CHOCHMAS NASHIM: CHABAD AND KORACH, GET IT!!!
SOCIAL SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS, OPEN YOUR DOORS!!!
By: Suri Davis
This past Tuesday, my mother and I went to Chabad’s Smile on Seniors, where they have a lunch and learn. It was flag day, and the anniversary of the date in 1941 that the Rebbe came to America and changed the face of America and opportunity for Jews around the world.
Marla Turk explained that the Israeli flag’s two blue stripes reflected the stripes of tzitzit which were historically blue to remind us of G-d in heaven. Last week at Smile on Seniors, Rebbetzin Taub explained that if one took the globe and placed Israel on the top of the world, America would be on the very bottom of the globe, and that is how Chabad was placed in America to change the world from the bottom up, and they have and continue to do so.
The Chabad dinner is coming up this Tuesday, June 15th at Sephardic Temple. Chabad might be the only local organization who is smart enough to reopen their live senior programming. Peninsula Public Library, Hewlett Library, JASA and the JCCs need to do the same. We have never blamed schools or social organizations for giving their participants any diseases, why now? Yes, at the beginning of the outbreak, when there was so much unknown, we did not want to infect workers and participants alike. Those who are afraid, stay home. Those who are medically vulnerable, as always, stay home. Open up the hospitals to visitors, open up the senior programming and all programming. Stop the madness with those who are vaccinated and not vaccinated it serves only to continue the fear and control.
This Sunday, is the Yahrtzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. In memory of the Rebbe, I have read his commentary on Korach, and many of the concepts are his. The Lubavitcher chasidim are known for their shlichus, for their action in going out into the world and bringing unaffiliated Jews into the fold/kiruv work. One might ask whether it is dangerous to send Jews out where there is not even a minyan, kosher food, Jewish schools, might they and their family be negatively influenced by those around them.
The rebbe believed in the strength of his followers. They go out into a world with negative influences, where the yetzer harah is strong, where there is no kosher food or mikvahs, and they set roots in the place and spread the love of Judaism to those around them.
Thank G-d this week was an exciting one. After Smile on Seniors my mother and I made a batch of challah to daven, for among other things, that my daughter in law should have an easy birth. Then I went to the Ohel to daven for the same there. And so it was that as my youngest son, and I were preparing for his high school senior graduation, as I am preparing mentally send off my baby, we heard the news that my eldest son and his wife had a baby girl, full circle in life. My first grandchild. The awe of becoming an Oma, and the full circle of life, baby’s going and baby’s coming.
What is the connection to Parshat Korach? Pirkei Avoth 5:6 tells us that there were ten things that G-d created at dusk on Friday night, last minute items of creation, and one of the items was the mouth of the earth that swallowed up Korach. What is the mouth of the earth, isn’t it the absence of earth?
If one looks at the list of the ten items, there seems to be no common denominator, and one might ask, “these are the items that G-d was busy with as dusk closed down the days of creation? It appears to me that the list is exactly meant to evoke the question of the greatness of G-d and His involvement with minutae. Yes it matters to G-d, everything on earth and beyond matters to G-d.
I have been watching construction on the home across the street from me these nine months. I have gone through many tires that have been pierced by small construction paraphernalia, and I am thinking of how the half inch nails and screws can lay my car low, and how the contractor had to bring in thousands of nails and hinges and screws and the different construction materials literally from the roof, to the new grass seeds. Now at the end of construction a fleet of Gourmet Glatt trucks appear and at the end of the day, boxes upon boxes of empty boxes await garbage, think Pesach shopping on steroids, down to tea bags and honey.
As we said yesterday and will say today in our Hallel prayer G-d who sits on high and lowers himself to see all in heaven and earth. I am so thankful at the minutae that G-d involves Himself with on earth, from life and death, to the mouth of the earth which swallowed Korach and his followers who rebelled against G-d’s decision of who will serve Him in the holy temple.
The rebbe taught us that every single Jew around the world and his needs need to be our concern, we are responsible for every Jew and the soul of every Jew. We cannot get closer to redemption, unless we all get closer to redemption, No Jew Will Be Left Behind, we should work as Chabad does to join forces with all Jews to bring about the final redemption. Dinner reservations and donations to Chabad can be made at Chabadfivetowns.com.
Shabbat shalom.
Suri