All posts by Martin H

Parashat Pinchas!

Dear Friends;

 

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

 

Aaron’s grandson, Pinchas, is rewarded for his act of zealotry in killing the Shimonite prince Zimri and the Midianite princess: G-d grants him a covenant of peace and the priesthood.

 

A census of the people counts 601,730 men between the ages of 20 and 60. Moshe is instructed on how the Land is to be divided by lottery among the tribes and families of Israel. The five daughters of Tzelafchad petition Moshe that they be granted the portion of the land belonging to their father, who died without sons; G-d accepts their claim and incorporates it into the Torah’s laws of inheritance.

 

Moshe empowers Joshua to succeed him and lead the people into the Land of Israel. The Parshah concludes with a detailed list of the daily offerings, and the additional offerings brought on Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and the festivals of Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret.

 

” Dvar Torah “

 

After almost forty years of wandering in the desert, the Jews finally reached the borders of Israel and were allowed to enter the land. At this point, Hashem tells Moshe how to distribute the land among the Children of Israel, which was done by lottery, and a portion is given to each tribe. And each tribe distributed its land among the heads of each family, which unlike today’s times, the head of the family was the man of house! However, Tzelafchad, a man from the tribe of Menasheh, died in the wilderness and left no sons behind. He was not part of Korach’s rebellion and his five daughters wanted to make sure that they receive his share in his name. So they came up to Moshe, Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly asking the following: “Let not our father’s name be lost to his clan just because he had no son! Give us a holding among our father’s brothers!” Moshe, not sure of the law regarding father’s inheritance towards daughters, brings the issue before G-d, and G-d responds saying “The plea of Tzelafchad’s daughters is just: you should surely give them a hereditary holding among their father’s kinsmen; transfer their father’s share to them”.

 

However, in tracing the background of the daughters of Tzelafchad, the Torah seems to provide redundant information. The pasuk says: “The daughters of Tzelafchat, son of Hefer, son of Gilad, son of Machir, son of Menasheh, son of Joseph came near, …… and they stood before Moshe…” The Chachamim ask why did the tracing back their ancestors stopped at Yosef and didn’t go all the way back to our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Rashi explains that the Torah is trying to show to us that the love for Eretz Yisrael is genetic. Yosef loved the Land of Israel and insisted that his bones be returned there after his death. This love for Eretz Yisrael ran in his family all the way down to Tzelafchad’s daughters, who insisted that they be given their fair portion in the Land.

 

Although Rashi’s commentary may explain the Tzelafchad’s daughters’ love for Eretz Israel, but still leaves a doubt in our mind. What if they were interested in the land for its financial benefit? After all, one of the biggest assets that people possessed in those days was owning a piece of land. So, how do we know their love for Eretz Yisrael was genuine?

 

Well, Rabbi Yissachar Frand gives a beautiful explanation. He says that in order to answer this question, we first need to know who Tzelafchad was. There are difference of opinions regarding Tzelafchad’s identity. Some say that he was the wood-gatherer who desecrated Shabath and was killed, while others believe that he was among the group who tried to force their way into Canaan after the decree of the spies and was killed by the Canaanites. Either way, Tzelafchad’s death occurred some 38 years before the events of this week’s Parsha. If Tzelafchad’s daughters were interested in their father’s estate from a strictly financial point of view, why would they have waited 38 years to ask for it? Also, inheritance is not limited to land. What about his cattle? What about his other properties? Apparently, they were not interested in that. It was only now, when they were on the doorstep of Eretz Yisrael that they came pressing their claim for inheritance of their father’s portion. This is the demonstration of their love for the Land. They were silent regarding the cash and other valuable properties. However, their inheritance in the Land of Israel mattered greatly to them. And they inherited this affection to the Land from their great grandfather, Yosef!

 

Yes my friends, loving Eretz Israel is genetic! It’s in our blood! Throughout the Bible, people showed their love for Eretz Yisrael even before seeing the land. Avraham left the comfort of his hometown, where he was well known and successful, to move to Israel, a land he has never seen before. Moshe Rabeinu pleaded with G-d several times to let him walk across the land just for once, which was unfortunately denied. Ruth the Moabites, followed her mother in law, Naomi, who had nothing to offer her, except the land of Israel!

 

So, what is it about this land that everyone is so crazy about? Is it because the land is holy and you feel closer to G-d? Is it because even the first time you step foot on this land, it feels as if you’ve come home? Is it because everyone around you is Jewish and you feel safe and secure living among your brothers? Is it because, Hashem protects and blesses the Land, as long as we keep his commandments? Is it because the land prospers miraculously, when it’s in the hand of the Jews? Or, could it be all of the above???

 

The Chachamim go as far as to say, that just breathing the air in Eretz Yisrael has a mitzvah! It is a privilege to live in our times; the time that we can walk freely on our land and see for ourselves the land flowing with milk and honey. It’s not a coincident that for 2000 years, when Israel was in the hand of other nations, it did not prosper and was just a desert. And now, only after 69 years, once the Jews took over, it has become one of the most advanced and productive countries in the world. B”H, I had the zechut to go to Israel once again this year. B”H, the country has everything. It has farms and fruit trees in the North, holy sites in Jerusalem, vacation resorts in the south and skyscrapers in Tel-Aviv. We don’t need to be a genius or a Torah scholar to see that G-d wants the Jews to live in this land. He wants us to love and cherish this land, just like our ancestors did. The land that Moshe dreamed to put his feet upon it. Let’s not take it for granted!

 

In Iran, there is a city called Esfehan, and because of its charm, beauty and character, it’s been given the title of “nesfeh Jahan”– “half of the world”! But I’m afraid that they’ve got it all wrong, since the WHOLE world can be found in our land, the land of ISRAEL!

 

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

 

Martin

 

Parashat Korach!

Dear Friends;

 

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

 

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

 

 

Korach, Datan and Aviram, and 250 leaders of Israel rebel against the authority of Moshe and Aharon. The rebellion results in their being swallowed by the earth. Many resent their death and blame Moshe. G-d’s “anger” is manifest by a plague that besets the nation, and many thousands died. Moshe intercedes once again for the people. He instructs Aharon to atone for them and the plague stops. Then G-d commands that staffs of all the tribes, be placed in the Mishkan. In the morning the staff of Levi, bearing Aharon’s name, sprouts, buds, blossoms and yields ripe almonds which proves that Levi’s tribe is chosen for priesthood and verifies Aharon’s position as the High Priest.

The specific duties of the levi’im and kohanim are stated. The kohanim were not to be landowners, but were to receive their sustenance from the tithes and other mandated gifts brought by the people to the Mishkan.

 

 

“ Dvar Torah “

 

 

In this week’s Parsha, Moses and Aaron’s leaderships were challenged by a group of distinguished and G-d fearing people. The story goes as follows:

Korach, son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi separated himself, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth – descendants of Reuben – to rise up against Moses, together with two hundred and fifty Israelites, leaders of the community, chosen in the assembly, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron and said to them, “It is too much for you! For all the community are holy, all of them, and Hashem is in their midst. Why then do you elevate yourself above the Lord’s congregation?”

At first Moses tried to reason with them but was unable to succeed. So, he decided to have a contest for the leadership. Moshe said to Korach, ” tomorrow, let each man take his fire-pan and you shall place incense on them and you shall bring your fire-pans before Hashem, 250 fire-pans, and yours and Aaron’s. ” And G-d shall decide who is the chosen one!

So they took – each man his fire pan – and they placed the fire and incense on them, and they stood at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, with Moses and Aaron, and the glory of Hashem appeared to the entire assembly.

However, just before the contest, Moshe was exceedingly distressed by the disrespectful attitude of Dathan and Abiram who said to him, “Why did you bring us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to cause us to die in the desert?” In turn, Moses said to the Lord, “Do not accept the offering [of Korach and his cohorts]. I have not taken a donkey from a single one of them, and I have not harmed a single one of them.”

Hashem tells Moses to tell the people to distance themselves from the tents of Korach, Dathan and Abiram. Moses relates the message and adds this statement: “By this you shall know that it was the Lord who sent me to do all these things; that they are not of my own devising: if these men die as all men do, if their lot be the common fate of all mankind, it was not the Lord who sent me. But if the Lord brings about something unheard of, so that the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive to the pit, you shall know that these men have provoked the Lord.”  No sooner had he finished speaking, than the ground opened up and swallowed the rebels.

Well, we all would think that the previous paragraph was the end of story. The miracle Moses predicted, happened. Heaven had answered his call in the most dramatic way. He had been proven right and Korach and his followers were wrong. Now, people would believe in Moshe and Aaron and would respect them wholeheartedly. End of revolution. End of story.

But surprisingly, the story does not end here. The next day, the whole Israelites community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the people of Hashem,” they said. Before, Moses had just over 250 people rebel against him, and now, he has the whole congregation against him!

This time, it is G-d himself who intervenes. He tells Moses to take twelve staffs, one for each tribe, and deposit them overnight in the Tent of Meeting. The next morning, the staff bearing the name of Aaron and the tribe of Levi had sprouted, budded, blossomed and borne almonds. Only then did the rebellion end.

The question that comes to mind is as follows. Why did the great miracle of the ground opening up and swallowing Moses opponents not secure his position and end the conflict? Why was the gentle miracle of the dead wood that came to life again, gave flowers and bear fruits, more impressive in the eyes of the people which brought an end to the rebellion?!

Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gives an interesting answer. He says that the use of force never ends a conflict. It merely adds grievance to injury. Even the miracle of the ground opening up and swallowing his opponents did not secure for Moses the justification he sought. Force never ends conflict, not even when the force is miraculous. In this case, what ended the conflict was the quiet, gentle miracle that showed that Aaron was the true emissary of the God. Flower is a sign of peace, which brings tranquility to the people, and that’s what people needed to come to their senses and accept the fact that Moshe and Aaron were their true leaders!

Yes my friends, in Judaism, conflict resolution is not done by force, but rather, it’s done by pleasantness and peace. To end a war, people need to see peace and harmony in the horizon. Killing and suffering doesn’t bring an end to the conflict — It creates hatred. And hatred ignites the use of force.

Remember that a piece of wood blossoming and giving flowers had more power than ground opening up and swallowing the people alive. So try to get your spouse flowers once in awhile —— you’ll never know what great powers would it have?!

 

Shabbat Shalom, Chodesh Tov & Regards;

Martin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parashat Shelach!

Dear Friends;

 

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

 

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

 

 

Moshe sends twelve spies to explore the Land of Canaan. Forty days later they return, carrying a huge cluster of grapes, a pomegranate and a fig, to report on the land of Israel. But ten of the spies warn that the inhabitants of the land are giants and warriors “more powerful than we”; only Caleb and Yehoshua insist that the land can be conquered, as G-d has commanded.

The people weep that they’d rather return to Egypt. G-d decrees that Israel’s entry into the Land shall be delayed forty years, during which time that entire generation will die out in the desert. A group of remorseful Jews storm the mountain on the border of Land and are defeated by the Amalekites and Canaanites.

A man violates the Shabbat by gathering sticks and is put to death. G-d instructs to place fringes (tzitzit) on the four corners of our garments so that we should remember to fulfill the mitzvot of Hashem.

 

 

 

” Dvar Torah “

 

 

 

Do you know what is the difference between a tourist and an inspector? They both explore their surroundings, however, one explores his surroundings to capture the beauty, while the other explores to look for faults!

In this week’s Parsha, we read about the tragic story of the spies. An entire generation of the Jewish People perished as the result of the incident of the spies. The Torah says that right before entering the land of Israel, Hashem tells Moshe, if he wants, he can send out agents to investigate about the land. So, Moshe sends out twelve spies one from each tribe, all of them Princes, men of renown, G-d fearing people and physically strong. Their mission was, to see the Land — how is it? And the people that dwells in it — are they strong or weak? Are they few or numerous? And how is the Land in which they dwell in it — is it good or is it bad? And how are the cities in which it dwells — are they open or are they fortified? And how is the land — is it fertile or is it lean? ……. and so on!

After forty days, the spies returned and ten out of twelve spies, unfortunately, brought an evil report. They said that ” we have no chance in concurring the land. The people that we saw in it were huge! We were like grasshoppers in their eyes. The land that we passed through, inhale its inhabitants “! And the people believed the spies’ report and they wept that night. And they said to one another, ” let us appoint a new leader and let us return to Egypt! ” And Hashem got angry at the spies and at the people. All the spies who brought the evil report died in a plague, and all the people who wept that night had to wander in the desert for forty years and die in the desert. Only their children were allowed to enter the land in the future.

The question that comes to mind is as follows.  Why were the Benei Yisrael punished so severely? We can understand why the spies were punished, but the whole generation to die in the desert and not be able to enter the promised Land, just because they panicked, is hard to digest. Surely if all the 12 spies would have brought back a positive report, the people would have never asked to return to Egypt. The spies caused panic amongst the people and that’s why they cried that night! It was the spies’s fault — not the people’s! The majority of people usually believe what they hear. So why was Hashem so angry at them?!

Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky gives a very interesting explanation to this question. He says that in the book of Devarim, Moshe tells the new generation that it was the people who wanted the land to be checked out……. it was not him, nor was it Hashem who wanted! The people demanded a thorough inspection! They wanted chapter and verse and an in-depth survey: Can we conquer the land? Can we defeat the enemy? How big are the people who dwell in it? Is the land fertile or barren? How closed are their cities? The spies’ mission was doomed to fail from the start since the nation didn’t want the spies to be mere day-trippers returning with a few souvenirs and some happy memories. They wanted them to act as strict inspectors and look for faults which they did find them quite alright! But the inspection wasn’t necessary since G-d had already promised them that the land is very good and He will conquer it for them. The whole nation showed lack of faith in G-d even before the spies entered the land……. and that’s why Hashem was so angry at them. And because they didn’t believe in G-d, they found themselves on the longest journey in history — forty years, each year corresponding to the forty-day trip of the spies. In principle, G-d was not opposed to the spies entering the Land, as we see forty years later that Yehoshua also sends spies before conquering the land. However, the mission of Yehoshua’s spies were no more than a “tourism” trip, sufficient to breathe the holy air of the Land, absorb its sanctity, and return refreshed and inspire the people. But unfortunately, this was not the case for Moshe’s spies………… their mission was to look for faults!!!

Yes my friends, you can also go through life as a tourist or as an inspector! The choice is yours! You can either explore and appreciate all the beauties surrounding you and be thankful to Hashem for all the blessings that He has bestowed upon you, or you can just look for faults and be dissatisfied with your life! Because if you look for faults, you will surely find them. “My wife burnt the food…… The business is slow……. Why can’t I afford a bigger house”…… and so on! But when you are dissatisfied with what you have, it means that you are not happy with what Hashem has given you and that’s wrong. It shows lack of faith. But on the other hand, you can look for the good things in life and be grateful to Hashem. Appreciate your healthy spouse and children being around you….. Appreciate the times and the country you live in, where you can live in peace and exercise your religion……Appreciate your health….. And so on! Remember that life becomes more meaningful when you appreciate it.

So my friends, choose to live like a tourist. Capture all the beautiful things around you. Capture the happy moments and cherish them. Enjoy the good things in life and try to avoid looking for faults. After all, where do you see more smiles? On the face of a tourist or an inspector?!

 

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

 

 

 

Parashat BeHaAlotecha!

Dear Friends;

 

 

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parasha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

 

 

 

 

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

 

 

 

 

Aaron is commanded to raise light in the lamps of the menorah, and the tribe of Levi is initiated into the service in the Sanctuary.

 

A “Second Passover” is instituted in response to the petition “Why should we be deprived?” by a group of Jews who were unable to bring the Passover offering in its appointed time because they were ritually impure. G-d instructs Moshe on the procedures for Israel’s journeys and encampments in the desert.

 

The people are dissatisfied with their “Heavenly Bread” (the manna) and demand that Moses supply them with meat. Moshe appoints 70 elders, by divine order, to assist him in the burden of governing the people.

 

Miriam speaks negatively of Moshe and is punished with “Tzaraat”; Moshe prays for her healing with the famous expression: “El Na Refa Na Lah”, which means:”Please G-d, heal her now.” The entire community waits seven days for her recovery.

 

 

 

 

“ Dvar Torah “

 

 

 

Moses! The greatest prophet of all times. The man who performed miracles left and right, who was the voice of the Divine word, who was not afraid to confront Pharaoh nor his own people, the man who shattered the tablets engraved by G-d himself and who challenged Him to forgive His people, “and if not, remove me from the book You have written”! The man who led a nation known as “stiff-necked people” for more than 40 years. Moses was a figure of strength, yet compassionate at the same time.

 

But in this week’s Parsha, we see a different side of Moses. A man who does not have the strength to carry on and wants to give up. This is how the story goes: The people are complaining again about the food. They have manna but no meat. They falsely fantasize about: “How we remember the fish that we used to eat in Egypt for free! And the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic!” This was one act of complaint too many for Moses which broke him down. He in turn says to G-d:  “Why did You bring all this trouble to your servant? Why haven’t I found favor in your eyes, that You are placing the burden of this entire people on me!  Did I conceive this people or give birth to them, that You tell me to carry them in my lap the way a nurse carries a baby… I cannot carry this whole nation! The burden is too heavy for me!  If this is how you are going to treat me, please kill me now, if I have found favor in your eyes, because I cannot bear seeing all this misery!”

 

Wow! The same man who wanted to give up his life for the sake of his nation, now he wants to die because he can’t stand this nation! The man of strength became weak! It’s not the first time that the Benei Israel complained and it won’t be the last. So, what happened to Moses this time? Why the change of heart? What made him break down?!

 

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gives the following interesting interpretation. He says that Moses greatest characteristic was his humbleness. That’s what made him the great prophet that he was. But in this week’s episode, we see Moses losing this great characteristic, even though, it was just for a short period of time. Listen again to what he says: “Why have you brought all this trouble upon ME? … Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? … Where can I get meat for all these people? … I cannot carry all these people by MYSELF; the burden is too heavy for ME.” In every sentence he used, you find the words “I,” “me” or “myself.” He sees the Israelites’ behaviour as a challenge to himself, not G-d. Moses lost his temper, because he started to think about himself; something which opposes humility! Moses’s secret weapon to enable him to carry this nation was his humility, but once this characteristic went away, he didn’t have the desire to carry on. Rabbi Sacks says that humility is not thinking less of yourself; It is thinking of yourself — less. True humility means silencing the “I.” For genuinely humble people, it is G-d, and other people and principle that matter, not me. This was Moses trademark up to now — not to think about himself, but unfortunately, he lost it for a while!

 

But it was only for a short while. He regains his humble character after Hashem shares his spirit with seventy elders to help him out, which brings an end to his depression. Towards the end of the Parsha we see a fine demonstration of Moses humbleness. Moses’ own brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam, started slandering about him. The cause of their complaint was the “Kushit” woman he had taken as wife which is beyond the topic of our discussion. The point, though, is that  Moses was betrayed, or at least slandered, by those closest to him. Yet Moses is unaffected and is undisturbed by the complaint of his own brother and sister. He wasn’t thinking about himself, instead, he prayed to G-d on Miriam’s behalf to heal her when she was punished with leprosy. It is here that the Torah makes its great statement: “Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than any other man on the face of the earth”. He had recovered his humility.

 

Yes my friends, humility is one of the greatest characteristics anyone can possess. It makes you realize that life is not just about you, but it’s about others too. It helps you to be more caring. It makes you to be calm and not get angry. It is also the greatest single source of strength, for if we do not think about the “I,” we cannot be injured by those who criticise us.

 

It’s amazing how different we are with the other nations. Other nations’ leaders are proud, magnificent, distinguished by their dress and appearance. They built temples in their own honor. Their role is not to serve but to be served. Everyone else is expected to be humble, but not they. Humility and majesty do not coexist in their cultures. But our greatest leader was the most humble person on the face of the earth! Moses title was not king, lord or your majesty, but rather, he was called “Eved Hashem”, G-d’s servant! And that’s his greatest title that we all respect him for……

 

 

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

 

Martin

Parashat Bamidbar!

Dear Friends;

 

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parashat summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

 

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

 

 

Parshat Bamidbar, is primarily involved with the census taken of the Jewish people in the second month of their second year in the desert. After listing the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel, the Torah presents the totals of men between the ages of twenty and sixty for each tribe, the overall count being 603,550. The encampment structure is then described, with the tribe of Levi in the middle, safeguarding the Tabernacle and surrounded by the twelve tribes of Israel, each in their own designated area. The appointment of the tribe of Levi as the spiritual leaders of the Jewish people is presented, and their own census is taken, apart from the rest of Israel

The Parsha concludes with the instructions given to the family of Kehat, the second son of Levi, for their role in dealing with the most sacred parts of the Mishkan.

 

 

 

” Dvar Torah “

 

 

 

This week’s Parashat Bamidbar, which is also the start of the book of Bamidbar, begins with taking a census of the Israelites. That is why it is known in English as the book of “Numbers”. The first few chapters in particular are a statistician’s delight! It lists the number of army-age men in each of the twelve tribes, both individually and in the aggregate. This is the third time in span of a single year that Hashem takes the census of Benei Yisrael. He counted them when they were about to leave Egypt. He counted them after the sin of the Golden Calf to establish how many were left. And now that the building of the “Mishkan” was completed and He was about to cause His presence (Shechina) to rest upon them, He counted them again.

The question that comes to mind is why did Hashem count the Israelites so many times in such a short period of time? Surely one time would have been sufficient! Well, Rashi says that the acts of counting in the torah are gestures of love. When G-d counts the Israelites it is to show that He loves them. The more he counts us, the more he loves us!

But our sages tell us that it’s not good to count the Jews. The Torah itself warns us about the dangers of counting the Jews and advises us against it. We find the reason for it given in the book of Shemot where it says: “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each must give to G-d an atonement for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you count them.” This means that there is a risk involved when counting the Jews and we should try to avoid it as much as we can. We see that when centuries later, King David counted the people without the G-d’s approval, there was Divine anger and 70,000 people died.

So the obvious question that remains is: If counting is an expression of love, why is there a prohibition for us against counting the Jews? Why can G-d count the Jews but not us?! What is the significance of this prohibition?!

Well, there are many interpretations given by our commentators, but once again, the one that I liked the most is given by Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. He says that in taking any census, there is a tendency to focus on the total crowd and not on the individual. For example, here is a nation of 100 million people, or a company with 100,000 employees or a sports crowd of 60,000. Any total tends to value the group or nation as a whole. However, counting devalues the individual, and tends to make him or her replaceable. If one soldier dies in battle, another will take his place. If one person leaves the organisation, someone else can be hired to do his or her job. That’s why G-d tells Moses that there is a danger, when counting a nation, that each individual will feel insignificant. “What am I? What difference can I make? I am only one of millions, a mere wave in the ocean, a grain of sand on the sea-shore.”

But when Hashem counts us, it is different. He values each individual. The Hebrew word for “to count” is “lifkod” or “lispor”. But the Torah does not use these words for counting the Jews. Instead, the phrase used for counting is, “Se’u et Rosh” which means to “lift the head”. Hashem tells Moshe that when the people come to me for taking census, make sure that they each lift their heads up and be proud of who they are, because they each count and they matter as individuals to me! When Hashem counts, he doesn’t look at the aggregate number, he looks at each individual with pride and gives them the same number which is one!

Yes my friends, every soul is precious and dear to G-d. We each have different characteristics and a different role in life. Some of us are meant to be politicians, some are meant to be businessmen,  some teachers, musicians, scientists, speakers or even writers. Some of us are meant to take care of the elderly and sick. Some of us are meant to raise children. Everyone has a purpose in life and contributes to the society. Each role is as important as the other. The Chachamim say that even the beggar has an important role in life, because if he wasn’t around, none of us could fulfill the mitzvah of giving charity.

The Torah teaches us that each individual counts, however, there is a world of difference between “individuality” and “individualism”. Individuality means that I am a unique and valued member of a team. Individualism means that I am not a team player at all. I am interested in myself alone, not the group. Judaism values individuality, not individualism! We need to belong to a community, but we each have an important role as an individual.

So remember my friends, we are all important individuals, but we are all part of a team. And the only way a team can succeed is when its members get along and respect each other!

 

Shabbat Shalom, Chodesh Tov & Regards;

Martin

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parashiot Behar-Bechukotai!

Dear Friends;

 

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parashiot summaries, followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

” Parashiot in a Nutshell “

 

On the Mount Sinai, G-d tells Moshe the laws of the sabbatical year: every seventh year, all work on the land should cease, and its produce becomes free for the taking for all, man and beast.

Seven sabbatical cycles are followed by a fiftieth year — the jubilee year, on which work on the land ceases, all servants are set free, and all ancestral estates in the Holy Land that have been sold revert to their original owners. Additional laws governing the sale of lands and the prohibitions against fraud and lending money for interest are also given.

G-d promises that if the people of Israel will keep His commandments, they will enjoy material prosperity and dwell secure in their homeland. But He also delivers a harsh “rebuke” warning of the exile, persecution and other evils that will befall them if they abandon their covenant with Him. Nevertheless, “Even when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away; nor will I ever destroy them and to break My covenant with them; for I am the L-rd their G-d.”

The Parshah concludes with the rules on how to calculate the value of different types of pledges made to G-d.

 

” Dvar Torah “

 

Parashat Behar starts off by talking about the laws of “Shemitah”- the Sabbatical year for the land of Israel. The land should lie fallow in a seven year cycle. All agricultural work must come to stop in the seventh year. The land needs to be at complete rest for the entire year. It means that on the seventh year there should not be any planting of seeds, plowing, pruning or harvesting. Additionally, any fruits which grow of their own accord are deemed ownerless and may be picked by anyone.

This is an extremely difficult mitzvah to observe, especially in the old days, when the majority of the people were either farmers or shepherds. Not only you were unable to plant in order to feed your own family, but cutting off your livelihood completely for an entire year, can be very worrisome and challenging.

However, Hashem gives his assurance for those who keep the laws of Shemitah. The Torah says: ” The land will give its fruit [in the preceding years] and you will be satisfied; you will dwell securely upon it”. After such a powerful promise, the Torah then brings up a hypothetical question raised by the people, namely, “What will we eat in the seventh year — behold! we will not sow and we will not gather our crops!”. And then Hashem reassures the people by saying: ” I will ordain My blessing for you in the sixth year and [the land] will yield a crop sufficient for three-year period “. This means that the sixth year will give sufficient crops until the end of the eight year, since anything planted in the eight year, will only produce its crops in the ninth year.

Although, it feels great to have such a guarantee from the G-d Almighty himself, but the Chachamim are bothered by the double assurance. After the Torah tells them that ” The land will give its fruit and you will be satisfied”, why should there be a doubt in people’s mind to ask ” What will we eat in the seventh year?” Why does Hashem need to promise again that the sixth year will produce three times a regular year?? Shouldn’t the first assurance be sufficient??

Rabbi Yissachar Frand gives the following beautiful explanation. He says that in order to answer this question, first we need to understand the purpose of Shemitah. The reason that Hashem has given us this mitzvah is not because the land needs to rest. Land does not need to rest! This is apparent from observing the lands outside Israel. The non-Jews work their fields year after year after year, without a break, and they still produce good quality crops and fruits! Do you think that the vineyards in California or France produce less quality grapes than the ones in Israel? Accordingly, Rabbi Frand says that the whole purpose of Shemitah is for the farmers to take a break from their routine lives and come to realize that it’s not because of their hard labor that the land produces so much crops, but rather, it’s because of G-d’s will. Hashem can still feed the farmer even if he doesn’t work! The seventh year is the time for the farmers to take their minds off the physical world and engage themselves in spirituality. It’s the time to remind themselves that their livelihood comes from the Heaven above, and not from the strength of their arms, nor from the intelligence of their brain!

Accordingly, Rabbi Frand says that Hashem has given us the mitzvah of Shemitah in order to test our faith! Those who are true believers are satisfied with Hashem’s first assurance; that ” the land will produce its fruit and you will be satisfied “. They fully trust in Hashem that he will provide, and they are satisfied with whatever Hashem provides for them! But those who lack in faith, they want to see a physical miracle. That’s why Hashem gives a second assurance for those people, that ” in the sixth year you will yield three times the regular crops! Since these people don’t have a strong faith, Hashem doesn’t want them to enter the seventh year being worried! He shows them the miracle beforehand! Hashem can tolerate people who lack in faith, since even these people are blessed to get crops for the seventh year. But G-d forbid, for those non-believers who don’t keep the laws of Shemitah at all, the Torah says that they will eventually be thrown out of their lands!

Yes my friends, all of our sustenance comes from the Heaven above. No matter how smart we are or how mighty is our physical strength, our livelihood is fully dependent on G-d’s will! And to realize that, we need to take some time off from our routine lives and spend it with the Almighty.  Rashi comments that the Shemitah concept is a direct parallel of the weekly Shabbat. When a Jew keeps Shabbat he or she is making a statement about their belief. The reason we keep Shabbat is not because we need a day of rest, but rather, once a week we need to stop working and come to realize that it’s Hashem who is providing our sustenance. It’s not because of our strength or intelligence!  Accordingly, Shabbat should be a day that we should spend with the Almighty and be thankful to him!

So, remember my friends, Hashem will provide for us as long as we believe in him. All we need to do is to STOP once in awhile and show our gratitude.

 

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

 

Parashat Emor!

Dear Friends;

 

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

 

This week’s Parsha begins with the special laws dedicated to the Kohanim, the Kohen Gadol (“High Priest”), and the Temple service. A Kohen may not become ritually impure through contact with a dead body, unless it’s a close relative. A Kohen may not marry a divorcee, nor a harlot; and a Kohen Gadol can only marry a virgin. A Kohen with a physical deformity cannot serve in the Holy Temple, nor can a deformed animal be brought as an offering.

A newborn calf, lamb, or kid must be left with its mother for seven days before being eligible for an offering; one may not slaughter an animal and its offspring on the same day.

The Torah then discusses the festivals throughout the year: (Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Shemini Atzeret); followed by two constant mitzvot maintained in the Mishkan: the lighting of the menorah every day and the displaying of the “show-bread” every week.

The parsha concludes with the horrible incident of a man who cursed G-d’s name (blasphemy) and was subsequently punished with the death penalty at Hashem’s command.

 

“Dvar Torah “

 

In this week’s Parsha, in the middle of the detailing the Jewish Holidays of the calendar year, the Torah gives us the following commandment: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not remove completely the corners of your field as you reap and you shall not gather the gleanings of your harvest; for the poor and the proselyte shall you leave them; I am Hashem Your G-d.” Basically, we are commanded to leave over certain parts of our harvest to the needy and the stranger in our midst. A Jew must leave the corners of his field for the poor. Likewise, if he forgets to pick up certain parts of the harvest, these too become “Gifts for the Poor”.

Rashi explains the phrase “For the poor and the strangers you shall leave them….”, means that you should literally leave the crops for the poor and they will pick it up themselves; you may not assist them with their gatherings.

But sometimes, Rashi’s commentaries are difficult to digest. They need explanation by other commentators. Accordingly, the following question pops up. Why can’t we help the poor with his gathering?! Why can’t we lend the poor a basket or a sickle to make it easier for him to gather the crops? Why can’t we just roll up our sleeves and give him a helping hand too?! If the intention is to help the poor, why can’t we do it properly by helping him all the way?

But strangely enough, Rashi says that the Torah rules to the contrary. The commandment says: “Leave it for them.”…… means Do Not be a nice guy. Do not help them! The pasuk concludes with the words “I am Hashem your G-d”. Rashi says that the intent is a promise: “If you leave them alone and allow them to pick it up themselves, I am the L-rd who will give you your reward.”

Once again, Rabbi Yissachar Frand comes to the rescue and gives a beautiful explanation to Rashi’s commentary. When the poor person comes to the field and the owner comes to greet him and says: “Let me help you to collect the crops”, or alternatively, when the owner rushes to cut down the stalks for the poor person and hands it to him, the owner of the land is acting as if he’s the owner of the leftover crops!! He may think that he’s giving the poor a gift, and the poor may think that he is getting a gift from the landowner. But that’s not the case. The leftover crops do not belong to the landowner. They belong to the poor!  And that’s what Rashi is trying to explain. When the owner gives a gift, he expects the poor person to be grateful to him and appreciate his generosity. But the owner should know better that the gift is not coming from him…. It comes from the G-d Almighty himself! The corners of his land belonged to the poor from the beginning. He was just a messenger to hand them over! That’s why the landowner should not take part in the distribution of these items. Let the poor collect it themselves — it is after all their property in the first place! Only when the landowner comes to realize that it’s not him who is helping the poor, but it’s Hashem our G-d, only then he’ll be qualified to be rewarded by the L-rd!

Yes my friends, when Hashem has been good to us and we’ve been blessed with extra funds to give to charity, we should not think of our charitable donations in terms of  ” I am giving MY money to charity.” Hashem has given us the extra money to give to charity. Those money do not belong to us anyway. They belong to the poor! Hashem is just testing us to see what we do with that money! We, basically, act as the treasurer of Hashem’s charitable Foundation. We decide how to distribute the funds. We are merely a trustee, charged with guaranteeing that the funds are distributed.  But we have to realize that the money does not belong to us; it belongs to the foundation! That’s why, when we give out money to charity, we are not giving out the money from our own pocket — it comes from G-d’s table. That’s why the greatest way to give charity is when the donor and the receiver don’t know each other, because the poor should not feel grateful towards the donor, but rather, he should be thankful to Hashem!

So my friends, when you give charity, be thankful to Hashem for giving you the extra money to give to the poor. But never take pride in giving to the poor. After all, that money wasn’t yours anyway…… it belonged to the poor all along…….

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

 

Parashiot Acharei Mot – Kedoshim!

Dear friends;

 

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parashiot summary, followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

” Parashiot in a Nutshell “

 

G-d warns against unauthorized entry “into the holy.” Only one person, the Kohen Gadol (“high priest”), may, but once a year, on Yom Kippur, enter the innermost chamber in the Sanctuary to offer the sacred ketoret to G-d.

Another feature of the Day of Atonement service is the casting of lots over two goats to determine which should be offered to G-d and which should be dispatched to carry off the sins of Israel to the wilderness.

The Torah warns against bringing sacrifices anywhere but in the Holy Temple, forbids the consumption of blood, and details the laws prohibiting incest and other deviant sexual relations.

The Parshah of Kedoshim begins with the statement: “You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your G-d, am holy” followed by dozens of mitzvot (commandments) through which the Jew sanctifies him or herself and relates to the holiness of G-d. These include: the prohibition against idolatry, the mitzvah of charity, Shabbat, sexual morality, honesty in business, honor and awe of one’s parents, prohibition against taking revenge and holding a grudge against another Jew; and also the ultimate principle of Torah is mentioned, which is:

— Love your fellow as yourself.

 

“Dvar Torah “

 

The second Parsha of this week’s double Parashiot starts off with the following words: Hashem spoke to Moshe saying: Speak to the entire assembly of the Children of Israel and say to them, “Kedoshim tihyu ki kadosh ani Hashem Elokeychem” — “You shall be holy, for I, Hashem your G-d, am holy”! Simply, we’ve been commanded to be holy. But what exactly does it mean to be “Holy”?!

Well, as usual, our Chachamim have different view on this subject.  Rashi for example, interprets the mitzvah as one of self-control. He says, the previous chapter was about forbidden sexual relationships. So is the next chapter. Therefore, in order to be holy, you need to refrain from forbidden relationships. The word “Kadosh” literally means, “to separate”. Thus, the meaning of “You shall be Kedoshim” is “You shall separate yourself – from forbidden relationships.”

Ramban on the other hand, disagrees with Rashi, which is not unusual. He says that “You shall be holy” is not just about having self-control over forbidden relationships! Rather “to be holy” means to have self-control over activities which are permissible to you too. For example, we are allowed to eat kosher food, but to be holy, we should not be a glutton. We are allowed to drink wine, but to be holy, we need to drink to moderation. We are allowed to have sexual relationship with our wives, but we should not do it voraciously. Holiness can be achieved by restraining oneself somewhat from even those physical pleasures that the Torah permits.

Chatam Sofer, a great scholar from the nineteenth century, has yet another view about holiness. He says that the answer to how to be holy is given in the pasuk itself. The Pasuk says: “You shall be holy, because I, Hashem your G-d, am holy”. So, in order to reach the ultimate level of holiness, we have to act like G-d. But, we don’t know much about G-d’s characteristics, except his 13 attributes of mercy mentioned in the Torah which says: “G-d is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in kindness and truth…” So in order to be holy, we also need to be compassionate and act kindly towards others, the same way that  Hashem acts toward us! That’s why the rest of the Parsha is mainly about how to act compassionately towards your fellow Jew. It talks about how we should care and respect our parents. It talks about not to take advantage of the “blindness,” handicaps and mistakes of others. It talks about our obligation to give to the poor. It talks about not to take revenge and not to hold a grudge. And above all, to love your fellow Jew like yourself. Holiness, according to Chatam Sofer, is not achieved by improving your relationship with your G-d, but rather, it’s achieved by improving your relationship with your fellow human beings and caring for them.

Last but not least, we can’t go without hearing what does one of my favorite Rabbis, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, has to say about being Holy. He says to Be holy” means, to “Have the courage to be different.” The word Kadosh means something distinctive or set apart! We don’t behave like everyone else just because everyone else does. We don’t eat like everyone else. We don’t dress like everyone else. We don’t dance like everyone else. We don’t pray like everyone else. We don’t just live for today like everyone else. We don’t adapt to the society like everyone else. And that’s what holiness is all about; we shouldn’t follow the majority, if they don’t follow G-d’s wishes. To be holy means to bear witness to the presence of G-d in our lives, even if it makes us the odd one out. Not by accident does the word kadosh also have the meaning of marriage, kiddushin, because to marry means to be faithful to one another, as G-d pledges himself to be faithful to us, we should be faithful to him too.

Yes my friends, to be holy means to have the courage to be different. We live in a society where happiness is measured by the level of your power, wealth and enjoyment. We live in a society where morality and religion play very little part in people’s lives. We live in a society where the same sex marriage is the law and condemning it can be a felony. Yes, it’s very easy to blend in and live like the rest. But we as Jews, have been given a greater responsibility. We are commanded to be holy–Kadosh–separate–different! We are here to follow G-d; not the crowd! We are here to love and cherish a tiny land, where most other people are against her and pray for her destruction! We are here to be compassionate and help others in need. And that’s what makes us stand out in the eyes of Hashem: We are few, different but special!

There is an old Persian saying which says: “If you don’t want to be embarrassed, follow the crowd”……………. But the Torah is telling us otherwise: “If you don’t want to be embarrassed in front G-d, have the courage to go against the crowd”!!

 

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

 

Parashat Shemini!

Dear Friends;

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

 

Parshat Shemini begins by discussing the events which occurred on the eighth and final day of the inauguration service in the Mishkan (Tabernacle). After months of preparation and anticipation, Aaron and his sons are finally installed as Kohanim (priests) in an elaborate service. Aaron blesses the people, and the entire nation rejoices as Hashem’s presence rests upon them. However, the excitement comes to an abrupt halt as Aaron’s two elder sons, Nadav and Avihu, offer a “strange fire before G-d, which He commanded them not” and die before G-d. Aaron is silent in face of his tragedy.

Aaron is informed that the Kohanim are forbidden to enter the Mishkan while intoxicated, and the Torah continues to relate the events which occur immediately after Nadav and Avihu’s tragic death. The portion concludes with a listing of the kosher and non-kosher animals, and various laws about tumah, ritual contamination!

 

“ Dvar Torah “

 

Tragedy! Oxford dictionary defines it as “a very sad event; a serious drama with an unhappy ending which often involves someone’s death”! Unfortunately, tragedy does not discriminate. It may attack anyone —– the rich, the poor, the religious and the secular. No one is immuned by it! How do we deal with a tragedy? How do we cope with the pain? How can we find comfort? These are the questions that we all pray we would not need to know the answers, but G-d forbid, if a tragedy happens, it’s better to be prepared.

In this week’s Parsha, the Torah also talks about a very sad tragedy. The two elder sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, died together in an instant. The story goes as follows: After the completion of the construction of the “Mishkan” (G-d’s mobile Sanctuary), it was time for it’s inauguration ceremony. The excitement was filled in the air. Everyone came to watch this joyful event, somewhat similar to the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the tallest building built in town — in this case, the house of G-d. The structure of the Mishkan was completed and all the vessels were placed in their right places and the altar was all ready to begin the first sacrifice ceremony. Aaron and his sons have been appointed as the only Priests to do the ceremonies. For seven days Moshe, Aaron and his sons rehearsed the inauguration ceremony procedures, and finally, it was on the eighth day that cloud of glory finally descended upon the Mishkan, which was the sign for the ceremony to start. The congregation were anxiously waiting to watch this fascinating, never-seen-before event.

But, suddenly, the celebration went terribly wrong. The Torah tells us that just before the ceremony started, the two eldest sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, entered the Mishkan without authorization. They decided to offer their own incense, something they assumed would surely bring joy to their Creator. But tragedy struck. A fire came forth from the heaven. And the fire that should have consumed their offerings, consumed them instead, and they both died in an instant! Moshe tried to console Aaron by saying: “of this did Hashem speak, saying ‘I will be sanctified through those who are nearest to Me, thus I will be honored before the entire people.” And how did Aaron react? The Torah tells us:  “And Aaron was silent”. The man who had been Moses’ full-time speaker could no longer speak. The man of speech became speechless!!

The immediate question that comes to mind which has been asked by many Rabbanim also, is as follows. What did Nadav and Avihu do that was so wrong to deserve such a dreadful punishment?! What was their sin?!

Well, the commentators didn’t waste anytime to bombard us with their commentaries. Some say that the reason for their death was that they were intoxicated. They entered the “Holy of the Holies” being drunk!. Others say, they were too eager to exercise leadership, that’s why they took their own initiative which was disrespectful in the eyes of Hashem. Another opinion says that they disrespected their teachers Moshe and Aaron, by not consulting with them first before bringing their own offering. And the commentaries goes on and on and on….

But still, to me and maybe to Aaron too, none of these explanations justifies their tragic death. The punishment does not justify the act! Yes, maybe they had a drink or two before they entered the Holy of the Holies, maybe they were too eager to get to a leadership position, but to die in an instant in front of the whole congregation…. is this justice?! At the end of the day, all they wanted to do was to bring a gift to Hashem!

After searching for a while for the answer, I came across a beautiful explanation given by Rabbi Yissachar Frand. He says that although, all of the explanations for Nadav and Avihu’s death may be true, but none of the explanations should be convincing, because we should never be content with the reason of death! Hashem wants us to feel sorry for the deceased and to feel compassion towards the dead! Every dead person deserves to be mourned for! We are not here to judge people and to find a justified reason for someone’s death!! We are here to love everyone and accept that the only reason that someone dies is because of G-d’s will! Do we have to understand G-d’s will? No! But do we have to accept Hashem’s decisions? The Torah does not specify the reason for Nadav and Avihu’s death because it doesn’t want us to remember them as two drunkard outcasts who committed a sin, but rather, they should be remembered as the high Priests and the loyal servants of G-d who were rightfully given a respectful funeral and mourning period. Aaron kept complete silence after the tragedy, because any show of emotions or any spoken words could have revealed lack of faith in Hashem! His silence shows that although he may not have understood why his sons died, but he still believed in Hashem, wholeheartedly!

Yes my friends, our religion is not a religion of logic; it’s a religion of faith! In times of distress and tragedy, sometimes we search for answers but our efforts seems to be used in vain. We are not content. Nothing seems to make sense. We may even start questioning G-d’s decision, chasbe shalom, but it does not give us the right to lose faith in him. After all, if we believe that G-d is a superpower, then our lack of understanding should not bother us so much, since we believe that G-d has more power of understanding and judgment. If we want to understand everything that G-d does, then we are putting ourselves at the same level of understanding as the G-d Almighty, and that’s wrong. Sometimes, the best thing we can do at the time of tragedy is to keep quiet, just like Aaron.

Oxford dictionary may define a tragedy as a “a very sad event with an unhappy ending”, but in Judaism, a tragedy is defined as “a sad event which is an act of G-d beyond human understanding, but we have complete faith in Him that he surely knows what he is doing!”

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

 

Sefirat HaOmer!

Dear Friends;

 

Since this week, there is no designated Parsha because of Chol Hamoed Pesach, I would like to say a few words about Sefirat HaOmer. I hope that you’ll enjoy reading it.

The Torah commands us to count the days between the festivals of Passover and Shavuot. This period is called Sefirat HaOmer, or counting the omer, and it refers to the counting of the seven weeks from the second night of Passover until the day before Shavuot. What is the significance of this counting?

Basically, Sefirat HaOmer is a system of countdown to Shavuot, where the Benei Yisrael received the Torah. Just to clarify, the reason that we don’t listen to music and don’t attend parties till Lag BaOmer, has nothing to do with the commandment of counting the Omer. It just happened that at this period of time, in the second century of the common era, a plague raged amongst the disciples of the great sage Rabbi Akiva, and 24,000 of his Talmidim died, because they did not act respectfully towards each other. However, the plague stopped on Lag BaOmer. And that’s why we are in a period of mourning. Otherwise, Sefirat HaOmer is a joyous time of the year.

So, why does the Torah commands us to countdown to Shavuot? Well, the concept of countdown is something that is used by every society including Judaism. Countdown refers to a situation where we are presently here, but we desire to be “there” at the final destination. We count the days to a wedding, a vacation, or any happy events in the future. They are intangible, but we long for these events to be here now. So what do we do? We count-down the days, the minutes, until these events arrive; counting bridges the gap between now and then. This way we can feel the desired moment approaching. We can, with certainty, say how many days are left. Without the count, the desired time is only a dream. When we count, the goal we long and yearn for becomes a reality.

The Sefer HaChinuch, explains that during the time period when we count the omer, we are anticipating the festival of Shavuot when we received the Torah. We yearn to be at Mt. Sinai, so we count the days until Shavuot. In this way it becomes a reality and it builds excitement. Our goal is to reach Shavuot. We want it to be here now. And the reason that we count is because we haven’t reached our goal yet.

But the question that you may ask is why do we “count-up” in Sefirat HaOmer and not count-down like for everything else? For example for a wedding, we count down to that event. Two months, three weeks, three days, we are getting closer and closer each day. So why is it, then, that when we long for the day of Shavuot do we count upward – 1,2,3? Shouldn’t we be counting down to the day we await: 30 days, 29 days etc.?! An interesting answer is given by Rabbi Moshe Shapiro from OU organization. He says that the days of the omer are meant to be days of spiritual growth. The counting that we do is not meant to be a sentimental passing of time until we reach Shavuot; but rather the counting is a process of development as each day passes. When we count to a wedding or a vacation, the days leading to those events are not important. In fact, we would like them to pass as soon as possible. By counting downwards, we are showing that the days until the event are meaningless. We are merely counting the passage of time, which at the time of the event will equal to zero or nothing. In the case of the omer, on the other hand, we count upwards. The omer is a time for growth, one day builds on the previous – 1,2,3, and so on until we have 49 days of spiritual growth and reached a level befitting a people ready to accept the Torah on Shavuot.

Rabbi Shapiro says that Sefirat HaOmer also symbolizes the lifespan of human beings. We also count-up our Birthdays. 1 year old; 5 years old; 20,50 and hopefully 120 years old. And by counting up our birthdays, we are in fact trying to reach our goal which is our final destination, “Olam Haba”, the world to come. But we need to realize that in order to reach our goal, we need to grow each day. We need to be spiritually ready to embrace Hashem. Each day we have to elevate ourselves and try to be a little better than yesterday. As we get older, we get wiser too, and we can reflect on the things that we may have done wrong in the past. Just to acknowledge our mistakes, is already an improvement. G-d does not expect us to become perfect but he wants us to try at least. He only needs to see us improve, and once we do improve, we can count up our birthdays with a joy. Because, hopefully, we’ll be ready to embrace G-d when we reach our final destination.

So remember my friends, Sefirat HaOmer is not just about counting — it’s about improving ourselves too. We count up, because we want to move up! In order to receive the Torah which are the words of G-d, we need to be at a higher spiritual status. It’s a great privilege to be the Chosen People and to be given the Holy Book of Torah. So let us show our appreciation by improving ourselves!

 

Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach & Regards;

Martin

 

Parashat Tzav!

Dear Friends;


I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;




” Parsha in a Nutshell “




G-d instructs Moshe to command Aaron and his sons regarding their duties and rights as kohanim (“priests”) who offer the korbanot (animal and meal offerings) in the Sanctuary.

The offering burned on the altar throughout the night — are to be removed from the area by the kohen after he changes his special linen clothing.

The fire on the Altar must be kept burning at all times. In it are burned and consumed all kinds of offerings; peace, sin and guilt, and meal offerings. The kohanim eat the meat of the sin and guilt offerings, and the remainder of the meal offering. The peace offering is eaten by the one who brought it, except for specified portions given to the kohen. The holy meat of the offerings must be eaten by ritually pure persons, in their designated holy place and within their specified time.

One may not eat a korban when he is ritually impure. Blood and chelev (forbidden animal fats) are prohibited to be eaten.

Aaron and his sons remain within the Sanctuary compound for seven days, during which Moshe prepares them into the priesthood.




“ Dvar Torah “




Once again, this week’s Parsha is dedicated to the duties of the Kohanim (Priests) in the Mishkan, which was carried on in the Temple in Jerusalem later on in time. One of the prestige jobs for a Kohen was to perform the sacrifice ceremonies. At the beginning of the Parsha, the Torah commands that every morning, the Kohen in charge of performing the sacrifices, had to remove the ashes from the altar, which were left behind from the night before. He had to remove his priesthood garments and put on a more common clothes and take the ashes to the outside of the camp. He then had to come back, put on his priesthood garments again and start to do the sacrifice ceremonies for that day.

The following question is asked by the Chachamim. Why does the cleaning of the altar had to be done by the same person who performed the sacrifices? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to assign a  “cleaning person” to do the job? Why should the dirty job of cleaning the altar be given to the same person who performs one of the most spiritual tasks in the Mishkan? Surely, there were many Levites, even Israelites, who would have jumped at the opportunity to do any kind of work in the Mishkan, even if it was the dirty job of cleaning the ashes!

“Chovot HaLevavot”, one of the classic works on Ethics and Jewish philosophy written by Ibn Paquda who lived in spain in the 11th century, says that the rational behind this is that the Torah is particularly careful that people should not let things get into their head, lest they become “ba’alei ga-avah” and become “haughty”. Here, the Kohen in charge of sacrifices may think he is someone special — who IS in fact someone special. He is among the selected few who was chosen to do the holy work of sacrificing in the Temple. The Torah, nevertheless instructs him to “Take out the ashes first!” Lest he come to think too much of himself, the Torah tells him to begin his day by the lowly task of cleaning the ashes. Only then, when he realizes that he is only a servant of Hashem, he is allowed to continue with the holy task of performing the sacrifice ceremonies!

The Torah is very sensitive to the idea of haughtiness. As much as Hashem loves humility and modesty, he despises haughtiness. The Torah tells us that Moshe Rabeinu was the greatest prophet of all times. And the reason for it was because, “he was the most humble person on the face of the earth”. On the other hand, Korach and his followers were perished because of Ga-avah. He came up to Moshe and Aaron with the following argument: “Why have you elevated yourselves above us? We are all holy!!” Korach thought that he was someone special like Moshe and Aaron. He let haughtiness take control of his mind. And sadly, he died.

The reason why Hashem despises Ga-avah is quite simple. A person should know that whatever he possesses, whether it is beauty, intelligence, wealth, honor or a high ranking position, it’s all because Hashem wanted him to have all these and he blessed him with them. So, when a person becomes haughty, he thinks that he has achieved all these things on his own, and he forgets that these are all Hashem’s blessings which he has been showered with. And that’s why Hashem dislikes ga-avah so much, since Ba’alei Ga-ava forgets who has given him all that he has……

Yes my friends, when we are blessed with affluence, power and fame, there is always a chance of air of superiority getting into our head. We might rightfully think that we are someone special. But the Torah is teaching us not to let these things get into our head. Who we are and what we have are all G-d’s decisions and not ours. That’s why we should never look down on anyone and see ourselves above them. We should respect everyone around us, even if they are poor, unattractive or unintelligent. G-d has created everyone for a reason. Everyone is made in the image of G-d. We are all children of G-d, and Hashem loves his children equally…… and so should we!

So, the next time your wife asks you to take out the garbage, there is no need to get upset. There is no need to boost your ego and say to her: ” I’m a successful businessman….. This is not my job! Tell the maid do it! ” On the contrary, you should jump at the opportunity and grab the garbage and take it out. Not only you’ll make your wife happy, but you’ll look good in the eyes of Hashem too!

 

Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach and Regards;

Martin

 

Parashat Vayikra!

Dear Friends;


I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;




” Parsha in a Nutshell “



Parashat Vayikra begins with Hashem calling Moshe into the Mishkan where he will be taught many mitzvot, to be ultimately passed on to the Jewish people. The first half of the parsha describes the various “optional” korbanot (sacrifices) brought by individuals. They consist of the following: the korban olah (elevation offering) which is completely consumed on the altar; the korban minchah (meal offering) which, because of its inexpensive contents, is usually brought by someone of modest means; and the korban shelamim (peace offering) partially burned on the altar, with the remainder divided between the owners and the Kohanim.

The second half of the portion discusses the “required” chatat (sin) and asham (guilt) offerings to be brought in atonement for unintentional transgressions.
The sin offering is brought to atone for transgressions committed negligently by the High Priest, the entire community, the king, or the ordinary Jew.
The “guilt offering” is brought by one who is in doubt as to whether he transgressed a divine prohibition, or who has committed a “betrayal against G-d” by swearing falsely to defraud a fellow man.

 

“ Dvar Torah “




The main topic of discussion in this week’s Parsha and the rest of the book of Vayikra, is about the sacrifice ceremonies performed in the Mishkan which would be carried out in the Holy Temple later on in time. The Torah goes into great detail describing different kinds of sacrifices. There were optional sacrifices and there were required sacrifices. The Chachamim explain that the main purpose of sacrificing was to atone for our sins.

But the whole concept of sacrificing is very difficult to understand. Why should bringing a sacrifice be an atonement for our sins? Hashem does not benefit from our sacrifices so why spill the blood of an innocent animal?! Sacrificing was a ritual performed by idolaters at that time. So why did Hashem introduce the idea to Benei Israel?

The Chachamim explain that the word “Korban” [Sacrifice], comes from the same root as the word “Karov” – to come close. Therefore they conclude that the whole idea of sacrificing is for people to come close to Hashem when they commit a sin. When we do a sin, Hashem doesn’t want us to run away! On the contrary, He wants us to come close to him! Hashem is ready to forgive us, but he wants us to come close and ask for forgiveness. And sacrificing was the mean to come to the Temple and get close to the Almighty.

At the beginning of the parsha, the Torah talks about the laws of the Korban “Olah”, a volunteered offering with a variety of options, depending on one’s financial status. The wealthier individual could bring a cattle, a less wealthy person a sheep, and even a less fortunate individual could bring a turtledove. For the most destitute individual who would like to offer something but has no money for even a turtledove, G-d allows him to bring a “Korban Mincha”, a meal-offering. But the way the Torah describes it is as follows: “When a “nefesh”, a soul, offers a meal-offering to Hashem, his offering shall be of fine flour; he shall pour oil upon it and place incense upon it”. But in connection to animal offering, the Torah says: “When a man (adam) from among you will bring an offering to Hashem from the animals…”

The following question is asked by our sages. Why does a man who just brings some flour and oil (meal-offering) is referred to as a soul, while the one who brings an animal is just called by his physical name, the man?! For who is it that usually brings a Korban Mincha? The poor man! The Talmud says that Hashem is considering the poor man’s sacrifice as though he’s offering his very own soul. Therefore the Talmud concludes that the offering of the poor man, Korban Mincha, is more dear to G-d than the offering of the rich person. But why is the poor man’s offering more dear?!

Rabbi Chaim Goldberger from Atlanta gives the following explanation. Although, the offering that the poor man brought, could have been at little or at no cost to him, since he probably made the flour from the grain left behind in a field, we can safely presume that to the one who is poor, the act of parting with fine flour which he might otherwise eat to silence his hunger is an even greater act of sacrifice than that of the rich man giving up an expensive animal. To the poor, the flour is more than a large chunk of his possessions; his life depends on it! To the rich, however, the healthy cattle that he brought might have been one of the many that he owns.

In today’s time, unfortunately, we cannot bring sacrifices to Hashem, since we don’t have a Beit Hamikdash anymore. But our sages replaced for us the sacrifice ceremonies with “Tefillot”, prayers. Out of all our daily prayers, the one that is the shortest is the Mincha, the afternoon service. It contains neither the long introductory and closing segments of the morning service (Shacharit), nor the Shema and the other paragraphs of the evening service (Arvit). It is basically just the Amidah (the silent prayer), yet the afternoon service is the only one which is called by the name “mincha” — the offering which was most dear to Hashem. But why is that? Because, as impoverished as this service appears, it is the only one that comes smack in the middle of our workday; it is the only one that asks us to drop whatever we are busy doing and go and pray and spend time with the Master of the Universe, the G-d Almighty. Mincha is the only prayer service that asks us to disconnect ourselves from our mundane and worldly matters and try to connect with our Creator. It may just take 10-15 minutes, but it is a mincha — a prayer which is as dear to Hashem as our soul!!

Yes my friends, when you donate to the House of G-d, it’s the quality that matters, not the quantity.  Hashem does not assess contributions and commitments based on the value, but rather, He looks at your efforts.

We always applaud and praise the people who give large donations to Kanissas. “Wow…. this guy donated $10,000….. this guy donated $50,000…… this guy donated $100,000…..etc.” However, a person who donates a few hundred dollars, we don’t show much appreciation. But the few hundred dollars that came from a person who is having a hard time making ends meet, may be more dear to Hashem than the thousands of dollars from a wealthy man which may be only a small portion of his wealth.

When Hashem wants to asses the gift of an individual, He doesn’t look at the quantity — He looks at the quality. He doesn’t look at the person — He looks at his soul!


Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

 

Parashiot Vayakhel-Pekudei!

Dear Friends;

 

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parashiot summaries followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

” Parashat Vayakhel in a Nutshell “

 

Moshe advices Benei Israel to keep Shabbat once again, and requests donations for the materials for making the Mishkan–portable Sanctuary for G-d. He collects gold, silver, precious stones, skins and yarn, as well as incense and olive oil for the Menorah and for anointing. The princes of each tribe bring the precious stones for the Kohen Gadol’s breastplate and ephod- an apronlike vestment worn just underneath the breastplate.

G-d appoints Bezalel and Oholiav as the master craftsmen. Benei Israel contribute so much that Moshe begins to refuse donations. Special curtains with two different covers were designed for the Mishkan’s roof and door. Gold-covered boards in silver formed the Mishkan’s walls. Bezalel made the Holy Ark from wood covered with gold. On the Ark’s cover were two figures facing each other (Cherubim). The Menorah and the Table were also of gold. Two altars were made: a small incense altar of wood overlaid with gold, and a larger altar for sacrifices made of wood covered with copper.

 

” Parashat Pekudei in a Nutshell “

 

After finishing all the different parts, vessels and garments used in the Mishkan, Moshe gives a complete accounting and enumeration of all the contributions and of the various clothing and vessels which had been made.

Benei Israel bring everything to Moshe. He inspects the handiwork and notes that everything was made according to G-d’s specifications. Moshe blesses the people. G-d speaks to Moshe and tells him that the Mishkan should be set up on the first day of the month of Nissan. He also tells Moshe the order of assembly for the Mishkan and its vessels. Moshe does everything in the prescribed manner. When the Mishkan is finally complete with every vessel in its place, a cloud descends upon it, indicating that G-d’s glory was resting there. Whenever the cloud moved away from the Mishkan, Benei Israel would follow it. At night the cloud was replaced by a pillar of fire.

 

” Dvar Torah “

 

Last week we read the tragic story of the Golden Calf. Unfortunately, the children of Israel committed a grave sin. They made themselves a molten imagine and began to worship it while Moses was away. When Moses came down the mountain and saw the calf, the Torah says the people were “peruah”, meaning “wild, disorderly, chaotic, unruly, lawless.” Moses “saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies.”

So, what did Moses do when he saw that the people made for themselves a golden calf, run riot and lost its sense of ethical and spiritual direction? How do you restore moral order? How do you bring them back to serve  G-d?!

Well, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks says that the answer lies in the first few words of Parashat Vayakhel. The Parsha starts off by saying “Moses gathered the entire assembly of the children of Israel….” The word “Yayakhel” comes from the word “Kehila”, meaning “community”. When Moses came down the mountain, he didn’t see a community, but just a crowd! So, he decided to gather them together and make them into a community again, because the best way to restore order and bring back the people to serve G-d is by making a “Kehila”! And once he did that, he reminded them about two commandments: Shabbat and building a Mishkan.

But why did Moshe choose these two commandments out of all the other commandments to teach the Benei Yisrael at this time? Well, Rabbi Sacks says it’s because Shabbat and the Mishkan are the two most powerful ways of building a community. The best way of turning a diverse, disconnected group into a team is to get them to build something together. Hence the Mishkan. And the best way of strengthening the relationship between man and his fellow, is by praying, eating and spending time together —– things that can only be done Shabbat. Shabbat and the mishkan were the two great community-building experiences of the Israelites in the desert.

In Judaism, community is essential to the spiritual life. Our holiest prayers require a minyan. When we celebrate or mourn we do so as a community. Even when we confess on Yom Kippur, we do so together. Rambam says “One who separates himself from the community, even if he does not commit a sin but merely holds himself aloof from the congregation of Israel; he who does not fulfil the commandments together with his people; a person who shows himself indifferent and isolates himself from the rest of the community — such a person has no share in the world to come.”  In Judaism, it is as a community that we come before G-d. For us the key relationship is not “I shall do”, but “We shall do”!!

Yes my friends, the Torah is once again teaching us the importance of the community. To be a Jew, you need to belong to a community! Judaism and individualism are two opposing concepts. G-d wants to see us together when we pray, when we celebrate, when we eat, when we rest and even when we cry. He wants us to help other members of our community and care for each other. He wants us to be united!

B”H, in the Mashadi community, we take this matter very seriously. Community is one of the most important aspects of our lives. We choose  where to live, where to work, where to study, who to socialize with and who to marry, all based on the community we belong to. We gladly participate in each other’s happy occasions, but on the other hand, we also share tears in each other’s sorrow. And the two commandments that we take very seriously are, building a Sanctuary for G-d and Shabbat, just like the two commandments that Moshe taught the Benei Yisrael when they needed to be united!

In other cultures and religions, the success of an individual is measured by his or her accomplishments. In Judaism however, the greatness of a person is valued by how much he has done for his community!

 

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

 

Parashat Ki Kisa!

Dear Friends;

 

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

 

The people of Israel are told to each contribute exactly half a shekel of silver to the Sanctuary. Instructions are also given regarding the making of the Sanctuary’s water-basin, anointing oil and incense. The people are once again commanded to keep the Shabbat.

When Moses does not return when expected from Mount Sinai, the people make a Golden Calf and worship it. G-d proposes to destroy the sinful nation, but Moses intercedes on their behalf. Moses descends from the mountain carrying the Tablets of stones engraved with the Ten Commandments. Seeing the people dancing around their idol, he breaks the Tablets, destroys the Golden Calf and has the primary culprits put to death. He then returns to G-d to say: “If You do not forgive them, blot me out from the book that You have written.” G-d forgives, but says that the effect of their sin will be felt for many generations. .

Moses prepares a new set of tablets and once more ascends the mountain, where G-d reinscribes the ten commandments on these Second Tablets. On the mountain Moses is also granted a vision of G-d’s glory! So radiant is Moses’ face upon his return, that he must cover it with a veil, which he removes only to speak with G-d and to teach His laws to the people.

 

” Dvar Torah “

 

“Don’t follow the crowd; let the crowd follow you.” — is a quote from Margaret Thatcher, one of the best leaders the Great Britain ever had!

Leadership is a very difficult task. Leaders can fail for many different reasons. One of the reasons can be because a leader may simply lack the courage to lead. Sometimes leaders have to oppose the crowd. They have to say No when everyone else is crying Yes. That can be terrifying. Crowds have a will and momentum of their own. To say No may be to put your career, even your life, in danger. That is when courage is needed, and not showing it can constitute a leadership failure of the worst kind.

In this week’s Parsha, unfortunately, leadership failure was the fate of Aaron HaKohen. We read about the sad story of the Golden Calf. And this is how the Torah describes it  to us: When the people saw that Moses was taking too long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, ‘Come, make us a God who will go before us. As for this man Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ Aaron answered them, ‘Take off the gold earrings that your wives and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.’ So all the women took off their earrings and the men brought them to Aaron. He took it from their hands, threw it into a furnace and fashioned it into a molten calf. Then they said, ‘This is your God, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.

G‑d became angry. Moses pleaded with Him to spare the people. He then descended the mountain, saw what had happened, smashed the tablets of stones he had brought down with him, burned the idol, ground it to powder, mixed it with water and made the Israelites drink it. Then he turned to Aaron his brother and said, “What have you done?!”

“Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how inclined these people are to evil. They said to me, ‘Make us a God who will go before us. As for this man Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold bring to me.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”

Aaron blamed the people. It was they who made the illegitimate request. He denied responsibility for making the calf. It just happened. “I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” This is the same kind of denial of responsibility we recall from the story of Adam and Eve. The man says, “It was the woman.” The woman says, “It was the serpent.” It happened. It wasn’t me. I was the victim not the criminal! Not accepting responsibilities is a moral failure on it’s own!

The odd thing is that Aaron was not immediately punished. It seems that he was never punished for it at all.  According to the Torah he was condemned for another sin altogether when, years later, he and Moses hit the rock instead of speaking to it.

It seems that tradition dealt kindly with Aaron. He is portrayed as a man of peace. He was given the position of the highest Priest. But the question that bothers me is why did Hashem deal so kindly with Aaron? If he was at fault, why didn’t he get punished? The people who participated in worshiping the Golden Calf, they all died. Aaron was the one who made the calf….. why did Hashem let him off the hook?!

Once again, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gives an interesting answer. He says it’s true that Aaron failed as a leader, but leadership was not his job. The fact that Aaron was not a leader in the same mold as Moses does not mean that he was a failure. It means that he was made for a different kind of role. Yes, Moses might have smashed the tablets and grinded the calf to dust, but that’s Moses character, not Aaron’s! Moses and Aaron were different types. Aaron failed when he was called on to be a Moses, but he became a great person in his own right in a different capacity. And Hashem did understand that….. Aaron was not made to be a leader; he was made to be a peacemaker!  A peacemaker cannot shout and oppose the crowd. A peacemaker cannot say to someone, “I’m right — You are wrong”! These are jobs for a leader! Yes, there are times when you need someone with the courage to stand against the crowd, others when you need a peacemaker. Aaron and Moses complemented one another and both of them were successful in their own fields.

Yes my friends, the Torah is teaching us a great lesson here. If you fail at a job, it does not make you a failure! It just means that you still haven’t found the field that you are good at! Some of us are made to be great leaders, some of us are made to be Torah scholars, some are made to be doctors, some are made to be businessmen, some are made to be teachers, some of us are made for sports and some are made to be writers. If we are not succeeding in a field, it just means that we are not in the right field that we are made for. We should continue to search until we find the right field that we are good at.

The Torah does not associate the sin of the Golden Calf with Aaron, because he doesn’t want us to remember Aaron as a failed leader, since leadership was not his job. He was made for priesthood and bringing peace between the people, which he did his job at its best. And that’s how we should remember Aaron — as the greatest Priest of all times…

 

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

Parashat Tetzaveh!

Dear Friends;

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

 

G-d tells Moshe to command the Jewish People to supply pure olive oil for the menorah in the Mishkan(Tent of Meeting). He also tells Moshe to organize the making of the bigdei kehuna(priestly garments): A breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a checkered tunic, a turban, a sash, a forehead-plate, and linen trousers. Upon their completion, Moshe is to perform a ceremony for seven days to consecrate Aharon and his sons. This includes offering sacrifices, dressing Aharon and his sons in their respective garments, and anointing Aharon with oil. G-d commands that every morning and afternoon a sheep be offered on the altar in the Mishkan. G-d commands that an altar for incense be built from acacia wood and covered with gold. Aharon and his descendants should burn incense on this altar every day.

 

” Dvar Torah “

 

“Clothes”, they say, “makes the man”! They cover our body and reveal our soul! They enhance our character, beautify our body, camouflage our deficiencies, and even tailor us to a whole new identity. Jobs have been won and lost, relationships have established and ended, all based on the clothes they wear. From a nurse’s outfit to a soldier’s uniform, from the Chassid’s long black coat to the bride’s long white dress; clothes play an important role in people’s character and identity.

In this week’s Parsha, the Torah also talks about the importance of “clothes” and the purpose of wearing them. It discusses the priestly garments worn in the Temple by both the common kohen (priest) and the Kohen Gadol (High Priest), but the main topic of discussion is about the clothes worn by the High Priest. The garments of the High Priest consisted of eight different vestments and were very complex. They needed highly skilled artisans to make them. They included, among others, a jewel-studded breastplate, a honeycomb-woven tunic, an apron-like garment and a specially designed overcoat that was adorned with gold bells and woven pomegranates. The Kohen Gadol wore these clothes once a year to perform the Yom Kippur services for the entire congregation. With all these glamorous clothing, he had to enter the “Holy of the Holies”, which is the holiest place in the Temple that no one else was ever allowed to enter.

And the Torah gives us the following reason for all these glamorous and expensive garments worn by the Kohen Gadol: “And you shall make garments of sanctity for Aaron your brother, “Lekhavod Ooltif-aret” — for honor and for glory.”

Wow, did I understand this correctly? The clothes that was worn by the Highest Priest on the holiest day of the year, in the holiest place on the face of the earth, was for prestige and self-respect?! Doesn’t Judaism, particularly in a ritual sense, usually focus on the inner qualities and promote humility, rather than to encourage glory and splendor?! Shouldn’t the Torah at least say that these clothes were to bring holiness to the Kohen rather than honor and respect?

Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky gives the following interesting explanation: In order to achieve holiness, you need to have honor and glory! When the Kohen Gadol wore these beautiful and glamorous clothes, he felt the importance of his job and he stood up to his task. Through dressing in special garments, the priest is constantly reminded of his special role, and the sanctity of his calling. The glorious garments makes the High Priest realize that he is standing on holy grounds and he should act accordingly! For example, when the nine U.S. Supreme Court judges enter the court, they do not enter in jeans and sneakers and sit on folding chairs! They put on their black robes and they sit in plush leather chairs. The aura of those robes and those chairs has an effect on them. They are thereby constantly reminded that they are presiding over the highest court in the land and what they are doing is amazingly important. The garb and surroundings have a profound effect on them!

But the Kohen has to remember that all the glamour and the attention that he gets is not for his own honor, but rather, its all for honoring the Almighty. As later on in the Parsha, Hashem says to Moshe to relate the following message to the artisans: “You shall speak to the wise-hearted people whom I have invested a spirit of wisdom with them, to make for them holy vestments to sanctify and minister for ME.”!!! So, we see that the ultimate goal for all these garments was to honor Hashem!

Yes my friends, clothes have a special affect on people. It makes them stand up to their tasks. A surgeon wearing a surgical outfit, when entering the operating room realizes the importance of his job and understands that a person’s life is depended on him. A Chasid wearing his long black outfit when goes out in the street realizes that he’s been looked upon as G-d’s Chosen people and needs to act accordingly. A college graduate at his graduation ceremony wearing his rope and the hat, makes him appreciates his hard work and makes him feel proud of his accomplishments. And the bride wearing her white dress standing next to her groom under the Chupah, understands her role in marriage, which is to stay pure and holy to her husband, till death do them apart!

When we go to Kanissa on Shabbats, we should also dress in our best glamorous clothes, because it will make us feel the sanctity of the day and the holiness of Shabbat. We may put on our best clothes for honor and glory, but we have to constantly remind ourselves that we are not honoring ourselves, but rather, the whole idea is to honor Hashem. When we enter a sanctuary, we have to keep in mind that it’s a holy place and although we are encourage to wear our best clothes, we still have to dress modestly since it’s a house of G-d. If the Kohen Gadol can wear eight layers of clothing when entering the “Holy of the Holies”, we should at least be able to wear one layer of modest clothing when entering a Holy Sanctuary!

Unlike the western society which believes that the body is part of nature’s beauty, with slogans such as — If you have a nice body, why not show it off to everybody?–, we think of it as more of a holy entity, which has to be covered in modesty and respect, and with glory and splendor! When the rest of the world think of “clothes” as a tool to enhance their “bodies”, we the Children of G-d, think of it as a tool to enhance our “souls”!

 

Shabbat Shalom, Purim Sameach and Regards;

Martin

 

Parashat Terumah!

Dear Friends;

 

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

 

G-d commands Moshe to build a Mishkan (Sanctuary) which would serve as a “resting place” for Hashem’s presence amongst the Jewish people.

The Children of Israel are asked to contribute precious metals and stones, fabrics, skins, oil and spices. In the Mishkan’s outer courtyard are an altar for the offerings and a basin to wash these sacrifices. The Tent of Meeting is divided by a curtain into two chambers. The outer chamber is accessible only to the kohanim. It contains the table of showbreads (the 12 loaves of bread placed every Sabbath on a table as an offering by the priests to God), the menorah, and the golden altar for incense. The innermost chamber, the Holy of Holies, may be entered only by the Kohen Gadol, and only once a year, on Yom Kippur. In this section, the Ark is held which contains the Ten Commandments inscribed on the two tablets of stone that G-d gave to the Jewish nation on Mount Sinai.

All of the utensils and vessels, as well as the construction of the Mishkan, are described in great detail.

 

“ Dvar Torah “

 

At the beginning of Parashat Terumah, G-d tells Moshe to convey the following message to Benei Yisrael: “ They shall make a sanctuary for me — so that I may dwell among them….”. The rest of the Parsha and the next four Parashiot are dedicated to building of the “Mishkan”, the temporary house of G-d. But the big question that comes to mind is, why do we even need a house for G-d? How can we even build a house for G-d?!  He is bigger than anything we can imagine! King Solomon who built the first Temple said: “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain You. How much less this house I have built!” Not only it’s impossible to build a house for G-d, but it should be unnecessary too. The G-d who is everywhere and can be accessed from anywhere, should not be confined to one single location. So, why did Hashem command the Benei Yisrael to build a house for him?!

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gives the following answer. G-d gave the commandment of building the Mishkan, after the sin of the golden calf. The people made the golden calf after Moses had been on the mountain for forty days to receive the Torah. So long as Moses was in their midst, the people knew that he communicated with G-d,  and therefore G-d was accessible to them. But when he was absent for nearly six weeks, they panicked. Who else could bridge the gap between the people and G-d? How could they hear G-d’s instructions? Through what intermediary could they make contact with the divine presence?

And that’s why Hashem instructed Moshe to build a house for him among the people, so that they would constantly feel his present, with or without a mediator. The verb “to dwell” in Hebrew is Sh-kh-n. Shakhen in Hebrew means a neighbour, the person who lives next door. What the Israelites needed and what G-d gave them was a way of feeling as close to G-d as to our next-door neighbour. From the same root as sh-kh-n, came the word Mishkan meaning a sanctuary, and Shekhinah, the divine presence. So, the whole reason to build a house for G-d, was to feel close to him.

So even if we accept the reason for building the Mishkan to be feeling close to Hashem, there is still another problem. How do we feel the closeness to Hashem when we are in a house of G-d? Yes, when we go to a house of worship, or even to the Western Wall, we might be inspired with awe, but do we actually feel the presence of G-d? So, how can we sense the presence of G-d? How can we get the feeling of “Shakhen”, a close neighbor?!

Rabbi Sacks gives the following explanation. The way the Mishkan was built, was by contributions.  G-d said to Moses: “Tell the Israelites to take for me a contribution. You are to receive the contribution for me from every man whose heart desires.”——- The best way of encountering G-d is to give! The very act of giving is to acknowledge that what we give is part of what we were given. It is a way of giving thanks, an act of gratitude. G-d created the universe. He made us. He gave us life. He breathed into us the very air we breathe. All around us is the abundance of God’s generosity. When life is a given, you acknowledge it by giving back.

The Torah therefore tells us something simple and practical. Give, and you will come to see life and its’ Creator. That is how G-d came to be close to the Israelites through the building of the sanctuary. It wasn’t the quality of the wood and metals and drapes. It wasn’t the glitter of jewels on the breastplate of the High Priest. It wasn’t the beauty of the architecture or the aroma of the sacrifices. It was the fact that it was built out of the gifts of “everyone whose heart desires to give”!

Yes my friends, the best way to encounter G-d is by donating to the house of G-d. The Torah says donate anything your heart desires, which means the value is not important. The act of giving is all that matters! When you give, it means that you are giving back some of what G-d has given you. A sense of gratitude always brings closeness between the two parties, and makes you feel like close neighbors.

So my friends, whenever you get an urge to get close to G-d, you don’t need to climb to the top of Mount Everest, or to see Niagara Falls, The Grand Canyon or any other wonders of the world. All you need to do is to donate to the house of G-d ………. and then, G-d will find you himself!!

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

 

Parashat Mishpatim!

Dear Friends;

 

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

 

The Jewish People receive a series of civil laws concerning social justice. Topics include: Proper treatment of Jewish slaves/servants; a husband’s obligations to his wife; penalties for hitting people and for cursing parents; rules governing the conduct of judges and leaders; financial responsibilities for damaging people or their property; payments for theft; for not returning an object that one accepted responsibility to safeguard; the right to self-defense of a person being robbed.

Other topics include: Prohibitions against seduction; witchcraft, relationship with animals and sacrifices to idols. The Torah warns us to treat the convert, widow and orphan with dignity, and to avoid lying. Lending money to get interest is forbidden and the rights over collateral are limited. Payment of obligations to the Temple should not be delayed, and the Jewish People must be holy, even concerning food. The Torah teaches the proper conduct for judges in court proceedings. The commandments of Shabbat and the Sabbatical year are outlined. Three times a year — Pesach, Shavuot and Succot — we are to come to the Temple. The Torah concludes this listing of laws with a law of kashrut — not to mix milk and meat.

The people of Israel promise to do and listen to everything that G-d says. Moshe ascends the mountain to remain there for 40 days in order to receive the two Tablets of the Covenant.

 

” Dvar Torah “

 

The main topic of discussion in this week’s Parsha is the “Jewish Civil laws”, the laws between man and his fellow. Parashat Mishpatim immediately follows Parashat Yitro, where the highlight of the Parsha was the Ten Commandments, when the Benei Israel reached their highest level of spirituality. They were all considered to be prophets, since anyone who hears the word of G-d is a prophet! The sequence of these two Parashiot bothers the Chachamim and raises the following questions. Why did the Benei Israel have to learn about the civil laws immediately after they reached their spiritual peek? Why does the Torah connect spirituality with earthly matters? Shouldn’t the sequence after the Ten Commandments be about building the “Mishkan”, the Temple for G-d, where the people can continue with their spiritual bliss, rather than to teach the nation about the civil laws?

Rabbi Yissachar Frand gives the following explanation: Unlike the western society where they separate between “Church and State”, in Judaism, our “Religion” is our “State”!! We apply our religion to our everyday lives! Spirituality or holiness should not be limited to Temples or places of worship only, but rather, the ultimate closeness to G-d can only be achieved when you would bring holiness to your courtrooms, boardrooms, lunchrooms and even to your bedrooms! The sequence of these two Parashiot explains that we cannot reach holiness without acting just and compassionate towards our fellow human beings. Unlike the gentile nations, where they measure their level of holiness by looking at the relationship between man and G-d, Judaism looks at the relationship between man and man to find holiness.

That’s why in this week’s Parsha the Torah lists more than 50 civil laws in order to teach us that in order to stay holy, we need to treat our fellow Jews with compassion. But since the time does not allow, we shall discuss just one of the laws.

In this week’s Parsha, the Torah says: ” im kesef talveh et Ami ………” which the “ArtScroll Edition” Torah translates it into English as follows: “When you lend money to my people, to the poor person who is within you, do not act towards him as a creditor; do not lay interest upon him”! As you may all know, one of the greatest ways to give charity is to lend money to someone without interest and without pressuring him to pay back. But the English translation of the verse seems a little odd?! Anyone who has little knowledge of Hebrew language, should know that the word “im” means “if”! So, why does one of the most famous English Torah translator, mistranslate the word “im” as “when”?! After a little study, I found out that Rashi also did comment on this matter. He says, here and two other places in the Torah the word “im” should be translated as “when”. The Torah uses the word “im”, just to show that we have freedom of choice to do all the mitzvot of the Torah, but in reality, Hashem really wants us to do them. In this case he says, lending money to the poor should not be optional — it should be an obligation. Giving charity shouldn’t raise a doubt in your mind, as “if” you should give, but rather, it should only be a matter of time, “when”!

There is no word for charity in Hebrew language. Look up the word for charity in the English/Hebrew dictionary and you’ll find the word “tzedaka”.Tzedaka doesn’t mean charity. It means ‘righteousness’. We don’t give charity because we have pity for the poor; we give charity because it is the “right” thing to do. The Chachamim say that a person who gives charity doesn’t deserve a pat on the back – but the one who doesn’t give ‘charity’ deserves a slap on the wrist! They go as far as to say, if the needy doesn’t come to knock on your door, you should go and knock on his shed!

The Chachamim also say that when you give Tzedaka, Hashem will pay you back a lot more. But how do they know that?! Rabbi Frand says that the answer can be found in the same pasuk. The verse says, “when you lend money to my people..”– “my people” refers to the nation of G-d, the Benei Yisrael, whose livelihood is his responsibility and not ours. But Hashem is giving us the great opportunity to go in partnership with him. And you can be sure that Hashem always protects his partners. Not only, he pays you back for your investment, but he will also give you a lot more for the act of kindness that you did to his people. Besides, Hashem always treats us the same way we treat others. So when we open our hands to the needy, He will open His hands to us in the time of need!

Yes my friends, Parashat Mishpatim– the Jewish civil laws, is all about our obligations towards a fellow Jew. It talks about, obligations of a master to a slave; obligations of a child to its parents; of a pupil to his teacher; of a community to the poor; of the individual to the community. Our obligations towards an orphan, towards the sick, towards the convert; and the obligations of man to G-d. Hashem wants us to feel obligated to seek justice, and to feel obligated to help out the needy and the weak. He does not want us to see these Jewish civil laws as a set of rules and regulations, but rather, he wants us to see them as common sense.

And this is how we differ from other nations: To treat others with fairness and compassion might be an option to them, but to us, is an obligation! What reads as “if” to the rest to the world; to the nation of G-d is “when”!!!

 

Shabbat Shalom, Chodesh Tov & Regards;

Martin

 

Parashat Va’era!

Dear friends;

I hope you’ll enjoy the following parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

 

G-d reveals Himself to Moshe. He promises to take out the Children of Israel from Egypt, deliver them from their enslavement, redeem them and acquire them as His own chosen people at Mount Sinai; He will then bring them to the Land He promised to the Patriarchs as their eternal heritage.

Moshe and Aaron repeatedly come before Pharaoh to demand in the name of G-d, “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me in the wilderness.” Pharaoh repeatedly refuses. Moshe’s staff turns into a snake and swallows the magic sticks of the Egyptian sorcerers. G-d then sends a series of plagues upon the Egyptians.

The waters of the Nile turn to blood; swarms of frogs overrun the land; lice infest all men and beasts. Hordes of wild animals invade the cities, a pestilence kills the domestic animals, painful boils afflict the Egyptians. For the seventh plague, fire and ice combine to descend from the skies as a devastating hail. Still, “the heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he would not let the children of Israel go; as G-d had said to Moshe.”

 

” Dvar Torah “

 

The theme of this week’s Parsha is, “Miracle”. It is packed with miracles, plagues and supernatural events. Sticks transforming into snakes; water turning into blood; hail pellets with a core of fire; dreadful plagues of frogs, lice, wild beasts, pestilence and boils. G-d through Moshe, performs miracles for the Jews, for Pharaoh and all the Egyptian population. He brings plagues upon the Egyptians that have never been seen before. But as you read carefully through the text, it seems that the miracles made little impression on Pharaoh, the Egyptians and above all, on the Jewish slaves. Towards the end of last week’s parsha, Moshe was performing miracles for Pharaoh and his people and they seemed to pay no attention to his feats. And Moshe got frustrated and started to complain to Hashem: “Why have You done evil to this people… From the time I came to Pharaoh … he has harden the situation for the Jewish nation”.

Even in this week’s Parsha, Pharaoh is not impressed by the plagues because his own professional miracle makers were able to replicate the first three plagues. He therefore attributes all of the later plagues to forces of nature or superior professional magical powers that Moshe has somehow employed.

But what is more mind boggling is that the Jewish people themselves are, relatively speaking, little impressed by the miraculous plagues. In today’s time, we see a card trick and we are fascinated by it! You would have thought that by seeing all these miracles, the Jews should have believed in Hashem and his servant Moshe, wholeheartedly. But the Chachamim say that after all these supernatural events, at the time of the exodus, some Jews still didn’t want to leave! They needed persuasion! They still didn’t have enough faith in Moshe?! So the fundamental question is why? Why did the greatest miracles of all times had little impact on the Jews? When we read the story of the 10 plagues after 3000 years ago, we still get mesmerized by it! So why didn’t it have the same effect on the Benei Yisrael? How can you explain their lack of appreciation and their lack of faith?!

Rabbi Berel Wein gives a beautiful explanation. He says that the Jews were too busy thinking about their slavery and their harsh living conditions that they hardly took notice of the miracles which took place around them. A slave mentality is the feeling of hopelessness, which is so hard to change even by performing supernatural miracles! When you are a slave, your work becomes your whole life. You don’t have time for anything else. That’s why when Moshe tells the Benei Yisrael that G-d had sent him to save them, they did not listen to him because of the shortness of breath and from the hard labor. In order to strengthen their belief, the Jews didn’t need miracles, but rather, they needed “free time” for themselves to think, to look around them and to see the hand of G-d. But because of the hard labor, they couldn’t appreciate the wonderful miracles taking place around them! And this is why the miracles had little impact on the Jews; because they were too busy being slaves!

Yes my friends, slavery can blind a person! The greatest miracle can pass right by a slave and he won’t even notice it. Although B”H, we live as a free nation today, but unfortunately the slave mentality has remained with us to this very day. Everyday we see miracles happening around us, but unfortunately, they have little impact on us. Most of us are so busy with our work that we don’t notice the miracles around us. In Judaism, a miracle does not necessarily need to be an extraordinary event, but any act of G-d that we benefit from, should be considered a miracle! When we wake up in the morning and we are still alive, is a miracle; when we see our spouse and our children being healthy and running around us, is a miracle; when we live in a luxury of a home and we have enough food to feed our family and live a comfortable life, is a miracle! But do we have the time to acknowledge all these and be grateful to the Almighty?! How many of us in the mornings, rush in putting on the tefillin and taking them off quickly in order to run to work?! How many of us spend quality time with our families everyday?! And above all, how many of us truly appreciate what our spouse do for us and thank them for what he or she does?! If you ask me, we may think that we live a free life, but we are still slaves to our work and to the society we live in!

So my friends, let us enjoy our freedom by creating the time to appreciate the miracles around us. Miracles don’t just happen in fairy tale stories, it happens in our everyday life! All you need to do is to open your eyes and see the hand of G-d!

 

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

 

Parashat Shemot!

Dear Friends;

 

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

 

The Children of Israel multiply in Egypt. Threatened by their growing numbers, Pharaoh enslaves them and orders the Hebrew midwives, Shifrah and Puah, to kill all male babies at birth. When they do not comply, he commands his people to cast the Hebrew babies into the Nile.

A child is born to Yocheved, the daughter of Levi, and her husband, Amram, and placed in a basket on the river, while the baby’s sister, Miriam, stands watch from afar. Pharaoh’s daughter discovers the boy, raises him as her son, and names him Moses.

As a young man, Moses leaves the palace and discovers the hardship of his brethren. He sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and kills the Egyptian. The next day he sees two Jews fighting; when he disapproves, they reveal his previous day’s murder, and Moses is forced to flee to Midian. There he rescues Yitro’s daughters, marries one of them – Tzipporah – and becomes a shepherd of his father-in-law’s flocks.

One day when Moses was watching the herd, G-d appears to him in a burning bush at the foot of Mount Sinai and instructs him to go to Pharaoh and demand: “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.” Moses’ brother, Aaron, is appointed to serve as his spokesman. In Egypt, Moses and Aaron gathered the elders of Israel to tell them that the time of their redemption has come. The people believe; but Pharaoh refuses to let them go, and even intensifies the suffering of Israel.

Moses returns to G-d to protest: “Why have You done evil to this people?” G-d promises that the redemption is close at hand.

 

“ Dvar Torah “

 

In this week’s Parsha, G-d appears to Moshe in a burning bush and says to him: “I have indeed seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and I have heard their outcry……. And now, I will dispatch you to go to Pharaoh and you shall take My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” Moshe responds: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and how can I possibly get the Israelites out of Egypt?”

On the surface, Moshe’s two parts question is quite clear. The first part he is asking: who am I, to be worthy of such a great mission? The second: how can I possibly succeed?

G-d answers the second part. “Because I will be with you.” You will succeed because I am not asking you to do it alone. I am not really asking you to do it at all. I will be doing it for you. I just want you to be My representative, My emissary and My voice.

G-d never answered the first part of the question, “Who am I”! Perhaps it’s because Moshe found out the answer himself!

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks says that Moshe’s question, who am I, may not just be a question about worthiness. It can also be a question about identity. So the question, who am I, may well be referring to who Moshe really was.

There are two possible answers to Moshe’s identity. The first: Moshe is a prince of Egypt. He had been adopted as a baby by Pharaoh’s daughter. He had grown up in the royal palace. He dressed like an Egyptian, looked and spoke like an Egyptian. When he rescued Jethro’s daughters from some rough shepherds, they go back and tell their father, “An Egyptian saved us”.   His very name, Moshe, was given to him by Pharaoh’s daughter. Although Moshe in Hebrew means “drawn from the water”, in ancient Egyptian it means a “child”. So the first answer is that Moshe was an Egyptian prince.

The second was that he was a Midianite. For, although he was Egyptian by upbringing, he had been forced to leave. He had made his home in Midian, married a Midianite woman Zipporah, daughter of a Midianite priest and was “content to live” there, quietly as a shepherd. We tend to forget that he spent many years there. He left Egypt as a young man and was already eighty years old at the start of his mission when he first stood in front of Pharaoh. He must have spent the overwhelming majority of his adult life in Midian, far away from the Israelites. So, on the one hand Moshe was an Egyptian, on the other, he was a Midianite.

So when Moshe asks, “Who am I?” it is not just that he feels himself unworthy. He feels himself uninvolved. He may have been Jewish by birth, but he had not suffered the fate of his people. He had not grown up as a Jew. He had not lived among Jews. He had good reason to doubt that the Israelites would even recognise him as one of them. How, then, could he become their leader? Their fate was not his. He was not part of them. He was not responsible for them. And he did not suffer like them!

Moshe could have lived a comfortable life till the end. He could have lived as an Egyptian prince or as a midianite shepherd in peace and harmony. So, why then did he accept? What made him give up the easy life in order to lead a group of people who he hardly knew and carry their burden on his shoulders for forty years?

Rabbi Sacks says, one hint is contained in the name he gave his first son. He called him Gershom because, he said, “I am a stranger in a foreign land”. He did not feel at home in Midian. That was where he was, but not who he was. But the real clue is contained in an earlier verse, where it says: “When Moses was grown, he began to go out to his own people, and he saw their hard labor”. These people were his people. He may have looked like an Egyptian but he knew that ultimately he was not. Moshe may have been un-Jewish by upbringing, but when he saw his people suffering, he identified with them and he couldn’t walk away. Who am I? asked Moshe, but in his heart he knew the answer. I am not Moshe the Egyptian or Moshe the Midianite. When I see my people suffer I am, and cannot be other than, Moshe the Jew. And if that imposes responsibilities on me, then I must shoulder them. And this is the greatness of Moshe that Hashem loved. He feels the pain when his people are suffering!

Yes my friends, there are many different type of Jews. There are Jews who believe and those who don’t. There are Jews who are observant and those who are not. But you can hardly find any Jews indeed who, when their people are suffering, can walk away saying, this has nothing to do with me. Whether Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Hasidic, Orthodox or non-observant, when a Jew is suffering, we all feel the pain. We all pray. We all want to help out. We all stretch out our arm to give a helping hand.

A boy in our community is in a desperate need of a kidney. Ask yourself the same question as Moshe did. “Who am I?” And if you find the answer to be a Jew, then don’t waste any time to try help in any way you can. Because this is what Judaism is all about!!

 

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

 

Parashat Vayechi!

Dear Friends;

 

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

 

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

 

Jacob lives the final 17 years of his life in Egypt. Before his passing, he asks Joseph to take an oath that he will bury him in the Holy Land. He blesses Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, elevating them to the status of his own sons to be among the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jacob desires to reveal the end of days to his children, but is prevented from doing so. Jacob blesses his sons, assigning to each his role as a tribe: Judah will produce leaders, legislators and kings; priests will come from Levi, scholars from Issachar, sea-merchants from Zebulun, schoolteachers from Shimon, soldiers from Gad, judges from Dan, olive growers from Asher, and so on. Reuben is rebuked for “confusing his father’s marriage”; Shimon and Levi for the massacre of Shechem and the plot against Joseph. Naphtali is granted the swiftness of a deer, Benjamin the ferociousness of a wolf, and Joseph is blessed with beauty and fertility.

A large funeral ceremony consisting of Jacob’s descendants, Pharaoh’s ministers and the leading citizens of Egypt accompanies Jacob on his final journey to the Holy Land, where he is buried in the Machpeilah Cave in Hebron.

Joseph, too, dies in Egypt, at the age of 110. He, too, instructs that his bones be taken out of Egypt and buried in the Holy Land. Before his passing, Joseph tells the Children of Israel not to loose hope and faith in the Almighty in the difficult years to come: “G-d will surely remember you, and bring you up out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

 

” Dvar Torah “

 

Since the beginning of creation, there has always been a special bond between grandchildren and grandparents, and I have witnessed it with my own eyes. My youngest son, Jeremy, used to be in love with my late father, Z”L. When he was 5-6 years old, every other Friday night he would go for dinner and sleepover to my parents. He didn’t want us to come with him. He just wanted to be alone with my Dad. Since Friday mornings, he was so excited to go. He packed his bag, putting his pajamas,his book and his teddy bear inside. On Friday nights, when we got to their house, you should have seen the joy on both their faces. Just like two lovebirds which haven’t seen each other for ages! They had dinner together, they talked, they had fruits, read a book and went to sleep together. Shabbat mornings they had breakfast together and my Dad used to drop him off at home before he went to Kanissa. When they had to separate, it was another dramatic scene! Although I envied my father’s relationship with my son, but I found it to be so adorable. Two generations gap, what is there to talk about? Where did all these love and affection come from? Well, half-jokingly, I contribute this relationship to the fact that they had one common enemy, which was Me!! But the truth of the matter is that there is much less tension between grandparents and grandchildren, since the grandparents always see the fruits of their labor through their grandchildren.

Well, in this week’s parsha, we can also see a fine demonstration of the love relationship between the grandfather and grandchildren. When Joseph heard that his father, Jacob, is ill and his days are numbered, he immediately takes his two sons, Ephraim and Menashe, to see his father in order to give him the final respect and to receive a blessing for himself and for his two sons. Once they arrived, they informed Jacob that Joseph is here. So he raises himself in bed and after identifying the two accompanying children to be Joseph’s sons, he gives his grandchildren, Ephraim and Menasheh, a great blessing! He gives his most powerful blessing to his favorite grandsons, and not to his favorite son, Joseph. He blesses them with the following: “With your (names) will the Jewish people bless (their children) saying: May G-d make you be like Ephraim and Menashe…”!!!

But don’t you think that the blessing sounds a little strange? The blessing actually, does not bless Ephraim nor Menasheh! It just says that every Jew should wish their children to be like Ephraim and Menasheh. It seems that Ephraim and Menasheh were blessed already, and Jacob just wants to pass on the blessing to the future generations!

So what were Ephraim and Menasheh actually blessed with already? What was so special about them that we should all want our children to be like them? What characteristic did they have that Jacob could not find in his own children? After all, why didn’t Jacob want our children to be like “Shimon and Levi”, or “Joseph and Binyamin”?

I read a beautiful explanation given by Rabbi Yissachar Frand which I would like to share with you. He says that the answer can be found in the way Jacob blessed Ephraim and Menashe. At the time of the blessing, Jacob specifically crisscrossed his hands and put his right hand on the younger child Ephraim, giving him the preference. Joseph, noticing his father’s action, tells him that he has his right hand on the younger son by mistake. Menasheh is the older son and he should get the preferred blessing. Jacob says: ” I know my son, I know. He will be a great nation too, but the younger will be greater…”. Yet Menasheh, the older son, did not utter any words of complaint. He did not turn around and complain to his father. He did not issue any words of protest to his grandfather. And above all, he did not feel any jealousy towards his brother who was getting the preferential treatment. He accepted his brother’s superiority with a cheerful attitude. He respected his grandfather’s blessing and he accepted it wholeheartedly.

But let’s not give all the credit to Menasheh. After all, we want our children to be like Ephraim too. So what did Ephraim do that was so special? The answer is, when a person receives a preferential treatment, such as a higher status, he might flaunt it. He might think that he’s a more important person now and he might look down on others. He might even think that he has got to this position because of his own strength and intelligence. He might boost his ego and become Ba-alei Ga-avah (haughty). But we see that Ephraim received his blessing with humility and modesty. He didn’t take a pride in himself for his superiority. He didn’t come up with a dream that his brother is bowing down to him! He still considered Menasheh as his older brother, and he continued to give him the respect that he deserved for the rest of his life.

Given the sibling rivalry that Jacob witnessed with himself and his brother, and with his own sons, when he saw such good behavior in his grandchildren, he was thrilled that they got along so well with each other. So he could not find any better blessing to give them other than what they are blessed with already. So all he could say was that every Jew should be inspired to have them as role models for their own children.

Yes my friends, ” May G-d make you like Ephraim and Menashe” is the greatest blessing we can give to our children. It means that they should not be jealous of one another, and they should get along and respect each other. No two children are the same. Some succeed more in life, financially. Some are more spiritual. Some are more intellectual and some are more athletic. Some are more beautiful and some are more charismatic. But the children must learn to respect each other for what they are. Being jealous of one another can only mean that you are not happy with what Hashem has given you! To respect one another, on the other hand, is a sign of humility and faith. It means that not only you are happy with what Hashem has given you, but you are also happy for your brother for what Hashem has given him!

So tonight, after you say the Kidush on the wine, take a moment of your time and bless your sons with the following blessing:  “Yesimcha Elokim Ke Ephraim VeChi Menashe”, May G-d make you be like Ephraim and Menashe. Because there is no greater blessing than to see your children living in peace and harmony together!

Shabbat Shalom and Regards;

Martin