Dancing with God

~ Thank G-d, an article was published this past week in the S.D. Jewish journal about my youth group, Jteen :) You can see it here: Article ~


Today is the 15th day of the Hebrew month "Av", a special day known as Tu b'Av. SO special, in fact, that the Talmud describes it with a very surprising statement: 'There were no greater festivals for Israel than the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur. On these days the daughters of Jerusalem would go out... and dance in the vineyards. ' (Taanit 26b) For some reason, these 2 days were days of rejoicing; days when "love was in the air." Women danced, matches were made (wait, why don't we do this today again?)Yes, Judaism is big into celebration, and especially Jewish matchmaking. But why are these 2 specific days so perfectly suited for this celebration??

As surprising as it is to see Yom Kippur on this list - the seemingly most solemn day of the year, upon further reflection it does make some sense as to why this day was so celebrated. After the sin of the golden calf, and after many days of repentance and remorse, G-d gave Moses the 2nd tablets (the 1st were at the shop after Moses broke them) to bring back to the Jewish people on the 10th day of Tishrei - Yom Kippur. Thus, the day represents a time of forgiveness and closeness, when G-d and his people were re-united in love. Thus we understand the celebration & matchmaking of this day. But what about "Tu B'av"? Many great things in Jewish history happened on this day (see here for 6). But even so, why is this day known as a day of celebration and matchmaking, partnering husband and wife?

Some explain, that unlike other holidays, Tu B'Av is connected to the darkness which precedes it. The holy temple in Jerusalem was destroyed on the 9th day of Av, a month associated with an extreme descent. And we know the famous saying of our Sages: the greater the descent, the greater the ascent. Therefore the reunion represented by Tu B'av after such an incredible descent as the destruction of the holy temple only days beforehand, is an incredibly powerful one. But what does that have to do with matchmaking & love? We are also taught that in our lives, marriage also isn't really just a union between man and woman, it is a reunion. A soul is divided into two halves; one half descends into this world in a male body, the other in a female's body. Marriage is the joyous reunion of these two estranged halves. When the two finally find each other and reconnect, the resulting emotions are so intense, because it results from the re-unification of that which was long lost.

On a cosmic level, man and woman are metaphors for G‑d and His nation. The soul of the Jew is a "part of G‑d" (beg. of Tanya Ch.2); like husband & wife, one's soul and our creator G-d is essentially of one essence. And we too undergo this process of estrangement and reunion; a process intended to heighten the love and passion, to bring it to levels unimaginable had we never experienced separation in the first place. The first time our nation was estranged from G‑d was shortly after our betrothal at Mount Sinai when we worshiped a Golden Calf. The reconciliation and redoubled commitment and love occurred on Yom Kippur.

That, however, was a relatively short estrangement. With the destruction of the Holy Temple and the commencement of two millenniums of exile, we embarked upon a most painfully long stretch of estrangement. The goal? To ultimately reunite in an amazing passion and infatuation with G-d. The result of this estrangement will be the grandest wedding of all times - the coming of Moshiach which will usher in an era of eternal marital bliss. This is what is signified and celebrated on Tu B'av; after the mourning of the temple's destruction, we rebound and see the reason behind the destruction in the first place - the most powerful reconciliation imaginable. May we always remember in our lives that events of descent will always be ultimately followed by an ascent, and that the distance we may feel from G-d, can always be followed by a much more powerful reunion.

Shabbat Shalom & happy Tu B'av!

-Daniel

We Were Like Dreamers

"A Song of Ascents. When G-d brought Zion out of captivity, we were like people in a dream. At the time, our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with cries of joy. At the time it was said among the nations, "G-d has done great things for them." G-d had done great things for us; we were happy. Let our captivity, G-d, be a thing of the past, like dried-up streams in the Negev. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy." (King David, Psalm 126)


So goes the 1st paragraph of the "birkat hamazon" - the blessing we say after meals that include bread. Tonight begins what is known in the Jewish calendar as "the 9 days" - the sad period of time that led up to the destruction of the 1st & 2nd temples in Jerusalem on the 9th day of the Hebrew month of "Av". The above words by King David describe the time that will come - may it be very soon - when the Jewish people will be redeemed from exile and returned to the land of Israel in peace. Let's take a look at the exact words King David uses to describe our state of being during exile: "We were like people in a dream." What's the deeper meaning behind this expression of being in a dream like state?

What happens when we dream? One really cool thing about dreams, is that opposites can occur at the very same time! The impossible becomes possible. Not only can you fly and defy physics, but opposites can mesh harmoniously - like a massive elephant going through the eye of a needle. How is that possible? It's possible because, as we know, dreams are (primarily) full of falsehood and imagination, with no substance to them. Our intellect, when sleeping, seizes to wield its logical control over our thoughts and emotions - and they therefore run wild.

This then is what King David is teaching us: In our lives, living during this long exile, we are as if asleep like dreamers! Even while awake, we act in life as if in a dream, where opposites flow together like it's no problem! On Jewish holidays & Shabbat, we engage in holy matters, such as prayers and learning Torah. Many even engage in this every morning! Yet the very next day, or even later that morning, we can act as if G-d isn't running the world at all. We worry over everything, we act towards others and within our own minds as if totally unaware of the feeling of closeness to G-d and recognition of his providence we had just moments ago. Are we schizophrenic (G-d forbid)? Didn't you just leave the western wall a minute ago in tears of inspiration and now you're freaking out because the line at the old city pizza store is going too slowly? How can we be like that?

King David is telling us that it's all right. That's how galus - exile - affects our daily reality and mindset. But if we try, putting effort to really connect with G-d, sometimes we can have that connection actually affect our daily conduct afterward. We become awake, for however short a time it may be. And may these waking moments lead us to the ultimate, true time of reality, when we all be awake to a G-dly reality, speedily in our days. (Based on a Chassidic Discourse by R. Yosef Yitzchak Shneerson, Purim 1940)

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel

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