Parshat Va’eira – Appreciating Appreciation

Chumash, Sefer Shemot

I always treasure every moment I am able to spend with my revered grandfather, Rabbi Hirsch Diskind.  No matter what the situation is, he always has a unique outlook and a life lesson to teach.

I once went shopping with him, and when we were leaving the store, someone opened the door to come in.  Since the door closed slowly, there would be enough time for us to walk through the open doorway before the door closed.  As we passed by the fellow that had actually pushed the door open, my grandfather thanked him for opening it for us.  Noticing that I myself hadn’t thanked that person, my grandfather took the opportunity to discuss with me the importance of hakarat hatov – appreciating the good that is performed for you.  In order to get me thinking, he challenged me to pinpoint the Torah source for thanking Continue reading Parshat Va’eira – Appreciating Appreciation →

Chanukah: A Rededication to Our Ideals

Holidays

At the end of the Chanukah story, the Jews rededicated the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple. What does this mean? For us, living in the 21st century, the initial reaction would be to analogize a rededication of the Beit HaMikdash to a rededication of our current places of worship. Does this mean then that the Jews at the end of the Chanukah story held a fundraising campaign to “beautify the grounds” of the Beit HaMikdash? Were they simply bringing the physical structure of the Beit HaMikdash up to date with the latest building safety codes?
The Jews were obviously not simply rededicating the physical plant. They were, rather, rededicating the spiritual plant. They refocused on the meaning of the Beit HaMikdash, Continue reading Chanukah: A Rededication to Our Ideals →

Milk and Meat: A lesson in using our ability to reason appropriately

Jewish Living, Kosher

There are many laws detailing what is kosher and what is not. In general, Jews are barred from eating non-kosher items, but benefitting from them in any other way is totally permissible. For example, there’s no problem with buying bacon bits and serving them to one’s pet. The main exception to this is mixing meat and dairy. Not only does Jewish law forbid the consumption of a meat and dairy mixture, but it is forbidden to receive benefit in any way from such a mixture. As a matter of fact, even the mixing of the two is forbidden. Why is this so? What is so problematic with this mixture that we are forbidden to even join the two together?
Before we attempt to find an answer, we must understand that the sole reason we keep kosher and all the laws of the Torah is because G-d commanded us to do so. This is the only binding factor. Whether or not we understand the reason is irrelevant. To put it in the terms of the well-known adage, if G-d says “Jump,” our response must be “How high?” Not why, or for what purpose. Even if it seems totally ludicrous to us, we must follow the Continue reading Milk and Meat: A lesson in using our ability to reason appropriately →