Ilan you are really pumped up at this moment. You have just beautifully executed you task . You are surrounded by everyone in the world who is important to you. You are connected to everyone menber of your past and of your future. Remember this moment and remeber that it happened here in the synagogue.
Of all of the commandments in the Torah which one is the hardest to keep? please remember this is a family show.
Which one is the easiest to keep? There is a midrash that answers this question.
The easiest mitzvah is in this weeks Torah portion chapter 22-6
If a birds nest happens to be before you on the road or any tree or on the ground - young birds or eggs- and the mother is roosting on the young birds or eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. You shall surely send away the mother and take the young for yourself, Before we go on let's take a moment to understand this curious mitzvah by illustrating a scanario. I am on a camping trip. I am hungry. I see a nest with eggs and eggs for breakfast sounds good to me. I walk over to the nest and remembering my Torah obligation I shoo away the mother bird. I take the eggs enjoy the breakfast and have fulfilled a mitzvah.
What kind of a mitzvah is this anyway you might ask. Many have offered insights into this mitzvah. Maimonides talks about conservation. Not destroying a species by harvesting the mother and the young at the same time. Furthermore he says this mitzvah is an exercise in compassion. All mother s grieve at the loss of their young both human and animal. Now don't think that if we really had compassion we wouldn't take the egg in the first place. The Torah explicitly says upon emerging from the ark g-d said to Noach "all creatures that roam the face of the earth I have given to you to eat". Eating the animal in the service of man is the fulfillment of that animals purpose. Nonetheless that use must be sensitive and compassionate. You might say we are PETA People for the Ethics of Torah Always.
Now let's look at the hardest mitzvah.
The hardest mitzvah is honoring ones parents. It takes time, effort, physical and emotional capital and when you are all said and done you never know if you really did everthing you are required to do.
The Torah rarely tells us what the reward is for the preformance of a mitzvah. However one famous exception is Honor thy father and mother so that you may have long days. Interstingly enough of the very few mitzvos that the Torah lists the reward the Torah also tells us what the reward is for the mitzva of sending away the mother bird. Surprise of surprises the Torah states so that it will be good for you and you shall prolong your days.
Let's see what we can learn from these two mitzvos and the unusual connection between them.
The first lesson is that both mitzvos have to do with parents. The sensitivty to a mother not just my mother or someone elses mother but even a mother bird prevents us from being self centered. I must respect not only my parents but the concept of parenthood. I live a life indebted to another for my very existance.
A second lesson. Don't grade the mitzvos. This one is a big one this one is a small one. This one is important this one not so important. This leads to a general classifacation system. This person I have to be nice to this one not. This promise or obligation is a big one, this one I don't have to take seriously. We should view all mitzvos equally as the Will of G-d, no more and no less. The reward for an easy mitzvah may be no different than the reward for a difficult mitzvah. Responsibilities, relationships large and small who really knows which one is important and which one isn't. Holydays large and small who decides. As a matter of fact I will make you an offer I have made before. if anyone would like to take off Yom Kippur and sign up for Simchas Torah instead I will give you full permission. I bet you will have alot more fun. In short, our reward depends on what is in our heart when we do the mitzvot. Don't be calculating just straightforward and sincere. The similarity of the reward for these two mitzvot teaches us the importance of the attitude with which we approach mitzvot.
The importance of what is in your heart is dramatised by the following statement.
The Talmud in kiddushin 31a States: Avimi the son of R' Avahu taught; One may feed his father succulent fowl and yet goes to gehinom and another works his father at the grindstone and goes to heaven. The Jerusalem talmud illustrates with the following story.
Once there was a man who was feeding his father succulent fowl. The father asked "where did you obtain such good fowl" the son replied "what does it matter to you. Just chew it well and swallow." Another man was working at his mill. The king drafted his father into the service. The man said father you work here in the mill and I will go to serve the king (the duration of the kings service was unknown) Further Rashi explains even if the son needs to put the father to work but he explains to that he has no alternative and shows him how much it will be appreciated that is also honor. Whereas the one who served the succulent fowl indicated that it was all abig burden to him.
So we see that ultimately it is what is in our hearts make great differences ultimate outcome.
And why am I stressing these three lessons this morning. Because we are celebrating the bar mitzvah of a boy who has a good heart. Ilan is sincerely kind and gentle not because he is supposed to but because that's the way he feels. His innate goodness makes him a supportive person and a great friend classmate or teammate. In the book of proverbs we are taught Tov shem mishemen tov a good name is more valuable that fine oil. Ilan has a good name for not being stuck up or self absorbed. No one knows this more than your proud parents. Both Lee and Sherry stressed your goodheartedness. Jordan and Marlee and Zoe love you not just because you are their one and only brother in the whole world but because you are kindhearted and they are proud that you are their brother. For your grandfather Stan and your grandmother Jolee this is a proud moment. Sam and Pola enjoy the nachas of seening this proud moment . As holocaust survivors they have known much pain all of this makes the joy and pride they have in their grandson that much more special. So Ilan I advise you to dilligently study the Torah so that you may recognize all of the mitzvos even the little ones just like you recognize everyone even the little people. Continue to preform your mitzvos and live your life with your wholesome attitude because we see there is a great difference between doing something grudgingly and wholeheartedly. And may you be blessed with the bleesing of the hardest mitzvah and the easiest mitzvah a long long life.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Parshas Shoftim
Among the many adages of the world that have nothing to do with reality is the famous 'all is fair in love and war.' In love nothing could be farther from the truth but according to the Torah even in war when lives are on the line there are still standards to maintain and valuable lessons to be learned from those standards. This weeks parsha spends time on the nature of a Jewish war and particularly on the role of trees in war.
The Torah teaches us not to cut down fruit trees when we lay siege to a city. "for is it a man this tree of the field that you lay siege against ? asks the Torah. You are fighting against people leave the trees alone. "Only trees that you know don't produce fruit can you cut down and build battlements". Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra reads the possuk differently. You need to eat the fruit of the tree to live, therefore read "for a man is the tree of the field' killing it is to kill oneself. Rabbi Yeruchom Levovitz was the spiritual Dean of the Mir yeshiva in the early part of the 20th century. He wrote a book called Limmud Musrei haTorah literally learning ethical lessons from the Torah. In it he cites the prohibition of cutting down trees for man is a tree. This verse says rav Yerucham and tells us that the Torah wants us to use the tree as a model of life. He continues to quotes the Mishna in the ethics of the fathers / Pirkei Avos "One whose wisdom is greater than his deeds is compared to a tree with many branches and few roots a storm comes and uproots it. One whose deeds exceed his wisdom has many roots and fewer branches all the storms in the world cannot budge it from its place.
Deeds are our roots says Rabbi Levovits. We have begun the the month of Elul. Exactly 30 days from today we will be celebrating rosh hashnah. We use the month of Elul as a time of preparation repentance elevation. If we want to repent says rav Yerucham we must force ourselves to do good deeds. Subject our body to the service of Hashem. Why do we have to force ourselves. is it not logical to do good deeds. the answer is of course except that right nowI am very tired, hungry, hot. I would love to help but just now happens to be a very inconvenient time. Rabbi Levovitz teaches us that inconvenient as it may be there is no option. The body can be elevated not with wisdom but only with action. Maimonedes writes that if a person repeatedly performs good deeds his reward increases exponentially. A person who gives one hundred gold coins to charity is not on the same level as one who gives one coin one hundred times. Rabbi Levovitz says the principal here is that the more a person performs a certain deed, the more likely it is to become habitual and improve his nature permanently. More classes and more study are not even going to do it. Just actions. Of course getting up and getting out of the house to go to the class is a pretty big action.
A few month ago Dafna Kadosh travelled to Israel to celebrate her Bat mitzvah with her Israeli family. This morning Dafna is going to share words of Torah and celebrate at a kiddush with her Atlanta family. Dafna is an exceptional student at GHA a great athlete a good friend and all in all a very smiley child. Dafna comes from a home of mitzvot. The actions of Shabbat, chagim, hachnasat orchim. These are the deeds that elevate us. These are the actions that create habits for us to live by. When we get up in the morning we take a wash cup and pour water over our hands three times alternating. This action repeated day in and day out reinforces the message that our day is to be 0ne of cleanliness and purity and it goes on from there. We leave the room we kiss the mezuzah. As we go out into the world we take the guidance of the Torah with us. These actions are not just drudgery or mindless rituals. These actions are helping us develop our root system. On and on action by action deeper and deeper. Soon we have very deep roots that tie into the root system of our parents and their parents. Then when the great storm hits be it the horrors of the holocaust that your grandmother experienced or the challenges and lures of the classrooms, offices or streets of the 21st century all of the wind in the world cannot budge you from your place just as it cannot budge your parents. You will produce beautiful fruit that will be admired and enjoyed, just as your parents have done. Happy are you Dafna for the first chapter of sefer tehilim the book of psalms says people like you whose desire is in the Torah vhayah ketz shasul al palgei mayim,You will be like a tree planted by flowing waters, asher piryo yiten b'etow whose fruit is produce regularly, people can count on you and your leaves will not whither but you will remain vigorus and provide shelter to those around you. Vchol asher yaaseh yatzliach and everything you do will be succesful. Mazal Tov
The Torah teaches us not to cut down fruit trees when we lay siege to a city. "for is it a man this tree of the field that you lay siege against ? asks the Torah. You are fighting against people leave the trees alone. "Only trees that you know don't produce fruit can you cut down and build battlements". Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra reads the possuk differently. You need to eat the fruit of the tree to live, therefore read "for a man is the tree of the field' killing it is to kill oneself. Rabbi Yeruchom Levovitz was the spiritual Dean of the Mir yeshiva in the early part of the 20th century. He wrote a book called Limmud Musrei haTorah literally learning ethical lessons from the Torah. In it he cites the prohibition of cutting down trees for man is a tree. This verse says rav Yerucham and tells us that the Torah wants us to use the tree as a model of life. He continues to quotes the Mishna in the ethics of the fathers / Pirkei Avos "One whose wisdom is greater than his deeds is compared to a tree with many branches and few roots a storm comes and uproots it. One whose deeds exceed his wisdom has many roots and fewer branches all the storms in the world cannot budge it from its place.
Deeds are our roots says Rabbi Levovits. We have begun the the month of Elul. Exactly 30 days from today we will be celebrating rosh hashnah. We use the month of Elul as a time of preparation repentance elevation. If we want to repent says rav Yerucham we must force ourselves to do good deeds. Subject our body to the service of Hashem. Why do we have to force ourselves. is it not logical to do good deeds. the answer is of course except that right nowI am very tired, hungry, hot. I would love to help but just now happens to be a very inconvenient time. Rabbi Levovitz teaches us that inconvenient as it may be there is no option. The body can be elevated not with wisdom but only with action. Maimonedes writes that if a person repeatedly performs good deeds his reward increases exponentially. A person who gives one hundred gold coins to charity is not on the same level as one who gives one coin one hundred times. Rabbi Levovitz says the principal here is that the more a person performs a certain deed, the more likely it is to become habitual and improve his nature permanently. More classes and more study are not even going to do it. Just actions. Of course getting up and getting out of the house to go to the class is a pretty big action.
