Tuesday Morning Torah – November 7, 2017
A few words before I share this morning’s Tuesday morning Torah with you.
1. As we weep once again over the loss of life resulting from the most recent mass shooting in Texas just a few days ago our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this latest tragedy. For those who are curious about my thoughts on gun control, or the stance of the Rabbinical assembly on this issue, look back at your Tuesday Morning Torah from four weeks ago. These very words should let us all know that our country must figure out how to address these terrible occurrences. For it is all too often that we pray that the memories of all of those lost in this latest horrible shooting be for a blessing. It is all too often that we are forced to consider what our tradition might ask of us as caretakers of a society where these tragedies seem all too frequent.
2. Please remember to vote today– it is a mitzvah. Our sage Hillel used to teach that we are not to “separate ourselves from the community (Avot 2:5).” With that in mind, I encourage everyone to take a few moments to consider the issues affecting our larger community, consider how your Jewish values might inform these issues, and take the time to participate in the blessings of living in a Democracy. For those who wish to say a prayer before voting, click here for an interesting prayer that I discovered a few years ago.
3. Lastly- one brief word of Torah for the week.
In a few days, we will celebrate Veterans Day. It is appropriate that Veterans Day coincides with our reading of Haye Sarah on this coming Shabbat. In this parasha, we read that: Abraham was now old, advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in everything. (Genesis 24:1) Commenting on this verse, Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev taught that:
There are “tzaddikim” who primarily worry about themselves, about their mitzvot and good deeds, so that they themselves will be perfect before God. But that is not the way of the true tzaddik. The true tzaddik doesn’t pray only for himself, but for the entire community. He doesn’t find satisfaction in his being blessed, for if the community isn’t blessed he, too, is deprived and he also isn’t saved…
In other words, Abraham was understood here to be a righteous person because he stood for a cause that was greater than himself and continually showed concern for the welfare of others. That is why he was called “blessed” in everything. The lesson here is that God blesses those, who are righteous, who are selfless, and who strive to stand for others. The Veterans in our society and in our life, who we will honor this weekend are such individuals. Their righteous deeds and their service bring blessing to our society as a whole.
It is with this gratitude in mind that I encourage each of you to find some time to thank a Veteran in your life for their service in the coming week. Take a few moments to listen to their story and to honor their service. In that small way, you will indeed ensure that their service and their sacrifice lives on as a blessing in this world.
