It’s About More than the Holidays

Nearly 200 years ago, Rabbi Israel Salantar, the founder of the nineteenth century Musar movement, a philosophy that sought to move ethics back to Judaism’s center, told his students that he had an important job for them.  They were to go out and inspect the local matzah factory to certify that its products were kosher for Passover.  

They talked among themselves before their rabbi entered the room.  They had spent weeks studying the laws of Passover and poring over the words of the Talmudic tractate on the holiday.  They had argued amongst themselves whether or not legumes should be permitted on the holiday and how to sell the hametz.  One of them shouted, “How many minutes must transpire from when the flour and water are mixed until the matzah is taken out of the oven?”  “Eighteen minutes,” another shouted. 

The great sage then entered the room.  “We are ready for this task,” his disciples said in unison.  “Rabbi,” one of his students asked. “Is there something we should specifically look for when visiting the factory?”  “Yes. Most definitely,” said Rabbi Salanter.  “When you get there, you will find an elderly woman baking matzah. The woman is poor and has a large family to support. Make sure that the factory’s owners are paying her a living wage.” 

The students stared at each other in astonishment.  One asked, “What about making sure the preparation and cooking take no more than eighteen minutes?”  “That is really not the most important thing, my students,” Salanter said.  “The most important thing is to make sure that the person who is baking this matzah is properly taken care of.  If she is not, then the matzah factory is not worthy of being called kosher.”

Too often people think that holiday observance is what defines a Jewish life and guarantees our Jewish future.  This impression makes sense.  We spend much of our time in the synagogue together reciting the prayers for Shabbat and the holidays.  This week we read about all the major holidays: Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot and even the Omer period we are now in. (Leviticus 23)

Rabbi Israel Salanter reminds us that it is not really about the holidays.  It is instead about how we care for each other.  The Jewish things that define us should be more about how we treat each other.  Do we speak with honesty?  Do we strive for kindness?

I have a great deal of confidence that these ethical demands may be more crucial for our survival than all the matzah we purchase and all the holidays we observe.

Do we speak with honesty?  Do we strive for kindness? 

Do we guarantee our Jewish people’s future?