Poor Holy Moses

A great Rabbi arrived one Sunday morning in a small rural town. The president of the synagogue asked the Rabbi to help with a local problem.

"All the people here think they are just perfect!" said the President. "Could you preach a sermon that will bring them back to their senses?"

The Rabbi was a gifted speaker, eloquent with words and knowledgeable about the Scripture. He spoke for nearly an hour, convincing everyone that they too were sinners. Finally, the Rabbi was sure he had set everyone straight.

To reaffirm that they were all thinking alike, the Rabbi finally asked: "Is there anyone here who thinks he is perfect?"

Everyone was looking at the floor, thinking quietly. Slowly, one man in the back stood up.

The Rabbi asked the man, "And why do you stand, sir?"

The man said, "I am not perfect, but I am standing in memory of my wife's first husband who was."

***

The leader picked up the unlimited phone line to G-d and placed a call.

“Dear Boss, my people need water! What should I do?”

“Moses, go talk to the rock and tell it to start giving water!”

“No problem, Boss. Over and out.”

Moses quickly approached a rock, mistakenly thinking this was the one he was supposed to converse with, and he made an impassioned plea for water. Alas, no water was forthcoming.

All the Jews were standing and nagging. Moses got impatient and lifted his staff to hit a rock. The staff landed on the intended rock, and, immediately, water started gushing out. Mission accomplished; everyone was happy.

But not G-d. He was furious at the open desecration of the Divine commandment. He had specifically requested that the rock be spoken to, not beaten. So as punishment Moses…

Was not allowed to enter Israel!

Sounds a bit over the top, to terminate one’s life dream just for one seemingly minute detail?

Not so when it comes to a leader, to Moses. From him perfection is expected. When a child does something wrong we overlook it, yet it is not the same for an adult. Due to his maturity, much more is expected from him. And especially if that adult holds a public, prestigious position, the smallest slight is magnified exponentially, glaring in the public view.

Moses was the leader, the one who spoke to G-d daily: from him G-d expected total obedience, nothing less than perfection. High up on the hierarchal ladder and in the public light, every detail held tremendous significance.

On perhaps a smaller scale, we are all children of the Almighty. The Jewish people are expected to be a “light unto the nations.” We have been blessed with an awesome privilege, raised high on a pedestal. And that uniqueness comes with profound responsibility – for the light we hold high will spread its glow in all directions. We carry a flashlight, and only if the glass is clear will the light radiate clearly. Our way of life is beautiful. It must look beautiful. Let us make sure that our light, the passion of Torah and Mitzvos, is pure, bright, and untainted.

Do something about it

Be careful – many people are following our path. Let no one stumble on the road.

A Second is a Lifetime

Leadership is the ability to get men to do what they don't want to do and like it.

– Harry S. Truman

***

Life is comprised of many moments. There was the moment life began and the moment we took our first step; the moment we stepped on the school bus for the first time and the moment we graduated from kindergarten.

We finish elementary and move on to high school, get married and have children. These are all moments of which we take note. We herald them as milestones. Yet how many moments that we live through have no significance? How many are just lame, empty or even destructive? For many of us, unfortunately, the majority of moments in our lifetimes would probably fall into the latter category.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, for whom this Tuesday will mark thirteen years since that unforgettable 3rd of Tammuz 1994, teaches the world the power of a moment.

He asked and demanded small seconds and little acts: Teffilin, Shabbat candles, Mezuzah and Matza on Passover. He taught that there is no better time than the present to add light and goodness into this universe; no more auspicious occasion than now to make a 180-degree turn on the course of life. Change your destiny NOW, the Rebbe demanded.

He appreciated the awesomeness of a single second because he appreciated life itself. Life is growth; dead objects don’t grow. Each second is an opportunity to reach for the stars. What was here a mere second ago is now nonrefundable, a loss for all eternity.

The Rebbe never took a vacation – there was simply no time. The Rebbe barely slept – there was just too much to accomplish. Decades after he paid a visit to the first Chabad overnight camp, the Rebbe told one of his students that he was still making up for the lost hours.

One split second was all it took to kill hundreds of thousands with an atom bomb. One instant took down the twin towers. In one minute, a new baby joins the living, and all we have is one fleeting second to say goodbye. With mere choices of words or expressions, relationships are born or terminated - in seconds.

The world began in a moment. Everything begins in a moment. Every moment is a lifetime.

The Rebbe cried: Each moment that we stay in exile is an eternity!

The Rebbe envisioned: Each moment during which Israel talks about concessions for peace will weaken its security.

The Rebbe promised: The moment we will resolve to bring Moshiach, he will come.

And now, the Rebbe pleads with each and every one of us: Use this moment to change the world!

Perhaps this worldview is best expressed by the slogan-turned-song that the Rebbe adopted and encouraged often, with amazing vitality: We Want Moshiach Now!

NOW!

Do something about it:

Catch the moment it will never return!

What is the Secret of Respect?

The Rabbi's wife called a psychiatrist and said, "My husband thinks he's the new Moses - almost like a reincarnation!"

The doctor assured her that these delusions of grandeur were only a passing fancy.

"Okay," she responded. "But in the meantime, how do I keep him from parting the waters in the hot-tub?"

***

"In our eyes, we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes." Who said those words? Who would say such a thing?

To answer that, we have to go back in history to the year 2448 since creation. There we meet the newly-freed Hebrews, traveling in the desert towards the Promised Land.

Nearing their final destination, many Jews began to question their seeming naiveté.

"How do we know what lies in store for us in the 'promised land?'" some wondered aloud.

"It might not be as magical as we think," others echoed their concerns.

So they implored on Moses to send spies who could validate G-d's promise of a land flowing with milk and honey. Moses reluctantly agreed and sent twelve of Israel 's finest on a forty day tour of the land.

Arriving in the land, the spies met some giants with frightening appearances. Upon their return to their impatient brethren, the spies described the scene, painting a picture of fear, danger and overwhelming obstacles.

"In our eyes, we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes." That's what they told the People of Israel.

This verse, its seemingly simple point addressed from two angles, begs for a deeper explanation. Perhaps in classic literary works or poetry, repetition is taken at face value. Not so in the Torah. So compared to the giants they were like grasshoppers – and obviously both saw it! Why the redundancy?

Yet the depth in this verse is striking. Clearly, the first half of the statement reveals the cause for the second. A bad public image stems from low self-image. If a person sees himself as small, then that is how he will be seen. An insecure person comes across as, well, insecure!

If you want respect, you have to respect yourself; if you want people to believe in you, first you had better believe in yourself.

To explain Israel's P.R. problem, you don't have to be Kissinger. Unfortunately, yet inevitably, a country which sees itself in a negative light, that is forever questioning its right to exist and is constantly apologetic for defending itself, can hardly expect respect in the global forum. Painful as this is, as Jews we must recognize our weakness. It is just costing us too much.

How can a country offer land for peace? Does America offer land to Al-Qaeda? Does Russia give in to Chechnya? No! If a nation is confident in its right to exist, there is no room for appeasement, especially not to terror.

But if you think of yourself as a grasshopper, don't blame the world for spelling it out.

Do something about it:

Hold your head high: You are a Jew, a representative of G-d in this world!