Getting Involved

June 20-21, 2014 / 23 Sivan 5774

Shabbat Korach

Torah: Numbers 16:1 - 18:32 / Haftarah: I Samuel 11:14 - 12:22

“Getting Involved”

Dear Friends,

I just don’t relate to Korach. He was an Israelite leader of a group who challenged the authority of Moses and Aaron as they guided the Children of Israel through the desert wanderings.  Korach and his group protested, rebelled and taunted.  They questioned why Moses and Aaron were so exalted and mighty.  After all, weren’t all the people holy?  Why not have Korach as the new leader of the people, instead?

How can one argue against that?  It’s a matter of opinion, right?  Wrong.  It’s a matter of merit, ability and results.  So, Moses set up a competition, at which both sides of the dispute made offerings to God.  Of course, Moses’ offerings were preferred by God and he remained as leader.  Korach and his followers were swallowed up in a great earthquake and were never heard from again.

So, what’s the Torah’s problem with Korach?  We Jews are a people of political activism.  We read, think and discuss the issues of our day.  Aren’t we encouraged to speak up and complain when we don’t like our leaders?  Aren’t we compelled to ‘throw the bums out’ and elect ‘new leadership’ so that we can have change?  ‘New is better,’ we are told every time we go shopping.  Wasn’t Korach acting as someone who just wanted to make things ‘new’ and ‘better’ by deposing Moses and Aaron and having himself named as the new leader?  Wasn’t that his right and obligation as a good citizen?

Through my involvement with AIPAC (America Israel Public Affairs Committee), I have learned that there is another approach to political activism.  I learned that working to strengthen the U.S. - Israel relationship does not need to involve protest, picket lines, street theater, and public criticism.  It does not need to involve clever cheers and jeers against public officials.  Rather, I have learned that change can be affected not by opposing leaders, but by supporting them.  In most cases, influence can best be developed by forming trusting relationships with our government leaders and by opening opportunities to educate them on key issues.  By joining in dialogue with our leaders in their Capital Hill offices, the opportunity for creating mutual understanding and productive policy is greatly enhanced.

That’s the Jewish way. Rather than bringing down leaders through protest as Korach would, we are taught to join with them and become a part of the system in order to effect change and improvement.  Through our involvement, we rise in status, merit and skill and, in turn, become leaders ourselves.  Yes, there are times when some leaders are so disruptive and troublesome that they must be opposed and replaced for the good of all.  Those cases are very rare.  Most often, working with and supporting our leaders will yield the best results.

So, as the political season heats up, I urge you to become involved.  Write your government leaders and share your opinions.  Support your candidates and get involved in the process from the inside.  When you hear something odd or receive an outrageous email about a candidate, check it out first before passing it on.  Read the sources, not the spin.

Be not like Korach, who opposed the system for personal gain.  Rather be like Moses and Aaron by joining with leaders and participating in the process for the gain of all.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow

A Land Flowing with Milk & Honey

June 13-14, 2014 / 16 Sivan 5774

Shabbat Shelach Lecha

Torah: Numbers 13:1 - 15:41 / Haftarah: Joshua 2:1 - 2:24

“A Land Flowing with Milk & Honey”

Dear Friends,

What happens when we overlook the positive and see only the overwhelming negative in life?  In Parashat Shelach Lecha we read that God commanded Moses to send out twelve scouts to see the Land of Israel and bring a report back to the people.  Obviously the intent was to bring a positive and motivating account filled with great joy and excitement. Sadly, things did not go as planned. Only two, Joshua and Kalev, praised the goodness and abundance of the Promised Land.  The ten other scouts returned filled with dread and fear - convinced that the Israelites would never succeed in battling the Canaanites and settling in the Land. They could only see the negative. Because they lacked faith and frightened the people, the Children of Israel were sent back out into the desert to wander for a full 40 years.  The next generation, born in freedom, would succeed in entering the Land of Israel.

Parshat Shelach Lecha reminds us of the great merit of praising the blessings of the Land of Israel and focusing on the positive.  While in ancient times we praised the Land of Israel for its agricultural richness - “a land flowing with milk and honey” - today Israel flows with high-tech advances. Recently, an Israeli company announced an amazing innovation that has the potential to change the lives of millions of women around the world and save many of those lives in the process. Israeli life-sciences company Eventus Diagnostics has produced a blood test for the early detection of breast cancer. The Octava Pink test, which is now available in Israel and Italy and is undergoing clinical trials to receive US Food and Drug Administration approval, is the first blood test ever that can reveal cancer. Moreover, the blood test has a much higher accuracy rate than the biopsies currently used today (95 percent accuracy for healthy women and 75 percent accuracy for those with breast cancer, compared with only a 50 percent accuracy rate for biopsies). 

The sin of the spies reminds us that we must make every effort to counter those who slander Israel by praising its merits. Thankfully, the modern state of Israel, flowing with blessings, gives those who praise it a lot to talk about. Today, we not only praise the Land for its agriculture, but for the great blessings which Israel and its citizens bring to the world.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow

A Great Leader

June 6-7, 2014 / 9 Sivan 5774

Shabbat Beha’alotecha

Torah: Numbers 8:1 - 12:16 / Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7

“A Great Leader”

Dear Friends,

After Miriam and Aaron speak negatively about Moses, God appears to them in defense of Moses’ honor, praising Moses as “trusted in all My house.” (Numbers 12:7). What does this mean? According to Rabbi Akiva, “trusted” implies obedience. Moses could be counted on to carry out God’s instructions without fail. Rabban Gamliel offers another explanation. Trust implies the independence to act on God’s behalf even without explicit instruction. In truth, great leaders must demonstrate both qualities: loyalty and devotion, coupled with independence and personal initiative. By being both, Moses represented the ideal servant of God and leader of the Jewish nation.

Recently, the United States Congress voted to salute a ‘trusted’ friend who manifests both important qualities.  Just one month before retiring from his distinguished post as president of the state of Israel and after decades of public service to the Jewish state, Shimon Peres will be awarded the United States’ highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal. Both chambers of the U.S. Congress granted President Peres the acclaimed distinction by unanimous consent.  The legislation’s sponsors lauded President Peres on his lifetime achievements for the state of Israel and for the U.S.-Israel alliance. “For over 70 years, President Shimon Peres has dedicated himself to the enduring bond that unites Israel and the United States,” said Congressman Joe Kennedy (D-MA). “There has been no greater champion for our shared values and defender of our shared interests.” Kennedy’s co-sponsor, Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) offered similar appreciation. “President Shimon Peres has embodied a commitment to the mutual values shared by the United States and Israel—values that include the preservation of life, faith, family and freedom,” Franks said.

As a “trusted” leader, Moses demonstrated both devotion and initiative in leading his people. For nearly seven decades, Shimon Peres has used those same qualities to defend, protect and lead the Jewish State.

To Shimon Peres we say – “Kol Hakavod, All honor to you,” and “Yashar Ko’ach, May you go forth in strength.”

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow