Queens Jewish Link
Connecting the Queens Jewish Community 
One night, four students stayed out late, completely disregarding the test they had the next day. Before school the next morning, they hatched a brilliant plan to avoid taking the test. They covered themselves with grease and dirt and went to the principal’s office. They told him all about how their car had gotten a flat tire the previous night on their way home from a wedding, and how they had to spend the whole night pushing it home.
On Chol HaMoed Sukkos, I took my family to visit an old neighbor – in fact, a very old neighbor. I had never met the neighbor before, but my wife and I felt it was worth a visit. Although the neighbor doesn’t say anything and just stands around staring into space, people travel from far and wide to see her. The fact that she’s completely green doesn’t seem to deter them at all.
I will never forget what happened that night. After going to hundreds of lectures, and giving quite a few myself, I thought I’d seen it all. But I had never seen anything quite like this. To give you a little background, there are protocols for the introductory process of a speech. At major events, like the one taking place that night, there are always two microphones. The first is for the person who gets up to introduce the main speaker. After finishing his introduction, he walks off with his microphone, and the second microphone is waiting on stage for the main speaker.
As we begin the new Torah cycle, let’s take a moment to contemplate the deeper purpose of Torah. Some may refer to the Torah as a history book; others may think of it as a book of law or a source of Jewish wisdom. While these are all true, they only scratch the surface of the Torah’s true nature. Torah is not simply a guide to living a life of truth within this world; it is the blueprint and DNA of the world itself. Our physical world is a projection and emanation of the deep spiritual reality described in the Torah. This is the meaning behind the famous midrash, “Istakel b’Oraisa u’vara alma – [Hashem] looked into the Torah and used it to create the world” (B’reishis Rabbah 1:1). Torah is the spiritual root of existence; the physical world is its expression.
A father set out one day to teach his young daughter a powerful lesson. When she woke up in the morning, he took her in front of a mirror and asked her, “What do you see?”
She smiled and answered, “I see myself!”
A speaker once started his seminar by holding up a $100 bill. “Who would like this $100 bill?” he asked.
Every hand in the room went up.
