The Red "X"

This writing is dedicated to Ross Muller and his wonderful family. May your soul ascend and bask in G-d's presence, and may your family find peace and comfort


Many years ago, there was a land whose king found himself in a very tough bind. His adviser had just informed him, that the land's new crop of wheat was faulty. Those who had begun eating of it had begun to show signs of insanity! What were they to do? It seemed either the people would starve, or they would have to become insane. "Perhaps, my king," said the adviser, "you and I could eat from the kingdom's stored produce..."

"No," said the king. "If so, everyone will be crazy, and we will appear different. They will label us the crazy ones!" After some thought, the king told his adviser: "We too will eat from the new produce. But before we do, we will draw a red "X" on our foreheads. That way, even after we're affected by the wheat, we will know that we are different, that we are crazy. But that this isn't who we really are."

For the last 2,000 years, the Jewish people have been in exile. Our holy temple destroyed, banished from the land of Israel, our ancestors dispersed among the various lands throughout the civilized world. But this change wasn't merely a geographical one, but a spiritual one. When the Jewish people ascended to Jerusalem & its temple 3 times a year for the holidays, the Torah says: "Three times each year... [you] shall be seen in the presence of God your Lord in the place that He will choose." The Talmud teaches: 'The verse can be read in 2 ways: "be seen" or "will see."' Meaning, it wasn't just that G-d Observed his people when they came to the temple. Those that came observed G-d as well! Not necessarily with their eyes, but rather with their mind's eye. They sensed G-d's presence with the spiritual antenna of their souls. G-dliness was palpable, was felt.

But like the villagers in the above story, over the years we have "consumed" foreign influences that have made us feel different to who we are truly. We have been in a long exile; not just a physical one, but also a spiritual one. Today in America, instead of "seeing" a G-dly reality as in days of old, it's more likely we'll see a season premiere of Jersey Shore (if you don't know the show, trust me, you're better off ;) So how can we retain our inner truth? The type of person my soul was meant to express and actualize in my time on earth?
Through the Torah & its Mitzvot. Like the red "X" on the foreheads of the King and his adviser, we Jews have always needed a special reminder of the truth of who we are. No matter how "crazy" - materialistic & shallow - my society makes me, I have the Torah, with its holidays, deeds and wisdom, as an "X" on my forehead to remind me of my essence.
Now all I have to do is look at the "X" as often as I can :)

Shabbat Shalom!

-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 :)
~~~
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

Predicting the Unthinkable

The most famous book of all time is... the Torah (barely beating out Harry Potter & The Da Vinci Code). Translated into innumerable languages, the Torah is the foundation from where Monotheism spread throughout the Pagan world. Full of lessons, dramatic events and wars, the Torah describes the birth and journey of the Jewish People, culminating in the passing of their leader Moshe as they stand ready
to enter the land of Israel. The future events of the Jewish People are documented in the next 19 books of Prophets and Writings. One of the most fascinating aspects of the Torah is its uncanny ability to predict future events (I guess when a book has an Infinitely great author as the Torah has with G-d, that helps with predictions). These days, Jews worldwide are reading the book of Devarim, known in English as Deuteronomy. Here we find some amazing predictions, as seen here where Moses speaks to the Jewish People before his death:


"I will not cross the Jordan. You, however, will cross, and you will possess this good land. Beware, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which He made with you... I call as witness against you this very day the heaven and the earth, that you will speedily and utterly perish from the land to which you cross the Jordan, to possess; you will not prolong your days upon it... And the L-rd will scatter you among the peoples, and you will remain few in number among the nations to where the L-rd will lead you... And from there you will seek the L-rd your G-d, and you will find Him, if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are distressed, and all these things happen upon you in the end of days, then you will return to the L-rd your G-d and obey Him.

For ask now regarding the early days that were before you, since the day that G-d created man upon the earth, and from one end of the heavens to the other end of the heavens, whether there was anything like this great thing, or was the likes of it heard? For the L-rd your G-d is a merciful G-d; He will not let you loose or destroy you; neither will He forget the covenant of your fathers, which He swore to them. Did ever a people hear G-d's voice speaking out of the midst of the fire as you have heard, and live? Or has any god performed miracles to come and take him a nation from the midst of a[nother] nation, with trials, with signs, and with wonders, and with war and with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great awesome deeds, as all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? You have been shown, in order to know that the L-rd He is G-d; there is none else besides Him." (Devarim, 4:22-35)

~~~

Statistically, the Jewish People should account for over a Billion people. While the Chinese & other ancient peoples grew exponentially over the last 3,000 years, the Jewish People (b/c of constant attack) stayed at a remarkably even, small number, today marked at around 14 million, thank G-d. And as small as we stayed, throughout it all, we were never destroyed. History has shown that when a people/culture lose their land & language; are severely persecuted and killed, they don't remain a distinct people. And why have we been able to survive retain our identity? Not through Hebrew (Jews spoke Yiddish and Ladino, etc.) and not through the Land of Israel (we were gone for almost 2,000 yrs.). Rather, it has been through our connection to the Torah & its Commandments. And we did so for good reason. Because the giving of the Torah to the Jewish People was the single event in history where G-d Revealed Himself to an entire nation. "Did ever a people hear G-d's voice speaking...?" Has held true throughout the ages and hundreds of religions that surfaced. That strong tradition passed down from the original witnesses to G-d's Revelation, kept the future Jewish People determined and strong throughout all of the persecution and dispersion.

May we continue the tradition of connecting our lives to Torah & its Mitzvot, and may we all experience the ultimate prophecy of the final redemption, speedily in our days!

Shabbat Shalom!

{To read a detailed account of the incredible prophecies fulfilled through the Jewish people in History, see here}

-Daniel

An Inseparable Unity

This week's Torah portion, Mishpatim, seems to be the most anti-climactic portion of the entire year. A real downer.
We began the Torah with the creation of the universe; the trials and experiences of our forefathers & mothers; the enslavement and ultimate miraculous redemption of the Jewish People from Egypt, leading to the greatest moment to date since the beginning of time: The giving of the Torah. Last week, we read about this momentous occasion. G-d Revealed His Presence on this earth, Speaking the 1st commandment: "I am the L-rd, your G-d."

The Zohar states that this sentence was uttered - not only from the sky, but actually emanated from every direction! Every flower; every blade of grass, said together: "I am the L-rd, your G-d." Since the Infinite Essence of G-d was revealed in the world; the truth of His Unity - that everything is one with Him - was revealed.
All of space & time became nullified in this unity & therefore spoke together with G-d.

But in this week's portion, the romance seems gone. The incredibly profound revelation gone. All we have is laws, laws, laws!
"What if my ox gores your cow?"
"What if I accidentally killed your cousin?"
"What if I dig a pit in the middle of the road and you fall in?"

Let's understand the meaning of this transition.

As great as the revelation of G-d was at the Giving of the Torah, at the end of the day, G-d's revealed Presence left.
How do we know if something became truly one with something else? When it doesn't leave; when it can't.

Let's take a dark room for instance. If you were to open the blinds &
the sunlight were to enter, you would now have an illuminated room.
But did the room change? Sure, there's light now.
But the room itself didn't change. An outside source is illuminating it, but the room is essentially dark. And the proof is that when the light leaves, the room returns to darkness. Take an even greater unity - like a soul with a body - ultimately we see that they are not totally unified, for at death they part.

In Chapter 5 of Tanya, when discussing the unity of G-d & a person who learns Torah, the Alter Rebbe gives the analogy of food.
"You are what you eat," is a scary, but true term. Food & drink actually become part of our flesh and blood.
So too, when learning even the most mundane monetary laws of Torah, one's soul is completely unifying with G-d's Infinite Being!
Like food to a body, G-d's Wisdom & Will, infused in the Torah, is ingested and becomes one with your soul.
The greatest unity possible - greater even than what occurred at the giving of the Torah.
Why is it like that? B/c now the unity is coming from us.
From our effort. No external light. No external revelation.

This seemingly unromantic transition is actually an elevation into a true, lasting connection.
And once we've permeated ourselves with the holiness of Torah & Mitzvot, we can move on to the laws of building G-d's Temple, His Sanctuary in this world (next week's Torah Portion), for now we are ready to permeate the world around us, in a lasting way, with G-d's Unity.

Shabbat Shalom,

Daniel

Total Immersion in Latvia

B"H

This e-mail is dedicated to the Kot family of Tallinn, Estonia, and the Wolff family of Helsinki, Finland. Thank you for all of your warm hospitality & loving kindness.

May you continue in your inspiring and vital work, & may blessings shine done upon you in abundance; physically, materially, &spiritually.

And may all of Chabad’s emissaries around the world have only success & good in all things.

~~~

As I was winding through the cobblestone streets in the old town of Riga this afternoon, I found myself listening to a Torah class on my Ipod (Perhaps fulfilling part of G-d’s Original intention in creating Steve Jobs?) In it, I heard a beautiful thought that I would like to share:

Sometimes we find ourselves in a skeptical, if not hopeless, spiritual state of affairs.

“How can someone like me, someone so lowly, so busy with ‘worldly’ things (let’s not expound, each of us have our vices ), how can I hope to have any real connection to G-d or anything spiritual? And even if I could a little, what do I matter in the big scheme of things? Why should I even bother learning Torah or doing a mitzvah, celebrate a holiday or go to pray?

It’s a very valid question.

But let’s take a look at an interesting law in Torah, which may help shine some light on these Q’s.

The 11^th century great sage Maimonides, in his “laws of Mikvah” [a spa where a Jew immerses for purity, traditionally a married woman once every month], writes: that when collecting water for this spa, there needs to be 40 ‘seah’ of water (a little bigger than most Jacuzzis).

However, if immersing in a "ma'ayon" - living waters (i.e. a lake or ocean), any amount is fine, as long as the person iscompletely immersed, from the tips of their hair down to their toes.

This law insinuates, that theoretically, if you could take a drop, just 1 drop, of ‘living waters’ and spread it so thinly that it covered the entire person, it would be enough to completely purify them!

Kabbalah teaches us that water is likened to Torah. Many reasons are given, for example: water naturally descends from a high place to a low place (unlike fire which naturally reaches upward), which is like Torah which is a Divine wisdom that descended to this earth. Every law in Torah has deeper levels to it. If 1 drop of living water is capable of purifying, than 1 drop of Torah can do the same. 1 mitzvah can do the same. 1 prayer can do the same.

When one learns a single teaching of Torah, he or she is completely immersed in G-d’s Infinite Wisdom, for “He, His Will, and His Wisdom are all One.” (see Tanya Ch.’s 4 & 5)

So no matter how “impure” we think we are, or how impure of an environment we find ourselves in, we must always remember that at any moment we can immerse our entire being into this 1 “drop.” It may help if we decide to direct our entire beings into the drop; i.e. immerse our mind and heart completely into the teaching being learned or the prayer being uttered. But whatever the case, the moment one decides to immerse in Torah or a Mitzvah, he or she is completely bound up with G-d in a bond that has absolutely no comparison in this world. For even the ultimate bond of 2 human beings in marriage is still 2 separate beings who are cleaving to one another. But when you study Torah, your mind is now 1 with G-d’s Mind.

You are now thinking His Thoughts. There is no separation.

So too in action - when a Jewish male for example puts Tefillin on, there is an opinion in Jewish law that says one is supposed to stand out of respect when he passes by, b/c at this moment he is now completely connected to the Infinite Light of G-d. But what if he just did so and so wrong? No qualifications are mentioned here – it doesn’t matter if he’s an 8o yr. old righteous scholar, 50 yr. old stock broker, or a 13 yr. old comic book lover.

The ultimate connection is there.

As the summer approaches (try telling that to Eastern Europe ) I wish you all safe dipping – both physically and spiritually!

Shabbat Shalom!

Daniel

Riga, Latvia

Never the Twain Shall Meet?

B"H

"G-d Descended onto Mt. Sinai, to the peak of the mountain.

G-d Summoned Moshe to the peak of the mountain, and Moshe ascended."

-------

Tomorrow morning in synagogues worldwide, the epic "10 commandments" will be read from the Torah scroll.

From Bibles to plaques in courthouses, these 10 commandments have played quite a pivotal role in the ways in which many people worldwide view G-d and morality in this world until this very day.

But besides for giving us a rule book made up of "do's" & "don'ts", what exactly was happening when G-d

Gave His Torah to 3 million Jewish men, women, and children? [to fully appreciate this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime event, see here]

Well, to understand what the giving of the Torah achieved in the world, let's take a look at what was happening beforehand.

Before the giving of the Torah, when a person would do a command of G-d, the physical object used in the deed would remain as mundane after being used as it had been before.

The 1st example that comes to mind is a story of our forefather Jacob.

The Torah tells us that Jacob used sticks (in place of the Tefillin that we have today) in order to draw down G-dliness into the world.

But what did he do with them when he was done? Were the sticks delicately placed in a bag and kept protected and cherished like a man does with his Tefillin today? Not at all! Jacob tossed the sticks out.

How come?

B/C the physical sticks hadn't changed. The physical & the spiritual had not, and could not, meet.

When G-d momentarily Revealed Himself to the world on that day in the Sinai desert and Spoke to us,

it wasn't a ONE time event. The effect was everlasting, and altered the world forever.

Before this event, there was a decree from above that the spiritual reality and the physical reality could not meet. Physical was to stay physical, and spiritual - spiritual.

When "G-d Descended onto the peak of the mountain...and Moshe ascended" - the rules changed forever.

Physical could now be infused with the spiritual.

Now, when a man takes cow's hide and wraps it around his arm and head (Tefillin), he hasforever elevated that physical object.

It is now holy.

And it must be treated as such, for it has changed; it has been elevated.

When a woman lights Shabbat candles Friday afternoon, the wax, wick & flame have now been permeated with G-dliness.

And that was the whole underlying purpose behind G-d's Revelation at Mt. Sinai.

To enable us to elevate His world from its natural mundane state - to a holy one.

To make the world into 1 big Mitzvah - a physical world that is, nonetheless, a holy world.

May each of us take full advantage of this ability re-generated at this time every year,

to work on infusing every physical object we come in contact with - with holiness.

Whether it be a spare nickel for charity, or saying a blessing to G-d over a cookie, each of us every day meets with the physical world - and we are entrusted with lifting it up.

May we all have much success, and may the blessings pour forth upon us bountifully, until

the coming of Moshiach when the whole world will be completely permeated through and through with all

of the holiness generated by all of our good deeds. May it happen now!

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel