A Trip to the Nursery (Parshas Shemos)

B"H

So Today's your turn to pick up your son from his nursery. You finish
up work, grab your keys, and head to the school. Without traffic, you
reach the nursery 5 min.'s early and enter your son's class, taking a
seat quietly by the entrance. A few children play with toys by your
feet, and babble some words to you. Busy with your blackberry phone,
you hardly pay notice. Suddenly, your attention is caught grabbed!
Your precious son (brought over by the nursery teacher), is babbling
incoherently about some exciting thing occurring now in his life. You
smile with great joy, overflowing with the love for your child...

A Jew may wonder: "What does the great G-d care about
my actions. G-d is so far beyond physicality, beyond caring about what I do.
Why would a good deed I perform, prayers I pray,
or candles I light, truly matter to the Almighty G-d?!"
From our perspective, at 1st glance, maybe it doesn't. But from G-d's
Perspective, little do we know the immense joy and pleasure we bring
Him. To his Father, what His child does, is truly precious.



If you'd like to read further, here are 2 short, Beautiful teachings
from this week's Torah Portion- "Shemot"

The Torah says: "And Moshe was shepherding the sheep." Next we
read how Moshe saw the burning thorn bush, where G-d tells him that the
time has come for the Jewish People to be redeemed from Egypt. What
does Moshe's life as a shepherd have anything to do with the
subsequent revelation of G-d and directive to become leader and
savior of the Jewish People??

In the Midrash we find something that gives us insight into what the
Torah is saying here. One day, as Moshe was shepherding his sheep, 1
darted away from the flock. Moshe chased it and chased it, until he
found it drinking from a stream. "If only I knew you were tired,"
thought Moshe. He then hoisted it on his shoulders and carried it back
to the flock.
G-d Said: "If Moshe cares for this 1 sheep with such care, I will
entrust him to care for My Flock"-the Jewish People.
Thus we read next how G-d Revealed Himself
and Commanded Moshe to redeem the Jews...

But what is the lesson for us now?
In order to merit a "revelation from G-d", a true closeness to Him,
one must give oneself over, and truly worry about, G-d's Sheep- a
fellow Jew.
--------------------
We find a very interesting fact about our great leader Moshe:
How can it be that he grew up in Egypt, and was raised in a purely Egyptian
home and culture of Pharaoh's daughter's home?
(he was found by her in a basket on the river and adopted).
How can it be that Holy Moshe grew to such greatness there?

This fact teaches us something very profound:
SPECIFICALLY in Egypt, which opposed all that Moshe stood for;
THERE the Savior of Israel had to be born and grow up, in order to become so great!
This point answers another famous Question: "If G-d Wants that we
should learn Torah and perform the Commandments,
why did He Put us in an Exile, full of troubles and concealment of G-d?!"
The answer is, that SPECIFICALLY here, where we find ourselves
in the "Land of Egypt"; yet where we overcome our struggles
and make for G-d a Dwelling Place down here;
here we can truly be considered to have "grown."
-Adapted from the talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel

Success! Parashas Vayechi

B"H

What's up everyone! Hope all is well, staying joyful and positive as you
bask in your good weather while I freeze here in New York :)
Here's A short idea on this week's Torah portion "Vayechi":

Our great ancestor Yosef, was sent in chains into slavery in Egypt. Later he was
imprisoned on false charges and spent 14 yrs. in prison. Suddenly
Yosef is called to
interpret Pharaoh's dreams, and is appointed as 2nd in command,
essentially ruler over
all of Egypt; and as master over the entire food supply during a
global famine-ruler over the fate of the entire world. After Yosef is
finally reunited with his father Ya'akov, his father oddly blesses
Yosef's 2nd born son-1st, and then his 1st born son-2nd! But let's not
get too ahead of ourselves...

After leaving prison and becoming ruler, Yosef married Asnat and had 2
children: Menashe and Ephrayim. His 1st-born he named Menashe, b/c
"G-d has caused me to forget ('Nashani') all my hardships and all that
was in my father's house" (41:51). This expressed Yosef's pain at the
fact that he found himself in a place which caused him to forget his
father's house. His 2nd son Ephrayim, was named this b/c, "G-d has
Made me fruitful ('Hiphrani') in the land of my subjugation" (ibid.
52), expressing Yosef's success in Egypt.
Since the Torah and its stories are lessons for every Jew in every
generation, what can we learn from these names of Yosef's sons?
Menashe and Ephrayim represent the 2 different reactions a Jew has to
being in exile: on one hand, he longs to leave this exile and return
to "his father's house." But on the other hand, since he finds
himself-by Divine Providence- in exile, he realizes that there is a
mission to be carried out here, a mission given by our G-d, and he
toils to succeed.
Menashe was the 1st-born b/c 1st of all, a Jew needs to feel "out of
place" in exile, to ensure that he doesn't assimilate, and to realize
that this situation is not my true "home." But the primary purpose of
being in exile is to succeed in Divine service there- which is why
Ya'akov wished to bless Ephrayim first.
-(Based on the 'Gutnick Chumash's' interpretation of a talk by the
Lubavitcher Rebbe)

By growing every day in Judaism, living the life of a Jew in San
diego, LA, on college campus, wherever-we are fulfilling the entire
purpose for G-d's Creation of us and the world, reminding G-d of the
greatness of His people, and hastening the final Redemption through
Moshiach, which will bring everlasting harmony to us and the entire
world, may it come now!
Shabbat Shalom

-daniel

True Joy

B"H

Happiness (for more on this topic, see: chabad/jewish/Joy-Happiness)

"Man can never be happy if he does not nourish his soul as he does his body" -- The Rebbe

The Rebbe once encouraged a gifted student to use his free time to inspire his fellow students to pursue not only their academic studies but their spiritual studies as well.
"My schedule is already so full, I don't know how I could possibly add anything more to it," the student said. And then, realizing that the Rebbe's own schedule was far more crowded, he said, "Frankly, I don't understand where you get the strength and stamina to work as you do."
"Every person has both a body and a soul," said the Rebbe. "It is like a bird and its wings. Imagine if a bird were unaware that its wings enabled it to fly, they would only add an extra burden of weight. But once it flaps its wings, it lifts itself skyward. We all have wings--our soul--that can lift us as high as we need go. All we have to do is learn to use them."

What is your life like?
If you are like most people, it is made up of countless bits and pieces of fragmented activity: exercise, work, eating, conversations, entertainment, sleep. Add up the pieces day after day, year after year, and you end up with an entire life split into millions of fragments, with no connecting thread. Fragmentation rattles our peace of mind, creating untold tension and anxiety. Over time, the fragments pile up and begin to suffocate your soul, the inner you that craves focus, purpose and direction. Is it any wonder that after forty or fifty years of slogging through such disjointed days we wake up and suddenly wonder, "Is this what life is about? Am I really happy?"

A happy life is synonymous with a meaningful life, and we all want to live meaningful lives. We constantly strive to make our mark on humanity, to contribute something worthwhile to our world.

By acknowledging that within your body is a G-dly soul, a soul that can give your life purpose and lift it above the mundane pursuits of everyday life, you begin to put the pieces of your fragmented life in order.

By acknowledging that within your body is a G-dly soul, a soul that can give your life purpose and lift it above the mundane pursuits of everyday life, you begin to put the pieces of your fragmented life in order. You see your life from a larger perspective, sanctifying every moment of your life -- not only while you are studying or praying or doing charitable deeds, but while you are eating and sleeping, at home or at work, while traveling or on vacation. Instead of carrying out your daily activities by rote, you discover the G-dliness within each of them.

To key to happiness: uniting body and soul
To be a happy, wholesome and healthy person, your body and soul must work in perfect harmony. This means uniting the body and soul to fulfill the mission for which we were all put on earth: to lead a meaningful, productive, and virtuous life by making this physical world a home for G-d.

The body and soul, however, are in constant conflict: the body basically looking to satisfy its needs with the soul looking for transcendence and unity. The first step in dealing with this conflict is to acknowledge that the struggle exists, and be aware of the two distinct forces. Thinking that we are a single entity leads to confusion and despair: One day we are virtuous and the next we are selfish; one day we are motivated, the next we procrastinate.

The only way to unite body and soul is to accept that G-d is far higher than our limited selves. The soul, because of its transcendent nature, can rise above selfishness more easily than the body, and can discipline the body, through study and prayer, to recognize its true mission. Only then can the body rise to its true prominence -- when it serves as a vehicle for the soul instead of acting under its own power, with its selfish wants and needs. Once the body recognizes the soul's dominance and makes peace with its twin sister, the tension can be properly harnessed.

A happy life is synonymous with a meaningful life.

Happiness requires action
It is not enough to acknowledge your soul, you must actualize it by partnering it with the body to help a neighbor in need, to listen to a friend in distress, to help provide food or clothing to someone who cannot afford it. These become more than simple good deeds; they become vital nourishment for your soul and a means of putting your physical body to good spiritual use.

True happiness is the fusion of body and soul dedicated to a higher cause, a cause that benefits humankind and gives meaning and inner peace to the individual in the process.

When you awake in the morning, while you are still lying in bed, think for a moment: What does it mean to be awake and alive? Begin each day with a prayer; thank G-d for the new day. Acknowledge your soul. Think about what you would like to accomplish that would make today a meaningful day. If you train yourself to do this every morning, you will immediately begin to see your life in a new, sharper focus.

You should end your day just as you begin it. As you prepare for sleep, review the day and how you used it opportunities. Recognize that G-d has put you here for a purpose, and that all your activities should express that purpose. Go to sleep with the resolve that no matter how good -- or bad -- today was, tomorrow will be better. By doing so, your sleep will be more peaceful, and your waking more meaningful.