PART ONE: PREFACE
The students in the ALEPH Ordination Program (AOP) asked me to offer some Torah on Shabbat afternoon, 9 January, 2021. As is always the case with me, after first thinking that I had nothing to offer, I ended up with too much material to cram into two hours. In addition, the Holy One kept throwing more into the mix which continued until artificially paused by the arrival of the moment. Afterwards, it occurred to me to write an expanded version in a series of blogs to share with those who attended and anyone else who chooses to read these offerings.
Much of what I thought to offer was shared by others in the Kabbalat Shabbat service the night before, which again made me question what it was that I had to add. I had to remind myself that uniqueness is not the issue. The reason why there were so many Hassidic rebbes as well as gurus of all kinds is because each shares in a way which is special to them and useful to those with whom they resonate. So what follows is my latest effort to share what I think I have learned after decades in the field that might be a focus for klei kodesh at this moment of pandemic and climate emergency.
My plan is to post one unit a week during the omer, to make it easier to read. At the end, my hope is to put them together with other things that Reb Zalman and I have written and make a volume on being klei kodesh as we move through this difficult part of the paradigm shift.
INTRODUCTION
To begin at the end: I saw this moment as an opportunity to share both text and personal experience in a way reminiscent of the sessions Reb Zalman had each year. So, to begin at the end, these are the four major points I hope to share –
1. Be humble. This does not mean a false, “who me?” modesty. In the first sidrah of the book of Sh’mot which we read that Shabbat, God becomes quite annoyed with Moshe who continues to resist taking on the mission he’s being assigned. Rather, one needs to be fully aware of both strengths and limits, acknowledging them simply. In his introduction to the Tanya, the Alter Rebbe delegates his senior hassidim as mashpi’im, helpers and guides for the spiritual seekers in their home towns. He offers them the Tanya as a template for helping others as well as themselves and encourages them to accept their roles and not use a false modesty to justify refusal.
Reb Zalman told a story about a mitnagged who heard that a particular hassid was as humble as Moshe Rabbeinu. Intrigued, he went to this hassid’s rebbe and asked if what he heard was indeed true. “I’ll show you,” said the rebbe and called for his hassid. When he arrived, the rebbe asked him, “Are you as humble as Moshe Rabbeinu?” “Yes,” said the hassid and turned around and walked out. Remember as well that the Torah calls Moshe the most humble, not at the burning bush, but much later on when he has already been the people’s leader for years. Humility need not be lost even when one ascends to power and influence. Humilty is an antidote to the desire to ascend to power and influence.
2. We usually divide the mitzvot into two categories: those בין אדם למקום and those בין אדם לאדם. We then repeat the aphorism that we must first settle things with other people whom we may have hurt and only then can we approach God on Yom Kippur to ask forgiveness for the sins we committed directly against God.
I suggest another way of understanding this division. Behaving ethically with others is the primary mitzvah. Those that we call between us and God are the spiritual practices we undertake to provide a solid foundation and reinforcement for our commitment to ethical behaviour. This way of understanding this ancient division leads directly to my third point.
3a. We need to maintain a personal practice, one which is tailored to reinforce consciousness as it manifests in each individual kli kodesh.
3b. We sin against God when we either neglect our regular practice or we become habitual in that practice so that it ceases to remind us of our primary commitment to treating others fairly.
4. Not so long ago, the expression, “think globally and act locally,” was well known and frequently cited. As time has gone on and so few people took this advice to heart, writers and social scientists have been trying to figure out why this connection is so hard to actually manifest. In other words, how few of us have made deep changes in our lifestyles. While recognizing that these studies do show how difficult this is, I strongly encourage klei kodesh to take this aphorism to heart and lead by example.