B"H
Dear friends,
I hope all is going well for you, and that a fun and inspiring summer
awaits you...
Let me ask you a question: How come a painting is worth so much more
than a picture. I mean, in terms of Accuracy, a picture is much
better! If I want to see what the pacific ocean looks like as the sun
sets, snap a photo for me; the closest a painting can get is a very
impressive attempt at portraying the true scene, but it's not the real
thing. It's not the truth. It's not perfect. A photo is. So how come
the painting will go for 10,000$ and the photo for 25cents!?
1st of all: the appreciation for a painting stems from the fact that
it ISN'T perfectly exact, but rather, intense effort was put in to
attempt to create reality. Also, primarily, each painting is UNIQUE to
it's artist, expressing his or her's distinct mind, talent & effort.
With this we can understand a more meaningful question: why would the Almighty G-d Value our actions, thoughts, and speech, compared to the perfect service of the angels? Our limited selves are definitely not blemishless, and far from the true way we should be. To be perfect isn't easy, but where we fail, the angels succeed. And yet G-d Gave US the Torah and Desires our efforts in serving him!?
But the point is, that every Jew's life is a painting. It may not be
perfect, it may not be completely true, but its yours - your own unique
expression of your soul, of your contribution to G-d and His world. It
may take lots of effort, and it won't be exact, but that's what
separates us and angels. Angels are the photos. While being "perfect",
they are also stagnant without progression to a higher level. We have
the ability to refine and uplift ourselves, as high as we decide to
put effort into.
Each of us has to make sure that our painting isn't so smudged and
that we give it our best shot-in learning Torah and doing Mitzvot, in
Prayer and kindness to others. Hey, when it's all said and done, do
you want your painting at the 99c store, or the Louvre??
Shabbat Shalom Y'all
-daniel
P.S. I'm back in Diego for about 3 weeks if anyone wants to meet up.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Do Women Have Something to Hide?
B"H
Hey Everyone, I'm a counselor in Running Springs, CA for a month, so I took a nice article from Aron Moss (who is very good, check him out for other articles). Enjoy! Have a great week!
-daniel
By Aron Moss |
 Question: Why does Judaism tell women to keep their bodies covered? Is there something shameful or evil about a woman's body? If men can't control their urges, then it's their problem, not women's. Why should a woman have to hide herself just so others shouldn't be tempted? Answer: You are assuming that the only reason for modest dress is to avoid temptation. While this may be the case in other religions, for Judaism this is not true. The Jewish way of modest dress is not merely about how other people view women, but more about how women view themselves. Covering something doesn't always mean being ashamed of it. Have you ever noticed how we treat a Torah scroll? We never leave it lying around open. It is hidden behind many layers. The Torah is kept inside a synagogue, in the Ark, behind a curtain, wrapped in a mantle, held tightly closed with a belt. It is only ever taken out when it is to be used for its holy purpose, to be read during the prayer service. For those special times we carefully draw the curtain, open the doors of the ark, bring out the Torah, uncover it and unwrap it. As soon as we have finished we immediately wrap it up again and put it away. Why do we do all this? Why do we go to such trouble to conceal the Torah? Are we ashamed of it? Is there something to hide? Is there something ugly about the Torah? Of course not. The opposite is true. Because the Torah is our holiest object, because it is so sacred and special and precious, we never leave it exposed unnecessarily. We keep it under wraps because we don't want to treat it lightly, we don't want to become too casual with it. Were the Torah to be always open and visible, it may become too familiar, and its sanctity minimized. By keeping it away from sight and only bringing it out for the appropriate times, we maintain our reverence and respect for the Torah. The same is with our bodies. The body is the holy creation of G‑d. It is the sacred house of the soul. The way we maintain our respect for the body is by keeping it covered. Not because it is shameful, but because it is so beautiful and precious. This is true for men's bodies too, and laws of modest dress apply to them as well. But it is even more so for women. The feminine body has a beauty and a power that far surpasses the masculine. The Kabbalists teach that a woman's body has a deeper beauty because her soul comes from a higher place. For this reason her body must be kept discreetly covered. In a world where the woman's body has been reduced to a cheap advertising gimmick, we need no proof for the truth of this wisdom. Where all is exposed, nothing is sacred. But that which is truly precious to us, we keep under wraps. |
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Why Can't I Sleep!? Shavuot
B"H
In the yr. 2,448 (we are now in 5768), on the 5th day of the Hebrew
month of 'Sivan', the Jewish People were understandably excited and
anxious: Tomorrow would be the Giving of the Torah! Never before, and
never again, would G-d Reveal Himself to an entire People, giving them
the most precious gift imaginable: His very Own Book-The Torah. Only
49 days earlier had the Jewish People left Egypt, the lowest of all
dumps.
Now we stood poised at Mount Sinai, ready to accept G-d's Essence
transmitted to us in readable form. SO what did the Jewish People do
in order to prepare for this momentous occasion: they slept! The
'Midrash' relates, that not only did they sleep, they slept in! G-d
Himself had to Wake them up! And this is why we Jews today have the
custom of staying up the entire night of the holiday of 'Shavuot,'
learning Torah, in order to rectify this mistake of the Jewish People.
Excuse me!?!
This night, before the Giving of the Torah, how could our ancestors
have slept?? We know how they awaited this day with such anticipation?
Chassidic Teachings explain, that their sleep wasn't without reason,
but had a deep spiritual significance. When a person goes to sleep,
the soul ascends upward to a higher spiritual level, sometimes
accessing profound teachings of the Torah. The Jews felt that, after
doing all in their power to prepare themselves well for this momentous
event, the only thing left to do to prepare was to allow their souls
the night before to ascend heavenward.
Sounds good right?
But G-d Wasn't Pleased. Why Not?
To understand their mistake, we have to understand Why G-d Gave us His
Torah with all its commandments to begin with. The whole purpose was
in order to make the Physical- Spiritual. To Combine and Unite the 2.
When one takes parchment from animal hide, inscribes words of Torah on
it, and hangs it on the doorpost, its been transformed and G-d's Will
has been Realized! The mitzvah of Mezuzah has been accomplished, and
one more small corner of our PHYSICAL world has been Refined and
Elevated, making more of a Dwelling Place here for G-d in His world.
The physical was just made holy, G-dly.
So the Jewish People had very good intentions. During sleep, our souls
enjoy great spirituality. But the point isn't to depart from the
physical, but rather to Transform it. In life, we must realize that to
reach a higher level, we mustn't remove ourselves from the physical
world, but rather engage it and uplift it. (1 difference between
Eastern Religions and Judaism)
Instead of meditating and reaching the highest spiritual levels, run
outside in the heat and help another! Visit an elderly couple, give
charity, put on Tefillin. Plant and sow G-d's Garden with a mitzvah,
and this is the greatest level one can ever dream of reaching.
This Shavuot, we stay up all night to remember this mission we have,
to make what seems to Hide G-d, reveal Him.
Happy Shavuot!
Chag Sameach!
-Daniel
Crown Heights, NY
In the yr. 2,448 (we are now in 5768), on the 5th day of the Hebrew
month of 'Sivan', the Jewish People were understandably excited and
anxious: Tomorrow would be the Giving of the Torah! Never before, and
never again, would G-d Reveal Himself to an entire People, giving them
the most precious gift imaginable: His very Own Book-The Torah. Only
49 days earlier had the Jewish People left Egypt, the lowest of all
dumps.
Now we stood poised at Mount Sinai, ready to accept G-d's Essence
transmitted to us in readable form. SO what did the Jewish People do
in order to prepare for this momentous occasion: they slept! The
'Midrash' relates, that not only did they sleep, they slept in! G-d
Himself had to Wake them up! And this is why we Jews today have the
custom of staying up the entire night of the holiday of 'Shavuot,'
learning Torah, in order to rectify this mistake of the Jewish People.
Excuse me!?!
This night, before the Giving of the Torah, how could our ancestors
have slept?? We know how they awaited this day with such anticipation?
Chassidic Teachings explain, that their sleep wasn't without reason,
but had a deep spiritual significance. When a person goes to sleep,
the soul ascends upward to a higher spiritual level, sometimes
accessing profound teachings of the Torah. The Jews felt that, after
doing all in their power to prepare themselves well for this momentous
event, the only thing left to do to prepare was to allow their souls
the night before to ascend heavenward.
Sounds good right?
But G-d Wasn't Pleased. Why Not?
To understand their mistake, we have to understand Why G-d Gave us His
Torah with all its commandments to begin with. The whole purpose was
in order to make the Physical- Spiritual. To Combine and Unite the 2.
When one takes parchment from animal hide, inscribes words of Torah on
it, and hangs it on the doorpost, its been transformed and G-d's Will
has been Realized! The mitzvah of Mezuzah has been accomplished, and
one more small corner of our PHYSICAL world has been Refined and
Elevated, making more of a Dwelling Place here for G-d in His world.
The physical was just made holy, G-dly.
So the Jewish People had very good intentions. During sleep, our souls
enjoy great spirituality. But the point isn't to depart from the
physical, but rather to Transform it. In life, we must realize that to
reach a higher level, we mustn't remove ourselves from the physical
world, but rather engage it and uplift it. (1 difference between
Eastern Religions and Judaism)
Instead of meditating and reaching the highest spiritual levels, run
outside in the heat and help another! Visit an elderly couple, give
charity, put on Tefillin. Plant and sow G-d's Garden with a mitzvah,
and this is the greatest level one can ever dream of reaching.
This Shavuot, we stay up all night to remember this mission we have,
to make what seems to Hide G-d, reveal Him.
Happy Shavuot!
Chag Sameach!
-Daniel
Crown Heights, NY
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