Parashat Hashavua

Portion Mishpatim : Why I Yelled at those Kids last night

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Portion Mishpatim : Why I Yelled at those Kids last night

In this , the portion of Laws after sinai , we have

The only revelation of a new religious life

in history where a whole people saw the revelation!

Sinai.

Undisputed for 3000 years.

So how does the portion start off? Proclaiming Greatness?

No. The First law is

to protect poor wrongdoers by having a family adoption

Most societies banish wrongdoers - especially poor ones.

Jewish law teaches rehabilitation.

So how is there hatred in Jewish society? Too too many groups and individuals hate!

Particularly because of Israeli political divides?

Or in general?

So last night while waiting for a bus,

About 20 kids aged 10 or 11 or so -

Ultra Orthodox Kids - were attacking two policemen!

I told them to stop - actually yelled at them!

The policemen picked up one kid for harassing and threatening to throw stuff at them.

20 others started cursing.

I said they are protecting you!

Stop being idiots ... You started this now leave!

After a minute or two they all left

And the police let the kid go.

The Torah Teaches Us that

We Must Re Learn to make peace - not just look for

Someone to pick on.

At all levels.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Portion Beshalach : Between Chanuka (Goats) and Passover (Lambs)

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Portion Beshalach : Between Chanuka (Goats) and Passover (Lambs)

So what is there "between" the two? PURIM (which is creeping up on us)

From the teachings on the Talmud by Yosef Chaim (the famous Iraqi chief rabbi) ... ...
In his book: Ben Yehoyada discussinge Talmud Pesachim ( page 57) :

the Royals argued ... Years after the Maccabees took over
(Chashmonai means "descended from the Maccabees")

The Maccabee King and Queen involved the Kohen Gadol - High Priest -
into their debate - On what is the best mèat - Goat or lamb!!!

(See in a minute why this is relevant to the portion this week)

Answers:

The King felt - we need to be tough like goats
The Queen said- we need to be mercifully soft like Sheep

The High Priest just said: "Of course sheep are tastier-
Why?
Because The Almighty wants us to be merciful-
If Possible - like passive Passover sheep.

The King said its a good idea ...
But not possible if we fight against the OUTSIDE trying to subdue us.

But what happened?

That king punished the High Priest! Who should have known better to
Make the Kingdom Work Better.

Portion Beshalach - Reminding us of Passover - where the Almighty

Freed us to be a light unto the world.

The Maccabees - 60 or 70 years after throwing out the Greeks

Started Internal Fights over EVERYTHING
Just like the Greeks did.. and so
then the Romans came in - And Destroyed the Holy Temple

In our portion, We Left Egypt -To start A New World.

But many world rulers since then have missed the points -

That G-d and Freedom are not mutually exclusive!

And so today ....? What can WE all do? To return to "Exodus Judaism" ???

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Portion Bo

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Portion Bo

What did G-d's message in the Portion add to what was transmitted at the Burning Bush?

Do you have to be a prophet ti know whats going on in the world today?

There's Enough enriched uranium in Iran for 3 bombs ( the UN reports.)

Or that

67 journalists were killed in the world last year -

and everyone complains ONLY that

one might have died in a crossfire between Israeli troops and terrorists.

That's Anti Semitism.

Are we really DIFFERENT from everyone?

The Portion Bo tells us that before the Israelites could leave Egypt, that

their families HAD to celebrate

A FAMILY PASSOVER SEEDR (the first).

Jewish FAMILIES are the building blocks of

CREATING A SANE WORLD

It's been known for Thousands of Years

(Idea from Zev Neriya - thanks)

(By the way there is a famous ancient Egyptian wall fresco depicting

Pharoah's Wife applying salve to him-

From around the time of JOSEPH...- while most frescos show wars and slaves)

And what does the Seer of Lublin learn here -

He who we hear could read minds and commune with the Almighty-

He Says This Portion is given to us to

CONNECT US TO THAT FIRST

FAMILY SEDER NIGHT

So ASK ME NOW-

So what about all the firstborn Egyptians

Who were punished for enslaving our forebears? Was the Almighty a bit too tough?

BUT

Many more Egyptians were killed by the Romans.

And even more ORIgiNAL Egyptians- by the Moslems/Arab armies!

So where does the Portion leave US

ABOUT TO ESCAPE SLAVERY?

Sonething that gave hope-

American slaves gathred STRENGTH from

OUR EXODUS

THE WORLD NEEDS TO LEARN

Love of Israel

Portion Va Aiy Rah : Dealing with the Pharoahs

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Portion Va Aiy Rah : Dealing with the Pharoahs

Joseph's bones - why wasn't he buried in the Valley of the Kings?

His Niece Serah- daughter of Asher -showed Moses where the Pharoah had ordered Joseph to be thrown into the Nile!

Lots of questions here,

One answer being : Egypt felt

Joseph was a good luck charm,

And they needed luck with the Nile

But let's look a minute at history -

where it seems that Egypt was taken over by

Hyksos conquerors - but there's not a lot to prove that it was during Joseph' s time

Or maybe that was when it says

" and a new king arose who did not know Joseph " (as the Bible writes) - arose

Be that as it may - what was the general consensus of ALL Egyptian rulers?

And maybe Vladimir Putin? huh!? What?

Last Shabbat I was at the Kiddush in memory of the father of a Yemenite Breslaver Hassid / huh?! Yes. A very colorful guy...

While the rabbi-son read a portion from Rabbi Nachman's tales

He was pretty adamant relating

Putins murders (yeah yeah yeah ...Also Ukrainian Nazis etc).

Pharoah's murderers - who tossed babies into the river

(While some righteous gentiles saved kids)

On a lighter note my teacher friend told a meaningful joke.

Rav Yaskil said about Jewish Rulers

(based on Jacobs blessings to the children

.Be.. chadash... New....renewal

So these

Three robbers heard the sirens ... cops were coming

One hid under a Maserati

The second Under A tractor

The cops asked what they were doing there?

Fixing the motors, they answered.

No motor tools with you? Forget it, you're Coming with us!

The third went to hide Under A donkey

When asked what he was doing there

He answered,

I was just born!!! So they let him go.

Lesson from

Rebbe Nachman:

Always Start over (Jewishly Speaking especially)

Forget your Old Ways and

You will stay out of trouble!

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Portion Shemote - Snakes and Jewish Memory

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Portion Shemote - Snakes and Jewish Memory

Beraysheet - the first Portion - is where the Snake first figures into history

What removes the Snakes as they show up (like in the desert saga) in history?

So in this portion Shemote is where the Saga and Morality of Israel begins to control the snakes-

When on Mount Sinai Moses

Is confronted by the Almighty -

And says No One Will Believe me!

Its The SNAKES versus G-d - and the Jews

At the Great Synagogue Kolel this week

I heard a class

From the famous nephew

Whose famous Uncle inspired me

to study for the Rabbinate

(That uncle founded Keren B Yavneh

The first place in HISTORY where

Yeshiva students

Serve half time as paratroopers in the IDF)

So Moshe is not sure of BELIEF in this G-d

Who turns Moses' staff into a snake

And says:

Grab it by the tail !

That will

Change it from a wiggly waggly

Danger to the world

Into the Tool of Faith that will Split the Red Sea!

The snake symbol

Belief and trust

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

PortionVa ye Chi - do Rules and or Spitituality Require Redemption?

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PortionVa ye Chi - do Rules and or Spitituality Require Redemption?

Wednesday night I prayed the night prayer Maariv twice - at two places which were just one short of a Minyan.

At the second place I checked on the Avnei Nezer book:

Which Rules on Jewish Laws:

One law said you can sleep on Shabbat in a house without a Mezuza. Why?

Because on Sha bat you can't put up a mezuza! Even though you generally need one.

Also that you Can wear 4 a four cornered garment with out tzizit on Shabbat

Because you can't tie the Tzizit on Shabbat!

Etc. There were a lot of interesting and lenient rulings.

And about the Torah Reading:

There is Spirituality and Prophecy here:

So I ask:

In this Portion , what did Jacob -

one of Our forefathers -

what Mitzvot did he teach the families ?

Or did he only instruct about the prophecy about the Kaytz - the end of days?

And Did that reqire them and Us to succeed at tikun olam? To fix the world?

To bring a Peace at the End of Days?

So I saw a thought by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach

That when the Portion writes Jacob's eyes were "heavy " - the real translation is

Jacob's Eyes "Kavdu meZoken" -

Kavod Meaning - he taught the families

To Truly Honor with their Eyes

To fix the World with Eyes and Looks

WHEREBY WE HONOR ONE ANOTHER

Love is only by eyes

Honoring is clear in loving eyes

My interpretation is:

Jacob Taught for All Generations to

Give Honor to one another not by talk but by seeing things together -

With honor and Respect

and that honor fixes the world!

So where do the rules of Shabbat

And

The Prophecy of our Forefathers

Guide US?

Food for Thought

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Portion VA yee Gash : Putting it Together

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Portion VA yee Gash : Putting it Together

Blessed art Thou Almighty who has Crowned a New Government in Israel

Yes - being Sworn in to Protect All Israel-

And help the downtrodden

And try to heal the hatreds sown

By the "hate bibi hate judaism" crowd.

AS we learn from thus week's portion-

You have to take RISKS to heal

Brotherhood

Sisterhood

Motherhood

Fatherhood

Judah risks loosing ALL just to

Protect his Youngest Brother

And that convinces Joseph-

Assistant to Pharoah-

And maybe the most

Powerful Person on the Planet

To reveal his SELF

AND WELCOME HIS FAMILY!

Isnt that enough for this week-

This Shabbat

Lets learn the lesson and

Fit Fellowshipinto our LIVES

But what about Jacob the Patriarch in this portion?

And what do we continue to learn from Father Jacob?

What did Jacob feel when he heard that his son Joseph was still alive?

What do American Jews feel when the media finally lets them hear about terrorist incidents

and those who survive terror - and are

in hospitals, in rehab, and finally back with their families who worry day and night how they can possibly return to normal lives?

Jacob tells Pharoah he has had a difficult life - but the final years are spent teaching -

all his grandchildren - how to survive the exile in Egypt - and maintain their Israelite values.

Can we absorb all this in our own exiles?

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

תשובהתשובה לכולםהעברה

Shabbat Chanuka and Rosh Chodesh the New Month

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Shabbat Chanuka and Rosh Chodesh the New Month

And as every year this Portion is deep into

"Brotherhood Rivalry"

We have learned previously of Judah's weaknesses and strengths - in Canaan/Israel

And Joseph's failings and powers - within the family - and then as a SLAVE in Egypt

But how did the JewishSlaveBoy know or

Learn to USE HIS SKILLS TO ADVANCE HUMANITY?

Joseph (even before he became Assistant Pharoah) converted people to believe in a Unitary G-d -

just as did Jacob Isaac and Avraham Before Him

Is that what got him -Joseph- in trouble with Potifar, the nobleman who bought Joseph as a slave?

Did Potifar's wife come on to Joseph because of his holy teachings?

Is that why, at Pharoah's party, they brought the

2 ministers out of prison?

To make fun of the "new Jews?

Did they hang the minister that they did because he converted to Israelitish-ness?

And the Pharoah? Were his prophetic dreams just "setting him up" for the Almighty

To introduce Joseph and Judaism to the world?

My deepest question here is how did Joseph

The Viceroy of Egypt

Have time to play tricks on his family?

Or do we learn from this portion how to

(How He Did)

Wake Up Those Who are Caught Up

In Their Own Anger

And " See the (Chanukah) light?"

Shabbat Shalom Happy Chanukah Light!

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Portion VY yishlach - Coping With Fear - or Coping with the Angel of Esau? Or with our own Past Pursueing us?

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Portion VY yishlach - Coping With Fear - or Coping with the Angel of Esau? Or with our own Past Pursueing us?

We all have things we have to cope with.

Look - and learn from Jacob our Forefather - and his Rich Smart Doting but Wise mother ...

He was an intellectual...

and he

Never complained about the difference between him and his brother -

And yet his brother is STILL out to kill him!

And his Uncle too (see last week's Portion) too -

except that the Almighty stopped THAT issue! D-d ISSUES WARNING TO EVERYONE -

some evil people learn - and some go down in history as murderers or fools or both...

But what did Jacob do wrong?

And how is he going to get

PAST HIS BROTHER's GANG to bring his children to their GRANDparents?

It says of Yaakov Avinu - Jacob -“Yaakov was greatly afraid and it distressed him.” (Bereishis 32:8).

Ramban (moved (actually kicked out) from Spain to Jerusalem about 1200 ) wrote:

“There is a message for future generations here: (HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF! Just look at the UN - a sham of hatreds!)

Everything that happened to our forefathers - will occur again to us with Eisav’s descendants”.

And why do we make mistakes?SO: What do we learn from this portion?

Jacob's answers are cleary in this portion - maybe with a little help from Rashi...

So Jacob wrestles with Esau's "angel" - or Esau's RAGE - trying to FIX the fight between them.

The commentators say it probably worked for a while ...

Psychologists try to help people understand themselves.

Our great holiness teachers do as well - but PUT IT IN A JEWISH MORAL HISTORICAL CONTEXT!

There will always be conflicts - but our Torah Masters teach us (like the Karate Kid's master?) SELF POWER -

the Power for Jews which begins with PRAYER POWER! and

Self Wisdom for Jews which begins with Torah Wisdom - 3000 years of it!

to quote Chaya Sora Jungreis :

Eisav appears and reappears with different names, and in different guises. Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, Cossacks, Communists, Nazis, – and today’s White Nationalists. The name is always changing, but the goal remains the same.

To break us ...

BUT CHANUKA IS COMING UP!

Chanukah shows us

that our oppressors through the ages are gone, but we are here, Am Yisroel endures! And how...

Abraham was a General.

Isaac was politically SAVVY.

Jacob was not weak - he was wise AND a leader - and his children were all powerful.

We beat all those who sought to destroy us - and we shall endure -

but THEY - and ALL OF US MADE MISTAKES TOO.

We are all human - but have the ABILITY TO RISE ABOVE PETTINESS (though eventually the Maccabbees blew it)

and to love and teach those around us - family, community, nations ALL

That the Children of Israel have a message -

for the children of Israel- and the world.

Shabbat shalom from Rabbi Andy Eichenholz back in New York

Portion VaYayTzay - the Mysterious Ladder

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Portion VaYayTzay - the Mysterious Ladder

The Portion describes Jacob's dream while on his way to his (evil ) uncle Lavan (Laban)

This famous dream of angels going up and down a ladder (to heaven)

And the deal between the Almighty and Jacob

Cries out for an explanation - (Non Freudian - this is Torah not Psychology).

Was it

Leaving his home or

Trouble with his brother Esau

That made him reach out - and upwards?

Or is it the Almighty talking to us? Today?

Let's look at

Mendele Vitebsker in his work Pri HaAretz, who

Gives one of many analyses.

It includes questions like:

why the ladder and not just straight prophecy?

And - if he explains the climbing angels as"Moshe and Aron,

why those 2 tzadikim - HOLY people - and isn't one not enough?

And For What were they climbing?

The two printed editions I have seen, Clearly state that the world

Seems to have LOST the last part of theRebbe's analysis - so

Those questions are not answered by that Rabbi ...

What the book did say (the part not lost) : the dream meant:

The Torah is in your guts - and in your soul -

And you can't run away

Also Adam and Eve tried - and failed - BUT...

But the Almighty gave them a beautiful Mitzva -

To light a Candle - every Erev Shabbat

However in My mind I could finish it by saying:

You can't run away from encountering G-d

Wherever life takes you, there is a HOLINESS covenant to cling to

And whether one is on the rise, or the opposite

If you look for them - You can always find angels or righteous people

And while you may not find one of them to your style - there will ALLWAYS be one other Holy Angel around

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

in Jerusalem

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עמוד 6 מתוך 55

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Parashat Hashavua

Portion Mishpatim : Why I Yelled at those Kids last night

Portion Beshalach : Between Chanuka (Goats) and Passover (Lambs)

Portion Bo

Portion Va Aiy Rah : Dealing with the Pharoahs

Portion Shemote - Snakes and Jewish Memory

PortionVa ye Chi - do Rules and or Spitituality Require Redemption?

Portion VA yee Gash : Putting it Together

Shabbat Chanuka and Rosh Chodesh the New Month

Portion VY yishlach - Coping With Fear - or Coping with the Angel of Esau? Or with our own Past Pursueing us?

Portion VaYayTzay - the Mysterious Ladder

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