Page 8 - HaMizrachi #25 Chanuka 2020 USA

TORAT MIZRACHI MIZRACHI EDUCATORS

Rabbi Reuven Taragin Rabbanit Shani Taragin

Chanukah

Doing What We Can

lobal events often make us feel like to protect their values and fight for Making Sure We Do All We Can
we and our efforts are insignifi- Jewish independence. 6
Gcant. Tens of millions of people The Midrash says that had Reuven
known the Torah would record his
have been sick and most of the world has Helping One Starfish actions, he would have immediately
been affected by Corona. What difference placed Yosef on his shoulders and taken
does our cautiousness make within the There was an old man who used
bigger picture? to go to the ocean to do his writ- him all the way back to Ya’akov. Though
ing. He had a habit of walking effort that yields only partial success
With 150 million people voting in a on the beach is also significant,
presidential election, how important is every morning we are responsible
our one vote? In most of the states of to apply ourselves
the US, the outcome of the election was before he began fully, to invest all that
a foregone conclusion before the voting his work. Early we are truly able to.
even began. one morning, after a big
storm, he was walking along Though we may not determine
the shore and found the
Reuven Saving Yosef vast beach littered with the pandemic’s course or who
The Torah speaks of this in its description starfish as far as the eye wins an election, we should
make sure to value and maxi-
of Reuven’s actions on behalf of his brother could see. mize our efforts. In the merit
Yosef. Though Reuven did not completely of our doing so, may Hashem
save Yosef and was devastated when he Off in the distance, the assist us in the same way that He assisted
returned to the pit to find that Yosef had old man noticed a small boy approach- the Chashmonaim – הֶּז ַ ה ן ַ מְּז ַּ ב ם ֵ ה ָ ה םי ִ מָּי ַּ ב!
been sold into slavery, the Torah describes ing. As the boy walked, he paused every
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Reuven’s saving of Yosef from death as a so often and the man could see he was
ה ָ ל ָּ צ ַ ה (salvation). Though he did not suc- occasionally bending down to pick up an 1 Bereishit 37:29.
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ceed fully, it is important to appreciate object and throw it into the sea. The boy 2 Ibid 37:21-22.
what he did accomplish. came closer still and the man called out, 3 See Zechor L’Avraham who brings this Mid-
“Good morning! May I ask what you are rash. See also Rav Shlomo Kluger’s Kehilat
The Chanukah Connection doing?” Yaakov, which offers over 20 explanations for
this Midrash.
The Midrash associates Reuven’s salva- The young boy paused, looked up, and 4 See Shabbat 22b which concludes that the
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tion with our lighting of Chanukah can- replied, “Throwing starfish into the mitzvah is fulfilled through lighting and
nothing further is required.
dles at the entrance to our homes. One ocean. The tide has washed them up 5 Adapted from ‘The Star Thrower,’ by Loren
fulfills the mitzvah of Chanukah candles onto the beach and they can’t return to Eiseley.
through merely lighting them. We are the sea by themselves. When the sun 6 Bereishit Rabbah 34:8.
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not required to ensure that the candles gets high, they will die, unless I throw
remain lit and we cannot guarantee how them back into the water.”
widely they will be seen. We are required
to do our part by lighting the candles. The old man replied, “But there must
The rest is not in our hands. be tens of thousands of starfish on this
beach. You won’t really be able to make
The nature of the mitzvah accurately much of a difference.”
reflects the historical event it eter- Scan here to join Rabbi Taragin’s
nalizes. The Chashmonaim fought a The boy bent down, picked up another WhatsApp group with daily Divrei Torah
seemingly hopeless battle. It was the starfish and threw it as far as he could
few against the many, the weak against into the ocean. Then he turned to the Rabbi Reuven Taragin is Educational
the mighty. That said, they knew their man and said, “It made a difference to Director of Mizrachi and Dean of the Yeshi-
responsibility was to do what they could that one!” 5 vat HaKotel Overseas Program.

Acts of kindness never die. They linger in the memory, giving life to other acts in return.
8 | RABBI SACKS