Parashat Hashavua

Portion of Kedoshim : How A Rabbi and a Librarian were both Holy in 1944

פרטים: קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם ברביעי, 25 נובמבר 2020 07:57; נכתב על ידי Super User; כניסות: 592

Portion of Kedoshim : How A Rabbi and a Librarian were both Holy in 1944

Maimonides explains "be holy (Kedoshim) with what is Mutar (permitted) to you.

Mutar can also mean "what is released to you" or "left to you".

How can a Moslem Librarian and a Hassidic Rabbi be Holy in the same way?

In Sarajevo there is a thousand-year-old hand-illustrated Passover Hagada worth millions.

A Nazi general knew it was in the central library during the war -

and threatened the Moslem librarian and his boss if they wouldn't turn it over to him.

What did they do?

They said to him "The first Nazi General came 2 weeks ago and took it" -

and took some abuse - until the Nazi thief gave up.

Meanwhile the Hagada was hidden on some shelves between some Korans ...

And due to their bravery we can still see it on display...

Recently another literary work was found - 70 year-old personal notes written about this time of year - in 1944- from the Vishnitzer Rebbe who came to Israel after the war.

He - the Vishnitzer Rebbe ( who passed away about 40 years ago) wrote

"We had a minyan today - Shabbos morning -in the room we rented from some gentiles to hide in.

But a student of mine came and told us the Nazis were rounding up Jews! And headed our way!

So we emptied out our pockets

(not to violate the laws of Shabbat against carrying things)

and we ran off into the woods!"

Rabbi Nachman said "what's in your heart will drive you to do G-d's will"

Rabbi Carlebach said "let your feet dance you to a holy place and a holy purpose"

and Maimonides wrote

"Holiness is a general commandment that encompasses the whole Torah".

So Make yourself a little more Holy this Shabbat

Shabbat Shalom from the Holy Land

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Kohanim - For G-d or for Man? – Portion of Tazria

פרטים: קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם ברביעי, 25 נובמבר 2020 07:57; נכתב על ידי Super User; כניסות: 444

Kohanim - For G-d or for Man? – Portion of Tazria

One of my students in the U.S. this week asked me:
"What is a Priest (Kohain) doing in the Jewish religion?"

Rabbi Carlebach used to say – jokingly – around Purim time:

"What do you call a drunk Kohain? A "High" Priest!

Last week's Torah portion talked about sacrifices in the Temple the Kohanim needed to know how to perform.
This week's portion talks about – giving birth! And about illness (skin diseases)!
Were the Kohanim Butchers? Or Doctors? OR – Teachers and confidants to the people?

In short - Sacrifices – as performed by the Kohanim –
are for atonement – to teach us the value of life and the life cycle of the PEOPLE –
entrusted by the Almighty to DO MITZVOT.

ALL the Kohanim's work was to HELP US DEAL WITH putting
DAILY HOLINESS- of all sorts – into LIFE.

The Bottom Line for Judaism is, as I saw in a poster in a synagogue I was in this week ,
Rav J B Soloveitchik said something like:

"holiness in Judaism is NOT an out-of-worldly
Judaism is to bring sanctification every day" –

And it was the Kohanim who were given the task to TEACH that and help ACHIEVE that.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

How to win friends? ... and Influence the WORLD? (People? ) - Shminee

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How to win friends? ... and Influence the WORLD? (People? ) - Shminee

Sheminee - Moses - Moses talking:

The portion begins with
"THIS IS HOW G-D'S GLORY WILL APPEAR TO YOU..."

The Torah is for ALL GENERATIONS - not a dry history book -
so I always wondered about what that sentence MEANS!
What is G-d's Glory? and
Was it ONLY for Aron and only for THAT WEEK - or for US and for ALL TIME?

Rabbi SHLOMO CARLEBACH USED TO SAY

"YOU KNOW SOMETIMES YOU MEET SOMEONE-
and they just strike you as being a holy person"-
and you feel closer to G-d!

