Rabbi's Blog

Watching a witness grilled by the defense attorney at the Emily Shane trial makes one ponder the phrase, "No good deed goes unpunished."

Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. —

I joined and other community members on Tuesday for.

One of the first witnesses to be called to the stand was Jan Elfman, a woman who was driving behind Sina on that tragic day.   

Jan testified that she was behind his Mitsubishi on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in the Santa Monica Mountains as his car was erratically tailgating the vehicle in front of him "like a video game, going from the far left to the far right, over and over again."

Jan's call to 911 was the first of many that followed. As the call was played in the courtroom, I could not stop thinking about how different things would have been if only the 911 warning from Jan and others had enabled authorities to prevent him from ever making it to the scene of the tragedy. Sadly, Sina made it to PCH and proceeded far west unstopped. He eventually caused the death of Emily Shane (that is not in dispute, whether it was murder is what the trial is about).

At first, it seemed that Jan's testimony was fairly simple and straightforward. A woman observes a careless driver proceeding wildly and she does the right thing—calls 911 and warns of the danger. She even said ominously to the 911 operator, "I promise you will get another call about him."

What followed in the courtroom was a harsh cross-examination by the defendant's attorney, Bradley Brunon. He began to barrage Jan with a series of questions, making several attempts to discredit her testimony. This bombardment seemed to me to be just wrong.

Think about it, not too long ago we did not have cellphones and the ability to call 911 when we saw something bad happening. In the past, when we observed a dangerous situation on the road, all we could do was hope that some law enforcement officer would show up to prevent a tragedy. Today, with our ability to become the eyes and ears for each other, we should be embracing those who step forward, so others won't be injured.

As Jan was being grilled and accused of changing her story, and almost brought to tears, I pondered, "I wonder what Jan would do today, if she were to witness another emergency. Would she still pick up a phone and call 911?"

We are familiar with the phrase, "No good deed goes unpunished." But why does it have to be that way?

I then was reminded of the teachings of the great Chassidic master the Baal Shemtov: Every single thing that a person sees or hears is an instruction to him or her in conduct and Divine service.

Jan reacted in a way that certainly made the Baal Shemtov proud. After witnessing the events in the courtroom, it was my turn to react to what I saw and heard. I thanked Jan outside the courtroom for not allowing herself to be intimidated by the lawyer's aggressive approach. I came to realize that, yes, if Jan was faced with a similar situation again—to do what she could to prevent a tragedy from occurring, she would most definitely react the same way and do it all over again.

I pray that every person who witnesses an action by someone that is putting others' lives at risk will do what Jan did. As the Baal Shemtov teaches, if a situation has been placed in front of you, it is because you have been given the power and responsibility to make a difference. Do not look the other way.

Yes, we are our brother's keeper. 

Shabbat Shalom!

Many of the Chassidic texts are filled with esoteric and Kabbalistic lessons. The use of parables and metaphors help us to comprehend the true essence and understanding of these teachings.

As I often mention the word "Chassidus" and make use of Chassidic metaphor in an adopted form, I feel bound to share a bit of background on parables, metaphors and their use in Chassidic teachings.

In both parables and metaphors, there are hidden meanings. Metaphors refer to one subject, while the actual subject is something else entirely.

Employed for thousands of years, parables convey a deeper message to express an idea otherwise too difficult to communicate. They teach a spiritual and/or moral truth using an anecdote with familiar events to illustrate a strong and vivid point. Acting as the medium, it reveals light, truth and understanding. (i.e. the boy who cried wolf).

Many of the Chassidic texts are filled with esoteric and Kabbalistic lessons. The use of parables and metaphors help us to comprehend the true essence and understanding of these teachings.

Imagine a student of social studies trying to partake in a discussion on calculus. Since the ideas of calculus are so foreign to this student, one would need some sort of medium to facilitate a dialogue that would help to bring clarity. The same could be said about the Chassidic teachings, which is why parables are so prevalent in the Chassidic tradition.

Whether or not the events in a metaphor or parable actually took place is irrelevant against the backdrop of its main objective—to properly convey the desired information of truth contained in the original teaching.

As an example, in order to rebuke King David in the famous story of King David and Bat Sheva, and point out his error, his friend, the great sage and prophet Nathan, relayed to King David the following parable: (2 Samuel 12)

The prophet Nathan came to King David in a very agitated state.

David inquired, "What is worrying you?"

The prophet replied, "I have to judge a case which is very perplexing."

King David said perhaps he can help him.

Nathan said of the case: There is a wealthy person in our midst that lives a life of plenty. He is the owner of many cattle. His next-door neighbor is a person of meager means and has only one lamb that he cherishes and takes joy in caring for. The wealthy man has guests and takes the lamb away from the poor person and has it slaughtered to serve his guests. How should he judge this case?

King David immediately responded, "It is clear and obvious that what the wealthy man did is wrong and he should be severely punished!"

Nathan proclaimed, "Your Majesty, King David, it is you that I speak of. You have just judged yourself!"

It is this parable that awakened the spirit of deep regret within the heart of King David and inspired his repentance as demonstrated in Psalm 51.

This story is a good demonstration on the use of a parable and how at times a parable or a metaphor can convey a message that otherwise may have proven difficult to communicate. And it is because of this advantage that parables and metaphors are so common in Chassidic teachings.

Shabbat Shalom!