Torah study at the Temple

Vayishlach / וַיִּשְׁלַח

בראשית / Bereishit / Bereishis / Genesis 32:4-36:43

I went to the local reform temple today for study. I enjoyed the lesson very much. We read a verse and discussed it. It was just an open discussion about this portion of scripture. I got to thinking about our battle with perfectionism. Where does this come from?  We know we mess up. We're not perfect. We can't be. God gave us the freedom to choose right from wrong and we're going to make the wrong choice sometimes. So why do so many of us struggle with trying to do the impossible?

Just something to think about...

I believe... (Tennants of Jewish Faith)

13 Principles of Faith:

1. I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, is the Creator and Guide of everything that has been created; He alone has made, does make, and will make all things.
2. I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, is One, and that there is no unity in any manner like His, and that He alone is our God, who was, and is, and will be.
3. I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, has no body, and that He is free from all the properties of matter, and that there can be no (physical) comparison to Him whatsoever.
4. I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, is the first and the last.
5. I believe with perfect faith that to the Creator, Blessed be His Name, and to Him alone, it is right to pray, and that it is not right to pray to any being besides Him.
6. I believe with perfect faith that all the words of the prophets are true.
7. I believe with perfect faith that the prophecy of Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, was true, and that he was the chief of the prophets, both those who preceded him and those who followed him.
8. I believe with perfect faith that the entire Torah that is now in our possession is the same that was given to Moses our teacher, peace be upon him.
9. I believe with perfect faith that this Torah will not be exchanged, and that there will never be any other Torah from the Creator, Blessed be His Name.
10. I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, knows all the deeds of human beings and all their thoughts, as it is written, "Who fashioned the hearts of them all, Who comprehends all their actions" (Psalms 33:15).
11. I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, rewards those who keep His commandments and punishes those that transgress them.
12. I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah; and even though he may tarry, nonetheless, I wait every day for his coming.
13. I believe with perfect faith that there will be a revival of the dead at the time when it shall please the Creator, Blessed be His name, and His mention shall be exalted for ever and ever.

-Maimonides

Ruth and Naomi

 

In the book of Ruth, we learn that Ruth married and became a widow and embraced Torah and all this in the first chapter. She left her family behind. When Orpah was scared of the journey and then decided that her situation at home is better than what she faced in Israel, she went home. She was able to go back her way of life and forget the heartache. Ruth however, seemed to know what was to come. Either that or didn't care. She simply wanted the life that Naomi lived. This book speaks loudly of Naomi's honor. Even though she isn't mentioned in detail nor does this writing delve into Naomi's lifestyle, but she did something right. She ate, slept and breathed holiness. Ruth was attracted like a magnet to this holiness. She wanted a part of it. 

No matter what that meant. 

The Israelites said, We will DO and we will Hear. This has been interpreted to mean that regardless of what was expected of them, they would give their word before they knew what they were expected to do. No matter what God says, I will do it.

I can relate to this story. I can't really put into words how amazing it is to be a part of a living Torah community. It may not be perfect, we may make mistakes, but we all have one thing in our focus: Living by the light of Torah and pleasing God. It's not easy. It's not popular. Obeying God isn't fun. It's right.

I try and remember the challenges that Ruth went through whenever I feel overwhelmed. 

16. And Ruth said, "Do not entreat me to leave you, to return from following you, for wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people and your God my God.

Today's Thought

Finding the good points

You must search for the good in yourself.
When you start looking deep within yourself, you may think there is no good in you at all. You may feel you are full of evil: a negative voice inside you may try to drive you into depression. But you must not allow yourself to fall into depression. Search until you find some little good in you. For how could it be that you never did anything good in your whole life?
When you start to examine the good you have done, you may see many flaws. Maybe you did what you did for the wrong reasons and with the wrong attitude. Even so, how could it be that your mitzvah or good deed contains no good at all? It must contain some element of good.
You must search and search until you find some good point within you to give you new life and happiness. When you discover the good that is still inside you, you literally swing the scales from guilt to merit. This will enable you to return to God. The good you find inside you will give you new life and bring joy to your soul.
Having found one good point, you must continue searching until you find another. Even if you think this good point is also full of flaws, you must still search for some good in it. In the same way, you must continue finding more and more good points.
This is how songs are made! In essence, music is made by sifting the good from the bad. The musician has to find the "good spirit" - the good air - and reject the bad. A musical instrument is a vessel containing air. The musician produces the sounds by causing the air to vibrate. His task is to move his hands on the instrument in such a way as to produce good spirit, "good vibrations", while avoiding the "bad vibrations" - the dissonant winds of gloom and depression.
When a person refuses to allow himself to fall into despair but instead vitalizes himself by seeking out and gathering together his positive points, this produces melodies, and he can then pray, sing and give thanks to God.
When a person recognizes the wrong he has done and how grossly materialistic and impure he is, he can become so depressed that he is completely incapable of praying. He simply cannot open his mouth to God. This is because of the deep sorrow and heaviness that overcome him when he sees his overwhelming distance from God.
But finding your good points can give you new life. Even if you know you have done wrong and caused damage and that you are far from God, you must search until you find the good that is still inside you. This will give you new life and make you truly happy. You are certainly entitled to feel the greatest joy over every good point you find in yourself, because each good point comes from the holy soul within you. The new life and joy you will gain from this path will enable you to pray, sing and give thanks to God.

Likutey Moharan I, 282