Parashat Hashavua

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

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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם ב22 נובמבר 2020

כניסות: 1452

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

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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם ב22 נובמבר 2020

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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

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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם ב22 נובמבר 2020

כניסות: 1245

The portion starts out "take for me donations", (Tikchu Terumati)

and in the Kabbala work ZOHAR the portion explanation begins with the concept
"G-d has given every nation a king but
G-d has chosen to be the King of the Jewish nation (children of Jacob/Israel)". 

The Hebrew "teruma" can mean "raise up for me donations" (from the root TARUM)
or as Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach said of this sentence "it means SEPARATE and MAKE SPECIAL" for me. 

So that explains the ZOHAR - because (in brief) the Al-mighty takes a nation to H-imself -
gives us a task - a special task-
and as Rav Shlomo teaches us-

"therefore we learn that our task is to make those around us feel special and
to make our worship of Hashem special and
to raise up our children to know how special they are to us ... etc".

Have a special Shabbos! 

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם ב22 נובמבר 2020

כניסות: 1250

Mishpatim - portion of LAWS - to teach us NOT what to do - but HOW TO BE (closer to G-d)‏

So the portion is called "laws". 

It tells us starting in Shmos chapter 21 - how to NOT make people feel like SLAVES
and in sentence 17 there
How to NOT act towards your parents who brought LIFE to you
and later
How NOT to blame G-d for WHAT YOUR LIFE MUST ACCOMPLISH IN THIS WORLD ...

BECAUSE it teaches us HOW G-d WORKS -
not moving people out of a place where their presence is needed (see in Shmos 23:29)... and who knows what is needed and when - if not Hashem ...?

And it teaches us how to get CLOSE to G-d - 
as the Almighty tells Moses in Shmos 24:16 - 18 " be here ... " and after 6 days of preparation -
"on the Shabbos" - ? the SEVENTH DAY -
after Moses is READY to be close to G-d - 
it says "Moses entered the clouds..." - the Clouds of Glory ??

And WHY ALL THIS LAWS ... AND TEACHING ... we need LAWS- training us - 
BECAUSE IT IS NOT SO EASY TO FULFILL THE ALMIGHTY'S MISSION-

To have us -
AS RABBI CARLEBACH SAID IN HIS WAY OF TRANSMITTING THE TORAH:
"love one another and bring the WHOLE WORLD two million miles closer to redemption." 

Let's try this Shabbat 

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם ב22 נובמבר 2020

כניסות: 1559