest that we make and the infinite bliss each one will bring.

May this Shabbos bring us even greater joy of connecting with the infinite.

 

L’ilui Nishmas Leah bas Avrohom