faith – The Tree of Life

parasha Re’eh 5785

“Unto the place which the L-RD your G-d shall choose out of all your tribes to put His name there, even unto His habitation shall ye seek, and thither come.”

– Deuteronomy 12:5, JPS 191 Tanach

The Jewish people are to direct their activities toward the hope and aspiration of fulfilling the essence of the commandments. We learn this from understanding that the Children of Israel were instructed not to worship other gods in places where other nations had done so, nor to worship HaShem in like manner that other gods were worshipped. Rather, only “unto the place which the L-RD your G-d shall choose” (12:5). In other words, only HaShem was to be worshipped in the manner prescribed, at a particular location.

The JPSN (1985) version reads, “to establish His name there.” Where in our lives have we established G-d’s name? It is established in synagogues where we daven, through our presence and prayers. Yet, to establish His name in our hearts, our behavior and the world wherein we dwell is paramount. The places where other gods were worshipped were destroyed in Eretz Canaan and later again in Israel after they were frequented again by the Israelites.

Today, many have gathered themselves around secular “gods” to whom much time and effort is devoted. Yet, once a year, we are commanded to set aside our extraneous interests that are of little benefit to the soul, if not contrary to the path intended for us. We are to remember what it was like for ancestors to leave Egypt in haste, as if we were there, fleeing from the idolatry, slavery, and oppression toward a new life in the desert, where the Torah was entrusted to us.

Furthermore, as recounted in parasha Re’eh, we are to eat unleavened bread for seven days, in order to “remember the day of your departure from the land of Egypt as long as we live.” This commandment is given anew to the generation about to enter the Promised Land. Every day we can enter anew by turning our heart toward HaShem and his mitzoth, casting our sins behind us. We are restless, yet, when we permit ourselves to center our lives on what is most important to nourish the soul, we may rest in Him and have true peace.

dvar Nasso 5785

All human beings have the capacity to hope. When the B’nei Yisrael were enslaved in Egypt, their hope rested upon the promise of redemption, brought to them by the redeemer who would proclaim that G-d has remembered you, you are not forgotten. Being strangers in a strange land, the first generation of Joseph’s family were aware of the prophetic message to be delivered, and passed that onto successive generations. So, when Moshe arrived, and spoke those words, given to Him by HaShem, he was received by the people in earnest expectation of the redemption.

The culmination of this hope was manifested at Mount Sinai, where the Commandments were given after HaShem appeared to Moshe in the midst of cloud on the mountain. The people heard His voice for at least two of the commandments, and they saw the thunder and lightning. When the Mishkan was completed, HaShem took up residence in the sanctuary, appearing only when communicating to Moshe. And, “he heard the Voice speaking to him” (Numbers 7:89). In like manner that HaShem spoke to Moshe on Mt. Sinai, He spoke to Him in the sanctuary from behind the veil. This parallels the hiddenness of his presence in the clouds, now hidden behind the veil. Moreover, when Aaron went into the Kadosh Kadoshim it was only with incense, so the smoke would hide HaShem’s presence.

It is the same, when we seek to approach HaShem. Inasmuch that we need to search for Him in the darkness of our lives, His presence can be found in the midst of our nisyanos. We may find Him in the quietude of our inner sanctuary, where we may seek solace. Enter within, whether in the silence of the night or early morning hours. Hisbodedut, meditation in the form of speaking to Him with our own words is essential for the soul. In the midst of the darkness there is hope.

Shavuot 5785 Mattan Torah

“And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a horn exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled. ” – Exodus 19:16, JPS 1917 Tanach

At Mount Sinai, the people in the camp trembled at the awesome display of HaShem’s Presence, amidst the thunder and lightning. The people’s sense of yiras HaShem (fear, awe, and reverence towards the L-RD) was elicited by the spectacular display, when the Commandments were given to B’nei Yisrael through Moshe (Moses). This may serve as an example for us, when we gather ourselves together, in order to receive the Torah anew in our lives on the day of Shavuot. The thunder and lightning that humbled the people at Sinai, demonstrates the importance of yiras HSahem for our own lives. “The fear of HaShem is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10).

