TorasChayim

2012-01-24T21:26:00.001-05:00

According to the Zohar a bucket (דלי) is the symbol for the month of שבט. During the depths of the winter when it is difficult to be involved in agricultural pursuits it is the time for parents and teachers to pour out their Torah knowledge to others, as if drawing from a well and pouring out for others to drink. It is for this reason that Moshe began Sefer Devarim on Rosh Chodesh Shevat as this was his opportunity to clearly teach the Torah to the Jewish people. The Pasuk says he began באר, which literally means to explain, but can also be meant to refer to a well - the well from which he drew Torah with his bucket and poured it out to his beloved students.

The Dot and the Line

2012-01-10T23:59:00.001-05:00

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 109a) teaches that entering into the vicinity of the Tower of Babel will bring about forgetfulness. It then continues to say that mentioning the cities of Bavel and Bursif is difficult for one's Torah study. How are we meant to understand this?

After consulting some of the commentaries I came to the following understanding. One of the keys to memorization and remembering is the ability to organize facts and concepts in one's mind. By defining ideas and categorizing concepts memory is made much easier. The Tower of Babel, the place where the world's inhabitants were mixed up and confused symbolizes the opposite of the traits needed for successful memorization. Similarly, the Talmud mentions elsewhere that at some point in history the cities of Bavel and Bursif switched names. What was once Bavel was now Bursif and vice-versa. Again we see Bavel as the place of a lack of clear delineation and categorization. Hence these cities are difficult for one's Torah study as successful Torah study requires the traits of clear delineation and categorization.
With this understanding I was able to explain an enigmatic comment of Rashi. The Torah at the end of Parshas Kedoshim (Vay. 20:26) says: And I will separate you from the nations to be mine. Rashi comments: If you separate from them, you are mine. And if not, you belong to Nevuchadnezzar and his cohorts.
Why mention Nevuchadnezzar in this context? There were many wicked people in our history, why is he the one invoked by Rashi here? From our earlier comments it is clear that Nevuchadnezzar, as the Emperor of Bavel, represents the confusion and lack of delineation symbolized by Bavel. Hence, the verses at the end of Kedoshim which are focused on separation, the ability to draw lines and distinctions, stand in contradistinction to Nevuchadnezzar the Emperor of Confusion.

Gam Zu LeTova - II

2012-01-04T15:20:00.002-05:00

There are several lessons I learned from my previous post:

I am always seeking new paradigms of understanding Aggadic statements of our Sages. Rabbi Chaim ben Betzalel interpreted the story of Nachum Ish Gamzu as being partially literal and partially allegorical. This was a bit eye opening to me, as well as very rewarding. There is no need to see a particular story as being one or the other, it can be a bit of both.
Frequently when people are in a difficult situation, or something bad has befallen them, they respond by saying גם זו לטובה, this, too, is for the best. I have frequently noticed people abdicating their own responsibility to do anything more about the situation and just leaving it up to God once they say that. However, based on this interpretation, after acknowledging and understanding that this was for the best, Nachum then proceeded to figure out what it was that he could learn from the incident. He discovered what it was that was best and that God wanted from him, and acted upon it.
Finally, I have at times heard people use this phrase in response to hearing about atrocities committed against people. However, we never find the Gemara using it in those situations. Nachum was in a pickle, and he had to figure out what to do. Yes, a crime was committed, but it was short of a great atrocity. Similarly in the well known story of Rebbe Akiva (a student of Nachum ish Gamzu) when his donkey and rooster died and his light was extinguished, there was no great atrocity perpetrated against him, he was just stuck in a difficult situation and had to realize that there was some sliver lining that he needed to discover. However, when it comes to a true calamity, our Sages teach us that we do not have the capacity to find the good in it in this world. That is why we say ברוך דיין האמת, Blessed is the True Judge.

Gam Zu Letovah

2012-01-04T11:43:00.001-05:00

"Am I mean to understand this story literally," my chavrusa asked. He was referring to a comment in the Gemara which said that when Avraham went to fight the Four Kings he only took his servant Eliezer with him. God put Avraham on his right side and as Avraham tossed dirt it turned into arrows, when he tossed straw it turned into spears.
I responded to him that it is possible to take it allegorically. The word עפר, dirt, was used by Avraham himself in the Torah as an expression of humility. Perhaps the point the Gemara is making is to say that it was his humility that ensured his victory. However, I pointed out that the difficulty with that understanding is from the continuation of the Gemara, which certainly appeared to be taking the story quite literally.
The Gemara had gone on to tell of Nachum Ish GamZu who was famous for saying גם זו לטובה, this too is for the best. He was once sent by the Sages in Palestine to Rome in order to meet with the Caesar. He was sent with a chest full of jewels to offer the Caesar. He stopped one night at an inn and was asked what was in the chest, he answered truthfully. That night some of the locals came and stole the Jews and refilled the chest with dirt. Unknowingly, he continued on to Rome where he presented the chest to the Caesar. Upon opening the chest and discovering the dirt, the Caesar ordered that Nachum be executed. His response was "this, too, is for the best." Eliyahu HaNavi appeared in the guise of one of the king's guards and suggested that this dirt was the same dirt that Avraham Avinu had used. There were two provinces which the Caesar's armies had been having difficulty capturing. They brought the dirt there and sure enough it turned into arrows and spears and they were victorious. In reward the Caesar allowed Nachum to fill a chest from the king's treasury. On the way back to Palestine he stopped in the same inn. When the people heard what had occurred they filled up another chest from the same dirt and brought it to Rome, claiming to the Caesar that it would have the same effect as Nachum's dirt. It didn't and they were executed.
There are many questions that can be asked of this story. But for my present purposes the issue this raised for me is that it certainly seemed like the Gemara was taking what had happened with Avraham quite literally, and saying the miracle repeated itself. Was there any other way of understanding the story?
Rabbi Chaim ben Bezalel, the relatively unknown brother of the Maharal of Prague, offers the following approach. (Disclaimer here. I only saw this quoted second hand. This is possibly just my interpretation, or reinterpretation of what he said.) He understands, as I had suggested that the story with Avraham was allegorical; the dirt is a metaphor for his humility, and that his success was born of his humility. He then takes the beginning of the story with Nachum Ish Gam Zu literally. He suggests that when Nachum realized that the dirt was stolen, he said "This, too, is for the best," and then proceeded to try to figure out how to make the best of the situation. What message was God sending him with the jewels being stolen?
Jewels represent glory and majesty, as opposed to the humility represented by dirt. He decided that the message was that the Jews should not be approaching the Caesar by trying to impress him with how wealthy and powerful they were, but rather to use an approach of humility with the king. When he then heard that the king was having difficulty with capturing two provinces, he suggested to the king that rather than using the strong handed tactics he had been using to subdue them, perhaps a better approach would be one of humility in reaching out to them. The king changed his tactics, and was victorious.
There are a number of other points that I wish to extrapolate from this story, see my next post.

2011-12-28T21:30:00.002-05:00

ויגש אליו יהודה And Yehudah approached to him (Yosef). The Zohar explains that this was a meeting of two disparate worlds, that now began to unite together to become as one. Yehudah and Yosef each represent Malchus, the monarchy of Klal Yisroel, but each in their own way. Those distinctions had caused the terrible error which had led to Yosef's sale. The rectification only came about because Yehudah was ready to put his differences aside, real as they were, and approach his brother.
What are the distinctions between them? Yosef represents the ability to serve God as an individual without the assistance of others. To be one's unique self. To find one's own path in service of God. To go against the tide if there are no others walking down the same path. To not have focus on how others are, or are not, gaining from one's own efforts.
Yehudah, as personified by Dovid HaMelech, represents serving God as part of a community. Living one's life in accordance with communal standards, associating with others in one's service of God, and always being cognizant of the ramifications of one's own behaviors on those who are around him.
There are times that we need to take one approach in our lives, at other times the other. More often we need a synthesis, to recognize where, when and how to apply each.

The Plishti Blockade - Revisited

2011-12-12T07:16:00.000-05:00

I wanted to add to the thoughts I shared last week on the symbolism of the Plishtim in Judiasm.

We find that when Avimelech took Sarah, the punishment God brought on his household was that everyone in his palace had had their wombs stopped up. Our Sages tell us that it was not only their wombs that were stopped up, but every body cavity. With our understanding that the Orlah is the symbol of the Plishtim, namely blocking the Jewish Nation from achieving its potential, it makes sense why this was the punishment given to Avimelech's household.

I will add as an aside that thinking about this made me wonder about some of the similarities between the two stories where Sarah was taken by a king. First off, why did it happen twice? Why in one case does Avraham ask Sarah to say she is his sister, in the second case he just says it. Why in one case was she taken immediately to Paroh's house, whereas in the second she was sent for later by Avimelech? There are more... for another time.

The Plishti Blockade

2011-12-03T18:43:00.002-05:00

"How are we are meant to understand the killing of 200 פלשתים (Plishtim) by Dovid HaMelech, and his bringing their ערלות (foreskins) to Shaul HaMelech," my friend wanted to know. My initial thought was to point out that the פלשתים are referred to as ערלים (uncircumcised) in many places in Tanach. Rashi teaches us that the literal meaning of ערל is a blockage. Ergo, the פלשתים represent some sort of blockage to the Jewish Nation. More than that I was in the dark.
However, after further review I discovered a comment by the בעל הטורים that shed much light on the issue. He quotes the Mesorah (an ancient, cryptically terse, Midrash) which points out that we find the word וימלאום in two places. The first place is in פרשת תולדות in reference to the fact that Avraham had dug wells which the Plishtim then filled (וימלאום) requiring Yitzchak to dig the wells once again. The second context is when Dovid filled (וימלאום) the quota of ערלות that Shaul had demanded of his. This connection made it clear to me that my original suspicions were correct. Clearly, the בעל הטורם was drawing a connection between the stopping up of the wells by the פלשתים and the need for Dovid to remove the ערלות of the פלשתים.
It still begs the question: What is being stopped up?
The Ramban is puzzled by the amount of text taken up in the Torah with the discussion of the wells. His understanding is that the wells represent the ability to allow the spiritual forces introduced by Avraham and Yitzchak to sprout forth in the world. The פלשתים were fighting against the dissemination of those teachings, and Avraham and Yitzchok were constantly fighting back. By the time it came to Yaakov, the battle had been won. Presumably then, we are safe in assuming that the פלשתים at the time of Dovid and Shaul represent the same force; they were blocking the spiritual growth of the Jewish Nation. Only after their defeat would that growth be possible. Interestingly, after the victories of Dovid over the Plishtim, we no longer find them opressing Klal Yisroel.
When it comes to the אבות (patriarchs) it is quite evident that during the time of Avrohom and Yitzchok their ability to disseminate their teachings on a wide and long term scale was quite limited. The נפש אשר עשו בחרן (souls brought close to God in Charan) disappear from the scene never to be seen again. Their families are very small, and not all the children follow in the path of the אבות. It is only with the advent of Yaakov, after Yitzchok had successfully concluded his battles with the Plishtim that we find ופרצת ימה וקדמה that he had the ability to begin to spread his family, and his teachings all over. Furthermore, what do we find in the Torah of the blessing of Avraham to Yitzchok at the end of his life? Nothing. It is only after Yitzchok has negotiated a truce with the Plishtim, and gotten them to stop blocking him that we can see the true poetry of the heart of Klal Yisroel ויתן לך אלקים מטל השמים ומשמני הארץ (And God shall give you from the dew of heaven and the fat of the earth). It is only then that we find blessings such as those that Yaakov gave his sons prior to his death.
I would suggest that something similar is true generations later in the time of Dovid HaMelech. Dovid and his son Shlomo represent the לב (heart) of the Jewish Nation. It is in their words that we find the most beautiful expressions of the soul of a Jew. We find no such expressions beforehand. It seems that the full expression of the soul of the Nation was suppressed in its expression as long as the Plishtim were around. It was only with their demise that these expressions became possible. Perhaps we can also suggest that as long as the Plishtim were present the manifestation of God's presence was more limited as well. this is why the Nation only had a משבן (Tabernacle) until the demise of the Plishtim. And that was a structure which the Plishtime succeeded in destroying. It was only with Dovid's victories over the פלשתים that it became possible to build a בית המקדש (Temple).

This final point would seem to be supported by the following. Yitzchok was never victorious over the פלשתים, all he accomplished was a truce with אבימלך. The full measure of outpouring would have to await a victory over them and an abolishment of the truce. When Dovid tried to capture Yerushalayim he was told that he could not until he removed the blind and the lame from there. Our sages teach us that the blind and the lame were statues that symbolized the treaty made between Yitzchok and Avimelech. As long as that treaty was in force, Yerushalayim, the home of the greatest expression of the spirituality of the Jewish Nation, would not be able to be in Jewish hands. That expression could never be fully realized. Dovid sought someone to remove the blind and the lame and יגיע בצנור (reach the pipeline). It was only be finally being victorious over them and removing this scourge from the midst of the Jewish Nation that the full expression, the completely open pipeline of spiritual abundance, would be able to be bestowed upon the people.

Anger - Part I

2011-10-10T10:08:00.000-04:00

"King Menashe placed a four faced idol in the Temple Sanctuary. In order that the שכינה (Divine Presence) should see it and be jealous." (Talmud, Sanhedrin 103b)

I read this and looked at my Chavrusa (study partner) and shook my head. My initial reaction was that we have seen many times in our studies that the urge to worship idols that existed in Biblical times no longer exists today; there is no way that I am capable of understanding or relating to the behavior described here. But I could not live with that approach. If the words of the Talmud were words to which I could not relate, then what was the point of my studying them? The messages must be universal, applicable for all ages, or they wouldn't be here.
"He sounds like a petulant child," I pointed out to my chavrusa, "doing this in an attempt to get attention. Negative attention. Actually, it seems to me that he is a very angry person, like he is very hurt and trying to get back at God for the hurt he is feeling. Why is he so angry?" Truthfully, I don't know, but I will try to seek understanding so that I can see if there is something I can learn about myself from the behavior he displayed.
Menashe was the son of King Chizkiyahu. Chizkiyahu had a prophecy informing him that his children would be wicked. In order to forestall that outcome, he refused to marry. In consequence he became ill and was visited by the prophet Yeshayahu. Yeshaya informed Chizkiyahu that his illness was due to his refusal to marry. When Chizkiyahu protested that his decision was valid as he did not wish to have wicked children, Yeshaya told him that it was not his place to worry about God's plans. Chizkiyahu then challenged Yeshyahu and said that if Yeshaya felt he should marry then Yeshaya should give Chizkiyahu his own daughter as a wife. Yeshaya immediately assented. Menashe was the child of this union.
Sure enough, for the first 22 years of his reign, Menashe was an evil idol-worshiper. Why the anger? Imagine how he must have felt knowing from childhood that he was destined for wickedness. I can imagine that he felt completely rejected by God. He never stood a chance. He desperately wanted God's love and attention, and he had been told he would never get it. Is there any wonder why he was so angry? Is it surprising that he sought what we would call negative attention to compensate for what he felt was lacking in his life? He wasn't trying to "hurt" God, absurd as that notion sounds, but crying out with great thirst to figure out how to get God to relate to him.
I think back about myself, and relationships (including my relationship with God) in which at times I have felt rejected. Yes, there were times I responded angrily. But what was the anger born from? Was it because I wanted to hurt the other party in the relationship, or was it because I was so frustrated at desperately seeking their loving attention? No, that does not at all justify anger; there is almost nothing that ever does. On the contrary, what it offers me is an insight into understanding what drives me, so that if I find myself in that situation again, I can recognize the feeling for what it is and respond to it in a positive, rather than angry, manner.

My "Demands"

2011-08-06T21:13:00.002-04:00

The headline of the ad on the back page of Hamodia Magazine read: Gedolim and Rabbonim Demand: Turn off your cell phones before davening.
Demand!
The first vision that entered my mind was of visiting my grandparents when I was a child and accompanying my grandfather to shul. If someone spoke during Krias HaTorah the Rov would walk up to the bimah bang his hand loudly and shout at those who were speaking to quiet down. I can picture him standing there, his facing burning with righteous indignation, his large round eyes giving a piercingly angry look at the transgressors. I was certainly terrified to speak there.
But as my thoughts turned to the present and the issue at hand I realized that what troubled me was: Why is the ad focusing on a symptom instead of worrying about the core issue?
I would encourage you to read the introductory section to Rav Kook's Olas R'Iyah on Tefillah. See how he poetically describes over and over again that Tefillah, being an Avodah She'Ba'Lev, is meant to be an expression of one's pining desire for a relationship with Hashem. As we awake in the morning we are wanting to connect to Him before we go out into the world and engage in our mundane pursuits. As we conclude our workday and are returning home, we desperately desire to reconnect with Hashem to share with Him all the emotions and struggles that we contended with during the day. As we are about to go to sleep we once again want to take leave of Him before we lay down to sleep. If people would come to shul desperately wanting to utilize the time to enhance their relationship with Hashem would they be taking out their cell phones in the middle of davening?!
Imagine a husband and wife who love each other who have had to be apart for a period of time. Finally, they are able to arrange to spend a weekend in a hotel together. Will anyone need to demand of them to hang the do-not-disturb sign on their door?
But when davening is a Halachic obligation that one must fulfill, or one is davening out of a sense of needing to do it in order to get what he or she wants, and one is lacking that thirst to connect to Hashem, is there any wonder that the result is people speaking on their cell phones? There needs to be a paradigm shift in the way Tefillah is being taught to children as well as to adults. Here are my "demands" to that end:

I "demand" that children not be taught to daven until they are old enough to understand what they are saying. (By the way, this is what Chazal teach as well.)
I "demand" that the emphasis on Tefillah education be moved from a Halachic based model to one that emphasizes and models the meaning of Avodah She'Ba'Lev. Even teaching the meaning of the words of davening, vital as that is, needs to be subordinated to the very foundation of Tefillah itself.
I "demand" that the concept of Tov me'at b'kavanah, that it is better to cover less ground in the siddur and to do so with a real connection to Hashem, rather than getting through the prescribed daily Tefillah but lacking any relationship with Hashem, be emphasized in all schools and shuls.

As one of the first steps for the Exodus from Egypt, the Torah says that the King of Mitzryaim died and the Children of Israel sighed from the work and they cried out to Hashem. Mitzrayim is frequently understood to be a metaphor for being in a constricted place. It is only when we remove the constrictions that bind us, when we let out a sigh of relief from the freedom of seeing Tefillah as work, as a chore that must be done, rather than as something we are chalishing to do, that we will truly be able to cry out to Hashem and be free.

The Power of Song

2011-02-12T19:32:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder why it is that in the Bais HaMikdosh (Temple) it is the Leviim who sing and play musical instruments?
Rabbi Moshe Dovid Valle explains that the Leviim represent the aspect of din, of judgement and constriction. (This is a well-known Kabbalistic concept and the Leviim stand in this way in contrast to the Kohanim (Preists) who represent Chesed, the outpouring of God's goodness. I assume this is why it is Levi who is foremost in the killing out of the city of Schechem as din is his trait.) He explains then that the power of music is to uproot from a person the forces of din that are plaguing him and leave him free to experience life in a more expansive state.
I guess this is why we find music played for King Shaul as well as the Prophet Elisha at times when they were in a down state.

Self-Delusion

2011-01-30T08:25:00.001-05:00

How to deal with others when it comes to financial matters was the central theme of yesterday's Torah reading. The infinite capacity for self-delusion that many of us feel when it comes to financial dealings is alluded to in the first words of the Parsha. It begins ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים "And these are the statutes that you should place." If you look at the first letters of these words and unscramble them it spells out תאוה, lust. If you look at the final letters of these words they spell out מרמה, which means deceit. The message here is that lusting for something, in our context specifically money, can lead one to deceitful behaviors.
How important is it then to check oneself when striving to achieve a goal to make sure that the desire to achieve is not overriding the desire to be in integrity.

2011-01-26T19:27:00.001-05:00

In the first rendition of the עשרת הדברות (Ten Commandments) the last few commandments are stated with no connective words between them: לא תגנוב לא תרצח Do not steal, Do not murder. In the second rendition, there is the extra letter ו (meaning and) inserted connecting between the words לא תגנב ולא תרצח. Why is there this distinction?
The Bais Yaakov of Ishbitz explains that this is because the first set were given by directly by God. As a result when God said "Do not steal," these words permeated the entirety of creation. When he next said "Do not murder," those words permeated the entirety of creation. How can it be that each set of words permeated all? Shouldn't it have to be one or the other? This is one of the paradoxes of God which we cannot comprehend, how things that appear to us to be distinct and separate are within Him united and One. But separation is for our world, in God's that doesn't exist.
This is why the first set of tablets could not possibly last. They were written from God's perspective, not man's. As humans, we lacked the ability to connect to the full concept of unity. They had to be destroyed and a new set made, by man, in which these disparate (from a human perspective) concepts could be strung together and connected, as symbolized by the letter ו, so that each one had its proper time and place. This would seem to be similar to the Kabbalistic concept of the breaking of the vessels. This concept teaches that at Creation God tried to pour the spiritual power of the Ten Sefirot into vessels to contain them. But it was too much for them, and they broke. It is not the remit of man to collect what spilled out and to repair the broken vessels. These were not Godly errors on the way to creating a world or giving the Torah, but this is an intentional pattern repeated, as we see here, throughout history. And this is true not only on a global and national scale, but also for individuals as well. The Sages teach us that in utero a child is taught all of the Torah; when he is born, he forgets it all. Why bother teaching it to him if he will forget?
The answer is that God instills within the world all of the potential goodness that can possibly exist. He places it there within our reach and gives us the innate intuitive knowledge that we can achieve it. But He will not give it to us. We must take it for ourselves and find the place for every aspect of it. This is because within God there are no divisions; all is One. Only man can divide and by doing so arrange, and conquer.
The Kabbalists explain that this is the goal of all Talmudic study. As simply stated so much of Tanach and the Mishnah seems to be a hodgepodge of half statements and contradictions. We need to order it all to make sense of it, to understand where and how each and every Halacha of the Torah is appropriately applied.
God can't and won't do this for. It is up to man to create the balance.

Idolizing Mitzvos

2011-01-19T13:20:00.000-05:00

לא תעשה לך פסל וכל תמונה, the Ten Commandments forbid us from making for ourselves idols or any picture. The Bais Yaakov of Ishbitz explains that at times people can idolize Mitzvos, they take the Mitzvah and begin to worship it, forgetting that the true purpose of the Mitzvah is as an act to assist oneself in developing a full relationship with God. They act instead as if the Mitzvah itself has a life and value of its own. The word פסל used here to mean an idol, literally means something chiseled out of stone. Don't give the Mitzvah a strength as strong as stone of its own. Stone, after all, is dead. By doing so, you are cutting it off from God.
But don't make pictures either. A picture is just a superficial semblance of something. Don't view the Mitzvos as being purely superficial with no substance to them. Don't think that you can connect to God without the actions necessary to forge that relationship. We need the actions, understood and done in the context of forging the relationship, in order for it to be fully developed.

Breaking the Tablets - The Epitome

2011-01-18T17:35:00.001-05:00

The final words of the Torah mention about what Moshe did לעיני כל ישראל, before the eyes of all of Israel. To which event is this referring? Our Sages teach us that this refers to Moshe's having broken the Luchos, the two Tablets. It seems very puzzling that this is how the Torah should end, that the crescendo at the conclusion of the Torah should be emphasizing this act of Moshe's. Is this the be-all-end-all summation of his accomplishments?
At the beginning of the Torah we are told that וחושך על פני תהום, and there was darkness on the face of the depths. The ARIZA"L points out that the final letters of that phrase spells out the word כלים, vessels, specifically vessels that are dark. This is an allusion to the well-known Kabbalistic concept of the breaking of the vessels. Namely that God created ten Sefirot, spiritual entities, that form the spiritual building blocks of creation. At Creation God poured the Sefirot into vessels to contain them, however the vessels proved to be too weak, they shattered. The Sefirot and the broken vessels tumbled out and were scattered throughout creation. It is our job to find these lost lights, rebuild the vessels, and by doing so to perfect the world.
This was not a mistake, it was not some Godly blooper of misjudging how much the vessels could handle. Rather, this exemplifies how God created the world. He shows us tantalizing views of what can be and should be, but he leaves it up to us to make it so. He doesn't make it so Himself. But, if he were not to show us what could be, we would never realize what could be and aspire to accomplish it.

The breaking of the Tablets by Moshe was another manifestation of this phenomenon. The first Tablets were made by God Himself. The Nation had not worked on self-perfection to achieve what they saw at Mt. Sinai, God took them out of Egypt and raised them up to levels beyond what they truly were. Since it was not a point they had come to on their own, it was unsustainable. But they had seen and comprehended enough to know what they could become. God took Himself away from them, the people turned to the עגל הזהב (Golden Calf) and Moshe came down and shattered the Tablets.
This was lesson one, you cannot sustain something you have not earned. Lesson two was having Moshe make the new Tablets; not God like the first ones, this time a human would make them. Only through human hands could they last. This was teaching the Nation the most fundamental lessons of what God wants from us in our lifetimes. This was the lesson of Teshuva, of how to return to God and to repair the world. There was no greater lesson that Moshe could possibly teach us. But this ability to grow, to change, to become and to sustain, required a destruction to precede it; to destroy what God had created and for man to remake it.
This is why the final strains of the Torah allude to Moshe's having broken the Tablets, it was his crowning achievement. There is an allusion to this also in the final words of the Torah: ,משה לעיני כל ישראל, Moshe before the eyes of all of Israel. If you take the first letter of each word, and unscramble them, you once again get the word כלים, vessels. Unlike the allusion to vessels at the beginning of the Torah which we mentioned earlier, which was hinted to with the letters at the end of the words, showing that it was the dark-side of the vessels, this time it is alluded to with the letters at the beginning of the words, to lets us know that Moshe had taught how the vessels can be made whole and proper.

Hearing, Listening, Applying

2011-01-16T12:41:00.000-05:00

What, precisely, did Yisro hear that got him to come and join the Jewish Nation? Rashi tells us that he had heard about the splitting of the Sea and the battle with Amalek. What was it about the battle with Amalek that drew him to join?
Rabbi Yitzchok Isaac of Komarna explains that Yisro had dedicated his life to understanding God and the spiritual truths of the world. When he got to the point of feeling that he had finally arrived at the truth and the zenith of human understanding he was happily content with what he had achieved and stopped any further pursuit. Then he heard about the Splitting of the Sea and of the great spiritual awakening that had wrought in the Jewish Nation. Nothing, even his own personal efforts at great self-sacrifice could possibly bring greater awareness of God than that which was achieved at the Sea.
And then a shocking thing occured; despite the great spiritual awakening the Jewish Nation had experienced they weakened subsequently leaving room for an Amalekite attack. Yisro realized then that no matter how great his spiritual achievments were, there was no guarantee he could maintain them. He needed to attach himself to the source of spiritual greatness and growth. He went to join Moshe and the Jews in the desert

Don't Pray...Pray

2011-01-14T10:17:00.000-05:00

Standing at the shores of the Sea surrounded by their Egyptian enemies and in mortal danger, the instinct of the Jews is to pray. But, "No," says God. Moshe tells the people God will fight for you, and you will be silent. No room for prayer in this case. But only a short time later the nation, after safely and miraculously crossing the sea, is attacked by Amalek. This time the Torah describes how every time Moshe raised his hands the people were victorious, when he lowered their hands the Amalekites tasted success. Our sages understand that when Moshe raised his hands it reminded the people to pray, hence their success, when he lowered his hands, their minds were no longer on prayer and they faltered. What does God want from us? Why in the first case was prayer not desired, and in the second case, necessary?
The Bais Yaakov of Ishbitz explains that the attitude of the Egyptians was that their power and success came from themselves and they owed nothing to God. In order to counter this argument God wanted to show at the Sea that the victory was completely from Him with no human involvement, not even prayer. By contrast the attitude of the Amalekites was that they could not be held responsible for any of their own behavior. "We are but creatures of God," they reasoned, "and as such cannot be held responsible for what we do. If we did it, God must have wanted us to do it, as He made us this way." In order to counter that attitude it was necessary at the Sea to have human involvement to show that we do not just leave things up to God, but we have self-responsibility as well.

פרשת בשלח Concept of Techum

2011-01-13T11:33:00.001-05:00

A spiritual understanding of the Torah's prohibition on walking outside the Techum on Shabbos. (There is a 30 second silent gap shortly after I begin as I run to get a marker.)

Shepherd of Love

2010-12-12T12:41:00.000-05:00

As Yaakov begins his ברכה (blessing) to the sons of Yosef, he refers to God (Ber. 46:15) as האלהים הרעה אתי, conventionally translated as "The God who shepherded me." The Ramban points out that the root רעה can also be understood to mean love, and he therefore suggests that the meaning of this verse is "The God who loves me."
Rabbi Yitzchok Isaac of Komarna points out that the word הרעה is lacking the letter ו (vov) which should have been after the ר (reish) to emphasize the sound "oh." He says that this is because the letter vov is usually used to indicate a connection between two things (vov is used to indicate the word "and" as well as meaning a hook, a connector between two things). A connector is only needed between things which are separate and need a means of connection, however, in this instance, where it referring to God's love for His nation, the connection is so intimate, that there is no need for a connector.

Don't Get Down

2010-12-09T13:11:00.000-05:00

After 22 years of separation Yosef reveals himself to his brothers. Shell-shocked as they are, he then sends them on their way to Caanan to their father Yaakov, and tells them ועתה אל תעצבו, which is usually understood to mean "And now do not be upset."
Rabbi Yitzchok Isaac of Komarna points out that in the trup, the cantillation marks that show us the proper grammatical understanding and reading of the verses, there is a פסיק p'sik, a mark which indicates a fairly strong stop between the word ועתה (and now) and the words אל תעצבו (do not be upset). This would seem to indicate as if it is meant to be understood as two distinct statements. How are we to understand this?
He explains that our sages teaches us that the word ועתה is often used as an allusion to Teshuva, returning and repenting to God. On this basis he explains Yosef's message to his brothers as follows ועתה, you are about to embark on a process of soul-searching and regret for the mistakes you made two decades ago. אל תעצבו, do not be depressed. Too often people feel that the only way to improve themselves is through castigation and self-punishment, through feeling guilty and negative. But depression and negativity are damaging in and of themselves; they do not build up a person, they tear him down, and what good can come of that?
Even when undergoing the process of introspection and self-improvement, Yosef encouraged his brothers, remain happy and upbeat. It is only through joy that you can achieve what you should in life and come closer to God.

The Light at the Bottom of the Pit

2010-11-30T13:28:00.000-05:00

Landing with a thud at the bottom of a deep pit, Yosef must have wondered if things could get any worse. Indeed they would when his master's wife decided she wanted him. But how did he view all these events? When he eventually revealed himself to his brothers he let them know that he did not hold them responsible for what had occurred. As far as he was concerned it was all part of God's plan that he be in Egypt in order to sustain the whole family. To take that even one step further, although Yosef may not have been fully aware God wanted Yaakov and his family to be exiled to Egypt. He chose to send Yaakov to Egypt as the visiting father of a member of the royalty, rather than having Yaakov taken there in captivity. In this respect Yosef's sale to Egypt was primarily to bring about the slavery in Egypt, which was a vital component in the building of the Jewish nation.
There is a Midrashic statement which comments that while Yaakov was buy mourning the loss of Yosef, and Reuven was busy atoning for getting involved in his father's personal life, and Yehudah was dealing with having allowed the sale of Yosef, God was busy planning to brining about the Moshiach by facilitating the union between Yehudah and Tamar. But to have Moshiach there had to be a Jewish Nation. That was also part and parcel, and perhaps front and center, of what God was busy doing in the past few Torah portions.
To see the positive and the constructive outcome of being tossed into the pit, this was the challenge facing Yosef. Later events demonstrate that he passed the test.
I believe that his being thrown into the pit was in order to take the nation to Egypt is alluded to in the verse describing his being tossed in. The Torah writes והבור רק אין בו מים, and the pit was empty, there was in it no water. There is much written about the apparent redundancy in this verse. If we focus just on the words רק אין בו מים, we can explain it as follows. רק=300 in Gematria (numerical value), אין בו subtract from it מים=90 you are left with 210 the number of years that the Jews were in Egypt.

