Our Rabbi's Message
August 7th 2009
By Rabbi Aaron KriegelThis sedra contains the second paragraph of the Shem, which commands us to accept the yoke of commandments, and wars us that if we do not we will not receive the rain in its season. In those days the rain in its season was important. Without people would literally die of starvation. We see the consequence of lack of rain so many times in the Torah. Abraham went down to Egypt on that account. Jacob went down to Egypt on that account. The children of Israel settled in Goshen on that account.
However, Joseph teaches us the real meaning of that portion of the Torah. He prepared for famine by building store houses. You see when people work together they can prepare for the hard times. Judaism is based upon that idea of working together. It is for that reason that our cult was centralized around the Temple, and there were no other places to worship.
Yet, because of constant bickering, when hard times fell we all suffered.
If any lesson in the Torah is clear it is this. People cannot love God if they cannot live together. People cannot love God and cast anger against their neighbors. Indeed, societies will always suffer when people do not show respect and care for each other.
In our own days global warming and hunger and warfare are examples of the lack of love that we have for each other and consequently our inability to show love to God.
Our religion is a religion of action. Believing in God will never cut it. Only acts to God will, and acts to God never amount to a hill of beans as long as those same acts cannot demonstrate a love of people and of all of god's creation.
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