When we seek to develop awe, reverence, and proper respect towards HaShem, we are planting a foundation within us that will bring wisdom and understanding into our lives (see also Proverbs 9:10). G-d seeks to bring our heart into alignment with His ways, by compelling us to seek teshuvah, that we may start anew. The powerful reminder of thunder is a natural occurrence that should serve as a wake-up call. According to the Talmud, thunder was created for this very purpose (Berachos 59a). “G-d hath so made it, that men should fear before Him” (Ec. 3:14, JPS).

Awe, reverence and respect toward G-d is key. Too often we do not properly demonstrate our respect toward G-d; rather, for example, we act casually toward Him in services by chatting with others, instead of focusing on the words in the prayerbooks. And, in our own lives, the implementation of the commandments is overlooked for following in our own ways, as if we were free and independent, when we are really called to serve G-d and become dependent upon Him. So, let us seek renewal in our lives on this day of the giving of the Torah, honoring HaShem as our sovereign G-d.

parasha Ki Tisa 5785

Elevation demands heavenly insight, a focus on the promises of G-d for K’lal Yisrael on both a communal as well as a personal level. Therefore, in consideration of the half shekel, commanded to be given by the Children of Israel, it is relevant to consider the connotation of the word, rosh, “to lift up.” This word may connote the taking of a census. Yet, it may also be applied to the spiritual status of those who contribute the shekel, that serves as representative of them as an individual counted within the overall populace.

It is understood as an elevation of their soul to a higher level, bringing the individual closer to HaShem through the contribution made. When we give of our wealth on earth, we will be storing up treasures in heaven. Our good deeds are the only things that accompany us on the soul’s journey. In the morning prayers, as per a Talmudic passage we learn that while we do receive reward on earth for our mitzvoth, like tsedokah, the principle reward is in heaven.

In order to draw closer to HaShem, we bring an offering from our own possessions, from what is of value to us, like our monetary funds, time, or space that we share with others, as we contribute to the welfare of our communities. We are lifted up closer to G-d, when we give of ourselves to others, in whatever form our capacity permits. In fact, one translation of the Shema, is to love HaShem, with all of our heart, soul, and resources. We may give of our resources that may include more than money, time, and space, as well as offering ourselves, in order to be present with others; i.e. to serve as a witness in the midst of their nisyanos, and offer comfort.

Additionally, our resources could include our talents, that we may also use to serve G-d and others, as our capacities permit. It would be negligent not to use our skills in a way that serves G-d and others, as per the guidelines established through the commandments. So, we may give to others, using the skills, background and vocation we have acquired in life.

Also, consider that the sages teach that the Hebrew word, ahavah, meaning love, implies giving. We are commanded to love our brothers and sisters, and extend that love to others as well, since all mankind has a spark of G-d inside them, we are all created in G-d’s image. Yet, specifically, within the framework of K’lal Yisrael, we are bound together as one people, and responsible for each other. The half shekel is symbolic of this unity, because we may view ourselves as incomplete without each other. Joined together, we become part of the whole.

As a caregiver for my elderly mother, I have been able to harness the skills that I have developed over the years, for the sake of using them in regard to caring for a loved one. This is the essence of Kibud Av v’Em. Moreover, I am also acquiring new skills, learning along the way, as well as increasing my understanding of her needs.

The other day, another resident at the Rehab, where my mother is recovering from a broken hip, needed to call her daughter. She had arrived earlier that morning, and was distraught, because she did not know whether her daughter knew where she was. At first, she attempted to speak to me in Yiddish, until I told her that I was not a Rabbi, and never learned Yiddish, because I grew up as a Conservative Jew, and became ba’al teshuvah, later in life.

So, I let her use my phone, and finally after several tries, she was able to reach her daughter. In giving her my attention, my mother, who was sitting at the same table in the dining room as her, did not have my undivided attention as usual. However, K’lal Yisrael is responsible to each other.

parasha Mishpatim 5785

After the Children of Israel left Mount Sinai, where HaShem revealed Himself amidst the thunder, lightning and sounds of the shofar, the Torah begins to record the mishpatim, the civil laws and such that also derived from Sinai. How are we to view the contrast between the awesome nature of the Sinai experience, and the listing of these very practical las that are meant to govern the details of life in respect to societal issues?

The revelation at Sinai was an overpowering display of the magnitude of G-d’s presence when he “descended” upon Sinai, wherein even a lowly handmaid experienced more prophetic insight than the prophets who were to come in later years, according to the Talmud. When we consider the mishpatim, these seem very dry, compared to the experience at Sinai. Perhaps, we are meant to understand that “religion,” so to speak, is not only about awesome spiritual experiences, rather, also, comprises the actual observance of Torah within all facets of life.

Therefore, not only in the synagogue where we connect to HaShem by transcending the mundane, but, even in the myriad details of our lives with respect to justice and fairness in society. When we reflect on this dual understanding of Judaism, then we should arrive at the realization of how “everything matters,” in respect to our Emunah. Our faith in HaShem can not only be an abstract faith, disconnected from the other areas of our lives outside of the synagogue. Our faithfulness to HaShem includes our responsibilities to others as designated by Torah.

There is no divide between religious belief and the practice of our faith with respect to carrying out the responsibilities that are placed upon us. They are part and parcel of the same essential nature of what comprises Judaism – a way of life that enters all arenas of our lives. Yet, faith, hope and trust in G-d can carry us through the challenges of attempting to lead righteous lives.

parasha Vayeishev 5785

It makes perfect sense for Yaakov’s son, Yoseph to also encounter an angelic being in the physical form of a man. In this week’s parasha, Vayeishev, Yoseph is sent on the mission to check up on his brothers, who are pasturing sheep at Shechem. When Yoseph seems to be meandering, and perhaps straying from his intended course to fulfill the task given to him by his father, grooming him as the next leader of the family, he happens to meet a man.

According to Rashi, this is the angel Gabriel, who points him in the right direction towards Dothan where he will find his brothers. Ramban explains, that “the Holy One, blessed be He, sent him a guide without his knowledge in order to bring him into their hands” (commentary on Genesis 3:15, sefaria.org). The significance of sending an angel is elaborated upon: it was necessary, so that the counsel of HaShem would be carried out (Proverbs 19:21).

This occurs against the backdrop of jealousy, already being harbored by his brothers, because of his dreams of superiority that he shared with his family. When he arrives, they take the opportunity to prevent him from gaining leadership over them, by selling him to passerby on their way to Egypt. We know the rest of the story of how Yoseph suffers, accused wrongly, landing up in jail, until he is released and ushered into Pharoah’s court.

Had he missed the mark, by not being able to find his brothers in Dothan that fateful day, he would not have been able to procure the means for preserving his family’s lives during the famine that ensued twenty-two years later. The question is what can we learn from this occurrence, whereof almost going astray, divine intervention leads him back upon his designated path in order to accomplish his divine mission?

In life, there are times that are crucial, for some future reckoning that we are unable to see down the road, that something needs to happen to keep the present in sync with the prescribed future of an individual. And, we cannot predict how that singular meeting, event, or decision will impact others after it plays out in the aftermath. These may be understood as choice points in our lives, where hashgacha peratis (divine guidance) plays a role in the unfolding of a situation for the sake of posterity.

Yom Kippur 5785

“Who shall ascend into the hill of HaShem? Or who shall stand in His holy place?” – Psalm 24:3

Yehi razon – may it be the will of HaShem that we be able to stand before Him, during the Yomim Noraim (Days of Awe), as the decrees are sweetened in our favor, through tsedokah, tefillah and teshuvah (charity, prayer, and repentance). For only through His mercy, can we be forgiven, despite our aveiros (sins). As erev Yom Kippur approaches, we still have time to avert the severity of the decrees made against us through teshuvah, tzedakah and tefillah up until the time that the door closes for the year. On Yom Kippur we afflict ourselves (Leviticus 16:29-31):

If the animal soul is neglected, as required to follow the pursuits of the godly soul, how will this affect the psyche? The soul may be nourished by the righteousness that ensues on the derech (path), when it applies itself to study and prayer. Yet, the resistance from the animal soul may manifest in unpleasant feelings, because it is being deprived of its way upon the person. So, there is the soul, with all of its attributes, divided into the godly soul, and animal soul. Yet, these two are part of the whole. Therefore, both affect the person, within the framework of mind, body, and spirt.

In a sense, the distaste that the animal soul has for things spiritual may show up as negative emotions, that wear upon the person. Is this a sign that something is wrong with the person? On the contrary, it is like the feelings and discomfort we have when fasting on Yom Kippur. We are fasting for the sake of our soul; yet, the accompanying unpleasantness of the fast are a sign that it is working, like purifying us from the dross, until we are refined.

So even that well-known adage from the secular world of exercise applies: no pain, no gain. If G-d made all things holy, wholly pleasant to the soul, without any resistance from the yetzer hara (stemming from the animal soul), then it would be easy to do good, and what reward could there be for that? Rather, because of the challenges and difficulties that oppose our endeavors to follow the path of righteousness, we are rewarded, both in this life, and the World to Come.

As the World Spins

Isn’t most of the world blinded by the entertainment, that desenistizes us to violence, and makes us think that all the world really is a stage, as if Shakesperean actors are performing for us on television in the movie theatres, and even in real life, which is actually more fascinating than the illusions on the screen, if we venture to learn about what is really happening in the world.

Does art imitate life or life imitate art? Two sides of the same coin. However, the more that I follow the details news and developments each and everyday for the past several weeks, I get the viscereal sense that this is a real life drama, building up in the Middle East.

If we shut out the news by tuning out, turning off the television and shutting down our computers, and electronic devices it is still happening. And America is not immune, nor a place of refuge from the realities of the Acharit HaYamim (the End of Days) that have been transpiring on earth, especially with the onset of the Covid Plague.

Perhaps, the revolution will not be televised; and, even moreso, we are already within the midst of it. Woke ideology permeates almost every facet of society, and those who endeavor to uphold the truth in their lives need courage to stand strong against the tides of change. “And every eye will see G-d’s return to Zion.”

Orientation Toward Mercy

“As for me, in the abundance of Thy lovingkindness will I come into Thy house; I will bow down toward Thy holy temple in the fear of Thee.” – Psalm 5:8, JPS 1917 Tanach

The reality is that when we face East to recite our prayers (outside of Israel), we do so in regard to directing our thoughts, heart, and focus toward the location of the Beis HaMikdash. This seems especially prescient to me, after Tisha b’Av, when the intent of that day is to dwell upon and reflect the loss of the Temple, and the on the otherside of the coin, acknowledge the rebuilding of the Third Temple. May we all merit to see that day.

Until we arrive at that day, where we are not only praying toward, rather, also, praying at the Holy Temple, we are called upon to pray in small sanctuaries (Ezekiel 11:16). Our prayer should be like entering into an inner sanctuary of solitude as well, finding refuge and solace.

Yet, upon leaving the physical space of worship, and stepping out of sacred time spent in communion with HaShem, we need to carry over those positive feelings into our lives. We each have certain areas of our lives that need improvement. This may include relationships with others. As such I offer these prayers, based upon the first few morning prayers in the siddur:

Ribono shel olam, may Your mercy overwhelm your attributes. And, may our limited capacity to show mercy toward others, also influence our middos. Specifically, may our mercy diminish our anger and frustration toward others. Amein.

In like manner that we request G-d to deal with us according to his attributes of kindness of mercy, we should be be compelled to show kindness, and have mercy toward others; so, that our negative emotions be overruled, diminished, and vanquished for the sake of the good, and peaceful relations with others, especially family, friends, and acquaintances.

Pick a Word, Not a Fight

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver”

– Proverbs 25:11, JPS

Raise me up above my thoughts, so that I do not equate ideas with personhood. We are more than our beliefs, ideologies and political views. Perhaps, if more of us realized this, rather than falling prey to the unspoken adage, “the personal is political,” the world would be less divisive. A word well-chosen is better than an onslaught of personal opinions, or flow of ideological ideas. A barrage of convictions held, delivered as a statement of faith, may truly get the point across to another person who holds different views; however, this does no make for good conversation, nor bridging the divide between the entrenched positions have lurking below their personas.

I, myself, and included as one who needs to hear these words, written partly from personal experience, as well as from an understanding gained through what others have recommended for the sake of conversations. Meeting another person where he or she is at is crucial. Although, sometimes, I have to backtrack in a conversation, and explain directly that I’d rather learn more about the other person’s viewpoints than espouse my own, I am making my way closer the better conversation. Sometimes silence for the sake of peace is the best remedy.

Yet, when, it is more a matter of defending truth, especially that of the existence of G-d and the authority of scripture, as well as the actuality of Biblical events, like the revelation on Mount Sinai, I can hardly keep silent. For the sake of conscience, I must speak my mind, as well as a deterrent against being influenced by the words of others, intended to undermine my own faith. Yet, can I do any of this with a smile on my face, and compassion in my heart toward the other? It is challenging to maintain a balanced approach to open and honest communication, for sure.