Parashat Hashavua

Portìon Emor- Soup to Nuts

In Short - I am back in Israel - still dealing with

The fallout of the hit and run accident in Staten Island

Hey - the portion is ALSO still dealing-

With the "fallout " -

From many topics.

Why So Many?

Generally Humans think LINEAR

Artists think a little Circular

But

G-d is ONE.

And another proof that G-d gave us the Torah,

Is : that the Torah cannot be understood LINEARLY.

There is a Talmudic Rule

From thousands of years ago:

Ein Mukdom U Meuchar baTorah-

Meaning

There is no exact time of portions of Torah,

But

For humans it HAD TO be written Linearly.

And this portion Emor

Ties up some loose ends:

Laws of Kohains

Laws of Holidays

And other issues.

At the end it deals with

Prohibition to Curse G-d.

What?

How could someone do that?

Like I said:

We cannot COMPREHEND G-d's Total Plan.

Frustration can lead to Anger.

And the Portion ends with

Never take that out on G-d!

All we can do is

LEARN FROM THE GREAT RABBIS what we can,

Who for ALL history

Study and Teach the best way for us

To Comprehend the in-comprehensible-

The Torah that guides our lives to joy and power

Each of us on our own level and

According to our investment in G-dliness.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

פרטים: נכתב על ידי Super User; קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם ב05 מאי 2023; כניסות: 1774

Portions teh Tza Veh meh and Tzora : the Illnesses we Don't Understand

This Weekly Double Portion teaching the Jewish People about connections between :

Childbirth

Temple offerings

Leprosy

As we see in a bit.

Yes, today there are still illnesses like blindness in Africa from infected water And other diseases :

G-d should only protect us from!!!

Why? Who needs all those?

And years ago - oil VEY! all the germs before someone invented SOAP!

Did you know the Kohain priests - sons if aron - were/are Healrs? and Doctors?

Someone sent me an anti-kabalist video pokiing fun at some ancient prescriptions for "healing".

But 1700 years ago the Rabbis Estimated "PI" - and maybe the Egyptians before them!

And Maionides 800 years ago incorporated Roman and Greek knowledge into his medicsl books! And:

The Talmud talks about how they made Penicilin 1700 years ago !!!

So those boors or fools poking fun at some old medical-practical theories in Rabbi Books were

Simply Not up to Date about HISTORY or Ancient Wisdoms - or RESPECT.

If some stuff sound odd to the modern person...so what?

Boors make fun of things they are too foolish to undetstand or too lazy to put in perspective.

Studying in Yeshiva University High School we were taught not to follow all literal statements in the Talmud-

that not all old stuff works.

It is sometimes just background stuff - not material for fools to use today to detract from essential truths!

At 430 AM I heard a class given by one of my favourite Rebbes-Teachers

In Israel (via computer miracle) on Talmud of Sota22

(While I was getting ready to walk 5 kilometers to prayer - the shul where I am now making my AM turmeric tea)

The Talmud was warning against rabbis who may be knowledgeable but

Mislead others -

and it's because they never served and observed a holy scholar teacher -

something truly needed to absorb:

The reasons behind all of the Torah! and the TRUTHS of the Torah.

And how and why did all those African and South American people I met convert to Judaism,

And why did so many of them come to Israel to live a classical Jewish holy life?

AND: Why don't I just sleep later and pray by myself instead of pushing myself for 3 miles to get here on time for a 620 AM minyan?

Is it because of things like how

this Weekly Double Portion is teaching the Jewish People about

best medial/spiritual practices for

Childbirth - and connecting those practices to

the HEALING QUALITIES of

Temple offerings

And the Healing Powers of the Kohain/Priest in dealing with ancient forms of Leprosy?

Or just because ALL the Torah - understandable or not - give MEANING AND POWER

in an UPSIDE DOWN WORLD?

We have a lot to learn from the INTRICACIES the Torah -

and SPIRITUAL POWER to receive -

Especially from this week's double portion...

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi A

In The USA

פרטים: נכתב על ידי Super User; קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם ב22 אפריל 2023; כניסות: 1513

Portions teh Tza Veh meh and Tzora : the Illnesses we Don't Understand

This Weekly Double Portion teaching the Jewish People about connections between :

Childbirth

Temple offerings

Leprosy

As we see in a bit.

Yes, today there are still illnesses like blindness in Africa from infected water And other diseases :

G-d should only protect us from!!!

Why? Who needs all those?

And years ago - oil VEY! all the germs before someone invented SOAP!

Did you know the Kohain priests - sons if aron - were/are Healrs? and Doctors?

Someone sent me an anti-kabalist video pokiing fun at some ancient prescriptions for "healing".

But 1700 years ago the Rabbis Estimated "PI" - and maybe the Egyptians before them!

And Maionides 800 years ago incorporated Roman and Greek knowledge into his medicsl books! And:

The Talmud talks about how they made Penicilin 1700 years ago !!!

So those boors or fools poking fun at some old medical-practical theories in Rabbi Books were

Simply Not up to Date about HISTORY or Ancient Wisdoms - or RESPECT.

If some stuff sound odd to the modern person...so what?

Boors make fun of things they are too foolish to undetstand or too lazy to put in perspective.

Studying in Yeshiva University High School we were taught not to follow all literal statements in the Talmud-

that not all old stuff works.

It is sometimes just background stuff - not material for fools to use today to detract from essential truths!

At 430 AM I heard a class given by one of my favourite Rebbes-Teachers

In Israel (via computer miracle) on Talmud of Sota22

(While I was getting ready to walk 5 kilometers to prayer - the shul where I am now making my AM turmeric tea)

The Talmud was warning against rabbis who may be knowledgeable but

Mislead others -

and it's because they never served and observed a holy scholar teacher -

something truly needed to absorb:

The reasons behind all of the Torah! and the TRUTHS of the Torah.

And how and why did all those African and South American people I met convert to Judaism,

And why did so many of them come to Israel to live a classical Jewish holy life?

AND: Why don't I just sleep later and pray by myself instead of pushing myself for 3 miles to get here on time for a 620 AM minyan?

Is it because of things like how

this Weekly Double Portion is teaching the Jewish People about

best medial/spiritual practices for

Childbirth - and connecting those practices to

the HEALING QUALITIES of

Temple offerings

And the Healing Powers of the Kohain/Priest in dealing with ancient forms of Leprosy?

Or just because ALL the Torah - understandable or not - give MEANING AND POWER

in an UPSIDE DOWN WORLD?

We have a lot to learn from the INTRICACIES the Torah -

and SPIRITUAL POWER to receive -

Especially from this week's double portion...

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi A

In The USA

פרטים: נכתב על ידי Super User; קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם ב22 אפריל 2023; כניסות: 1495

Make the Bitter times into Sweet

My friends, it is like

My Teacher Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach said often

Let's make this short and sweet ..."

And "

Who remembers those bad jokes Uncle X

Would say at the seder,

That was just a FamilyMeal with Matza?"

But Passover is the Holiday of the World!

In the middle of the Israel and Egypt story

The Torah teaches us the Almighty made

4 promises of Redemption.

And in the middle it says

"I bring you out of there with

Mishpatim Gedolim -

Great Judgements"

My interpretation is

(Since RASHI doesn't comment on that)

That the exodus is SO GREAT

that it is BASIC TO JUDGING THE WORLD

(NOT JUST EGYPT)

Can You Prove It? Asked one of my congregants once,

Who still believes we are all

Descended from OuterSpace Travelers

My abswer:

Our teachers traditionally taught that

When the Red Sea Split For US,

SO DID all the OTHER WATERS AROUND THE GLOBE

And the congrebant added:

The Scientists say

There was a Tidal Wave Tsunami

At that time

From a Planet that Passed Close to Earth!

So you see, I said that

Whatever Happened it was just

SO THE WORLD WORLD would LEARN:

THE ISRAELITES ARE FREED

TO FIX THE WORLD

By Following G-d's Command to

LEAVE EGYPT-

The Greatest Miracle in History

Which

LEAVES THE WHOLE WORLD WITH HOPE

if they just look up

Smell the Roses

See the Stars

And THANK G -D FOR THE EXODUS

Happy and Healthy and

Meaningful Passover

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

פרטים: נכתב על ידי Super User; קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם ב05 אפריל 2023; כניסות: 1452

Portion Tzav – Chametz and Weight Loss

Why not

Lose your worries for 8 days - and even lose some weight?

Even Billionaires and Politicians have worries - and sometimes need to lose weight!

Here's news: of the big LOSS of the week – Izzy Englander settled his divorce case with his ex-wife for a Billion Dollars

Here's news: of the big GAIN of the week - the Anarchists and Leftists temporarily halted judicial reforms which would have returned the court system to how it was balanced until 20 years ago

(when the Chief Justice Barak decided judges could decide social issues and not just laws

(taking power away from the Knesset).

And the GREATEST news of TODAY, less than a week before Passover?

My wonderful neighbor Devorah just had a baby a few minutes ago – starting her new family!

A BIG GAIN for the WORLD!

So what do we gain from the Portion, and this Shabbat called "the Great Shabbos"?

All our family used to come to our house in the Bronx for Passover Seder.

It was ALWAYS like a GREAT SHABBOS. A BIG GAIN!

We had a whole closet for special Passover dishes, and I would give up my bed so Grandpa could sleep there (I slept in the hall for the days that he came). Big Mitzva Gain for me!

And we all gain HISTORY and CULTURE from this portion Tzav:

In the hundreds of years when the Great Temple stood in Jerusalem,all-year-round

There was No Chametz allowed with the Temple Flour Offerings (they were mostly like matza-brei )

Erev Pesach (the day before the Seder) – it was

"prepare the Bar-B-Cue" time in Jerusalem – and time to invite family and friends.

So what are we left with? Only a little matza? NO!

The Basic Idea Is:

Get ready to read the REAL STORY OF EXODUS from slavery to Israelite freedom

Isolate the pasta and cookies and get some Matza recipes, etc to EXIT OUT LIMITATIONS–

Close or tape off that cabinet with the Chometz and contract with Rabbi A as agent to sell it

And practice "going out of your confined places to the freedom of the desert (not dessert) –

Exercise (physically) for 8 days:

and exercise restraint for 8 days – and exercise your mind and your imagination for 8 days

From 11 AM erev passover until 730 pm after passover ends

Blessings for a Happy and Healthy and Wonderful Passover

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

פרטים: נכתב על ידי Super User; קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם ב31 מרס 2023; כניסות: 1465

Portion VaYikRa - Calling to Moses in an Israeli Taxi ?

In advice to students, theMishna

(From 1900 years ago) in Pirkei Avot says ...

"sleep on the floor, eat your bread with salt and

"V chayei tzaar tichye"

Translated by most to mean

"Learn to live with suffering" BUT

MY TEACHER Rabbi Carlebach (obm)

Translated it:

Those living with pain

GIVE them LIFE - by JOY HELP AND CARING...

So, 3400 years ago,

Did Moses sleep on the floor?

Did he just eat Matza with salt?

Why does The Almighty in this portion - call out

from the Tabernacle -

Calling out to Moses - about

Sacrificing to achieve Pennace!

But what sacrifices do we make today,

With no Holy Temple or High Priest?

Yesterday I helped deliver some Torah pamphlets

(I covered for a friend who is visiting his sick sister)

The Sephardic taxi driver - who has been prevented at times from working -

Said he is worried that the current demonstrations

are simply ruining normal lives - just

in order to overthrow the government

which 60% of the country elected!

So get this:

The last words one former (American) COA member

said to me were:

I hate Netanyahu.

Why? I know all the dirt too - but it's just politics!

Then he got sick in a couple of months - and then he died.

Still hating Netanyahu?

The taxi driver is a supporter of Netanyahu.

He asked me - why can't everyone just

Live and let live?

So the Almighty in this portion,

tells Moses - Moshe our Teacher -

Teach people self - sacrifice

Teach people to try for pennace - and peaceful co existance

Especially the leaders!

The Zohar in the portion says - Ego of (ALL) Leaders

requires SPECIAL PENNANCE!

But we can ALL try to make this a little better world in every way we can.

And it's so so easy!

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

פרטים: נכתב על ידי Super User; קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם ב23 מרס 2023; כניסות: 1567

portion of Vayikra

This week we do a double Portion and add the reading for the "Month ...haChodesh" - but to keep on with a weekly themed idea:

In the Portion we review building of

The Mishkan - a Temple in the Desert

Are building plans a holy theme?

Remember it's also built

With all the wealth redeemed... when

Israel Left the Slavery of Egypt.

Did the Israelites ignore Amalekite threats or

Pharo's revenge desires and

7 Canaanite confederations - and Others-'

Hoping to destroy the people?

Was the Almighty trying to build something

OR to keep the nation's mind away from rebellion and

Towards a new way of religious spiritual ity?

Maybe the G-dly and Moses way- to protect the nation is

The Israelite Answer to a threatening world - that

IS TO BUILD HOLY PLACES OF REFUGE

Especially for the SOUL

and the portion teaches us also that

we ALL need to

Contribute and Participate in that!

Maybe such building plans ARE holy.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

פרטים: נכתב על ידי Super User; קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם ב16 מרס 2023; כניסות: 1410

Portion Vayakhel Pekudei

Portion Teruma- Building the Temple and G-d's Chariot - Before Purim

Does the Almighty have a Throne?

On Yom Kipur we call it Kisei HaKavod

The Seat of Honor.

Does the Almighty have a Chariot?

Something used to carry on

The Fight for the Good of All?

Portion Naso - means to Raise Up, and the

Commentators wrote that it means

G-d wants to

RAISE UP SPIRITUALLY all peoples! So

Here's a Story told by a Toldos Aharon Hassid- Explained by Rabbi Ginsburg עמו"ש - a Lubavitcher Hassid.

A Gerrer Hassid told him that

"The Imrei Emes (A Gerrer Hassid)

said to me-when I asked him-

"Buy that car - but every day you must

Use it to perform a Mitzva.

And now it's 12 years later,

and this car is sold as of tomorrow,

And every day I did at least one mitzva with

It and it never broke down!"

Quoted from Rabbi Ginsburg .. with my slight variation.

And so we are all the Chariots of the Almighty! And also our VEHICLES.

And

we TRY to treat all with KAVOD HONOR

Blessings for

A New Month and a New Beginning to All!

SO when 2 terrorists were asked to surrender on murder charges Wednesday,

Nearly 100 started shooting at Israeli troops. Is it a wonder that 11 terrorists were killed?

There never was a Palestine. And why?

Because the Hamas who rule Gaza

Steal construction materials meant for homes, and buildrockets to shoot at Jews.

While we all try to do Mitzvas

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

פרטים: נכתב על ידי Super User; קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם ב23 פברואר 2023; כניסות: 1429

portion of Teruma

Portion Mishpatim : Why I Yelled at those Kids last night

In this , the portion of Laws after sinai , we have

The only revelation of a new religious life

in history where a whole people saw the revelation!

Sinai.

Undisputed for 3000 years.

So how does the portion start off? Proclaiming Greatness?

No. The First law is

to protect poor wrongdoers by having a family adoption

Most societies banish wrongdoers - especially poor ones.

Jewish law teaches rehabilitation.

So how is there hatred in Jewish society? Too too many groups and individuals hate!

Particularly because of Israeli political divides?

Or in general?

So last night while waiting for a bus,

About 20 kids aged 10 or 11 or so -

Ultra Orthodox Kids - were attacking two policemen!

I told them to stop - actually yelled at them!

The policemen picked up one kid for harassing and threatening to throw stuff at them.

20 others started cursing.

I said they are protecting you!

Stop being idiots ... You started this now leave!

After a minute or two they all left

And the police let the kid go.

The Torah Teaches Us that

We Must Re Learn to make peace - not just look for

Someone to pick on.

At all levels.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

פרטים: נכתב על ידי Super User; קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם ב15 פברואר 2023; כניסות: 1483

portion of Mishpatim

Portion Beshalach : Between Chanuka (Goats) and Passover (Lambs)

So what is there "between" the two? PURIM (which is creeping up on us)

From the teachings on the Talmud by Yosef Chaim (the famous Iraqi chief rabbi) ... ...
In his book: Ben Yehoyada discussinge Talmud Pesachim ( page 57) :

the Royals argued ... Years after the Maccabees took over
(Chashmonai means "descended from the Maccabees")

The Maccabee King and Queen involved the Kohen Gadol - High Priest -
into their debate - On what is the best mèat - Goat or lamb!!!

(See in a minute why this is relevant to the portion this week)

Answers:

The King felt - we need to be tough like goats
The Queen said- we need to be mercifully soft like Sheep

The High Priest just said: "Of course sheep are tastier-
Why?
Because The Almighty wants us to be merciful-
If Possible - like passive Passover sheep.

The King said its a good idea ...
But not possible if we fight against the OUTSIDE trying to subdue us.

But what happened?

That king punished the High Priest! Who should have known better to
Make the Kingdom Work Better.

Portion Beshalach - Reminding us of Passover - where the Almighty

Freed us to be a light unto the world.

The Maccabees - 60 or 70 years after throwing out the Greeks

Started Internal Fights over EVERYTHING
Just like the Greeks did.. and so
then the Romans came in - And Destroyed the Holy Temple

In our portion, We Left Egypt -To start A New World.

But many world rulers since then have missed the points -

That G-d and Freedom are not mutually exclusive!

And so today ....? What can WE all do? To return to "Exodus Judaism" ???

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

פרטים: נכתב על ידי Super User; קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם ב02 פברואר 2023; כניסות: 1511

Portion of Beshalach

עמוד 11 מתוך 60