Miller's Musings Parsha Shemos: You're Better Than That!

בס''ד

As Yosef Hatzadik, the last remnant of the bygone generation, returned his soul to his Creator, the Egyptians, we are told by Chazal, began to look upon the Jewish people in a new light.   Now unrestrained by the debt they owed to their former leader Yosef, his passing ushered in a new set of policies towards the Bnei Yisroel, in which servitude and affliction were now their lot for the foreseeable future.   The challenge here is to understand what of substance actually changed. If they were always of the mind to persecute the Jews to such horrendous proportions, would the past really have kept them at bay?  How could the death of Yosef have so precipitously opened the floodgates of hate to such a degree?

The key to understanding this, as presented by the Sichas Mussar, is to appreciate the role that respect for another can play in curbing one's natural inclination towards that person.  When there is respect afforded to another, no matter how intense the hatred, the negative consequences of this revulsion are restrained.  Yosef's demise was the point at which the Egyptians no longer looked at the Jewish people with the same awe as they had previously and their previously latent animosity towards them became the driving force for their actions. 

There are many possible barriers that can prevent us from sin, but this concept may present us with the most powerful.  Instead of focusing on the negative effects that doing wrong will have on us, the path to prevention here is due to the self-respect we should feel for ourselves. Instead of questioning whether it is worth the short term pleasure for the long term pain, we should be asking how a person create in the image of G-d Himself could ever conceive of lowering oneself to such unworthy acts.  Put simply, we are better than that and we need to know this ourselves, without any need for the approval of others.  Let's not demean ourselves to do things that are unbecoming of such nobility and no more than the actions of a being lacking control of their natural inclinations.  Appreciate with your entire being where you come from, who you are, what you are capable of and what unique place you have in creation and you will never come to something that is so dishonourable. A little self-respect can go a long way, straight to the top. 

May the contemplations of Shabbos fill you with the knowledge of your own greatness.

 

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם

Miller's Musings Parshas Vayechi: Who am I?

בס''ד

Everybody appreciates a blessing, especially if it is from a venerable sage whose words carry weight in the divine realms.  So to receive a brocho from Yaakov Ovinu, no less, must have been anticipated with tremendous fervour by his sons.  And yet when we actually scrutinize the blessings, many seem to fall far short of the expected nature of a blessing. Condemnations such as that given to Reuven, “water-like impetuosity” and analogical character descriptions, “Yissochor is a strong-boned donkey” are certainly not what we would envisage.   

The etymology of the word Brocho, as explained by Reb Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi shlita, carries the connotation of adding something to a pre-existing entity.  To give a brocho to someone entails leaving them more than they were previously.  He further explains that to achieve this Yaakov felt it was necessary to both help each brother understand who they truly were and also show them where they had erred in the past.  This was the approach prescribed for their personal growth.  To know their strengths and weaknesses and where they have previously fallen below their own potential was the surest way to ensure their development, hence the purest form of a Brocho that could be given.  Without knowing who one truly is how can one hope to become better in the future?

Everyone is composed of good and bad character traits.  We are all a composite of positive and negative elements that bring us closer or move us further away from our intended goals.  To understand this through self-analysis is critical to understanding who we are and who we are meant to be.  The problem lies in being able to provide an accurate appraisal of ourselves when we are so clouded by our own ego, biases and conversely feelings of lack of self-worth.  Without an objective opinion we can all too easily overlook where we struggle and more importantly where greatness lies within us.  This is the value of having a true friend.  Not one who tells us what we want to hear or belittles us for self-serving purposes.  But one who shows us where we can be better, whilst emphasising our tremendous virtues that we all have within us.  Finding a true friend is invaluable for appreciating ourselves so we can fully realise our potential.  It is surely one of the greatest blessings we can receive.

May Shabbos be full of true friendship all around us.

