Skip to main content

Who crowns Israel with splendor

ho crowns Israel with splendor:

G. K. Chesterton's ''The Man Who Was Thursday," features a plot to infiltrate the Central Council of Anarchists, whose 7 members are named for the days of the week, Sunday, Monday, etc., The main character Gabriel Syme finds himself recruited as a spy first by a regular police officer and then by a mysterious man in a dark room, whose face he never sees.

"Are you the new recruit?" asked the invisible chief, "all right. You are engaged."

Syme, quite swept off his feet, made a feeble fight against this irrevocable phrase.

"I really have no experience," he began.

"No one has any experience," said the other, "of the battle of Armageddon."

"But I am really unfit-"

“You are willing, that is enough," said the unknown.

"Well, really," said Syme, "I don’t know of any profession of which mere willingness is the final test."

"I do," said the other, "martyrs. I am condemning you to death. Good day."

Thus it was that when Gabriel Syme came out again into the crimson light of evening, in his shabby black hat and shabby, lawless code, he came out a member of the New Detective Corps for the frustration of the great conspiracy. Before he had finally left the police premises his friend provided him with a small blue card, on which was written "The Last Crusade," and a number, the sign of his official authority.

There are times when our job as, "A Light unto the nations," seems a death sentence, and yet, we, as does Syme in this story, carry our "small blue card," with pride in our authority as official members of the corps to battle the great conspiracy of evil. We declare with this blessing, the pride of our Crown of Splendor, despite its great costs.


By: Rabbi Simcha Weinberg
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pesukei d’Zimrah Baruch Sh’Amar

  The Gra (Haggadah: Baruch HaMakom) explains that when we recite the words, “Blessed is He Who spoke, and the world came into being; blessed is He.” We are blessing both the revealed and the hidden. The specific praise of,   “Who spoke, and the world came into being,” refers to the world we see and can comprehend. The praise, “Blessed is He,” refers to all that is hidden in the creation, and cannot be described.    This idea of “Hidden and Revealed,” refers to the worlds of “Thought and Action.” We referred to what we see as Action, and to what we cannot see, as Thought. This teaches us that when singing this song of praise we must remember that there are two levels to each of the Ten (Explained by the Abudirham as corresponding to the Ten Statements with which the world was created) praises we recite; the Hidden–Thought, and the Revealed–Action. By: Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, n''y 
Post a Comment
Read more

Shekalim 1

Parent and Child: Rabbi Shlomo Kluger (Kehillat Yaakov; Shekalim 1) explains that when the Holy One, Blessed is He, created a person with a body and soul, He gave them as a gift to  the person. We belong to ourselves, and God relates to us as independent children. However, when we rebel against God, it is considered as if we have stolen the gift of our lives from the Creator. A thief who cannot repay what he has stolen is sold into slavery to pay his debt. It is impossible for us to repay the Creator for the gift of life, and we are sold, so to speak, into slavery. When we offer the Half Shekel we are paying half the debt, the second half is forgiven by God, Who never completely lets go of the relationship of parent to child.   The Half-Shekel is a statement that we are acting in partnership with God, our Father. One must have intention that he is giving his half of the shekel together with God. One should focus on God as a loving parent when giving the Half Shekel.  By: ...
1 comment
Read more

PRAYER TOOLS: FROM NEFESH TO NESHAMA

  The ability to transcend the desire of the Nefesh into the reality of the Neshama by way of the Ruach (clear articulation) is in fact the process that allows us to glimpse through God’s “mirror”. But more than that… When, for instance, I go from “I want to cope well” to picturing myself at my best, I have aligned the mirrors as in “K’mayim HaPanim L’Panim”; it’s not two different mirrors, it becomes one. As the Baal Shem Tov describes; the closer one gets to our reflection in the water, the less of a reflection it becomes, to the point where it becomes as one. By training oneself to articulate and bridge the gap between Nefesh and Neshama, it is this unity that we seek to achieve. By: Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, n''y
Post a Comment
Read more