Rabbi's Blog

The story is told that the Baal Shem Tov, and some of his followers, once went to visit a very poor and simple farmer. For two days they emptied the house of all food. From using the last bit of flour for bread to slaughtering the cow, that provided them with milk, for it’s meat. The students were appalled, the wife didn’t know why they agreed to host these guests and the kids were begging for some food for themselves. 

As the Baal Shem Tov was getting into his carriage he said: “I bless you to ask for whatever you need." The carriage door closed and the chasidim drove away into the forest.

While, this man was content with very little, he could not figure out how he would survive on nothing. With no other choice, he stopped and he prayed: "Creator of the Universe, I have never asked you for anything before, so please listen. My wife and children have no food. I need money to feed them. I need money to buy back our farm. And my wife, she would be so happy if there was money for dowries for our daughters and to pay for the weddings. Four weddings! And, Creator of the Universe, one more thing, since I'm asking: please make a small miracle. Let my house and my purse be large enough to provide for others who need."

Then he began to sob. He fell to the ground, weeping and praying. He lay there for a long time. Finally, Ivan the town drunkard came wandering by. "Oh! Oh! Please don't cry. Whatever it is, don't worry. Maybe I can help. You have always been kind to me. Everyone else in the village makes fun of me and treats me miserably, especially my own children. And I don't feel so well. If I die, I want you to have my fortune. Come, I'll show you where I hid it." Ivan led him to a big stone nearby and showed him a box hidden under it. That same day, Ivan the drunkard died. The farmer went into the forest and pulled out the hidden box. It was full of gold coins; enough to buy a big house in town.

The Baal Shem Tov came back a year later and told him: "A year ago it was decreed in heaven that you were to become a rich man. Yet, you were so humble and would never ask for anything. I had to come and bring you to rock bottom so that you would ask for the blessings that were waiting for you. Mazel Tov my friend! The very best of years!”

I spent two days this week as part of an advisory group for a large nonprofit, discussing social enterprise, marketing and fundraising. It became apparent that the main issue a lot of non-profits face, and most people in general, is not asking for or communicating their needs.

The reason I share with you this story is to bring out a message that is connected with this week's Torah portion. The Jews were in the desert in the wilderness for 40 years and they only observed the Passover holiday for the first year. The holiday of Passover only became a mitzvah "after you entered the land". The Jews who were not able to observe that first Passover, as they were ritually impure, complained to Moshe: “Why should we lose out? We also want to observe Passover". Moshe turned to G-d who responded: “They asked? We will institute the second Passover for them to observe Passover 30 days later. It will also be for future generations, for anyone who is ritually impure during Passover, to celebrate “the second Passover.” 

In life, from our family and from G-d, we need to learn to ask. Ask for what we need, pray for the healing of a friend, ask G-d that we feel more of a connection with Him as well as demand the redemption of the world from struggle and fighting with the coming of Moshiach now. 

Have a great shabbos,

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman

2 Jewish rules about serving G-d:

1) It should be a service of love; the service of a generous heart not just backbreaking labor and

2) In Judaism, there is no such thing as a free lunch, the human needs to do his part and then G-d will do the rest. One cannot rely on miracles. As the saying goes, it took 10 years of hard work to become an overnight success.

These rules come from the Torah.

After the Mishkan, Tabernacles, was completed, the Jews brought the tent and all its furnishings, its clasps, its planks, its bars, etc. to Moses. Why did they bring it before him? Rashi explains, from the Midrash, for they could not erect it. No human being could erect the Mishkan because of the heaviness of the planks; and no human was strong enough to put them up, but Moses was able to put it up. Moses said before the Holy One, blessed is He, “How is it possible for a human being to erect the Mishkan?”  G-d replied, “You work with your hand”. Moses appeared to be erecting it, and it arose by itself. This is the meaning of what it says: “the Mishkan was set up” (Exod. 40:17); it was set up by itself.

The Jews could have found a way to set up the Mishkan. They had experience in backbreaking labor when building pyramids in Egypt. Yet, this did not qualify as “the service of a generous heart”. G-d was schooling Moses to the second rule; do your part and I will do the rest. 

For their part, the leaders of the tribes wanted to contribute towards the Mishkan. After the Mishkan was built, the leaders desired to bring a gift of wagons to make it easier for the Levites to transport the Mishkan.  They brought their offering before the Lord: six covered wagons and twelve oxen. They presented them in front of the Mishkan, for Moses did not accept them from their hands until he was instructed to do so by the Omnipresent.

Why did Moses refuse to accept the gift without G-dly approval? For he was concerned that the wagons would not allow the Levites to fulfill their physical obligation; thus not allowing G-d to do His share.  Moses was instructed by G-d: Take [it] from them, and let them be used in the service of the Tent of Meeting. You shall give them to the Levites, in accordance with each man's work.

Do your part to show and share the love, and Hashem will take care of the rest.

Have a great Shabbos,

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman

Family is an amazing phenomenon; all so different yet all the same. Everyone has a crazy uncle. Creating a family is the process of uniting females and males. For them to unite as one is taking two opposites and creating something beautiful called family.

Judaism values family as the foundation of a people; many families form the Jewish people. This is expressed regularly with the word Mishpocha which is used in shuls worldwide. This is also a motto of the United States, as seen on its seal: "E Pluribus Unum", Latin for out of many, one.

In this week’s Torah portion, when doing the census, the Jews were counted in the following manner: first by family, then by tribe and only then did they get the total Jewish population.  This was an expression of ‘out of many one’; out of the many families one nation was created. 

By the founding of the Jewish people, the Talmud says based on Genesis 12;5, that it took Abraham and Sarah together, two different individuals, to create a nation.

When the world was created, G-d did not refer to mankind until Adam and Eve were created (Genesis 5;2).

As we prepare to accept the Torah for the 3328th time, we must remember E Pluribus Unum.

It is only with the joint effort of the  women and men, each doing their unique mission as defined by the Torah, that keeps the Jewish nation an unbreakable people, like a united family.

The Torah’s narrative of the giving of the Torah is prefaced with “So shall you say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel” (Exodus 19;2). The Talmud explains that “the house of Jacob” refers to the women, the mainstay of the Jewish home, and “sons of Israel” refers to the men. Since the central location of Jewish practice is at home, first and foremost we need the buy in of the Aishet Chayil – the women of valor who perpetuates the Joie de yiddishkeit, the joy of Judaism. Only afterwards do the men get taught about Jewish practice.

Maybe this is why the Jewish people were counted based on family first, because this is the key to Jewish continuity.

So E Pluribus Tribus Unum Natio “out of many families, one people”

See you Sunday for the 10 commandments, details here.