The Light Side of the Moon

This upcoming Shabbat - the last before the Hebrew month of Nissan - is always known as "Parshat Hachodesh." We read the Torah chapter describing the the commandment of sanctifying the "New Moon."


It's interesting to note that the Jewish People have always been likened to the moon. It's not so hard to see why. Just as the moon waxes & wanes, shines bright & then goes dark, so too goes the Jew throughout history. We've gone from the highest of times to the lowest, and back again, seemingly in constant flux throughout time.

Fascinatingly, like the moon which waxes for the 1st 15 days of the month, the Jewish People rose in spiritual stature & greatness for its 1st 15 generations - from Abraham to King Solomon. We had then reached our fullness, like the full moon, shining G-dliness into the world through the Bait Hamikdash - the temple in Jerusalem. It was the most peaceful time in our history. It is told that massive groups of visitors to Jerusalem would convert en masse after witnessing the miracles of the temple & the great Jewish stature.
Our Sages say that, miraculously, the moon was always full during the reign of King Solomon.

Also, it's notable that the light we see from the moon, is really just a reflection of the light from the sun. So too, it is taught, a Jew's mission in life is to reflect the light of G-d into the world. By reflecting Torah and its values into our lives and beyond ourselves into the world around us, we fulfill our role as a "Light unto the Nations." (Isaiah 42:6)

We have to be proud and shine bright, with the conviction that what we shine is not our own - but the truth of G-d.
May the time soon come, when we wax to our brightest, with the final redemption now!

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel
P.S. I believe this is a must see when you have the time, & is very connected to this idea - Mayor Corey Booker Speaking @ Chabad

To Whom Does Israel Truly Belong?

~The email is dedicated to the speedy recovery of all injured Jews in Israel, and to the comfort of the Fogel family~


With the recent tragedies in Israel, I felt it fitting to speak about the Holy Land. First, it was the cruel murdering of 3 little children and their parents in the town of Itamar. Yesterday, it was the bombing near the central bus station in Jerusalem, that killed 1 and injured 50.

I could write 20 pages now about the history of Israel and why she rightfully deserves to exist. From the U.N. partition plan of 1948, to the wars against Israel that showed Israel victorious that year, as well as in 1967; to the 3,000 year uninterrupted living of Jews in the land. (To see a brilliant 5-min. summary of the conflict, click here)

Instead I'd like to take a unique look from the Torah's Perspective - one often not seen or mentioned of.

The Torah opens up with the verse:
"In the beginning of G-d's Creation of the heavens and earth."
The foremost commentator on the Torah, Rashi (1040-1105), is perplexed by this. If the whole point of the Torah is for the sake of the mitzvot (commandments), why does the Torah begin with stories!? Just get to the point! Rashi's answer to this is astounding, and very relevant to today's current events in Israel.

Let's look at Rashi's words: 'Rabbi Yitzchak said: Surely the Torah should have begun from the words, "This month shall be for you..." (Exodus 12:2), the first commandment which the Jewish people were given. Why does it begin with "In the beginning?" The reason is as it says: "He Declared to His people the power of His Works in order to give them the inheritance of the nations" (Psalms 111:6), i.e., if the nations of the world will say to the Jewish people, "You are robbers, for you seized the land of the seven nations [who inhabited Cana'an]," they will reply: "The whole earth belongs to G-d. He Created it and Granted it to whoever was deemed fit in His Eyes! It was His Will that they should have it; and, by His Will, He Took it from them and Gave it to us!"

Over a 1,000 years ago, Rashi hit the nail on the head. Any land or people can always claim ownership. California should more logically go back to the Indians, than Israel to the Arabs. But since logic never really wins against the U.N. and the int'l community, perhaps the Israeli Leadership could revert back to the Torah's view of things: "G-d Gave it to us. Period." Perhaps that would even be better received by the world than the present approach?
How eternally true are the words of Torah & its Rabbis.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel

Hamantaschen - The Inner Sweetness

When Jewish holidays come around, my taste buds start tingling.
True, matzoh doesn't really rock my boat too much, but Latkas, Jelly doughnuts, Challoh and wine, and the smorgasbord of other delicious kosher treats, all play a big role in feeling the holiday spirit.
As one man astutely observed, most Jewish holidays can be defined as: "They tried to kill us; we won, let's eat!"

But let's take a deeper look at the foods we eat at special occasions.
On Chanukah, I wrote about the inner meaning of donuts and latkas.
But as Purim arrives this Sat. Night/Sunday, let's take a look at what makes hamentaschen so special.