 

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם

Miller's Musings Parshas Vayigash: Awake to the Mistake

Could there be a greater turn of events than that played out in our Parsha?  In an instant everything changes and the brothers’ tormentor reveals himself to be none other than Yosef, their sibling they had sold into slavery all those years ago.  The brothers are left totally dumbfounded, unable to utter a single word in response.  The Gemoro tells us that this episode provides an absolutely crucial message. If the brothers were so devastated by the rebuke of Yosef, one can only imagine the utter trauma that one will feel when confronted by the Creator in our day of final reckoning.  The perplexing thing about this statement is that in none of the words of Yosef do we find an actual rebuke.  He merely reveals his true identity.

Reb Chaim Shmulevitz zt’l uses this to reveal an important truth about the nature of the admonition we will ultimately face.  It is not a process in which we are reproached for our misdeeds, rather we are simply shown the mistake that we have made, which consequently enables us to recognise how foolish we were to have done wrong.  Yosef had told his brothers that one day he would rule over them, for which they had deemed him worthy of being sold.  In one foul swoop Yosef exposed their actions for what they were and demonstrated how wrong they had been.

This is what we will all one day face.  Not a fresh revelation of the tragedy of the acts we performed but a sharp blast of reality, involving all the errors of judgement we have made.  The sad truth is that if we would step back and examine much of our life as we lived it we would often see the folly of our actions.  The goals we hoped to achieve, the people we sought to impress, the pleasures we thought would bring us satisfaction. How many of them have actually led to the outcomes we so desired? How many of those outcomes are actually of any true worth? And yet we don’t learn from our mistakes.  We just persist in making them. Let’s not wait to the final day of judgement to receive our rebuke when we can face up to it now. It will not be things that we did not know.  It will be things we knew all too well but chose to ignore for momentary gratification or a fleeting diversion.  To err is human, but it is often a choice we make and not one we are compelled to do.  Mistakes can be the making of you, as long as you learn from them before it’s too late.        

May Shabbos awaken our souls to learn from the past and prepare for the future.

 

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם

Miller's Musings for Chanuka: As The Flames Ascend

As the final flames of Chanuka flicker out, the last embers fade into the darkness of the night and we bid goodbye to this beautiful festival of lights, we must look for a final message to carry us through these cold winter months.  It is interesting to note that those last eight candles would actually be only one were it not for the rule to follow the opinion of Beis Hillel, to start with one rising to eight, rather than that of Beis Shamai who thought it more fitting to begin with eight and finish with one.  We know that in all debates between these two schools of thought, although both are considered equally valid expressions of the will of Hashem, we ultimately follow that of Beis Hillel.  The Vilna Gaon however tells us that in the World to Come we will in fact light according to Beis Shamai. 

It is no surprise to us to note that these two ways of lighting carry within them a hidden depth and, as Reb Shimshon Dovid Pinkus zt’l writes, two pathways in the service of Hashem.  The one of ascension symbolises the path in which we work each day on another aspect of our personal growth, never being satisfied with what we achieved yesterday, constantly striving for new levels of attainment.  The method of descent represents the route we take in which we focus on one particular aspect of our character or our observance and hone it to perfection, removing any impurities and falsehood until it is refined into its purest and simplest form.   

This world is one in which we are here to build.  To create who we want to be in the Next World.  Once we are there, we only have whatever we have brought, nothing else. The focus in this world has to be to keep adding to our reserve of good deeds and traits.  The path of decontaminating those parts we have already gained is certainly a legitimate way to live, as evidenced by it too being a genuine position imparted by Beis Shamai, but it is not where our focus should be.  That is in fact reserved for the Next World.  There all we take is the amount of good we have generated and all we can do once we are there is peel away the layers of spiritual negativities in the harvest we have reaped. 

Chanuka is almost over but if we hold on steadfast to the light it has brought we can keep it with us no matter where life finds us in the ensuing months ahead.  We have to keep rising like the flame itself, ever ascending, ever reaching heavenwards.  This is the life we were created for and this is the creed we must live by until we ignite the eternal, purest light of Moshiach and end all darkness forever.   

May the fires of the Menorah kindle our souls and light up our lives.

 

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם

Miller's Musings Parshas Mikeitz/Chanuka: Instantaneous Light

 

Miller’s Musings Parshas Mikeitz 

Yosef’s salvation from incarceration is treated as a matter of tremendous urgency by the attendants of Pharaoh.  The Posuk refers to the process as one in which “they rushed him from the dungeon”, and as usual our role is to understand the hidden depth behind the occurrence, in this case the speedy nature of his rescue.   

A vital lesson is brought out from this by Reb Yerucham Leibovitz zt’l, who quotes the Seforno as saying that this was exactly like the manner of all of Hashem’s deliverances, that all occur in a very brief moment.  He further explains, that this is in contradistinction to that effected by man which requires a process or some procedure that needs to be undergone before any result is felt and there is the possibility at any time of something to block it.  Hashem needs no such preparation or system to bring about a change of any magnitude, therefore His salvation comes in the blink of an eye, and there is never a possibility of an impediment. 

The analogy for Golus referred to throughout Chazal is that of darkness.  It is a time where everything, and most importantly often the presence of Hashem, is incredibly unclear.  There is so much pain and hurt that we find it hard to see how this world can be a manifestation of G-d’s will.  But the incredible thing about darkness is that it can be dispelled in an instant with the coming of even the smallest light.  Total blackness, where absolutely nothing can be recognised, can be transformed into a situation of complete clarity almost instantaneously.  The world as it is, is fraught with challenges and dangers, with so many determined to destroy instead of create.  It is easy to think that there is no way out for mankind so driven by power and greed.  But this is one of the messages of the Menora, a small light in the seemingly infinite darkness, that reminds us that no matter how dark the times have become, in an instant, with the light of Hashem and the redemption that only He can bring, all suffering can end and all truth will be revealed.     

May the lights of Shabbos and Chanuka spread throughout the entire world.

 

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם

 

 

Miller's Musings Parshas Vayeshev: Age Old Advice

 

בס''ד

Yosef is renowned for his standing as the most beloved child of Yaakov with the reason given by the Torah as being that he was the “ben zekunim”, usually translated as “a son of his (Yaakov’s) old age”.  This is however both curious and challenging in its correct interpretation and requires elucidation since in actual fact the word “zekunim” means only old age rather than ‘his’ old age and even if this were the case why is it given as the cause of his being the most favoured child?

To answer this Reb Yitzchok Zilberstein shilta brings the sefer Ohel Yaakov’s explanation as to why one who honours one’s parents is assured by the Torah of a long life.  In a departure from the more obvious understanding, he explains that a person that honours their father and mother would by definition be spending time with them, absorbing their teachings and gaining their sagely advice.  This will mean that even in one’s younger days they will be far less restricted in their knowledge by the follies of youth and far closer to the status of elder statesperson due to wisdom they have garnered from their parents.  The long life they acquire is therefore not strictly in the years that they live, but in the years of experience and knowledge that can be attributed to them, including those of their parents.  This, Rabbi Zilberstein explains, is one understanding of what is attributed as being the cause for Yosef’s status.  He was a child who, due to the time he spent with Yaakov, was a favourite of his and also in this perspective in his old age despite his few years.  

The world we live in is one that to an increasingly great extent belittles and undervalues the elderly, in stark contrast to the directives of the Torah with regard to those more senior than ourselves.  Yet we may mistakenly believe that the honour accorded to old people is solely for their sake or as a means to honing our own character traits.  Those both being true, an additional and significant facet of this mitzvoh is understanding how much there is to be gained from an association with those who have had so much experience of all of life’s ups and downs as well as its little foibles.  They have that oft lauded strength, the benefit of hindsight, which we can gain so much from and a knowledge of a life lived that is impossible to be gained without having lived it.  Viewed this way any opportunity to help or interact in any way with the aged is, far from being an activity of giving, actually a means to enriching our own lives in ways beyond which we could ever be capable of by ourselves. 

May Shabbos, and all we share it with, enrich our lives.

 

 

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם