Portion VayikRa - the stories of Hans and of Doctor Bing

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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם ברביעי, 25 נובמבר 2020 07:55

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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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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם ברביעי, 25 נובמבר 2020 07:55

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WEEKLY PORTION: PEKUDEI

Shabbat VaYakhel

פרטים

קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם בראשון, 22 נובמבר 2020 16:57

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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

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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"

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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם בראשון, 22 נובמבר 2020 16:57

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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