- פרטים
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 02 דצמבר 2020 17:32
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נכתב על ידי Super User
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כניסות: 357
Portion Chukat - Teaching the World about Death - or LIFE
One of my Staten Island friends recently became a bit upset. He met a convert to Judaism who claimed that the Torah is not an important part of Judaism.
So what did that person mean? I had met the same person. They had "converted" to marry a Jew, but really knew almost nothing at all about our "3300" or so years of our people's connection to the Almighty, or even our Jewish history or heritage.
One Orthodox Rabbi in his yeshiva class said years ago "that to learn (and to teach) how to do the Many Mitzvas Today you sometimes have to learn "where to cut corners". But with ANY LIVING THING you can't cut out the heart! Thousands of years of Torah Learning is what kept our people and keeps our people united (even if there have been many arguments in our history).
Matza balls and bagels in Jewish culture is not Judaism and don't make for survival (Sephardic Jews don't usually even eat those). Jewish "culture" can be ALL the fun or traditional folkways that Ashkenazi and Sephardi people adapted wherever they lived – but "man (and woman) does not survive (for long) on bagels alone". Even this week's Portion Chukat as well as the previous weeks, mention Israelites in the desert complaining - EVEN about the "MANNA from Heaven"(better tasting than most bagels) that they subsisted on (without having to work for it) for 40 years.
This Portion – Chukat – states Zot Chukat (Choke is some TYPE of LAW) Hatora.THIS IS TORAH! What do we mean?
Most sages have interpreted that as "rules too mystical to understand". But in his own amazing way, the Maharal of Prague – that great mystical commentator on the Torah says a most UN-mystical thing:
He interprets "Choke" as not an UnKnowable rule – claiming as opposed to Maimonides and others - That Everything is Knowable. TORAH Din – judgment as opposed to Choke – Rule depend on how you LEARN it. You have to LEARN the Torah to Appreciate its Greatness..
The portion can be looked at as "Din" or "Choke" – even with its strange practice of the Red Heifer Ashes and the Practice of Purity surrounding the Holy Tabernacle in the desert – and the Holy Temple in Jerusalem – and THE WHOLE WORLD. WHY?.
According to the Maharal in Judaism WE LIVE AND LEARN (and are supposed to TEACH) "Din=Justice" – through – and along with the centrality of the Tabernacle/Temple rituals..
The Red Heifer rules in the portion are followed by the Israelite Rituals Related to Death – "Adam key yamut ...kol nogay ba etzem"
And today we still have a custom WHICH WE SHULD FOLLOW – after Funerals - the hand washing and "tum ah" ritual - in memory of Temple Times.
What does that mean for THE WORLD TODAY?
. Death and Temple must be separated – because each has a different sanctity. THAT IS OUR TORAH TEACHING from the first Aliyah in this week's portion (in Israel).Holiness practice is our Objective Heritage even today.
However today in the US people burn cultural symbols – and then attack synagogues that have never had anything to do with racial discrimination! As The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported, just about a week ago a fountain dedicated to the memory of holocaust victims was destroyed in a local memorial park.
That is not an attack on bagels – that is an attack on Sanctity and Humanity – of the Torah and of all people of good faith.
Don't forget those medical front liners – but WE JEWS ARE ALL SPIRITUAL FRONT LINERS! Heal the Hatred!
A kind word AND SOME TORAH - pack a powerful spiritual TORAH healing greater than bagels and matza balls!
Shabat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
- פרטים
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 02 דצמבר 2020 17:32
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נכתב על ידי Super User
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כניסות: 254
Portion Korach - Survival of the Fittest?
Who and what was Korach? Moses' cousin - and a rival for leadership of the Temple Cult.
He was smart - but his name Kor Rach means - cold of spirit. Think about that.
In this portion, Moses has some detractors, so ...What doès he do?
He tries to reason with them! Maybe some people just like to make trouble?
So things aren't perfect there in the desert -Still, isn't it better than slavery?
The complainers were really fighting the Almighty - why pick on Moses and Aron?
Moses had a cushy life before the Almighty laid the whole Egypt thing on him!
And then - he didn't need 40 years in the desert -
and he could have taken the two tablets with him and gone back -
to Midian with his father in law .. for an easy retirement
G-d doesn't like complaining.
G-d doesn't need pettiness.
Insensitivity (including greed) is like a virus!
And Habbit - it keeps you from stepping up to the plate when needed!
So Korach seems to have got a lot of people fired up and challenging Moses -
because of the above 4 "cardinal mistakes."
And there was a fault under where they stood opposite Moses -
and the earth swallowed them up!
So who survived?
Ohn did because his wife didn't let him join the confrontation.
And the children of Korach survived - and later became leaders - but they "saw the light" -
It was the light Moses brought down from Sinai - and it covered him - so that it says
"When Moses walked through the camp in the desert he had to wear a HEAD COVERING -
because he was SO RADIANT!
That's what the Torah can do for all of us - make us SHINE!
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
- פרטים
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 02 דצמבר 2020 17:31
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נכתב על ידי Super User
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כניסות: 210
Portion SheLach Anashim (great people) in Israel – A little Kabala for great people
Shakespeare wrote " All the world's a stage - and all the men and women merely players...
The Torah implies (and it rhymes with the above)
All the world's a temple - and all the men and women do their mjtzvahs.
Shakespeare himself would say "Aye Where's the rub?" (Nu - so what?)
I have to ask - Do people THINK what they DO? Is everything just a game or a musical?
Seems like Shakespeare would have to say "no" - people just ACT -
except for the plotting and conniving ones -And maybe a rare bird like Hamlet!
Our Torah portion is filled with "conniving ones" - mostly great leaders of the Israelites (in the desert) -
and how they got our forebears into trouble!
(Does that sound familiar in today's world? Personally, I don't see a single European or Asian leader concerned with truth or the world or with healing the world despite this Pandemic that threatens everyone and everything!
Africa and South America? Are all leaders plotting opportunists? Maybe it goes with the territory -
for most people – except a Moses and a Joshua and a Caleb! (And the women in the desert seem to be above the conniving).
So those great leaders went to Canaan to spy out the potential adversaries -
and on return told the peoplè "Forget about it - we just can't do it! Don't try for Israel!"
They were maybe afraid or maybe were worried they might lose ledership rewards IF ALL THE Israelies took themselves
into a whole new Land of Milk and Honey -
a beautiful country ! It is not so clear from the Torah wording why they dissuaded the Israelites from entering the Land of Israel.
It was a commandment for them to spy - Moses sent them.
Commandments must be followed according to Kabbalah in 3 ways-
Verbally, with thoughtfullness - and then following the commandment.
They missed it - the point - and messed up.
The results were that all that generation had to die in the desert, and only the children of that generation came into the land -
and conquered it - with Joshua and Caleb – those 2 spies who trid to convince the people that the other 10 were wrong.
The Kabbala implies that we can defeat false ideas by making all our actions and words focused on the positive methods above.
But how to focus on those 3?
Reb Shlomo Carlebach taught that:
You can't look at Israel like a stage to play out the (Canaanite or Euro-Asian) perversions,
cooked up by enmies of truth - whether at the UN or EU - or by "world class" anti semites.
Only if we have "Moshiach Eyes" –
Searching Eyes Ready for a Redeemed World -
can we all get past today and past today's limitations - to reach a Holy Potential -
For the Land and the People of Israel - and for healing the World.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz (in Israel)
- פרטים
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 02 דצמבר 2020 17:31
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נכתב על ידי Super User
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כניסות: 151
Portion – Theory of Relativity - Baha Alote cha in Israel – Naso in the Galut (Outside Israel)- where are YOU
Last week Shavuote was 1 day in Israel, 2 days outside Israel with the second day on Shabbat. So in Israel we went ahead to the next Torah portion, and “outside” is reading what we read last week.
Not to sound too Kabbalistic BUT – this Shabbat should SPIRITUALLY “blow everyone’s mind”! Why?
In Israel we read the portion with its name meaning “Raising you UP” (Baha Alote cha);
In Diasspora (everywhere else) – we read Naso – from the root meaning “pick up - the BURDEN”.
Wherever you are, you need to try to connect to the Torah, to be insulated from worldly problems. It works!
In the Israel portion there is so much to learn from! And it takes you “on a journey” away from all the talk about corona corona corona – statistics and statistics – issues and issues.
I bring here just a little idea about RELATIVE CONTEXT.
(NO – NOT ABOUT THE in-laws ) – but about WHERE are YOU? Are you – raising up – or feeling the burden?
In this week’s portion it says 3 times in the fourth Aliyah (of seven): That the Israelites in the desert “camped by word of the L-rd” and “journeyed onward” by word of the L-rd”.
An idea from one of the teachers where I pray was expressed thusly:
Imagine a tiny child being held by it’s mother, what will be the answer if you ask “where are you”?
The answer will be “I’m with Mommy”. If you are in a store, in a playground, going on a bus, the answer from a child held by the mother has got to be, “I’m with Mommy”.
Wherever the Israelites traveled those 40 years in the desert – they were around the Tabernacle, and protected by the Almighty.
So too, this week's Israel portion teaches us to feel the protection – not the burden – of being near the Tabernacle and near the Almighty. And to raise up the spirits of others – even if sometimes we think it is a burden.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
- פרטים
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 02 דצמבר 2020 17:30
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נכתב על ידי Super User
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כניסות: 230
Portion Shavuot - and Naso in Israel
On Mount Sinai heavy things were happening. Angels were blowing Shofars and Lightning lit the sky.
Imagine the week before! How did we get that G-dly presentation - of 10 things we should KNOW Naturally?
On the exact timing of the Revelation at Sinai the Rabbis of the Talmud are of differening opinions.
Were all the Israeltes ready to becomeFaithful and Receivers of the TorA on Thursday?
Or was it on that Friday? or Shabbat - or " the day After receiving the Ten Commandments at Sinai?
The words in theTorA are conceptually clear ... this happened and that happened ...
but it is often that a basic concèpt is taught first and later a less basic one.
Timelines are not G-dly - nor are time limits!
So some rabbis may argue over - WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT.in case of a conflict.
They might think something came later or came sooner - in importance - but
What is clear is that :
In life many things can be happening at once,
while humans have no way to deàl with that.
Events always are serially portrayed - but occuring concurently
What is clear is that everyone was
First healed then
standing beneath the mountain AND
then the Torah was received
And everyone's life was changed - like new converts -
to the religion first taught to the world - by Abraham and Sara.
Chag Samayach Shabbat Shalom and Stay Well
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
