Parashat Hashavua

Portion TeTzaVeh - on Graft Negligence and Responsibility

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Portion TeTzaVeh - on Graft Negligence and Responsibility

Right now Israel news is mostly about police spyware checking telephones illegally

No judge or politician or police leader has opened up about how when and why it began

Was it negligence of 20 years that led to this loss of integrity, as some are saying?

Leadership is at a premium today in the world.

Statesmanship - always sparse in supply - seems to have given way to simple greed

What is going on with Russia, with Venezuela, with the new anti-semitic vice president in Honduras (a Palestinian), in the Yemen war - and Afghanistan - etc?

So this week was Moses' birthday - and Yahrzeit (anniversary of passing).

What lessons can the world learn today from Moshe our Leader?

Was he a great leader because he followed Yitro's advice?

Was he a Statesman who kept the 12 tribes from clashing with one another?

Was appointing his famous brother as High Priest (a job Moses held until the Mishkan/Temple was built) a move approved by the masses -

or simple nepotism (even though Moses/Moshe Rabaynu COULD have appointed his own sons - even to be priests - which he did NOT)

So my friend STUIE brough to our attention what Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach taught about Moses from this week's portion: (Reb Shlomo speaking:)

Parshas Tetzaveh, is the one Portion where Moshe Rabainu’s ( Moses) name is omitted from the Torah during his lifetime.

Tetzaveh stands as an eternal tribute to Moshe Rabainu, It is the Torah’s own testimony to Moshe Rabainu’s greatness in giving up every thing in order to preserve his bond and love with his people and restore them to their G-d.”

“Include Me Out*

See here my beautiful friends, Moshe Rabbeinu came down and brought us the Ten Commandments. When he came down it says that no one could look directly at him "Ki Karan Or Panav", gevalt was he shining like the sun. We realized that whatever he is telling us is only a fraction of what he really heard in heaven.

So here I want you to know something. What did Moshe Rabainu hear in heaven which he really didn't give over to us just yet? Humanly speaking, during the forty nights G-d was sitting with Moshe and telling him what all the laws really mean, mamesh what the whole Torah really means. Gevalt was it real.

So when did Moshe Rabainu give over to us this inside, the real meaning of everything?

After the golden calf, G-d says "I'm going to wipe out the Yidden -I'll wipe out the Yidden, and you will be the only one alive." So Moshe Rabainu says "If you wipe out all the Yidden, 'Mecheinei Na', then wipe me out from your book!" The way it's translated is "Take me out from your Torah." But here all the Rebbes say the same thing.

"Mecheini" comes from the words "Mei Noach", the waters of Noach. What's the connection to Noach? So everybody knows that Moshe Rabainu had a nitzotz (spark), a little part of Noach in him. So what was the problem with brother Noach? When G-d told Noach he would destroy his generation, Noach didn't pray for his generation. Here comes the tikkun (the spiritual repair); Moshe Rabainu says if you wipe out your people, then wipe me out of your Torah -"Mecheini" - "Mei Noach." Wipe me out because I'm not going to let another mabul (flood) come to this world. I’m not interested in starting a new world like you did with Noach. Moshe Rabainu learned to love the world, Mamash can we learn from Moshe Rabainu how to love.

Good Shabbos

So Moshe loved the people - and put his neck on the line for them.

But I would like to add how this week's portion with next week's - teach

THE JEWISH TECHNIQUE OF LEADERSHIP.

Moses is commanded to get together all the people

WITH WISE HEARTS - to build the Mishkan.

Leaders must lead - but also delegate responsibly!

And in this Portion the Priestly family is INDUCTED -

but with responsibility, not just privilege - to work for the PEOPLE

And Next Week's portion The Almighty suggests 2 individual "chacham Lev" people

(wise hearts)

So the Holy One puts in place another layer of technical management-

and Moses and Aron and Joshua do not object!

And the priests and the judges (appointed with Yitro's advice) and

the artists and the wise-hearts who will construct the Desert Temple -

and carry on LEADERSHIP POSITI0NS -

With no complaints from Joshua, or from Moses' family -

BECAUSE THIS WAS ISRAELITE STATESMANSHIP-

that worked in the desert, and upon entry to Israel -

And we can learn from this model for all time -

and maybe remind the world-

of this model of Statesmanship, coordination, and taking responsibility

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi

תשובהתשובה לכולםהעברה

Portion Teruma - the Pirate Ship and Laser Defenses - and the Desert Temple

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Portion Teruma - the Pirate Ship and Laser Defenses - and the Desert Temple

How did Israelites in the Sinai Desert "build back better"

And how did the Israeli Prime Minister this week release a New Level of Laser Defense, while the Defense Minister keeps running abroad - wanting the Prime Minister job of some future date

And how does Rebbe Nachman's story about the Kaiser's daughter-turned-pirate bring us, peace of Shabbat - and the world to a new level of Spirituality?