The Name of the Angel

2010-11-18T15:21:00.000-05:00

"What is your name," Yaakov asked the angel with whom he had wrestled. Why didn't Yaakov know his name? Isn't it widely known that the Angel of Esav, the epitome of evil is named סמא-ל (Samuhl). The Ishbitzer Rebbe explains that the first two letters of the name of the angel סם are the only two letters in the Hebrew aleph-bet that are completely closed. This indicates that the spiritual power inherent in these letters is bottled up and hidden from man's understanding. Even though the last two letters of his name form the name of God, indicating that there is great holiness within סמא-ל as there is in all angels, it is a power that man cannot reach.

This is alluded to in the Talmud when it says that the letters סם in the Luchos (the tablets brought by Moshe) stand miraculously. The idea is that whereas all the others letters desire to share their power with man, it is only by an occasional miracle that man can truly comprehend the holiness inherent in these two letters.
Yaakov was asking for the name of the angel. A name is a revelation of the essence of the one carrying the name. That was something which סמא-ל could not share with Yaakov. His true essence would remain hidden.
This was the same angel who later tried to dissuade God from giving the Torah to the Jewish nation. True to his essence of standing for not revealing deeper truths to others, he felt that the secrets of the Torah did not belong to man. He hit Yaakov in the גיד הנשה (perhaps the sciatic nerve). The Talmud teaches us that אין בגידים בנותן טעם this part of the body has no taste. He was trying to tell Yaakov that as a person he cannot hope to get any taste, any true depth of understanding.
But Yaakov fought the angel and persevered.

Parshas Vayaytzay - There is No Rock - Voice recording

2010-11-11T11:14:00.000-05:00

An understanding of Yaakov's meeting with the shepherds of Charan.

Stairway to Heaven or There is No Rock

2010-11-11T11:03:00.000-05:00

Yaakov approached the well. He could see the shepherds gathered round unable to remove the large rock which was preventing them from enjoying the cool refreshing well water. "Where are you from," he asked them. "From Charan," they responded.
The well is a classic metaphor for the source of God's abundant, infinite kindness, symbolized by the water flowing from the well. The people of Charan had great difficulty accessing the source of God's kindness. They lacked the ability to attain it individually. Only with the efforts of all the shepherds could they manage to roll the stone off the mouth of the well, but even then it wouldn't last. As soon as they were done the stone rolled back on the mouth of the well. They were again cut off.
Why did they have such difficulty? They came from Charan חרן a word that in Hebrew shares the same letters as Charon, anger. They viewed the world, and God within it, from the perspective of din; they saw the constrictions and limitations which God had placed on His Chesed, His manifest goodness, and could not see the divine love and caring which underlined and informed the constriction they saw. Stuck in this small minded perspective, they could only break through the limitations with great and concerted efforts and touch God's blessing for a moment. Then it was gone.
But when Yaakov came he needed no help removing the rock from the well, and once he removed it we don't find that it rolled back on top. This is because Yaakov had seen the ladder of God. Indeed we do live in a world in which God's goodness is constricted, limited, and often hidden. But why is this? It is not that way in order to keep it from us; it is that way in order to enable us to receive it. In the presence of God's infinite goodness there would be no place for us to exist, it is only by virtue of the fact that it is hidden that room was made for our existence. One can only understand this if he has a universal perspective; if he can see the whole plan laid out before him from God's infinite greatness down to this world - warts and all - and all the steps in between. Then a person can understand that what looks like constriction and din is really an act of great love. Once that understanding is achieved then a person can find God in any and all places at all times. There is no rock. There is only a well.

The Business of Torah

2010-11-09T14:13:00.000-05:00

It says in Mishlei (Proverbs) that the business of Torah is preferable to that of money. The Ishbitzer Rebbe explains that this is because in business the goal is to make money; the faster and easier the better. If someone needs to exert much effort to close a deal it can be frustrating and oftentimes feel like a waste of time. "I just want to make money, not waste my time with all these discussions, phone calls, and meetings. "
However, when it comes to Torah study it is vastly different. The entire time that one is engaged in acquiring Torah knowledge he is engrossed in receiving the Torah from God. The longer it takes, the longer his direct connection continues. As the point of Torah study is to develop and enhance ones relationship with God, the longer ones efforts to comprehend continue the better.

Small Mind vs. Expansive Mind

2010-11-09T11:52:00.000-05:00

From God's perspective everything in the world is equal; there is nothing more important or less important. God was who He is before the world was created and has not changed since. It is only from the perspective of things within creation, creatures that are themselves lacking, that there are more important things and less important things. This results from the fact that in a small minded state one cannot grasp all that is around him. If man finds something good or beneficial he is reluctant to leave go of it lest he lose what he has.

Being Every Day

2010-10-30T21:22:00.004-04:00

ויהיו חיי שרה, The Sfas Emes explains can be understood as "The life of Sarah was in a state of being." Sarah never spent a day of her life just muddling along; every day she was present in her full self.

The Sfas Emes explains that the Torah tells us that we should greet every day, every opportunity to serve God, every chance to do a Mitzvah with the joy and freshness of a brand new experience. How is that possible, he asks, when we are repeating the same experiences day after day. He explains that as long as we are focused on the actions that we are performing then it is impossible to find a freshness and excitement; after all, it is just a repeat of what you did yesterday. The real point of each Mitzvah and each life's experience is to find an inner, subjective, meaning to which you can relate. Each day's experience will then be different as the connection to it will be based on finding a meaning to which you can relate at that time.

Finding the Right Door

2010-10-23T20:18:00.003-04:00

Standing in the palace she knows that she is surrounding by the greatest luxuries and abundance she can imagine. The problem is that there are hundreds of rooms and she doesn't know which one has the food she so desperately needs to eat. She opens one door, and finds a room full of gold; not very edible, and useless at the moment. She runs down the hallway and randomly selects another door to open. Still no food. Silk won't satisfy her needs.

Why is there no food here, she screams. There is, she is just opening the wrong doors.

The same is true, oftentimes, when we pray to God. In our lost sense of frustration, we begin to think that there is nothing there for us, that we are doomed to failure in one area or another. But maybe we are just knocking on the wrong door. Perhaps, more often that not, we have just been knocking on the same door over and over again, and haven't bothered trying another door...

mesechta-megillah-26b-class-1

2010-10-06T16:23:00.000-04:00

http://toraschayim.blogspot.com/2010/10/mesechta-megillah-26b-class-1.html

Mesechta Megillah 26b - Class 2

2010-10-06T16:20:00.000-04:00

Selling and renting bricks and shrouds.

Mesechta Megillah 26b - Class 1

2010-10-05T19:37:00.000-04:00

A discuussion about selling a shul and using the proceeds for various purposes.

A Frank Discussion About the Focus of Yom Kippur Davening

2010-09-16T11:47:00.001-04:00

The role of viduy (confession). Where should one's mind be? On what should one focus? A few parables to bring out the point.

Rosh Hashana - Blessings of Yitzchok

2010-09-06T22:54:00.000-04:00

Interactive discussion on the meaning of Rosh Hashanah. Discussion about the blessings of Yitzchok for Yaakov and Eisav.

The Right Way to Pray... To Each His Own

2010-08-19T22:33:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I published on my blog a story about prayer. The story comes from the Sefer Chasidim. In his footnotes on that work Rabbi Reuven Margolis brings down what is perhaps an even more powerful story.

There was an illiterate shepherd who had never been taught how to pray properly. Each day he would say "Master of the Universe, you know that if you had sheep and asked me to watch them, while I would charge everyone else, I would watch yours for free, because I love you.

One day a Torah scholar was walking by as the shepherd was praying. The scholar said "You fool, you don't pray like that!"

"How then should I pray," asked the shepherd. The scholar taught the shepherd the entire prayer service, but reminded him that he must not pray as he had done in the past. After the scholar went on his way, the shepherd quickly forgot what the scholar had taught him. So he no longer prayed. He couldn't remember the new prayers, and he afraid to recite his old prayer after the scholar's admonition.

In a dream the scholar saw that he was to be punished if he did not go back and tell the shepherd that he should pray as he used to pray. He was informed that he was stealing away a person who was on the path to the World to Come. The scholar awoke and immediately went to find the shepherd. He asked the shepherd what he was praying, and the shepherd told him that he wasn't praying any longer at all. The scholar then said "I made a mistake when I told you to stop praying in that manner..."

There is such a lesson here in the way in which we often relate to those who are less Torah knowledgeable. When we try to show them the "right" way to do something, do we always realize the possible consequences? If we give them a task, as Halachically valid as the task may be, that is beyond their present ability, for whatever reason, are we setting them up for future disillusionment? When we try to get them to rid themselves of practices to which they are accustomed because of Halachic issues we find in those practices, are we not taking the risk of robbing them of sincerely heartfelt service to God for which we are offering no credible substitute?

Strict Observance or Concern for Others?

2010-08-18T11:42:00.002-04:00

The Sefer Chasidim an ancient work on Jewish Law & Customs writes the following about prayer: The root of prayer is having one's heart happy with G-d... This is why King David played his harp each time he prayed to fill his heart with joy of the love of G-d...
Those who are incapable of pronouncing the words properly and at times their improper speech causes them to say things that are blasphemous, may still say the prayer service. Our Creator who examines our hearts only asks for the heart of man; that it should be whole with Him. As the person in unaware of how to pray properly, God considers it as if he said it correctly. Similarly those who read Pesukei D'Zimrah with a loud singing voice and do not know what the verses mean and are therefore saying them improperly, their prayer and singing is accepted like an offering with a beautiful scent. G-d rejoices over him.
There was once a Kohen who was unable to pronounce a word in the Priestly Blessing properly, he would say ישמדך (destroy you) rather then ישמרך (protect you). A local rabbi forbade him from giving the blessing any longer. The rabbi was then sent a heavenly sign that if he did not recant what he told the Kohen he would be held strictly responsible.
I would like to point out that there are many Halachic issues that come up with mispronouncing words. Issues which are germane whether one is leading the services, and even if one is praying alone. Despite those issues, the Sefer Chasidim is making it clear that one who is sincerely doing his best has his prayers accepted as if they were expertly pronounced. And one who rejects someone who cannot pray with perfect or even proper diction, will be called to task for his rejection.

The Energy of the Aleph Bet

2010-06-05T22:02:00.004-04:00

We have written in the past of parallels and connections between science and Kabbalistic thought. Today's post will continue on that theme.

The Sefer Yetzirah one of the oldest known Kabbalistic works teaches that God used the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet to form the soul of every creation. In his commentary the Vilna Gaon writes that these letters are the spiritual power which the Midrash describes as enjoining the plant to grow. These letters give life to the plant and instruct it to grow.

As I read this the word DNA comes to mind. In truth every plant, animal and human has an alphabet encoded within itself with instructions for growth built in.

Once again I wonder if they are both describing the same process; one from a physical perspective and one from the spiritual perspective...

Furthermore I was reading about the distinction between a human artisan and God. When a human artisan has completed an object the objects continued existence and functionality is not dependant on him. This can be contrasted with God who even after He has created something, including the Universe, His will is needed to keep it in existence. Were he to remove His will for even a moment from something, it would cease to exist. Additionally, we are taught that it is the study of Torah which keeps the world connected to God so that it does not, indeed, cease to exist.

This lead me to some thoughts which still need a lot more fleshing out.

Why is it that all objects in existence need God's constant will for them to continue to exist?

The fact is that even though some object may look very solid to us, everything in existence is made up of atoms and then smaller sub-atomic particles. According to String Theory the most fundamental particles are small "strings" which vibrate. It is the speed of the vibration that determines what type of particle it is (obviously this is an oversimplification). The upshot of this is that it is only through the continued subatomic energy, the continued vibrating of the strings, that anything can go on existing. If the vibrating stops...

We are also taught in Kabbalistic works that the interface between the physical and spiritual worlds, the level at which God touches creation is in what is to us the sub-atomic world of Quantum uncertainty. It is there that God, so to speak, keeps the strings spinning and gently nudges them in ways that are not scientifically predictable.

Back now to the letters of the Aleph-Bet. Earlier I compared them to DNA, and perhaps there is a connection there. But even more fundamentally we are taught that they are the building blocks of the physical world. Somehow the letters of the Aleph-Bet manifest themselves as strings vibrating according to whatever letter they are. Perhaps it is the study of Torah and the articulation of the letters of the Aleph-Bet that result from that study that connects to the fundamental energy of the letters keeping them, and the whole world, vibrating.

Celtic Similarities

2010-05-02T13:59:00.003-04:00

Reading a book called The Sea Kingdoms, The History of Celtic Britain and Ireland, I was struck by some interesting cultural parallels between Celtic tradition and Judaism. On page 7 a description is given of the last battle between a truly Celtic army and the British army. The soldiers in the Celtic army prepared for battle by reciting their lineage going back up to 100 generations. This reminds me of what the Torah describes each time a Jewish army is formed about the people recalling their families to their father's homes.
The second thing I found interesting is that the Celtic community on the Isle of Man required that their judges memorize the entirety of their common law. Once a year they gather together for a public recital of their laws. Until 1690 they did not allow the law to be written down at all, and only then did they permit it because they were forced to do so by the British. Until 1919 any law not recited at the yearly gathering had no force. This reminded me very much of the Oral Law of the Torah.

If You Play With Fire

2010-04-11T15:53:00.004-04:00

The Stories

Yesterday we read in shul the story of the death of Nadav and Avihu. Someone at my table on Friday evening mentioned that the story seemed very negative. Those words lodged in my mind until the next morning as I was reading the Haftorah for that week which talks about the return of the Aron (Ark) to Israel and the death of Uza when he reached out to the Aron. The story continues by showing us of the great blessing the Aron brought in the home of Oved Edom HaGiti as well as the celebration that followed when Dovid followed up on his plans to bring the Aron home. That part doesn't seem too negative.

What is really going on in these two stories? The fact that the story of Uza is chosen as the Haftorah shows us that there is a connection between the two stories. What is it?

Filtering of God's Light

One of the most significant processes of Creation was that of God's hiding his manifest presence. Had He not done so we would not have the ability to exist as independent entities. Only by filtering His Infinite Light an innumerable number of times is there room for us to exist. Those who delve into the deepest secrets of Kabbalah, if they are not properly prepared beforehand run the risk of lacking proper grounding. If they then peer behind the walls built around God's light and see more than they are capable of handling, they can find their souls sucked out of their bodies and reunited with God.

A classic example of this is the story of the four sages who entered the Pardes. Ben Azzai died, the others were severely injured. Only Rabbi Akiva who had sufficient grounding was capable of withstanding the experience.

The Sin at Sinai

At Mt. Sinai the Torah refers to those who ויחזו את האלוקים ויאכלו וישתו, and they saw God and they ate and drank. These people went beyond the boundaries established by God at Mt. Sinai and experienced God on a deeper level than they were meant to. in reality their souls should have left them, but God kept them whole for the time being. ואל אצילי בני ישראל לא שלח ידו And to the Great people in Israel God did not send out His hand. Our Sages understand that these people were Nadav and Avihu.

God bided his time until they repeated their error. At the dedication of the משכן (Tabernacle) they once again strayed deeper into the experience of God than that which they were qualified for. They came in with a strange fire, a desire that was foreign to where they were truly holding. our sages said that they were guilty of not consulting with Moshe as to how they should conduct themselves. Had they asked him, he would have warned them that they lacked the proper grounding for what they were attempting. They were שתויי יין, drunk in the literal sense. But יין is intimately connected to סוד (they share the same Gematria) and they allowed themselves to delve to deep into the Kabbalistic secrets. Their souls connected to the Infinity of God and left their physical bodies.

The Ark

This scene repeated itself 500 years later as the Ark was being carried and Uza walked along. most people assume that Uza stuck out his hand as the oxen stumbled and the Aron began to slip. But a careful reading of the verses shows that they don't say that. The verse says וישלח עזה אל ארון האלוקים, it doesn't have the word יד in the verse. I believe it is telling us that when Uza saw the Aron's ability to carry itself, that it had slipped itself off of the oxen and was carrying itself, he was drawn into this great manifestation of God's miracle. He was drawn into the Aron in a spiritual sense, and his soul left his body as well.

God was upset there because Uza had strayed beyond his zone of safety, but breaking the barriers of God's walls and peering into the Infinite Light can carry one's soul into that Light.

Seder Prop Ideas

2010-03-18T13:45:00.005-04:00

I was approached by my wife and by a friend of mine for ideas as to how to make the seder more interesting for kids. In response I have been working on some ideas for a more interactive way of telling over the Hagaddah, as well as a wide selction of props to use. To date I have come up with the following ideas:

Food props, including the following from the Illinios Nut Company:

Passover Green Frogs, Passover Chocolate Ten Plagues, Passover Chocolate Seder Plate, Wild Beasts.

Jug of Blood

Animal Masks

Animal Finger Puppets

Large Wild Animals

Insect Flyers

Giant Louse

Grasshopper

Innovation

2010-03-10T17:20:00.002-05:00

The Chidushei Harim taught that each generation has its own paradigm of how to overcome the challenges of its time. The focus of those in a position of leadership and giving direction to others has to be on the challenges of the present. Not those of the past or of the future.

For this reason, as we approach Passover, a holiday whose focus is on sharing values with the younger generation, it is worth spending time contemplating what sort of pedagogical methodology will successfully impart the timeless Seder message to the next generation. We cannot simply rely on commentaries and customs of the past to educate the young, but need to find the current trends that will address the unique needs and challenges of the present generation.

Connecting the Heart

2010-02-23T21:33:00.002-05:00

For years I have tried to figure out how to properly daven (pray). Most of those efforts were focused externally. I have purchased countless seforim (books) each one offering its own approach to proper prayer. I read Yesod V'Shoresh HaAvodah 25 years ago or so, and found it to be a very intense workout. I am not sure if I got much more than intensity from it, as well as an attempt to direct my mood during davening according to the dictates of the sefer.

Since that time I have had books from a German perspective, from a Chasidic perspective, from a Lithuanian perspective, anthologies, halachic based works, and Kabbalistic works. Nothing has really done the trick for me long term.

Eventually I learned where my error lay. I was approaching davening with my head and it is meant to be approached by the heart. My pursuit of understanding was rooted in the same type of intellectual endeavors I devoted to Torah study. But to succeed in this arena I need to put my logic on the back burner and move my emotions to the front.

I saw this point brought out beautifully in Yam HaChochmah as he discusses people who invest davening energy into complex Kabbalistic kavanos. He points out that the point of these exercises is to enhance ones experience; to enable their hearts to cleave to God even more. But if they are causing him to lose his heart and engage his brain, he is better off sticking to the simple explanation of the davening.

Although I am not one who is into Kabbalistic Names of God during my davening, this admonition opened me up to realizing the error of my emphasis. Now, if I could only engage my heart properly...

Connected

2010-02-21T19:46:00.003-05:00

Ever wonder what עדן, Eden in English, really means? Most translators render it as a form of a word meaning pleasure. God placed his first-created people in a Garden of Pleasure.

The other day I saw a different interpretation on the word. Based on verses in Iyov (Job) and Samuel, Rabbi Mendel of Shklov, one of the foremost students of the Gaon of Vilna, maintains that the word Eden means connected.

To my understanding, then, the concept of the Garden of Eden, was that it was a Garden of Connection. It was a place where Adam could be connected to God and all of creation. The exile from the Garden meant that that Adam, and all of mankind, were cut off from that level of connection to God, and to the world at large. Achieving that connection again is our goal in all of our activities as we work to establish a meaningful relationship with God again.

The Sea - Part II - The Light

2010-02-10T14:53:00.005-05:00

It may seem obvious that God is omnipresent; many of us are taught that as children. However, this is a concept that occupies a central place in Judaism, and all of Kaballistic study is geared towards bringing a person to a deeper understanding of this fundamental point, and to enable his soul to perceive the Light of Creation.
When Mashiach comes everyone will be aware that God is Omnipresent, it will be patently obvious, unlike nowadays when things appear to contradict this. Achieving this awareness is the greatest pleasure a human can have. Even though it is impossible to fully achieve this level of understanding today, through the study of the secrets of the Torah we have the ability to slowly begin to approach it. As our cognizance of God rises, our ability to see His light increases.
The first step is to gain an appreciation of the fact of His Omnipresence, the next is to comprehend that He gives life, existence really, too all of Creation

The Sea - Part One- Laying the Groundwork

2010-02-08T22:32:00.004-05:00

The other day, on a whim, I picked up a sefer (Hebrew book) entitled Yam HaChochma. This is the most recent edition of the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchok Morgenstern of Yerushalaim. I have seen editions from other years before, but for some reason was never inclined to purchase them. This week I finally got smart; and I wasn't disappointed. Much of what I have read so far has been very meaningful to me. Similar to what I had been doing for a long time in my Lev Tahor blog, sharing the writings of a particular work, I will try to share with you some of his thoughts on this blog over the next few weeks.

Just as God presented us with the revealed portions of the Torah at Mt. Sinai which teach us the actions which God expects us to perform and are recorded in works such as the Talmud and Shulchan Aruch, so too He directed us how to do the inner work through which we can fulfill the duties of the heart. These include the directives to love, fear and develop a relationship with God, as well as the injunctions to believe in God and in his Unity. Ultimately all the commandments, even those involving physical actions, are there to assist Man in fulfilling the inner mitzvos. And just as God instructed Moshe in the details of the physical mitzvos, so too he was instructed in the details of how to fulfill the inner mitzvos as well.

The credo of the Jewish people is the Shema שמע ישראל ה' אלוקינו ה' אחד, Hear O' Israel the Lord is Our God, the Lord is One. The Baal HaTanya explains that Shema (hear) is an active verb. It means to take the time to contemplate the message of this verse, not to just sit back passively and listen.

We are, therefore, to contemplate the Oneness of God. What does it mean? According to the Ramchal this incorporates two aspects of oneness. First of all the fact that He fills and surrounds all of Creation; there is no place empty of Him. Secondly, that he is One in terms of running the world.

Rabbit at Worship

2010-01-31T18:57:00.004-05:00

The Talmud in Tractate Megillah discusses the changes made by 72 sages to the Torah as they translated it for an Egyptian king. One of the changes described by the Talmud is that in the list of un-Kosher animals they wrote "The short-legged animal," rather than the "rabbi" because the kings wife's (אשתו) name was rabbit. They were afraid that would they write rabbit as an unclean animal he would take it as a personal affront to his wife, even to the extent that he would think they had inserted it just to get ridicule her.
I mentioned this to my wife and she told me that the Egyptians had a fertility god that was symbolized by a rabbit. That got me thinking. Some further research led me to an interesting hypothesis about what the Gemara was really saying.
The Egyptian fertility goddess Isis is understood by some to be properly pronounced as Ishet. It was a derivative of the Assyrian goddess Ashteroth, which was a fertility deity, often represented by a rabbit. Many understand this to be the pagan antecedent to the Easter holiday. You can hear echoes of the word Easter in Ashteroth.
My suggestion, therefore, is as follows. The conventional way to understand the Talmud is that "ishto", his wife, meaning the wife of Ptolemy was named rabbit. But, perhaps we can understand it to mean that ishto means his fertility god Ishet was represented by a rabbi, which is why the translators of the Torah were afraid of upsetting him by writing that a rabbit was an unclean animal.

Tu B'Shevat

2010-01-28T19:51:00.000-05:00

Importance of making a bracha on fruit on Tu'B'Shevat

Try Again

2009-12-09T22:25:00.004-05:00

The Kozhnitzer Maggid once asked a friend whether after saying his prayers did he try to study a subject that he could not previously master. The friend said that he did not. The Maggid then said, "In your prayers you ask God to give you more understanding of Torah. If you don't believe in the efficacy of your prayer, by virtue of the fact that you don't bother to see if it worked, how can you expect the prayer to have any effect?!"

13 - The Lucky Number

2009-12-04T07:59:00.002-05:00

The Ariza"l writes that the world is built of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The nekudot (vowels) represent God's guidance of the world. There are a total of ten Hebrew vowels, but since tzeirei has two dots and segol has three that adds up to a total of thirteen. These represent the 13 attributes with which God runs the world. Each attribute contains within it the full gamut of spiritual power. Spiritual powers are called in Hebrew sefirot. As there are ten sefirot, the 13 attributes represent 130 distinct powers.

As such, when Adam sinned he damaged the way the world was running. He defiled in some manner those 130 powers with which God was running the world. That is why he spent 130 years repenting for his sin. It was not until the time of Jacob who had 130 years of difficult life that the process of redemption from the damage really began. It culminated in the birth of Moses to his mother who was then 130 years old. That is why she saw that he was good when he was born, because he represented the good that was now coming to be after all the bad since the sin of Adam.

Entropy

2009-11-29T16:46:00.003-05:00

The Second Law of Thermodynamics, otherwise known as the law of Entropy, teaches that all systems will naturally tend to be disorganized, as that is the state with the highest probability. Any organized state will tend to become more disorganized over time.

I was thinking about this in terms of Torah. At the time the Torah was give all of the Jewish People were united; certainly a state of low entropy. Over time this unity has dissipated until that state is not found. Indeed during out High Holiday prayers we ask God to bring about the time when all of humanity recognizes Him and unites in His service. Again, a state of low entropy. But this seems to be a state that is unattainable without the coming of Moshiach. The world, left to its own devices, alone, will continue to tend to trend to more and more disunity and disorganization. It will take the open hand of God to reverse that trend.

The Torah itself was a much more unified work when it was given. Although today there is disagreement over almost every point of Jewish law, it was not always that way. When the Torah was given there was 1,000 years of agreement as to Halacha. Now, however, as entropy has set in, the disunity within the Torah has caused division.

Dvar Torah - Parshas Vayaytzay

2009-11-26T21:26:00.001-05:00

Discussion of the need for self-motivation to develop a relationship with God.

Where did Yitzchok go?

2009-11-18T13:59:00.002-05:00

Rabbi Yosef Karo remains one of the most important figures in the development of Halacha, practical Jewish Law. Less known, is the fact that he was also a significant Kabbalist. He was visited regularly by an angel who shared with him Torah insights. In the year 1585 on the night of the 22 of Cheshvan the angel shared the following with him:

Why does Parshat Toledot begin by saying "These are the happenings of Yitzchok the son of Avraham?" Don't we already know who Yitzchok's father is? Even more puzzling is the next phrase which says "Avraham begat Yitzchok." This seems to just be repeating the superfluous lineage that was anyway just mentioned.

By explanation the angel told him that the reason why Yitzcchok was unmarried at age 37 was because he represented din the spiritual force in the Universe which represents constriction and limitation. This is not a force which represents increase in the form of having offspring. The Akedat Yitzchok, the Binding of Yitzchok, was done in order to mitigate in some way the force of that din. Similar to the slaughtering of animals before they are eaten, which is done in order to remove the blood in them which represents din, so too, some of Yitzchok's blood had to be shed to minimize his din.

This was the miracle of the Akeida that God performed in order to enable Yitzchok to have offspring. At the moment Avraham drew blood from Yitzchok, the soul of Yitzchok left him, and at that moment Sarah's soul left her as well. Sarah, the life partner of Avraham, represented chesed, the spiritual force of abundance, the opposite of din. Her soul then united with that of Yitzchok to create a soul which combined the two forces, allowing him to father children.

Yitzchok then spent three years in Gan Eden recuperating from the injury inflicted on him.

These are the offspring of Yitzchok the son of Avraham; Yitzchok only ended up having offspring as he was the son of Avraham who represented Chesed. But it was necessary first for Avraham to beget Yitzchok an additional time before this could occur.

Did he know?

2009-11-17T23:50:00.002-05:00

This week's Torah portion features the debut of עשיו Esau the Torah's poster child for wickedness and evil. Despite having grown up in the house of righteous parents, and in certain ways conducting himself as if he too was righteous, in reality he was morally bankrupt.

Did he have any understanding of his own corruption? Did he realize what he was?

I saw a few years ago in the Chassidic commentary Shem miShmuel, that he had no idea that he was so corrupt. The reason for this was that it never dawned on him that he might be a completely corrupt person. As such he never stopped to examine himself to see if that was a possibility.

JooDoo

2009-11-10T14:03:00.004-05:00

I stumbled across something interesting, fascinating indeed, the other day. But I am not sure what to make of it. The Sefer Chasidim is a nearly thousand year old work written by a German rabbi. It is a compendium of Jewish law, custom, and lore. There is a whole cottage industry of debate as to how much we are meant to rely on its words. Be that as it may, I found something interesting referenced from the Sefer Chasidim the other day.

When I got home and looked it up, it wasn't there. I checked the source gain, it still wasn't there. Then I noticed a small asterisk. Apparently what I was looking for had been removed by an earlier publisher from the text. Possibly it was done at the insistence of Christian censors in Europe. Possibly a publisher feared this would lead to ridicule so he left it out. I did find it in an appendix from a more recent publisher in the back. I don't know where this idea comes from in Jewish tradition, other than this one source.

"Every person has a mazal in heaven. If you draw the picture of a thief on the wall and then bang the eye of the thief in the picture, the thief's eye will be in pain. This is because the mazal of a person protects him, as long as he is connected to his mazal. By drawing the picture the mazal is drawn away from the person and removes its protection."

I think that is what he means.

Perhaps this is why certain rabbis do not allow their photos to be taken....

Financial Honesty

2009-11-09T23:13:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine was lamenting to me today about a story he had heard of someone he respected who has now been accused of financial impropriety. In the post-Madoff world in which we live it is probably hard to shock anyone any longer; but my friend was still having a rough time dealing with it.

The reality is that we are all human beings, we all have temptations, we all (most of us at any rate) have financial pressures which tempt us to be less than 100% honest in financial dealings. These stories devastate us because we look upon certain people and expect them to be above reproach. But the truth is, no one is above reproach. The Torah is replete with stories of the great leaders of the Jewish Nation, people such as Moses or David, who erred or sinned greatly.

The real trick to life is how does someone deal with it after they have sinned. That is what you should look at. To err is human, to truly repent is divine.

I take as an example the Spinka Rebbe who was involved in a money laundering scheme. At the time he was initially charged a loud chorus of shock, surprise and righteous indignation was heard. But what impressed me was a speech the Rebbe gave a few months ago in which he acknowledged that the institutions under his leadership had long had the attitude that they could not survive without acting outside the law. He said that he now saw that this was a mistake and he pledged not to allow any more illegalities under his watch.

This coming clean, demonstrating an understanding of the cause of the wrongdoing, and pledging for it to end, is truly an act of repentance. Perhaps of the sort in which the example shown to others, is worth having done the sin to begin with.

Communication Specialist

2009-10-14T08:08:00.003-04:00

When God blew into Adam's nostrils the Soul of Life, Jewish tradition teaches us that this refers to the power of speech.

Yes, there are many animals that have the ability to communicate to one another. Communication is not unique to the human race. The power of speech described here, and that which is unique to the human race, is the ability to communicate and to share what is going on in one's own soul.

Humans alone possess the ability to share their inner worlds with one another. By doing so we edify ourselves and offer others the opportunity to benefit from the wisdom that we have acquired. This aspect of sharing is the key to building a successful world.

Kabalistically, when God initially created the Universe, the spiritual building blocks he used, the ten sefirot were unable to work together. The word began to fall apart. It was only when they were properly aligned, sharing each sefirah's property with the others, that the world could exist.

The same is true today. It is only by sharing and partnering our spiritual abilities and understandings that the world can properly exist. Otherwise, our power to communicate is no different than that of the animal kingdom.

Teshuva - Return - Part II

2009-09-03T21:31:00.003-04:00

As I shared my earlier post with a dear friend, he seemed a bit surprised. He mentioned that he had always thought that the idea of the High Holidays was simply to work on behavior modification. Even more so, he said that he thought the main thing was to focus on the past and do your best to get rid of it. "You, on the other hand, are speaking of renewal."
Indeed, I have been. The primary focus of this time of year should not be to wallow int he sorrow and upsetness of the wrongs of our past, but to focus on how we can become different people so that our future is not a reflection or repetition of the past.
Strewn as the past may be with the detritus of our mistakes we have to tell ourselves that whatever we may have done in error was all part of God's plan to bring us to the point where he wants us to be today. Our focus today must be on where it is that we wish to head for the future...

Return - Part I

2009-08-31T08:37:00.003-04:00

We are right in the middle of the Hebrew month of Elul (אלול), a time when we are meant to be contemplating what we would like our future relationship with God to be like. Elul shares the same Gematria (numerical value) as the word Binah (בינה), understanding (they both equal 67). What is the significance of this numerical relationship?

For many (perhaps most) people the High Holidays are a time of resolving to improve their behavior, the actions they do each and every day. For some reason it never seems to work the way we want it to. Despite all the sincere resolutions of a better behaved future, people usually seem to revert to their old behavioral patterns pretty quickly. That is because resolving to be better without taking the time to achieve any understanding of why we act in the way we do will ultimately not accomplish anything.

Elul is the time for Binah, for taking the time to understand ourselves and where we stand before God and why. Once we arrive at that understanding we can move on and truly change.

Slingshot

2009-08-18T20:55:00.003-04:00

Abigail, future wife of King David, prophesied that her then husband would end up being punished by God in a Kaf HaKelah, these words are usually translated as a slingshot. Jewish tradition teaches us that it refers to the soul of the person being tossed back and forth by angels. The thought of angels playing posthumous catch with your soul might sound intriguing, and even frightening, but what does it mean? Why would God design such a punishment? This last question is especially important because God always repays people measure for measure. How does being the ball in an eternal game of catch fit the description of measure for measure?

Ancient commentators explain that this divine retribution was designed for a limited set of people. It was for people who had the ability to keep their minds focused on the spiritual aspects of their lives, right brain activities, and instead chose to focus on more mundane activities. Their eternal reward is one in which they are tossed first to one angel, the angel that accompanies them to a place where they are able to enjoy and focus on the spiritual delights they could have had in this world. Just when they begin to appreciate what they could have had, they are whisked away and thrown to another angel who makes them experience the life of this world, with all its faults, sadness and wasted opportunities.

We create our own realities. What we put out is what comes back to us. We choose where our minds and hearts are during our lifetimes, and by doing so choose where they will be for eternity.

Finding God in Idol Worship

2009-08-17T06:48:00.004-04:00

A person approached the Baal Shem Tov and asked him what was wrong with idol worship. After all, the Baal Shem Tov taught that God permeates all, and there is nothing in the world that is devoid of God; including presumably idol worship. (Indeed the Talmud teaches us that when the Torah says "There is nothing besides Him," that it means to include the Black Arts.)

Rabbi Issaac of Komarna records this story in a number of places in his Torah commentary. The questioner does have a valid point. There are elements of holiness scattered throughout all of creation. Our adventure of life is really one in which we interact with people and objects with the aim of freeing these captive elements of holiness and incorporating them with our own consciousness. We can do so intentionally, for example by performing a mitzvah (commandment) and intending the performance to serve as a vehicle for free the elements of holiness within the object that is used for the mitzvah. Even when committing a sin, and oftentimes unintentionally, our interactions free up these lost sparks.

Each freed spark of holiness brings us one step closer to the ultimate destiny of the world, which is reuniting these elements in the cognizance of spirituality. So, yes, even within idol worship, there is God. What needs to be kept in mind is that those elements of God can achieve their destiny in many ways. Just as interacting by embracing the idol can incorporate those elements within us, so too can we accomplish that be rejecting the idol worship. Any interaction can free those captive sparks of holiness. God has encouraged us through His Torah to choose the more refined manner of freeing those sparks and not the coarser ways.

For a full treatment of this topic, I would encourage you to read a fascinating book entitled You Are What You Hate. The author provides an excellent overview of Kabbalistic thought, and then leads into a beautifully woven exposition of the concept of finding the lost elements of holiness.

Positive Speaking

2009-07-28T15:20:00.005-04:00

This past Shabbos we read the first chapter of Isiah. the prophet first laments the fact that the people of Israel had nearly become as evil as the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. In the very next verse, the prophet then refers to the people as inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Talmudic sages are puzzled by this. They had almost become like the Sodomites according to the first verse, but they were not Sodomites. Why then does he call them Sodomites immediately after?

The Talmud explains that we see from here the power of words. Don't open your mouth for the Satan. Once the prophet spoke out even the possibility of their becoming Sodomites, they immediately became so. When we express fears and negative thoughts, our words have power, and they can become true.

Of course the reverse is true as well. When one expresses positive ideas, hopes, and plans, verbalizing them can bring them to fruition.

Positive thinking and positive speaking create future positive realities.

Magic on Earth

2009-07-23T21:42:00.002-04:00

The Bais HaMikdosh (Temple) in Jerusalem was a magical place. Tradition tells us that there were miracles occurring there on a daily basis. It was a space and time warp. Entering its confines meant you were leaving the zone in which the laws of nature applied, and you were entering into a world where the rule of God was evident.

People who came to visit the Bais HaMikdosh came away awe-inspired by the sight they had seen. The majestic power of God left them inspired as they returned home to their mundane lives.

But there was trouble in this magical world; people who saw the trees, could frequently not find the forest. So amazing were the miracles that people often neglected to see, or to find, the roots of the spiritual power that lay beneath them. The glitz and glamour of the miracles wowed them but they failed to stop to find out how that should affect the way they lived their lives.

Nowadays people frequently fall into the same trap when they meet a highly spiritual person. They will often come away from such a meeting having adopted some of the superficial mannerisms and customs of this saintly person, but neglect to truly get the message of the inner self-evaluation that enabled this person to achieve spiritual heights.

So God decided that he had to take away the Bais HaMikdosh from us. It wasn't serving its purpose. It was creating generations of people who were superficially righteous, but internally had much left to be desired. God exiled us from the place of this magic and sent us searching through the world to find all the places in which He had hidden Himself waiting to be found. But this time He would not be found in neon lights. He would only be found by those willing to do the blue-collar grunt work of sifting through the frailties in their own selves and finding God within.

On Wednesday evening, August 29 and Thursday, August 30, we commemorate the loss of the Bais HaMikdash. Rather than focus on the loss, let's rededicate ourselves to what we received in exchange: the ability to find God within ourselves and within any place in the world, as long as we look honestly and sincerely.

Mayhem - Part II

2009-07-18T22:45:00.003-04:00

The thoughts I wrote in my post a few minutes ago have really plagued me all Shabbos long. One of the things I realized is that even though we know how we "should" behave, all too often we allow ourselves to become convinced that there is something more important than what we know is proper.
A rebbe who should know better than to be angry and violent, may convince himself that for the sake of education it is permitted. Even worse, he will convince himself and distort the teachings of scripture and of our sages to justify physical or emotional abuse.
In the case of protesters, I am wiling to bet that generally speaking many of these people are kind, polite, and decent people. Yet, for some reason they are managing to convince themselves that these outrages being perpetrated to them by the municipal authorities in Jerusalem are such a religious affront, that it justifies their acting in a most reprehensible manner in return.
The same may be true for the camp directors who defy local building, safety and health codes. I bet that in general the camp leaders emphasize proper behavior and decorum on the part of the campers. They surely expect the campers to follow rules and regulations even if the campers do not like them. Surely the camp has safety rules as well. Why then can't they understand that the camp itself must follow the direction of the local officials too? I suspect again that they convince themselves that their holy task of allowing their campers to thrive in a wholesome Jewish environment for the summer, outweighs the need to heed the law.
When I shared this with someone this afternoon, the response I got was that if my suspicion is correct, then this behavior is no different in nature than that of people who feel that their religious dictates justify dispensing with any sense of law and morality and going and killing others in the name of what they feel is religiously correct? Where do you draw the line?
I want to reiterate what I said in the last post. I am as guilty, in my own way, of the same sort of wrongdoings. I too have used religion as a means of justifying and encouraging my own improper behavior, and to do things I should have known not to do. I point the finger at myself every bit as much as at anyone else.

Mayhem - Part I

2009-07-18T22:13:00.003-04:00

"Those who toil in Torah for altruistic reasons, merit many things." So says the first Mishnah in the Sixth Chapter of Ethics of Our Fathers. Why doesn't that always work?

I will make it clear to begin with that I point the finger at myself as much as at any other individual or group. I only raise the issue now because of the many things I have heard and seen over the past week that are really beginning to get to me about this issue.

As I said, I will point the finger at myself first. Although I have spent many years of my life focused on Torah study, and have had the merit to study and teach much Torah, there have been many occasions on which I have been less than a perfect example of what the Torah is meant to produce. What has been wrong with my Torah study that it has failed to bring out in me all the wonderful things it should have?

Perhaps it is me, you might argue. But someone mentioned to me about the violence he suffered at the hands of his fifth-grade rebbe and showed me the physical scars, and shared a bit of the emotional ones. I had the same rebbe. He was violent and brutal. Why didn't his Torah study refine him as it "should have?"

I read of the violent protests going on in Jerusalem and quite frankly am filled with shame and embarrassment. I don't begrudge the protesters the right to protest. But have they stopped to think about the way they are beginning to look to the rest of the world? Is their motive truly altruistic and born of a righteous indignation, or are they using the parking lot and other issues as an excuse to vent their own anger at who-knows-what. These people all look like they are serious students of Torah and I certainly don't question that. But why hasn't their Torah study refined their character?

I read on various frum news sites of the health and building code violations of various chassidic camps in the Catskills and the camp proprietors refusal to heed the government officials. I feel the same shame and embarrassment. Where is the refinement from Torah study there?

My point here is not to bash the charedi world. My point is to encourage all of those of us who feel that we are part of the world, or somehow related to it, to stop and take pause.

Why are we how we are? Are we what we should or could be? Do we realize what we are doing half the time?

The Rock

2009-06-29T18:02:00.002-04:00

Moses is severely chastised in this week's Torah portion for hitting a rock to bring forth water, when God had told him to bring about the miracle by speaking to the rock. He is criticized for failing to Sanctify the Name of God.

This seems a bit strange, after all, hitting a rock and having water come out would seem to be a pretty significant miracle in its own right! What is so wrong about impressing the people with the ability for God to bring about a miracle by hitting instead of speaking?

The Kabbalists explain this with a verse in Proverbs which explains that a slave does not respond to speaking - a child does. They explain that hitting a rock and bringing forth water only demonstrates that God is the Master of Creation; all that exists is subservient to his will. Creation is His slave, so to speak. It doesn't demonstrate, however, that God is the Creator of All, and that He - His Presence and Will - permeates all. Speaking to the rock and having it bring forth water would have shown that Moses could bring forth the Will of God that is present in the rock, that the rock is permeated with God and responds to His word.

Doing so would have brought about a much higher consciousness of God's presence in this world. Forgoing this opportunity is what Moses was chastised for.

The Borders of Israel

2009-06-10T15:12:00.002-04:00

The Torah intriguingly places the prohibition of owning inaccurate weights and measure immediately preceding the mandate to destroy the nation of Amalek. The medieval commentator Rashi explains this juxtaposition by explaining that when the Jewish Nation allows corrupt weights and measures, God responds by allowing our enemies to invade.
The Maharal of Prague, a 16th Century Kabbalist, elaborates on Rashi’s comment. He explains that by prohibiting inaccurate weights the Torah wants to instill in the people the concept that God placed boundaries in the world. Each person has his own space within which no one else is permitted to encroach. One person’s sphere on influence, power, and possession extends only so far. No one else may on his sphere, nor may he extend himself into the domain of another. This is symbolized by the very exact nature of weights and measures. In a commercial transaction, scrupulous measuring reminds us of the exactitude of what belongs to one party and what belongs to the other.
When we are not careful with the accuracy of our weights, explains the Maharal, it indicates a lack of respect for boundaries on our part. God responds by allowing other nation to disrespect our boundaries, by attacking and attempting to take away our land.
Sharing this with a class this morning, my mind went immediately to the current situation in Israel. Why is God allowing the entire world to demand of Israel to allow its borders to be encroached? Is there possibly a connection between the current situation and what the Maharal is writing?
We wring our hands and wonder what there is to do about the alarming state of the Middle East. Perhaps this is a place to start. Are we careful about not overstepping financial bounds when dealing with others? Do we respect the other people’s space, or do we frequently make ourselves at home where we don’t belong and take liberties with others’ rights and property?
If we want our boundaries to be respected, we need to respect them, in all their manifestations, as well.

Long Hair etc.

2009-06-07T08:10:00.007-04:00

Yesterday's Torah portion discussed the idea of Nazir, a person who makes a vow and is thereby forbidden to cut his hair, drink wine, or defile himself by contact with the dead (e.g. attending funerals, or visiting cemeteries) for at least thirty days. Such a person is referred to as Kadosh (holy) by the Torah.
Why are these three elements needed to complete the profile of the Nazir. What do they signify? Kabbalistic thought teaches us that in the uppermost spiritual worlds all that can be seen is the infinite and unbounded kindness of God which is referred to as Chesed. In the process of creation, in order to leave room for Creation to exist, as well as to allow for free will and the ability to do wrong, this Chesed was subject to limitations and boundaries. The trait of binding and limiting is referred to as Din. We therefore live in world that is a mix of Chesed and Din and spend our lifetimes navigating the waters between them.
The Nazir, by contrast, is attempting by means of his vow and subsequent abstinence to raise himself up as much as possible to the spiritual worlds in which there is only Chesed and Din is completely absent.
It is for this reason that he is instructed to refrain from wine and all grape products. The redness of wine is a symbol of bloodshed, surely an act of Din. Death and all that is associated with it is also a product of Din. The Nazir has no place associating with either of these phenomena.
Kabbalsitic thought also teaches us that in the uppermost spiritual realms, hair represents the media through which God's Chesed is received and then transmitted to others. As that is the realm in which the Nazir wishes to temporarily repose, he should maximize his Chesed transmitting hair as much as possible.
Another way to understand the prohibition against drinking wine and shaving is that people often drink wine in order to enhance their spirit. Living in this world of a mix of Chesed and Din it can often be difficult to get in touch with one's Chesed side without the aid of some wine. The Nazir, inhabiting a world of Chesed at all times, should have no need for a boost to achieve that consciousness. Additionally, by inhabiting that upper world of the spiritual he is bringing himself to a point where Adam was prior to his sin. That is a world in which death has no part, therefore he should have no part of death.
These explanations can open our eyes to a better understanding of the most famous of all Nizirim, Shimshon (Samson). That will wait for the next post.

New Baltimore Yeshiva

2009-06-05T07:46:00.003-04:00

The JCC Atrium was the scene of a community meeting on the evening of June 2. The focus of the meeting was the issues many parents of Middle and High School boys are having with the current Yeshiva offerings in Baltimore, and a suggestion and model for a new Yeshiva. The presenters at the meeting did a thorough job delineating the reasons why many boys are not thriving at present in the local schools. On the basis of an extensive investigation of educational models, they presented a plan for a yeshiva based on their findings. The plan is centered around drastically smaller class sizes than are currently found in most schools, a shorter school day, and teaching methodologies that are geared towards the needs of the individual students. There is a proposed tuition of $7,000 which will be required of every student. Several of the attendees asked questions about the details of the school, to a large extent detailed responses were not forthcoming as the school is still in the planning stages and if it is to take off there are many details still to be worked out.With that said, I find myself very concerned about two issues that came up.At the meeting I asked what the criterion would be for determining which students would be best suited to thrive in the new school. As the present system is failing certain students who cannot fit into the standard school model, it would seem necessary to develop a system by which to ensure, or at least attempt, that any school does not accept students who cannot fit into its model. The answer given was that there would be psychologists and educators who would evaluate each student who applies for entry. That is an admirable idea, but that still begs the question as to what those psychologists and educators will be looking for.Have the organizers of this meeting given any thought as to how it is that they will succeed in educating each child according to his needs. How will they determine those specific needs? How will they identify those teachers who are capable of meeting those needs? How will they identify students who would do better remaining in the present school structure?The fact is that there are readily available tools to help determine the answers to these questions. These tools can help identify why it is that a student is not functioning in his current environment, and point the way to determining what he needs to succeed. I have administered these tests to adults and children and have had mine, and their eyes opened by the insights offered. I would be more than happy to discuss these diagnostic options with any concerned parent.My dream, along these lines, is to start a vocational yeshiva high school. There are many boys whose educational style makes them open to learning in a hands-on manner, rather than in the book reading and thinking manner that is classically utilized in yeshivas. The learning of Torah would not be minimized, but adapted in a manner to maximize the learning style of such students. The secular subjects would be geared also to a more hands-on style so the boys would be educated to the fullest, in the manner that they are best equipped to handle.The other concern I have is the suggested $7,000 tuition. If there are 12 students to a class, as they proposed, how will they meet their expenses with a budget of $84,000 per class. They are planning to have two rabbeim for the 12 students as well as a secular studies teacher. There will be overhead and other incidental expenses. If the pay for the rabbeim and teachers is as low as it will have to be to fit within that budget, what will the quality of those instructors be? I commend the organizers of the meeting for putting the issue of Middle and High School education squarely on the table for the Baltimore community. The large turnout testifies to the frustration of many parents and the need for a change. There is, at the same time much work left to be done.
After writing these words I had the opportunity to share my concerns with one of the meeting's organizers. He listened carefully and offered me a response. He explained to me what his budget numbers were, and why he felt they would work. While I understood why he felt the numbers would work, I must confess that I remain a bit skeptical. I hope I am wrong. As far as my concerns with determining who would fit best in this model, he assured me that they were planning to use tools such as those I described above to assess who would best fit their school model, and how to best educate their students.
There is no question we need a new school. I hope this is the answer!

JCC revisited

2009-05-18T15:47:00.004-04:00

This past Thursday I was speaking with a friend in another town. He mentioned that other "Orthodox" people there had arranged with the local JCC to be able to use the facilities on Shabbos without needed to use their bar codes and therefore violate the Shabbos.
That made me think about the scene here in Baltimore every Shabbos in Wellwood. There are countless families there enjoying Shabbos in a manner that certainly shows the proper respect for the day. But there are others, no longer dressed in Shabbos clothes, who spend their afternoon playing all manner of sporing activities. Can you imagine the reaction of non-Orthodox people who would see this? "The Orthodox want us to keep the JCC closed, yet they themselves are playing ball on Shabbos!"
After sharing this concern with a few people, one friend told me that a non-Orthodox friend of his, to whom he had sent an invitation to the Shabbos rally, was so incensed by what she saw on Shabbos at Wellwood, that she told him that she wanted no part of Orthodoxy anymore.
We need to clean our own house first. And that goes for every one of us, even those not playing ball. Are we honoring Shabbos to the extent it should be honored based on our individual level of understanding and education? Until we can answer "yes" to that question, perhaps we need to stop suggesting to others how to live their Shabbos.

Love Across Boundaries

2009-05-14T14:19:00.002-04:00

Once again the Baltimore Jewish Community is struggling with the issue of opening the local Jewish Community Center on Shabbos. I was reading a number of articles in the Baltimore Jewish Times on the subject, when something struck me. One article quoted Orthodox rabbis such as Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg, the late Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Israel, and Rabbi Yissachar Frand, still on the Ner Israel staff, as saying that they are concerned and care about their non-Orthodox fellow community members and about the Shabbos observance, such as it is, of those community members.When I mentioned this to a friend who carefully wends his way through the philosophical minefield that exists within the Orthodox and non-Orthodox communities, he responded to me by saying that the Orthodox concern about caring about their Shabbos as well comes across as condescending. It seems that we never hear from members of the Orthodox community about how much they care about those outside that community on a personal basis, until such time as there is a chance of the JCC opening on Shabbos. Even more so, we rarely find members of the Orthodox community acting in a manner that shows that they truly care about their non-Orthodox fellows in the community. Other than attempts at outreach, essentially trying to get the other community members to become Orthodox, we don't find that those in the Orthodox community care about others as they are and where they are now. We don't find mutual respect and honor.We live in a very polarized community. That is why intra-communal debates such as this one, find it difficult to arrive at a meeting of minds that rarely communicate with each other.

Allow me to offer an example. There is a rally scheduled for this Sunday to show the community's concern about the possibility of the JCC opening. It is clear that there are people outside the Orthodox community who are disturbed by this turn of events as well. Are they being invited to attend? If a Conservative or Reform rabbi was opposed to the opening, will he be welcome on the dais alongside the Orthodox rabbis? I suspect the answer is no. Even when we are preaching of our love and concern for our neighbor, we are building and strengthening fences at the same time.

I see this division so clearly demonstrated at the juncture of Baltimore and Pikesville, near Park Heights and Slade. You have lined up in a row Temple Oheb Shalom on one side of Park Heights Avenue, and across the street Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, each representing the Reform communities. Right in the backyard of Baltimore Hebrew is located Suburban Orthodox Congregation. Do these congregations ever get together and celebrate their joint heritage? Do the Orthodox and Reform neighbors even know each other at all? Isn't it sad that we can be so close and yet so far?

Lag B'Omer Thoughts

2009-05-11T14:04:00.003-04:00

The following is a free rendition of an interesting insight of the Chidushei HaRim, the founder of the Gerer Chassidic Dynsasty.

Lag B'Omer, which falls out Monday night, May 11 and Tuesday, May 12 this year, is seen as a celebration of the life's work of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. One of the leading sages of his generation for his teaching of the conventional portions of Torah, he is best known for his Kabbalistic teachings and for laying down the foundations of Jewish mysticism and spirituality. He famously spent thirteen years hiding in a cave after being sentenced to death by the Roman occupiers of Palestine. The Talmud tells the story of how that occurred.

One day he was sitting with two of his contemporaries, Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Yose. Rabbi Yehudah began to praise the Roman government for all the public works projects they were building in Palestine. He felt that they were benefiting the Jews as well. Rabbi Yose remained silent in response. Rabbi Shimon criticized the Romans and said that they were only doing it for self aggrandizement.

When the Romans heard about this conversation, they appointed Rabbi Yehudah as the foremost spokesperson for the Jews. Rabbi Yose, for his silence, was exiled. Rabbi Shimon was sentenced to death for his criticism. To save his life he ran and hid in a cave for thirteen years.

The Chidushei HaRim suggests that the names of these sages indicate that they shared the souls of some of the sons of Yaakov (Jacob). Jewish tradition already teaches us that the sages of their generation, immediately after the destruction of the Second Temple, were held responsible by God for the sale of Yosef (Joseph) 1500 years earlier. This was because they shared the souls of the brothers who had sold Yosef long ago.

Yehudah (Judah), the son of Yaakov, is found already in the Torah as the spokesperson for his family. Tradition teaches us that he repented for his part in the sale of Yosef, and was already forgiven by God for his part. That is why Rebbe Yehudah, his spiritual descendant, was now given the chance to take a leadership position as the spokesperson for the Jewish nation.

Yosef is criticized for his silence. When his brothers met with him on their arrival in Egypt and had no idea who he was, they repeatedly referred to their father as "your servant." Five times Yosef heard this term of disrespect for his father and was silent. As a result, Rabbi Yose was now silent as well. He was sent to Tzippori (Sepphoris) to exile. The Talmud teaches us that Tzippori was a town in which one could learn how to refrain from improper speech. Certainly an appropriate exile for his history of wrongdoing.

Finally, Shimon (Simon) was the brother who was most responsible for the sale of Yosef. He actually wanted his siblings to execute Yosef, but in the end was overruled and Yosef was thrown into the pit instead. That is why Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai was now sentenced to death by the Romans, but in the end spent many years in a cave instead.

The Zohar teaches that just as Yosef was the brother who took the primary lead in offering physical sustenance to his family, he was also the one who was supposed to offer spiritual sustenance. When his brothers sold him, they destroyed the conduit by which he was able to transmit to them spiritual sustenance. Shimon, as the primary mover behind that sale, had the main responsibility for the lack of spiritual sustenance for the Jewish people. It therefore fell to his spiritual descendant, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, to reopen those channels through the writing of the Zohar and the teaching of Jewish spirituality.

This was his Tikkun (rectification) for the wrongdoing his spiritual ancestor had committed so many years before.

Love, love me do

2009-04-29T13:22:00.003-04:00

A friend of mine wrote the following to me on Facebook in response to a comment about feeling God's love:
No argument with the general idea of your statement. Even so, to fill one's self with "G*dly Love"... How is that done exactly? Reminds me of the oh-so-familiar commandment to Love G*d with...How does One mandate love in the other or somehow insist upon it within oneself? I can see the "emulation" of loving behavior (for it is an action) but to will a feeling [?]; never met anyone who could do it & say so honestly.
The question he is asking is an old one. The Torah can tell me that I must do something and I have the ability to force myself to do it, even if I don't particularly feel like doing it. But when it comes to feelings and thoughts, how can the Torah mandate that I must think or feel a certain way. I cannot force myself to feel in a way I don't feel.
Love my neighbor? The guy is a low down creep! Fear God? But I don't!
The standard answer is that if you don't feel in the manner prescribed by the Torah, what is expected of you is to take the time to investigate how you are feeling and how you should feel. Do the research to learn how others have coped with such situations. Learn how they have succeeded in bringing new feelings into their hearts. You aren't the first one struggling with this issue, you can find pointers in the right direction.
So, in answer to your first question, how does one fill himself with Godly love, I would recommend starting to read Tehilim (psalms) on a regular basis. Don't just read it, stop and contemplate the messages, allow them to permeate your heart and become a part of yourself. Maybe read the commentary of Hirsch to help get a deeper feeling for the messages. Pray to God that He helps you feel his love.
Do these things and you will find His love.

Survivors Club

2009-04-28T14:27:00.002-04:00

I have been reading a book called Survivors Club in which I saw the fascinating story of Ellin Klor who tripped one day and found a four inch knitting needle embedded in her chest. Miraculously, even though the needle went into her heart, she was not bleeding. She kept her wits about her until paramedics arrived. She was carefully moved to the hospital, where the needle was removed and her heart sewn up. The needle, while injuring her, had also saved her by keeping her heart sealed up during the trauma.

She wasn't done yet. A couple of weeks later, still feeling unwell, she returned to the hospital for a follow-up CT scan. The scan, while showing her injuries healing fine, also showed the early stages of breast cancer. Due to the early detection she was able to successfully fight the cancer.

So, what seemed to be a terrible injury, the knitting needles, turned out to be a life saver, as it led to early cancer detection. Click on her name above and you can get more details of the story.

Something similar happened to one of my children a year ago. He went for a MRI due to suspicion of having appendicitis. He did need to have his appendix removed. While looking at the MRI the doctor noticed something strange on his femur. It was a non-cancerous cyst which was eating away at the bone. Had it not been caught, he could have woken up one day and found his leg seriously cracked. This way, we were able to have him operated on, and the situation (which was reaching the critical point) was resolved.

Amazing how God works. What seems to be a difficult trauma, ends up saving a person from what was potentially even worse trauma. And these are just two stories in which we are able to clearly see what God did; how He used what seemed to be bad, for what was truly a good purpose.

Do we ever stop to think about the times that things go wrong, and we don't even realize how we are being protected from potential problems we don't even know existed? There is so much going on around us of which we are not even remotely aware. We need to use examples such as these to give us pause to realize that what looks like it is bad, may not be. Even if we don't know yet how or why.

Scholar?

2009-04-20T15:44:00.002-04:00

I was looking over Pesach at a Hagaddah that was chock full of stories. One of them concerned me greatly. It told of a famous rabbi who declared about another person that if he spent time going on outings with his wife then there was no possible way he could be a Torah scholar.
This disturbed me greatly. Actually, I was raised to some extent on a diet of such stories. Stories which claimed that in order to be a great scholar, and by extension, to be the type of person God wants you to be, that it is necessary to forgo all normal family relationships. Not that one should not marry and have a family, but not to be too involved, and allow oneself to be too caught up in those relationships. A few stories illustrating that point linger in my mind. The wife of a Rosh Yeshiva whose school I attended, famously never told her husband when she went into labor with a child, so as not to disturb his learning.
I don't think such stories help build good marriages, and set up youngsters with realistic expectations of what marriage should and could be. It is beyond me why such stories are taught, published, and promoted.
I contrast that with Breslev teachings of people like Rabbi Shalom Aroush and Lazer Brody about the topic of marriage. So much healthier!

The Rabbi and the King

2008-12-06T20:39:00.003-05:00

"What should I be thinking about as I pray," asked my friend. "I am naturally inclined to focus on my personal needs and those of my family. On the other hand we are taught that one should really not focus on his own needs, but on the pain of God for the fact that we are in exile and not able to serve Him fully. It is difficult for me to concentrate on that, but if I focus on my personal needs I end up feeling guilty."
I thought about his dilemma for a few moments and then told him that I agreed that it wasn't natural for a person to pray with out any focus on his own needs. Perhaps the following story could illustrate what our sages have in mind when they tell us to focus on the pain of the Schechina (presence of God).
During WWII the Nazis occupied the country of Morocco. They imprisoned the King of Morocco. One day his captors decided to put him on trial for his life, and were leading him through the streets of Fez to his trial and certain conviction and death. On his way he noticed the Baba Sali walking down the street with his son. The Baba Sali was trying to avoid the attention of the Nazi guards, but the king, who had previously met his as the respresentative of tMoroccan Jewry, called him over.
"Give your son a blessing," the King commanded the Baba Sali. Nervous of the Nazis, the Baba Sali mumbled a quick blessing. "No," said the king, "You must give him a truly heartfelt blessing."" Seeing he had no choice, the Baba Sali gave his son a lenghty and menaingful blessing. As he was about to conclude his blessing, the king said to him "Include me in the blessing as well." The Baba Sali did so.
The king was not killed and after the war he invited the Baba Sali to the palace to thank him for his blessing. The Baba Sali expressed surprise at the request the king had made of him years before. "Why did you ask me to bless my son," he asked. "Whhy didn't you just ask me to give you a blessing?" "I wanted you to give me a blessing from the bottom of your heart," the kinng explained. Had you just blessed me it wouldn't have been so heartfelt. Once you were giving the blessing to your son I knew it was coming from the deepest place in your heart, I then asked you to include me in it."
In the same way, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for us to truly be able to approach God and just feel His pain. However, when we first focus on and feel our personal and family pain, we can then transfer that feeling towards God, and feel His pain as well.
So, yes, we must feel our own pain, it is the vehicle through which we can come to feeling the pain of God.

Testing...Testing...

2008-11-09T12:01:00.003-05:00

In this week's Torah portion the Patriarch Abraham concludes the ten tests which God has placed before him. Many are troubled by God's putting him through these ordeals. Doesn't God know what is in the heart of Abraham? Doesn't he know that Abraham has love for God and truly understands the concept of fear of God? Why must God put him in the crucible as well?
I believe that in order to answer this question we need to understand why it is that God created the world. The father of modern Kabalah, the Arizal, writes that God had within Himself every possible good trait that exists. That was not sufficient, however. God needed to bring all of these traits to practice, he had to make them real. Otherwise, they were meaningless.
Each of us has a part of God within ourselves, we are chips off the old block, so to speak. To get the most out of our existence in this Universe, we need to be as Godlike as possible. Just as God had to make his good traits real, so too it is with us. It isn't enough to be kind, or loving in the heart, you must exercise that trait with respect to someone else to make it real.

The portion concludes with a short lesson on the offspring of the brother of Abraham. Many wonder why it is placed in this location. Some suggest that it is to tie in the birth of Rivka to the Binding of Isaac so as to teach us when she was born.

I would like to suggest an additional approach. Many find tests and the idea of tests difficult. Who was the prototype in the Bible for a person who is tested? Iyov-Job. Unlike Abraham of whom the Torah only describes his behavior in overcoming the tests and does not teach us of any struggles he underwent until he was able to pass them, in the case of Job the struggles are there for us to see. We can ponder and debate the philosophical issues that plagued him.

Job came from the land of Utz. Utz was a nephew of Avraham, the oldest one in fact as recorded here at the end of the Torah portion. At the conclusion of Abraham's tests the Torah wanted to allude to us about someone else who would be tested. It therefore mentions the birth of the grandfather of Job.

Babel

2008-10-30T15:27:00.002-04:00

What were the Tower of Babel people trying to do? What was so bad about it? Why did they deserve the punishment they received?

A glance at the Torah will show you that the exact crime they committed is not clearly explained. The various commentators offer countless approaches to understand. I saw an interesting one in the Ma'or Va'Shemesh, which offers some thought provoking points. Rather than offering you a translation of his words, I am adapting it and shaping it a bit. He bears no responsibility for what I am writing here if I err.

Avraham Avinu came to teach the world about monotheism, about the unity of one God. Nimrod, the leading proponent of paganism in his time realized that this threatened the hegemony of the pagan gods. He realized the need to combat Avraham's efforts, and to do so he worked to unite all the known people to form a bulwark against him.

There is something ironic about this. The message of One God is in and of itself a message of unity. Ultimately it is only through the understanding that there is one god that man can and will come to unity. The pagan message of mulatiple gods is one that naturally leads itself to diunity and fraction, as there was infighting amongst those gods themselves. Nimrod was using what should have been the tool of Avraham, against Avraham.

He took his people into the tower. I wonder if he was doing that to keep them in, or to keep others out. I see it as sort of a Berlin Wall, striving to keep out the ideas of an Avraham.

God destroed it as they were using the forces of unity for disunity.It was doomed to failure from the start as it was predicated on an invalid premise.

This should, however, lead those of us who do believe in monotheism to think about our own unity and disunity. Surely unity is where we belong and we should direct our efforts to that end.

Relationship with G-d - Part II

2008-09-09T20:51:00.001-04:00

I was asked: If you believe that it is the relationship that is so important, why then do we actually have to do the Mitzvos? Just have a relationship without their being any Mitzvos to be done.
I gave a two-part answer. First of all, any relationship that does not put demands on a person is not a real relationship.
Secondly, the Arizal explains at the beginning of Etz Chayim that the reason why Hashem created the world was that even though He had all the finest attributes in the world, they could not be made real until and unless they had a place to manifest themselves. Latent abilities that do not find a place in the real world are meaningless.
The same is true for us as well. It is all fine and good for us to have a “relationship” with God and all sorts of wonderful feelings and thoughts directed towards Him. But until and unless these feelings are brought into reality in this world they are meaningless.
Combine this with the fact that the entire point of creation was to bring latent abilities into reality, and it is clear that our doing so as well enables us to connect to the very forces of creation.

Developing a Relationship with G-d

2008-09-08T12:12:00.001-04:00

The other day my wife had a very busy schedule and was feeling a bit overwhelmed. As I had the day off from work, she asked me if I could see to it that the laundry was done. I spent much of the day focused on the laundry. I ran seven loads through the washer and dryer and got much of it folded.
Did my doing the laundry create a marital relationship between myself and my wife? The answer is surely “no.” After all, she could have brought the laundry to a laundromat for them to do. Would that have created a marital relationship between her and the attendant? Or, if we had a maid and she did the laundry, would that have created such a relationship? It is only due to the fact that my wife and I already have a relationship in marriage that doing the laundry can enhance that relationship by being an act of love, concern, and kindness. But the act itself, without any relational context, is meaningless.
The same is true of our performing acts of Mitzvos. An action alone cannot create a relationship. It is only when a person already has a relationship with his Creator, that these acts have meaning within the context of that relationship. But one who tries to perform more and more Mitzvos without any effort to truly develop such a relationship as a foundation, is just playing with soap suds that will melt away and leave him with nothing of substance.
This idea would seem to be borne out by a verse in Devarim 10:12-13. וְעַתָּה֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מָ֚ה ה' אֱלֹקיךָ שֹׁאֵ֖ל מֵעִמָּ֑ךְ כִּ֣י אִם־לְ֠יִרְאָה אֶת־ ה' אֱלֹקיךָ לָלֶ֤כֶת בְּכָל־דְּרָכָיו֙ וּלְאַהֲבָ֣ה אֹתֹ֔ו וְלַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־ ה' אֱלֹקיךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֖ וּבְכָל־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃ לִשְׁמֹ֞ר אֶת־מִצְוֹ֤ת ה' וְאֶת־חֻקֹּתָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיֹּ֑ום לְטֹ֖וב לָֽךְ׃ And now, Israel, what does the Lord your G-d ask of you, but that you fear the Lord your G-d to walk in all His ways, and to love Him and serve the Lord your G-d with all your heart and all your soul, to observe the Mitzvos of Hashem and His statutes, that I command you today for your good.
These verses delineate five steps culminating in Mitzvah observance.
We begin with fear. Since the fear described here leads to love, it cannot possibly be the base fear of punishment. Such a fear is one which constricts a person, not one which expands his consciousness until he can develop a love for G-d. Rather, the fear referred to here is one that we would usually call awe. There is a relationship between the Hebrew word for fear, יראה, and the word for vision, ראיה. I believe the verse is telling us that the first step is to develop an awareness of G-d, the ability to “see” Him, so to speak, and by gaining an appreciation for who He is we develop an awe of Him.
This awe is the first stirring of a desire for a relationship. The person then begins to walk in G-d’s ways by emulating His behavior. Those traits which underscore the reasons for G-d’s creation of the world in the first place and which G-d manifests towards us become a part of the core of the person as well.
As the person deepens his understanding of G-d, now that he shares similar traits, his relationship can progress to the level of love. Once he is in a loving relationship the person feels a natural desire to serve G-d, just as in a loving relationship with another person there is a desire to do something for the one who is loved. (The Hebrew word for love, אהבה, has the word הב, to give, as its root.)
It is only at this point, once the person has a well developed relationship with G-d, that the Torah says “to observe the Mitzvos.” Only at this point can ones Mitzvah observance truly be infused with meaning.
Throughout our history people have struggled with this concept. Many have spent a lifetime pursuing Mitzvah observance diligently and scrupulously, while all along lacking a relationship with G-d. Doeg haAdomi, the head of the Sanhedrin during the reign of Shaul haMelech is offered as the paradigm for one whose Torah is merely superficial. We can only speculate at how great his Torah scholarship must have been to achieve the position he attained, but his subsequent behavior demonstrated for all that it lacked substance.
Why is this such a common problem, more common than not in all probability? The Maharal of Prague addresses this issue in his introduction to Tiferes Yisroel. He quotes the Gemara in Nedarim which says that one of the reasons why Torah scholars frequently do not have children who are Torah scholars is because they neglect to recite the blessing on the Torah. Later the Talmud says that the reason for the destruction of the First Temple was because the people neglected to recite the blessing on the Torah.
This seems quite puzzling. First of all, why would the Torah scholars neglect the blessing on the Torah? Secondly, how is it that prior to the destruction of the First Temple the entire nation ceased to recite the blessing? And, even if they did neglect it, why is that grounds for such destruction and devastation?
The Maharal explains that the idea of the blessing is to remind the person that as he studies Torah he wants to use it as a vehicle to connect to G-d, the Giver of the Torah. Too often Torah scholars develop a relationship with the Torah, they enjoy the intellectual pursuit that it offers, and never take it farther to develop a true relationship with G-d. They may be reciting the blessing, but they are doing so without the intent that it contains. As such it doesn’t accomplish the goal for which it was designed.
He likens it to someone who loves a branch of a tree. Due to his love for the branch he tends to it very carefully, but neglects to care for the trunk as well. In the end the trunk withers and dies and with it his beloved trunk. So too, one who develops a relationship with the Torah that is devoid of a relationship with G-d creates a situation in which he will end up without the Torah either. This, the Maharal explains, is what occurred at the time of the destruction of the First Temple.
Similarly, the Noam Elimelech describes a situation in which someone notices the beautiful and graceful manner in which a Tzaddik performs a Mitzvah. Enamored with the scene that he has just witnessed, the person decides that he will perform the Mitzvah in the exact same manner as this Tzaddik has done. But when he performs it it lacks all the grace of the Tzaddik. Why is this? When the Tzaddik was doing the Mitzvah he was connecting to G-d through the Mitzvah. As such, the spiritual forces within the Mitzvah filled the part of his body with which he did the Mitzvah. That is the source of the beauty and grace that was seen by others. But the emulator is only emulating the act; he lacks the connection to G-d which can define it and give it soul. His behavior looks awkward. He is worshipping the act and connecting to it, not to G-d.
This is the pit into which many observant Jews fall. Our being raised on a heavy diet of Mitzvah performance, being taught at a young age that we need to do Mitzvos to get Olam Habah (a selfish reason, and missing the essence of G-d’s selflessness that should define our behavior), the emphasis in the last few decades on Mitzvah notes and the like, has left people counting Mitzvah “Brownie points” and focusing on their relationship with the Mitzvos, rather than on their relationship with G-d.
A good place to start working on your relationship with G-d is the book Mesilas Yesharim, Path of the Just, by Rabbi Moshe Chayim Luzatto. Often referred to as a work of mussar, the true intent of the author is to give the reader the tools for developing a relationship with G-d. In his introduction he enumerates some of the issues we mentioned above as to why people find it difficult to develop a relationship with G-d. As he continues, he lays out a plan for developing that relationship.
In this essay we have focused on the difficulties, in a future essay we will offer some solutions and tips on how to develop the desired relationship.

To the anonymous commentator

2008-08-19T20:45:00.002-04:00

Someone anonymously published some comments on this blog today expressing deep frustration over certain aspects of <frum life. The writer also mentioned a fear of being attacked by members of his/her community because of the comments being made.
I would like to invite the writer to feel free to continue sharing an honest assessment of what troubles the Orthodox Community. It is only through an honest look in the mirror that we can ever hope to improve. If the writer would like to continue discussing these points beyond the confines of my blog, he or she can feel free to email me for a personal discussion about these issues either in person or by phone. I assure the writer that any discussions will be kept confidential.

Mutual help groups

2008-08-19T14:12:00.001-04:00

A student of mine from Los Angeles once told me that he spent four years in a Yeshiva which was across the street from a modeling school. “They always spoke to us,” he said, “about guarding our eyes , but they never taught us how
to have the self-control to guard our eyes.” There is only one way they could have done so. That would have been for one of the rabbeim to stand up and say “When I was your age I was challenged by the temptation to look at women. This is how I handled it…” There is no one as wise as a person with experience . But it takes the humility to admit your weaknesses and struggles and to share how you overcame them.
Much of what is taught as Mussar and encouragement teaches people the ideals for which they should strive. What is generally lacking, however, is true, practical, direction on how to successfully change oneself in order to reach that ideal. The result is frequently frustration for those who wish they could achieve it and lack the knowledge of how to get there, or people putting on a front of reaching the ideal, while not having done the internal work to truly get there. They remain superficial.
I read once in a book by Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski that burnout results from giving someone a job, but not giving him the tools to do it properly. The result is disenchantment and unhappiness . Mutual self‐help groups in which people are willing to honestly share their struggles with people who are similarly struggling, and with moderators who are prepared to direct the discussions towards practical solutions
in a non‐judgemental and non‐threatening atmosphere, are the way to lead people to truly changing themselves and to leading happier more fulfilling lives.

ואהבת לריעך כמוך Love your Neighbor

2008-08-18T14:49:00.002-04:00

One Rosh Hashanah a woman I knew intended to invite a guest over for a meal. Due to her busy schedule she forgot to. On Rosh Hashanah she saw her desired guest going home from shul with someone else. She ran over and created a scene by insisting that the guest should come to her home because she had intended to invite her it was her חסד (kindness) to do. After much impassioned pleading she had her way.
My wife once said to me that the idea of doing חסד (kindness) without אהבה (love) was completely foreign to her until she entered the Jewish community.
Need I say more?
Only when people truly understand the love of ' ה (G-d) for us, and integrate within themselves the knowledge that Creation was an act of love, will they then be able to truly embrace the love of others as connecting to the most fundamental force of Creation. Until then much of what passes for love and kindness, wonderful as it is in
many cases, will still be superficial.
The Temple's destruction came because of שנאת חנם (unwarranted hatred), we can only rectify that with אהבת חנם (unwarranted love), such as that which G-d has for us.

God Created the World out of Love

2008-08-17T15:41:00.001-04:00

I love you (Malachi 1:2) אהבתי אתכם

2008-08-17T11:55:00.003-04:00

In this week’s Baltimore Jewish Times Phil Jacobs, the Executive Editor, quotes a DEA agent who says that a teen once told him that when he takes Ecstacy he can feel his mother’s warm embrace.
Anyone getting involved in illegal drug use (or most any addictive behavior) is doing so because he is unable to find the warmth and love that he should be feeling from G-d. He, or she, turns to other activities in an attempt to fill the void left by an absence of G-d’s love. This is why acknowledging G-d is a fundamental component of all 12-Step programs.
For many people the awareness that G-d loves us is only superficial. They have not successfully integrated it into their psyche. To properly integrate it requires a much greater emphasis being put on this concept throughout all educational endeavors, from the home to elementary school and through adulthood. More effort needs to be expended in developing this concept in ways that can be understood and assimilated contemporarily.

Solutions and Suggestions

2008-08-17T11:36:00.005-04:00

I have written a response to the rabbi. Over the next few days I will post each part of my three-part suggestion on my blog. I welcome any constructive criticism as to how to improve upon these ideas. If you wish to be involved in implementing them, please contact me at rabbilando@torahempowerment.com.
Please keep in mind that for each one of these ideas pages and pages can be written. My plan is that they will be written.
This is only the beginning.

Who is hurting?

2008-08-14T21:45:00.005-04:00

I agree with everything the rabbi wrote, but I must add some things, and then offer my ideas as to the solution.
First off, there are sadly countless kids who are, as he put it "disenchanted, who are unhappy with life, unhappy with their families, unhappy with their leaders, unhappy with their schools and unhappy with themselves." What he neglects to mention is that there are as many adults, and possibly more, who feel the same way. The fact that children feel this way is for many of the same reasons adults do.
In recent years the plight of the teens has come to the forefront of our attention. The plight of adults has not. Why not?
I believe the reason is that most adults who feel that way fit into one of two categories. Either they are no longer frum or they are conducting themselves as frum people but there is no ruach in their Mitzvah observance, they are acting only out of rote. Either way, they are not acting out their dissatisfaction within the community in the blatantly open manner of the disaffected teens. They are invisibe.
Why do they remain within the fold if they feel that way? It is generally either because of family pressure, they don't want to hrt their kids, their parents, not to ruin the family reputation, or because of guilt.
These are prescriptions for misery.

A Rabbi's Letter

2008-08-14T21:44:00.005-04:00

The following was written by a local rabbi in response to the Backer tragedy. My comments on it will follow.
This Tisha B’Av our community mourned twice. One was our national mourning over the destruction of the Batei Mishkanos and all they represent to us. Mourning over the great hester panim and Shchinta b’gelusah and over our lack of closeness to the RB”SO. Although each person is an individual and mourns in his or her unique way the basic concepts are the same.
We mourned a second time for a young treasure that we had here in Baltimore that was taken away from us due to an accident. A treasure, because all of our children are treasures, or potential treasures. Rarely have so many people participated in a levaya here, and rarely have we seen such an outpouring of grief.
Many young people grieved for the loss of their dear friend who was plucked away from them. There were many friends who were there who were friends of the families who are mourning. I saw however many hundreds of people who were there who had no personal interaction with the niftar or his family. Why were they there? It is true, we acted as a community should when one of our own suffers such a terrible tragedy. However, I think that something different was happening. What we saw as an outpouring of grief due to what is happening in our community. Young boys and girls, disenchanted, who are unhappy with life, unhappy with their families, unhappy with their leaders, unhappy with their schools and unhappy with themselves. The levaya made a very deep impression on me,seeing so many of them.
What are we doing wrong? What can we do that will make a difference? Due to my position as a Rav of a Kehilla I fall into the category of “leaders”. I urge you to please come forward and let me know how you think I could do things differently. I welcome constructive criticism and look forward to it. I welcome your ideas about any other aspects of this problem.
A fire is burning in our community (as it is all over) and we must do something about it.
A Gutten Shabbos,

All you need is love...

2008-08-12T12:34:00.003-04:00

A friend asked me how I know that the message from the death of Chananya Backer is that the community needs to do more to reach out to kids who feel disconnected.
I don't know. But I do know this. A tragic death of a child whose funeral is attended by over 1,000 on Tisha B'Av, is clearly a message from G-d that he wants something from us. So even if I am missing the mark as to what that something is, my challenge to you is "What are you going to do about it?"
It is easy to walk away from such an event feeling moved an inspired to do something and then never do anything. You don't know what to do, you don't have the time to do. So we walk away and before we know it, it is all forgotten.
That is what we cannot do.
I believe, that especially on Tisha B'Av, the day more than any other on which we are meant to work on our interpersonal love, and learn to show unconditional love to others, that that must be an element of the message.

All the lonely people, where do they all belong

2008-08-11T05:45:00.006-04:00

Saturday night at our Tisha B'av Bonfire I spoke about loneliness. The Book of Eicha (Lamentations) begins with the words איכה ישבה בדד העיר רבתי עם היתה "How she sits alone, the city that [previously] had many people was..." This can perhaps be understood in a slightly more creative manner, that the prophet Yirmiyahu is lamenting about how can there be people who sit alone in a city that has many people.
Where is the love and concern for those who are lonely?
The prophet Yishaya (Isiah) berates the Nation for conducting fasts during which they do a wonderful job of fasting and doing acts of repentance, but they do nothing at all to show genuine care and love for those who are alone.
How are we spending our Tisha B'Av?
We are taught that the Bais haMikdash (Temple) was destroyed because of Sinas Chinam (unwarranted hatred). The only antidote for that must be the opposite, unwarranted love.
The most appropriate way for people to spend their Tisha B'Av would be by seeking out those who need love and offering it to them. By engaging in truly selfless acts.
Over the past decade or so Tisha B'Av in the Orthodox Jewish Community has become movie day. Many organizations produce and show vidoes for the Tisha B'Av entertainment industry. I will certainly concede that watching inspiring videos on Tisha B'Av, geared to keeping viewers minds on the theme of the day, os better than spending ones Tisha B'Av watching pre-season NFL games.
But inspiration only goes so far. Where is the le'masseh, the putting all that inspiration into action?
My wife and I had planned to spend a few hours Tisha B'Av afternoon bringing our family to a nursing home to ease the lonleliness of some of the patients there and to share some love. Our plans were dashed when we heard of the funeral of 16-year old Chananya Backer. I joined what was certainly more than 1,000 people at his funeral.
A common theme heard from the speakers was about how he and so many other teenagers feel misunderstood and alone. They spoke of the need to reach out to these kids and let them know how despite their struggles we love them and care.
What are we doing about it?

Video Response

2008-08-06T22:37:00.002-04:00

Quantum

2008-07-30T07:59:00.004-04:00

Physicists spend a lot of time in a state of confusion. It's an accupational hazard. To excel in physics is to embrace doubt while walking the winding road to clarity. The tantalizing discomfort of perplexity is what inspires othewise ordinary men and women to extraordinary feats of ingenuity and creativity; nothing quite focuses the mind like dissonant details awaiting harmonious resolution. But en route to explanation - during their search for new framewaorks to address outstanding questions - theorists must tread with considered step through the jungle of bewilderment, guided mostly by hunches, inklings, clues, and calculations. But don't lose sight of the fact that nothing comes easily. Nature does not give up her secrets lightly. The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene
The above quote can easily be applied to the study of Talmud, and the study of the Torah as a whole. Just as in the fundamental particles and principles of the physical world, confusion reigns and clarity comes only after a lifetime of struggling in bewilderment, the same is true when trying to comprehend the fundamental particles of the spiritual world.
And the same is true of life in general as well. Too often we think that things should be clear. Our life's purpose and mission should be clear to us, perhaps we think it is clear to us. We resent at times the need to struggle to properly understand Torah.
But that is how it is meant to be. This is the world of the struggle and bewilderment, not that of clarity.

Davening/Prayer

2008-07-20T08:33:00.002-04:00

What is the function of the morning prayers? Why do we get up every morning and pray? For whom are we doing it? Is it for us, or is it for G-d?

2006-10-04T12:54:00.001-04:00

Ramchal-Kinas Hashem Tzvakos-Amalek
עֲמָלֵק (Amalek) represents the טֻמְּאָה (Tumah-ritual impurity) that was placed into חַוָּה (Chava-Eve) by the נָחָשׁ (Nachash-Serpent) . This טֻמְּאָה (Tumah-ritual impurity) is also represented by the עָרְלָה (Orla-foreskin) which is why the גְּמָרָא (Gemara-Talmud) describes the חֵטְא (Chet-sin) of אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן (Adam HaRishon-Adam) as מוֹשֵׁךְ בְּעָרְלָתוֹ, that he enlarged his עָרְלָה (Orla-foreskin). When אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ (Abraham) reached the age of 99 he was informed that it was time to remove that טֻמְּאָה (Tumah-ritual impurity) and he would then be complete. This would constitute a removal of any connection to the סִטְרָא אַחְרָא (Sitra Achra-other side). In מִצְרַים (Mitzrayim-Egypt), which was known as the עֶרְוַת הָאָרֶץ, the corruption of the land, the Jews neglected to do בְּרִית מִילָה (cirumcision) which allowed the טֻמְּאָה (Tumah-ritual impurity) to encroach upon them again. This situation was reversed when they left מִצְרַים (Egypt) and had a בְּרִית (circumcision) on the way out.
To take this one step further, you need to understand that עֵשָו (Esau) represents the left side of טֻמְּאָה (גְּבוּרָה) where the טֻמְּאָה of the נָחָשׁ is greatest. He was the spiritual heir of קַיִן who was also from the צַד שְׂמֹאל (left side). Whereas עֵשָו merely possessed this טֻמְּאָה, his grandson עֲמָלֵק epitomized it. The good of קַיִן had gone to יִתְרוֹ whereas the רַע had gone to עֲמָלֵק. The descendants of יִתְרוֹ originally dwelled amongst the עַמָלֵיקִם, and it was once they separated from עֲמָלֵק, leaving עֲמָלֵק with only the רַע, that the destruction of עֲמָלֵק was possible.
The תּוֹרָה was given to כְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל in order to rid them of the טֻמְּאָה of the נָחָשׁ. This is why the concept of the power of תּוֹרָה is encapsulated in the פָּסוּק of זֹאת הַתּוֹרָה אָדָם כִּי יָמוּת בָּאֹהֶל (This is the law of a man who dies in a tent), on which חז"ל comment that תּוֹרָה will only remain by someone who kills himself over it. But why in a tent? The tent is an allusion to the tent of יַעֵל who was from the family of יִתְרוֹ. It was they who separated from the ultimate טֻמְּאָה, that of עֲמָלֵק. But the same goes for each of us, we must separate from the טֻמְּאָה of the נָחָשׁ that is within each of ourselves through the power of תּוֹרָה study.
עֵשָו by marrying into the family of יִשְׁמָעֵאל incorporated within his descendants also the right side of טֻמְּאָה, the side of חֶסֶד. It is for this reason the תּוֹרָה says וְהַיָּדַיִם יְדֵי עֵשָו, the hands are the hands of עֵשָו. The use of the plural indicates that both hands were now his. However, this is only if אֵין הַקּוֹל קוֹל יַעֲקֹב, if the voice isn't the voice of יַעֲקֹב. As long as his voice is being heard through the study of תּוֹרָה, עֵשָו has no hands.
On the way out of מְצָרִים the nation was attacked by עֲמָלֵק in רְפִידִים. The גְּמָרָא explains that this indicates שֶׁרָפוּ יְדֵיהֶם, that their hands were weakened in תּוֹרָה study. . That left עֲמָלֵק strong and the weak hands were pointing sideways, no longer cleaning the tent. עֲמָלֵק attacked כְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל and cut off their organs and tossed them to the sky. This was to indicate their rejection of the concept or removing the טֻמְּאָה through a בְּרִית. Still, they only managed to harm those who had been kicked out of the protective clouds due to their improper behavior. The סִטְרָא אַחְרָא only gets that which is already his.
מֹשֶׁה had to go the next morning and raise his hands. His hands to oppose the two hands of עשו. He went to רֹאשׁ הַגִּבְעָה, literally the top of the hill. But רֹאשׁ is occasionally used to mean the opening. Wherever there is an opening, the סִטְרָא אַחְרָא has an opportunity to take hold. It was there that מֹשֶׁה needed to be in order to protect כְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל. He stood there with the מַטֶּה, his staff which had been the נָחָשׁ and reverted to being the מַטֶּה to show the subordination of the טֻמְּאָה to the קְדֻשָּׁה.

The Book of Reproduction

2006-05-17T08:37:00.001-04:00

The ability, as well as the imperative, to reproduce is the very underpinning of creation. Kaballistic works, as well as the Song of Songs by King Solomon, abound with sexual metaphors, as reproductive unions are the basis for growth and development in the spiritual worlds, every bit as much as in the physical world. I would caution to keep in mind that in the spiritual realms we are not dealing with the identical tools as in the physical worlds. Indeed the Kaballists teach us that the true acts are the ones occuring in the spiritual worlds. Whatever activites we engage here with our physical selves, are but a faint relection of those acts, when transformed into activities that are possible when confined to the world of physicality.
The Bris Kehunas Olam therefore explains that this is why in Berishis (Genesis), the Book of Creation, we find only three Mitzvos (commandments), all of which have a connection to the reproductive act. The first comandment found there is פרו ורבו (Pru U'Rvu), be fruitful and multiply. The second commandment is that of ברית מילה (Bris Milah), circumcision. Finally there is one prohibition found, that of not consuming the גיד הנשה (Gid Hanasheh) the sciatic nerve.
This prohibition came into effect after the struggle between Yaakov and the Angel of Esau. Although Yaakov eventually was victorious, the angel did succeed in hurting his thigh. The thigh is used elsewhere to indicate the sexual organs. As such we can understand that that is where Yaakov was injured. Even if we do not wish to go so far, it is not a stretch to say that as Yaakov was hit near his sexual organ, the angel was attemtping to hurt him in such a manner as to prevent him from having any more children.
Our sages teach us that although the angel only caused minimal injury to Yaakov he did create a long term blemish in his offspring, such that there would be generations in which many would cease to follow the Torah. The fact that our sages make it clear that the injury affected his offspring would certainly support our contention that the intent of the injury was connected to affecting his reproductive capabilities.
Yosef is famous for his resistance to the sexual advances of the wife of Potiphar. His restraint in that case led to his naming his offspring names which reflect two of these fundamental commandments. His primary son was named אפרים (Ephraim). Yosef explained clearly that the reason for this name was that הפרני (Hifrani) that God increased me. Looking at the Hebrew letters you will see clearly that this name comes from the same root word as פרו (Pru) of being fruitful.
His other son was named מנשה (Menasheh). In his name we clearly see an echo of the word הנשה (Hahasheh) in the nerve that was affected by the angel.

Warhol

2006-05-08T09:33:00.001-04:00

Pirkei Avos (Ethics of Our Fathers) teaches us (4:3) not to treat anyone disgracefully, since אין לך אדם שאין לו שעה. Conventionally this is understood to mean that every person has his שעה, his time. Each person has his 15 minutes of fame, he has a purpose don't treat him disrespectfully.
The Magid of Kosnitz suggests that the word שעה can be understood differently based on Genesis 4:4-5. In that context the word means, attention. Specifically it refers to the attention of God. With his understanding the point of the lesson is that each person, by virtue of his very existence, is a testimony that he has God's attention. If God finds it worthwhile to give His attenion to this soul, and bring him down to this world, he must have a purpose here. Respect him for that.

Mixtures - כלאים

2006-05-07T19:25:00.001-04:00

The Torah forbids three types of mixtures, crossbreeding animals, crossing plants, and wearing garments containing wool and linen. The reason for these prohibitions is because in the heavenly spheres God appointed certain angels in charge of certain objects in this world. Each angel knows his place, and his task. Crossbreeding mixes those items, and rearranges the order of the world. This prevents the angels from channeling to the world the blessings they control in the proper places in the appropriate measure.
The mixing of wool and linen besides being call כלאים (Kilayim), as all other mixtures are, is also referred to by the Torah as שעטנז (Shaatnez). What is the meaning of this added name? The Talmud explains that this word teaches us the particular process of the manufacture of the threads in order for them to be forbidden.
On a deeper level the word שעטנז (Shhatnez) can be rearranged to read שטן עז (Satan Az), meaning that this mixture brings about a strong presence of the Satan. Why is this mixture more dangerous than the others? The others are found in ones field or ones flock, this one is being brought right on the body of the person himself. When one does so, he is inviting the impure forces of the Satan, represented by this mixture, right upon himself. By ding so he removes the forces of holiness from upon himself.

Rebuke

2006-05-05T18:13:00.001-04:00

We are taught that the 613 commandments of the Torah correspond to the letters in the Ten Commandments. Each commandment, in order, corresponds to another letter. Commandment 240 is the commandment to rebuke someone if you see them engaged in wrongdoing. It corresponds to the 240th letter in the Ten Commandments, the letter א (Aleph) . The Otsar HaChayim explains that this is to hint to you the root of the concept of rebuke.
One should not rebuke as a means of rejecting or putting down someone else. The Torah's concept of rebuke is that it should lead to unity, as represented by the letter א. א Which represents the word אחד (Echad-One) has the same numerical value as אהבה (Ahava-Love). This too is to remind us that rebuke must be an act born of love, not anger or hatered. When given in that manner it will lead to the unity of the א.

Laughter

2006-05-01T17:07:00.001-04:00

Only humans laugh, animals do not. This is because animals are from the physical, temporary aspect of creation. Laughter is not found in temporal things. Man can laugh as well as cry. Laughter comes form his spiritual/eternal side, crying from his physical/temporal side. With the destruction of the Temple, our sages taught us that one should not overly engage in laughter. As the physical aspects of the world are now in ascendancy, laughter cannot be the primary emotion. Only אז ימלא שחוק פינו, then, at the coming of Moshiach, can our mouths be full of laughter. This is also the reason why a baby cries as it is born. The soul has until now been in a totally spiritual place. Its introduction to the world of the physical, and a minimizing of the soul's connection to the spiritual, brings about crying.

Travel

2006-04-30T00:03:00.001-04:00

The Baal Shem Tov taught that in Galus (exile) it is possible to acheive רוח הקדש (the Divine Spirit) even if one isn't really fit for it. This is because in heaven they aren't as paricular about to whom they will give רוח הקדש in Exile as they are in the land of Israel.
This can be compared to a king who is travelling. When he stops for the night he does not expect his quarters to be as nice as the palace in which he usually dwells. This is not a disrespect for the king. Everyone understands that he is a king on the road.

Trampled

2006-04-27T23:44:00.001-04:00

The Haftorah for Parshas Metzora (which we aren't reading this week, as it is Rosh Chodesh) tells the story of the attendant at the gates of Shomron. There was starvation in Shomron due to a siege, and the Navi Elisha said that the following day the price of grain would drop to a very low price. The attendant responded that even if God would make windows (ארובות) in the heavens, such a thing could never happen. The Navi told him that he would see it, and not benefit from it. Sure enough, the following day the enemy suddenly ran away leaving huge stores of food behind. As the people rushed out of the city to plunder the food they trampled the attendant and the propechy of the Navi came true.
Conventionally we understand that the reason for his punishment was his lack of belief. The RAMA of Paano gives a different interpretation. He says that the statement about God making windows in the heavens was an allusion to the statement by the flood (מבול) where God opened the windows of heaven to bring floodwaters. The attendant was indicating that it was his opinion that the people were wicked and worthy of a flood, not of a miracle like Elisha was predicting. His punishment was due to his speaking ill of the Jewish nation.
In the same manner we can understand the story in Pesachim 64b about a man who was crushed on Erev Pesach during the bringing of the Korban Pesach in the Bais HaMikdosh. He came from the same school of thought as the attendant in Shomron. He stood there watching the millions of Jews bringing their sacrifices and looked at them with jaundiced and critical eyes. He was therefore trampled as well.

Mining

2006-04-26T19:20:00.000-04:00

Precious stones and minerals are usually found only after digging through much worthless dirt. Frequently one must chisel away at what is extraneous to get to what he wants, and sometimes he must put the raw material through the crucible in order to extract something of value.
The same is true when it comes to understanding precious and valuable messages which exist in the Torah. They are not always apparent at first sight. It is only after toil to get to the core of the issues, that one can properly find and appreciate the real message.

Eternal Damnation

2006-04-26T09:03:00.000-04:00

There are those who believe that when God punishes man posthumously for sins during his lifetime, the person will suffer eternally. This idea makes no sense. First of all, why should there be eternal punishment for a sin that was temporary? Why would God create a world to punish His creations, rather than to do good to them? So many people sin, did He create the world to wreak his vengeance on them? Doesn't it say "The world was built on Chesed (kindness)?" At the time of creation God said "It was very good." With a world in which so many succumb to sin, if they are all condemned to eternal damnation, doesn't sound like a very good world built on kindness! Furthemore God created the evil inclination and the temptations that are placed before man in this world, is He so cruel as to then use His invention as a means of punishing others forever?