Here is a fascinating line in the Talmud, Tractate Kesubos page 66:
'One who gives charity and says "on condition that my child is heals from sickness" or "that I earn reward in the afterlife" - that person is completely righteous.' This means that giving charity in the hope of selfish gain is perfectly fine. But why? Surely one should give with more altruistic motives. Is the donation not tainted when it is done for your own benefit? Actually not really. When it comes to giving charity, your intentions matter little. The main thing is that the needy person or worthy cause is helped. Your good intentions or otherwise make no difference to those who receive your charity. A philanthropist once came to Rabbi Schneur Zalman, the author of the Tanya, to complain that he felt he was giving charity for the wrong reasons. The man lamented before his Rebbe, "I am indeed generous toward the poor, but it is without any sincerity." "Without sincerity?!" replied the Rebbe. "There is plenty of sincerity! Perhaps you are not sincere in giving charity. But the poor are very sincere in receiving your charity. Even if you don't mean it, they do!" Don't get too preoccupied with intentions. Actions count more. If you are doing good, even for selfish reasons, it is still good. And if selfish motives are what it takes to keep you doing good, so be it. Can G-d be bribed? I don't think so. Whether you will receive the particular blessing you seek is up to Him. But one thing is for sure, any good deed, whatever the motive, generates blessing and will be rewarded. But it is our good deeds, not good intentions, that make the world better. Rabbi Mendel (Menachem) Bluming, Potomac, Maryland and Rabbi Moss
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In the Zohar Haazinu 291a it teaches that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai spent the last moments of his life doing what he always did: teaching. The mystical ideas that he shared with his devoted students that day were the deepest and most revolutionary teachings he had ever revealed.
But as he conveyed this parting message, there was tension in heaven. Rabbi Shimon's death was ordained to be that day before sundown. As the afternoon stretched on and evening approached, he had not yet finished sharing his final wisdom. The day would soon be over, but the lesson was not. Rabbi Shimon refused to return his soul until he had revealed all the secrets that it held. His life could only come to end when his mission came to an end. But time was running out. And so the day didn't end. The setting sun slowed down, and daylight was extended to allow Rabbi Shimon to say all he needed to say. Only after he had completed his lesson did his holy soul depart and the sun finally set. On the anniversary of that day each year, to remind us of this miracle, we brighten the night with bonfires. There is a powerful symbolism in this: You will be allotted enough time to complete your mission and nothing can make your sun set before it is time! So use your time wisely. Happy Lag Baomer! Rabbi Menachem, Mendel Bluming (Potomac, MD) and Rabbi Moss It doesn’t make sense. You are a wonderful person with so much to offer. Why are you still alone?
There could be many reasons why someone may find it hard to find a partner. But here’s one possibility. You are not available. You're already married. You are involved in a longstanding intimate relationship with an imaginary man, Mr. Right. You have conjured an exact picture of the perfect husband, and you are so in love with that image, you are not open to anyone else. No matter how great the guy is, he can't compare to your dream. You have become stuck in a bubble with your imaginary love, and are not open to real people. So you haven't really met dozens of guys. You never actually meet anyone. You see them not for who they are, but rather for who they are not - the imaginary Mr. Right. For no real man can compare to an imaginary one. A relationship means connecting with another, someone who is not you. You can't have a relationship with a figment of your own imagination, or with your own assumed caricature of another person. You need to step out of your own mind with its rigid expectations, suspend your prejudices and really open yourself to meeting someone else on their terms. Let yourself be surprised. Otherwise, the man of your dreams will stay right there - in your dreams. This is meant to be encouraging. There is a real person out there waiting for the chance to meet you. He deserves it. So do you Mendel (Menachem) Bluming of Potomac, Maryland and Rabbi Moss We all need a Red Sea moment. We are like the Israelites being chased by the Egyptians in the rear, blocked by the sea ahead. Their past haunts us; our future eludes us. You know what happened next. Well, it can happen to you too.
In what seems to be a strange addition to the story of the splitting of the sea, the sages state that not only did the water of the Red Sea split, but at the same moment every body of water in the entire world split. This would include the Yangtze River in China, Copacabana Beach, a cup of coffee in Swaziland, and a swimming pool in Malibu. Every single body of water in the entire world split into two. (Shemot Rabbah 21:6) What would be the point of that? The clearly Israelites needed the Red Sea to split because it was blocking their way to Mount Sinai. But why would all the water in the rest of the world also need to split? Here’s the continuing miracle and message of the splitting of the sea: anyone who sets out on a true spiritual journey should know that sooner or later they will come to an impasse. The world will not give you free passage to reach your soul's destination. Obstacles will be thrown at you, roadblocks will be put in your way. You are being tested. If your desire for truth is real, then you will persist. Walk into the water. Don't flee. Face the roadblock head on. It’s bound to get tough. Nothing will change at first. It is then that you must remember that when the Red Sea split, all seas split. Every blockage in the world exists solely for you to overcome it. Keep marching into the water. Even if it comes right up to your neck, just march right on. The water will split and you'll get through safely. The miracle has already happened, the path was opened for you thousands of years ago. There is nothing in the world, not an ocean or a river or a cup of coffee, that can stand in the way of you reaching your Promised Land |
AuthorRabbi Mendel Bluming also dedicated six years to serving on the board of directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, where he received the Matthew H. Simon Rabbinical Award for exceptional communal leadership. Archives
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