דלג לתוכן העיקרי

Parashat Hashavua

Portion of Teruma: Where does G-d live anyway?
 
In last week's portion we read "the sky was open and the people of Israel saw the AlMighty
and below his feet was a street of Saphire...
 
Thank you Eitan for lending me one of your favorite seforim (Holy Books) -where I read the Medrash
 
That when the sky opened and the people saw the Almighty
 
"The people saw the Angels encamped around the L-rd- in a holy way
and they wanted to do the same"
 
It is written in our POrtion that the Almighty said  
 
"And you shall build me a sanctuary and I shall dwell amongt you" 
 
and according to the medrash it means "the same as I dwell among my Angels on High
I can dwell among you "
 
The Kabbalist Masters answer "Where does G-d dwell? Wherever you let G-d in"
 
And so Israel built a sanctuary in the desert - and kept it also in Israel a few hundred years-
 
Until Solomon built the Great Temple in Jerusalem
 
and we maintain our synagogues wherever we go - so that
 
a little G-dliness can dwell within us and amongst us!
 
Especially on Shabbat
 
Love from Israel
 
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
פרטים
קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
כניסות: 1577

Yitro and Mishpatim:  Speilberg would need 8 screens to describe these two!

 

What do we see from Yisro – Jethro?  How you can believe in G-d in today's world?

 

There were  no miracles like "frogs, lice, darkness and killing of Egypt's first born"

But Jethro heard Israel had escaped from Egypt – and he believed in G-d and came to Moses

 

"And there was thunder and lightning … and the mountain burned …" (portion of Yitro)

Jethro's heart lit up – right away – and he came to join the Israelites

 

So why tell the story of Mount Sinai a little differently in Mishpatim?

 

"And the people sacrificed and ate – and saw the L-rd the All-Mighty … and like a street of sapphire below his feet"

 

Jethro is the story of acceding to the quick acceptance of FAITH

 

And Mishpatim ("Laws") – where the Israelites sacrificed and accepted the Covenant with the Almighty -

  to DO the COMMANDMENTS

That is the story of BUILDing on FAITH – and how to believe in G-d today and for always

 

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

פרטים
קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
כניסות: 1562

The Almighty protects Israelites from the heat with clouds over the desert
 
 
The Almighty protects Israelites from the cold with a pillar of fire in the desert
 
 
The Almighty protects Israelites from the anger of Pharoah at the Red Sea
 
 
For 40 years the Almighty fed the Israelites with Manna in the desert
 
 
The Almighty sustains us and protects all Israelites all the time -
 
SO WE SHOULD REMEMBER THIS SHABBAT SHIRA - THE SHABBAT OF SONG-
 
TO THANK THE ALMIGHTY FOR EVERY LITTLE THING
 
(And the big ones - that he took us out of Iraq too, that we have survived thousands of years -
 
and still sing about it)
 
Love and Shabbat from Israel
 
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
פרטים
קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
כניסות: 1406

.The portion says "This (Passover Season)  is the HEAD of the Months"
and right away says "This is the FIRST of the months."
In Hebrew head is "Rosh" and first is "Rishon" - both words from the same root!
 
So what does the Torah teach us that the "Head Month" is the "First Month"?
 
In the Kabalah it explains that there is "chesed" - kindness from Hashem
and there is "Rav Chesed" - the GREATEST or the ESSENCE of kindness.
 
It explains that Moshe was the first to prove the KINDNESS of the Almighty
but (in the Purim story) Mordechai proved the ESSENCE of G-d's kindness
 
So I think that the HEAD month - Nisan - from the Exodus from Egypt
taught us the Almighty's kindness-
 
but RISHON - calling it  the FIRST MONTH
the START of it ALL -
 
we would only learn as the People of Israel grow and develop - and LOOK BACK
 
and we learn TO THIS VERY DAY- every day more and more - that
the kindness of leaving Egypt and all our troubles -
follows us - the People of Israel -
into every land and into every time.
 
With Blessings of Shabbat and Health and seeing we are leaving all troubles behind -
 
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
פרטים
קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
כניסות: 1341

Vayerah – Moses and the Matrix
 
What did Moses have that the Matrix (and The One) did NOT have?
 
Okay – a LOT of things. For one though – 
Moses was MORE than The One – Moses was "Moses and Aron"!
 
Moses  is told to "appear before Pharoah" (Aron too)-
 
So How is it the Toughest Ruler in the World (Pharoah) didn't – or couldn't – just kill them?
 
And this is a metaphor for the People of Israel:
MOSES AND ARON ARE SAVING THE ISRAELITES FOR THE SAKE OF A BETTER WORLD
 
The Almighty says "appear here" and "appear there" 
 
and warn Pharaoh,
 and bring up frogs and lice and bring down hail and brimstone –
 
And the People of Israel to this day appear here and appear there and
 
Create medicines and help rescue victims of catastrophe
And are saved by the Almighty !!!
 
Whether in Egypt (or the Diaspora anywhere) or in Israel
 
May G-d protect the Jewish People – and send us all a Great Shabbos
 
Love and Shabbos from Israel
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
פרטים
קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
כניסות: 1499

Vayigash – Judah Maccabee or Judah son of Jacob?
 
Every word in the Torah teaches things!
 
To remain as Jews sometimes we need to be Judah Maccabee and fight
And sometimes we need to be like this week's portion – Judah son of Jacob
 
He went with a sweet voice to tell the viceroy of Egypt "please don't take my brother Benjamin – take me as a slave instead."
 
It was not only what he said – but HOW he said it –
So honestly – isn't it worth the extra few seconds like Rabbi Carlebach taught –
 
Before you speak spend a second or two and PRAY that you might say the right words in the right WAY
 
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
פרטים
קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
כניסות: 1677

Portion of Vayechi - How can you know your kids?

Jacob blesses the 12 sons as he is ready to leave this world.
 
The blessings read like telling their fortunes - and telling their strengths.
 
How could he know the depths of all their souls?
 
Especially after Abraham and Isaac had trouble with some of their children!
 
The Torah told us - Jacob came to Shechem (after leaving Lavan
and after separating peacefully from his tough twin Esav)
- that he came SHA-LAME - perfected - at peace - and complete (my readings)
 
He came with his WHOLE FAMILY IN SYNCH WITH EACH OTHER
 
So maybe if we just keep our children communicating with us AND EACH OTHER
 
we can have time for even 12 (totally different) family members as JACOB DID
 
They had some (REALLY) rough spots - but in the end - 
 
HE COULD BLESS THEM all ACCORDING TO THEIR individual SOULS
 
May we all bless each other and our offspring in a spirit of togetherness-
and Shabbat is the perfect time to do that every week
 
Love and Shabbos from the Old City of Jerusalem
 
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
פרטים
קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
כניסות: 1352

I'm really not sure why the portion of Joseph's stories come out just before Chanuka but maybe here's a point:
 
Matisyahu had 5 sons and a daughter (maybe more?)
Jacob had 12 sons and a daughter - AND THERE WERE A LOT OF MISTAKES -
they start in THIS portion
 
I feel when Jacon gave Joseph the "technicolor dram coat" that the mistake was NOT that he gave him the coat
 
BUT THAT HE MADE THE COAT  -
 
surely the boys got coats - but Jacob himself did NOT make theirs!
 
EQUAL TIME FOR A FEELING OF EQUALITY for ALL our children!
 
IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE - but we all have to try
 
Matisyahu the High Priest must have tried -
 
BECAUSE THE HISTORY OF THE CHANUKA WARS WITH THE SYRIANS
IS ALL THE BROTHERS WORKING TOGETHER - WITH LOVE OF ISRAEL AS WELL!
 
Lots of Love and Shabbos and Healing - and prayers for peace 
among our children
at home and in Israel
 
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
פרטים
קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
כניסות: 1267

Where did Jacob go when he "shook off" his brother Esau and the 400 troops?
 
And why do football squads have 11 members and a coach? (Joke - because Jacob had 12 sons and ONE of them HAD to be a COACH!)
 
It says in the PORTION of Vayishlach that he
went to HEVRON (Hebron) "where his fathers Abraham and Isaac had lived"
 
Not CNN and not  the BBC make a place SOMEONE's - but the History is CLEAR
 
What makes a place HOLY? What makes  it yours?
 
When you KNOW it is yours and your father's and your grandfathers (and grandmothers)!
 
BE HAPPY WHAT THEY LEFT US!!!
 
Whose land is Hevron anyway? Jordan's? ISIS? 
 
OR ISRAEL's for thousands of years!
 
Is it HOLY because of those Jews buried there for thousands of years (Like RUTH the great grandmother of King David)?
 
Or is it OURS because NO ONE ELSE OCCUPIED THAT CITY
 
- until the Arab conquest about the year 700 
- when there were still Jews living there and in the close by towns
 
- until 1929 when the BRITISH removed Jews from the city!
 
 
HAVE A SHABBOS OF BEING THANKFUL OUR FOREBEARS LEFT
US

HEVRON AND JERUSALEM AND ALL ISRAEL
 
Love and Shabbos
 
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
פרטים
קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
כניסות: 1447

Portion of Vayetzay – Was Jacob in the Garden of Eden – or only Adam and Eve (and the  snake)?

 As my Rebbe used to say – this is the deepest from the SOUL of the Torah (The Kabbalah)-

Each of the Fathers – Abraham Isaac and Jacob (with help  from the spouses – note by AE)
taught us the SECRETS of  PRAYER (based on the Talmud) –

 Abraham taught Shacharit (morning prayers) Isaac 
 taught Mincha (afternoon prayer) and Jacob taught the
 prayers we NEED to do at NIGHT.

But the Talmud says "The TORAH makes NIGHT PRAYERS (Maariv)
 OPTIONAL –
 but the RABBIS made the NIGHT PRAYERS IMPERATIVE –
and Required to be done before midnight!"

 The Kabalah teaches us that eating from the Tree of  Knowledge spoiled all our senses
EXCEPT the sense of SMELL (until maybe the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai – but
 that's another story)

 But in a nutshell (pun):
 praying Maariv – at night – gives us a bit of the AROMA  of the Garden of Eden –

You can SENSE an AROMA even in the dark

 And that when we pray Maariv - DESPITE THE DARKNESS - we can
 get just a WHIFF of the HOLINESS we need to bring to the
 WORLD – and maybe the world will get it too.!

 Keep on PRAYING  like Abraham Isaac Jacom Sarah Rebecca Leah and Rachel!

 Love and Shabbos

 Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

פרטים
קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
כניסות: 1444
  1. Toledot - Seeing the Soul next to You
  2. portion of CHAYEI SARAH WHO'S THE BOSS?
  3. Portion of Re Ay - visiting Abraham our forefather
  4. Portion of Lech Le Cha – Abraham and US Today
  5. Portion of Noah and Love
  6. Portion Bereishis – Who's world IS it Anyway?
  7. Portion of Ha ah zee nu - what music! what a song!
  8. Portion of Va yay lech - sing a song of ... what?
  9. PORTION NITZAVIM - Before Rosh Hashono‏
  10. Portion of Key Tavo – The Key to Entering the Holy Land/Garden of Eden