PARSHAS MATOS-MASEI 5779

 “RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh parshas Matos-Masei
     
Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av 5779/August 2, 2019 – Avos perek 2
            There is a certain thrill to be in
an environment in which a person normally cannot survive in for any extended
period of time. It gives the feeling of defying and traversing nature.
            Last week marked the fiftieth
anniversary of the moon landing of Apollo-11 in 1969. It was an incredible
event that had billions of people throughout the world transfixed, as one small
step was taken by one man which was a giant leap for mankind.
            There were those who claimed that
the moon landing negated a pasuk that we recite monthly during kiddush leavana:
“Just as I dance opposite you and cannot touch you, so should my enemies not be
able to touch me for bad.” They claimed that now that an astronaut had landed
on the moon and had touched its surface those words were no longer applicable.
But that assertion was blatantly false. In truth, Neil Armstrong and Buzz
Aldrin never actually touched the surface of the moon. If their actual bodies
would have come into contact with the moon’s surface they would have instantly
died from lack of oxygen. What had actually touched the moon was a mechanical
spacesuit which was able to sustain life. Essentially, they were enclosed in a piece
of earth upon the moon. Thus, the words of the prayer remain as true as ever –
just as a physical hand cannot touch the moon, so too our enemies should be
unable to physically touch us.
            I have been told that scuba diving
is an incredible experience too. Aside from the fact that beneath the surface
of the ocean are incredible worlds and countless breeds of fish and other sea
creatures, it is thrilling to be under water for an extended time. There too,
it is the thrill of being in an unnatural surrounding, ensconced in a
specialized suit that enables the diver to breath underwater.

            I
would imagine that that is also the thrill of skydiving. Personally, you
couldn’t pay me enough to jump out of a moving airplane. But many people will indeed
pay a lot for the experience. The rush of the air against one’s body when one
freely falls towards the earth hundreds of feet in the air grants a unique
feeling of living to the extreme.
            But there’s a limit to how long a
person can survive when he is outside of his natural element. When the “earthly
provisions” are depleted it isn’t long before he will die, unless he returns to
a natural earthly environment.
            A person’s soul also needs
nourishment in order to thrive and be healthy. A Jew needs constant spiritual
nourishment to help him achieve his divine mission. He has constant mitzvos
like tefillin, tzitzis, and mezuzah, and he has days that envelop him in
holiness such as Shabbos and Yomim Tovim. But the ultimate “natural habitat of
the soul” in this world was the Bais Hamikdash.          It was an incredible experience to visit the Bais Hamikdash
and to see the kohanim performing the Avodah with alacrity, hear the beautiful
song of the Levites, and witness the incredible precision to the laws of purity
in the most sanctified of places. The triennial pilgrimage for the holidays was
a transformative experience that left an indelible impression upon one’s soul
throughout the year.
            In exile, we lack that experience.
But we must at least recognize how remiss we are. We survive spiritually by
surrounding ourselves with mitzvos and basking in the sanctity of the holy
days. But we yearn for the Bais Hamikdash when the very air will be spiritually
charged and foster greater connection with G-d. Such is the world we wait for –
a world devoid of pain, self-doubt, and anguish, and a world filled with divinity
and holiness.
Chodesh Tov & Good Chodesh
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum       

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