Rabbi's Blog

There are of course varying levels of Passover observance. If you observe even some basics such as two Passover Seders and not eating bread or leaven for eight days you may be breathing a sigh of relief at this time.

Like everything in life however, the sigh of relief carries a loss with it. There is something nice about the discipline of not eating bread and the commitment to a specific behavior or action for the eight days. So with the loss of that specific discipline you may be feeling a bit empty (and not so bloated) right now.

The Torah portions always have the antidote for that which ails us if we take the time to dig in and turn it over until we discover it.

In this weeks Torah portion we find the laws of Kosher. The Torah tells us the signs of a kosher animal; it has split hooves and chews its cud.

Although the mitzvah of kosher observance is a Divine Decree, nonetheless we have take away lessons for better living.

Each of us are genetically wired with a leaning towards either kindness or discipline. It gets manifest in how we think, how we feel and what we are drawn to.

Kindness people are more easy going, fun to be with, social, among other wonderful traits.

Discipline people are reliable, organized, punctual, goal oriented among other wonderful traits.

Of course people if each leaning can adopt and develop traits of the other type but, as a broad generalization, they usually have their natural traits more pronounced.

To serve God only with the traits that come easy is an incomplete service. You are only bringing your comfort zone to the game. Bringing the other dimension of your potential is a complete service.

The split hooves alludes to a kosher and complete person who brings both sides, the right-kindness and the left-discipline, to their service of God.

The chewing of the cud alludes to the fact that the person never considers themselves as having fully attained perfection. Once you think you have, you can retire and check out. But as long as we are on this earth we have the opportunity to continue growing.

Chewing the cud means, reviewing, re-analyzing over and over again, to see if our service is genuine and sincere.

So if you are feeling a bit empty and needing to be disciplined about something worthwhile, try kosher- literally and figuratively (spiritual service/personal development), you surely will find depth, meaning and discipline in this practice!

Have a good Shabbos,

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman 

OK, now that I have got your attention, no I have not gone off the deep end so please read on. You have heard the statement Think Globally Act Locally.  The cynic in me says yeah right. I've been thinking globally and acting locally since I was a child but have I changed the world.  I like to believe that I am contributing to some level of positive change in the world, but will I ever really change the global picture?  And even if my efforts will change the world in three generations time, do I want to be dedicating my life to changing the world for my grandchildren?  And finally, where is the small payoff for me today?

We just celebrated the Pesach Seders where we commemorate and relive the Exodus from Egypt. We commemorate this holiday by retelling the story, and relive because we are instructed in the Haggadah that it is incumbent upon each of us to see ourselves as if we left Egypt. So now that we experienced the Exodus what do we do with this new found freedom?

Jewish mysticism teaches that our personal liberation - overcoming our personal challenges is the local act that brings us to a global redemption.  Namely, the coming of a Utopian era and a transformation of the physical world in the messianic era.  Now before you think I've gone off the deep end let me elaborate.

Each of us lives between the world of who we want to be in our core and the way we actually live due to the limitations of the world.  For example we may want to dress in casual, but the etiquette of the business world requires suit and tie.  We may want to speak a certain way but know that we would lose our job if we did.  We may want to express our true feelings for another but know that it would be too much for them.

The same is true when we look at the physical world.  Do we really see the essence of each experience or physical object, or are subjected to the surface and external experience?

In the Messianic era all the limitations of the physical world fall down and expose everything for what it really is, the essence is expressed.  In the Messianic era we will see how Think Globally but Act Locally is not only a nice motto but also how our local actions have actually CHANGED the global picture.

To close out the Passover holiday there is a Chabad tradition to celebrate our new found freedom with an eye on the future redemption with a feast.  Please join me and my family Tuesday evening April 18th at 6:00pm for the traditional Moshiach Feast @ our home 445 Choice St.

For all the info. on this 3rd Seder or Moshiach Meal, click here

Have a Wonderful Shabbat and Yom Tov.

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman