This week's Torah reading follows on from the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, contained in last week's reading. This week's Parsha contains a set of laws, which govern our ethical behavior in everyday life.

It is a common fallacy that Judaism belongs in the synagogue. When we leave the synagogue, we leave our Judaism behind. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Torah and the codes of Jewish law contain detailed and minute advice and ethical guidance for every aspect of daily life, from the most mundane to the loftiest.

One of the laws mentioned is that "When you will see your enemy's chamor (donkey) collapsed under its load, you may wish to refrain from assisting; nevertheless, you should help."

Beyond the simple meaning of this precept is a deeper explanation.

The word 'chamor' in Hebrew, as well as meaning donkey, can also mean 'material', referring to the physical body and its mundane desires and needs in a very physical, material world.

The verse above can be understood as follows:

"When you will see your enemy's 'chamor'" - initially a person may see their material self as the enemy. In striving to refine our character traits and our selves, the physical realities and drives of everyday life often get in the way of spiritual growth - the body and what it represents becomes an adversary to the soul.

"...collapsed under its load..." In such conditions, the body is struggling under the weight of the Torah and its requirements. Really the Torah is "its'" load, meaning it is intended to help refine and transform the body. When we do not recognize this, though, the body obstructs and may 'collapse' under this load.

Our first instinct may be to "refrain from assisting", to simply negate the physical, since it is getting in the way. This is not what Judaism demands. Judaism is not about asceticism, but rather about elevating and transforming the physical objects and world around us by using them for holy purposes. Therefore, we are charged with the responsibility that "nevertheless, you should help", just like helping the donkey with the burden, we are encouraged to take the physical body, with its 'load' of Torah and to realize that it is not really a burden but that not only can it be borne, but that Torah is there to help and to refine the physical, to infuse it with holiness and spirituality.

This Shabbat marks the “Shabbat Mevarchim” when we bless the Hebrew month of Adar, which begins the following Monday. It is a happy month, in which the festival of Purim falls, marking the salvation of the Jews at that time. The Talmud tells us “When Adar comes along, we increase in joy”

An old Chassidic saying relates that there is one action which is not an explicit mitzvah (commandment) in the Torah, yet it leads to many other mitzvahs; there is another action which is not a prohibition, yet it leads to many negative actions.

The positive action is joy, Simcha, happiness - we are told that joy ‘breaks all boundaries’, leading to a greater passion and increased devotion.

The negative one is sadness and misery - although not explicitly prohibited we can clearly see how they lead us into a downward spiral.

This year is a leap year in the Hebrew calendar. In a leap year, there are two months of Adar - Adar I and Adar II, totaling almost sixty days altogether. There is a concept in Jewish law that in certain situations a negative thing, a prohibited thing, is nullified if it is mixed in with sixty times or more of a permitted, good thing. 

This year there are almost sixty days of Adar, a joyous time and a joyous month.  May we all enjoy only true happiness and fulfillment in our lives and those of our loved ones and may any sadness or misery be “nullified in sixty” and transformed to happiness and joy.

Shabbat Shalom