Rabbi Abrams Blog

After the holiday was over last night, we opened our tech devices to the disturbing reality of violent riots which have been erupting all over the nation.  George Floyd clearly was abused and murdered by a rotten cop, and we all feel it's right that he's being tried for murder. Chabad knows the pain of this racial divide well.  You may have heard of the Crown Heights riots, in which a Jewish car driver got into a collision, and a young black boy was killed.  For the next three days, rioters wreaked havoc, destroying, looting, and stabbing a yeshiva student to death (with a couple cold blooded murders in the following weeks).  I would like you to watch two videos of the Rebbe with then Mayor David Dinkins (the only black NYC mayor to date), and you might want to watch them a few times, to catch the Rebbe's subtle but strong point.  Here's video  one , which was taken just two days after the Crown Heights Riots in which the yeshiva boy was stab...

If you count the 10 commandments, you'll find that there are only 9.  The first commandment, "I am Hashem your G-d who took you out of Egypt", there is nothing being commanded.  It's really more of a statement.  Maybe that's why a more correct translation of עשרת הדברות might be "The Ten Statements". There's an amazing parenting (and general relationships) lesson in this, however, which makes a huge difference in conversations.  Many times, parents find themselves saying things like "You must do this", "Because I said so" or "You're not allowed to do this". The first commandment is not, "You must believe in one G-d".  It is a statement:  "I am Hashem your G-d".  It's a fact, and it's so true, that I don't even have to command you to do anything. Try "We don't do this" instead of "You're not allowed.  Try "This is how we do things in our house" instead ...

So, why are men becoming obsolete?  It starts with Adam and Eve.  After they ate from the tree of knowledge, Eve was cursed that "your husband will rule over you."  Like it or not, this has been the reality for millennia.  The messianic prophecy however is that נקבה תסובב גבר, women will become "more important" than men.  Indeed, in the past few decades, the women's lib movement has helped women become very powerful, and women have proven that they can achieve in business and finance. However, "man jobs" are becoming obsolete.  Traditionally, the job of men has been to run the business, make a living, and support the family.  I'm not sure if you know, but I'm very involved in a software to help rabbis serve their communities, and specifically individuals better, and I can see where software is headed!  In another few years, software will be doing all the work for us!  It will do the marketing, sales, fundraising, HR, bookkeepin...