Realizing Redemption

B"H

'Jerusalem received 9/10's of the world's beauty.' -the Talmud

Earlier this afternoon, my friend Yoni took my brother & I on a tour of the old city of Jerusalem. After praying the afternoon service at the Western Wall, we met Yoni at the top of the stairs and proceeded on our tour.
Ascending up a few pairs of narrow stairs, we were suddenly faced with a gorgeous view of the old city.
"There's the direction in which King David came & conquered Jerusalem.
Over there's where we won the hard-fought battle in 1967.
Every inch of this holy city is layered with thousands of years of history; of joy and suffering,
destruction & salvation."

As we wound through the narrow streets & tunnels of this majestic city, we emerged into a large, open square.
As the sun set, we stood together talking while children ran around us kicking a soccer ball, yelling with joy.
My friend motioned to look at the wall next to us, which had inscribed in it the words (in Hebrew):
"And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets." (Zechariah 8:5)

There's a powerful story in the Talmud where this verse is brought:
'Again it happened that Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria, Rabbi Joshua and Rabbi Akiva went up to Jerusalem. When they reached Mt. Scopus, they tore their garments. When they reached the Temple Mount, they saw a fox emerging from the place of the Holy of Holies. The others started weeping; Rabbi Akiva laughed... Said they to him: "A place [so holy] that it is said of it, 'the stranger that approaches it shall die,' and now foxes traverse it, and we shouldn't weep?"Said he to them: "That is why I laugh... the Torah makes Zachariah's prophecy dependent upon Uriah's prophecy. With Uriah, it is written: 'Therefore, because of you, Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the Temple Mount like the high places of a forest.'
With Zachariah it is written, 'Old men and women shall yet sit in the streets of Jerusalem. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.' As long as Uriah's prophecy had not been fulfilled, I feared that Zechariah's prophecy may not be fulfilled either. But now that Uriah's prophecy has been fulfilled, it is certain that Zechariah's prophecy will be fulfilled.' With these words they replied to him: "Akiva, you have consoled us! Akiva, you have consoled us!"

As we watched the boys & girls playing all around the square, these words and the accompanying story hit home.
How amazing it was to see with our own eyes the source for Rabbi Akiva's laughter!

But we have to remember, we're not fully there yet. While it is true that we are nearing redemption, we still have to put the finishing touches in our lives and in the world around us to fully realize it. Our sages teach us, that in order to ready the world for the complete Redemption, we need to start viewing our world in, and living with, a redemption mentality.

Now what in the world does that mean?

Well, let me ask you: Why is it that when people bump into each other on the street or in the office hallway, annoyance surfaces? I mean, when a call comes in to firefighters to get moving, and they're slamming into each other in every direction to get their gear and jump on the truck, no one is even close to thinking of getting angry?

The answer is simple. These men are on a mission. They each have a cause on their mind, a purpose that's higher than any pettiness or strife. We can start to live now in exile in a more redemptive way. In the messianic era, there won't be strife or hatred. Let's work on that now. In that time, we will see the good traits in one another. Let's work a bit on that now. In that era we will be occupied in attaining a higher recognition and building our relationship with G-d through learning about Him and connecting. Let's do some of that now. Now it only makes sense that G-d meet our redeemed perspectives with a revealed redemption.

As the 3rd Rebbe of Chabad once said (in Yiddish): "mach da Eretz Yisroel" -"Make Israel here."
This means that even if we're found in CA, NY or Paris, we can live like we're on the streets of Jerusalem. Kedushah, holiness, can be brought into our lives wherever we find ourselves. One coin in a charity box, one smile to a neighbor, one candle lit, can transform the darkness of our exile into the light of redemption.

And through living our lives in such a way, may we merit the complete & ultimate redemption, when there will be no more pain and only joy, and all of our children and elders will play and laugh in the streets, may it happen now!

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel

Jerusalem

The Mystical Meaning of Donuts & Latkas

B"H

Happy Chanukah everyone!
This afternoon, before Shabbat, we light our final 8 candles of the menorah.
I hope the holiday has gone as great for you as it has for us here in Jerusalem.
From dancing at an army base to lighting the menorah by the Western wall, things have been quite fast-paced & exciting here.

Now I don't know about you, but every year it seems my digestive system asks me the same thing: "What's with all of these donuts and Latkas!? Enough already! Spare me, please!!"

Now, I know. You'll tell me that the whole miracle of Chanukah that we commemorate, centers around the finding of oil and that's why we eat all of these oily foods. But let's take a deeper look.

What were the Syrian-Greeks trying to stamp out from the minds and hearts of the Jewish people?
Unlike during the times of Purim where a decree was sent to kill the Jews, the oppression of our people by the Greeks was not on our bodies, but rather on our souls and our beliefs.

The Greeks valued beauty.
Art, music, philosophy, intellectual pursuit. Socrates, Plato, Homer, Aristotle. If one were to look back to the Story of Noah & his 3 sons after the flood, this love of beauty makes perfect sense. Noah cursed Cham (look there for reasons why), blessed his son Shem (whom Abraham descended from) w/ spiritual truth, and blessed his son Yefes (from whom Yavan, the father of the Greek Empire descended) with beauty. Noah wished however, that this beauty "should be found in the tents of Shem." That TRUE beauty should only truly be found when in a G-dly, spiritual context.

Now the Torah is a beautiful work.
It's the #1 best-selling book in History!! [ed. note: I'll have to check Harry Potter statistics later]. Now that's not too shabby. It has a great Author as well you should know.
So what was the Greeks' problem? They should have rejoiced in the fact that they could fulfill the wishes of Noah, that spiritual beauty and aesthetic beauty can bind together in perfect harmony. It's even known that there was a point in history when this harmony resided. It's recorded that the mighty Greek ruler Alexander the Great, when greeting the great Jewish sage Shimon Hatzadik, 'alighted from his chariot and bowed down before him...he exclaimed: Blessed is the G-d of Shimon Hatzadik!'

The later Greeks' annoyance however, centered not on the Torah's intellectual beauty. They liked that. No, the Greeks disliked that the Torah didn't remain just intellectual beauty. Mitzvot and Jewish ritual weren't considered by the Jews as mere customs and tradition. Jews considered Torah and Mitzvot to be G-d's Divine Will.
That there's something beyond what the human intellect can reach on its own.
That there's a higher, divine reality.

Now let's get back to the oily Latkas and Donuts.
Stay with me here, I'm going to need your head on this one:
Jewish mysticism likens oil to the Essence of Torah.
Many examples are given why, one being that just as oil's nature is to pervade through and through whatever it comes in contact with (just ask your mother who had to clean your pant's stain the other night), so too the deepest truths of Torah pervade every fabric of our reality. As the "blueprint of the world", every aspect of our lives and of our world can be found in Torah on some level.

But unfortunately, oil can't be consumed raw!
{There's a discussion in the Talmud as to whether there should be a special blessing for oil. Just like wine has a distinct blessing from its grape source, shouldn't oil have a special blessing from olives, like "borei pri ha'zayit?"
In the talmud its decided against this, since oil on its own is damaging. Try downing a full cup of olive oil every morning...}

For consumption of oil, it has to be cooked or fried with something.
Spiritually speaking (for we are taught that everything physical has its root in the spiritual), this need to mix raw oil with dough, or potatoes and onions, or some other more tangible food, represents the need for the Essence of Torah (oil) to come down in a more tangible, "edible" way.

On its own, pure G-dliness would be too much for us mortals to handle.
It's too lofty; its beyond us.

But through "cooking" and "baking" this divine wisdom into words and teachings that we can understand, we are able to digest and internalize this divine wisdom and message. This is the idea of Torah, and primarily the mystical aspects of it.
G-d Actually cooked the oil (his Essence) into a latka! :) Into the words of our Torah - in its mystical and very much practical teachings and directives.

But Why?
What's the point of this cooking of Divinity into digestible letters? Letters that on paper can even appear as only a beautiful wisdom (As it did to the Greeks).

Ahh, but here's the catch.
Torah, primarily its inner teachings, have a special ability to reveal the essence of our souls. The Supra-rational bond of soul with G-d, Beyond intellect - a bond which the Greeks sought to destroy. The 'oil in the Latka,' the Essence found in Torah & Mitzvot, seeps into one's very being to its core & reveals its essence.
Torah has the ability to reveal our essence, since the soul, Torah, and G-d are all essentially ONE.

May we all take advantage of the 'donuts & latkas' (i.e. Torah and Mitzvot) in our midst throughout the entire year beyond Chanukah, and let the Essential oil reveal our essential connection to Hashem.
And may the 'beauty of Greece' be found in 'the tents of Shem' - the tents of divine purpose and meaning.

I hope your donut & latka eating will never be the same!

Happy Chanukah & Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel
Jerusalem, Israel

A Modern Day Chanukah Miracle

B"H

Happy Chanukah everyone!

This afternoon (friday), we kick off the 8 day extravaganza of the "Festival of lights" (& donuts and latkas :). We light the 1st candle b4 Shabbat comes in, & tomorrow night after Shabbat ends, & continue for 6 more nights.

As we know, over 2,100 yrs. ago at this time, the Syrian-Greek Hellenists tried to stamp out our Jewish practice and beliefs.
Our Sages explain something very interesting. The Greeks didn't want to necessarily uproot our Torah learning or Mitzvah observance;
on the contrary, being "enlightened" themselves, they appreciated the great wisdom found in the Torah!
Rather, they despised the G-dliness, the holiness, behind our practice. "The commandments that make sense I understand.
'Don't murder.' 'Don't steal.' 'Set up courts of justice.' But eating kosher!? Putting on Tefillin!? That makes no sense!"
The Will of G-d behind Judaism was what the Greeks desired to stamp out.
When the Maccabees were victorious, they miraculously found one jug of undefiled oil to light the menorah.
Why had the Greeks defiled all of the oil they could find?
In kabbalah it's explained that oil represents a level higher than human, natural comprehension. The Greeks desired to eradicate that aspect of divine service from our lives. At this time of year, as we watch the flame of the menorah candles dance, we remind ourselves of the true, eternal divine dimension of our souls & our Judaism.
A holy level beyond intellect, beyond comprehension. A connection to G-d that defies our understanding.

~ To find out your Shabbat times, click here
To explore a treasure load of other insights, stories and guides about Chanukah, click here:
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3 years ago, I was learning in a Yeshiva in Toronto, Canada.
Every friday, we students would scatter throughout the city to meet with Jews we knew; in office buildings, malls, wherever,
to impart a thought on that week's parsha, put on tefillin w/ the men, or give out Shabbat candles to the women.

One friday before Chanukah, I went on a different route with my friend Asher Sossonko. When we visited his friends, he told them an unbelievable story, one which is well known, but I had never heard 1st hand. He relayed the story as follows:

"My grandfather, Asher Sossonkin, was a Jew who practiced real self-sacrifice.
Living in Russia, where it was illegal to practice or teach Torah, he nevertheless did his utmost to teach as many Jewish children as he could, until he was arrested and sent to Siberia, to a labor camp. There my grandfather never gave up, and with his great wisdom and joyful demeanor,
he was a beacon of hope to all of the Jews in the camp.
A particular Russian Jew, who was sent to the labor camp for crimes much less noble than spreading Torah, became very close to my grandfather. He learned a lot about his faith that he had never known, and began secretly to observe as much as he could in the camp.
As Chanukah approached, my grandfather taught this man about the holiday and the menorah.
"But how are we going to light the candles here in the camp!?" this man asked.
My grandfather replied: "Well, I will try and scrape together some potatoes and make holes in them.
I'll place some string inside and light them. It's not ideal, but it's the best we can do."

Now this man would not stand for this. He wanted the best for G-d. So he used the connections he had in camp, and in exchange for a large sum, he was able to have a metal menorah constructed in time for Chanukah.

So every night of Chanukah, with my grandfather leading the lighting, this menorah was lit in the back of their bunkhouse
(to the consternation of their non-Jewish bunkmates).
One night, on the 5th night of Chanukah, my grandfather & this Jew were watching the flames flicker and were silently singing the Chanukah songs, when suddenly they heard a shout:
"The commander's coming!"

Before even having a chance to hide the menorah, the door of the bunk house swung open, and in the entrance stood the commander.
Staring at my grandfather, the commander shouted:
"P'yat!?"(Russian for "five!?")
My grandfather nodded. "P'yat."
The commander nodded back, and with that, he was gone...

My grandfather always said, when recounting this story, that perhaps that "commander" was Elijah the prophet.
If it was, he didn't come in his merit.
He came in the merit of this simple Jew, who in his great desire to make G-d Happy, did his best to commemorate Chanukah in the most beautiful way he could."
----

May we all have a great Chanukah, filled with light and warmth,
and may we watch the dancing flames of the Chanukah candles, and listen to what it seems to be shouting at us:
"The Jewish soul is eternal!"

Happy Chanukah!

-Daniel
Jerusalem, Israel

{1. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light.
1. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech Ha-olam A-sher Ki-de-sha-nu Be-mitz-vo-tav Ve-tzi-va-nu Le-had-lik Ner Cha-nu-kah.
2. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time.
2. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-olam She-a-sa Ni-sim La-avo-te-nu Ba-ya-mim Ha-hem Bi-z'man Ha-zeh.

