Striving for Solace: Torah Portion of Shoftim
Isaiah's words spur us on to reach the ultimate in Divine comfort.
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Rabbi Mendel Kaplan is the Spiritual Leader and Executive Director of Chabad Flamingo in Thornhill, Ontario, serving one of Canada’s most dynamic Jewish communities. He also serves as Chaplain of the York Regional Police Service. He is an active member of Toronto’s Vaad HaRabbanim (Council of Orthodox Rabbis), and a voting member of the COR Kashruth Council of Canada’s executive rabbinical board. Rabbi Kaplan is featured regularly on many local television and radio shows. He is a sought after speaker, with hundreds of lectures on Chabad.org. He and his wife, Faygie, are blessed with eight children. Artistically endowed, the rabbi enjoys drawing, sketching and creating charcoal portraits.
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57:15Commitment to Consolation
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1:10:35Selfless Solace
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1:09:21Solace & Sovereignty
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51:41Comfort, Comfort!: Isaiah’s Double Vision
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1:06:47Comfort Yourself
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1:07:52Synthesizing Solace
B"H
Todah for the class. However, I can not really understand the notion of competition. When we compete even for goodness, like I watched your visit to IDF soldiers fighting, you ordered pizza so many, and told the pizza place to call their competitor pizza place to help them, and you created rivalry for good reason. However, in my small mind, even for a good cause, to increase light in this world, once the notion of rivalry comes, the seed of negativity gets inplanted. Though the physical result might be increased by the competition, my mind set is not 100% clean. Or if I act to compete with evilness in the world, I naturally hate the evil entity. Once, my high school physics teacher said, he tried to exceed over a female teacher with hate. But he said it is not good at all to do anything with hate. I think it is very true, and if it is for truly good cause, I prefer not competing, but rather fusing of two or more Nefesh HaElokis.
What if the competition between the pizza guys (or bakers or food producers) would bring out the best possible food, combining extraordinary taste with superb nourishment quality? What if the competition helps to maintain and even expand the Jewish lifestyle? Maybe the difference is whether an entrepreneur has only him-/herself or the community in mind.