A few month ago Dafna Kadosh travelled to Israel to celebrate her Bat mitzvah with her Israeli family. This morning Dafna is going to share words of Torah and celebrate at a kiddush with her Atlanta family. Dafna is an exceptional student at GHA a great athlete a good friend and all in all a very smiley child. Dafna comes from a home of mitzvot. The actions of Shabbat, chagim, hachnasat orchim. These are the deeds that elevate us. These are the actions that create habits for us to live by. When we get up in the morning we take a wash cup and pour water over our hands three times alternating. This action repeated day in and day out reinforces the message that our day is to be 0ne of cleanliness and purity and it goes on from there. We leave the room we kiss the mezuzah. As we go out into the world we take the guidance of the Torah with us. These actions are not just drudgery or mindless rituals. These actions are helping us develop our root system. On and on action by action deeper and deeper. Soon we have very deep roots that tie into the root system of our parents and their parents. Then when the great storm hits be it the horrors of the holocaust that your grandmother experienced or the challenges and lures of the classrooms, offices or streets of the 21st century all of the wind in the world cannot budge you from your place just as it cannot budge your parents. You will produce beautiful fruit that will be admired and enjoyed, just as your parents have done. Happy are you Dafna for the first chapter of sefer tehilim the book of psalms says people like you whose desire is in the Torah vhayah ketz shasul al palgei mayim,You will be like a tree planted by flowing waters, asher piryo yiten b'etow whose fruit is produce regularly, people can count on you and your leaves will not whither but you will remain vigorus and provide shelter to those around you. Vchol asher yaaseh yatzliach and everything you do will be succesful. Mazal Tov
Monday, August 10, 2009
Eulogy for Cantor Issac Goodfriend 20 Av 5769 Aug 10 2009
I am sure we have all attended funerals of loved ones who have lived long and full lives. On those occasions it is not unusual to hear the funeral be described as a celebration of the life of the deceased. My dear friends I do not intend to celebrate the life of the Chazzan at this time. I intend to mourn his loss and to share the grief that I and many of you feel at this moment. Nor do I intend to review the litany of worthy organizations and noble causes that the Chazzan identified himself with throughout his very full and active life. I will leave that for the obituaries and other memorial services which I am sure will follow. Right now we want to say goodbye to our dear Chazzan who will be taking the first step in his journey to find his appropriate place near the heavenly throne by leaving from here to Eretz Yisrael and we want to express how diminshed we feel because Isaac Goodfriend will no longer be among us.
Of course this was short notice for many of us but I want to applaude the family for moving swiftly to bring their dear father to Israel because Betty is waiting for him and we don't want to keep her waiting.
85 years ago Shaul and Pesha Goodfriend brought their son into a world that would soon cease. The Goodfriend family were close and devoted Chasidim of the Alexander Rebbe who chasidus was arguably the largest in Poland. Young Issac was realted on his mothers side to the the illustious Rabbi Meisels Chief Rabbi of the city Lodz. His Uncle served on the bes Din of that prominent Jewish center. Young Issac was raised in Jewish nobility and steeped in chassidic tradition. On the High Holidays the Chassidim would travel to celebrate the holidays with the Rebbe. Annually the rebbe of Alexander would compose a new niggun or tune to be sung during the services. Before Rosh hashanah a select group of chassidim would gather at a secret location where they would be taught this years new release so that they could be the choir. Shaul Goodfriend was in the choir. As a little child Issac was posted as a guard outside the door to make sure there were no eavesdroppers. Soon he grew and his talents were noticed and he was no longer outside the door. Issacs world was filled with Holy men, saints and sinners. Characters, colorful people passionate people devoted people. His people. And then it was all tasken away before his very eyes. From beloved family, to holy rabbis, even the town idiot all wiped out through pestilence and starvation and brutal murder. I don't need to review his amazing story of survival the chazzan left us his book. But I do need to be amazed and humbled by this mans' soul. He had evil thrust upon him yet he decided to be good. He was a product of war but lived as a man of peace. He heard the most awful screams yet produced the most beautiful sounds. How many people will reminice of their happiest moments and the sound track is the cantor. He didn't mourn the lost beauty of his rebbe and his court. He resolved to share that experience with others and that is what he did when he opened his soul in prayer before the Almighty. He didn't rail against G-d, he drew other closer to him. When we sat together in the Succah he didn't lament the lost succas of his youth he taught us what they used to sing in those Succas. In doing so he gave them life and survival because he was above all a survivor.
He survived them all and gave them life. He even survived the loss of Betty because he had to be sure she was memorialized. Last week I came to see him and he had stopped being the great converastionist we all treasured. No longer was he showing me something that he had just read in a sefer. Telling me "here take it and look at this you will enjoy it" After the sefarim piled up on my desk I had to start declining the offered sefarim. This time I walked in and sat down and he said "It was taken care of". I understood that "it " was Bettys monument. He clearly did not need to survive any longer. He had meemorialized the last soul he needed to memorialize. Now it is time to join Betty and Mark who will lead him to be reunited with his parents and family and community. And they will all journey to the rebbe and sing this years new tune.
