Vayetze - this week's portion as viewed by our Holy Mothers

פרטים

קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם בראשון, 22 נובמבר 2020 16:52

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Vayetze - this week's portion as viewed by our Holy Mothers

Jacob is sent by his Mom (Rebecca) to her brother's home, and when he gets to town he inquires of the locals "how is Lavan (his uncle) doing?".

One of the ideas the Ohr Hachaim (who lived in Israel in the 1700's) discussed about this question is: why did they answer Jacob "Shalom lo" (peace is by him) “and here comes his daughter Rachel, tending his flock of sheep”.

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to say "you know the sheep LOVED Rachel and were prancing around her" – not like your ordinary shepherdess. She had something special. And the Ohr Hachaim implies that the other shepherds were afraid to start up with her (not like the story later where Moses rescues the 7 daughters of Yisro who had to tend the flocks together. Moses had to protect the girls from the other shepherds - but not Rachel)!

Rambam – Maimonides - tells us (Mishne Tora) that the Greeks abused us AND OUR DAUGHTERS and our torah - and the Chanuka story happened because WE NEEDED TO PROTECT OUR FAMILIES.

Today we ALSO NEED TO PROTECT OUR FAMILIES - From twitter ABUSE and from internet and other abuse

How?



So we need to learn from Mother Rachel to get to our innermost feelings and overcome competitiveness and the petty parts of our lives- and get ready with that strength to bring a new Holy Chanuka to our families and protect our children from the kinds of abuses that could G-d Forbid happen from over exposure in this internet-connected world.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Parsha of Toledot

פרטים

קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם בראשון, 22 נובמבר 2020 16:52

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Parsha of Toledot

I really want to tell over the Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach coffee joke - 
but how to explain to even my closest friends about the holiness of Isaac our forefather. 

Today on the radio Rebetzin Yemima Mizrachi of Jerusalem was teaching how Isaac never complained about his son Eisav - even though he was not growing up according to "the plan". Isaac blessed him "see my son whose scent is the scent of the fields.(the nature)..". Just as things grow and develop – so to our children grow. 

Rabbi Carlebach used to say that “from Eisav were descended people who made trouble for Israel – but ALSO many great sages and leaders – like Rabbi Akiva – were descendants from Eisav who converted to Judaism!” So gotta try to fit into G-d’s plan and then look to the future.

Last Shabbat was the portion about Abraham buying the “Double Cave” in Hebron – a Jewish Holy Place where we were forbidden to pray by the Arabs until 1967! 

Very few people in history have ever even been it the cave – but there is a story about Rabbi Avraham of Gaza (yeah – Jews always lived there too!) who was ordered by the nasty sultan to go down into a hole in the floor of the great shrine built over the cave to find something – because any of his soldiers who went down there never made it back alive! Rabbi Avraham went down – and met some people praying there – our forefathers and foremothers who are buried there! 

They gave him back the sultan’s sword! But they said to him– you’ll be with us soon and we can expound on the Torah together and pray together for the people of Israel …and soon after getting the sword back to the sultan – and saving the Jewish Community of Israel – he passed on and was buried nearby… 

So remember – our holy previous generations – from Abraham and Sarah on down – are connected to our souls and are praying for us and all Israel to grow and follow as close as.possible to G-d’s plan. 

Maybe next week the coffee joke and a French Resistance story. 

Shabbat shalom 

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Life and Death of a Mother – Sarah/Rebecca

פרטים

קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם בראשון, 22 נובמבר 2020 16:51

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Life and Death of a Mother – Sarah/Rebecca

Why does the Torah tell us about Sarah’s burial but not her marriage to Abraham?
Why does the Torah tell us about Rebecca’s marriage to Isaac but not about her passing? 

My friend Rabbi Josh Hoffman points out in his discourse this week that the Torah-as usual-is teaching us the universal mission of the Jew and his unique character within the family of nations. 

Sarah dies in Hebron/Kryat Arba (where Jews have lived for thousands of years – only kicked out by the British in 1929 for a while) – and Abraham has to dicker with the local rich guy in order to buy a burial plot. Abraham does NOT get angry – just pays “top dollar” – in front of the whole town – who are won-over by his patience.

(Remember – Abraham and his troops had just defeated a group of kings (see earlier in the Torah) and could have taken over Hebron easier than in the Magnificent Seven). It's a tough act - but Abraham is the role model here. 

Then Abraham sends his servant Eliezer to find a good wife for Isaac. The servant – who believes in G-d too- is the go-between to bring Rebecca’s family (idolaters) to a recognition – that God is behind all events. 

Really Eliezer in those days could have just BOUGHT any bride – and the family would have been happy! But Abraham taught us that G-d wants PEACE in the FAMILY OF NATIONS – and hopes that the world will eventually drop their idols and become G-dly. 

And as Rabbi Carlebach used to say at weddings – when the groom places a veil over his bride before the Chuppa ceremony that the Jewish wedding goes back to a soul connection- remonding us of Rebecca and Isaac. It teachesus that our connections are ALL from a time “before the time that we ever saw each other in this world … “ and is “deeper than anything that can be seen in this world…” and (is a) “heavenly connection.”"
May the world learn these points from us in order to bring us all closer to a G-dly world.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

v

פרטים

קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם בראשון, 22 נובמבר 2020 16:51

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Portion of VayeyRa

Last night coming back from a Torah class one of the guys in the car recalled some old “outer limits” TV episodes. In one a guy’s love of reading leads him to hide himself away in a basement to read – and when he comes out - his city has been destroyed. What does he do? Goes back down to the basement to read some more. 

Ecstacy for him? Sure – but really! 

Abraham is visited by G-d in this portion- after his Bris at age 99! 

They are just sitting there in Abraham’s Ohel = his tent. 

Maimonides explains of souls in Heaven (as quoted by Rabbi David Aron of Israelight): They know and grasp the truth of G-d... this is the reward, no other reward could be better, this is the goodness, no greater goodness could follow. 

Abraham and ecstacy – so what does that teach the Jewish people and the whole world? Does Abraham stay in his tent to “study G-dliness”? 

The next thing you know is Abraham runs to help some lost travelers.
And later in the portion Abraham has more children – and DEALS WITH FAMILY PROBLEMS!
And then the big conflict over the suggestion to sacrifice his child …

But the Torah teaches us that G-dliness is a challenge, a commitment – and is rewarded in a spiritual way.
And also by eternity. 

That is the joy and challenge of Judaism 

Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem at dawn. 

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Abraham in the Lion's Den - wrong story?

פרטים

קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם בראשון, 22 נובמבר 2020 16:50

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Abraham in the Lion's Den - wrong story?

Yes we have no tradition that Abraham was thrown into a lion's den. 

Yet Abraham fought the general culture of his time when he introduced (at age 99) the Jewish Circumcision. 

What do we learn from that?
Let's see what an old person can do ...
(Based on a story from Israel Radio this afternoon) 

An old grandmother in Communist Russia convinced her kids to have a grandson circumcized.
The Authorities found out and brought her to a court.
"This is a brutal crime" said the judge!
"But you were also circumsized" said the old lady.
"That was before the Revolution" said the judge. "10 years in jail for you, and the cirumcision must be undone !"
The old lady said "the Bris does not seem to have kept YOU from being a good and mean Communist! Let the kid keep his bris!"
"Impertinant!" yelled the judge, "You will be Fifteen years in prison for that!"
"Wonderful" said the old lady. "My doctors say I have only 2 or 3 years to live - but you are giving me 15 years to live!"
A (formerly Jewish) lawyer present said to the judge "She's crazy - you can't waste your time with someone like that! It will embarass the revolution!"
And the woman and her grandson were set free!

You see what an old person can do ?
And you don't have to be ABRAHAM!

So Rabbi Ovadia Yosef passed away this week - he was a great leader and brilliant scholar.
He published most of his works - starting at age 74!!! (He was 94 when he passed away this week in Jerusalem).
You see what an old person can do ?

It is said that his parents were somple people who had a little store in Bagdad Iraq - until they moved to Israel when Ovadia was age 3.

SEE WHAT ANY ONE OF US CAN DO FOR G-d and the JEWISH PEOPLE and the WORLD?

Shabbat Shalom 
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz