The story is told of a man explaining to a Shadchan (matchmaker) what he is looking for in a wife. “I want someone kind and loving, sweet and supportive, intelligent and motivated, responsible and high-principled – and a little bit crazy.” The Shadchan asks in wonderment, “Why a little bit crazy?” And the man replies, “... So she will marry me.” This fits in with the maxim “Be happy your spouse isn't perfect. If s/he were perfect, s/he would have married better!”
It is amazing that when you ask people what they want in a spouse, usually the first word out of their mouth is “a kind person.” So, if the person we want to marry (or stay married to) wants a kind person, it behooves us to make ourselves into that kind of person. (Don't worry that the motivation is self-serving. Better a self-serving kind person than a selfless mean person. And...in truth...the truly selfish person is the truly selfless person.)
The problem is that, as our Sages tell us, “Every person is born saying that ‘the world was created for me!’” We are born in a natural state of selfishness/self-interest, and we need to learn the importance of being kind as a value as well as a personal benefit. So, how?
Kindness is a Torah value. It is an aspect of many Mitzvot, including “Love your neighbor.” In a larger sense, it is included in the commandment to emulate the Almighty. The Almighty provides us with our needs, and it is our goal to be as God-like as possible.
What are your first thoughts when you meet another person? People who have a strong tendency to be takers, think, “What can this person do for me?” People who have a strong tendency to be critical think, “What can I find that is negative about this person?” Some people tend to think, “Do I like or respect this person or not?” And others focus on the question, “Do I feel comfortable in the presence of this person?” And yet others think about, “What does this person think of me?”
When you meet someone, let your first thought be, “What can I do for this person?” This way, you will view each encounter with a fellow human being as an opportunity to give and to help.
This week’s Torah portion begins with the laws of Shemitah, the seventh or Sabbatical year, during which the Jewish people are commanded not to plant their fields or tend to them. Every fiftieth year is a Yovel, in which agricultural activity is also proscribed.
These two commandments fall into one of the seven categories of evidence that God gave the Torah. If the idea is to give the land a rest, then the logical plan would be to not plant one-seventh of the land each year. To command an agrarian society to completely stop cultivating all farmland every seventh year, one has to be either God or a meshugenah (crazy). No sane group of editors would include such an “insane” commandment in a set of laws for the Jewish people; only God could command it and ensure the survival of the Jewish people for following it.
Also included in this portion are the laws of 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, and the laws of indentured servants. The portion ends with the admonition not to make idols, to observe the Shabbat, and to revere the Sanctuary.
The Torah states, “When you come to the land which I give you, the land shall rest, a rest for the Almighty” (Leviticus 25:2). Why, in its discussion of both the Sabbatical year and the Shabbat, does the Torah specify that the “rest” is for the Almighty, not for us?
My grandfather, Rebbi Horav Yeruchem Levovitz of the Mir Yeshiva, cites the noted commentator, the Raavad, who teaches that a fundamental principle behind the commandments is that “they are to remind us constantly that we have a Creator who is our Ruler.” The Almighty gave us this earth, but after using the earth for some time, a person can mistakenly think that the earth belongs to him, and he can forget that the Almighty is the real owner. Therefore, the Torah constantly reminds us that the Almighty is the true owner and ruler.
This is also the lesson we learn from the weekly Shabbat. It shows a person that the Almighty is the One who gives us the power to work on the other days of the week. This is a weekly reminder that we have a God who created the world, sustains it, and relates to each of us on a one-to-one basis.
Hashem should bless us all with a great, positive Shabbos and happy counting.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Ari
P.S.: A great Thank You to all those that donated money to our current matching campaign.
P.P.S.: Thank you all the weekly Shabbos minyan-goers Thank you to all 40+ of you that come on Shabbos, With Hashem’s help, we will keep on growing until there will be no seats available in Shul.
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SCHEDULE
Friday, May 24, 19 Iyar
Shacharit: 6:30 am
Mincha: 7:10 pm
Light Candles: 7:10 pm
Saturday, May 25, 20 Iyar
Class at 8 am
Shacharit: 9:00 am
Class: 5:55 pm
Mincha: 6:55 pm
Shabbat ends: 8:11 pm
Sunday, May 26, 21 Iyar
Shacharit: 8:00 am
Mincha: 7:15 pm
Monday-Thursday, May 27-30, 22-25 Iyar
Shacharit: 6:30 am
Friday, May 31, 26 Iyar
Shacharit: 6:30 am
Mincha: 7:15 pm
Light Candles: 7:14 pm
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