Rabbi's Blog

This Dvar Torah is L’Ilui Nishmas Eliezer Ben Avraham a”h, in memory of Mr. Larry Greenbaum

Throughout history communication has evolved and changed in tandem with society, culture, and vagaries of life. . As we know, speech is a major form of communication, and one outgrowth of speech is the ever-evolving use of slang. Most words have multiple meanings, depending upon context – sometimes connoting positive and good, while at other times conveying meanings which are negative and evil. Two weeks ago my wife discovered that her car was ‘keyed’. ‘Keyed’ in this context, in my opinion, is an act which earns the person who has done this reserved spot in the seventh level of Gehinom. It is the ultimate, senseless act of destruction and malice that a ‘human being’ can commit. A person just takes a key and scratches the length of the side of a car or a portion of it just for the heck of it. When a person sees his car was keyed it’s as if the offender has scratched out the skin of the person. To add insult to injury, these hoodlums never ‘key’ an, old beat-up car - only a nice new one.

Usually the usage of the word ‘key’ is positive. The Hebrew word for ‘key’ is ‘Mafteiach’ , meaning the thing with which one opens an object, idea, or opportunity. A key or Mafteiach opens locks, doors, opportunities, and is the word used for an index and many other things as well. The ‘Key’ is used in many ways to define and describe something. Here is a list of some of the times we use the word ‘key’:

1. A metal instrument by which the bolt of a lock is turned

2.  A means of gaining or preventing entrance, possession, or control
3.  Something that gives an explanation or identification or provides a solution the key to a riddle an aid to interpretation or identification
4. One of the levers of a keyboard musical instrument that actuates the mechanism and produces the tones or a part to be depressed by a finger that serves;  one unit of a keyboard
5. A system of tones and harmonies generated from a hierarchical scale of seven tones based on a tonic such as the key of G major
6. The tone or pitch of a voice and the predominant tone of a photograph with respect to its lightness or darkness
7. A small switch for opening or closing an electric circuit, i.e. a telegraph key
8. The set of instructions governing the decipherment of messages
9. A free-throw area in basketball

In classical Jewish thought we view keys as the entrance way to places and things we need. The Gemara Taanis 2a states: "R' Yochanan said: Three keys the Holy One blessed be He has retained in His own hands and not entrusted to the hand of any messenger: the Key of Rain, the Key of Childbirth, and the Key of the Revival of the Dead". The three keys mentioned here by the sages are all tied to the source of existence. Through them God "touches" our world at three central stations in life - inception, being, and resurrection.

We can infer from Reb Yochanan’s statement that there are other keys that are entrusted to the hands of many messengers. Perhaps we can suggest the key of health, sustenance, and livelihood just to name a few. Have you ever asked yourself, “What key am I holding?” Do the keys that I have work anymore, or are they keys that one time worked but do not now because the mechanisms were changed or because there are new locks? I sometimes find old keys which I have not used in many years, yet they could probably still open something up if only I knew what. Sometimes we have the keys, but for some reason they just don’t work. This situation is found in this week’s Parsha Vayeilech.

In Devarim 31:2 the Torah states: “Vayomer Aleihem Ben Meah V’Esrim Shana Anochi HaYom, Lo Uchal Ode Latzeis V’Lavo, VaHashem Amar Eilaiy Lo Sa’Avor Es HaYarden Hazeh”. “He said to them: Today I am 120 years old and I can no longer come and go. God also has told me that I would not cross the Jordan”. *Rav Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica in his sefer Mei HaShiloach explains the words, “I can no longer come and go”. On this day Moshe Rabbeinu reached wholesomeness and truthfulness and God inscribed His name onto Moshe. For as long as a person does not complete himself in this world, he is still able to reach higher limits. At the same time of pursuit, the person runs the risk that Chas V’Shalom he could lose all that he had gained previously. But once a person reaches that level, he can never fall and lose that which has been gained; He cannot reach any higher. Moshe is declaring he reached a certain height and can no longer go lower or even higher. Moshe states that he can’t lose what he gained in this world because Hashem stamped him for all his deeds that he had already acquired. At the same time he can no longer gain any more.

The Aseres Y’Mei Teshuva are days to help us to get all of our keys together, to figure out which keys still work and which keys are no longer needed.  We are in control of many storehouses of blessing. Each of us has the power to control the key to our destiny for this coming year and for the future of our families and Klal Yisrael. May we a make use of our keys to develop ourselves for the good and to be blessed with a year of brachos, health, and nachas.

Ah Gut Shabbos & a Gmar Chasima Tova

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

 *(1801-1854) was a rabbinicHasidic thinker and founder of the Izhbitza-Radzyn dynasty of Hasidic Judaism.

Rabbi Mordechai Yosef was born in Tomashov in 1801. His father Reb Yaakov , was the son of Reb Mordechai of Sekul, a descendant of Rabbi Saul Wahl. At the age two Rabbi Yosef became orphaned of his father. He became a disciple of Reb Simcha Bunim of Peshischa where he joined Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk and Rabbi Yosef of Yartshev; both also born in Tomashov. When Rabbi Menachem Mendel became Rebbe in Kotzk, Reb Mordechai Yosef became his disciple there; then in 1839 he became a rebbe in Tomaszów, moving subsequently to Izbica.

His leading disciple was Rabbi Yehuda Leib Eiger (1816-1888), grandson of Rabbi Akiva Eiger. His students included Rabbi Zadok HaKohen of Lublin (1823–1900), his son, Rabbi Yaakov Leiner (1828–1878) and his grandson RabbiGershon Henoch Leiner of Radzyn. Mordechai Yosef Leiner is buried in an ohel on the Jewish cemetery in Izbica.

Every week I share an insight into daily life and connect it to the Parsha of the week. Sometimes the message is spiritual,  other times it is educational. I always hope that the underlying message of each story or situation resonates personally with the reader. I hope this week’s  message will benefit everyone (including me!) physically and spiritually. Technology has improved quality of life for everyone, but it comes at a great cost. Without keeping the benefits of technology in check, it can actually destroy a person spiritually and even kill or injure us physically.

Many things that you are about to read are not new; they are reminders and suggestions intended to maximize the benefits of technology and not lessen the life we had before purchasing the gadget. To date, the single most powerful mass-produced technology worldwide is the smart phone, which is basically a hand-held computer. We all know the dangers that come along with smart phones, but the specific danger of ‘distraction’ the phone creates while driving and during davening is cause for growing alarm.   There are statistical studies showing the danger of texting and general cell phone use while driving. Many challenge the use of statistics in that the data is misrepresented to prove a point. The idea of statistics being manipulated is summed up by a few great quotes.  Mark Twain said, “Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable.” or George Canning’s quip, “I can prove anything by statistics except the truth.”  Now some people will argue that, statistically speaking, they are willing to take a chance given those statistical analyses.  If you ask me my feelings about statistics, I would say whether or not statistics are overstated or overrated, we still should not want to become a statistic! Henry Clay once wrote, “Statistics are no substitute for judgment.”

I recently watched a video of a fatal car crash which was caused by texting. I also have come to notice more and more frequently how my davening and the davening of others are interrupted, curtailed, and destroyed because of cell phone use in Shul. I am guilty as charged, but would like to help myself and others work on this issue  - in the car and in Shul. In order to tackle the addiction, we need to use a formula or some form of method to reduce the incident levels of infraction to the point that we are able to feel comfortable driving and davening without an ounce of temptation to even glance at our phones. I thought about a method that is recommended for other challenging Mitzvos that need correction.

The crusade against smoking and speaking loshon hora/bad speech  has gained momentum and slowly but surely these issues are coming  under control. The ultimate goal is to convince ourselves that we have the ability to control  our desires; it is up to each of us individually to decide if and when we should activate that control. We cannot allow our impulses to encourage us to do something that is harmful to our bodies or to our souls. We all know that declaring I am never going to speak loshon hora anymore just does not work. One technique used in curtailing  evil speech or slander is to set aside a few minutes a day and commit to not speaking lashon hora. Smoking a cigarette can be postponed for a few minutes, delaying  gratification. This has been a successful method used to curtail  any sin. The cold turkey method may work for some very strong-willed individuals, but most of us will not measure up to that very large, cold turkey!  

I have challenged myself to reduce and eventually never take out my phone during davening or while driving. The technique that I am using is as follows: Each and every time I get into the driver’s seat or at the stated time for beginning to pray, I tell myself, ‘I am not going to take out my phone on this ride or at this tefilla service. I am not going cold turkey saying, “I will never….” It’s much more effective to take one ride, one prayer service at a time. Everyone should be able to develop the ability to put down the device, turn off the sound, just avoid the phone, or keeping it out of reach at least for a few minutes. If anyone seriously feels he cannot detach himself from the phone and absolutely must check an e-mail or feels that need to text on impulse, he has a serious addiction and should seek professional help. I would like to suggest that this cell phone issue and its resolution is found in the parsha.

In this week’s Parsha Ki Savo the Torah begins with the Mitzva of Bikkurim - The bringing of first fruits. A portion of this Mitzva is a verbal confession or vidui that the Jew performed the Mitzvos properly. In Devarim 26:13 the Torah states: “V’Amarta Lifnei Hashem Elokecha Bi’Arti HaKodesh Min HaBayis, V’Gam N’Sativ LaLevi V’Lager, LaYasom, V’L’Almana, Kchal Mitzvoscha Asher Tzivisani Lo Avarti MiMitzvosecha V’Lo Shachachti”: “You must then make the following declaration before God your Lord: ‘I have removed all the sacred portions from my house. I have given the appropriate ones to the Levite and to the orphan and widow, following all the commandments You prescribed to us. I have not violated your commandment, and have forgotten nothing.” Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter, 15 April 1847 – 11 January 1905), also known by the title of his main work, the Sfas Eme,s asks on this last part of the verse: ”Just because a person fulfills a Mitzva, does that mean that he won’t forget about it?” To the contrary, he answers. “It is possible to forget about a mitzvah, even though it appears to the eye that he is doing the Mitzva. When is that? When a person performs a Mitzva without intent, without thinking about it. “He performs the Mitzva while remaining  basically distracted from the very Mitzva at hand. Only because he is so accustomed to doing that particular Mitzva and having performed it many times over is he able to continue to do the act without even thinking about it.   He is able to routinely go through the motions of the mitzvah while thinking about something completely different. Similarly we text while driving a car without even thinking or needing to concentrate on the road because we are so accustomed to it. This is forgetting the Mitzva even as we are perfunctorily doing it. The doing of a Mitzva must be accompanied by its intent, giving complete, total focus on the important act he is currently doing.  The method of curing the problem is alluded to a number of times in the Parsha. Take notice how many times the word or words of Hayom Hazeh ‘this day’ appears in the Parsha. It is a reference to do something just today and work on it day by day and time by time. The Sfas Emes specifically addresses this by alluding to some parting words Moshe said to the Jewish people. In Devarim 29:3 Moshe explains to the people that a person does not see the benefit or realize the culmination of something until the end. Moshe says: “Ad HaYom HaZeh - But until this day, God did not give you a heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear”. He explains that all of the miracles and wonders that Hashem did for Bnei Yisrael in the desert were not natural according to nature. Only until now, after the forty-year drive is over and the long prayer service in Shul is complete, can we appreciate things that happen -  one step at a time. Only at the end of these one-time things do we appreciate the totality of the effort. 

As we begin to say ‘selichos’ we should keep in mind to be aware and sorry for the past misdeeds and not have to say ‘I am sorry’ when we can’t reverse the damage we may have caused to ourselves or to others. Please join me in taking the cell phone challenge (no phone during driving or davening) before we destroy the neshama and the body that Hashem will be judging in only a few days from now.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

The book “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus states that most common relationship problems between men and women are a result of fundamental psychological differences between the genders. The author exemplifies this thesis by means of a metaphor: men and women are from distinct planets;  each one is acclimated to his/her own planet's society and customs, but not to those of the other. One example:  men's complaint that if they offer solutions to problems that women bring up in conversation, the women are not necessarily interested in solving those problems, but mainly want to just talk about them. The book asserts that men and women can be understood in terms of distinct ways they respond to stress and stressful situations. Do I need John Gray to tell me this? The answer, of course is no! If I learn, study and follow the Torah, I recognize and understand the different roles and missions males and females have to complete this world we live in together.

Men and women are inherently different in the obvious physical ways and in the non-obvious emotional ways. There are many menial tasks and jobs that take place in a house. There are some homes with rules and jobs and or specific chore delegations such as taking out the garbage and washing dishes. Nevertheless, there are a few tasks done by either husband, wife, or by sons or daughters. One such task, oddly enough, is the replacing of toilet paper on the roll. This may sound strange, but I would like to take a virtual poll. When replacing the roll, does it hang flush against the wall or just hang in mid-air? Now, I do know that toilet paper comes in different colors such as blue and pink, but without further stereotyping, the poll would only solicit from homes using white toilet paper. I would like to postulate that the results of the poll, based upon my household, is that when women hang the roll, the paper is faced away from the wall, and when men replace the roll, the paper is hung close and flush to the wall. I’m not sure if I will get any measurable quality data about this question from this article. One thing for sure is that men and women are different and, no matter how many scientists, psychologists, and psychiatrists chip into this discussion, none of us really know why. The main reason we don’t know why is because the Torah (Hashem) did not go out of His way to tell us. The question is… why not? Why does God give us more information and reasons behind the Mitzvos?  The answer is not one that I or many of you would think of.

In this week’s parshas Shoftim 17:16,17 the Torah states: “Rak Lo Yarbeh Lo Susim V’Lo Yashiv Es Ha’Am Mitzraima L’Maan Harbos Sus, Va’Hashem Amar Lachem Lo Tosifun Lashuv Baderech Hazah Ode. V’Lo Yarbeh Lo Nashim V’Lo Yasur L’Vavo, V’esef V’Zahav Lo Yarbeh Lo M’ode”. “The king however, must not accumulate many horses, so as not to bring the people back to Egypt to get more horses. …He also must not have many wives, so that they not make his heart go astray. He shall likewise not accumulate very much silver and gold”. The Gemara Sanhedrin 21b and Rambam Hilchos Melachim 3:2 explain that although polygamy was permitted, and was common for kings, the Jewish king was forbidden to have more than eighteen wives.

* On the pesukim warning a king not to have too many horses or wives, the Yalkut Shimoni points out the answer as to why the Torah doesn’t give reasons why not to do things. Rebbi Yitzchok said: Why is it that God didn’t just tell us the reasons behind the Mitzvos? He answers that there are two Mitzvos where the Torah actually does reveal the reasons and a person actually ended up sinning because he did know the reason why he shouldn’t have done what he did. The Torah, as cited earlier, states that a king should not take many wives. The reason was “Lo Yasur L’Vavo “ – “Do not turn his heart away”. Shlomo HaMelech, King Solomon, said:  “I will take more wives (Shlomo had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. Melachim Aleph 10) but I will not turn”, meaning I can handle the test, therefore I can marry many wives because they will not influence me. Unfortunately, even the wisest man who ever lived underestimated the lure and temptation, and it did not please God. In addition, the Torah warned the king not to have too many horses. Once again the Torah gave the reason: so that the Jews should not return to Egypt. Apparently, Egypt was the center for horses and it would bring the Jews back there, and this is forbidden. Shlomo HaMelech brazenly stated: ‘I will have many and will not succumb to go back to Egypt’.    At this Rebbi Yehoshua Ben Levi quotes Sanhedrin Yerushalmi 2:6 and states: The Book of Devarim ascended and prostrated itself before the Holy One, Blessed is He, and said, ‘Shlomo wishes to uproot the letter yud from me. He is transgressing the prohibition of acquiring many wives and many horses. The word ‘Yarbeh’  - a multitude -  begins with the letter yud. Hashem replied, Shlomo and a thousand like him will cease, but not a word from you the Torah will cease.

This most important Midrash teaches us a fundamental approach in the performance of Mitzvos. Shlomo HaMelech, the wisest man, looks at the reason the Mitzva is given and says that it won’t affect him. We have heard about the challenges and the tests that go along with a person winning the lottery and having instant wealth. At one point or another we all have said “it’s okay. Let me win the lottery and I will handle the tests.” Basically, we convince ourselves that we can overcome the challenge. Clearly, if Shlomo HaMelech was unable to measure up to avoid transgressing this prohibition, then certainly we should understand that this applies even more clearly to all of us.

We do not know why the Torah and even the Rabbis, for that matter, instituted certain commandments and enactments. There is a danger if we think we know the reasons and then think it won’t affect us or, worse, that those reasons do not apply to me. Somethings in life are and will remain secrets. Situations occur which remain unanswerable;  we aren’t necessarily entitled to know the background of why such and such is taking place. Let us work on our not judging others or judging situations which people find themselves struggling with. Ultimately, we do not know the reasons behind them, and, frankly, we are probably better off not knowing what the reasons are in the first place.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

*The Yalkut Shimoni or simply Yalkut is an aggadic compilation on the books of the Torah. From such older aggadot as were accessible to him, the author collected various interpretations and explanations of Biblical passages, and arranged these according to the sequence of those portions of the Bible to which they referred. The author of the Yalḳuṭ cannot be determined with certainty. The title-page of the Venice edition ascribes the composition of the work to R. Simeon of Frankfort, "the chief of exegetes" ("rosh ha-darshanim"), and this was accepted by David Conforte and Azulai, who called him Simeon Ashkenazi of Frankfort.

My Rebbi Rabbi Wein YB”L used to say “the reality never lives up to the fantasy”. Much of our life is lived in a fantasy state looking forward to things that hopefully will play itself out according to our vision. This should not be misunderstood to think we should not plan and dream in life, but rather enter into a situation knowing we might not fill that expectation. Second, there are times that the fantasy does live up to our expectations. The question though is: why in many situations does the rule apply? After thinking about this, I asked myself what is it that guarantees the fantasy or the dream? Is it a matter of planning better in order that the outcome comes to fruition?  

The simple answer is no. We can and should plan but there are many factors and variables that are out of our control. There are elements in life that we are unaware of that we did not take into account and then there are things that occur after we’ve made the plans that alter the original plan. We can only do our part to ensure the reality lives up to the fantasy but with no guarantees. Ultimately it is up to God to determine how much of the fantasy becomes reality. I am sure there are many reasons and factors that go into the process but we are not privy to them.

The only One that can plan and execute a perfect fantasy or prophecy that matches the reality can only be planned by Hashem. The promises and prophecies that Moshe outlines in this week’s parsha are truly remarkable to take place in a country in the Middle East. Parshas Eikev is full of detail in how the land of Israel is going to flourish from east south west and north. Israel today is the most advanced and developed country within the last seventy years. The population growth of the country has challenged it in every area of life. Yet Israel continues to respond to the ever burgeoning challenges it faces.

To illustrate I will point out a few a few areas of incredible ingenuity that I observed the past few weeks.  The population in Yerushalayim is possibly at its height in history. With so many people and cars in the city travel was getting difficult. Well, it’s easy for a city that is growing just to build new roads and expand, but Jerusalem is not a planned city. The engineering feats and ways to build new thoroughfares such as the Begin highway dissecting the city and maximizing the area now going from the north to the south of the city is ingenious. The newish light rail that took some time to build has proven very effective and now a new super train from Yerushalayim to Tel Aviv (25 minutes) is scheduled to be completed by 2018. The food industry for both domestic and export is growing despite the BDS anti-Semitic movement.  With Jewish/Israeli agricultural technology there is almost no piece of land that isn’t ‘fertile’ to grow something. The drip irrigation system is able to maximize the precious commodity of water by using a little and producing a lot. Tourism is a major contributor to the economy. Despite being located in the powder keg of the world Israel is able to weather the storms of terrorism that try to prevent and scare tourists away. For me, as many times as I have visited Israel there is ALWAYS something new to see whether a new excavation, museum, or a modern fun activity. One last example is in the area of defense. Israel continues to exist despite the physical threat from its enemies. Israel’s defense and security know how is sought after by other countries. The technology and expertise has prevented our enemies from carrying out their plans.  

In this week’s Parsha Eikev the Torah in Devarim 8:8 states “Eretz Chita U’Seorah V’Gefen U’T’eina V’Rimon, Eretz Zeit Shemen U’Dvash”. “A land of wheat and barley, the grapevine and the fig and the pomegranate, a land of olive oil and honey”. The commentary Onkelos explains it to be a land that sweats and makes oil and honey. Later in Eikev 11:9 on the words ‘Eretz Zovas Chalav U’Dvash’, a land flowing with milk and honey Onkelos translates the word zovas as works rather than the traditional definition of flow. The Chasam Sofer explains there is an apparent two-step process that the land of Israel must undergo in order to produce in an abundant fashion. In describing the greatness of the Jewish people the Torah in Devarim 26:19 states: U’Lisitcha ElyonAl KKol HaGoyim Asher Asah L’Tehila L’Sheim U’Litiferes” And I will place you on top of all the nations of the world and it will be a praise, for my namesake and for glory”.

