Parshas Masei – Anti-Semitism at Home and Abroad - 7/24/14
08/13/2014 11:47:42 AM
This Dvar Torah is sponsored by Ary & Elana Abramovic in memory of Elana's parents Irving and Jeanne Margolin a"h
Throughout my life I have thought of things I’ve wanted to accomplish, but there are also things I never thought I would even attempt to do. Some of the things which fall into this category I considered to be geeky, not my style, could never afford, or were just too weird. More to the point, some other things which I never wanted to attempt were contrary to my upbringing or education. These things fell into the categories of ethical standards, morality, religious requirements, or simply comfort. Today, I’ve come to recognize and identify some of these ‘never never’ things that I have done, albeit silly or serious in nature, and it is this category which I would like to share with you this week.
Parshas Matos – Clarity & Understanding - 7/18/14
08/13/2014 11:45:16 AM
This Dvar Torah along with our Tefillos should be a merit to protect the lives of everyone in Eretz Yisrael and particular to the IDF battling now in Gaza
Ever pick up your cell phone and feel it’s really hot and the battery is drained? Do your eyes and forehead ever hurt when trying to read? When fasting, do you feel uncomfortable, listless and hear your stomach muscles straining? All these examples - cell phones heating up, eyes hurting, stomach muscles straining - share something in common.
Cell phones search for a signal from their carrier, and the search doesn't stop trying to connect until it finally links up to a strong connection. During this search the battery continues to work, burning itself out trying to make the connection. Once the link-up occurs it cools down.
As I approached middle-aged status my nearsightedness became an issue. Without the appropriate, corrective lenses our eyes strain to see properly. Our eyes make ever-increasing effort to focus; the more we try the greater the strain is on the eyes. I've noticed that as soon as I put on my new reading glasses, everything comes into focus and the strain is immediately relieved.
On a fast day we feel increasing pangs of hunger. As our stomachs empty, our bodies search for nutrition from all sources, pulling from the area where food is normally stored. Our stomachs’ constant search for food causes strain and discomfort. As soon as we eat, the muscles searching for nutrition relax as we feed ourselves.
The fascinating, common denominator is feelings of strain and uncertainty when dealing with a lack of needed energy or correction, in the case of our eyes. Quite often, while enduring such a difficulty, we are troubled and can’t accept the fact that once the situation is resolved everything will again be calm. The battery cools down, the vision is clear, headaches due to eye-strain are gone, and the hunger pangs (pulling of the stomach muscles) subside. We only recognize why we went through something only after the cure is revealed. We begin to appreciate why things are unclear only after the issue is resolved. As they say in the vernacular, “hindsight is twenty twenty”. We, in this world, don’t have the ability to see the future; we are capable of grasping only the present situation. We Jews train our thinking to believe that this is but only a part of a bigger picture. Even though things in life may appear bleak and dark now, we believe it is for a reason we’re not capable of grasping that the difficulties are necessary for the future. This concept straddles both worlds, going from bad eyesight to seeing and recognizing the benefit good glasses and the beauty of vision, to recognizing that difficulties in the present can lead to something good in the future.
We find a similar idea in the opening verse of this week’s Haftorah. The Haftorah for Parshas Matos is sometimes read from Melachim Aleph, but this year it is read from the very beginning of Yirmiyahu. The passuk states: “Divrei Yirmiyahu Ben Chilkiyahu, Min HaKohanim Asher BauAnasos, B’Eretz Binyamin”. “The words of Jeremiah son, of Chilkiyahu, one of the priests in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin”. Chilkiyahu was the Kohen Gadol in Yoshia’s time. Chilkiyahu found the Torah scroll in the Beis HaMikdash, as described in Kings II 23:24. Anathoth was a Levite city located about five miles northeast of Yerushalayim.
The Yalkut Shimoni (Midrash) asks about the significance of mentioning that Yirmiyahu came from the land of Binyamin? The Yalkut connects the meaning of Binyamin’s birth and the impact of Yirmiyahu’s actions. The Yalkut Shimoni Yirmiyahu 1:258 relates that Yirmiyahu’s portion was placed in the region of Binyamin. The significance of Binyamin’s birth was not clear to Yaakov Avinu until he was actually born. Yaakov Avinu did not really know he would give birth to twelve tribes until the birth of Binyamin. So too, all of the prophets who prophesied about Jerusalem did not have clarity about their prophecy until Yirmiyahu came and stood up.
The analogy from Binyamin to Yirmiyahu goes as follows: All the days Binyamin was in his mother’s womb (Rachel Immeinu), his mother did not die. Once Binyamin was born, leaving his mother’s womb , Rachel died. As it says in Bereishis 35:18 “Vayehi B’Tzeis Nafsha Ki Meisa” “And it came to pass, as Rachel’s soul was departing that she called his name Ben-Oni, but his father called him Benjamin”. So too all the days that Yirmiyahu was in Yerushalayim the Temple stood; as soon as Yirmiyahu left Jerusalem, the destruction took place. As mentioned in Yirmiyahu 20:7 “Pitisani Hashem Va’Epas, You enticed me, O Lord, and I was enticed”. As soon as he was kicked out of the house, the house was destroyed. In an ironic interpretation we could say the ‘ends justified the means’. Yaakov realized the potential of Am Yisrael only through the birth of his last child; the Prophets only came to realize the truth of their prophecies when the end prophecy of the destruction of Yerushalayim took place at the moment Yirmiyahu is exiled.
Quite often in life we can’t understand why certain events take place. If we are lucky enough and have earned the merit, we sometimes live long enough to see how events later on bring clarity and good reason to clarify events which had transpired earlier in life. During the last century Jewish Jewry has lived and experienced this phenomena. The most recent are the events in Eretz Yisrael whereby we can’t see the outcome, but we believe that whatever transpired these last six weeks will become apparent and clear as to why they did occur.
Chazal teach us that we do not have clear vision and understanding of why and what happens in this world. Whether the issues are about each one of us personally, our families living in Eretz Yisrael, the Jewish people at large, or the entire world, it is only at the time of Moshiach that we will be able to truly see the entire picture and understand why certain things had to happen. In the time of Moshiach this world that we live in today will become clear, not only to the Jews but to all the other nations as well. With clarity and certainty the nations of the world and the Jewish people will see everything. At the conclusion of every service we stand to say “Aleinu”. The final lines of Aleinu proclaim, “Through the Sovereignty of the Almighty … all humanity will call upon Your Name, to turn toward you all the wicked of the earth. …They will offer and accept the yoke of your Kingship that You may reign over them. Then will Hashem be King over all the world. On that day shall Hashem be One and His Name One.”
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Pinchas – The Continuation of Life - 7/10/14
08/13/2014 11:42:37 AM
A few weeks ago I officiated at the funeral of one of our congregants which took place in the Midwest. The family originally came from there but over the years moved to different parts of the country from the east to the west. Part of the eulogy was describing how a person, even after he or she passes away can still have an effect on the world and actually continue after death to get rewards for the next world. This woman, who lived a beautiful life into her nineties, had the ability to draw family and friends to attend her ‘Levaya’ - her funeral - from all over the country. Because of who she was and what she meant to her family, everyone came from all over the country. It is in her Zechus that others performed one of the greatest mitzvos of Halvayas HaMeis, escorting the deceased to her final resting place.
Without much time to organize the trip to the funeral, I did not have access to material that I am used to having and therefore relied on memory to speak about the mitzvos which have no measure. Unfortunately, I had confused (yes, I made a mistake) a Mishna and a Gemara that we recite daily. The Mishna in Peah 1:1 states: “Eilu Devarim Sheain Lahem Shiur, HaPeah, HaBikkurim, V’Ha’ray’ayon, U’Gemilus Chasadim, V’Talmud Torah”. The Mishna continues, stating: “These are the things a person eats the fruits in this world, but the principle remains for the world to come; honoring your father and mother, performing kind deeds, bringing peace between people, and the study ofTorah equals them all”. Then we quote a Gemara in Shabbos 127 that states: “These are the things a person eats the fruits in this world and the principle remains for him in the next world, and they are: honoring your father and mother, kind deeds, early to the study hall morning and evening, welcoming guests, visiting the sick, providing for a bride, escorting the dead, intense prayer, bringing peace and harmony between people, and the study of Torah is equal to them all”. I mistakenly said that escorting the dead has no measure, but it is actually in the second section quoted in the Gemara Shabbos about receiving reward in both worlds. When I checked the actual sources, I found something very disturbing. The Gemara does not list all the things we say in davening, despite the fact that every siddur I checked had quoted ‘escorting the dead’ and welcoming in brides, yet the Gemara does NOT list them.
The Rambam, in his siddur, refers to raising sons to Torah study and judging everyone favorably, but it leaves out escorting the dead and helping the bride. Why is it that helping brides and escorting the dead were added to the davening?
In the responsa of the Maharam Shik Orach Chaim siman 2, Harav Moshe Schick (1 March 1807 – 25 January 1879), who was a prominent Hungarian Orthodox rabbi, explains this apparent issue. The Gemara in Kesuvos 17a states: “We interrupt the study of Torah in order to escort a bride and to take out the dead”. This is actually recorded as the halacha in Even HaEzer 25:2. This means the mitzvos of Halvayas HaMeis and escorting the bride are greater than Torah study. If that’s the case, how can the Mishna and Gemara conclude by saying, ‘and the study ofTorah equals them all’? Due to this reasoning the Rambam, who says that Talmud Torah is equal to all of them, specifically leaves out those two great mitzvos. Through the study of Torah one can reach all of the mitzvos.
We can now understand the wording as we have it in the siddur. Since the fact is that gathering in a bride and escorting the dead are the greatest Mitzvos, it is obvious that those who do these mitzvos will eat the fruits in this world and the principle remains for the next world; how much more so by the study of Torah. If Torah earns a person reward in both worlds, then we must list that escorting a bride and taking out the dead that are even greater than Torah study. The Braisa in gemara Shabbos leaves out the mitzvos of honoring your father and learning ofTorah because it is explicitly stated in the Torah that these mitzvospermit a person to eat the fruits in this world while not disturbing the principle. The talmudic rule is that anything that is learned explicitly does not need to be learned out or stated any other way.
In Jewish law and thought we are familiar with the concept of Schar Holicha, reward for travel. For instance, if two people attend the same Shul, the person who came from the further distance gets more reward than the person who was closer - if all other things are equal. I see no difference in the case of a funeral: that a person gets greater or more schar/reward for traveling from a faraway place. Where do we find the great mitzvah of escorting the dead?
In this week’s Parshas Pinchas the Torah states in 26:12 “Uvnei Korach Lo Maysu”, “and the children of Korach did not die.” This is odd because a few parshios ago in Korach we read how Korach and his entire family was swallowed up in the earth. Many commentaries offer suggestions to whether they died or not. Almost all agree that the children of Korach repented and didn’t die a permanent, spiritual death like Korach and his followers. The wording of the verse “and the Children of Korach did not die” means they physically died, but not due to the sins of their father but rather because of something else. In fact, Chazal teach us that the Navi Shmuel came from their lineage. The Ramban says the sons of Korach were great Tzadikim and their merits protected them.
We believe in the body and the soul. The soul, the neshama, lives on for eternity; only the body disappears. There are, however, some souls that completely die off, as in the case of Korach and his followers. Therefore, we, the living, have the opportunity to have our loved ones live on and continue to build up and earn rewards for their place in the next world. Just as the sons of Korach didn’t die, our relatives also live on in spirit and continue to eat of the fruits in both this world and the next.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Balak – Frozen in Time 7/3/14
07/07/2014 04:47:26 PM
We make many stops along the journey of life, some longer than others. The trip of life, spanning all our school experiences, encompassing all who teach and nurture us – family, rabbis, and friends – continues to shape who we are. I was fortunate to grow up within close proximity of my first cousins and looked forward to frequent visits from other cousins, particularly for Yom Tov and the American holidays. The advent of jet travel and job opportunities caused members of families to move further away; the traditional geographically-close, expanded-family environment became less typical. This was true for my family, and I’m sure it’s true for you, the reader, as well.
I recently had a few interactions with people from different places and stages in life, some in person and others either by phone or by correspondence. One of these recent occurrences stemmed from an e-mail I received from a former roommate of mine who was in ninth grade while I was in the Beis Medrash (post high school). This wide age difference was due to a system of having two older boys room with some of the younger boys in order to keep an eye on them - or perhaps on each other. This particular boy was excruciatingly annoying, to say the least, but was also a cute kid, despite himself. He was only in the Yeshiva for one year, and now, almost thirty years later, sent me this e-mail. Subsequently, we spoke at length, reminiscing about the past and filling each other in about our current lives. Today he, Baruch Hashem, has a large family. He works in a large family business and studies and teaches Torah diligently in his community. My vision of him throughout the entire conversation was of a little fourteen year-old pipsqueak, while simultaneously transforming the conversation, fast-forwarding it to the present day.
A second poignant situation took place during my recent trip to Israel. I visited my revered Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav Berel Wein Y”BL, in his Jerusalem home. Even though we ‘speak’ from time to time, sitting in his office threw me back to the Yeshiva days where I saw myself once again as a young yeshiva Bochur. I quipped with Rabbi Wein that I today am at the same age that he was when we first met. I was sitting with him feeling as if it were that long ago. I didn’t feel fifty and he eighty; rather I was twenty and he fifty. It was almost as if neither of us had aged a day. Despite my age and place in life, I felt the awe of that original Rebbi/Talmid relationship fixed in time.
Although I have many illustrations, I will share only one more and let you the reader recognize your own. I spent a Shabbos alone with my parents Y’BL, in their home in Israel. It was only my parents and me for Shabbos, and I had the warm feelings of a little boy, not a fifty year-old grown man with his own family B’AH. No matter how old my parents or I are, we get locked-in emotionally to other times in life and the many stages we’ve shared together. A great amount of time has physically passed, yet somehow I feel emotionally stunted in growth, thanks to being the baby in the family. The sense of transcending time is a window of life that at times is open and at other times is closed. Sometimes we are able to see through time in some mysterious, transparent way, and other times we are not able to do so.
The subject of time and the span of life are highlighted in this week’s Parsha Balak. In Bamidbar 22:4 the Torah states: “Vayomer Moav El Ziknei Midyan, Ata Y’Lachachu HaKahal Es Kal Siveevosein, Kilchoch HaShor Es Yerek HaSadeh, U’Balak Ben Tzipor Melech L’Moav Ba’Eis HaHee”. “And Moav said to the elders of Midyan, now the Jews are licking up everything around us like the lick of an ox. And Balak, the son of Tzipor, was the king of Moav at that time”. Rashi explains the words ‘at that time’ teaches us that Balak was not worthy of being a king at that time. In fact, he was one of the generals or leaders of Sichon, and when Sichon died he was appointed to be the king just for the moment. They needed to fill the position quickly, so he was an obvious fill-in but did not have the qualities to be a true king. Throughout history we find leaders and kings who are either capable or not, but nevertheless we believe Hashem set them up in those positions of power. Balak, was next in the long line of history to attack the Jewish people. In this case in the desert Balak knew the power of Moshe and the Jews and figured out the only way to defeat Am Yisrael was to hire Bilaam HaRasha to curse the Jewish people.
We have been a target as a nation since we stepped foot out of Egypt. In fact, going back further, Avraham Avinu, the first Jew, was a frequent object of attack. In the most recent tragedy to befall Klal Yisrael, the cold-blooded murder of three innocent teenage boys, we all experienced, felt, and reacted to. The reaction of some world leaders calling for restraint. Should this be cause for surprise? Are we going to be surprised when public opinion will sway back towards our enemies, declaring that we are the aggressors? Are we going to be surprised thinking that the world considers Jewish blood cheap? We are only surprised because WE don’t think or act the same way THEY do. Yes, it is true that from time to time the civilized world will react and sympathize with Israel and the Jews. As we know, time does not stop; it only takes a little time for them to forget.
Balak commands Bilaam to curse the Jews, but Bilaam’s instructions from God are only to say that which He allows Bilaam to say. Despite Bilaam’s agreement with Hashem, he tries to curse the Jewish people three times. Instead of a curse emanating from his mouth, he utters a Bracha, a blessing blessing. I always wondered about this episode of Bilaam defying God’s word and trying to curse. The answer and lesson is clear. We should not be surprised that our enemies will continue to try to hurt, curse, injure and even kill us. Nonetheless, we consider the attacks in any form from which they come and transform it to something good.
We as a people should never ask why or how come. I think we really do know. Our challenge is to take the Klallos/curses and make sure that Hashem Yisborach converts them into Brachos/Blessings. May the Neshamos of Eyal Ben Uriel z”l, Gilad Michoel Ben Ophir z”l, and Yaakov Naftali Ben Avraham z”l rest in peace and their families know of no more sorrow.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Chukas – Full Membership or A La Carte? 6/26/14
07/07/2014 04:45:02 PM
A la carte is a French phrase which means 'according to the menu'. It is used in restaurants when ordering a main course without side dishes. Industries have also adopted the phrase to mean a sales model whereby clients can buy individual parts rather than the whole package at once.
I’ve always wondered (but have not been curious enough to ask) whether people would prefer to pay a one-price full membership for their shul dues and benefits or would prefer to pay a la carte - per person per event. I believe the most common answer would be ‘we want to take full benefits but only pay the a la carte cost’. For sake of the argument, there are organizations which do not charge for membership but surely make up the difference by charging a hefty price per event.
In my opinion the ‘a la carte’ system is not a Jewish concept when it comes to shuls, schools and other religious organizations. Becoming a member makes a statement of belonging to and supporting the specific group or organization. It also implies that, with membership, we may not agree with every policy or decision, but these disagreements should not take away from my support of the institution. Being a member of an organization such as a shul or a school is a privilege which is part of our communal responsibility.
Chazal tell us that there were ten great events in Jewish history which produced ten great Shiros/songs that were sung to Hashem. Nine have already happened and the tenth is the big one we wait for every day.
In this week’s parsha Chukas we read about the third Shira. It is listed among all the others here:
1) Shiras Adam - The song Adam sang after Creation was completed: Mizmor shir l'yom hashabbos.
2) Shiras HaYam - The song at Yam Suf (Beshalach)
3) Shiras Ha'Be'er - Song of the Well in the Desert
4) Shiras Haazinu
5) Shiras Ha'Givon in Sefer Yehoshua when the sun remained up throughout the night to help Yehoshua in his battle.
6) Shiras Devorah in Sefer Shoftim
7) Shiras Chana in Sefer Shmuel
8) Shiras Dovid - Tehilim 18
9) Shir Ha'Shirim of Shlomo Ha'Melech
10) Shir HaGeulah - This song has not yet been sung.
There are different versions of this list presented by other Medrashim.
Shiras Ha'Be'er - Song of the Well in the Desert (Bamidbar 21:17) took place when the Emorim were killed after plotting an ambush and the mountains crushed them. Their blood came up through the Be'er – the well - revealing the miracle/Nes to Bnei Yisroel. On the passuk “Az Yahir Yisroel Es HaShira Hazos, Ali Be’er Enu Lah” “Then Israel sang this song: Come up, O well, call out to it!” Rashi quotes the Midrash Tanchuma asking, ’Didn’t the well begin giving water at the beginning of the forty year journey?,- Why did they see it fitting to sing the praise now?’ A second question asks ‘Why isn’t Moshe’s name mentioned here?’ The answer appears to be understood with the following analogy: When a man builds a house and toils an entire year or more by himself, at the conclusion he makes a feast inviting his relatives and close friends, similar to the meal that Shlomo HaMelech served at the completion of the Temple. We also find the same idea when the Jews left Egypt after struggling through slavery, passing over the sea of reeds, witnessing the Egyptians drowned in the sea, and finally understanding that the complete redemption was here. Therefore it wasn’t until that very point that Moshe and the Children of Israel began to sing. Likewise, when theTorah was being completed, Hashem tells the Bnei Yisrael, the Children of Israel, to write down this song (Haazinu), and all the other songs which were sung at the completion of something great.
In our parsha the Be’Er, the well that accompanied the Jews in the desert for forty years, has completed its mission. As the Children of Israel approached Moav, the well was no longer necessary because they could now drink from the Jordan River, and the rock from which the water flowed returned to be amongst the other stones. Others interpret that the stone didn’t go back to the other stones; it went into the Jordan River. This is because even though it looked like a rock, its essence was water, and so it returned to its own source. The singing at this time reflects the gratitude the Jews had to Hashem and to the well for providing them water to drink, quenching their thirst. This is viewed as an analogy to a man who receives help from a friend for an extended period of time, pushing off the ‘final’ thank you until God gives him that which he was lacking, no longer needing to rely on the friend. At that point the man gives thanks, showering praise upon his friend for all the help and support he had provided from the beginning until the very end of his need. At this juncture the Jews could see the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. The forty-year journey is coming to an end; they will be crossing over into Eretz Canaan. In Canaan the Jews were told they would get water the ‘natural’ way, not through ‘super natural’ means such as a rock and an accompanying well. Moshe, on the other hand, did not feel like singing at this point, knowing that as soon as the Jews entered the land it would be his time to return to his Maker. Therefore, the singing was done by the people but not with Moshe.
