Vampire Weekend's Surprising Jewish Stories
6 min read
GOOD
MORNING!
Every human being on this planet
has someone who s/he disagrees with -- a spouse, a parent, a
child, a boss, an employee. It is amazing that a parent can walk
into a teenager's room, blow his top about the messiness of the
room, the irresponsibility of the child, the impossibility of finding
anything, the health hazards and the lack of consideration for others
-- and expect his child to say, "Gee, Dad, I never thought of that
before; thank you for pointing it out. I am definitely going to
change!" When that doesn't happen, the parent often figures that
maybe next time if he yells just a little bit louder, the message will
get through. (Insanity is defined as doing the same thing and
expecting different results.)
This phenomenon also occurs between groups. In Israel
there is such a lack of communication between groups --
Ashkenazie-Sephardie, Right-wing-Left-wing, Religious-Secular --
that a Tel Aviv University study in 1998 reported that "70% of Israeli
Jews expect an outbreak of political and religious violence."
(research by Modiin Ezrachi). To counter this, a group of secular
and religious Jews have created Common Denominator, endorsed
by the UJA, to unify the Jewish people. The following piece was
created to foster communication. (If you feel that preventing a civil
war in Israel is one of your top priorities, you might want to contact
them -- David Geffen, 9722-566-0048, fax: 9722-566-0047,
dgeffen@unity.org.il or check out their website --
http://www.unity.org.il )
The 10 Commandments of How to Have a Good Fight
Torah
Portion of the Week
Behar-Bechukotai
Behar begins with the laws of Shemitah, the Sabbatical
year, where the Jewish people are commanded not to plant their
fields or tend to them in the seventh year. Every 50th year is the
Yovel, the Jubilee year, where agricultural activity is also
proscribed.
These two commandments fall into one of the seven
categories of evidence that G-d gave the Torah. If the idea is to
give the land a rest, then do not plant one-seventh of the land each
year. To command an agrarian society to completely stop
cultivating every 7th year one has to be either G-d or a meshugenah
(crazy).
Also included in this portion: redeeming land which was
sold, to strengthen your fellow Jew when his economic means are
faltering, not to lend to your fellow Jew with interest, the laws of
indentured servants. The portion ends with the admonition to not
make idols, to observe the Shabbat and to revere the Sanctuary.
The second portion for this week, Bechukotai, begins with
the multitude of blessings you will receive for keeping the
commandments of the Torah. (Truly worth reading!) It also
contains the Tochachah, words of admonition, "If you will not listen
to Me and will not perform all of these commandments..." There are
seven series of seven punishments each. Understand that G-d
does not punish for punishment's sake; He wants to get our
attention so that we will introspect, recognize our errors and correct
our ways. G-d does not wish to destroy us or annul His covenant
with us. He wants us to know that there are consequences for our
every action; He also wants to get our attention so that we do not
stray so far away that we assimilate and disappear as a nation. I
highly recommend reading Lev. 26:14 - 45 and Deut. 28.
Dvar Torah
based on Growth Through Torah by
Rabbi Zelig Pliskin
The Torah states, "You shall not hurt the feelings of one
another, and you shall fear the Almighty" (Leviticus 25:17). Why
does the verse end with the words, "and you shall fear the
Almighty"?
Rabbi Shlomo Kluger commented: Some people are
careless with the feelings of other people; they think that they only
have to be careful to observe those commandments which involve
man's obligation to the Almighty. The Truth is that if a person is not
careful with his obligations to his fellow men and speaks against
them and hurts their feelings, he will eventually be careless with the
commandments between man and the Almighty. This is why the
Torah adds the admonition to fear the Almighty at the end of the
verse. Failure to observe the first half of the verse will lead to failure
to observe the latter half of the verse.
Since verbal abuse can cause so much suffering, much
care must be taken not to say things to people that will hurt their
feelings. The more sensitive someone is, the greater care we must
take when speaking to him not to cause pain with our words. Not
only is it important to watch what you say to someone, but also your
tone of voice is crucial. If you shout at someone or speak in an
angry voice, this causes hurt feelings and is included in this
prohibition.
Every time you speak to someone you have a choice of
saying things that will make him feel good (which is the fulfillment of
an act of Chesed, kindness) or you might say something that will
hurt him (and violate this prohibition). Utilize your power of speech
to build people up, not to tear them down.