The Chasam Sofer uses these two verses to explain how the milk, honey, olives and oil connect. The Jewish people are compared to oil that when mixed with water it floats to the top. But the oil floating and reaching the top only comes after a lot of hardship, affliction and pain. Olive oil is produced by crushing and smashing the olive and pressing and squeezing out its precious liquid. So too the Jewish people are made to float to the top only after we are made into that precious oil. The Jewish people in the end receive honor and be blessed by all only after going through hardships, endure pain and suffer. The past one hundred years has been tough for Am Yisrael, but the budding and oozing of the rich oil is hopefully starting to flow.

This olive or Jew through the smacking and difficulty will gush forth the precious oil. At that point it (it being the Jew and the land of Israel) will be a producer of Dvash, honey. Dvash is an acronym for Dei’ah, Binah, Seichel, knowledge, intellect and understanding. The Gemara Bava Basra 158 teaches “Avira D’Eretz Yisrael Machkim” The air or environment of the land of Israel makes one wise. The land flowing with honey isn’t only taken literally, but metaphorically speaking it is the land and the people of Israel who will produce like honey.  The honey of wisdom and brain power that has brought great technology, science, agriculture, medicine, security and urban development to Israel today.      

There is no question that the accomplishment only comes from the Almighty, our Father in Heaven. Ironically it is in the very same parsha that the Torah describes the greatness of the land as we are seeing in our times that He warns us not to think it is our doing. We must be careful not to think “Kochi V’Otzem Yadi” is our strength and the handiwork of man that made all this for us. It is not a coincidence but rather by design that Hashem warns us to recognize it comes from Him.

It is the land that makes us wise and Hashem Who gives us the ability to create, invent and implement the dreams that we dreamt for centuries now come to be a reality in our lifetime. May we continue to recognize and thank Hashem for what we are experiencing today and let it continue to the ultimate prophecy of Yeshayahu “Sason V’Simcha Yimatzey Va Todah V’kol Zimra” in the Bayis Shlishi that should be built speedily in our day.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

Baruch Hashem I have had the opportunity to make numerous trips to Israel over the past thirty-four years, but I have not had the opportunity to stay for more than ten day visits within the last fifteen years. Usually my trips are so short that by the time I adjust it is time to go back. Living in an apartment, driving a car, shopping in small grocery stores, supermarkets, and new, modern malls gives one a different perspective than that of the tourist who stays in a hotel, dines in restaurants and gets chauffeured around from place to place. Besides the food, lodging, and travel, there is the rarity in having the pleasure (and challenge) to spend time with our parents, children, siblings, and their extended families as well.  

For only the second time in my life, I am now experiencing the ‘nine days’ and Tish’a B’Av in Eretz Yisrael. Everyone who has visited Israel over the years has seen the incredible difference in the country in all areas of development from a fledgling state to a thriving country. There is no doubt the Almighty has been in the forefront as well as in the background of the miraculous growth of the land of Israel. I feel there is a difference in the golus/exile from one hundred years ago until today both in Israel and in the United States. It is important to note that there is no clear, all agreed-upon definition of what the term ‘galus’ means or stands for.

Some groups define and explain Galus/Exile only in the spiritual sense while others define it in physical terms. Some conclude that galus is a combination of not having complete sovereignty over the land of Israel while others link it to the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, implying that as long as there is no Temple we remain in exile despite the fact we live in Israel. Others contend that if we have spiritual freedom and the ability to return to Israel, we are not technically living in exile. I am not going to give a definition to the word Galus/exile, but I will share a feeling and challenge in today’s world regarding the exile.    

Growing up only one generation after the Holocaust, I saw the religious and physical challenges of being an observant Jew in New York. The Jewish infrastructure and incredible amenities of Jewish life that we see today in New York was only just beginning throughout my childhood. Religious life struggled for its identity in the early years, rebuilding the Orthodox communities of Yeshivas, Chasidic dynasties and the religious Zionist movements.  I perceived as well as openly encountered anti-Semitism even after the Holocaust and, ironically, along side the civil rights movement came along many rights for Jews, enabling all of us to feel as equals in mainstream society. Fast forward forty years and America has become the greatest, most welcoming country for Jews in history. Jewish life is teeming with religious observance.  This applies to the observant and non-religious Jews alike; all feel the greatness of America. With all that we have in America, who actually feels like we are still in Golus/Exile? Do we really feel that we are missing something?

Ironically, Eretz Yisrael is very similar, if not worse than America, with regard to  recognizing the exile that we still need to feel and experience. As I mentioned earlier, the land of Israel, Bli Ayin Hora, is thriving in most categories that are used to measure success. Even the holy places, destroyed by our enemies hundreds of years ago, are currently undergoing extensive beautification and modernization, leaving very little for the body and soul to feel lacking.  The nine days has become a challenge with regard to figuring out how many different varieties of dairy and pareve dishes we can come up with. The suffering of Tish’a B’Av dreaded by many, entails sitting on a carpeted floor in an air conditioned room at night, and in the morning and watching entertaining and, yes, inspiring videos of our leaders speaking to us on the ills of society and how to mend our ways.

Let’s not forget that Tish’a B’Av is not only about doing Teshuva -  mending our ways of Bein Adam LaChaveiro (although it hopefully helps in bringing about a change in order to rebuild the Beis HaMigdash). It is aboutmourning over the loss of something so beloved and precious. We all feel the challenge of mourning a loss, especially when we feel and have so much.

The test and trial we collectively face today is the length of the exile and its seemingly endless time. We are so far removed in time from the destruction, it is difficult to relate. In this week’s Parsha Devarim, the fifth Gerrer Rebbe, Reb Yisrael Alter, in his sefer Beis Yisroel, introduces a question from the very first verse of sefer Devarim: “Eileh HaDevarim Asher Diber Moshe El Kal Yisrael,”-  “These are the words that Moshe spoke to the entire Israel…”. These ‘words’ are meant to be a rebuke of the Jewish people for the sin of the golden calf. This speech that Moshe is giving takes place during the last days of Moshe’s life, immediately prior to the Jewish people entering the land of Israel.  It is the time of the completion of the forty-year
trek the Jews made through the desert. At this point all of the people who sinned at the Eigel HaZahav have died out. Who, then, is Moshe speaking to? The answer is that immediately following the sin of the golden calf, Moshe Rabbeinu rebuked the Jewish people. The Jews who did not participate in the sin should have rebuked their fellow Jews who did, but they did not want to engage in any disputes, so therefore all but three thousand were spared. But when it came to the Machlokes of Korach against Moshe and Aharon, no one spoke up to give rebuke against the sinners. No one even attempted to rebuke and then wiggle out with the excuse to avoid machlokes.  The original sin of the golden calf was aroused and were combined to Korach’s time. The original punishment for not rebuking the sin of the Eigel when they should have was now combined, setting up a devastating combination. This explanation is applied to the destruction of the first and the second Beis Hamikdash. The Gemara Shabbos 119b states: “Yerushalayim was destroyed because they did not rebuke one another when necessary. But in the time of the first Beis HaMikdash the people said, “We don’t want to rebuke in order to avoid divisiveness.” Hashem accepted that and therefore the exile was only seventy years. Unfortunately, the second time around the cause of the second Temple was baseless hatred and the original punishment from the first Temple was aroused and combined. This has lead to the lengthy exile that we are currently experiencing.   

As we come to the conclusion of the nine days of Av this Shabbos, let us realize how much we have and yet how much we are still lacking. May our actions speak louder than our words in truly desiring the coming of Moshiach and end the long empty golus/exile of our time.

Ah Gut Shabbos (and if necessary) a meaningful fast

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

Chaza”l taught “Eretz Yisrael Niknin B’Yisurin”, the land of Israel is acquired through hardship. This concept has evolved over centuries and can be seen even in today’s day and age. Everything in life is relative therefore the degree of difficulty in the realm of the land of Israel varies greatly from even one hundred years ago until today how much more so from thousands of years ago. Never the less any time we find a challenge in either moving or visiting Eretz Yisrael we are met with challenges and it becomes a subtle reminder that it doesn’t always come easy.

I am sitting in Yerushalayim thinking about my trip getting here. I left beautiful sunny San Diego on Monday morning and connected to a flight from Newark that would take me to Israel. Due to inclement weather and some mechanical issues my original flight from Newark due to leave at ten-thirty at night was finally cancelled at three thirty in the morning. It took approximately three hours to re-book passengers with different options, I personally transferred to a Delta flight from JFK and delayed coming to Israel by about eighteen hours. It was a difficult night for many of the elderly passengers, families with small children and foreigners in a strange land. For me personally it was a relatively small inconvenience, perhaps a little reminder not to take Eretz Yisrael for granted. But overall there was something that stood out but didn’t necessarily shock me, that was the relative calm and respect everyone had for the personnel of the airline that had to deal with some angry and upset passengers. Sure there was murmuring amongst the Jews themselves but all approached the gentile employees with respect, dignity and in a peaceful manner.

The experience in Newark was a subtle reminder of who we are a Jews, but was magnified later that day at JFK airport. Due to weather delays and FAA regulations related to pilots and crews time limitations other flights were cancelled. I passed a gate where they had just announced a cancellation. I couldn’t believe it but there was a riot that was about to erupt and security needed to be called in. It mimicked some of the anti-establishment riots and protests we’ve been witnessing across the U.S. with people chanting “no, no, no “over and over again while getting into the face of many of the airline workers. I and everyone else understand people rightfully being upset. Vacations planned, limited time to certain vacation destinations, timely events for families and friends to be together are impacted and disrupted by the cancellation. But there was a glaring contrast of cancelled flights that I witnessed first-hand between the situation at JFK and the one I was involved in.

We the Jewish people rationalize and reason why certain things happen in life. As difficult as it sometimes is to accept it, we nevertheless try our best. It is through the approach that “Gam Zu L’Tova” “everything is for the best”, or “we don’t know why things happen” are different approaches to difficult times but brings God into the picture thus bringing us closer to Him. I recently heard a beautiful word of Torah about the name of Hashem and the word Shalom which is one of God’s names. If we exemplify the middos of Hashem through peaceful action will we then acquire a stronger bond and relationship with Hashem.

The focus of peace is highlighted in the beginning of this week’s Parsha Pinchas. Following last week’s episode at the end of Parshas Balak, Pinchas rises up and kills Zimri ben Saloo and Kazbi bas Tzur as they committed a public act of immorality. Many had challenged Pinchas’ brazenness and quick action calling into question whether he acted properly or not. God backed up Pinchas as is stated in Bamidbar 25:12-13 “Lachein Emor Hinini Nosein Lo Es Brisi Shalom. V’Hayisa Lo uL’Zaro Acharav Bris Kehunas Olam, Tachas Asher Kinei LeiLohav Vayichapear Al Bnei Yisrael”. “Therefore I say; Behold I give unto him my covenant of peace. And it should be to him and his seed after him the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel”.

The commentaries explain God made a covenant of peace with Pinchas because he defended His honor. The word ‘kinei’ describes Pinchas being jealous for Hashem and standing up for Him. The word Kinei is spelled with an aleph. I would like to use my literary license (and within Halachik literature) substitute the ‘aleph’ with the letter ‘hey’. The word still spells out ‘kinei’ but can also be read as ‘knei’ to acquire. Since Pinchas acquired something for Hashem it turned out to be an atonement for the Jewish people. The item that Pinchas acquired was Shalom/peace as his actions calmed this rebellious action of Zimri. There was a great deal of confusion and unrest at the time Zimri and Kazbi performed a sin in public. Pinchas restored the peace and calm that ravaged the Jewish camp.

The Torah’s message becomes clear with the understanding that in order for us to rise to the level of a Pinchas we do not necessarily need to seek out public sinners in order to defend God’s honor. Rather the secret to defending God’s honor is by bringing peace into every situation we find ourselves in. Whether we diffuse a fight between two friends in the way Aharon HaKohein did or create Shalom Bayis in a home and within family is the most obvious ways of recalling Hashem. Perhaps there is a greater way to bring and defend the honor of Hashem that is outside the realm of our homes, family and friends. It is the times we find ourselves under dire pressure and upsetting circumstances that test our patience. This is the time to display a more peaceful disposition that brings us closer to Hashem.

There is not a doubt in my mind that the way we fellow Jews acted during an awful situation of a cancelled flight created a covenant with Hashem due to the ‘peace’ in the manner we behaved. In contrast to the second group I mentioned earlier which did the complete opposite by creating a raucous and therefore brought discord and separation between them and God.

In conclusion the Ba’al Haturim writes the numerical value (gematria) of the word ‘shalom is three hundred seventy-six. The two words Zehu Moshiach (this is Messiah) also equals three hundred seventy-six. Pointing to the necessary component that will ultimately bring Moshiach is by providing and creating peace among ourselves and in all situations we seem to be in. Creating an atmosphere of Shalom/peace is something we are all capable of doing at many points of our life. Let us bring peace and strengthen the Bris/covenant that will ultimately be the cause of Hashem to rebuild the third Bais HaMikdash speedily in our day.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

The most dominant technological device to emerge and steadily improve in sophistication, ease of use, and coverage over the last ten years is the cellphone. On average, people tend to upgrade or purchase a totally new cell phone every two years. Cleaver marketing plans presented by cell phone companies constantly present supposedly bigger and better deals to their customers. Cell phone manufacturers perpetually tweak their products, working  to eliminate the glitches or ‘hiccups’ in their products. One such issue that is slowly but finally phasing out is the voice command feature, a wonderful tool when you can’t actually push the buttons. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of this feature is that it sometimes activates without the user intending it to do so. As Murphy’s law dictates, this feature activates at the most inappropriate times, typically causing the cell phone possessor to hear, “Please say a command.” After a while we grow frustrated with this unintended occurrence and yell back ‘be quiet’ or leave me alone’ or something worse.

There are times in life when we hear ‘commands’ from people of authority. Whether it be from parents, teachers, or law enforcement there is a level of obligation we requiring us to take heed. When I was in Yeshiva in Israel, one of the Rabbeim, Rabbi Price, was nicknamed ‘the sheriff’. A few times a day - before davening Shacharis,  a few rounds during the late morning and even in the early afternoon -  he would walk through the dormitory banging on the doors trying to wake up the guys. His famous line after pounding on the door was, “Open up in the name of the law!” causing us to endow him with the nickname ‘the sheriff’.  Over time, Rabbi Price was able to round up more and more students to come learn and daven due to his extraordinary efforts. It was especially difficult to ignore Rabbi Price, who schlepped himself to wake us up due to the fact that he was living with a debilitating muscle disease, making it difficult for him to walk.

Another time we find ourselves dealing with ‘having to do something’ is centered around religion.  Once again, a parent, teacher, or  authority figure tells us to do something and we ask, “But why?” More often than not the answer we receive is, “Because the Torah says so!” It is the automatic, ultimate response when the authority has no other answer but just to say that God commands it and therefore you have to do it. It is irrelevant for now whether or not this is an effective tool; it is just the reality that we face when dealing with certain religious issues.

I would like to suggest that the three types of commands I have described can be viewed through the purview of the Torah. In this week’s Parshas Chukas we learn about the mitzvah of the Parah Adumah, the red heifer. Many of the commentaries explain that this mitzvah is a ‘chok’, a law that we do not understand and therefore cannot explain the reasoning behind it. A quick synopsis of the mitzvah is to take a completely red heifer, slaughter it, burn it and mix the ashes with water and earth making a compound that will be sprinkled on the third and seventh day upon a person who came in contact with corpse, causing impurity during the purification process. Odd as it may seem, the person doing the sprinkling needs to be pure and after purifying the Tamei – impure -  person will then himself become impure. (albeit not the same degree or kind of impurity).

The general understanding of Mitzvos places them in two categories: Chukim and Mishpatim - laws and statutes. This is specifically in regard to the understanding the reasons behind the mitzvos. Mishpatim are those Mitzvos we understand and Chukim are those Mitzvos we don’t understand.  Mishpatim are Mitzvos that we as human beings would come up with ourselves if we needed to create a legal system such as do not kill, do not steal, and so forth.  Chukim, on the other hand, are Mitzvos we would not likely come up with on our own as we would not be able to grasp the reason or benefit to these MItzvos.  Chukim include Mitzvos such as Shaatnez (forbidden mixtures), throwing the he-goat off the cliff during the Yom Kippur service, and the main mitzvah of this week’s Parsha, the Parah Aduma – the red heifer.

Rabbeini Bachya and others actually divide the chok (inability to understand) category of Mitzvos into two parts. He lists three categories namely: mitzvos muskalos -  of the intellect, mitzvos m’kubalos -  accepted ones, and mitzvos that don’t have any rhyme or reason. He demonstrates the three categories as Chukim, Eidus, and Mishpatim. The Mishpatim are the mitzvos I mentioned earlier: don’t kill, don’t steal. Eidus, or testimony, is a kind of chok but those are represented by the mitzvos such as tefillin, tzitzis, bris milah, sukkah, shofar, lulav, and so forth.  While we can not fully understand or appreciate the significance of these commandments, we know that they arenevertheless  a testimonial about God and His role in the creation and ongoing keeping up of the world.

I think the cell phone is an example of the Mishpatim. Just say a command that we are accustomed to hearing about. It is just a reminder of something that I myself know how and why I need to follow. In the second example, the sheriff represents the ‘eidus’ testimony:  we knew we had to get up to daven.  To do so connected each of us to our history and heritage as  Jews. Learning and davening is the key reminder of who we are as individuals and as a people in the history of the world -  past, present and future. The third example of “Just do it because I said so!” is the ‘chok’ -  the mitzvah without further explanation or even need of connection. Shlomo HaMelech in Mishlei/Proverbs describes that even he did not understand the mitzvah of the red heifer. King Solomon, the wisest of all men, performed a mitzvah that even he could not understand.

I often hear challenges or reasoning from people who challenge strictly following the Torah’s observance today. They argue that some of the Mitzvos no longer apply to us today. Science, medicine and technology have shown things contrary to some of the practices mentioned in both the written and oral law of the Torah. Hashem reserved one Mitzva, namely the parah aduma, that is clueless to everyone anywhere the world. This sends a message that just as that mitzvah is not understood and one may try to give reasons why it should or should not be followed or practiced,  we still  fulfill it without question. So too, with the Mishpatim and Eidus category of Mitzvos. We must comply to the letter of the law and not come up with our own reasons of why we should or should not do something today.

We do NOT know ALL the reasons behind any of the Mitzvos and therefore must follow the Torah regardless of what society comes up with -  for or against. Let us figure out ways to fulfill the mitzvos and observe the laws of the Torah with faith and commitment to Hashem and His laws instead of trying to argue why we shouldn’t have to follow certain Mitzvos because we humans are not able to comprehend their purpose or meaning.        

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

This Dvar Torah is in memory of L’Ilui Nishmas Pesha Bas Binyamin Dov: Mrs. Pauline Green A”H.

One never knows how near or far our teaching can reach. A few weeks ago I received a phone call early Sunday morning from a Rov in Baltimore whose sister passed away here in San Diego. I didn’t know this rabbi and I’d never met his sister, so  I asked how they got to me. The Rabbi’s niece, the daughter of the nifteres (deceased), explained to me that her mother told her that if her brother (the Rabbi in Baltimore) could not come to officiate at her funeral she wanted me to perform the levaya service. Somehow, the daughter received my weekly message (what you are reading right now!) printed it out every Friday and shared and read it with her mother every Shabbos.  I had never met anyone in this family beforehand, and I was touched beyond belief.

One of the challenges for someone working in the spiritual field requires patience in order to see the fruits of his labor. In the ‘kiruv’ world  professionals must accept the fact that they may never see results or growth from their efforts. We can only try to sow the seeds and hope that people will be nurtured and eventually produce the fruits that we can see. Unfortunately, there is never a guarantee the person will develop the seeds planted within  them, yet even if those seeds don’t take root for many years, they may eventually blossom, but we may never know about it. For most teachers, rabbeim, pulpit rabbis and other kiruv professionals, we will never see the fruits of our labor because in some cases the effect is direct, one-on-one with each student, but at other times it might be the child or grandchild who might reap the benefit of the learning.

We are all taught and trained from the time of our youth that the reward for mitzvos and good deeds are reserved for the world to come. It is with blind faith that we continue to persevere and fulfill the Torah with the conviction that we do not want the reward in this world but would rather wait to receive it in the next world.

From the end of last week’s parsha with Miriam speaking lashon hora against her brother Moshe to next week’s parsha, where Korach’s wife riles up her husband, objecting to Moshe’s nepotism, we have a few other instances of how speech and communication impact the receivers beyond our understanding. In this week’s parsha a fierce battle rages between a teacher and student. In Parshas Shelach, Bamidbar chapter 14, the Jewish people cry and complain to Moshe after listening to the report of ten of the twelve men returning from Eretz Canaan. God is fed up with His people (similar to the story of the Eigel HaZahav) and tells Moshe He will wipe out His people and build a bigger and better nation from him. Moshe replies to Hashem in 14:17 “V’Ata Yigdal Nah Koach Ado-nai, KaAsher Dibarta Laymore”. “And now Oh God is the time for You to exercise even more restraint, as You once declared  that You are slow to anger, great in love, and forgiving of sin and rebellion”. Three pesukim later 14:20 the Torah states: “VaYomer Hashem Salachti Kidvarecha”: “God said I will grant forgiveness as you have requested”.

There are three lessons that we learn from Hashem and Moshe’s discourse. The first lesson is that in times of complete frustration and anger with someone else, we must overcome and forego the deserved anger against the individual or group who, according to all opinions, was guilty  - and forgive them. Second, is the part whereby a teacher can listen and take the advice of the student, just as Hashem listened to Moshe and forgave  the Jews. Last, is the focusing in on the words that Hashem Himself ‘said’ that He is a forgiving God. A word can have so much influence on a person and a situation. The wording that Moshe crafted in defending the Jewish people from being wiped out is the same language we use during the time we need forgiveness - particularly during the Rosh Hashana/ Yom Kippur season. The impact of the words that Hashem used to describe Himself continues to be the source of strength and the well the Jewish people always fetch from in times of distress. 

The Midrash Rabba in Devarim 3:15,  recounting the story of the spies and Hashem ultimately forgiving the Jews, compares Moshe’s argument with Avraham’s defense of Sedom. When God said to Moshe He is going to destroy the Jews after the sin of the spies, Moshe says to Hashem “consider them, the Jews, like the same situation as Sedom”. Hashem said to Avraham (Bereishis 18:26) “If you will find fifty righteous men in Sedom, I will not destroy them”.  Moshe then says I will provide eighty tzadikim to protect the Jews from being annihilated. So Hashem said, similarly to what He said to Avraham, go ahead and show me. Moshe immediately replied, “Master of the Universe we have the seventy elders whom we just gathered: Aharon, Nadav, Avihu, Elazar, Esamar, Pinchas, Kalev….Hashem responds that is only seventy-seven. You need another three! Moshe then says “Do it in the merit of the three forefathers, and behold you have eighty! As soon as Moshe said “Z’chor L’Avraham L’Yitzchak U’L’Yisrael Avadecha” Shmos 32:13, mentioning the merits of the forefathers, Hashem immediately declared, “I will forgive them as you have requested.”

We can not underestimate the words we use and to how they can be used later. A word, all speech is very powerful regarding Mitzvos and how and what we say. The notion when someone is being read his rights of “anything you say can or will be used against you in a court of law” is taken seriously in the world court where Hashem is the judge. This is a lesson not to be forgotten: not only how our bad words can be used against us later, but also how kind and good words will also be there for us later  as well. The words of Torah leave an everlasting impact on everyone who learns and shares the beauty of the Torah.     

Who knew when Hashem said “I am a forgiving God” that those words would be remembered and have the impact and continue to make the difference for the Jewish people to continue on and still be the Am HaNivchar: the Chosen People.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

In August 2013 Time Magazine published an article about how singing can affect changes the brain. When we sing, musical vibrations cause an alteration of, our physical and emotional landscape. Group singing, for those who have done it, is the most exhilarating and transformative of all. It takes something incredibly intimate, a sound that begins inside the singer, and, while sharing that sound  with a roomful of people, the musical vibrations which return – the harmony – make that combined melody even more thrilling.   It’s not surprising, therefore, that group singing is on the rise. According to Chorus America, 32.5 million adults sing in choirs, up by almost 10 million over the past six years! 

Music and song are very powerful tools which profoundly influence both our bodies and  our souls. Jewish music is commonly played at many of our simchos, whether bar/bat mitzvoth or weddings. However, while the lyrics are all in Hebrew,  the tempo and intent, at least to me, feels as though we are trying to imitate a different culture and world, but at least it is Jewish music. Unfortunately, I heard that the music accompanying graduations of some of our local Jewish schools play non-Jewish music. How is it that a Jewish school promotes the negative influence of non-Jewish music? We can’t control what type of music people listen to in their homes, during exercising, walking, and while driving in their cars, but  we can direct teachers not to play non-Jewish pop or rock music in the classroom. We could put our foot down and make a policy that only Jewish music should be played in our schools. I even found myself guilty of having movie night for kids, but from now on that is not a necessary activity for the Shul to offer to educate our children. Most children today get enough  television, movie and or video time every day; they don’t need to come to Shul for more.

Music of all kinds has the potential to profoundly influence us. The words and especially the content of a good bit of English non-Jewish music today influence and even extol many forbidden things that are less than desirable. We live in a world which seems to have lost its moral compass and value system.  Pop singers, especially those who have reached rock star status, become idolized by our youth.  The influence of their music and on-stage performances has the power to destroy basic decency and the moral fiber of their fans. Jewish music with Hebrew lyrics, on the other hand, brings holiness and spirituality to those who listen to and absorb the words and meanings of the holy song.  Like so many things in life, a person needs to develop an appreciation for this.

Unfortunately in many shuls, yeshivos and synagogue davening, singing is looked down upon as perhaps being too “modern”. Is it only that people sing in non-religious environments?  Is it just a matter of  taking too long and becoming too dragged out? I’m not sure what will happen during the time of the third Beis Hamikdash. If the Leviim sing,  what will people say then? Or, perhaps  I might suggest that this attitude is simply due to a lack of understanding and appreciation of how singing and the use of beautiful melodies can inspire our tifilos. This,of course, applies to singing the words of the Men of the Great Assembly who organized the tefilos for us.

In this week’s parsha Nasso the Torah 4:47 states: “Mi’Ben Shloshim Shana VaMaalah V’Ad Ben Chamishim Shana, Kal Habah La’Avod Avodas Avoda Va’Avodas Masa B’Ohel  Moed“. “From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one who entered in to do the work of the service, and the work of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting…”.  Rabbeinu Bachya points out there are extra words “La’Avod Avodas Avoda” to do the work of the service. He mentions Shlomo HaMelech driving home the point of simcha that is required in order to fulfill Mitzvos. King Solomon explains that having ‘simcha’ at the time of performing a mitzvah is a mitzvah in and of itself. In the same way that we perform mitzvos for Hashem, so, too, the joy over doing the mitzvah is actually known as the mitzvah itself. Singing with the mouth alongside an instrument brings the nefesh- the soul  - of a person to a level of simcha/joy. It is from this idea that the Leviim performed the work/service in the Beis Hamikdash. The Rabbis explain that the service is the song sung by the Levites.  The Leviim were commanded to sing and bring elation for the Mitzva of the bringing of a sacrifice. This was done so that the Mitzva of the offering itself should be performed with simcha and therefore was accomplished expressly through  their singing. In other words, the very act of this Mitzva, and every Mitzva for that matter, must be done with joy. The single most effective way to raise a person to the level of simcha necessary was through song. Dovid HaMelech in Tehilim 100 states: “Ivdu Es Hashem B’Simcha”  - “Serve Hashem with simcha/joy,” and that service is our performing and fulfilling of the mitzvos.  One of the reasons the Leviim only ‘worked’ until the age of fifty is because a person’s voice starts to weaken at that age.

We are fortunate that in today’s day and age that Jewish music is more readily available than it has ever been before. There are many more Jewish movies and videos for children which were not available a generation ago. Years ago there was no choice of the kind of movie or song to be used. (Besides the fact the non-kosher songs were kosher, maybe not glatt, but kosher). But today there is no excuse not to use the Jewish content and good music and song for our children and families.

The battle of maintaining our religious levels are ever-challenging in today’s society. We consistently need to redirect our resources to pump  positive music and singing into the souls of our youth and adults. There is a lot of good material to enhance our Yiddishkeit and not destroy it. Non-Jewish pop and rock music is a silent but deadly killer of our neshamos. Why bring this upon ourselves. The song of today is not only the preparation;  it is the Mitzva of the day. This is but one of the small things that has the potential to either do great damage to build up man’s spiritual state of mind and being. When the opportunity to sing comes along, first determine if it is going to be beneficial or harmful to our souls and then decide to listen or not. Let us sing songs the way the Leviim sang their songs -  as an expression of Avodas Hashem, the ultimate service to God.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

The idiom ‘Time is of the essence’ has meaning far beyond our appreciation. The impact of time and how it’s “spent” is omnipresent throughout ever day of i our lives. Time is used within the context of encouraging someone to hurry. Time is typically used in reference to timing and meeting all the deadlines that are essential and required. Parties agreeing to a contract, however, are sometimes surprised to learn that missing a contractual deadline does not always amount to a material breach of the contract.  When it comes to many types of contracts -- for example, construction, real estate sales, loans, or other non-goods contracts -- courts often don't consider timing to be essential. They believe that minor deviations from a contract's schedule aren't important enough to warrant damages or termination of the contract. In some circumstances, however, the parties would beg to differ. 

