PARSHAS VAYESHEV 5777

“RABBI’S MUSINGS (&
AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh
Parshas Vayeshev
Shabbos Mevorchim Chodesh
Teves – Erev Chanukah   
23 Kislev 5777/ December 23,
2016
I want to
tell you a little about Fishel.
Everybody
admired Fishel.
It’s safe to
say that most people were envious of Fishel, and the life he lived.
What an amazing
and perfect life it was!
He and his
wife drove very expensive cars, and lived in a stunning home. Fishel was always
posting pictures of his family and their exotic vacations on Facebook and
Instagram. He was the consummate father and husband, always smiling with his
children. He was always tweeting about the gifts he bought his wife and kids,
and about their next exciting trip. He constantly posted videos on You Tube of
himself at corporate dinners, and meeting with celebrities and other famous
personalities. His tallis in shul had a stunning atarah (crown) and his
tefillin bag was gorgeous. He davened with such kavanah, and was always talking
about the numerous shiurim and chavrusos that he had.
Simply put,
Fishel was the life of the party, and everyone wanted to be around him. He had
an aura of perfection around him – a super person to say the least.
In fact,
that’s what everyone called him:
Super-Fishel.
They could
never know how apt that name really was. You see, Fishel’s whole persona was a
farce. Fishel was in heavier debt than anyone could imagine. His posts were
mostly lies, and his videos were photo-shopped. His shalom bayis was in
shambles, and he had no relationship with his children. At home his only
interactions with his children was when screaming or barking orders at them. He
had a beautiful tefillin bag, but the parshios inside – the part that no one
saw, but are the main part of the tefillin – were barely kosher, if at all.
When no one was around to see him, he barely davened, and he did so while he
was checking his phone, and updating his social media. He didn’t learn a word,
and surely had no chavrusos.
Super-Fishel.
A hero in our time.[1]

 
It’s amazing how
some people make such an impression in your life, that you never forget them.
My second grade rebbe, Rabbi Chaim Trenk, was one of those people. I cannot
forget his smile, warmth, humor, and love for his talmidim.
I also remember
that before every Yom Tov we had to bring from home glue and glitter. On a
piece of construction paper, we would write the name of the Yom Tov with glue.
Then we would pour the glitter over the paper, and after a few minutes we would
spill off the excess glitter. That would leave behind the name of the Yom Tov
written in glitter.
I loved the
sparkle and it always excited me. In fact, I kept those booklets for some time.
To my chagrin, a year or two later, virtually all the glitter was gone. All
that was left was the faint outline of where the letters written out of glue
had been.
I was reminded
of that recently after we hosted a family Bas Mitzvah seudah for our daughter
Aviva. As part of the display, Chani bought wooden letters of Aviva’s name. Our
children coated it and then covered it with glitter. It’s now almost a month
later, and I still find glitter around the house, sometimes on my clothing, and
on the faces of some of our younger children. The only place where I am not
going to find much glitter, is on the letters where they once were.
In a certain
way, my experience in second grade wasn’t so juvenile. Unfortunately, many
people experience it all the time. They enjoy the “trappings” of the holidays,
including the unique customary foods, and the beautiful customs endemic to each
holiday, but fail to appreciate and internalize the real essence and meaning of
the holiday. They fail to comprehend the eternal and vital message which the
Yom Tov comes to embed within our souls. Such people enjoy the sparkling
glitter of the holiday, but do not see beyond that. The problem is that the
glitter doesn’t last, and within a short time all that’s left is the faint
imprint of the memory of what was once there (and the calories…).
This tragic
holiday-neglection is most prominent on Chanukah. The holiday of spiritual
light is often misunderstood as the celebration of physical liberty and triumph
over tyranny.
The Maharal
notes that every object in this world has two components: its chomer – physical
properties which compose the object, and its tzurah – the completed
object, i.e. its essence. For example, four wooden legs connected with a wooden
board on top are the chomer; seeing it as a table is its tzurah.
There are two
ways in which we experience the world. We understand the chomer of
something by feeling it with our hands and noting its components. We recognize
the tzurah of that object with our eyes and intellect.
When one views
the world only based on his physical senses, he does not grasp the spiritual
essence of it. On a global level, he sees the world and all its details, but
fails to grasp that its essence is to be a conduit for spirituality and
holiness.
Greek culture
espoused viewing the world for its details – what can the world offer me? What
pleasures can I derive from the vast wisdom contained in this world? The great
Greek philosophers recognized the wisdom of this world, but did not see it as
part of a greater purpose. They used their wisdom to advance their epicurean
desires, and that became their pursuit.  
 
The Torah
encourages us to view the world for its tzurah – as a place where one
can foster divinity. All the details of the world are viewed within that
weltanschauung. 
The
Syrian-Greeks sought to eradicate our dedication to the tzurah of this world.
They sought to contaminate us by polluting our philosophy, through encouraging
us to live for the moment. Thus we accuse them of campaigning to cause us to
“forget Your Torah”, because a life lived selfishly and only for the moment,
runs counter to how the Torah expects us to live our lives.   
Chanukah reminds
us to see past the glitter of this world – fancy homes, cars, vacations, etc.
It encourages us not to be caught up and duped by the false persona of social
media.
Chanukah reminds
us to see the world as a place where we – little insignificant we – can light
up the world and pave the way for G-d’s presence to reside.
It seems we
aren’t so insignificant after all. 
Shabbat Shalom
& Good Shabbos
Chag Urim
Sameiach & Lichtigeh Chanukah,
            R’ Dani and Chani Staum      



[1] Maybe R’
Abie Rotenberg will make this story into a song on Journeys V. 

Sign Up For Our Email List

More Posts

Yom Kippur 5785

  “RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”   Erev Shabbos Kodesh – Yom Kippur 9 Tishrei 5785/ October 11, 2024 OH DEER For those living in New York City, it’s quite rare to see deer. But for those of us who live on the other side of the Hudson River it is quite common. In fact, recently the number of deer has grown exponentially. It is not unusual for a family of deer to sprint across our yard, or even be grazing calmly in our yard. (So far, my effort to get them to pay for their usurped meals haven’t been successful…) Often,

Read More »

Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech 5784

  “RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”   Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Netzovim-Vayelech 23 Elul 5784/ September 27, 2024 Pirkei Avos – Perek 5-6 KUGEL JUICE It’s been said that more people become religious because of the Rebbetzin’s kugel than because of the Rabbi’s sermon. This past Friday I couldn’t stop thinking about my wife’s kugel all morning. While she does make a mean potato kugel (that’s a big compliment for those who don’t know), that’s not why I thought about it all morning. During a game played at last year’s Chanukah mesiba in my home for my students, one student won a

Read More »

Parshas Ki Savo 5784

  “RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”   Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Ki Savo 17 Elul 5784/ September 20, 2024 Pirkei Avos – Perek 3-4 UNAPOLOGETIC PRIDE Each year before Tisha b’Av I spend a considerable amount of time working with the learning director of Camp Dora Golding, my rebbe, Rabbi Noach Sauber, to develop a program for our campers that will be engaging, inspiring and meaningful. That includes asking our talented rebbeim in camp to introduce each of the kinnos recited. On Tisha b’Av this summer, my friend and summer colleague, Rabbi Mayer Erps, shared the following personal anecdote[1]: “On occasion I’ve

Read More »
Scroll to Top