Dear Friend,
This Sunday, June 13 is the 27th yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Traditionally, this is a day for reflection, learning, prayer, recommitment and, above all, positive action.
On the third of Tammuz in the year 2488 from creation (1273 BCE), our prophets teach us, the sun miraculously stood still in the sky over Jericho, delaying nightfall and enabling Joshua and the Jewish people to complete their victory over their enemies.
In 1994 on this same date, millions of people around the world heard about the passing of the Rebbe. But the sun has not set. The Rebbe’s radiant leadership continues to grow and illuminate the world. As the Zohar teaches, a righteous person, no longer bound by physical limitations, is more profoundly felt, then ever before.
Community Calendar 5782
Production of our beautiful, full color community calendar has begun for the new 5782 year.
The new Community Calendar will be published in September 2021 for the new 5782 Jewish year.
The recent growth of our community requires us to print 4000 calendars this year, most of which are mailed free to Jewish homes in the North Jersey area.
Please take a moment to see how you can support this important project.
After seventy years of communist oppression and seven hours of flying, Boris, a burly immigrant from Moscow steps off the plane in a free land to begin his new life in his new home, Israel. Standing at the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, a young and enthusiastic Israeli reporter plunges a microphone in front of him with a level of excitement that is only seen when an inside scoop is about to be caught. The reporter asks with focus: “Tell me, what was life back in Russia like?” To which the Russian immigrant replies: “I couldn’t complain.”
An obviously unexpected answer, the young reporter continues to probe: “Well how were your living quarters there?” to which the Russian responds “I couldn’t complain.”
Not expecting this answer either, the reporter decides to hit him with a question that is bound to get the answer he is looking for: “What about your standard of living?” to which the Russian replies again: “I couldn’t complain.”
At this point, the reporter’s frustration and disappointment with the new immigrant’s answers reaches a crescendo, and so in a derogatory tone the reporter yells out, “Well, if everything was so wonderful back in Russia, then why did you even bother to come here?” To which the new immigrant replies with gusto: “Oh… Here I can complain!
WEEKLY eTORAH
Some arguments are petty affairs between small people who feel a little bigger need to stand up for their perceived honor or status. Other arguments are honest differences of opinion between people of stature, where each has an opinion worthy of consideration. We need to be able to discern the subtleties beneath the surface of any debate before we can know what sort of argument it is.
The sixteenth chapter of Numbers tells the story of the mutiny led by Korach, a cousin of Moses who challenged Moses’ authority. In the end, Korach and his henchmen were swallowed by the earth in a divine display of rather unearthly justice.
The Midrash reveals some of the behind-the-scenes dialogue between these men. Remember, Korach was no pushover. Besides being of noble lineage, he was clever, wealthy and quite charismatic. One of the questions Korach put to Moses was this: does a house full of holy books still require a mezuzah? Moses answered that it did. Korach scoffed at the idea, ridiculing Moses. The little mezuzah contains the Shema—but two chapters of Torah. A whole houseful of books with the entire Torah won’t do the trick, and a little mezuzah will? It doesn’t make any sense, argued Korach.
Why was Moses’ answer correct? What indeed is the significance of a small parchment on the doorpost in relation to a library inside? The Lubavitcher Rebbe explained that it all depends on location. The books are inside. The mezuzah is outside. When there are Jewish texts inside our study and living rooms, this indicates that the home is a Jewish home. This is good, and as it should be. But what happens when we leave the comfortable confines of our home? Do we cease to be Jewish?
The mezuzah is at the threshold of our homes, at the juncture and crossover between our inner lives and outer lives. As we make the transition from private person to public citizen, we need to be reminded of whom we are, and that we take our identity with us wherever we may go. There is only One G‑d, says the little scroll, whether in our private domain or in the big, wide world.
Being Jewish “Inside” is relatively easy. It’s when we hit the “Outside” that we encounter temptation and turmoil. The challenge every Jew must face is to remain proudly Jewish even in the face of conflicting cultures, curious looks, and often, hostile attitudes.
In the German-Jewish community of old there was a slogan which has long been discredited. Yehudi b’veitecha v’adam b’tzeitecha. “Be a Jew in your home and a human being outside.” The Nazis did not distinguish between Jews who looked Jewish or those who had removed any visible identifying marks.
Moses rejected Korach’s argument, with good reason. The mezuzah does not replace the need for Jewish libraries, but it serves as a perennial reminder on our doorways. As we step out of our home to enter the outside world, it beckons us to take our G‑d and our Torah, our values and our traditions, along with us.
