Feature Tidbit DOUBLE OR NOTHING AT 11:00PM There's an old joke, with many variations and spin-offs, about two not-of-the-brightest-among-us fellows who bet on the outcome of an event that was being reported on the 6:00pm evening news. After the conclusion of the report, the loser of the bet offered his "rocket scientist" buddy double-or-nothing on the outcome of the same event when it would be reported at 11:00pm. The bet was accepted without either realizing that they would be watching a rebroadcast of the report whose conclusion was, therefore, pre-determined. If you let your mind wander a bit, there is a similar feeling one sometimes gets at this post-Chanuka, Asara B'Tevet, just finishing the book of B'reishit time. Yaakov knew the problems set into motion by giving Yosef the K'tonet Pasim, so why does he give him one every year when we read parshat Vayeishev? Why do the brothers make the same devastating decisions vis-a-vis Yosef year aafter year. Etc. Etc. The same "silly" question can be asked of many Biblical personalities - I just feel the question welling in me at this time of the year. But here's my point. Of course, the Avot and the Sh'vatim, etc. cannot change what they did or didn't do. But their children can! We can change our behavior, by emulating our role models for good things and by shunning their behavior when Chaza"l teach us that they erred. Sin'at Achim (hatred of brothers) is bad for us, even if one side feels religiously justified in its feelings for the other side. Yosef's brothers felt they were on solid halachic grounds in their behavior towards Yosef. That fact did not lessen the seriousness of the Sale of Yosef. A youngster asked me yesterday why we "cry over spilled milk" in our continuing observance of Asara b'Tevet. We don't. The Churban of the Beit HaMikdash takes place continually. Any generation in whose time the Mikdash is not rebuilt, it is as if it was destroyed in that generation. Ezra and Nechemia sought to restore theTorah to the Jewish People and the Jewish People to the Land of Israel. They were successful - partially. They built the Beit HaMikdash, and that too was only partially successful. The previous paragraph contains the three tasks of the Mashiach according to the Rambam. Our continued observance of the Four Fasts are meant to challenge us to pursue the goals of Ezra and Nechemia. to progress in the direction of Mashiach's tasks, so that we will be privileged to see the Complete Geula and the buildingof the Beit HaMikdash, speedily in our time, Amen. Each of us must continue to strive towards personal and communal improvement in all areas of Torah life - between the Jew and G-d and in our interpersonal relations. This is our share in our destiny. [The Va'y'chi Homepage] |
