Angel for Shabbat

Although there are those who promote the impurity of Metsora, there are also many who promote freedom and creativity, beauty and harmony. Life is an ongoing struggle between Tazria and Metsora.

Mark Zuckerberg, head of Facebook, once said: “I will only hire someone to work directly for me if I would work for that person.” I assume he was referring to top echelon employees who would have major executive responsibilities. If these people shared his values and work ethic, then he would be ready to work for them. If they lacked those qualities, he would not hire them.

Here are two "Angel for Shabbat" columns, one for the 7th day of Pessah on how to worry properly; and one for the upcoming Shabbat on the sounds of silence...and screams.

People fail in life not because they don't have the power to change and to grow; but because they inwardly resist change and growth. People succeed in life because they have the strength to learn, to grow, to see life as an unfolding adventure which should be lived with courage and vitality.

When God first appointed Moses to return to Egypt to lead the Israelites, He used the word "lekh"--go. Yet, once the plagues began to afflict the Egyptians, God ordered Moses with a different word, "bo"--come. What is the significance of the words "lekh" (go) and "bo" (come)?

Who could be more successful, more beloved, more worthy of respect than Mordecai? He was a superhero who stood up for the dignity of the Jewish people, who was largely responsible for averting Haman’s evil decree to annihilate the Jews, and who rose to be the king’s viceroy. Yet even Mordecai had his critics.

Each of us is an ambassador of our people; each of us represents the history, culture and traditions of the millennial Jewish experience; each of us is part of the Jewish destiny. To play our roles as proud and courageous Jews, we need to overcome inferiority complexes and reject “politically correct” pressures; we need to stand tall and strong on behalf of the God of Israel, the Torah of Israel and the People of Israel.

Many people fail in life because they dwell on their deficiencies rather than on their strengths. They underestimate their ability to perform masterfully, to rise to greatness. They don’t realize that overcoming one’s shortcomings is one of the wonderful challenges of life.

The Talmud (Yoma 9b) suggests that the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed due to the sin of sinat hinam, baseless hatred. Yet, “baseless” hatred seems to be rare, if not impossible. Whenever people hate, they don’t think their hatred is baseless.

For the Jewish people, history has always been experienced as a dimension of the present. As we go through life, we bring along our ancestors. We carry their names, we feel their presence.