- פרטים
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 02 דצמבר 2020 17:31
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Portion SheLach Anashim (great people) in Israel – A little Kabala for great people
Shakespeare wrote " All the world's a stage - and all the men and women merely players...
The Torah implies (and it rhymes with the above)
All the world's a temple - and all the men and women do their mjtzvahs.
Shakespeare himself would say "Aye Where's the rub?" (Nu - so what?)
I have to ask - Do people THINK what they DO? Is everything just a game or a musical?
Seems like Shakespeare would have to say "no" - people just ACT -
except for the plotting and conniving ones -And maybe a rare bird like Hamlet!
Our Torah portion is filled with "conniving ones" - mostly great leaders of the Israelites (in the desert) -
and how they got our forebears into trouble!
(Does that sound familiar in today's world? Personally, I don't see a single European or Asian leader concerned with truth or the world or with healing the world despite this Pandemic that threatens everyone and everything!
Africa and South America? Are all leaders plotting opportunists? Maybe it goes with the territory -
for most people – except a Moses and a Joshua and a Caleb! (And the women in the desert seem to be above the conniving).
So those great leaders went to Canaan to spy out the potential adversaries -
and on return told the peoplè "Forget about it - we just can't do it! Don't try for Israel!"
They were maybe afraid or maybe were worried they might lose ledership rewards IF ALL THE Israelies took themselves
into a whole new Land of Milk and Honey -
a beautiful country ! It is not so clear from the Torah wording why they dissuaded the Israelites from entering the Land of Israel.
It was a commandment for them to spy - Moses sent them.
Commandments must be followed according to Kabbalah in 3 ways-
Verbally, with thoughtfullness - and then following the commandment.
They missed it - the point - and messed up.
The results were that all that generation had to die in the desert, and only the children of that generation came into the land -
and conquered it - with Joshua and Caleb – those 2 spies who trid to convince the people that the other 10 were wrong.
The Kabbala implies that we can defeat false ideas by making all our actions and words focused on the positive methods above.
But how to focus on those 3?
Reb Shlomo Carlebach taught that:
You can't look at Israel like a stage to play out the (Canaanite or Euro-Asian) perversions,
cooked up by enmies of truth - whether at the UN or EU - or by "world class" anti semites.
Only if we have "Moshiach Eyes" –
Searching Eyes Ready for a Redeemed World -
can we all get past today and past today's limitations - to reach a Holy Potential -
For the Land and the People of Israel - and for healing the World.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz (in Israel)
- פרטים
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 02 דצמבר 2020 17:31
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נכתב על ידי Super User
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כניסות: 786
Portion – Theory of Relativity - Baha Alote cha in Israel – Naso in the Galut (Outside Israel)- where are YOU
Last week Shavuote was 1 day in Israel, 2 days outside Israel with the second day on Shabbat. So in Israel we went ahead to the next Torah portion, and “outside” is reading what we read last week.
Not to sound too Kabbalistic BUT – this Shabbat should SPIRITUALLY “blow everyone’s mind”! Why?
In Israel we read the portion with its name meaning “Raising you UP” (Baha Alote cha);
In Diasspora (everywhere else) – we read Naso – from the root meaning “pick up - the BURDEN”.
Wherever you are, you need to try to connect to the Torah, to be insulated from worldly problems. It works!
In the Israel portion there is so much to learn from! And it takes you “on a journey” away from all the talk about corona corona corona – statistics and statistics – issues and issues.
I bring here just a little idea about RELATIVE CONTEXT.
(NO – NOT ABOUT THE in-laws ) – but about WHERE are YOU? Are you – raising up – or feeling the burden?
In this week’s portion it says 3 times in the fourth Aliyah (of seven): That the Israelites in the desert “camped by word of the L-rd” and “journeyed onward” by word of the L-rd”.
An idea from one of the teachers where I pray was expressed thusly:
Imagine a tiny child being held by it’s mother, what will be the answer if you ask “where are you”?
The answer will be “I’m with Mommy”. If you are in a store, in a playground, going on a bus, the answer from a child held by the mother has got to be, “I’m with Mommy”.
Wherever the Israelites traveled those 40 years in the desert – they were around the Tabernacle, and protected by the Almighty.
So too, this week's Israel portion teaches us to feel the protection – not the burden – of being near the Tabernacle and near the Almighty. And to raise up the spirits of others – even if sometimes we think it is a burden.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
- פרטים
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 02 דצמבר 2020 17:30
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Portion Shavuot - and Naso in Israel
On Mount Sinai heavy things were happening. Angels were blowing Shofars and Lightning lit the sky.
Imagine the week before! How did we get that G-dly presentation - of 10 things we should KNOW Naturally?
On the exact timing of the Revelation at Sinai the Rabbis of the Talmud are of differening opinions.
Were all the Israeltes ready to becomeFaithful and Receivers of the TorA on Thursday?
Or was it on that Friday? or Shabbat - or " the day After receiving the Ten Commandments at Sinai?
The words in theTorA are conceptually clear ... this happened and that happened ...
but it is often that a basic concèpt is taught first and later a less basic one.
Timelines are not G-dly - nor are time limits!
So some rabbis may argue over - WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT.in case of a conflict.
They might think something came later or came sooner - in importance - but
What is clear is that :
In life many things can be happening at once,
while humans have no way to deàl with that.
Events always are serially portrayed - but occuring concurently
What is clear is that everyone was
First healed then
standing beneath the mountain AND
then the Torah was received
And everyone's life was changed - like new converts -
to the religion first taught to the world - by Abraham and Sara.
Chag Samayach Shabbat Shalom and Stay Well
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
- פרטים
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 02 דצמבר 2020 17:30
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Portion Ba Midbar Between a (desert of) Rock and 40 Hard Years (of wandering)?
More Accurately, "Between Egypt and Canaan"?
Bamidbar Means "in the desert"
After a couple of major failings, the Israelites are sent to "desert boot camp"
It was to train them to not worship idols (Golden Calves)
And to learn not to always complain (like after the spies)
etc.
But Wasn't it also to train Joshua and the New Leadership?
The desert is a test - and a training - for people miraculously freed from slavery.
Was it training for war? For spiritual development? To develop a broader community?
SO THE TROOPS ARE COUNTED - at the beginning of the Portion-
and they DID NOT WORSHIP IDOLS 40 YEARS
and they rarely complained to Joshua during the 14 years of his leadership.
I heard a class where a famous Rabbi claimed the Israelites trained there 40 years -
not for war - but how to Live and Love Shabbos! (and its laws).
According to Rabbi Carlebach in the vein of some Master Rebbes
One Can Look at everything as "Shabbos" if you look forward to Shabbos!
Living in the desert and surviving there was certainly some form of
Living in the Bosom of Hashem - the Almighty - as Shabbat should be.
Did they have music? Yes - we are still singing Moses' song(S) -
(a few of them are written in the torah)
Did they dance? Yes - Miriam started at the sea - and there must have been other occasions
Because we don't see Israelites complaining about HER - the dance-leader of the women.
So were they just learning laws? Or music and dance?
Reb Shlomo Carlebach taught us - like Rebbe Nachman did-
That they had to learn there skills - so that
even when you think you are high spiritually -
and then fall the next minute - you can get up again!
And as the Lubavitcher Rebbe taught "his troops" - the Chabadniks-
the way to STAY close to G-d - and to always Get Up
is to do MivTzoyim - masses of mitzvas - all the time.
We will all get out of these shutdowns -
and doing mitzvas will help us train-
For a better time and a better life!
Shabbat Shalom - Health and Safety
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
- פרטים
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 02 דצמבר 2020 17:29
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Portion Be Choo Ko Tai - Two Rabbis' Concepts getting closer?
Here I am a bit jetlagged and a bit confused in the Jerusalem Quarantine for Recent Arrivals where I lost my cell phone. Miraculously I am able to get a new one deliverd in 6 hours, and figure out how to set it up in 4 hours, and still teach a Hebrew School class on Zoom in NY, and - get some sleep.
Next miracle - when I wake up - I get a whatsapp from a teacher-friend which reminds us the Portion tells us about "the 50 year ..." - what?
The Almighty says: "Proclaim Liberty throughout the Land..." - the Yovel 50th year release! And we are in the middle of counting the 50 days to Shavuot and Mount Sinai's Torah experience.
And the Rabbi reminds us the Gematria (numerology) of 50 means :YAM (meaning ocean) or ME (meaning who). So he quotes a Torah line saying "who (ME) will heal us?" Also that YAM is pure water like a Mikvah to be Cleansed Spiritually.
This week before I left New York to get back to Israel I was in touch with a few people who soon will be celebrating 50 year wedding anniversaries! Mazel Tov to them all! How does that connect to this Portion? Just the number 50?
Many people are really flipping out over the last 50 days of "corona-lockdown". WE NEED SOME INSPIRATION AND HOPE to help get us all through! What's better than ancient miracles? Why :
The miracle of 50 yovel years and the promise of freedom for all ...
and G-d bless those approaching or Who made the miracle of 50 years of marriage
and may the Almighty keep well those of 50 Age (or plus - or minus)
And Bless those who did or didn't go SO crazy during the last 50 days of this crazy shut down!
So, Bless the G-d of Abraham and all of us
with prayers for health and Shabbos and love and connections and friendships ...
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
Reb Shlomo - simchat shlomo - ishbitz - cry from the heart chakuk emuna
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
