Rabbi's Blog - Harford Chabad

Loving People Who Struggle

Wednesday, November 27, 2024 - 1:27 PM

Sometimes people make mistakes. They might seem wild or unpredictable.

Like Esau in this week’s Torah portion, these people might look like they're going the wrong way.

The story of Esau and Jacob is amazing. Most people think Esau was just a "bad son," but Isaac saw something different. He wanted to give Esau a special blessing - not because Esau was perfect, but because he saw Esau’s hidden potential and believed he could change and use his strong energy for good things.

The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, taught us to look at every person with love and hope. When someone is struggling, maybe with addiction or making bad choices, we shouldn't judge them.

Instead, we should see the pure soul inside them.

How often does someone come to their Rabbi, feeling terrible about past mistakes. saying I am not a good Jew. The Rabbi should looked at them with such kindness and said, "There is no such thing as a bad Jew, only a Jew who hasn't yet discovered their true self."

Just like Isaac saw Esau’s special energy, we can see the good in people who are struggling. Maybe we can help guide them, like Jacob helped transform Esau. But even if we can't, remember this: Every person has a holy spark inside them.

When seeing someone making mistakes, don't push them away. Look at them with love. See their potential. Believe they can change.

Have a good Shabbos,

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman

Are you living?

Thursday, November 21, 2024 - 1:17 PM

This week, I was able to go to California to celebrate my niece's wedding. It was a lovely party and simultaneously a beautiful spiritual event. Tuesday morning, a few siblings and I went to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook to experience the sunrise.

The other part of the overlook has a set of stairs. However, they are not built according to code and are a few times the height of a regular step. I am still feeling the pain of those Culver City Stairs; feeling muscles I didn't know I had.

The pain is because I am blessed with a body that Hashem gave me and a functioning system that reminds me if you use a dormant muscle, you will feel it.

Rabbi Moshe Wohlberg would ask Yeshiva boys at Chassidic gatherings, "Are you alive because you are alive? Or are you alive because you weren't hit by a truck?"

Meaning, you can be alive simply because your body is still working, or you can live a life worth living.

Feeling my body reminds me that there are muscles I am not using physically. What about my spiritual muscles? Are there any that I am not utilizing? What are the steps I need to take to make sure I am spiritually alive?

What comes up for you when you ask yourself, “Am I truly living? Or am I just alive because I am not dead?”

Have a Good Shabbos,

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman

P.S. Inspired by this class from Rabbi YY Jacobson

The OG Shliach - Emissary of light

Thursday, November 14, 2024 - 3:48 PM

Running a Chabad House like Harford Chabad is a labor of love. It can also be stressful, with many moving parts to juggle.

Our forefather Abraham was the first person in the world to open a Chabad House (an organization to promote spreading the belief in Hashem and the proper behavior that follows from that belief). As the verse says, “Abraham opened an inn in Beersheba. There, he proclaimed the name of G-d, G-d of the Universe.”

Abraham’s success was not that everyone who came through his doors became “orthodox” or “Torah observant.” Abraham’s success was that he created a community of people who believed in 1 G-d.

He had four types of community members:

The inspired, the students, the minyanaires, and the community shluchim.

The inspired are the people I call “the coffee and beer community members.” They enjoy hanging out and are inspired to live more G-dly merely by basking in Abraham’s warmth and passionate love for G-d. They realized he was speaking the truth and were inspired despite not necessarily being able to follow everything he taught.
Abraham’s students studied Torah under his tutelage. Their involvement was through adult education classes given by Abraham or Sarah (the first ones to lead Torah Studies and Torah and Tea classes:)).
The Minyanaires prayed because of their newfound appreciation of G-d's greatness. They began to pray and praise Hashem themselves.
The Shluchim became community leaders. Not only understanding but also sharing their inspiration with others. They expanded Abraham's influence upon the world, opening mini centers of inspiration and inviting people into their homes to celebrate their Judaism.

It’s important to pay homage to the OG Shliach, the first Jew, Abraham. In addition, this resonates very much with me as I’ve met all four types living right here in Harford County. Knowing that Abraham lived within a community similar to ours, we can take an example from him and bring much G-dliness into this world by lighting up our little corner.

Which group or groups do you think you fit into? How can you add more G-dly light into your home, neighborhood, or community?

Have a good shabbos,

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman

A Journey to Redemption - The Hidden Purpose of Exile

Thursday, November 7, 2024 - 9:03 PM

The Jewish people are in exile. This is not something new! It's a state of being that has lasted nearly 2,000 years, since the Holy Temple was destroyed. We yearn for the day (may it be today) when we will be returned to the Holy Land with the coming of the Moshiach!

Galus, exile, is often seen as a punishment for our failings. In truth, exile is by design. G-d created the world with the intention of having a home in the lowest realms and the Messianic Era is the culmination of this plan.

G-d ordained the exile of the Jewish people when He made the "Covenant of the Parts" with Abraham, even before the Jewish people existed!

Ouch!! Why? For what purpose?

The spiritual job of the Jewish people is to uncover the true nature of creation. By using physical objects in the service of G-d, we reveal the Divine Essence in them. As the "sparks" of holiness embedded in creation were dispersed throughout the world, the Jewish people have been exiled and scattered across the globe to expose them.

Interestingly, the difference between the Hebrew word for redemption, geulah, and the Hebrew word for exile, golah is just one letter. The letter aleph transforms the word from meaning exile to meaning redemption. Redemption is not about a radical change, it is just uncovering our truest self, G-d within us.

On a deeper level, galus is not just physical displacement. It is a time when G-d's presence is concealed. We may study Torah and follow the commandments, but do we feel G-d's closeness? Do we feel love or connection with G-d when doing mitzvot? Or is the Divine suppressed or hidden?

Two thousand years of spiritual darkness have not deterred us. Through fire and water, we've proven our fidelity to G-d. We are ready to be reconnected with our Creator, for the ultimate redemption!

Yes, the sparks have been elevated. Jews make a blessing over food in Bel Air, put up mezuzahs in Havre de Grace, and with world globalization, we sit in Harford County and light menorahs that are "made in China". Now it's time to unite and reconnect with our fellow and with Hashem to ensure the mitzvahs we do are intentionally to welcome the messianic era, the ultimate goal of G-d creating a physical world where He will feel comfortable to be revealed in.

May we merit to leave this exile today.

Good Shabbos,

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman