A King Without a Crown

In 2005, Hasidic Reggae singer Matisyahu had his breakthrough
with the hit song "King without a crown," which reached #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. What most radio listeners didn't realize, is that the song centers on a deeply significant theme that is the underlying message of the Rosh Hashana holiday.


Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur center around a few major ideas. We pray to G-d, asking to be inscribed for a good & sweet year, materially and spiritually; for ourselves, our family, and for all of Israel. We repent for our mistakes of the past year, asking forgiveness from G-d and from our fellow man whom we may have hurt. But one theme, according to Jewish mysticism, stands above the rest: Appointing G-d as our king.

The Rosh Hashanah service (besides for being long ) centers around the sounding of the shofar. Often likened to the cry of a young child to his parents, the shofar blasts also symbolize the coronation of G-d as King; much like trumpets at the anointing ceremonies of old. The obvious question arises: HOW can lowly us, fashioned by G-d out of dust, possibly have the ability to anoint the Infinite G-d as our King? Imagine you walked into your back yard one afternoon. You spot a small anthill and, walking up to it, announce proudly that you are king of this great ant nation. How absurd! To be a true king, one has to have a nation; one that is close to you in level, but subservient and devoted. So how can we anoint G-d as King?

The answer is very simple, and very powerful: We can anoint G-d as our king because we are close to Him. When G-d Created each speck of creation, from the angels in the highest of heavens to the lowest creatures of the sea bed, the Torah says: "He Spoke." G-d Used speech. But when He created man & woman, the Torah says G-d "Blew" a soul into their bodies. This is all metaphorical, but a clear difference between speech & a deep breath is clearly symbolized here: One can speak for hours & hours without pause, because one uses his external breath with a minimum output. A deep breath comes from the innermost depths of a person, and therefore leaves him quite breathless. When G-d created each of us, placing our precious, individual souls in our bodies, He had a nation that was close to Him, albeit on a hidden level. On Rosh Hashanah, we work to reveal that inner soul & return the crown to the King, asking Him to be our beloved King for another year. It's lovely to have such a great king, especially when you are His prince or princess.

May you & your family have an amazingly sweet year, filled with abundant blessings physically, materially, and spiritually, in all areas of good! If I have wronged you in any way, please forgive me :)
Shana Tovah!

-Daniel

The Secret

If you know of a Jewish boy or girl living in San Diego, aged anywhere from 11-18, who may benefit from our Bar or Bat Mitzvah Clubs, Hebrew High, or community service & social events for this upcoming year, please let me know :)
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This week's Torah portion, Nitzavim, always reminds me of an amazing story recounted by Rabbi Benjamin Blech in the last chapter of his book, 'If G-d is so good, why is the world so bad?' He describes a chance meeting he once had with a Jewish mystic that forever changed his life....


He was visiting Israel when a friend told him that there was someone very special that he wanted him to meet. A saintly scholar who lived in the holy city of Tzfat, in northern Israel. When he met him, the man revealed to him a mystical "secret" of the Torah, but on two conditions: that this secret not be revealed publicly until he informed Rabbi Blech that the time was ripe, and that he never reveal his identity, disturbing his lifelong pursuit of anonymity. This secret had a great effect on the Rabbi's life & view of the world, but he never divulged it to anyone. Years passed, until one day the mystic called the Rabbi and said simply: "Now is the time."

What was the "secret"? The mystic called it the "secret of sentences." Said the mystic: "Know that the verses in the 5 books of Moses, the Torah, correspond to the years of history. Every major event of all times will have some allusion to it, direct or indirect..." Rabbi Blech was doubtful. So he said, "what about the state of Israel?" Israel became a state in 1948; in the Jewish calendar, 1948 is the year 5708 (in a week from now, on Rosh Hashana, we will be entering year 5772). Painstakingly, Rabbi Blech began counting from the 1st verse, Bereishit, describing the creation of the world. When he reached the 5,708th verse, it was Deuteronomy 30:3 (this week's Torah portion): "And the L-rd your G-d will turn your captivity and have compassion on you, and will return and gather you from all the peoples where the L-rd your G-d has scattered you." Shocked, Rabbi Blech's finger moved 3 verses back, to the verse corresponding to the secular year 1945, the last year of the holocaust. "The secret things belong to the L-rd our G-d; and the things that are revealed to us and our children forever are to do all the words of this Law."
At the end of the day, G-d is wiser than we are. As the 11th-century sage, Bachya Ibn Pakuda said: "If we could understand G-d we would be G-d." Like our response to everyday troubles, we must remember this verse, that G-d has a good intention for us, even if we don't immediately understand (see last week's email :) G-d's love for us is constant, and will never change, no matter how hard that is to see with our physical eyes.

After I read this chapter, I decided to look up one last event, the miraculous victories by Israel in 1967 (5727). Israel conquered the west bank of the Jordan, Judea & Samaria, but halted there, not entering Jordan proper. The 5,727th verse in the Torah states: "(Moses) said to them, 'I am 120 years old today; I can no longer go out and come in, for Hashem has said to me, 'You shall not cross this Jordan.'" Wow. Now, I don't think we can predict events through this, and I don't think we can even identify very many past events. What we do see though, is that the Torah isn't an ordinary book. It is our guide to life. A sacred, G-dly book that contains all that we need to know & do in life, like an instruction manual or blueprint - our life's road map. It has stayed the cornerstone of our people for thousands of years, through thick & thin, for good reason.

May we approach these high holidays with an inspired feeling toward G-d & His special Torah! Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel

Sweet Intentions

"No evil descends from above." - (Shelah P. 106B)


This week's Torah portion, Ki Tavo, is one of the few places in Torah where the Jewish People are told of "curses" that will befall us if we don't keep the Torah & Mitzvot that G-d Commands us. It ain't pretty folks. But Jewish Mysticism teaches, that Torah contains layer upon layer of meaning. And that in this case, these are not curses at all, but rather blessings in disguise, for "no evil ever descends from above." It may appear to be a curse, but it's really a great blessing.

There's a famous story brought down in the Talmud (Berachot 60b) that involves the great Rabbi Akiva. One afternoon, he was traveling on the road, and the sun began to set. He entered a nearby town and searched for a house to stay the night. One by one, he was refused! But Rabbi Akiva's mood was not shaken. "Kol ma she'asah Hakadosh Baruch Hu, l'tovah oseh - All that G-d does, He does for the good," he said. So Rabbi Akiva left the city walls and found a place in the nearby field to sleep. He had with him, as per usual, his donkey, his rooster (which would crow & awaken him at midnight for his special prayers of lamentation), and his lamp (which he would light in order to learn). As night fell upon him, Rabbi Akiva lit his lamp and began to learn. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, he heard a loud noise as a lion came and pounced on his donkey, killing it and dragging it away! Shaken, Rabbi Akiva barely had a minute to recover, when a cat came and dragged his rooster away. If that wasn't enough, a strong gust of wind followed shortly thereafter, blowing out his flame and leaving him in total darkness. Rabbi Akiva smiled & said: "All that G-d does, He does for the good."

The next morning, upon awakening, Rabbi Akiva walked to the town and saw a startling scene. It was clear that the night before, the town had been ransacked by a hoard of bandits! The whole place was pillaged and destroyed! If he had slept there the night before, he would have been attacked. And if his donkey or rooster hadn't been eaten, or his light not extinguished, the bandits would have surely noticed him & captured him.

There is always good hidden in the "bad" things that happen in life. Most of us are not as lucky as Rabbi Akiva to be able to see the fruit that blossoms from the bad event. But it's there. Ultimately, we can & should ask G-d that all that happens to us should be revealed good, and trust that it will be so. Not merely good that's hidden within bad. That's called bitachon - trust. Emunah - faith, is believing that after the fact, even the apparent bad was really for the best. That there's a good reason behind it, and that good will sprout forth from it.

May we only see good, and merit to see the ultimate goodness with the coming of Mashiach, when all the bad that has happened to us & all of our people throughout history, will be shown to somehow have been all for the best.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel

A Child's Love

As we near the "high holidays", especially those of Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur, many people start to feel a bit of apprehension, looking at these "judgement" days as serious and heavy. While it's true that these days are especially holy times to connect to G-d, repent for past misdeeds, and make up to do better the coming year, perhaps it would be better to take a step back & look at this time from a different perspective.

As any father of a teenage child will tell you, coming home from work isn't the same as it used to be. "When my son was young, he used to greet me with such enthusiasm and joy when I returned home. As soon as my key had entered the keyhole of the front door, I would here his voice scream: "Daddy's home!"
Now when I come home, he barely looks up at me. Perhaps he'll mutter a "hi." One time I overheard him on the phone talking to his friend: "When my dad comes home, it's so annoying! I have to be careful of what I do, I have to hide anything bad..." My heart dropped. Here I was, working hard so that my family could have a good life. If I get involved in my son's life, it's not for MY good. I'm doing it for him!"

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to forget for a second the laws & commandments of Judaism. Even though G-d isn't only telling us to do them for His sake, but rather for our sake as well; to benefit us spiritually & even physically. Rather, as we approach the high holidays, let's try and remember the original connection our souls have with G-d, arousing that pure, uncomplicated love. Like a child's feeling of joy & love when he hears the key in the door, let us reconnect & arouse the natural love & joy we have for our father.
He only wants the best for us.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel

A Return to the Palace

We have just entered the Hebrew month of 'Elul.' Elul is the month that precedes Tishrei, the month that includes the high holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. The Jewish Mystics liken Rosh Hashanah to a time when the simple people of the villages come to crown the great king in his palace. But in the month of Elul, it's the King himself who comes to the field to visit His people. In a spiritual sense, G-d Reveals Himself to our souls and Draws our hearts a bit closer to Him during this month. As Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi wrote in the 1700's: A King decides to leave his palace, leave his large city, and enter the fields where the simple farmers work. There, all are able to come and meet the King, who embraces them with a shining and happy countenance.

This month, every person is given a special opportunity & ability to connect to G-d; to get more in touch, if we want, with our Judaism and Spiritual sides in a much easier fashion than usual. This experience of re-connecting with G-d is known as Teshuva. Improperly translated into English as repentance, it really means to return. As hard as it is to imagine in the materialistic reality we live in today, the natural state of our souls, of us, is one of being close to G-d, in touch with our spiritual selves. So when we leave that, and deny our spiritual sides, we have left our true state. Tapping into a higher reality (through prayer, learning, contemplation, charity & good deeds), therefore, is merely a return to one's true state of being.

Enjoy this month of return!
Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel