Miller's Musings Parshas Behaalosecho: A Blast From The Past

בס''ד

The concept of the Kohen Godol and the Menorah seem inextricably linked with Aharon given the task of its service for the first time in this week’s Parsha.  The Medrash tells us that the reason for the juxtaposition of the section of the Menorah and that pertaining to the offerings of the princes of each tribe, is that Aharon was disconsolate that neither he nor his tribe had participated in those tributes.  To console him, Hashem proclaimed that his lot was indeed far greater than theirs, for he will be the one who has the distinction of performing the ceremony with the Menorah each day.  All that remains is for us to understand what lesson there is for us to learn from what transpired.

Interestingly the contribution of the princes themselves, resulted from similar beginnings.  Having offered to provide whatever was lacking at the end of the gifts of the general populous, and finding out that there was in fact nothing lacking, the princes were rather perturbed by being unable to bring their own donations.  There too Hashem offered them a consolation, in this instance the offerings of the inauguration of the Mishkon.  What seems to become clear from these two cases is the opportunity of closeness to G-d that can result from some form of regret and heartache.  The outcome of the genuine disappointment of a missed chance to be part of some spiritual connection, by both Aharon and the princes of the tribes, was an opportunity for even greater transcendence. 

Our society seems to consider regret as something to be ashamed of.  One who can claim “I do not regret a thing”, considers themselves superior in some way.  They wear it as a badge of honour, when in truth it is only a badge of arrogance and conceit.  There are none amongst us who have not made errors of judgement, and to dismiss them so as not to lose face, is to miss an opportunity for further growth and for learning from our greatest teacher, the mistakes we have made.  We of course should not look for ways to enable regret and to dwell on them for too long, to the point that it stunts further development can be ruinous.  But once we have slipped, there is no shame in regretting our actions and there is great potential in understanding their root cause and absorbing its teachings.  As long as we do not let regret become a barrier, it can be the catalyst to our greatest accomplishments.  Don’t live in the past, but let it help define the future.

May this Shabbos pass with no need for regret and only memories of perfection. 

 

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם

Miller's Musings Parshas Naso: One Look Is All It Took

בס''ד

Seeing a Sotah, a woman accused of adultery, enduring the shame and indignity of the process that ultimately exposed the truth about her alleged crime, was said by Chazal to be so harrowing that it triggered within a person the desire to become a Nozir.  A Nozir was one who vowed to abstain from all grape products, cutting one’s hair and defiling oneself through contact with a corpse. This explains why the section about the Sotah is juxtaposed to that of the Nozir.  But if we are to suppose that a Nozir is one who deems it necessary to withdraw to a degree from the pleasures of the body, surely seeing one disgraced in this dreadful manner, due to her indulgence of the flesh, would make artificial motivations less necessary for the one witnessing this episode, not more so?

Contained within every act are two elements.  The physical manifestation of the act itself, and the motivation and intention behind it.  A person witnessing something, says Rav Dessler zt’l, will always be more greatly influenced by the former irrespective of its rationale, even when the latter is perfectly understood.  With regard to the Sotah, although the cause of her appearance in the Temple courtyard may be for reasons of tremendous dishonour, the very sight of a person who may have committed such an awful sin, to some degree lessens within one’s mind the sensitivity towards the immorality of this transgression, notwithstanding the resultant ignominy.  This compelled a person who observed it to reinforce this sensitivity by refraining from certain worldly gratifications.

The experience of seeing something can often be underestimated in its impact.  We think that the mere sight of immorality cannot have any significant impact on our lives.  Yet this is so wrong and so damaging in its misjudgement.  The desensitisation that can be caused by viewing something for the first time can be immeasurable, and each additional time we see it, we become more and more unmoved by its sight.  Once seen, something can never be unseen, and the influence of that incident can reach further into the future than we could ever imagine.  This is so important to realise both for ourselves and for those whose lives we are to some degree responsible for.  This may be a sibling, a spouse, a child, a friend and needless to say ourselves.  If we have the potential to prevent this exposure to something harmful, not averting this irreversible damage, makes us culpable for that destruction of the soul we have ultimately enabled.

May the holiness of Shabbos shield us from all harm. 

 

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם

Miller's Musings Parshas Bamidbar and Shavuos: The Drives of Our LIves

 

בס''ד

The appearance of a multitude of twenty two myriad angels must have added tremendously to the awesome sight that the Jewish people beheld when witnessing G-d’s revelation at Sinai.  Curiously, the one aspect that the Jewish people picked up on, was the fact that these celestial beings carried flags, and so desired for themselves to also bear such flags.  As we are told by the Medrash to this Parsha, G-d acquiesced to this yearning and bestowed upon the Jewish people flags to be utilised during their encampment in the wilderness.  Let us try to understand from where this desire for flags came, why Hashem was so willing to accede and perhaps learn a profound idea about ourselves as a people.

When a person covets something that truly does not stem from a logical motivation, it may be that it is in fact the person’s very soul that is reaching out for this focus of one’s attention.  The soul of a person originates from under the throne of the Al-mighty, and only truly longs for spiritual sustenance, were it not for the confusing desires for the physical engendered by it being confined within an animalistic body.  Just as a Princess raised amongst the splendour of a royal environment, can never be truly satiated by the efforts of a common man, no matter how much he may try to please her, so too the soul always longs for more than only physical satisfaction, regardless of the amount of bodily pleasure experienced.  The souls of the Jewish people may not have fully fathomed the worth of these flags, but they felt keenly their spiritual worth and so craved their presence in their lives, something G-d was only too happy to grant.

Humans have always sought a purpose to strive for in this world. Throughout history, whenever a new doctrine, a fresh societal system, or a novel ‘ism’ has reared its head, more often than not one of the driving forces behind the approach would be a Jew.  The soul within us yearns for meaning and for a cause to fight for.  The true goal we should be working towards is of course that given to us by G-d when He furnished us with the instructions for the best life possible, in the shape of the Torah.  But when we lose our way, or deem that path incompatible with the way we prefer to live, we look for something else to take its place, no matter how futile, inconsequential or indeed destructive that aspiration may be.  As Victor Frankl put it “man’s main concern is not to gain pleasure or to avoid pain but rather to see a meaning in his life”.  Meaning is not something we would like, but something we need.  The only question is in which direction we focus that need, towards empty ambitions or towards the true reason for our existence.

May this week's Shabbos provide meaning and depth to our lives. 

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם

Miller's Musings Parshas Bechukosai: Nobility Breeds Fragility

בס''ד

The rebuke inflicted upon the Jewish people this week is one that is comprehensive in both recriminating past indiscretions and it’s foreshadowing of what is to come should we not heed the warnings.  Seemingly out of place in this context is the verse that proclaims that Hashem will “remember My covenant with Yaakov....Yitzchok and....Avrohom....and the land I will remember“, surely totally not in keeping with the theme of admonitions being meted out?  In what way is this a form of castigation?                                                  

According to Jewish thought no two people are ever held to account in exactly the same way.  Each person’s judgment by G-d is configured precisely according to that person’s unique set of circumstances, with every facet of their personality, life situation and experiences taken into consideration.  If this is true on an individual level, it must also apply to us on a national level.  When we are judged as a people it is not only based on the wrongs we have done but also on the advantages that have been afforded us that we may have squandered in our pursuit of exclusively worldly pleasures.  Being born into a family that included such luminaries as the forefathers and being allowed to inhabit a land with such inherent potential for holiness as Eretz Yisroel, brings with it the responsibility to utilise those gifts and greater negative repercussions as a consequence of not doing so. This, says the Shlo Hakodosh, is why the verse about remembering Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov, as well as Eretz Yisroel,  is included as a part of our admonitions.

The quality of having ‘yichus’, individuals of greatness  within one’s ancestry, is something that has always been valued and sought after by the Jewish people.  In truth however the worth of yichus is not in being able to namecheck some illustrious Rov of yesteryear, but in the atmosphere of devotion to Hashem created by being in such a family and the almost natural inclination nurtured within a home of this kind to a certain mode of living.  As we have seen, however, being a descendant of nobility comes with its own pitfalls and if we do not follow their ways we are responsible for the opportunity we have wasted to emulate those who came before us.  Indeed yichus is a tremendous gift to be endowed with, as long as we do not spurn it, yet even greater is working on ourselves to be the yichus for future generations. Being the kind of person we want our children to be is surely giving them the greatest gift of all.

May this week's Shabbos lay the foundation for a week full of growth.                               

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם