BS"D Parshath Mishpatim By Yitz Kolakowski -------------- SHALOM FROM THE HOLY CITY This week we read parshath Mishpatim and parshath Shekalim. This Shabbos is Rosh Hodesh Adar. BE HAPPY! COME ON, YOU CAN BE HAPPIER THAN THAT! --------------- -- A JOKE -- Once there was a Jew who opened a butcher shop. He had heard that the Orthodox Rabbis were "too strict" with matters of Kashruth, so he decided that he would get his hechsher from a Reform "Rabbi". He packed up some meat and brought it to the Reform Rabbi to get his hechsher. He showed him a steak and asked the "Rabbi" if it was kosher. The "Rabbi" said, "wait a minute". He brought the steak to his backyard and came back telling the butcher, "no it's not kosher." "Well," asked the butcher, "what about this piece of chicken?" He brought it out back and said, "No, not kosher." "What about this hotdog?" Brought it out again out back, "No, not kosher either." "What's going on? Why are you so strict? I thought you were Reform!" "Sure, I'm Reform, but my dogis so strict he must be Orthodox. He's so strict, he says everything is treif." "What are you talking about?" "Look in this Chumash, (this week's parsha, Exodus 22:30), it says right here, 'any meat in the field which is treifa you shouldn't eat, throw it to the dog.' I guess that means he will eat it if its treif. My dog is too strict, he eats any meat I give him." ------------------------ -- SERIOUSLY NOW -- My dear friends, in the beginning of that passuk Hashem commands all of us to "be people of holiness to" Him. The Kotzker notes that it says "you should be PEOPLE of holiness to Me", meaning we should be holy, but as people, i.e. we should make our everyday human actions holy. Hashem has enough angels in heaven, he wants us to be holy PEOPLE here on earth. The passuk continues with a rule about Kashruth, the way we should eat. Indeed, all of our actions, including such mundane actions as eating and sleeping must be imbued with holiness. In addition to the well-known laws of kashruth, being careful with what we eat, we can have much more holiness and joy when we eat (sleep, work, etc.) when we realize that the reason we do these things is to get energy (or money, etc.) and that energy is neccesary to do mitzvos like davening and learning, and all the other mitzvos we do. If we keep this in mind when we do even mundane activities, (as well as making certain that all of our activities are done in accordance with halacha) it is as if we were engaged in holiness the entire day. When we sanctify all of our actions, making all of our deeds l'shem shamayim, we feel truly happy and can be filled with a constant joy, the true joy of serving Hashem and setting Him before us constantly. May the day come soon that all the world be filled with holiness when all people will serve Hashem with their every deed. Gut Shabbos.