{"id":350,"date":"2014-01-24T02:09:06","date_gmt":"2014-01-24T02:09:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marcmangel.net\/?page_id=350"},"modified":"2014-01-24T02:09:06","modified_gmt":"2014-01-24T02:09:06","slug":"tazria-5768-2008","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/marcmangel.net\/?page_id=350","title":{"rendered":"Tazria 5768 (2008)"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Drash for Tazria 5768 (2008)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Marc Mangel<\/p>\n

By our usual procedure for naming a parasha, today\u2019s should be called \u201cEesha\u201d But it is not.\u00a0 The Amora Rav Simlai, whom Rashi quotes at the start of his commentary notes that the first four words after Esha can\u00a0 be taken as an acronym for \u201cZ\u2019chut\u201d \u2013 merit<\/p>\n

We have two kinds of merit 1) Inherited \u2013 the Divine gift to us and\u00a0 2) Acquired \u2013 the merit we achieve\u00a0 The Alter Rebbe said that it is the acquired merit that matters and is valuable, because it is the one that involves our actions and choice.\u00a0 The ability to err is also the ability to achieve great things and that is what separates us from the animals.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is the difference between talent and expertise.\u00a0 Bill Russell once asked \u201cIf I am such a natural athlete, why do I have to practice 11 hours a day\u201d.\u00a0 We are always more involved with what\u00a0 we have earned than with what has been given (sometimes we don\u2019t even notice it).<\/p>\n

We acquire merit through mitzvot, behavior, and speech in this world. R Simcha Zissel says \u201cA person who is bitter, angry, and depressed in this world ought to worry about the world to come\u201d.\u00a0 This is the place where the points are scored.<\/p>\n

R. Solevitchik taught that two traditions are needed for acquiring merit.\u00a0 Formal compliance with the commandments and making it a living experience, since without the latter the former is empty.<\/p>\n

This time of year, when the world comes alive again and when we do an actual physical house-cleaning, is also the time for us to assess and do a spiritual and behavioral house-cleaning and start anew on the acquisition of merit through our observance, speech, and behavior.<\/p>\n

Shabbat shalom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Drash for Tazria 5768 (2008)\u00a0 By Marc Mangel By our usual procedure for naming a parasha, today\u2019s should be called \u201cEesha\u201d But it is not.\u00a0 The Amora Rav Simlai, whom Rashi quotes at the start of his commentary notes that the first four words after Esha can\u00a0 be taken as an acronym for \u201cZ\u2019chut\u201d … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":53,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"full-width-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-350","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcmangel.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcmangel.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcmangel.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcmangel.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcmangel.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=350"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/marcmangel.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":351,"href":"https:\/\/marcmangel.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/350\/revisions\/351"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcmangel.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/53"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcmangel.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}