You Who Choose To Lead Must Follow (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Ripple")

It has been a very busy week. Our sixteen year old daughter returned from six weeks in Israel. Yes, she has grown up and she is exerting her new sense of independence since she arrived. My wife and I have been following the Olympics, and the Presidential campaign. Amid all the news, a 41 year old baseball player was given his unconditional release. Now that is certainly not newsworthy. After all, there are not a lot of 41 year old baseball players who are particularly productive. Alex Rodriguez will receive the remainder of the 27 million dollars that he is owed. However Alex’s team, the New York Yankees explained that while he will no longer play baseball for the Yankees, he will become and “advisor” to Yankee players. He will become a mentor to younger players. Ironically, this is the same Alex Rodriguez that was banned from baseball for a year because he was taking performance enhancing drugs. Superficially, Alex Rodriguez might not be the best choice to be a mentor or advisor to young players. Despite the glaring character flaws, he is reputed to have an incredibly strong work ethic, he loves the game and he has a strong appreciation of the history of the game.  However, make no mistake both Alex and his employer understand that the time has come for the next generation of players to assume the mantle of leadership.

This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Nachamu “Shabbat of Comfort”.  Parhsa V’Etchanan is always the Torah portion that immediate follows after Tisha B’Av.  Certainly after commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples, B’nai Yisroel needed spiritual comforting.  Certainly in this week’s parsha, V’Etchanan, Moshe’ reassures B’nai Yisroel of its destiny and in doing so, comforts them. After concluding a brief history of B’nai Yisroel’s wanderings and a gentle rebuke of this generation which is about to enter into Eretz Canaan, Moshe now provides a framework for all the laws he will teach in succeeding weeks.  Moshe presents the Aseret Dibrot, the Ten Commandments to this news generation. Moshe infuses the people with self-respect. He reminds this generation that the entire basis for our nationhood and our relationship to God is avoiding idolatry at all costs. Avoiding idolatry ultimately distinguishes us from the rest of the world. Finally, Moshe reminds the people that if they follow the advice, then everything will go well. From that perspective, Moshe is re-assuring the people that the future is possible and plausible.

Prior to the discourse, Moshe implores God, hoping that the punishment will be rescinded and he could indeed enter the land. Surprisingly, God does not listen to his most humble servant. Instead, Moshe tell us: Vayitaber Hashem- God became angry (Deut. 3:26). Imagine that! For the first time we are told that God actually became angry with Moshe. God has been angry at B’nai Yisroel on numerous occasions. Yet God was never angry with Moshe. Even when Moshe hit the rock (Num. 2: 9-13), we do not read of God getting “angry” with Moshe. God becomes angry at a “dying man’s final request”.  Now, from Moshe’s perspective God tells Moshe to drop the matter. Instead of wasting time trying to walk in Eretz Canaan, God tells Moshe V’Tzav et Yehoshua v’Chazkeihu v’Amtzeihu Ki Hu Ya’Avor Lifnei Ha’Am HaZeh, V’hu Yanchil Otam et Ha’Aretz Asher Tireh – But you shall command Joshua, and strengthen him and give him resolve, for he shall cross before this people and he shall cause them to inherit the Land that you will see. (Deut. 3:28). So Moshe begins strengthening Joshua and his nation by teaching them the law, by providing a framework for observance, a framework for living a life and a framework for raising children. Moshe realized that his time as a leader was winding down. Moshe realized that it was time to let go of his authority. In order to let go, Moshe needed to inform, teach and make sure that his wisdom had been thoroughly passed down to the Joshua and this generation.

Whether an aged retiring professional athlete takes on an advisory role, or a parent/ grandparent nearing the end of life hoping to pass on the final pearls of wisdom, there comes a time when we all have the opportunity to pass wisdom to the younger generation. There comes a time when we all realize that it’s time to step aside. The process is an incredibly selfless. After all, to transmit information and wisdom to the next generation is an acknowledgment that the “mentor”/”advisor” is not part of the future. Instead, the future only depends upon offering strength, wisdom, guidance and an endorsement to future leaders. Then the mentor must step aside and allow the leader to lead.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

               

Don't Waste Your Breath To Save Your Face When You Have Done Your Best (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Built to Last")

As the Jewish Holidays drew on Tuesday night, my son and I settled in to watch our beloved Yankees play the Houston Astros in a one game playoff.  Not that I held out much hope as I knew that my team was deeply flawed. Certainly I hoped that they would win, but I knew that their flaws were going to be too much to overcome a pitcher whom they faced twice during the regular season and had not scored a run. I hoped the Yankee pitcher would be terrific and that they would breakthrough for one run.  As my son and I watched, we collectively exhaled in relief as the Yankee pitcher got through the first inning without allowing a run. But in the second inning the Houston player hit a towering home run.  A couple of innings later another Houston player hit a home run. We knew that the season was over, there was no way our team could overcome a two run deficit against the Houston pitcher. As we watched the replay of each home run, I was intrigued by the location of the pitch. Home plate is 17 inches across. When the Yankee pitcher gave up the two home runs; he missed his target by an inch or two  so that a pitch that was supposed to be in on the outside part of the plate didn’t quite break enough and arrived at a point about 15 1/5 inches across the plate instead of the desired 17 inches. Then the bat made contact with the ball right on the “sweet spot” of the bat. If the hitter struck the ball a ¼ inch on top of the ball, then it is just a ground ball. If the bat made contact ¼ inch under the ball then it is a fly ball, but not a home run.  The difference between a well located pitch and poorly located pitch is less than 2 inches.  The difference between contact points of the bat to the ball is perhaps a half an inch. The old sports adage is true, “it is a game of inches”. 

This morning we begin the Torah from the very beginning in Parsha Breishit. We are all familiar with the narrative of this Parsha. The first chapter focuses upon the narrative of creation from God’s perspective. The second chapter focuses upon the narrative of creation from a humankind perspective. The third chapter focuses upon Adam and Chava’s disobedience of God, their obedience to the serpent their partaking of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and the resulting consequences. The Fourth chapter focuses upon the family’s growth, sibling rivalry as well as fratricide. The fifth chapter focuses upon ten generations of the family’s genealogy beginning with Adam and Chava and concluding with Noach and his sons. In the sixth chapter, God expresses disappointment with mankind’s behavior and God expresses disappointment in his creation. Emcha Et Ha’Adam Asher Barati  Mei’al Pnai Ha’Adamah – I will blot out mankind whom I have created from the face of the ground (Gen. 6:7).

As we read through Breishit, we learn that names are important and they have meaning. Adam, the first man, is given that name because he comes from Adama – the ground – a reference to the 2^nd chapter of the Creation story. Chava (Eve in English) is given her name because after she is a source of life Chaya. Cain receives his name because Kaniti Ish et Adoshem- I have acquired a man with Hashem. Cain suggest the idea of acquisition.  However there is no reason offered for Adam and Chava’s second son Abel (Haval).  In Hebrew the literal meaning of Haval is “breath” or “vapor”.  So when you blow onto your glasses immediately before wiping them clean, that breath is Haval. If you didn’t wipe it away, it would just disappear into thin air. Indeed, Haval is a very fragile, temporary wisp of thing. Yet Haval is evidence of life, and the fact that God breathe life into Adam, suggests that the distance between life and death, the fragility of life is truly Haval- a thin breath. Sadly, we know what happens to Abel; his brother Cain (the acquirer) will murder Abel as he wants to acquire God’s blessing.  The distinction between Abel and Cain between the the Yetzer Hatov (the Good Inclination) and the Yetzer HaRah (the Evil Inclination)  is literally like the vapor from ones’ breath; yet within that breath we have the ability to see that very subtle demarcation between both inclination.  

    Peace,
                    Rav Yitz