(This 3rd blessing is Only said b4 the 1st lighting:)
3. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
3. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech Ha-olam She-heche-ya-nu Ve-ki-yi-ma-nu Ve-higi-a-nu Liz-man Ha-zeh.}

The time is Right Now

B"H

"If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now,when?"
- Hillel the Elder, Ethics of our Fathers (Ch. 2, 14)
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Time is priceless. Even as I write this e-mail, I know that I have exactly 1 hr. to finish it before I have
to leave to the village of Kfar Chabad in order to make it there before Shabbat starts. (I will be spending it there with Rabbi Fishel Jacobs, the "Karate Rabbi," maybe some good stories for the next e-mail ;)

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Shneerson, was known for his attention to time and detail. How every second was precious in his eyes. In the late 1940's, the Rebbe moved to New York from war-torn Europe, to join his father-in-Law (The previous Rebbe) in helpingto revamp Jewish life in America. During those years, the Rebbe's father sadly passed away in Russia, and the Rebbe needed to say Kaddish (the mourner's prayer) in his memory. To enable this, a minyan (quorom of 10) students were gathered together every morning of the week for prayers.
One morning, the boys took their time and came 5 min.'s late for the minyan.
Later that day, the Previous Rebbe called in a few of the boys and scolded them:
"How could you come late? By my son-in-law, 5 min.'s are worlds."

As children growing up in Ukraine, the Rebbe and his brother would sit and learn together.
A man who was present in their house, once observed that in 30 minutes the boys had gone through 40 pages of Talmud with the commentary of Rashi and Tosfos (to put into perspective, if I'm lucky, one page w/ those commentaries would take me many hours!) With his time, the Rebbe exemplified:
"And if not now, when?"
But amazingly, we see that later in his life, the Rebbe would spend hours upon hours, the bulk of his precious time, reading letters that Jews around the world sent him. After Shabbat or a holiday, the Rebbe would stand for hours pouring wine and giving a blessing to anyone who walked by. On Sundays he would distribute dollars for charity to the thousands who came to Brooklyn for a blessing and encouragement. True, he could have been spending his time devouring the vast amount of Torah books that called to him. But "if I am only for myself, what am I?"

Yet we saw another amazing thing by the Rebbe, a great lesson to take into our personal lives.
As crucial as time was by him, even when engaging in the task of helping others, the Rebbe made sure to never overlook any individual. It's easy when you're very busy, especially when busy with helping others and engaging in a noble pursuit, to focus on the mission at hand and overlook the bystanders around you.
But not so by the Rebbe.
It's known, that as the Rebbe poured wine to the thousands that filed past, Rabbi Junik would refill his cup from a jug of wine. Rabbi Junik once remarked, "Every single time I refilled the Rebbe's cup, he told me thank you."
Now we're talking about hundreds and hundreds of pourings here. And attention needing to be given to all those filing past him. But no one deserves to be overlooked.
One morning, Rabbi Laibel Groner (the Rebbe's secretary) was making important calls in the Rebbe's office. After calling an associate for the 5th time that morning, the Rebbe remarked to him: "You didn't say good morning."

Sure a Rebbe, a truly holy and special leader of the Jewish people, is someone hard to emulate.
But it's vital that we learn a lesson from this conduct of appreciating our time here on earth, the minutes of our day which can be filled with good deeds. And at the same time, never failing to appreciate those around us deserving of a kind word, a smile, and some encouragement.

To end with one more story:
Rabbi Groner related once, that after the Rebbe suffered a heart-attack in 1977, he was relegated to his bed and forbidden to walk about for the time being. In order to put on tefillin, the Rebbe needed his secretary's help.
When Rabbi Groner opened the desk drawer where the Rebbe kept his tefillin, he found them unwrapped.
After the Rebbe finished his prayers, Rabbi Groner asked him if he should wrap them up, or leave them unwrapped as he had found them? The Rebbe responded that he could definitely wrap them up. "But is there a certain reason behind leaving them unwrapped?" asked Rabbi Groner. The Rebbe responded, "I just didn't have the time."
Again, we're talking about one minute here :)

These lessons of time use and compassion for others were taught to us 2,000 yrs. ago by Hillel the Elder.
"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?"
But the Rebbe was a living example of these traits that we could observe.

May each of us incorporate these special qualities into our lives, appreciating others and using out the precious time allotted to us on this earth, to better our surroundings and form the world into a home which G-d enjoys Dwelling in.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel
Jerusalem