What could possibly be more holy?

12/17/2009

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When I was a rebellious teenager, holy to me, meant cutting holes into my
clothing to defy the institution of being proper. As I have matured and
grown, my understanding, needless to say has changed rather drastically. Over the last 10 years I have become more involved in my Jewish heritage and have spent time asking questions and investigating our very long history.

The concept of a holy person, a tzaddik, always seemed to me some far away individual with whom I somehow always struggled to identify. I grew up in a secular world, where a person’s value is determined by the service they offer to the world, and how much society is willing to pay for that service. So, this idea of each individual having intrinsic value as a human being, bound by a holy mission to serve God and fulfill a granted potential seemed rather foreign.

Especially, the service part. Being a proud and well defined rebel, the last
thing I wanted was to serve. Until, with shocked resignation, I understood,
that I was indeed serving---serving my own desires for whatever I wanted,
that is…

This past Shabbat I heard a woman speak. She is a holy woman. I was so moved by her words, her challenges, and her strength that it inspired me to
improve my own level of service and to strive to live a more holy life.

The Jews were singled out to be an “am kadosh - a holy nation.”

I’d like to explore what that means.

The dictionary definitions are:

dedicated to religious use; belonging to or coming from God; consecrated;

sacred

spiritually perfect or pure; untainted by evil or sin; sinless; saintly

regarded with or deserving deep respect, awe, reverence, or adoration

The holy woman I mentioned is Rivka Namir, a mother of 12 and pregnant with her 10th at the time she was expelled from her home in Gush Katif. She
described her family’s complete belief that somehow against all rationale,
they would not be removed from their home. After surviving the fall of 6000
missiles, and truly living a miraculous existence, I could understand their
faith. My heart broke when I heard how her husband greeted the soldiers in his military uniform and handed his medal of honor to the commander of the
same army who was now evicting him.

The Israeli government had sent in their army, the IDF (the *Israeli Defence
Force*), whose stated mission is the protection of Israel's citizens. On
that day, its goal changed radically.  It was now forcibly removing its most nationalistic and loyal compatriots from land historically belonging to the Jewish people.  The Namir family, along with hundreds of other Jews who had settled Gush Katif and built it up to a near paradise, were now being forced to leave.

Rivka explained to us that nothing can happen in this world without Hashem willing it from above. She said she could ask lama - why, but instead she learnt to ask leh mah - for what can I learn from this? Losing her home and all of her possessions, having her children completely uprooted, and losing faith in the government that had promised to protect her…what did she have left? She shared that it took her over a year before she was able to honestly give thanks to the Creator. She poignantly described how, once the expulsion occurred, she had to make peace with the fact that this was the Will of God and to somehow find the good in it.

She says she knows now what the destruction of the Holy Temple must have *felt* like. Not just intellectually, but in her heart. Her prayers and desire for the Messiach are more genuine now. Her kids joking around that they no longer have to do their homework as they no longer have a home, shows the uncanny ability of this family to decide to be, exactly as the dictionary definition describes:

dedicated to religious use; belonging to or coming from God

The practice they took upon themselves to write down, each day, 10 things for which to praise God, encouraged each family member to be grateful for everything in their lives, even in the most trying of circumstances. She spoke with peace and calm and joy about her dedication to serve God in this world and accept His Will.

200 families from Gush Katif have now settled (still in caravans) on the
yeshuv of Yad Binyamin. Their presence there has affected the entire
community. They inspire all who come into contact with them, by their
hope, joy in service and love of the Almighty.

What could possibly be more holy?
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When words just aren’t enough

11/22/2009

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Tragedy strikes. Two weeks ago a three year old girl named Shula Swerdlov was run over by a careless driver. This accident brought up intense fear in me about bringing a child into this dangerous world. How could we possibly protect those we love from things beyond our control?

Within the Jewish framework, when there is a death, very specific laws apply. The process is called Shiva. For the first seven days the entire community comes to visit and sit with those grieving. It’s as if when there is a unity, the loss and the pain thereof is somehow dispersed among those present. Shloshim is the Hebrew word for 30. After 30 days have passed since death, there is another plateau of slightly lesser intensity. There is a custom to publicly mark that event by a gathering of brief duration, devoted to the “Three pillars upon which the world stands”: Torah study, Prayer, & Charity. The Schwartz family held this memorial service on November 17th, 2009. May her sweet soul be elevated, and all the countless good deeds of your unbelievably special family carry her gently into the next world. May our prayers go up for the healing of the pain your family is going through.

Death happens to us all sooner or later. This is part of the cycle of life. It often feels senseless, terrible and so awfully sad. There is nothing we can do. The reality of our helplessness could send us into deep depression. Rambam, one of the greatest Jewish sages, says in his Guide to the Perplexed - “the sole object of all trials…is to teach man what he ought to do…so that the event which forms the actual trial is not the end desired; it is but an example for our instruction and guidance.”

I remember when my brother was in a very serious car accident a few years ago. Standing useless at his hospital bed, watching him suffer, moaning and struggling despite elephantic doses of sedatives, tubes attached to his throat and lungs and genitals, bandages and stitches all over. These were, without a doubt, the most painful moments of my life…knowing the suffering of a loved one and being absolutely helpless.

It does not make sense that we are created in this world to suffer. It could not be that individuals are given tests that they simply do not have the potential or strength to overcome. We must make peace with the knowledge that we do not see the full picture. The way H-shem runs the world and how things really work in the Infinite is beyond the mind of man to comprehend.

We do however know the legacy of the Jewish nation. We submit our will to His. During the Akeidah, (the binding of Isaac) Avraham was willing to sacrifice not only his beloved son, but also everything he held dear about himself as a person - his values, dreams and beliefs to follow the commandment of G-d. Throughout our history, as individuals and as a people we have burned in the fires of tribulations and triumphs in order to cleave to the Torah as G-d’s expressed Will for us in this world.

There is an idea from our Torah, that when Adam & Eve ate from the tree, they changed the way the world works. Up until that point, the choice between good and evil was more distinct and was equally weighted. After they chose to go against G-d’s Will, the body became the dominant over spirit. There has been a further progression since then. We live in physical worlds, with physical bodies, relying on physical activities such as sleeping, eating and breathing for our survival. How then is it possible for us to achieve our purpose of allowing our neshama (soul) to direct our physical desires that run after worldly pleasures? Is it possible that G-d would create a system where we could only fail?

So, the Ramchal teaches that after the sin, this system had an integral change. Previously only through spiritual means such as meditation and prayer, which we all know are lofty and often hard to attain, our striving for illumination could be achieved. After the chet (sin), G-d gave humanity the potential to illuminate the physical not only through spiritual means but also through doing physical actions. These are called the mitzvahs or commandments. When we light Shabbat candles, or eat a kosher meal, give charity or do a kindness for someone we change our physical makeup. We may not register this subtle change but it’s a physical change that happens. This means that we can go through life illuminating our physicality through everyday living.

This is all we can do. Move through our lives doing as much as we can to bring G-dliness to ourselves and the rest of the world. Not just through our spiritual aspirations and learning but through our everyday interactions with people and everything we come across. Each one of us is a vessel to bring truth, love and light into this world. Even and especially in the most difficult moments…

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