Gratitude in Tough Times

As Americans gather around their table to celebrate Thanksgiving, this year will be challenging to feel the feelings of gratitude generally associated with this time of year. With Israel fighting a multi front war and Jew hatred rising on nearly a daily basis the air is heavy and it's hard to get into the headspace of gratitude in 2024. The reality is that no matter how challenging the environment is, we never lose the opportunity to express our gratitude. There is a fascinating insight on gratitude from next week's Parsha that I believe addresses this point. After the birth of her first child, Rachel names the baby Yosef. The stated reason for this is that G-d has spared me from shame. The basic understanding is that she has been spared from shame because now she has finally been blessed to have a child after being barren for many years. Rashi, in his commentary, offers a bizarre explanation in the name of a Midrash. The comment is that Rachel would have to take responsibility for various mishaps around the house prior to having a baby. Mishaps such as who broke the dish or ate the snacks would leave Rachel feeling sheepish when her husband would come home. With the arrival of a baby in the home, there was now someone to blame for these mishaps. Hence, G-d had spared her shame. The Midrash is incredulous with this interpretation! It reflects an incredible shallow perspective on our revered matriarch, Rachel! After the amazing blessing of bringing a new life into the world, Rachel is thankful for something so mundane! Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz, in his commentary, offers insight on this passage in particular and on gratitude in general. One doesn't need to be seeking macro and life-changing occurrences for one to express gratitude over. Granted, when those blessings occur in life it is appropriate to be grateful. However, one should seek to identify minor or even mundane happenings in our daily life to show our appreciation and gratitude. Tamara Levitt, a well-known meditation and mindfulness instructor in her masterclass on the Calm app, suggests doing an exercise whenever you find yourself caught up in negativity or seem to need a dose of gratitude called the Gratitude Countdown. She offered the following ten examples of everyday reasons in her won life for her to be grateful: 1)The comforting bowl of miso soup I had for dinner. 2)The fact that I live close to a park where I can breathe fresh air and enjoy a daily dose of nature. 3)A local tailor was able to fix the zipper on my 25-year-old irreplaceable coat. 4)The voicemail I received this morning from my nephew. 5)The subway system I use to zip across the city to do errands. 6)The birds I heard chirping cheerfully outside my window this morning. 7)The marvel of modern communication and the ease it helps me stay in touch with friends and family. 8)My incredible job and the privilege of doing meaningful work. 9)My network of friends and the support I feel from friendships. 10)My mediation practice helps me stay grounded in the world. This list is particular to her life, but I was struck by how ordinary these items seemed. This year more than ever, let us make a choice to seek out and identify simple things in life for which to be grateful. Have a Peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Fisch

Lies are Louder than Truth

In 1849, French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote, "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" or "the more things change, the more they stay the same." This quote is playing loudly in my head this week as I try to absorb what is happening in the world. As we are nearly at the quarter mark of the twenty-first century and pretend that we are more enlightened than ever, we have more than regular reminders that while time has changed, people are essentially the same. The self-proclaimed judge, jury, and executioner of the so-called International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants to the Prime Minister and former Defense Minister of Israel for their alleged war crimes in managing the current war. It's hard to begin unpacking this development. Real war crimes are going on around the world. In Sudan, in the current civil war, there have been tens of thousands of people killed, including in mass killings, the raping of women and girls, the widespread looting of markets and homes, and the burning down of farms. In Ukraine, at least 2,406 children have been killed or injured since the escalation of the war nearly 1,000 days ago, according to the latest available verified reports. In addition to child casualties, which include 659 children killed and 1,747 children injured - amounting to at least 16 children killed or wounded every week - millions of children continue to have their lives upended due to ongoing attacks. It's essential to be mindful that the attacks from Russia to Ukraine deliberately target civilians. It is unheard of for Russia to send text messages to civilians in Ukraine informing them of any impending attack. I don't know of any military that does this tactic currently or in the past. There have been no arrest warrants issued to the leaders of Sudan or Russia. Israel, of course, does send communications to civilians in Gaza and Lebanon about impending attacks. Although the system is not perfect, it has saved countless lives. The WSJ, in an editorial this week, stated that "whose (Israel) military may have achieved the lowest ratio of civilian-to-combatant deaths in the history of urban warfare." The disconnect between the reality and the arrest warrant issued by the International Court in the Hague could not be more profound. In this week's Parsha, we learn again about how Avraham purchased the Cave of Machpeilah in Hebron. Avraham went to great pains to ensure that all elements of this transaction were above board as he feared that his descendants might be accused of thievery in their claim to its ancestral home. History has confirmed the worst fears of Avraham as his descendants are not only falsely accused of being occupiers and colonialists but also charged with war crimes in defending themselves from hostile and lethal adversaries. As the lies and accusations continue to mount, it's worth reviewing our weekly Parsha to be reminded of the facts. Have a Peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Fisch

Post Election Musings

Well, it’s finally over! The election season in the United States lasts at least two years and sometimes feels like 20 years has mercifully come to an end. Regardless of how anyone identifies politically, it’s our responsibility to pray that President-Elect Trump successfully governs and brings America as a global leader to a new level of peace and prosperity. Trump also made history as only the second president to return to the White House as President for a second term after losing his initial re-election bid. Grover Cleveland, our 22nd and 24th president, was the only other president to receive that distinction. Originally from Buffalo, who went on to be Governor of New York on his way to two presidencies, Cleveland achieved many accomplishments. He was controversial in ending a railroad strike, among other things. Other than historians specializing in presidential history, Grover Cleveland is pretty much a forgotten name. That makes sense, as he left office in 1897, and there has been much going on since that time. I think about this as I wonder what the name Donald Trump will mean to people in about 125 years. I am not one to make bold predictions, but this story of an unprecedented political comeback may be largely forgotten. I am not comparing Cleveland to Trump, but time has an interesting way of causing people to forget and move on. I raise this point as we are in the immediate aftermath of an emotional and intense election. Many have even called this the most critical election in our lifetime! (I have heard this line in every election since the first election I voted in since 1996.) Some of us not only spend so much time and energy on politics but actually get consumed by it. It has unfortunate consequences as many have friendships and relationships ruined simply because another person has voted for a different candidate than you preferred. The larger point here is that although we need to be active in the political process mainly by voting, there are other priorities in life that we may have more influence on and, for some reason, choose not to exercise our influence. To mention a few areas: a) Investing time and energy in our marriages so that we and our spouses may have a meaningful and joyful relationship. b) Investing time and energy with our children. Passing on our most sacred values to them won’t happen by itself. It requires being intentional and thoughtful. c) Making a priority to improve and enhance our relationship with G-d. There are many ways to accomplish this, from transforming our davening or allocating some precious time in our daily schedule to delving into His wisdom through Torah study. I would posit we have far more influence on any of these areas than any dent we can make in the arena of politics. We only have a certain amount of time and energy in our lifetime. It’s up to us to allocate this finite energy most wisely. Have a Peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Fisch

Commitment to Eternal Values

It was an unusual snowy night in New York in November 2018. The winter came early that year, and the planes in JFK were unexpectedly delayed on a Thursday evening. After considerable delays, El Al Flight 002 took off from JFK en route to its destination in Tel Aviv. The crew and passengers on the flight realized it would be arriving at Ben Gurion airport dangerously close to Shabbos and began to fret about potentially flying on Shabbos. After much discussion, the pilot announced that in consideration of Shabbos, the flight would be diverted to Athens to allow anybody who chose to disembark. Not only that but the worlds only Jewish airline had made arrangements with the local Chabad in Athens to provide Shabbos accommodations. While this incident is an anomaly, El Al's policy for over 40 years has been not to fly on Shabbos or Yom Tov. This voluntary cessation of business amounts to about 60 days a year that the airline chooses not to fly. In the cutthroat environment of each airline trying to outmuscle its competitor for a bigger market share, it is nothing short of astounding that an airline chooses to keep its planes idle due to its religious convictions. Menachem Begin was a newly elected prime minister when he declared his intention to have El Al (a publicly owned airline at the time) essentially become Shomer Shabbos. Begin hailed from the Lithuanian town of Brisk, and it instilled within him a respect for his heritage and a deep appreciation of Shabbos. Begin was challenged about how much financial loss this would incur. He famously responded with these words. "We cannot engage in profit-and-loss calculations when it comes to the eternal heritage of the Jewish people. There is no way of assessing the religious, national, social, historical, and ethical values of the Sabbath day by the yardstick of financial loss or gain. In our revived Jewish State, we simply cannot engage in such calculations. If it were not for the Shabbat that restored the souls and revived the spiritual lives, week by week, of our long-suffering nation, our trials and vicissitudes would have pulled us down to the lowest levels of materialism and moral and intellectual decay." The importance of Shabbos in the life of a Jew cannot be overstated. Understanding why keeping Shabbos is so important and central to our lives is essential. The elementary understanding of Shabbos that G-d created the world in six days and rested on the seventh needs to be understood in a more sophisticated and compelling way. While not incorrect, this understanding is not sufficiently intellectually satisfying when we are well into adulthood. While oceans of ink have been spilled on this topic, and I don't think I can fully unpack it in a few words here, I nonetheless attempt to distill this idea in the best way I can. G-d created space and time for us in this world. Time is an intangible reality that our entire lives revolve around. G-d chose to manifest His presence in a specific time that is not equivalent to any other time. It means that during this time, we can connect to His presence like no other. The manifestation of holiness, spirituality, and Godliness enables a person to connect to G-d and himself during this time. This special time is, of course, the Shabbos. While one can connect to G-d at other times as well, the ease and ability to connect on Shabbos is unparalleled. For this reason, the central identity of the Jewish People for thousands of years has been the Shabbos. It is our honor to once again partner with the Kollel in hosting the Shabbos Project in our community. This incredible program allows us as a community to connect to each other, our inner selves, and, of course, G-d like no other time. In an era when we are once again being targeted because of our conviction in our faith, the Shabbos Project is a reminder of what it actually means to be a connected person of faith. Have a Peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Fisch