The Dark Side

It's alluring, its makes us curious, we want to just take a look, try it once, what am I talking about? It could be anything because it is different for every person.  I am going to share with you things about Passover, Iran, and bringing awareness about child abuse in all of our communities.

WHY MATZA?

Michal Taviv-Margolese

Rabbi Cardozo: The Talmud poses the following question: Why is it prohibited to eat or to possess chametz (leavened food) on Pesach? What is there in the nature of chametz that makes it forbidden on Pesach? And what is so special about matzah that makes it the most desirable food to eat on this holiday?

Rather than give a straight answer, the Talmud responds by asking yet another question. Why do people sin? Understanding that human beings will continue to transgress, the Talmud analyzes one of the paradoxes of the human condition. Man wants to do good deeds, yet he constantly struggles with his evil inclination. Realizing that this inclination is extremely difficult to overcome, the Talmud suggests that human beings, particularly Jews, make the following declaration whenever they have tried to obey the laws of the Torah but have failed to do so:

“Lord of the Universe, You know very well that it is our desire to act according to Your will; but what prevents us from doing so? The yeast in the dough...” (*)

This phrase, “the yeast in the dough,” appears frequently in the Talmud as a description of man’s evil impulse, and we need to understand the comparison. What is so wrong with leavened food that designates it as a symbol for the evil urge in man? A closer look reveals a most fascinating idea.

Bread, which is chametz, is really an inflated matzah. What, after all, is the essential difference between the two? They are both made from exactly the same ingredients – flour and water – and baked in the oven. It is only the speed at which it is prepared that determines whether it will become matzah, which is flat and hard, or bread, which is soft and fluffy. If we bake the dough quickly, we get matzah. If the dough is left for a while, it will rise and become bread.

Therefore, the only real difference between the two is hot air – an ingredient devoid of substance!

It is this element that makes bread look so powerful and enticing in comparison to matzah. It rises, becoming haughty and giving the impression that it consists of much substance, while in reality it is just a cracker full of hot air. Matzah, on the other hand, is humble and true to itself; there is no attempt to appear as anything more than it is – plain dough.

Bread, then, is haughty matzah, thus symbolizing the evil inclination. For it is the attitude of arrogance – blowing oneself up beyond what one truly is – that, more than any other bad character trait, leads man to go astray. If a human being would just be humble, recognizing his place vis-à-vis God, he would never contemplate transgressing His will. Only arrogance prompts man to choose an undesirable path.

On Pesach, the festival when we commemorate and re-experience our inception as the Jewish people, we are once more reminded that our mission, to be a light unto the nations, can be carried out only in the spirit of true humility. Arrogance can never be the foundation of spirituality and moral integrity. Hubris cannot truly inspire others, nor will it have any positive lasting effect.

Consequently, the art of spiritual growth is to become more like a matzah in a world full of chametz.

WILL IRAN STICK TO THEIR PART OF THE AGREEMENT?

Gershon Baskin

For years, when asked about Iran, after stating that the whole world, including Israel, would be safer if we could reach an agreement on a Middle East region free from all weapons of mass destruction, I would say that the biggest problem of negotiating with Iran is that they have consistently lied about their nuclear program for more than 2 decades. Therefore - the most important aspect of any agreement is the verification regime - the ability of inspectors to be at any location in Iran, without prior announcement in order to verify that the agreement is not being breached. In order for any agreement with Iran to work, it must also be 100% clear to Iran and the international community what is the price of breaching the agreement. These two aspects are the key to determining whether or not an agreement with Iran to prevent the development of nuclear weapons is worth the paper it is written on.

Jewish Community Watch with Rivka Joseph

The Wise One, The Wicked One, The Simple One, The One Who Does Not Know How to Ask - Childhood Sexual Abuse Version

By Rivka Joseph

The Wise One - this is the educated person who has taken the time to learn about how damaging child sexual abuse is. They educate their children properly about appropriate touch. They educate their community and spread awareness. They support survivors and speak up on behalf of societies most vulnerable. This is the person who does their most toprevent child sexual abuse.

The Wicked One - this is the person who covers up sexual abuse, the person who blames survivors for the abuse they endured. The families who don’t support their children who were abused, the ones who protect the abuser. This is the abusers who won’t give their victims the closure they deserve.

The Simple One - this is the person who unfortunately never had the opportunity to learn. They were never taught that their bodies are holy and private. They were never taught how to support a survivor. They were never taught how devastating sexual abuse can be. They were never taught how dangerous a perpetrator can be. But they want to learn, they ask questions, so we teach them.

The One Who Does Not Know How to Ask - this is the child, the adult, the community that is naively shelter from child sexual abuse. The ones that are taught that it is not proper to talk about our bodies and sexual abuse. These are the ones who are more at risk for abuse. They cannot ask, because they do not know what to ask. We need to start at the beginning and show them that it’s ok to talk, to speak up, and to ask questions. The education will begin when the shame is gone. Even though they are not asking, they deserve to be protected. Especially because they are not asking, they need to be protected, because they cannot protect themselves.

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Yulia Medovoy Edelshtain

What lures you to the dark side?

Coach Yulia