The story of Purim is incredibly unique. G-d Saves the Jewish People from annihilation (nothing new here), but does it in a way that seems natural. The Jewish Queen pulls some connections with the king, a few things go our way, and boom - the Jewish people are saved. It seems SO natural in fact, that the Purim story is the only one in the entire 24 books of the Bible, where G-d's name is not mentioned even once!

But the lessons of Purim are everlasting. G-d's "Name," His open Revelation to us in the world, is slim to none. He's Hidden. Like a puppet-master behind the scenes, guiding the show. From Middle East upheavals to tsunamis, G-d Guides the world without openly Saying "I'm Here." On Purim, G-d Made His Being a bit more apparent; more easily deduced from the events that unfolded.
It was just too much of a coincidence!

In our lives too, G-d Is intimately involved, but Hidden. Behind every event, even the painful ones, G-d Is Behind it. And if G-d Is Behind it, then the inner truth of the event is pure goodness. As the prophet Jeremiah said: 'Evil does not descend from Above.' Even when it isn't apparent. And that is the lesson of the hamantaschen:
A triangular cookie with a sweet filling on the inside, the hamentaschen symbolize the essence of the Purim story, and our lives: As tough or unsavory as an event may seem, there is a sweet inner reason behind it.

G-d Hides to Give us free-choice to choose to recognize His Role in our lives, or not. Like the Purim masks we wear, G-d Uses the world and "nature" as a mask to Hide His Doing. But as we listen to "Megillat Esther" Being read on Purim, let's remember the Kabbalistic interpretation: "Megaleh Ha'hester" - To Reveal that which is Hidden. Through recognizing the One behind the Mask, in our lives and the world's events at large, may we merit to see G-d Presence in actuality, and the sweetness behind all of history's events.

Have a happy Purim!

-Daniel
To see more on Purim, check out: Purim

Blind Faith?

"You just 'gotta have faith!"
Regardless of which religion a person believes in, 'blind faith' when all else fails seems to be an integral facet.
Not so in Judaism.

The Jewish faith bases itself on the open revelation of G-d to approximately 3,000,000 men, women and children, roughly 3,200 yrs. ago at Mt. Sinai in the Egyptian desert. "But that seems like ages ago!?"
Well, not really. For argument's sake, let's say a "generation" - the time it takes for a parent to transmit something to their child - is 40 yrs. That means there have been roughly 80 generations of transmittance of the Torah & Revelation of G-d at Sinai. A transmittance of revelation so strong, so potent, that Jewish People have given up their lives by the millions in order to stay faithful to. Besides for the holocaust, every threat of death to a Jew in history has had a 2nd option: just kiss the cross, and you and your children will go home alive and honored.
Yet Jews who love life, who follow a Torah which bends backwards & forwards to give leeway to transgress it in order to stay alive, chose instead to be tortured to death. But why? Because the transmission was so strong. Wherever we were dispersed, Africa, Europe, we kept our laws, our Passover seder, our Torah scrolls - without variation.

Interestingly enough, regarding G-d's Revelation to the Jewish People, the Torah says: "See if anything as great as this has ever happened, or Hanishmah Ka'mohu!" Which loosely translated means: "Has there ever been claimed such a thing!?" The Torah (correctly) states that never has there been, or will there ever be, a claim of a revelation of G-d in such a way! Forget claiming an entire nation witnessed revelation, how about more than one or two people!? Paul in Christianity. Mohammed in Islam. Siddharta in Buddhism. Joseph Smith in Mormonism.
It's not easy to get lots of people to make something up & stick by it; let alone die for it. "All of us saw G-d and He told us to keep kosher, marital laws, Shabbat!" "Um, no he didn't." At no time in our history (save 200 yrs. ago with the start of Reform) was a voice of dissent recorded amongst the Jewish People as to what happened at Sinai. And all of the other major revelations believe in the truth of Torah as a fundamental tenet of their faith.

Which brings us to Emunah - the Hebrew word for "faith." Judaism doesn't believe in simply having blind faith that Torah is true and G-d Exists. We're supposed to know it to be so. That's why G-d Felt Compelled to Reveal Himself to us! Otherwise the free-thinking Jews wouldn't fully believe in Him! So what room or need is there left to have "faith"? Let's examine the word "Emunah." A 'ne'eman' in Hebrew means a loyal/faithful person. When Moses had to keep his arms up during a crucial war, the Torah says: "Vayehi Yadav Be'emunah - So he was with his hands up faithfully until sunset." 'Emunah' doesn't mean blind faith. In Judaism, Emunah is a loyalty to what one knows to be true. Being faithful to it. Even unto threat of death. Challenges and ordeals throughout history, including the present day darkness of exile.

As we approach the joyous holiday of Purim, we remember the faithfulness our people had to G-d even while under the threat of death for an entire year. And not by accident were we saved yet again by a Jewish woman: Esther. On Chanukah, it was Yehudit. In Egypt, it was the righteous women who never lost faith. Kabbalah explains that man is identified with truth, while woman is identified with loyalty and faithfulness - Emunah. Never wavering from what she knows to be true. That is why she gives birth - never wavering from the tough process that will ultimately lead to the birth of a new soul (birth pains are likened to exile, while birth is likened to the ultimate redemption).

Judaism demands rigorous searching and questioning, to reach truth. Q's are welcome. But once reached, then emunah becomes integral. A faithfulness to what we know to be true, even when the darkness of exile confuses us and the world seems to deny it all.

Have a Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel

{To hear the class that this email was based on, go to: http://www.simpletoremember.com/media/a/faith/}

Beyond Prophecy

There once lived a Jewish prophet named "Eliyahu Hanavi" (Elijah the Prophet). The name has such significance amongst the Jewish People ever since this great prophet challenged the idol worshipers of his time. According to Jewish tradition, he occasionally reappears to rescue individuals from danger and reveal secrets of the Torah to the worthy. Additionally, he visits every brit milah and Passover Seder. Ultimately, we are told he will come to announce the coming of Moshiach.

A chassid once approached the Baal Shem Tov in Medzibuz and said, "Rebbe, I want to see Elijah the Prophet."

"It's simple," said the BaalShem. "I'll tell you what to do. Get two boxes and fill one with food and the other with children's clothes. Then, before Rosh Hashanah, travel to Minsk. On the outskirts of town, right before where the forest begins, is a dilapidated house. Find that house, but don't knock on the door immediately; stand there for a while and listen. Then, shortly before candle lighting time at sunset, knock on the door and ask for hospitality."

So he went and did as the Baal Shem Tov told him. He filled the parcels with food and clothing and went to Minsk, where he found the broken-down house at the edge of town. He arrived shortly before evening and stood in front of the door, listening. Inside, he heard children crying, "Mommy, we're hungry. And it's yom tov and we don't even have decent clothes to wear!" He heard the mother answer, "Children, trust in G-d. He'll send Elijah the Prophet to bring you everything you need!"

Then the chassid knocked on the door. When the woman opened it, he asked if he could stay with them for the holiday. "How can I welcome you when I don't have any food in the house!" she said. "Don't worry," he said, "I have enough food for all of us." He came in, opened the box, gave the children the food, and they ate. Then he opened the other box and the children all took clothes for themselves, this one a shirt, that one a jacket, the other one a hat. He was there for two days, waiting to see Elijah the Prophet. He did not even sleep. How could he sleep? How often do you get a chance to see Elijah the Prophet? But he saw no one.

Disappointed, the man returned to the Baal Shem Tov and said, "Master, I did not see Elijah the Prophet!" "Did you do everything I told you?" asked the Baal Shem Tov. "I did!" he said. "And you didn't see him?" "No, Rebbe." "Are you sure?" "Yes, Rebbe! I didn't see him!" "Then you'll have to return forYom Kippur," said the Baal Shem Tov. "Go back before Yom Kippur, with a box of food, to the same house. Again, be sure to arrive an hour before sunset, and don't knock immediately. Wait for a while and just stand in front of the door, listening."

So he went back to Minsk before Yom Kippur. This time, he went earlier and stood in front of the door, listening. Inside he heard children crying, "Mommy, we're hungry! We haven't eaten the whole day! How can we fast for Yom Kippur?" "Children!" said the mother. "Do you remember you were crying before Rosh Hashanah that you had no food or clothes? And I told you, 'Trust in G-d! He'll send Elijah the Prophet, who'll bring you food and clothing and everything else you need!' Wasn't I right? Didn't Elijah come and bring you food and clothing? He stayed with us for two days! Now you're crying again that you're hungry. I promise you that Elijah will come now, too, and bring you food!" Then the chasid understood what his master, the Baal Shem Tov had meant. And he knocked on the door.
~~~~

In Jewish Mysticism, it is taught: Beyond the highest of spiritual levels; beyond the loftiest heavens - is a simple mitzvah. Placing a coin in a charity box, can accomplish more spiritually than meditating for 40 days and nights! Many of us desire spirituality and transcendence. Perhaps even a meeting with Elijah himself :) But the purpose of our spiritual strivings should be to do G-d's Will, and become like Elijah himself - helping all those in need, not passing them by as we attain our goals. Then the highest G-dly levels can be drawn down to us and to the world around us.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel