Miller's Musings Parshas Tetzaveh:The Purest Altruism

בס''ד

Considering the amount of importance that is placed on ensuring that the oil used for the Menorah was the finest pure olive oil, one would be forgiven for thinking that this too would be required for the oil of the Meal offering, especially since this is actually for consumption.  This rationale is in fact expressed by the Tanchuma, but it learns from the words “for illumination”, in reference to this pure oil, that this necessity is exclusively for the Menorah and not for the Meal offerings.  In which case we must ask why this is so? Why indeed does the Meal offering not also carry an obligation for the highest standard of oil?

One of the fundamental differences between these two forms of service was that the meal offering was consumed and therefore was somewhat for the benefit of the one who had brought it.  The Menorah’s light however was not for any one particular person’s advantage, but was rather a spiritual light that radiated throughout the entire world.  With this, says Reb Eliyohu Meir Kovner, we can explain the crucial distinction between the contrasting prerequisites for the oil.  Something that is brought for oneself needn’t be of the finest stock, but something that is there as a contribution for the needs of others must consist of the most refined materials.

Whether we like it or not, humankind is by nature selfish. This does not of course mean that we are irredeemably so, nor does it mean that we are either exempt or incapable of tremendous acts of altruism. Each and every day we see that people do behave in noble and charitable ways.  Nevertheless, even when bestowing good to others, there is a propensity towards saving the best of the beneficence for ourselves.  When we are doing ourselves a favour or asking for one from another, only the best will do and anything else may be an affront.  Yet when we give to someone else it seems that we may lack the same commitment to excellence and rather adopt the position of tolerating ‘good enough’.  Our Parsha tells us that this is in fact the reverse of how it should be.  When we are taking, whatever we receive should be accepted with graciousness and appreciation, no matter the quality.   When we are giving, we should look to how we can make it the best possible giving we are capable of, aware that the pursuit of perfection should be solely reserved for those deeds that extend outwards towards another.

*May our Shabbos be one that is used to perfection*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

לעילוי נשמת שרה יעל בת גרשון

לרפואת אלימלך יהושע אהרון בן דבורה רבקה

Miller's Musings Parshas Terumah: The Space to Connect

בס''ד

The holiest place on earth, the Mishkon, and the most hallowed place within this sacred structure, the Holy of Holies.  One cannot even begin to imagine its consummate purity and divinity.  It was from here that all G-d’s influence and blessings emanated and from here that G-d spoke to the Jews through His intermediaries.  But from where precisely did Hashem’s voice come out?  It was from the space between the two Keruvim (angelic forms) that stood atop the Ark of the Covenant. The question we must ask is what it was about that particular gap between these winged beings that made it the perfect place for this role?

Of all that is contained within Judaism, it may be said to revolve around three principal entities: Hashem, the Torah and the Jewish people.  The Zohar tells us that these are all one (requiring elucidation beyond our discussion’s scope).  Yet our holy teachings tell us of the manner in which they are connected.  In the four letter name of Hashem, the last three letters represent these three elements.  The ‘ה’ at the beginning is G-d, the ‘ה’ at the end symbolises the Jewish people, and the ‘ו’ in between is the Torah that links them. The two Keruvim correspond to G-d and His people, who faced each other when in a positive relationship, but away from each other when the Jews caused the bond to fracture.  So, says the Nesivos Sholom, in line with what we said, that which was between them must by necessity be a place of Torah, fitting in with the Ark being where the Tablets and Torah scroll were stored. This space was therefore the perfect place from which Hashem’s utterances would be heard, the messages that would connect G-d with His nation. 

An undeniable part of human nature is our instinct to rebel against that which we are instructed. So when we are told to connect with Hashem through His Torah, we inevitably look for other means by which to form this bond.  Whether it be meditating on some Tibetan peak or using all manner of mediums and materials to try to experience the infinite, these are empty and futile approaches that in truth may be an excuse to give in to that which we crave for ulterior motives. But our beliefs are clear. The only true, authentic way to form a deep and profound relationship with Hashem is by learning and living His Torah.  No matter what our level, no matter what part of Torah we relate to, it is only here that we will find what brings the greatest pleasure, our connection with G-d.

*May we use the gift of Shabbos for Torah and Connection*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

לעילוי נשמת שרה יעל בת גרשון

לרפואת אלימלך יהושע אהרון בן דבורה רבקה

Miller's Musings Parshas Yisro: I Am He As You Are Me

בס''ד

To have a Parsha named after you is no small thing.  Of the many remarkable individuals found in the Torah, very few were chosen for this accolade, so for Yisro to be one of them must tell us something of great significance about his achievements. The two acts that seem to mark him out for distinction are his joining the Jewish people and the contribution he made to the judicial system. Yisro suggested a hierarchical structure with Moshe delegating others to judge the more basic cases leaving him to preside over only the most challenging ones. The first of Yisro’s feats is relatively easy to see as an act of immense self-sacrifice.  But what was it about the second, ostensibly simple act of pragmatism that elevated Yisro above all others? 

To understand the merit of Yisro’s advice we must first understand the rationale behind it.  When Yisro offers his counsel to Moshe he contends that you, Moshe, “will surely become worn out-you as well as this people that is with you”, if he were to remain the sole adjudicator.  But what we must consider here is what relevance any of this had for Yisro himself.  He could quite easily have brushed aside Moshe’s hardship with the knowledge that this was ‘part of the job’.  And with regard to the inconvenience to the people, was this really his problem, especially considering those who were waiting must have been totally unknown and unconnected to him?  He had only just arrived and was hardly likely to be involved in a dispute and even if he would have a question he would have surely been able to access his son-in-law without a lengthy wait. Perhaps therefore Yisro’s greatness was in his ability to see their suffering, putting himself in their place, despite his disconnection from it. 

This ability to imagine oneself for a moment in the position of another is central to our capacity to interact as we should.  Faced with the needs of others we will be able to truly feel their suffering. Being the victim of an action that hurts us we may be able to somehow see past our wounds and perhaps understand the underlying motive behind the act. Seeing a person behaving in the wrong way, we can possibly imagine how their past experiences may have shaped who they now are and reassess the amount of fault that lies with them.  Without these ways of perceiving each other, we risk callousness, perpetual blame and conceit. With them we open our minds to their perspective and our hearts to their needs.

*May this Shabbos help us to see each other as part of ourselves*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

לעילוי נשמת שרה יעל בת גרשון

לרפואת אלימלך יהושע אהרון בן דבורה רבקה

Miller's Musings Parshas Beshalach: When Impossible is Nothing and Belief is Everything

בס''ד

The power of a song and the profound depth found within singing, is a theme discussed recurrently in Torah sources.  After witnessing the most miraculous of events, the splitting of the sea, the Jewish people erupted into a song of praise to G-d.  That they chose that moment to do so, is testament in itself to the divine nature of this action, when done correctly.  So given that this was a fitting response to their salvation, the questions arises as to why they left it until now to react in this manner?  Would their redemption from Egypt not have been reason enough?

Ultimately the answer must come down to a fundamental difference between the events of the Exodus leading up to this event and the miraculous splitting of the Red Sea, which is in fact what the Sfas Emes suggests.  Whereas the ten plagues were remarkable in the way they exhibited Hashem’s absolute mastery over the world and nature, they only showed that; Hashem’s mastery.  All who experienced them had to acknowledge that He was the Creator of the universe, His was the true power and He was the sole determinant of what took place in the world.  The splitting of the sea however took us one step further and one level higher, in demonstrating that through our actions and our good deeds, we too can bend the forces of nature to our will and override the natural laws.  The Jewish people’s fulfilment of G-d’s commands up to that point and their forging forward into the sea, was what ultimately decided that a miracle of this proportion should take place.  It was this knowledge of the power that they wielded that led them to react with songs of praise to the One who had endowed them with this potential.

If we imagine ourselves for one moment with the raging sea ahead of us and the brutal enemy behind, what choice would we make? The reality is that faced with such a situation most would turn to despondency and despair.  Yet the message from our Parsha is that all hope is never lost and no matter how desperate and impossible matters seem, there is always a chance for deliverance and there is always a choice open to us. To resign ourselves to our fate or to move forward in the knowledge that doing what we know to be right may just be that which turns everything around, no matter how unlikely and inconceivable it might seem.  That faith, that knowledge and that course of action is what we need to carry us forward through the most impossible of moments so that we decide our own fate and bring about the miraculous.

*May the harmony of Shabbos lead us to songs of appreciation*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

לעילוי נשמת שרה יעל בת גרשון

Miller's Musings Parshas Bo: New Moon, New Beginnings

בס''ד

There had to be some Mitzvo chosen to be the first given to the Jews as a nation, but why this one?  Why would it be that Hashem would select this particular commandment, to sanctify the new moon, as the one among all the others to be the inaugural instruction for the Jewish people’s lives as a Torah abiding nation?  

A fundamental principle of Jewish thought is that whatever occurs in this physical world has an exact parallel in the higher spiritual worlds.  That which we see in nature is in truth analogous to what is happening at that time in loftier realms.  Pesach, for example, falls in spring, a time of renewal and rebirth, which means that in the upper worlds it is also a moment of regeneration.  In actuality it is that higher spiritual energy above which leads to the corresponding manifestation of this energy in the world we inhabit.  The corollary of this is that within every moment in time there is a potential for us to tap into that unique power and utilise it for our spiritual betterment.  The moon’s reappearance every month is a sign that this is a time imbued with the capacity for new beginnings, therefore it was most fitting that it should be given at this moment, the genesis of the Jewish nation.  In doing so, says the Ohr Gedalyohu not only was Hashem providing the required energies for the foundation of something new, He was also showing us an essential element of who we are.  Although within nature almost everything eventually stagnates and decays, the Jews as a people are not bound by the natural laws, and have an infinite potential for rebirth, just like the moon.

Change is scary and often difficult, sometimes because it’s scary.  It can be so daunting to have to begin again and such a challenge to our sense of identity and who we have thought ourselves to be.  This is why many live the lives they have always lived and do the things they have always done, unwilling to change even when they know the profound benefits of doing so.  In those very first moments as a people Hashem revealed that inbuilt into the very fabric of creation, is the potential to begin anew.  He taught us that the ability to start afresh is something that is an essential part of who we are and who we need to be to achieve our purpose. Yes change is frightening and fraught with risk, but sometimes it is the only way that we can move forward and the only means to becoming the person Hashem knows we can be.  Embracing change may be the single most important choice we ever make.

*May this Shabbos inspire us towards meaningful change*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

לעילוי נשמת שרה יעל בת גרשון

Miller's Musings Parsahs Voeiro: A Leap of Love

  בס''ד    

It is a well-known doctrine of Judaism that there is nothing that we cannot learn something from. Frogs are no exception! Chazal tell us that Chananya, Mishoel and Azaryah used the example of the frogs, who in this week’s Parsha leapt into the Egyptian ovens in order to fulfil the will of G-d, to conclude that they too must enter the fiery furnace to sanctify Hashem’s name. The logic went, that if these frogs who were not even commanded to do so, gave up their lives for Hashem, all the more so we, who are instructed to sacrifice all for the name of Hashem, must surrender ourselves to this fate. The flaw in this reasoning however, said the Shaagas Aryeh, is in the fact that the frogs were in fact also charged by Hashem with this suicidal mission, as evidenced by the verses before the plague began that stated that they would have to do so.

At the young age of seven, the prodigious mind of the Vilna Gaon answered this question, earning a kiss on the head from the Shaagas Aryeh.  He pointed to the fact that in addition to being commanded to enter the ovens, the frogs were also instructed to enter beds, kneading bowls and various other areas of the Egyptian homes.  Each individual frog could have excused itself of the responsibility of going into the ovens and pushed the duty onto another of its kind.  That they did not do so, but chose voluntarily to jump to their death, meant that those three righteous men could deduce that they too should submit themselves to martyrdom for the sake of bringing honour to Hashem’s name.

The performance of mitzvos is something that can be done in any number of varying degrees of perfection. They can be done simply due to force of habit or because we are fearful of the consequences of failing to do them. But the lesson of the frogs is that the mitzvos should be done because this is what we want to do. Irrespective of whether we could find someone else to do it or a reason to excuse ourselves, we will take every opportunity we find to perform the Torah’s teachings. If those we seek to educate only see our Judaism as perfunctory or mandatory what hope do we have to stimulate their continuation of its beliefs? If we want our families and those around us to follow our example, and we seek to inspire others to live the Torah and its values, we must show that the divine acts we perform are not done only as obligations, but as deeds that we willingly and lovingly carry out.  Maybe then we too will motivate others to bring more of G-d’s light into the world for all to enjoy. 

*May this Shabbos be experienced with love and joy*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם

לעילוי נשמת שרה יעל בת גרשון

Miller's Musings Parshas Shemos: Man Ways To See

  בס''ד

In an extraordinary exchange with G-d by the burning bush, Moshe seemingly does the unthinkable and questions Hashem’s judgement.  Putting to one side how such an act is possible, we will focus on Hashem’s response to Moshe’s assertion that he did not have the requisite communication skills for the task of leading the Jewish people.  Hashem replies “Who makes one mute or deaf, or sighted or blind? Is it not I!” thereby refuting Moshe’s claim of an inability to provide the oratory skills needed.  Looking carefully at this statement, we cannot fail to notice one detail that seems out of place.  For within the impairments listed that Hashem creates is the fact that he also fashions those who are “sighted”.  What is this doing within this catalogue of imperfections?

Moshe Rabbeinu was perhaps the greatest human being that ever lived.  In fact Reb Shimon Schwab zt’l compares him to Odom, the first man, in at least one regard, relevant to the subject at hand.  For just as Odom, before the original sin, was able to see with a purity of vision that provided absolute clarity in all he saw, so too Moshe reached the level where he was able to see the world around him through a lens of absolute holiness and lucidity.  To people such as these, normal vision, as described by the word “sighted”, is something of a flaw when compared to their ability to see.  In fact the same Hebrew word is used in the Torah after Odom has fallen to a lower level due to his eating from the tree of knowledge and “the eyes of both of them were opened”.  Relatively speaking being sighted was in fact a level of imperfection.

The answer we have arrived it as based upon perspective.  For one sightedness would be a tremendous blessing, for Moshe it was a defect.  Taking this concept a step further we must appreciate that every person comes from a different perspective.  We have a tendency to look at our own viewpoints and worldviews as the perfect balance.  Anyone who sees our values as wrong must be taking things too far and are unaccepting and intolerant.  Yet do we ourselves not consider certain lifestyles or ideas contrary to what we want for ourselves or our families?  Why is it reasonable for us to see those as undesirable in our lives but expect everyone else to always consider our values acceptable?  There is nothing wrong with choosing what we allow into our sphere of existence, as long as we do so with integrity and respect, just be open to allowing others that very same entitlement.

*May we be surrounded this Shabbos with all that is good*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

לעילוי נשמת שרה יעל בת גרשון