askMendy

and your questions shall be answered, sometimes.

[askmendy]

I'm a stick in the mud and I'm proud of it

“Rabbi, how do you sustain such an observant Jewish lifestyle, while living in a city like Tampa?” It’s a good question I’m often asked, and people mistakenly try to answer it themselves, “Only a Rabbi can do that, I never could”.

The real answer is one available to everyone, if they so choose to accept it.

Every week this column seeks to answer life’s challenges by exploring the weekly torah portion, but this week we need only look at the names of the portion to find our answer. “Mattos-Maasei” means stick-journeys. This title answers the very question posed, how can a soul, a spiritual energy survive in a physical world? This is only possible when the soul finds the inner strength to be a stick, a piece of wood seemingly disconnected from its source, yet strong enough to withstand the elements that may challenge it’s existence. With this resilience the soul can not only survive life here on earth, but even journey forward transforming the materialistic nature of it’s host into a vessel for selflessness and G-dliness, completing the mission for which it was imparted.

My friends, this is the answer to the same question you so often ask of me, how do Dina and I survive and thrive living in Tampa? How do we maintain our Jewish observance in a city that doesn’t provide the comforts and support of larger Jewish communities? We each poses the strength to be a stick, to find the conviction in our heritage, in our beliefs, in our celebration of Jewish life.

Each of us already posses numerous convictions in what we believe and what we do, we would never change. Isn’t is it about time we applied the same passionate commitment to our celebration of Jewish life?

Only as a community of sticks, strong and proud in our traditions, in our way of life, will we journey forward into more vibrant future. Join Dina and I, and let move our Jewish community forward.

[askmendy]

There's no equality except for...

Equality is always a buzz word come election season. Equal rights, and equal pay, equal protection, and wealth. These issues continue to be debated today, as they have been for centuries. Over the years, different societies have tried to find equality through all the above mentioned and failed, while Judaism has flourished. What is the secret to Jewish equality? Why do we hold women and men, poor and rich, smart and simple, in the same regard? The answer lies in this week’s Torah portion, Pinchas. Moshe has been told that he will not be leading the Jewish people into Israel, and will be passing from this world shortly. According to Rashi and other commentaries, Moshe asks G-d that he be granted a death similar to his brother Aaron’s, in it’s seamless transition to the spiritual afterlife. Furthermore, Moshe asks G-d that he see his son succeed him, just as Aaron saw his son Elazar take his place. However, G-d tells him that another person Joshua has been chosen to lead the Jewish people, "for he never left your tent", and was your most devoted student. The Torah sets an important precedent with this story. While Priesthood, and later kingship may pass down by dynastically, the study of Torah, will always be an inheritance to every person. Indeed, never has the pursuit of knowledge been such a great equalizer, then in the internet age. Today, every person on the planet can access a wealth of information to enable the fulfillment of their G-d given potential. The leadership of the Jewish people went to the student not the child, for education and study will always be the key to our people’s success. You can try to legislate equality, and redistribute the wealth of society, but the only thing that’s truly equal is the opportunity for every person to learn and grow into the person they were meant to be.

[askmendy]

How I choose a Role Model

I write to you today from New York City, where I am celebrating the anniversary of passing of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson who founded the Chabad organization, and whose mission continues to inspire the work of thousands of Chabad Centers across the globe.

Many people are uncomfortable with the concept of a Rebbe. They don’t understand the place he has in our lives, and why we revere him so. Their concerns are legitimate, for we know that in Judaism no person needs a conduit to G-d, we all have our own direct connection to our creator. Then what is the purpose and position of a Rebbe?

These questions have been raised before, in fact we read about them in this week’s torah portion Korach. Korach was a Levite who sparked a rebellion against Moshe, claiming that he is greater then no other man, “so why does he raises himself above this G-dly people”. If indeed the Jewish people as a whole are a special people, then why is leading us? What makes him greater then everyone else?

Korach’s mistake was that he failed to understand what Jewish leadership is, even at the highest levels. A leader is about function not status, their role is not to represent the people, but rather to inspire the people that they may connect to G-d and realize their fullest potential as a human being. That we might each discover our own individual spirituality, and express it in every dimension of our lives. They make no claims to be greater then anyone else, indeed Moshe is often referred to as G-d’s servant, and the humblest man on the face of the earth, because he understand that leadership was merely the job he had been given, not the mark of his greatness.

The Rebbe echoed these qualities. For decades he inspired men, women and children, to believe in themselves and actualize their potential to transform the world for good. The Rebbe pushed each and everyone of his students not to see the world and its people for what it is and who they are, but for what they can become. This perspective on life fueled Rabbi’s, their wives and children to move across the globe in search of another person to uplift and elevate. The Rebbe never claimed his own greatness but rather focused on the greatness we each posses ourselves.

That is why Dina and I continue to look to the Rebbe for guidance, inspiration, and confidence to fulfill our mission of making the world a better place for all.

Good Shabbos & Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Mendy Dubrowski

Mission: Think of the leaders in your life, do they inspire you to be the best you can be? Are they focused on making you better, or on their own greatness? Find a true leader in your life that will motivate you to grow and be a better person.

[askmendy]

We're all being called to duty, will you answer the call?

Are you frozen? Feeling like a dear caught in the headlights? 

A war has been thrust upon the Jewish people. That's right not just those living in Israel, but against Jewish people wherever they might be. As a nation we stand together in protection of our brethren, and protection of our homeland. 

However this war is complicated, terrorists hide themselves and their arsenals behind schools and hospitals. They use their lack of respect for human life as a tool to wield on the world stage. They fabricate pictures and stories to create an image of Israel's aggression, distorting the reality of a peace loving people simply trying to live their lives in a troubled neighborhood. A nation simply protecting itself from those that seek to destroy them. 

What do we do? How do we respond?

The Torah portion of the Week, Pinchas, tells us everything we need to know. Pinchas was a leader, born into a Priestly family he understood that leadership requires us to take action even when its not popular. When confronted with a clear threat to the preservation of the Jewish people (the Moabite princess's public seduction of the Jewish prince Zimri), many of the Jewish leaders at the time, including Moses, froze. They simply didn't know how to respond to an unprecedented situation playing out on a national stage. Pinchas knew that there was no room for being PC (politically correct) when the future of the Jewish people, physically or spiritually, was at stake. He responded with force and rid the Jewish people of the threat for good.

Today, is no different. The Jewish people in Israel and abroad, are faced with an enemy that clearly seeks our destruction. They may use insurgency tactics, and threats of terror. They may seek to isolate us through the perversion of the press, and their total disregard for their own people's lives. 

We can't waver! We must respond emphatically, with force, to rid ourselves of this threat for good.

Each of us has a part to play in this battle. For some it means putting on a uniform and heading to the front lines. That includes my first cousins Shneur and Menachem, I ask that you pray for them and their fellow soldiers, as they sacrifice their safety to protect our land and our people. For many of us that can't serve in uniform, we must support them in any way we can. Send money to Friends of the IDF, or Chabad's Terror Victims Response Center. Help dispel the myths and falsities at home, at work, through your social networks, and anywhere else you can.

Finally, do an extra Mitzvah! Demonstrate to the world that the Jewish people are alive and strong and will never be destroyed by Hamas or anyone else. Am Yisroel Chai!

May our deeds usher in the ultimate era of peace and tranquility speedily in our days.

MISSION: Please consider lighting Shabbat Candles this evening and bring extra light to the world, this will help dispel the darkness that is being cast upon our land and our people Click Here to learn how. Take a glass of wine and make Kiddush, think of those that may not be able to celebrate Shabbat, as they are forced to hide in bunkers.

[askmendy]

"Through building we will find comfort"

As I look back on this past week, I am faced with a mix of emotions. On Monday we learned of the tragic news that our 3 brothers Eyal, Naftali & Gilad were coming home, but not as they had been taken from us. We feel lost and bewildered, how do we respond? What about the tens of thousands of prayers, Mitzvahs, and good deeds performed to bring our boys back safe and sound? For many of us our faith has been shaken. This past Tuesday we marked the 20 anniversary of the Rebbe's passing in 1994, so I asked myself what would The Rebbe say in response to our grief. In 1956 a group of Arab terrorists entered the village of Kfar Chabad and massacred students in middle of their evening prayers killing 5 students, 1 teacher and inuring 10 others. The Rebbe's first public address after the tragedy included much tears, and a talk about the sacrifice the students had made simply for being Jewish. For 3 days The Rebbe allowed the families and the town of Kfar Chabad to mourn, then he sent them a 3 word telegram. "Behemshech habinyan tinacheimu, by your continued building will you be comforted."  The town used their collective grief to build their village into a lasting monument to the lives of these precious souls. The Rebbe didn't give them an answer, but he did give them a path forward, we must continue to build. I believe we must follow suit and use our own feelings of shock and awe to build our global community, the Jewish people, into a stronger nation. We must be the monument to the lives of Eyal, Naftali and Gilad. Just as they died for being Jewish, we must live Jewishly. Each of us in our own way, growing and building ourselves into a shining example of the values that the Jewish people have taught the world for millennia. A respect for human life, a tolerance for humanities diversity, and a shared commonality as G-d's creations.  So I ask of you this Shabbos, please consider something you can do to strengthen your Jewish identity and restore some of the light that's been so tragically snuffed from our midst. Add a good deed, light a shabbat candle, invite someone over for dinner, call your family and tell them you love them, help fill the void left by these 3 special boys. May the merit of all the prayers and good deeds we've performed in the merit of our boys bring us closer to a time when the world will find true peace and tranquility, a time when pain and suffering will be eradicated forever, with the coming of Moshiach speedily Amen!