Lazer Beams

Preparing for Shavuot: The Barometer of Successful Torah Learning

Our sages teach that all of Torah centers around loving our fellow human as we love ourselves. Apparently, this is an odd concept: What do the laws of Kashrut, Shabbat, or tefillin have to do with brotherly love? The following video clip, filmed in the gorgeous Judean Hills between Gush Etzion and Hevron, provides the answer and gives us food for thought in preparation for Shavuot, the holiday that commemorates our people's receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai.

The first blemish

Life is a classroom.

I saw a cute 5-year old with curly red payis (sidelocks) in synagogue on Shabbos that was wearing a brand new pair of shoes. When his peckal'e (his little bag of goodies) was depleted, he ran outside to play with the other little tikes. A few minutes later, he ran back in shul, wailing to his daddy; the little guy's spanking new patent leather Shabbos shoes had just received their first nasty scoff. A pat on the head and a piece of toffee calmed him down, and within a minute, he returned to the action outside. By the end of services, the little fellow's new shoes were not only scoffed, but covered with dust and many more blemishes that didn't seem to bother him any more.

There's a profound lesson here: Rav Huna teaches (Talmud, tractate Yoma, 86b) that once a person commits a misdeed for the second time, then it becomes permissible in his or her own mind.

The soul is like a lily-white garment. A misdeed, such as a lie, a dishonest dealing, or an act of adultery blemishes the soul seriously. Human nature is to become extremely ashamed of the first blemish, but once the garment (or soul) is soiled and blemished, then anything goes.

Repeated offenders, such as gossips and those who short-change their employees, have 101 reasons to justify their actions. Repeated misdeeds have a way of desensitizing us, for the cleaner a soul is, the higher its sensitivity.

The soul suffers unfathomable humiliation from each blemish.

A good detergent will clean a garment; Tshuva will clean a soul.

Doctors and Moshiach

This post is not referring to those very special physicians who observe The Almighty's commandments and refuse to perform abortions.

The Talmud in tractate Yevamos (pg. 63b) says, "[Moshiach] Ben David won't arrive until all the souls are depleted from the body."

Rashi, our 11th Century sage from Ashkenaz (Germany-France) and the most important Talmudic commentator of all times, explains this very cryptic passage. "Body," says Rashi, "is the name of a partition that separates the Schina (Divine presence) from the angels, which serves as the warehouse for all the souls that were created during the six days of creation, and that are destined to be given to bodies that will subsequently be created."

The above Talmudic passage teaches us that all the souls must assume bodily forms on earth before Moshiach can come. Even though unborn babies all possess divine souls (neshoma, since the unborn learn the entire Torah - oral, written, and esoteric - from an angel while in the mother's womb), the entire spiritual/soul complex that includes nefesh, ruach, and neshoma [basic vitality, spirit, and divine soul] all come together in the body momentarily before the baby is born (for further reference see Talmud in tractate Nida, pg. 30b; Tanya, first chapter; Eleph Hamagen, commentary on Mateh Efraim, intro. to laws of Rosh Hashonna; Sha'ar Hagilgulim, Seder knisas haneshoma). So, when for some reason the baby is not born, then the soul cannot leave "Body" (or 'Guf' in the original Hebrew), the heavenly warehouse for unborn souls. Until Guf is empty, Moshiach is delayed in arriving.

In light of the above Talmudic teachings, any person who performs, supports, assists, or encourages abortions is delaying the arrival of Moshiach with his or her own two hands.

I often wondered why the Talmud is so severe in its condemnation of doctors, when it says (tractate Kiddushin 82a), "the best of doctors are destined to Gehennom (purgatory)." When considering that in Israel alone, doctors perform over 20,000 abortions a year, then it's easy to understand why Moshiach is not yet being allowed to reveal himself. No, one does not receive a prize for contributing to the delay of Moshiach. Our sages in their infinite wisdom could see far into the future; that's why they said what they did about doctors.

So, if you'd like to lend a helping hand in bringing Moshiach as fast as possible, do what you can to fight against abortion in every way possible. I pray for your health, but if you ever need a doctor, I strongly suggest that you choose a physician who's opposed to abortion. A good physician recognizes the sanctity of human life.

Don't underrate your neighbor

I'd like to share a very poignant story from the Yerushalmi Talmud (tractate Taanis) with you, that took place in Roman-controlled ancient Israel of about 1800 years ago:

The Land of Israel was undergoing a severe drought. Rabbi Abahu, one of the country's most pious sages, had a dream. A voice from Heaven told him, "If you ask Pentakika to pray, then rain will fall." The next morning, Rabbi Abahu sent emissaries to locate and summon Pentakika immediately.

Within a short while, Pentakika came to Rabbi Abahu. "Tell me about yourself," the rabbi requested.

"I'm not much," replied Pentakika. "In fact, you'd probably consider me a lowlife; I'm the custodian of a brothel, and when I'm not cleaning the place up or taking their clothes to and from the bath house, I appear with the hookers on stage and play a drum while they dance and perform. When I'm not doing that, I just entertain them."

"Pentakika," the rabbi urged, "there's more to you than that, isn't there? Are you sure that you never did some very special deed?"

Pentakika scratched the stubble on his face, and pondered Rabbi Abahu's question for a moment. "You know rabbi, there is something I remember: Not long ago, a young Israelite woman came backstage on the brothel theater, crying her eyes out. I asked her why she was so distressed. She told me that the Romans jailed her husband, and that she needed money to gain his release. The young lady barely had money for bread and water; the only way she imagined to raise money for her husband's release was by selling herself to prostitution. I saw that she was an innocent young wife from a good home, so I wouldn't allow her to entertain such a thought. I therefore sold my bed, my mattress, and my pillow, and gave her the money. She arranged her husband's release the same day..."

"Aha," said Rabbi Abahu, "you are surely worthy of having your prayers answered, for your deeds are purest altruism."

Oftentimes, society turns its nose up at what it considers to be 2nd and 3rd class citizens. Kids on the street jeer and throw banana peels at down-and-outers, and their parents merely snicker. Careful, though, you never know - Mr. Bo Jangles the hobo could be a tzaddik nistar, a righteous saint in disguise. The Talmud therefore warns us to never hold another human in disdain; no one can know the true inner value of a person.

Don't ever forget that Mr. Bo Jangles also has a divine soul that's a tiny spark of The Creator. That in itself is sufficient reason to treat him - and every other human - with respect.

Kindness and Spirituality

Where there's kindness and consideration, one can find spirituality. Where there's no kindness and consideration, one certainly won't find spirituality.

Good boy, Garfield. Your system works a lot better than yelling or rock-throwing.