Netzavim-Teshuva-"Return of the Jedi

"And you will return to Hashem and listen to his voice..." (Deuteronomy 30:2)

Teshuva - “Return” of the Jedi

Certain images in life are so vivid, so poignant, that they strike a deep cord within our psyche. The inevitable effect is that we never forget them. For many, one such image is the climactic ending of the movie Return of the Jedi.

In a scene charged with emotional tension, an epic battle between the dark force and good ensues. The scene is in the Death Star throne room of the Emperor. Darth Vader, the Emperor’s right-hand man, and Luke Skywalker are enwrapped in a classic light-saber clash.


We discover that Vader is really Anakin Skywalker, Luke’s father, who gave in to evil, capitulating to his dark side. The Emperor tries his best to get Luke to give in to his anger and embrace the dark side. Luke immerges victorious, refusing to kill the incapacitated Vader and allow his vengeful passion to control him. The Emperor, in a fury of rage, moves to kill Luke.

The stage is set and in a moving change of heart, Darth Vader returns from the shadows as Luke’s caring father, drawing upon the spark of good that was still shinning within his corrupt soul. He clutches the Emperor and propels him to his doom. In a moment, the symbol of the dark side is pure white. Darth Vader, after a lifetime of evil, is suddenly Anakin Skywalker, a hero forever.

We walk away, emotionally exhausted, wondering about what we have just experienced. Why was it so stirring? Some might wonder, can one really become a hero in one moment?

The answer is that this presentation has painted an allegory of real life to which we can relate. We are complex beings comprised of many facets, levels, and layers. Nobody is purely evil or entirely good. For most of us, our own lives lack the drama of good against evil. But the truth is, on some level that is exactly what is happening.

From year to year our choices affect us more than we realize and we can drift slowly towards darkness. But regardless of how corroded our spiritual being becomes, we can always muster our latent Herculean spiritual vigor and access that which is untainted within the inner recesses of our hearts. It is never too late to choose pure good.

The translation of the word Teshuva in Hebrew is “return.” The concept of repentance in Judaism is to let go of the evil in your life and to return to the good – no drama required. The purity that materializes can be tangible – you can feel the difference.

Darth Vader was given his moment –his son’s triumph over evil pierced through his black mask and with both their lives on the line, along with the epic battle between good and evil, he had to choose. And in an ending fit for the High Holidays, Darth Vader does Teshuva. His choice inspires us because we sense the same potential within ourselves.

In the words of Maimonides(Laws of Teshuva) the famous 12th-century scholar, “free will is granted to all mankind. If one desires to turn himself to the path of good and righteous, the choice is his…Since free choice is granted to all, a person should always strive to do Teshuva…”

Kedoshim-Helping Others Helps Us

Helping Others Helps Us

As we look around us on God's green earth, a realization surfaces: We are fortunate to find ourselves living in the United States of America. The spirits of camaraderie and empathy are the hallmarks of what it means to be American. We rally around those who are in need in unprecedented and selfless ways.

Take for example Hurricane Katrina, the Asian tsunami or any other natural or manmade disaster that occurs around the world. The United States is at the forefront of the relief efforts. We spend billions of dollars helping others, whether financially or through volunteer efforts. Kindness and consideration are the fabric of our national character.

Just as all people possess unique qualities, the same is true for nations. This trait manifests itself in the most acute way in our American nation and, hence, permeates every individual that is its citizen. The immediate results are obvious and their essential contributions to the world are strongly felt.

Relatively speaking, the United States is young in years, having being born out of the womb of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. However, the ideals of kindness and giving have been taught to the world by the Jewish Nation for 3,317 years, since they received the directives from God on Mount Sinai. If we delve deeper into those teachings, we will get a glimpse of why these qualities are so essential to the human race.

The Torah states in Leviticus 19:18, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Nachmanides, a 12th-century Jewish scholar and philosopher, asks how it is possible for us to replicate self-love, which is rooted so deeply in the inner recesses of our subconscious, as a feeling for others. He concludes that the directive does not intend that we should engender these feelings within ourselves, but that we should perform those deeds for our neighbors that we would perform for ourselves.

Hence, the gamut of the entire strata of human relationship is succinctly and poetically related as a directive in these words. It is incumbent on every one of us, as a directive from God, to give love, compassion, sensitivity, consideration and help - whether it is psychological, financial or physical - to our fellow human beings.

Furthermore, we read in the Talmud (Shabbos 137b, Sotah 14a. see also introduction to Ahavas Chesed by Chafetz Chaim) a very fascinating passage. It states that the same way that God clothes the naked, visits the sick, comforts mourners, buries the dead and is compassionate, so too we should emulate His ways by performing the same actions. God expects us to be godly. God's giving is pure without any blemish of personal intent. The more selfless and pure we become in giving to others, the more Godly we are.

The reason for this expectation is beautifully stated by the 18th-century Kabbalist Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto in his book "The Way of God." In the spiritual realm, proximity is not measured by distance but by similarity. Therefore, the more similar we are to God, the closer we are to Him. Being Godly means being close to God. Closeness to God means emulating His ways by being kind to others.

To draw another stroke on this exquisite portrait of the Jewish idea of helping others, we encounter the famous statement of the Ethics of Our Fathers 1:2: "On three things the Universe stands; on the study of Torah, on the service of God and upon acts of loving- kindness."The spiritual foundations upon which the edifice of this glorious universe perches itself are the aforementioned things. Without them, the universe would have no sustenance, no spirit and no breath of life. It would cease to exist.

The commentaries explain that in light of the verse in Psalms 89:3, "For I said, the world will be built through kindness," the thought emerges as follows: Through spiritual channels, the divine influence that manifests itself in sustenance of the entire universe is dependent and directly influenced by the actions of people themselves. In other words, as the old adage goes, God helps those who help themselves. If we help and are kind to others then there is reciprocity from God to the universe. Hence, the building of the universe is dependent upon our loving kindness.

In summary, the Jewish view on being kind and helping others is paramount to our existence for three reasons: People need our help, helping makes us Godly, and it sustains the universe.
When we encounter an opportunity to help others in any way, including volunteering our own services for worthy organizations or causes, we should take advantage of it. It will forge us into better Jews and better Americans.

Vaetchanan-Shema: The Eternal Message

The Eternal Message

Parsha Devarim, Deuteronomy 6:1

Let's imagine ourselves in a different time. It is approximately the year 170 C.E., more than 1,800 years ago. We are witness to a most gruesome and painful sight. Rabbi Akiva, one of the greatest leaders of his generation, is being tortured. Agents of the Roman Empire are scraping his flesh with combs of iron. We stand among his students and notice a deeply moving phenomenon. It is the time to recite the Shema and we hear words that are very familiar. We realize that the soul of this sagacious individual is breaching the barriers of physical adversity in its extreme. As he utters the final word of the prayer, "echad" (He is One), his soul departs his body.

As we are torn asunder by the pain and anguish of what we have just experienced, we are also moved, exhausted and awe-inspired. We are suddenly thrust into a yearning for such profound commitment. We identify with it. It's logical. We value it and sense it in ourselves.
This is not a unique experience. We as Jews have always showed this commitment and resolve through all the vicissitudes of our history.

One father relates his experience of the Sbarro Pizzeria blasts less than 24 hours after that fateful day of Aug. 9, 2001, in Jerusalem, where 15 people were killed and 130 injured."My daughter Shira lies bruised, battered and broken after a long surgery that gave her life back. ... Shira is alternately sleeping and awake, drowsy from the painkillers. At one point, she wants to ask me something. 'Daddy, what happened to that family in front of us in line for pizza?'"
I know the family she is talking about. Both parents and three children died in the blast. I try to delay the news of the tragedy, to protect my child from the bitter news until a later time. ... But after several minutes Shira asks again, 'Daddy, how is that family?' I ask her why she asks specifically about them. Shira tells me that the children caught fire in the terrible explosion. A small one cried, 'Daddy, Daddy, save me!' And the father replied, 'Say with me Shema Yisrael - Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One!'"'Then all was quiet, Daddy.' She stares at me. 'What happened to them?'"

