Kedoshim 2011- Love Mirrors

Insights and Inspiration
from the 
Holy Land
from 
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"

April 29^th 2011 -Volume I, Issue 27–25^th of Nissan 5771

Parshat Kedoshim

 

Love Mirrors

 

I'm not a mirror person. I don’t' make funny faces at myself when I come out of the Shower or when I shave. Come to think of it I don’t really shave hmmm but I probably wouldn't anyways. I certainly don't check myself out as I get dressed and squeeze into my pants or Shabbos suit. Certainly not after 7 days of Pessach when Matzoh balls, Matzah lasagna, Potato Kugels and briskets never seemed to stop finding their way to my plate. No, mirrors are not a good thing.

 

On the other hand I always liked those funny mirrors. Particularly the ones that make you really tall and thin. Now that's something I wouldn't mind having in my house. If they could only invent  worth investing in.

 

Joking aside though I believe that most of us would probably suggest that the Torah perspective on mirrors and self-absorption with ones looks and ones self would probably be quite negative. Yet interestingly enough quite the opposite it would seem is true. This weeks Torah portion which is all about the mitzvot that would mandate and guide one to living a holy life -Kedoshim Ti-Heyu- Holy shall you be- contains within it the oft quoted Golden Rule.

V'ahavta L'Rayacha Kamocha, Ani Hashem- You should love your neighbor as your self, For I am God.

The great sage Rebbe Akiva makes the powerful statement that this mitzvah is a fundamental and encompassing rule in the Torah. Yet it is interesting to note that the Torah states as the benchmark and pre-requisite seemingly for this mitzvah a healthy sense of self- love. For the mandate to loving ones neighbor it seems is linked at its core with "as your self". If you don't love your self the Torah is telling us you can't or won't successfully be able to love others.

 

As a Rabbi, counselor, husband and father I have found this idea to be extremely powerful and challenging in many different ways and areas. I have seen so many who have been raised with an unhealthy sense of guilt in their lives that have such a sense of worthlessness and absorbtion over their mistakes, flaws, and baggage that no matter how incredibly righteous and incredible I try to convey to them that they are. They have a hard time looking in that mirror and seeing the person and tzadik I see. It is to them that the Torah suggests look at the mirror of love. As a husband and a parent so often we can judge or expect our spouses and children to be as perfect as we want our own mirror picture to look and unfortunately we aren't looking at our true internal mirror of them that reflects the truly incredible nature that is so present in our own hearts. We focus on the negative and are looking at distorted mirrors. You can't love like that and you can't create love without first appreciating the most significant primordial love of self first.

 

The School of Slobodka in Europe in the 1800's perfected the method of self love that is the greatest expression of this principle. As the Alter of Slobodka would say "Each person is precious because they contain the image of God". To denigrate one's self is to denigrate the God who created you. To love oneself in appreciation of the Divine nature that one contains is to love Hashem. It is to love our Creator and all of his Creations.

 

We have begun the period of Sefirat Ha'Omer-the 7 week time frame between Pessach and Shavuot. It is during this period of time when we are told that the 24,000 students of the great Sage Rabbi Akiva died. The Talmud tell us that this was as a result of them not properly fulfilling the mitzvah of having the greatest love and respect for one another, their Rebbe's greatest principle. It is non-coincidental that this took place during this time of year. For it is at during this period of time when our ancestors first discovered their own self- worth and love. Leaving the bitter down trodden and persecuted slavery of Egypt we journeyed for 49 days until we became the Nation that merited to achieve the most monumental revelation of Mankind's history. We saw and heard our Creator and we entered into that eternal covenant of love. The days of the counting of the Omer are meant to be the days of building up our own self-worth so that we may see within ourselves that Holy image of our Maker and that we may then be able to reflect out His message of love and self worth to all that will shine in that light. We've all received a powerful gift this Passover in this inner light. Now we just have to find it and hone it and start gazing in that mirror. Who knows you may even feel brighter if not lighter.

 

  

Have a special Shabbos ,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL PLACES IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK-
TIMNAT HERES-KIFL HARES- THE BURIAL SITE OF JOSHUA BEN NUN THE STUDENT OF MOSHE WHO LED THE JEWISH PEOPLE INTO THE LAND OF ISRAEL. YEHOSHUA WAS GIVEN THIS CITY AS A REWARD FOR NOT SPEAKING BADLY OF THE LAND ISRAEL IN THE INCIDENT OF THE SPIES. TOGETHER WITH CALEV BEN YEFUNEH - THE OTHER SPY AND JEWISH LEADER WHO SPOKE WELL OF THE LAND AND YEHOSHUAHS FATHER NUN THEY ARE BURIED IN THIS SMALL ARAB VILLAGE IN THE SHOMORON (BIBLICAL PORTION OF THE TRIBE OF EPHRAIM :)) JUST NORTH WEST OF THE CITY OF ARIEL
TODAY IS THE YAHRTZEIT OF YEHOSHUA BEN NUN AND IT IS ONE OF TWO TIMES A YEAR(THE OTHER BEING THE TENTH OF TEVET) THAT JEWS ARE PERMITTED TO COME INTO THE VILLAGE TO PRAY BY THESE GRAVES.  THERE ARE SOLDIERS POSTED IN FRONT OF EVERY ARAB HOME FOR PROTECTION FROM 10:00 PM UNTIL 4:00 AM THE TIMES WHEN WE ARE ALLOWED TO GO.I WAS THERE THIS EVENING TOGETHER WITH OVER 10,000 JEWS INCLUDING THE CHIEF RABBI OF ISRAEL AND MEMBERS OF THE KENESSET AND IT WAS TRULY INSPIRING.
THE MEDRASH TELLS US THAT WHEN YEHOSHUA CAME INTO THE LAND OF ISRAEL THEY STOPPED AT OUR FOREFATHERS GRAVES AND PRAYED PERHAPS IT IS IN THAT MERIT THAT WE ARE STILL ABLE TO GO TO THEIRS THOUSANDS OF YEARS LATER.

RABBI SCHWARTZES COOL YOUTUBE LINK OF THE GRAVE OF YEHOSHUA GATHERING A FEW YEARS AGO!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ0Y9TyCNKs