Page 3 - The Jewish Voice - January '21

The Jewish Voice, Page 3

From the rabbis

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize Why Does Life Have prayers never fall on deaf ears. They always make an impact
Filled with faith, we know with conviction that our
By Rabbi Paul Arberman to Be So Hard? on high. The only catch is that, as the Rebbe once told a
“Keep Your Eyes on the chassid, Rabbi Zalman Gourarie, “Our prayers are always
Prize” was a Civil Rights By Rabbi Dovid Vigler answered, but it’s answered in G-d’s time — He doesn’t
Movement song based on an Life seems so unfair. tell us when and how long it will take.”
even older black spiritual, A striking realization Sometimes our answer could come after a generation,
“Keep Your Hand on the from the Torah is that our but it will eventually come.
Plough.” The goal or the holy matriarchs (Sara, Tal Nir is a doctor in Kiryat Malachi, Israel. Though he
prize was freedom, voting Rivkah, Rachel, and Leah) was raised on a secular kibbutz without any faith at all, he
rights, having the right all suffered tremendously found his way back to Judaism and is today a fully observant
to work. The prize was a from infertility, often for Chabadnik with a wife and eight beautiful children.
better society, unburdened many decades. While the His mother once told him the story of her youth — she
by discrimination. That’s women around them seem to was raised in a religious family in Belgium. When the
why Dr. Martin Luther King said to go the route of non- have had no difficulty falling Nazis came, they took her parents and her sister. Only she
violence. If wins are achieved by threat and violence, pregnant, these giants of remained because her blue eyes and blond hair made her
then how will co-existence ever happen? He was afraid of Israel suffered endlessly in this existential human need. It’s look Aryan. She was taken in by a foster family that agreed
winning the battle but losing the war, if blacks and whites not as if they were even biologically related to each other, in to watch her until her family returned. At the tender age
couldn’t live together afterwards. which case we might say that they had a genetic disposition of 12, she was forced to adjust to the harsh realities of her
Have you ever known a married couple who engage in toward infertility. Why would G-d want them to suffer? new life. Her foster family mistreated her and forced her to
kitchen sink fighting — throwing any argument they can Where is G-d when we need Him? work long and hard hours for them, a Cinderella of sorts.
at each other? They forget that the overall goal is to be The Torah’s answer is both stunning and life changing She had no choice but to bite the bullet and do as she was
married and to be happy — not to win the argument! In — our matriarchs came from wealthy and well-respected told.
the movie Annie Hall, Woody Allen tells the joke: A guy families. They each had sterling character traits. And they One night she made a deal with G-d upon her bed: She
walks into a psychiatrist’s office and says, “Hey doc, my were drop-dead gorgeous! If G-d would have granted them would recite the Shma Yisrael each night as her parents
brother’s crazy! He thinks he’s a chicken.” The doc says: children effortlessly, they would have had everything that had taught her if G-d would promise to return her family
“Why don’t you turn him in?” And the guy answers: “I they needed; they would never have needed to turn to G-d to her. She faithfully recited the Shma each night until the
would, but I guess I need the eggs.” And then Woody Allen in prayer. G-d yearns for a relationship with us. He therefore fateful day when she learned that her entire family had been
comments: “I guess that’s how I feel about relationships. denied these women this basic urge deliberately in order murdered in the camps.
They’re totally crazy, irrational, and absurd, but we keep that they would turn to Him to fulfill their wish. Furious with G-d, she ran as far as she could from her
going through it because we need the eggs.” If you want This idea runs contrary to everything that we thought faith, settling in the secular kibbutz Degania, where she
to have your eggs, keep your eyes on the prize — which we knew about prayer — we don’t pray because we need married and had her son Tal.
is to be happily married. to fix our problems; we have problems because we need to One day, Tal came over with his entire family to visit
What is “the prize” in an election cycle? In Pirkei Avot, pray! her. As they sat around their savta’s (grandmother’s) kitchen
the Sayings of Our Ancestors, Rabbi Hanina, the assistant It’s not always in our successes, but actually in our table, they noticed a candle burning in the middle. It was
high priest, said: Pray for the welfare of the government, struggles that we find out who we truly are. Yom Hashoah — Holocaust Memorial Day. It suddenly
