WELCOMING SHABBAT

Shabbat is more than a day of refraining from worldly activity.

When experienced to its spiritual fullest, its holiness enlightens all other days of the week.

We invite you to enhance your Shabbat with these words of Torah.

 

Painting of Shabbat candles with challah and wine and a kiddush cup

Parshat Ki Tisa: On Golden Calves and Other Heroes

Parshat Ki Tisa: On Golden Calves and Other Heroes

Adlerstein, Rabbi Yitzchok
March 12, 2020
“Our job is not to understand Him, but to become more like Him. We are not to bring Him closer to us, but to move ourselves closer to Him! Others would preoccupy themselves endlessly with trying to influence Him, to importune Him to do our bidding. Consciously or otherwise, they would be results-oriented. They sought and continue to seek primarily the blessings that He can grant. Any aid to making Him more real and immediate to us is a benefit. In their thinking, creating these tools and crutches is admirable, not sinful.
.
The Torah teaches otherwise. We are not to care primarily about what our lot will be, as much as what are deeds are going to be. If anything could potentially affect our fate – which is not, in any event, our primary concern – it is whether our actions accord with His Will At all times, however, we must bear in mind His absolute freedom of Will. Nothing limits His choices. He cannot be manipulated to do what we want, rather than what He wants! Neither He nor his close servants are to be tools we use to accomplish what we want.”