It’s ironic that Judaism being a religion that has guidance and direction on every aspect of life, also has freedom of choice at the core of its belief system.
It’s ironic that when we were freed from slavery in Egypt it was not yet considered real freedom until after receiving the Torah, only then were the Jewish people considered truly free.
While most books that are read at the Seder have text at the end which reads “The order of the Passover Seder has finished”, Chabad does not have that text in it’s Seder book.
The first Chabad Rebbe, whose Yahrzeit is today, explained, “The order of Passover and the lessons of the Seder never end, they continue all year long.”
I know it’s not Passover yet, but I can't help it, the taste of last year's Matzah still lingers.
So sitting here, 3,332 years after our great grandparents left Egypt and received the Torah, I wonder why were they only considered free post Sinai?
In their first exchange G-d tells Moses to tell pharaoh “Let My People Go, so that they may serve me”.
It’s no doubt that the freedom from Egyptian slavery was finalized only after receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai. In fact, the entire purpose of being freed was in order to receive the Torah and become a people with a positive purpose.
The profound lesson here for all humankind and huwomenkind is that freedom is not the absence of an oppressor, rather freedom is the presence of a purpose that benefits others.
The great American experiment is again being put to the test. We love America and cherish its constitution and the freedoms it provides. But have we ever stopped to think that being provided freedom does not yet make us free. Perhaps the founding fathers did not want to dictate the purpose of the individual because that would rob the people of their freedom. Rather the founders made sure that the people would be free from the government, and left it up to the intelligence of each individual to find their own purpose and meaning in life = True freedom.
If we feel like our freedoms may be slipping away, it is because we have not been truly free, it is because we are lacking in our personal sense of positive purpose.
For real freedom can never be taken away from a person, no amount of laws, dictatorship or corruption can imprison a free individual.
Freedom is in the mind and in the heart, the soul is free and as long as we have a pulse, we can be free.
So choose your freedom inducing purpose: A. Family, B. Friends, C. Community, D. Faith, E. All the above.
Choose wisely and enjoy your freedom, you and only you can ensure it will never end!
Shabbat Shalom!!
Rabbi Mendel & Elke Zaltzman
SHABBOS TIMES
Friday, January 8
Candle Lighting: 4:28pm Evening service: 4:30pm
Saturday, January 9
Morning service: 10am
Kiddush Brunch 12pm Evening service: 4:30pm
Shabbat ends: 5:32pm
FAIR LAWN JEWISH DAY CAMP
Now more than ever is the time to work on creating meaningful and effective relationships with our children.
In Episode 4 of the FLJDC Insider we explain the basics for meaningful and effective relationships with kids.
Discussing life in the light of Chabad Philosophy
On Zoom:
Meeting ID: 895 6598 0718
Passcode: tanya
Presented in English by Rabbi Mendel Zaltzman
Bat Mitzvah Club
Sunday, January 10, 2:00-5:30pm
We will be heading for an exciting trip to The Palisades Mall for a Jewish Scavenger Hunt and to Sareka On Saddle and Babka Bakery & Cafe in Airmont, NY.
Join for a live puppet show, book reading and craft.
Kids will learn about the Mitzvah of Kindness in an exciting and interactive way.
Social distancing and masks necessary.
No charge for this event, but registration required to attend in person.
If you cannot attend in person, you may participate live on Zoom or Facebook live.
For boys and girls in Grades 6th- 8th
At each weekly program MVP's will prepare special personalized packages for seniors that will be delivered safely in time for Shabbat.
Join the weekly meetings at the Bris Avrohom of Fair Lawn location, to prepare and personalize the packages and have some treats and fun while we work.
Tu B'shvat Women's Night 2021
Wednesday, January 27 at 8pm
Join for an evening of inspiration, fruit desserts and wine in honor of the holiday of Tu B'shvat, the New Year for Trees.
A poor man walking in the forest feels close enough to G-d to ask, “G-d, what is a million years to you?”
G-d replies, “My son, a million years to you is like a second to me.”
The man asks, “G-d, what is a million dollars to you?”
G-d replies, “My son, a million dollars to you is less than a penny to me. It means almost nothing to me.”
The man asks, “So G-d, can I have a million dollars?”
And G-d replies, “In a second.
WEEKLY eTORAH
We never really know why things happen. Do we always deserve everything life throws at us, good or bad? Allow me to share a message from this week's Parshah which may shed a little light on the mysteries of life and our higher destinies.
This is the Parshah that describes the beginning of bondage for the Jewish people in Egypt. Moses experiences his first official Divine revelation at the Burning Bush. There he is charged with the formidable mission to confront the Pharaoh and demand that he "Let My people go." Moses is full of questions and repeatedly seeks G‑d's reassurances.
.In one exchange at the Bush, Moses asks, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should take the Children of Israel out of Egypt? Rashi interprets the first part of the question as Moses doubting his own qualifications to suddenly become a player in the king's court. In his typical humble way Moses didn't see himself worthy of challenging the mighty monarch of Egypt. The second part of the verse is explained by Rashi to be questioning the worthiness of the Jewish People. What have they actually done to deserve such a miraculous redemption?
To which the Almighty answers, firstly, have no fear and have no doubts, I will be with you. And secondly, this is your sign that I have sent you: when you take the people out of Egypt, you will serve G‑d on this mountain.
Now it's very nice to know that this mountain was, in fact, Mount Sinai and that the Burning Bush encounter occurred on that very same mountain. But wherein lies G‑d's answer to Moses' second question? He asked "who am I?" so G‑d replied to the point and said don't worry "I will be with you." But to the question of by what merit did Israel deserve redemption we don't see any answer. That they "will serve G‑d on this mountain" doesn't seem relevant to the discussion at all.
Here it is that we find a fascinating insight into the intriguingly infinite ways of Providence. G‑d was saying that it was not necessarily for what they had done in the past that he was ready to redeem the Jewish people, but for what He anticipated for them in the future. On this very mountain they would receive His Torah; they would become His chosen messengers to be a light unto the nations; they would be the moral standard bearers for the entire world. Never mind what they did or didn't do in the past. G‑d had big plans for this nation and it would all begin with the impending Exodus.
What a powerful message for all of us. Sometimes, the kindness G‑d does for us is not because of what we've been but rather what it would enable us to become. It's not for what we have already done but for what we still will do.
So should any of us be the beneficiaries of a special blessing from Above, instead of patting ourselves on the back and concluding that we must have done something wonderful to be thus rewarded, let us rather ask ourselves what G‑d might be expecting us to do with this particular blessing in the future. How can we use it to further His work on earth? Special blessings carry with them special responsibilities.
May each of us successfully develop all the potential G‑d sees in us and use it for our own moral development and to somehow better the world around us.
