Community Magazine September 2019

16 Community Magazine What is the worst quality, the worst character trait, that a person can have? This was the question posed by one of the greatest rabbis who ever lived – Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, the renowned leader of the Jewish world during the destruction of the Second Temple and its aftermath – to his five students. In his words: “Which is the path that a person must distance himself from?” The students offered various poignant responses, including “ ayin ra’ah ” – a negative outlook on other people; and “ lev ra – a bad heart.” But one student gave a very mysterious answer: “ loveh ve’eno meshalem – borrowing without repaying.” Of course, we understand that borrowing without repaying is a terrible thing to do. But why would this qualify as the worst of all character traits? What’s more, can we even consider this a character trait? This is something bad that some people might do once, perhaps twice, perhaps several times if they’re particularly evil. But how does this specific wrong “deserve” being named the single worst character trait that a person can have? The Blame Game To find our answer, let’s go back to a famous story – to the first crime ever committed in human history. After Kayin killed his brother, Hevel, Gd spoke to Kayin and asked, “Where is your brother, Hevel?” (Beresheet 4:9). Kayin famously replied, “I don’t know,” adding, “ Hashomer ahi anochi ,” which is commonly understood to mean, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Midrash Tanhuma , however, explains Kayin’s response differently – in a way that gives us a crucial insight into human nature. According to the Midrash, the word “ anochi ” hearkens to the Ten Commandments, which begin with the foundational pronouncement, “ Anochi Hashem Elokecha – I am the Lord your Gd.” When Kayin answered Gd, “ Hashomer ahi anochi ,” what he was really saying is, “My brother’s keeper is Anochi – You!!!” Meaning – Kayin was casting the blame for his brother’s murder on…Gd! That’s right – Kayin killed his brother, but in his mind, it was Gd’s fault. Words of Rabbi Eli J. Mansour No More Excuses 18 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE A man once came into the synagogue, sat down near me, stretched his arms and legs out as far as they go, and let out a loud – and probably exaggerated – yawn. It was pretty obvious that he was waiting for a comment about how he was very tired. I didn’t want to disappoint him, so I acknowledged his apparent fatigue. “Yeah, rabbi,” he said. “Every night, I wake up in the middle of the night to recite tikkun hatzot ,” referring to the midnight prayer bemoaning the exile, which is recited mainly by Kabbalists and especially devout individuals. He then continued, “And then I go back to sleep and wake up early for Shaharit .” It doesn’t take an advanced degree in psychiatry to understand what this fellow was doing. He came into t e synagogue looking for a way to publiciz his noble practice of reciting tikkun hatzot . This is an example of a p enomenon which I fear is becoming more common in today’s d y and age – the tend ncy to “advertise” one’s piety an r ligiou devotion, t ot f el content with being devout, and to instead s nse the need to make people aware of it. A Different Kind of Tzeniut This month, we read a portion from the Prophets that warns against this tendency. The haftarah (section from the Prophets) read on Shabbat Parashat Balak comes from the Book of Michah, and speaks of our indebtedness to Gd, how kind He is and how grateful we must feel for all that He has done for us. At one point in this prophecy, Michah brings as an example the story told in Parashat Balak – the story of the Moavite king who summoned the gentile prophet Bilaam to place a curse on Beneh Yisrael and annihilate them. Gd foiled the plot, transforming Bilaam’s curses into beautiful blessings. But what is of interest to us in this context is the final verse of this prophecy, in which Michah concludes by asking, an answering, the question that we should all be asking ourselves each and ever day – and perhaps each and every moment! – of our lives: “What do s Gd want from you?” Considering all that Gd has don for us, the prophet tells u , He does not ask for very much. All He de ands is three things: ords of i li J. s r “The Torah ideal of 'tzeniut' has as much to do with our behavior on social media as it does with hemlines.” לעילוי נשמתם של משה בן עליזה, יצחק הלל בן עליזה, והנרייט לאה בת עליזה, דוד בן גילה, רבקה בת גילה, יהושע בן גילה, משה בן גילה, שרה בת גילה, יעקב בן גילה, ואליאנה בת גילה. ולרפואה שלמה ליוסף בן אהובה מסעודה, שילת אהובה בת עליזה, ודניאל בן עליזה. Masquerading Greatness