In the course of life, particularly a Jewish life, we emphasize the notion of thanking and recognizing the good we have received. Unfortunately, at times we forget the entire course of events and only express thanks for a segment of the good from which we benefitted. This is not correct. We cannot pick and choose the parts that were more meaningful to us while neglecting other benefits that we unquestionably received but didn’t feel were significant. We must realize that what we receive is not in a vacuum; it is an integral part of a larger picture of life. We have all received a gift which may not have been exactly what we wanted. Nevertheless, we are required to give sincere thanks for the gift. We are obligated to look at the whole picture, seeing beyond ourselves and our myopic view of our lives. We can’t pick and choose a la carte – according to the menu. Every so often it’s worth while to take a step back and look at the fullness of all we’ve been given - to appreciate the entire package for all its goodness, even though we are not able to see the larger picture which envelopes our lives.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Korach – #BringBackOurBoys 6/19/14
06/24/2014 05:54:12 PM
We all hope and pray that by the time this article is published the
three teenage Jewish boys will be back home with their families alive
and healthy, Hashem Yishmor!
So much has been written and read, and yet I feel there is still so
much more to be said. I feel compelled to express my feelings which I
am sure I share with many others. Sadness, anger, fear, and hope have
been only a few of the emotions we, as a people, and the families of
Gilad Shaer, Naftali Frankel and Eyal Yifrah have experienced. I must
admit I feel ‘small’ when sizing up my life compared to what
these three young boys must be enduring. The amount of writing and
reporting is essential. Every update, every new article, gives us a
different angle, a different take on this continuing, wrenching
situation. I have been inspired, moved and speechless at the
incredible strength some have shown, while also have experienced
extreme disappointment in the tasteless downplaying of this horror.
We heard the mother of one of the kidnapped boys exhibit her
incredible inner strength by thanking everyone involved in the
world-wide prayers, search and political efforts involved towards
getting her son and his friends back safely. We heard the Israeli
Arab Mohammed Zoabi take to youtube openly siding with Israel,
brazenly accusing the Palestinians as terrorists. We heard the
outpouring of Tehilim recited by a brother of one of the abducted
boys, leading his Yeshiva and Yishuv in prayer. We heard about the
reciting of Tehilim in the Knesset, the Israel Parliament, by all of
the Jewish MK’s, irrespective of their religious level or
observance. We heard about the mass gatherings of prayer and
inspiration throughout Shuls and Batei Midrashim throughout the
world. Unfortunately, history repeats itself and has shown us time
and time again that it takes a tragedy of such proportions to bring
the Jewish people together. Anti-Semitism is the other negative
method of bringing Jews together. It is difficult to read and accept
the blasé attitude taken by the current administration of our United
States. Our President should be leading the charge in supporting
Israel’s right to rid itself of the terrorist cells and bring true
peace to the region by eradicating those who oppose peace.
Unfortunately, silence sends a message that these acts of terror are
acceptable.
When I watch the videos of the Israeli army working around the clock
to secure their release, I notice a sense of determination,
responsibility, and the feeling that each person can make the
difference in this mission. For us in the diaspora, the challenge
remains ’What can we do to make that difference?’ The answer is
not a simple one, nevertheless, everyone must work towards feeling
the pain and sadness as if this were occurring to his own brother or
son. Whenever we say Tehilim, think in terms of davening for your
brother or son. Additionally, make an effort to do one chessed a day
in their merit. The irony of the situation lies in the fact that this
week’s parsha Korach represents divisiveness within the Jewish
people; we, throughout the Jewish world, have turned this current
situation into a need for unity of focus and action.
In this week’s Parsha Korach we read the story of Korach, Dasan and
Aviram along with two hundred fifty men staging a rebellion against
Moshe. In Bamidbar 16:30 the Torah states: “V’Im Bree’ah Yivra
Ado-noy U’Fatzisa Ha’Adama Es Piha U’’Vala Osam V’Es Kal
Asher Lahem V’Yardu Chayim She’olah, Vee’Daatem Ki Nee’ahtzu
Ha’Anashim Ha’Eileh Es Ado-noy”. “But if Hashem will create a
creation, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all
that is theirs, and they will descend alive to the pit, then you
shall know that these men have provoked Hashem!” Rashi explains
‘if Hashem will create a (new) creation’ means to put them to
death through a death which no person has died up to this point.
Ramban says the word ‘Bri’ah’ denotes the creation of a
phenomenon which has no precedent. The creation was the opening of
the earth’s mouth and will swallow them. Rashi further explains,
“If the mouth of the earth is a creation from the time of the six
days of creation then fine, but if not, may Hashem create it now.”
The Talmud Yerushalmi Meseches Kesuvos states on this verse: “a
Tzadik decrees and the Almighty fulfills”. The gemara quotes a
verse in Tehilim 57:3 “I will call to God, Most High; to the
Almighty Who fulfills my purpose”. In that context the Gemara says
the Beis Din establishes the year based upon the witnesses for a leap
year. God then establishes or completes nature according to this. It
is the strength of mankind to establish the actions of Hashem
vis-a-vis Himself or the world, particularly the words or prayers of
a tzadik. We learn from Avraham Avinu the ability to change the
decree of Sedom. The word associated with Avraham’s request was
‘Vayigash’ - and he approached, approached with prayer. The same
word is found later in Tanach by Yoav, Eliyahu HaNavi, and, of
course, Yehuda when approaching his brother Yosef in Egypt.
The Maharal explains that in all the cases in Tanach, Tefilla,
prayer, is the key to force Hashem’s will and ‘change the facts
on the ground’. One might even suggest that Hashem awaits the
prayers of His people to beg and pray for the changing of a decree.
When each and every one of us davens on behalf of someone and, in
particular, for the three missing Jewish teens in Israel, what are we
thinking? What is going through our minds? The answer needs to be
that we are thinking,that we are not only asking but demanding of
Hakdosh Baruch Hu to answer our Tefillos in the positive, and in this
case that the three teens be returned to their families quickly and
in good health. Hashem, if this is what You want then this IS what
you are getting. Mass gatherings of Jews from all over the spectrum
of religious life. We call out and reiterate to Yakov Avinu, “Shma
Yisrael H’ Elokeinu H’ Echod”, we, your children, are one
people, one voice.
Am Yisrael Chai!
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Ways to help our boys:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?
Personal letters of support can be sent to the families of the young
men who have been taken hostage at:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?
Shlach – Being Supernatural is Rising Above the Natural 6/12/14
06/24/2014 05:51:27 PM
This Dvar Torah is sponsored by Stephen and Manijeh Breskin in loving
memory of Matt Ferry’s mother Francesca De-Picciotto on her
Yahrzeit this Shabbos, 16 Sivan.
The holy mussar sefer Orchos Tzadikim, Ways of the Righteous, plows
through the middos/character traits of the human being. Every
midda/trait is mirrored with another trait that is the opposite of
its counterpart. For example, haughtiness is followed by humility and
mercy is followed by cruelty. This is how the sefer is laid out,
climbing the ladder up to the gate of Fear of Heaven. Every
individual has strengths and weaknesses. One of our many challenges
in life is to overcome these weaknesses and use the strengths only
for good. We must be careful that the good traits are not used in a
bad way, and find ways to turn the bad traits so they are used in a
good way. Generally speaking, anger is viewed as a negative trait,
but getting angry in order to defend God is proper and should be
exercised with proper behavior.
Gvura, strength, is a necessary trait that compliments many other
traits. The definition of a trait has many interpretations, depending
upon the source and circumstances. By definition, a definition does
not tell us everything about a person or event. History has told many
stories about great generals who were geniuses when it came to
military strategy, yet we don’t know how they treated their wives,
children, or members of their families.. The adjective “great” is
designated sole to the description of the noun but tells us very
little else about the person.
In Pirkei Avos a famous question is asked: Eizehu Gibor, who is a
mighty one? One of the answers given is ‘he who has conquered his
Yetzer’ - commonly translated as desire. A person who can overcome
the inclination to do something bad is in control and considered
mighty. I would like to suggest a different type of strength that, in
my humble opinion, is reserved for a truly great person. The
greatness I am about to describe is rarely found in today’s day and
age, yet I have met two such couples who are true ‘Giborim’ -
incredible great people.
My definition of a great person is “someone who shows joy for
another person’s Simcha even though he will never experience that
joy in his life”. I’m sure if you think about this you will also
know someone who came and rejoiced in your particular joy,
understanding he will never celebrate that celebration in his
lifetime. I will try to protect the innocent by leaving their names
out, but I don’t want to change the facts of the occurrences. The
first is a good old friend of mine (we speak a few times a year) who
tragically lost a child and came shortly after that to celebrate my
son’s wedding. It was a time that his own child should have been
getting married. Imagine the pain of a parent who could never
experience such a simcha of his own and yet, with incredible strength
(there are no greater words to describe it), attend my son’s
wedding, demonstrating total joy, dancing, showing no resentment to
Hashem.The second ‘Gibor’- great person - with whom I rarely
speak and have known for only a few years, has been unsuccessful in
having his own child. He and his wife have undergone many treatments
and haven’t lost hope yet. God willing they should be blessed with
children. When I had a grandchild, the husband called me to wish me a
Mazal Tov. His emotions of true joy for me were felt despite the pain
I’m sure he was experiencing but did not let on a bit. I would
never fool myself by thinking that I could do what these two
individuals did.That is true greatness.
Middos are not only genetic; they are learned as well. If I am not
born with this, who can I learn it from? I believe the answer can be
found in this week’s Parsha Shlach. In Bamidbar 13:2 the Torah
states: “Shlach L’cha Anashim Viyasuru Es Eretz Canaan Asher Ani
Nosein Lachem”. Hashem says to Moshe, send out for yourself Men and
to check out the land of Israel. The Rabbis comment on the word
‘Anashim’ that they were ‘Great’ men. Unfortunately, we know
the history of what ensued; only two of those twelve remained great:
Yehoshua Bin Nun and Kalev Ben Yefuneh.
The Gemara Pesachim 119b and Megillah 14b comment that Yehoshua did
not have any sons. A few reasons are given in various sources. Some
say Yehoshua died without children because he made a suggestion in
front of Moshe, his Rebbi, in dealing with Eldad and Medad. A second
reason in Gemara Eruvin 63b mentions Yehoshua dying without children
because he didn't return the Ark to its place in Gilgal on the night
before the war with Gilgal, causing the people not to be permitted to
engage in procreation. It must have been very challenging for the
leader of the Jewish people to interact and manage the nation, having
been childless. Nevertheless, Yehoshua is ‘great’ and is able to
thrive as the successor to Moshe.
The Gemara in Sotah 35a on the verse in Bamidbar 13:30 “Vayahas
Calev Es Ha’Am…” and Calev hushed the people toward Moshe and
said, “We shall surely ascend…” explains that Calev appeared to
instigate them against Moshe. When he (Calev) saw them silence
Yehoshua, who had begun to speak, Calev said “If I try to tell them
anything, they will shut me up as well.” So he said to them ‘Is
this all that the son of Amramhas has done to us?...” The gemra
explains the fact that his failure to call Moshe by name was a
disparaging remark making the other spies think he was on their side.
