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Transcribed and prepared by Anna Beller: The Ishbitzer says this is why you do Karpas with the vegetables. First of all you recreate what God did to the Jews, He gives you the light that you haven’t acquired on your own that you will make your won but has to be given to you first. The idea of sitting at the pesach table is that you’re striving but the only way you can reach the next stage is something that something isn’t your own yet, you don’t have it at all and what you earned from God is that He gives you what isn’t your own so that over the process of the seder you can make it your own.
You hear a nice thought on something you need to put it in your mindset so you can use it in the seder. So what are you doing with Karpas, you’re at vegetables because your striving for something that isn’t yours yet, you want more than what you have reached on your own. I want you to give it to me the same way a vegetable can only get it because You give it to them. I want You to give me something just as they did when they left Egypt. When You gave them the first mitzvah of matzah and Pesach. I am giving you influence of freedom now take it and use it, give the Karban Pesach. That freedom is that I have the capacity what Hashem has given me and make it my own. So now you have two thought from the Ishpitzer, they’re very practical.
The two cups of wine, to dream what freedom will be, you know you’re not free but you dream of what it will be like. A lot of people who already people who have it don’t enjoy it as much as those who have it. It’s the difference between a baal-teshuvah and a tzadik, he had or never had. A baal-tshuvah has lost or never had it. And by dreaming about it he can reach for it. Which is why it says what a Baal-teshuvah says is greater than what a Tzadik says. So when I’m drinking the first 2 cups of wine I understand I’m not a tzadick yet, I want to be a baal teshuvah, reach something and dream what I could be like and use my potential, fantasize about my possibilities. Imagine what it’d be like to be everything I’d like to be. And now that I don’t have it, it could be so much more. Part of the seder is to sense your vulnerability, as long as your in exile your vulnerable to other influences and to lose your desire to live in Israel. There are more Jews visiting Europe or Florida than visit Israel. More Israelis coming to the US than these making aliyah. So we are vulnerable. Part of what your doing in the seder is experiencing your vulnerability so we can dream about what it would be like to be free, free not of exile but external influences which are destructive. So it’s worth while to think before the seder what’s happening to me that are not things I want that are results of this
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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Transcribed by Anna Beller: We are now up to Urchatz and Karpas: you wash your hands and you eat the vegetable. I want to tell you what the Ishpotzer says, and what Rav Kook says. The Ishpotzer is less complex so we will begin with this.
The Ari says, in an abstract way, vegetables represent the first smallness of the Mother, a tree, on the other hand, indicates the greatness of the Original Light. What does this mean? A tree grows on its own, it doesn’t need to be replanted every year, it will produce fruit from the first time. You plant the tree, its going to continue to produce fruit. In fact, halachically why do you need to say adama on a banana? Because the tree needs to be replanted every year. It’s the whole debate about pineapples if you need to say haetz. The whole essence of the tree in halacha is that it thrives all the time when its planted. So the tree represents the original light, its still there and continues to produce something for you and even if you’re not nurturing it one year, and its not raining and doesn’t produce one year, it will produce the next year.
But a vegetable is not like that. A vegetable you need to replant it every year. When it dies, it’s dead. So therefore, it says like this, a tree when it receives its nurturing its rain its going to continue to thrive on it’s original plant. So that’s what it means when the Ari says that a tree represents the original light of creation, once its there you can continue to live on it.
So too. the Ishbitzer says, sanctity that a person acquires through learning Torah; it’s there forever, however there are times that a person has a wound in his heart and has a spiritual lacking so he needs to be helped in that specific area or he’s going to make changes. So as he makes changes different things need to be nurtured, but the basic Torah that he learned is going to give him what he needs, sometimes it needs to be redirected, but it will continue to sustain him.
And he says, for example wine, someone’s depressed and you drink wine it’ll make you happy, someone’s depressed he can sing happy songs and it’ll make them happy. In general when you drink wine and you sing and it loosens you up a little bit. But there are times when you drink wine and BOOM you get more depressed and times when you sing and it doesn’t give you any pleasure at all.
So too in the service of Hashem there are many many changes. When a person is changing and there are new lacking in his heart, he needs God to fill in that little part. But essentially he’s thriving on what was originally planted there. There are two things of the tree, its original planting and its need of nurturing, it’s watering , cared for. But even though it needs to be cared for and one year you don’t care for it and doesn’t produce fruit but the next one you do care for it it will produce fruit then you don’t need to plant it means that’s its original essence its still there. A human being who learns Torah; it’s there, yes there are times, lets say I’m not davening well, I wont be able to use the Torah to grow. But if I’m filling in the void of the Torah so I’ll be able to use it to grow, that’s like a tree.
If I’m having trouble in one part of me, God needs to give me a different kind of nurturing so I can use the Torah I already learned to produce fruit. If I drink wine I’ll be happier, but if I’m depressed the same wine will make me more depressed. So at different times I need different things but it doesn’t mean that the original essence has changed. The Torah that you learned is still there. The tree represents the old light, meaning the light that came in the oldest moment, which is the moment of when the world was created. Now we understand fruit.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>
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My wife told me that I was talking in my sleep: “Red eyed from wine (Genesis 49:12),” Rashi explains that this is an allusion to the great vision we have when we stand on a high place.
Consider the following four “visions” of Moshe: “It happened in those days that Moses grew up and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens; and he saw and Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, of his brethren (Exodus 2:11).” At the Bush that Appeared to be Burning, the verse says, “He saw and behold! The Bush was burning in the fire but the Bush was not consumed (3:2).” “He said, ‘Show me now Your glory.’ He said, ‘You will not be able to see My face, for no human can see My face and live’ (to say 33:18 and 20).” “Moses ascended from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of the cliff that faces Jericho, and God showed him the entire Land (Deuteronomy 34:1).”
That’s all that Debbie heard me say. She said that the rest was inaudible.
I don’t remember what I was thinking when I was dreaming, but I suspect that my dream was about the correlation between the Four Cups of Wine of the Seder and these four “visions” of Moshe.
In his first vision, Moshe went out to observe, to see, and because he went out with that intention he was able to see something happen right before his eyes. This speaks of the vision we are granted when we are determined to carefully observe everything around us. This corresponds to the first of the Four Cups, Kaddeish, when we declare our intention to sanctify the Seder, meaning to view all that we will be doing through the lens of sanctity.
Moshe’s second vision is important not because of what he saw, but as the verse says, “he turned,” to examine what he saw. This speaks of someone responding to what he sees; to understand it and to learn from it. This corresponds to the second of the For Four Cups, Maggid, when we not only look at every detail of the Pesach story, but we consider how to apply what we see to our lives.
Moshe’s third vision was the greatest vision ever granted to a human being, but still limited; God covered Moshe’s eyes just as we cover our eyes when we recite the Shema. This reflects what happens when we begin to see things we have never seen before, when we are able to see with great clarity, and yet, although we are seeing more than ever before, we sense that there is much more that we are not meriting to see. This is the third of the Four Cups, Bareich, when we are able to see eating, a physical action, as something holy, something beyond the way we normally view the physical things we do. So much of our eating at the Seder is the fulfillment of numerous mitzvot that we are able to view eating with more clarity than at any other time of the year. Yet, there is that sense of there being so much more that we have yet to see.
We sense how much more there is to see, so we turn to the next stage of the Seder; Hallel. When sung properly, Hallel parallels the final vision of Moshe; when he saw the entire Land. He saw everything. He saw all of Jewish history. He was granted a vision that was a long and broad. He saw with clarity and without limitation. This is the vision of the fourth of the Four Cups of Wine.
Hey! It was a dream; but you never know…maybe it was a “vision!”
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>
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Dr. Yu Tsun, professor of English, a man committed to "living in the present," and a Chinese spy for the Germans during WWI, reflects on his great ancestor, Ts'ui Pên, a learned and famous man who renounced his job as governor of Yunnan to undertake two tasks: to write a vast and intricate novel, and to construct an equally vast and intricate labyrinth, one "in which all men would lose their way." Ts'ui Pên was murdered before completing his novel, however, and what he did write was a "contradictory jumble of irresolute drafts" that made no sense to subsequent readers; nor was the labyrinth ever found. Tsun visits a Dr. Albert, who excitedly explains he has solved both mysteries-the chaotic and jumbled nature of Ts'ui Pên's unfinished book, and the mystery of his lost labyrinth; they are one and the same: the book is the labyrinth.
Based on a cryptic letter from Ts'ui Pên himself stating, "I leave to several futures my garden of forking paths," Dr. Albert realized that the "garden of forking paths" was the novel, and that the forking took place in time, not in space. Ts'ui Pên's novel attempted to describe a world where all possible outcomes of an event occur simultaneously, each one itself leading to further proliferations of possibilities. Albert further explains that these constantly diverging paths do sometimes converge again, though as the result of a different chain of causes; for example, he says, in one possible timeline Dr. Tsun has come to his house as an enemy, in another, as a friend. Though thrilled with the explanation, Tsun draws a revolver, and murders Albert. The newspaper headlines, "Tsun Kills Albert," gets the message to Berlin, and Albert Park, the secret location of British artillery, is bombed as Tsun goes on trial. All the paths of past and future, Britain and Germany, converge in the Garden of Forking Paths. (Jorge Luis Borges)
Towards the beginning of the Seder, we hold a Matzah in our hands and break it in two, stepping into the forking paths of history. The paths of past, present and future converge on Pesach as we relive the exodus from Egypt as if we were there, as if it was here, projecting its lessons into the future. We step into the labyrinth of time, considering all possible outcomes of choices, the diverging paths of the two pieces of Matzah.
It is impossible to enter the world of free choice without considering the forking paths. The four rivers of Eden converged and forked because the story was not inscribed in stone. Each choice is an adventure that offers numerous possibilities. Our's too, is a Garden of Forking Paths.
The Metzorah (Biblical leper) prepares for atonement after weeks of being enclosed by the walls of his room unable to step into the Garden, by bringing two birds. One will be offered on the Altar; the other will be released to soar into the sky. He does not know which bird will be offered and which will fly. The Kohen will choose. The Metzorah forfeit his ability to enter the Garden of Choices when he focused only on the negative. The walls that enclosed him were his own. He did not see the world as offering different paths. He saw only one way; his own. The Kohen reintroduces him into the Garden of Forking Paths, the world of choices, and reminds him that he can choose to soar into the garden, or remain stuck in his preprogrammed world; a world of death.
We spend much of the Seder speaking of history and God's promises, and forget His first promise of freedom; a life of free choice, a future of possibilities. I hold the two pieces of the broken Matzah in my hand ready for the Seder as an adventure of choices; which approach will I use this year? I have no idea, other than to live every aspect of my life as a Garden of Forking Paths.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>
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“Every day you will hear millions of sounds and only a few of them will be musical notes. Usually, musical notes are created deliberately from a musical instrument, but they can be produced in non-musical situations – when you ‘ping’ a wineglass or ring a doorbell, for example. Whenever and however they are produced, musical notes sound different from all other noises.
“What’s the difference between a musical note and any other sort of noise? Everyone you know will have some sort of answer to this question, but most of them will be based on the idea that musical notes sound … er … musical and other noises are … er … not musical. …
“If you throw a stone into a flat, calm pond you will disturb the surface of the water and create ripples which travel away from the initial splash. Similarly, if you click your fingers in a quiet room, you will disturb the air and ripples of disturbance will move away from your hand. In the case of the stone in the pond, the ripples involve a change in the height of the water and our eyes can clearly see what’s going on: the height of the water goes up-down-up-down-up-down as the ripples travel away from the splash.
“When you click your fingers (or make any other sound, including a musical note), the sound ripples traveling toward your ears involve changes in the pressure of the air. We can’t see these ripples but our ears can hear them. When the ripples reach our ears, the air pressure goes up-down-up-down-up-down and this makes our eardrums go in-out-in-out-in-out at the same rate – because our eardrums are like tiny, flexible trampolines which are easily
pushed in and out by changes in the air pressure. Your brain then analyzes the in-out movement of your eardrums and decides what’s going on – is it time to run away or time to order dessert? …
“If we could see the pressure ripples of these non-musical sounds, we would notice that they were very complicated. … The noise ripple shape [of, for example, a door closing] which eventually arrives at the eardrum is extremely complicated because it is made up of a chaotic group of individual ripples which have no relationship to each other. This is true of all noises which are not musical notes. The noise ripple shape which eventually arrives at the eardrum is extremely complicated because it is made up of a chaotic group of individual ripples which have no relationship to each other. This is true of all noises which are not musical notes.
“Musical notes are different from non-musical noises because every musical note is made up of a ripple pattern which repeats itself over and over again. … To be a musical note, it doesn’t really matter how complicated the individual ripples are, as long as the pattern repeats itself. Our eardrums flex in and out as the pressure ripples push against them. However, our eardrums can’t respond properly if the ripple pattern repeats itself too quickly or too slowly – we can only hear patterns which repeat themselves more often than twenty times a second but less often than 20,000 times a second.
“Musical notes don’t need to be made by musical instruments, in fact, anything which vibrates or disturbs the air in a regular way between twenty and 20,000 times a second will produce a note. High-speed motorbike engines or dentists’ drills produce notes. In the song ‘The Facts of Life,’ the band Talking Heads uses what sounds like a compressed air-powered drill to produce one of the notes of the background accompaniment. This combination of music and engineering fits well with the lyrics, which compare love to a machine.
“Musical instruments are simply devices which have been designed to produce notes in a controlled way. A musician uses finger movement or lung power to start something vibrating at chosen frequencies – and notes are produced.”
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>
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“…and for the person being purified there shall be taken two live, clean birds…and the one bird shall be slaughtered…as for the live bird…set free upon the open field.” (Leviticus 14:4-7)
Every time I study this portion, which describes the purification process of the Metzorah, who has been shut away from the world, I recall the following story and essay by one of my all-time favorite writers:
I had sat down to rest with my back against a stump. Through accident I was concealed from the glade, although I could see into it perfectly. The sun was warm there, and the murmurs of forest life blurred softly away into my sleep. When I awoke, dimly aware of some cornmotion and outcry in the clearing, the light was slanting down through the pines in such a way that the glade was like some vast cathedral.
I could see the dust motes of wood pollen in the long shaft of light, and there on the extended branch sat an enormous raven with a red and squirming nestling in his beak. The sound that awoke me was the outraged cries of the nestlings parents, who flew helplessly in circles about the clearing. The sleek black monster was indifferent to them. He gulped, whetted his beak on the dead branch a moment and sat still. Up to that point the little tragedy had followed the usual pattern.
But suddenly, out of all that area of woodland, a soft sound of complaint began to rise. Into the glade fluttered small birds of half a dozen varieties drawn by the anguished outcries of the tiny parents.
No one dared to attack the raven. But they cried there in some instinctive common misery, the bereaved and the unbereaved. The glade filled with their soft rustling and their cries. They fluttered as though to point their wings at the murderer. There was a dim intangible ethic he had violated, that they knew. He was a bird of death.
And he, the murderer, the black bird at the heart of life, sat on there, glistening in the common light, formidable, unmoving, unperturbed, untouchable.
The sighing died. It was then I saw the judgment. It was the judgment of life against death. I will never see it again so forcefully presented. I will never hear it again in notes so tragically prolonged. For in the midst of protest, they forgot the violence. There, in that clearing, the crystal note of a song sparrow lifted hesitantly in the hush. And finally, after painful fluttering, another took the song, and then another, the song passing from one bird to another, doubtfully at first, as though some evil thing were being slowly forgotten. Till suddenly they took heart and sang, from many throats joyously together as birds are known to sing. They sang because life is sweet and sunlight beautiful. They sang under the brooding shadow of the raven. In simple truth they had forgotten the raven, for they were the singers of life, and not of death.
Loren Eiseley – The Immense Journey
Eiseley’s story is the judgment of life over death. The two birds, one that is slaughtered, and one that is set free at the conclusion of the process, are also the judgment of the birds, the judgment of life over death. They celebrate the healing and purification of the Metzorah. They celebrate his Teshuva, which allows him to be reintroduced into the community. The second bird, the one that goes free over the open field, is a symbol of the restored physical and spiritual life of the Metzorah.
No matter what one may feel about the State of Israel, it too is the song of life that overcomes the murderous Germans. It is a statement of life, beauty and rejoicing after 2,000 years of Crusades, expulsions, pogroms and ghettos. We, like the Metzorah, were the outcasts of society. The world was silent. Then we began to sing again, a song of life that will continue to echo in our hearts and souls until the final redemption.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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When Israel left Egypt,” “For you shall go out with joy (Isaiah 55:12),” the Community of Israel will be filled with joy when they go out of exile. As long as She is in exile and lies in the dust there will be nor real gladness. But only when the Holy One, Blessed is He, will raise Her from the dust, saying, “Shake yourself from the dust (52:2),” “Arise, shine (60:1),” and the people will assemble together, then there will be gladness indeed; gladness for all. Then indeed, “You shall go out with joy,” then indeed numerous hosts will go forth to meet the Queen, sharing in the joy of her espousals with the King. The verse thus says, “The mountains (Higher Angels) and the hills (Lower Angels) shall break forth with joy (60:10),” also, “For God will go before you, and the Lord of Israel will be your rear guard (52:12).” [Zohar, Volume III:118a]
The “leaving,” “Shaking from the dust,” and “Arise,” provides a new “Shine,” of joy, Hallel, as in Halo, expressing the Light of Joy (Remak).
There are three stages:
1. Leaving Egypt; the end of slavery.
2. “Shaking off the dust;” circumcision and bringing the Pesach Offering which removed the dust of Egypt from our hearts and souls.
3. “Rising,” as in the beginning our journey on the Wings of Eagles, in God’s Hands, into a new life.
1. Leaving Egypt, on Rosh Chodesh Nisan, as we rise and Sanctify nature; above nature so that, “Who turned the rock into a pool of water. Pebbles into a source of water.”
2. Shaking off the dust of exile as we clean for Pesach and search for Chametz, there will be gladness for all, as in, “The Sea saw it and ran away. The Jordan River reversed course. The mountains danced like deer, the hills like lambs.”
3. Rising to a new level, as described in the Introduction, Hallel as a Future Song; Rising from the Sea, the Higher and Lower Angels will join our song, as in, “What’s with you, Sea, that you flee? With the Jordan, that you turn around? With the Mountains, that you dance like deer? With the hills, like lambs?
Quake, you Land, before your Master, before the Lord of Jacob!”
We include all three stages in this paragraph of the Hallel:
“When Israel left Egypt, Jacob’s family from among a people who spoke a strange language, Judah became God’s Holy Place, Israel, His realm.
The Sea saw it and ran away. The Jordan River reversed course. The mountains danced like deer, the hills like lambs.
What’s with you, Sea, that you flee? With the Jordan, that you turn around? With the Mountains, that you dance like deer? With the hills, like lambs?
Quake, you Land, before your Master, before the Lord of Jacob!
Who turned the rock into a pool of water. Pebbles into a source of water.”
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>
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Come and see: At the time that the sun sets, the Keruvim clap with their wings and they sing. What do they sing? “Hallelukah!
Praise, you who serve God! Praise the Name of God.
Let the Name of God be blessed from now and forever.
From sunrise to sundown, the Name of God is praised.”
Immediately, all the Angels of the Third Watch rise and sing with them. All the stars and the constellations in the heavens open with their own harmonious Song, as the verse says, “When the morning stars sang in unison, and all the heavenly beings shouted (Job 38:7).” “Praise Him all bright stars (Psalms 148:3)!” All the stars sing over the new light, the morning of the future, and they elevate the Song of Israel below.
Together all the Songs join in harmony and elevate the Glory of the Holy One, Blessed is He, from below and above, and the world is closer to perfection from all aspects of creation (Zohar I:231a)
The Song of Hallel begins with the Keruvim, stirs the Angels of the Third Watch, the stars and constellations, all the Angels and Israel to sing in harmony. Only the person who is open to such stirrings can hear the song in his heart and soul and sing in harmony, joining the song of the New Light.
As long as Israel were slaves they could not hear the invitation. They could not appreciate the new light of the morning as anything other than the beginning of another day of work.
They were free, but not yet future oriented, until they received the calling to rise and join the Upper Worlds by Sanctifying time, Rosh Chodesh Nisan, and they heard and responded:
“Hallelukah!
Praise, you who serve God! Praise the Name of God.
Let the Name of God be blessed from now and forever.
From sunrise to sundown, the Name of God is praised.
God is above all the nations. His Glory is beyond the sky.
Who is like God, our Lord, Who lives up high, but drops down to see what happens (to us) in the (lower) heaven and earth?
Who lifts up the lowly from the dust, raises the destitute from the garbage dumps to be seated with leaders, the leaders of their people.
Who Makes a home for the childless woman and joy for the mother of children. Hallelukah!”
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: The Song in the Torah was said by Moshe and Israel at the moment when they rose from the Sea. Who said this Hallel? The prophets who lived amongst them established for Israel that they should say it on each chapter, and on each trouble that it should not come, and when they are redeemed from a trouble they should recite it over their redemption.” (Pesachim 117a)
Why do we need an Amorah (Rabbi of the Talmudic era) to inform us that Moshe and Israel sang the Song of the Sea when they exited the Sea? Why does Rav Yehuda bring this song into a discussion about Hallel?
Rav Yehuda asks, “Who said this Hallel,” yet doesn’t answer his question. He informs us when the prophets taught us to sing the Hallel, but that wasn’t his question!
What does, “on each chapter” mean? If we sing the Hallel so that a trouble will not come, why will we need to be saved from the trouble; did our Hallel not work?
“When they rose from the Sea,” is different than saying when they exited the Sea: It teaches us that Moshe and Israel sang their song as a way of stepping up to the next stage; it was a song of how the past prepared them for the “New,” the “Chadash,” the next stage, or, in Rav Yehuda’s words, “the next chapter” of their lives.
The prophets taught us to continue the Song of Moshe and Israel each time we sing the Hallel before what is the next chapter in our lives. We must sing Hallel to celebrate, empower, and prepare for the next stage in our lives.
If we do not sing Hallel over each new chapter as it begins, we will have to sing Hallel over a trouble that we see coming; singing Hallel as a Future Song that will elevate us so that we will not need the trouble to learn what God is teaching us. If we do not sing the Hallel before the trouble comes; we will only be able to sing it as a song celebrating redemption from the trouble we could have avoided.
How do we know when we are entering a new chapter so that we can sing our future oriented Hallel? Hachodesh; by celebrating the new, and by singing the Nisan Hallel over what is coming as a Song of Elevation; a Song of the Future.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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Two Chinese geologists traveled to the remote mountainous regions where the source of the Yangtze River is located. They followed the winding and increasingly narrow stream to a point where it was no more than a trickle of water. One put his foot down on the trickle and said, "Now I am stopping the mighty Yangtze in its tracks."
There are times I wish for a remote to reverse, forward, and pause the world as easily as that scientist "stopped" the Yangtze. There are powerful people in Yemen, Syria, and Bahrain who wish it was that easy to stop a mighty force. The teenager carried along by anger and resentment, destroying relationships and opportunities, can't reach the pause button. A couple moved along year after year by the force of old arguments and resentments may wish to stop the river of emotions at the source, but cannot. The religious person propelled by habit searches for but cannot find the right button to press to pause and reflect on why he prays.
The Force of History. The unstoppable force of religion and tradition. Forces far mightier than the Yangtze. Forces that refuse to pause. The mighty flow of love of a parent for a child should never pause. The force of tens of thousands of people gathering to demand freedom does not want to pause for fear that it will imply hesitation. Forces that empower us to confidently look ahead into the future despite all the tremors of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in the world. We live with a powerful force that reminds us we need not cower in fear; a force that has not paused once in its history.
This week we will read Parshat HaChodesh, in which God offers His first commandment to Israel as a nation: The Mitzvah of the Sanctification of the New Moon. They were paused between slavery and freedom and the Mitzvah reminded them that there is another button: Refresh. The key word in the text is "Chadash," New, as if to say, "Find a way to make it fresh." The Mitzvah is not addressing a person carried along by negative forces, but a burgeoning nation, bursting with potential, excited for the future. It is often the person who is happy and excited who forgets to click on Refresh. We naturally know that a child stuck in a destructive pattern needs to press pause. Do we remember that a child for whom all seems to be going well must click on Refresh? A couple caught up in negative patterns will, hopefully, reach for the pause button. How often does the thriving marriage look for the Refresh?
It takes more courage to click on Refresh than it does to press pause: Am I willing to refresh when things seem to be going so well? I remember my father zt'l challenging me during my most productive year in Yeshiva: How can you make it even better?" I was frightened to think of changing anything while everything seemed to be clicking, but I listened, discussed with him what my goals would be if I was just beginning the semester, and clicked Refresh. The benefit was exponential.
My prayers this morning were flowing, exciting, energizing; I wanted to hold onto the experience, but I also wanted more, so I clicked on Refresh. I appreciated the risk of pausing in middle of such a powerful prayer to ask for even more, but it was the willingness to risk what I had to gain more that empowered my Refresh button. The result was fabulous.
Here we are beginning to prepare our homes for Pesach. The change of dishes, cooking utensils, cutlery and cabinets is a powerful pause; one that allows us to click on Refresh and ask for more meaning, more passion, more growth, more, more, more. I hope we have the courage.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>
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I was sharing a memory of my grandfather zt”l (Lessons From a Stained Haggadah) with a friend, and he reminded me of a story I told almost twenty years ago:
My grandfather was giving me a horse-back ride on his back in 1963, when Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l entered the house. My grandfather turned to Rav Moshe and said, “I promised Simcha that I would give him a ride to the next room.” He finished my adventure, rose and went to properly greet the Gadol Hador, the greatest rabbi of the generation.
When I was older, I asked my grandfather why he did that, “Isn’t greeting Rav Moshe more important than giving a grandchild a ride?”
“Yes, but greeting Rav Moshe is not as important as keeping a promise to a child!” He then pointed out numerous examples in the Talmud and Halacha about keeping promises to a young child.
I was in awe of how his mind worked and how, even with a grandchild riding on his back, while he was on his hands and knees, he was making decisions based on Halacha!
And there was more: “I never forgot that story,” he said, “because I’ve always been worried that you would learn to treat Rav Moshe with just a drop less of respect. I carefully observe your interactions with him and how you speak of him to be certain that you were not negatively influenced by the story.”
If I was in awe of him before; I was now at an entirely new level of awe of a great Torah scholar. I believed that it was an insignificant story to him despite being so important to me. Yet, he not only remembered; he thought about it to an unimaginable degree! He understood that I may have been negatively influenced, “just a drop,” by the experience, and that it would affect my development. He saw things and thought about them in a way that was and is far beyond me.
It is not his learning I envy, but how the learning was expressed in everything he did; how it enhanced his awareness and sensitivity.
No wonder our Sages insist that we must spend time serving Torah scholars to truly acquire Torah.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>
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“This unfortunate world has been blasted in all ages by two evil principles – Kingcraft and Priestcraft – that, taking advantage of to human necessities, in themselves not hard – salutary, and even beneficial in their natural operation – the necessity of civil government, and that of spiritual instruction, have warped them cruelly from their own pure direction, and converted them into the most odious, the most terrible and disastrous scourges of our race (William Howitt, “History of Priestcraft In All Ages and Nations”)
I can’t disagree with Howitt, nor can I control my joy when studying this week’s Parsha with Howitt’s criticisms in mind. The High Priest, the Kohen Gadol, Aharon, hesitates before assuming his lofty position. He is aware of his limitations and his faults. He feels undeserving. His concern is for the people, not for the position. He was willing to risk all at the Golden calf calf to save the people he so loved. Surely, he is not counted among those priests criticized above.
God sits severe and absolute limits in His Home: when Nadav and Avihu act on their own; when they violate the strict rules controlling the Kehuna, they immediately die. The Mishkan is not a place where Service of God can be warped even for a second.
I rejoice when Aharon, so soon after two of his sons die, stand up to Moshe, the King, and argues from his judgment. I rejoice even more when Moshe, the King, concedes the point, and celebrates the fact that his brother was right, he openly admits that his brother was right and he was wrong. Moshe’s Kingcraft was incorruptible.
In “The Blind Eye of History,” Charles Reith criticizes our habit of attempting to solve a problem by passing a new law. Most societies attempt to control disorder by passing laws; and most have failed.
However, the two portions we read this week, Shemini and Parah, both describe a law that precedes society, a system of law that exists before this society is born. A system of laws that challenge us to elevate ourselves, to understand the essence of the laws, to appreciate that we can not completely control human behavior; we can direct it with truth rooted in God. The laws of kashrut and the laws of the Parah Adumah are definitely not laws that are a response to a societal problem; they are a challenge to us, the people, and to the Kings and spiritual leaders.
In other words, these two portions make me feel safe, the Kingcraft and Priestcraft are controlled.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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“I will sanctify My great Name that is desecrated among the nations, that you have desecrated among them; then the nations will know that I am God, the Word of the Lord, God, the Lord, when I become sanctified through you before their eyes (Ezekiel 36:23).”
“Then I will sprinkle pure water upon you, that you may become cleansed; I will cleanse you from all your contamination and from all your idols (Verse 25).”
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh (Verse 26).”
“I will put My spirit within you, and I will make it so that you will follow My decrees and the guard My ordinances and fulfill them (Verse 28).”
From the text of this week’s Haftarah, we see that Parshat Parah discusses more than purity and impurity, it also discusses sanctification and desecration, a new heart and a new spirit, and, eventually the gift of God’s Spirit being placed within us.
From the midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 19:8), the Talmud (Moed Katan 28a), and the Rambam (Laws of the Red Heifer 1:9) we know that there is another element to the Parah Adumah; that of atonement.
It seems to me that we can use all these elements of the Parah Adumah as part of our Shabbat, Parshat Parah:
Friday Night: Sanctification
Ezekiel describes sanctification coming before cleansing and purification. Therefore, we must use the sanctity of Shabbat, specifically Kiddush, to access this area of Divine Influence on this Shabbat.
One: We should have special Kavanah for the Friday night kiddush that we merit this special gift of sanctification available on this Shabbat.
Two: we should make sure to expend every effort to sanctify this Shabbat in all of our actions and speech.
Three: Use the Friday night meal to discuss and describe your most powerful experiences of sanctity.
Four: Have extra Kavanah when reciting the blessing of Keddusha in the Friday night prayer.
Five: Focus on the special gift of Sanctity offered on this Shabbat when reciting the prayer, “Ata Kidashta,” “You sanctified.”
Shabbat Morning: Purification
Ezekiel describes cleansing and purification following sanctification. We should therefore, use the Shabbat morning prayers to focus on purification.
One: Have Kavanah, especially during Pesukei d’Zimrah and the Blessings of the Shema, to use the words of your prayers to purify each aspect of creation described in the prayers from any impurity caused by our actions, words, and thoughts.
Two: Have the following Kavanot in the Morning Amidah:
* “Moses rejoiced;” focus on the purity necessary for Moshe to stand before God on Mount Sinai, the extraordinary level of purity necessary for him to hold the Luchot in his hands, how a “faithful servant” must have a certain level of purity to serve the King, and, how only one with a very high level of purity can merit to where, “A crown of splendor.”
* “And the Children of Israel shall keep the Shabbat;” focus on the “guarding” of the the Purity of this specific Shabbat. Just as there were boundaries marking different levels of purity necessary to a approach the Mishkan, so too, we must have, especially on this Shabbat, very clear boundaries guarding its purity; determining before the Shabbat meal, which speech will be allowed at the table, and which will not.
* “You did not give it, God, our Lord;” to anyone other than those prepared to live a life of purity. “I will make an extra effort to maintain my internal purity so as to merit the gift of Shabbat.”
* “Our Lord and the Lord of our forefathers;” emphasize the phrase, “Purify our heart to serve You sincerely.”
Three: Wash your hands before the Ark is opened focusing on the purity necessary to stand in the Presence of God.
Four: Wash your hands before touching the Torah, focusing on the purity necessary to a approach Torah.
Five: Make a special effort to stand during the Torah reading in a state of Spiritual purity.
Mussaf: A New Heart and a New Spirit
The Mussaf, or Additional Service, is a time when things are added; things such as a New Heart and Spirit. Therefore, the prayers that allow us to segue from Shacharit and the Torah Reading to Mussaf must be used to prepare for the Additional Gifts we are about to receive, on this Shabbat specifically a New Heart and Spirit.
* “Yikum Purkan;” focus on the community as a whole receiving the New Heart and Spirit offered on this Shabbat.
* “Ashrei;” a good part of this prayer focuses on what will happen: “I will exalt You,” “I will bless Your Name for ever and ever.” “Every day I will bless You,” “Each generation will praise Your deeds to the next.” We are describing what can and will happen, especially when the we aspire to pray with the New Heart and Spirit that we will receive on this Shabbat.
* Psalm 29: The The Ari haKadosh rights of many Kabbalistic allusions found in this Psalm and teaches that when it is recited with intense devotion it causes profound spiritual benefit in the Heavenly realms. Recite this Psalm with intention that we should all merit, through our New Heart and Spirit, to seeing this Psalm with the power described by the Ari.
* “And when it rested,” the verses sung when the Ark was returned to its place; picture in your mind how we are different after learning Torah, having a New Heart and Spirit, then we were when we first took the Torah out.
* “Those who delight in it will inherit eternal honor, those who savor it will merit life and also those who love this speech that befits it have chosen greatness.” Focus on the New Heart and Spirit that is possible on this Shabbat.
* “They shall rejoice in Your kingship, those who observed the Shabbat and call it a delight. The people that sanctifies the Seventh, they will all be satisfied and delighted from Your goodness.” Concentrate on the “delight” of a new heart and spirit, and the higher level of satisfaction and delight only possible with the new heart and spirit.
Mincha: Receiving God’s Spirit
if we have properly used all the previous steps; Sanctification, Purification, the gift of a New Heart and Spirit, we will be properly prepared to receive the gift of God’s Spirit. Therefore, this prayer demands preparation, specifically that of reifying all that we have learned and experienced since the beginning of this Shabbat. We should review any new insights, and any powerful experiences of this Shabbat, and adding them to this prayer. The goal is to pray as if animated by God’s Spirit.
Seudah Shilishit: Yom Kippur
It is at this point of Shabbat that we access the special gift of Atonement, as if we had just experienced Yom Kippur, which is why the Parah Adumah shares so much in common with the Yom Kippur service. This meal should be eat-in just as we eat the meal immediately after Yom Kippur. We should have the same sense of joy of having achieved total Atonement.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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John Wheeler, who learned quantum mechanics from its creators, liked to summarize the two schools of thought on the question of reality. He gave the example of three umpires at a baseball game discussing the finer points of baseball. In making a decision, the three umpires say:
Umpire 1: "I calls 'em like I see 'em."
Umpire 2: "I calls 'em the way they are."
Umpire 3: "They ain't nothing till I calls 'em."
To Wheeler, the second umpire is Einstein, who believed there was an absolute reality outside human experience, an "Objective Reality." The third umpire is Bohr, who argued that reality existed only after an observation was made.
What happens when the Torah shatters our image of reality? This week we will read the portion of the Parah Adumah, the Red Heifer (Numbers 19), that is the paradigm of contradictions and a reality beyond our comprehension. We can't, as Bohr would choose, observe the "reality" of Spiritual Purity, and there is none of Einstein's "Objective Reality," for that which purifies the impure, impurifies the pure.
We will also read the story of Nadav and Avihu (Leviticus 10), who, seized by the passion of "I calls 'em like I see 'em," bring their fire to the Altar only to suffer the burning of their souls from their bodies because they were limited by what they observed. They could not discern the "reality," that was beyond their ken. Imagine how they would have handled the Red Heifer! I am reminded of Chesterson's wry comment, "The poet only asks to get his head into the heavens. It is the logician who seeks to get the heavens into his head. And it is his head that splits." Nadav and Avihu were desperate to get the heavens into their heads, "They saw the Lord of Israel, and under His feet was the likeness of sapphire brickwork, and it was like the essence of heaven in purity (Exodus 24:10)," (Talk about Objective Reality!) and their heads certainly split.
We stand everyday before the challenge of the Parah Adumah, the tug of war between reality and the heavens, wondering how to understand everything happening in the world and our lives; how to get our head into the heavens. We stand everyday as did Nadav and Avihu, searching to elevate our actions into meaning, desperate to 'make a difference," trying to get the heavens into our heads. I picture myself observing the offering of the Red Heifer, trying to make sense of its laws, and finding my sense of peace in the fact that this offering is not made inside the Temple, but from a distance. It is not a regular part of our service of God; it stands outside the boundaries of our immediate world. I do not picture myself at that moment as trying to get my head into the heavens, or getting the heavens into my head, but enjoying my reality, right here in this world, practically applying what I know and learn to my life, actions and attributes. I love the "secrets" of Torah only as they inform my immediate development. I cherish what I have yet to learn, I thrill when confronted by that which I have yet to understand, because they promise that there is so much more right here, to my life and aspirations. I do not need to bring any "strange fires (Leviticus 10:1)," to my service; the fire already burns within me, right here on earth.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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It was a tale well known to children all over Africa: Abu Kassem, a miserly Baghdad merchant, has held onto his battered, much repaired pair of slippers even though they were objects of derision. At last, even he couldn’t stomach the sight of hem. But his every attempt to get rid of his slippers ended in disaster: when he tossed them out of his window they landed on the head of a pregnant woman who miscarried, and Abu Kassem was thrown in jail; when he dropped them in the canal, the slippers choked off the main drain, and caused flooding, and off Abu Kassem went to jail…
One night, when Tawfiq finished (sharing this story), another prisoner, a quiet, dignified old man said, “Abu Kassem might as well build a special room for his slippers. Why try to lose them? He’ll never escape.”
“I hope one day you see this as clearly as I did when I was in prison. The key to your happiness is to own your slippers, own who you are, own how you look, own your family, own the talents you have, and own the ones you don’t. If you keep saying your slippers aren’t yours, then you’ll die searching, you’ll die bitter, always feeling you were promised more. Not only our actions, but also our omissions, become our destiny.” (From “Cutting for Stone,” by Abraham Verghese, Vintage Books)
I love the tale of Abu Kassem’s slippers and its lessons. I found allusions to Pesach: “If you keep saying your slippers aren’t yours, then you’ll die searching,” a lesson about Searching for Chametz and how it hints to our search for meaning that must begin by searching for the negative we must remove from our lives before we can search for our path and mission.
“You’ll die bitter,” obviously an allusion to Marror, the bitterness in our lives that comes from not having a sense of purpose.
The most significant is the idea of “Owning your slippers,” “own who you are, own how you look, own your family, own the talents you have,” which is one of the primary themes of the Haggadah: “In every generation a person is obligated to view himself as if he went out of Egypt,” the Egypt story is our pair of slippers. It is part of who we are and we cannot throw it out the window, or toss it into the canal. It is our’s and we must own it, understand it, apply its lessons, or else we will, as in the story, “die searching, you’ll die bitter, always feeling you were promised more. Not only our actions, but also our omissions, become our destiny.”
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>
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“Man must be doing something, or fancy that he is doing something, for in him throbs the creative impulse; the mere basker in the sunshine is not a natural, but an abnormal man (Henry George).”
I find it fascinating that the most structured night of the Jewish calendar is also the most creative. We have exact instructions as to what to do at each step of the Pesach Seder, and yet, every single one of those steps and instructions stimulates the most creative and vibrant discussions. It’s as if the Seder, the structure, nurtures the creative impulse.
People often ask how can we celebrate being freed from the Egyptian slavery when all that happened was that we were called into a very structured and demanding relationship with an even Higher Authority, God?
The Seder is the response to that question. The only purpose of this structure, of the laws, of the numerous instructions, the Seder, is to nurture our creative impulse.
I am convinced that this is the true meaning of the first step of the Seder; Kaddeish, or Sanctification. The sanctity of our actions is derived not from the robotic following of the instructions, but from their expansion through our creative questions and insights.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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Just get in line joining all the others who are blaming me for this morning’s snow. I warned Debbie: I told her, when she asked me to put away the snow shovel and the salt, that as long as the shovel and the salt were out it would not snow, but if I put them away; it would definitely snow. She laughed! Well, I listen to my wife. I put the shovel and the salt away. Of course, we woke up this morning, after a few days of summer weather, to snow. It’s my fault!
Do I really believe that my actions control the weather? Well, let’s put it this way: I knew that if I put the shovel away it would snow, and it did. A few years ago, when there was a drought in New York City, I offered my skills to save the city: whenever we bathe our dog, comb him and make him all nice and clean, we know for a fact that the next time he steps outside, it will rain. I offered to bathe our dog every day, and the drought would end. In fact, I am willing to move to Israel and bathe Pip every day so that there will be no more water shortage. Does anyone take me seriously? For some odd reason, no.
So, again you ask; do you really believe you control the weather? No! I don’t. But I do know that there are things I do that guarantee the weather will change.
Isn’t that contradictory, you may ask. Definitely! But I live with contradictions. Just look at the portion of Parah; it’s all about living with contradictions.
How many of us pray, declaring our conviction that prayer works, yet we remain doubtful whether a specific prayer will be affected? How many of us live a religious or spiritual life with a strong the belief that what we do truly matters, and yet pray or perform a mitzvah without really believing that this specific prayer or mitzvah matters?
I received an e-mail yesterday informing me that if I were to contribute to a specific fund, that many of the leading rabbis of the generation promise that I would receive great blessings. Now, I love blessings. But why would I need a Rabbi, no matter how wise and holy, to promise me a blessing if I believe that simply fulfilling a mitzvah will bring me blessing? Just another one of the regular contradictions in our lives.
So perhaps the first lesson we have to take from Parshat Parah is to acknowledge and pinpoint the contradictions in our lives. I’m working on my list. The first item of course will be my snow shovel and Pip. I’ll get back to you about the rest of my list.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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Another explanation, “Do you see a man diligent in his business,” this applies to Moshe our master, in connection with the work of the Mishkan. Therefore, “he shall stand before kings,” the king is Pharoah, as it says, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharoah (Exodus 8:16).”
“He shall not stand before darkened men,” the darkened man is Yitro, who was obscure in comparison with Pharoah.
Rabbi Nechemiah said, you have made the holy, profane! (The King should refer to someone great and notable, which Pharaoh was not in comparison with Moshe.) Rather: “He shall stand before kings,” the “King” here is the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed is He, as it sets, “and he was there with God 40 days (Exodus 34:28).” “He shall not stand before dark man,” the “dark man,” is Pharaoh, as it says, “and there was sick darkness (10:22).”
I understand Rabbi Nechemiah’s approach far more than the opening of the midrash. Moshe stood before Pharaoh long before he was diligent in his work with the Mishkan. How can the midrash say that he merited it standing before Pharoah because he was so diligent in his work on the Mishkan?
Moshe did stand before Yitro! What does the midrash mean when it says that because Moshe was so diligent in his work that he did not have to stand before the dark man, Yitro?
The midrash is describing Moshe as a man always “diligent in his business,” all his work, and the work witnessed at the Mishkan was only one example of Moshe’s essence as a diligent worker. The midrash is telling us that the reason Moshe was chosen to stand before Pharaoh was because he was a diligent worker. A powerful lesson indeed for those who desire to stand before the Ultimate King! We will have to become diligent workers.
What about Yitro? Moshe never had to stand before Yitro as a supplicant, or as an adversary. In fact, he stood before Yitro as a King himself. Yitro was a great man, however, our “diligent man,” Moshe, aspired to stand only before the most powerful, the King.
This midrash is teaching us that even when we become the “diligent workers” who can stand before kings, we must diligently work at standing before only the greatest King. Our diligent work must be fueled by our aspirations for greatness.
As we work to prepare for Pesach, and ultimately stand before the King on Shavuot, we must work diligently, aspiring to the culmination of Pesach, when we can stand at Sinai.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>
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The royal palace hummed along as usual with its busy pace of important business. The constant audiences for ambassadors, ministers and private petitioners, moved like clockwork in the home and offices of the king who ruled over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces. Butlers, soldiers, eunuchs, and slaves rushed to fulfill their responsibilities, well-aware that they dare not frustrate the volatile Achashveirosh. The Queen and her closest handmaidens listened to and observed the regular sounds of the palace, but unlike other days, the noise was not reassuring, but threatening. Three days of fasting. Three days of all the Jews in Shushan fasting for Esther. Three days to consider how she would approach Achashveirosh in his inner court. Esther would have to cut through the lines of people waiting to see the King, many of whom had certainly waited more than a day for the one chance to be summoned to a royal audience. Esther would have to just walk right into the courtyard facing the King's throne. She knew her husband well enough to realize that he was already agitated by his busy schedule, and the lines of desperate citizens, fawning noblemen, and persnickety ambassadors of hostile countries. Esther would have to step into the courtyard, and catch Achashveirosh's attention in just the right way, so he would extend his scepter allowing her to live despite her audacious risk.
Esther had one question: Should she immediately bow when she faced the King on his throne, submissive, as Achashveirosh liked his women, or, should she stand tall and proud, confident and royal? Achashveirosh's first view would determine whether he would extend his scepter. Esther needed more than to survive; she had to persuade the King to retract the horrible decree against the Jews. She knew that all was riding on her husband's first view of Esther before him, unsummoned, breaking all the rules.
Esther also knew that the Jews fasting for her believed that their fasts and prayers would assure her success. They were fasting and praying as humble petitioners before God; so Esther decided:
"Esther donned her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the King's palace, facing the King's house, while the King sat on his throne facing the chamber's entrance. When the King noticed Esther standing in the court, she won his favor. The King extended to Esther the gold scepter that was in his hand, and Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter."
Esther never bowed. She stood as a magnificent Queen until Achashveirosh noticed her standing; he extended the royal scepter and Esther approached, without bowing, and lightly touched the tip of the scepter, and remained standing.
Esther realized that while all her coreligionists were fasting as supplicants, she had to fast and pray as a great Queen. She stood before the King as if to say, "I am ready to be Queen. I will no longer be the girl who won the Miss Achashveirosh contest." She touched his scepter to signal that she was ready to function as his Queen.
Achashveirosh looked at Esther and saw his reflection as a King in her bearing. She did not reflect the neediness of all the other supplicants. Esther reflected Achashveirosh as a true King. She won his heart, and, as they say, the rest is history!
Esther's decision to stand as a Queen rather than a humble supplicant was her Purim lesson: We will not survive exile if we do not know how to stand with dignity before the world, with a royal bearing as we stand before God in prayer. Humility is necessary; the humility of substance. We can choose to reflect the beauty and greatness of the world instead of remaining the eternal victim who reflects only ugliness. Why stand before God as an abused nation emanating weakness when we can reflect God's glory by acting as royalty, sending royal gifts, Mishloach Manot, caring for the needy, Matanot la-Evyonim, and partaking in a royal feast, the Purim Seudah.
Purim is our chance to stand as did Esther and touch the King's scepter, emanating beauty and confidence, elegance and majesty.
Please join me in raising a goblet and toasting the royalty Esther taught us to be.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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Transcribed by Anna Beller: NOTE: These were conversations while celebrating the Purim Seudah; it may not flow smoothly! Hic! It ties back to Noach’s ark. The tree that Hamman intended to use to hang Mordechai was 50 ammot long. The only other time in the bible you find something 50 amot long is with the Ark. And the only other time you find an Ark is with Moshe, Moshe is put in a little Ark.
The Zohar says the Eitz ha-Daat, the Tree of Knowledge is a vine; wine. Wine played an important role in the life of Noach after the flood, and in the story of Purim, which is all about Da’at!
Achashveirosh said to the sages to look at the times and calculate the calendar. Who were they? The Jews. If you want to know how to deal with Vashti ask those who know how to deal with time.
So was the king accustomed to present the case in front of those who know law and judgment? It was custom of the king? Go back to Chapter 1,verse 12, what does it mean there? So the king asked Jewish sages who knew how to calculate the calendar because so was the word of the king in front of all of those who knew law and judgment. If you need yodei daat va din, then go to those who know law and order. But why go to those who calculate the calendar? What does the calendar have to do with Vashti? So it doesn’t make sense.
And then what does he say to them? The Gemara says he went to the Jews which was the most brilliant thing he could do, he goes to those who are most despised and says you tell me how to handle Vashti. It’s great. They say to kill Vashti; if he gets angry later, it will be their fault!. The Jews say not to kill Vashti, and risk insulting the king.
The Jews say to him, you know once the temple was destroyed we lost all our reasoning. And I think this is where their sin is.
They are telling the truth, they believed that when the temple was destroyed they lose their wisdom. They think that when God is no longer present, God is no longer present. You don’t have a beit hamikdash there is no more wisdom. In other words these were people, the response to AchashveiRosh was their response to him. They needed the physical, someone like the cohen gadol dressed in that fashion, the needed the vessel of the beit hamikdash, the unbelievable thing was that God would not rebuild the temple as long as they needed it.
Avot, Chapter 2 in mishnah 10- Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai had 5 students, and these are them Rabbi Eliezer ben Hirkenus, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya, Rabbi Yossi ha Cohen, Rebbi Shimon ben Nesanel, Reb Elazar ben Arach. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai would list their praises: Rabbi Eliyezer ben Herkinus, was compared a pit lined with lime, so well that no drop would ever escape. Meaning whatever he learns he doesn’t forget. He will only repeat what his Rebbi has said to him. Rabbi Elazar ben Arach however, is like a string bursting forward with energy. A major debate. The one who retains and the one who is creative.
There was a debate as to how Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai would match the two up against each other. One opinion was that all sages of Israel were on one side and Rabbi Eliezer was on the other, and he would weigh more than all of them. Meaning he was greater.
Another opinion was that all the sages were on one side together with Rabbi Eliezer but Rabbi Elazar be Arach was on the second side and he would weigh more then them all. So where is this debate? The debate between creativity and tradition.
The Gemara is unbelievable, that Rabbi Eliezer refused to say anything he didn’t hear from his Rebbi. So there’s a Gemara in Chagigah that Rabbi Yochanan ben zakai and Rabbi Eliezer, the two went to a place and Rebbi Yochanan wanted Rabi Eliezer to speak to the students, but Rabbi Eliezer said whatever I say is going to be what I heard from you so it will be ridiculous that they won’t hear it from you. But Rabbi Yochanan said no I want them to hear it from you. So he began to speak and all the angel from heaven came down and lined the area around the circle to listen to the beauty of what he would say and they describe the beauty and majesty. And Rabbi Yochanan was shaking. And say how lucky is the woman who has such a child.
And there’s another medrish that says that he refused and never got up. So it’s a debate. It’s a debate about what to do with halacha. The only time when were forced was with the calendar, because when there were no more witnesses. The idea was that there was witnesses and they would come to court they would say they saw the new moon and had the system but with no more beit din there were no more witnesses, so what do you do? Do you declare it to be Rosh Chodesh? Who gave you the power? If your making calculations and you make a mistake, your making a mistake to when Rosh hashana is, when Yom Kippur is. So you’re going to have Yom Kippur on the wrong day. So God will have Yom Kippur when you say its Yom Kippur? Really? Who’s in charge you or God? It will be Pesach when we say its Pesach not when God says it.
These people should have been most attuned to the role of a human being, the role of the oral law. You decree when it’s Yom Kippur, not God. You’re the one when God is going to forgive you when it’s Pesach or not. It’s incredible and your doing it with out a system, you’re basing it all on your own.
By the way what was the first mitzvah given to the Jews? Rosh Chodesh. Calculating the calendar. It goes right back to the beginning of our relationship with God. So what was the point of taking us out of Israel. What was the point of anything that ended up? If I give you a Beit Mikdash I’m hurting you I’m not helping you. I’m destroying you. If you’re in the desert and you don’t know when Shabbat is you count 7 days, and then that’s when Shabbat applies. If you go back to Jerusalem and you figure out it was the wrong day and you were Mechalel Shabbat, there is no punishment, its fine you kept Shabbat, it was your Shabbat. So basically God is saying don’t get wrapped up. It leads to, because of that you got so wrapped up in the 70 years that you were destroyed. You even joined in a celebration when the 70 years were over. I never abandoned you. You abandoned Me.
That’s why when the sages say that they bowed down to an idol. The Gemara laughs at it, so big deal , what do you expect from them. Some one says to rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai they served idols, and he smashes the guy, are you crazy? He thought it was Purim Torah, they were jokes. So its not idol worship, look at what it leads to, and Achashveirosh is taking advantage. He completely understands it, that’s the only way he could successfully rule over 127 nations. Most Jewish problems are about being a human being, not about being a Jew. The whole point of it is to teach you how to live as a fully functioning human being.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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Another explanation: “From among those whose death is by Your hand, God.” How mighty are those who have received empire from Your hand. Who is this? This is Nebuchadnezar.
“From among those,” namely, those who have received their portion on this world.
“Whose portion is in this life,” namely, those who receive their reward while still alive.
“And with Your hidden treasure, You fill your belly,” since they became rich from what they stole from the Temple treasury.
“Their children are satisfied,” namely, Evil-Merodach and Balshezzar.
“And leave their abundance to their offspring,” one child who was left to him You made Empress over a kingdom that was not hers. Who was this? This was Vashti.
The midrash continues to struggle with the issue over which these Rabbis and their generation agonized: why do we see the wicked live so well while we suffer so horribly? How could the Jews who suffered the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and then exile into Babylon, witness the ascendancy of Vashti to the throne as Queen and not wonder, “How could God allow this to happen?” How could God allow these people to become wealthy from the gold and silver they stole from Is Temple? How could these people possibly experience or even believe that all was guided by God’s Hand?
This midrash is teaching us that what Mordechai and Esther accomplished in the Purim story was to reach people who felt abandoned by God and reattach them to Him. Vashti represented not just suffering, but the sense that God had abandoned His people. Esther, who takes the place of Vashti, is able to bring the Jews to greater heights than ever before under the worst of circumstances.
The Rabbis of the midrash were struggling with this same issues of abandonment. They focused on this story to remind their generation and themselves, that it was not only possible to maintain a relationship with God even under these horrible circumstances, it was possible to do as did Esther; reach heights greater than ever before.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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Transcribed and prepared by Anna Beller: Some things are very difficult to understand, but ultimately God says to a human being whatever you want to do with your life, and whatever choices you are going to make in your life, I created you with a purpose. I will get out of you what I want from you, the only question is the role that you will play in it. You are really no different than a rock in terms of getting out of you what I want from you. The only real question is whether you will be an active partner with me or not. Had Moshe accepted that God had everything totally under control even though there’s all this random movement of peoples choices and the Jewish people laughing and ridiculing Moshe for speaking to the wrong rock and not getting out the water, but had Moshe truly beloved that absolutely everything was under God’s control to one degree or another he wouldn’t have gotten upset, he would’ve accepted that this is what had to happen and he wouldn’t have hit the rock and the people would have made that kal ve chomer and they never would have really made it anyway, they couldn’t.
Moshe was lacking in that. How do we know that? Because this is the third time Moshe was told he wouldn’t be going into Israel. What was the second time? At the end of parshat beshaleach- the war with Amalek. Amalek attacked and Moshe goes up to the mountain and says to Yehoshua you go down and fight and ill go up to the top and hold up my hands. Why did he do that? Moshe doesn’t like to fight? Since when is he worried about confrontation? Worried about battle? But obviously Moshe’s role has changed. He’s the teacher, the rabbi, the one who leads them to believe in God. So when the time came to do battle, he’s going to send Yehoshua to be the general. So what happens: Vayomer Hashem el moshe- so Hashem says to Moshe after the battle, ketov zot zikaron ba sefer- write this memory in a book- vasim b’zneh yehoshua- and put it in the ears of Yehoshua.
So Rashi quoting the Gemara says why does God say: put it into the ears of Yehoshua? Because Yehoshua is going to be the one to lead them into Israel not you. Because you when up to the mountain to be a holy Jew holding up your hands to make sure people looked up to shamayim and davened. Because that is the role you saw for yourself? You’re not the right person to lead them to Eretz Yisrael. If someone attacks you go and lead them into battle, what are you making chashbonots all types of calculations you should be praying and doing holy things, lead them into battle what’s the matter with you. You don’t think I can take care of this thing? You go and fight. You’re obviously not the right man.
What made him think he could go do that? Because of the way he perceived himself. The minute we lock ourselves in to the way we perceive ourselves then we begin to put on masks so to speak, and that’s the reason we wear masks on Purim. Its making fun of ourselves, not on Purim but the rest of the year. That we define ourselves, we see ourselves in specific way, we have roles, we have roles we play with this group and others with another. We wear suits with one person, and wear jeans with another person, or could be a person with many hats. The way we interact with people: do I act as an adult or as a child, do I have to interact with someone who needs or someone who gives. We all play a million roles. And there’s nothing wrong with playing a million roles except when we lock ourselves into those roles, because then you can make the mistake that Moshe Rabbeinu made. And that mistake is that when you begin to see yourself in a certain ways that when circumstances demand an entirely different expression of self, because its not one of the roles were used to or the role I would normally use in this place, I don’t really respond in the most productive way possible.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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The Yerushalmi (Berachot 9:2) teaches: Elijah [the prophet] of blessed memory asked Rabbi Nehorai, “Why do earthquakes occur?” He said to him, “On account of the sins of [those who do not separate] heave offerings and tithes from their produce.”
One verse says, “God protects the Land of Israel, the eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it (Deut. 11:12).” And a second verse says, “[God] Who looks upon the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke (Psalms 104:32).”
How can one reconcile these two verses? When Israel obeys God’s will and properly separates tithes then, “The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year (Deut. 11:12),” and the Land cannot be damaged. But when Israel does not obey God’s will, and does not properly separate tithes [from the produce of the earth], then He, “Looks upon the earth and it trembles”
Elijah said to him Rabbi Nehorai, “My son, on your life, what you say [about earthquakes] does make sense. But this is the main reason that there are earthquakes: When the Holy One, Blessed is He, looks down on the theaters and circuses that sit secure, serene and peaceful [in Israel], and [he looks down] on the ruins of the Temple, he shakes the world to destroy it [and the earth trembles]. In this regard [the verse says], ‘The Lord will roar from on high, and from his holy habitation utter Jis voice’ [Jeremiah 25:30]. [It means He will roar] on account of [the destruction of] his Temple.”
Said Rabbi Acha, “[The earth quakes] on account of the sin of homosexual acts. God said, ‘You made your genitals throb in an unnatural act. By your life, I shall shake the earth on account of [the act of] this person.’”
And the Sages said, “[The earth quivers] on account of disputes. [As it says, ‘And the valley of my mountains shall be stopped up, for the valley of the mountains shall touch the side of it;] and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah’ [Zech. 14:5].” [Uzziah contested the authority of the priesthood and attempted to enter the Temple and offer an incense offering, (II Chron. 26:16 23). This dispute caused an earthquake.
Said Rabbi Shmuel, “An earthquake is a sign of the cessation of kingship. As it says, ‘The land trembles and writhes in pain.’ On what account? ‘For the Lord’s purposes against Babylon stand, to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant.’ [Jeremiah 51:29].”
Elijah does not begin by teaching but by asking. He wants to know how people are responding to a tragedy. I don’t believe that the rabbis are speaking authoritatively, claiming that their reason is the one for the earthquake. They are simply describing their reaction what happened.
I’m spending all this time writing about the great party of Achashveirosh. I wonder what would have happened if during his six month party there was an earthquake and a tsunami such is the one that happened today in Japan. The party, obviously, would have ended. Achashveirosh would not have had any future as King. He may have been a great warrior but there was nothing he could do in the face of such a tragedy. Such things make us feel vulnerable. I believe that it is the sense of vulnerability that is the most important lesson.
People who speak authoritatively on God’s behalf declaring that they are certain of the reason for a tragedy, speak without the sense of vulnerability. They are not hearing the real lesson of an earthquake. We are vulnerable. No matter how powerful, how advanced, how sophisticated, how wise, how modern we are, we are as vulnerable to the same forces of nature that threatened our ancestors 2000 years.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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"It happened that when Moses raised his hand, Israel grew stronger, and when he lowered his hand, Amalek was stronger (Exodus 17:11)." "Was it Moses' hands that won the battle or lost it? Rather, as long as Israel looked heavenward and subjected their heart to their Father in Heaven, they would prevail (Rosh Hashanah 3:8)." Sounds beautiful, but who was watching Moses' hands? It couldn't have been the soldiers engaged in battle; "Can we please pause our sword fight so I can look up toward Heaven?" It must have been the people safe inside the Clouds of Glory who were watching Moses. Did they stand around all day at the foot of the mountain watching, and immediately forget God when Moses lowered his hands? If they were looking up toward Moses on the mountain, why did he need to raise his hands?
This was the battle of "Zachor," which means, "Remember." We are commanded to remember how Amalek attacked Israel on their way from Egypt to Sinai. Moses raised his hands because he wanted the people inside the Cloud to remember that there was a war just outside the camp. The soldiers were doing their job. The people had to remember the soldiers during every moment of the battle. When the people stopped looking up toward Heaven in prayer for those who were engaged in battle, the soldiers lost their strength. They needed the people back home to remember them, and pray for them.
How often do we think of our soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq who are fighting for their country? How many times a day do we pray for them? Do we "lower our hands," and forget to look up toward Heaven and pray for their protection. How often do we remember the soldiers putting their lives on the line for Israel? Are we looking up at Moses' hands reminding us to constantly think of them and pray? Do we forget them and stop looking up toward Heaven in prayer? We can "remember" the war with Amalek, but how often do we remember Gilad Shalit who has spent almost five years as a hostage of Hamas?
There are people all around us who are fighting wars against physical enemies, hunger, cruelty, ignorance, and hatred, and Moses points upward for us to remember them and pray, and yet...
Moses was criticized by God for his "Hands Pointed Up" approach. It's all too easy to climb a mountain and look heavenward when someone else is doing the actual fighting. God wanted Moses to fight, not to be a Heaven Pointer. Heaven Pointing is a privilege we must first earn by being directly involved. Moses understood, which is why he raised his hands; he was teaching the people to use their hands to reach Heavenward. It wasn't enough to for them to look up toward Moses; they had to reach upward, as was their teacher. It's very easy to look up to Heaven in the safety of the Cloud. Looking up toward Heaven without reaching is not considered a commitment to Heaven. Moses lowered his hands and they forgot just like that, because they were looking without reaching.
Zachor is a call to reach, a summons to action; a message we will hear only when we "remember" those who are on the front lines of life directly engaged in the battle. We are commanded to "Remember" Shabbat by sanctifying it with action. We are commanded to "Remember" what happened to Miriam who spoke ill of her brother Moses and actively change our speech.
The best way to "Remember" is to actively reach higher. Write a letter to a soldier. Send a package. Send a message to the world that we remember Gilad. We can't just look up; we have to reach.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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“And David blessed God in the presence of the entire congregation.” David represented everything to the Jewish people. Can you imagine his impact when the now unified, stronger, and confident people? If they understood this farewell speech that we are reading, in which he introduces the seven lower Sefirot, he must have elevated them to an unbelievable level. Yet, with all his greatness, he would have to die in order for the Beit Hamikdash to be built.
Can you imagine the mixed feelings of the people? They are filled with both devastating sadness over the end of their beloved Kings life, and expectations of the magnificent future.
This paragraph leads directly into the next, “And they blessed Your glorious Name that is exalted above every blessing and praise (Nehemiah 9:5).” This paragraph composed before building the second Beit Hamikdash, continues the theme of expectations. They too were filled with expectation mixed with sadness that this temple would not equal, could not equal, the first.
Nehemiah’s prayer is immediately followed by the song at the city. The song is a song of expectations! “God shall reign for all eternity!” Is a statement of their expectations of the future. The women’s song was accompanied by musical instruments they had prepared in Egypt because they left Egypt with expectations that tremendous miracles would occur.
The Zohar (Vayakhel) teaches that at this point of the conclusion of Pesukei d’Zimrah, we should be filled with expectation that our Shema and Shemonah Esrei will be the greatest of our lives.
The fact that we read Nehemiah’s prayer immediately after King David’s is to remind us that expectations exist on a continuum that stretch back to the song of the Sea and in fact back to the moment when we left Egypt:
Imagine if you saw everyone around you die, the world being turned upside down, even if you were not affected, and all that was protecting you with some blood on your door, would you feel vulnerable? Even though your enemies are being punished, even though you are safe, this new Master of yours, God, has the ability to reverse reality. At least when Pharoah was in charge, the trains ran on time. How many of us wait so long for everything to be just right only to constantly lose significant opportunities? We were forced to leave before everything was right. We did not have enough to eat. We were not prepared for a long journey. Sometimes you have to rush at an opportunity, the secret of the matzoh. Bitterness, Maror, can destroy us. Things not being right is livable. Bitterness is unbearable. The key to being able to rush at an opportunity despite not everything being prepared or ready is expectation.
We may not feel adequately prepared for the most awesome Shema or Shemonah Esrei of our lives. But the expectations will get us there. They will allow us to rush at the opportunity and to succeed.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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“He will call upon Me and I will answer him, I am with him in distress; I will release him, and I will honor him.” The Talmud (Taanit 16a) in describing the intense practices of a declared fast-day, teaches, “And why do they place wood-ashes upon the Ark? Rav Yehudah ben Pazzi said: As if to express the verse, “I will be with him in trouble.”
Resh Lakish said: As if to say, “In all their afflictions He was afflicted (Isaiah 63:9).” Rabbi Zera said: When I first saw the rabbis placing wood-ashes on the Ark my whole body shook.
The Ra’anach explains the debate between Rav Yehudah and Resh Lakish as whether we emphasize that God suffers with us, as in, “In all their afflictions He was afflicted,” or, whether we stress that God is focused on us, as in, “I will be with him.”
In our verse, God waits until we call upon Him from our distress, so that we will experience His response, “I will release him,” as God honoring us, “I will honor him.” Moshe is teaching us that when we pray to God and He responds, He is honoring us.
He waits for us to cry out to Him so that He can honor us. Etz Chaim, Rabbi Chaim Abulafia
Shabbat Pesukei d’Zimrah: We experience the relief offered by Shabbat as being honored by God.
Motzaei Shabbat: As we struggle with life during the week, we will recall the Honor we received from God through Shabbat and will recall that when He asked us to work during the six days, He was offering us an opportunity to earn His honor.
Funeral: We are in distress, and we call out to Him for the honor of His hearing and responding to our prayers. We escort the deceased with this Psalm to celebrate the opportunities for Honor that God provides through dealing with life’s challenges.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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In 1945, an Italian musicologist found four bars of a sonata's bass line in the remnants of the fire bombed Dresden Music Library. He believed these notes were the work of the 17th century Venetian composer Thomas Albinoni, and spent the next twelve years reconstructing a larger piece from the charred manuscript fragment. The resulting composition, known as Albinoni's Adagio, bears little resemblance to most of Albinoni's work and is considered fraudulent by most scholars. But even those who doubt its authenticity have difficulty denying the Adagio's beauty.
Nearly half a century later, it's this contradiction that appeals to the cellist. That something could be almost erased from existence in the landscape of a wounded city, and then rebuilt until it is new and worthwhile, gives him hope. (From "The Cellist of Sarajevo" by Steven Galloway)
I knew I would love the book the moment it mentioned one of my favorite musical pieces, and I was correct. I was most moved by the powerful scenes in which the characters, when viewing an old favorite spot, wonder how Sarajevo will appear after the war, when rebuilt. They speculate whether the new Sarajevo will have the same character and special places it did before 1996.
I wonder the same thing about this week's Haftarah, in which Yoash repairs the neglected Temple in Jerusalem. Did people wonder if it would be as it was in its finest glory when Solomon reigned? Did they wonder if all the new technology, unavailable when the Temple was first built, would change its character? Would they feel the same sense of sanctity with energy efficient bulbs as they did when there were only oil lamps? Would computers change the atmosphere? Could a Cohen use the Offerings app on his iPhone if he forgot exactly how to perform the service? A rebuilt or remodeled home can never recapture the full character of the original. "I love the air conditioning, but I miss the natural coolness of the huge stones."
Mostly, I wonder if people expected some awesome manifestation of God to express His approval of their efforts as He did when they completed the Mishkan and the First Temple. Were they disappointed? Did they feel as failures when no great miracle appeared?
Yoash's greatness was his ability to convey his vision of a story unfolding; this was not the same great building it was long ago, it was a fresh building, expressing a new stage in our relationship with God. Ever since Adam was evicted from the home provided for him by God, we have been searching for ways to make a home for God. We build Tabernacles, Temples, and Houses of Worship. Many fall into the trap of trying to rebuild what once was, whether the Caliphate for some, or the European ghetto for others. Yoash insisted that we will never be able to recapture the past; only build on and with what we have, and allow our story to continue to unfold.
The Half - not Whole - Shekel we contribute is a reminder that our story is not, and never was, complete. No building was ever perfect. Story Unfolders and Half Shekel people are never imprisoned by nostalgia. Their eyes are always focused on the next page of the story. Their story. Our story. Unfolding, challenging, interesting, and unknowable, calling to us to discover new skills as we put our pen to the paper of life and write the next chapter.
This is the real meaning of "Zecher L'Mikdash," usually understood as to, "Remember the Temple," but, in fact, remembering that we are part of the unfolding story of the Mikdash, the attempt to build a House for God even better than that first home He prepared for us in Eden.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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When I was a little boy I wasn't convinced that Shabbat was the last day of the week. My heart told me that it was the first. I, of course, knew the story of the Six Days of Creation, and how God "rested" on the Seventh, but it was not the way I experienced Shabbat: I saw little of my father zt"l during the week, but on Shabbat; he was there. We spent hours at the Friday evening Shabbat table playing "Twenty Questions" on the Bible, and hours the following meal studying the 613 Commandments in different orders. He learned with his children the rest of the day, giving each of us a bowl of special Shabbat treats to eat while waiting for our time with him. Shabbat energized me. I usually ended Shabbat looking forward to life. Every Shabbat was a "beginning" of the rest of the week. I didn't have to wait for Shabbat to relax and "have a break." I used Shabbat to live my week.
Shabbat continued to be a "First" day when my children were younger and I could connect with them as my father had with me. My children are grown, but Shabbat continues to generate new energy and exciting ideas for the week that follows. I guess I'm still not so certain that Shabbat is the last, rather than the first, day of the week.
We derive most of the Shabbat laws from the construction of the Mishkan, so it's fair to wonder how the people involved in the Tabernacle's beginnings used their Shabbat. Did they "need a break" from all the work? Did they resent having to place their project on hold for a day? They must have been desperate to finish; it was their sign of being forgiven for the Golden Calf. "We want to finish already!"
This week's portion, describing the actual construction of the Mishkan, begins with Shabbat. Moshe doesn't present Shabbat only as the day that follows six days of work; he teaches Shabbat as the beginning. He had to, because, "What happens when the project is finished?" How long would their excitement last? We never find the Children of Israel joyfully gathering at their awesome building once it was consecrated. The First Temple, soon after its completion, disappeared as a popular tourist destination. No wonder I was often counseled, when a pulpit rabbi, "Never pay off your building's mortgage!" We strive for completion and success, for the "last day of the week," and forget to ask, "What's next?"
Moshe knew the excitement wouldn't last. The people needed a way to use their accomplishments to inspire them to move forward with excitement. He chose Shabbat as the first day of the week. Shabbat was not a day on which they couldn't finish their work. It was the day they generated the necessary excitement to look forward to the coming week. "These are the things God has commanded you to do (Exodus 35:1)." You were created to do, to accomplish, to soar, to build worlds: "La'asot," as in "The Lord completed the work He had done, asher asa. (Genesis 2:1)"
No wonder Shabbat is always associated with Teshuva: Each week we are trying to restore Shabbat as a beginning, "L'dorotam," for all generations, for eternity. We are still grasping for the real power of Shabbat as the First day. Perhaps this will be the week...
Rabbi Simcha L. Weinberg
President
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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Who advised Amalek to attack Israel? Balaam. His strategy was that the children of Avraham should attack the nation that existed on the merit of Avraham.
Imagine what it was like for the Children of Israel, who understood the power of their connection to Avraham Avinu, to be attacked by his other grandchild.
Amalek was more than just a competing grandchild of Avraham. Amalek was the result of a mistake of Avraham and Yitzchak and Yaakov! Re’uma wanted to be connected to the family of Avraham. She asked this first outreach rabbi to convert, and this man, who converted so many, refused to convert her. She waited for Yitzchak and asked him for the right to convert, and he too refused her, as did Yaakov, the third of the patriarchs. She was so desperate to be connected to this family that she became a concubine to Eliphaz, Eisav’s son, and bore Amalek.
Amalek resulted from the refusal of each of the three Avot to convert a woman desperate for a connection to the family. The attack of Amalek was a reminder of a mistake made by each of the three Avot.
Israel could not rely on the merit of their grandfather because he was Amalek’s grandfather as well. Israel could not rely on the merit of Avraham because it was Abraham’s mistake that resulted in Amalek. They stood alone and vulnerable as never before.
Balaam was a genius, but Moshe was a greater genius. Moshe hands connected his people directly to God. They did not need to rely on Avraham. They could connect directly to God. In fact, the reason they could derive benefit from the merit of Avraham was because of their connection with God. They were not vulnerable. Amalek could not connect to their grandfather Avraham, as could the Children of Israel. They were not vulnerable because of Abraham’s mistakes. They existed in the hands of God, which they felt reaching to them as Moshe’s hands were reaching to God.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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Rabbi Chiya had a friend in Ashna are who made a party for him and regaled him with all the finest dishes imaginable, all that was created in the six days of creation. He said to him: “What can your God do for you more than this?” Rabbi Chiya replied: “Your party has a limit, but the feast which our Lord will provide for the righteous and the time to come will have no limit,” as it is written, “Eyes have not seen, O Lord, beside You, what He shall do for him who waits for Him (Isaiah 64:3).”
Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai had a friend who lived near him in Tyre. Once when he visited his friend he heard the servant say, “What are we going to have today, thin lentil soup or thick lentil soup?” He replied, “thin.”
The Rabbi began speaking contemptuously of the man, and the friend noticed, whereupon he said to his household, “Prepare for me all those silver vessels of my.”
He then said to Rabbi Shimon, “Would you do us the honor to drink with us today?” He said, “yes.”
When he went to the house he saw all the silver vessels and was astonished, and said: “Can the man with all that money eat such simple things as thin lentil soup?” Said the other to him: “That is so, sir. You scholars command respect through your learning, but we, if we have no money, no one respects us.”
Bar Yochania was minded to give a banquet to the notables of Rome, and as Rabbi Eliezer Ben Yosi was there, he said, “Let us consult our fellow townsman.” When he came, the latter said to him: “if you intended to invite 20, prepare enough for 25, and if you intend to invite 25, prepare enough for 30.”
He, however, went and prepared enough for 24 and then invited 25. The result was that there was one dish short, some say it was already chokes, and some say it was the berries. The host brought a gold dish and set it before the guest who went short, but the guest took it and threw it in his face, saying: “do I eat gold, or do I want your gold?”
The host went to Rabbi Eliezer ben Yosi and told him what had happened. He said to him: “Indeed, Rabbi, I ought not to tell you this, for you told me what to do and I did not do it. Why I tell you is because I want to know; Has God revealed to you scholars the secrets of the Torah, or perhaps the secrets of entertainment as well?”
The Rabbi replied: “He has revealed to us the secrets of entertainment as well.”
“From where did you know this then?” He asked the Rabbi.
The rabbi replied: from David, because it is written, “So Abner came to David to have grown, and 20 men within. And David made Abner and the men that were within a feast (II Samuel 3:20).” It does not say simply, “He made a feast,” but “and for the men that were with him a feast.”
Here, however, the last day was as good as the first. (whereas in the stories narrated there was always something missing, at Achashveirosh’s banquet there was nothing lacking from beginning to end.)
The midrash again uses stories to explain exactly what happened at Achashveirosh’s party. The first story teaches us that the party was an expression of, “I have all I need. I do not need God.” No wonder the party ends with the litigation of the King.
The second story is one of a person who believes that he can only earn respect through his money. He does not use his money to feed himself, for he is incredibly stingy even with himself. He uses his money only to earn respect, as did Achashveirosh. No wonder that King loses so much of the “respect” he earned through his displays of wealth at the end of the story when publicly you merely aided by Vashti. The third story is one of a man who, after refusing the rabbis advice, and finds a single guest without a plate of food, offers the guest a golden plate only to have it thrown in his face. Achashveirosh did not fall short in feeding his guests, but he too ended up having something thrown into his face; his wife publicly rejects him, and he can not provide the final great entertainment he promised his prominent guests: the public this delay of his wife’s beauty.
The key to who rejects God’s hand, ends up being used by God to accomplish exactly what God desires. The King who believed he could only earn respect through a display of wealth, ends up a poor king must tax his people just to have enough to survive. The king who believes he can provide all their needs of all his guests, ends up failing him providing the final entertainment, cannot satisfy his friend, Haman, and must struggle to satisfy his unexpectedly demanding wife, Esther.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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And princes of the provinces, being before him.” Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Samuel the son of Nachman explained this differently. Rabbi Eliezer said: They were placed as in this state room of Geder (Gadara in Transjordania), where the King sits on a raised dais to give judgment, while all the people sit before him on the ground.
Rabbi Samuel the son of Nachman said: They were placed as in the Basilica of the powerless when it is full of people, where the King sits on his couch and all the people lie prostrate before him; therefore it says, “and princes of the provinces before him.”
Rabbi Eliezer pictured the scene as the King the sitting as a judge. He sees this conference, and probably this seven day party that followed, as the King’s attempt to present himself as a wise judge.
Rabbi Samuel, on the other hand, pictures this scene as the King asserting himself as King. He wants all to lie low, prostrate before him.
When we study the end of the first chapter of the Book of Esther, we find the King gathered with his most important guests in judgment over Queen Vashti. Perhaps the entire scene, which I believe was planned by Achashveirosh all along, was for him to present himself as a wise ruler, one who would serve as the ultimate judge of the people. This was his chance to display his greatness as a judge.
Rabbi Samuel does not view the final scene in the first chapter as that of a king functioning as a judge. He reads this story as one of a King desperate to assert himself as a king before whom all must bow, who is now in a terrible situation having been humiliated by his wife before the powerful people sitting with him, the only ones who knew what Vashti had done.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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The Tabernacle was built with raw material and labor. The material came from anyone willing to give of their possessions to the building. Labor came from Betzalel, the master craftsman, and other craftsmen. They built a place where The Divine Presence dwelt. Did they gave an honest days work? For such an important project with the whole community watching closely, it seems reasonable to assume they were honest in their labor.
In our lives at work, what is our obligation under Jewish thought? The answer is given in a strikingly direct teaching by the Sages of the Talmud. When someone comes before the heavenly court for judgment, the first question to be asked is: Were you honest in business?
An example of not giving an honest day’s work is exemplified by people who spend time at work using the computer to play games or otherwise waste time. Of course, you are allowed a few breaks, but overall do you put in a productive day?
Another area of honesty has to do with deception. The meticulousness of Torah thought in this area is highlighted by a story about Rabbi Aaron Kotler, of blessed memory, who was raising money for a new building for his yeshiva. He was shown an artist’s rendition of the building. It would be used when soliciting funds, so the donors could see what they were paying for. As he looked at the drawing, he noticed a small flowerbed near the entrance to the building. He asked if it was certain that the flowers would be planted. He was told, no, but this made the place look nicer. He immediately told the artist to take it out! If it was not certain the flowers would be there, it would be dishonest to tell donors their money would be put to this use.
The concept of the giving heart is mentioned in the building of the Tabernacle. Is there a place to do more at work than just your job?
A good example is my friend Leah. She was working at a residence for special needs people. Her duties involved doing food preparation and cleaning the bathroom. When she was cleaning, she made sure the place was spotless, unlike some of the other people who did this. This was her job, and she gave an honest day’s work. She also noticed that some of the food was not appropriate for those residents who were diabetic, and would point that out to her bosses. It was not her job to be a dietician, but her giving heart wanted to take care of the residents. By bringing these problems to the attention of the senior staff, she also protected her employer from possible lawsuits if people got sick.
The Torah portion mentions the givers of the material and the workers. Together they made the Tabernacle possible. In our time, there is no Tabernacle, But even today the willing heart and honest work can blend to create a place where The Divine Presence dwells.
Next week is Adar I, and the yartzeit of my mother. This is in her memory.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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“On the throne of his kingdom.” Rabbi Cohen said in the name of Rabbi Azaria: The word, “his kingdom,” is written defectively: he wanted to sit on the throne of Solomon, but was not permitted. They said to him: “No king who is not ruler of the world can sit on it.” He thereupon made himself a throne of his own just like it. Hence it says, “On the throne of his kingdom,” the word, “his kingdom,” being written defectively.
What then was the greatness of that throne, of which it says, “Moreover the king Solomon made a great throne of ivory (II Chronicles 9:17)?” For Rabbi Acha observed: surely it is written, “now Ahab had 70 sons in Samaria (II Kings 10:1),” and Rabbi Hoshaia said that as Ahab had 70 sons in Samaria so he had 70 sons in Jezreel, and each son had two palaces, one for winter and one for summer, as it says, “and I will smite the winter house with the summer house (Amos 3:15),” while Rabbi Judah son of Rabbi Simon says said each of Ahab’s sons had four palaces, as it says, “and the houses of ivory shall perish.” The Rabbis say that each son had six palaces, as it says, “and the great houses shall have an end.” Here, regarding King Solomon, it simply says, “a great throne of ivory.” His ivory throne was much less than the ivory palaces of Ahab’s sons.
Rabbi Hoshaia Rabbah explained that Solomon’s throne was made like the Chariot of Him, at Whose word the world came into being, the Holy One, Blessed is He; and so it says, “there were six steps to the throne (II Chronicles 9:18),” six corresponding to the six firmaments. This constituted the greatness of Solomon’s throne.
But are there not seven firmaments? Rabbi Abun said: The one in which the King abides is specially reserved.
There were six corresponding to the six Earths; eretz,, adamah, arka, ge, Tziah, neshiah. There is also Tevel, but this is not counted because it is written, “And He will judge the world, Tevel, in righteousness (Psalms 9:9).” (Tevel is the habitation of man, which stands to the other side in the same relation as the highest firmament to the rest.)
There were six corresponding to the six orders of the Mishnah.
There were six corresponding to the six days of creation.
There were six corresponding to the six matriarchs; Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, Bilha and Zilpah.
Rabbi Huna said: there were six steps corresponding to the six Commandments which the King was specially admonished to keep, as it is written, “He shall not multiply wives to himself.” “He shall not multiply horses to himself.” “Neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.” “You shall not wrest judgment.” “You shall not give extra respect to persons.” “Neither shall you take a gift.”
As King Solomon ascended the first of the six steps, the herald proclaimed, addressing him, “He shall not multiply wives to himself.” At the second step, the herald proclaimed, “He shall not multiply horses to himself.” At the third step the Herald proclaimed, “Neither shall be multiplied to himself silver and gold.” At the fourth, the herald proclaimed, “You shall not wrest judgment.” At the fifth, “You shall not give extra respect to certain people.” At the sixth, “You shall not take a gift.” Similarly it says, “And arms on either side by the place of the seat (II Chronicles).”
As Solomon went to take his seat, the Herald said to him: “know before you only use it; before Him at whose world at whose word the world came into being.”
It is related that when Solomon died, Shishak, king of Egypt, came up and took it from Israel.
Rabbi Samuel the son Nachman said: Shishak is the same as Pharaoh. And why was he called Shishak? Because he cameimpelled by greed against Israel, saying, “I am taking it in lieu of my daughter’s marriage settlement.” He made war with Zerah the Ethiopian, who took it from him. Then Asa made war with Zerah the Ethiopian and he conquered him and took the throne from him.
It has been taught: Asa and all the kings of Judah sat upon it, and when Nebuchadnezzar came up and sacked Jerusalem he carried it off to Babylon. From Babylon it was taken to Medea and from Medea to Greece, and from Greece to a Edom/Rome.
Rabbi Elazar the son of Rabbi Yosi said: I have seen its fragments in Rome.
Nebuchadnezar on it; Cyrus the Great sat on it; Achashveirosh wanted to sit on it, but was not permitted. They said to him: “no one who is not ruler over the whole world can sit on it.” He accordingly made one for himself which he paid for; hence it is written, “when the throne of his kingdom,” the word, “kingdom,” being written defectively.
“And the top of the throne was rounded behind (I Kings 10:19).” Rabbi Acha said: like an armchair with a footstool.
“And there were arms on either side.” As King Solomon ascended the first step, a lion stretched out an arm to him to lift him; at the second and an eagle stretched out an arm. “By the place of this seat,” so they received him.
By the seat itself there was a golden scepter behind, at the top of which was a dove with a golden crown in its mouth, so that the king should be seated on the throne with the golden crown just barely resting on his head.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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On the throne of his kingdom.” Rabbi Cohen said in the name of Rabbi Azaria: The word, “his kingdom,” is written defectively: he wanted to sit on the throne of Solomon, but was not permitted. They said to him: “No king who is not ruler of the world can sit on it.” He thereupon made himself a throne of his own just like it. Hence it says, “On the throne of his kingdom,” the word, “his kingdom,” being written defectively.
What then was the greatness of that throne, of which it says, “Moreover the king Solomon made a great throne of ivory (II Chronicles 9:17)?” For Rabbi Acha observed: surely it is written, “now Ahab had 70 sons in Samaria (II Kings 10:1),” and Rabbi Hoshaia said that as Ahab had 70 sons in Samaria so he had 70 sons in Jezreel, and each son had two palaces, one for winter and one for summer, as it says, “and I will smite the winter house with the summer house (Amos 3:15),” while Rabbi Judah son of Rabbi Simon says said each of Ahab’s sons had four palaces, as it says, “and the houses of ivory shall perish.” The Rabbis say that each son had six palaces, as it says, “and the great houses shall have an end.” Here, regarding King Solomon, it simply says, “a great throne of ivory.” His ivory throne was much less than the ivory palaces of Ahab’s sons.
Rabbi Hoshaia Rabbah explained that Solomon’s throne was made like the Chariot of Him, at Whose word the world came into being, the Holy One, Blessed is He; and so it says, “there were six steps to the throne (II Chronicles 9:18),” six corresponding to the six firmaments. This constituted the greatness of Solomon’s throne.
But are there not seven firmaments? Rabbi Abun said: The one in which the King abides is specially reserved.
There were six corresponding to the six Earths; eretz,, adamah, arka, ge, Tziah, neshiah. There is also Tevel, but this is not counted because it is written, “And He will judge the world, Tevel, in righteousness (Psalms 9:9).” (Tevel is the habitation of man, which stands to the other side in the same relation as the highest firmament to the rest.)
There were six corresponding to the six orders of the Mishnah.
There were six corresponding to the six days of creation.
There were six corresponding to the six matriarchs; Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, Bilha and Zilpah.
Rabbi Huna said: there were six steps corresponding to the six Commandments which the King was specially admonished to keep, as it is written, “He shall not multiply wives to himself.” “He shall not multiply horses to himself.” “Neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.” “You shall not wrest judgment.” “You shall not give extra respect to persons.” “Neither shall you take a gift.”
As King Solomon ascended the first of the six steps, the herald proclaimed, addressing him, “He shall not multiply wives to himself.” At the second step, the herald proclaimed, “He shall not multiply horses to himself.” At the third step the Herald proclaimed, “Neither shall be multiplied to himself silver and gold.” At the fourth, the herald proclaimed, “You shall not wrest judgment.” At the fifth, “You shall not give extra respect to certain people.” At the sixth, “You shall not take a gift.” Similarly it says, “And arms on either side by the place of the seat (II Chronicles).”
As Solomon went to take his seat, the Herald said to him: “know before you only use it; before Him at whose world at whose word the world came into being.”
It is related that when Solomon died, Shishak, king of Egypt, came up and took it from Israel.
Rabbi Samuel the son Nachman said: Shishak is the same as Pharaoh. And why was he called Shishak? Because he cameimpelled by greed against Israel, saying, “I am taking it in lieu of my daughter’s marriage settlement.” He made war with Zerah the Ethiopian, who took it from him. Then Asa made war with Zerah the Ethiopian and he conquered him and took the throne from him.
It has been taught: Asa and all the kings of Judah sat upon it, and when Nebuchadnezzar came up and sacked Jerusalem he carried it off to Babylon. From Babylon it was taken to Medea and from Medea to Greece, and from Greece to a Edom/Rome.
Rabbi Elazar the son of Rabbi Yosi said: I have seen its fragments in Rome.
Nebuchadnezar on it; Cyrus the Great sat on it; Achashveirosh wanted to sit on it, but was not permitted. They said to him: “no one who is not ruler over the whole world can sit on it.” He accordingly made one for himself which he paid for; hence it is written, “when the throne of his kingdom,” the word, “kingdom,” being written defectively.
“And the top of the throne was rounded behind (I Kings 10:19).” Rabbi Acha said: like an armchair with a footstool.
“And there were arms on either side.” As King Solomon ascended the first step, a lion stretched out an arm to him to lift him; at the second and an eagle stretched out an arm. “By the place of this seat,” so they received him.
By the seat itself there was a golden scepter behind, at the top of which was a dove with a golden crown in its mouth, so that the king should be seated on the throne with the golden crown just barely resting on his head.
Author Info for Notes:
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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The word “Hu” is found five times in a bad sense and five times in a good sense. The five times in a bad sense are: “He, Nimrod, was a mighty hunter before the Lord.” Genesss 10:9; “This is Esau the father of the Edomites.” 36:43; “These are that Dathan and Abiram.” Numbers 26:9; “This same king Achaz.” Chronicles II 28:22; and, “this is Achashveirosh.”
Five times in a good sense, namely, “Abram the same is Abraham.” ChronicleI 1:27; “These are that Moses and Aaron.” Exodus 7:27, and “These are that Aaron and Moses.”; “And David was the youngest.” Samuel I 17:14; “Has not the same Hezekiah.” Chronicles II 32:12; “This Ezra went up from Babylon.” Ezra 7:6.
Rabbi Berechiah said in the name of the rabbis of Babylon; we have one better than all of them, namely, “He is God our Lord; His judgments are all in the earth,” (Psalms 60:7), implying that the attribute of mercy is everlasting.
Give me following a midrash that focuses on the King’s inconsistencies, the midrash offers us a list to lists one of five people who were bad from beginning to end, and a second list of five who were perfectly consistent in their goodness, from beginning to end. The Midrash concludes with a statement that the only One Who is truly consistent is God.
This Midrash stressing that all of the 10 people listed, whether good or evil, were who they were as a matter of choice. They either made a conscious decision to be good, or to be evil.
God, however, is different. God’s goodness is not a “choice.” God’s goodness is a reflection of His very essence.
Therefore, as the Children of Israel were considering how to respond to the story of the Book of Esther, and use it to prepare for their future, they understood that the only perfect consistency on which they would be able to rely over the ages would be God’s consistent attribute of mercy.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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Rabbi Nehemiah points out that although it was Achashveirosh’s careful wording of his decree that allowed his son, Darius, to permit the completion of the second Temple, it was not inconsistent with his decree to stop the construction. Both this stop order and the vague wording were intended to serve a single purpose: I hold power over the Jews. I will determine the future of Jerusalem.
It is not just that Achashveirosh was concerned only with himself, he planned ahead, and was metculous with everything he did so that it would not lock him into a bind. Not only did Achashveirosh refuse to accept responsibility for any of his decisions, he formulated his decrees in such a way that he could always change his mind without seeming to change his mind.
People had no idea what to expect from the King. They would read his decrees from beginning to end, inside and out, trying to figure out what was there and why, what were his ultimate goals. They had no idea. This was the king’s way of keeping all opposition off balance.
Rabbi Nehemiah wants us to understand how people reacted to his letters that were sent throughout his kingdom. No one took them at face value.
Therefore we must read the entire story as a strategy to keep people off balance. This would imply that even the decree to massacre the Jews was intended not for the massacre, but to keep the Jews off balance. Achashveirosh’s decision to promote Haman so high in the palace was not to give Haman power, but to throw Mordechai, who already had great power, off his balance. When Achashveirosh announced a second contest of women, his intent was to throw Esther off balance. He did not want anyone around him to feel secure. He wanted them to understand that their only security lay in him.
Even Achashveirosh’s eventual support of Esther and Mordechai was intended to keep everyone, including Esther and Mordechai, off balance.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>
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Now it came to pass in the days about Achasveirosh.” Rabbi Joshua son of Karcha said: he was called Achashveirosh because he made the face of Israel black like the sides of a pot.
Rabbi Berechiah said: because he made the head of Israel ache with fasting and affliction.
Rabbi Levi said: because he made them drink gall and wormwood.
Rabbi Judah said: because he sought to uproot Israel from the foundation of their future.
Rabbi Tachalifa the son of bar Chana said: because he was the brother of the head, the brother of Nebuchadnezar. How could he be his brother? Was not one a Chaldean and the other a Median? The fact is that one stopped the building of the Temple and the other destroyed the Temple; therefore Scripture puts them on the same level. (Esther Rabbah 1:1)
Rabbi Berechiah has a different approach to this story of a man who defined his times: Israel fasted in the book of Esther because of Haman’s degree, not a direct decree of Achashveirosh. Rabbi Berechiah is reminding us that Achashveirosh was ultimately responsible. We know from the story itself that he was responsible, however, there is an additional point:
As you read through the book of Esther you will see that Achashveirosh does whatever he wants but never takes direct responsibility. He has others make the decision to deal with Vashti. He has others collect the women for his great contest, bearing the resentment of all the families and fathers who witnessed their daughters being pulled away. He allows Haman to assume responsibility for the destruction of the Jews. He allows Mordechai to assume responsibility for the reversal. Achashveirosh was not a man who took direct responsibility for anything. Certainly nothing negative. Rabbi Berechiah is teaching us to study this as a tale of what happens when we are led by someone who refuses to take responsibility for unpleasant decisions.
Rabbi Berechiah is teaching us that we must read the entire book of Esther with this in mind; That Achashveirosh, who, as we said, defined his times, was the one who believed he was pulling the strings. If there was a decree that led us to fast and get a headache from fasting, it was his responsibility, no one else’s.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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Ahab sent among all the children of Israel and he gathered the prophets to Mount Carmel.” Why is it that Ahab “sent among the children of Israel,” but he “gathered the prophets to Mount Carmel?” It seems that he only had to send a message to the children of Israel but he had to forcibly gather the prophets to the great confrontation. It seems that the prophets of the idols did not want to attend, and Ahab had to forcibly gather them. I suspect that they who “ate as Jezebel’s table,” were not permitted by the queen to attend. There was a split between Ahab and his queen. I suspect, intended by Elijah.However, the children of Israel simply responded to his message to gather.
How long was this part of the story? How long was there between the time that Ahab sent this message out to the children of Israel and the actual confrontation on Mount Carmel? If it was just a few days then how many of the Children of Israel could have gathered? If Ahab wanted all the people from all over his kingdom to attend this great ceremony or confrontation on Carmel he would’ve had to wait a few weeks. Did anything happen during these few weeks?
The story continues “Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you dance between two opinions? If God is the Lord, follow him! And if the Baal, follow it!” How did Elijah address the entire nation? There was no public address system.
It seems to me that Elijah’s message went out to the people the minute Ahab sent a message to them to gather on Carmel: when people received the King’s message “Coming to Carmel for a confrontation with Elijah!” People wanted to know why. They wanted to know what would happen. It is not that Elijah made a public address to the people with his challenge of “THow long,” but that his message went out to the people to gather with Ahab’s. This does not mean that the King included Elijah’s question in the King’s message, but the minute the people received Ahab’s summons they wanted to know what was going to happen, what was the purpose. I believe that Elijah spread his message by answering people as they began to approach; I have a basic question for all the people, “How long will you dance between two opinions?” Elijah’s message spread.
“The people did not answer in a word.” The peoples did not answer with words they answered Elijah by gathering. They did answer by responding to Ahab’s summons to come to Carmel.
We asked earlier whether the people were being primed as we demonstrated Ahab was: The answer is Yes! The time between the summons and the actual confrontation was Elijah’s way of preparing the people for all that was about to happen.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>
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We are told that when Moses spoke to the people his face would shine. What does this mean?
There are people we look up to as role models. We see their good acts and say to ourselves, I would never have thought to do this. Will I now do this? They shine in our eyes.
Yet the people we look up to usually say, “What is the fuss about? It is no big deal” Are they covering up what they really think about themselves, or is something else going on here?
I have written about Jae who sends a present to her parents on her birthday to thank them for the gift of life. Not many people do that. I’ve written about Joel who has raised money for trees in Israel for 40 years. Not many people do that. I have written about “Uncle Barry’ who lent his Mercedes to an acquaintance, even though the man had not asked for it. Not many people do that.
I know these people think this is not a big deal, even though most people would not do it or think of doing it. In these areas they are on a higher level than others.
So who is correct? Our awe, or their “so what” attitude? I believe both are correct.
We need role models to show us how to be better people. We just have to look through an ethical lens to see all the good deeds around us. We will see the shine in what they do.
But what about the role models? They are like Moses. He did not see his shine. He is who he is. So it is with our role models. What else can they be but who they are?
And this explains why Moses was called a humble man. Rabbi Sol Roth taught me the definition of humility. It means you know you do great things, but you do not think you are greater than anyone else.
When we admire people, they become an inspiration and a source of ideas on how to improve our actions. See these people as gifts.
When I think of friends who inspire me, I try to improve my behavior. And when I think this way, whether my friends are taller or shorter than me, I always have to look up and strain my neck when I gaze at their shining moral height.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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I receive complimentary issues of all sorts of magazines every week and I usually end up feeling as if I live on a different planet. Are there really enough people who buy a $200,000 watch to merit an advertisement? What about $2,000 pants? Private jets? Who are the people who stay in hotels that advertise rates of $2,500 a night? They live on a different planet.
My wife makes fun of me when she refers to the Jewish Press as my favorite newspaper. Laugh all you want, but all the ads for classes, Tzedaka (Charity), Jewish books, and requests for prayers, reflect a readership with whom I share more than with those who want ads for $5,000 suits. The fact that there are so many columns on the weekly parsha and Halacha, whether I enjoy them or not, or agree at all with their messages, represents an insatiable desire to learn. I share more with the Jewish Press readers than I do with those who read Prestige.
There are some bible stories that strike me like Forbes and others more like the Jewish Press. I can relate to the people’s hesitation at Sinai. But, I must admit, that the Golden Calf story strikes me as a science fiction story.
I accept that I do not understand the passionate desire for idol worship. But, I must tell you that when people who were slaves just three months earlier start spending all their gold, even giving up all their personal jewelry to make a spectacular idol, I wonder whether they are the ones who buy the six figure watches.
They clearly lived on a different planet. They experienced the Exodus, the splitting of the Sea, Manna, water from a rock and Sinai. They were stuck in middle of the desert wondering whether their fearless leader, Moshe, would ever return. I can’t even begin to appreciate what they were feeling. How could they take everything they owned and toss into a fire hoping that a magical idol would mysteriously appear? Even aliens must have their logic.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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What might things be like when we are not looking at them? This question, which seems less absurd to me every day, is one that I asked often as a child, but only asked myself, not my parents or my teachers, because I guessed that they would smile at my naïveté, or at my stupidity, according to a more radical opinion, and would give me the only answer that would never convince me: “when we are not looking at them, things look just the same as when we are looking at them.” I always thought that things, whenever they were alone, were other things.
When I think of the Golden Calf, or in Hebrew; “Eigel,” which can be read “Ayin Gal,” ‘open my eyes,’ it seems as if the people of Israel were seeking to see that which they believed they could not. They were wondering what was the reality they could not see. For example, was Moses still there if they could not see him? Had he disappeared on top of Mount Sinai? What is there when we are not looking?
If they so wondered about Moses would they not wonder about God’s presence? They had “seen” God at the Revelation at Sinai but would they always see God with such clarity? Would God be there even when they could not see just as He was when they could? What is there when we are not looking?
At one time I thought that if you were to set up a camera in such a way that it would shoot a picture automatically in a room where there were no human presences, you would be able to catch things unawares, and in this way learn their true appearance. I forgot that things are smarter than they seem and don’t allow themselves to be tricked quite so easily: they know perfectly well that inside each camera there is a human being hidden.
Besides, even if the equipment had cunningly been able to capture of the image of the same face, its other side would have remained beyond the reach of the optical, mechanical, chemical, or digital system of the photographic record. And it would have been toward that hidden inside that at the last moment, ironically, the photographed thing would have turned its secret aspect, that twin sister of darkness.
When we enter a room that is immersed in absolute darkness and turn on a light, the darkness disappears. So it is not strange that we should ask ourselves, “Where has it gone?” And if there can only be one reply: “It didn’t go anywhere; darkness is simply the other side of like, its secret aspect.”
It is a pity that nobody told me earlier, when I was a child. Today I would know all about darkness and light, about light and darkness.
Did the people of Israel know that God was present even when they were not looking? Did they suspect, as do I, that there is always the secret aspect question, hidden from us, that we cannot perceive or understand? These people had received the greatest clarity possible for a physical human being. But they wanted more. They suspected that once Moses went up Sinai he saw so much that he did not want to come down. There was more. So much more that there was no desire on Moses’ part to return. They too wanted to see this secret aspect. If they could not go up Sinai themselves, they would bring that secret aspect down so that they too could see what Moses saw.
Confusing? Perhaps. Were they mistaken? Surely. However, the desire to see more and more, this secret aspect, is inherent in everything we do, in every word of Torah we study, in every word of prayer we recite, in every mitzvah we observe. We need to want to see more.
We can make the same mistake as those who built the Golden Calf and hide a secret camera so we can capture images no one else could see. But there would always be that secret aspect. They had to learn that their power to see, to perceive, was within them. They did not need something external, they did not need a hidden camera, they did not need a Golden Calf.
They needed to use what they had already experienced and learned to use it as a new form of vision. They could have, had they looked, found the secret aspect that is still there just before us waiting for us to use this special vision of Sinai to see it on our own without any magical tools or cameras, but to see it with the power that is with in.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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It saddens me when I will observe a child or even an adult acting in a self-destructive way out of fear of how others will respond or look at his actions. I do not see such actions as courageous, I see them as cowardice. So please, help me understand how do we know that when Aaron guided the Jews through the construction of the Golden Calf, that his intentions were intentions of strength, not of cowardice. How do we know that Aaron wanted to protect the people, as we are taught by the sages, rather than his being terrified?
There must be a key to Aaron’s personality and strengths in this week’s portion, the one that precedes the portion of the Golden Calf, and there is; “And you bring close Aaron your brother and his sons with him from the midst of the children of Israel to make him a priest for Me.” “From the midst of the Children of Israel,” can also be from the “inside of the people of Israel.”
Aaron was completely connected to the people. When one acts from weakness, or out of cowardice, he is not acting as one connected, but as one disconnected. If my attachment to other people causes me to act against myself, or in self-destructive ways, I am not connected from them, I am ripped away not only from them, but from myself as well.
Aaron is introduced as the High Priest coming from the inside of the Jewish people. He is permanently connected to them. All that he does, all that he will do, is a reflection of true connection, from the inside of the Jewish people. We therefore know that when Aaron acted at the time of the Golden Calf, he was still acting as from the “inside of the Jewish people,” completely connected. He was not acting in weakness, out of cowardice, he was acting from strength, he was acting from his connection. This is how we know that his intentions at the Golden Calf were only good.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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Sponsored in Honor of Ari Shlomo's New Challenge
It was 1am. I was dressed to train for IAI, the Japanese Art of Drawing the Sword. I was wearing a samurai outfit. When a congregant opened the door and saw a sword flash just a foot or two before his face, he was shocked. Was this his rabbi? It wasn't only the sword, it was the rabbi's clothing which confused him. Please note that I never heard a disrespectful word from this congregant ever again.
The old time congregants of one of my congregations did not like the typical religious Kittel, the simple white robe we wear on the High Holidays. These congregants ordered a custom-made long flowing choir robe with elaborate white pleats for me to wear in the synagogue instead of my Kittel. I refused. I felt that the choir robe, usually used in church choirs, was less appropriate for a rabbi then samurai robes.
When six-years-old, I expected that one day I would wear a Hamburg and a Kappata, a Prince Albert jacket, worn by the heads of Yeshivot. I often wondered, because of my family's strong Chassidic roots, whether I would end up wearing Chassidic garb such as a Shtreimel and Bekeshe. I admit that I often dreamed of wearing the clothing worn by Sephardic rabbis, the turban, the colorful robe with all of their decorations.
I find it interesting that the most important clothes in the Bible, those of the High Priest in the Tabernacle, were worn only inside the confines of the Mishkan. He was not permitted to wear his clothes of office outside.
I find it even more interesting that we are taught that the High Priest was not allowed to raise his hands above that headband he wore, on which was inscribed, "Holy to God." He could never raise himself above the name of God. His clothes represented something greater than he.
Perhaps this was the most important message of the priestly garments. There is a concept of entering prayer with garments that represent the higher me. Clothes that reflect full respect for my spiritual dignity, my potential greatness.
My father zt"l referred to this mode of dress as "Yirat Shamaim," "Awe of Heaven." He explained that true awe is a deep awareness of our potential.
I definitely felt that wearing a samurai outfit made me feel more respect for my training. I feel the same way on the High Holidays when I wear my plain simple white Kittel. There are some Torah concepts so fundamental to my life's path that I will share only after donning a jacket and tie.
At a recent lecture, a man in his eighties announced before my audience that he entered a synagogue in 1985 for the first time since his Bar Mitzvah dressed in bright red shorts and a t-shirt. The young Rabbi interrupted people who were criticizing the way he was dressed, welcomed him with open arms, assured him that he could pray as he was dressed, and urged him to forget about his clothes and focus on the words. "The prayers will be your garments!" The man was so moved by the prayers that he returned the following morning in a suit and tie. He hasn't missed praying in a synagogue since. "The prayers inspired me to dress with respect. You made it about my relationship with God, not the formalities. Everything else followed. I always imagine my prayers as my spiritual clothes; I want my physical clothes to reflect my prayers."
I wear a slave's tunic; a Tallit Katan (Tzitzit) not just to fulfill the Mitzvah, but as a reflection of my sense of privilege to serve as God's servant. My Tallit Katan expresses the Mitzvot that are my true garments. I wear royal robes during my morning prayers; a Tallit, not only for the Mitzvah, but as an expression of the great honor God affords me when He welcomes my prayer. Praying makes me feel like royalty.
We are taught that the body is the soul's garment. I want my body to reflect the beauty of my soul. There is little I can do about my looks other than to treat my body as one would treat an expensive suit. The questions about appropriate clothing should not begin with samurai outfits, choir robes, a Kappata, Bekeshe, or a turban, but with our inner lives, our growth, aspirations, beliefs; what do we see when we look at our souls?
When we stand before our closet choosing an outfit we will benefit by first looking deep inside our souls, seeing the beauty and glory. We'll know exactly what to wear.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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Rashi on the portion begins by describing the meticulous process that was necessary to produce the oil for the Menorah. The oil had to have the purity of being clear, without sediment.:
They would choose olives from the top of the tree that had not grown with other olives pressing on it. They had to use extremely ripe olives, so that its oil could be extracted with the gentlest touch.
They would carefully squeeze the olive by hand to catch the first and purest drop of oil from each olive.
They could not use a mechanical gadget to crush the olive. They had to be certain that not a single drop of sediment found its way into the Menorah’s oil.
They squeezed a single drop of oil at a time. They were only able to get one perfect drop of oil from each olive.
How many olives did they need to produce enough oil for all seven bowls of the menorah for just one night?
How many hours of painstaking labor to collect enough oil for that one night?
There was nothing wrong with the rest of the olive and its oil. They would grind up the olives and use it for the Mincha offerings. The Menorah oil demanded time, labor, meticulous attention and patience.
What does this Mitzvah teach us about purity?
1) There is purity and there is the purity of clarity. The Menorah, which always symbolizes wisdom, demands the latter. We must present wisdom with clarity.
2) The Purity of clarity demands active work, not avoidance. This pure, clear oil must be produced with patient and meticulous labor. The purity of clear wisdom does not come with avoidance but with work, patient and meticulous work.
3) We are careful with how and where the olive grew. We do not use olives that grew under the weight of other olives. It grew free from pressure.
4) We do not use an olive in which the sediment already began to settle on its own. We must begin the process of separation between pure, clear oil and sediment.
5) We use a very small portion of the olive. A tremendous amount of effort is necessary to find the purity of clarity. Most of the oil, while still holy, will not qualify as possessing the purity of clarity. The same is true of much of our work in serving God.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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The further backward you will look the further forward you will see.” Winston Churchill
Helenus, in the Iliad, was a difference kind of Seer. the son of Priam and Hecuba, he was the cleverest men in the Trojan army. It was he who, under torture, told the Achaeans how they would capture Troy – apparently he didn’t predict that he himself would be captured.
But this is not what distinguished him. Helenus, unlike other seers, was able to predict the past with great precision without having been given any details of it. he predicted backward. Our problem is not just that we do not know the future we do not know much of the past either. We badly need someone like Helenus if we are to know history.
Imagine an ice cube and consider how it may melt over the next two hours while you study with your friends. Try to envision the shape of the resulting puddle.
Then consider a puddle of water on the floor. Now try to reconstruct in your mind’s eye the shape of the ice cube it may once have been. Know that the puddle may not have necessarily originated from an ice cube. The second operation is harder. Helenus indeed had to have skills.
The Breastplate worn by the Kohen Gadol had twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of Israel. The names of the Patriarchs were engraved on the stones, the letters of which would shine and spell out answers to questions asked of the Urim V’Tumim. The Patriarch’s names, the past, were used to provide instructions for the future.
We may fantasize about having the magical Urim V’Tumim to instruct us in exactly what to do in confusing situations: “Should Israel negotiate a peace treaty?” Let’s ask the Urim V’Tumim. “How should Israel respond to the constant missiles fired from Gaza?” Let’s ask the Urim V’Tumim. However, that’s not the way it worked:
The Talmud (Berachot 3b-4a) teaches: After the break of dawn the wise men of Israel came in to see King David and said to him: “Our lord, the King, Israel your people require sustenance!”
He said to them: “Let them go out and make a living one from the other.”
They said to him: “A handful cannot satisfy a lion, nor can a pit be filled up with its own clods.”
He said to them: “Then go out in troops and attack [the enemy for plunder].”
They at once took counsel with Achithofel, consulted the Sanhedrin, and then questioned the Urim and Tumim.
The King had to first decide. His decision was considered by the Sanhedrin. Only after they reached their conclusion, would they consult the Urim V’Tumim.
The Urim V’Tumin would, generally, respond only to someone who had first made a decision. It was not a magical decision maker. God knew that we would be sorely tempted to turn to the Urim V’Tumim as our decision machine. He therefore commanded that each question asked be seen through the eyes of the past, those of the Patriarchs who made their mark by making their own decisions. They succeeded in building the eternal House of Israel by the decisions they made. People flocking to God’s House had to first look backward to their history, the source of their Covenant with God, the eyes of the past, the eyes of the Patriarchs.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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The “Servant of God” who is singing the Hallel sees life as a series of challenges to grow as a human being and maximize his potential. He understands that each situation promises an opportunity of eternal blessing as celebrated in paragraph three.
Mordechai and Esther were involved in a complex series of relationships that were personal, political, and religious. They looked back on the Purim story and rewrote the Book of Esther. They insisted that people committed to spiritual growth constantly review their actions and learn from their mistakes. Their ability to review and change was the most significant step toward independence.
King David lived through his challenges with a vision of one day standing before the nation and raising the “Cup of Salvation,” acknowledging God’s help and guidance through every stage of his life. He committed himself to recognize how each event, no matter how painful, was one step toward his ultimate vision of being God’s servant in its highest sense.
We sing this paragraph of the Hallel with the same vision of our ultimate success as God’s servants: We too, will lift the “Cup of Salvations” in an acknowledgement of God’s guidance and help in becoming independent.
“What can I respond to God
for all the good He has given to make me independent?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and I will call out in God’s Name.
I will fulfill my promises to God in front of all His nation.
Death to His pious ones is precious in God’s eyes.
Please God, allow me to be Your servant.
I am Your worker, the son of Your maidservant,
You unlocked my chains.
I will bring an offering of thanks to You,
and I will call out in the Name of God.
I will fulfill my promises to God in front of all His nation.
In the courtyards of God’s House,
in the center of Jerusalem.
Hallelukah!”
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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The “Servant of God” who is singing the Hallel sees life as a series of challenges to grow as a human being and maximize his potential. He understands that each situation promises an opportunity of eternal blessing as celebrated in paragraph three.
Mordechai and Esther were involved in a complex series of relationships that were personal, political, and religious. They looked back on the Purim story and rewrote the Book of Esther. They insisted that people committed to spiritual growth constantly review their actions and learn from their mistakes. Their ability to review and change was the most significant step toward independence.
King David lived through his challenges with a vision of one day standing before the nation and raising the “Cup of Salvation,” acknowledging God’s help and guidance through every stage of his life. He committed himself to recognize how each event, no matter how painful, was one step toward his ultimate vision of being God’s servant in its highest sense.
We sing this paragraph of the Hallel with the same vision of our ultimate success as God’s servants: We too, will lift the “Cup of Salvations” in an acknowledgement of God’s guidance and help in becoming independent.
“What can I respond to God
for all the good He has given to make me independent?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and I will call out in God’s Name.
I will fulfill my promises to God in front of all His nation.
Death to His pious ones is precious in God’s eyes.
Please God, allow me to be Your servant.
I am Your worker, the son of Your maidservant,
You unlocked my chains.
I will bring an offering of thanks to You,
and I will call out in the Name of God.
I will fulfill my promises to God in front of all His nation.
In the courtyards of God’s House,
in the center of Jerusalem.
Hallelukah!”
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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My father zt”l always told me that until I understood what motivated some Japanese during WWII to slice open their stomachs in order to protect their pictures of Emperor Hirohito, would I understand what it means to relate to God as king.
I tasted the experience in the Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Only royalty could see the art. There is a hallway one must enter as he approaches the main throne room that serves, even now, to intimidate anyone who passes through it walls. The sound of your footsteps echoes and bounces around you, increasing in volume as you approach the Throne room. The armor displays are intimidating. And then, one enters the throne room. The floor and the ceiling match to teach that the Czars power on earth matches God’s Power in Heaven, and that his reign is Divinely granted and blessed. The room, the rhyme and design, were my first true taste of the greatness of a king.
When Moshe taught Betzalel how to build the Altar, he did it by describing the Altar in Heaven. Moshe explained exactly what happened on the Altar – The Mizbei’ach – in the Hevenly Temple as Betzalel and his workers listened intently, mesmerized, hypnotized. Moshe brought the angel Gavriel to life as he told his story. “I know,” he said. “I saw it. I was there.”
The people who lovingly built, passionately shaped, and devotedly layered the Mizbei’ach, were not only building an altar, they were building the Heavenly Altar so powerfully described by Moses to them.
This is what the Midrashim and Zohars mean when they speak of God observing the Mitzvot of the Torah, or of God studying Torah with us. The Sages want us to give Tzedaka the way “they” give Tzedaka in Heaven. They want us to not simply open a book and study Torah, they want us to picture the Almighty sitting in the Yeshiva in Gan Eden, studying Torah, and then to desire to study with the same passion and clarity.
The Sages want us to imagine what Shabbat is like in heaven and to then, not simply observe the Shabbat, but to make a Shabbat Table that is just like God’s Table in Heaven. To sing as the angels sing at the heavenly Shabbat Table. To discuss important ideas as they do at the table at which God is sitting at the head. Ours is not just Shabbat, it can be the replica of God’s Shabbat shared with His angels.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>.
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Sponsored in Honor of Moshe Chaim's 2nd Birthday
It was a great building campaign; "All the wise people came and said to Moses, 'The people are bringing more than enough for the work that God has commanded us to perform.' Moses commanded that they proclaim throughout the camp, saying, 'Man and woman shall not do more work toward the gift for the Sanctuary!' And the people had to be restrained from bringing." (Exodus 36:5-6) Although it is often described as the most successful building campaign in history, perhaps it was not.
There was another such campaign in which materials were gathered before the people knew the purpose: "They said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks and burn them in fire.' And the brick served them as stone, and the bitumen served them as mortar. And they said, 'Come, let us build us a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens.'" (Genesis 11:3-4) They must have made a huge pile of bricks if they had enough to build a city and a tower reaching to heaven. They didn't decide to build the Tower of Babel until after they made the bricks!
Two incredibly successful building campaigns, both achieved without a clear idea of what they would build. Both building projects began with a sense of plenty, not need. Neither project, the Mishkan (Tabernacle) or the Tower, was an emergency campaign. Neither was a response to a crisis. Both were a celebration of plenty; what the people had, and could do.
Why did one fail and the other succeed? The Tower was intended to reach heaven. The Mishkan was intended to bring heaven down to earth. People with plenty may reach for the stars or attempt to bring the stars down to earth. It is the latter who succeed. The foundation of the "City and Tower," was weak. Everyone was looking up before solidifying what was below. The Mishkan focused on building a solid foundation on this world. It brought Heaven down to earth, and it lasted.
A life of meaning begins with a celebration of plenty, promise, and potential. The celebration allows us to lay a foundation sufficiently secure for Heaven to come down to us. When we use religion as a response to a crisis or need, and reach up to the Heavens to escape this world, we teeter on a weak base, only to tumble back to earth.
I've been stuck inside for a few days because of the cold, ice, and snow. But, I have plenty: heat, a roof over my head, and food on the table. I could reach for more; a nice warm vacation in Punta del Este, or, I can bring heaven down to earth by paying attention to those who are stuck at home in the cold, without sufficient heat or food. I can share my plenty with a senior who is alone in her home, with no one to bring her food or check that she is OK. I can see how much I have and celebrate my plenty by bringing a small slice of heaven to others who have even less.
I'll take the Mishkan approach. I'll make some calls and check in on people who do not have as much. I'll make sure that they have what they will consider in their current situation to be a slice of heaven; food and heat. I think I'll find my own piece of heaven right here by sharing my plenty.
I wish you a plentiful Shabbat that will give you a taste of heaven right here in your own private Mishkan.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>.
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This is the BNN reporting to you live from the Sinai Desert, today, the 26th of Shevat:
The area just outside the Mishkan courtyard is silent as all wait for the Sanhedrin’s (Supreme Court) ruling on today’s question. We happily participated in contributing material and work toward constructing the Mishkan, and were ecstatic to witness our success when God’s Presence filled the structure. Many of us, who are not Cohanim or Leviim, are desperate to see the inside of the building, the Holy and the Holy of Holies. Those who were purified and participated in making an offering stood before the Altar, but could not even peek inside because of the beautiful curtain. The BNN, the Biblical News Network, requested that Moshe allow a remote controlled video camera inside the Mishkan, even the Holy of Holies, so they could broadcast an “Insider’s View of the Mishkan.” ‘Eliyahu’s Manna Preparation Kitchen’ and ‘Shirel’s Water Delivery’ have offered to sponsor the special. Eli-Chai will be narrating the broadcast, based on a script written by Esther Biel.
Moshe and Aaron are stepping toward the mic to announce their decision. “The Sanhedrin has ruled that a camera and microphone manufactured under the strictest laws of purity, supervised by The Foundation Stone, will be allowed into the Mishkan, even the Holy of Holies. The BNN can broadcast the special on Rosh Chodesh. Commentary and explanations will be provided by David Avraham Solomon.”
“We, the members of the Sanhedrin, urge all to purify themselves in preparation for the BNN Special Report. Although you will be watching the broadcast on your computers, we feel that it is important that you treat this broadcast with the highest respect. The better your preparations; the more you will gain. Please dress in your Shabbat clothes and do not eat, drink, or speak during the broadcast.”
“The filming will not take place during the actual Service.”
“You will be able to email your questions during the broadcast to Moshe’s email: moshe.rabbeinu@mishkan.org. Thank You.”
“Rebbi,” called out one of the reporters, “how will the camera be able to enter the Holy of Holies?”
Moshe smiled, “we’ll see.”
We hope you will all tune in on Rosh Chodesh for the BNN Special Report: An Insider’s View of the Mishkan.
And now, a word from our sponsors…
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>.
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Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer’s beautiful daughter. So he proposed a bargain.
He said he would forgo the farmer’s debt if he could marry his daughter. Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. So the cunning money-lender suggested that they let providence decide the matter. He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble from the bag.
1) If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father’s debt would be forgiven.
2) If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father’s debt would still be forgiven.
3) But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.
They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer’s field. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag.
Now, imagine that you were standing in the field. What would you have done if you were the girl?
If you had to advise her, what would you have told her?
Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:
1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat.
3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.
Take a moment to ponder over the story. The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. The girl’s dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chooses the above logical answers.
What would you recommend to the Girl to do?
Well, here is what she did ….
The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles.
“Oh, how clumsy of me,” she said. “But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.”
Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the money-lender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.
Two forms of thought. One is “Na’aseh,” the other, “V’nishma.”
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>.
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I have never been very good at mathematics. The Mishkan, or, Tabernacle, does trigger a very important mathematical skill.
In his new book, “The Mind’s Eye,”, neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks makes the surprising disclosure that he has a disease called Prospopagnosia, the inability to recognize faces. ” I have had difficulty remembering faces for as long as I can remember,” he writes.
Scientists argue that our brains do not store a photographic image of every face we see. Instead, they carry out a mathematical transformation of each face, encoding it in “face space.”
On a map of “face space,” you might imagine the North-South access being replaced with a small-mouth-to-wide-mouth axis. But instead of three different dimensions, like the space we are familiar with, “Face space” may have many dimensions, each representing some important feature of the human face. By reducing a face to a point–creating a compact code for representing an infinite number of faces–our brains need to store only the distance and direction of that point from the center of “Face Space.” “Face Space” also sheds light on the fact that we are more likely to correctly identify distinctive faces than typical ones. In the center of face space, there are lots of fairly average faces. Distinctive faces dwell far away from the crowd, in much lonelier neighborhoods.
What does this have to do with the Mishkan?
Well, the Mishkan is a face. Take a look. Imagine the Holy of Holies as the top of the face. The brain, or the holy Ark, is right there.
Just below the Holy of Holies, at the top of the Holy, on one side, is the Menorah, offering light, representing sight, or, one of the eyes.
Opposite the Menorah is the Table with the “Show Bread,” or “Face Bread,” representing the other eye.
Just below the two eyes, and the Menorah and Table, is the Incense Altar, placed in the center, representing the nose.
Just outside the Holy, is the Large Altar on which the offerings are made. This represents the mouth.
Brain, eyes, nose and mouth: We have a complete face.
Let’s examine this face in light of “Face Space.” We examine other faces in terms of a basic face. The Mishkan provides us with a special “Face Space,” the face by which we measure, evaluate, and recognize other faces. The Mishkan reminds us to look at faces in terms of the role each individual can play in the perfection of the world. Each face has a space in serving God. Each has a unique role in the world. It is not the individual face we see, but the special role each plays on the face of this world.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>.
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He shaved a nanosecond off one note and added it to the next. This underhanded form of theft, known as rubato, is one way that soloists personalize a piece of music. It is a liberty taken with the composer’s text. He stopped time in its tracks, restored our dreams of youth, and defied the march of death.
Moshe added one day to the preparation of the Children of Israel for Sinai. “Let them be prepared for the third day,” (Exodus 19:11) said God. Moshe said, “Be prepared after a three day period.” (Verse 15) Moshe, who stood between God and Israel to prepare them for Revelation, delayed the music for one extra day. He wanted them to experience the period of preparation and sanctification as a time of its own, not only as preparing for what would follow, but precious in and of itself.
He stole a day from a world transformed by Revelation in order to teach us that preparation is valuable for itself. This world is a world of preparation. Moshe did not want us to only “prepare for,” he wanted us to steal the moments of preparation, stop the march of time just enough for us to revel in the preparation as special.
Moshe wanted us to love the opportunities of preparation. He wanted us to love this stage for itself, not only for what will follow.
What compelled Moshe to steal that moment? He was attempting to rectify the damage caused by the “Adder,” Yitro, who added moments, but robbed us of time.
“Because the people come to me to seek the Lord. When they have a matter, one comes to me, and I judge between a man and his fellow, and I make known the decrees of God and His teaching.” (18:15-16) But the “Adder” only heard the latter half of Moshe’s statement. He responded to people who came for judgment. He ignored “Because the people come to me to seek the Lord.”
Moshe knew that people were waiting. He also understood that when someone spends hours in order to seek God, every second is precious. Yitro focused on the “for,” for what were they waiting. Moshe treasured each second they spent with the expectation of finding God.
The “Adder” won the people over. Moshe withheld his frustration for forty years until his farewell speech. He did not criticize the people, but he offered them a new way to learn the value of the “wait.”
He shaved time off the World of Revelation, and added it to the World of Preparation, our world, our lives, our work, and our gift.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>.
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| A Different Wedding
Sponsored in Honor of Simon & Carla Amsalem Who Hear the Voice |
The guests had been at tens of weddings and were familiar with the religious ceremony. The story of the bride and groom was the stuff of legends, and everyone expected something special, but this wedding was an experience!
The bride was born into a difficult situation. People treated her as a slave. The groom loved her and saved her. He provided for her; food, water and clothing. He even saved her life on more than one occasion. He was her hero, and now wanted to marry her in a unique ceremony.
Although the Ketuba, or marriage contract, is usually ceremoniously signed before the Chupah, the groom insisted that it be treated as a real contract. When both she and he stood at the Chupah, he listed all his obligations to her. The female guests were mesmerized by a groom so aware of, and sensitive to, his obligations and her needs. The men were uncomfortable and squirmed as the groom spoke. "I have detailed my obligations. I will now list my expectations of you." The men relaxed. The women began to fidget. The groom wanted the bride's actions to reflect well on their relationship even outside of their home.
The already different ceremony became even stranger when the groom said, "Yes, I have high expectations. I know that there will be times when you fail to meet them. I will withdraw at such moments, but I want you to continue to listen for my voice calling to you even when you don't see me. I want every moment of our lives together to connect with this moment. Will you do as I ask? Will you forever hear my words?"
"I will do and I will hear!"
The wedding, of course, was Sinai. The Sages teach that God held the mountain above the heads of the Children of Israel as a wedding canopy, a Chupah. He listed His commitments to His bride. He then articulated His expectations of her, and then said, "Behold! I send an angel before you to protect you on the way." (Exodus 23:20) Rashi explains that God alluded to the future sin of Israel, and said that He would withdraw His Presence from them. Rabbeinu Zerachia teaches that the promised "Angel" would be God's voice eternally calling to Israel even when they feel Him distant.
The bride, the Children of Israel responded, "We will do as You ask, and we will always listen for Your voice calling us back to You. We will do and we will listen."
How sad it is to observe a person fulfilling all his responsibilities as obligations, without a sense of relationship or love. The spouse who does all she 'must,' absent the connection she felt under the Chupah. The parent who will do everything a parent 'should' without the magical connection experienced the first time he held his child in his arms. The religious person, meticulous in observance, the "We will do," without listening for God's Voice that lovingly calls out from each commandment. Each prayer, each Shabbat, each festival, each Mitzvah, is an opportunity to reconnect to that very different wedding. When we take advantage of those opportunities we will hear that same Voice calling for us, and, we too, will be able to say, "We will do and we hear."
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Jose Saramago, writing in “The Notebook” about Lisbon, describes communal memory:
“In physical terms we inhabit space, but in emotional terms we are inhabited by memory. A memory composed of a space and a time, a memory inside which we live, like an island between two oceans-one the past, the other the future. We can navigate the ocean of the recent past thanks to personal memory, which retains the recollection of the routes it has traveled, but to navigate the distant past we have to use memories that time has accumulated, memories of a space that is continually changing, as fleeting as time itself.”
“Remember the day you stood at Sinai.” I do not remember standing at Sinai for the Revelation, but the memory of the experience surges through my veins. There are times when my Torah study allows me to feel that I am standing at Sinai. I connect to the collective memory of the Jewish people as I read the texts through the 11th century eyes of Rashi, the 12th century eyes of the Rambam, through the eyes of the minds of every century in every place of the world. I do, as described by Saramago, “navigate the distant past using those accumulated memories.” I study the text with them and connect back up through the centuries all the way back to the Revelation. I am inspired, thrilled and filled with awe, and yet I have difficulty holding on to those memories with the intensity with which we collectively grasp the memory of that singular day. I think of Sinai. Much of what I believe is because it lives in the links of that collective memory, but I still don’t remember that day.
What would it mean to remember that day?
An elderly Rabbi in Miami Beach explained it to me: I spent practically every Friday afternoon of winter and spring 1974 sitting at the feet of Rabbi Meisels as he answered halachic questions from elderly people gathered in his living room. I never saw anyone listen as did Rabbi Meisels. He would focus his probing vision on each questioner as if he was peering deep into the soul. I was convinced that he was not listening to the words as much as the beating of the listener’s heart.
His responses were never the black and white rulings we usually receive when asking a Sh’eila; he would address the questioner’s entire life. No matter how simple the question, Rabbi Meisels would speak of the issue in the context of their entire spiritual lives. I grew up listening to great rabbis, incredibly sensitive human beings, answer such questions, but I had never seen anything like this.
My father zt”l commented upon learning how I was spending my Friday afternoons, “Rabbi Meisels will teach you how to listen to the questions. Pay attention to his listening, not his answers.”
I had to ask him, “Rabbi Meisels, how did you learn to listen that way?”
“People in Auschwitz would come to me with their questions. They were living in the deepest level of Gehennom, in a world of total evil, a reality in which few felt God’s Presence, and they still insisted on asking how God wanted them to behave. I wondered what could possibly compel someone to search for direction even in this insane world. Then I remembered that God spoke the first two of the Ten Statements. His words permeated every part of our being. They became part of our essence. They were not words that we taught, but words we absorbed into the deepest parts of our being. They cannot be ripped out even by an Auschwitz. I understood that the voice asking me a question was that of a person who stood at Sinai. Whenever someone asks a question, I listen carefully for Sinai’s echo. I respond to that voice, not to the question.”
What would it mean to “Remember that day?” It would mean hearing the part of my voice that reverberates with Sinai’s echo.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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I recently returned from a spectacular Shabbat in St. Louis. I reconnected with old friends, made some new ones, spoke many times, and gave a number of “Spirituals.” My hosts went out of their way for me in every way but one. They made sure I was comfortable, and that I had plenty of gluten-free food. A friend of theirs brought over some of the most awesome meringues I have ever eaten. Now, you will agree, I’m sure, that it’s only fair that the gluten-free treats should be reserved for the person who can only eat gluten-free; after all, everyone else can eat almost anything. Sadly, my hosts, as attentive as they were to everything else, allowed their daughter to openly steal some of my meringues! I suspect that you are as shocked as I!
I decided to keep my eye on the thief; one can never be too careful around meringue thieves! Can you believe that the thief began asking questions about Halacha? I wanted to lecture her on, “Do not steal,” but was uncomfortable pointing out her terrible sin in front of her parents. Is it possible for a meringue thief to truly care about Halacha?
She certainly is sincere. She is meticulous in everything she does. She has a great mind and a huge soul. She is passionate about God. It seemed that the only c***in her armor was her meringue stealing. I generously decided to give her the benefit of the doubt: There is an Halachic concept that could lead her to believe that she was doing a Mitzvah.
A host must go out of his way to make his guest comfortable eating as much as he wishes without feeling that he is eating too much. The host should provide a sense of plenty so the guest will not hesitate to eat. The meringue thief wanted me to feel that there were enough meringues for everyone so I could eat as many as I desired.
God did this in Eden when He presented “Every tree pleasurable to see and good to eat,” insisting that Adam sample all, before restricting him from the single Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
God did this at Sinai when He said, “You shall be to Me a kingdom of ministers and a holy nation,” before He made any specific demands. First, the sense of unlimited possibility.
The Ten Statements begin with, “I am God, your Lord, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery,” a celebration of freedom and potential before, “You shall not recognize the powers of others in My presence.”
My meringue thief is the magnificent person she is because she was raised with that sense of possibility, potential and plenty. She was only trying to share it with me. I just wish she stole something else, a vegetable perhaps…
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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Moshe was bothered by the way we danced and rejoiced over the crushed bodies of our former masters. “Listen,” he said, “Do you hear the angels singing?’
I didn’t hear anything. No one heard.
“God did not allow them to sing while His creations were drowning. How can you dance and rejoice like that?”
Easy for him to say; he was never a slave!
We were so drained from the day’s experiences (see Highs & Lows) that we didn’t have the strength to argue.
He does keep on mentioning the Egyptians and telling us that we should not hate them. “They took you into their country.” All this from the man who brought ten plagues on them!
Why should we be grateful to them when they “forgot” what Joseph did for them? I just want to forget them.
My wife and kids say that we can’t forget them if we want to remember the miracles. We cannot forget such an important part of our past. My five year old says that if we forget the Egyptians we will forget the Patriarchs.
OK, but why do we have to be grateful?
My wife says, “If you remember you have to remember everything. Once you pick and choose, you will forget. Whether you like it or not, we are connected to them forever.”
Here I am trying to adjust to a whole new life and everyone is telling me that I can’t let go of the past. Help!!!!
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A great debate raged in early 18th century London: Was the lion battled by the Cavalliere Nicolini Grimaldi in the opera “Rinaldo” live, a real beast of the jungle, or was it only an actor in disguise?
I often wonder about the lions we battle in our religious lives; are they real or imagined? There are numerous terrifying threats to our spiritual being. But still, I wonder whether we are focused on the live or imagined lions. We can point at society with its values and mores and pinpoint how it differs from our image of a spiritual existence. I don’t want my children to watch television and learn that children may speak to their parents as if they were idiots. That is a very real threat. I do not want my children and grandchildren to grow up in a world in which relationships are casual and all too often, meaningless. However, the most fearsome lions I face are all internal. My own confusion, questions, desires, and inner battles all are greater threats to my relationship with God than those lions and threats outside the walls of my home.
Judaism has always focused on our internal development in order to face the lions outside on the street. Torah, Mitzvot and prayer all nurture our internal growth. They cultivate the clarity necessary to face the far more dangerous internal lions.
This week’s Haftarah, “A Mother In Israel” is the story of a woman who achieved such inner clarity that she was able to share her internal light with an entire nation and lead them to a generation of peace.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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“God said to Moses, Behold! I shall rain down for you food from heaven; let the people go out and pick each day’s portion on its day, so that I can test them, whether they will follow My Teaching or not. And it shall be that on the sixth day when they prepare what they will bring, it will be double what they pick every day.” (Exodus 16:4-5)
When a drop of water drips onto the surface of water it bounces many times, each time shrinking in size as it melts into the water. (Bouncing Water) Every single raindrop bounces up and down. There are countless bouncing drops all around us every time it rains. (See Dripping Water)
Did the Manna rain bounce? It too, fell onto a surface of moisture; the bottom layer of dew. Did it simply rain from the sky, or did it have the same essence as rain?
The Children of Israel were placed into a situation in which they had to pray everyday for the next day’s manna. They acknowledged the need for God’s constant involvement in the world. This rings of Adam’s first job, which was to pray for rain. Everything that God had planted was waiting just below the surface for rain, and God did not send the rain until Adam prayed.
In fact, when God wanted moisture to mix from the earth in order to form the physical body of the Primal man, He had a mist rise from the surface of the earth to moisten the land.
There were actually three stages: The lower moisture that rose, the mixture of earth and water to form the man, and then the rain for which Adam prayed. Three stages; three levels, just as the Manna was only one of three levels: Dew, Manna, and a covering of dew.
The Manna represents the man, who was formed from the mixture of lower moisture and earth. So, I ask again? Did the Manna bounce?
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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| Head In The Clouds In Honor of Drs. Aviva & Uri Barzel Who Never Stop Dreaming |
| I often heard teachers complain to my parents that "His head is in the clouds." Well, my head is in the clouds, more specifically in cloud computing. Please don't ask me to explain what it is or how works, but it does mean that you don't need a hard drive to backup your information. Everything exists somewhere out there in the ether. Computing is going to change yet again. Just when I finally got the hang of writing blogs, running a website, and sending out newsletters and e-mail, now I have to learn a whole new system. It's getting to be a little too much. How are we to manage all of this change?
If I'm having trouble managing these changes I wonder how the Children of Israel managed all the changes in their lives over the course of this week's Portion: first they leave Egypt, then they turn back, only to find themselves stuck between the Egyptian army and the sea. The sea splits and then drowns the Egyptians. Moshe uses a branch of bitter wood to sweeten bitter water. God provides a magical water supply, and then they start receiving magical bread. They have to fight their first battle. It's far too much change all at once for people who have been slaves until just a few days ago.
We are taught that their heads too, were in the clouds: "God went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way." (Exodus 13:21) Did they really need the cloud to guide them? Moshe was leading them, and I suspect that he knew exactly where to go. The cloud was not a GPS, it was a reminder of the benefit of having our heads in the clouds: The cloud was an invitation to extend their reach, to remind them that each time they experienced a life changing miracle they could live far beyond their perceived limitations. God wanted their heads in the cloud, unconstrained by the realities of this world, but as elevated as the first cloud: "A mist ascended from the earth and watered the whole surface of the soil. And God, the Lord, formed the man of dust from the ground." (Genesis 2:6-7) From the first moments of man's existence the dust, the physical, raised his eyes up toward the cloud to become an unlimited being.
Whether it's learning about cloud computing or discovering a new insight into a verse, my head, heart and soul are in the clouds; They are constantly reaching for greater heights. I look to that cloud that led us through the desert, and through it to that first cloud, and reach for so much more. This is the cloud described as the Presence of God. It is still there for all of us willing to have our heads in the clouds. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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 I am reposting this blog on the first anniversary of the Haitian earthquake: It is far easier to work for the BNN, the Biblical News Network, andreport on thousands of years and cities of Jewish history, than it isto work for CNN and report on everything that is happening all over theworld today. I can digest the history at my own pace. I can cry withthe Jews of 14th century Majorca and rejoice with 16th centurycommunities in Russia. I cannot, however, cry over all the tragediesthat occur each day, here and now. We are swamped with news and haveall become practiced New Yorkers at blocking out so much of what ishappening right before our eyes. We cannot block out tragedies such as the recent earthquake in Haiti,but we are so overwhelmed by its magnitude that, while most shake theirheads in sorrow, and many send checks, few of us know what to do. Oncethe gates are forced open, there is a tidal wave of awareness of allthe suffering around us and we begin to ask, “what are ourresponsibilities? What should be our priorities? Should I send money toHaiti or to the poor people in my own neighborhood? How much of adifference can I make?” We question. We become frustrated. We don’tknow what to do. “Cursed is Meroz… cursed are its inhabitants” (Judges 5:23) The Zohar(Volume 3 269b) explains that Meroz is the name of another planet whoseinhabitants are cursed because they did not travel through space tohelp save Jerusalem from destruction. Meroz is even further away than Haiti. Does this Zohar mean that whenCNN begins to report on extra terrestrial life, we will have to respondto their tragedies as well? It’s already too much! I believe that the Zohar is teaching us that we must view the universeas an expression of God’s Unity. Perhaps the Extra Terrestrials onMeroz heard of the impending tragedy, sighed, shrugged their shoulders,after all there was nothing practical they could do. They did notconsider that we are all connected, and even if we are limited inpractical ways, we too are affected by everything. They could haveprayed. They could have examined themselves and find ways to improve.When we recognize the connection, we also accept that we can improvethe entire universe by improving ourselves. Author Info:Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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We had been waiting for six months while God dealt with the Egyptians. Now things were happening quickly; big things, major changes. It took God months to humble Egypt, and He wanted to transform us into new people in just a matter of two weeks.
It was as if Moshe knew exactly what we were feeling and thinking: “This Pesach is one day and night. In the future it will be a seven day holiday. God is compacting the full holiday into one day and night.”
We couldn’t fully understand what Moshe was saying. “Look,’ he said, “You will eat your offering dressed in your travel clothes, your packed bags at your side. You must finish your meal before midnight.”
“Will we be leaving at midnight? We don’t want to leave when everything is dark, as if we are sneaking out.”
“No, you won’t leave at midnight. You will leave the next day, but so much will happen that you have to understand that you will feel that you are speeding through time. Your former masters will bang at your doors begging you to leave right away. But I want you all to demand all their treasures, the ones you discovered during the plague of darkness. They will have to pay you to leave. They will actually be paying you for your work. They will have nothing left because they are nothing without you. Everything will change, and it will happen quickly.”
“I still don’t understand why we have to eat ready to travel if we won’t travel until the next morning,” a man shouted.
A man who looked like a Chassidic Rebbe, I think his name was Weinberg of Slonim, stood up and explained, “Because our journey actually begins when we eat the offering. We are not dressed for the trip out of Egypt. We are dressed for an entirely new journey through life.”
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>.
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I grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. In the mid-to late 1950s, every New Year’s Eve was celebrated the same way. I would go over to my cousin’s house with my brother and three other cousins. We ranged in ages from 13 to 8. This was a big night, because we were allowed to stay up till midnight. We partied by watching television and eating hors d’oeuvres. Our favorite hors d’oeuvre was little hot dogs.
In the 50s, there were only four television stations in Delaware. The station most people watched on New Year’s Eve showed the grand ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. Most people across the country also watched this show. The star was a man named Guy Lombardo, who was a famous orchestra leader. And at midnight, the band played “Auld Lang Syne”. The Waldorf! A fantasy for Americans. Ah, to be in the Waldorf on New Year’s Eve.
We flash forward to 1986. I had a friend who was an entertainment reporter for a newspaper. She called me up in the beginning of December and asked me what I was doing for New Year’s Eve. I replied, nothing. She asked me if I wanted to go to the Waldorf-Astoria on New Year’s Eve. I was stunned. The Waldorf on New Year’s Eve! I readily agreed.
I rented a tux. She rented a gown. We rented a town car. I went over to her apartment building on the West Side and our chauffeured town car took us to the Waldorf Astoria.
We were escorted into the grand ballroom. We had reservations at a table. We got there at 10:30. The TV show started at 11:30.
Then… reality took over.
After we were seated, we realized we knew no one else at the table. Turning to the woman to her left, she introduced herself. And the woman turned out to be an actress. When she discovered that my friend was an entertainment reporter, and one she had heard of, she did not leave my friend alone. I was left staring into space and trying to make small talk to the woman to my right, who was more interested, rightly, in her boyfriend. I sat there feeling miserable. My friend tried to extricate herself from her newfound admirer, but it was difficult.
At 11 o’clock, the director of the TV show came on the stage and gave us our instructions. What? Instructions? I realized I was just a prop for television. Stand here! Dance there! Don’t move in front of that! And after the show started, with each commercial break, he would come back on the stage and exhort us to do what he wanted.
At 12:02, we left the Waldorf.
At home later that night, I thought back to the 1950s and my fun filled, warm and wonderful New Year’s Eve parties at my aunt’s house. And of those little hot dogs. I realized that those evenings were better than the evening I had just spent living the fantasy at the Waldorf.
As I thought back to this story this week, I came to another realization. Even if I had had a better experience at the Waldorf, that in no way diminished the good times I had in Wilmington Delaware in the 50s on New Year’s Eve.
You see, there is no limitation on feelings of joy and gratitude for something that happened, even so long ago.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>.
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The silence after Moshe said, “There’s more,” was scary. We had no idea what to expect.
Moshe looked down for just a moment and then he said, “Tell me why are you willing to offer the animal at the risk of your life.” We answered, “We are no longer scared.”
Moshe said, “How does it feel to no longer be scared?” We didn’t even need to think, “We felt, we feel, free.”
So Moshe said, “I want you to take the animal you will give us an offering and tie it up in front of your house so that your former Egyptian masters can see and know that you are no longer afraid.”
We didn’t even need to think. We were willing to do it.
Moshe continued, “You’ll do that in 10 days, on the 10th of this month, because remember, we have begun a new calender; your calendar, the calendar that is determined by your development as a free people.
One man raised his hand and asked Moshe, “Does this offering have a name?”
“Yeah,” he said, “Pesach.”
“Pesach?”
“It means “Passover,” as in, God will pass over your homes to protect them during the next plague. It will be the worst of all the plagues. The firstborn of every Egyptian family, not only human beings, but even animals, not only your masters, but even their slaves who never supported you, not only the citizens but even in the King’s Palace, the firstborn will die.”
“God will release an angel of the destruction in Egypt who will visit every single home, but God will pass over your home to protect you and every one and everything.”
Some Rabbi, I think his name was Onkelos, stood up and said, “Doesn’t Pesach also mean, love?”
“Yes,” said Moshe, “this is God’s way of showing His love for you. God will pass over your homes to show you His love. He will protect you.
Someone raised his hand to ask Moshe, “How will God know which homes are ours?” Everyone chuckled, “Come on, it’s God! He knows.”
Surprisingly Moshe said, “No, don’t laugh! It’s a good question. God wants you to mark your home in a special way. He wants you to mark your homes. Take some different branches tie them up and after you slaughter your offering on the 14th of this month, He wants you to dip the branches in the blood and splash a little bit of the blood on your doorposts. That will be your sign.”
“Doesn’t God know?”
“Yes,” said Moshe, “but until now God has been giving the signs to you. Now God wants you to make signs for Him.”
We were shocked. We didn’t understand. Moshe continued, “This is not a one-way relationship. This is a two-way relationship. We now use your calendar. You will make an offering, and you will give a sign. God will respond by showing you His love and passing over your homes while every Egyptian home experiences death.”
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>.
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My father zt"l was teaching me how to wrap Tefillin. I playfully made a he-man muscle provoking my sister to offer to find a microscope to find my bicep. "What the two of you don't yet know is that if you wear your Tefillin properly, you will become much stronger," my father assured me. My "Tefillin Muscle" has grown and given me the answer to, "What to do with it."
Stavrogin, protagonist of Dostoevski's "The Devils," writes to Daria Pavlovna: "I have set trials, everywhere, for my strength. During these trials, before myself or before the others, that strength has always proven limitless. But, what to do with it? This is what I never knew and still don't know." Poor Stavrogin; he didn't know what to do with all his strength.
Pharaoh too, possessed great power. God repeatedly strengthened Pharaoh's heart. He used his power to enslave a nation, and ultimately, unable to answer "what to do with it," allowed the destruction of his country. Helpless and frustrated, he repeatedly blusters: "And he drove them out of Pharaoh's presence." (Exodus 10:11) "Go from me! Beware! Do not see my face any more, for on the day you see my face you shall die!" (Verse 28) He is left only with the power to "hasten the people out of the land." Power is meaningless when possessed by one who is haunted by, "What to do with it?"
We often speak of God's strength: "For with a mighty hand God took you out of Egypt." ((13:9) Yet we only speak of that strength when describing its impact on us; never as a description of God: "It happened on that very day: God took the Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;" (12:51) no mention of a 'mighty hand.' The Torah describes God's strength only as it affects people. God's power is exclusively used for empowerment. "And the Children of Israel were going out with an upraised arm." (14:8) "What to do with it?" Empower.
The first commandment given to Israel, the sanctification of time, is empowering: We, not heaven, determine the calendar. We were instructed to display our Pesach offering as a conspicuous expression of our new confidence before our Egyptian masters who worshipped the animals as deities: empowerment. We ate the offering, "loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand," (12:11) certain we were leaving Egypt, before our former masters released us: empowerment.
We praise God's strength only as it is used to empower. From the beginning we were taught that the purpose of serving God is to empower us. We study Torah to be empowered. We pray to be empowered and as empowered beings. We observe Mitzvot as means of empowerment.
Forty years after that first lesson, I continue to make a muscle when wrapping my Tefillin. I look to God and the Mitzvot for empowerment. I pray for the wisdom to use that power to empower others.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>.
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We said that it was only at the moment Pharaoh said, “See, there is evil destined for you”, that the blood, Pharaoh saw in the stars, appeared, because. it was only at that moment, when Pharaoh began to bend, that the exodus became a reality.
He had promised before to let Israel go, and he made those promises without conditions and without negotiations. It was never a certainty before. Now that it was a truth the future appeared in the stars. Now that it was becoming fact, Pharaoh began to negotiate.
As long as Pharaoh refused to bend even a little, the great astrologer could see nothing in the stars. Pharaoh could only see what he wanted to see. His vision was limited. People who believe they can control the future, manipulate events according to their desires, determine the outcome, face one insurmountable barrier. They will see only what they want to see. Their vision is limited.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>
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I once watched a drunken man running down the street in the rain, weaving from one side to the other. When I asked him what he was doing, he responded, “I’m running through the raindrops!”
I’m not drunk. I’m not even running. I can walk, even stand between the hailstones. They just won’t fall on me.
It all began yesterday. Egyptians were running around warning each other that another plague was on its way, and that Moses promised that whoever was inside, and all animals that were brought inside, would be safe. Pharaoh’s Royal Guards are trying to stop anyone from bringing their animals inside. “Anyone who brings his animals inside will be prosecuted for treason!” They have large chariots with megaphones passing up and down every street warning the Egyptians not to hide their animals.
My next-door neighbor is terrified. He doesn’t know whether to ignore Pharaoh’s troops, who have been decimated by the plagues, and to acknowledge God’s power and hide his animals, or to remain loyal to Pharaoh.
There is a civil war brewing. They hate each other now as much as they hated us. My neighbor went with God. He was too scared to ignore the warning. He doesn’t have any faith in Pharaoh’s ability to protect or even hurt him. Some diehards painted “Traitor!” all over his house.
We woke up to a perfectly quiet morning. When I went to the local Starbucks I saw that there was a cloud of hail over each Egyptian, his home and animals, while the sky was perfectly clear for me.
The hail was incredible: there were actually flames burning inside each hailstone! The Egyptians were running around like that drunken man, but their clouds followed them wherever they went.
They are all covering their ears because they hear a constant terrifying thunder. Interesting, because I don’t hear anything.
They are standing at their windows yelling out to us; “Forgive us! Please!” Rumor has it that even Pharaoh has acknowledged his sins and declared that God is righteous.
It won’t be long before this is all over. Their crops are destroyed. Most of their flocks have been decimated. The BNN reported that Egypt will have to import food for the first time in centuries. The food basket of the world, developed by Joseph, whom they chose to “forget,” has become a basket case.
I still don’t understand why God is waiting for Pharaoh to let us go. If He is so powerful, why does He need Pharaoh’s permission? If He keeps all this up, even those of us who want to stay in Egypt, won’t be welcome. The Egyptians will force all of us to leave.
Do you think that’s why God is dragging this out?
There is Moses walking outside the city. He’s stretching out his hands to God, The thunder stopped. The hailstones are not moving and just floating in the air. It’s perfectly still. Nothing is moving. It’s as if God is telling us that nothing has changed.
Is He waiting for us?
One minute; Moshe’s representatives are running through the streets announcing a gathering of all the Jews. I’ll let you know what he says. You’ll have to wait till after Shabbat.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>.
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Did you hear the one about the guy who walks into the throne room of the most powerful emperor on earth and say, “My God demands that you destroy your economy and acknowledge His power?” The emperor says, “Who let this guy in? Whoever it was, kill him!”
You haven’t heard it, well, neither have I. In fact, that is not exactly what happened. Yes, Moshe did walk enter and make demands, but Pharaoh deals with it strategically and makes things worse for the Children of Israel.
How did Moshe get into the palace for the second time for his ill-fated snake trick? He claims to be speaking for the Greatest Power and all he can pull off is the old stick turns into snake trick! Harry Potter could do that.
What was Pharaoh thinking this entire time? Would a powerful emperor allow someone into his palace to threaten him?
I can imagine his adopted grandson, Moshe being allowed into Pharaoh for the first time in 40 or more years since grandpa wanted Moshe dead. We do not read of Pharaoh trying to kill Moshe. I would have.
Did his astrologers not tell him that someone would come to topple him? Did Moshe not fit all the criteria? What was Pharaoh thinking?
Pharaoh was intrigued. Moshe walks in, claiming to speak for this Infinite Power, and yet, the Power wants Pharaoh to cooperate. The Power is not threatening to force the freedom. God wants Pharaoh to grant his permission. Why?
If God has such power, why is he even asking me?
Pharaoh was intrigued. Moshe was granted entry to the throne room.
That is exactly how God “strengthened” Pharaoh’s heart, long before God “hardened” the king’s will.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>.
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My sister-in-law's moods were remarkably affected by changes in the light outside. A resident of Montreal, she easily shrugs off the cold and snow, but the light determines her affect. Bright sunlight puts her in a great mood. A dark cloudy sky depresses her. She is a passive victim of the light. Lulu refers to her experience as SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder; a type of depression which affects millions of people every winter. Everyone who knows her describes her a a "ray of sunshine." She lights up a room with her energy and life force. She is definitely not a person who is passive. How interesting that she, literally a Light Generator, can be so passively affected by the light outside.
We are all familiar with both forms of light: Our ability to create light, joy and energy, and the times when we are victims of our environment's light. There are times we foster our own light when praying, and times when we are passively affected by the energy in the synagogue. We can enter a synagogue and immediately sense and experience the passion and joy of the community, and unfortunately, we can also be deflated by a rote and passionless prayer, leading to Synagogue Affective Disorder. We can study with joy and spark our own light. We can sit in a class with distracted and disconnected people, and fall victim to SAD; Shiur Affective Disorder. We can join a group of people excited about studying and be elevated by the room's energy.
These two forms of light, active and passive, define the challenge presented by God to Israel in this week's portion, Vaeira. It is the ultimate decision Israel would have to make in its relationship with God. The people passively observe as God devastated the Egyptians with the first seven plagues, and shone His Light on them. Moses doesn't even speak to them. He doesn't offer any guidance. They will remain passive victims of light even when faced with the intense light at Sinai, when they witness God's Light. It is only at the conclusion of Shemot - Exodus, when they rise from being passive to become Light Generators. The Book concludes with their successful efforts to build the Mishkan - Tabernacle, and create a space that not only contains, but invites God's Light to their building. Vaeira, "And I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob," who actively generated sufficient light of their own to arouse My Light to join their's. "This," hints God, "is what I desire for you."
"And the Lord said, 'Let there be light.'" The first step in emulating the Creator is to become a Light Generator. The Trees in the Garden of Eden were, "Tov l'mareh," Good for Vision, for people who want to become Light Generators, but Adam and Eve viewed the Tree of Knowledge as, "Ta'avah l'einayim," as passively receiving light. They were the first victims of SAD, or Sin Affective Disorder, and chose passive light rather than becoming Light Generators.
We face the same choice in everything we do: We can choose to passively be affected by our prayers, study, actions and relationships, waiting for inspiration. Or we can choose to become Light Generators. We can generate our own light with our prayers. We can nurture light with our Torah study. We can spark new light in our relationships. We can become Light Generators and invite God's Light to join ours, the highest emulation of the Creator of Light.
I wish you a Shabbat of Light Generation, beginning with the light of the Shabbat candles, and peaking with the light of Havdalah.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>.
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The blood has been gone for a few days. The city is humming again, except for all the work projects that have stopped. The Egyptians stay away from us. Everyone is wondering whether the blood plague was the end of it. I already overhear some of my former masters whispering, “We’ll get them back and make sure they suffer.”
The word on the street is that Moshe is going to the palace today to confront Pharaoh. We are all betting on whether Pharaoh will officially declare the end of the slavery. I don’t know about this “Let My people go,” business. Where will we go? Why would I want to go into the desert to serve God? Then what?
No one knows what’s going on.
There’s this weird noise coming from the Nile. Frogs! Millions of them! People are running. It’s unbelievable, but the frogs are staying away from the Jews and attacking the Egyptians. They’re swarming all over them, hopping through the windows and doors. The Egyptians are running into their homes and then running out. They have nowhere to run. The frogs are all over the Egyptians, but they are staying away from us! How does this happen?
We are all standing around watching this bizarre scene. I don’t know whether the frog attack itself is the big miracle or the amazing fact that they do not even come near the Jews. How did Moshe do that?
One guy next to me says, “Obviously, God is protecting us. He is protecting each one of us as individuals.” Why? Why would such a powerful God protect me, a slave? I don’t understand. Is it just because I am a descendant of Jacob? Does this guy really believe that God is paying attention to me as an individual?
I understand that He wants to punish the Egyptians, but why is He protecting me?
My children can’t stop talking about God’s love for us. They are speaking about the Jews as supermen. The kids have quickly forgotten that we were slaves just a few weeks ago. They are convinced that God will always make us feel so special.
I see the “love,” but I also see His Power and anger. Which God will we be serving in the desert? I assume we’ll be going soon, because there is no way that the Egyptians will not give in right away. How could they not?
I am not sure whether to be excited or scared of God: This is great, but what happens when He becomes angry with us.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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Next to the self-portrait of Luca Signorelli in the duomo at Orvieto is a portrait of his master, Fra Angelico. There is a powerful distinction between the two men. Signorelli’s eyes are fixed outward, upon reality. Beside him, Fra Angelica, dressed in a cassock, gazes inwards. Two glances: one visionary, the other observant.
It is one thing to see. It is an entirely different matter to be a visionary or an observer. The visionary will respond with long-term help and plans. The observer will take stock of the fact that we tend to ignore poverty and suffering until there is a major tragedy.
The Egyptians clearly saw the devastation wreaked by the plagues. They witnessed God’s power and majesty, but they refused to look inward and examine what they had done to deserve such suffering. Their great leader responded to each plague, but certainly not as a visionary. The name of this week’s portion, Vaeira, “I Appeared,” is a hint to the theme of vision. The patriarchs were all visionaries and observers. They were the perfect contrast to Pharaoh.
What about the former slaves? The text does not describe their response. It seems to ignore them during the 7 plagues described in this portion. We do know that their process culminated with the Revelation at Sinai. They were privileged to “see” more than anyone else in history. They were being trained to be observers and visionaries, as are we, every time we study the words of Torah.
We never just read the text. We delve, challenge, search, until we distill a lesson that will help us observe the world and ourselves with greater insight. We imbue the concepts and learn how to envision the world through the eyes of the Torah.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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Joseph never experienced envy, at least not to the degree his brothers were infected by the green monster. I wonder how he would have handled the experience after everything he suffered because of their envy.
I suspect that the Sages were actually critical of Joseph’s conviction that he was free of jealousy: “And Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation.” (Exodus 1:6) Rabbi Chama bar Chaninah said, “Why did Joseph die before his brothers? Because he acted with an air of greatness.”
Joseph was the viceroy of Egypt and his position demanded that he act with a certain air of authority. He whole-heartedly forgave his brothers, and did all he could to save and support his family. Where and when did he lord over his brothers?
Imagine that Joseph was not the first of the brothers to die, but the last. He certainly had the power to bury them in Israel. The Egyptians were only interested in keeping Joseph’s remains. He would have carried his brothers’ remains to Israel, knowing full well that he would not be granted that privilege until the Jews would be redeemed from Egypt. Would he have experienced envy of his brothers being buried in Israel while he was stuck in Egypt even after death?
Perhaps Joseph died first so that no one in the family would be buried in Israel and he would not experience the misery of envy after all he had suffered at its hands. Perhaps Joseph died first so that he would know that even he would not have been able to handle the evil, twisted tentacles of envy.
He was convinced that he could never be infected, and yet, he learns from his early death, that he was vulnerable to infection. He could no longer ‘lord it” over his brothers that he was better equipped to handle envy.
The Sages see Joseph as learning a powerful lesson about himself as he approached death. He must have wondered why he, the second youngest, would predecease his sibling. He may have even figured out that God was teaching him, that there was already a tiny infection in his heart; he was convinced that he was invulnerable to envy and he learned, or at the very least, suspected, that perhaps he was not.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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I was walking in St Mark's Square, speaking to Debbie on my phone, when I saw it happen: A huge man turned the corner, speeding along on his skateboard and headed straight for a thin, and seemingly frail, elderly Chinese man crossing the street. Debbie heard me yell, "Oh no!" The skateboarder, at least 150 lbs heavier than the elderly man, crashed into him. My heart pounded as I expected the old man to go flying through the air, but that's not what happened. When the skateboarder crashed into the man it was as if he hit a brick wall. The old man didn't budge. It was the skateboarder who flipped high into the air and landed with a loud thud. The Chinese man calmly stood as the skateboarder peeled himself off the street. He was clearly dizzy, disoriented, embarrassed and angry. He caught his balance, and, towering over the old man, began yelling, "You should be more careful! You almost killed me." The man, not intimidated, simply smiled. All who witnessed the scene applauded.
I first thought that I finally had the answer to the (false) paradox of what happens when an irresistible force - the skateboarder - meets an immovable object - the old man: The immovable object won! I then realized that the old man was not an immovable object as much as he projected an irresistible force. The immovable object was also an irresistible force. I also realized that I had seen this idea in this week's Torah reading:
"The Lord of my father came to my aid and saved me from the sword of Pharaoh." (Exodus 18:4) Rashi explains that when Pharaoh learned that Moshe killed the Egyptian, he ordered the beheading of his adopted son, but Moshe's neck became a "Marble Column." I did not like that Rashi when I first saw it; "If Moshe was so weak that he had to run away from Egypt, he could not have had the strength to become a marble column!" My father zt"l explained that God used the experience to teach Moshe that deep inside he had the strength to live as a marble column; our immovable object.
When Moshe argued with God for seven days at the Burning Bush he was learning how to become an immovable object. He was accessing what he learned when his neck became a marble column. The seven days were a lesson in accessing this inner strength, but then Moshe made a serious mistake: "They won't believe me!" (4:1) Moshe may have learned how to be an immovable object, but he had not learned how to use that strength to become an irresistible force! He doubted his ability to use that inner strength to inspire, lead, and teach his brethren how to become their own marble columns. He may have become an immovable object, but he had not yet become an irresistible force. "The wrath of God burned against Moshe and He said, 'Is there not Aaron your brother the Levite? I know that he will surely speak." (4:14) A leader must have the strength to be an immovable object that can also be an irresistible force to inspire his followers to discover their own inner strength. Moshe's mission in the Book of Shemot, Names- Identity, was to teach his followers to access their own identity as immovable objects that were forces for good.
Those who send a message to their children and the world that, "You cannot change us. We are an immovable object," have learned only half the lesson. The immovable object must also project an irresistible force of inspiration to the world, a lesson in human potential. Every human being can become a force for good, change and growth.
I began The Foundation Stone with a clear commitment that Torah, immutable and immovable, is an irresistible force of inspiration. Our mission is to access the Torah's lessons to nurture the powerful force inherent in every soul. We are succeeding in our classes, the website and blog. People are responding with new strength and passion. Please consider using the final week of this (tax) year to contribute to our efforts to become an immovable object that projects an irresistible force.
I wish you a Shabbat that will be both a mighty immovable object and an irresistible force.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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I am fascinated by my grandson’s obsession with his mouth. I bought a pull-toy for him as a Chanukah gift, and he examined every piece with his mouth. Whenever he pulls a book from the shelf, he puts the pages in his mouth before tearing them. It seems that he measures the world with his mouth.
Moshe has a “heavy mouth and a heavy tongue.” Did that manifest itself in his behavior as a baby? Did baby Moshe Rabbeinu put everything he saw into his mouth?
The Midrash says that the reason Moshe had a speech impediment was that Pharaoh tested Moshe using the expected oral fixation: Pharaoh placed his royal crown and a burning hot coal before the baby. Pharaoh would know that this baby posed danger if he went after the crown, but would not grow up to be a problem if he went after the burning coal. An angel, guided baby Moshe’s hand to the coal, and Moshe, as any baby would do, placed the coal in his mouth. Pharaoh took this as a sign that the baby did not pose a risk, and therefore agreed for his daughter to keep him alive.
Great story! I have a problem: Which baby do you know would be able to grab the coal and hold on long enough to place the coal in his mouth? How could Pharaoh watch a baby hold on to a burning coal and not be concerned that this baby certainly had some unusual strengths?
There is another problem: The Talmud teaches that baby Moshe refused to suckle from an Egyptian woman; The Mouth that would speak with God could not be impurified by sucking from an Egyptian woman.
If God was so protective of Moshe’s mouth, why did He allow Moshe to burn his tongue? Pharaoh would have been satisfied if the baby simply grabbed the coal. It seems that God wanted Moshe to burn his tongue, and for Pharaoh to see it happen.
Picture the scene: Moshe arrives as the leader of the Jews and needs Aaron to speak for him. Pharaoh immediately remembers the test. Does he laugh as he recalls that he is the one who caused Moshe’s speech impediment? Does he wonder why his test didn’t work as planned? Or, does he wonder why he never took notice of baby Moshe’s ability to grab and hold onto a burning coal?
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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Pharaoh had a problem. It doesn’t seem too serious, but it has the potential to explode. Moses arrived with Aaron to demand; “Let My people Go!” The people in question are not there. Oh! They set out with Moses and his brother to confront Pharaoh, but they dropped off, one by one, and by the time the two brothers arrived in front of the king; they were alone.
Pharaoh wants to make sure that hip nips this in the bud, so he increases the workload, retracts the day of rest, and demands that his slaves no gather the straw to make bricks without cutting down on production.
Most of us understand that Pharaoh wanted to create dissension between the people and their newly self-appointed leader, so he made things worse. But Rashi sees things in a different light. He understands that Pharaoh actually has no need to worry about the people following Moses; they couldn’t even muster the courage to confront the king. But Moses was still a concern; “let them not pay attention to false words,” Rashi explains that this means that Pharaoh did not want them to have an opportunity to even think about spiritual matters. The king understood that once they would focus any of their attention on the spiritual, he, Pharaoh, would lose, even if they didn’t have the courage to confront him. They would.
This evil king understood that just to begin considering spiritual matters would open the dam and they would change.
Our first challenge is just that; to start considering our spiritual lives. Who knows what will develop?
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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Jacob or Israel? Israel or Jacob? Which name is the real name of this son of Isaac and Rebecca?
Jacob wrestled with himself and was named Israel. The name change happened only after he overcame his will to run. A trait he exhibited with Laban and Esau. So he was given a name that means he had the power to struggle and overcome.
But look at the trials and tribulations Jacob went through after this episode. His daughter was raped. Think of his anguish and anger. He feared for the safety of his family after Shimon and Levi took revenge.
Then he witnessed the discord between Joseph and the rest of his sons. After sending Joseph to be with his brothers, he was told his favorite son was killed. His grief was such that Jacob said, “ I will mourn for him until I go into my grave.”
Immediately he loses another son. Judah leaves home for many years. Jacob never met his daughter-in-law or grandsons.
Then a famine struck the land. Returning from Egypt, his sons told him a ruler of Egypt demanded Benjamin, now his favorite, must come with them if they ever returned for food.
Jacob was a rich man. So what? He was constantly in crisis! What sorrow he suffered.
But now, it is the end of his life and he has overcome the struggles. He saw them through. He did not commit suicide. He did not crawl into a corner and cease functioning.
And now once again he is Israel. He has prevailed. He overcame the challenges life threw at him.
We are all potential Israels. We all have obstacles. They could be physical, mental, social or financial. And the challenge is to overcome them. And yes, to achieve our goals
We have to look at a situation and say, “This is what is. What do I do to handle this?
At each point in our life, when we emerge victorious, we too can award ourselves a new name. Israel.
But that Israel lived 3700 years ago. What about today? Who will be our role model today? My answer is…you!!
We have all have overcome problems. Think of school. Even if you were a good student, there were still goals to be met. After school, there were the challenges of the new job, a promotion, a difficult manager, or the loss of a position. If you are married, there may have been times that were tough. Or maybe, unfortunately there was a divorce. Relationships with friends and family may not always have been smooth. Yet you’re here today.
Think of four situations when you faced adversity. The time frame could be days or weeks or years. And you came out of it. Celebrate yourself. You went from a Jacob time to an Israel time.
Remember: sometimes YOU are your best role model.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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“If a man finds a corpse for the first time (Without previously having found a corpse in the same spot, and without knowing that it was there) lying in the usual position he may remove it together with the soil it occupies. If he finds two, he may remove them together with the soil they occupy: Where is this law of the soil [a corpse] occupies to be found in the Torah? R. Judah said: The verse says, “You shalt carry me out of Egypt,” [signifying] carry with me [some Egyptian soil].” (Nazir 65a)
Even though Jacob was never buried in Egypt, we can rely on this verse to support the law. (Tosafot Yom Tov in the name of the Rambam)
Perhaps, Jacob’s request to be buried in Israel with some Egyptian earth was to indicate to his family that he would remain connected to them as long as they would remain in Egypt.
It is also possible that Jacob wanted some of the earth from outside Israel to be placed in his grave as a gesture to Joseph, whose mother, Rachel, was buried “along the way.” This would explain why his request to add some Egyptian earth was only mentioned to Joseph, and not when Jacob repeated his instructions to his other children.
One of the members of my congregation in Saratoga Springs wanted to have her husband buried on their farm. It took a few years for her to file all the necessary paperwork and, after having me dedicate the “cemetery” according to Halacha, was ready to have him disinterred from his grave in Long Island, and rebury him on the farm. She watched as I scooped some earth from his original resting place and wondered why. I explained the law of “Tefusah,” taking some earth from the original resting place, and that we were honoring the place that held him until he was buried in his permanent grave. She didn’t respond, and sat silently for the entire ride from Long Island back to her farm high up on a hill near Saratoga. Once the crane lowered the concrete box into the freshly dug grave, she asked me for the container of soil so that she could pour it into his final resting place. “This earth is a symbol of his journey through life even after his physical death. Long Island wasn’t a “holding space,” it was part of his journey. Thank you.”
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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I don’t have to go to the gym today! It took more time for me to shovel the snow than I would usually spend in the gym and I certainly burned enough calories. In fact, although my muscles ache and my back is sore, I enjoy shoveling snow (without Pip’s help. See Silence) more than using a treadmill. When I walk off the treadmill I am exactly where I began. When I finish shoveling the snow I have tangible proof of my work. (A Measure of Success)
Instead of paying the gym for using their treadmill, I can shovel snow for people, make some money, exercise and lose weight. I can already hear you challenging my brilliant idea with the ridiculous issue of it not being regular enough work to lose weight. Please! Do you know how my body stores each and every calorie I eat and expresses its appreciation in my belly? Well, instead of storing calories I have consumed, I will store the calories I burn!
Joseph tried it and it worked! He collects all his credits for saving and feeding his family and uses them to make a promise to his family that God will surely redeem them from Egypt. Joseph has so much credit that his promise actually keeps alive everyone’s hopes for more than 150 years. The Children of Israel accept stored credits.
The Egyptians did not. It wasn’t long before they forgot all that Joseph had done for them. OK, he did make them pay for their food he had stored, and he did make them sell everything they owned, even themselves to Pharaoh as slaves. He also moved them around so that they lost all sense of community. So, he burned some credits. I suspect that the Egyptians felt the way I feel after 45 minutes on the treadmill; exhausted and hard to see any progress. They gave him much of the food they grew and then had to pay him to buy it back. No wonder that wanted the Children of Israel to work at such unfulfilling jobs when they were slaves.
Perhaps Joseph understood that the Children of Israel would only survive because they never experienced a sense of accomplishment from their work in Egypt. If they could view 210 years of work in measured accomplishments it would have been very difficult for them to leave Egypt for the desert.
Perhaps the Egyptians viewed Joseph’s credits as expired, but the Jews did not. They allowed him to store his credits for generations. Weinberg’s Snow Removal – Burned Calories Storage Service works for those kinds of people.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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Judaism is all about choosing life, but there is one choice between life and death I find more challenging than others: “He who hates gifts will live.” (Proverbs 15:27) I enjoy writing thank you notes and find it difficult to experience a gift as a choice between life and death. I especially love receiving gifts from my children. Jacob seems to have been different.
“And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years.” (Genesis 47:28) “Why did the Torah mention the number of years he lived in Egypt? We find that Joseph lived with his father seventeen years before he was sold. Just as Jacob supported Joseph for seventeen years, so too, Joseph supported his father for seventeen years.” (Ba’alei Tosafot)
It seems that Jacob was willing to be supported by his son only for the number of years that he had supported Joseph. A son’s obligation to feed his father is with his father’s funds. Any of his own money is considered charity and a gift. (Shulchan Aruch Y”D 240)
“Shemayah says, ‘Love work; despise lordliness.’” (Avot 1:10) “Love work; and do not be supported by communal funds, and live a long life, as the verse teaches, “He who hates gifts will live.” We have learned, “When you eat the labor of your hands, you are praiseworthy, and it will be well with you.” (Psalms 128:2) ‘Despise lordliness; for it buries you, as the Talmud (Berachot 55a) teaches, ‘Why did Joseph die earlier than his brothers? He practiced lordliness.” (Rashi: Avot 1)
It’s fair to say that if the second half of Shemayah’s teaching applies to Joseph, the first part, “Love work,” applies to Jacob who desired to only eat from his own work. (See Jacob’s response to Laban in Genesis 30:31, understood by Mishnat Rabbi Eliezer, Chapter 8 as, “Loving work.”)
Why was Jacob more concerned about receiving gifts from Joseph than he was from his other sons? Joseph did not directly receive a portion in Israel. His two sons received their two portions directly through Jacob, not Joseph.
It’s interesting that Jacob insisted on buying the right of the first-born from Eisav, and would only steal the blessings at the insistence of his mother. Isaac believed that Eisav was as careful as Jacob about gifts and instructed him to earn his blessing by going out and hunting for the animal he would use to feed his father.
My paternal grandmother z”l visited us in Toronto in 1966. She wanted to give my parents money to buy food, and my father zt”l responded, “I receive so much pleasure from welcoming you and honoring you that you are already giving a gift to me!” When we walked to Yeshiva a few minutes later, my tiny hand wrapped in his, to me, giant hand, he said, “That’s how you should feel about serving God. Don’t serve for reward. Say, ‘The pleasure I receive from serving You is the greatest pleasure You can give me!’”
Joseph surely felt the same way about supporting his father. But Jacob was committed to teaching all of us the important lesson about “Loving work.” (Mishnat Rabbi Eliezer) He did such an excellent job that I feel perfectly comfortable granting my children the pleasure of giving gifts to me! So, I am choosing life; theirs!
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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(Kings II Chapter 25) “It happened in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylonia, he and his entire army, came to wage war against Jerusalem and encamped near it, and built a siege tower around it.”
Jeremiah had been prophesying the arrival of a storm from Babylon for years. No one listened. “It could never happen to Jerusalem!” No one wanted to listen, so they threw the prophet into a pit and jail. Babylon’s armies had already visited Jerusalem. Zedekiah was king only because his brother Jehoiachin, was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah was not his real name. The 21 year old Mattaniah was renamed by the Babylonians ; they controlled everything, not only who was king, but even his name! And Jeremiah continued to warn the people how vulnerable they were, and how insecure their situation. But the people did not hear the prophet. They did not want to listen. “It could never happen to Jerusalem.” “It will never happen to me.”
The Babylonians were at the walls of the city and Jeremiah cried out to the people to listen to God’s message. Perhaps now they would listen to the man who spoke in God’s name. But the people did not pay attention to the prophet’s voice. They did not want to hear. They could have prevented the destruction of Jerusalem. They had ample opportunity to surrender to the Babylonians. But, they could not hear God’s voice in Jeremiah’s cries. They did not want to hear God’s message in their new circumstances, even as siege walls were being constructed around Jerusalem. They could hear the hammers banging away at the walls that would spell their doom, but they did not listen. They were not deaf. They chose not to hear.
They may have chosen to shut out God’s voice, Jeremiah’s cries, the sound of Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers marching, the noise of the construction and the loud and clear pronouncements of their political and military realities, but we can hear the sound of desperation and frustration in Jeremiah’s words.
We, the people of the Shema, “Hear O’ Israel”, so often choose not to hear. We shut out the warnings of Jeremiah. We ignored the warning signs of Hitler’s rise to power. We shut out the very clear message in Iran when Islamic radicals toppled the Shah. We, who repeatedly remind ourselves to hear and pay attention, simply slide into selective hearing. How can we hear the words of Shema as we should if we can so easily choose what not to hear? Either we hear the voices of God, the prophets and history, or we do not.
We remember the deafness of our ancestors in besieged Jerusalem and we “fast”! Would it not make more sense to dedicate the Tenth of Tevet to learning how to listen? Why do we fast?
(Zohar, Volume 2, 20b) Rabbi Eliezer would pray the following words when he would fast: “It is revealed and known before You, God, my Lord, Lord of my ancestors, that I offer all that my body is burning of itself as an offering to You. May it be Your desire that the smell that rises from my mouth as I fast be considered equal to the fragrance of the Burnt Offering as it burns on Your altar.”
Rabbi Eliezer’s prayer teaches us that we want God to pay attention to our fasting, just as He would pay attention to a sacrifice burning on His altar. We ask the Master of the Universe to pay attention, to hear us, to listen. We cannot accomplish anything with our fast if God does not take note of our feeble effort at fixing our mistakes. We cannot ask God to listen if we continue to shut our ears to Him. A fast is a prayer. A prayer must be heard. A prayer should begin a conversation. A conversation cannot develop if either party does not hear the other. Jeremiah expresses this idea in a powerful verse (14:12): “If they fast, I will not listen to their call.”
The fast of the Tenth of Tevet is a prayer; a prayer that can only be effective if we remember to listen for God’s voice.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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When Joseph, Viceroy of Egypt, first saw his brothers, he viewed them as all complicit in attempted murder, except for Benjamin. So when Joseph finally revealed who he was, it was Benjamin whom he first embraced.
But what was the reality? The brothers conspired to slay him and then throw him into a pit. In other words, get rid of his body. But Reuben said, “Don’t commit an overt act of murder, throw him into the pit and he will die of starvation.” Reuben wanted to come back and save Joseph from the pit. Then, not knowing Reuben’s plan, Judah also decided to save Joseph’s life. He convinced his brothers by appealing to their greed. We can get rid of Joseph and turn a profit. And the brothers bought the argument. So two of the brothers did not want to kill him, and both thought of plans to prevent Joseph from being murdered. Judah succeeded! Of course, how could Joseph have known all this? The brothers grabbed him as soon as he showed up and threw him into the pit. He had no more contact with them.
So when they showed up in Egypt, he was out to get revenge and teach them a lesson. Instead of immediately telling them who he was and sending word to his father, he was intent on making them suffer.
Would it have been different if he had known all the facts in the case? Perhaps he would have played it another way. Seeing Judah and Reuben, he could have favored them at the beginning of their first meeting, given the other brothers grief, and revealed his identity at the end of this encounter. He would have spared his father months of sadness.
Not having the facts, Joseph made assumptions.
How many of us think we know all the facts and do not bother to check to see if we are correct. Why do we do this? One reason might be that it will take more work than we want to put into an endeavor. Most of the time, I suspect we don’t even think about the fact that our assumptions might not be correct. Do we take the time to consider if we need more information?
The lesson we learn from Joseph’s understandable lack of the facts is to try to check the “facts”a second time. Only then can we make a reasonable and fair decision of how to proceed.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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Tonight we light the 8th and final light of Chanukah. Chanukah serves as an antidote to one of the most oppressive sensations that torments us all—shortage. We agonize over shortage of money, space, love, health, and friends. Scarcity is even promoted as a part of the sacred sacrament of secularism. It is indeed the rightful result for those who reject God. In contrast, as we light one additional flame each night of Hanukkah we inject into our souls the idea that through God, each day can bring more and more, not less and less.
Just over 2,000 years ago, the Hasmoneans, led by Judah Maccabee, successfully rebelled against their Greek oppressors who had ransacked the Jerusalem Temple. The high priest, who was preparing to rededicate the Temple and relight the menorah, found only one small jar of pure olive oil. Ancient Jewish wisdom teaches that this jar of oil, sufficient for only one day, miraculously kept the menorah burning for eight full days.
Beguiled by the story, it is all too easy to ignore a deeper meaning—God’s blessing of bounty. By the laws of nature there was insufficient oil to last until more could be gotten. But the laws of God transcend the laws of nature. One legacy of ancient Greece, which is the rejection of monotheism, contracts the bounty of the universe while God with His gift of infinite limitlessness expands it.
Secularists, today’s heirs of Greek philosophy, obsess irrationally on lack of resources. This, in spite of the fact that historical parallels ranging from Thomas Malthus’ notorious 1798 “Essay on Population,” all the way to my examples below, have proven to be needlessly hysterical.
America used to depend on whale oil for lighting. During the early 19th century, pundits warned that since whales were being harvested at an ever increasing rate, America would soon go dark. To conserve the remaining whale oil, they recommended extinguishing all lanterns no later than 10 p.m. They were right about running out of whale oil, but they were wrong about America going dark. In 1859, a railroad conductor called Edwin Drake struck oil in Titusville, Pa. America remained brightly lit by lanterns that burned paraffin.
Until the early 18th century, colonial homes were heated mostly by burning wood. Forests were vanishing and the rapidly growing colonies were running out of firewood. Eliminate immigration and ration firewood, was the call of the day. They were right about running out of firewood but it didn’t matter because we soon found and began burning a far superior fuel called coal.
During the 1980s, fax machines became popular and people installed additional lines to accommodate these devices. Frightened “experts” like Paul Ehrlich, issued dire warnings about the price of copper. There was insufficient copper in the world to run two phone lines to every home.
They were right about there not being enough copper. They were wrong about its price. The miracle of God-given human ingenuity made copper as redundant as whale oil. We began sending data through impossibly thin glass filaments. Glass is made from sand and we are in no danger of running out of sand.
Lacking sufficient copper, whale oil or wood only seemed to be a problem. In reality, our God-given ingenuity developed exciting new technology that eliminated our need for each commodity just as it was becoming scarce.
I encourage you to consider giving yourself or others an abundance of learning. As an added incentive, our library pack – including the new Prosperity Power CDs - is 15% off for 48 hours (online, U.S. orders only). This collection of books and audio CDs can truly expand your horizons, providing messages from ancient Jewish wisdom that will benefit your family and financial lives. Studying Bible through the eyes of ancient Jewish wisdom is an effective catalyst of creativity. Employing timeless truth to supercharge the soul has served generations of Jewish innovators, thinkers, and entrepreneurs and can do the same for you.
Hanukkah invites us all to express gratitude to the Creator whose beneficence is boundless. It reminds us that with His gift of creativity, challenges become optimistic opportunities to partner with God to solve all our material shortages.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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I wish everything was that simple: A long time ago Jeremiah, speaking for God, warned Israel, "But if you do not listen to Me, to sanctify the Sabbath Day and to not carry a burden and enter Jerusalem's gates on the Sabbath day, then I shall set fire to its gates, a fire that will consume the palaces of Jerusalem and not be extinguished." (17:27) The logical implication, according to some, is that a fire burning out of control on Mt Carmel is God's response to people violating the Sabbath. Someone searching for a simple explanation will find one and will not question its logic. If only things were that simple! I wonder whether anyone other than a Sabbath observant person would accept this explanation for the recent tragic fire in Israel.
I shouldn't be too critical of those searching for simple answers; Jacob certainly seemed to choose the same approach: I can picture Joseph sitting down with his father after all the excited greetings, meetings with Pharaoh, and everyone is comfortable with the new arrangements. Father and son are sitting alone in front of the fireplace, sharing a fine wine, tentatively poking at the question Jacob desperately wants to ask, and even more desperately does not want answered. Jacob is no fool and can easily figure out how Joseph reached his position. Should everyone place all their cards on the table and work out this unspoken mess?
Perhaps Jacob should allow his sons to vent their resentment of Joseph's favored position in the family. The family could hire Freud to lead them through some group therapy sessions. Jacob decided to forego Dr Freud's help, and a few soul-baring family sessions. He went with the simple approach; "I'm so happy to see you after all those years!" He did hint to his biggest question while speaking to Pharaoh in front of Joseph; "Few and bad have been the years of my life," including the years when Joseph did not contact me and allowed me to suffer. A hint, that's all. The family could not afford to open Pandora's Box. Simple was better. The coals of anger and resentment were smoldering, waiting to burst into flames. In other words, "A Fire Burns in Israel."
The fire that recently raged in Israel was controlled. The fire fueled by the desire for simple answers to complex issues continues to rage. "My house burned down because you violate Shabbat!" "My friend died on 9-11 because you dress immodestly." Simplistic answers fuel the fire.
They also extinguish the necessary flame that burns inside, the Chanukah light, the Eternal Lamp - Ner Tamid, that burn inside our souls as passion and drive. Such answers to difficult questions dump retardant over the fire that moves us and our children to question, challenge and explore.
A fire certainly does burn in Israel; it should! It must! We must live with that fire in the belly that motivates us to find meaning in our lives. I do not look back on our history and see flames of tragedy that have consumed our bodies, but fires of passion and determination, that have never been extinguished, and give life to our souls. These are the fires that Jacob intentionally allowed to burn to keep us alive during our Egyptian sojourn. We dare not pour waters of simplicity over our hearts, minds, and souls, and douse the raging passion for achievement.
Thank God, A Fire Burns in Israel, the fire of our quest to attach to the Infinite. The fire symbolized by the Shabbat candles. The fire in our soul.
I wish you a fiery "Shabbat Shalom." Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>.
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In “Doing Away With The Trappings I & II,” we studied Joseph’s strategy in preparing for the moment when he would reveal himself to his brothers. These great and powerful men who warred against Shechem and instilled fear in their neighbors had lost their grasp on greatness. Judah was not the only brother to “descend.” (Genesis 38:1)
They looked back at their decision to sell their brother, their flesh and blood, and to then lie to Jacob and destroy his life, and lost all confidence in their decisions. Judah did not only descend from his brothers; he descended from the authoritative leader he had been, and soon found himself in the bed of a prostitute. Joseph too, had “gone down,” not by his own volition, but as a man sold into slavery by his brothers. He too found himself in the bed of a strange woman, another man’s wife, but he ran with his internal dignity intact, willing to sacrifice all to maintain his essence. One brother, Judah, lost his bearings in his decline. The other brother, Joseph, did not. The victim was empowered. The powerful man was weakened.
Joseph could not allow Judah or any of the brothers to continue in their weakened state. A weak family would not survive exile in Egypt. Joseph wanted his brothers to rediscover their inner strength and dignity. Judah was the example of decline. He would have to be the example of regaining his essence. “Then Judah approached,” in confidence and power. The moment arrived.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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We posited that Joseph used the moment of revealing himself to teach his brothers about looking for externals for solutions. Let’s examine his strategy:
“Now Joseph could not restrain himself in the presence of all who stood before him, so he called out, ‘Remove everyone from before me!’ Thus no one remained with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. He cried in a loud voice. Egypt heard, and Pharaoh’s household heard.” (Genesis 45:1-2)
Although Rashi explains that Joseph emptied the room to save his brothers from embarrassment, we have to wonder why the verse says that he “could not restrain himself,” rather than, ‘he could not reveal himself.’ If Joseph was so concerned for his brothers’ dignity, why did he cry so loud that all of Egypt “heard, and Pharaoh’s household heard?” Why does the verse describe all of Egypt hearing Joseph before Pharaoh’s household? Would not the King’s household be the first to hear?
Among the last words Joseph heard his brothers speak before they threw him into the pit were, “Then we shall see what will become of his dreams.” (37:20) They threw him in without killing him, waiting to see what would happen. They chose to “Shed no blood.” (Verse 22) They waited for something to happen and then follow along. “A caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead,” and they said, “let our hand not be upon him for he is or brother, our own flesh.” (Verse 27) They sold him; an interesting thing to do to “ a brother, our own flesh!” They waited for something outside of themselves to happen, and were therefore able to disconnect from their actions.
“Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.” (42:8) The brothers continued to look only at externals.
Joseph remembered their words at the pit. He understood they were still looking at externals, and he formulated his strategy. He would push them until they stopped looking outside of themselves to only look within.
His strategy soon began to work: “They said to one another, “Indeed we are guilty concerning our brother inasmuch as we saw his heartfelt anguish when he pleaded with us and we paid no heed.” (42:21) They took their first tentative steps to looking within, but quickly faltered, “That is why this anguish has come upon us,” from the outside.
Joseph understands their words and turns aside to weep, (Verse 23) as he does each time he notices progress.
The brothers find money in their sacks and immediately ask, “What has God done to us?” They continue to look outside of themselves. Yes, even turning to say, “It is in God’s Hands,” can be to look outside rather than inside of us!
Joseph’s goblet is found in Benjamin’s sack, “So Judah said, ‘What can we say to my lord? How can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has uncovered the sins of your servants.’” (44:16) They are victims of God’s justice.
That is, until the beginning of Vayigash, “Then Judah approached him,” (Verse 18) and took responsibility. No more externals. No more victimhood. Nothing external. The Midrash describes Judah’s “approach” as a form of prayer. Judah’s acceptance of immediate responsibility is a powerful prayer.
The moment arrived for Joseph to reveal himself, and he emptied the room. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah
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In Germany in 1799, the Protestant Theologian Friedrich Schleirmacher wrote a marvelous book entitled “On Religion: Speeches To Its Cultured Despisers.” He observed, in his high-spirited opening lines, that for a long time “faith has not been every man’s affair,” that only a “few have discerned religion itself, while millions, in various ways, have been satisfied to juggle with its trappings. Now, especially, the life of cultivated people is far from anything that might even have a resemblance to religion.”
You can’t walk into a store during this season without hearing Christmas carols and seeing the colorful decorations. I can’t count the number of Jews who have told me how much they love Christmas movies. They love the holiday spirit. Many converts and Ba’alei Teshuvah, speak longingly of Christmas with its trees, gifts, songs, and meals. “Chanukah just is not the same,” they say. We are inundated with trappings, but is it really religion?
Chanukah is a stripped-down festival. We spend a few minutes lighting the Menorah. We sing Hallel. We eat latkes and sufganiyot. We may even play Dreidel. Whatever decorations we see in Jewish stores are just in imitation of the rest of the world. Either we need better marketing or this was intentional.
Our bare bones approach to Mitzvot is not a statement of separation from the world. We stress beautification of Mitzvot; beautiful Etrog, Succah, Tzitzit, and Torah scroll, but we have guidelines for the beauty. A silver etrog box may be quite luxurious, but it is not beautification of the Mitzvah. The elaborate silver crowns and breastplates hung on a Torah scroll do not fulfill the Halachic guidelines of a beautiful Torah. Even the “Mehadrin Min Hamehadrin,” “The Most Beautiful of the Beautiful,” fulfillment of lighting Chanukah candles is measured by the number of candles, not by an ornate Menorah. We eschew the trappings and focus on the inner essence.
The trappings are externals, and Joseph, at the moment in which he reveals himself to his brothers, teaches them and us about the dangers of external trappings.
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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I have absolute proof that I would do anything for my wife. Just look at me: I am walking on the streets of New York City in a bright orange coat! Debbie loves it. I am uncomfortable, incredibly warm but embarrassed, and I still wear the coat! Ouch! I just strained some muscles as I was busy patting myself on the back!
If anyone can empathize with Joseph’s brothers, it is me! Joseph has just knocked them off their feet with his revelation that he, the viceroy of Egypt, is none other than Joseph, all the dreams they resented have come true, and they are speechless, even overwhelmed.
So, what does Joseph present to the brothers who hated his coat, and who stripped him of that coat and dipped it in blood to cruelly fool Jacob?
He gave a coat to each of them! I love a sense of irony, but, I imagine that those coats were even more difficult to wear than my orange “thing!”
He, who suffered because his father gave him something that he did not give to Joseph’s siblings, then gives Benjamin five sets of clothing, as if to provoke them again. Hey! Keep your orange coat! (Not you, Debbie. I love my coat. You, Joseph!)
The Talmud explains that Benjamin’s five sets of clothing were worth the same amount as each one of the sets of clothing that Joseph gave his other brothers – the ones who didn’t appreciate wearing coats of many colors.
What was Joseph’s point? Why at this time? Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org
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Take a look at the tabletops above. Which one is bigger? The answer is neither. As hard as it is to believe, the tabletop on the left is identical in size and shape to the one on the right. You can check by cutting out a piece of paper the exact shape of one and placing it over the other. (See "Michael Bach") The interesting thing is that knowing this is an illusion doesn't allow us to correct for its effect. No matter how many times we look at the tabletops, named "Turning the Tables," by their designer Roger Shepard, they still appear to be different. We suffer from Change Blindness. When Joseph's brothers arrive before Pharaoh's viceroy, aka Joseph, they see an Egyptian nobleman despite all the signals he sends that he is anything but. He eats meat, something the Egyptians didn't do. They must have heard tales of the slave-convict who rose to great heights, but they didn't make the connection to their brother whom they sold into slavery. He is interested in their father's well-being, almost obsessively so, but they can't figure out why. The man responsible for feeding the entire country insists on meeting Benjamin. He gives gifts to them. They find their money in their food-sacks. They don't pick up on any of his hints, as did Jacob. They are suffering from Change Blindness. Joseph won't reveal his identity until sure that his brothers are cured of their Change Blindness and are prepared to move to Egypt, a changed environment where Israel can only survive with accurate vision. The Chashmonaim waited a year before instituting an official festival celebrating the Chanukah story. They wanted to be certain that the people were not suffering from Change Blindness. Miracles are great, and so are victories, but if we suffer from Change Blindness all the miracles and victories are meaningless. Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, is a celebration of our ability to overcome Change Blindness and learn to see the possibilities of change. The Chashmonaim could have made an addition to the Shabbat laws, one of the three main ideas for which they fought, but they insisted on adding a holiday focused on the Menorah, not because of the miraculous burning of the oil, but for its light; the way it changed how people perceived themselves, their destiny, the world. The best way to bring Chanukah light into the world is to overcome our Change Blindness: We can pay attention to how friends and family have changed, and relate to them, not as we are accustomed to seeing them, but as they are now. More light! We can look at the familiar words of prayer without Change Blindness and see how they speak to us differently than they did in the past. More light! We can look at ourselves not as we were a year ago, but as we currently are. More light! We can look at everything we do, not as we are accustomed to seeing, but as something new. Infinite light! The gift of the Festival of Lights. The Foundation Stone is pleased to offer a changed way to sing the Hallel: A Feast of Song, External & Internal Freedoms, Becoming Trusters, Joining in Song, Action Prayer, Freedom!, The Message Beyond The Miracle, & Singing With The Chashmonaim. You can read how Halacha never suffers from Change Blindness in The Music of Halacha: Lighting The Chanukah Candles. The Foundation Stone Blog offers a changed view of the Chanukah story in The Burden of a Decision I, II, & III. Gerald August challenges us to overcome Change Blindness while standing in line at The Toy Store. I wish each of you a Shabbat and Chanukah blessed with Vision of Light, completely aware of all the changes around you and within. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone. org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone .org/
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Both Judah and Joseph “go down.” Judah lost his prestigious position as the leading brother and had to move away and begin a new life. Joseph went down into a pit, was lifted out only to be sent “down” into Egypt, then rose to a position of leadership in Potiphar’s household, again only to be thrown back down into the prison pit! (OK – a Federal Prison, a.k.a. country club, but still prison.)
It’s interesting to note the different responses to being lowered:
Judah, as his father Jacob, in this portion of Passivity – Vayeishev – sleeps with a very, very expensive prostitute, who basically tells him she is going to blackmail him: She wanted all his personal things as security. Kind of overkill – Don’t you think? She then disappears and he can’t find her to pay her, so he…forgets about it.
He only comes back to some semblance of passion and life when he has an opportunity to rid himself of his problematic daughter-in-law, Tamar, with whom he has taken a passive approach of sending on a visit home, rather than informing her that he doesn’t want her around at all.
Tamar set things rolling, and Judah regained his former leadership position. (See The Big Lie)
Judah had a difficult time dealing with his low points.
It almost seems endemic to Judah’s family. Boaz rises to his greatness only in the final days of his life, at the urging of Tamar. King David appears in Kings, not Samuel, and rises to his best at the urging of Batsheva.
Joseph deals with his “downs” with equanimity. He also seems to deal better with his glorious moments. He does fail, but never seems as devastated as Judah, Boaz or King David.
Perhaps there is a simple reason: Joseph knows that his leadership positions are never his own. He understands that he is the attribute of Yesod – the preparation for Malchut, which belongs to his brother Judah. Joseph does not experience the same devastation upon losing high positions because he knows that they aren’t really his.
Judah and King David represent Malchut – Divine Kingship. They expect more of themselves and therefore are far more devastated when they fail. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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The words of this psalm are to be considered in light of the verse, “I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance neginati in the night; I commune with my own heart.” (Psalm 77:6-7) What is meant by, “I call to remembrance neginati”? Rabbi Aibu and Rabbi Yehudah bar Shimon differed.
Rabbi Yehudah bar Shimon took it to mean that the Congregation of Israel said to the Holy One, Blessed is He, “I call to remembrance the miracles which You did for me in Egypt, and how I sang songs to You because of the miracles – how, indeed, I sang songs and psalms to You during that night,” as it said, “You shall have a song as in the night when a feast was hallowed.” (Isaiah 30:29) And what was that night when a feast was hallowed? The night when You did smite the first-born in the land of Egypt, as it is said, “And it came to pass at midnight, that God smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:29) Accordingly, Rabbi Yehudah bar Shimon took the words, “neginati in the night,” to refer to the song of that night when You did redeem us and brings us forth in freedom. We became Your servants, and were no longer the servants of Pharaoh. (Midrash Tehillim 113.1)
Rabbi Yehudah teaches that in order to have a proper internal conversation, “I commune with my own heart,” we must first recall the song we sang at the “hallowed feast,” after God killed the first-born of Egypt, and we officially became servants of God, and were no longer the servants of Pharaoh.
The “Hallowed feast,” does not refer to the Korban Pesach, the Paschal Offering; that meal was finished before midnight when the plague began! The “Hallowed feast,” was a Feast of Song when the people who were safely gathered in their homes, listening to the screams and cries of the Egyptians, sang with joy over achieving the status of Servants of God.
In order to sing this paragraph of Hallel, we must picture that Feast of Song, and transform our Hallel into exactly such a Feast. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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One man has turned your safe world upside down. (See “The Burden of a Decision”) You were comfortable adjusting to Greek rule, and allowing those modern Hellenists to do what they wanted as long as you could live in peace. Matityahu has forced the issue to the fore, and you now have to decide.
Some of your fellow refugees are so angry with the Chashmonaim that they can’t even consider his reasons. The tension in the hills is flammable, and you fear the spark of confrontation. Two Jews with spears and swords appear from the darkness; representatives of the Chashmonaim. They are looking for volunteers. The spark you feared is ignited. Voices are raised in anger against their “reckless” decision. The two strapping fellows calmly allow everyone to speak, and then they change the nature of the conversation by presenting a Twitter message from Matityahu: A simple quote from the bible, “Who is for God shall join me!” Everyone remembers Moshe’s challenge to the Leviim after the Golden Calf. Everyone understands that the Chashmonaim, Kohanim, are from the Tribe of Levi. Matityahu has changed the conversation by focusing on God: “This is a fight for God!”
You look up at the T-shirts worn by both soldiers: Maccabbi: “Mi Kamocha Ba’eilim Hashem,” “Who among the powers is like You, God.” This is a religious battle for the future of the Jewish people as Jews. Some are inspired. Some are intimidated. Some are silently fuming against the religious fanatics, but all allow the young men to speak. One man asks the question on everyone’s mind: Did Matityahu receive a sign from God? How do we know this is what God wants? All silently ponder the important question.
The setting, high in the dark hills, a fire burning, people desperate for information, guidance and leadership, is perfect for a story, and the older soldier complies. He opens his bible and reads the following story:
Then the angel of God came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites.
The angel of God appeared to him and said to him, “God is with you, O valiant warrior.”
Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if God is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not God bring us up from Egypt?’ But now God has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
The angel looked at him and said, “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?”
He said to Him, “O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”
But God said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.”
So Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me.
“Please do not depart from here, until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You.” And He said, “I will remain until you return.”
Then Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the oak and presented them.
The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so.
Then the angel of God put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of God vanished from his sight.
When Gideon saw that he was the angel of God, he said, “Alas, O God, the Lord! For now I have seen the angel of the God face to face.”
God said to him, “Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.”
Then Gideon built an altar there to God and named it The Lord is Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Now on the same night God said to him, “Take your father’s bull and a second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it; and build an altar to God, your Lord on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.”
Then Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as God had spoken to him; and because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night.
When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was torn down, and the Asherah which was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar which had been built. They said to one another, “Who did this thing?” And when they searched about and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash did this thing.”
Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has torn down the altar of Baal, and indeed, he has cut down the Asherah which was beside it.”
But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal, or will you deliver him? Whoever will plead for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn down his altar.”
Therefore on that day he named him Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he had torn down his altar.
Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east assembled themselves; and they crossed over and camped in the valley of Jezreel.
So the Spirit of God came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him.
He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also were called together to follow him; and he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet them.
Then Gideon said to the Lord, “If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken.”
And it was so. When he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water.
The young soldier finished reading. People were considering the similarities and differences in the story. Gideon was instructed by an angel to provoke the Midianites, but his requests for signs seemed to be a weakness.
The other young man spoke softly, almost a whisper, “Purim.” You all understood exactly what he meant. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/ http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ http://www.thefoundationstone.org/en/i-basics/lifelessons.htmlhttp://www.thefoundationstone.org/en/i-basics/lifelessons.html
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Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai had himself smuggled out of the besieged Jerusalem so he could meet and negotiate with Vespasian. The Roman general was impressed with the rabbi’s wisdom and opened the discussion for negotiation. Rabbi Yochanan had to make a decision. He could request that Vespasian save the Beit Hamikdash; but it would be a huge demand fraught with risk of outright rejection and the potential for future conflict over who would run the Temple. On the other hand, he could ask for something more reasonable, ignore the “Permanent Status” issue of the Temple Mount, and negotiate for what he determined would be necessary to maintain the Jewish people accepting that the Holy Temple would soon be destroyed. He decided, to the chagrin of many of his colleagues current and future, on the latter.
Who was he to make such a momentous decision? As great as he was, he was known as the “least” of Hillel’s students. He was not “officially” the most qualified to assume the responsibility, but he did, and focused on preparing Israel to live without the Beit Hamikdash. I wonder what the Chashmonaim, specifically Matityahu, would have decided.
When Matityahu chose to strike a Hellenistic Jew who was making an offering to a Greek idol, and to fight the Greek soldiers supervising the ceremony, he decided to start a war against a huge military machine. His decision was not only for him, but for the entire country. Was it his decision to make? In hindsight, and from the Jewish perspective of Chanukah, Matityahu is a hero. He made the right decision. We don’t question his decision. We don’t question whether he had the right to make such a momentous decision, one that would affect the entire country.
Let’s imagine that we live in his time. We are not Hellenists, but we haven’t been so bothered by them that we are willing to take a public stand. We know that they are supported by the Greeks, and we take the usual Jewish approach, “This too shall pass.” We are sitting at home watching the BNN, The Biblical News Network, and we watch a special report: “Jews Declare War Against Antiochus.” We listen to an excited and breathless report of Matityahu’s bold and risky action. We watch as our television screen fills with pictures of the Greek army preparing to march. “There goes our vacation!”
We know that we are in for a long period of instability, violence, food shortages, and suffering. We join huge crowds at the bank withdrawing their cash and at the supermarket stocking up on supplies. We hear some people raging against the “insane and arrogant Kohen, who had no right to place us all at risk.” “My new business is beginning to take off and this guy has ruined everything!” We can also hear some scattered voices of support, “It’s about time that someone took a stand!” (Probably one of those Chareidim – those crazy orthodox who think they know best!) Where do we stand?
Matityahu forced us to decide. There will be no more sitting at home watching the news and insisting that, “This is what needs to be done!” We will either join Matityahu’s army, bringing our sons into battle as well, or hand a Greek flag in front of our house and try to live in peace. There is no more Switzerland approach allowed. No neutrality. It will be one or the other: Chashmonaim or Greeks – Hellenists.
Traffic is backed up as people flee the city for the mountains. You hide with your family and supplies in a cave high up in the hills. It will take a day or two for the Greek army to send reinforcements, so you’re comfortable sitting in front of a large fire as people discuss what they should do. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/ http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ http://www.thefoundationstone.org/en/i-basics/lifelessons.htmlhttp://www.thefoundationstone.org/en/i-basics/lifelessons.html
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Here I am just before Thanksgiving and I realize that a celebration to express my gratitude for all the good in my life was decided upon long ago by someone else. I want the decision to be mine. I prefer a spontaneous thank you to an official occasion. I treasure "just because" thank you notes I've received from my children far more than their Fathers' Day cards. I therefore decided to observe Thanksgiving all year round by becoming a "Thank You Collector." (Birthdays)
Instead of making a last minute list of all the things for which I am grateful, I have been collecting my Thank Yous all year. I have a Thanksgiving list that is now so extensive that all I have to do is read it and decide that a spontaneous day of thanks is in order. The decision was still made by someone else a long time ago, but I have added my own in the moment decision, which will make Thanksgiving and Chanukah - the Jewish Thanksgiving - all my own.
I read all the Joseph stories as a description of his becoming a Thank You Collector: He received his Coat of Many Colors as a entitlement, just as he approached his close relationship with Jacob, reporting his brothers' behavior. He shares his dreams, and he dreams with that same sense of entitlement. We don't find any expressions of gratitude.
It's difficult to maintain that sense of entitlement when thrown into a pit and then sold into slavery. Did he learn his lesson? He quickly rises in the house of Potiphar and his sense of entitlement is soon tested. Potiphar's wife offers Joseph the greatest entitlement; he runs everything in the estate, why not take his master's wife? At that moment, Joseph struggles with himself, and despite the heat of passion, rejects any sense of entitlement and runs from the room, and essentially right back into the pit, this time, a prison pit. He quickly rises again, and soon interprets the dreams of Pharaoh's wine-steward and baker.
At that moment he can choose to act as a Thank You Collector and acknowledge God's gift of such an opportunity, or, respond with a sense of entitlement. He chooses the latter and finds himself in the pit for an additional two years.
The entitled Joseph eventually becomes the person who openly acknowledges that all his success was a gift from God. He sees himself as nothing more than a vehicle through whom God prepares the future for the entire family. He is grateful for his role. The entitled Joseph becomes a Thank You Collector.
Joseph's story; his rises and falls, the battle between entitlement and gratitude, is the story of the Jewish People, and our story, the challenge of each individual. Children naturally believe that they are entitled to their parents' love and care. It takes maturity to become a Thank You Collector. Same struggle as Adam.
"A psalm, a song for the Sabbath day: It is good to thank God." Shabbat is the song of the Thank You Collector, who has fulfilled, "Six days a week shall you work." No entitlement, just thanks for the opportunities to work and accomplish.
I do not recite Modim, the daily Thank You prayer because I must. I approach the entire Amidah as a Thank You collector, compiling a Thank You list from all the previous blessings so that by the time I reach Modim my expression of thanks is spontaneous, my decision, not because I must.
The fabulous thing about becoming a Thank You Collector is that you begin to find all sorts of moments and experiences that deserve a Thank You. I've found myself thanking God not just in my prayer, but for the gift of prayer. I study His Torah as a Thank You Collector. I observe His Mitzvot as a Thank You Collector. I am writing these words as a Thank You Collector.
Everything is becoming an expression of gratitude, for which I thank Him above all else.
I wish you all a Thanksgiving and a Chanukah of becoming Thank You Collectors. May your Shabbat be a song of "It is good to thank God."
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/ http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ http://www.thefoundationstone.org/en/i-basics/lifelessons.html
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Which temptation was more challenging? Was it Potiphar’s wife or, perhaps it was the temptation to ask Pharaoh’s wine steward to help him get out of jail? All I know is that I would not want to be challenged by either, although I suspect that we constantly face them in different forms.
Potiphar’s wife was desperate for Joseph. Rashi explains that it was more than a physical passion; she was convinced that she was destined to have a child with Joseph. The Kotzker describes her as one of the most dangerous people on the planet: A “Sheim Shamayimiker,” – someone who is convinced that what she is doing is for God. He points out that although she was committed to acting ‘for the sake of heaven,’ Jacob describes her as an evil and dangerous beast. The Kotzker concludes that there is no beast more dangerous than someone convinced that they are acting for the sake of heaven.
Whether Joseph was more tempted by the “woman” or by her religious passion is open to question, but we know that he almost succumbed. It was only the deep seeded teachings of his father, Jacob, which saved him in the final seconds. “Phew!”
The heroic dreamer accepted the rollercoaster of life with admirable calm. He held onto his dreams. He knew that they were visions of his own destiny. How else could he respond when two men, under his care, seem troubled by their dreams? So, the dreamer interprets their dreams. It could not have been a coincidence that the dreamer is presented with dreams. It cannot be a coincidence that he is presented with an opportunity to help him realize his own dreams. God is helping him.
Should he take advantage of the opportunity, or should he accept that God is guiding him toward his destiny, and does not need Joseph’s help?
That is a serious temptation.
We all struggle with similar temptations. How would we do? Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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http://www.thefoundationstone.org/en/i-basics/lifelessons.html
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One of the most popular books of the past few years was The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The main character, when just a boy, tells a lie that destroys the lives of another family, with disastrous effects on the child of the lie’s victim. The boy struggles with admitting the truth, but eventually lacks the courage to admit his sin and his best friend is condemned.
We are horrified by such lies, and yet Big Lies seem to attract numerous believers, probably because they are too ridiculous to be made up. A newspaper in Sweden recently reported that the Israelis murder Palestinians to harvest their organs to sell for transplant. The UN is now considering an investigation into the accusation. Another Big Lie hits the big leagues.
Tamar, pregnant by her father-in-law, Judah, was condemned to be burnt to death. She chose to trust Judah, the man who sentenced her death, unaware that he was the father, and simply handed him the ring he had given her, when she was disguised as a prostitute, as security that he would pay for her services. “The man to whom this belongs is the father.”
Judah could have remained silent and sent her into the flames. Moments before, in a righteous rage, as religious and moral leader of his community, he condemned the widow to death. The crowd was, forgive the pun, all fired up.
Judah had already forfeit his position as a moral leader once before when he did not stop the sale of Joseph. His brothers chased him away. He had successfully rebuilt his life and regained his reputation. Tamar made it clear that she would not embarrass him even if it meant that she would die.
He had only a moment, only a moment, to choose whether to acknowledge his sins, sacrifice his reputation and moral leadership, or to allow Tamar, a long-term problem, to turn into ashes.
Tamar knew what Judah would decide. She could have presented his ring to him earlier and saved him from this moment, and yet, she is honored for creating this situation, and saving him from public embarrassment!
Judah was incapable of allowing a Big Lie to exist. He immediately publicly acknowledged patrimony, and rather than humiliation, is honored by generations and his contemporaries for his willingness to say, “I have sinned against her.”
Tamar saved Judah by forcing this moment. She pushed him to earn even greater honor.
Even his brothers were impressed. Judah was brought back into the fold as their leader. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
http://www.thefoundationstone.org/
http://www.thefoundationstone.org/en/i-basics/lifelessons.html
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The Torah does not identify the man who wrestled with Jacob. It’s probably not that important. “No longer will it be said that your name is Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with the Divine and with man and have overcome.” (32:29) Jacob is not officially also Israel until later in the portion when God says, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not always be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” (35:10)
We like to believe that the man Jacob wrestled was the Angel of Eisav. (Rashi) The wronged brother’s proxy acknowledged Jacob without the tense idioglassia of the trickster. But why would the man declare a new name for Jacob, rather than saying, “You were right!” I’m sure it was a good feeling to have Eisav acknowledge Jacob as straightforward, but who knew? This was a private conversation.
Jacob had insisted that his adversary bless him before being released. Why would the adversary change his name before blessing him? All he had to do was bless Jacob.
Unless the name change was a blessing:
The adversary was blessing Jacob with the ability to transform his reputation and all he had done from being “Jacob the Trickster” into “Israel the Striver.” He was telling Jacob that the time had come when he could successfully leave all his stories behind and rewrite himself as Israel. Jacob could act now and change the way people perceived his purchase of the birthright and his “stealing” the blessing.
In the final moments of his life with Laban, Jacob directly confronted his father-in-law. (See “Learning How To Stand Up To A Bully”) If he could deal with Laban, Jacob could deal with Eisav. He began by preparing gifts, prayer and for war. His adversary blessed Jacob that he need not prepare so extensively, and stand up as Israel and meet his brother.
The blessing was realized.
I often hear people speak of the terrible stories of their past. They describe horrible experiences and terrible mistakes. They can’t let go of their stories. They can’t shed them. They can’t redefine themselves. Perhaps they need to wrestle an angel. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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Legends, misdirections, and stereotypes can cloud our reading of bible stories. We know that Abtu and Anet, the Egyptian life-sized holy fish that swam before the prow of the sun god's ship, are legends. Yet many accept as fact the legend that Esau broke his teeth attempting to bite Jacob's neck. Clearly, Zaratan, the island that is actually a whale skilled in treachery, drowning sailors once they camped on its back, is a story of the misdirections of extraordinary creatures. Is it possible that Esau's four hundred men were anything other than a dangerous military force bent on Jacob's destruction? An intentional misdirection? The oversized and abusive Quilp from "The Old Curiosity Shop," is a stereotypical dangerous dwarf. What about Eisav as the personification of evil? Are we able to study his story without stereotypes?
I read this week's portion as Jacob's battle against just such legends, misdirections and stereotypes. This effort was an important aspect of his metamorphosis into Israel: He had taken full advantage of all three. He allowed the legend of his brother's evil to spread. He used misdirection to steal Eisav's blessings, and he was more than comfortable with everyone stereotyping his brother as a murderous idol worshipper. Unfortunately for him, he too was stereotyped as a trickster, suffered from Laban's misdirections, and was the stuff of legends of great wealth and power.
Jacob is a lesson to all of us. His effort was not focused on how to read bible, but on how to live life without falling into the traps of Abtu & Anet, Zaratan and Quilp. I often hear people speak of a relative or themselves as a legend: "My father was the sharpest lawyer to ever appear in court." "I used to study twelve hours straight when I was young." The legends are repeated so often that they become a reality, one that weighs on the shoulders of the speaker.
Then there are the misdirections of people who publicly act as holy and righteous, or calm and happy, when they are in public, all while being quite different in the privacy of their homes. You probably know people who are outspoken critics of the internet and television and then spend hours with them when no one is watching.
We all have our own stereotypes such as the saintly person, the master of prayer, the wise counselor, the best Shabbat environment, or even the perfect parent or spouse. Many set their sights on becoming the stereotype and lose themselves in the process. I know someone who was so moved by eulogies for a man described as the ultimate father that he began to do everything he heard that the man had done. Unfortunately, he was so busy becoming his stereotype of the perfect father that he stopped paying attention to his children's needs, and caused them much unnecessary damage. I've seen people with such a powerful stereotype of a Shabbat meal that they rage when their table does not run exactly as their image of the best Shabbat.
Jacob lived with his legends, misdirections and stereotypes, but only until he realized when preparing to confront Eisav, that the time had arrived for him to shed the Abtu & Anets, the Zaratans and Quilps, and become himself, Israel. I suspect that each of us reaches a point in our lives, especially in our spiritual efforts, when we cannot develop further without an "Israel Moment," when we must shed the legends, misdirections and stereotypes.
So, Farewell, Abtu and Anet, Au Revoir, Zaratan, and Good Riddance, Quilp, I'm going to have a Shabbat that is uniquely mine. I'll pray with the purest expression of my heart. I am going to have my "Israel Moment." I wish the same for you. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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Rabbi Moshe Stepansky, Master Rebbi and Ba’al Tefillah, shares his powerful insights into “Welcoming The Shabbat”:
Everybody knows that during the t’fillah of Kabbalat Shabbat we sing/daven (he who sings prays twice -R’ Shlomo) the six T’hillim that symbolize the six days of the week and then we reach an apogee where we are just about lifting off this world and entering the world of Shabbat.
However, it is only when we begin ‘Mizmor Shir l’Yom HaShabbat’ AFTER L’cha Dodi’s conclusion,after Bo’i Challa, Bo’i Challa;Bo’i Challa, Shabbat Malc’ta, (welcome the Shabbat Queen) that we are actually entering Shabbat.
It is very easy to engage in the ‘abstract’ of welcoming the Shabbat Queen (granted there are select individuals for whom it is NOT abstract) but if we are real and wish to attempt the unification of the yidn with the Holiness of Shabbat, we first have to create the ties that bind Ahm Yisrael together. Shabbat, as R’ Leibele Eiger so beautifully says (in the first piece of Tarat Emet on P’ VaYakheil) is one of the great unifying concepts for all yidn, irrespective of one’s level of personal observance.
One shabbat, when I had the privilege of leading the davenning, I suggested to the great assembly of Holy Yidn in shul that having welcomed the Shabbat Queen was very beautiful, but it would be even more enhanced if we all turned to each other and welcomed each other.So, everybody spent the next while connecting with each other and we welcomed the Shabbat as One.
I bless all of us to keep this in mind, and if we take the next step and we welcome each other into our hearts during the week, that is true preparation for the Great Shabbat. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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Rabbi Moshe Stepansky, Master Rebbi and Ba’al Tefillah, shares more of his powerful insights into “Welcoming The Shabbat”: This past shabbat, I was privileged to be hosted in a lovely community in Connecticut due to the great efforts in uncountable ways of my good friend Moshe Tuvya ElAd. While collecting my thoughts in preparation of Shabbat, I was blessed with the following inspiration that I shared with the community before we began the T;fillah of Kabbalat Shabbat.
Yom HaShishi – the words that stir up memories of Friday night’s Leil Shabbat Kiddush.
But ChaZ”L tell us a purportedly ominous message – HaShishi =THE Sixth Day ==>>G-d conditioned the continued existence of the world as we know it, upon Ahm Yisrael’s acceptance of the Torah on The Sixth Day of Sivan. Had Ahm Yisrael not accepted the Torah, there would be NO continued existence of the world.
Therefore, every Friday evening, as we usher in the Shabbat, as we stand unified with each other, VaYee’khan-encamped as One Person with One Heart, we are reenacting and reinforcing the awesome undertaking and experience of the Sinai Revelation.
We, as the continuing link from previous generations to future generations, until Moshiakh is coming, each Friday night and Shabbat with G-d’s grace, we are perpetuating the world’s existence. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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On Friday morning one should take pains to personally prepare whatever is necessary for Shabbat, even if one happens to have several servants. Consider the example of the Sages of Israel, the holy ones on high, as it is said in chapter “All Sacred Writings” (Shabbat 119a): In preparation for Shabbat, Rabbi Nachman b. Isaac carried in and carried out, saying, ‘If Rabbi Ammi and Rabbi Asi visited me, would I not carry for them?’ Others state: Rabbi Ammi and Rabbi Asi carried in and out saying, ‘If Rabbi Joshua visited us, would we not carry for him?’”
These holy people indicated that if they would do this when hosting each other, how much more so when they are hosting the King of the Universe, amid the mystery of Shabbat. For Shabbat is the entirety of the holy rungs, the mystery of the Faith of Israel, She who comes and rests on the Holy People. – Sod ha-Shabbat, From the Tola’at Yaakov of Rabbi Meir ibn Gabbai.
I used to watch my grandfather, Rav Ruderman zt”l prepare for a visit from Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l or Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky zt”l. He would run back and forth in his home asking my grandmother a”h what he could do to help her prepare. It was as if he was preparing for a visit from the King. He often spoke of how his Rebbi, the Alter of Slabodka zt”l would do the same when expecting a visit from a great Sage. He insisted that, as in the Talmudic selection above, Rabbi Nachman prepared for Rabbi Ammi and Rabbi Asi, who, in turn, would prepare for Rabbi Joshua, that one must learn from his Rebbi how to properly honor Sages, and, that only through learning how to honor one’s Rebbi, could one learn how to prepare for Shabbat.
Shabbat preparation must be an expression of Mesorah, tradition handed down from previous generations, as our connection is never to just this one Shabbat, but to every Shabbat in history, observed by every Jew, in every place, throughout history. A Shabbat that is “the entirety of the Holy Rungs,” must be observed as the Shabbat of history, all of them combined in one. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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“Jacob arrived intact at the city of Shechem which is in the land of Canaan, upon his arriving from Paddan-aram, and he encamped before the city.” (Genesis 33:18) The She’iltot teaches that Jacob arrived “intact” or healed, on Erev Shabbat.
Last year The Foundation Stone offered a special series on Shalom Aleichem in honor of all the angels in the portion. We are pleased to extend an invitation this year for your thoughts on Welcoming The Shabbat. Please send your essays to info@thefoundationstone.org with instructions of how you want your essay posted.
Thank You in Advance! Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">Rabbi Simcha Weinberg</a> from the <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies</a>. <a href="http://www.thefoundationstone.org/">The Foundation Stone™</a> is the ultimate resource for <a href="http://blog.thefoundationstone.org">Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah</a>. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/
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Most of my students had been taken on the Gehinnom – Hell – tour to scare them into observing all the laws carefully. It was, to say the least, an unpleasant experience for all of them, and it didn’t seem to work.
I decided to use the opposite approach and take them on the Eden tour, hoping to inspire them to live meaningful lives. We all packed some extra clothes and got on our way.
We began with the lowest level of Paradise and worked our way up. It was a wonderful and exciting experience for all. I could tell that it was working.
We were climbing the stairs to the penultimate level but no matter how far we climbed we felt that the entrance was just out of our reach. One student voiced his exasperation, “Am I the only one, or does everyone feel that no matter how many steps we climb the entrance is just that little bit removed?” The second he finished, the door opened directly before us and we entered.
There was a vast empty space beyond the door. The feeling of “just out of our reach” oozed from every direction. We could see many souls, beautiful shining souls (after all, this was the second highest level of Paradise,), you guessed it, just beyond our reach.
The angel assigned to our tour approached, and obviously accustomed to the question we all had on our minds, said, “This is the place in Paradise for characters who were of secondary importance. They played a role in the lives of the giants, but were not actually the heroes and heroines of their times. They are similar to the vice-presidents of the United States; just that little bit removed.”
I looked around and immediately noticed Yefet the son of Noah, and Ploni Almoni from the Ruth story. King David’s brothers were there. Gideon’s weapons man waved as he continued his conversation with Jonathan’s assistant. I challenged my students to a contest of who could identify the most people of this actually wonderful place.
Everyone was having such a wonderful time that they did not want to leave, but you know how tour schedules can be, we had our final tour upstairs scheduled. We regrouped and everyone felt as if they needed to stay for just that little bit longer, as if they were not quite finished.
The Tour Angel was saying his goodbyes, when one student called out, “Where is Isaac? Doesn’t he belong here? After all, he did not seem to accomplish as much as his father, Abraham, or his son, Jacob?”
Total silence was the response of everyone in the section. The Tour Angel turned to me and said, “Many people ask the same question. I think you better write a few blogs about Isaac.”
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My wife and I were driving my father zt”l to a wedding in Monsey. As usual, whenever we had an opportunity, we peppered him with questions on all sorts of issues. We knew that every response would be direct, honest and an expression of well thought out ideas.
We asked my father whether he regretted taking such a broad approach in raising his children to be thinkers and choosers. “I would make the same decisions again. Each decision was correct and should not be evaluated based on the results not being exactly what I expected.”
I often think of that conversation. For example, I was dealing with a difficult situation in a Chassidic community and found myself wondering whether the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement, would recognize the Chassidim of today. He focused his teachings on finding the joy in serving God. He spoke to every Jew, from the most simple to the greatest scholar. He often spoke of the importance of the heart, more than the details of observance. The Baal Shem Tov was criticized for not sufficiently stressing meticulous observance of Halacha.
How would the Baal Shem Tov have reacted to his followers being known for their incredibly high level of observance?
I then remembered my father’s words and realized that the Baal Shem Tov would make the same decisions again. I suspect that he knew exactly how his movement would develop, and although it may have evolved beyond his original goals, the Baal Shem Tov would not have hesitated to do as he did, even if the long-term results were not exactly his original expectations.
How many people hesitate to move forward because they fear that the long-term results will differ from their original objectives? My father did not. The Baal Shem Tov did not hesitate. However, Eisav, did, and lost everything.
Rashi offers two explanations for Eisav’s surprising willingness to sell his birthright to Jacob for a pot of porridge: The Birthright was originally the position of Kohen – the one who would lead the Temple Service of God. Eisav knew that a priest could easily err and be punished with death. “Why would I want a “right” that comes with so much risk?”
Eisav wasn’t concerned about himself. The laws of Offerings, purity and impurity, did not yet apply. However, he felt that since in the long-term, the job would entail so much risk, it wasn’t worth more than a bowl of red beans.
Rashi offers a second explanation: Eisav foresaw that the firstborns would lose the right of being Kohen to the Tribe of Levi. “Well,” he said, “if the Kohen job will, 300 years from now, not go to the firstborn, why do I need the job now?”
Eisav viewed his role as having meaning only if it had permanent effect according to his wishes. If something would turn out differently centuries later, it wasn’t worth the current effort.
He was tortured by needing everything he did to be permanently according to his plan and desires. There is no such guarantee in life, so he simply devoted himself to doing what he immediately desired: “If it isn’t permanent why bother with spiritual efforts that demand so much?”
Eisav could never have produced a Baal Shem Tov. He would not have been able to father a family of Jews who have been able to thrive as they were exiled from one country to the next without any sense of permanence.
Eisav forfeited everything in his insistence that his accomplishments be permanent. Was it worth it?
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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“She considers a field, and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.” Astoundingly, the Midrash Tanchumah applies this verse to the purchase of the Cave of Machpeilah in Hebron. Although we read the text as Abraham purchasing the Cave, the Midrash insists that Sarah planned and considered the field before it was purchased.
Other Midrashim describe the Ram running from Abraham at the Akeidah, and led our Patriarch to the Cave, where Abraham realized that Adam and Eve were buried, and was the place where Sarah and he should also be buried. Again, we do not read of Sarah participating in the plan to purchase the field with it’s cave. Where do we find any hint of Sarah considering the field for purchase?
I believe that Sarah, as the Tikkun for Eve, created an environment in her home with Abraham of repairing the sin of Adam and Eve.
That is why Abraham knew that Sarah and he had to be buried with Adam and Eve. Sarah knew where Adam and Eve were buried, which is why she was in Hebron when she died. She knew where she should be buried. Abraham only learned where Adam and Eve were buried until he chased the ram. When the verse describes Sarah as considering the Field of the Machpeilah it is describing her commitment to repair the world.
It was Sarah who with Abraham planted the “Root” of Israel, which means the root that nurtures the ability to repair and perfect the world.
The Eishet Chayil is the family’s connection to the root of Abraham and Sarah, the root of Tikkun, the root of perfection. Her vision for her family is one of perfecting the world. She understands that she must begin by creating an environment of Tikkun in her home. She nurtures a awareness that a home and family exist with a constant ability to rectify and repair. Any issue can be resolved. There is a solution to every problem. She raises a family of fixers, who as fixers can connect to the root planted by Abraham and Sarah.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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  Heroes
There are unspoken words between Abraham and his servant Eliezer. Abraham sends Eliezer on the most important mission of his great career, to find the proper wife for Yitzchak and to ensure the future of the Jewish people. Eliezer, who has been a devoted servant and major domo for many years, will do as Abraham ordered and wished, but he bears a heavy burden of desire in his heart. He is the greatest and most accomplished of Abraham’s students. He has proven his devotion to his master over decades of service. He converted to Abraham’s faith from conviction and he dreams of his daughter as Abraham’s choice for Isaac. The master has already decided that he must return to his roots to find a wife for his son. He understands that she must derive from the same source as did he. She must have the ability to stand up to her environment and family. She must be, as Abraham, a woman of great conviction. Abraham also appreciated how much of his internal strength derived from his family. He looked far back in his life and reached out to his family to find the woman who could continue to build the nascent nation. Eliezer was also a man of conviction. He lived according to his master’s conviction. He too, had walked away from his past and family to head into the future. He was certain that his daughter possessed all the necessary qualities to join Isaac role in history. There are numerous allusions in the verses to Eliezer’s wish and Abraham’s rejection. The words were never articulated. The feelings remained under the surface, and yet, Abraham still trusted Eliezer to accomplish his mission to the best of his abilities. And, Eliezer did as Abraham expected. Despite his own wishes, without hesitation, Eliezer rose to the occasion and found the perfect wife for Isaac. He ignored his own agenda and did not allow his feelings to interfere with his mission. No wonder the Sages teach that the words of Eliezer are more precious than the Torah of Abraham’s children. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 The Entrance To My Chumash
I remember certain moments in my life by the doors I entered. I stood before each of those doors and realized that the moment I stepped through, my life would be changed. I knew as I stood before the doors to the main sanctuary of the Jewish Center before my Chupah, that I was about to enter an entirely new stage of life. I have seen too many operating room doors to count. For some reason, the few seconds from when I first glanced the doors until I was wheeled through are more potent memories than my first glimpse of the operating table. They represented entrance into the unknown. I stopped with my hand on the door before entering the hospital room in which my father died. My life would never be the same once I opened that door. I could not stop whatever was happening, but for some reason, I felt I could delay the inevitable by not opening the door. I would stop before the door of our house before entering after a long trip abroad. I would picture the faces of my wife and children and experienced walking through that doorway as reentering life as it should be. All my life I had heard descriptions of the Ari’s Mikvah in Safed. I sucked in the few seconds before entering recalling my imagination’s picture of the cave so I could compare it to the real thing. We all have our own ways to describe that magical sense of approaching a dramatic change. I associate many such moments with doors. I have watched people refuse to enter a doctor’s office because they did not want to hear what he was going to say. I have often seen people stop before the doors of a supervisor because they sensed that they were about to be laid off. I watch young men and women hesitate before the doorway into the room where they will take a test that will shape their lives. This is why Abraham sat “before” the entrance to his tent: He wanted to guide people even as they opened the door into a different world; a world of sharing, a world of Godliness, a world of constant change. My father zt’l never directly entered the door to the Beit Midrash or synagogue. He paused to prepare himself to step through the door. He taught me to do the same. He held my tiny hand in his and paused before knocking on the door to Reb Moshe zt”l’s apartment. He wanted me to know that I was about step into a different world. I imagine Abraham sitting before me, waiting to escort me into this week’s portion. I want him to guide me into and through his stories. I see an open door before me each time I open a holy text. I pause for a moment as I consider that my life is about to change. So, if you ever see me walking around with an open door swung over my shoulder; you’ll know why! Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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They appeared as human beings to Abraham, but as angels, to Lot.
They appeared directly before Lot, but as voices from heaven to Hagar in the desert and to Abraham at the Binding of Isaac.
They are the guardians of Eden, and they are the fallen sinners.
They bring healing and they bring destruction.
They bring good news for some, and bad news to others.
They are magical and powerful, and they are vulnerable and limited.
They are mysterious heavenly beings, and they are jobbers and accessible.
Who are these beings? Why do they play such important roles in the stories of Genesis? Why are the stories of the beginnings of humanity so rich with characters so unfamiliar?
The key lies in the difference between their appearance to Abraham and to Lot. Abraham saw three men. Lot saw angels. When Abraham saw a higher spiritual being, he saw something he could be. Lot looked and saw angels: they are so much higher than I that I cannot aspire to live at their level.
They do not appear differently to Abraham and Lot; they appear the same. The difference is one of perception.
Whose approach do we emulate when we describe the great people of the past as supermen, almost as angels? Are we aspiring or are we finding a reason to not demand that we rise to their level?
Why are there so many meetings with angels? The Torah is asking us whether we look and see angels, beyond what we could ever hope to be, or human beings we can emulate and match?
Our history is filled with human beings who aspired to live higher than angels. They are the people who have taught us to fly, grow and accomplish great things.
We have nothing from angels other than some interesting stories.
The Foundation Stone™ and The Foundation Stone™Blog were formed to help us as human beings, rise on our wings of desire to live higher than angels and to learn how to joyously soar with those wings.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Printed with permission of http://cartoonstock.com
I was sitting and learning when a woman came over to me and said, “Are you a rabbi?” I told her I was and she began to pour out her heart. She is a lapsed Lutheran and is considering returning to her church because of a conversation she had with a religious woman. “I work in a hospital, coordinating a training program for Physician Assistants. One of the students is a thirty-year-old woman, very pregnant, with five children at home. I asked her what her husband does for a living, and she answered that he studies Torah all day. ‘He doesn’t teach. He studies, and, hopefully that is what he will do for the rest of his life.’ ‘Let me get this,’ I said, ‘he studies all day, doesn’t make any money, and you have your sixth child on the way, you take care of your children, the house, and supporting the family?’ She told me, ‘Yes! It is my privilege to support such a man!’ I couldn’t believe my ears. ‘He must be a very holy and extremely happy man,’ I said wistfully. ‘I hope he has the same joy in what he does as you do in your life.’ She looked at me with a terrible sadness, and said, ‘I wish he enjoyed his learning. He does it because he is supposed to.’ ‘Doesn’t he feel that his life is a privilege?’ I asked. ‘I wish,’ was all she would say.” “Now, Rabbi, part of me wants to be such a woman, who feels that her life is a privilege. I would go to school and become a Deacon. But part of me resents the fact that she works so hard for a man who has no joy in what he’s doing. That seems dangerous to me. That part of religion scares me. What should I do?” “Does she seem to be happy?” I asked. “Definitely.” “Does she seem overwhelmed?” “No. She moves with joy and serenity.” “Does she work so hard and do so many things for her husband, or for the Torah he studies?” “The Torah. She just wants her husband to feel the same way.” “Why would the person working have more joy than the person studying?” “Because she is acting on her values. She is living what she learned.” “Do you?” “No. I am not sure what I believe, at least not in terms of religion.” “Do you work to support your family?” “Yes.” “Is that an expression of your values?” “I guess, but I don’t feel that way. I want more.” “My favorite expression. ‘I want more!’ is why I serve God. It is why I study. It is why I teach.” “Then I should study, maybe not to become a Deacon, but to learn how to find more in my life. Where shall I begin?” “At the beginning; Genesis.” “Do you think God will guide me if I study for this reason?” “I have no doubt.” She left the room. I returned to my learning. I really have no doubt that God guides those who study and practice because they want more. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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Turtle Surfing
Dedicated in honor of Menachem, Galapagos Suess, HaKohen
| One day a ship's captain spied a sea turtle swimming in the seas that surround the Galapagos Islands. Or the Encantadas, as the sailors called the archipelago, bothered as they were by the inexplicable calmness. So this captain - his own ship stone still and stayed - tied a rope to his boy and sent him overboard to get the animal for the crew's table. As soon as the lad climbed onto the barnacled back, the wind picked up and the ship was pulled away. The last the captain saw, the boy was still clinging to the sea turtle and waving, not frantically, but farewell. - A Tale Told By The Merry Boys I have wanted to go turtle surfing ever since reading this tale. I picture myself speeding through the seas while standing on top of my harnessed beast of the sea, waving to all I pass. I wonder if Noah wanted to stand on top of his ark waving farewell to all those who ridiculed his more than hundred year project to build the ark. "Bye guys! I warned you!" I would have. Noah never got the chance. The Sages teach us that there was one person who went Ark surfing during the Flood: Og the giant, enemy of Abraham and Moses. "He grabbed onto one of the ladders of the Ark and held on, swearing to eternally serve Noah and his descendants as a slave." (Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer 23) Did he enjoy the ride? Did he gleefully wave through the downpour to all the people drowning? Why did Noah agree to save him? Were Og's battles against Noah's descendants a punishment for saving the cruel giant? Noah saw the Ark as an escape from death. He experienced his time in the Ark as a prison term. (Rabbeinu Tam - Sefer HaYashar) The Ark consumed more than a century of his life as an object of derision. It was an overwhelming burden, necessary to survive the Flood. When Og grasped onto the Ark and held on for his joyride, he transformed the Ark from a prison to an adventure. Og was better prepared for the future. He was the confident and joyous boy riding on the turtle's back. He suffered through the rains, but he lived that time with excitement. I can see him chuckling in self-satisfaction for having survived the flood. Noah wasn't punished for saving Og; he was punished for not learning from Og's adventurous spirit. He too, should have gone Ark Surfing. It could have been a year of adventure. He didn't, and his life was forever tainted by the flood and the ark. Noah died a damaged person. Og lived on with magical longevity, always prepared for further adventures. The Sages are asking us to picture ourselves on the turtle's back. Are we waving in frantic desperation? Or, are we waving in an excited farewell to life's burdens and challenges? Some of us are insecure riding the turtle. We are weighed down by our responsibilities. We do what we must, we observe the commandments and trudge on. We are riding in the Ark, but we aren't surfing. Hopefully, most of us can ride the turtle with a joyous spirit of adventure, waving at life's burdens as they pass by. We can meet life's challenges with verve and excitement. There is adventure in every Mitzvah, every word of Torah, every moment of prayer. We can go turtle surfing and enjoy every step of the journey. The holiday season is over. We are about to get back to our 'normal' lives. Let's go surfing! Our futures depend on it. The Foundation Stone is happy to announce a new series of 10 teleconference classes for women given by Debbie Brenner on: Derech Hashem
by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato
Time: Monday - 9:30 pm EST Start Date: October 18, 2010 Materials: Derech Hashem translation by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan. The series will cover Part I and go over the following topics: 1. The Creator 2. The Purpose of Creation 3. Man 4. Human Responsibility 5. The Spiritual Realm The class will focus in providing a thought structure to basic Jewish Philosophy and will last 45' and 15' additional for discussion. We are requesting a minimum contribution of at least $10/class. ($100 minimum for the whole series until December 2010). Registration for the series will be through PayPal. Please, click on the link to proceed with the donation. Thank you. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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 Past, Present & Future
Johannes Reuchlin, a Bavarian humanist, dismayed by the possibility of such desecration, formally protested to the emperor. Jewish scholarship should not be suppressed, he argued. Rather, two chairs in Hebrew should be established at every German university. Pfefferkorn, he wrote, was an anti-intellectual &ldquo a***amp;rdquo;
Furious, the rabbi who had become a monk struck back with Hand Mirror, accusing Reuchlin of being on the payroll of the Jews.
The controversy raged for six years. Five universities in France and Germany burned Reuchlin’s books, but in the end he was triumphant. Pfefferkorn’s fire was canceled and the teaching of Hebrew spread.
Pfefferkorn was the boogieman of my childhood. He was the ultimate self-hating Jew. It wasn’t enough for him to have converted and become a monk, he wanted to burn every Hebrew book in Europe. He wanted to destroy anyone who would defend Jewish scholarship.
“Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his brothers outside. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it upon both their shoulders, and they walked backwards, and covered their father’s nakedness.” (Genesis 9:22-23)
Ham ridiculed his father; He rejected the place from which he had come. Shem and Japheth honored their past, even when they were fully aware of its failings. They refused to look at their father’s nakedness. Ham felt that the only way to build the future was to reject the past with all its mistakes and failings. His father, Noah, represented the generation before the Deluge. When Ham saw his drunken, naked father, wallowing in his wine, he felt justified in cutting off the past, as the Sages teach, “Ham castrated Noah.” (Sanhedrin 70a)
Ham was the first Pfefferkorn. He was not satisfied in building a future; he wanted to wage war against his roots. He believed that the only way to move ahead was to destroy the past.
Shem and Japheth acknowledged the failings of the previous generations, but they understood that the future could only be built upon the past, even its ruins.
Noah deprived Ham of his future: “Cursed is Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers.” (Verse 25)
Shem, the ancestor of Israel, was rewarded with the Mitzvah of Tzitzit. Japheth was rewarded with a promise that his soldiers’ bodies would be honored with burial after Armageddon. Both were rewarded in the future that would be theirs as a reward for the honor they paid to the past.
Tzitzit reflect God’s promise that all we do has the potential of an eternal future. Japheth, who followed Shem but did not act on his own, merited honor for the bodies of his descendants; honor for the lives they lived, honor of their past, but without the promise of an eternal future.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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When My Soul Longed
The Beginning of My Journey to Israel
Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi 1141 C.E.
That day when my soul longed for the place of assembly,
Yet a dread of departure seized hold of me,
He, great in counsel, prepared for me ways for setting forth,
And I found His name in my heart a sustainment.
Therefore I bow down to Him at every stage;
And at each step I thank Him.
It was a wedding that I’ll never forget. We gathered in a small room just before the Chupah – Marriage Ceremony. The groom, a few close friends, and two rabbis. We hummed a meditative tune and unconsciously formed a circle. We danced slowly, peaceful, trancelike, silently praying that this couple would find joy and blessing. Each step was precious, higher, and otherworldly.
In middle of the ceremony, people began to step forward and crowd under the canopy, which seemed to expand to embrace all who came. Soon, everyone was gathered together as one, even the photographers and musicians. There was no room to dance, but we each rocked back and forth on our feet according to the beat of the blessings, the Ketubah – Wedding Contract – the rabbi’s speech and the Seven Blessings; so different from the pre-ceremony dance, but equally powerful.
We were all so inspired by the Chupah that we danced as never before during the meal. Three dances. Three dance steps. Each, a unique experience.
We will dance with the Torah on Simchat Torah. Two sets of seven dances. Each dance can have its own step.
Each step can be a journey. For these, are the dances of Torah. Dances that have helped us survive darkness, even thrive. The rhythms of Torah, allowing each to step along his or her special path, according to a beat heard only in the heart of the dancer, small steps and large, fast paced and slow, graceful and clumsy.
When we remember that “at each step I thank Him” we can continue the dance throughout the year, wherever we go.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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I was one of three men who moved into the office building of a campus leased by a Yeshiva yet to open in Santa Clara, California. We slept in the office and kept the school's old speaker system on all night so that we could hear whatever was going on in the other buildings. The school, empty for five years, had become the meeting place for teenagers to do whatever it is that teenagers do in abandoned buildings. Our job was to chase away trespassers and to signal that the buildings were no longer abandoned. The problem was that most of the kids we had to chase away were bigger than we Yeshiva guys were. The one of us who was a black belt in karate slept through all disturbances, and we were too scared of him to wake him up for assistance. I mentioned my fears to Rabbi Daniel Lapin, master teacher and scholar, and, even worse, a fearless man. "People who do not belong automatically feel more vulnerable than one who does. As long as you know that you belong, they will run from you." He was right. I could chase twenty kids away without any problem. I had the same sense of vulnerability the first night that I slept in my Succah in New York City. Santa Clara had bees. Saratoga Springs had unforgiving cold. St. Louis had both. My New York Succah did not offer any sense of protection from its unique elements. I then recalled Rabbi Lapin's words, and realized that I only felt vulnerable because I did not have a sense of belonging in the Succah. I had always been taught that the Succah reminds us of our vulnerabilities. No wonder I did not have a sense of belonging and safety. I changed my approach: I viewed my Succah as a lesson in having a place in which I belong no matter how vulnerable I am to the vicissitudes of life. It was a difficult period in my life, but as I looked up at the Succah roof and imagined being able to see the stars that avoid New York, I realized that I belonged in that special place. My spirits lifted. The vulnerabilities disappeared. I slept well, at least until woken by an unfriendly, and obviously irreligious, wasp. How interesting that I had to leave my home for my Succah to discover a sense of belonging! I no longer view the Succah as an acknowledgement of vulnerabilities, but as a statement that I can discover a powerful sense of belonging despite the vulnerabilities of life. It is challenging to step back into the world after the intensity of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It is difficult to feel that we belong in this world after spending so much time focused on our spiritual lives. We are again vulnerable. The Succah reminds us that we belong exactly where we are. We have a place in this world. It begins in the Succah, and hopefully, we will be able to extend that place far beyond the flimsy walls. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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Please don't tell Debbie, but I must use this newsletter to make an important personal announcement: As of this coming Friday evening, the night of Yom Kippur, I will be an entirely new man! I will be righteous, pure and holy. I request that you no longer relate to me as the imperfect person you once knew. I will no longer be him. (You know what? Please tell Debbie about this part!) I can already hear the doubt in your minds and hearts. One second, please; my antennae are picking up the actual thoughts: "I've heard that line from him before!" Well, this year will be different. I will be a completely new version. At least that is what I infer from all the Yom Kippur essays I am reading. Do you think I should buy a new wardrobe? I am bothered by some questions: Why wait until Yom Kippur? Am I counting on God doing the extensive work for me? Am I not saying that I need some magic powder to affect this change? Am I admitting that I lack the power to change? Will God make this magical transformation for me if I don't accept full responsibility? I think not. I think of Yom Kippur as a gift made available to "Changers," people who shoulder the task on their own. "Changers" don't wait for Yom Kippur. They regularly strive to overhaul themselves. Changers live as such every day of the year. Yom Kippur empowers Changers. It also teaches those of us who have yet to become Changers to learn how to become someone who believes that he possesses the power to renew himself, able to accept the challenge and responsibility. Hopefully, I will be a new man by the time you receive the next newsletter; I hope to become such a Changer. I wish each of you the Yom Kippur gift of becoming a Changer, who can transform every aspect of his life for good, joy and blessing. Yom Kippur reminds us that the power is for the taking by all those who choose to live as Changers. That's its magic. Shabbat Shalom and a Transformational Yom Kippur, Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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 Oh the shame of it! I regularly sinned on Yom Kippur each year from 1964-67. I would stand next to my father, holding onto his Tallit, as I recited the Yom Kippur Amidah and Vidui – Confession. I seem to recall one hand grabbing the corner of his Tallit, the thumb of the other hand in my mouth, and my Machzor – Yom Kippur Prayer book – on a small table in front of me. He had insisted that I say each word and that I try to understand everything I was saying. Perfect son that I was, I obeyed my great father. He gave me a Birnbaum Machzor to help me understand what I was saying. The problem was that the English was more difficult than the Hebrew. “We acted perniciously!” I tugged on my father’s Tallit, disturbing his intense prayers to ask him what ‘perniciously” meant. A few minutes later I had to tug again to find out what ‘erratically’ meant. He could be sure of another tug on his Tallit every time he refocused on his prayers from my questions. I suspect that my father’s Yom Kippur prayers during those years were not his best. Yet, I can still picture the absolute joy on his face each time I tugged on his Tallit. The man must have been a saint; I would have shot my child. I certainly would not have insisted that my child stand next to me when praying. I would have given the privilege to a student (one I didn’t like). So here I am forty plus years later still feeling guilty for those Yom Kippur sins of my childhood. Interestingly enough, my father considered those, the best Yom Kippurs of his life. I mentioned those sins just before the final Yom Kippur of his life and he sighed with musical longing as he recalled each and every tug: “Each time you tugged, I remembered that I was doing the same thing to God’s Tallit when I was praying.” So, my friends tug away at God’s Tallit when you pray. I imagine that His smile will be just as magnificent as my father’s when I tugged at his. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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 The thing I most dreaded when leaving Yeshiva to assume my first pulpit was missing the powerful prayers on the Days of Awe. I was accustomed to hearing great and holy rabbis lead the services, and praying with people who were completely focused on their spiritual lives. I was mistaken. The prayers are an entirely different experience, but no less powerful.
This past Rosh Hashanah was a powerful reminder of how the High Holiday prayers take on an entirely new meaning and power when not in Yeshiva. I was privileged to pray with my dentist, a software developer, businessmen, a prominent therapist, an attorney, a very special rabbi, an electrician, and students. We did not have Rav Dovid Kronglas zt”l leading us, but the software developer’s Mussaf inspired me in a way I have never before experienced. The therapist’s shofar blowing was like listening to the purest shofar calling to me from Sinai. The rabbi sweetened my prayers and allowed me to feel as a child standing before his father. I love, admire and respect my dentist as a human being and a holy Jew, but, he is still my dentist. A magical dentist. A painless dentist. A compassionate dentist, but still, a dentist. There is always that dreaded feeling reminiscent of being five years old feeling every second of the dentist’s drill. I have heard him lead the prayers in previous years, and he is wonderful. This year he was awesome. His purity, humility, Temimus, and sweetness, were all expressed in every word. I felt as if God was standing before me with open arms just waiting for me to leap to Him with love and joy. We stood as people who are involved in the world, who learn every day, who struggle to maintain our spiritual health in the toughest environments, all reaching toward God with love. I experienced Teshuva as reconnection, a hug from God, a gift, peace and healing. To the software developer, the therapist, rabbi, and, most of all, to my dentist, I say, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” To all those who were part of the minyan, I say, “You all took me to heaven. It was a privilege to be counted among you.” Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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 There are two basic goals that we must keep in mind when reciting the confessions; One that we are aware of all our sins, and the other that we understand what inside of us allows us to fall in these ways and so often. We are looking for the illness, not just the symptoms . This is why we say two confessions in the Yom Kippur Shmone Esrei; Ashamnu Bogadnu and Al Cheyt. The former is a more general confession, the latter is more specific. However, even the Al Cheyts cover all conceivable mistakes. The purpose of the Ashamnu confession is to focus on causes and effects of chataim rather than a list of the Aveirot themselves. אָשַֽׁמְנוּ: We have been destructive , damaging ourselves spiritually , not even necessarily aware of the damage we have caused ourselves , and in so doing have made it difficult to change and improve ourselves. The consequences of a sin are refered to as its אשם, as in Avimelech saying to Yitzchak , who lied about his relationship with Rivka because of his suspicions regarding Avimelech, “And you would have brought a sin/אשם/punishment against us.” The אשם sin leads directly to its consequence. Its fruit are punishment. It creates destructive forces. Yosef’’s brothers also refered to the destructive effects of a sin as אשם. When they were told that Yosef would hold one brother in Egypt until the others returned with Binyamin, they said, “Truly, we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he cried out to us, and we would not hear.” According to the Radak on this story, this verse is the source of the concept; “One who is suffering should search his deeds for the reason.” This would only be true if there is an element of אשם in every sin; If whenever a person suffers he should look for the reason hinted to by his suffering , and suffering directly related to a sin is אשם, then every sin must contain some אשם! When we say אָשַֽׁמְנוּ we are acknowledging that every one of our sins has been destructive and has consequences. (It is important to note that there are important differences between punishments and consequences. Death was a consequence of eating from the Tree of Knowledge. Working the land by the sweat of our brow was a punishment.) In the Book of Ezra we find another dimension to Asham. The Beit Hamikdash had begun to be rebuilt, a large group of Jews returning from Bavel had survived attacks from enemies and things seemed to be going well. At this point leaders of the people came to Ezra and told him that, “The people of Israel, and the Kohanim, and the Leviim, have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands…Fot they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons…indeed, the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this crime.” At this point Ezra is crushed; “And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and my beard, and sat down appalled…I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands to God, my Lord, and said, ‘O my Lord, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to You..for our iniquitiesare increased over our head, and our guilt/ואשמתנו has mounted to the heavens. Since the days of our fathers we have been exceedingly guilty/באשמה גדלה to this day…” As Ezra continues it becomes obvious that he feels that no matter how much they have succeeded up to this point, they could not possibly overcome their guilt/אשם, and continue to succeed. The effects of an אשם are so devastating that they can undo accomplishments and prevent further success. When we say אָשַֽׁמְנוּ we are saying that our sins are limiting our growth and can undo even what we have already accomplished. בָּגַֽדְנוּ: We have been deceitful , and have betrayed ourselves , and in so doing have broken away from our true selves . When a man buys a Jewsih girl from her father the purchase money is actually an act similar to Kiddushin, or engagement, because the assumption is that the master will marry the girl when she comes of age. If he does not intend to marry her he is called a בוֹגֵד, one who has dealt deceitfully with her, and he has broken the link between himself and the woman. The Vilna Gaon says that a בוֹגֵד is one who leads someone to believe something, only to dissappoint him. The worst of all בוֹגְדִים is the Yetzer Harah who promises all sorts of wonderful things to someone in order to induce him to sin. He often promises mitzvot, such as, “You will have plenty of time to learn Torah later.” Later on the Yetzer Harah will criticise the man and make him feel guilty for not learning, using the guilt to hurt himself. We even find that the Yetzer Harah is called a בוֹגֵד when he induces people to reach so high in their spiritual lives that it is impossible for them not to fall. In one of the battles that Shaul led against the Pelishtim he swore that no one should eat until the enemy had been defeated. The king put his people in a terrible situation because they were exhausted from battle, and they needed to eat. In fact, in הלכה there are fewer strictures than at other times, not more. He pushed his people too hard in order to deserve and to acknowledge God’s help in their miraculous victory. At first, they held to Shaul’s oath. Yonatan, the king’s son, who was unaware of his father’s oath pushed everyone to eat. They did, but only after sanctifying their animals as sacrifices, in order to maintain their great spiritual heights , and they ended up eating the animals before the blood was thrown on the Mizbeach. They were pushed to great heights, only to sin a terrible sin. This is seen as the work of the Yetzer Harah . When Shaul learns of their sin he calls them בוגדים, not only because they were sinning after God had granted such a great victory , but also because their push to live at too high a level caused them to sin. When we say בָּגַֽדְנוּ we are also acknowledging that at times we push ourselves so hard that we cause ourselves to fall. This too is related to not being true to our selves. (see שערי תשובה דף לז עג על נרגן) גָּזַֽלְנוּ: We have taken that which has belonged to others and caused ourselves to lose what is ours. While most of us would say that we would never take something that belongs to someone else, we are probably still guilty of stealing. For example, convincing someone to buy something from that they really don’t want or need , eating at the home of someone who can’t afford to host us ,going against the wishes of a host , tricking someone, depriving them of sleep, preventing them from learning, denying them the honor they deserve, or even taking away their privacy. When people come home to find themselves robbed they feel violated, as do all the people who lose something precious such as sleep etc. Just think about how people feel when someone cuts them off on the highway. Causing someone to feel violated in such a way is causing them to lose part of their life . We are so casual about our interactions that it is impossible not to deprive people of something at different times. Even the chance to speak, or daven. Such insensitivity causes us to lose part of ourselves; Our Tefilot lose their effectiveness . Famine comes to the world . We lose some of our connection to Hashem . We forfeit our awareness of what belongs to whom. Eating without a Brachah is like stealing from Hashem and the Jewish people . The Gemara even considers the urge to steal similar to the urge for adultery . We have a basic urge to take and make the world our own. God is the Adon HaKol, the Master of Everything, the Konei HaKol, the owner of everything. When we take something that is not ours we are, to one degree or another, rejecting God’s Adnut . Any time that we insist on indulging ourselves, against God’s wishes, we are being gazlanim, we are using God’s world without His permission. In Gazalnu we are acknowledging our misuse of God’s world, and of that which belongs to others. There are two types of Yetzer Harah; the one fights openly. The other hides until the person is unaware of his presence. It lulls the person to sleep so that he is not ready to fight his Yetzer Harah. The name of this form of the Evil Inclination is צפוני , or the one who hides. This yetzer is the biggest thief of all . גזלנו includes those times that we are caught napping, when we allow our spiritual senses to be dulled. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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 The Fox and The Sheep
The youngster realized the evil of his ways and begged his great chief to guide him in Teshuva – Repentance. So, the old fox began to teach him how to change his ways. As they began to work together, the young fox noticed a nice fat sheep wandering just at the edge of the forest. He began to salivate and asked his teacher, “Can we do this Teshuva quickly? I have something else to do!” The fox chief took care of the farmers’ business. (Sefer HaTeshuva of the Meiri)
Although we appreciate the opportunity to repair our relationship with God, many of us can’t wait until our normal lives resume. These days demand effort, attention and awareness. Our lives over the next month will constantly switch back and forth between Holyday and weekday. We too, see the fat sheep just outside the forest, and part of us says, “Can we do this quickly?”
The Meiri urges us to remember that our glance outside the forest, to the days immediately following the Days of Awe, reflects on the quality of our Teshuva.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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Missing a kick
at the icebox door
It closed anyway.
“Missing a Kick” from Book of Haikus by Jack Kerouac
There is an unspoken thought on many minds as we approach Rosh Hashanah; “will the door close even if my kick is off mark?” How much will my efforts impact the Rosh Hashanah judgment? Do I really have the ability to shape my future? Will I have a better year if I pray well? Will my year be ruined if I do not pray well? If my mind wanders during just one of the prayers, will my year be that much less good? Will my year be worse because of a single missed kick?
We want to know that we can influence our future. We do not want to know that a single missed prayer can limit that future. We want the power, but not necessarily the responsibility.
I do not have proof, but I believe that the very first judgment of Rosh Hashanah is that our ability to impact the judgment is determined by our choice of degree of power and responsibility. If I approach God in the initial moments of Rosh Hashanah as a person who chooses to accept that his prayers will influence the judgment to the extent that a single missed prayer will weaken his year, will be granted extraordinary power and responsibility.
A person who wants to influence his judgment, but without the responsibility of the “Missed Kick,” will be granted influence but not the power to shape.
The person who fears or denies even the ability to influence his judgment will be judged without any input. No responsibility. No power.
We have an important choice in the very first moments of Rosh Hashanah; do we accept responsibility for the “Missed Kick,” or, do we prefer that the icebox door will close anyway?
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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The etymology of Sfratti as the name for this marvelously tasty dessert is a curious one. There was a time when the law that prevailed was the "law of the stick." When landlords could not collect from poor tenants, they would evict them with the persuasive aid of a stick. The same treatment was applied to the Jews when they were no longer wanted in a community. In Italian the word sfratto means eviction, and sfratti look just like the sticks used by those landlords and the enemies of the Jews. Much of Jewish food lore is based on reproducing, in a sweet form, some symbolic item of the unhappy events of the past as a reminder of the constant and dreadful danger of their recurrence and also to ward off such a possibility. At Passover we have the Charoset, symbol of the mortar used by our forefathers who were slaves in Egypt; at Purim , Haman's Ears; at Rosh Hashanah, Sfratti. Of course, this is but one example of how deceptive appearances can be: sfratti look very unappealing but they taste delicious. They bear an unpleasant name but are traditionally served on the very happy New Year holiday. - The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews; Traditional Recipes and Menus and a Memoir of a Vanished Way of Life, by Edda Servi Machlin (Debbie has discovered the source of some of her grandmother's secrets!) I decided that this year that when I recite the short prayer before eating apples in honey; "May it be Your will, God, our Lord, and the Lord of our forefathers, that You renew for us a good and sweet year," I will have in mind a request for God to sweeten the bitter experiences of the past year. The sweetness of the coming year will be enhanced if the bitter aftertastes of the previous year are sweetened. We cannot sit back and wait for God to turn sfratto into sfratti. We did it in the past and we must do so again. We can repair a relationship, and rediscover its sweetness. We can look back on difficulties and discover how they helped us grow. We can use the power of Teshuva that transforms the past to sweeten the sfratto; it may not be pretty, but it will be delicious. I wish all of you a year of delicious sfratti without any sfratto. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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 Try Sleeping On These!
I forgot about the traffic in this area, so was shocked when the GPS predicted that the hundred mile drive would take four hours. We were exhausted when we arrived, but, even so, hesitated before entering the beautiful home:
We passed the garbage bins on our way from the driveway to the front door. These people are so clean that even their garbage bins take showers! The bin stands underneath a shower, and even has bottles of shampoo and conditioner. “Debbie, I don’t want to stay in the home of people who are so clean that even their garbage bins shower! What if we drop a crumb!”
Debbie foolishly believes that they simply placed the large bin underneath the shower they use when they return from the beach. Come on! Does she really believe that people who bathe their garbage bins would even go to the beach and get sand on their feet?
I don’t argue with Debbie, at least not in public, so I sterilized my clothes and skin and entered the house. (I still think I was right about the shower; the home is spotless.)
We had a wonderful and relaxing evening and eventually went to sleep. I woke up in middle of the night and when I placed my hand on the bed frame to lift myself I felt a doorknob in my hand. Accustomed to my usual middle of the night disorientation, I assumed that I was opening a door in my dream, but I wasn’t dreaming. There was a doorknob on the bed. When I went upstairs I noticed doorknobs on the wall.
These are unusual people: they invite strangers to use their home. They placed a bottle of wine, corkscrew and two lovely wineglasses on the table for us. They bathe their garbage bins. They have doorknobs on beds and walls. What kind of people are they?
I’m sitting on the beach, listening to the waves, learning some Yom Kippur texts, and it all comes together: One of the major themes of Yom Kippur is our pleading with God to open “The Gates of Prayer,” “The Gates of Compassion,” “The Gates of Forgiveness,” and “The Gates of Purity,” culminating in our desperate Neilah prayers as the Gates are closing. The many mentions of gates got me thinking about, you guessed it; doorknobs!
Some of us approach Yom Kippur furiously attempting to take advantage of the open gates. Other people, such as our incredible hosts, approach Yom Kippur as “Gate Openers,” people who see every one of life’s opportunities as a gate to be opened. They walk around with door knobs, so to speak, determined to find a way to open every doorway to growth.
Some people have a home on the beach. our hosts have a home to share. Some people wait for God to open gates for them. Our hosts keep a steady supply of doorknobs handy, prepared to constantly find new opportunities for growth.
Even “Gate Openers,” come in different forms. Some are focused on the challenge of opening the gates. Others, are focused on what lies beyond the open door. They want to open the gates for what they will discover beyond. They don’t only maintain a steady supply of door knobs, they prepare themselves for the beyond, in a state of cleanliness and purity; even their garbage bins shower.
Yom Kippur is the culmination of an entire year for people who live as “Gate Openers” all year. Their Yom Kippur is a promise of a year filled with one gate of opportunity after another. Their Yom Kippur is their chance to spring ahead, unconcerned when others are worried about the gates closing. They can just grab a door knob off the bed or wall, (spotlessly clear doorknobs, of course,) and open those gates even as they officially close. No wonder all I could do in this home was learn, think and pray. There was a sense of endless possibilities.
So, my dear hosts, thanks for your hospitality, and even more so for the Yom Kippur lesson. I hope we left your home as clean as you left it for us.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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Try Sleeping On These!
I forgot about the traffic in this area, so was shocked when the GPS predicted that the hundred mile drive would take four hours. We were exhausted when we arrived, but, even so, hesitated before entering the beautiful home:
We passed the garbage bins on our way from the driveway to the front door. These people are so clean that even their garbage bins take showers! The bin stands underneath a shower, and even has bottles of shampoo and conditioner. “Debbie, I don’t want to stay in the home of people who are so clean that even their garbage bins shower! What if we drop a crumb!”
Debbie foolishly believes that they simply placed the large bin underneath the shower they use when they return from the beach. Come on! Does she really believe that people who bathe their garbage bins would even go to the beach and get sand on their feet?
I don’t argue with Debbie, at least not in public, so I sterilized my clothes and skin and entered the house. (I still think I was right about the shower; the home is spotless.)
We had a wonderful and relaxing evening and eventually went to sleep. I woke up in middle of the night and when I placed my hand on the bed frame to lift myself I felt a doorknob in my hand. Accustomed to my usual middle of the night disorientation, I assumed that I was opening a door in my dream, but I wasn’t dreaming. There was a doorknob on the bed. When I went upstairs I noticed doorknobs on the wall.
These are unusual people: they invite strangers to use their home. They placed a bottle of wine, corkscrew and two lovely wineglasses on the table for us. They bathe their garbage bins. They have doorknobs on beds and walls. What kind of people are they?
I’m sitting on the beach, listening to the waves, learning some Yom Kippur texts, and it all comes together: One of the major themes of Yom Kippur is our pleading with God to open “The Gates of Prayer,” “The Gates of Compassion,” “The Gates of Forgiveness,” and “The Gates of Purity,” culminating in our desperate Neilah prayers as the Gates are closing. The many mentions of gates got me thinking about, you guessed it; doorknobs!
Some of us approach Yom Kippur furiously attempting to take advantage of the open gates. Other people, such as our incredible hosts, approach Yom Kippur as “Gate Openers,” people who see every one of life’s opportunities as a gate to be opened. They walk around with door knobs, so to speak, determined to find a way to open every doorway to growth.
Some people have a home on the beach. our hosts have a home to share. Some people wait for God to open gates for them. Our hosts keep a steady supply of doorknobs handy, prepared to constantly find new opportunities for growth.
Even “Gate Openers,” come in different forms. Some are focused on the challenge of opening the gates. Others, are focused on what lies beyond the open door. They want to open the gates for what they will discover beyond. They don’t only maintain a steady supply of door knobs, they prepare themselves for the beyond, in a state of cleanliness and purity; even their garbage bins shower.
Yom Kippur is the culmination of an entire year for people who live as “Gate Openers” all year. Their Yom Kippur is a promise of a year filled with one gate of opportunity after another. Their Yom Kippur is their chance to spring ahead, unconcerned when others are worried about the gates closing. They can just grab a door knob off the bed or wall, (spotlessly clear doorknobs, of course,) and open those gates even as they officially close. No wonder all I could do in this home was learn, think and pray. There was a sense of endless possibilities.
So, my dear hosts, thanks for your hospitality, and even more so for the Yom Kippur lesson. I hope we left your home as clean as you left it for us.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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I’m finding it increasingly difficult to believe signs and names. It all began when I realized that my sweetest sister was named Miriam, meaning bitter, and another sister, let us say, less sweet than Miriam, was named Naomi, meaning ’sweet.’
Matters have only been getting worse: my wife and I were driving on the highway and passed an ancient 18 wheeler with faded painting on the side promising to, “deliver the future to you.” That future is long past.
As we continued to observe the people and signs on the road, it became clear that despite the name, Los Angeles, there were few if any angels.
We are staying with people who claim to have a living room. We’ve stayed with them many times, and have never seen a living room in their home. Whenever we visit there are at least five long tables in this supposed living room, with seating for a minimum of thirty people. Some living room! They also claim to not be very involved in the community. Thirty people for a Shabbat meal, and they are “not involved!”
They have another room they claim is a den, but all I have seen is an office prepared for me to meet with a constant flow of people. They personally welcome each person who arrives, offer refreshment and attention. They put their lives on hold, but, they are “not involved!” Their living room is not a living room; it’s a Tish. Their den is not a den, but a rabbi’s office. They are not telling the truth when they say they are not involved. Would you believe them?
Now that I think about it, maybe there are angels in Los Angeles.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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The old graffiti was barely visible on the gray walls of the long abandoned service station: "I Can Eat An Elephant - If I Take Small Bites." The scene of a dead village on the old country road was depressing despite the beauty of the rolling hills, green pastures, and the shining sun. My mind's image of a teenager sitting down to eat an elephant, with a knife and fork, napkin tucked under his chin, determined to finish the meal no matter how long it took, lifted my spirits. I want to believe that the graffiti writer survived the decline of his village, that he took his spirit of determination with him wherever he went, and succeeded in devouring the elephants in his life.
We all confront elephants of one type or another, some larger than others, but elephants nonetheless; huge problems that can crush us with their sheer size and formidable weight. We have to be prepared to take small bites, fighting our way, step by step, to overcome our adversaries.
When my grandfather zt"l challenged me to complete the entire Talmud, I felt as if I was tackling an elephant. I took small bites, working my way page by page through one Tractate and then another. I developed sufficient skills to enlarge my bites. I picked up speed, and the elephant shrank in size.
Here I am again facing another elephant. We are approaching Rosh Hashanah and thinking of the coming year. What new challenges will appear? How many elephants will I face? I reflect on the elephants defeated over the past year and wonder whether my life skills have developed enough to take larger bites this year.
Most of the elephants were of my choosing. There were projects assumed, goals defined, resolutions made, all huge, reflecting my determination to grow by leaps and bounds. I created the largest elephants of the past year. I knew that countless bites would be necessary to consume them, and I had to measure how large each bite would be. I wanted each bite to be large enough to extend my reach, and yet not be so large that it could choke me.
I chose the elephants. I measured the size of the bites. And now, as we approach the final week before the New Year, I again must choose the elephants and measure my bites.
I cannot choose all the elephants. Life has a way of placing the few unexpected beasts in my way. Those elephants will not be of my choosing, but the bites will be mine. The elephants that reflect my goals are designed by me.
I hope that they will be larger than those of the past and that God will grant me the wisdom to correctly measure my bites.
I have the fork, knife, plate and napkin ready. Let's get started. I'm hungry!
Shabbat Shalom
Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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 Both the father and his son were different: The father prayed for years to have a child. I knew from numerous conversations that, no matter how much he wanted a child, he was even more desperate for his wife to bear a child. I observed him three times a day at prayer and could see his palpable desperation. Many of us who watched the consistent intensity and power of his prayers, were moved to pray for him and inspired to become better prayors.
His wife gave birth to a son almost twelve years after they married. I recall his words at the Brit Milah: “Our son is living proof of the power of prayer. Thank You, God, and thank you to all who prayed for us. My wife and I pledge to always try to interact with our son as the answer to our prayers.”
The baby is almost thirty years old. I watched him grow up, and carefully observed the interaction between father and son. The father kept the pledge he made at the Brit; he related to his son as the answer to tens of thousands of prayers. He had suffered for this b child. He had fought hard for this child. His relationship with his son is different.
The son is also different. He has been a powerful davener since he first opened a Siddur. He knows how to fight to get what he wants. He is not fazed by suffering.
I imagine that a Yitzchak Avinu (Isaac the Patriarch) who suffered and prayed for ten years before his sons were born was different from a Yitzchak who is simply granted a child. His relationship with his children is different, probably the source of his love for Eisav.
Both Eisav and Jacob are fighters. Both are familiar with suffering. Eisav was more fighter, while Jacob was more the man of prayer.
The Zohar teaches that Jacob stole the month of Elul from Eisav. The month has Eisav’s power to fight, Jacob’s power of prayer, and the ability to steal opportunities, and combine the fighting and the prayer.
Fighting, praying, stealing, and combining all three, are exactly the qualities we need in the month before Rosh Hashanah, as we review the past year and worry about the next.
We must fight ourselves as we confront our Evil Inclination. We must battle against the sense of lost causes just as the father fought for a child despite being told by one doctor after another that it was a lost cause. Yitzchak fought for a child when others would have given up on their lost cause. There is always a part of the Teshuva process that confronts the Lost Cause: we find ourselves facing sins and mistakes that are all too familiar, sins for which we have repented last year and the year before and the year before that. How many times can we face the same sins without feeling that we are a lost cause.
At this point we must call on the fighter of Elul. We call on the fighter who specializes in battling lost causes.
We use prayer to fight. We use prayer to overcome the sense of lost causes and transform the sins and patterns of sin into growth; we steal those moments back from the Eisavs of the world.
This is our final week of fighting, praying, and stealing. I wish us great success.
Please don’t tell Marshall and Ellie about this; I don’t want them to worry while I am staying in their home. (I did notice some extra locks.)
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 I teach and study with people in Israel, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Monsey, Passaic, Brooklyn, Monroe, Tribeca, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and St. Louis. Most are not the most learned people. They would not be the normative superstars in Yeshiva or Beit Yaakov. But there are no other people with whom I would rather stand before the Ultimate Judge on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. They are all real human beings, struggling to master themselves, and searching for meaning in everything they do.
My friend and teacher, Rabbi Chaim Goldberger, also a rabbi of many such people, met some of these students, and was moved to remark how fortunate I am to have such people in my life. He is convinced that they represent the magnificence of Judaism.
Last night, while teaching prayer, my students took a basic idea I presented and flew with it. I sat back and listened to them expand an idea until it literally touched the Heavens. I was granted the gift to see my students taste eternal life in this world. When a father circumcises his son, he intends to do whatever he can to help his child live as a Ben Olam Habah, a person who lives with a sense of eternity. Over the past few weeks, God has gifted me with the realization that many of my students, children, according to the Torah, have become exactly that.
I realized that I can look forward to standing before God in total humility and gratitude for allowing me to have such wonderful people as part of my life. I also look forward to standing before God as one of such a group of incredible human beings. I am a fortunate man.
I thank God for the gift, and I thank them for being part of my life.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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A songbird led Mary Lennox to the hidden garden in her uncle's country estate and then unearthed the key that would open the gate. Both the garden and the key had been there all along waiting for her. It was in the garden that Annie was transformed from a yellow-faced, sickly child into a hearty and adventuresome girl. Many people read the Frances Hodgson Burnett classic as a metaphor; who isn't searching in one way or another for their own secret garden; a place to find a transformative solitude? The highest point of Yom Kippur is when the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, stands alone in the Holy of Holies. It is at that moment when he experiences a fine line between life and death. He makes a party celebrating his "new life" as the man who emerged from his own Secret Garden. I was reading some old notes and found the following quote scribbled: "Inside myself is a place where I live alone, and that's where you renew your spring that never dries up." My script is illegible, but I believe it credits the quote to Pearl Buck. I added, "I experience Elul and the Days of Awe as my opportunity to find the place where I live alone." In other words, my own Secret Garden. Elul is my songbird directing me, first to the Garden and then, if I pay attention, to the key. They are there waiting for me. It is my choice whether to open the gate and enter the place where I live alone. On Rosh Hashanah, I step into a place of quiet in which I can calmly reflect on my growth, without the distractions of other voices, stress and responsibility. I find my "spring" inside, a source of renewed energy. I drink deep of its fresh waters, and find myself excited about the future and its possibilities. I step in and out of my Garden during the Ten Days of Repentance, fortified by each visit and sip from the spring. I find that I see myself differently. I have more clarity when reflecting in the Garden. Different strengths merge into a more unified sense of self. I am prepared for Yom Kippur. No wonder the etymology of "alone" traces back to the Greek for "all-one." Being alone is a way of being all one. All of us need a Secret Garden. All of us can find it inside ourselves. We can use its silence to reflect and renew, to unify our strengths and clarify our mission. We must search to find it. The songbird is trying to catch our attention. Just follow her and discover your own Secret Garden. Shabbat Shalom Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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 Pranayama
 Grebe
 Eider
When I was patterning my breath to the sea ducks, I was practicing Pranayama, the conscious breathing that is one of the eight stages of Yoga.
Last year I practiced patterning my breath to the Shofar blower. It was different from actually blowing because I wasn’t frustrated by the Shofar’s weak sounds when I try to blow. (I’m convinced that the problem is with the Shofar, not my blowing, but my friend, Rabbi Chaim Goldberger, played the same Shofar as a magic flute – I still insist that the Shofar is too old, and Rav Chaim simply used his power of Bitachon to make it work!)
The listening to the Shofar, which is the actual Mitzvah, while patterning my breath, allowed me to hear differently. The sounds penetrated far deeper into my soul and bones. The experience was so powerful, that I used the same patterned breathing on Yom Kippur as we read of the Kohen Gadol entering the Holy of Holies. I held my breath as I imagined he would as he first entered. I breathed quick breaths as I pictured him pacing the incense on the burning coals. I breathed a deep breath of relief as I read of him backing out of the holiest of places, happy to still be alive.
The experience was even more intense than the Shofar breathing. My prayers describing those few moments of his life were as if I was standing with him. I decided to practice this same patterning during Elul.
I chose the most intense Teshuva moments of my life, and patterned my breath to each moments, while reciting the blessing of Teshuva.
I selected the most intense moments of feeling alive and bursting with potential, after which to pattern my breath and mind, when praying for life.
I relived the experience of entering Peter the Great’s throne room in the Hermitage each time I mentioned God as King in my prayers.
My father zt”l always insisted that we never think of a festival as commemorating an experience, but as reliving the original event. I believe that this patterning has opened a new way to experience the original story. It brings me there. It makes it real.
Next patterning exercise? The original Shabbat.
Author Info:
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 Royal herald
We can examine and even comprehend the glory of kings, but not their hearts.
We cannot comprehend the glory of the Lord. The Vilna Gaon explains, based on the Talmud (Chagigah) and Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 9:1) that the ” glory of the Lord” refers to the creation story, which may only be studied with one student at a time. The “glory of kings” refers to the stories beginning with Genesis 5:1: “This is the book of the generations of man”, who are described in this verse as kings because of their potential greatness.
It is striking to recall a verse that describes human beings as royalty during this month of Elul, in which we prepare for the Coronation.
Jewish law takes this so seriously that we are granted the status of royalty on Shabbat: we are permitted to have elephants as pets.
Our status will change on Rosh Hashana. We are the children of the King. Although we cannot comprehend the “glory of the Lord”, we can and must examine the “glory of the kings”, our glory as royalty: how are we using it? Do we merit the status?
Yet, “the heart of kings” is beyond our ken. Our hearts are compared to the highest heavens and the deepest earth. We cannot fully understand how our hearts function, because, as the Gra continues, our hearts, when we act as kings, are boundless.
It is worthwhile to recall that if we truly believe that we are as royalty, we must act as royalty and treat others with the respect due to royalty.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Sound Waves
Satan is not overwhelmed with confusion over the Shofar, but by our love of the Shofar. We must listen to its sound with great love for the Mitzvah of being able to change spiritual realities through this powerful tool.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 *An Excerpt from **The Simple Truths of Service**
by Ken Blanchard and Barbara Glanz*
Great Service is a Choice
No one can make you serve customers well. That’s because great service is a
choice. Years ago, my friend, Harvey Mackay, told me a wonderful story about
a cab driver that proved this point. He was waiting in line for a ride at
the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that
the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt,
black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and
rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey. He handed my
friend a laminated card and said:
“I’m Wally, your driver. While I’m loading your bags in the trunk, I’d like
you to read my mission statement.”
Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said:
*Wally’s **Mission** Statement:*
*To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest, and
cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.*
This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab
matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!
As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, “Would you like a cup of coffee? I
have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.”
My friend said jokingly, “No, I’d prefer a soft drink.”
Wally smiled and said, “No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular
and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.”
Almost stuttering, Harvey said, “I’ll take a Diet Coke.”
Handing him his drink, Wally said, “If you’d like something to read, I have
*The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated* and *USA** Today.”*
As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card.
“These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you’d like to
listen to the radio.”
As if that weren’t enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air
conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then
he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of the
day. He also let him know that he’d be happy to chat and tell him about some
of the sights, or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.
“Tell me, Wally,” my amazed friend asked the driver, “have you always served
customers like this?”
Wally smiled into the rearview mirror. “No, not always. In fact, it’s only
been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my
time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the
personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day. He had just written
a book called *You’ll See It When You Believe It.* Dyer said that if you get
up in the morning *expecting to have a bad day, you’ll rarely disappoint
yourself.* He said, ‘Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your
competition. Don’t be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles
soar above the crowd.’
“That hit me right between the eyes,” said Wally. “Dyer was really talking
about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my
attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their
drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers
were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time.
When my customers responded well, I did more.”
“I take it this has paid off for you,” Harvey said.
“It sure has,” Wally replied. “My first year as an eagle, I doubled my
income from the previous year. This year I’ll probably quadruple it. You
were lucky to get me today. I don’t sit at cabstands anymore. My customers
call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering
machine. If I can’t pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to
do it and I take a piece of the action.”
Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab.
I’ve probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years,
and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I
give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all
the reasons they couldn’t do any of what I was suggesting.
Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking
like ducks and start soaring like eagles. How about you?
Author Info:
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The Long And Winding Road
| I far prefer driving the treacherous mountain roads crossing the Rockies to the dull hours crossing the flat and boring Great Plain States. That first glance of the mountains ahead is thrilling. The plains are vast, but the mountain peaks are magnificent and inspiring. The mountains begin their call and challenge long before I reach them. They stand so high that I can seem them hours before they can be reached. I want to speed toward them and begin the next stage of the journey. I have driven across the Rockies before, and I remember the twists and turns of the road, the moments in which the car seems to be facing vertically upward just to point down a few miles later. The views, glanced in risky moments away from the road, are breathtaking. The thin shoulder does not afford much of a safety margin. The mountain roads engage all my faculties. The difference between driving across Kansas and crossing the Rockies represents a choice between one way of life and another, and always comes to mind as I prepare for the Judgment of Rosh Hashanah: Shall I pray for a year that will offer a smooth and calm drive? I can choose to picture the coming year as free of the undulations of the past, straightforward, and stable. There are definitely moments when I wish to move steadily ahead without concern for unexpected twists and turns, dips and hills. Yet, when I look into my rearview mirror, I don't see the Great Plains, but a circuitous mountain road, marked by peaks and valleys. I want to see similar peaks ahead; mountains to be climbed, challenges to be mastered, curves to be navigated. I do not want to pray for a year that does not offer peaks higher than any climbed before. I choose to pray for a year that will draw me upward, a year of growth, a year that will challenge all my faculties. I also measure the past year by counting the peaks mastered, the challenges met, fresh perspectives and new skills. I can recall certain moments that offered magnificent views of life's possibilities. I want more such scenes. I want to look back at the past year's mountains and be sure that the peaks ahead will be even higher. I refuse to simply view the peaks in wonder. They call to me. I refuse to be included amongst Philip Larkin's "Old Fools," of whom he wrote: "The peak that stays in view wherever we go/ For them is rising ground." No, for me the only rising ground is the road that pulls me upward and higher. I choose the Rockies. I am using Elul to tune my engine, fill the gas tank, and hone my driving skills. I set my sights on new heights. I pray I'll be prepared to receive what I ask. A little risky; but I wouldn't have it any other way. I could use some copilots. Care to join me? I wish you all a Shabbat, Elul, and Rosh Hashanah, of looking higher than ever before. Rev your engines; the journey begins. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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 Stuck Forever
He had faced all sorts of battles in his life, but never one such as this: Some people spread terrible lies about him, seriously damaging his reputation and carreer. Many friends and supporters came to assure him that they refused to believe the false stories and “obvious lies,” but he felt as if they did not look at him as they had in the past. This was not the most difficult battle. A few months later, just before Yom Kippur, three of the people who had spread the lies came separately to ask for forgiveness. “For what?” he asked. “Just in case I did anything to hurt you over the past year,” was the response of two. “Did you do anything to hurt me?” our friend asked. “Not that I can think of. Do you forgive me or not?” “I am willing to forgive anything but Motzi Shem Ra (Libel).” “Well, I have nothing to worry about.” This was not his most difficult battle. The third person approached him in front of a crowd of people and said, “I should not have waited until Yom Kippur, but I ask your forgiveness for spreading lies about you, hurting you and damaging your reputation. I cannot undo all the damage but I will speak to everyone I know and tell them that I lied about you.” “I forgive you,” he answered, and felt as if the third person had given a gift to him. Almost twenty years later, he applied for a fabulous job. Everything was set, except the contract signing, when the head of HR called to say that the company had withdrawn the job offer: He had mentioned to a friend of his that he was hiring our friend, and the person recalled what he had heard from the third man who had asked for forgiveness many years earlier, and urged the HR person not to risk that the stories were true. Our friend pleaded with the HR head to call the original source of the story, but he refused; “I can’t afford the risk.” He considers this the most challenging battle of his life: Twenty years later he still carried the wounds. He could not escape the lies. He couldn’t find a job. “I find myself wishing that I had not forgiven him! I think that the only way for him to earn forgiveness would be for him to tag along with me for the rest of my life and witness the devastation he caused.” “If a man marries a wife, and comes to her and hates her, and he makes a wanton accusation against her, spreading a bad name against her, and he said, ‘I married this woman, and I came near to her and I did not find signs of virginity on her.’ Then the father of the girl and her mother should take proofs of the girl’s virginity to the elders of the city, to the gate. The father of the girl should say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man as a wife, and he hated her. Now, behold! He made a wanton accusation against her, saying, ‘I did not find signs of virginity on your daughter’ – but these are the signs of virginity of my daughter!’ And they should spread out the sheet before the elders of the city. The elders of the city shall take that man and punish him. And they shall fine him one hundred silver shekels and give them to the father of the girl, for he had issued a slander against a virgin of Israel, and she shall remain with him as a wife; he cannot divorce her all his days.” (Deuteronomy 22:13-19 – Mitzvah 540 & 572) The slanderer must remain married to his wife. (Concept #134) He may never divorce her. (Concept #135) -Rambam, Hilchot Na’arah Betulah – The Laws of Young Maidens These are quite complex laws, however, the two actual Mitzvot address our friend’s battle and comments: The only way to realize the extent of the damage we cause to another’s reputation is to forever remain with that person, just as the husband must forever live with his wife! He may never divorce her. He must face his libel everyday for the rest of his life. He must remain married to her to prove to the world that he lied. Imagine the punishment of being married to a woman you have slandered and never be allowed to divorce her. The Torah wants us to understand that there is no other way to fully appreciate the pain and damage we cause to another when we slander or libel them. As we examine the past year through the lens of Elul Teshuva, we must carefully reflect on anything and everything we have said about others: Was it true? Did it hurt them? How much damage did I cause? How can I repair the damage? This is why Motzi Shem Ra is the only sin we are not expected to forgive! May God protect us! Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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The heart, to be sure, always has something to say about what is to come, to him who heeds it. But what does the heart know?
Only a little of what has already happened.
I promessi sposi, chapter viii
As Elul, the final month in the Jewish calendar, begins, I find myself looking forward and looking back. I dare not face the Day of Judgement on Rosh Hashana without repairing mistakes of the past. I cannot face Rosh Hashana without looking forward to the future with excitement over all the potential of the coming year.
It is my heart that speaks to me of what is to come. I still my mind to hear the quiet voice of my heart speak to me of what I can do and what I must. While my brain is noisily considering what I must do, my immediate challenges and goals, it is my heart that speaks of what I can do, my promise, prospects, and possibilities.
What does the heart know? "Only a little of what has already happened." Even as I look forward with my heart, I must look back with my heart to better inform my future. This is a higher form of Teshuva; looking back not only to repair the past, but to better inform my future so I can celebrate even before the future is now.
I fear that all the talk I hear and read of Teshuva as repair can pull us into a trap of regret and guilt. We all make mistakes. We can read through the confessions of Yom Kippur and find examples of where we went wrong. The Teshuva of Elul is not a time of confession, but of looking back to capture sparks of potential, moments of possibility, and hints of promise. We are sprinters, stepping back, in order to run and leap ahead. Elul is a celebration of the future, informing our hearts, and then quietly listening for what they say to us of what is to come.
We will have ample opportunity to confess. Let's use the next few weeks to, yes, look back, but not with a critical eye, but a discerning heart that will quietly share all it can about what is to come.
We celebrate our 100th newsletter by sharing this milestone with Jonathan and Shuni Geiss, and the entire remarkable Geiss family, as they celebrate the birth of Shayli Aliza, of whom our hearts sing, will rise above Mazal Tov, and live a life of infinite potential and promise.
Shabbat Shalom
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Ship in Storm
Awhile he holds some false way, undebarr’d By thwarting signs, and braves The freshening wind and blackening waves. And then the tempest strikes him; and between The lightning bursts is seen Only a driving wreck, And the pale master on his spar-strew-deck With anguish’d face and flying hair Grasping the rudder hard, Still bent to make some port he knows not where, Still standing for some false, impossible shore. Matthew Arnold “A Summer Night” We walk together almost every morning. Actually, he runs, I, ahem, walk. He is a marathon runner, so when he disappeared for a week, I assumed that he was running a marathon somewhere out of town. He showed up this morning on crutches. A bike rider rode straight into him, knocked him over, and my co-walker tore his Achilles tendon. “What are you doing here on crutches? Are you planning on running your laps like that?” “Yes!” Off he ran. He was still faster than am I. (I already suspected his sanity as he only eats raw vegetables.) The marathon man was as determined as the sailor in the Matthew Arnold poem. The man would not give in. A marathon man appears in this week’s portion: Shofetim. (Deuteronomy 17:11) He is a great scholar and is absolutely committed to truth. When a local court rules against him, he ‘grasps the rudder hard, still bent on his port”. He is summoned to a higher court, out argues them on every issue, and is incensed when they too rule against his opinion. He courageously takes a public stand. He knows that he is right. He is summoned from one court to another even higher and he continues to stand for what he has determined is the truth. He refuses to give in, until he finally stands before the Sanhedrin – The Great Court that sits in the Temple Courtyard and they hear his case. He does battle with the greatest sages of his generation. They argue over a case of serious law, such as whether a specific woman is considered married, and “with anguish’d face and flying hair” he holds true to his course. A torn Achilles tendon will not hold him back, nor will crutches. He is the marathon man who will not give in. The Sanhedrin rules against him and, frustrated and angry, he leaves the court and sticks to his guns. He refuses to obey the Sanhedrin’s ruling and tells the woman to follow his original ruling. This Marathon Man is a Zakein Mamrei – A Rebellious Sage – and he will be publicly executed on the next pilgrimage festival. He may continue to argue that he is right and everyone else is wrong. In fact, he must argue for what he feels is true. However, he may not publicly act against the Sanhedrin’s ruling. We live according to the transmission of the Oral Law and his public actions, not arguments, shake the foundations of the transmission and system of the Oral Law. We are encouraged to be Marathon Men in our arguments, but there is a point at which we may not practice against the rulings of the greatest Torah authorities of our time. The greatest of the Marathon Men is the one who will not bend intellectually. However, he will submit to the structure of the Oral Law. That takes strength, at least from those of us who are fighters for truth. Our greatest moments are when we continue to fight for what we believe is true but will not publicly practice against the Oral Law. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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"Hell, there are no rules here. We're trying to accomplish something." Thomas Alva Edison, On Creating The First Electric Grid. One of the most creative people I met disagreed with Edison. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein followed the rules of Halacha as he dealt with issues his teachers could not have imagined: IVF, artificial insemination, surrogate mothers, electricity on Shabbat, computers, the laws of traveling across the International Dateline and thousands more questions. Few people are as committed to following the rules as the beloved Reb Moshe, and even fewer are as creative. He would not agree that we must shed all the rules in order to accomplish something. We celebrate people who "think out of the box," and mistakenly believe that there are no rules for creative genius. Pablo Picasso learned the rules of painting before he shocked the world with his creative genius. Albert Einstein learned the rules of physics long before his mind leapt to relativity. We, the people of Halacha, have nurtured our creativity by following the rules. Halacha is not a set of rules as much as the Rules of Creativity. "See, I present before you today a blessing and a curse," begins this week's portion. We generally understand the blessing as the reward for observance and the curse, the consequence of straying from God's path. Perhaps there is an additional message: The Torah itself, its laws and ideas, can be a source of blessing and a curse. Those who choose to see Halacha as rules that govern the particulars of every second of our lives can find security in being told exactly what to do. For many people, such a regimented life is a curse. They feel that it does not allow any freedom. The blessing of one may be a curse for another. There are others who see Halacha as do I, as the Rules of Creativity; concepts that nourish a higher sense of how we should act in different circumstances. This approach is my blessing; a source of joy. I too, follow the rules and try to act only according to Halacha, but for me, the observance of the rules is intended to nurture "When you do what is good and just in the eyes of God, your Lord." (Deuteronomy 12:28) The rules of Halacha do not always specify how to respond to an immediate situation. They do nurture a special sense of what is "good and just in the eyes of God," so I will intuit how God wants me to act. However, many people believe such an approach is a curse, a step down the slippery slope. The blessing of one may be the curse of the other. I wrote my first essay exactly two years ago today as I drove my daughter to Washington for college. (I wasn't following the rules: I typed as I drove!) That essay became many others; all dedicated to the idea of Halacha as the Rules of Creativity. My objective was to engender discussions about important issues that would influence readers to respond to the world as an ongoing conversation between Torah and life. There are moments when the demand to write another essay, blog, or newsletter, feels like a curse, but the challenge is always a blessing, as have been your responses and feedback. Thank you for helping me accomplish something as we follow the Rules of Creativity. Shabbat Shalom Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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 “Rabbi, I usually feel when I pray that I am talking to the wall!”
“Rabbi; when I read or hear people say to a child, ‘Your father is now in heaven,’ to console him, I shudder. I wonder how much we choose to believe simply to make ourselves feel better. If I believe that about people of other religions, how can I be sure that I am not doing the same thing?”
“Rabbi, the world is inconsistent with what I have learned about God. I have heard the numerous explanations of the difference between humanity’s choices and God’s actions, but I cannot find peace as I look at all the evil and suffering in the world.”
“Rabbi, I will never be able to live at the level God expects, at least the way I am taught by so many Rabbis. I wonder how well those Rabbis would handle living in my situation! Am I doomed to never have a good relationship with God?”
“Rabbi, I don’t want to determine how to relate to God. I want to follow His instructions, but they are simply too demanding.”
The above is a fair sampling of the questions asked over the past two days, typical of issues, doubts and concerns that people share with me everyday.
“Why are my experiences with observant Jews consistently unpleasant?”
“I am torn between fitting into the community despite its lackings, and developing a more passionate relationship with God.”
“How can I ever find truth if great scholars debate the most fundamental issues? Am I really the one who has to choose?”
“I feel that God is torturing me! He teases me by lifting my hopes and then smashes me down just before I achieve success. I pray and He rejects me. I work on myself and it is never enough!”
“My life has been one failure after another. I take responsibility for my choices, but this is just too much. What does God want from me?”
I spend a great deal of time dealing with such questions. I certainly do not have all the answers and cannot claim to answer for God.
I chose to share these questions with you as I explore a new series of blogs: The Big Picture. I look forward to your comments, challenges, criticisms and questions. Perhaps we will successfully find a crack in that wall.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Learning How to Walk
The idea is to walk with a smile from one end of about ten thousand stores to the next, while carrying piles of clothes “We’re thinking about.” Comments and suggestions are not permitted, especially as the Spanish – I think it was Spanish, but they were speaking so quickly, without any consonants, so I’m not positive, – was flying fast and furious. The husband/brother-in-law must have a constant smile on his face, with a full expression of patience and pure pleasure to share such an exciting adventure.
This is what I call serious Midot Development, or refining my character. It is a deliberate program, not a spatchcock of different suggestions and ideas. I set out to remain patient, happy, and calm, no matter how challenging the time.
I added an element to my objective: I wanted my time and effort to be an act of Chesed, or giving, to my wife and her sister. I decided to enjoy the fact that I could give so much by simply shlepping around for a few hours as a glorified and silent shopping cart.
I take Chesed walks when I walk our dog, Pip, no matter the weather or how tired I may feel. Walking Pip is also an exercise in humility: I may be “Abba” to some, “Rebbi” to others, and “Rabbi Weinberg” to more, but to Pip I am the guy who has to clean up after him. Debbie assures me that Pip considers me the Alpha of the family, but I watch that silent smirk on his face as I pick up his poop! Some alpha!
There is always the Walk of Expectation as I look forward to praying in the synagogue. Then there is the Walk of Continuation as I return home trying to keep all the wonderful feelings I experienced in my prayers alive and strong as I head home.
I am trying to learn how to be a better walker, to enjoy and maximize the walking to and from one place to the next. I figure that there is no better way to practice Halacha, or Walking in the Ways of God, than to practice the walking itself.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Finding Calm In This Mess
I didn’t want anyone to curse out the looney Jew who was talking a stroll down 5th Ave when they were in a rush, so I wore a baseball cap. I began my quest just in front of FAO Schwarz and began to stroll downtown. I was determined to walk straight ahead without shifting gears and avoiding other pedestrians.
It demanded great effort to not walk like a New Yorker, and took about two blocks to settle in. It was a miracle! People avoided me; I didn’t have to move around anyone. I felt a sense of inner peace, calm and patience, settle in as I strolled. I felt as if I had a forcefield protecting me from the rough energy of the other pedestrians.
It was interesting to observe that as I calmly waited for the traffic lights and just looked around me enjoying the scenery, people stood next to me and began to relax as they too looked around. I even received a few smiles on each block, as if others picked up my sense of calm.
I began to wonder whether patience could be as infectious as the usual tension of the NY sidewalks. It was great.
Then my phone rang.
Oh well!
I still felt calm under I returned home where my sister-in-law had come to visit with her husband and two dogs. My Patience Walk was easier than coming home.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Underneath The Anger
Untreated fear turns into anger. When we’re not in touch with our fears – or when we don’t even know we’re afraid – that fear grows into anger. If we don’t deal with the anger, it will turn into rage:
Andrew was supposed to meet his girlfriend, Melanie, at a coffeehouse. There are several of the coffeehouses spread throughout the city, and each went to a different one. Andrew waited for Melanie for thirty or forty minutes, left a message on her answering machine, and went back to his apartment. “I figured that there must have been some sort of mix-up, so we’d try again,” he explained. “That was not Melanie’s impression. She was very angry with me. She was implying that I deliberately left her there, that I disappointed her, that I couldn’t be trusted. I pointed out that we both just assumed it was a different coffeehouse.”
What for Andrew was a simple mix-up was for Melanie a horrible letdown suggesting he was unreliable and would disappoint her again. She brought more anger to the situation than it deserved, anger that was left over from an old hurt. Out of touch with the fear under her anger, Melanie made Andrew the villian. Unfortunately, she only took the first step – she got mad.
We’re all very good at this step: “I’m angry because you weren’t there,” “I’m angry because you were late,” “I’m angry because you didn’t do a good job,” “I’m angry because of what you said.”
We need to learn how to take the second step, looking into ourselves to explore the fear underneath. Here are some clues to what may really be going on:
The anger: I’m angry because you weren’t there.
The fear underneath: When you’re not there, I fear you’re abandoning me.
The anger: I’m angry because you’re late.
The fear underneath: I’m not as important to you as your work.
The anger: I’m angry because you didn’t do a good job.
The fear underneath: I’m afraid we’ll make less money and not be able to pay our bills.
The anger: I’m angry because of what you said.
The fear underneath: I’m afraid you don’t love me anymore.
“Life Lessons” by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler, pps 150-152
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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The desires of the heart are as crooked as corkscrews
Not to be born is the best for man
The second best is a formal order
The dance's pattern, dance while you can.
Dance, dance, for the figure is easy
The tune is catching and will not stop
Dance till the stars come down with the rafters
Dance, dance, dance till you drop.
W.H. Auden, "Death's Echo"
Just more than a week ago I was sitting in mourning. I emerged from my mourning and wandered in a daze until Isaiah spoke to me on Shabbat and offered words of consolation. Monday was a joyous holiday, the 15th of Av, famous for its dancing girls. Today, I am back to life as it is, with its joys and challenges. How could I possibly handle all these different emotions on top of the complexities of life? I dance with them.There are times I dance in formal steps and patterns, according to the rules. Some dances demand the formality, especially when sharing the floor with other dancers. However, the dance from mourning to comfort to joy to comfort to life, and then, to who knows what next, is far more complicated than the Tango or Salsa. It is, for me, a free-form dance to express the different emotions, but even more so, how I experience the chaotic fluctuations from one emotion to another. I do not dance to the formal steps but to how my inner music plays out its response to life's calendar and challenges. People often express wonder how I can teach in a very "religious" neighborhood one day, and a completely secular community the next. They assume that I am simply dancing a different tune on different days and in different communities. They are wrong! I do not dance a different step to the very different tunes of extremely different communities. Nor do I dance different steps to different holidays and commandments; a slow dance on Tisha B'Av, say, and a joyous step six days later on Tu B'Av. It is all one dance; the Dance of Life, the dance that expresses my response to life. There are no formal steps to my dance other than being in touch with how I feel and what I want to express at any given moment. The dance is an expression of my joy in life, and my small response to its many realities and revelations. This week's portion, Eikev, or "Heel," begins, "This shall be the reward when (Eikev - Heel) you hear these laws and perform them." Why the heel? Dance Steps. The Dance of Life. "This will be the reward when you dance to these laws and express how they affect you," is how I interpet the verse. The key word in this weeks portion is "Hear." it is a challenge to listen to the music of life, the song of the Torah as it guides us through life. The portion reminds us of the importance of expressing how our 'heels' respond in the Dance of Life to our experiences on every level. This portion also stresses the importance of love, as if to say, "Above all, let your love envelope you in your dance: God's love for you, your love of God, your love of family, your love of self." Remember: Love is the greatest adventure of them all, and our Dance of Life should reflect that. When and if it does, our Dance of Life becomes not only a thing of enjoyment, but a thing of beauty. Dance with me to: Chipping Away The Pieces, help me dance my way out of Stuck in a Role and The Fear Underneath, so I can nurture The Question Machine. Shall we dance? Shabbat Shalom (The Dance of Life is permitted and encouraged on Shabbat!) Rabbi Simcha L. Weinberg |
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 The Door Ahead
Msr. Ponge, I thank you for the idea, but I respectfully disagree. I don’t want to go to King David who was certainly a door, or at least, tent flap opener. I believe that even greater than the pleasures of a door, is the pleasure of being a king who can and will open and shut doors.
Most believe that Tisha B’Av is a time of shut doors. Exile certainly slams the door of opportunity shut in the faces of the exiles. But, already at midday, we raise ourselves off the floor, and begin to open the door to the future. The seven weeks between Tisha B’Av and Rosh Hashana are called the Seven Weeks of Nechama: Each week represents another step on the path from destruction to the endless possibilities of Rosh Hashana.
Now is when we can all become “door openers”, and by virtue of recognizing our ability to rise from the destruction and mourning of the past three weeks, we become as kings.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Strategy Session As A Form of Prayer
They prayed for thirty minutes and left. No one was smiling. It seemed to the rabbi that no one believed their prayers even mattered.
They gathered again on the next day when they heard that the young woman’s situation was much worse. All were ready to pray with cries and tears. They waited for the rabbi to begin the emergency prayer session.
Rather than rise to face the Ark and lead the prayers, the rabbi stood up to face the congregation:
“Is there anyone here who believes that our prayers of yesterday helped?”
People were shocked, even horrified that a rabbi could ask such a question, especially in such a desperate situation, but no one raised a hand to say he believed that the prayers were effective.
“Is there anyone here who left yesterday believing that God had listened?”
A few hesitant hands that went half way up, then down. No hand was raised in confidence.
“Let’s try a different approach,” said the rabbi, “any suggestions?”
One person stood up to say, “I would like to argue her case before God! She is so young. She has three babies! God, this isn’t fair!”
Someone shouted out, “I’ll tell God that I won’t stop pestering Him until He responds!”
A woman shyly stood up to say, “You love me. Please, do it for me.”
“No,” said the woman next to her, “You love her. You love her children. Do it for them!”
“You can do it like this,” said another as she snapped her fingers. “What’s the big deal?”
A quiet man rose to whisper, “You guys can’t argue with God. He knows best. I would say, ‘Look, God, You know best, but I’m begging You to use the Nike approach; Just Do It!”
“Hey! Rabbi! Didn’t you say that we can pray with joy and confidence; ‘You are the Healer and we are confident that You will Heal her’?”
They spent thirty minutes describing how they would pray. There was no time left to pray. Everyone had to get to work. “We spent so much time discussing how to pray that we have no time left,” a woman moaned.
The rabbi said, “What do you think we were just doing? We just had one of the greatest prayer sessions in history!”
Everyone left inspired. They were hopeful. Each had a sense that his prayers were heard.
These are the ten (or, thirteen) forms of prayer listed in the Midrash on this week’s portion.
There are many forms of prayer. Why use only one approach? Why stick with the same approach if we feel that our prayers are not working?
Talking about prayer, and strategizing how to pray are also forms of prayer, just as it was for the people in the story.
By the way; The woman had a miraculous recovery. Just saying…
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 “I was friends with one of the crew members on TWA Flight 800. I had called her because she was on my mind. It had been a while since we’d talked and I missed seeing her. I left her a message on her voice mail to call me. A few days went by and I became increasingly irritated that I had not heard back. My husband said just call again or say what you want to say on her answering machine. I knew she was probably busy and was just waiting for some free time to call me back. Even knowing this, I became increasingly angry. I held back my love. I closed my heart to her. The next day her plane crashed. I deeply regret that I did not give my love freely. I was playing a game with love.”
The woman was measuring her love by the moment, by one action,and then closing her heart. We must try to see love in the big picture, not in detail. A detail such as a single phone call can be a distraction from real love.
David Kessler – Life Lessons Page 43.
“And these matters that I command you today shall be upon your heart.” (Deuteronomy 6:6) ‘You should always look to these matters as if they are new, fresh and exciting – as if the Torah were given today – not like a stale, outmoded dogma.’ (Rashi)
Although each individual action matters in a relationship, some more than others, we cannot measure our love for God by one moment or action, nor can we measure God’s love for us by the moment or single action. Perhaps the “Today” in the verse, especially when considered together with the “Alls” of the previous verse; “All your heart, all your soul, all your resources,” means that we look at the entire day, not moment by moment.
Just as with every relationship, there will be moments during the day when our love for God falters. There will be actions that do not reflect attachment. There will be moments during the day when we do not feel God’s love. We will suffer experiences that lead us to question whether God loves us. We strive to live days of love. We want to be able to recite the Shema before going to sleep with a sense that this was a day of love.We measure the day by its “All.” We want to go to sleep feeling, “This was a good day with God.”
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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Late one evening, the grief counselor spoke to a man in hospice. The patient was suffering from ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). "What's the hardest past of this experience for you," the therapist asked. "The hospitalization? The disease?" "No," the dying man replied. "The hardest part is that everyone sees me in the past tense. Something that once was. No matter what's going on with my body, I will still be a whole person. There is a part of me that is not definable and doesn't change, that I will not lose and does not disappear with age or disease. There is a part of myself that I cling to. That is who I am and that is who I will always be." The way we, who mourned on Tisha B'Av, respond to the Seven Weeks of Consolation that follow, indicates that we relate to ourselves as something that once was and is no more: We recover from Tisha B'Av rather quickly. I am a committed Simcha (Happiness) person, and I'm not advocating that we suffer for the next seven weeks, but it is sure is strange that we have seven full weeks of consolation that we don't need! Did we miss something in our mourning? How can we recover so quickly when the Sages were certain we would need almost two months to return to ourselves? We mourn over the past, the Jerusalem that once was, the great nation we were so long ago. We tell stories of the past and we weep over the countless tragedies of our history. We mourn in the past tense so we recover quickly. I needed a long time to reconnect with life after my father's passing. I don't need to recover when I observe his Yahrtzeit, the anniversary of his death. Tisha B'Av has become an elaborate Yahrtzeit of a long ago death, and we don't need seven weeks to recover. That is exactly what I mourned this past Tisha B'Av: I ached for people who see Judaism in the past tense, whether it is the Jerusalem of old, the great Jewish communities of Europe and Spain, or even how much better things were a generation ago. I cried for the people who do not believe that there is a part of us that doesn't change no matter where or when we live. I weep for those who forget that each of us is indefinable, special, beautiful, magnificent. I mourn for those who see the world through the eyes of our suffering, not our greatness. I agonize for a nation that doesn't pride itself on its ability to keep Jerusalem alive two thousand years after its destruction by the Romans. I mourn those who are stuck in the past tense without any joy in the present. The ache did not disappear with the end of the fast. The pain is palpable. The hurt remains. I need Seven Weeks of Consolation. I started The Foundation Stone because I refuse to cling to the past; I cling to the present and future. I did not want to be another website that shares the insights of previous generation without rejoicing in their practical applications for ours. My goal was, and is, to delve into the wealth of a living Torah and discover treasures of meaningful wisdom. I write and teach for those who study to discover their indefinable potential, not for those who simply want to keep the past alive. We are not a dying body. We are a living being. Whole. Magnificent. Eternal. I find my consolation in choosing to live in the Present Tense. Shabbat Shalom Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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 Love
Observe how water is with
The ground, always moving toward the ocean, though the ground tries to hold the water’s foot
and not let it go. This is how we are with wine and beautiful food, wealth and power,
or just a dry piece of bread: we want and we get drunk with
wanting, then the headache
and bitterness afterward. Those prove that the attachment took
hold and held you back. Now you
proudly refuse help. “My love is pure. I have an intuitive
union with God. I don’t need
anyone to show me how to be free!” This is not the case.
A love with no object
is a true love. All else, shadow without substance.
(The Ecstatic Poetry of Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks)
There is an important change in the verse in the second paragraph of Shema, found in this week’s portion, from a verse in the first paragraph: “You shall teach them thoroughly to your children and you shall speak of them.” (Deuteronomy 6:7) In this week’s portion the Torah teaches: “You shall teach them to your children to discuss them.” (11:19)
Only a heart overflowing with love for Torah can teach it so that our children and students will discuss the Torah’s words on their own.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 When we have passed a certain age, the soul of the child we were and the souls of the dead from whom we have sprung come to lavish on us their riches and their spells. Marcel Proust – In Search of Lost Time (The Captive)
This powerful Kinah contrasts our exodus from Egypt to our exile from the destroyed Jerusalem. (See Kinah 31: Egypt & Jerusalem) However, we do not remember the joy of the exodus on this, the saddest day of the year, only to magnify our sorrow; we reach back to what Jeremiah described as our childhood to reconnect with the soul of the child we once were. We reclaim the spirit of our youth to reclaim the magical spell of childhood:
“And the word of God came to me, saying: Go, and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying: Thus says God: I remember for you the affection of your youth, the love of your espousals; how you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel is the God’s hallowed portion, His first-fruits of the increase; all that devour him shall be held guilty, evil shall come upon them, says the God.” Jeremiah 2:1-3
The people of Beitar had a custom intended to remind a person, as he or she stepped over the lintel into adulthood, of the promise of his youth so that he would retain the magic of a child all through his life. This was not only a personal message, but a reminder that Israel lives on with, and through, that spirit of their youth:
‘Through the shaft of a litter Beitar was destroyed.’
It was the custom when a boy was born to plant a cedar tree and when a girl was born to plant a pine tree, and when they married, the tree was cut down and a canopy made of the branches.
One day the daughter of the Emperor was passing when the shaft of her litter broke, so they lopped some branches off a cedar tree and brought it to her.
The Jews thereupon fell upon them and beat them. They reported to the Emperor that the Jews were rebelling, and he marched against them. Gittin 57a
The Emperor’s daughter and her retinue needed wood, saw a tree, and cut it down. Why were the people of Beitar willing to risk total annihilation because of a single tree?
The trees of Beitar were the people’s symbol of the continuity of Israel and her youth. The trees were a constant reminder that we could always reclaim the magic of our childhood, the one we experienced as we left Egypt. Beitar fought on to live because that magical past of, “When I left Egypt,” was also a part of their future.
The Romans were not satisfied with a military victory over Beitar. Conquest was not enough. They wanted to destroy our childhood memories. They denied our magical youth. Their power was greater than Egypt’s. There would not be another magical exodus or redemption. Israel was gone. A distant memory that would never be recaptured.
Beitar was willing to risk all to send a message to Jews everywhere and across time that we do not battle only to survive; we fight against any and all who would deny the magic of our youth. We cannot allow anyone to claim that a magical Temple never stood in Jerusalem. We will fight to the death against those who ridicule our miraculous past as if there never was an Israel before it was “Palestine.”
We recall “When I left Jerusalem,” because the souls of the dead of Beitar, and the souls of all who lived in Jerusalem, Vilna, Slabodka, Cracow, Cordoba, Worms, Russia, Denmark and every other place on the face of the earth, “the souls from which we have sprung,” come to us when we remember them today, “to lavish upon us their riches and spells.”
“In the community house there was a parchment with a chronicle on it, but the first page was missing and the writing had faded.” Isaac Bashevis Singer, “The Gentleman from Cracow
Our first page is not missing; “When I left Egypt.” It’s right there before us in the words of our prayers, the Torah, even our lamentations. Our chronicle is not only complete; it is alive.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 (Kings II Chapter 25) “It happened in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylonia, he and his entire army, came to wage war against Jerusalem and encamped near it, and built a siege tower around it.”
Jeremiah had been predicting the arrival of a storm from Babylon for years. No one listened. “It could never happen to Jerusalem!” No one wanted to listen, so they threw the prophet into a pit and jail. Babylon’s armies had already visited Jerusalem. Zedekiah was king only because his brother, Jehoiachin, was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar.
Zedekiah was not his real name. The 21 year old Mattaniah was renamed by the Babylonians ; they controlled everything, not only who was king, but even his name! And Jeremiah continued to warn the people how vulnerable they were, and how insecure their situation. But the people did not hear the prophet. They did not want to listen. “It could never happen to Jerusalem.” “It will never happen to me.”
The Babylonians were at the walls of the city and Jeremiah cried out to the people to listen to God’s message. Perhaps now they would listen to the man who spoke in God’s name. But the people did not pay attention to the prophet’s voice. They did not want to hear. They could have prevented the destruction of Jerusalem. They had ample opportunity to surrender to the Babylonians. But, they could not hear God’s voice in Jeremiah’s cries. They did not want to hear God’s message in their new circumstances, even as siege walls were being constructed around Jerusalem. They could hear the hammers banging away at the walls that would spell their doom, but they did not listen. They were not deaf. They chose not to hear.
They may have chosen to shut out God’s voice, Jeremiah’s cries, the sound of Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers marching, the noise of the construction and the loud and clear pronouncements of their political and military realities, but we can hear the sound of desperation and frustration in Jeremiah’s words.
We, the people of the Shema, “Hear O’ Israel”, so often choose not to hear. We shut out the warnings of Jeremiah. We ignored the warning signs of Hitler’s rise to power. We shut out the very clear message in Iran when Islamic radicals toppled the Shah. We, who repeatedly remind ourselves to hear and pay attention, simply slide into selective hearing. How can we hear the words of Shema as we should if we can so easily choose what not to hear? Either we hear the voices of God, the prophets and history, or we do not.
We remember the deafness of our ancestors in besieged Jerusalem and we “fast”! Would it not make more sense to dedicate the Tenth of Tevet, the Seventeenth of Tammuz, and the Ninth of Av, to learning how to listen? Why do we fast?
The Zohar (Volume 2, 20b) teaches us that we want God to pay attention to our fasting, just as He would pay attention to a sacrifice burning on His altar. We ask the Master of the Universe to pay attention, to hear us, to listen. We cannot accomplish anything with our fast if God does not take note of our feeble effort at fixing our mistakes. We cannot ask God to listen if we continue to shut our ears to Him. A fast is a prayer. A prayer must be heard. A prayer should begin a conversation.
A conversation cannot develop if either party does not hear the other. Jeremiah expresses this idea in a powerful verse (14:12): “If they fast, I will not listen to their call.”
The fast of the Ninth of Av is a prayer; a prayer that can only be effective if we remember to listen for God’s voice.
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 Parents & Children
They said to him, “For what purpose?”
He answered, “I know not,” because he was afraid lest they say, ‘In your lifetime has such a thing happened to my children!”
Jeremiah left them and stood by the banks of the Jordan and called out, “Son of Amram,son of Amram, arise, the time has come when your presence is required before the Holy One, Blessed is He.”
Moshe said to Jeremiah, “How is this day different from other days that my presence is required before the Holy One, Blessed is He?”
Jeremiah replied, “I know not.” (Midrash Eichah – Introduction #24)
Did the Patriarchs and Moshe live in their graves that they needed to be summoned from those places to come before God?
II.
We can find a hint in the following Responsum of the Rashba:
A questioner asked the Rashba, “Why do we say in our prayers, ‘The Lord of Abraham, the Lord of Isaac, and the Lord of Jacob,’ and not, The Lord Who created heaven and earth?”
The Rashba replies that a profound idea is here contained, one expressed in the saying, “The Patriarchs are the Divine Chariot.” (Bereishit Rabbah 82:6)
But even if we follow the plain meaning, the reason we refer to the Patriarchs when we begin our prayers is because Moshe did so in his prayers (Exodus 32:13), and God said to Moshe, “I am the Lord of your father, the Lord of Abraham, the Lord of Isaac, and the Lord of Jacob.” (3:6) He did not say, “I am the Lord Who created heaven and earth.”
Furthermore, we are human beings and our prayers are for the satisfaction of human needs; so it is right that we should begin our prayers by referring to the choicest examples of humanity, the Patriarchs.
III.
There are times when we call on the merit of the Patriarchs and Moshe, not as the great spiritual heroes they were, but as their children and students. We approach them on a very human level. Jeremiah called on them to appear before God as parents arguing for their children.
We hope that the human relationship with the Patriarchs and Moshe will stimulate a similar response from God as our Father and Rebbi.
This Kinah is Jeremiah’s advocacy as personified in the name of the Hebrew month: Av, or Parent. He understood that our only hope lay in speaking to God, not as the Creator of heaven and Earth, or the Giver of the Torah, but as our Parent and Rebbi; our Av.
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I love many forms of music but have not been blessed with any musical skills. I love literature but have never been able to read Proust. I love books about mathematics but do not have a mathematical mind. I love art but am not artistic. I love fiction but have not written a short story since I was seven years old. I love refinishing old furniture but have not done any of that sort of work since 1984. I love to ski but am not very good at it. I love photography but my finger finds its way into every picture. I love watching a computer genius at work but will never completely master Word. I am not frustrated by any of the above because I can sum it all up by saying I love the adventure of life. I can't claim to be exceptionally good at living life, but the joy offered by so many possibilities is enough for me to feel that life is good. I guess you can call me a Possibility Gatherer. I loved learning with my grandfather zt"l although I didn't have his knowledge or memory. I loved spending time with Rav Yaakov Kaminestky zt"l despite that I was not as righteous as was he. I loved studying with my father zt"l even though I knew that I could not read a text with as much insight as did he. I loved being with great people because they reflected the possibilities of life. The possibilities are sufficient to make me happy. I rejoice in being a Possibility Gatherer. The most powerful moment of Tisha B'Av for me is midday when I can rise from sitting in a mourner's position on the floor and sit on a regular chair. The Temple continued to burn but we shed a small part of our mourning in middle of the day because Jeremiah refers to Tisha B'Av as a Mo'ed - a holiday. The prophet is describing our enemies' rejoicing when they destroyed Jerusalem, but the Sages grab hold of that, 'Mo'ed,' and refuse to let go. They declared Tisha B'Av to have some elements of a holiday. They want us to rise from the ground and begin to limit our mourning even when the Temple was still burning. They want us to see the possibilities of life even on the saddest day of the Jewish calendar. Even in mourning we must look to the promise of life. Mourning is not the natural state of a human being. Joyous adventure is ours for the taking. We are not survivors and sufferers; we are Possibility Gatherers, even on Tisha B'Av. I recall a quote from Rabbi Joachim Prinz posted in the United States Holocaust Memorial: "To be a Jew was now a new discovery, and to emphasize one's Jewishness in the face of danger and disgrace became the thing to do." Only a Possibility Gatherer would discover "The Thing To Do," while suffering life in Nazi Germany. Only Possibility Gatherers could build the modern State of Israel from the ashes of the Holocaust. There is only one question we must ask ourselves on Tisha B'Av: Can we still see the possibilities of life? I can. I invite you to help me pick up all the possibilities I am busy gathering. Shabbat Shalom Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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 A Coded Message
People are wondering how Moses will speak from the Wilderness if the nation is camped out in the Plains of Moab. Where is Aravah? The BNN has searched through its records and has not found any place named Tophel, Laban, Chatzeirot, or Di-Zahav. Commentators all over the Web are offering theories about this strange tweet, and the White Tent is refusing to comment. Moshe Rabbeinu’s spokesman, Rabbi Yehoshua, was overheard saying, “People will figure it out.”
One thing is certain: The Tweet has everyone thinking about Moshe’s farewell address. The Moab Times is offering an air-conditioned tent to the person who successfully decodes the Tweet.
Crowds gathered around Rashi’s tent as he offered his explanation: “Each place alludes to one of our sins of the past. “Wilderness,” refers to people complaining in the Wilderness of Sin that they had bee led into the desert to starve. (Exodus 16:1-3) “Tophel and Laban,” allude to complaints about the Manna, and “Di-Zahav” refers to the Golden Calf.
Rabbi Onkelos debated Rashi over the meaning of “Aravah,” with Rashi insisting that it is the name of a particular place, and Rabbi Onkelos explaining that it too is a coded message about the sin with the Midianite women.
The White Tent has posted Rashi’s explanation on its Facebook page. Rumor has it that Rashi has refused to accept the prize from the Moab Times.
It is clear that the Tweet has caught everyone’s attention. All the camp shuttle clouds are booked. It seems that absolutely everyone will be there for Moshe’s speech.
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 Apple Orchard
The snow is unmarked and reflects the shadows of the tree on either side. The light powder seems to be weighing the branches all the way down to the ground.
The tree is alive. The mountain in the background doesn’t seem real: it’s just slightly taller than the tree that is more branches and snow than trunk.
I was transfixed by the picture and, recognizing the mountain, felt transported to Yosemite National Park. It is a place of wonderful memories of a joyous unbounded spirit, free to celebrate the possibilities of life.
Then…
I read the caption: Ansel Adams: The Mural Project 1941-42 – “Snow Covered Apple Orchard”
One minute I am delighting in Yosemite, and the next, I am standing in an apple orchard in the spring, singing a blessing over the fragrance of the fruit, anticipating the first bite into a perfectly fresh apple. The caption changed my experience of the photograph.
I experience Tisha B’Av differently when I read the stories in the Bible, Talmud, and Midrash than I do when I read the Kinot – Lamentations. The words of the Kinot are powerful. They overflow with allusions to verses from all over the Bible, ideas from the Talmud and stories in the Midrash. The authors of the Lamentations create images that direct my feel of the Tisha B’Av stories. The Kinot post captions on the photographs in my mind. The Lamentations tell their tales. They imagine the scene for us. They were sufficiently powerful to be included by Jews all over the world, throughout the ages, as an official part of the Tisha B’Av service.
They are only captions. Each poem and eulogy is just one way of viewing the photograph. They are intended to stir our own internal machinery so that we can begin to picture each scene for ourselves.
What would it have been like to be just one person, among two million, and hearing the spies’ report through the grapevine? By the time I hear the report, I see and hear everyone else crying in fear. They people who pass the story along to me post their captions on the photograph, as the spies did on their trip to Israel photo collection. Before I can process what is happening, I hear that God is angry and has decided that we will all die out in the desert. There is no caption on that photograph!
I read that Jeremiah wakened the Patriarchs and Moshe so that they would advocate for Israel. How would I picture the scene without the guidance of the Rabbi Eliezer HaKalir in Kinah #26 (Artscroll Kinot: Page 278)?
I stood in Worms, Germany and could close my eyes and picture the massacre of 1096 during the First Crusade. The picture I had in my mind as I stood over an ancient Mikvah filled with garbage has a different caption than the scene in Kinah #25 (Page 270) or the scene in Kinah #33 (Page 316)
The captions help us, but we cannot allow them to limit us. I try to close my eyes after each Kinah to picture the scenes described and wonder how I would have felt had I been there. I try to create my own captions. They make my Tisha B’Av real.
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 Lacking
I was recently studying Da’at Tefillah, one of the best works on prayer, and I read how the author derived from Rashi’s comment that we must pray as “Lackers,” people who have a need. “Adam recognized that the creation lacked rain, and therefore prayed for it.” His approach, primarily based on the Maharal, is that we must always approach God in prayer as “beggars,” who are lacking in everything, most of all, we lack the opportunity to live in a perfected creation, unified in God.
The Da’at Tefillah is not alone in the way he reads this Rashi. His reading of this Rashi is the same as all I have heard and read my entire life. However, I cannot find the word “lacking” anywhere in Rashi’s comment! In fact, I only see Rashi describing the first step as “recognizing the benefit of rain.” I believe that Rashi is offering an entirely different approach to prayer, that of Desire:
 A Different Approach
Whenever I hear someone urging us to repent, I hear a stress on what we lack. Rashi’s approach to Teshuva is to express our desire for more; to live at a higher level, to attach even more to God.
The first question we are asked by the Heavenly Tribunal is, “Tzipita L’shua?” “Did you wait for the Redemption?” The “Lacker” waits for Redemption by focusing on a world that is lacking. He waits in his need. The “Desirer” does not sit and wait in his need; he works hard to fulfill a desire for a better and more complete world. Rashi’s form of Service is to connect with our Nefesh, our passionate desire for more, and express that desire in our prayer.
I use the Nine Days to express my desire to live in a redeemed world in which my soul can live at its highest level. I offer my desire, not my lackings, to God, with hope and confidence. It is thus that my prayers are considered as Offerings on the Altar.
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 Psychopaths shed light on a crucial subset of decision-making that’s referred to as morality. Morality can be a squishy, vague concept, and yet, at its simplest level, it’s nothing but a series of choices about how we treat other people. When you act in a moral manner – when you recoil from violence, treat others fairly, and help strangers in need – you are making decisions that take people besides yourself into account. You are thinking about the feelings of others, sympathizing with their states of mind.
This is what psychopaths can’t do. They are missing the primal emotional cues that the rest of us use as guides when making moral decisions. The absence of emotion makes the most basic moral concepts incomprehensible. G. K. Chesterton was right: “The madman is not the man who has lost his reason. The madman is the man who has lost everything except his reason.”
At first glance, the connection between morality and the emotions might be a little unnerving. Moral decisions are supposed to rest on a firm logical and legal foundation. Doing the right thing means carefully weighing competing claims, like a dispassionate judge.
“Moral judgment is like aesthetic judgment,” writes Jonathan Haidt, a psychologist at the University of Virginia. “When you see a painting, you usually know instantly and automatically whether you like it. If someone asks you to explain your judgment, you confabulate . Moral arguments are much the same: Two people feel strongly about an issue, their feelings come first, and their reasons are invented on the fly, to throw at each other.”
Benjamin Franklin said it best in his autobiography: “So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do.” Jonah Lehrer – How We Decide
There is a powerful reasons why our Avodah, or Spiritual Work, during the Three Weeks of Mourning, is focused on our emotions: No matter how reasonable we may be, we base our decisions on our emotions. The Sages wanted us to identify the negative emotions that led to the disastrous decisions that fed Jerusalem’s destruction. “The Children of Israel cried for no reason when they heard the Spies’ report. I will therefore give them a reason to cry!” Powerful negative emotions fed their decision to reject God and lose hope. The Sages teach us to identify those negative emotions and transform them, not the decisions but the emotions, into healthier emotions that nurture moral decisions.
We are feeding negative emotions and decisions when we practice mourning during the Three Weeks without a sense of what we can accomplish. We are grabbing hold of the same negative emotions that led to all the Tisha B’Avs in our history. We must use the Three Weeks to identify the negative emotions that attempt to assert control over our moral decisions.
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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 If Savinien de Cyrano, known to us as Cyrano de Bergerac, can emulate Enoch and Elijah in order to rise to the heavens and travel to the moon, why cannot I do the same?
During this period of The Three Weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha B’Av, the time period when the Babylonians and the Romans breached the walls of Jerusalem and destroyed the Temples, I want to travel to an alternative universe. I will rise to the heavens – method yet to be determined – and travel to an alternative universe, one in which the Children of Israel did not reject the warnings of the prophets, as they did at the time of the destruction of the first Temple.
I will travel to a Jerusalem thirsty for Jeremiah’s instructions. The people will surrender to the Babylonians, submit to Nebuchadnezzar, pay tribute and protect the Temple and their lives.
Babylonian soldiers are patrolling the Temple mount, and their presence is an insult to my sense of awe for God’s Temple. I see the evil Nebuchadnezzar demanding a tour of the Temple and its riches, and I am incensed. The local Babylonian authorities are demanding that we purchase all Temple supplies from Babylonian merchants. They want to introduce their gods and idols to Jerusalem. I consider any Jews who cooperate to be kapos. Is this really what Jeremiah wanted us to do?
I quickly forget that I am already in an alternative universe and find myself dreaming “What if?” What if we would have not listened to the prophet. I picture myself, and my compatriots in this other world, filled with religious fervor and feeling assured that God would help us if we would only stand up and fight for the glory of His Name.
How strange! I traveled to an alternative universe only to wonder about the one I just left. It seems that no matter where we travel in time, or even across universes, that we end up wondering “What if?”
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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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Dr. George Valiant, considered godfather to the field of positive psychology, asks, "Why do people tell psychologists they'd cross the street to avoid someone who had given them a compliment the previous day?" To illustrate his point, he tells a story about one of his 'prize' Harvard Study men, a doctor and well-loved husband. "On his 70th birthday," Vaillant said, "when he retired from the faculty of medicine, his wife got hold of his patient list and secretly wrote to many of his longest-running patients, 'Would you write a letter of appreciation?' Back came 100 single-spaced, desperately loving letters - often with pictures attached. She put them in a lovely presentation box covered with Thai silk, and gave it to him.' Eight years later, Vaillant interviewed the man, who proudly pulled the box down from his shelf. 'George, I don't know what you're going to make of this,' the man said, as he began to cry, 'but I've never read it.' "It's very hard," Vaillant says, "for most of us to tolerate being loved." Valiant explains that positive emotions make us more vulnerable than negative ones. One reason is that they're future-oriented. Fear and sadness have immediate payoffs - protecting us from attack or attracting resources at times of distress. Gratitude and joy, over time, will yield better health and deeper connections - but in the short term actually put us at risk. That's because, while negative emotions tend to be insulating, positive emotions expose us to the common elements of rejection and heartbreak. The Tribes of Reuben and Gad said to Moses, "If we have found favor in your eyes, give us this land as our portion. Do not make us cross the Jordan." Moses was devastated. He viewed their request as a potential tragedy for the Children of Israel just ready to pick up 38 years after the tragedy of the Spies. We usually understand their motivation as a desire to settle down in a lush and beautiful area without having to wait until Israel was conquered and settled. Is it not also possible that they wanted to settle immediately because they couldn't tolerate being loved? They experienced great success in conquering the lands of Sichon and Og, everything was going well, and they felt vulnerable. Things this good never last! Moshe's concern was with their insecurity with positive experiences. He knew that Israel would experience a steady flow of miracles, blessing and success as they conquered the land. He also suspected that there would be some negative experiences and if he allowed these two tribes to surrender to their fear of failure, the other tribes would remember, and they would experience failures as rejection. They too would become insecure in God's love for them. Moshe was right to be concerned. If the Children of Israel had learned to accept the insecurity of love, they would have survived the fluctuations between success and failure over the next 700 years with equanimity. They would have been better prepared to accept the warnings of Isaiah and Jeremiah. They could have followed Jeremiah's advice to surrender to Babylon, without feeling devastated by God's rejection of them, and Jerusalem would have survived. The entire nation learned from Reuben and Gad and became insecure with positive emotions and experiences. Are we any different? Are we not more comfortable with our feelings as victims of the world, negative emotions, than we are with feelings of pride and joy with all we have accomplished? We spend our time battling our enemies rather than focusing on the incredible experiences of rebuilding Israel. We have email campaigns every time we are unfairly criticized. We are experts at defending ourselves. The only time I see a flow of positive emails is around Yom Ha'atzmaut. This time of year, as we approach Tisha B'Av, is the perfect opportunity to begin a Campaign of the Positive and declare our confidence in our accomplishments and positive experiences. The generations of the two Temples could not tolerate being loved. We can repair that damage by openly declaring our comfort in being loved. Shabbat Shalom Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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 My first nightmare was of being attacked by the monsters described by my brother in a bedtime story. My father came running when he heard me scream and took care of the nightmare (and my brother). The monsters metamorphosed over the years into tests, my experiences as a prison chaplain, certain congregants, and then into some doctors. Tisha B’Av is when all of us relive the terrifying nightmares of our long exilic history.
Preparations helped me realize that my even my Tisha B’Av nightmares have changed.
My Tisha B’Av nightmare is that we stop dreaming of the impossible: Even as Isaiah and Jeremiah continued to dream no matter how dark their situation, Pindar, the greatest of the Greek lyricists, wrote: “O my soul, do not aspire to immortal life, but exhaust the limits of the possible.” That, is my Tisha B’Av nightmare! The only way we will overcome the destruction of Tisha B’Av is by aspiring to “the immortal life”. The Jewish people have survived, even thrived under the most terrible circumstances only because they held fast to their aspirations to the immortal existence of our nation.
Jonas Salk had it right when he said, “I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams.”
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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 They have been married for so long that they don’t remember why they are fighting. They simply know that they are in an argument. There is no single specific issue. They fight. They stopped listening to each other many years ago. The only thing they do hear is criticism. There is no “reason” for them to argue other than their being so accustomed to fighting. That, I believe, is the definition of Sin’at Chinam, or, hatred for no reason. They are stuck in their argument and, when asked, admit that they cannot picture how to live with each other without arguing.
I spend a great deal of time working with people, many of whom are sinking in a quagmire of resentment and anger. People carry their anger for years, even after they have forgotten what provoked their anger. The hatred takes on a life of its own. That is Sin’at Chinam.
It is even more frustrating to observe people seeding such long-lasting resentments. One person phrases something in a poor manner, the other person is hurt, the first person is shocked that he provoked such a response and becomes so angry that he will say something hurtful and the conflict takes root. Neither one will recall exactly how the argument began, but it doesn’t matter; it takes on a life of its own. That is Sin’at Chinam.
I have often heard Rav Kook ZT”l quoted as saying, “The only way to repair Sin’at Chinam is Ahavat Chinam.” It seems that Rav Kook was focusing on the Sin’a, the hatred. I suggest that we focus instead on the Chinam, or ‘Free.’
People have difficulty acknowledging they pay a price for an argument. We pay a steep price even when we are 100% in the right. There is no Chinam – argument without a price – just as there is no Ahavah, or love without a price.
Love is not only experienced; it makes demands. Love demands patience, generosity, selflessness, understanding, empathy and much more. We make our first mistake when we think that either love or hate is Chinam – free, meaning that we do not pay a price.
When one person hears an insult he has a choice whether he is willing to ‘pay,’ meaning to invest effort in understanding what the other said or meant, or what the other was feeling that led him to speak the insult. When we are willing to ‘pay’ we will be able to find a solution.
However, if we focus on ‘Chinam,’ our desire to have love without having to pay, we will certainly be unwilling to ‘pay’ to repair a situation of Sin’a – hatred.
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 Active Participants
When I first read the comments of this eighteenth century philosopher I focused on the importance of a person accepting the role of Smith’s ‘Spectator.’ I happened to glance at this quote in an old notebook and realized that although most of us fail as the Spectator, the more significant failure is our denial of the role of what Smith called ‘The Agent.’
If the Sages of the Talmud and Midrash can find so many causes for the destruction of the Temple, how could the generation of the destruction have failed to notice what they were doing wrong? How could they have failed to appreciate the consequences of their actions when so many of prophets warned them of the coming cataclysm? They even failed to acknowledge after the fact that they were the agents of their own destruction. They refused to accept that they were active Agents in the grand movements of history all around them.
A person who rejects his role as an ‘Agent,’ can never become ‘The Spectator;’ the examiner and judge of his conduct.
The Midrash discovers the earliest allusion to Tisha B’Av in God’s “question” to Adam immediately after the sin: “Ayeka” – “Where are you?” – can also be read as “Eichah!” Adam was hiding. Rather than emerge from his hiding place among the Garden’s trees and say, “I ate of the tree You prohibited to me and realized that I am naked,” Adam hid. He was passive. He did not see himself as an Agent who could repair, or, at the very least, address his sin. He rejected the role of Agent and thereby forfeited the role of Spectator who could judge himself and find a way to repair his sin.
He failed his one test and no longer believed he could be an Agent. His destruction began, not with the sin, but with his sense of failure and inadequacy. He shed the role of Agent, and hid; he could not even look at himself for all his shame.
Perhaps the failure of the Spies, the first Tisha B’Av, the generations of the First and Second Temples, was not their refusal to be Spectators and evaluate their behavior; it was their fear of accepting the role of being Agents, active participants in all the terrible events around them.
How often do we view ourselves as victims of the anger of other people? Most of the people with whom I speak begin with how unreasonable a spouse or friend can be. There are also the people who immediately accept that God is punishing them when something bad happens: they cross the street without looking, are almost hit by a car, and declare, “God was punishing me for arguing with my parents!” It’s as if we are all victims, none of us, Agents. No wonder we have so much difficulty becoming The Spectator who can judge his own actions!
I fear that if we approach Tisha B’Av as a long list of our suffering over the millennia of exile, we will continue to accept the role of victim rather than Agent, and never achieve Spectator.
Our approach to Tisha B’Av must be that of an Agent, who accepts that he plays an important role in life and the world. We must search for ways to actively rebuild all that has been destroyed. It is not enough to say, “I will not sin during the Three Weeks,’ for that is not the statement of an Agent. The Agent asks himself, “What can I do to change my life and the world?” The Agent is active.
Only the Agent can become The Spectator who can evaluate himself during the period of Teshuva that follows close on the heals of Tisha B’Av.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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Summer camp meant that I had an opportunity to participate in sports; the rule was that everyone had a chance to play. I was always the last player chosen, but I got to play and I learned more about life from playing baseball and dodgeball in camp than I did from school. I learned about being part of a team, and that proving how smart I was would not help the team win. I learned that people, at least your teammates, like you more when you do well. I learned to enjoy playing even if when I was a terrible player. The counselors, yeshiva guys all, were excellent cheerleaders but had no idea how to coach. I had to figure out what I should do, which only developed as I played. I learned that I had to play in order to be counted. I understand why Eugen Rosenstock, a German professor of medieval law, observed his American students and said, "The space of play and the space of thought are the two theaters of freedom." I went to camp to learn and experience the freedom of the space of play. I turn to this week's portion to learn and experience the freedom of the space of thought. God wanted the Children of Israel to learn how to be players. Last week's portion ended with God causing Moses to forget the law regarding a person who publicly cohabits with an idol-worshipper so that Pinchas would have to figure out on his own what to do. This week's portion begins with Pinchas' reward for becoming a player. We learn some of the important laws of inheritance only when the daughters of Zelophechad demand their rights to inherit their deceased father's portion in the Land of Israel. God waited for them to step up and play before teaching the laws of inheritance. God waited for Moses to involve himself in the selection of a new leader; He wanted Moshe to step up to the plate and play. The entire portion is about God waiting for us to involve ourselves in the future. He wanted the Children of Israel to become active players in their lives and future. They could no longer survive by simply waiting for God and Moses to direct them. God clearly rejects Plautus' observation that, "The gods play games with men as balls." God never plays with us. He wants us to become players. No wonder this is also the portion in which they are counted! We had to learn how to play in order to be counted. The counting was actually the assignment of each player on the team, each with his unique role. Everyone is a player. No wonder this is also the portion of the Korban Mussaf - The Additional Sacrifices of the Festivals. We had to learn how to add our own ideas, questions and challenges. We had to become active participants in all that was happening. "Players" don't sit around examining world events looking for signs that the Messiah is coming. Players, play. They involve themselves in the world. They actively participate in the world. Players don't sit back in their chairs espousing opinions about the poor decisions of rabbis, leaders and politicians. Players, play. They speak up. They write letters. They dedicate time and effort to their communities and causes. When players play, they become the Mussaf - Adders To - they matter, or, as they say, they are counted. Now is not the time to sit back and observe. Our responsibility is to play, to add and be counted. Play Ball! Shabbat Shalom Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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Wisdom is mysterious and human knowledge is not absolute. There is a dimension of wisdom that eludes even the wisest of men. “Fifty pathways to wisdom were created in the Universe” says the Gemarra,[1] “and all were given to Moshe except one.” Human knowledge will always lack at least one dimension of understanding, and therein lies its mystery.
Wisdom is like an onion. Each time that new insights peels away another layer of ignorance or confusion, we find yet another layer of questions and mysteries. At its core, this “onion” of knowledge carries a secret, a secret known to no one but G-d Himself: the fiftieth gateway to wisdom.
This applies even when man must make halachik decisions or decide in a matter of justice between two litigants in a court of law. “Ki Hamishpat Leilokim hu”, says Moshe,[2] “for the decisions of Justice are ultimately in G-d’s domain.”
If this is so, how are we meant to make halachik decisions? Even if a judge, Poseik or Rav is inherently competent and qualified, how is he to decide on matters of justice if his knowledge is always incomplete, never absolute?
Intellectual Fearlessness
Moshe gives guidance on that matter in the same verse: “Lo Taguru mipnei Ish,” he says, “show no cowardice before any human.” This implies two character requirements in addition to academic competence and practical qualification. The first is a fearless intellectual independence; the second is an implied fear of G-d (do not fear any human, fear only Hashem). In addition to knowledge and wisdom, courage and Yir’at Shamayim are the requirements of a Poseik.
But if no Rav or Poseik can have perfect knowledge, and every person is missing at least one element of understanding and knowledge since even Moshe only grasped 49 of the 50 pathways to wisdom, how can he ever make a valid halachik determination? Moshe himself provides the guidelines: “Anything too difficult for you, bring to me and I shall hear it.” In this statement of advice Moshe erred;[3] an error that caused him severe and eternal embarrassment later on. This is the story:
Tzlofchad’s Daughters
Oddly, the Torah appears to originally have “omitted” a straightforward but necessary Halachah. We are told the detailed laws of inheritance barring what happens to a deceased man who leaves no sons but does leave daughters. The daughters of Tzlofchad are such a case in our Parsha. They reason that although nowhere does the Torah specify their rights to inheritance, this certainly ought to be the law. They put their argument before the lower courts of the nation[4] who, although they agree with the women, refer the case to a higher court out of respect for a Law that as yet had no precedent or code and would need to be innovated. The higher court in turn referred it up for the same reason, until it was referred to Moshe himself. Astonishingly, Moshe’s mind blanked and although the case should have been “cut-and-dried” he needed to refer it to Hashem. Hashem affirms the logic of the Tzlofchad girls, and records Moshe’s intellectual “lapse” for posterity.[5]
What was so wrong in Moshe advising the judges to bring difficult matters to him? Interestingly, Moshe did not say “if you encounter difficulty, bring it to me.” He assumed they would encounter difficulty and instructed them to bring those inevitable difficulties to him. Moshe assumed that other judges who did not have the privilege of studying the Torah from Hashem Himself, would surely not have the same level of knowledge needed to make halachik decisions. And herein lay his error: No one has absolute halachik knowledge, not even he. Absolute knowledge cannot therefore be a precondition for competent halachik decision-making. It is this latitude that gives a Rav the right to pasken (make halachik decisions) provided he has an authentic semichah (Rabbinic ordination) authorizing him to pasken and holds a recognized position[6] as a Poseik. This is so even if there are other rabbis whose knowledge exceeds his. Perfect knowledge is not a requirement. Competence is; Yirat shamayim (G-d fearing) is; and intellectual courage is.
Often as individuals we need to make decisions regarding our own lives, and we feel humbled and overwhelmed by the enormity of the decisions and their implications. In these situations it helps to be mindful that we cannot have perfect knowledge. We will err as even Moshe sometimes did. We will not be accountable for what we did not and could not have known. All we can do is be our best. Make decisions with as much information as we can and with a great deal of Yiras Shamayim and personal courage. We can also follow Moshe’s advice and avoid all intellectual cowardice and fear of public opinion, as we do what we know is right and follow it to the best of our abilities.
The Prominent “Nun”
This is the reason why the Nun (14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet) at the end of the word “mishpattan,” is enlarged.[7] Nun is numerically 50. It reminds us that no one but G-d could truly know all fifty dimensions of the law that applied to the daughters of Tzlofchad, nor any other law for that matter. Still, had Moshe not claimed superior knowledge, he would have made the decision. In effect the daughters of Tzlofchad themselves were able (though not technically qualified) to make the decision; the lower courts certainly could have made the decision. Perfect knowledge is not a requirement for halachik decision-making; nobility of character is.
Notes:
[1] Rosh Hashanah 21a
[2] Devarim 1:17
[3] Of course were it not that Chazal themselves (Rashi Bamidbar 27:5)make this comment we never could, as no human being can grasp Moshe’s greatness, nevermind identify his errors.
[4] Tanchuma 9
[5] Sanhedrin 8a
[6] Whether formal or informal.
[7] Rabbeinu Bechiye Bamidbar 27:5
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Eric Hoffer
He was a longshoreman who turned into a philosopher, wrote columns for newspapers and some books.
He was a non-Jewish American social philosopher.
He was born in 1902 and died in 1983, after writing nine books and winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
His first book, The True Believer, published in 1951, was widely recognized as a classic.
Eric Hoffer was one of the most influential American philosophers and free thinkers of the 20th Century. His books are still widely read and quoted today. Acclaimed for his thoughts on mass movements and fanaticism, Hoffer was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983. Hopewell Publications awards the best in independent publishing across a wide range of categories, singling out the most thought provoking titles in books and short prose, on a yearly basis in honor of Eric Hoffer.
Here is one of his columns from 1968 — 42 years ago! Some things never change!
ISRAEL ‘S PECULIAR POSITION
…by Eric Hoffer
Los Angeles Times May 26, 1968.
The Jews are a peculiar people: things permitted to other nations are forbidden to the Jews.
Other nations drive out thousands, even millions of people and there is no refugee problem. Russia did it, Poland and Czechoslovakia did it.
Turkey threw out a million Greeks and Algeria a million Frenchman.
Indonesia threw out heaven knows how many Chinese and no one says a word about refugees.
But in the case of Israel , the displaced Arabs have become eternal refugees.
Everyone insists that Israel must take back every single one.
Arnold Toynbee calls the displacement of the Arabs an atrocity greater than any committed by the Nazis.
Other nations when victorious on the battlefield dictate peace terms.
But when Israel is victorious, it must sue for peace.
Everyone expects the Jews to be the only real Christians in this world.
Other nations, when they are defeated, survive and recover but should Israel be defeated it would be destroyed.
Had Nasser triumphed last June [1967], he would have wiped Israel off the map, and no one would have lifted a finger to save the Jews.
No commitment to the Jews by any government, including our own, is worth the paper it is written on.
There is a cry of outrage all over the world when people die in Vietnam or when two Blacks are executed in Rhodesia .
But, when Hitler slaughtered Jews no one demonstrated against him.
The Swedes, who were ready to break off diplomatic relations with America because of what we did in Vietnam , did not let out a peep when Hitler was slaughtering Jews.
They sent Hitler choice iron ore, and ball bearings, and serviced his troops in Norway .
The Jews are alone in the world.
If Israel survives, it will be solely because of Jewish efforts. And Jewish resources.
Yet at this moment, Israel is our only reliable and unconditional ally.
We can rely more on Israel than Israel can rely on us.
And one has only to imagine what would have happened last summer [1967] had the Arabs and their Russian backers won the war, to realize how vital the survival of Israel is to America and the West in general.
I have a premonition that will not leave me; as it goes with Israel so will it go with all of us.
Should Israel perish, the Holocaust will be upon us all.
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 Are They As Peace Loving As The World Wants Us To Believe?
Please watch this explanation, which begins with the blockade itself and moves backward and forward, exposing the “humanitarian disaster” and the “Israeli aggression” myths for what they are – calculated and dishonest attacks meant to delegitimize the very possibility of Jewish self-defense.
http://vimeo.com/12555636
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 O would some Power the gift to give us To see ourselves as others see us! It would from many a blunder free us… Robert Burns: “To a Louse” Balak and Balaam offer us a wonderful opportunity: Balak hired Balaam to curse the Children of Israel. The king of Moab was terrified that Moses would lead his nation in battle against Moab and capture her cities and decimate her armies as Israel had done to Sihon the king of the Amorites. Just a few portions earlier, the spies complained, “we were grasshoppers in the yes of the Canaanites.” Now we read of a king who saw us as giants and felt as vulnerable as a grasshopper. Did the Children of Israel understand how others perceived them? Balak hired Balaam, the great prophet, because the Midianites had advised him that Moses’ power was in his mouth – his ability to communicate directly with God. Did the Children of Israel appreciate how others perceived them and their leader? Balaam’s curses/blessings afford us ample insight into how an outsider, an enemy, perceived the greatness of Israel: Balaam celebrated their sense of community and modesty: “How goodly are your tents Jacob!” Did the Children of Israel know how even their enemies acknowledged their strengths? The gentile prophet honored the role that Israel would play in history. He understood how they would survive as “A nation that would dwell on its own,” separate, but strong in their nationhood. Did the nation camped around the Mishkan – Tabernacle – unaware that Balaam was standing on a mountain observing them and honoring the great role they were to play in history? The Children of Israel did not know that Balaam was there. They were unaware of the great respect and awe in which Balak and Balaam held them. Balaam knew this as well, and was able to suggest to Balak a devastating strategy to corrupt a nation unaware of its own greatness. Would the Children of Israel have sinned with the daughters of Moab if they were aware of their greatness, or if they had an inkling of how others perceived them? I think not. Perhaps this portion can serve as a reminder to stop and consider how others perceive us. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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The 1973 Jerusalem Post perfume ad was for "Chutzpah," by Aviva Dayan, the daughter of the celebrated hero: "Arrogant! Direct! Provoking! But at the same time refreshingly natural like the Sabras in whose image it was created!". Directly underneath the ad another perfume was touted: Mazaltov - The Perfume That Brings Luck! I never smelled either fragrance, but I do know that there is some truth to the claims about Chutzpah and Mazal and their connection. The UN imposes sanctions on Iran because of its project to develop a nuclear bomb, and Iran responds by stepping up its efforts. That's Chutzpah! Israel defends itself, is criticized by the world, and responds by weakening its blockade of Gaza. Israel seems to want the world's approval, but it has no mazal in that area. No chutzpah; no mazal. The world is concerned with North Korea's sinking of a South Korean submarine, so North Korea warns the world that they are willing to go to war. That's Chutzpah! And it works! Israel went into Gaza to stop Hamas from firing thousands of missiles into Israel, and the world cries for Israel to stop. They do: No chutzpah; no mazal. God made it clear to Billam that He did not want the prophet to curse the Children of Israel. Billam negotiates with God, does whatever he wants, and God allows him to go! Chutzpah works! There are different types of Chutzpah, shall we say the holy and the unholy? There are people who use chutzpah only when they know that their adversaries are spineless and will back down. It's the chutzpah that takes advantage of the weaknesses of others. Iran and North Korea are perfect examples. It's the chutzpah of bullies. Neither would stand up to the world with chutzpah unless they knew beforehand that everyone would back down from a confrontation. Holocaust survivors who were willing to begin a new life also had chutzpah, but it was holy chutzpah. It was the chutzpah of courage. Their's was the chutzpah of belief in a value that could not be compromised. They fought for life. They fought with Chutzpah. The State of Israel was built with chutzpah, insane, but holy chutzpah, crazy and courageous, chutzpah. As long as we felt that we were fighting for our existence we could call on our holy chutzpah just as we do every time we pray and present our extensive lists of requests. We even demand "Meheira!" - "Do it quickly!" of God. Billam, the prophet of Chutzpah, our dangerous enemy, praises Israel's ability to rise up with Chutzpah: "He crouched and lay down like a lion, and, like a lion cub - who can stand him up?" (Numbers 24:9) Rashi explains that this verse describes the Children of Israel who are willing to fight for the land with strength and vigor. The Talmud considers this verse so fundamental that it wants to add it to the Shema. (Berachot 12b) We are at our best only when we live with Holy Chutzpah. Our enemies know it. Do we? Shabbat Shalom Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. |
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 The Candidate
I was reminded of these dualists as I chanted the Haftarah – The Prophetic Selection – this past week. Micah has an interesting way of referring to Balak and Balaam’s attempt to curse the Children of Israel: “My nation, remember now what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered him.” (Micah 6:5) The prophet does not refer to Balaam’s equal desire to curse Israel or Balaam’s strategy to corrupt Israel through the daughters of Moab. Micah asks us to remember the plot and Balaam’s answer.
Balak understood that the battle would be a spiritual war, one with which he was totally unfamiliar. Aware that Midian was equally concerned with this new nation on the political and military scene, He turned to his ancient enemy for advice. Moshe spent many years with them and Balak expected that they would have a sense of his powers. The Midianites, who remembered the Moshe with the speech impediment before his experience at the Burning Bush and the beginning of his prophecy, somehow understood that Moshe’s power was his ability to communicate with God.
The two nations decided to hire Balaam, the great prophet of the nations, albeit a hedonist, to lead them in this battle of unfamiliar territory. The Midianites are too frustrated by Balaam’s corruption to stick with the strategy and Balak is left to handle the only prophet in history considered by the Sages to be the equal of Moses.
Balak was confused by Balaam’s constant reference to God – The God of Israel – as the One in charge. Balak and Balaam offer sacrifices to this great power, and even when the first curses come out as blessings, Balak, despite his frustration, asks Balaam, “What did God speak?” (Numbers 23:17)
Balak accepts that this hedonist, Balaam, is Moab’s only hope. He accepts that they must make offerings to Israel’s God. He even accepts that Balaam will only be able to speak God’s words. So how can he possibly believe that they will succeed in cursing God’s nation with God’s help?
Balak, much as the Manichaeans, the Cathars, and the Bogomils was a dualist, although of a different and more dangerous sort: He believed that the spiritual and physical worlds were completely unrelated. Balak accepted that the former did not function according to any of the rules of the latter. Balak, a supremely practical and insightful king, simply accepted Balaam’s “answers” that the spiritual war with Israel would not make practical sense to a simple human being.
This is why the Targum Yonatan describes the final confrontation between Balaam and Pinchas as he does: “When Balaam saw that Pinchas was chasing him, he used his magic to fly into the air. Pinchas used the Name of God, rose up to the heavens, grabbed Balaam, pulled him down to earth, and only then, killed him.” Balaam, the dualist, believed that Israel could only exist in the heavens. They would never live a physical life on this world. It could only be one or the other.
Pinchas pulled Balaam down to earth before killing him to make a statement that Israel does not believe that there are two separate worlds that are unrelated. The Children of Israel understand that the spiritual and physical function together. We do not strive to escape this world in order to live and flourish spiritually. We find the beauty and spirituality here on this world.
The Balaks, Balaams, and Manichaeans are all long gone, but we continue to thrive in both the spiritual and physical realms.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 An Attached Cover
Patil shares the same root as Tefillah: P-T-L. We are familiar with the connection between the two words from “Sacred schemes have I maneuvered,” (Genesis 30:8 In Hebrew: “Naftulai Elokim Niftalti” again the same root of P-T-L. God created the Primal Human in a straight manner. He corrupted and confused himself. He twisted himself up in knots, as a Petil – a thread. Tefillah is the untying of the knots and straightening ourselves out. (Peirush Maharzu on Bereishit Rabbah 52:13)
Onkelos and Rashi understand the relationship with a Petil – thread – as connecting the different parts of our lives together.
The Tzamid Patil – Attached cover – in this past portion, hints to P-T-L as attachment: Tefillah is our means to attach to our Creator.
In Jewish Law we can connect only similar species – Min b’mino. We must be “similar” to God in order to attach. We must use our prayers to bring an abundance of life and positive influence to all of God’s creation.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 La Pieta
This week’s portion, Balak – offers an equally powerful study in contrasts: Moshe and Balaam. “There was never a prophet in Israel as Moshe,” not in Israel, but among the nations. Balaam was the greatest prophet of the other nations. Moshe used his prophecy to build. Balaam used his to destroy. Moshe was constantly searching to perform the will of God. Balaam was only interested in using his powers to have God help him achieve his selfish desires. Moshe concludes his life by blessing Israel. Even when he voiced his “curses” it was only as a rebuke a warning for those who did not serve God with joy. Balaam wanted to curse Israel who represented the antithesis of his values and goals.
We are often confronted with the powerful contrast between good and evil. We read the horrible stories of the Holocaust and can also find stories of great courage, heroism and altruism. We meet people who are sincere in their devotion to God and we often meet people who are interested only in power and prestige.
How do we react to such contrasts? Do we remain as calm as the Renaissance visitor, or do we take note of the contrasts in order to choose and affirm our choices.
My father zt”l once noticed that I was terribly upset by some horrible behavior I observed in a famous rabbi. He immediately took me to visit a simple and holy old man. “Whenever you see evil, search for an equally powerful example of good to restore your soul,” he told me. I try to follow his advice and take note of the beautiful people, actions and things I witness to have in my quiver for those moments when confronted by the Pear.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Singing In The Rain
Born in the West, far from the land of palms.
I said to it: How like me you are, far away and in exile,
In long separation from family and friends.
You have sprung from soil in which you are a stranger,
And I, like you, am far from home.
In old age, aware that he would die far from his native land, Abd al-Rahman wrote a lovely, heartbreaking little poem, an ode to a palm tree. He had been a daredevil young man and a vigorous and powerful sovereign, a man who had survived the vicious rout of his family and spent three decades turning a once wild outpost, rife with internecine violence, into a prosperous and civilized world capital.
He had triumphed as a warrior and a pioneer, and in his final years his greatness as a builder was every day more visible, as a mosque to rival all others, past and present, grew in Cordoba, row after row of red and white.
But at the end of the day, Abd al-Rahman shared with his Arab ancestors an unembarrassed and manly love of poetry. Although he was not himself a brilliant writer, Abd al-Rahman’s legacy is as crucial as the Great Mosque itself, his poetic tradition a palace that houses the memories of the oldest ancestors.
The Children of Israel after the death of Miriam, complaining about water, Moshe’s disastrous mistake, Aaron’s death, and fiery serpents, composed a poem. It is not as famous as the Song of the Sea, but is filled with essential messages about Torah study and service of God. (Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh)
“Then Israel sang this song:
“Come up, O well! Call out to it!
Well that the princes dug, that the nobles of the people excavated, through a lawgiver, with their dtaffs. A gift from the Wilderness -
the gift went to the valley, and from the valley to the heights,
and from the heights to the valley in the field of Moab, at the top of the peak, overlooking the srface of the wilderness.” (Numbers 21:17-20)
They sang without Moshe leading them as he did after crossing the Yam Suf. (Michtav MeEliyahu)They sang despite the tragedies and their failures. They sang even as they confronted that they had failed to achieve the spiritual heights that were their fathers’ when they sang.
They left us a legacy of “Singing Despite,” singing despite their failures, singing despite their limitations, singing despite the fact their song would never be as famous as others. They sang because the were so moved. They sang because they were able to celebrate all the good they saw amidst their troubles.
Their legacy is not the song as much as “Singing Despite.”
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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If not for celiac disease, I would protest Turkey's recent hostility toward Israel by eating croissants. In 1683 an army of more than a hundred thousand Ottoman Turks was besieging Vienna. They tried tunneling under the walls, but the Viennese bakers working through the night heard the digging sounds and raised the alarm. Their early warning prevented the Turks from breaching the city walls and delayed the attack until the Polish King John III reached Vienna and drove the Turks away. The bakers celebrated the end of the siege by copying the crescent moon from their enemy's flag and turned it into a commemorative pastry; the croissant. We don't need the complex and seemingly contradictory laws of the Red Heifer to realize that there are deep mysteries to God's laws; even pastry can have a hidden meaning. This week's Torah Reading - Chukat - Statutes Beyond Our Understanding - is not about one statute: "God spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 'This is the statute of the Torah..speak to the Children of Israel." (Numbers 19:1-2) God did not instruct Moses to teach that the Red Heifer is a statute. The verse does not say, "Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them this is a statute." The Chok, or statute, is that every teaching of the Torah must be presented with the idea of Chok - This is beyond human comprehension. Torah learning is an invitation to explore the hidden meanings of absolutely everything in life, even croissants. Each Mitzvah we perform is a call to search for the hidden lessons of our lives and relationship with God. When we study God's laws as rules without a sense of mystery, or Chok, we forfeit their vibrant messages and delicious insights. Reading the Bible, Talmud, or prayerbook without an appreciation for the hidden meanings waiting to be discovered by us turns perfect croissants (available, of course, only in Argentina as Medialunas) into Krispy Kreme Donuts. We step into the world of Chok each time we pray. We have a chance to discover hidden treasures each time we open a Bible. The Mitzvot train us to step into different worlds with every action. There are three categories of commandments, but all Mitzvot contain an element of all three. Each category triggers different lessons: Mishpatim ask us to reexamine our assumptions about life. Eidot, or Testimonies, remind us to always consider how we fit into the broader history of God and Israel. Chukim challenge us to always reach deeper into the mysteries and hidden meanings of absolutely everything. I will observe the 11th anniversary of my father zt"l's passing in two weeks. He always taught me to challenge, ask and explore. My Torah diet had croissants, not donuts. I plan to honor his yahrtzeit with a series of 10 webinar classes, Chok style, on the Book of Daniel, beginning with a special lecture at The Foundation Stone Argentine brunch on Sunday, June 27th. The series will be on Sunday mornings 11AM New York time. Please stay tuned for more details. (Can someone please mention to Debbie that my life as a political activist would be greatly enhanced if she would only figure out a way to make gluten free croissants?) Favorites: Emunah Water and The Chok of The Staff. |
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 With Mixed Emotions
he forgets, when he forgets he loves, when he loves
he begins to forget.
Yehuda Amichai – A Man in His Life
I never cease to be amazed by our ability and need to displace one emotion with another.
There is often an element of loss in illness. I lost contact with many friends during long periods of illness. An important part of the recovery process is to seek out what was lost, and I would attempt to reconnect with people I had lost.
“When he finds – he forgets,” is true on different levels. Restored relationships allow me to forget the loneliness of illness, and they demand that I forget the pain of lying in bed for months or years at a time wondering why people forgot me. I can only relate again when I am willing to forget, and when I love again, I begin to forget the painful parts of the past. Rarely am I able to simultaneously experience all the complex emotions.
I was sitting with an IV before a recent operation much calmer than the people in the beds to my right and left who were terrified of surgery and were literally screaming in fear. My doctor was surprised that I was so calm. “I’ve done this before,” I explained.
“Yes, but often with disastrous results. You’re not scared?”
“No. Whatever the All-Merciful does is for good.”
“You’re blocking out your fears,” he insisted.
“Isn’t it strange for a surgeon to want his patient to be scared?”
“I am bothered more by your calm faith than I would be if you were as terrified as the people screaming!”
I wonder: Who was the one blocking his emotions? As my kids love to say; “Wasn’t me!”
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Cook Ting is cutting an ox into pieces as Lord Wen-hui stands looking on. He carries out a virtuoso performance – as rhythmic and flowing as a dance. The lord, filled with awe and admiration, cannot suppress his delight. “Ah, your method is superb!” he says. Cook Ting lays down his knife and replies that, really, there is no method, except that after having carved thousands of oxen, it is the Way that guides him unerringly from his first cut to his last. He elaborates further, and when he has finished, Lord Wen-hui proclaims, “Excellent! I have heard the words of Cook Ting and learned how to care for life!” (Chau Tzu: Basic Writings)
The cook has carved up thousands of oxen. Have many hundreds of onlookers become enlightened? No. An awakening comes only to those who, like Lord Wen-hui, are prepared to receive the cook’s inadvertent lesson.
There are artists of life, artists of Chesed – Life Force Nurturers – artists of education etc. It is not their “method” that is superb, but, rather their Derech – their way. Judaism is a “Path” – it provides a direction, as we walk – Halacha. It encourages us to be Walkers Along The Path – “Mehalchim” (Zachariah 7) To learn from the Artists of Walking – we must, as Lord Wen-hui, be prepared to receive their lessons. The process of learning begins with the student’s desire for awakening.
Only then, will we see beyond the method and notice the path, which will then invite and direct us.
Moshe declared: “We shall travel on the king’s road.” (Numbers 21:22) The path is open and prepared. Are we?
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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Greek Warship
We can hear echoes of Cleon and Diodotus in the commentaries reading of two stories in Parashat Chukat: Moshe backed down from a conflict with Edom, He requested permission from Edom’s king for Israel to pass through his territory and was refused. Moshe would not battle Edom, the rightful heir of Esau in the land Jacob’s brother received as his inheritance. (Numbers 20:14-21) Moshe avoided conflict with Edom only to face Sihon, king of the Amorite, a short while later. Moshe sent a similar request to Sihon: “Allow us to pass through your land.” Sihon refused and gathered his armies believing that he would successfully intimidate Israel and stop the traveling nation at his borders. Sihon was wrong. Israel fought and Sihon was destroyed. (21:21-24)
Did Sihon perceive Moshe and Israel as weak willed because of their detour around Edom and their unwillingness to fight? Would Sihon have avoided battle if Israel had warred and won against Edom?
The Cleons argue that Moshe was responsible for the conflict with Sihon because he did not project strength and determination. Diodotus and his followers supported Moshe’s actions.
We continue to debate the arguments of Cleon and Diodotus: The 2006 war in Lebanon against Hezbollah, and the recent war in Gaza against Hamas, were intended to project Israel’s unbending will and determination. What would Moshe have done? Would we have seen the Moshe who avoided battle with Edom? Or, would the Moshe who destroyed Sihon have led us into battle?
There are times when we forget that the stories of the Torah continue to resonate in practical ways on the world stage and in our lives.
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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 I have self-diagnosed yet again. It seems that I suffer from Cryptomnesia, or, unacknowledged memories. There are times when I am inspired by an idea that was long ago planted in my memory by something I read or heard. The idea is not truly mine, but it certainly feels that way. (Jonathan Lethem planted the idea for this newsletter in his essay “The Ecstasy of Influence” published in Harper’s Magazine.)
I often hear others make authoritative statements that are clearly plagiarized from movies, books, television and classes. However, I was not prepared to hoisted by my own petard: Someone with whom I pray each Shabbat explained to me that he was better prepared to read the Haftarah as he had studied the text on The Foundation Stone. He obviously did not know of my association with the essay and was quite perturbed when I told him that the text he studied was written by me. He refused to believe that I could come up with the idea for the essay and researched numerous books and scholarly articles to prove that the ideas could not possibly have been mine. He didn’t find another source, but I will tell you, that he was absolutely correct: The idea was not mine. The seed had been planted by a short comment of my father at the Shabbat table in 1969.
All of the Bible stories are about seeds of thought planted within our minds and souls. From Adam’s search for a life partner to Abraham’s journeys, from Israel at Sinai to Korach’s rebellion, we read of basic human drives and struggles.
No wonder the Sages teach us that Datan and Avirum of this week’s portion were the same people who criticized and spoke of Moshe’s killing of the Egyptian, who worshipped idols while crossing the Sea of Reeds, who kept their first portion of Manna overnight against Moshe’s explicit instructions, and who went out on the first Shabbat searching for the Manna that Moshe said would not fall that day. The Sages understood that their participation in Korach’s rebellion did not grow out of nothing. The seeds had been planted long before. They want us to observe how that seed, first planted more than 40 years earlier, flourished and grew into the horrible beast we can observe in this portion.
“Find the seeds,” they tell us, so that we can begin to notice the seeds that have been planted in our own minds. The Sages instruct us to recognize the sources of our questions and struggles. Torah study nurtures our ability to examine ourselves below the surface, recognize the symptoms of Cryptomnesia, and deal with issues at their core.
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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Hard To Walk A Straight Line
What Levi described about his bunk mates in Auschwitz is not unfamiliar to us. We see the drift, the Drunkard’s Walk, everywhere in life in the random motion of feelings incessantly bumping, and being bumped by their sister feelings.
If we would mark the inconsistent path of the Children of Israel from the time they left Egypt, and then crossed the Split Sea, complained about water and food, received Manna and Miriam’s Well, complained again, battled Amalek, experienced Revelation, built the Golden Calf and then the Mishkan (Tabernacle), complaining again, repenting, t and on and on, we would see a drunken man’s path through life. They weaved back and forth, up and down, but always moved ahead until…
The spies forgot all the inconsistencies and got stuck believing they were insects. (Fleas On My Mind) The nation went back and forth as a pendulum until they froze in their sense of inadequacy.
What happened? Why were they frightened of their fluctuations only now, as they were about to enter the Land of Israel?
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Is That Me?
Tiny bugs can be evil. In Balzac’s “Droll Stories” the nuns of the merry monastery of Poissy explain to a naive novice how one must go about telling whether the captured flea is male, female, or virgin, but finding a virgin flea is extremely rare “because these beasts are unmannerly, they are all lascivious sluts, who give themselves to the first comer.”
In the popular mind the flea, as for that matter, in the Talmud and Midrash also the fly, is related to the Devil. In “Faust,” at Auerbach’s inn, Mephistopheles is applauded by everyone when he starts to sing the song of the king who had a huge flea, loved it like a son, kept him as a child, and had a silk and velvet suit cut for him.
The flea is diabolic in its ability to escape capture with a leap so swift that it abruptly eludes the eye and seems to disappear. God may be, ‘inordinately fond of beetles,” (J.B. S. Haldane) but He certainly gifted the tiny flea with great powers.
The spies felt small and insignificant. They contrasted themselves to, “the sons of the giant from among the Nephilim,” (Numbers 13:33) and immediately were deflated into thinking of themselves as insects. They carried super large fruit with them and felt like Gulliver in Brobdingnag. The same man who was a giant in Lilliput was able to adjust to being the size of an insect, but the spies could not handle the adjustment.
Their mistake was not in perceiving themselves as insects, but in refusing to adjust to their new size. We all experience highs and lows. Our encounters with life are inconsistent. We have moments of great accomplishments when we feel like giants, and failures when we feel like insects. We adjust. The spies did not. They refused to adjust, which reflected a total lack of understanding all they had experienced thus far.
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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 But At Least I Meant Well!
He realized that there was also terrible confusion. Many people felt that they had lost everything. They had shattered their covenant with God. They were so devastated by their sense of failure that they believed that the Torah laws no longer applied.
He wanted to do something to reconnect them with whatever remained of their accomplishments, so, he decided to publicly violate the Shabbat. “And the Children of Israel were in the desert and they found a man gathering wood on the Shabbat day. Those who found him, brought him close to Moshe and Aaron and to the entire assembly, and they placed him in a guarded place for it had not been explained what they should do.” (Numbers 15:32-34)
“Those who found him,” wanted him jailed. They did not want anyone to violate their Shabbat by violating his! They did not “bring him close” for judgment; if that was their purpose, they only had to bring him to court, not to Moshe, not to Aaron, and certailnly not the entire assembly!
Something happened when they saw a man publicly breaking the Shabbat laws. They felt violated. They wanted him placed where he could not damage their Shabbat. Their response was to fight for Shabbat, for their Shabbat. Their connection with God’s laws was strong. Our “hero,” achieved his purpose.
He violated Shabbat in order to convince people that despite their terrible failures, the Torah lived. (Targum Yonatan ben Uziel 15:32) He was misguided, but also well-intentioned.
He sat in his cell, the only one in the camp, when the bars were opened and another man was violently tossed inside. (Ba’al HaTurim, Numbers 15:31) “Wow,” he thought, “I wasn’t the only one with the crazy idea!”
“Shalom Aleichem, Reb Yid,” he said as he extended his hand in greeting. “@#&*^%$!!!” was the man’s response.
“Why are you here?” he persisted.
“@#&*^%$!!!”
“What’s the matter with you?”
“That’s why I’m here: I said that about G-d.”
Our hero started banging his cup against the jail bars. “Let me out! I don’t belong in the same cell as this man. I was well-intentioned! Help! How could you put us both into the same jail cell?”
He fell to the ground, sobbing. He could not believe that people thought of him as no better than his cell mate. He was so upset that the jailer asked Moshe to send a psychiatrist to calm the prisoner. Moshe sent a rabbi, Yonatan ben Uziel, rather than a doctor.
“Rabbi! Rabbi! I don’t belong here with a sinner. I’m a Tzaddik! I sinned with only good intentions!”
Rabbi ben Uziel smiled. Even the flames that extended up from around his head seemed to offer warmth and understanding. “We know exactly why you did what you did. Your intentions were different, but your actions were just as evil. Why did you not choose a different way to prove your point? Why did you not ask your rabbi for advice? Why did you make such a major decision on your own?”
He didn’t know how to answer Rabbi ben Uziel.
The great rabbi reached out and held the man’s hands in his own. “You took a terrible risk. You played with the laws of Shabbat. It is especially when you play with fire that everything must be consistent between your actions and intentions. Just look at what happened to the ten spies.”
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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 In honor of my brother-in-law, Miguel Banet, who works so hard to keep me consistent: In his “Memoirs,” Andrei Sakaharov cites the great Polish philosopher, Leszek Kolakowski, who wrote, “Inconsistency is simply a secret awareness of the contradictions of the world, a permanent feeling of possible personal error, or if not that, then the possibility that one’s antagonist is right.” Sakharov agrees with this limitation to belief, but adds “my only quarrel is with the word ‘inconsistency,’ which I would replace with one that conveys my belief that intellectual growth and social awareness should combine dynamic self-criticisms and a set of stable values.”
Kolakowski believes that awareness of possible error leads to inconsistency. I guess that you can’t possibly write, “Towards a Marxist Humanism,” without being aware that you are inconsistent.
Life experience has proven Kolakowski’s definition of inconsistency. Talmud study supports Sakharov:
It’s not difficult to meet people who are absolutely convinced of the truth of their beliefs. Religious leaders of all faiths are quick to condemn those who disagree. I once spoke before a gathering of rabbis and quoted a Midrash which made them slightly uncomfortable. Expecting a negative reaction, I brought a copy of the text with me.
As I returned to my seat, one rabbi yelled out, “There is no such Midrash!” I offered to show the text to him and he refused to look. “It doesn’t exist.” The Midrash clearly contradicted one of his most closely held beliefs, indicated that he was in error, or at least that his antagonist, me, was right. He could not look. He, a wonderful and usually quite reasonable fellow, faced the world relying on his rock solid beliefs. He waged a fierce war against anything inconsistent with his convictions, and, I suspect, feared internal inconsistency.
I must say that I found the entire story to be ironic: This rabbi is an “expert” in the laws of interpersonal relationships, and yet his fear of inconsistency caused him to behave in a manner totally inconsistent with his teachings!
I heard a “prominent” rabbi speak at the funeral of a 40 year old man, known for his generosity, religious commitment, and incredible hours of study. He said to the man’s orphans, “Your father’s life proves that God protects people who are charitable, observant and study Torah. If you emulate him, God will grant you a long life.” I was shocked: His words directly contradicted the facts of the funeral at which he spoke. The man died at a very young age. God did not grant him a long life.
The children were dumbfounded. They were confused. The audience, however, loved it. It seemed that everyone was so fearful of any contradiction or inconsistency in their beliefs that they were incapable of thinking through what the rabbi had said.
As I said, my life experiences have proven Kolakowski’s definition of inconsistency. The Talmud is an adventure in dynamic self-criticism and respect for the opinions of those who disagree combined with stable values. The Sages of the Mishna and Talmud are unconcerned that their willingness to listen to their antagonists will lead to inconsistency. Contradictions are meant to be resolved, not feared. A different view is an opportunity to gain a fresh perspective, and will always lead to the refinement of ideas and ideals. The Mishna and Talmud are never inconsistent. They laugh at the suggestion that an honest look in the mirror may lead to inconsistency.
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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 It's War!
Maimonides rose to his position as leader of the Jewish community of Egypt by battling Yahya Abu Zikri, who called himself Sar Shalom – The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:5) – he regarded himself as the precursor of the Messiah or as the Messiah himself. His story is told in The Scroll of Zuta the Wicked as a parody of the Purim story. “Moses ben Maimon restored the law to its former state, removed the image from the temple and brought the beginning of salvation.”
I cannot begin to imagine that the Rambam was pleased with the book atop the Fostat Times bestseller list. However, he clearly understood that his victory over Zuta afforded him the prestige necessary to assume leadership of the Egyptian Jewish community.
It is often the battle against evil that affords us the opportunity to define our beliefs and values. Numerous secular Israelis only begin to identify with Israel when they have to fight for her survival. In this week’s portion, Moses attempts to convince Chovav to join the Children of Israel as they prepared to cross into Canaan. The word Tov – Good – is repeatedly used in the story, but Moses failed. The people quickly sink in the muck of their complaints and God must appoint 70 Sages to support Moshe as leader. The fight against evil led to a new era in a way that a passionate cry to follow a vision for good could not.
Must we wait for our enemies in order to fight for our survival? Why do we respond to a call for action against a problem or threat more readily than we do to a good cause?
I still believe in the power of good to inspire and raise us. The Foundation Stone is not intended to battle ignorance. It is intended to nurture knowledge and passion. We are not fighting those who would observe the Mitzvot as a matter of habit, but to touch those who are searching for a better understanding of the inherent good and power of Torah.
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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Listen!
Sound is effective, and sound, or sound making, is one of the ideas in this week’s portion. God commanded Moses to make trumpets that would summon the people and send messages through the camp. I think of them whenever I hear the Shabbat siren in Israel.
I find it interesting that God makes a point with Elijah that He is not in the shivaree, but in the small voice: (See Beeps, Pwets, and Pons) “11. And He said: ‘Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD.’ And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12. and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” (Kings I, Chapter 19)
God was in the “still small voice,” not in the wind, earthquake or fire. What happened to the Trumpets and the loud noise?
We find both the trumpets and the still, small, voice in our High Holiday prayers: “The great shofar will be sounded and a still, thin sound will be heard.” (Unetaneh Tokef) What happens after a shockingly loud noise? There is silence. Only in that silence will we be able to hear the still, small voice, in which we can truly find God.
Perhaps the trumpets were not only an announcement; they were also intended for us to pay attention to what we could hear in the silence that followed.
We have recently been awaked by winds, earthquakes, oil spills, and volcanos. The trumpets were sounded and we focused on the loud noises. Perhaps the lesson of Moshe’s trumpets was that we must learn to pay attention to the “still, small voice,” that speaks to us in all of our life experiences.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Enough Already!
Perhaps creative genius is simply the persistence of childishness into adulthood in certain individuals: The persistence of curiosity to make scientists and philosophers, Torah Scholars and Servants of God; of wonder to make poets and painters, rabbis and “prayors”. Of imagination, of dream stuff, in all these various categories, though it may be wiser not to pursue the childish analogy too far.
Which is exactly what happens in this week’s portion; The Children of Israel took the analogy of childishness too far. Moses even complains to God, “Did I conceive this entire people or did I give birth to it, that You say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a suckling, to the Land that You swore to its forefathers?” (Numbers 11:12) Rashi compares them to, “A child escaping from school.”
I can’t imagine watching the Clouds of Glory signal the camp to move without a sense of childish wonder. I can’t imagine eating Manna without a child’s excitement. I can’t imagine studying Torah without the fascination that made me treat my father as the original Google with my incessant insistence on “Why?”
However, childish wonder does not mean that we must act as children. We cannot eat at God’s table laden with treats only to complain about what’s missing. How can someone who maintains childish wonder when studying Torah simply accept ideas as a child being told what to do, without asking “Why?” Should that spirit of a child be expressed as belief in spiritual super heroes who are angelic since birth? Are we not taking that childish wonder a little too far?
Perhaps the people looked to Moshe with that same childish wonder. He went up to heaven and spent 40 days and nights with God. Wow! He is beyond us! He brought Manna. He brought water from a rock. He can do anything. He became their father and mother.
So, God instructed Moshe to appoint the Seventy Elders and He emanated Moshe’s spirit on to them and they began to prophecy. They experienced that Moshe was not some kind of super hero; he was what all of them could be. He too shared the childish wonder over God’s words and miracles, but as an adult on a serious search.
Perhaps we can read the name of the portion, Behaalotecha, as “When you grow up!” or, “Grow Up! Why Doncha?”
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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"On the one hand there is the simplicity, on the other the endless complexity of the process," writes biologist Maitland Edey about the basic structure of DNA. "It is that magisterial power that commands our attention. Its four molecules are absurdly simple. They are not alive, but they can do things no molecules ever dreamed of... Lo, there emerges a bacterium, a flower, a fish, a Frenchman." (Blueprints: Solving the Mystery of Evolution)
Last week's portion was a lesson in the magical power of a simple structure to be expressed in numerous forms: The twelve Princes of the Tribes all offered the same structure, the same offering, but each expressed a related but different reality. Aaron envied their role in the consecration of the Altar. He, the Prince of the tribe of Levi, was not invited to participate. God comforted him by saying that his service was greater than theirs because he would prepare and kindle the Menorah.
The twelve offerings of the Princes were the bacterium, so to speak, the less magnificent expression of the spiritual DNA of God's creation. Aaron's gift was the Frenchman. Aaron used the same basic formula, but voila! His service was expressed as a Menorah giving light every day for more than a thousand years.
Why were the twelve Princes not envious of Aaron? I suspect that Aaron's gift was not possible without the more basic work of the Princes, much as the bacterium had to be possible before there could be anything as wonderful as a Frenchman. In fact, the name of the portion, Behaalotecha, means, "As You Develop;" it was a challenge to Aaron to raise up the work of the Princes and transform it into a higher level of existence. It was the same challenge that Moses presented to his father-in-law, Yitro; "now is your opportunity to take all your development to a much higher level." It was the same challenge that God presented to the Manna Eaters, the Children of Israel: "Are you ready to acknowledge how much you have evolved from the people I took out of Egypt and rise to unimaginable levels?"
Yitro refused the challenge, as did the Manna Eaters. Aaron did not. His Menorah continues to burn in our homes each year on Chanukah.
We, too, are constantly presented with the same challenge: Are we ready to evolve even further? Are we prepared to grow and soar to ever greater heights? Are we satisfied with remaining a bacterium compared to the Frenchman we each can become?
Torah does not only teach; it nurtures. It challenges us. It pushes us to continue to evolve as human beings and as servants of God. It provides us with the opportunity to "do things no molecules, or human beings, ever dreamed of."
I cannot wait to see how far we will go. Join me.
We invite you to join in All For The Best -Part Two: A Fee Webinar in memory of Chana bat Avraham. Register Here. You can hear Part One Here.
Favorites: The Futurist & Finding My Place In Torah.
We are happy to add our newest column Beyond Twelve Gates by Rabbi Zev Smason, and a special series of Words Can Heal by Rabbi Irwin Katsof.
Thank you & Shabbat Shalom
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 Uh Oh! I’m in trouble! I grew up in a family that did not celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. My wife grew up in a family that has a major 48 hour celebration for each birthday and anniversary. Let’s just say that I had to make some changes. I have learned to work very hard to never forget an important day. Today, I missed a very important day: La Revolucion de Mayo! How could I forget, not that I ever knew of, one of the most significant days in Argentine history? If you don’t hear from me ever again, you will understand that I deserved my fate. I need to earn a free pass to escape the consequences of forgetting an important Argentine anniversary. (No such thing for birthdays or normal anniversaries!)
Please don’t tell Debbie, but if I ever survive this terrible sin, I plan to get my revenge! On May 24, 2011, the 20th of Iyar, I will catch my wife for forgetting the important event that occurred in this week’s portion: “It was in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from upon the Tabernacle of the Testimony.” (Numbers 10:11) She will never again be able to be angry with me for forgetting an important anniversary!
“Is the 20th of Iyar any less important than the 25th of Mayo (May)? It is more important: Otherwise why would it be mentioned in the Torah?”
I know my wife. She will respond, “Why is it important?”
Do you think Rashi’s explanation will be effective: “This teaches us that they spent 12 months less 10 days at Choreiv.” I’m not sure that will be a good response.
Let’s try the Ibn Ezra: “This was the first journey of the people as a camp with the Mishkan.” Somehow, I suspect that the explanation will not earn me a free pass for any important anniversaries I may forget. I need a better explanation.
Let’s see: Perhaps we can combine Rashi and the Ibn Ezra. When I read, “12 months less 10 days,” I immediately think of the Ten Days of Repentance. “Journey,” stressed by the Ibn Ezra, tells me that it is a celebration of movement. I got it! “This anniversary is important because it teaches us that Teshuva is the beginning of a journey – a beginning far more important than a birthday. My journey through life will only be meaningful if I master the art of Teshuva.”
Even after a year spent at Sinai, we still had to do Teshuva! We cannot remain in one place, even if that place is as holy as Sinai. Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur may be days of Teshuva, but the 20th of Iyar is the day we evaluate whether we are living our life’s journey by constantly being willing to change and grow.
Do you think I’ll win my Free Pass?
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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Too Close To Its Sun
The doomed planet, dubbed WASP-12b, has the highest known surface temperature of any planet in the Milky Way — around 1,500 degrees Celsius (2,800 degrees Fahrenheit).
WASP-12b, more than 300 times the size of Earth, has the highest known surface temperature of any planet in the Milky Way. It also has a mass 40-percent greater than that of Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system. It could be enveloped by its own parent star over the next ten million years, the paper’s authors have concluded. It is so close to its parent star that it orbits it in little more than 24 hours. Astronomers already knew that stars will swallow a planet that comes too close to it, but this is the first time that the phenomenon has been observed so clearly.
“Toward the face of the Menorah he kindled its lamps.” (Numbers 8:3) Rabbi Noach of Ka’arov (Kav Chein) explains that the purpose of the Service of God is to always practice living on the middle path. We should not go too far to the right, nor, too far to the left. We must always be focused on the center. We should not move too far away from the Source of Light, not attempt to come too close, lest we be swallowed up by the Light.
As they say in many holy books, “V’hamaivin yavin,” – One who has understanding will understand!
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Time Machine
I am not the first to seek such a device. Pascal lamented: “Thoughts come at random, and go at random. No device for holding on to them or for having them. A thought has escaped; I was trying to write it down: instead I write that it has escaped me.”
I empathize with Pascal, but my concern is quite practical: I keep a notebook of all my insights, especially those that miraculously arrive during, and as a result of, my prayers. I can usually remember all the insights I receive over a Shabbat, but a two day holiday often provides too much to recall. I want a device that will capture all my thoughts and insights. I assume that it will be in the shape of a helmet, hopefully not a black hat, battery operated to observe the laws of Shabbat and Yom Tov (Holydays) although it will come in rechargeable form for weekdays. I suspect that the physics will be less difficult than figuring out how to comfortably shape the device to be worn 24 hours a day, even when in the shower when the ideas for my newsletters appear and escape, and to allow a person to wear the headpiece without disturbing Teffilin – phylacteries.
I don’t want to scare you, but I would like to custom order a device that will catch some of the great thoughts that have appeared and disappeared over the ages. I promise not to violate anyone’s privacy. There is one person whose thoughts at a specific moment I must catch in my machine: The guilty Sotah who explodes. This woman obviously does not believe in God, otherwise she would not risk drinking the water. She drinks the water and for just a few seconds before she explodes knows that, oops, she was wrong. The water works. God does have power. (Even our friend Pascal tried to cover his bases: He sewed the following thoughts into the lining of his clothes: “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob,” not of the philosophers and scientists. Certainty. Certainty. Feeling. Joy. Peace.) In the few seconds before she dies, this woman has absolute clarity that God exists and that her “miraculous” death will prove God’s power to all who are watching.
I want to use my device to catch that absolutely clear that at that moment.
She may have been a sinner, but she serves as a vehicle to prove God’s Power to others, and I suspect that the clarity of that fleeting thought purifies her soul.
So, dear Dr. Kaku, please suspend your work on String Theory and start working on my device. I want that one thought, even more than all the other thoughts that were part of the great escape!
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Where's Waldo?
Obviously, I had to find a hint of “Nose” in Naso!
I found it! Can you?
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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Listening to Whispers
The short sound is so ubiquitous that I searched for the Rosseta Stone program for “eep.” They insisted that although their DVDs ‘eep,’ they do not have a special program for ‘eep.’ “We assure you, sir, that there is no language called, ‘eep!’ Are you sure you do not mean ‘Beep?’’” Fools!
I did find a book by Michele Slung, “Hear! Here! and learned that the Chinese don’t say ‘eep,’ or ‘beep,’ but ‘doo.’ It’s ‘boo’ in Japanese, ‘pon’ in Hindi, ‘moc’ in Spanish, ‘dute’ in Danish, and, ‘pwet,’ in French. This is one time I will favor the French: I am now searching for a way to program all the electronics in the house to ‘pwet’ rather than beep.
How can a sound so familiar be so effective at catching my attention and disturbing my sleep? Dissonance. I hear it because the sound is unexpected. That is a terrible shame. I have worked so hard to block out unnecessary noises that I often do not hear what I should.
I spend a good part of my day listening to questions. I wonder if I am missing their beeps, ‘pwets’, and ‘dutes.’ The most important part of a question is usually not in the words, but in the subtle beeps that ‘doo’ just under the surface. A sigh ignored may be an important ‘pon.’ A second’s hesitation can often serve as a warning ‘boo.’
There I was learning a lesson about listening to beeps after spending an entire night of intense Torah learning. Why?
Moshe would listen in to God speaking to Himself. You may think it was a soft sound, but no, it was the same powerful voice used at Sinai. (Rashi, Numbers 7:89) The first part of Rashi seems to describe a whisper, “God speaking to Himself.” Then Rashi says it was the same powerful voice God used at Sinai.
Perhaps it was a beep, a whisper. Once Moshe paid as much attention to the whispers and beeps as he did to The Voice, it was no longer a whisper. The volume increased according to the attention paid by the listener.
Yes, I, thank God, had a night of intense Torah study. The ‘eeps’ taught me that in order to maintain that intensity, I will have to practice listening to the whispers of Torah; its subtle messages. Only when I learn to listen for the beeps, will I hear the Voice of Torah.
beep. pwet. pon. moc.
Author Info:
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 Alone & Afraid In A Strange World
for the Children of Israel in the desert; Bamidbar. God provided a perfect physical environment and challenged them with the opportunity to create their own community free of any determining factors save their own desires and goals.
Each person stood before Moses and Aaron who would point out to him the purpose of his existence, his strengths, challenges, and potential. Each was empowered with a powerful sense of self as he became part of a community.
Lest we wonder whether such strong individuals could form a cohesive community, as we learn of Rabbi Akiva’s students who died because of their inability to connect to each other as the great people they were, each was assigned his place and specific role in the community; the famous flags in this week’s portion. This was a perfect opportunity for them to develop a reality all their own. They were free of the Egyptians, danger, and economic fluctuations. They were strong and independent. They were focused on a common goal. Their world would be just that, their world.
Imagine being able to educate our children with such a powerful sense of purpose and individuality! Imagine nurturing our children, not as “part of a community,” but as having an essential and unique role in the community! Society would not impose itself on the child, but rather, allow the child to use the world to help him find his own special place.
“Well and good,” you say, “but we don’t live in a desert or in a perfect environment free of the world around us!” How much independence can we nurture when we expend the majority of our effort on protecting what we already have from the world in which our community is, “a world I never made?” Can we really afford to focus on independence and self-expression when our community is under constant assault by a world whose values are so antithetical to our own?
The Jewish community was devastated by the Holocaust, and our great leaders decided that we had to focus our efforts on rebuilding communities. We witness the wisdom and success of their approach. We have thousands of schools, Yeshivot, communities, and institutions that protect and guide us. Is there really any place for the lesson of the desert encampment and its flags in our world and times?
The process in the desert did not begin with the community, but with Moses, Aaron, and the Princes of the Tribes. The Desert Flags are an instruction to our leaders, not the community or the people at large. The Flags demand that the communal leaders “Pakod,” or “appoint/assign” each individual: Each student, each child, must be taught how to become himself with a sense of unique purpose in order to become part of the community. The leaders may not count the numbers, as in, “We have more people studying in Yeshiva than ever before,” if they did not begin each child’s instruction with a sense of Pekida.
We will still have to battle to protect our community. We will remain “strangers in the world,” but we will not remain strangers to ourselves, “afraid in a world I never made.”
(See Chesed in Malchut)
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 The Face of Catastrophe
In 1940 Simone Weil wrote to the French Minister of Education about the Vichy government’s legislation prohibiting the employment of Jews in government schools:
“I don’t know the definition of the word Jew, this subject has never been part of my program of studies. Does this word designate a religion? I have never entered a synagogue and I have never witnessed a Jewish religious ceremony. Does this word designate a race? I have no reason to suppose that I have any part of tie, either through my father or my mother, with the people who lived in Palestine two thousand years ago. Having pretty much learned to read through French writers of the seventeenth century, such as Racine, and Pascal, if there is a religious tradition that I consider as my patrimony, it is the Catholic tradition. The Christian, French, Hellenistic tradition is mine; the Hebrew tradition is foreign to me. If nonetheless the law demands that I regard the term “Jew,” whose meaning I do not know, as an epithet applicable to my person, I am disposed to submit to it as to any other law.”
What is most disturbing about this darkly ironic passage is that it does not protest a racist decree that will deprive hundreds of thousands of Weil’s people of employment; it solely vents her anger at being defined as a Jew. The French scholar and Auschwitz survivor, Jean Amery, refers to Weil’s Judaism as “Catastrophe Judaism,” people who will only identify themselves as Jews in the face of evil on the magnitude of Naziism.
Why do so many of us hide from our Jewishness until forced by such horrifying evil? Why are so many embarrassed by Israel’s struggle for survival in a hostile world? Why are so many blind to Israel’s incredible commitment to morality even in the face of war?
We can find a hint of Weil’s struggle in a letter she wrote to a Free French official from New York:
“I beseech you to obtain for me the measure of hardship and danger that alone can save me from being wasted by grief. The suffering all over the world obsesses me and overwhelms me to the point of annihilating me, and the only way I can …release myself from this obsession is to take on a large share of danger and hardship myself.”
Even de Gaulle is said to have responded with the phrase, “Mais elle est folle!” (“But she is mad!”)
We have too have been “wasted by grief.” Many cannot bear to think of our suffering over the ages. People are convinced that our suffering must sensitize us to all suffering, even that of people who have sworn to annihilate us. We castigate ourselves for our imperfections, and we are as unforgiving of our mistakes as we are forgiving of our enemies’ intentions.
And yet, even as we were so fresh from the horrors of war and slavery in Egypt, even as we were building our community in the desert, we prepared ourselves for war. We camped as soldiers. We were constantly reminded that we were once strangers in Egypt. We were urged to be compassionate and caring, but always ready to stand up for ourselves and fight.
“There is no country in the history of warfare that has shown more compassion and care for their enemies even in the heat of battle than the State of Israel,” testified a British Major before the UN. No one in the audience cared or even paid attention. His comments were ignored by the media and politicians.
Some of us heard and are determined to do all we can to protect us from becoming, God Forbid, Catastrophe Jews.
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 Do You Hear Me?
We all experienced God calling to us at the Revelation at Sinai. Vayikra begins with God calling only to Moshe, and that, from the Mishkan. The book began at a defined place with one person. Vayikra ends with God calling to us from everywhere and within every relationship. That which began in the Mishkan expands to how we deal with other people, even when far away from God’s House. We can hear God’s voice calling to us when we we work the land, and how to connect that land to the Mishkan, no matter how distant.
Just as God’s voice expanded, continually grew stronger, at Sinai, so too, does it grow stronger from the beginning of Vayikra to its conclusion.
This is the book that instructs how to hear God’s call wherever we are. It is the beginning of the Shema. It is our opportunity to fulfill our commitment to “Nishma” beyond the Na’aseh.
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 Engaged In The Debate
I have one goal when studying or teaching Talmud: Engagement. The Mishna and the Talmud were written in a manner that invites the reader to step into the Batei Midrash – study halls – in Israel and in Babylon of 1600 to 2,000 years ago and participate in the passionate debates that shaped the direction of the Mishna, Talmud, and Halacha.
We can study the text with the superb commentary of the Artscroll and learn how the text has been explained over the ages. I don’t know how many thousands of people are studying Talmud because it has been opened up for them by the Artscroll Talmud.
I have taught Talmud to groups of highly accomplished people using the Steinsaltz Talmud and they too were guided by Rabbi Steinsaltz into the complex conversations of the generations. I was only satisfied when the debate became heated and passionate.
The Talmud is not a study of information, but of process. It trains us in the application of Halachic principles to new situations and challenges. It is insufficient to study the thinking process of the Sages of the Talmud, the Geonim, Rishonim and Acharonim. We will only learn how to apply their thinking if we are engaged in the debates.
Talmud study is an intense training process in logical thought. When we are engaged in the conversation we learn to distill the concepts, not just the laws. That is why when we study a Responsum of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, for example, we will find him applying the concepts of laws that, at first glance, seem distant from the immediate topic. Rav Moshe didn’t think in a checklist of laws, he thought conceptually, and, in his mastery of Torah, which flowed through his veins, he could apply the ideas of diverse Halachot to a single topic. Rav Moshe is part of the same conversation that began in the Mishna.
Even we, who do not begin to approach Rav Moshe’s mind or knowledge, can join in the same debate. The Talmud invites us to participate in the discussion and not remain on the sidelines as observers.
That is why I am so excited at 1AM. We engaged in a furious battle of ideas. We argued with, questioned, challenged, and carefully listened to, the voices of the Mishna, Talmud, Rashi, the Pnei Yehoshua and the Maharam. We were there in the room with all of them. We were exhausted when the debate ended, but thrilled to have participated, and changed by the experience.
Even better: At the conclusion of the class, someone commented, “We should use the same approach when we study any Biblical scene. We have to picture ourselves as active participants in the story.”
And that, my friends, is exactly why the Talmud nurtures engagement. It invites us to become active participants in every aspect of Torah. There are few things, if any, that are more exciting.
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I was riding a bus in Israel for the first time. I already new that Israelis were news hungry, so was not surprised to hear the news being played over the bus’ speakers. Then I heard a reporter comment about President Carter, “Mah inyan Shemittah eitzel Har Sinai?” “What does Shemittah have to do with Sinai?” (The opening sentence in Rashi on this week’s portion.)
What did Shemittah have to do with the news? Absolutely nothing! However, Rashi famous comment had become part of the vernacular in Israel. I have no idea if the reporter had ever studied Rashi, but I was certain that many of the listeners had not, and yet, they all understood Rashi’s question.
 Chinglish
Cultures mix, and a new language appears. I suspect that this is somewhat similar to “Yinglish” and “Frumspeak.”
There is no “Rashispeak.” Certain concepts flow in our blood no matter how observant or learned we are. We are a product of our history, so much of which is based on learning.
Perhaps this is the underlying message in that Rashi: No matter how far removed we may be from Sinai, we will always retain some connection.
Author Info:
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“Accursed is the ground because of you; through suffering shall you eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles shall it sprout for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.” (Genesis 3:17-18)
The only part of the curse that seems to apply to we, who can purchase our food at a supermarket, without ever planting a seed, is the part of having to eat vegetables. I’ve worked on a farm and have seen the “suffering,” the endless hours of work it takes to grow a crop. The farmers I met did not considered themselves to be cursed. In fact, they felt fortunate to work the land. Where is Adam’s curse? Does it still apply to us?
When the Children of Israel began to settle their land, only a generation after the slavery in Egypt, did they consider the all the work in their fields to be a curse? I imagine them celebrating the normalcy of working the land as compared to working as a slave, and even to the unnatural existence they lived in the desert, fed by the Manna, and drinking the water of Miriam’s Well. Where was the curse?
“1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses in Mount Sinai, saying: 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When you come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. 3 Six years thou shalt sow your field, and six years you shalt prune your vineyard, and gather in the produce thereof. 4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath unto the LORD; you shalt neither sow your field, nor prune your vineyard.” (Leviticus, Chapter 25)
God is telling us, “You can work your field for six years, and you can prune your vineyard, but in the seventh year you will have to acknowledge that the land you work is not yours, but Mine.”
Adam was unwilling to accept that a single tree in the Garden was not his. He was encouraged to eat of every tree in the Garden, save one, at it was from that single forbidden tree that he chose to eat. Adam had to learn the lesson of God’s ownership. That was his curse, and that was the challenge of Shemittah, the Sabbatical Year.
I was studying the laws of ownership in the Talmud with a famous violinist, when he took out his violin and told me that he learned the true definition of ownership from his Stradivarius. It had been Jascha Heifetz’s and my friend spent a fortune to buy it. He told me that the minute he held it in his arms, he realized that he did not own the violin; he had paid for the right to be its temporary caretaker. The violin could not be owned by anyone. “It changed the definition of ‘mine’ for me. I looked around at many of the things I own, my home, my paintings, my furniture, and asked myself how much is truly mine. There are some things that cannot be owned by a human being. I was astounded to realize that I took better care of the things that are impossible to own than I did of my ‘own’ things.”
He made me wonder whether the lesson of the Shemittah year, that we do not “own” the land, will actually change us into better caretakers of the land. If he was right, it was not so much a curse, as a blessing.
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 I recently received a link to a documentary film: “Hitler’s Children,” which describes the experiences of children and relatives of the monsters who served in Hitler’s inner circle of power as they learn the truth about their infamous relatives and meet children of their fathers’ victims. It isn’t an especially good documentary, but the subject is such that it cannot help but be powerful.
My most intense “German” moment was waking up after a 15 hour surgery, drugged, confused, in terrible pain, and watching a smiling blond haired, blue eyed doctor speaking German as he was screwing something into my skull. I opened my eyes for just a few seconds, and in my daze, was convinced that I was the subject of a medical experiment during the Holocaust. The doctor saw my face, looked at me with an unforgettable intensity, and immediately put something in my IV to knock me out.
He was sitting at my bedside when I woke up. He was incredibly kind and compassionate, and had delayed his return home to be sure that I would feel supported when I woke up. We eventually became good friends.
A few days later, he told me that he knew exactly what I was thinking when I first woke up. He apologized profusely for not considering how it would feel for a Jew to wake up in such horrible circumstances, in Germany, and hearing him yell, “Schnell!” to the surgical nurse.
He was shocked that I remembered the look on his face, and admitted that it was the first time that he understood the evil of his uncle, a doctor who served under Mengele.
The nephew of a prominent Nazi and the son of a rabbi had shared a moment that connects us to a nightmare.
I would wonder about each doctor I met, at least during the first few weeks in Germany, whether he was a child of a Nazi. It was difficult to no think about it as many of the nurses and the PT staff in the clinic would visit my room to discuss the Holocaust. Most of them had family members who prided themselves on their Nazi past. They felt a need to assure me that most Germans are good people who are ashamed of their past. I was uncomfortable enough dealing with the mostly Muslim patient population of the INI. The conversations only served to remind me of where I was.
I needed these people to help me survive, and many of my issues were iatrogenic, the result of mistakes by my American doctors. I was desperate to return home and yet, ironically, I felt safer with my German doctors than I ever felt with my doctors in New York.
Was I willing to ignore my circumstances because I was so desperate? Was I insulting the memory of the six million by forming friendships with the children of their killers?
I cannot offer an honest answer. I don’t know. Most of the people I met, German and Muslim, were good and caring people, who wanted to bridge the chasms that separated us. They went out of their way to make me feel comfortable and safe. But, no matter how friendly we became, the past was ever-present.
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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Since the time of Esau the fear of being a Cohen, the one who leads the Service of God, has been out on the table. One of the reasons Esau was so quick to sell his birthright to Jacob was that there is far too much risk in being a Cohen. He has to maintain high standards of purity, and can easily earn a Heavenly decree of death by participating or eating an offering while less than perfectly pure.
Moshe does not simply address the Cohanim when he calls them forward; he speaks to the people as well. The people are commanded to honor and sanctify the Cohanim. Their exalted status is a joint effort. Moshe did not ask them to accept such high standards of life on their own. He presented their responsibilities as a challenge to them and to the people. The Cohen does not live his life of greater responsibility alone. He is to be supported by all of Israel.
Esau was intimidated by the challenge of Cehuna because he thought that he, and his descendants in the same role, would have to achieve these high standards on their own. Jacob too, appreciated the responsibilities and the challenge, but he realized that the people would participate in creating an environment that would support the Cohen’s higher standards.
When we read the laws of the Cohen, we must remember that they speak to us as well. We must do all we can to create an environment of support for those who have accepted higher responsibility. When we succeed, we not only honor and sanctify the Cohen, we honor and sanctify ourselves for having successfully created an environment in which Cohanim can thrive and grow.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Just Perfect!
It is sad to see how many people believe just that: They are convinced that their prayers are, at the very least, ineffective because of their “Blemishes.” I often hear people say, “I didn’t pray that well, because my mind was somewhere else, I blew it!”
Thank God we do not have to be as perfect as the Cohanim performing the service in the Mishkan! “God spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to Aaron, saying, ‘Any man of your offspring throughout their generations in whom there will be a blemish shall not come near to offer the bread of his Lord.’” (Leviticus 21:16-17) Imagine how we would feel if we were expected to be without blemish when we served God: How many of us would feel comfortable taking our three steps forward into God’s Throne Room? All three steps would be hesitant, not just the first. Instead of using the second and third steps to rush into the arms of the One Who most loves us, and sees us at our best and full potential, we would drag our feet into the meeting with God.
The Sforno actually says, “God wants perfection from His servants, in the spiritual and moral sense, and from His offerings in the physical sense.” Are we in trouble?
The Talmud adds some blemishes to the list of Cohanim who may not bless the people because of their physical imperfections. For example, a Cohen who works in a tannery and who has the colors of the chemicals splashed all over him, may not rise to bless the people, unless..
…everyone in the synagogue works in the tannery and has the same discoloration. “Dash bei rabim,” “The fire burns publicly,” – people are so accustomed to having strange colors all over each other, that it will not distract people from the Cohen’s blessing. The people facing the Cohen will not see the color splashes as a blemish.
One of the most magnificent parts of prayer is that God does not see our imperfections as blemishes. He sees that as something constant with human beings. “Dash bei rabim.” We focus on our imperfections more than does God!
“In whom there is a blemish,” teaches us that the Cohen is only disqualified as long as he is blemished. The glory of prayer is that at the moment we take those three steps into God’s Throne room, all the blemishes disappear. They are only temporary.
An offering is a living being that is separate from me. If I am going to present a physical gift to God, I must search for something as close as possible to perfection.
However, proper prayer is not something outside of ourselves, it is the expression of the deepest part of our souls, and God, as we said, opens His arms to receive us at our absolute best. At that moment of meeting, the Ultimate Being sees us as we would be having developed all our potential to our fullest ability.
That’s just perfect for me!
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God Who has endowed us with sense, reason and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." (Galileo, 1615) I agree with Galileo, however, I seem to be in a shrinking minority. I have recently been inundated with stories of chimneys that serve as doorways for demons, lit matches that bring angels, and eggs under the pillow that help people find their future spouse. I'm convinced that there are invisible spiritual forces and beings around us, but I choose to use my "sense, reason, and intellect," to make my choices. I fear paying attention to these mysterious and unexplainable things lest I fall into the habit of forgoing the use of my mind.
Judaism has practices that are based on the mysterious, but it never asks that we suspend our reason. People are constantly searching for the logical basis of each mystery that has been formalized in Jewish law because we know that the Divine gift of intellect is the most precious and demanding of all.
We translate Kabbalah as Mysticism, although it is the opposite. Kabbalah seeks to explain the spiritual structure of existence. It is sophisticated and complex, which is quite different from mystical. It is only mystical to those who are unfamiliar with it.
The Hebrew word for world is 'Olam', which derives from 'H'elem', or 'Hidden.' Of course there are all sorts of spiritual realities hidden in our world. Our job and blessing is to discover and reveal that which is hidden. It is not to worship the hidden at the price of the rational. The verse says, "Reishit Chochma Yirat Hashem," "The beginning of wisdom is awe of God," which means that we acknowledge there is an area beyond our comprehension, but what comes immediately after the acknowledgement is Chochma, wisdom.
A person approaching the Temple to make an offering has a choice. Will he focus on the mysterious powers of the offering to bring forgiveness and blessing, associating the Temple Service with a different dimension of existence? Or, will he approach the Cohen, in his most important role, as a teacher who will explain the process as part of the structure of life? The first person will not be able to take his Temple experience home with him. The second will have used his offering to continue to transform his life long after he returns home. I choose to be the second person.
We face the same choice before we take our three steps back when we finish prayer: Am I leaving the prayer behind because it is not part of my "real" world, or will I take my prayer experience with me? I choose the latter.
The mystical offers an escape from life. Judaism focuses on Torat Chaim, living this life with passion and meaning. The mystical is a release from our limitations. Judaism guides us in how to overcome them. Mysticism is often a search for the magical, what I call Cheating. Judaism is a demand to be practical. The Mystic celebrates the magical powers of the righteous. The thinker rejoices over their teachings, wisdom and insight.
Hopefully, things will turn out better for me than they did for Galileo, because I'm sticking with him on this one. I invite you to join me.
Favorites:
An Invisible Barrier & Since Adam and Cain I & 2
Last Monday, we started with our new Video conference classes on the Book of Ruth. Although we experienced some "birthing pains" for the first 10 minutes, we received very positive feedback and are trying to make the experience even easier. Please, sign up for class #2. Please note that you must register in order to participate. For quick register, click here. You can see the complete series here.
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Thank you & Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Simcha L. Weinberg
President
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 The Outsider
Abraham wandered for many years, as did Jacob until he settled in Egypt. But even that settling ended in a sense of exile. (Location! Location! Location!)
We need a sense of place, and a sense of belonging. When God punished Cain as a “Vagrant and wanderer,” He deprived Cain of both a sense of place and that of belonging. Both are certainly seen as punishments.
“The son of an Israelite woman went out – and he was the son of an Egyptian man – among the Children of Israel; they fought in the camp, the son of the Israelite woman and an Israelite man. The son of the Israelite woman pronounced the Name and blasphemed.” (Leviticus 24:10-11)
Rashi explains that since he did not have a Jewish father he wished to dwell among the people of Dan, his mother’s tribe, but they refused him a place in their area of the camp on the grounds that his father was not a member of the tribe. The man ran to Moshe’s court for justice, and Moshe ruled against him, whereupon he uttered his curse.
It seems that this man literally bore the “Mark of Cain,” at least as a vagrant. He was Jewish. He left Egypt with Moses, crossed the Sea, ate Manna, and stood at Sinai, but he remained an outsider. He was desperate to be part of a tribe and was rejected. He probably knew that if he did not have a place among a tribe that he would not receive a portion in the Land of Israel. He would always be outside the community. He probably had a place to pitch his tent, but would live as did Adam and Cain, outside the place he wanted to be his.
As a child of an Egyptian man and an Israelite woman, he had probably grew up without being part of either the Egyptian or Jewish communities. He was desperate to feel that he belonged.
I can picture the scene as he walked out of Moshe’s courtroom: He is angry with the world, and frustrated with the injustice he suffered, at least in his mind, and soon came to blows with someone else. The Outsider fought an Insider. He made himself the ultimate outsider with his blasphemy.
Wherein we learn that he was an outsider long before the dispute over a place in the camp. He shared another characteristic with Cain: He was an angry man, and an angry person is the ultimate outsider.
Yes, we can say that he felt provoked, but we know that his response to the provocation was to come exit the court and provoke a stranger until they came to blows. He was so consumed by his rage that he blasphemed God’s Name.
The Talmud describes an angry person as being an outsider to himself – he is a different person when angry, a stranger – no matter where Moshe would find a place for him, he would remain an outsider, even from himself.
Ever since Adam and Cain, angry people have been the ultimate outsiders. Some things never change.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Ever since the time of Adam we have been struggling with the “Bread” issue. Adam originally could eat the “perfect food” of the trees of the Garden. However, once he sinned, his reality became, “By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread.” Adam became a creative and active participant in preparing his food, but the stigma of the curse remained.
Cain, the “Tiller of the ground,” attempted to repair the curse. Unlike Abel, who chose to avoid the curse of the land by becoming a shepherd, Cain was willing to work the land despite the curse. He was so convinced that his approach of mastering the curse was the proper course, that when he harvested his first hard earned, sweat equity, wheat, that he offered it to God.
Unfortunately, he offered the wheat of the cursed earth rather than the bread of creativity. “But if you improve, you will rise,” said God, alluding to bread the rises. Cain failed to listen and eventually, “When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you.”
The Children of Israel traveling through the desert continued Adam and Cain’s struggle. They, as Adam, were fed a perfect food, that was such a powerful symbol of creativity that it could not fall on Shabbat when such physical creativity is forbidden. Some refused to acknowledge their participation in the Manna, rejected the sense of creativity, and went out on Shabbat to search for Manna.
Finally, in this week’s portion, God offered them two perfect opportunities to overcome the “Curse of Bread.” On Shavuot they were commanded, “From your dwelling places you shall bring bread that shall be waved, two loaves made of two tenth-ephah, they shall be fine flour, they shall be baked leavened.” (Leviticus 23:17) The Manna is described by the verse as an “Omer,” and is also measured as a tenth-ephah. (Exodus 16:36) They were given an opportunity to repair the “Curse of Bread” by celebrating their creativity and involvement in the process.
They were also given the Mitzvah of the twelve loaves of Show-Bread, stacked in the Sanctuary. Once again, the symbol of the “Curse of Bread” was transformed into a celebration of the Bread of Creativity. The Show-Bread was their opportunity to repair their mistake with the Manna. It was placed close to the Holy of Holies, to be consumed each and every Shabbat.
The “Curse of Bread” contained a powerful blessing: Creativity. Active participation in the world. An acknowledgment that our creative efforts are holy.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Separated
The family had been close with their local Cohanim for many years. They gave their Terumah to these Cohanim. They would always travel to Jerusalem when these Cohanim were on duty in the Beit Hamikdash. They turned to these Cohanim for spiritual guidance and advice. The bond seemed unbreakable.
Then tragedy struck. One of their children died. Their friends couldn’t enter their home until the body had been removed. They stood outside waiting. The family stood at their window staring out at their friends, feeling as if an invisible barrier separated their dearest friends from them. The body was removed, and still the Cohanim stood at a distance from those who had become ritually impure. They followed the funeral procession, at a distance, until the gates of the local cemetery, and then stopped. They could not enter the burial grounds. They stood away, as close as possible, but still at a distance, and watched the funeral from outside the cemetery gates. They were “there” for their friends, but they were not.
People who suffer, experience a particular sense of loneliness, but the invisible barrier that separated this family and their close friends, the Cohanim, intensified their sense of isolation. The family saw their friends constantly standing as close as possible, but always at a distance. They missed their friends. They were desperate for their spiritual guidance, but it was not to be during the darkest hours from the time of death until they returned from the funeral.
II.
The Cohanim had been particularly close with a family in their village. The family always presented their Terumah to these Cohanim who served as the spiritual guides to the family. They knew that whenever they went to Jerusalem to serve in the Beit Hamikdash, that this family would travel as well so that these Cohanim could guide them in making their offerings. The bond seemed unbreakable.
Then, tragedy struck. The family lost a child. The Cohanim ran to the home to comfort their friends, but they could not enter as long as the corpse was in the building. They stood outside the living room window looking in, connecting with their eyes. They saw the pleading look in their friend’s faces, as if to say, “Please, we need you,” but they could not come any closer.
The Cohanim watched as the funeral procession headed toward the cemetery. An invisible barrier stopped them from running to their friends and hugging them. They stopped outside the cemetery gates and watched as their closest friends buried a child.
These Cohanim had shared intense issues with the family each time they brought the family’s offerings. They had discussed mistakes, gratitude for miracles, love of God, and countless spiritual struggles, but they could not hold their hands and guide them during those first horrible hours after the child’s death.
III.
The Shiva – Seven Days of Mourning – began in the cemetery. The entire community formed a procession to accompany the devastated family home. The Cohanim knew that they had to be unbelievably careful in dealing with anyone who was at the funeral or who had touched the corpse. They had Terumah in a special area of their home and they knew that they could not dare to become ritually impure and then eat the Terumah. It was a matter of life and death for them. It seemed as if the Cohanim were separated from the entire population of the village. They stood at a distance from people who opened their fields and silos to them every year, people who came to them with their first born sons, who gave them their first-born male cattle. These Cohanim were wrapped up in the life of the village, except on this horrible day. On this day, they were not “one of us.”
IV.
No one openly discussed the barrier, but everyone felt it. The painful feelings were palpable in the air when the Cohanim entered the Shiva home. The room became absolutely still and silent.
The Cohanim sat down, and as is appropriate, waited for the mourners to speak first, but the father and mother did not know what to say. They understood that the Cohanim lived with very strict rules about ritual impurity; that their friends had no choice. But, they had experienced a separation beyond that of death.
All were silent until one of the children sitting Shiva softly said in his innocence, “I now know what happens when we do Teshuva or bring an offering in the Beit Hamikdash. We feel a barrier separating us from God, when we sin. It’s as if we are looking toward Him through the window, pleading for a connection, but we cannot reach. It’s painful. Teshuva and offerings are the process of reconnecting. The separation was only temporary.”
An older sibling, also sitting Shiva, commented,”Now I know what Cohanim really are: Life. They are separated from death. They reconnect only when we are back in life. The barrier that stood between us was not the Cohanim’s exalted status. It was the invisible barrier between life and death.”
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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“Akavia ben (son of) Mehalalel said, consider three things and you will not come to sin. Know from where you have come, to where you are heading, and before Whom you will give justification and accounting. From where have you come: from a putrid drop (of semen); to where are you heading: to a place of dirt, worms and maggots; and before Whom will you give justification and accounting: before the King of kings, the Holy One blessed be He.”
Whenever I read this Mishna I remember a conversation with my father zt”l about a morning prayer that often left me depressed:
“At all times let a man fear God as well in private as in public, acknowledge the truth, and speak the truth in his heart; and let him rise early and say:
Sovereign of all worlds! Not because of our righteous acts do we lay our supplications before You, but because of Your abundant mercies. What are we? What is our life? What is our piety? What is our righteousness?
What is our helpfulness? What is our strength? What is our might?
What shall we say before thee, O Lord our God and God of our fathers? Are not all the mighty men as nothing before You, the men of renown as though they had not been, the wise as if without knowledge, and the men of understanding as if without discernment?
For most of their works are void, and the days of their lives are vanity before thee, and the pre-eminence of man over the beast is nothing, for all is vanity.”
I told my father that the prayer depressed me. “Obviously,” he said, “you are not reading the entire text! What is the next sentence?”
“Nevertheless, we are Your people, the children of Your covenant, the children of Abraham, Your beloved, to whom You swore on Mount Moriah; the seed of Isaac, his only son, who was bound upon the altar, the congregation of Jacob, Your first born son, whose name You called Israel and Yeshurun by reason of the love with which You love him, and the joy with which You rejoice in him.”
“Why are you focusing on the negative and not the positive? There is a “Nevertheless! Focus on that and you will not be depressed.”
The Mishna above begins in a similar way: “From where have you come: from a putrid drop.” It continues: “to where are you heading: to a place of dirt, worms and maggots.” As if I didn’t have enough problems in my life!
It’s the third question and answer that transforms the first two: “and before Whom will you give justification and accounting: before the King of kings, the Holy One blessed be He.”
We may derive from a putrid drop, and we may end up in a place of dirt, yet we still have the capacity to live a life that will end with facing God and give an accounting!
The first two questions are not meant to portray us as insignificant, but as unlimited despite our physical beginning and end. This Mishna is a celebration of the possibilities of life, not its limitations. We rejoice in the fact that despite our humble beginnings and seemingly horrible physical end, we can transform our lives into one that has ultimate meaning.
It is the celebration of possibility that protects us from sin. It is not the putrid beginning or dusty end that steers us away from sin. In fact, they may actually lead to sin because we can begin to believe that nothing matters. It is the “Nevertheless” that protects us, energizes us, and directs us forward.
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 I wish that I could have walked behind Elijah and Elisha as they headed to where Elijah would rise up to heaven in a storm. I can’t even imagine what the two giants, Rebbi and student, were discussing as they walked.
I wish I could have walked alongside Moses as he led the Children of Israel through the desert. I want to listen in to his conversations with the people around him as they crowded around him soaking in every word of the greatest prophet.
I wish that I could have walked with Abram as he traveled through the land of Canaan for the first time, discovering the land where his descendants would create their future. I wish that I could have walked with him after God said, “Walk with me and be pure.” What did he say to the people around him? What did he feel?
Of all the walks I dream of joining, none approaches the power of God walking with Adam through the Garden in Eden, introducing each tree to Adam. Did He explain how each tree, fruit, and flower expressed a different aspect of His Unity? I want to walk with them and listen, ask, challenge, and simply soak in the experience of walking with God.
I always understood Halacha as walking and growing. Halacha pushes us forward to grow and constantly move and progress as a human being. I learned on a walk this past Shabbat that Halacha is our way of joining God and Adam as they walked through the Garden.
My very dear friend, Dr. Larry Biel, invited me to join him on a Spiritual walk around some lakes in Minneapolis. He sort of warned me that it was a long walk, but since I walk more than three miles each day, I wasn’t intimidated. He left out the insignificant detail of the walk being more than six miles.
We began the walk with another man, and were soon joined by another two, and then picked up more people as we headed toward the lake. I was looking forward to a nice quiet walk. My new friends had something else in mind.
They began asking questions about everything in Judaism. We discussed the Holocaust, Jewish education, Halacha, prayer, Shabbat, love and, I can’t remember how many more topics. The questions continued for hours. The distance didn’t matter. I was flying.
I could tell you about these extraordinary human beings by sharing how some of them walk more than five miles back and forth to synagogue every Shabbat. I could tell you that these are people who have struggled against terrible odds and thrived with grace, beauty and joy. Their stories would not begin to explain what makes these human beings so spectacular.
I was walking with people who passionately love their Judaism. They are all serious thinkers who are determined to find the truth and beauty of Torah and service of God. They do not take anything for granted. They do not simply accept information. They challenge, probe, ask and argue until they have clarity.
I felt as if I was walking in a scene from the Talmud with people debating important ideas at the highest intellectual levels.
They wanted to know why I had to find a rest room and would not relieve myself in the bushes. They wanted to know why I couldn’t use the lake. They didn’t just want to know the law; they wanted to understand the lessons of the laws and how they could apply those lessons to their lives. They understood that every single Halacha has a life-changing lesson. They wanted to debate the conflict between the laws of Shabbat and the law that prohibits us from waiting to relieve ourselves. (Not an easy debate when you are desperate!)
We began talking at 4pm. We arrived in the synagogue at 7:15. I thought we had walked for an hour. I was wrong. We walked above and beyond time. We walked together with God and Adam in the Garden. We took the true walk of Halacha. They are not the most knowledgeable Jews, nor the most observant, but I have no doubt that it was for such people that God walked with Adam through the Garden. It was for such people that He gave us the gift of Halacha.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 There was something different about the man shining shoes in the airport terminal. He carried himself with dignity, and he did not just sit and wait for people to come to him, he walked around the gates inviting people to come to his stand and have their shoes shined. I could not resist, and not only do my shoes now shine, my face was shining as I walked away from this man.
Less than a year ago, he was sitting in one of the executive offices of a major corporation, earning a large salary. He lost his job when his company downsized, and he immediately began to look for work. He refused to complain about his misfortune and was determined to do any kind of work to support his family rather than sit at home “above” the indignity of shining shoes.
“There is more dignity in this than in sitting and waiting for a better job.”
He even uses his new job to network with travelers, collecting their business cards and handing out his resume. The man shining my shoes had more dignity than so many of the people I regularly meet.
He spoke only of the good in his life, his son who is a Navy Seal, his daughter who is an accountant, and his twin granddaughters. He spoke with such joy about his blessings that I realized that here was a man who is what he is and is not defined by what he does for a living.
My shoes have never looked so good. He saw my face and said, “I was in the navy for years. I wanted your shoes to shine the way ours did to pass inspection.” He actually wanted me to walk with shoes that had more dignity.
I stood behind a large sign and listened to him speak to his next customers. This man who has such inherent dignity spoke to everyone in such a manner that he shared his sense of dignity with them.
I don’t know your name, sir, but thank you for an important reminder of where we can all find our dignity; inside ourselves. It won’t come from anywhere else.
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Best Friends Yesterday I learned that a friend from thirty years ago, passed away. I was his Rebbi, and he was my boss when I worked for 3H Electronics in Sunnyvale, CA in 1983. We constantly fought (admittedly, usually my fault), learned, laughed, and shared Torah thoughts. We could go 5 years without speaking to each other and then call and email every day for months. He called me a few days ago while undergoing dialysis to share a Torah thought he heard from Chacham Mordechai Eliyahu. His children saw my number on his cell phone and realized that, although he had stopped speaking to anybody but family a few months ago, he continued to speak with me. I cannot recall a single conversation with him since 1983 that did not have some words of Torah. Even when we were having a heated argument, he would pause, chuckle and say, “Rabbi Simcha, this reminds me of something I once heard…” Our relationship was so irregular that I couldn’t understand why I was so devastated by his death. I had to go to a house of mourning where an acquaintance is sitting Shiva, the 7 Days of Mourning, and then run to teach a class and then another and then yet another, until 2AM. I did not have an opportunity to think about my friend until now as I am sitting on the plane. I realized that Halfon too, was a master teacher. Here are two of his favorite stories, both offered to me in the perfect moment for each: Three white men were captured by a tribe of Indians. The first is brought to the chief of the tribe who says, “You have a choice; death or Roo Roo.” The white man had no idea what Roo Roo was, but at least it wasn’t death. So, he chose Roo Roo.
All the members of the tribe began cheering when they heard his choice. They took him, spread him out on the ground and began beating him for hours and hours until he barely had any life remaining. But, he lived.
The chief made the same offer to the second white man, “Death or Roo Roo?” The man thought about it and realized that although the first had suffered terrible things, he was still alive. “I choose Roo Roo.” The tribe cheers. They spread him out on the ground, and he suffered a multi hour Roo Roo, but he still was alive.
The chief looked at the third man and before he could offer any choice, the man said, “I choose death!” The crowed booed.
The chief said, “OK. Death, But first… a little Roo Roo!” “Rabbi Simcha,” Halfon said, “Just remember, no matter what will happen, people will want to get in a little Roo Roo. Don’t think you can avoid it!” Halfon’s father and uncle were wealthy merchants in Cairo. Every Friday morning, widows with children, Jews, Muslims and Christians. would line up outside the Hamaoui offices to receive their milk money. All their names wre in a ledger with a record of how many children each woman had. She would sign othe date and receive her money. Halfons’ father and his uncle would take turns handing out the money. One Friday, Halfon’s uncle was confromnted by a woman who insisted that she had not collected her money the week before. Mr Hamaoui checked the book and showed her that she signed the book on the previous Friday. “Liar! Thief! You forged my signature so you could keep my money!” “Why would I do that? This is all my money that I am sharing with you.” The woman began shrieking in a loud voice and she was soon joined by all the women in line.
Halfon’s father ran out to see what was going on. Realized what was happenoing, took the accuser into his office, apologized for his brother’s bahavior and even gave her extra money.
Halfon’s uncle was furious. “Do you realize that now everyone in the marketplace believes her and not me?” Halfon’s father responded, “If someone acts in such a desperate way it is because they are desperate. Who knows what she is going through?” “Rabbi Simcha,” said Halfon after hearing my tale of woe about someone who stole a fortune of money from me, “desperate people do desperate things.” I could go on for pages with Halfon’s stories and advice. He is a living presence in my life and always will be. Goodbye, my friend. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Brunelleschi’s Dome The man finds more joy in contemplating Brunelleschi’s brilliant hoists than in what was the largest and most magnificent dome in the world. He found more in the genius of the work rather than the result. Would he have found the same joy in contemplating the Mishkan? It was less magnificent than Brunelleschi’s Dome, but he did not seem intrigued by the magnificence of the dome. He contemplated the brilliance necessary to construct the dome. The genius of the Mishkan was hidden, for it was spiritual brilliance that infused the building and its vessels. There were no giant hoists or mechanical marvels functioning on perfectly placed cogged wheels. No, I imagine that people did not spend hours contemplating the structure of the Mishkan. I picture them far more intrigued by God’s fire burning on the Altar, and the cloud that hovered above the Mishkan. They were not contemplating genius, but their relationship with God with its sense of infinite possibility. When I lifted my Tefillin this morning, I contemplated their outside. The inside is enclosed, but I know what is there. My Tefillin afford me the same opportunity to savor my relationship with God. I kept this in mind as I prepared my wife’s Shabbat candles. They are beautiful, but their power is not in their beauty, but in the relationships they reflect; our relationship to each other, and our relationship with God. It is in that that I find the Tranquility of My Soul. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 The Important Things “The sun was like a great visiting presence that stimulated and took its due from all animal energy. When it flung wide its cloak and stepped down over the edge of the fields at evening, it left behind a spent and exhausted world.” – Willa Cather I know exactly what she was describing! Oh! I remember how as a child I would wake up and see the sun already shining, and couldn’t wait to spend the day outside playing soccer and swimming, riding my bike and drinking soda pop. The view outside my window filled me with energy that burned through me the entire day, until I would come back upstairs only when it was dark, spent and exhausted. The problem was that the important things had to wait until I went to Yeshiva with my father to pray. Inevitably, the best mornings were on Mondays and Thursdays when prayers take an extra 15 minutes or so. Even worse; I had to learn with my father for 30 precious minutes that could have been so much better used playing with my friends Benno Tutor and Morry Zelkovich. My father did not need his probing intelligence to figure out that I was fidgeting. What would happen if the kids had already chosen their teams before I arrived? (Not that anyone ever chose me to be on their team! You will be shocked to learn that I was not a very good ball player.) “I’ll let you run home right now if you can answer one question,” he offered. I was already suspicious; one question? “OK.” “I assume that the first thing you said this morning when you woke up was “Modeh Ani. What do the words mean?” Wow! Such an easy question. “I thank You,” I answered and started to get up to run home and play. “Nope! It means “I am a Thanker! Did you thank God for such a wonderful morning? Saying ‘Thank You,’ does not make you a Thanker. You have to be a Thanker. Your coming to pray before playing and your learning for a few minutes means that you didn’t simply say ‘Thank You.’ You acted as a Thanker. Now you can go.” It has been a long time since I woke up with such energy and joy. I’m still working on being a Thanker. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 House of Mirrors One day he arrived at the perfect mirror: the Metamir. It was the size of a business card, flexible and adhesive: in fact it was meant to be applied to the forehead. One could stick a Metamir on anyone’s head and see how that person perceived him. The Metamir on his mother’s forehead showed an angel. His girl friend’s Metamir showed a weak, misshapen man, and the relationship ended. He found a woman whose Metamir showed a handsome man with a perfect body. For some reason, when he looked in the Metamir on Emma’s head, he fell head over heels in love. She became his new girl friend.
He distributed several Metamirs to his friends. He noticed that no two images coincided: in short, a real Timoteo did not exist. He further noticed that the Metamir possessed a conspicuous virtue: it reinforced old and serious friendships, it rapidly dissolved friendships that were due to habit and convention. The Metamir did not sell and Timoteo had to go back to making flat mirrors, which were indeed of excellent quality, until the age of retirement. I imagine that becoming a Metzorah is somewhat similar to viewing yourself in a Metamir stuck on the foreheads of your friends. The person wakes up one morning to find some serious skin discolorations. A Cohen is summoned, and before he enters the home to examine the blemish, the family is instructed to empty everything from the house. If the Cohen declares the person to be impure, everything in the house becomes Tamei, or impure. Neighbors speak. Word spreads through the neighborhood that a Cohen has ordered the house to be emptied. Everyone knows that their friend and neighbor may be a Metzorah. They also know that if he is a Metzorah, it is because he is a gossip. The police arrive to control the growing crowd and all the reporters. People are pushing against the line to be able to hear the Cohen as he exits the house to make his declaration. It is at this moment that the process becomes the blemished person’s Metamir. How do his friends and neighbors react? Do they say, when interviewed by the BNN, “I always thought there was something wrong with that guy”? Or, do people say, as encouraged by the Sages, “We should all pray that he repents of his sins and be healed?” Their reactions to his affliction will be a Metamir’s report on how each of those people perceives him. The Metzorah is not the only one with access to a Metamir. The person who becomes uncomfortable because he knows that he too often speaks of others and may be next to become a Metzorah is being granted a Metamir’s view of how he sees himself. The person who shuns the entire family of the Metzorah, the wife and children who have been removed from their home and need a place to stay, has a Metamir’s view of his compassion, if he dares to look. Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day is a stark Metamir that reminds us how others perceive us, Jews. We may not need a Metamir. All we need to do is read the news and we can see how we are perceived. We also refer to the day as Hagevurah – the Day of Power, for it was chosen because of the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. We do not want to look in the Metamir and see that others perceive us as weak. We prefer to be seen as fighters. There is a part of me that is bothered by the choice of dates, as I see so many of those who did not physically fight the Germans as mighty warriors. The woman, who grabbed a German’s bayonet to circumcise her son before being shot and dumped in a pit, was a super hero. The man who asked a Halachic question whether he could bribe a guard to save his son if it meant that someone else’s son would replace his son on the death list, is at least as great a warrior as the Warsaw Ghetto fighters. The people who sang Ani Ma’amin as they were being gassed were great heroes, as were the people who survived and rebuilt their lives. The only Metamir I want to see is the one worn by God. I want to know how He perceives me, us, all of His creation. I don’t need Timoteo’s mirror. I have my answer every time I pray, in every word of the Torah, and in every Mitzvah that forms my service of Him: He loves me and sees me at my absolute best. It is that view I want to maintain in my mind’s eye as I go about my life. It is in that view that I find my Gevurah, my strength. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Flying Free Every time I study this portion, which describes the purification process of the Metzorah, who has been shut away from the world, I recall the following story and essay by one of my all-time favorite writers: I had sat down to rest with my back against a stump. Through accident I was concealed from the glade, although I could see into it perfectly. The sun was warm there, and the murmurs of forest life blurred softly away into my sleep. When I awoke, dimly aware of some cornmotion and outcry in the clearing, the light was slanting down through the pines in such a way that the glade was like some vast cathedral. I could see the dust motes of wood pollen in the long shaft of light, and there on the extended branch sat an enormous raven with a red and squirming nestling in his beak. The sound that awoke me was the outraged cries of the nestlings parents, who flew helplessly in circles about the clearing. The sleek black monster was indifferent to them. He gulped, whetted his beak on the dead branch a moment and sat still. Up to that point the little tragedy had followed the usual pattern. But suddenly, out of all that area of woodland, a soft sound of complaint began to rise. Into the glade fluttered small birds of half a dozen varieties drawn by the anguished outcries of the tiny parents.
No one dared to attack the raven. But they cried there in some instinctive common misery, the bereaved and the unbereaved. The glade filled with their soft rustling and their cries. They fluttered as though to point their wings at the murderer. There was a dim intangible ethic he had violated, that they knew. He was a bird of death.
And he, the murderer, the black bird at the heart of life, sat on there, glistening in the common light, formidable, unmoving, unperturbed, untouchable.
The sighing died. It was then I saw the judgment. It was the judgment of life against death. I will never see it again so forcefully presented. I will never hear it again in notes so tragically prolonged. For in the midst of protest, they forgot the violence. There, in that clearing, the crystal note of a song sparrow lifted hesitantly in the hush. And finally, after painful fluttering, another took the song, and then another, the song passing from one bird to another, doubtfully at first, as though some evil thing were being slowly forgotten. Till suddenly they took heart and sang, from many throats joyously together as birds are known to sing. They sang because life is sweet and sunlight beautiful. They sang under the brooding shadow of the raven. In simple truth they had forgotten the raven, for they were the singers of life, and not of death.
Loren Eiseley – The Immense Journey Eiseley’s story is the judgment of life over death. The two birds, one that is slaughtered, and one that is set free at the conclusion of the process, are also the judgment of the birds, the judgment of life over death. They celebrate the healing and purification of the Metzorah. They celebrate his Teshuva, which allows him to be reintroduced into the community. The second bird, the one that goes free over the open field, is a symbol of the restored physical and spiritual life of the Metzorah. No matter what one may feel about the State of Israel, it too is the song of life that overcomes the murderous Germans. It is a statement of life, beauty and rejoicing after 2,000 years of Crusades, expulsions, pogroms and ghettos. We, like the Metzorah, were the outcasts of society. The world was silent. Then we began to sing again, a song of life that will continue to echo in our hearts and souls until the final redemption. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 King Solomon As a child, King Solomon, “the wisest of all men”, fascinated me. I couldn’t imagine anyone wiser than my father. I read all the Midrashim I could that described Solomon’s brilliance and, although I believed, I was not convinced that it was the ancient king, and not my father, who deserved the official title. It could not have been because of the books he wrote. His father composed the Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, wrote their great books. The story of the young king’s “order” to divide the baby between the two women is smart, but certainly not the smartest strategy in the bible. I had no choice but to ask the wisest person I knew. “King David taught us how to express anything a person could possibly feel. Solomon took all those feelings and connected them to the moment of greatest achievement; the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem.” My father usually answered my questions in simple terms that I could understand. My six-year-old brain had no idea what this answer meant but certainly knew from the look on his face that my father was waiting for me to admit my incomprehension. “I don’t understand!” “That,” he said, “is the beginning of wisdom. You have to know what you don’t understand. There were many things that Solomon did not understand, but he was wise enough to know that the answers were already there in the world and Torah. He knew that the answers to everything were in there in what the people experienced when they dedicated the Beit Hamikdash and he composed Shir Hashirim – The Song of Songs – so that whoever looks will find all the wisdom he needs.” I still did not understand his answer, but he turned away before I could, as usual, pester him for more. My father planted a seed in my soul at that moment, a seed that grows each time I study the Song of Songs. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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"Shabbas!" is the way we tell Pip, our dog, that he is not allowed in the dining room. He is very careful with Shabbat and everything seemed fine, at least until Pesach. He gave us a strange look when we declared "Shabbas!" before the first Seder. He knew it hadn't been a week, and to top it off, no one gave him his usual portion of Challah. That was followed by the second Seder, then Shabbat, and then two more days of "Shabbas!" By the last day of Pesach, he was fed up. He looked at me as if to accuse me of being a liar. I wasn't lying. It was Shabbat; or what I think of as the Eighth Day of Shabbat: The blissful disappearance of routine is something young betrothed couples on the eve of their wedding, or people who have just moved house, must have a sense of. It feels to them as if the few days of celebration or the happy chaos of settling in will last forever, becoming the very stuff of their lives, light and sparkling. Tradition actually compares Shabbat to a young betrothed couple. Halacha treats the Shabbat as if we have just moved house; there are laws about how far we can walk outside of our "boundaries!" Shabbat is our opportunity to be free of routine and create new levels of life. We cannot allow Shabbat to become part of our routine. Our Shabbat is a powerful reflection of our soul. I hate to say it, but I ask myself, "How is this Shabbat different from all other Shabbats of the year?" Hence, the name of this week's portion, Shemini - The Eighth Day. It was the final day of the dedication of the Mishkan. Their work was finished. Everything was complete. The people were forgiven for the Golden Calf. What happens next? Shabbat can become routine. Festivals can become routine. The Temple service can become routine. The last day of the dedication was the first day of the rest of the Mishkan's existence. One thing had to be made clear: It was the Eighth Day, beyond any routine, even spiritual routine. It was a challenge and a promise: God challenged Israel to serve Him without any sense of routine, in the Eighth Day, beyond the normal, and He promised in exchange to relate to us in the same manner. The Foundation Stone and Blog are our commitment to living in the Eighth Day. They are our battle cry against any sense of routine in our spiritual lives. We hope that you continue to join us here in this special world of the Eighth Day. Bring some extra treats for Pip; he'll be OK. Shabbat Shalom Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Nourishing Traditions Mr. E. was writing on the blackboard with his back to the class. One of the children made a loud and disgusting noise. Mr. E. turned around and wanted to know who was the culprit. I remembered a selection of the Talmud that I had recently overheard and knew that although I was not guilty, I had to raise my hand and accept responsibility. Mr. E. was so furious that even after I received my punishment while leaning over a table, I was sent to the principal’s office. I was worried that I would have to lean over again, but Rabbi N. surprised my by asking, “Why did you admit to something you didn’t do?” “I learned it in a Gemara,” I told him. He was dubious, “There is no such Gemara!” “Of course there is,” I insisted, and I showed it to him: It once happened that Rabban Gamaliel said: ‘Send me up seven [scholars] early in the morning to the upper chamber to calculate the month.’ When he came in the morning and found eight, he asked: ‘Who is he who has come up without permission? Let him go down.’ Thereupon, Samuel the Little arose and said: ‘It was I who came up without permission; my object was not to join in the intercalation, but because I felt the necessity of learning the practical application of the law.’ Rabban Gamaliel then answered: ‘Sit down, my son, sit down; you are worthy of intercalating all years [in need of such], but it is a decision of the Rabbis that it should be done only by those who have been specially appointed for the purpose.’ — But in reality it was not Samuel the Little [who was the uninvited member] but another; he only wished to save the intruder from humiliation. Similarly it once happened that while Rabbi was delivering a lecture, he noticed a smell of garlic. Thereupon he said: ‘Let him who has eaten garlic go out.’ R. Hiyya arose and left; then all the other disciples rose in turn and went out. In the morning R. Simeon, Rabbi’s son, met and asked him: ‘Was it you who caused annoyance to my father yesterday?’ ‘Heaven forfend5 that such a thing should happen in Israel,’ he answered. And from whom did R. Hiyya learn such conduct? — From R. Meir, for it is taught: A story is related of a woman who appeared at the Beth Hammidrash7 of R. Meir and said to him, ‘Rabbi, one of you has taken me to wife by cohabitation.’ Thereupon he rose up and gave her a bill of divorce, after which every one of his disciples stood up in turn and did likewise. And from whom did R. Meir learn this? — From Samuel the Little. And Samuel the Little? — From Shecaniah son of Jehiel, for it is written, And Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam answered and said unto Ezra: We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. And Shecaniah learnt it from [the story told of] Joshua. As it is written, The Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up, wherefore, now, art thou fallen upon they face? Israel hath sinned . . . ‘Master of the Universe,’ asked Joshua, ‘who are the sinners?’ ‘Am I an informer?’ replied God. ‘Go and cast lots [to find out].’ (Sanhedrin 11a) Thank God, Rabbi N was so busy laughing that he forgot to add to my punishment. However, he insisted that the Gemara did not apply to a classroom. “Why not?” “Ask your father!” I stayed up very late until my father came home from Yeshiva and told him the story. He was not surprised. In fact, he had been expecting something like that to occur because ever since I overheard that Gemara I followed him around asking him, “From where did you learn to do that?” By the way, he answered me each time. II.
The most magical part of that selection from the Talmud is that whenever someone acted in a marvelous manner, they asked, “From where did he learn such behavior?” The Sages of the Talmud did not assume that the person was a holy Tzaddik and figured all out on his own. They assumed that he learned the behavior from someone else. No wonder, Pirkei Avot – Chapters of Our Fathers – a treasure of magnificent behavior, begins with the Mesorah – the Tradition received by Moshe at Sinai and handed down from one generation to the next. Our Mesorah is not only about law; it is a fountain of knowledge of how to behave in challenging situations. When we learn the lessons of these great Sages, we must understand their situations and how their specific approach guided them through life. We will then be able to answer, “How did you know to respond like that?” Hopefully without having to bear Mr. E’s belt! Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 The Mighty Pen Solomon’s Temple did not survive the Babylonians. His pen survived the Babylonians, the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Crusades, pogroms, Germans, and everyone else who attempted to destroy his wisdom. We spend lifetimes attempting to discern all the wisdom that poured from his pen, searching for direction and insight. Solomon’s pen still lives. Solomon’s Temple did not survive more than 410 years, but the words he wrote describing the connection with God we all experienced on the day of the Temple’s dedication, are as alive today as they were more than three thousand years ago. I pray and experience a powerful sense of connection. I am blessed with insights. I take those experiences and insights and use my mighty pen to record the moment. Those written notes pulsate with passion. They are not only alive even many years after being written, they inspire more insights and plant the seeds for even greater experiences. They are a song that stimulates more songs. They are a song of songs. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 Surprise!
Brian R. Greene – The Elegant Universe I don’t know about you, but had I been an Egyptian chasing after the Children of Israel, having trapped them between my army and the sea only to watch the sea split just in time. I would not have chased them inside the water. I would have been too surprised. I’m not sure that even as one of the Children of Israel that I would not have been too surprised to enter the split sea. One major surprise was not enough. There are hundreds of Midrashim that describe one surprise after another for the Children of Israel as they crossed the sea. Thirsty? Surprise! A water fountain supplying Dr Brown’s black cherry soda appeared. Hungry? Surprise! Hershey bars, Chalav Yisrael, of course, appeared. Worried about your new shoes? Surprise! The sea floor was not only completely dry, it was a magnificent mosaic. The mosaic was probably less necessary than the Muon, which failed to surprise Dr Rabi, but there it was. The Sages describe the splitting of the sea as one surprise after another. We were at the beginning of our relationship with God, and He wanted to teach us that this relationship will never grow old. It will always be filled with exciting surprises… That is, if we hold on to our ability to be surprised, unlike Dr Rabi’s underwhelming reaction to the muon’s existence. What happened to those surprised people? The surprise did not stop the Egyptians in their tracks. They were too focused on killing their former slaves to react even for a second. The surprises did not stop the former slaves from forgetting all the miracles the minute they saw all the Egyptian gold and silver washing ashore. They were so focused on their new found wealth that they lost their ability to rejoice in all the surprises. Each time I read the text of the Torah I receive a surprise; a new insight, a question I had never noticed, a word that opens secret treasures. I will celebrate the gift of “Surprise!” these final days of Pesach, and pray that God will continue to surprise me every day. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 I love reading Shir Hashirim, the Song of Songs. I am moved by its poetry and magic. The powerful expressions of love and intimacy between God and Israel give voice to myriads of feelings that arise whenever I pray, study, and serve my Creator. I can walk inside the poem's room and feel the walls for a light switch. I want to place my ear against it and listen for its hum. This is a song of discovery.
The Song of Songs, which we will sing this Shabbat, is for me the focal point of the choice between first exploring Torah on my own or waiting for the commentaries to guide me by the hand, instructing me in where to look. I love to study Torah's wisdom on my own and only after my individual exploration examine my insights through the prism of the commentaries. They will always point out what I missed or did not understand. They train me to be a better explorer.
There are times when I feel as if all we do is tie the text to a chair with rope and begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means. I love the commentaries. I treasure their wisdom and guidance because I sense that they too first entered the text as explorers, allowing the words to directly address them before they entered with a guide. I do not want to ever lose the excitement of exploration and discovery. This for me is the freedom expressed in the Haggadah of, "Go out and learn," as opposed to the usual, "Come and hear," of the Talmud, and the, "Come and see," of the Zohar, which I suspect may actually be invitations to "see, or hear WITH the speaker." It is not surprising that it is only while we celebrate the holiday of freedom that we sing the Song of Songs; its words demand that we begin to probe its mysteries with the freedom of an explorer.
I invite you to explore this holiest of texts on your own before looking for the illuminations of the commentaries. Savor its words and messages. It will train you to be a better explorer of all of Torah and life. It will be as explorers that we will join in this Song of Songs.
Shabbat Shalom & Moadim L'Simcha
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. For more information visit http://www.thefoundationstone.org and
http://blog.thefoundationstone.org
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 Beyond Words I have already given away hundreds of commentaries on the Haggadah, and I still have more than 200 volumes in my library. I thought I broke my addiction to buying books but I am struggling to stay away from Riverdale Judaica and buying all the new commentaries on the Haggadah. They don’t stop coming. There aren’t enough words to convey all the insights and thoughts into the Haggadah. The Ari Hakodesh explains that Pesach is derived from two words: Peh and Sach, a mouth that speaks. The Children of Israel had lost their ability to communicate important ideas. They left Egypt from Pi HaChirot, The Mouth of Freedom, and they entered the desert, or Midbar, which can also be read, Midaber, to speak. They soon received the Aseret Hadibrot – The Ten Statements (definitely NOT Ten Commandments). Pesach is about learning to communicate, which is why we are commanded to communicate the stories of our history to our children. It is even more interesting that we do all this speaking only after our children have remarked on the strangeness of it all by asking the Ma Nishtana (The ONE Question with four examples – NOT the Four questions) and the four sons have asked their questions. We wait for someone to remark on the unusual and the mysterious before we speak. Pesach speech is focused on nurturing our ability to discuss and describe the strange, the things that, at first galnce, ar beyond words, the things that do not seem to match our everyday vocabulary. We teach our children to articulate that which is beyond them in order to make it accessible and meaningful. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 The broken Matzah reminds us that a poor person may not even possess a complete Matzah. He must live with very little. He has nothing. The Matzah itself is a symbol of poverty; it has only the very basics of flour and water. It is fair to say that the broken Matzah is a symbol of humility. Humility is a strange, perpetually receding virtue. If you search for it, it vanishes. If you examine yourself and find you possess it, it turns into its opposite – pride or arrogance. You may observe it in a beautiful stranger or friend as long as you remain silent and say nothing about it. No wonder our final moments of Matzah are called Tzafun, or Hidden. The Matzah of humility can never be found. If it is, the humility will disappear. It must remain Tzafun, hidden, even when found. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 “Kama Ma’alot Tovot Hamakom Aleinu!” This is usually translated as, “The Ominipresent has bestowed so may favors upon us!” However, a more accurate translation would be, “How many Higher Levels of Goodness does the Omnipresent possess over us?” I’ll readily admit that the usual translation, as inaccurate as it is, is easier to understand. This introduction to Dayeinu is to present how many favors God did for us over the process of Redemption. However, the words remind me of a different approach: In Arthur C. Clarke’s story “The Nine Billion Names of God,” a group of computer experts is engaged by a Buddhist monastery in Tibet. Their assignment is to use an automatic sequencing computer to list all the possible names for God. According to the monks, when all the names have been recorded they will no longer need to be spoken and God’s purpose will have been achieved and humankind and the cosmos will come to an end. As the project draws to a close, the computer specialists decide it would be wise for them to leave the monastery, even though they do not subscribe to the monk’s apocalyptic myth. As they secretly make their way toward an airfield where they will be picked up and whisked back to civilization, they look up at the night sky and realize that one by one, the stars are going out. We know that even if all the computers in the world would work for eternity that they would not discover all the names of God, Who is Infinite. Our lives are a process of discovery, and with each revelation of God, we discover more about Him. With each discovery, we rise to a higher level on the ladder of the Infinite. Each step of the Dayeinu was a step in the Revelation of the Infinite. We discovered more about God after each gift, we rose and touched an ever increasing level of the Infinite, only to experience our own limitations; “Dayeinu,” “Up to here, but we will never reach all the way.” Dayeinu is a reminder that the process of Revelation and Discovery that began with the Exodus, continued with Sinai, then Israel and then the Beit Hamikdash, continues in everything we do. We continue to reach for the Infinite despite knowing that Dayeinu, there will always be more. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 “God is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear.” (Psalm 27:1) The Midrash (See Psalm 27.2 and 27.3) continues: The rabbis maintained that God set aside the light for the righteous in the World-To-Come, like a king who has a good portion and says: “This portion shall be for my son!” Thus scripture says, “Light is sown for the righteous.” (Psalm 97:11) [Midrash Tehillim] According to the rabbis, David is celebrating the glimpses of the Light of the World-To-Come that he was privileged to catch through his learning, actions and devotion. We recite this psalm to celebrate with King David and to remind ourselves how our lives are often showered with such glimpses. We remember that when we pray for life, we pray that God shower our life with glimpses of the Light of the World-To-Come. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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 “Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took her drum in her hand and all the women went forth after her with drums and dances – mecholot.” (Exodus 15:20) How did the women have musical instruments? Rashi explains that the women understood that if God had performed such great miracles in Egypt that they could expect more miracles on their journey in the desert. So, they took musical instruments with them to be prepared to sing God’s praises. No wonder their dance is described as mecholot which also means forgiveness, as in mechila.
Their dance was repeated by young women each Yom Kippur and Tu B’Av, the 15th of Av and will be copied in the World To Come by all the righteous: Ulla Bira’ah said in the name of R. Eleazar: In the days to come the Holy One, blessed be He, will hold a chorus for the righteous and He will sit in their midst in the Garden of Eden and every one of them will point with his finger towards Him, as it is said, And it shall be said in that day: Lo, this is our God, for whom we waited, that He might save us; this is the Lord for whom we waited, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.(Ta’anit 31a) Those who see life through the eyes of expectation, as did Miriam and her dancing women, will be privileged, having been forgiven for their mistakes, to dance in the World To Come. Elul is a month of expectation: The Children of Israel were filled with the expectation that Moshe would return from his third trip up Mt. Sinai with the Second Tablets. They would be forgiven for their dances, mecholot around the Golden Calf. We blow the Shofar each day of Elul filled with expectation of the magic of the Rosh Hashana Shofar. We prepare throughout Elul for the Judgment of Rosh Hashana, thrilled with the expectation of God’s Coronation as King. Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
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