We, in everyday life, work around the clock, not in terms of actual physical work 24/7 but rather work, study, play, eat, and sleep according to the time of day. I’ve recently been thinking of a few scenarios where we don’t take punctuality seriously. Part of the problem is that we have ‘built-in’ an on-time system which seems to include a late system as well. I will share three of my recent observations, and I welcome you sharing related examples with me. I recently visited a certain community that sets the time for davening on the quarter hour but  announces that the time of ‘Borchu” is exactly fifteen minutes from the beginning time. In this community’s Shul the chazzan initially goes up only to Borchu, thereby setting up a situation that forgives a person who has arrived late - and even later than late.  In my humble opinion there is a psychological factor which sets in -  knowing the Chazzan  goes up for Barchu late, relaying a subliminal message that davening had not actually yet begun. In the meantime latecomers miss a large portion of the Tefillla which is not the ideal way to approach prayer. The second example are Jewish wedding invitations that print two times: the welcoming of the bride and groom, and, typically one hour later the time for the chuppah - the actual time for the wedding ceremony to begin. Immediately upon seeing the listed times people calculate exactly how many minutes before the chuppah they can arrive in order to ‘chap’ the end of the smorgasbord and still be socially and appropriately  on time. The first hour, the hour for welcoming the bride and groom, is truly essential; it’s the time for  rejoicing along with the bride and with the groom respectively.  This is their time. Why not just put down  the time the wedding begins, clearly denoting that  that’s when the guests should arrive? In truth, we at Beth Jacob are also guilty of the same trap by announcing what time Yizkor will take place, albeit we state the time approximately. Why even put that time down? Why not just print and announce the time for the start of davening, and when we get to the point in the service for the start Yizkor, that is the time it will be. Why are we giving the option to have that time treated haphazardly? It is as if the parts of the service leading up to Yizkor are not essential or important, and we all know that is contrary to the law. I can list many other examples, but all contain and reflect the same problem of a lack of respect for the clock.

In this week’s Parsha Bechukosai a recurring theme related to the curses is the nonchalant attitude the Jews have towards God. In Vayikra 26:21 the Torah states: V’Im Teilchu Eemee Keri V’Lo Tovu Lishmoa Li, V’Yasafti Aleichem Makkah Sheva K’Chatoseichem”: “And if you will act in a non-chalant way with Me and do not listen to me, then I will punish you seven times over according to your sins.” The word used to describe this carefree mentality is ‘keri’. ‘Keri’ in Hebrew is loosely translated as haphazard, random or by chance when describing God’s involvement in the world. The underlying curse in the parsha is not the terrible tragedies described. The description of horrors are only the result of the actual curse. The actual curse is Hashem’s treating his people Midda Knegged Midda - measure for measure. Hashem will treat us B’Keri - just as we treated Him - B’Keri. This is mentioned only a few verses later in Vayikra 26:24 which states: “V’Halachti Af Ani Imachem B’Keri, V’Hikeisi Eschem Gam ani Sheva Al Chatoseichem”: “Then I, too, will treat you as happenstance. I will again add seven punishments for your sins.” Hashem is saying that He will treat us the same way that we are treating Him. Unfortunately, under those conditions we end up losing more.

I saw an explanation of what consequence there is to God’s response of Keri back to us. Under the best of conditions, Hashem stays with us, the Jewish people, the way a parent watches over a child. At a certain point Hashem says that He will no longer be directly involved in every movement because now you can do whatever you want. The Keri is that Hashem removes His Hashgacha over the Jewish people, leaving  us exposed to the elements and hostilities that surround us. The hostilities and danger always lurked around us but Hashem was directly involved in our security. Now the security is gone, and we need to fend for ourselves because the end of the verse describes punishments that we will be subjected to.

Reb Elchonon Wasserman Zatzal gave a parable to more clearly understand happenstance. A fire was raging in a small town which had already engulfed some of the homes. At this point the first thing people tried to do was to prevent the fire from reaching the other remaining homes thereby saving them. So, too, when it comes to the troubles and difficulties of the Jewish people, we must recognize that the suffering of our people is a direct result of our sins. First and foremost, we must prevent further difficulties to the nation because otherwise Hashem will add on more to our previous pain and suffering. This recognizes that nothing happens by chance; it happens  by design. It is not by chance, God’s hand is directly involved in a heavy- handed sense.

Time is important and needs to be taken seriously. Time represents the order and Hashgacha and surveillance that Hashem provides for all of us. If we have a set time to do something,  stick with it and be prompt. Philosophically speaking, being late and showing indifference to the clock displays a careless attitude to life which is the ultimate curse a human being can experience. I guess if we pay close attention to the clock, make the effort to be on time and using our time well, we will partake in a great blessing.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham BogopulskyUpdate this content.

A few weeks ago, out of the blue as I was walking I caught myself favoring one foot over the other. I found it difficult to put pressure on my left foot, especially when walking barefoot. For some reason it felt better and less acute when wearing socks and even more so wearing shoes. After I gave up on my usual stubbornness and natural tendency towards martyrdom, I decided to actually look and see what and why my foot hurt. Lo and behold, I had a nasty callus that just appeared out of nowhere. A similar condition comes from a cousin of the callus known as the corn. From where and why do a calluses and corns come? 

Corns and calluses are thick, hardened layers of skin that develop when the skin tries to protect itself against friction and pressure. They most often develop on  feet and toes or hands and fingers. Corns and calluses can be unsightly. If you're healthy, you need treatment for corns and calluses only if they cause discomfort. For most people, simply eliminating the source of friction or pressure makes corns and calluses disappear. Callous comes from the Latin root callum for hard skin. Walking barefoot a lot can cause feet to become calloused. I needed an over-the-counter treatment which within a few weeks killed the dead skin around the callus and eventually peeled away, leaving new fresh skin underneath.

I began to wonder why I had this callus and what  I did wrong to deserve the discomfort it brought me. There is the concept of Midda Kneged Midda – measure for measure - and I tried to calculate perhaps what Mitzva I’d neglected. Of the six hundred thirteen mitzvos, most are performed by hand, mouth, or just being in attendance; very few are accomplished through use of one’s foot. Although some of the baalei mussar emphasize the point that it is our feet which bring us to the places where we fulfill mitzvos or violate the aveiros -  sins - the feet themselves don’t actually commit the sin. Or do they?

We usually use callous in the metaphorical sense through referring to the emotionally hardened. If someone is unmoved by other people's problems, one might say he shows a callous indifference towards human suffering. It is interesting to note that an emotionally hardened, insensitive person is described as a callous person. A callous person has deadened his feelings and emotions. Generally speaking, this definition is used with regard to relationships between man and his fellow man. Perhaps it is appropriate to suggest that callousness includes man’s relationship with God.

In this week’s parshas Emor we read about the festival cycle beginning with Pesach and ending with Shmini Atzeres. Although the commandment to “go up” to Yerushalayim is found later in the Torah and limited to Pesach, Shavuos, and Sukkos, we nevertheless understand the concept is implied here in Emor as well. In Vayikra 23:4 the Torah states: “Eileh Moadei Hashem Mikraei Kodesh Asher Tikriu Osam B’Moadam”: “These are God’s festivals that you must celebrate as sacred holidays at their appropriate times.” The Gerrer Rebbe, Reb Itzchak Meir Rotenburg, explains that the calling of the appropriate times are sacred times. These appointed, appropriate times draw the person to holiness. This is why only three verses later the Torah states: “Bayom HaRishon Mikrah Kodesh Yihyeh Lachem”: “The first day shall be a sacred holiday for you…” that you will be called and drawn to holiness.

We may ask, “Who exactly is being drawn to holiness and given an opportunity to become holy -  the Torah scholars or the average Jew? Rav Avraham Lichtenstein, in his sefer Kanfei Nesharim, says it is speaking to the general population, the average Jew who is not involved in Torah study all the time. Quite often lay people are busy with work, business, and other activities limiting their time and involvement in pursuing Torah study which, in turn, provides man with the tools to reach ever greater spiritual heights. These appointed times are designed for the average Balei Bos to use Shabbos and Yom Tov to study more Torah and be drawn more deeply so as to be called ‘holy’. The Torah is a book of life from which we read and learn so as to know and more deeply understand the mitzvos of the Torah and to review the customs and laws of how to fulfill them. Shabbos and Yom Tov are imbued with holiness; it is a time for us to draw from that a special Ruach HaKodesh -  a certain Divine, spirited inspiration for us to receive and understand more of the Torah. Similarly, the concept of having a neshama Yeseira - an extra soul on Shabbos and Yom Tov from which we receive physical nourishment, we also draw spiritual and intellectual nourishment from that same extra neshama. Shabbos and Yom Tov are a call to become spiritually charged.  These holy days  are imbued with the charging device and the time to do so.

One of the distinctions between Yom Tov and Shabbos is the fact that we, not Hashem, determine when Yom Tov will fall out based upon the sanctification of the moon. The Mitzva of Kiddush HaChodesh was the first Mitzva given to Klal Yisroel as a nation. Apparently, up until that point the decision to calculate the holidays was still in God’s court, not the earthly court. This is supported by a Midrash Rabbah Devarim 2:9 that states: “HaKadosh Baruch Hu said before the Torah was given the Moadim - thefestivals / appointed times - belonged to Me. From now on it belongs to you.” The Midrash quotes that our verse was originally  ‘Moadei Hashem’ but then it was Asher Tir’u Osam - that which now is determined by them. 

The Mitzva of going up to Yerushalayim on the festivals encourages us to take the right steps in order to grow closer to Hashem. We establish when those holidays will occur, placing the initiative directly upon us. In today’s day and age we cannot formally fulfill this mitzvah without a Beis HaMidash,but there are some strong suggestions as to what we can do in the absence of the Temple. One of those suggestions is to take Yom Tov seriously as a time to get closer to Hashem. Perhaps I didn’t use my time during Yom Tov carefully by using the time to go up and therefore was reminded of my ‘callousness’ towards Hashem by developing a callus on the part of the body that didn’t take me where I was supposed to go.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

*Yitzchak Meir Rotenberg-Alter Rothenberg Alter, born 1799, died March 10, 1866 was the first Rebbe of the Ger Hasidic dynasty, which he founded in the town of Góra Kalwaria (known as "Ger" in Yiddish), Poland. He headed the Kupath Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Kollel Polen (Poland) Varsha (Warsaw). He was also known as The Chiddushei HaRim (החדושי הרי"ם) for his Torah writings, and was sometimes fondly called Reb Itche Meir (Yiddish) by his followers.

*Rabbi Avraham Lichtenstein was an eighteenth-century rabbi of Prassnysz, in the region of Plotzk, Poland, and author of Kanfei Nesharim

The food industry is probably the largest industry in the world. Numerous auxiliary businesses and hundreds of workers are involved in the preparation and distribution of meat from the time an animal is processed until it reaches your mouth. Industrial chefs in the quickly-expanding food industry create new recipes and food preparation ideas, introducing new foods and products to this world-wide market place.

Modern medical and nutritional research continuously expound upon the importance of eating healthy, beneficial foods. Halacha recognizes this and details how, what and when a person should eat. On Sukkos we can eat what we want (or what we should) but we can’t eat it wherever we want. On Pesach we can eat wherever we want, but we can’t eat whatever we want. We are strictly governed by the laws of kashrus for Pesach.  Giving thought to this vein of thinking, perhaps the types of foods we choose to consume, within, of course, the context of the laws of kashrus, should be given some more serious attention.

At our weekly Shabbos Kiddush people look forward to taking a bit of white fish or a sliver of herring with onion to layer onto  their crackers. Children are seen mushing tuna or egg salad between two crackers, and then, of course, there are the now-famous Oreo-style cookies where everyone secretly pulls the cookies apart to lick the cream.  I find it intriguing to observe how people need to combine an item with a cracker rather than taking a bite of tuna and then eating the cracker separately. There is something special and unique about putting foods together and eating them in the same bite. 

The modern concept of a sandwich using slices of bread (as found within the Western World) can be traced back to 18th century Europe. However, the use of some kind of bread or bread-like substance placed under (or under and over) some other food, or used to scoop up and enclose or wrap some other type of food long predates the 18th century, and is found in numerous much older cultures worldwide. The first written usage of the English word “sandwich” appeared in Edward Gibbon’s journal, in longhand, referring to "bits of cold meat" as a "Sandwich". It was named after John Montagu, 4^th Earl of Sandwich, an 18th-century English aristocrat. It is said that he ordered his valet to bring him meat tucked between two pieces of bread. Others, observing this new food combination,  began ordering "the same as Sandwich!" It is commonly said that Lord Sandwich was fond of this form of food because it allowed him to continue playing cards, particularly Cribbage, while eating, without using a fork, and without getting his cards greasy from eating meat with his bare hands.

On the seder night we recall Hillel the elder making a sandwich of meat from the Korban Pesach and marror by placing these items between two pieces of matza as a reminder for the Beis HaMikdash, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. At the seder there are a few references to Temple times. How does the sandwich of Hillel HaZakein cause us to remember the Beis HaMikdash?

The night of the Seder is filled with references to the joining together of the Jewish people. At the very beginning of the seder, we invite the hungry and poor to the meal and even prior to the seder we make sure everyone has the ability to fulfill the Mitzvos of the night. We read of great Rabbis joining together for a seder and discuss the four sons who are representative of all different types of Jews coming together for the family seder. The night the Jews were to leave Egypt, every family huddled together in their homes and demonstrated a sense of unity. During the period when the Beis HaMikdash stood there was no greater time of Shalom/peace in the world. Peace can only come about through unity, through openly and intentionally supporting each other and working to respect each other. The symbolism of Korech, the sandwich, is to teach and repeatedly remind us that if we come together - just as a sandwich - we will reach the level necessary to once again have a Beis HaMikdash. Hillel teaches the importance of Jews coming together. It is worthy to mention that the root letters of ‘Korech’ are Chof Reish Chof which can also be read as Krach, meaning a city where people live together and are not dispersed by distance.

If there were to be a single parsha in the Torah that epitomizes the unity of the Jewish people I might say it is Parshas Acharei Mos. In Vayikra 16:17 the Torah states: “V’Chal Adam Lo Yihiyeh B’Ohel Moed B’Vo,oh L’Chapeir BaKodesh Ad Tzeiso, V’Chiper Ba’Ado, U’V’Ad Beiso, U’V’Ad Kal Kehal Yisrael”. “And there shall be no man in the tent of meeting when he (the Kohein Gadol) goes in to make atonement in the holy place until he comes out, and made atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel.” The Midrash Yismach Moshe explains the need for Aharon or the Kohein Gadol to atone for everyone’s sins. If someone became impure due to a sin and lacked atonement, they could not come to the Temple. In order to allow everyone to come, the Kohein Gadol cleared their slates from sins, so all of Klal Yisroel were completely atoned, thereby allowing the entire Jewish people to come and gather together to be seen by Hashem and for us, in turn, to see Hashem. It was the act of the Kohein Gadol that brought achdus /unity and the feeling of equality amongst the Jewish people.

There is a certain taste and flavor that foods have when eaten independently, and yet each tastes somewhat differently and is perhaps enhanced when eaten together. The Jewish people could have done Teshuva on their own leading up to the day of Yom Kippur, but they would have run the risk someone being left out. The Kohein Gadol acting on everyone else’s behalf, guarantees their atonement, opening  the path for the Jewish people to come together to be ‘sandwiched’ in an attempt to seek out Hashem. Pesach is the antecedent for Shavuos. We left Mitzrayim as individuals; a mere forty-nine days later this exodus culminated in the giving of the Torah at Har Sinai. “Coincidentally” the forty-nine days of the Omer are used as a time to focus on the Mitzvos between man and man and to blend the Jewish people together.  The Torah depicts the Jewish people at Har Sinai as “like one man with one heart”. The Jewish people are great and individually worthy and precious; but when we join together, when we ‘sandwich’ ourselves, each of us to each other, we are a People, an example of all that is good to the world.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

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This Dvar Torah should serve as a Refuah Sheleima for Aharon ben Bashya Kayla.

There are two things that get going in my house this time of year; baseball and Pesach preparations. There really isn’t anything to do in order to get ready for baseball, but for Pesach it’s a whole other ballgame!

Whatever we call it, Peasach or spring cleaning, it is a very thorough cleansing of the house both spiritually of Chometz and physically of unwanted things and dirt. Actual Chometz is found in the wildest and most remote places that one could never imagine.  Each year we onder how a variety of edibles could even have gotten to their bizarre hiding spots. Candy, cheerios, half eaten crackers etc. found in almost edible and clearly recognizable forms are properly disposed of. On the Halachik side, there is an absolute need to check and not just really and say, “Why clean? I will just nullify everything anyway.” According to Jewish law, this type of cleaning is absolutely necessary. On the other hand, however, cleaning “out” the house from year to year is not Halachikly necessary, but as long as we are cleaning for Pesach we can kill two birds with the same old stone. 

Part of the cleaning involves moving furniture, tables, beds, and exposing areas that have not seen the light of day since the last cleansing. This results in uncovering damages that may have occurred to the walls and surrounding areas by banging of items into them and even perhaps the discoloration in some parts of the walls. This will require a minimum washing off of those spotted areas and perhaps needing a fresh coat of paint in order to freshen it up and get rid of the potential Chometz in the wall. We now move onto the next area which is ridding the closets and shelves of old towels, linens, bedding, clothing and old broken toys with three quarters of the pieces missing. Over time the towels, for example, that have not been used start to develop stains. So, if they haven’t been used, where could those stains have come from?  Who knows! Nevertheless they are there, and at that point we reckon it’s time to throw them out. After a few days of cleaning from morning to night, we realize we aren’t as young as we used to be. We then feel the aches and pains and some of the sores that developed on our hands and feet from this cleansing process in preparing for Pesach or for the summer.

The results of our cleaning rendezvous leads us to see issues we have on our walls, clothing and even on our bodies. This rings eerily to me as we approach Parshas Tazria, the parsha which describes the affliction of Tzoraas in these three particular areas: house, clothing and body. The Rabbi’s explain that the progression of the punishment begins lightly only to the person’s house and if not corrected will end up physically on the body.  Once Tzoraas appears on a person’s body, he must be removed from society until he fixes himself up, purifying himself from the transgressions that caused the onset of the Tzoraas condition. The Gemara Erchin 16b informs us that there are different sins that may be the cause of Tzoraas, leprosy. They are: murder, swearing in vain, illicit relationships, haughtiness, stealing, stinginess, and, of course, lashon hora. Part of the rehabilitation of the individual requires that the person afflicted  be taken out of the camp. It is as if he is being removed from society and the world around him.

I would like to connect another area of Jewish thought to that of being removed from the world. Rav Shmuel Hominer, in his sefer Olas Tamid, explains the Mishna in Avos 4:28 “HaKin’a, V’Hataava, V’HaKavod Motziin Es Ha’Adam Min Ha’Olam” as follows. “Jealousy, physical desire and the pursuit of honor remove a person from the world.” No one really identifies which world the Mishna refers to - this world or the next? Rav Hominer describes three individuals in Tanach who were afraid of being removed from the world. A common word ‘VaYecherad’ – ‘and he trembled’ is used in each of the three instances. Yitzchak Avinu in Breishis 27:33 is shaking after he apparently gave the first born blessings to the wrong brother. He believed he had ruined his life and felt as though he was leaving this world. In Rus 3:8, Boaz is startled in the middle of the night and feared he might be accused of some wrong doing. Thereby concerned, he would lose his portion in this world. The third case is Shmuel I 21:2, whereby Achimelech the Kohein hurried to greet Dovid HaMelech and was concerned why Dovid was traveling alone with no one accompanying him. Each one of these three great men are the subjects of jealousy, desire, and honor. Jealousy is associated with Yitzchok because of his two sons where there was great jealousy between therm. Boaz having Rus lay at his feet, is the subject of desire, and Dovid was challenged with honor as the people sang a song relating how Shaul killed in the thousands while Dovid in the tens of thousands.

 Jealousy is typically generated because of money and the estate of others. This is represented by the house becoming struck with leprosy due to its representing the owner’s wealth. In that case the house, or at least the stone, must be removed so as to remove that jealousy.  Rav Yochanan, in Gemara Shabbos 113, describes a person who is honored as someone who has fine clothing is honored. In order to heal and rid oneself of chasing honor, the clothing that gives such honor is plagued with leprosy and must be destroyed.  The last of the three, Taava which is desire or lust, actually sins with the body. If the individual does not repent,  his body is afflicted and he must go outside of the camp to be away from people to whom he might lust after. We therefore remove him from society in order to teach him to control his desires.

The antidote to many of the less desirable character traits is represented in Matza or the lack of Chometz. Chometz and Matzah are not only the opposites in the physical sense; they are opposites in the spiritual sense as well. The Matza is flat without any honor. The Matza has almost no taste and therefore one has no physical desire to eat it. Finally, Matza is called ‘poor man’s bread’:  there is no jealousy as compared to the rich bread where a fight can break out over who gets the largest piece.

As we approach the great month of Nissan, we need to keep our focus less on the things that will remove us from the world, such as all the things that are represented in bread – richness of taste and texture, comfort, satisfaction and fullness when it’s eaten. Rather look to the qualities of Matzah and be less jealous, more humble and controlling of our desires. If we do this type of a cleaning this year, we hopefully won’t find discolored and stained walls, mysteriously stained garments, and bumps and bruises all over this time next year.

Ah Gut Shabbos and Ah Gutten Chodesh

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

This Dvar Torah should be a zchus for Yocheved Bas Yitta for a Refuah Sheleima

History in general and Jewish history specifically connects a series of events into a long, continuous chain symbolizing strength and durability. A chain is understood as something that is difficult to break, able to withstand the test of time. The beginning of world history and the history of the Jews is found in the Torah.  Although the Torah is not meant to be history book, it nevertheless contains stories and great lessons to be gleaned from the people it describes, both good and evil.

A Torah scroll is written without vowels or cantillation marks called the Taamei HaMikra which we call the trop. These cantillation marks were added to our written Tanach, the text, by the ba'alei hamesorim (Masorites) around the 8-10th century CE. They record an oral tradition that, I assume, was passed from generation to generation from Sinai. Western musical notation dates back to at least the 6th century CE, though its form and versatility have varied over time. Records of other ancient forms of transcribed musical notation exist but the systems of notation have been lost. 

The cantillation signs also provide information on the syntactical structure of the text. Some say they are a commentary on the text itself, highlighting important ideas musically. The tropes are not random strings but follow a set and describable grammar. The very word ta'am means "taste" or "sense", the point being that the pauses and intonation denoted by the accents (with or without formal musical rendition) bring out the sense of the passage. Four cantillations are rarely used in the Torah. One of them, the Shalsheles, which means ‘a chain’ is used four times in the Torah: three in the book of Bereishis and one in the book of Vayikra. The one in Vayikra is found in this week’s parshas Tzav 8:23. The Shalsheles connotes indecision, hesitation, struggling. (There are many comments as to the meaning and significance regarding the connectivity of these four Shalsheles. In addition to the four times Shalsheles is used in the Torah, there are an additional three places in Tanach that a Shalsheles is used. Ironically, one of the three is in Ezra5:15 on the first words “Va’Amar Ley” “And he said to them”. The he is referred to none other than Cyrus who was speaking to Sheshbazzar.

The long and short of the following history is based upon the narrative in the Navi Ezra and not by contemporary historians. The fall of the Babylonian empire led to the rise of the Persian-Media Empire which evolved to become the Persian empire. The prophecy of Yirmiyahu was that there would only be a seventy-year exile between the first and second Bais HaMikdash. By this time Cyrus, the emperor of Persia, during  the first year of his reign made a proclamation which initiated the immigration with the Temple vessels. The sages received permission to lay the foundation and start the dedication of the Temple to sacrificial service. But there was a cessation of the building to accusations by neighbors that the Jews would no longer pay taxes and would no longer be good law-abiding citizens that would have allegiance to Persia. The work of the building of the Beis HaMikdash was suspended until the second year of Darius, the king of Persia.  Following the death of Cyrus, Achashveirosh, who married Esther, reigned and after the death of Achashveirosh, Darius, the son of Achashveirosh, who was the son of Esther, reigned. And from the first year of Cyrus, the king of Persia, until the second year of Darius II were eighteen years, which completed the seventy years from the destruction of the Temple.  From the time of the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash when Tzidkiyahu was exiled, until the first year of Cyrus fifty-two years transpired. There were eighteen years from the first year of Cyrus until second year of Darius, totaling a complete seventy years. It was in the second year of Darius II that they commenced to build the Beis HaMikdash until they completed it. During this time the Navi Ezra describes the showdown between the talebearers and the Jewish leaders in Yerushalayim, claiming they must stop working on the Temple. They went back to Persia to find out who authorized the building of the Temple, at which point King Darius II gave an order, and searched in the library in Babylon where the archives were stored. There they found a pouch with a declaration from Cyrus to allow the Jews to rebuild, at which point Darius now said they should resume.

The word that the Shalsheles is on was the review of the story of Cyrus giving the initial permission to return to Israel and rebuild the House of God. At this point Cyrus the king had no hesitation, but unfortunately He, the King of Kings, did. Hashem is the one who brought about the building and destruction of both Temples. Although an attempt was made with permission of the non-Jewish authority to rebuild the Temple, it hit a glitch and would have to wait a little longer.

In my opinion this is the symbolism of the chain, which usually has at three pieces to it, representing the beginning, the middle, and the end.  The end is the piece which allows us to see the connection to the beginning. The Jewish people were probably disappointed at the interruption and hiatus from returning back in full glory to Israel.

We have seen the ups and downs of the Jewish people over the last two thousand years. We’ve experienced elation and disappointment from the feeling of being on the threshold or redemption to being thrown back into the darkness of exile. Yet we maintain a perspective of the Shalsheles - the chain that has never broken the bond between Am Yisrael and their Father in Heaven.

As we continue to experience hardships as a people, we continue to hope and pray that things will get better for us. Purim is a time to think of the chain of events which brought us here. It is only a matter of time until we see the other end when HaKadosh Baruch Hu decides to raise the volume of redemption through the triple sounding Pazer making it into a Shalsheles. May we merit that our generation be the final link of the unbroken chain of Am Yisrael’s long overdue history to see Yemos HaMoshiach B’Meheirah B’Yameinu, AMEN!

Ah Gut Shabbos & Ah Freilichin Purim

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

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The journey of life takes some on a long road consisting of twists and turns, peaks and valleys somehow resembling  challenging race tracks which bring us back to where we began. The other day I saw two pictures: one of my eight-month old granddaughter pushing a walker and the other of a great grandmother using a walker. One pictured captured a baby learning how to walk; the other captured an elderly woman concentrating on keeping her balance and avoiding falling. With people living longer, we see older people needing more assistance in their daily tasks and even more so as they age and decline both physically and mentally. Both babies and the frail need help with basic necessities of being fed, dressed, bathed, and assistance with personal care. The baby and the healthy young child will ultimately learn to do these tasks on their own. It is a sad part of today’s reality, however, to see advanced seniors revert back to the basic needs and abilities of a young child.

This issue was sparked in my mind through the image of a walker. A walker is designed to be an aid for anyone in different situations which allow the user to move around more easily and safely. In general an ‘aiding device,’ (made up word) like many things in life, could be both beneficial or detrimental, depending upon how it is used. If used when necessary, it’s value is without question, but when this device becomes a crutch, it is no longer aiding but abetting. For example, if a person breaks his leg and must use crutches to walk, the crutches should be used temporarily. The goal is to wean off the need for the using the crutches and rebuild strength in order to walk without them. Unfortunately, in today’s day and age while many shortcuts and gadgets save us time and energy, over time these useful devices may prove harmful rather than helpful.

One such recent feature is the back-up camera, now a standard component in most new cars.   This device has proven to be such an important safety feature that it is no longer considered an added-on luxury item when buying a car. There is no question that the back-up camera aids the driver when in backing up his vehicle, even though it does take some time to learn to trust it and get used to using it. We must be careful to remember, however, that it is only an aid;  it does NOT replace the human eye. Even though the camera is able to see and warn the driver of a small child under the rear bumper or in an area outside the rear-view range of human vision of the car, the driver must still look carefully before moving the car. Nevertheless, as we build  trust for the camera we may come to rely solely on it and its narrow viewfinder may not detect someone walking behind the car at the last moment. 

Aids and mnemonic devices have been with us from time immemorial. Case in point is a peculiar issue unique to this week’s Parshah Pekudei. It has to do with a little tidbit of information that is shared with us in how many pesukim/verses there are in every Torah portion. In almost every published Chumash you will find a word or two that will contain the numerical number of verses in that parsha, with the exception of Pekudei.   Pekudai happens to have ninety two pesukim. The number of pesukim and a word which adds up to that number is written at the end of every Parshah of the Torah. The word is supposed to serve as a siman (סימן) — a mnemonic for the number of pesukim. Why is this omitted at the end of Parshat Pekudei?

The Lubavitcher Rebbe in Likutei Sichos 6 page 408 says the reason may be due to the fact that in Parshat Pekudei there are ninety-two pesukim and the words “Bli Kal” “בלי כל” have the numerical value of ninety-two. Possibly, in an early print of the Chumash, a typesetter who was a mediocre scholar noticed that it was written at the end of the parshah "צ"ב, בלי כל סימן". Erroneously, he understood it to mean “ninety-two, without any siman,” and therefore he omitted it. The Malbim Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel is the only printed Chumash that has a mnemonic -  the word Aytzay Aleph-Tzadi-Aleph which means ‘to go out’.

There are still questions despite these answers as to the mystery of the siman word equaling to the number of verses. Reb Yakov Chaim Sofer, in an article that appears in Kovetz Beis Aaron Ve’Yisroel #95, is not satisfied with the previously-mentioned answer of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. He challenges the reason because if one investigates the matter of verses and words that match numerically, one finds a pattern without exception. Every mnemonic word found after every parsha is either a name in the portion or theme that relates to something in that parsha. I would postulate that the reason was to encapsulate in one word a reminder of what the total parsha was about or at least something within it.  Therefore the words that mean “without any” sign equaling ninety-two does not fit the pattern, nor does the word Aytzay which isn’t a real Hebrew word.

I currently do not have the perfect reason, but I would like to take some literary license and suggest a thought of my own on this matter. In these articles I’ve mentioned that there is a connection between the beginning and end of every Parsha. So too here, we are missing the mnemonic word that tells us the count. Let us just look at the very name of the Parsha, the word Pekudei. The word Pekudei is explained with different definitions; an accounting, enumerator, remembered, a visit, count, number, review, and, finally, to recall! Even though the initial intent of the word used in the beginning of the parsha was about the vessels and utensils in the Mishkan, it can also be used later on to send a hidden but obvious message about numbers. The common denominator of all these definitions is a reminder of numbers. Perhaps it was the word of the Parsha that was used not to offer the number of verses by giving a word, but the word itself meaning count to the last words of the Parsha “B’Chol Mas’ayhem” in all of their travels. The gematria of B’Chol  - a beis, chaf and lamed  - equal fifty-two, and the first letter of Mas’ayhem is a mem, which equals forty, totaling ninety –two. Hashem, counting and remembering for the entire forty years traveling in the desert, is hinted from the last words of the Parsha. Having a word from the Parsha itself is consistent with all of the other Parshios of the Torah using a word or name from the portion. B’Chol Mem is the mnemonic of Pekudei.

All in all, aids and mnemonics are cute and fun. Sometimes they are helpful and other times they become a crutch. Sometimes they are obvious and sometimes we need to be creative. Sometimes we know outright what they represent and at other times they remain a mystery.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky