Parashat Hashavua
Are we in the middle or the end of a war - where Iran helped build an underground terror city
Fired about 4000 rockets at civilians killing a couple of Israeli Arabs in a car,
causing a few deaths when older adults ran for shelters and either fell or suffered heart attacks,
with 2 or 3 Israeli soldiers killed?
And some of WE JEWS are STILL looking for a little Torah Inspiration! (We should all be).
So the Portion reminds us how Levites had to Labor - but
were assisted by gifts from the Presidents of the 12 Tribes,
And the priests are Taught how to Bless EVERYONE -
by Invoking the Holy One's Name on the People of Israel -
and Praying for Peace - Shalom.
My neighbor was just here - a dentist in the army - before ging out for the next 2 days-
NOT to fix teeth -
But to sit in a truck (like a fire truck) JUST IN CASE he needs to spray water at
attacking Arabs trying to destroy the town where Abraham had the dream
OF THE LADDERS - with angels gong up,and some angels coming DOWN.
That's where he was allday yesterday.
The newspaper today said Israeli Clebrities are trying to get the truth out,
Even as Western Celebs are foul mouthing the Jews;
As civilians are bombed by terrorists who "fight for control Jerusalem" - which is
The safest place for a Moslem in the world!
The portion says "V Samu et shemi al Bnei Yisrael" Put my NAME on Israel -
but haters take Israel Off The Map!
The Almighty empowers the Kohanim- priests to "settle The Name of G-d" upon the children of Israel
- and The Pope? - he met with an Iranian official today!
His holiness has not asked the Moslems to stop attacking - but maybe he thinks ....he is inspiring them?
The end of the portion has the Presidents of each tribe bring gifts to the temple,
and for helping the Levites travel with all the temple stuff till they get to Israel
And 3 european foreign ministers were here today in support of the Jews right to defend themsekves
Where are the prioties of the world - sending those millions for being spent on attack bombs?
I like our Portion more than the Hamas rabble rousers like to pay for weaons and explosives
I like to think that carrying the Temple through the desert
Blessing the masses not the war mongers
and those that take Nazirite vows to protest against licentiousness
Are the priorities - and maybe some day we will get the message to the world
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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Portion Bamidbar : the Army the Airforce and the Guys Below the Hill Here
In this week's portion Moses and the tribal leaders review the Israelite soldiers,
before marching off to conquer Canaan.
What does the Gerer Rebbe Sefat Emet (quoting Medrash Tanchuma) explain? That
WE ARE WITNESSES TO THE ALMIGHTY'S CREATION AND MANAGING THE WORLD-
each and every one of us - each and every day (especially on Shabbat)
You know, I could have called my "talk" here "the Defense Minister and the Gerer Rebbe"
But since I started this draft - there are Arabs massing and organizing below this hill -
and it don't sound pretty. Yesterday a neighbor was hit by a rock from "a neighbor".
Defense Minister Gans is attacking Gaza - hopefully what's left of an administration here
will do away with the Terror Infrastructure and pay off Abbas and Fatah to return Gaza to
the control of less bloodthirsty Arabs. Who Knows? BUT BUT BUT -
Are you with us America?
Are we doing this just for ourselves? The Sfat Emet says WE AR DOING IT TO TEACH THE WORLD TO END TERRORISM.
Which Do you think would give the Iranians more pleasure?
To atomic-bomb Israel and have the fallout blow over to Iran
Or to blow up DC or LA or NY?
Israel to them is a "usurper"
but the US IS to them THE DEVIL. RIGHT?
So -What was the reasoning behind Moses surveying and counting the troops in the desert?
To make us feel
Strong?
Divided into little militias?
Equal and Competitive?
To put G-dly purpose and structure to this unwieldy assembly of freed slaves? OR
Did the Almjghty want to imbue them with some self respect and PURPOSE?
Witness Israeli troops fightjng to protect the Jewish G,-dliness of Israel and Israeli people
This and all other wars areTestimony to thhe Almighty's People Land and Torah
I dont have all the answers to anything
So many things are so hidden
This is a world where we all have come so far,
And yet simple things sometimes trip us up
Despite the best intentions we may have
I study in Yiddish a few minutes a day- mostly the wild stories of Rebbe Nachman.
This morning we read about the blind hobo admitting at a wedding that he was not really blind!
He says " I just dont want to look at the world like it is".
On Shabbat its like that. I just dont NEED to DO STUFF or make phone calls (except in emergencies like WAR).
Keeing Shabbat Even a Few Hours At A Time is-
like the Sefat Emet wrote -
doing TESTIMONY for G-d's purpose and plan - and is a spiritual joy for THE WORLD!
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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(Tuma means :ritual impurity" - often associated with being in contact with a deceased person)Yesterday in Meron, Israel, Somebody Slipped and their Fellows Fell;And tragedy was like the Pandemmic ... And souls left the world last night on Meron Mountain.Please o G-d, teach us your ways -that they enter into Every Heart!We Must not Fall - We must not Fail -for the sake of all Israel and the World.There are no holy words to comfort after this tragedy...The Almighty could not comfort Aaron on the loss of 2 of his sons.I remember when I couldn't comfort my grandfather when he lost his second son (my Uncle Mo when I was 13)And Moshe - Moses- cannot comfort us this portion - this week .. whereThe Priest is enjoined from being in contact with the deceased in the beginning of the portion-But can the end of our portion here -teachings of the HolyDaysconnect holidays to help comfort those new mourners - or at least DIRECT us somewhat?The Chief Rabbi says "don't start with the blaming." He is correct. But we need more positive ideas!I say we Must Teach (sensitivity? decorum? safety? control?)Reb Shlomo Carlebach said - we are supposed to SHINE ... shine a Holy LightInto every heart and soul (maybe transferring some of what I wrote just above).This week's Portion concludes with a review of our HolyDays - for many reasons ...The Almighty is found there in those Holidays-and is waiting for us on Shavuote TO RECEIVE THE TORAH IN A PLEASANT WAY.Not LIKE YESTERDAY on MOUNT Meron -but in Jerusalem, like it was in Mount SinaiShabbat Shalom - and may Hashem comfort all Israel soon - and all the worldRabbi Andy Eichenholz
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Portion Tazria Metzora Israel Independence
In this double Portion we are told
If a woman has a child - and she cant go to the temple for a month or two;
If someone has leprosy - and can't stay in an Israelite town but right outside -
they too cannot enter the Temple
Before we go further afield - or become bothered -
remember the story in the Talmud
One young rabbi asks the Master Teacher "where is the Messia"
and is told "Go to just outside Rome - he is with the lepers..."
You may want to write your own continuation of that story - but there's a lot of MEANING here...
So what to focus on for this week and this Portion?
Last night I prayed in a Sephardic Minyan;
At home I listened to the Memorial Day speech of President Rivlin
And Benny Gantz the lame duck Defense Minister
And the Chief of Staff Kochavi - pledging
to use every modern defice to protect our soldiers as they defend us!
This morning I prayed with the local Ashkenazim,
Was blessed by one of our Kohanim (Priests)
And we sand praises that 73 years ago the Almighty blessed us with a state of our own after 2000 years!
Now for Israel Independence Day -
Walking here to prayers -
I watched an Ethiopian mother kiss her baby
Then
Said Kaddish in the National Religious Minyan -
And waited to sing Hatikva
And blow a big Yemenite shofar
Okay - after childbirth Women were not allowed in the Great Temple -
for a WHILE
And we - now 2000 years later
What have we given birth to?
Just 200 nobel Laureates?
Or PRAYERS AND CRYING to have
a chance for peace for after 70 years of Attacks ...
AND
What's that to lepers and sufferers of gonohrea in the portion?
For 2000 years we were treated like lepers!
The Moslems were not as bad as the Christians, but ...
Our homes were violated ...like the laws of plagues (which require homes be dismantled)
For Israelites ... Passover was a redmption - with
Redemption defined by Rabbi Shlomo.as
Something you gotta cry over for hundreds of years until the longing is a deep part of you -
And the Almighty knows that
Then it's time for us to Escape egypt!
Then we are redeemed
We cry from happiness when a baby is born
From sadness when someone is sick
AND ACTIONS?
Israel sends help in times of any disaster any where in the world!
So lets understand the portion in light of 2000 years crying and praying for deliverance
And peace in the world
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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Portion Vayikra : Second Story – and When Forgiveness MeansNothing
So – are we all getting ready for Passover / Paisach? Organizing things so you can "sell the Chometz" stuff in one corner and not all over?
Have some "break" time for a story? As we wrote last week – there are 3 stories which are suggested to be told over as preparation for Passover (and I hope t tell over another one at my ZOOm "ModelSeder" next week). We get to that soon…
But this week's portion Vayikra talks about animal sacrifices – which the world all did – during the first and second temple periods! How relevant is that to US?
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (of blessed memory) said (excerpted ideas here are from various teachings) " the problems of the world all stem from lack of respecting one another. In short (this is my abridged paraphrase), we let negativity and denigration degrade others – and then ourselves. He said about the Sin of the Golden Calf,
Imagine if you ask someone to show you a picture of their spouse, and they show you a picture of a calf and say "this looks like my spouse".
RESPECT – do you think this is respectful? The people in the desert made a Golden Calf and said "This is G-d". Was that a great honor to the Almighty?"
(And sadly, for a few hundred years, the evil kings (not the good ones) of the Israelites of the first temple period, had idols like calves set up for people to "worship". WHAT KIND OF WORSHIP AND RESPECT IS THAT?
So the portion teaches – sacrifice in Judaism is about atonement (like fasting on Yom Kippur). Rich people would bring a kosher animal, middleclass a bird, and poor people a flour offering – to the Temple.
The priests who were on shift to work there had some food – and the people who wanted to atone for some sin didn't eat – sort of like Yom Kippur. And it cost what it cost – AND IT WAS TO SERVE AS A LESSON to RESPECT and to FOLLOW A RIGHTEOUS PATH – and the Almighty.
In short – Why does Judaism not taut sacrifice today as a means f teaching respect?
Is it partly because of the SUPER NEGATIVITY AND LACK OF RESPECT
In this age of millions of murdered and missiles and mass shootings, of Russians maybe poisoning for politics, and Myanmar and China crackdowns (just lately) and and and…
Yes – the Torah is still valid – BUT EVERYONE IN THE WORLD NEEDS TO LEARN THE LESSONS
And so the second story is about a king who loved his Jewish citizens, but as always, there were plotting politicians who used the Jews to sew hatred. Every day there bad guys would make up lies to tell the King and make him turn against the Jews.
The favorite RING of the KING went missing – and he ordered EVERYONE in the LA ND to LOOK for it! FIND THE RING AND SATISFY THE KING was the order posted on every wall and tree in the capital city.
"Not found not found not found" reported all the precinct captains.
AND IT WAS PASSOVER TIME.
The vizier who hated the Jews more than anyone told the king –
And who KNEW they were searching for CHOMETZ the night before – and so he said
let's go out tonight and you will see that the Jews are NOT even searching for the RING but are CelebraTING –
And that is not a respectful THING!
So the two went out in disguise that evening (of course followed by some FBI agents to protect them?) – with Magnifying Glasses poking here and there as if they were searching for the ring … and got to the Jewish Quarter – where everyone was singing.
The wicked vizier said "See, I told you they don't care about your orders."
The Jews were all over singing DAYENU DAYENU and more DAYENU very loud – and the incensed King knocked on a door – turns out it was the Rabbi's house - and asked very LOUDly!
"What's that you are all singing? What does that mean?"
The local wise Rabbi just said "It means ENOUGH ENOUGH ENOUGH", and looked at the hated vizier, who always tormented the Jews.
The King turned and looked at the vizier and said – enough? Enough of what?
Tell me the truth - YOU stole ring to get me angry at my faithful-est citizens! Right? And shouted
"Police- FBI – grab him!" And sure enough, they found the ring in the vizier's home and – well – you know about sacrifices now from the portion …
So please Bless Me that I don't forget the third story before next Shabbat
And I bless you all to say over some RESPECTFUL stories on Passover, and have
Even a little seder –(which means organization) – a little one being at least better than none
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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