|
Dear SHA Community,
On Thursday morning, Seattle Hebrew Academy, together with Northwest Yeshiva High School, hosted a memorial service commemorating the sheloshim (30 day anniversary) of the passing of Rabbi Daniel Rosenthal a”h. Rabbi Rosenthal was Dean of SHA in the 1970’s and was Founding Dean of Northwest Yeshiva High School (then Yeshivat Or Hazafon). Our fifth through eighth grade students and teachers attended the program together with the faculty and students of NYHS.
Community leaders and close friends of Rabbi Rosenthal participated in service with words of eulogy and inspiration. One of the salient messages of the program was the power of the combination of a dream and persistence. Rabbi Rosenthal led SHA through a move from a building on Rainier Avenue in Columbia City to our current facility in Capitol Hill. Rabbi Rosenthal saw the need for a Jewish High School in Seattle and tirelessly pursued turning that dream into a reality. We are all indebted to the sacrifice and dedication of Rabbi Rosenthal and the Rosenthal family.
In this vein, it is appropriate to mention that our upcoming gala will highlight our school’s 75 year history, celebrate our present and look to the future. If you have not yet made reservations for this unique event, please register at seattlehebrewacademy.org.
Perashat Tetzaveh
Of the perashiyot in the Torah, Tetzaveh is the only one that does not mention Moshe’s name. The focus of this perasha is all on Moshe’s brother, Aaron, and Aaron’s descendants.
Moshe’s role in the nation is clear. Hashem chose Moshe as His representative to the nation to bring them the Torah and to convey Hashem’s prophetic message. What was Aharon’s role in the nation?
Aaron’s special role
Aaron taught Torah to the people. He offered the nation’s sacrifices in the Tabernacle. G-d chose Aaron to be the nation’s messenger in serving Hashem and in teaching Torah. Thus, Moshe and Aaron stood shoulder-to-shoulder. Moshe was Hashem’s representative to the people and Aharon was the people’s representative to Hashem.
Aaron’s qualifications
What qualified Aaron to be the appropriate selection to serve as the nation’s representative to Hashem?
One of Aaron’s qualities is best stated in the Ethics of our Fathers. Hillel says, “Be from the students of Aharon: Love peace and chase after peace. Love G-d’s creations and bring them close to Torah.”
Our Chachamim elaborate on one of Aaron’s tactics in pursuing peace: When Aaron felt that a person had done something evil, he would go over to the person, wish him shalom, befriend him, show him care and affection. He would sit and speak with him. After a while, the person became embarrassed and said in his heart, “If Aaron only knew the depths of my thoughts and my evil actions, he would never allow himself to look at me; let alone talk to me. I want to retain my standing in his eyes that I am a good man. Therefore, I will try to make his idea of me come true and better myself and become one of Aaron’s disciples who learns from him.”
Aaron Teaches the Power of Self-Concept
Aaron loved peace and chased after peace. Aaron realized that a person’s self-concept – how he or she views him or herself – ultimately affects how he or she acts and how he or she thinks. Self-concept – how one views him or herself – is shaped by a number of factors including how a person acts, how a person responds to challenge and how others view the person.
People tend to act in accordance with their self-concept. When a person has a positive self-concept, they tend to act in positive ways. A positive self-concept is not the same as self-confidence. A positive self-concept is a person’s view about him or herself that he or she is a good person.
Aaron motivated people to improvement by awakening a positive self-concept. He did not resort to awakening guilt or shame or fear. The people respected Aaron. He parlayed that respect into positive action by genuinely forging a relationship with people. These people changed their actions because Aaron awoke in them a positive sense of self.
Lesson for Us
Aaron teaches that positive self-concept encourages positive action. Based on Aaron’s lesson, one strategy in self-improvement is to not only focus on that particular issue but to act, in general, in a way that will promote your own positive self-concept. This idea may be one reason why giving tzedakah is considered by our Chachamim to be a form of repentance. By acting in a way that promotes a positive self-concept, we begin to see ourselves as capable of making a more difficult change.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Owen
| 