We recite these words many times; in the morning, evening, before we go to sleep, at the conclusion of the Yom Kippur service and the moment before we die. These words have been the cry of the Jew throughout the ages. What do they mean? Why are they so important?
We are enlightened by the words of Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto in his book, "The Way Of God" (pages 287-289): "The significance of the first verse of the Shema ... to bear witness to God's unity in all its aspects as well as to accept the yoke of His kingdom and His authority over all creation, and to resolve to give one's life for the sanctification of God's name."

In this week's portion, we encounter these words. This simple formula conveys the following: The creation of the universe and all that it contains is the manifestation of the work of God's hands. Therefore, even though there appears to be an incalculable number of causes, powers and effects in the universe, God is One. He is the only source of all those events.

This is the message that the Jew has conveyed and will convey to the nations of the world until such time as described by the prophet Zechariah (14:9), "And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; on that day the Lord shall be one, and his name One."

Beshalach-God's Providence

God's Providence
Beshalach, Exodus 13:17-17:16

The world is a beautiful place. We are awed by the Swiss Alps. We are amazed by the Grand Canyon. There are so many breathtaking places. They are too numerous to name.

When we find ourselves in such a place or just witnessing an "ordinary sunset" we wonder, is this accidental? Or did someone make it beautiful?

If we investigate further, the world seems to be designed. The sun sets, the sun rises. There is day, there is night. The sun seems to be the perfect distance from the earth. If it were a little too far, it would be too cold. If it were a little too close, it would be too hot.

As the Midrash in the portion of Lech Lecha points out, Abraham, our forefather, asked these questions. He came to a conclusion: There is a God. He created the Universe.

In Egypt, God showed everyone that He also controls the universe. In this week's portion, Beshalach, this message is brought home.

In order to save the Jewish people, God instructs Moses to split the Red Sea. Moses lifts his staff and the deed is done. One of the most dramatic passages in Torah relates how the Jewish people walked through the sea to the plateau of their salvation. The Egyptians follow them in. Then God tells Moses to raise his staff and make the sea return to its original state. He does. It returns. The Egyptians drown. The Jews are saved. They burst into joy and song.

Rabbi Chaim ben Atar, in his commentary on the Torah, Ohr HaChaim (Exodus 14:26), asks, Why did Moses have to lift his staff to return the sea to its original state? When it is split, that is a miracle. When it returns to its original state, that is nature. Yet it seems like the same effort was made by Moses to split the sea as to return it to its original state. Why? Performing miracles is an effort; returning something to it its natural state is not. That is the way the sea has functioned since creation. Therefore, as soon as the Jewish people emerged from the sea, it would have returned to its original state.

Rabbi Akiva Tatz, in his book "Worldmask," answers that the miraculous state of being is just as miraculous as the natural state of being. It is not natural for the sea to be split or to flow. Both are miracles. Therefore, to change the sea from whatever state it is in requires the same effort. That is why God instructed Moses to raise his staff to return the sea to its original state.

This same idea is expressed by Nachmanides in his famous commentary on the Torah at the end of the portion of Bo (Exodus 13:16). He writes that there is no such thing as nature. God controls everything. Therefore, everything is a miracle. The difference between what we call a miracle and what we call nature is the following: What we call nature is what we are used to. What we call miracle is what we are not used to. This understanding, he writes, is the bedrock of the Jewish faith.

Since everything that happens is miraculous, of course God makes it happen. Therefore, He controls the universe that He created.