Lift Yourself Up

     Just forty days after the Jews reached the apex of spiritual bliss while experiencing G-d's Revelation at Mount Sinai, they sank to the lowest levels of spirituality by creating and worshipping the golden calf - an idol.
     During those forty days, Moshe their leader was in Heaven being taught the Torah by G-d Himself. As Moshe was returning to the encampment carrying the tablets, which contained theTen Commandments, he witnessed the Jews breaching their relationship with G-d. He shattered the Tablets on the ground to demonstrate the severe break and divide in their relationship with G-d.
     I want to share with you a treatise presented by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein o.b.m. focusing on the event of the golden calf. From this we can glean as to how to rebound after plummeting to the depths of spiritual void.
     When G-d offered the Torah to the Jews, they responded in unison, "Na'aseh V'nishmah - we will do and we will listen."
     This was an astounding reply for they accepted the Torah without first requesting to hear what it entailed. The Medrash relates that at that point a multitude of angels holding spiritual crowns descended from the heavens, affixing two crowns on every Jew. The two crowns represented the two words they had pronounced, Na'aseh V'nishmah.
     The Jews achieved an immortal state of existence, a spiritual height akin to the level of Adam and Eve before they sinned by eating from the Tree of Knowledge. However, just as Adam and Eve's immortal existence was short lived, so too was the Jews’ experience at Sinai. After worshipping the
golden calf, the Jews themselves removed their crowns, symbolizing their return to a mortal reality.
     Rabbi Feinstein explains that had the Jews truly believed in the power of repentance, instead of removing their spiritual crowns they would have sought a renewed and improved devotion to G-d, repairing the chasm that they created between them and G-d and could have remained immortal beings! However, by removing their crowns they conveyed and displayed their feelings of dejection and lack of hope to reconnect to their original level of closeness to G-d, and thereby lost the opportunity to rise again to that level of existence.
     Rabbi Feinstein continues: We must take note of our ancestors' mistake and recognize our ability to rise and reconnect to G-d no matter what transpired in our past!
     In the beginning of the portion, the Torah commands that each Jew contribute a half shekel coin towards the construction of the Temple. This collection served as a personal atonement for the sin of the golden calf.
     After stating the specific amount, (half Shekel) the Torah adds, "The rich should not add more and the poor should not diminish in this drive." The Ben Ish Chai explains that Torah is not only addressing the rich and poor in terms of their monetary worth; it is also referring to one's spiritual achievement or the lack of it, as well. The rich - he who has made considerable accomplishments in his spiritual quest - should not 'swell' and feel a sense of self importance and haughtiness for what he has attained; and the poor - he who feels unaccomplished in his spiritual realm, should not feel
'diminished' and unworthy of attaining higher spiritual levels, for everyone has an equal opportunity to serve G-d to the best of his abilities and capabilities.

      With this week’s message we complete fifteen cycles of Shabbat Shalom message/fax!

      I would like to express my gratitude to the Almighty for enabling me to spread the holy, sweet and pleasant words of Torah through the Jewish Heritage Connection and for enabling me to produce the Shabbat Shalom Message/Fax for the past 15 years.
     Thank you - to a great audience and loyal readership. Your comments, questions, insights and support are most welcome and appreciated.
     Thank you to two wonderful, talented and gifted editors, Rabbi Shmuel Flam and Mrs. Madeleine Jacobs, who each week with ease and a smile, give so freely of their time and expertise to review the
message.
      Finally, I would like to thank my wonderful wife Malki for her constant encouragement, support and advice! May Hashem continue to grant us the ability to spread Torah to so many! Wishing you and your family a most awesome Shabbos.

      Rabbi Dovid Saks

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