Rabbi's Blog - Harford Chabad

Money, Money, Money!

Thursday, February 23, 2023 - 6:45 AM

There are frugal people and there are spendthrifts. Irrelevant to how much money is in their bank account.

In this week’s Torah portion, Hashem asks the people “to take for him an offering”. To donate to the building that will be a home for G-d. (We are in middle of a similar campaign at www.HarfordHaven.org).

Why is it hard for some to part of their money? If we see money as our sweat and blood, giving away our money can feel like giving away a piece of ourselves. We see this in the Shma prayer: Love Hashem with all your might. The word might here is explained to mean money. Our sages go on to explain, “There are people who value their lives more than their money…and there are people who value their money more than their lives.”

Indeed, there are people who would rather lose a limb than lose their money, including even great tzaddikim. The Talmud reports regarding Abba Chilkiya that when he would pass through thorns, he would roll up his garment because he would say, a scratch on the body heals by itself, but if his garment were to be torn, he would not have the money to buy a new one.

A different approach is to see ourselves as trustees of Hashem. He gives us His money, allowing us to use what we need on ourselves, yet the rest is for us to use as Hashem sees fit. With this perspective, it is less painful to give away the money, as it was never mine.

Why does the Torah tell us about the Mishkan fundraiser? Perhaps Hashem is telling us that if we want to make this world a “home for G-d”, we need to do it together. We need to all give a part of ourselves. We need to realize that whatever we have really isn’t our own, that we are solely trustees. Most importantly, this project isn’t a top down “c suite” driven initiative. It is a joint effort which takes each and every person to get involved, in whatever way they can, to make it a home for G-d.

When I wear the fundraising hat that means – give of your money and make a donation for Hashem.
When I wear the spiritual guide hat that means – give of your time, energy and or self to do a mitzvah for Hashem.
When I wear the relationship expert hat that means – spend quality time in Hashem’s home connecting.

None are easy as they take a part of us, but all are important.

Have a wonderful Shabbos,

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman

Baby steps, it's the Jewish way

Thursday, February 16, 2023 - 10:10 PM

Desmond Tutu once wisely said that “there is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.” Meaning, that change, even extreme change, is possible by gradually taking on, just a little bit at a time.

Let’s say someone wants to become fully Torah observant. The whole deal; kosher, Shabbos, daily tefillin, daily study, tithing and charity, praying 3 times a day etc. I used to think that Judaism would say go for it, take it all on!

I thought it was not sustainable. Therefore, I often encouraged people to take things on in smaller bites, while always growing in their connection to Hashem and spirituality.

This week, while learning a midrash connecting the end of last week’s Torah portion to this week’s, I discovered that this thought process is a Torah based belief.

Last week’s Torah portion ends with the mitzvah not to make steps going up to the Altar in the Holy Temple. This is explained to mean that the Kohen should go up a ramp and should not walk in large strides but should only take baby steps. This week’s portion begins with the words “And these are the laws” (referring to the justice system).

The midrash explains that the reason why the section on judicial laws immediately follow the mitzvah of baby steps going up to the Altar, is to teach us that just like the Kohen needs to take baby steps, so too when making rulings in Jewish law, one should not pass sweeping legislation that make major changes or causes waves, but small, incremental changes based on Torah, to slowly make a major impact.

As we each grow in our connection to Hashem, we need to do it slowly. We take on one practical mitzvah at a time, leading towards a continued connection with The One Above.

Have an amazing Shabbos,

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman

P.S. we will have a big contingent of yeshiva students this Shabbos, join us for a lively prayer service at 10 AM.

Take off your glasses!

Thursday, February 9, 2023 - 9:36 PM

Can thin people might not understand the struggle of overweight people.
Can Mild-mannered people might not appreciate the battle of those who are easily triggered.
Can naturally-confident people might not value the effort insecure individuals have to put in every single day.

So often, the answer is no.

And can we blame them? Not really, because so many of us do this all the time! G-d gave us abilities and skills, and we are so used to them that we might not realize that others do not have the same competencies we enjoy.
That, of course, can lead to significant relationship challenges.

When others don't feel that we understand their challenges, they may feel ignored, unsupported, and as though their feelings don't matter. This can make them feel invisible.

Let's be kind to ourselves, though:

Many times, when we act in ways that may seem insensitive, it doesn't mean we only care about ourselves. It often stems from a place of love and concern for others. We can't bear to see them struggling, and in our desire for their happiness and well-being, we might wish they could handle their challenges as easily as we can.

We find the same idea in this week's Torah portion.

When Yitro comes to visit the Israelite camp in the desert, he notices how Moshe is the only one who judges the Jewish people.

Yitro finds it quite disturbing and admonishes Moshe: "Why do you sit by yourself while all the people stand before you from morning till evening?...

"You will surely wear yourself out both you and these people who are with you for the matter is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone!"

What was Moshe thinking in the first place? Didn't he realize that it would be impossible to be the sole judge of over three million people?

Moshe's holiness was so profound that it positively affected everyone around him. If two people were in the midst of a disagreement and came before Moshe, they would be uplifted and know what to do.

With such a fantastic court system, you can quickly resolve all disputes!

However, this system can work only for Moshe. This is why Yitro suggested that Moshe implement a new system to empower many low-level judges.

These judges would have the same life experiences as the general population and could understand their struggles. As a result, they could provide personalized advice and rulings.

Since we are not like Moshe, we must stick the Yitro's advice and take off our glasses put on the glasses of our friends and acknowledge, validate, and appreciate their struggles.

Hopefully, we'd be able to be supportive of their journeys upward.

Wishing you a Good Shabbos,

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman

Take Action! Move Forward!

Thursday, February 2, 2023 - 11:36 AM

At times we stand at the edge of an ocean, trying to make a decision.

In this week’s Torah portion, The Jewish people are standing at the edge of the Yam Suf, deciding their next move. Do they jump in (suicide) or do they go back (surrender) to Egypt? Do they go to war or do they pray?

Whether it’s work, spiritual or family life, we often must make decisions that are scary. All the options don’t seem to be great. One of the messages of this week’s Torah portion is to move forward. Take a step toward your goal; make a move to get closer to your destination.

Many times, the issue is that it looks frightening, and we feel paralyzed. However, once we go forward, the obstacles disappear. True, we don’t have G-d telling us to go forward. Nevertheless, we can ask a mentor or an objective friend if going forward is the correct path. Do they see that it’s fear (Fake Evidence Appearing Real) holding us back or is moving forward dangerous or suicidal?

The Talmud tells us the back story “Rabbi Yehuda said … this tribe said: I am not going into the sea first, and that tribe said: I am not going into the sea first. Then, in jumped Nahshon ben Amminadab, and descended into the sea first, accompanied by his entire tribe, as it is stated: “Ephraim surrounds Me with lies and the house of Israel with deceit, and Judah is yet wayward toward G-d [rad im El]”(Hosea 12:1), which is interpreted homiletically as: And Judah descended [rad] with G-d [im El]. And in this regard, the tradition, i.e., the Writings, explicates Nahshon’s prayer at that moment: “Save me, G-d; for the waters are come in even unto the soul. I am sunk in deep mire, where there is no standing…let not the water flood overwhelm me, neither let the deep swallow me up” (Psalms 69:2–3, 16).”

Nahshon’s prayer is one where he jumped in first. He made a move, a step in the right direction. But the water came up to a point that it seemed like it’s all over, the sea didn’t split right away! Then Nahshon says, “Save me G-d”. I am doing as you asked, that we travel toward Sinai, the water is up to my soul. (Maybe up to his neck or his nose?) And then the waters separated.

The same is with us. In general, it is the people who take action that reach their goals that truly succeed in life.

So next time you need to make a move, take action. Just do it and see the miracles unfold!

Have an amazing Shabbos.

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman