Election 2012: The Torah Perspective

B"H


Elul 4, 5772 * August 22, 2012

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Editor's Note:

Dear Friends,

Several of my friends work for the same company, and one of them was recently promoted to COO. I know him as a talented and and motivated worker, yet it quickly became clear that he lacked the skills to be a good boss. He was rude, yelled at associates, and stepped on lots of toes. I found myself wondering, "What lesson can I apply from this to my own life?"

In corresponding with another rabbi, it happened that the Rebbe, of righteous memory, asked for forgiveness. The rabbi was taken aback. He felt that a man of the Rebbe's caliber did not need to apologize to others.

To illustrate that everyone can make mistakes and must own up to them, the Rebbe responded that even Moses admitted his mistakes, as Rashi (Leviticus 10:20) famously quotes, "[Moses] admitted and was not ashamed..."

If a leader like Moses was able to recognize his shortcomings, I thought, how much more must I. Now, in the Jewish month of Elul, while preparing for the High Holidays, it's imperative that I take some time to think about my own shortcomings and admit my errors in judgment.

Indeed, if we all follow Moses' humble lead, the world will become a kinder, better and more G‑dly place.

Happy introspection!

Dovid Zaklikowski,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team



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THIS WEEK'S FEATURES:

PARSHAH

Greatness is Humility (By Rabbi Jonathan Sacks)

The arrogance of power is its downfall. Hubris leads to nemesis.

>> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=8F0BDC3C20F5834A492BFD8FC10FB001&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


Roots of Resilience (By Rochel Holzkenner)


There is something very grounding about trees. They are solid, stationary and easy to hug. And, with roots knotted firmly in the soil and a dense net of branches that dance at its head, a tree can help anchor a lost and disoriented person . . .

>> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=910552784032267AEB009A2778B133A9&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


An Impartial Judge (By Naftali Silberberg)

Can a bribed judge be impartial? How about if the "bribe" was given on the condition that the judge issues a fair verdict -- no matter who it will favor?

>> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=4FE3FFE2C4C513551DE240183E16ECCB&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


Shoftim in a Nutshell


Justice in all its forms: equality before the law, due process, protection of criminals from vigilante vengeance, curbs on the behavior of kings, rules and ethics in warfare . . .

>> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=3F4AEAE696B3677D5F13B63E3005636D&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


SEASONS OF THE SOUL

Elul Observances in a Nutshell


Introspection and stocktaking, mercy and forgiveness, sounding horns and whispered psalms, prayer, charity and repentance . . .

>> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=462A2830DEAB5B9AE31467722EEDC423&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


Getting Forgiven (By Tzvi Freeman)


How do you know when you have been forgiven? Or does the guilt just go on and on?

>> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=D03358912FA99DA7DDDEBC567BB705C0&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


Enter the Beloved (By Illana Attia)


For me, coming from Washington, D.C., where the synagogue members paid their cantor to allow their prayer to be as passive as possible, the spontaneity was wonderful.

>> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=3D6AAAB56C37E3E40463681381B5E74B&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


JUDAISM 101

What Is a Rabbi? (By Yehuda Shurpin)


The first to be ordained was Joshua. Moses placed his hands upon his head, as well as the heads of 70 other sages . . .

>> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=8DE43FEE3FDC151E4B1A35A23FD639F1&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


A History of the Jewish Monarchy (By Menachem Posner)


Although the Jews did not require a king in their ideal state, Moses foresaw that the need for one would arise.

>> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=0C8CE831F4C7748BC1DBFC3868BF7901&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


The Sanctification of the Moon (By Dovid Zaklikowski)


There is something mystical about the moon. Despite its secondary status as a luminary, people have always been fascinated by its silvery, luminous light and its precise cycle of waxing and waning.

>> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=A5F774FD5E52C3A551661CCD6D5FF508&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


JEWISH LIFE

Jewish Ecology (By Naftali Silberberg)


Why suppress human nature in favor of environmental nature? Are we not all part of the same ecological system?

>> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=55656D3D6A37CA71949DDD542B6E416D&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


Our Life-Changing Trip to Jerusalem (by Katherine Agranovich)


My husband and I have traveled a lot. Of course, we never considered going to Israel. Coming as Russian Jewish immigrants to California, we did our best to leave the past behind us.

>> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=BC70007ACB0FF6108C14B0C3A764A581&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


Chickens and Childrearing (By Elana Mizrahi)


Last week I spent 24 hours with two chickens. Live chickens. You know, the ones with feathers and that squawk. My one-year-old was petrified. My four-year-old was intrigued, and my seven-year-old had a blast.

>> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=BF26231CA0BB9BF79F3FD768AFAE3B81&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


VIDEO

Election 2012: The Torah Perspective (By Nochum Mangel)


Is wealth a mark of sin, a sign that a person has greedily taken too much and necessarily impoverished others? Is poverty a sign of laziness, an outer indication of a poor character?

WATCH (55:29) >> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=378E769E0B9C06DB6B28840C8D1A0127&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


Judges (By Dovid Taub)


Three little judges deliberate a case.

WATCH (1:14) >> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=45BD044290D2212D60B313A2E2A44044&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


How and When to Judge Another (By Chana Weisberg)


There is always some explanation, some justification, some perspective for another's behavior. If you cannot see it, you are not fit to be a judge.

WATCH (17:56) >> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=3FEA90926079AE23334D8DC3DE28DA6C&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


Good Kosher Wine Tasting (By Shmuel Lewis)


Wine enthusiast and scholar, Rabbi Shmuel Lewis, goes through the basics of appreciating wine and teaches spiritual life lessons at the same time.

WATCH (1:01:52) >> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=90C38870F580E8C8C29C0957944C3EC7&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


STORIES

The Mystery of the Troubled Wool Merchant (From the Chassidic Masters)


The chassidim hotly debated the significance of their rebbe's final words. Various theories were offered on the Kabbalistic meanings of "wool," "summer" and "handsome profit."

>> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=5D632E8B429D5C6A917FC719AEAC7E7B&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2


Cause and Effect (From the writings & talks of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch)


At the conclusion of the voyage, the doctor asked the rebbe to forgive him for having been the cause of
his illness. "You, the cause of my illness?" asked the rebbe in amazement.

>> http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=3A6F0096CAD9F7F3F8DD13B1E555B2D8&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2

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