Tuesday Morning Torah – October 24, 2017
A quick reminder before I share today’s message:
Please join us on Wednesday, December 13th from 7:30-9:00P.M. as we welcome Rabbi Jeremy Pappas, the AIPAC Northeast Deputy Synagogue Initiative Direction and National Direction of Rabbinical Student programs for a briefing on What’s Next For the Israel/U.S. Relationship?
Rabbi Pappas will be sharing his insights into this issue and enlighten us on the important work that AIPAC does when it comes to maintaining a strong, bipartisan support Israel. Additionally, there is still time to sign up and join our Torat El delegation at this year’s AIPAC policy conference March 4th-6th in Washington D.C.. Discounts are available until November 17th, so consider signing up today. Click here for more information. If you sign up, be sure to write down that you are affiliated with Congregation Torat El -that way, we can all find each other during the conference!
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And now- onto some Torah to share. This past Shabbat, on Parshat Noah, I discussed the topic of malbin pnei havero- literally “whitening the face of another” and causing them public embarrassment and humiliation. Our Jewish tradition is clear that we are to avoid such behavior whenever possible, and equally clear that we are to steer clear from cultural experiences which perpetuate this kind of cruel and destructive behavior. Our rabbis go so far as to say that public humiliation is equivalent to killing someone! The challenge in today’s society, of course, is that public humiliation and embarrassment are everywhere. From our social media platforms, to our Television choices, to the magazine racks in the grocery store. From Reality TV shows, to magazines like People to the Enquirer, to our toxic political environment complete with smear campaigns- we have created a society filled with entire industries that rely on our proclivity to enjoy information that is somehow embarrassing or shaming to fellow human beings. There is not a minute that goes by each day where someone in this world is not seeking to embarrass, shame, or humiliate or discredit someone else. The question that our Parshat Noah encourages us to ask is what our lives would look like if we took these teachings seriously, on both a personal and cultural level? To find out more about this topic and consider what steps you might take to avoid being a part of this toxic aspect of our culture, click here to read my words from this past Shabbat.
Enjoy and have a great week!
