What other law book discusses law by giving examples of having people breaking the law. We have the Torah, it starts with the sin of Adam and Eve and goes into Kain’s jealousy of Abel’s sacrifice being accepted by G-d, while his was rejected.
Jealousy, right up there. I remember the first time I recognized that I was jealous, and the second time I was jealous, and they both happened in one year. I was in Stern College, in my first Biblical Exegesis class with Dr. Mina Bunim Glick. And I wished I had her clarity of thinking…so too with my Jewish philosophy class with Dr. Charles Raffel. That same year, I went to my first Lincoln Center philharmonic with Zeuben Mehta conducting, and I wished that I was born with the gift of music and art. They are other-worldly.
I just came back from my second National Jewish Retreat, sponsored by the Jewish Learning Institute. 180 class options in six days. Ruchnius/spirituality and gashmiyut/materialism, enjoying both to the Nth degree. Each hour there are five choices of classes, and I literally could not decide what I wanted to take, so often, I was running to two classes per hour…and then I was pleasantly side-tracked, constantly side-tracked with the most awesome people. It was what I imagined Woodstock was, l’havdil—a love fest and a learnfest, where there was ahavat chinam/gratuitous love wherever I turned. A cross-section of Jews from all over the world and all walks of life. EVERY one I met, it was the same greeting of “Hi, my name is so and so, who are you and where are you from.” People from all over the country and all over the world.
I love people-watching. I sat with cups of tea, watching the world of people interact. So often, I wished I could capture their faces up close. There is a communal glow, a joy and thrill of being with Jews who want to learn and get closer to G-d. Twinkles in the eyes, smiles revealing dimples, belly laughs and pats on backs from long lost friends. Do you feel it G-d?
I presented some classes, interacted with college students who want to learn more about Judaism, each one with a fascinating story. Heard Robert Meeropol discuss his parents, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg’s, espionage case. Listened to some IDF generals discuss tactics and ethics of war. It appears that the Israeli soldiers are taught an eight second rule of engagement. Before they shoot, they have to consider whether the person they are shooting is the enemy ( or a civilian), whether the shooting is necessary to the task and what impact it will have others/collateral damage. The Israeli army teaches army ethics around the world, no surprise.
Was entertained by Modi Rosenfeld, Five Towns comedian and Ilan Smith, illusionist. Watched the college students in a real version of Shark Tank with real entrepreneurs who were funding projects to spread Judaism in college campuses.
As I prepared to leave Sunday morning, and reviewed the events of the past few days in my mind that pang of jealousy revisited me. I was preparing to return to work, knowing that I had a double trial ahead of me among my other work, and all I wanted was Shivti B’vaith Hashem, HKBH, let me sit in Your House all day long and bask in the Noam Hashem/pleasantness of G-d. This verse is in chapter 27 of tehilim/psalms that we say daily from the first day of the Jewish month of Elul until after Sukkoth, and Elul is coming this Shabbat Kodesh, oh how I wish I could spend more time every day sitting and learning and teaching torah.
Reality hits, and I have to bring all that I learned with me to my daily work, in hopes that as an attorney, mother, teacher I can sanctify G-d’s name with all that I do going out into the world.
Shabbat Shalom.
-Suri