Today, we take for granted that we are moral and civilized, with courts of law, judicial systems, codes of conduct and expected norms that are kindness, sharing, helping others and so on… But let's look through history, where did these things come from?
At the time when the Torah first laid out the groundwork for moral and civil laws with ethical behavior and societal responsibilities, it was in the year 1312 BCE when the Torah was given at Sinai. It was not exactly a time when people were civilized, in fact it was pretty much a take what you can and give nothing back mentality. If someone is in your way, then eliminate them and move forward, and may the weakest lose!
When our ancestors began living as a moral and civilized people after they received the Torah, with responsibility to each other and our neighbors, the people of the world opposed it and rejected it as radical and crazy, it was called the behavior of the weak and helpless who had to look to each other and the community for survival and progress.
Today, when we enjoy a mostly civil world. Let’s understand that the job of the Jewish people to be a light unto the nations has been accomplished at least in this respect. We did not accomplish this by forcing or threatening anyone, simply by role modeling and leading by example.
What is the groundwork and fundamentals for morals and civility?
Is it that people need to be forced to be good, perhaps by the government, and threatened by prison sentences and fines?
Perhaps it's freedom of choice, just let people do what they want and most people will choose to do the right thing.
The secret is the relationship of civility and ethics to religion.
You see, in Judaism, morals, ethics and civil behavior are just as religious as keeping Shabbat and Kosher and faith in G-d. That's why the Torah tells us to keep them in the same way. They are one in the same, there is no such thing as “moral” Mitzvot and “religious” Mitzvot. They are all from the same G-d and therefore all religious.
That's why I love to say that every Jew is religious, regardless of what they keep “religiously”. We all have qualities instilled in us by our ancestors, dating back more than three thousand years. We all keep many Mitzvot every single day, and so there is no Jew that is not religious.
The secret is that we understand that when we do something good, it is a holy act, divinely inspired, the same way our ancestors behaved in a world where morals were alien. But they followed the Torah’s moral laws like they followed the laws of Passover and Sukkot, they were ridiculed for it, for the morals and for the Shabbat and weird holidays, it was a package deal and still is today!
The irony is that the Torah gives us freedom of choice for all its laws, freedom to keep Shabbat, to respect our elders, to eat Kosher and to pay our employees on time.
The Torah sees it as one consistent life, where kindness and love, prayer, rituals and faith are part of one lifestyle that is congruant with truth and G-d.
And yes you are free to choose, because with choice comes dignity. G-d wants us to do the right thing because we choose it, not because we are forced. With choice we can live moral, civil, dignified and G-dly lives.
It’s awesome when you're told what to do in no uncertain terms, but you still have the freedom of choice to do it or not. That's how you know it comes from G-d, who wants you to do the right thing, and wants you to have the dignity of choosing the right thing as an individual.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel & Elke Zaltzman
SHABBOS TIMES
Friday, February 12
Candle Lighting: 5:10pm Evening service: 5:10pm
Saturday, February 13
Morning service: 10am
Kiddush Brunch 12pm Evening service: 5:10pm
Shabbat ends: 6:11pm
FAIR LAWN JEWISH DAY CAMP
Fair Lawn Jewish Day Camp presents An online class and discussion
"Stop telling children how great they are,
and start telling them how great they are"
Thursday, February 18 at 9:00pm
An unconventional method in instilling confidence in children.
Presented by Rabbi Mendel
Parent, Educator, Camp Director
All parents are welcome to join
Discussing life in the light of Chabad Philosophy
On Zoom:
Meeting ID: 895 6598 0718
Passcode: tanya
Presented in English by Rabbi Mendel Zaltzman
MVP Mitzvah Volunteer Program
Thursdays 4-5pm
For boys and girls in Grades 6th- 8th
At each weekly program MVP's will prepare special personalized packages for seniors that will be delivered safely in time for Shabbat.
Join the weekly meetings at the Bris Avrohom of Fair Lawn location, to prepare and personalize the packages and have some treats and fun while we work.
Parents and Kids Hamantashen Bake
Sunday, February 21
2pm and 6pm
Online and Limited In-person availability.
Registration now open!
Purim in the Great Outdoors Thursday, February 25 / 5:30pm- 7:00pm
Megillah Reading! Bounce House! Train Rides! Hot Food and Drinks!
Music! Costume Contest! Treats and Gifts! Arts and Crafts!
On the Bris Avrohom of Fair Lawn Parking Lot
Yankel and Sara were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. The next week, Yankel realized that he would need Sara to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight to Chicago. Too proud to be the first to break the silence, Yankel wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM."
The next morning Yankel woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and that he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't woken him when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up!
WEEKLY eTORAH
The name of our parshah is Mishpatim, which means "laws." There are several words for "law" in Hebrew. All have a similar meaning, but a slightly different nuance.
Mishpatim, or "judgements," means laws which can easily be understood, such as not to steal and not to kill. In fact, most of the laws in our parshah are of this nature.
Another term--chukim, or "statutes"--means laws which cannot be understood by ordinary human intellect. An example of these is the law not to mix milk and meat, which is also written in this parshah. Many times in our history the laws of this kind have presented a challenge to us. In some epochs the non-Jews mocked us for adhering to them. In our own age, governed by rationality, many Jews wonder why they are necessary. Nonetheless, the chukim are an important aspect of our bond with G‑d.
A third kind of law is called edut, "testimony." The command to observe Passover is in this category. We keep this festival as a testimony and a sign of the fact that G‑d took us out Egypt. Without the Torah we would not have thought of this law, but now that we have it, it makes sense to us.
It is interesting that the totally miraculous atmosphere of last week's parshah, in which G‑d spoke to the entire nation from Mount Sinai, is followed by the comparatively ordinary and down-to-earth laws of this week's parshah, which is aptly called Mishpatim. We might have expected a demand for a more intense aspect of our relationship with G‑d, such as that expressed in the beyond-rational "statutes" or at least the "testimonies." Why is the emphasis rather on simple laws of justice between man and his fellow?
The answer is that this fact itself helps us understand something about the Torah and its purpose. There is a physical dimension to life: the material world of everyday affairs. There is also a spiritual, Divine dimension, a realm of infinite purity and holiness.
The purpose of the Torah is to join these two dimensions together. Through obedience to the Torah, our normal everyday lives can become an expression of the Divine.
This point is emphasised by the juxtaposition of the two parshiot. Last week was the parshah which spoke of G‑d's revelation. This week is the parshah which concerns the everyday, the simple laws which anyone can understand. Due to the power of the Torah, the inspiration of Sinai becomes comprehensible and meaningful on the level of daily life. Through this the two realms are joined.
In the details of the practical world, lived in accordance with the Torah, we discover the Presence of the Divine.