That is what G-d wants - for us to be that way-
so G-d's Glory will appear to all the world.

We're all like that - SOME of the time

but how can we be like that

as much of the time as we can?

So G-d's Glory will appear to us and to ALL?

So Rabbi Mordechai Sheinberger AMV"Sh writes on
Pirkei Avot Chap. 6 Mishna 10 says:
"5 things G-d OWNS in this world-
... and number 4 is ABRAHAM"

So Rav Scheinberger (of Jerusalem ) writes
(based on the Zohar-Kabala)
"Abraham took (Gdliness) in POTENTIAL
and made it ACTUALIZED in this world
by his LOVING KINDNESS
(Chesed)

May we all be students of Abtraham and Moses and ALL the Holy People

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

BURN burn BURN - draft Torah Shabat Tzav and PURIM ZACHOR

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BURN burn BURN - draft Torah Shabat Tzav and PURIM ZACHOR

BUrnt sacrifices? What good are they?
The Torah explains there are so many kinds of sacrifices -
but what do they mean to US?

Actually - Abraham offered HIMSELF to wicked King Nimrod -
challenging Nimrod's Idol Worship. So
Nimrod threw him in a fire.

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach said:
How did G-d rescue Abraham? Abraham was the first believer who said-
- I may burn in Nimrod's furnace but I teach for G-d and if that's what G-d wants - so be it.
He was willing to sacrifice for the purpose of G-dliness- but was saved.

Haran his brother said "if Abraham was saved because of his belief-
so I'll believe in this powerful G-d - but he was not saved-
because he did it to be powerful - NOT to be close to G-d's PURPOSE.

So we're told to offer sacrifices on the altar of the holy temple -
to remember the difference between Abraham and Haran.

Not to burn for G-d or for ego...

And Haman and Mordechai?

Haman burned up with hatred and with ego.

Esther and Mordechai burned with hope
(like the chanuka candles) - and so we were all saved - and need to remember

KEEP THE CANDLES BURNING
AND DANCING FOR JOY THAT G-D GIVES US SUCH HEROES -
AND SUCH A BEAUTIFUL HERITAGE AND PURPOSE IN LIFE.

On Thursday, March 13, 2014 9:14 PM, chanoch n e wrote:
Triple Header this Shabbat!!!

SHABBAT SHALOM AND HAPPY PURIM

RABBI ANDY EICHENHOLZ

Portion VayikRa - the stories of Hans and of Doctor Bing

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Portion VayikRa - the stories of Hans and of Doctor Bing

Dedicated to Alan and Bonnie and Janice and Jeff

The third book of the 5 Books of Moses starts with the word VayikRa -
with the word having a tiny Alef (first Hebrew letter) - instead of a normal size.

To Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach's (and his father's) synagogue in Manhattan there came all sorts of people.
Some were German Jews who escaped Hitler, and some were holocaust survivors, and some were American Jews who moved uptown from the Lower East Side - and some younger people..

VayikRa talks about types of sacrifices and who might need to offer a sacrifice in the Mishkan or Temple (or in their lives) to expiate what mistakes.

At first it uses the word "ADAM" (the first G-d-created human) to describe "people" and then later it uses "NEFESH" - meaning "souls".

WHY?

ADAM was created perfect (and later EVE was created perfect from him and to complement him) -
and NEFESH? SOULS? Emotions? Feelings and connections to G-d? Why that term?

So there was a man named Hans who would sometimes come to Friday Night Prayers with Rabbi Shlomo.
There it was all Torah and singing and dancing. He sat peacefully in the back.

The rest of the week poor Hans would walk up and down the Avenue talking to himself.

He had been a famous concert pianist before the holocaust.

Saturday afternoon we had the Third Meal (Shale Shudis) at the shul - and someone named "Doctor Bing" would come and recite his poetry. It didn't resound with the majority of the members - but as Mr. Lunzer once said to quiet the complaints - "Give the Man a Chance".

We are all ADAM and EVE and also SOULS - and who knows what each of us needs to fulfill their place in this world?

The portion of VayikRa tells us that every little Alef (the letter ADAM starts with) needs it's own way to come close to G-d's purpose (sacrifice in Hebrew is KORBAN - means a "bringing closer").

May we all be blessed to help others feel at peace no matter what they are going through or went through.

And may the memories of those who came before us and went through what they went through - give us al strength to be closer to G-d's purpose.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

WEEKLY PORTION: PEKUDEI

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WEEKLY PORTION: PEKUDEI

For Jews the "end" is always a NEW BEGINNING!

If only the World would realize - a NEW beginning happens ONLY when

you DON'T FORGET THE PAST but LEARN from it!

So I quote here from Rabbi Osher - son of Rebetzin Esther Jungreis -

a Great Lady who survived the holocaust and BUILT ANEW a part of the Jewish People-

and who teaches in Manhattan to this day -

a Great Blessing for the world - may she see joy and be with us to 120 years ...

Love and Shabbos

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

SHABBOS CHAZAK - SHABBOS ROSH CHODESH- SHABBOS SHEKALIM

This Shabbos, we conclude the Book of Exodus and proclaim “Chazak, Chazak” - “

Be strong and of good courage”.

We also celebrate Rosh Chodesh Adar Beit and Shabbos Shekalim which signals that Purim, the most joyous of all holidays, is just around the corner.

PARSHAS PEKUDEI

Throughout this parsha, there is one phrase that keeps repeating itself: “As HaShem commanded Moses...” This phrase is reiterated no less than eighteen times and it is upon this foundation that our sages built the Amidah - the Silent Meditation, which is comprised of eighteen blessings. But the question that we should really be asking is why was it necessary to say, “HaShem commanded Moshe...”? Would it not have sufficed to say that “the Jewish people did as HaShem commanded”? Why the emphasis on Moshe Rabbenu?

Herein lays the key to Jewish survival - Daas Torah- faith in our Torah leaders. The knowledge had to be transmitted through Moshe so that, for all time, we should look for guidance to our Torah teachers, for that is the only way in which authentic Torah can be transmitted from generation to generation.

...to impart to us the sanctity and eternity of the Torah. This is not to say that we cannot be innovative and use our ingenuity, but that ingenuity must also be in consonance with the teachings of Daas Torah - the Torah of Moshe as transmitted through our sages.

... Thus, we can see from all this that every aspect of our lives, from our prayers to our comportment, to our learning, is based upon the Torah that was given to Moshe Rabbenu at Sinai and transmitted by our Torah sages throughout the generations. May we never lose sight of this.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Osher

This Torah portion is dedicated in memory of

Chaya Golda Feigel Bas Yitzchok

The Hineni Heritage Center

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.hineni.org

Shabbat VaYakhel

פרטים: קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם בראשון, 22 נובמבר 2020 16:57; נכתב על ידי Super User; כניסות: 404

Shabbat VaYakhel

Why all this detail about how to build the Holy Temple in the desert?
Isn"t the HOME supposed to be your PERSONAL Holy Temple?
THERE IS in both
An entrance
A Holy space
And
Holy of holies – where not everyone goes
And only in times of great closeness
When we are together we invite in people
Some times we share deeply with others
And some times and places it's only for our families.
But it works when we're together!

Reb Shlomo ztz"l used to emphasize the teaching that if even only one tiny peg was missing in the Mishkan, then the Shechinah would not dwell in it. The Mishkan was constructed with the t'rumot contributions of every 'nediv lev- every Israelite participated'
Shabbat shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

parashat ki tisah

פרטים: קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם בראשון, 22 נובמבר 2020 16:57; נכתב על ידי Super User; כניסות: 339

parashat ki tisah

Portion of Key Tisah - and Purim Katan (the date of Purim but when there are 2 months of Adar, like now, Purim will be NEXT month).

Here we read of the Golden Calf - and the Almighty says to Moshe the Teacher (Moses) "Break (the) 2 Tablets and See ME in the Morning" - or does he? Is that what the Almighty wants?

Joshua and Moshe hear the noise in the camp below - and Joshua (the general) thinks it's a battle. Moses (the Teacher) says "it's just letting off steam" - but they are both woried.

So they go down, Moses breaks the Ten Commandments - and there is a battle between those who celebrated the Golden Calf Idol and those who stood by the 10 Commandments.

Like on Purim - there too - there was a great battle - but all the Jews were UNITED.

In the desert the 2 Tablets were broken - and there was a lot of "letting off steam" - learning to break the bad habbits of slavery and of Egypt .

But at the Purim in Persia - there were no broken Tablets - and we all accepted the commandments of Purim that Mordechai and Esther gave us.

FOREVER

Our history is forever - and infinite - and to bring light into the world.

And time has a holiness to it - if we use it properly - so let's use the time between now and Purim - to prepare for the Purim Mitzvot (a holy meal and Megillah reading and charity)
and to prepare for Passover (buy passover foods, learn about how to make a beautiful Seder )

And learn how NOT to break the 10 Commandments.

Shabat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Portion of Tetzaveh - "commanding"

פרטים: קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם בראשון, 22 נובמבר 2020 16:57; נכתב על ידי Super User; כניסות: 209

Portion of Tetzaveh - "commanding"

Commanding - about clothes?

Why does the Almighty have to dictate to the Kohanim - the Priests - what to wear during the Temple Service?

This is very NOT "seventies"!
CERTAINLY NOT!

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to often talk about growing up - and how his father - Rabbi Naftali -

would always be careful how he dressed before going outside.

Last night I gave a class - and a few people showed up despite the lack of parking.

I got good feedback - but one person looked like they were sleeping through most of the class.

At the end they asked "about that point - how did it relate to you personally?"

You see WE ALL REPRESENT G-D "TO THE WORLD"!

AND HOW WE DRESS IS PART OF THAT.

Jews in the diaspora have stopped dressing for Shabbat.

The world still sees them as Jews - for good and for the not so good.

So we might as well remember we are ALL supposed to be:

"Mamlechet Kohanim ...-
a nation opf priests to the nations of the world -
and (to remind them - and ourselves - that we must be) a Holy Nation."

Shabbat Shalom from chilly New York

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
longing for the Holy Land

Portion of Nitzavim-Vayelech – the Torah says “it is life or death before you

פרטים: קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua; פורסם בראשון, 22 נובמבר 2020 16:56; נכתב על ידי Super User; כניסות: 221

Portion of Nitzavim-Vayelech – the Torah says “it is life or death before you

Portion of Nitzavim-Vayelech –

Where the Torah says
“it is life or death before you …- choose the blessing and not the curse”

These words follow after Hashem tells us
"you are all here (note - I believe it also means you can also HEAR these words) ...
even the water-drawers and the wood-choppers ..."

and Rabbi Carlebach said

"the woodchoppers splinter things ...- and those that splinter the unity of the people are splintering the ability to come together for G-d's ultimate refemption"

The portion follows and says "Ve Ha Shev Shvut cha..." - I will return you from captivity - if you will return from waywardness ...

IF WE HEAR THE BLESSING WE MUST ALSO STOP SPLINTERING OF RESOLVE FOR GOOD IN THE WORLD

we need leaders who will UNITE us - and not follow the world's tendency to splinter,
and cut away, chop down and allow to rot...

As the Jewish New Year approaches next week-
May Hashem grant us to hear, to be here, to return in faith and love-

and to prepare for a new year and a new dawn of brotherhood and siserhood and love and redemption

LOVE and Shabbos

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
Praying for all that
In New York (to Be With The People) for Rosh Hashono
as many of my friends are in the Ukraine to pray for the same

מאמרים נוספים...

עמוד 44 מתוך 53

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