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Tikkun Olam is Hebrew for fixing the world. Implied is that we live in a broken world. What about our world is broken? How do we go about fixing it? Why are the Jewish people uniquely suited to accomplish this vital task? What tools are we entrusted with to help us achieve this supreme goal?
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Unfortunately and ironically, we often appreciate the least the people to whom we owe the most. If a total stranger gave you $235,000 – the amount it costs parents to raise a child to the age of 18 – you would be eternally indebted to him/her. But our parents contribution to us extends far beyond the financial. Who woke up for us as babies; cleaned our messes; worried for us; attended PTA, soccer games and graduations? Our parents did so much for us – we ought to be eternally indebted to them as well.
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The Torah rules that a Jew who desecrates the Shabbat by performing one of the 39 prohibited categories of work is executed. Should we really round up and detain all the Jews driving to shul on Shabbos, try them and execute them? The punishment seems excessive for the crime.
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A simplistic reading of Genesis, interpolated from Adam to present day, results in a universe that is less than 6,000 years old. Scientific methods date the universe as being 13.8 billion years old, a discrepancy that is decidedly beyond the margin of error. How do we reconcile our faith with what science has empirically concluded? Perhaps a simplistic reading of Genesis is a mistake? After all, the 31 verses dedicated to the description of Genesis does not seem to be an exhaustive retelling of creation.
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Talmud Taanis 20: A Person should always be soft like a reed and not stiff like a cedar. There was a story with Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Shimon who was coming from Migdal Gedor from the house of his Rabbi, and he was riding on a donkey and traveling on the edge of the river, and was exceedingly happy, and he was feeling aloof because he had studied much Torah. He chanced upon a man who was very ugly. The man said to him: Peace be upon you, my teacher! [Rabbi Eliezer] did not respond, instead he said: Empty one! How ugly is that person! Perhaps all the people of your city are this ugly? He answered: I don’t know, rather go and tell the Craftsman who made me – how ugly is the vessel that You made. Once he realized that he sinned, he descended from his donkey and prostrated himself before him and said: please forgive me. He responded: I will not forgive you until you go to the Craftsman who made me and tell him – how ugly is the vessel that you made![Rabbi Eliezer] followed him until they arrived at his city. The people of the city went out to greet him and said: Peace unto you Rebbe, Rebbe, master, master! The ugly man asked: to whom are you calling, Rebbe, Rebbe? They said – to the man who is trailing you? He said – If this is a Rabbi, may there not be many like him in Israel. The people of the city inquired why not? He recounted the entire story. They persisted and said, despite this, forgive him because he is great in Torah, He said – for you I will forgive him provided that he does not regulate himself in behaving such. Rabbi Eliezer immediately entered the house of study and taught: A Person should always be soft like a reed and not stiff like a cedar. And therefore a reed merited that a quill is made from it to write Torah scrolls, Tefillin and Mezuzahs.
*Temple Beth Torah 4/26/2015
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Patterns in Jewish History, like cliches, repeat themselves. We are told that disunity, discord and disassociation brought down the Second Commonwealth of Israel nearly 2000 years ago. Implied is that unity will be the quality that is necessary to reestablish Jewish sovereignty and stability in Israel. The story of Zionism is one of disparate Jews uniting behind a national cause and destiny.
*Congregation Beth El 4/23/2015
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We find many references scattered throughout Jewish writings regarding Olam Haba, the next world. What exactly this place is, why we ought to strive to get there and how we go about achieving that goal are matters of immense intrigue and importance. This discussion centers around one of the more peculiar and mysterious Talmudic statements regarding Olam Haba that is found in Tractate Berachos 57b:
Three are a measure of the world to come, They are: Shabbos, Sun, and Tashmish. What does Tashmish mean? If you say it means sexual intercourse; it weakens; rather it must mean relieving one’s bowels.
As they are wont to do, the authors of the Talmud chose to convey ideas in a manner that obscures rather than reveals their true intentions. How do we decipher, decrypt, decode and demystify the words of our Sages and what can we learn about Olam Haba from this Talmudic teaching?
*Shalom Cypress 4/22/2015