Wade In The Water And Never Get Wet (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Doin' That Rag")

During the winter months, we encourage our son to engage in some kind of Sunday activity, preferably of the physical variety. Whether he took snowboard lessons (which he did two winters ago), or played basketball (several winter seasons ago); we didn’t really care. We just wanted him to be doing something rather than sitting around all day. Our son always enjoyed swimming; this past winter he also grew intrigued by the idea of military operations that dealt with search and rescue missions. Whether the U.S. military or TzaHaL (the Israeli Army); he liked watching and reading about this types of missions. So I wasn’t terribly surprised when he asked to sign up for swim classes that would prepare him for ultimately becoming a life guard through the Canadian Red Cross.  Because of his age, he is still not eligible to sign up for the actual Life Guard course. Undeterred, he decided to take the Pre-Life Guard courses. He completed the Bronze Star and the Bronze Medallion courses. The latter course he finished a couple of weeks before Pesach. Now, in the midst of Pesach and in the middle of his Pesach vacation, our son has been reminding me to sign him up for the next level of Pre-Life Guard courses: Bronze Cross.  When I told him to remind me after Pesach, he grew quite irritated with me. First, he pointed out that I am always reminding him of the Talmud Tractate Kiddushin 29a which and the four obligations a father has in terms of raising a son. One of those obligations is teaching his son to swim (since it might save his life). Impressed that my son had actually listened, I began to answer him. However he quickly cut me off and reminded that nothing would be more appropriate than to sign him up as Pesach drew to an end and we read Shirat HaYam – the story of the Kriyat Yam Suf (the Crossing of the Reed Sea).

The Seventh Day of Pesach, we continued the narrative of the Exodus, and read of the miracle of Kriat Yam Suf (the Crossing of the Reed Sea). Already out of Egypt and now pursued by the Pharoah’s army; B’nai Yisroel finds itself stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place. Before them lies the Reed Sea and behind them is the Egyptian Army and it all of its chariots. These former slaves are panicked and thinking that they are about to die. Moshe, too, appears at wit’s end and, unsure of how to proceed, begins to pray on both his and the people’s behalf. VaYomer HaShem El Moshe -  God says to Moshe  Mah Titzahk Eilai Dabeir El B’nai Yisroel V’Yisau – speak to the Children of Israel and let them journey forth (Ex. 14:15). Eventually, B’nai Yisroel musters enough courage and they cross the sea. Upon their successful arrival to the other side, Moshe and B’nai Yisroel break out into song praising God’s strength, love, and protection.

The Talmudic Sages in the Talmud Sotah 36a credit the great- great- grandson of Judah, Nachshon Ben Aminadav, Aaron’s brother in law, as the first one into the Sea. However, the Sea did not open when Nachshon put his foot into the water. Nor did the sea part when he was knee deep, thigh deep or waist deep into the water. Undeterred, and apparently full of a profound and simple faith in God, Nachshon continued to wade into the water. The water covered his chest, his shoulders, his neck, chin, face and soon he was completely submerged. In the moment he was to sink or float, the waters open up. B’nai Yisroel followed and they made their way across. While the Midrash doesn’t suggest that Nachshon actually swam at all, certainly he was the ultimate lifeguard, risking his life to save B’nai Yisroel from their own spiritual paralysis.

                Nachshon’s courage in the Midrash, teaches a valuable lesson about faith and freedom. No matter the difficulty, no matter the pain, sadness and grief, there is a path across the Yam Suf. That is not to say that we may not be bruised, scarred, or damaged in some way. It only means that crossing our own sea gives us an opportunity for a future. Staying back, remaining paralyzed, succumbing to our fears, guarantees no future and remaining enslaved. Indeed, freedom is all about a sense of tomorrow, the future and possibilities. How could I deny my son’s pleading and his reasoning? I signed him up just before these last days of the Pesach. I signed him up knowing that he doesn’t suffer from any spiritual paralysis. I signed him up knowing that his positive outlook is a manifestation of his deep faith in God and in the words we sang at the Seder table: Dayeinu. Whatever we have in our lives, it is good enough.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

My Life Needs Some Correction, Alteration in Direction (Ron "Pigpen" McKernan - "The Stranger/Two Souls in Communion")

As a father and a husband nothing causes me more pain than when I see my family experience turmoil. When I see my children become so frustrated with homework or overwhelmed by the stress of looking for a first job, I counsel them to do something else, something that empowers them. When I see my wife get overwhelmed by schedules, and all the things that mom’s get stressed about, I listen and focus upon something that offers her a sense of control. Whether it is to tell my oldest daughter to go work out, take a walk, focus upon something else or instructing my younger kids to take a shower or practice piano, and suggest to my wife to walk away from the stressor for a little while or take a break reminding her that it will still be around later; the point is to provide them with tools to manage the sense that they have no control. While these are just the typical types of turmoil and stress that is typical of a family, we probably know people whose lives always seem to be in a perpetual state of stress, anxiety, and turmoil. We have all known people who never seem content in their lives. That is not to say that such a person suffers from depression, or that such a person is a pessimist. Rather, it seems that something is missing from the person’s soul. That is to say the individual’s soul is incomplete. Maybe the lack of completeness is the result of a catastrophic loss such as a family member. Maybe dysfunctional behavior is a result of a lack of completeness or perceived incompleteness. Usually such a person appears on Dr. Phil and other self help talk shows. Usually the “malady” is a result of the soul as opposed to the body.

This week's Parsha is Yitro. Named after Moshe father in-law, who happens to be a Midyanite priest, the Parsha begins with Moshe leading B'nai Yisroel toward the wilderness of Midyan where he meets up with his father in-law, his wife and his two sons. Yitro suggests that Moshe should create a bureaucracy whereby others administer the small everyday rulings required of a judge. Difficult legal issues would be administered by Moshe. Moshe is then commanded by God to bring B'nai Yisroel to Har Sinai. For three days they will purify themselves, clean their clothes, not have marital relations, and purify their souls for a revelation. There with the mountain smoking and thunder billowing from the heavens, God begins to speak. B'nai Yisroel is absolutely petrified and fearing death, they beg Moshe to go up the mountain as their Shaliach (appointed messenger). Moshe ascends the mountain and receives the Aseret HaDibrot (the Ten Commandments), then descends. Upon his descent he tells B'nai Yisroel the Aseret HaDibrot. The Parsha concludes with B'nai Yisroel readily accepting the Ten Commandments, Moshe re-assures the people not to fear the thunder and the flames, God attests to the fact that B'nai Yisroel has accepted these commandments and then commands Moshe to build and altar of earth.

The Ten Commandments are bound by several themes. The first five commandments are God oriented. The second five commandments are people oriented. Violation of The Aseret HaDibrot is punishable by death. Through our modern perspective, we may not agree but we can understand the concept of capital punishment in terms of murder, testifying falsely, (in which false testimony leads to death), or even kidnapping. However how do we explain capital punishment as a punishment for not honoring your parents, keeping the Shabbat or committing Avodah Zarah (Idolatry)? Certainly violating Shabbat or violating the first five commandments that are all God oriented does not necessarily hurt someone else. Even not honoring ones parents might not warrant capital punishment in today's day and age. So how do we understand that each commandment is punishable by death?

We know that if we do not take care of our bodies, there is a chance our bodies will be hurt. If we don't eat right, get enough sleep, and exercise then our resistance is low and there is a chance we will get sick. If we don't fasten our seatbelts then there is a chance that we won't be able to walk away from an accident. If we drink too much and too often or if we smoke, we know that we are doing damage to our body. As human beings, we also have a soul. Just like we know to do things that help our physical existence, there are things that we do to help our spiritual existence. Failure to take care of our souls is also detrimental to our existence. Failure to take care of our souls leads to emptiness, purposelessness and a misguided existence. The first five commandments are about the welfare of our souls. The first five commandments give us a sense of purpose for own existence. The first five commandments fill our lives with meaning even when overwhelmed with the onslaught of the humdrum of everyday life. The first five commandments give us a sense of where we fit in the universe. The first five commandments are for each individual's soul and the soul's relationship to God.

In a sense, our own ignorance, our own anxieties, our own insecurities, our lack of purpose and our lack of focus imprison us. The Aseret HaDibrot offers us a means to transcend that which imprisons us. We are provided a blueprint to live a life that is part of a community (the second five commandments) and accounts for our own sense of self worth and purpose (the first five commandments). The Aseret HaDibrot teaches us, and commands to transcend time and space by adding meaning and holiness to our lives. The Aseret HaDibrot teaches us that our spiritual well being is just as important as our physical well being. When our soul is complete, filled with a sense of purpose, filled with love, and filled with the acknowledgment that there is God, we are able to transcend the physical. Maybe the time has come for us to acknowledge and accept that our souls must occupy the same priority as our bodies. Maybe the time has come for us to strike that balance between the physical and the spiritual. Perhaps the key to a life with minimal stress and turmoil, or feeling a lack of control and instead achieving a meaningful life is based upon living in accordance with a code that is the foundation to the perfect balance between the physical and the spiritual.