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A mother once asked her child "Why do you behave so badly?" The child replied, "I do not know if it's due to heredity or to the environment. "Mel Brooks, better known for his comedy than his social commentary, We believe that the most intelligent Jews have become more respected than the strongest among us, and have thus procreated and pbaded on their intelligence. The most intelligent generations among other cultures were often priests, outcasts and singles.
Brooks believed that the persecution we often faced made us hard and made us survivors, learning to get away with intelligence. He observed, "Feeling different, insane, persecuted, and that the only way to face the world is to laugh – because if you do not laugh, you will cry and never stop crying – that is probably what is responsible The Jews have developed such a sense of humor. People who had the biggest reason to cry were more likely than anyone to laugh. "
A sense of acute humor adds years to our lives and the joy of our years." Brooks also noted that the Jewish focus on education, which required all men Jews are studying the Torah, and all women are literate, thus transmitting education to their children, has allowed us to succeed in all areas, while physical possessions could be taken away from us, which we have accumulated in our minds would always remain the greatest "commodity" that a Jew possesses.
The eternal mission of the Jewish people to improve the world, binds our lives to the Jews of all (19659002) I was lucky to have been brought up by parents who exemplified these qualities and other wonderful qualities of our heritage: my father, Rabbi Sam Silver, taught me that to be Jewish, my mother Elaine said : "If you can not change the facts, change your attitude." But their best parenting was their actions, not just their beliefs. So my son Ari and I were very happy. I was recently in the middle of the Ag Reserve, accompanied by my mother at 93 in a heat of 93 degrees and I was recovering from a recent injury, I rallied to others to protect them. Greenspace, our supply of fresh fruits and vegetables and our pla When asked if it was too hot for her, my mother replied, "We are here to warm our politicians up". they continue to sell our precious agricultural land to the promoters. "
My parents gave me the greatest gift, a house where a rational, open and joyful approach of Judaism was cherished, where we were never told of to believe something because it was written, we were never told to do anything because "I said it", were always encouraged to ask questions, and were supported in the education, sports and our creative activities.
I have never seen my father raise his hand or his voice regardless of the provocation. Instead, in the face of anger, he taught us "Do not let him bore you, let you have fun," in agreement with our sages who taught us to be slow to anger. As a lawyer, activist and rabbi-rouser, this advice has been invaluable.
When one of my brothers or I was talking to a brother, and felt the urge to retaliate, my father was telling us, "Do not treat him the way he treats you, treat him as he should treat you. More importantly, he demonstrated this Jewish trait to others. As a rabbi, he was ostracized for being among the first rabbis to celebrate interreligious marriages, which he did for free, in order to save these couples for Judaism. My father taught us by his actions not to always do what is popular, but to do what is right. The only "in" crowd that he wanted to be part of was to be among those who seek intelligence, ingenuity, inspiration, curiosity and an indomitable spirit.
You can ask if I really believe that these qualities can make a difference in this world, to which I would of course answer "Indubitably".
Rabbi Barry Silver is the spiritual leader of the Congregation L & # 39; Dor Va-Dor (from generation to generation) in Boynton Beach.
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