for were it not for the respect for it, everyone would When the saintly Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl once occurred to Tal that all of his children bore the names
swallow their neighbor alive: The prophet Habakkuk demanded 10,000 rubles from a disciple who wanted to of his mother’s deceased relatives. Recalling the terrible
(1:14) said: “And you make man like the fish of the sea” host him, the man was shocked. Although it was so out of story of his mother’s youth, he declared: “Look, Mother!
— just like the fish of the sea, where the bigger fish eats character for his Rebbe to be so taxing, he shrugged it off It seems that your prayer has finally been fulfilled! All of
the smaller fish, so too people, were it not for respect and and prayed deeply to G-d for a financial miracle. your long-lost relatives have returned to you! They are all
fear of the government, each one who is bigger would Days later a Russian military attache was passing through seated here: Your father, your mother, your sister; they are
swallow his fellow (Talmud, Avodah Zarah 54b). town and demanded to stay at his home, as was customary all here!” Shaken, she broke down in tears, as she admitted:
For Rabbi Hanina, praying for the welfare of the in those days. After the party left, the housekeeper found “Yes, you are right. They are all here. And there are more
government meant praying for one of the last Hasmonean a wallet filled with gold coins that they had left behind. of them here than were ever lost in the first place!”
kings or possibly for Rome. Hanina knew that lawlessness Having had no way to locate the soldiers, the householder A classic Yiddish aphorism declares “Der Aibershter
was worse than any king. Based on this tradition, almost joyously brought the bounty to his Rebbe, delivering the bleibt nit kein bal chov” — G-d never remains a debtor. He
all Jewish prayer books include a prayer for the welfare goods as requested. always comes through eventually. His patience can really
of the government. Yes, America is very divided these Much to his surprise, the Rebbe immediately handed get to our kishkes, because his response to our prayers can
days. But it’s a mistake to think the only goal was to the money back to him and told him that it was his to keep. easily be in another lifetime! But as long as we know that
have this or that candidate elected. The short-term goal “I never dreamed of asking for this money for myself,” the He will ultimately deliver, we can rest assured that all will
of winning pales in comparison to the goal of having free Rebbe explained. “In heaven I saw that you were destined to be well. We have nothing to fear!
and fair elections that produce a winner. When the system receive a large sum of money, but that you were neglecting to His timing is designed to teach us how to trust.
of elections works, then all Americans are the winner. pray for financial assistance. I had no choice but to concoct a Rabbi Dovid Vigler is spiritual leader at Chabad of Palm
When the system goes down, then the big fish will eat the reason for you to appeal to G-d for support. Gei gezunterheit!” Beach Gardens and host of the Jewish Schmooze Radio
little fish — and we will come to a situation antithetical In our grace after meals, we thank G-d for having created Show. Email him at rabbi@jewishgardens.com.
Together, generous people in our community
to Judaism, where “might makes right.” “many living things and what they lack.” It would seem far
Civil rights, relationships, or elections share a common more logical for us to thank G-d for having fulfilled their
donated an astounding $1.3 million
thread: Keep your eyes on the prize. Remember to ask: needs. Why do we thank Him for making us want?
What is the greater good of the system?— even while you G-d cares for us deeply and desires a relationship with
to Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County’s
work to improve it. Remember that no matter who wins us. It is only when we lack something that we are forced
and who loses, we still have to live together. to turn to G-d for assistance. We thus thank Him for giving
J-Help Coronavirus Emergency Response.
Rabbi Paul Arberman is spiritual leader at Temple Beth us the reason to turn to Him in that deep and meaningful
David in Palm Beach Gardens. connection that only prayer can forge.
But what happens when G-d does not answer our prayer?
What happens when He fails to deliver the goods?
emergency cash thousands check-in calls online Jewish
assistance for of meals to offer mental education
families struggling for frail health support, and activities
nancial assistance
seniors and
our to afford meals, Half of the local Jewish households say for children
jewish they are struggling with the negative
and families.
& basic necessities.
vulnerable people.
medicine or rent.
emotional effects of social isolation.
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