Was there a HO HO HO and a BOTTLE OF RUM in the desert? NO! No rum in the Desert Temple (the Mishkan)

(drunk Priests could NOT serve the Almighty)

This portion details the DONATIONS needed to build the

Mishkan in the desert - goatskins and gold,

wood copper and silver - and a few spices

There is a dispute among Torah Sages whether everything in the desert Temple, Solomon's Temple, and Ezra's Temple had to be similar.

Rashi (800 years ago) wrote that the same tables and implements had to be in ALL the future Temples

Ramban (about the same time) disagreed - as not relevant - but implied maybe Solomon's Temple maybe kept the Style of the Mishkan implements

Ohr Hachaim (200 years ago) mentions that argument,

But in His wisdom thinks Maybe the SPIRIT has to

ALWAYS BE THE SAME -

Or maybe the functioning?

But us? Our Synagogues? Spirit? Function? or Details?

How do we carry on the tradition and PURPOSE of all the

previous Great Holy Temples of our people?

Maybe our Temple Histories are "captured" -

In a pirate story by Rebbe Nachman of Breslav

A Princess gets separated from her betrothed Prince -

and they both end up searching for each other passing through a DESERT

But obviously they are each traveling in the WRONG DIRECTION

(like the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister?)

(Rebbe Nachman says the Princess represents the holy spirit of G-d

and the Prince is the Peoplehood of Israel)

But the beautiful Princess needs to escape all those trying to capture her

and tie her down to prosaic or political life!

So what's a smart girl - a holy princess - got to do?

She Steals a Ship (and brings some talented girls on board)

But they are captured by pirates (sort of like our Holy Temples)

but the spirited girls outwit them all!

And she and 11 girl sailors sail away-

tossing the pirate silver and copper -

With keeping only jewels and the GOLD of the pirates -

And maybe Rebbe Nachman is telling us

TO STAY HOLY IN AN UNHOLY WORLD -

BUT KEEP THE GOOD AND THE HOLY (and some gold)

For building the third Beit Hamikdash Temple!

(Oh and if you ASK, I can tell you how the Holy Spirit gets

the People of Israel to see the Flowers - uh in the Third Temple ...

uh - stay in touch

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Portion Mishpatim -Why Make Laws that No One Follows - Students, Women, Feminism - or a story about JUSTICE

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Portion Mishpatim -Why Make Laws that No One Follows - Students, Women, Feminism - or a story about JUSTICE

Big Portion with a Lot of Laws this week -

and a little more connection to the Sinai experience

I will try to cover a few things while I write freezing in an unheated room at a relative's home.

I may not get to the other issues - please forgive me if this computer freezes up!

So what you may ask? Why more connections to the Sinai experience? JUSTICE???

Below is a story of ILLEGAL ARREST which this week is reported in Israel ,

after those illegally arrested were awarded in court 5000 shekels (about $1600) each for the 4 hours of being held by police when they were just standing around to protect a young couple in the middle of an Arab riot a few months ago

( in the mixed Jewish-Arab town of Ramla. The Arabs there WANT APARTHEID - as in most Arab villages the ruling party is the Arab Mafia).

Overall, Itamar was left with a feeling of humiliation. Here he speaks:

“I mainly remember inexplicable physical sensations throughout that evening,” he said. “I guess the events affected me more than I thought.

“Anger was definitely there, mostly because of the humiliation. There was humiliation in a few senses – because of the very act of being apprehended, which included things like the body search, prevention of freedom of movement, the confiscation of personal belongings, and the very unempathic treatment at the hands of the arresting officers – not answering simple questions such as asking for the name of the policeman or why we were being picked up, feeling as if facing an impenetrable wall.

“In retrospect, I can understand that the police were under a great deal of stress, and it makes sense that they avoided talking to us, perhaps they directed their energies to other thoughts about how to manage the situation in general.

“But the fact is that we had come to support the residents, to do something good, and in the end we were the ones arrested.

“At the same time, there was anger regarding the lack of justice there, not for us, but for our fellow Jews, the Jewish residents of Lod and Ramla.”

So the portion sets up a basic set of laws - which have been digested, used, and updated for 3000 years!

I once taught a few college courses to police officers in New York - but I think that the job requires an annual 3 days seminar to upgrade all officers' perceptions of humanity - if possible.

As one friend said yesterday - the milk of human kindness was given to the female of the species - so does that biological fact influence the Torah views of Justice through the last 3000 years?

I doubt if it makes female judges "better" - but I think the perspective should be given a place in most legal cases.

Just a word about students here, before I get out of this freezing room and heat up my coffee and try to finish it -

Joshua was the number one student of Moses the Lawgiver.

Yet the Traditional View is that Moses first taught the justice rules to Aron the High Priest, then the other priestly families,

then to the 70 elders, and then to the whole people of the Israelites.

Where was Joshua? The tradition says he didn't budge from his teacher-master Moshe. Not that he learned everything - but he was the person selected to lead the Israelites for the next 14 years after Moshe/Moses left the world.

The Ethics of the Fathers begins with the statement

"That Moses first gave over the Torah to Joshua ..."

"So - who gives over the Torah to us?"

I bless us all that we all seek out and learn from great teachers .

Love Health Safety Blessings and - SHABBOS!

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Portion Yitro (Jethro) - What Really Happened

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Portion Yitro (Jethro) - What Really Happened

At Sinai the Torah says:

There was

Burning fire and smoke, and the

Sound of a Shofar

And the Almighty Spoke

And Moshe Rabaynu (Moses) Spoke

And EVERYONE Heard

And King Solomon described the scene 500 years later,

in the Song of Songs -

from the view of the Almighty - as it were - sending up a

Super Smoke Signal -

that the world heard about (which is why Yitro-Jethro,

father in law of Moses, came to join the people of Israel!

(and why the Portion is named after him)

And you can be in touch with that feeling of of Jethro -

and the poetic description of King Solomon -

(updating for the Israelite Population of 950 BC- before the common era)

Reading the 3rd chapter of the

SONG OF SONGS - SHIR HA SHIRIM.

It is described in the Talmud of a thousand years ago -

as a love letter between the Almighty and the Jewish People

(just as the Purim Megila is from 2600 years ago -

a love story between the Almighty and Israel!)

The ZOHAR teaches us about the feel of the smoke

and smell of the flowers

and the sound of the Shofar -

and that we are to remember those (as much as the

words of the 10 Commandments)

So what is the Zohar erally trying to tell us to remember?

And Solomon?

And Rabbi Akiva in the Talmud?

Sinai? or the Love of the Almighty?

OR THAT OUR TRADITIONS AND CONNECTIONS

CANNOT BE BROKEN

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

In Portion BO The Almighty"finished up" the Egyptian Plagues (but not yet Pharoah)

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In Portion BO The Almighty"finished up" the Egyptian Plagues (but not yet Pharoah)

And then starts : the Passover Holiday!

And PASSOVER is a FOREVER thing - For Israel - and for the World.

Okay, Passover laws appear in a few parts of the Torah - so who needs it here?

The wise commentators say the Torah should have just begun here - not elsewhere!

So why all the stories about Adam Noah Abraham, etc (the whole first of the 5 BOOKS)?

RASHI explains beautifully - writing in the era when -

The crusaders and the muslims fought over controlling the Land of Israel! So ???

Rashi explains right in the beginning of the Torah - that

The first of the 5 BOOKS is really to TELL THE WORLD to "Loosen Up"

BECAUSE it was - and iS - ONLY OUR LAND - US ISRAELITES!

already from EARLIEST HISTORY!

Get it straight world - The Almighty Created it for US - not for conquerors!

AND IN OUR PORTION THE ALMIGHTY TEACHES THAT AGAIN -

TO THE EGYPTIANS AND TO THE WORLD - AND RUSSIA LEARNED RECENTLY -

TO LET OUR PEOPLE GO!

So why, today, does the UN and Anti-Semites try to squeeze us out of OUR LAND?

I saw in the weekly from: "short, practical Lelamed Weekly Dvar"

and I will paraphrase his idea that its writer brings from

Rabbi Henach Leibowitz (Majesty of Man): who suggests (in the portion) that

The Almighty telling Moshe to “please ask them [the Jewish people] to borrow… silver vessels and golden vessels” before leaving Egypt,

was meant to instill a sense of self-worth within them, and compensate them for their hundreds of years of slave labor - and slave mentality,

and (especially) to teach them (former opressed slaves) to speak up for themselves.!

G-d’s request was to begin the Nation of Israel's transformation into a nation that fights for what is right and deserved .

The writer says it can be a lesson for us as well (and) teaches us that it’s right to stand up for ourselves - MAYBE WE NEED TO STRENGTHEN OUR OWN RESOLVE!

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Portion Va AyRah : Symbols or Cymbals

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Portion Va AyRah : Symbols or Cymbals

When Moses was "announced"ת coming before Pharoah - was he

sometimes announced with drums or cymbols? Think about how things were done 3500 years ago.

Sometimes Moses and Aron had to sneak around the guards - because they were not always welcomed...

But - after all - Moses grew up in the palace. He must have still had "a few connections" to get around ... even though they were not so belooved any more.

Let's face it though - he and Aron walked around with BIG STICKS that could be turned into CROCODILES,

and they turned the Nile into Blood, and released frogs and lice... HUH? WHAT? Of course no one really loved them any more in Egypt!

Yes - the portion tells us here that Moses and Aron introduce 7 of the 10 plagues on Egypt.

Was there any fanfare, drums or cymbols as each plague was introduce? Not likey.

OR WAS THE ALMIGHTY SENDING SYMBOLS that some of the Egyptians finally "got"?

But what are all the plagues if not symbols? (See also the Marcus Lehman Hagadda.)

To us or to THEM?

What fanfare do WE give these portions - do most Jews even cursorily read them? Even at the Passover Seder?

BUT THERE IS SO MUCH MEANING FROM THIS PORTION FOR ALL OF US.

Take for instance in the Zohar. (TO KEEP IT SHORT )

the whole thing with the Sticks into Crocodiles by Aron's staff.

It says in the portion that Pharoah's advisors could also

do the "stick to crocodile thing."

And then it says that - well, let me ask you:

Why did Aharon's staff have to swallow the magicians' crocodiles?

It's not a story - it's a symbol!

It wasn't Aron's CROCODILE that ate the the "advisors' Crocodiles".

The ZOHAR says it was a DOUBLE miracle - and DOUBLE SYMBOL

to TODAY"S WORLD

Even Aron's DRY stick (his staff turned back to a stick

after Moses' demonstration) -

ate the crocodiles/snakes/what-have-you - that

the Advisors to Evil (Pharoah) produced.

A warning to Egypt? Okay - for that time.

BUT ALSO

The symbol of ISRAEL Overcoming EVIL? For Every Generation!

May we overcome the snakes of antiSemitism

and the Crocodiles of a Corrupt UN and world leaders,

And Bless the World with our

SYMBOLISM that what they think of as an OLD DRY STICK (us)

is really going to revive true freedom from the Pharoahs of the world

and sprout (like later on IN THE TORAH) and

bring forth Almond BLOSSOMS - in the desert

And in Israel Today

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Portion ShehMote - Who did Moses Smote? (uhhh - smite?)

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Portion ShehMote - Who did Moses Smote? (uhhh - smite?)

What ties us together? Us and Moshe?

And what ties us to the Temple he Built -

and the ones he Didn't? (In Shiloh, and in Jerusalem?)

In Shiloh you can see where the giant tabernacle stood for 369 years) -

(Right Art and Don?)

The impression dug up by archaeologists is the exact measurement as in the Torah!

And the Temple mount - over 3000 years holy to our people - even called "holy" in Arabic-

because almost every holy place for Jews has had the name of the place preserved by even the Arab conquerors (who came around the year 650 and defeated the earlier conquerors).

How can the world see obvious facts and make up lies about Israel Israelites and Judaism?

So - in this week's "Rabbi Ashkenazi class" on the Tanya Chapter 4,

he stated the historical facts of why Moses wasn chosen to lead our people - ( NOT RELATED to why Abraham was Chosen before Moshe)

As appear in our portion:

It was the act of saving the Jewish slave from being beaten by the Egyptian

And trying to break up a fight between 2 Israelites.

Even if we are not all leaders we need to learn the lessons-

and then teach basic morality to the world.

Is that why there is so much anti-Semitism - because the world has a dearth of morality - or doesn't teach morality? (Or is it simple jealousy - like the stories of Joseph, or greed like the stories of Laban? Oh - those were from portions in the previous weeks...) to remember ... )

Why is there so much abuse in the world? Moses could not walk around and see beatings and fights whenever he left his "ivory tower" - the palace

And yet there are so many abusive societies and so many drug cartels, etc..

