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Beyond Twelve
Gates Parshas
Vayikra &n=
bsp;
March 19, 2010=
Welcome to Beyond Twelve Gates. You may have
noticed that that often, the best keep getting better. How=
do
they do it?
J=
essica
Tandy,
Oscar winner for her role in Driving Miss Daisy, was asked if=
any
of her performances have left her unsatisfied. "All of
them," she instantly replied. "I've never come off the
stage at the end of a performance and said, 'tonight was perfect.'&nb=
sp;
There'll always be some little thing that I'll have to get right
tomorrow." Hall of Fame basketball player Larry Bird
said, "Once you're labeled the best, you want to stay up there, =
and
you can't do it by loafing around. If I don't keep changing, I'm
history." To the best, 'good enough' isn't good enou=
gh.
Should we settle for any less?
Parshas Vayikra 1:1 -- 5=
:26
This Shabbos marks the beginning of our reading the third
book of the Torah,
Sefer Vayikra, which deals primarily with the services and
responsibilities of the Kohanim. This week's portion focuses on
many of the korbanos (offerings) to be brought in the
newly-constructed Mishkan. Parshas Vayikra begins with=
G-d
calling Moses into the Mishkan where he will receive the many
relevant mitzvos to be ultimately passed on to the Jewish people.&nbs=
p;
The first half of the Torah portion
describes the various optional kobanos brought by
individuals. They can be classified into three general categori=
es,
each one comprised of several gradations in size and expense; the korban
olah (elevation offering) which is completely consumed on the al=
tar;
the korban mincha (meal offering) which, because of its
inexpensive contents, is usually brought by someone of modest means; =
and
the korban shelamim (peace offering) partially burned on the
altar, with the remainder divided between the owners and the
Kohanim. The second half of the portion (beginning with chapter
four) discusses the required chatos (sin) and asham (guilt)
offerings to be brought in atonement for unintentional transgressions=
.
Rabbinic Ru=
minations
Have you ever heard of the saying, "there are no
atheists in a foxhole"? That saying expresses the idea that alth=
ough
a person might profess doubts or even disbelief about the existence of
G-d, when the bullets are whizzing overhead, even a confirmed atheist
will look to G-d for help.
The chairman
of the board of a major company in America, with branch=
es
in over two hundred cities, said that because of the nature of their
business they give polygraph (lie detector) tests to every prospective
employee. They ask many questions, and always ask each
prospective employee "Do you believe there is a G-d?" =
In 100 percent of the cases, when t=
he
person replies "No," the polygraph needle literally jumps,
indicating that person deep down does believe that there is a G-d.
Belief and trust in G-d are unifying principles of life =
--
they give life meaning, definition and direction. Belief =
and
trust nurture a person and provide the spiritual "glue"
that holds life together and keeps a focus on goals and the future.&n=
bsp;
Fortunately, there exists a foundation of belief and trust which is b=
uilt
into every person. As parents we need to build on that foundati=
on
by taking -- not sending -- our children to synagogue. One study
shows that when mom and dad take the kids to religious services, 72
percent will follow the faith of their parents into adulthood. If dad
takes the kids, 55 percent will follow the faith. If mom alone
takes the kids only 15 percent will follow the faith. If neither
parent takes the kids to religious services, only 6 percent will end =
up
in the faith.
Quote of the Week
It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to ma=
ke a
difference -- <=
span
id=3D"lw_1268600070_2">Tom
Brokaw=
Joke of the Week
Sarah, who belonged to a synag=
ogue
group devoted to visiting and helping the sick members of her
congregation, was out making her rounds visiting homebound patients w=
hen
she ran out of gas.
As luck would have it, a gas station
was just a block away. She walked to the station to borrow a gas can =
and
buy some gas. The attendant told her the only gas can he owned had be=
en
loaned out but she could wait until it was returned. Since Sarah=
was
on the way to see another patient, and behind schedule, she decided n=
ot
to wait and walked back to her car. She looked for something in her c=
ar
that she could fill with gas and spotted the bedpan she always had ha=
ndy
for needy patients. Always resourceful, she carried the bedpan to the
station, filled it with gas, and carried the full bedpan back to her =
car
which was decorated with many Hebrew decals and bumper stickers. As she was pou=
ring
the gas into her tank, two men watched from across the street. One of
them turned to the other and said: "If it starts, I'm converting=
to
Judaism."
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