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With Passover nearly upon us, it is of course apropos to reflect on the holiday.  As soon as the holiday begins, we begin our seder.  Wine, the green karpas, breaking the middle matzah, eating the bitter herbs, and of course discussion about the Four Sons.

When studying the text of the Four Sons in the Haggadah, it is interesting to note that the Wise Son and the Wicked Son are placed next to each other.  When the Haggadah was compiled, many details were considered, and this included the order in which to list the Four Sons.  Furthermore, one can perhaps assume that the order in which they were listed is, in fact, the order in which they were sitting around the Seder table.

Why is the Wicked One placed next to the Wise One?  Doesn’t it seem odd that these two opposite children are sitting next to each other?  What exactly do they have to contribute to each other’s lives?  And if your child was the Wise One, would you want him sitting next to a Wicked child?

Although one may try to “sweeten” the Wicked child by saying that he’s not really wicked, but nevertheless, the Hebrew word, rasha, is difficult to translate any other way.

Yet this order has profound meaning and instruction for us today.

In 1952, just a few days before Passover, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, gave the following three meanings behind the juxtaposition of the Wicked and Wise sons.

1. Even a Wicked child is not lost and there is always hope to correct his ways.  In fact, as proof of this fact, G-d placed the Wise Son next to him to help!  The Wicked child should know that he is not alone; he has not been deserted; and there is always hope.
2. The Wise child may not say, “What do I care about the Wicked child?  Let him suffer the consequences of his actions!  It’s not my problem and it’s not my fault!”  Such action (or, rather, inaction) is entirely inappropriate!  One may never conclude that another is “beyond the pale.”  In reaching out to the Wicked child, the Wise child must always keep in mind that he is the one doing the reaching out, and not the other way around.  He must always make certain that he influences the Wicked son, and not vice versa.  In placing him next to the Wicked child, the Wise son is being told that he has an obligation to reach out.
3. The Wise son must always bear in mind that there can be a fine line between right and wrong.  He too, could – if not cautious – slide down a slippery slope.  He must always be aware that if his behavior is unchecked, it could deteriorate.  Unfortunately, we have seen too often those who we previously believed to be of upstanding moral character, turn out to be anything but that.  By being placed next to the Wicked child, the Wise one is warned: Don’t think you are immune.  Always be careful with how you behave.

If these ideas apply to the Wicked child, then certainly they apply to the other two sons, the Simple and the one who does not know how to ask.

Some of us may sit at the Seder table and wonder, “What is the point of the above lessons for me?  There is not a wicked child at my Seder.”  Yet, in truth, there is a wicked child at every seder.  And for that matter, everywhere.  Although one may not be wicked in the traditional sense, each one of us has a “wicked son” within.  This does not mean that we are bad people, just that we all have certain inclinations, desires and so forth for things that we should not necessarily be involved in.

So in reading these three lessons about the Wicked child, we must also keep in mind that they also apply to dealing with certain parts of our character.

With warm wises for a kosher and happy Passover.

Shalom Aleichem! What would be the first thing you would do if you were a slave set free?

Well, this week’s New York area news featured coverage of the alleged escape of a poisonous Egyptian Cobra from the Bronx Zoo. Zoo officials maintained that the cobra was certainly still somewhere in the zoo, and not slithering about one of the boroughs. After about a week on the lam, zoo officials found him curled up in a corner, somewhere on zoo premises.

I mean, the whole story is just kinda ironic: An Egyptian cobra escapes from bondage. Hmm…

While on the run, the slippery serpent procured an iPhone, and began tweeting. Hey, stranger things have happened. After all, didn’t his older brother get swallowed up by a stick?

Anyway, as one who enjoys using Twitter (follow me at www.twitter.com/RabbiShaul), I quickly followed (the anonymously operated) @BronxZoosCobra, and checked his daily progress across Manhattan. One tweet lamented that Donald Trump may be running for President, but assured followers, “Don’t worry. I’ll handle this.” In other tweets, he discussed his culinary preferences, with such tweets as, “On top of the Empire State Building! All the people look like little mice down there. Delicious little mice.”

He picked up over 226,000 followers along the way.

Then I was thinking: What would be the first thing you would do if you escaped from slavery (or in Mr. Cobra’s case, from a cage)?
So I decided to check out the Cobra’s first tweet for possible insight. Here it is:

I want to thank those animals from the movie “Madagascar.” They were a real inspiration.

He says thank you.

Cheesy, maybe, but a pertinent life lesson, nevertheless.

Sometimes we forget the very basics of life: acknowledging those who have helped us along the way.

It is such a simple thing to do – but sometimes overlooked. With each step of life, stop for a minute to acknowledge those who deserve a “thank you.”

Thanks Tzipah for your love & partnership; Mum & Dad for all your love and support; my in-laws for their love and support, to my friends for their friendship, and to the Lubavitcher Rebbe for his guidance and vision. Oh, and to my kids for keeping me on my toes

L’chaim & have a great Shabbos!

A Message from Mayor Booker from Chabad of Greenwich on Vimeo.

“Many are the thoughts in the heart of man, but it is the counsel of the Lord that endures” (Proverbs 19:21).  With this preface, the old rabbi from Alexander began his story about the Maggid of Mezritch, Reb Dov Ber:

Amongst those who spent a lot of quality time with the Maggid, was one particular sagacious young man named Reb Azriel, who truly spent his days and nights engaged in Torah study.  Reb Azriel was well-liked by all those who encountered him, and the Maggid himself treated him very dearly.

For a long time, his family was sustained– with great difficulty – by various sundry jobs that his wife did.  With time, his family grew, his children got older, and their parnassa was no longer sufficient.  Reb Azriel’s wife entreated him that he should search for some type of job – anything.  Reb Azriel told his family situation to his Rebbe, and requested advice how to proceed.

“Each week you will receive a stipend from me, which will allow you to continue and increase the time that you have dedicated to holiness and Torah study,” responded the Maggid.

With the passing of time, the stipend no longer sufficed to support Reb Azriel’s family.  His wife once again pleaded with him that he find work.  Reb Azriel once again told the Maggid, and the Maggid increased their weekly stipend.

This satisfied Reb Azriel’s wife, who, after all, was not interested in being wealthy – she just didn’t want to leave a life of penury.  However, Reb Azriel’s family continued to grow, and his wife once again requested that he leave the study hall and make a parnassa. After asking the Maggid for advice, Reb Dov Ber gave him a sum of money and advised him to purchase lentils with it, which his wife would be able to sell in the market place.

Reb Azriel did as his Rebbe suggested.  The following day, as his wife stood in the market with a basket full of lentils, the carriage of the landowner of Mezritch pulled up.  Out stepped the landowner’s wife and purchased the lentils.

“Don’t you have anything other than lentils for sale?” the landowner’s wife asked incredulously.

“This is all I have money for,” responded Reb Azriel’s wife, downcast.

The landowner’s wife extended her hand to the saleswoman, and gave her a sack of coins.  “Take these and get on your feet!”

With the money that she received, she purchased some of the basics, and sold them in the market place.  Little by little, her business expanded, until she was able to open her own small store.  She had good luck, and her small store quickly turned into a larger store, in which she sold assorted foods and household items.

With the added responsibility of her growing store, she needed help running it.  She asked Reb Azriel to help her run her business.  “Just dedicate a few hours a day to help me,” she requested.

Reb Azriel was unable to deny the adamant request of his wife, and joined her in the store every day.  He quickly became caught up in the vicissitudes of business, and as their store became more and more successful, Reb Azriel and his wife became quite affluent.

One day, Reb Azriel was summoned to the home of the landowner.  “I certainly don’t need to remind you how much you owe me,” said the landowner, “or specifically, shall I say, to my wife.  I am in need of a reliable person to transport a very large sum of money to a distant location.  I know that I can rely on you – it is my request that you fulfill this mission.”

Reb Azriel knew he had no choice.  He had to accept this assignment.

Before departing on the journey, he went to the home of his Rebbe, the Maggid of Mezritch, to receive his blessing for a safe trip.  The door, however, was locked.  The hour was late, and Reb Azriel was forced to leave without receiving a blessing from the Maggid.

Reb Azriel boarded a ship, and the ship eventually docked at an island along the way.  He disembarked to stretch his legs, and, in a pensive mood, became preoccupied with his thoughts, and did not even realize when the ship left without him.  Azriel was stranded on the island.  He had nothing, and worst of all, the package with the landowner’s money remained on the ship.

Reb Azriel wandered around the island until, utterly exhausted, he fainted and collapsed on the ground.  When he eventually awoke, he was parched with thirst and struggled to stand up in search of a source of water.  From a distance he noticed a spring; he hoped that it was not an illusion.  As he approached, he saw that indeed it was a spring of fresh water.  With his last ounce of strength, he leaned over, recited the blessing she’hakol nihiyah bidvaro – He who creates all through His word – and drank from the pure water.

After he drank a little, he felt stronger in body and spirit.  “Heaven helped me find this water, and heaven will help me get off this island,” Azriel said.  An hour or so later, he discerned a ship not too far away.  After much effort and exertion he succeeded in catching their attention.  The ship turned towards the island to rescue Azriel.

Reb Azriel joined a group of paupers who wandered from city to city and land to land.  A number of years passed, and he eventually found himself back in Mezritch.  He didn’t know what to do.  He was scared of the landowner’s wrath for having lost his money, and he was embarrassed from his wife and acquaintances who would see his sorry state and hear his story.

He quickly became aware of two facts: First of all, the landowner died just over a year earlier.  Secondly, his wife had lost the store, and she and their children had returned to a life of poverty.  Only after hearing this news did Reb Azriel gather the strength and courage to return home.

The following day he returned to his Rebbe.  The Maggid welcomed him warmly.  Reb Azriel recounted with a broken heart all that had occurred to him.  The Maggid comforted him and said, “You should know: In the water of the spring that you discovered on that island, the sparks of certain holy souls remained, requiring spiritual rectification.  Through the blessing she’hakol nihiyah bidvaro which you uttered with great focus and devotion, you retrieved all those lost souls and returned them to their source.  Your entire journey was worth it just to rescue those holy sparks.”

After a moment, Reb Dov Ber added, “And with regards to you and your family: I will renew the weekly stipend which I gave you before your wife opened the store…”

From that day on, Reb Azriel’s wife no longer mentioned anything about their parnassa, for she understood that, indeed, “Many are the thoughts in the heart of man, but it is the counsel of the Lord that endures.”

A Catholic Priest and a Rabbi were chatting one day when the conversation turned to a discussion of job descriptions and promotion. “What do you have to look forward to in way of a promotion in your job?” asked the Rabbi.
“Well, I’m next in line for the Monsignor’s job.” replied the Priest.

“Yes, and then what?” asked the Rabbi.

“Well, next I can become Arch-Bishop.” said the Priest.
“Yes, and then?” asked the Rabbi.
“If I work real hard and do a good job as Arch-Bishop, it’s possible for me to become a full Bishop.” said the Priest.
“O.K., then what?” asked the Rabbi.
The Priest, beginning to get a bit exasperated replied, “With some luck and real hard work, maybe I can become a Cardinal.”
“And then?” asked the Rabbi.
The Priest is really starting to get mad now and replies, “With lots and lots of luck and some real difficult work and if I’m in the right places at the right times and play my political games just right, maybe, just maybe, I can get elected Pope.”
“Yes, and then what?” asked the Rabbi.
“Good grief!” shouted the Priest. “What do you expect me to become, G-D?”
“Well,” said the Rabbi, “One of our boys made it!”
* * *
Purim is coming, and together with it, the revelry, costumes, jokes and good times. Yet Purim is not just a holiday for a good laugh; there are profound messages buried within the story and celebration of the day.
Some of these messages are easy to see, such as the necessity for doing everything in our human capacity to secure salvation. Others lessons lie buried in the nuances of the story.
One such lesson can be found in the words of Haman himself. Yes, the evil Haman actually teaches us – subconsciously – one of the fundamental teaching of Purim, and, for that matter, Purim.
In the third chapter of the Book of Esther (v.8), Haman expresses his plan to annihilate the Jewish people to Ahaseuros, and in doing so, prefaces his remarks with a description of the nation he wishes to destroy:
“There is one nation scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your realm. Their laws are different from every other people’s and they do not observe the king’s laws; therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them.”
Haman is actually singing our praises, without even realizing it:
There is one nation – There is a nation of Oneness, a nation that believe only in One G-d, a nation that is united amongst themselves and supports each other in good times and in difficult;
Scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples – Even while we are exiled across the earth, we still retain our Oneness, joining together in many ways;
Their laws are different from every other people’s – As Jews, we are proud of our heritage, and are not embarrassed at those who mock us. Even during the challenges and difficulties of exile, we maintain our dedication to the Sabbath, holidays, Torah study, prayer and charity.
This message – imparted subconsciously by Haman – teaches us that it is specifically our characteristics as “One nation” that allow us to survive thousands of years of persecution and difficulty.
From Haman we learn what helps us the most: “One nation.”
So too, today, we should rely on the inherent unity amongst our people to carry us forward. It is merely incumbent upon us to uncover the oneness and unity through acts of kindness, Torah study and mitzvot.

SUNDAY MEGILLAH READINGS at the Chabad House

10:30am and 3pm

Summit Flex Space!

Tue. March 15, 8:30pm