Do we have too many politicians? Not enough moral leaders?

Do we have to go back 3000 years to search for SIMPLE moral truths?

I guess the Almighty wants us ALL to read the Torah every week to remind us to remind the world about basic morality.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Portion VaYeChee - How to Give Blessings

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Portion VaYeChee - How to Give Blessings

Rabbi Carlebach taught his listeners how to give blessings - and said that is the only thing that "works" in this world.

So this week we read the Portion of the week of Jacob giving Blessings for all his family and for eternity (all time) and for ALL THE WORLD -

SOOO let me start

by blessing all my family and friends and students and congregants,

all the people of Israel and of all the world - to be healthy and happy and to ADD TO THE GOODNESS OF THE WORLD.

But are Blessings just a bunch of words - or hard work - or patience - or sometimes a struggle?

As a connection to Jabob's Blessings :This week we can learn so much about the Almighty and the Torah by hearing stories from the Yahrzeit's (this week) of great Hassidic Masters of the past , like

Rabbi Natan of Breslav, who wrote down the notes and published the work and teachings of Rebbe Nachman ( and you can see some of these as explained by Rabbi Yaskil, peppered throughout my book

"Seeking Reb Shlomo").

He wrote in the introduction to the Second printing of Likutay Mohara"N (Rebbe Nachman's Magnum Opus):

"The first printing had errors - even blank spaces which confuse the reader - and some of the typeset is corrupted- so I had to make the corrections ..."

What's the big deal? He was the editor, so of course he would make the corrections!? But at the time,

He was writing his own works,

yet he felt obligated NOT to give Rebbe Nachman's book to someone else to correct - but to guarantee it himself.

In this Portion, Jacob, Joseph, and the children - all accept the tasks -

Of making the Israelite Nation a spiritual light to the world FOREVER.

Joseph - who ran the country of Egypt, he had time? And

The other brothers who worked together to protect and build "ISRAEL" -

they were all "busy" - but they worked together to fulfill the

challenge of the task and blessing of Israel/Jacob.

And it was also the Yahrzeit of Mordechai Yosef of Ishbitz (Ishbitzer)

And here's a litle anecdote about him:

A Former student of his, beset by misfortune, went to his NEW Rebbe,

who said "go back to the Rebbe Mordechai Yosef", which he did

After Explaining all his Misfortunes, that Ishbitzer Rebbe (a believer in TRUTH -

only truth and nothing but ...) asked

"If I give you a blessing to get over all the financial woes, will you come back to be a follower at my Hassidic Court?"

But the Hassid said he wouldn't come back, and wouldn't falsify anything.

BUT THE ISHBITZER REBBE blessed him anyway -

and the man again succeeded in many ways greater than before.

Did he get the blessing despite his refusal to return -or because of it?

Because of his truthfulness - or because the Rebbe valued his honesty?

And it was just the Yahrzeit of the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe

(read about him in Chapter 16 in my book..."Seeking Reb Shlomo").

Somehow he kept with him a tiny set of Tefilin even in Aushwitz ...

until some SS guards found them ....,

For which he was soundly Beaten...

Though he always kept a cheery countenance, the others in his bunk saw him cry, and talk as if to the Almighty saying

"I accept whatever you have sent me,

but I cannot accept that I am prevented from performing your Commandments"

The next day an SS officer came to that bunk, and asked "are these yours"?

"Yes" said the Rebbe, not sure if he would be in for another beating, but totally truthful.

The officer gave them back to him! And then

He said "just dont let anyone else use them"!

(To all those Corrections Officers out there - did you

ever do a search and find contraband? What did you do or have to do?

See in my work - in - progress, probably to be titled

"Thank You Sol Wachtler")

Power of: Dedication

Truth

Connection with the Almighty

All these were our blessings from our forefather Jacob -

in his BLESSINGS to ALL his children-

To help us ALL through our people's long and lonely exiles, and

As we see from some of our great spiritual masters, that it

Doesnt matter what they did or didn't do - for us - we can only bless each other - and work to try to connect to holiness and truth of the Almighty

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Portion Vayee Gash - the last stop before 250 tough years

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Portion Vayee Gash - the last stop before 250 tough years

The basic idea here was voiced some years ago by Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Neriya (zatza"l) - but I have to ask a question regarding the significance of Jacob's prophecy

As the song goes:

Sometimes you're up

Sometimes you're down!

And So Too the Kabbala teaches us not to get Hung Up over

where we might "be" in our lives - but to

ALWAYS TRY TO CLIMB THAT HEAVENLY LADDER

to improve our lives and the world in general

From this week's portion I ask:

Why did The Almighty appear to Jacob in Be er Sheva

(At The Northern Tip of the Negev Desert) before going to Egypt?

(Reminding him that the going was getting tough,

but that the Almighty would always be with his descendents,

and they would return to the Land of Israel, Land of their forbears).

Why not just as he reunited with Joseph, who could use the prophecy?

Or when the brothers returned from Egypt with the first news of Joseph?

And why did prime Minister Bennet not go INTO Arab towns on his Chanuka tour of the Negev last week?

And I ask - did the 11 brothers also see or hear the prophecy?

(or the 10 who were there -

since probably one was with Joseph down in Egypt...)

Why not in Hebron? (Actually we are not SURE where the family was living at the start of the fateful trip down to Egypt that ended in slavery)

So I believe the Lesson in the Portion from the Prophecy could only

be understood by Jacob - who loved ALL his family -

despite the troubles he had gone through

The brothers were NOT at that level, as we see even years later,

as when Jacob left the world, the brothers were afraid that

Maybe Joseph would Take Revenge.

Even after freedom from slavery and entering Israel, there was a lot of rivalry and in-fighting between tribes - and

only RARELY were leaders like KING DAVID able to UNITE them all.

Prime Minister Bennet has to figure out how to deal with Iran and Arabs (like the Beduins in the Negev),

so it seems that he may have lost track of

THE NEED TO FOCUS ON UNITING THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL

Not that he asks me what to do - but

King David was a MASTER at dealing with the foes of Israel -

and UNITING all the Israelites made his whole career WORK better.

Maybe we should all help in this task this Shabbat - Uniting us ALL?

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Portion Me Kates: The End

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Portion Me Kates: The End

End of What?
End of the line at the pharmacy like today? But why fume about it ?
ITS FUNNY - but there is always someone that gets on line behind you ...!

So while waiting at the pharmacy this morning while the pharmacist went somewhere
I was trading Talmud thoughts with the guy behind me

And another guy – with a big red clown's nose comes behind us
and recognizes the page we are talking about – and quotes the 2 lines following

How Elijah the Prophet pointed out to some Rabbis that a certain 2 people in the market
were guaranteed a very High Honor in Heaven!

And why was that? Because they were jokesters and made people laugh!

And this guy reminds us how THIS SHABBAT CHANUKAH is the COMPLETION
Of the High Holidays – and special "in the eyes of the Almighty"
For getting Holy Prayers answered (forget about that Mercedes)

So what's the connection between Chanuka and comedians and Joseph in the Portion?
So Joseph is in prison waiting for –something? Anything? - to happen
And it's 2 YEARS since he asked the Chief Butler to remember his skills to Pharoah

But at a PARTY (there must have been CLOWNS – like in the Broadway song)
The Butler remembers, and they call in Joseph to interpret Pharoahs dreams, and

In a minute Joseph is free
And in a minute he is Viceroy – assistant to king Pharoah!

And later when he blesses his kid brother Benjamin – he uses the word Chanukah

It is called an "unclear prophecy" -
that Chanukah will be the re-dedication of the Holy Temple
Which was located in Israel in the Portion (of Israel's land) of Benjamin

A JOYOUS CHANUKAH
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenhz

מאמרים נוספים...

עמוד 9 מתוך 53

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Parashat Hashavua

Portion TeTzaVeh - on Graft Negligence and Responsibility

Portion Teruma - the Pirate Ship and Laser Defenses - and the Desert Temple

Portion Mishpatim -Why Make Laws that No One Follows - Students, Women, Feminism - or a story about JUSTICE

So the portion sets up a basic set of laws - which have been digested, used, and updated for 3000 years!

Portion Yitro (Jethro) - What Really Happened

In Portion BO The Almighty"finished up" the Egyptian Plagues (but not yet Pharoah)

Portion Va AyRah : Symbols or Cymbals

Portion ShehMote - Who did Moses Smote? (uhhh - smite?)

Portion VaYeChee - How to Give Blessings

Portion Vayee Gash - the last stop before 250 tough years

Portion Me Kates: The End

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