|
 |
Marathon Jewish
Community Center's Cyber Shul
|
CLICK
HERE TO |
 |
Shabbat Shemot
Exodus 1:1-6;1
Candle Lighting Time: Friday,
December 28, 2007 4: 17 P.M.
No one
likes to be looked upon as being self-centered. But let’s be
honest-each of us has a strong tendency in this direction. Our biggest
problem is that we usually fail to see this fault in ourselves, even
though everybody else can see it.
The following story illustrates the point. A young actor was on his
first date with a lovely woman he wanted to impress. All through dinner
he talked about himself. He told her about his career, bragged about
the favorable comments he had received from several important people, ad
spoke glowingly about his prospects for lead roles. When dessert came,
he finally said, “Ah my dear. Enough about me. Now let’s talk about
you. What did you think of me in my last role?” Understandably, the
young woman dropped him like a hot potato.
A person all wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.
Self-centeredness is decidedly un-Jewish. It stops us from showing love
for others, and it runs contrary to the example set by Moses in the
Midrash. The rabbis wondered why God picked Moses over everybody else to
redeem the Jewish people from slavery. Their answer is his compassion
for all living things. “Once a kid escaped from the flock and when
Moses followed it, he saw how it had stopped at al the water courses,
and he said to it: “Poor kid, I did not know that you were thirsty and
was running after water! You are weary. He carried it back to the flock
upon his shoulder. Then said God: “You are compassionate with a flock
belong to a man of flesh and blood. As you live, you shall pasture
Israel, My flock.” (Shir Hashirim Rabbah 2: 2-3)
Moses is our role model. When we reflect on his example, we can not
help but see that Judaism and self-centeredness don’t mix. Let’s check
up on ourselves. Whom do we resemble the most-that young actor or Moshe
Rebbainu, Moses our teacher?
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Gary Greene
Services Schedule:
Friday night 7:00 p.m.
Shabbat 9:00 a.m.
Mon. & Thurs 6:30 a.m.
Sun. -Thurs night 7:30 p.m.
Announcements:
This Shabbat is a Lunch and Learn. The topic will be “Jewish Values make
for good business values.
|
Missed
a weekly message? Visit the Rabbi's Archives
|
|
|
