Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Rosh Hashanah Message: We Can All Do More

BS"D
     I beseech you, my Jewish brethren and fellow world citizens, on this Rosh Hashanah, to pray for peace between the Jews and the Palestinians, as well as peaceful resolutions to all conflicts in the world.  Please put the weight of the world on your individual sholders as though the world was created only as a test to see how you relate to your fellow creations. 
Here is an excerpt from: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/talmud_&_mishna.html      "How are witnesses inspired with awe in capital cases?" the Mishna begins. "They are brought in and admonished as follows: In case you may want to offer testimony that is only conjecture or hearsay or secondhand evidence, even from a person you consider trustworthy; or in the event you do not know that we shall test you by cross-examination and inquiry, then know that capital cases are not like monetary cases. In monetary cases, a man can make monetary restitution and be forgiven, but in capital cases both the blood of the man put to death and the blood of his [potential] descendants are on the witness's head until the end of time. For thus we find in the case of Cain, who killed his brother, that it is written: 'The bloods of your brother cry unto Me' (Genesis 4:10) — that is, his blood and the blood of his potential descendants.... Therefore was the first man, Adam, created alone, to teach us that whoever destroys a single life, the Bible considers it as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a single life, the Bible considers it as if he saved an entire world. Furthermore, only one man, Adam, was created for the sake of peace among men, so that no one should say to his fellow, 'My father was greater than yours.... Also, man [was created singly] to show the greatness of the Holy One, Blessed be He, for if a man strikes many coins from one mold, they all resemble one another, but the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He, made each man in the image of Adam, and yet not one of them resembles his fellow. Therefore every single person is obligated to say, 'The world was created for my sake"' (Mishna Sanhedrin 4:5)."
As it says in Pirkei Avoth = Ethics of the Fathers, "Lo alecha hamelacha ligmor, velo ata ben chorin = it is not upon you to complete the task, but you are not absolved of it ether,"  We can all do more,

2 comments:

  1. Shalom,
    I believe that when we are involved in games & entertainment excessively ... it is a substitute for the game/test/challenge of life. It is much more satisfying to expend time, energy, resources, & mental effort on real life situations. Because of this philosophy, I have not hesitated to get involved in all kinds of noble life experiments .....but what terrible expense, suffering,& trouble I've encountered ! So many variables ( especially other people's actions or lack of action ) have made it a roller coaster ride.

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