Rabbis' Blog

It’s been a hectic week and I’m not currently home so as I sat down to prepare this message I experienced a case of writer’s block. Nothing was coming to mind until I noticed a note hanging above the desk I’m sitting at that reads: “Don’t waste time waiting for inspiration. Begin, and inspiration will find you.”

It clicked. Not only am I now motivated to start typing, this brilliant piece of advice provides the perfect context for an important lesson we can learn from this week’s parsha.

A year after the Exodus Moshe reluctantly acquiesced to the Israelites' request to scout the land of Israel before conquering it and sent representatives from each tribe on the reconnaissance mission. After giving them detailed instructions of what to look out for and how to analyze the situation he concluded, “You shall be courageous and take from the fruit of the land." Knowing the fruit of Israel was unusually large and delicious, Moshe instructed them to bring back samples of it to show the people what type of land they were inheriting.

When they returned, eight of them carried one huge cluster of grapes and a pomegranate and fig each needed a grown man to carry them. Ten of the spies delivered a scathing report of how conquering the land was impossible and the proposed invasion was a suicidal mission. The huge fruits they had in tow proved the land’s inhabitants were mighty warriors who would surely squash any Israelite efforts to inhabit their land. Devastated, the people revolted and refused to continue.

The fallout from the scandal was severe. The rogue spies died immediately, the rest of that generation died in the desert over a period of forty years, and for thousands of years we continue to reflect on the lessons we can learn from this tragedy. 

Here is an important detail worth analyzing. Why did Moshe instruct the spies to bring back fruits to prove how great the land was if G-d’s promise should be sufficient proof of that?

Moshe knew the Israelites would follow orders and march into the land to conquer it, but not everyone was equally inspired to do so. To blindly trust G-d’s promise demanded a lofty level of divine consciousness which could not be expected of every Jew. Moshe wished to motivate all Jews to approach this mission with excitement and confidence so he instructed the spies to bring back samples of the fruits so that even Jews who were not inspired by the holiness of the mission would be motivated by the material bounty it presented.

Moshe’s reasoning was straightforward: Since every Jew needed to get involved in the mission and there was no time to wait for everyone to be inspired by the holiness of the land, it was crucial to inspire them with less holier motivations.

The plan failed then due to the treachery of the spies, but the lesson is eternal. When it comes to doing a mitzvah don’t waste time waiting for divine inspiration. Do the mitzvah as it should be done, even with ulterior motives, and the divine inspiration will ultimately find you.

Why is the Menorah the most enduring symbol of Judaism?

When the Jews constructed a divine tabernacle in the desert following their exodus from Egypt, they were instructed to prepare a seven branched candelabra to be lit every day in the chamber adjacent to the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. This observance continued for at least another 1,500 years, with brief pauses, until the destruction of the second Holy Temple.

This week’s parsha opens with G-d’s instructions to Aharon the High Priest to light the Menorah every day. Following the lengthy narrative of last week’s parsha about the inauguration of the tabernacle through the sacrifices offered by the leaders of the twelve tribes, Aharon was distraught that his tribe was not included in the pomp and ceremony of the sacrificial inauguration.

In response G-d assured him the merit of lighting the flames of the Menorah was far superior. Whereas the sacrifices will one day cease due to the destruction of the Holy Temple, the flames of the Menorah will endure forever. Even during exile Jews will continue lighting Menorahs (albeit with eight branches instead of seven) during Chanukah in celebration of the miracle of the oil which occurred with the Holy Temple flames. On a deeper level, the Menorah teaches us how to ensure Jewish continuity through education.

The essential function of a Menorah is a space for a flame to shine. The flame represents the soul, mandated with the mission of bringing divine light and warmth to a materialistically dark and cold universe. But aside from the impact one single flame has on its surroundings through its light and warmth, every flame can create more flames and there are three crucial details about this phenomenon that teach us all we need to know about education. 

When one flame lights another flame the intended purpose is for the new flame to be independent. As long as the original flame needs to touch the wick, the new flame does not really exist. The purpose of education is to create confident and self-sufficient Jews, who in turn can educate and inspire others.

Flames are infinite. There is no limit to how many flames one flame can ignite. As our sages proclaim “you shall educate many students!” There is no quota of how many people you are obligated to inspire and guide in the proper direction. Even if you mentored countless people, always seize the opportunity to educate more.

Finally, the flame is never diminished as a result of sharing its fire with other wicks. No matter how many flames one flame ignites, it never weakens or dims as a result. Educating others can seem to detract from your own personal growth. After all, the time and effort expended on caring for others is less time spent on yourself. Flames teach us that one who focuses on inspiring others never loses out.

The Menorah is the icon of education and education is the secret recipe to Jewish continuity.

Lately I've been hearing an interesting quote by author Michael Hopf. “Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.” I appreciate the quote's appeal, but I'd like to present a rebuttal to this doomsday prediction of hard times to come.

Earlier this week we celebrated the holiday of Shavuot, commemorating the moment we became a nation at Mt. Sinai 3,334 years ago. The newly freed Israelites stood in a barren desert, at the foot of an unremarkable mountain and experienced the most exhilarating, unnatural experience: direct, divine communication.

The first commandment they heard was “I am the L-rd your G-d who took you out of Egypt.” It seems odd for this to be the description of choice for the creator of the world. Is not creation more awesome than extracting a few million people from the shackles of Egyptian slavery? Granted, splitting the sea is an amazing feat, but in comparison to engineering that huge body of water it’s just a temporary anomaly.

Here’s the deal. One of the wonders of creation is that it’s programmed with what we call “nature.” The sun always rises in the east and sets in the west and every period of 365 days has four seasons. The world is set in a predictable cycle that we can never control and the same could be said about human nature; after all, hard times have always created strong men and good times have created weak ones.

That’s why the liberation from Egypt plays such a central role in the Sinaitic revelation. The Hebrew name for Egypt is “Mitzrayim” which means boundaries, borders or limitations. G-d did not just release us from the geographical location called Mitzrayim. He released us from all limitations possible; even from the natural, societal cycles of observable history. We have the ability to chart a different destiny, one that consistently leads to stronger and better times.

But how can the surreal and unnatural experience of Sinai be applied in real life? On the Shabbat following Shavuot we read parshat Naso in the Torah which describes the inauguration of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Less than a year after the exodus, following the revelation at Sinai, G-d commissioned the construction of a divine sanctuary from the finest materials they possessed, illustrating that a relationship with G-d, and creating the best possible future, is not limited to the wilderness. Specifically quality and beautiful material can become elevated, pure and holy when used the right way. Thus good times can create even better times.

The Hebrew word Naso has the double meaning of “counting” and “elevating.” The best way to ensure that good times create strong people who create even better times is by challenging ourselves to view every person and thing as a divine agent for goodness. Every encounter and action counts when we are focused on living up to the liberty G-d granted us so many years ago, to break out of the vicious cycle of life and confidently prepare our world for an era of true peace and tranquility.