To sons Enoch and Kim Avi and Miriam Perry and Christie your father and zayda really wasn't larger than life he was life. He gave you life but he gave us also life and we all mourn his passing.
Before I conclude with the memorial prayer I would like to add another prayer. that is a prayer for the memory of all of the martys. It was a prayer that the chazzan would recite with awesome emotion at the conclusion of Yizkor. The chazzan would sing this particular memorial prayer to the tune of the anciet yiddish lulabye oifen pripichuk. Oifen pripichuk is a lulabye that evokes warmth and security. When the Chazzan recited the prayer for the martyers he knew that they are in G-ds loving embrace. Not bitter memories but goodbye my beloved sweet dreams.
Of course this was short notice for many of us but I want to applaude the family for moving swiftly to bring their dear father to Israel because Betty is waiting for him and we don't want to keep her waiting.
85 years ago Shaul and Pesha Goodfriend brought their son into a world that would soon cease. The Goodfriend family were close and devoted Chasidim of the Alexander Rebbe who chasidus was arguably the largest in Poland. Young Issac was realted on his mothers side to the the illustious Rabbi Meisels Chief Rabbi of the city Lodz. His Uncle served on the bes Din of that prominent Jewish center. Young Issac was raised in Jewish nobility and steeped in chassidic tradition. On the High Holidays the Chassidim would travel to celebrate the holidays with the Rebbe. Annually the rebbe of Alexander would compose a new niggun or tune to be sung during the services. Before Rosh hashanah a select group of chassidim would gather at a secret location where they would be taught this years new release so that they could be the choir. Shaul Goodfriend was in the choir. As a little child Issac was posted as a guard outside the door to make sure there were no eavesdroppers. Soon he grew and his talents were noticed and he was no longer outside the door. Issacs world was filled with Holy men, saints and sinners. Characters, colorful people passionate people devoted people. His people. And then it was all tasken away before his very eyes. From beloved family, to holy rabbis, even the town idiot all wiped out through pestilence and starvation and brutal murder. I don't need to review his amazing story of survival the chazzan left us his book. But I do need to be amazed and humbled by this mans' soul. He had evil thrust upon him yet he decided to be good. He was a product of war but lived as a man of peace. He heard the most awful screams yet produced the most beautiful sounds. How many people will reminice of their happiest moments and the sound track is the cantor. He didn't mourn the lost beauty of his rebbe and his court. He resolved to share that experience with others and that is what he did when he opened his soul in prayer before the Almighty. He didn't rail against G-d, he drew other closer to him. When we sat together in the Succah he didn't lament the lost succas of his youth he taught us what they used to sing in those Succas. In doing so he gave them life and survival because he was above all a survivor.
He survived them all and gave them life. He even survived the loss of Betty because he had to be sure she was memorialized. Last week I came to see him and he had stopped being the great converastionist we all treasured. No longer was he showing me something that he had just read in a sefer. Telling me "here take it and look at this you will enjoy it" After the sefarim piled up on my desk I had to start declining the offered sefarim. This time I walked in and sat down and he said "It was taken care of". I understood that "it " was Bettys monument. He clearly did not need to survive any longer. He had meemorialized the last soul he needed to memorialize. Now it is time to join Betty and Mark who will lead him to be reunited with his parents and family and community. And they will all journey to the rebbe and sing this years new tune.
To sons Enoch and Kim Avi and Miriam Perry and Christie your father and zayda really wasn't larger than life he was life. He gave you life but he gave us also life and we all mourn his passing.
Before I conclude with the memorial prayer I would like to add another prayer. that is a prayer for the memory of all of the martys. It was a prayer that the chazzan would recite with awesome emotion at the conclusion of Yizkor. The chazzan would sing this particular memorial prayer to the tune of the anciet yiddish lulabye oifen pripichuk. Oifen pripichuk is a lulabye that evokes warmth and security. When the Chazzan recited the prayer for the martyers he knew that they are in G-ds loving embrace. Not bitter memories but goodbye my beloved sweet dreams.
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