By Rabbi Abraham Unger, Ph.D.
Executive Director
This Week’s Torah Portion
Why does Shabbos Matter?
We all know the routine. Candle-lighting, Kiddush over wine or grape juice, challah, and a day during which we’re supposed to step back from harnessing nature, whether lighting a fire or writing something down. Why such a regimen? Couldn’t we just take the weekend and call it a day? What does the structure of the Sabbath teach us?
This week’s parsha articulates exactly why we enjoy such a clearly delineated schedule and set of restrictions on Shabbos. Rashi writes that the Sabbatical year during which we let the land lie fallow demonstrates a dedication to G-d as Creator. This conviction stems from the observance of the Sabbath during which we remember Genesis/Bereisheet, namely, the creation of the world. On Shabbos we testify that the Divine called the universe into existence. We offer this testimony through a detailed ceremonial order of blessing the day, eating a celebratory meal, and refraining from any creative acts.
Shabbos is not just about recharging our batteries. It is about reconnecting with our own sense of wonder, and recalling that perhaps not everything is within our control. A mere weekend off doesn’t quite achieve the humanistic goal of reviving our awe at creation’s ultimate mystery. A day of spiritual revival does.
Weekly Parenting Message from the Parsha
The Power of Dignity
We live in a competitive world. As parents, we strive everyday to offer our families the best lives possible, and to support our children in realizing their promise. That’s our whole purpose once we take on the sacred role of parenting. Along the way though, as we push forward, how do we retain the softer side of our natures, the side that takes a moment to look around, notice what might go unseen, and model compassion for our daughters and sons?
This Shabbat’s Torah reading reminds us never to make anyone feel less valued or worthy. The verse reads (Leviticus 25:39) “If your fellow Israelite living with you becomes destitute…you must not work him with labor that makes him appear to be a bondman.” Rashi, the great Biblical exegete, comments that statement indicates the newly poor individual working off his debt should not be publicly identified as a bondman through the kind of work he does. For example, he must not carry his supervisor’s clothes behind him in a way that could be seen by others as servitude.
Consider for a moment the depth of thoughtfulness in this counsel. Yes, sometime a person falls on hard times, but we must have compassion enough never to point that out starkly, especially in the public square. Human dignity overpowers any sense of personal status. The Rabbis of course understood we need to ameliorate debt for an economy to function. That’s a macro concern. But the human being is more than a cog in the machine of an economy, He or she is a person, and we must do everything in our power to treat them with compassion as individuals. That is the ulitmate message of the Torah, and one we must transmit to our children each day.