December 26, 2008
Everything goes after the beginning. So in English this statement may seem simply chronological, and thus utterly obvious. But in its original (Hebrew, of course) it is utterly profound. "After" really means in line with, or as a result of, or is only a continuation of... Basically, the point of inception - its quality and profundity - is what defines everything that follows, and all that follows will only serve as a connection to that time. Take a marriage - the point of commitment woven with heart strings of love, exhilaration, hope, immortality, unbroken commitment and oneness - all these combined with a confidence instilled through purity, honesty and even Divinity can directly determine the heights and ceiling of accomplishment of the two unnamed dreamers. And every great step along the path of their life together will be a testament and a revelation, an expression and an offspring of the very point of commencement. In fact, the Talmud teaches that the secret of great Jewish marriages lies in the ability to recreate the feelings of one's chuppah again and again for years to come.
Now, in every great beginning their lies a heart-pounding excitement (if the marriage analogy doesn't work, try an Olympic downhill skier as he approaches the starting gate - got it?) and a spiritual awakening that happens very infrequently in life. It's so powerful, so remarkable that you could chronicle the days and years of your life by their number. These beginnings are the key, and remembering them is only a function of reliving them. Most people remember the "good ole times" in spite of their present existence. Shame. We Jews seek to remember our beginnings by living them and connecting everything we do now to its point of inception. From here we derive more power, permanence, spirituality, strength and perseverance than has ever been displayed by any other nation for sure.
The Greeks came to "make us forget God's Torah". That was their objective, and all their decrees were mere strategies. How do you cause someone to foget. Take the wind out of their sails in that very area. Don't underestimate the Greeks, they were quite intelligent. They knew the only way to neutralize the Jews was to cut them off from their source - to separate them from their beginnings; not only were we to disconnect from our national inception at Mount Sinai, but every additional expression of newness was to be eradicated. They specifically prohibited Rosh Chodesh (the New Month festival) where time is sanctified and the month (chodesh) begins anew (chadash), Bris Milah, Shabbos (the beginning of every week where our breathe is drawn and our lungs rejuvenated), the Tamid offering (the daily start of Divine service), and of course Torah learning, the most blatant connection to the Sinai experience where God spoke and every word of subsequent Torah learning is merely a continuation of that very dialogue. The Greeks even went so far as to abduct every betrothed (and yet unwed) Jewish maiden lest her "beginning" be pure. This was not a decree of licentiousness, but rather a dagger in the heart of the most Jewish institution. Every beginning was soured, soiled, spoiled and utterly annihilated.
If you cut us off from Sinai, if you take away the phoenix-like power of rejuvenation that permeates the entire Jewish experience, then we are truly a nation under siege.
This Shabbos is not only the Shabbos of Hanukah, but also Rosh Chodesh, the first of the month of Teves. There is no greater moment in the calendar that screams victory from the rooftops than this. We stand atop the ashes of every nation that's sought our destruction and continue to bring light into the world where our enemies have left nothing but darkness as their memory. But a victory dance in and of itself is useless unless we live precisely in the manner which aroused their hatred. We connect. We connect the dots, the seconds of 3,500 years of Jewish history to an unshakable commitment to its future. And we commit to renew again and again the Divine seed of our existence through every portal the world offers - time and space, thought and deed.
Take a moment to reflect. And another to connect. And one more, if you can spare it, to begin again.
Good Shabbos, Good Chodesh and a very freilechen (Yiddish word for the day meaning joyous) Hanukah.
Rabbi Lynn
Now, in every great beginning their lies a heart-pounding excitement (if the marriage analogy doesn't work, try an Olympic downhill skier as he approaches the starting gate - got it?) and a spiritual awakening that happens very infrequently in life. It's so powerful, so remarkable that you could chronicle the days and years of your life by their number. These beginnings are the key, and remembering them is only a function of reliving them. Most people remember the "good ole times" in spite of their present existence. Shame. We Jews seek to remember our beginnings by living them and connecting everything we do now to its point of inception. From here we derive more power, permanence, spirituality, strength and perseverance than has ever been displayed by any other nation for sure.
The Greeks came to "make us forget God's Torah". That was their objective, and all their decrees were mere strategies. How do you cause someone to foget. Take the wind out of their sails in that very area. Don't underestimate the Greeks, they were quite intelligent. They knew the only way to neutralize the Jews was to cut them off from their source - to separate them from their beginnings; not only were we to disconnect from our national inception at Mount Sinai, but every additional expression of newness was to be eradicated. They specifically prohibited Rosh Chodesh (the New Month festival) where time is sanctified and the month (chodesh) begins anew (chadash), Bris Milah, Shabbos (the beginning of every week where our breathe is drawn and our lungs rejuvenated), the Tamid offering (the daily start of Divine service), and of course Torah learning, the most blatant connection to the Sinai experience where God spoke and every word of subsequent Torah learning is merely a continuation of that very dialogue. The Greeks even went so far as to abduct every betrothed (and yet unwed) Jewish maiden lest her "beginning" be pure. This was not a decree of licentiousness, but rather a dagger in the heart of the most Jewish institution. Every beginning was soured, soiled, spoiled and utterly annihilated.
If you cut us off from Sinai, if you take away the phoenix-like power of rejuvenation that permeates the entire Jewish experience, then we are truly a nation under siege.
This Shabbos is not only the Shabbos of Hanukah, but also Rosh Chodesh, the first of the month of Teves. There is no greater moment in the calendar that screams victory from the rooftops than this. We stand atop the ashes of every nation that's sought our destruction and continue to bring light into the world where our enemies have left nothing but darkness as their memory. But a victory dance in and of itself is useless unless we live precisely in the manner which aroused their hatred. We connect. We connect the dots, the seconds of 3,500 years of Jewish history to an unshakable commitment to its future. And we commit to renew again and again the Divine seed of our existence through every portal the world offers - time and space, thought and deed.
Take a moment to reflect. And another to connect. And one more, if you can spare it, to begin again.
Good Shabbos, Good Chodesh and a very freilechen (Yiddish word for the day meaning joyous) Hanukah.
Rabbi Lynn
posted by Rabbi Lynn at
3:52 PM
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