Towards A Pure Post

Yitzchak Klepter and Co's Tzlil Mechuvan, one of a slew of CDs of Kaveret and post Kaveret that I got at the end of my Israel trip, plays as I write this. Shabbat was here, now she's gone. Why she had to go, I don't know. Shabbat was special (and I'm not just writing that because I know that my host is a regular reader). I was the guest rabbi at the West Side Institutional Synagogue. The rabbi's off and so are many congregants, that's why there were guest congregants. There was an auf-ruf of someone who's family members have all gone to or still go or will go to the school I work in (I had written "my school," but that didn't sound right). And the engaged gentleman had been to the play I was in. Half of the couple that hosted me also went to the school I teach in. Talks with some of these people reminded me of how much the more things change the more they stay the same.

I spoke 4 times over Shabbos. Last night I spoke for about 5-7 minutes before Barchu about the parsha and how Shoftim/Shotrim and She'arecha can be understood as referring to us and the need to protect our souls. In the AM speech I spoke about Egla Arufa and tied that in (somehow) with the auf-ruf. The basic idea was that when someone died mysteriously the reaction was to accept responsibility and to feel bad, not just go on with business as usual. I ended with the explanation of chassan domeh lemelech; that a king is responsible for others, just as someone becoming a chason is shifting to becoming responsible for others. This is how Yosef knew that Yosef was right, because he was the only one who realized that a king's dreams are not about himself but about his country and her needs.

In the afternoon I gave a class on humor in Judaism. I went through sources: the first example of humor by the Jewish People, what purpose this serves; gallows humor, humor as a way to be heard, does G-d have a sense of humor?, what it means that it's forbidden to fill your mouth with laughter in this world, humor as a way to keep from drowning. sense of humor VS sense of direction, leitzanut vs healthy humor. These are points I've spoken about before. A new addition came via my friend Benjy Kramer: In Nidchei Yisrael Perek Chof the Chofetz Chaim about nivul peh and how it breaks down embarrassment and leads to sin. And even f t doesn't lead to sin it corrodes your soul. Sad, that ths is the number one topic of humor for most people in Western culture. I ended the talk with examples of good uses of speech and the idea of Nefesh Chayah and Ruach Memalelah. Then I closed with a poem.

At Shaloshudes I spoke about great Jewish stories. Rav Nachman MiBreslov says that if stories are not sophisticated, then why did G-d start the Torah with stories? He also says that people think stories are meant to put you to sleep but they're really menat to wake you up. I told three Maggid of Dubno mashalim about mashalim and then two stories about the conflict of individuality VS community.

I like teaching/speaking when I've said the same thong before and can tweak it, but have it set in my mind. This is why my least favorite of my Shabbos presentations was the drasha, because it was a presentation I've never given before. The other 3 talks ironically came out sounding fresher, specfically because they had been presented before. This is why I like teaching in school things I've taught before. Unfortunately, my school (sic) thinks it's more fresh to have the lmudei kodesh teachers teach new things every year. Thus I will be teaching my 11th year (beli ayin hara) and my limudei kodesh classes will all be prepared and taught for the first time.

I was thinkng of going to Rabbi Slifkin's Bronx Zoo tour at 10AM tomorrow. But now I'm leaning towards no. If anyone reads this in time, maybe you'll go. It sounds like a one in a million (at least) kind of opportunity.