In fact, the Midrash Aggada Bamidbar 13:30 says while they were in
the land (of Israel) the Spies plotted to speak evil of the land and
to tell of the might of its fortifications. They took Calev into
their plot, and he told them that he would speak as they, but in his
heart he resolved to tell the praise and goodness of the land. So
when he came to speak, Calev ‘silenced them’ (the spies) because
they were completely caught off guard as Calev got their attention
but were in shock of his reversal against them.
Calev’s attributes are emulated by my friend and his wife who, upon
losing their child, came to explain and give true meaning of their
loss to others around them. People who hear about tragedy try to
comfort the mourners yet tend to be uncomfortable in trying. My
friends completely reversed the emotions people would normally think
they would have experiencing such a loss. They literally silenced the
crowd during the funeral, shiva, and beyond in explaining Hashem’s
plan and not only accepting it but using it as a tool to teach
others.
We should learn from these great Gedolim, giants amongst our midst
who rose above the natural reaction and instincts of human beings.
May Hashem continue to give them strength to continue their greatness
and may the rest of us who sit in awe of their greatness try to
emulate them as well.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
The Center of Your Jewish Life
B’Haaloscha – Lawyers & Judges 6/5/14
06/05/2014 11:42:52 PM
As a proud United States citizen, I take my civil liberties seriously. Liberty and freedom bring with it responsibility, and one of the most important of these is being called to the halls of justice to serve as a juror to judge our peers. A jury trial is a legal proceeding in which a jury either makes a decision or makes findings of facts, which then direct the actions of a judge. It is distinguished from a bench trial at which a judge or a panel of judges makes all decisions. I have been summoned to appear for jury duty many times, but only once have I actually been selected to serve on a jury, only to be dismissed by the judge. This took place in Superior Court which is the State of California system of ‘One-Day or One-Trial Jury Service’, a statewide policy designed to improve jury service in California. This time I was called for Federal Jury Duty which retains the juror for a full month. You can be called on the very last day and may still serve as a juror for a few weeks.
I would prefer to be called in and either serve as a juror or be dismissed. For me, this was the worst of scenarios: calling in every day just to be told don’t come in today, but call tomorrow. This locked me down for the entire month of May. In the world at large there are some countries which use the jury system while others use a panel of judges. In this week’s parsha we see clearly that the system preferred by Hashem is ruling through the courts of the Beit Din.
Besides the jury there are lawyers and judges. We know that Moshe’s ultimatum to erase his own name from the Torah was a great defense for the Jewish people’s sin of the golden calf. Moshe wasn’t only a good lawyer; he was also the head judge for the Jewish people. It is in Parshas B’Haaloscha that Moshe forms the first Sanhedrin, the seventy member body which judged the greatest cases of the people. These seventy men were of great distinction and were, in essence, the next in line of greatness to Moshe, Aharon, Nadav and Avihu. In this week’s Parsha, B’Haaloscha, Moshe is overwhelmed by the Jewish people incessantly complaining about the kiddush, I mean the food. In Bamidbar 11:16 the Torah states: “Vayomer Hashem El Moshe Esfa Li Shivim Ish Miziknei Yisrael Asher Yadata, Ki Heim Ziknei Ha’AmV’Shotrav, Vilakachta osam El Ohel Moed Vhisyatzvu Sham Imach”. “Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel whom you know to be the elders of the people and its officers. Take them to the Tent of Meeting and have them stand there with you’. Moshe is now able to take on the most difficult cases while the Sanhedrin, the seventy elders, dealt with the people on a more day-to-day basis. There is another great lawyer in the family who was able to convince the judges to act in defense of the guilty, Aharon.
At the conclusion of the parsha, we read about Miriam and Aharon speaking Lashon Hara against their brother, Moshe. As a result, Miriam develops Tzoraas/leprosy for being the talebearer. God comes to the defense of Moshe and sternly explains to Miriam and Aharon that Moshe is greater than they and therefore Moshe should act in a way that may have appeared to be above them. Hashem was angry at them and as a result removed Himself from the scene, leaving the siblings to handle their family situation. Aharon then spoke to Moshe and says in 12:11-13: “I beg you my lord, do not cast a sin upon us, for we have been foolish and we have sinned. Let her not be like a corpse, because of its emerging from its mother’s womb has half its flesh consumed!” At that point Moshe prays on behalf of his sister that her Tzoraas should disappear. I wonder… what were those words that Aharon spoke in defense of Miriam to the Judge Moshe to move him to commute her sentence?
When Aharon says “let her not be like a corpse,”the reference is to a Rashi which explains that someone who has Tzoraas is considered as though he is dead. He becomes isolated with his tumaah - like a corpse. Furthermore, Aharon chooses his words delicately and effectively, defending Miriam with a reminder to Moshe of Miriam’s merits when she was delivering the Jewish babies in Egypt. She had a nickname of ‘Puah’. She would mouth “pu pu” to the babies as they were being born to keep them from crying, as babies usually do when they come out of the womb. Through her efforts she saved Jewish children from certain death. The Egyptians listened for that newborn cry, but they didn’t hear it because of Miriam’s soothing words. Aharon now claims that Miriam’s actions saved the children and should therefore stand as a Zchus - a merit in her defense - for the Loshan Hara she spoke against Moshe. Aharon especially stressed that Moshe should have Hakaras Hatov to his sister for saving his (Moshe’s) life and watching over him from a distance when he, Moshe, was placed in a basket in the Nile River. Moshe himself was not killed in his infancy only because Miriam saved him. Even if Miriam did not have enough merits, Aharon includes the merits of their mother Yocheved, the other nurse, for helping the Jewish women give birth. Yocheved’s nickname was Shifra, she was Mishaperes, which translates from the Hebrew as ‘made the babies look beautiful’, because she made the babies better when they emerged covered with blood from their birth. Both Miriam and Yocheved davened for the well-being of every baby. The Midrash Rabba explains that Miriam and Yocheved supplied mother and child with food and sustained them and kept them alive in spite of extreme danger. With this evidence and closing statement, Aharon convinces Moshe that Midda Kneged Midda - measure for measure -Miriam has merits which support that she should not be left as a ‘Meis’, a corpse. To the contrary she is deserving of a full recovery, and we read that Moshe acquiesces immediately.
We are always playing the defense, prosecutor, judge and jury. As good Jewish lawyers and judges, we should always look for the merits of individuals to counter the sins they may have committed. Lifting up a light and lighting the candles should be emphasized so as to to light up the good merits of people so that we can more clearly see the good they have done and not just focus on viewing their sins.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avram Bogopulsky
Nasso – Shi’eefa+Hashpa’ah = Shefa 5/30/14
06/02/2014 07:20:08 PM
In most years Shavuos falls between Parshas Bamidbar and Nasso. This
year Shavuos occurs after Nasso. One slight connection at least for
Ashkenazic Jews in the diaspora is the Birkas Kohanim that have the
Kohanim Duchan on festivals. The Priestly Blessings are found in this
week’s Parsha Nasso.
If there is one word which summarizes all of the needs and wants from
this world, that word would be Bracha/Blessing. We may ask for many
things, but we must make sure that what we receive is for the good
and for not the bad. Too much of anything could lead us to sin and
therefore that blessing really wasn’t a blessing; it was a curse.
People seek out Brachos from grand Rabbis, Kabbalists, and the like.
We even at times ask Hashem directly to bless us for the different
things we need in life in order to serve Him better. One must
remember that it takes more than merely asking for a bracha, and
requires even more again to maintain those blessings. What is the
secret to the success of getting a bracha and then maintaining it? I
believe that man needs to have a strong inner desire to want
something and values it as important. In addition, he needs to
surrounds himself with this atmosphere, living it daily. If a
person’s priority is to be rich, then he needs to have that
yearning and push and then immerse himself in that arena.
Unfortunately, if that is his only focus, devoid of God in the
picture, it may not last. On the other hand if a person wants general
blessings in all areas of life, he needs to become surrounded with
Hashem in all areas for the blessing of Hashem to be lasting.
The Jewish people are divided in different ways depending upon the
issue. For example, we are categorized as being a Kohein, Levi or
Yisrael. Halachically we are divided by gender and age: men, women
and children. For purposes of repentance, we are lumped together as a
tzadik, rasha, or beinoni. There are many other groupings which I’m
sure everyone can devise, but in this week’s parsha Nasso I learned
of a different subset of responsibility for which the Jewish people
are responsible.
In this week’s Parsha Nasso the Torah states in 6:23 “Dabair El
Aharon V’El Banav Laimor, Ko Svorchu Es Bnei Yisrael, Amor
Lahem”. “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying: So shall you
bless the Children of Israel, say to them”... This is followed by
four pseukim containing the Birkas Kohanim, the Priestly Blessings.
The Jewish nation includes three levels and groups. The first group
includes the merchants and land workers or farmers. The second group
includes the Torah learners, Kohanim and the Neviim, the prophets.
The third group are the men of war and battle who sit at the head of
the nation against the enemies to fight the war of Hashem. Each one
of the three verses 24-26 is the blessing for each particular group.
The first group, the merchants and farmers, is addressed by the first
verse of Yvarechecha Hashem, which means Hashem will bless you. This
is given to the merchants and farmers because they need a constant
Bracha that there should be rain in the proper time and all of their
handiwork will be blessed. The last word of this Bracha is
V’Yishmerecha, which means the blessing they receive will be
guarded so they should not lose their grain or their merchandise.
The second group, the defenders of the Torah, receive the bracha of
Yaer Hashem Panav Eilecha: the wisdom of a person lights up his face.
This is a hint that the wisdom is a result of the light of the Torah.
Veechunecka, the last word of the second passuk, is a reference to
the prophets because there is a guarantee from Hashem that He will
pour a spirit of Chein/splendor on the house of Dovid, which is
prophecy.
The third group, which is represented by the army of Hashem, those
who fight Hashem’s battles, is represented in the final passuk of
Yisa Hashem Panav Eilecha. This is a reversal from an earlier
reaction that Hashem had during the sin of the golden calf when God
said, “I will hide my face from them”. Now Hashem says, “I will
lift my face upon them”. The second part of the verse “Viyaseim
Lecha Shalom” teaches us that they will return from battle in
peace; no one will die in the battle and there will be peace in the
land. Moreover, the sword will no longer pass through the land.
The second group, the defenders of the Torah, are the ones who
influence our society. It is the guarding and learning of Torah that
makes a difference in individuals, families, neighborhoods and
society at large. The Hashpa’ah of people who learn Torah
themselves and or people who enjoy associating with the upholders of
the Torah is one of the components of our equation. The second digit
of our equation is taken from the third passuk representing peace.
Shi’eefa, the ambition and aspiration to live in a perfect world
without strife or confusion are those whose purpose is peace, who are
not antagonistic to any segment of the Jewish people. Being tolerant
of others, guiding them and showing them the true beauty of Torah is
an essential part in order to receive the ultimate blessing of
Hashem. If we are able to add these two parts, then we will attain
the first verse - not only an initial Bracha, but a guarding of that
blessing from Hashem.
On a final note, one can notice that there is a comma in the second
and third parts of the ‘equation’ verses 25 and 26 but not in the
first passuk 24. It appears that the actual verse of Bracha, should
not be interrupted by anything, demonstrating that the plenty and
abundance should never run out. In the other verses a break is
necessary to break up the kind of light and peace that exists in this
world.
We should be zocheh to merit asking for the things we really need and
involve our own being into it, demonstrating to Hashem we want it, so
please give it and maintain it for us and within us for all days.
Ah Gut Shabbos & Ah Gut Yom Tov
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Definitions:
Shi’eefa: ambition, striving, aspiration, to inhale
Hashpa’ah: influence
Shefa: abundance, plenty, myriad, excess, plethora
Bamidbar – Nurture Vs. Torah 5/22/14
05/25/2014 12:47:55 PM
As a young boy I remember a few annual outings my parents insisted on taking us to. Among them were the SSSJ - Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry and demonstrations at the U.N. protesting the mistreatment of Israel. We also went (religiously) to the annual Israel Day Parade, which in some years, we actually joined by marching along with other groups. For me, at least, it felt back then that despite the fact that it was not a religious experience per se, it nevertheless felt purposeful: we were part of a mission.
Please do not take the next few words out of context. Last week we participated in the annual Israel Day fair, which is a great event that we need as Jews in the Diaspora. However, thinking back to my childhood experience celebrating Israel’s independence and relating that memory to the recent Israel Yom Ha’Atzmaut Festival fair here in San Diego makes, unfortunately, a dismal comparison. I didn’t feel a true Jewish inspiration, as I did as a youngster. Perhaps it was the commercialization and the lack of a religious component that left me with less than positive feelings. I hope that last week’s San Diego celebration gave inspiration to the youth of today as it did for me when I was their age.
I believe part of my disappointment in this kind of celebration was the lack of Torah and religious substance. The land of Israel is not just about culture; it represents our Jewish homeland, a place to live and thrive as observant Jews. It is critical to recognize the difference between the culture of Israel and the true values of Torah Judaism in Israel. To paraphrase, “living the culture of a society is limiting to the here and now, while living the Torah is for this world and the next world”. We find a parallel concept at the very end of this week’s Parsha.
In this week’s Parsha Bamidbar the Torah states in 4:19/20 “V’Zos Asu Lahem V’Chayu Valor Yamoosoo BGishtamEs Kodesh HaKadashim…..V’Lo YavouLiros Es HakodeshVameisu”. “Thus shall you do for them so that they shall live and not die: when they approach the Holy of Holies, Aharon and his sons shall come and assign them, every man over his work and to his burden. But they shall not come and look as the holy is inserted, lest they die”.
The Chasam Sofer explains the verses through the words of the sages from Tractate Tamid 32a in a manner of Drush. (Drush is the contextual and non-contextual, moral and philosophical explanations of a passage). The Mishnain Tamid states: “What should a person do in order to live? The answer is to kill himself. What should a person do in order to kill himself? The answer is he needs to give life to himself”. These answers seem a bit puzzling as the answers are the opposite of what we apparently are trying to accomplish. Rav Moshe Sofer explains the Mishna from a different perspective of life and death and this world and the next. A person who wants to live ‘for’ the next world (Olam Habbah) needs to ‘kill’ himself in this world in his service to God. Through this constant effort he will live an eternal life forever and ever in the world to come. But the opposite is also true. If a person lives in the current world (Olam Hazeh) by living and taking advantage of every pleasure and desire this world has to offer, then he will be living it up here but will be killing his opportunity to live in the next world.
Unfortunately, many people believe that by virtue of the fact someone lives an observant lifestyle he will have to give up many of the pleasures of life ,literally depriving himself of basic joys and benefitsin this world. To the contrary, this is the furthest thing from the truth. Of course every individual must fulfill and observe every Mitzva in its proper time, but one should not suffer through that experience. In fact, if a person tortures himself in order to do the Mitzva, he has abused a sacred vessel in the process.That vessel or Keli is his very own body.
Now we can look again and more clearly understand the sequence of the words in these two pesukim. “This is what you should do…..and you will live but will not die. Don’t be so harsh that you punish yourself and ultimately die. That is not the purpose. A person is not obligated to ‘kill’ himself in this world as he approaches the Holy of Holies and performs the commandments. Rather, when a person approaches the task of doing Mitzvos and approaches the Holy of Holies, he should only do that which he is able to do and not more.
The last words of the Parsha “But they shall not come and look as the Holy is inserted lest they die now” is understood differently. If a person makes himself crazy and gets his holy body all swallowed up in areas of Mitzvos and service to Hashem, he has done something wrong. A person is not obligated to kill himself for the sake of heaven. When things become overwhelming, he should step back a little and just ‘live’ and he will not die.
One of the greatest and most difficult challenges facing the Jewish world is the idea of ’normality’. What actually is considered normal or extreme? Everyone has a different definition. With proper guidance every man, woman, and child, every family and every community needs to figure out what is ‘normal’ vis a vis their Avodas Hashem. The annual evaluation of the historical moment of when we received the Torah is almost here.
As the Yom Tov of Shavuos approaches, we look to cultivate the observance of Mitzvos and the fulfillment of the Torah. Perhaps we should strive to nurture a culture of Torah learning and observance and bring opportunity to the greater San Diego Jewish community to develop a true appreciation and deep-seeded love of Toras Eretz Yisrael by returning to live in Eretz Yisrael.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Bechukosai - Stepping up to the Plate . . . and Hitting
05/20/2014 10:29:35 PM
I received an early birthday present from my first cousin who is only four months younger than I. Being that I am turning fifty, he sent me an anti-shock cane that has a flashlight and compass on the handle - fearing and anticipating my approaching senility and aging body. He insisted on sending this and included it with a note stating: “that I am in a MUCH higher age decade than he is”, albeit until October when he will join the same ranks. Fifty is significant, as mentioned in Pirkei Avos5:25: it is the Jubilee year and is also the age for giving counsel or advice. People tend to forget there is also a different kind of milestone: as we churn out the years, we also should be appreciative of greater responsibility.
As children grow up, parents grow older. Newlyweds turn into young couples who then have children, becoming young families. Eventually, parents of young families enter their thirties, and then forties, with teenagers now running the household. The turning point of forty to fifty is the mega change to becoming middle-aged. As the young group morph into the middle aged group, the empty nesters reach the age of retirement. The newly –retired, in their late sixties, are all of a sudden facing their mid-seventies, and those ‘young’ retirees are now almost in their eighties. Eighty-year olds are quickly entering their nineties, and all of us look around and wonder where have the years gone?
When a community loses members, especially active members, there is shock and disbelief. There are certain people who are the bread and butter, the fabric of the minyan, which is exactly the core purpose and role of a Shul - to have services. We know the tradition of a mourner staying home and not being a part of society. Therefore, a minyan gathers in the mourner’s home, allowing the mourner to say kaddish with a minyan. Many small communities don’t have the resources and manpower to maintain multiple services daily, especially when the community is taxed for a Shiva house. No one can blame or have a taaneh/claim or complaint in this situation. On the other hand, frustration grows when there are enough people around to make multiple minyanim and the people either show up late or don’t show up at all! It is difficult to comprehend what many are thinking. Do they expect to have services provided for them yet are unwilling to help others? It is irrelevant whether or not a person knows the individual who needs a minyan... This issue is not limited to fulfilling the need due to a tragedy; it applies to a simcha as well. If someone needs help to celebrate an occasion or to make a minyan, men and women alike should avail themselves, regardless of their relationship to the person(s) in need.
This issue is connected to this week’s Parsha Bechukosai. In Vayikra 26:42 the Torah states “V’Zaacharti Es Brisi Yaakov, V’Af Es Brisi Yitzchak, V’Af Es Brisi Avraham Ezkor V’Haaretz Ezkor”. “I will remember My covenant with Jacob and also My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant with Abraham will I remember, and I will remember the Land”. Rashi and other commentators ask why the Patriarchs were listed in reverse order? This happens to be the only place in Tanach that the order is not chronological. Rashi quotes Toras Kohanim 8:6 and explains: “as if to say, Yaakov, the youngest of the Avos, is alone sufficient for this; that the Jews should be redeemed through his merit. And if he is not sufficient, see now that Isaac is with him. And if he is not sufficient see now that Abraham is with him, for he is sufficient”.
Rav Yakov Lurenbaum in his sefer Nachalas Yaakov questions Rahi’s comment by stating: “wasn’t Yaakov Avinu the choicest among the forefathers”? How can Rashi begin with an assumption that Yaakov Avinu was not worthy on his own merits to help take Klal Yisrael and lead them out of the exile? Rav Lurenbaum explains that the intention of Rashi is based upon a different Rashi in Parshas Ki Sisa, Shmos 33:13. There Rashi explains the mentioning of the forefathers as follows: If the Jewish people are liable to the punishment of death by burning, then we’ve already been absolved because Avraham was thrown into a furnace for us. If we, the Jewish people, are accountable and deserve to die by Hereg/beheading, then Yitzchak Avinu has already offered that by stretching out his neck during the Akeidas Yitzchak. If the Jewish nation is subject to galus/exile, then Yaakov Avinu has already paid the price for his children since he was exiled and paid in full for the future. Therefore, in our verse in Vayikra, the Torah begins with the least severe punishment, exile, then beheading, and finally the worst type of death - burning. Therefore, it is understandable to say that if this, exile by Yaakov – the lightest punishment - doesn’t work ,then and only then should we move up to the next level - the Av/father who is associated with that punishment. So when Rashi uses the words “not worthy” it is not meant that Yaakov was not worthy, but rather that kind of punishment for the Jews would be K’Dai - to enjoy redemption. If we can’t get there with the lightest punishment, we will go one higher.
We, the Jewish people as a whole, and we as individual Jews, must see to it that we are worthy of helping the Jewish people. It is my investment of time, money, and effort that makes a meaningful difference. It is not only for the community at large, but for each one of us to make a great impression on one’s own family. The best Chinuch, education, to teach our family, our children, our friends, and all members of our community is to set the example of taking the next step. Each one of the Avos stood for the Jewish people; each of them was ready to take the next step of responsibility when it came to communal affairs. They didn’t sit back and rely on the previous generation’s dedication and work. They not only stepped up to the plate, but they started hitting as well.
Whoever reads this must realize that you are the one to step up and swing. Then you will realize the benefit to you, your family, your Shul and your community. Each and every one of us is essential; together we must meet our responsibilities as members of our community, which, in turn, impacts us all.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
B'Har - Making Every Minute Count
05/11/2014 12:14:23 PM
This Dvar Torah is dedicated to the memory of
Mr. Mendel Flaster, Menachem Ben Yitzchak Zev HaKohain, Z”L,
who passed away 8 Iyar 5774.
The Torah is a living piece of every Jew’s life. Some Jews take this to heart and others leave it or pick and choose the parts they like. Those of us who approach the Torah as very much alive understand that it gives each of us direction and focus for all aspects of life. People often remark that the Torah is not alive, that it’s an old relic with nothing applicable to the current era in which we live. There are many different ways to respond to that rhetoric. The first is the easiest: the Torah is timeless because we must do the Mitzvos we are commanded to perform regardless of time and place. Perhaps one reason which resonates more among those not enamored with doing the Mitzvos is the idea that the Torah gives us Mussar, lessons in moral conduct, which guide us throughout our lives.
I would like to share an explanation of a verse in two ways: (1) through the understanding of a Mitzva and (2) through Mussar, moral conduct, instruction, or discipline.
In this week’s Parsha B’Har there are a few different counting’s. The first is the Shmittah cycle, which is comprised of six years during which we are permitted sow and work the land and the seventh year, the Shmittah year, which requires work stoppage on almost every level. The second counting is a seven year series of counting seven years for a total of forty-nine years, capped off with the Yovel/Jubilee in the fiftieth year. Vayikra 25:8 mentions the counting for these two cycles. We find a difference in the two: the counting of the Yovel does not have a Bracha affiliated with it, while the counting of the omer does have a Bracha. The Chizkuni answers with regard to the Yovel that it is incumbent upon the Beis Din – Court of Law - to count, therefore no blessing is necessary. On the other hand, the Omer is mentioned twice in the Torah, once in Parshas Emor, and also in Re’eh: one time to command the Beis Din and the second to command the people.
In Vayikra 25:8 the Passuk states “V’Safarta L’cha Sheva Shabsos Shanim, Sheva Shanim, Sheva P’Amim, VHayu Lcha Yimei Sheva Shobsos HaShanim Teisha V’Arbaim Shana”. “You shall count for yourself seven Sabbaths of years, seven years seven times; and the days of the seven Sabbaths of years shall be for you forty-nine years”. A question is asked: why so much detail in describing the Yovel year? Notice the verse has specifics in counting seven Sabbatical cycles. It then generalizes with seven years seven times, and concludes with another general phrase giving a total of forty-nine years. Even though we don’t enjoy the practice of Yovel in today’s day and age, lacking our Beis Hamikdash, we can still learn a special discipline through this Mitzva of Yovel. This verse instructs us to keep different calculations, accounting for the different stages of life which applies to us today, even without the trimmings of the Jubilee year.
There are three kinds of personal accounting every individual should observe during their lifetime: 1) on a daily basis 2) on a yearly basis and 3) a review of a person’s entire life. There is a parable told of a very poor man who, in his own city, collected from door to door. One day he travelled to a city where he was not known and dressed and acted as a very wealthy man. Lo and behold, another man from his own city saw him and recognized him. The man stared him down and said, “You who are accustomed to go from door to door collecting small coins worth very little have stored them in your pockets, giving the impression that you are a wealthy man, causing you to be treated differently here. Why not go to the bank and transfer all the small change for some larger, more valuable coins. Take a thousand pennies and exchange them for a ten dollar bill, which is smaller and less obtrusive. Then no one will think you are rich anymore because they don’t see your pockets bulging from coins. Exchanging many small coins into a few larger bills or coins makes people think you possess only a small amount of money.
When a person makes the calculations of this life in this world he counts the days and years, reasoning that he has a fortune of seventy, eighty, or perhaps ninety years in this world. A person who has lived for seventy, eighty, ninety years starts to believe that he is a permanent fixture in this world. He becomes comfortable thinking he is a citizen of this world and no longer a sojourner or a guest whose stay is only temporary. When a person counts his life and counts an entire Yovel of fifty years, he can start calculating how many years are remaining in this world, thereby not allowing himself to become too comfortable, not taking the remaining allotted time for granted.
This concept is flushed out by Dovid HaMelech in Tehilim 39:5 “Hodieini Hashem Kitzi Umidas Yaumai Mah Hee Eidah Meh Chaudeil Ani”. “Make known to me, Adonoy, my end and the measure of my days, what is it; let me know how short lived I am”. It’s not about what I have, rather it’s about what I don’t have. The Yetzer Harah tries to convince us of all the years we’ve had and the security we should feel in this world. But King David tells us otherwise: that which we had already is done and we must make the best of the future.
We count many things in this world: blessings, money, health, years, etc. It’s not what we have already amassed but rather what we will do with it in the future. This is the significance of counting in different ways, focusing on life through examining it from different angles. Hopefully we will use the method of counting to make our lives more constructive in this world so as to reap the benefits in the world to come.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Emor - A Different Perspective
05/02/2014 06:17:54 AM
The students are always respectful and well-mannered during their visits. There are times when they ask questions after the services and are appreciative and thankful to us for accommodating them as they strive to complete their class assignment. Typically, they call to arrange a visit the very last possible day as their paper or report is due the very next day. Nevertheless, we help our student neighbors in furthering their education, particularly to open up their eyes and minds to attain a deeper understanding of Judaism and, in particular, Orthodox Judaism. Over the years I have observed that some of the students, both boys and girls, come with different attitudes. Some come because attending a service is a requirement for passing the course. Those students typically stay the shortest amount of time possible in order to fulfill their requirement. Others, I've noticed, stay longer and are intrigued by what they are observing. I don't want to use the word mesmerized, but these students really take it all in.
I realize that these students are only seeing and receiving a tiny sliver of what Judaism is about. Our religion is not limited to prayer, but also to food, family, holidays, Shabbos, etc. I never conduct an exit poll to learn about their experience, but I am curious to learn whether their experience was positive or negative, and more importantly would like to know if they got a good overall impression about Judaism by observing all of us. Being curious, just last week I asked one of the students to send me a copy of his paper. I want to read about his experience at our Shul through his eyes, not mine. I know very well how we tend to behave in Shul, but I want to see from the perspective of these student-visitors how our collective involvement (or lack of) in davening affected them.
This idea is reflected in this week's Parsha Emor. In Vayikra 22:19,20 the Torah states: "Lirtzonchem, Tamim Zachar Babakar Uvatzon UvaIzim""To be an appeasement for you; unblemished, male, from the cattle, from the sheep, or from the goats". "Kol Asher Bo Moom Lo Takrivu, Ki Lo L'Ratzon Yihiye Lachem". "Any in which there is a blemish you shall not offer, for it will not be an appeasement for you". Rav Saadia Gaon explains that this verse does not necessarily give the laws of the objects, which are the animals, but rather addresses the people who are offering the animals as an appeasement. The animal that we should use as an appeasement is the male who has no blemishes. As it says in passuk 20 'Kol Asher Bo Mum Lo Takrivu, whoever themselves are blemished shall not offer sacrifices. The word 'Bo' is referenced to the person who is bringing the sacrifice and not the animal which is being offered.
Interestingly, earlier in the Parsha Vayikra 21:17 the concept of a 'Mum', a blemish in terms of Aharon's offspring, is mentioned. Any offspring of Aharon who has a blemish, a physical blemish on his body, shall not service the sacrifices for people in the Temple. In verse 17 it states "Mum Bo". In verse 21 it says "Bo Mum", the passuk reverses the words. The Kli Yakar explains that the first mention - Mum Bo - is in the future tense, while verse 21 - Bo Mum - is in the present tense. The Kli Yakar explains that the need to change tenses is based upon the understanding that Mumim, blemishes, were spiritual as well as physical.
During Biblical and later Talmudical times the sages of the day were experts in this area. They had the ability to recognize every blemish that would appear even before it came. Once they saw a certain sin, they could figure out the type of Mum which would emerge and develop. For example, if they noticed a person taking a bribe, they knew that the person would end up desolate. If they saw a person being haughty through his legs, that person would end up breaking a leg. If the individual sinned with his face, he would end up with some type of scar on his face. Any area of the body through which the person sinned became blemished. Therefore, even if a person 'will' have a blemish - Mum Bo - in the future tense, he was not permitted to serve in the Temple because the blemish had already taken root deep in the flesh; it would be only a matter of time for the blemish to rise to the surface. The reality, though, was that the person was already blemished despite the lack of physical symptoms.
Whether or not the blemish manifested itself, the Kohen was not allowed to lead the service. We therefore see that Mumim, blemishes, are not only the physical that are seen but also those blemishes that cannot be seen. Both of these conditions prohibit such an individual from being involved in the service.
When the visiting college students observe us during davening or while performing any mitzva or service that we do as Jews, I wonder what they are thinking. Are they observing individuals who are permitted to serve Hashem because we are blemish-free? Perhaps they only think we are blemish free because they don't have the ability to discern a true spiritual flaw in a Jew. In reality, the blemishes may still be beneath the surface yet to emerge, but we are nevertheless blemished and shouldn't be serving the Almighty in such a manner.
The inspection of the individuals who offer sacrifices should take place by the offers' themselves. Before we enter Shul and attempt to serve Hashem in any capacity, role, or mitzva, we need to inspect our physical and, even more important, our spiritual vessels and make sure they will be accepted in order to offer the sacrifices that we make to God.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Kedoshim - The Belief in Blind Faith
04/25/2014 08:23:43 PM
The only benefit I would grant to having white hair is that some small amount of wisdom comes along with it. As I have grown older, the wisdom I have gained is the growing reality that I cannot convince or affect a change in someone in an area of Torah and or Hashkafa/philosophy who does not want to hear the other side. Some people are set in their beliefs and cannot or will not be convinced otherwise.
Some people find it bothersome that some mitzvos, namely 'Mishpatim', are categorized as mitzvos which make sense. Meaning, if we were to come up with rules and regulations for society, these mitzvos would be among them. The other category of Mitzvos, referred to as 'Chukim", commandments that don't have any logic, rhyme or reason to them, at least from the perspective of our human ability to discern. There are reasons for these Chukim, but they are above and beyond our comprehension. Surely Hashem has reason to command us to do these Mitzvos as well. There are examples where Chazal - the Rabbis - have tried to give reasons to these Chukim. To me this becomes no more than a source of frustration when speaking with a skeptical person. Quite often I try to give an explanation or reason for a Chok Mitzva and it is scoffed at and rejected out of hand.
Despite my frustration I will not attempt to give a reason to a well-known Chok of Shaatnez. Rather, I will leave it up to the great Torah commentator Ramban. This Mitzva forbids certain mixtures between animals, seeds, and materials. Traditional and Kabbalistic reasons explain that wearing Shaatnez, the combination of wool and linen in a garment, are forbidden because they it 'stops up' the flow of certain parts of the body if worn. In this week's Parsha Kedoshim Vayikra 19:19 the Torah states: "Es Chukosai Tishmoru, B'HemtichaLo Sarbia Kilayim, Sadcha Lo Sizra Kilayim, U'Beged KilayimShaatnez Lo Yaaleh Alecha". "You shall observe My statutes: you shall not mate your animal with another species; you shall not sow your field with mixed seed; and a garment that is a mixture of combined fibers shall not come upon you". On the words "you shall keep my Chukosai/statutes the Ramban first gives Rashi's understanding that Chukim are decrees of the King for which there is no reason given. The Ramban explains the Rabbis have not mentioned that the reasons for the commandments (mentioned in this verse) are hidden from us, and that the evil inclination and the idolaters raise objections against them, except in the case of prohibition against wearing a garment made of wool and linen, but not in the case of mating of animals of diverse kinds for which there is a reason which we will explain. Clearly, the Ramban says the intention of the Rabbis [in defining statutes as the laws of the King for which there is no reason] was not that these are decrees of the King of kings for which there is no reason whatsoever, for every word of God is tried. They meant only the statutes are like the enactments which a king promulgates for his kingdom, without revealing their benefits to the people, and the people not sensing these reasons, entertain questions about them in their hearts but they accept them nonetheless out of fear of the government. Similarly, the Chukim of Hashem are His secrets in the Torah which the people by means of their thinking do not grasp as they do in the case of Mishpatim.
Now the reason for the prohibition of Kilayim - mating of an animal with another species - is because Hashem created different species in the world, both plants and moving creatures, and He gave them a power of reproduction enabling them to exist as long as Hashem desires their existence in the world. He further endowed them with a power to bring forth only after their kind and that they should NEVER be changed, as it says in Bereishis during creation, L'mineihu, after its kind. The Ramban explains that the reason for both plants and seeds not to be mixed together is that the inner essence and strengths of each plant must be distinct; no plant should receive or give nourishment from each other. Rather each plant and seed needs to maintain its own diet and not combine it with that of another species of plant. He also quotes a Breishis Rabba 10:6 in the name of Rebbi Simone that every plant, every seed, and even every blade of grass in this world has a counterpart, 'a mazal', in the world above us in the Rakia, the heavens. If one mixes these species together, it can contradict and nullify the natural state of laws in heaven, creating havoc in the world beyond our scope of understanding. The Yerushalmi in Kilayim 1:7 states that the laws of Kilayim are the statutes that God engraved into His world. The word 'Chok' is part of the word 'Chakakti' which means carved out.
The only exception regarding providing explanations for Chukim is the wearing of Shaatnez, the mixing of wool and linen. The actual reason for the Chukim regarding plants and animals was to maintain the natural state in which things were created. But mixing of wool and linen involves more than maintaining the natural way of the fabrics. Ramban refers to Rambam from Moreh Nevuchim who explains that at the time the Torah was given the priests of idolatry, who were masters of sorcery, had a certain garment made of Shaatnez - mixture of wool and linen -which they wore when performing their rites. Therefore, the Torah eradicates their idolatrous practices, commanding us to destroy their remembrance. These are some of the 'explanations' to some of the Chukim in the Torah. I guess some people will buy it and others just can't accept it.
Bottom line is, don't mess with God's world when He tells you not to. Unless otherwise instructed leave it alone, and that is the meaning of the Chok!
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Acharei Mos - Getting Back In Line
04/10/2014 08:53:07 PM
Good guys and bad guys are always in the script. Rare is the story where the potential good guys come out smelling bad. Even thoughthe deaths of Nadav and Avihu have already been recorded in the Torah in Parshas Shmini,Nevertheless the beginning of this week's Parsha mentions their deaths in the very first verse. The Torah states in Vayikra 16:1: "Vayidaber Hashem El Moshe Acharei Mos Shnei Bnei Aharon, B'korvasam Lifnei Hashem Vayamusu": "Hashem spoke to Moshe after the death of Aharon's two sons, when they approached before Hashem, and they died".
There are many reasons given which warrant the deaths of Nadav and Avihu. The Midrash Chachamim says the primary and source of their sin was that despite the fact they were great and righteous leaders, they convinced themselves that they were getting closer to God. Only a true Tzadik and leader could possibly stumble by thinking that as he became greater he would automatically become closer to Hashem. A true Tzadik always works on himself, raising his level to grow ever closer to Hashem. This effort does not come with greatness. The greater a person becomes the haughtier he tends to grow which then leads him to act in ways that are outside the prescribed method.
Nadav and Avihu were trying to act for the sake of Heaven, but the rule in life is one must do things that the Tzibbur or majority of the people do. We cannot simply make up our own rules or even to decide to follow a halacha unless we hold or accept the majority opinion. Many halachos are mentioned and brought down but we don't necessarily follow and act in accordance with that authority. Any individual, no matter how great he or she may be, cannot decide to follow a particular law that is outside the accepted viewpoint.
The following Mishna discusses a powerful, strongly-worded opinion consistent with this thought:
The first Mishna of the fourth chapter of Gemara Pesachim states: In a place where the custom is to allow work on Erev Pesach until Chatzos (Halachik Midday), they can do work. In a place where the custom is not to do work, the individual must conform to the public-at-large and refrain from doing Melacha*. Rashi explains the reason the sages instituted this fence was to assure that the people not forget to do Biur Chometz, slaughter the Korban Pesach, and arrange to have matzos for the evening seder. From the statement of this Mishna we derive that it only depended upon the custom of the place until midday; that's where the difference took place. But after Chatzos, midday, it is actually forbidden as a law and not just as a custom. The Talmud Yerushalmi explains says that from midday on was the time for the offering of the Korban Pesach, the Paschal Lamb, for the entire Jewish people. This was considered a Yom Tov for every person: the day a person offered his sacrifice was his Yom Tov, his holiday. Since it was considered a Yom Tov it was therefore forbidden to do Melacha/work which is usually prohibited for Yom Tov. Rabbeinu Asher (The Rash) explains that "...therefore, even in today's time without the Temple being here and without offering of the actual Korban Pesach, the Yom Tov component did not dissolve. From mid-day of Erev Pesach onward we should not do any Melacha. Furthermore, the Rabbeinu Nissim (The RAN) in Pesachim states, "Something that became forbidden through a vote of the chachamim/sages does not become permissible even if the original reason they forbade it no longer applies! When they said it was forbidden to work after Chatzos on Erev Pesach, it was mandated for the entire Jewish people - even those who dwell in Chutz La'Aretz - outside of Israel". The reason is because it was once a holiday that had been established for the entire Jewish people. Reb Yechiel Michel Epstein, in his halachik work Aruch Hashulchan, paskens that someone who does melacha after Chatzos on Erev Pesach will not only fail to see a blessing from his efforts, he will actually will be cursed.
How often in life we meet people who feel they can do things differently than the rest of society. It is complete arrogance for anyone even to perform mitzvos that are being done outside the normative halacha. What gives an individual the right to decide that in HIS opinion, he thinks the law, the halacha, should be such and such, or he feels the law should be in accordance with so and so even though there is an accepted approach according to Shulchan Aruch. Even if there is an opinion that supports this outside practice, it is nevertheless a sign of haughtiness and will eventually collapse.
I would like to offer a concluding original thought that connects this Mishna with Pesach. The Seder follows the reading of the Haggadah. There is a strong tradition to begin the Seder with announcing of the table of contents which essentially are the fifteen steps of the evening. Very few people can appreciate the significance, relevance, and importance setoff setting the stage with this recitation of order. The message is "SEDER" - "ORDER" - keeping your life within the guidelines, the hash marks of the norm. There is no room for me to move outside, rearranging the steps and the order of the Seder or of life. A great measure of the Geula, redemption, was that the Jewish people became a Klal yisrael without anyone moving outside of that distinction. There were groups which attempted and failed, or worse, were totally lost.
In order to envision the coming of Moshiach and the end of this Galus/exile, the Jewish people as a whole must work to align ourselves within the norm and stay within the order of life that is consistent with the majority, following normative halacha and Jewish practice.
Ah Gut Shabbos and Ah Zeesin Pesach
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
*Melacha - the definition of this kind of work are on the level of Chol Hamoed. The kind of Melacha/work that is prohibited on Chol HaMoed is not to be performed Erev Pesach after Chatzos. There are certain types of Melacha necessary for the Yom Tov itself and we can be lenient. But the general approach is to appreciate the significance of the time to keep it holy.
Metzora - Double Take
04/04/2014 04:53:17 PM
One of my favorite sources of information is found on highway billboards. Billboards advertise to the drivers in that particular area. Putting aside billboards that are inappropriate to look at, a person must be careful not to get fixated on the board for too long because it's rather important that one should keep his eyes on the road. One of the most dangerous situations occurs when driving with a passenger who suddenly exclaims, "Hey, look at that billboard!" Which, of course, you've passed before you could possibly glance at it. Even when driving at the legal speed limit (which really does occur once in a while), I find myself turning my head to look at a passing billboard and then, as a last resort, trying to get a better glimpse in my rearview mirror. This activity is very distracting and keeps me from concentrating on the road and the oncoming traffic.
Recently, while driving in South Florida, my wife pointed out a few interesting billboards. One of them advertised a surgeon's practice which has performed the most hip replacements in Florida - a place where many senior citizens live. A second billboard advertised a lawyer specializing in "peaceful divorce negotiations". There are, of course, hundreds of catchy phrases and anecdotes to peak a person's interest in numerous billboards. One type which I feel is very telling is the advertising of religion. Whether it is medical, legal, or spiritual, help being sold on a billboard reveals a great deal about our society and our lives today.
One of the major principles the world exists upon is supply and demand. Where there is a demand you can be sure someone or some company will try to supply it. The inverse, of course, is also true: if we did not have that need the supply would not be necessary. Obviously, it's important to be able to supply those needs when necessary, but can you imagine a world where some of the billboard ads I mentioned earlier would not be necessary? Just think of a world without the elderly falling and breaking hips, a world where marriages thrive and people remain together, and, of course, a world where everyone knows about God? Unfortunately this is not the reality of the world in which we live. Nevertheless, we must ask ourselves the question: how can we view these situations in a positive light and eventually remove the need for some of those negative billboard signs?
This week's Parsha Metzora is a continuation, actually the second half of last week's Parsha Tazria. The latter part of Tazria and the former section of Metzora deal exclusively with Tzoraas/spiritual leprosy. The primary investigator and decisor who determines whether or not the color and form seen is in fact Tzoraas is the Kohein. It is interesting to note that in Vayikra 13:3 the Passuk states: "V'Raah HaKohein Es HaNega B'Or Habasar V'Seiar BeNega Hafach Lavan UMaray HaNega Amok Mei'Or B'Saro Nega Tzaaraas Hu, V'Raahu HaKohein V'Teemei Oso." - "The Kohein shall look at the affliction on the skin of his flesh: If hair in the affliction has turned white, and the affliction's appearance is deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a Tzaar'as - an affliction. The Kohein shall look at it and make him impure." The obvious question is, why is the line discussing the Kohein looking at the 'Nega', the affliction, repeated a second time? Two important and critical reasons are given that really give us deeper insight to our world and to the messages of advertising on billboards.
Let's analyze what the Kohein sees. Tzoraas/Leprosy is found in three different areas, the skin of a person, his clothing, and the walls of a house. In each scenario the affected area is relatively small in comparison to the rest of the surroundings. There is more healthy skin, more unaffected material, and more clean stones in the house compared to the affected areas. The Kutna Rav, Yisroel Eliyahu Yehoshua Trunk explains that the first time the Kohein looks is to see and examine the area and to consider it a Nega Tzoraas. This, of course, brings a lot of negative attention to the person concerned because we know, as it states in Gemara Erchin 16a, the reasons and sins why the leprosy has come. Despite the small affected area which may or may not become a full blown leprosy, the Kohein looks at the rest of the body which is NOT affected by Tzoraas. The second idea belongs to Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk in his master work the Meshech Chochmah. In this work he says the second looking of the Kohein takes into account two other factors that are removed from the person's body: time and circumstances. The fallout from a defining and halchik Tzoraas requires isolation from the Jewish camp. The leper must be quarantined and is required to live away from everyone else. A consideration by the Kohein must be made because there is the possibility that the person might be around for a different reason. Case in point is one of the first laws in Hilchos Aveilus/mourning. In Yoreh Deah Siman 342 a case is discussed where either the mother of the bride or the father of the groom dies on the wedding day itself. At that moment they become mourners, but the practical Halacha is that they go through with the wedding and enter the seven days of celebration known as Sheva Brachos , delaying the mourning until a week later. In essence, the halacha takes into account the time and circumstances of the situation. It is the responsibility of the Kohein to review and not just look at the obvious, glaring affliction.
Most advertising and selling of a product is based upon the demand created by society's problems and perceived needs. We as a society need to fix the initial problems and underlying causes for those problems in order to avoid or eliminate the need for people to supply these services. If, for example, everyone ate healthier food and was not overweight, we would not need the plethora of diet plans offering guaranteed success in becoming healthy. This, of course, is just one example. When it comes to God and religion, if we turn people on rather than off to religion we would not need so much 'outreach'. Outreach is a beautiful gesture but is still only a demand created by the sad need across the entire spectrum of Judaism today.
The message of this parsha could not be more vital for every one of us. We ALL, myself included, are always drawn to the negative of any given situation, whether it be physical or spiritual in nature. If the situation is different than what we are accustomed to, we look askance at it and deride the negative component of the person concerned. It is our duty and our individual and collective responsibility to look beyond and around the obvious that draws our attention. It is part of the old clich of not looking at the glass half empty but rather half full. If we concentrate our attention on the positives of a person, we can create and maintain healthy Neshamos - complete souls that ARE NOT BROKEN OR SEPARATED FROM the system which runs our world.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
*Rav Yisrael Eliyahu Yehoshua Trunk (1821-1893). Born in Plotsk, he received most of his teaching from his father, who was niftar when the boy was just 11. As a teenager, he spent 3 months with the Kotzker Rebbe, whose direction he followed for the remainder of his life. When he was twenty, Rav Yisrael Eliyahu Yehoshua founded a yeshivah and served as rav in Shrensk for seven years. Later in Vorka, his fame as a posek grew. In 1860, he moved to Kutna, which lies near Gustenin and Zichlin. The first record of Jews in Kutna is a document from 1513, in which King Zigmund of Poland grants a year's moratorium to the gentile debtors of three Kutna Jews - Moshe, Shlomo and Liebke. Rav Yisrael Eliyahu Yehoshua published several sefarim, including Yeshuas Yisrael, on Choshen Mishpat, Yeshuos Malko, and Yavin Daas. His only son, Rav Moshe Pinchas, succeeded him as Rav in Kutno. The demise of the Kutna kehillah came when the Nazis finished liquidating its remaining Jews on March 26, 1942.
Tazria - The Woman's Place
03/28/2014 05:41:59 AM
Shmini - Understanding Tum'ah/Impurity
03/21/2014 07:47:23 PM
The need to call the audible was due to the passing of Dodo, our pet parakeet for the past eight years. I am not writing about this looking for sympathy. In fact, I am not mourning at all; mourning is truly reserved for the loss of human life. This is not to say that someone who loses a pet, especially a pet that they had for a long time and was special to them, should not be upset or sad. Being upset and sad are emotions which are acceptable when a pet dies. In fact, I discussed the halachik ramifications and issues regarding the reciting of a blessing upon hearing bad news and whether or not there is room within halacha to recite it or not. Sure I miss the bird..........but only as a bird. This essay is meant for the adult reader, but let it be known and understood that when family pets die, children need to cope and grieve through a process but do not mourn.
In this week's Parsha Shmini the Torah states the kinds of animals that we as Jews are permitted to eat and those that we may not. The Torah does not use the word 'kosher' but rather chooses the words 'tahor' and 'tamei' - pure and impure - with regard to spirituality. Tumah and Taharah is a very difficult subject for people to grasp because it is foreign to us and is completely spiritual. Having discussed the concept of impurity and purity before, I would rather focus on an element other than the spiritual side: the void that is felt when something once alive is no longer alive.
The Torah states in Vayikra 11:2 "Dabru El B'Nai YisraelLaymor, Zos HaChaya Asher Tochlu Mikal HaBeheima Asher Al HaAretz": "Speak to the Children of Israel, saying: 'These are the life forms that you may eat from among all the animals that are upon the earth". God chooses the word 'HaChaya' - the life forms. Rashi explains the word chaya is related to the word chaim, life. The Rabbis taught that live animals do not receive or accept spiritual impurity known as Tumah. Even when it comes to human beings, gentiles do not become impure according to the Torah. The only living creatures that are susceptible to becoming Tamei are Jews. This is due to the already highly spiritual forces which exist within the Jewish body. These forces need to keep themselves as pure as possible at all times. The greater or higher spiritual being requires more limitation and protection from Tumah. This is why a Kohein has further restrictions on becoming defiled. Tumah separates us from Hashem. Kedusha brings us closer to God while Tumah, spiritual impurities, push us further away from God.
In Jewish law the more something is whole and complete the greater possibility there is for it to become impure. If a person has a vessel which is incomplete, it is not susceptible to becoming Tamei. Once it's complete, however, it is susceptible. A fruit that is still attached to the tree is not susceptible, but once it is completely ripe and falls from the tree it can become Tamei.
Even though the laws of Tumah and Tahara are limited today in the sense that we cannot become completely pure without the Beis Hamikdash, we still try to abstain from 'becoming Tamei/impure'. Laws which specifically apply to Kohanim restrict them from entering a cemetery. Similarly, everyone else is required to wash their hands upon coming into contact with a corpse and also when leaving a cemetery.
There is no Tumah/impurity associated with a dead parakeet. It is not a 'Sheretz' - a very specific type of rodent or lizard that the Torah lists which is highly toxic as far as Tumah is concerned. Nevertheless, the change in status from being alive, where there is definitely no impurity, to ceasing to live contains an air of impurity.
The word 'life' to me always means hope while the word 'death' means there is no hope. Previously, when I entered my home and heard a bird chirping or flying around, the beauty of life and all it represents was evident. Dodo's chirping was life and represented its own form of a living entity and hope. This week when I walked into the house there was a sense of death. It was totally quiet: no chirping, no wings flapping, no noise. There wasn't a halachik Tumah but there was disconnect from life. Our objective as long as we are alive is to be as connected to Hashem as possible. Once we die we longer are connected to Hashem in this world. There will be a different kind of relationship between the soul and Hashem in the next world, but that is spiritual to spiritual. The relationship in this world is unique insofar as it is a physical-to- -spiritual network.
The lesson that I've come to glean from this episode is that there has been a potential increase in impurity due to the death of a living creature. Therefore we must combat that potential and increase the level of holiness and spirituality through learning and performing Mitzvos. The message of death indicates the separating and cessation of life, which is our intimate connection to Hashem. We must do whatever we can to re-attach and make that connection stronger; strengthening that relationship we have to our Maker.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Tzav - Unmasking Purim
03/13/2014 06:43:43 PM
Perhaps one of the sources of 'Purim Torah' is based upon the reversal idea regarding the many facets of Purim. We dress differently on Purim. The entire story of the Megillah represents a changing or turning of events that could not have been imagined. The Hebrew word used to describe this idea is 'V'NaHapechu' - 'and it turned or flipped around'. Instead of learning and sharing ordinary Torah we have a good time turning and churning the logic of Torah and Halacha in an enjoyable and cute manner.
An expression we often use in today's vernacular is the change in something called 'day and night'. The expression showing the change between day and night expresses the dramatic change in a person, issue, event, etc. There is something very unique about Purim and in particular the mitzva of reading the Megillah. The Shulchan Aruch in section Orach Chaim 687:1 discusses the obligation of Megillah reading. Rav Yechiel Michel Epstein in his work the Aruch Hashulchan writes "a person is obligated to read the Megillah (or hear it) at night and to go over it again during the day". The source for this is based upon Psalm 30:13: "Lmaan Yzamercha Chavod Vlo Yidome Hashem Elokai L'Olam Odecka" - "In order that my soul might sing to You and the decree not be, the Jewish people cried out to Hashem day and night about their plight and decree of annihilation. They ordered the reading of the Megillah read night and day to remind us of our forefathers calling out to Hashem. Rav Epstein asks, 'How is it possible that one Mitzva must be performed during the day and during the night? Most Mitzvos are either commanded to be fulfilled or performed by day or by night but not both'. For example; tzitzis, tefillin, shofar, lulav are daytime Mitzvos, while the eating of matzah and counting the omer are mitzvos performed at night. The voices of the people were not stilled; they continued to cry out both by day and by night. The reading of the Megillah falls under the category of something similar to a blessing of praise, thanking Hashem for the miracles He performed for us.This was a miracle that took place day and night without interruption, as it says "Forever I will thank you". This is similar, therefore, to Krias Shema and to the Shmone Esrei which are also said both in the morning and in the evening.
Tosafos, Rosh and the Ran all say that the primary time to read the Megillah and personify the miracle is during the day. Even though we read it during the day, however, there is a reference to night, so we also read it at night.. Nevertheless, the main reading is during the day, just as the other three mitzvos of the day: mishloach manos, matanos laEvyonim, and Seudas Purim are all performed during the day. Therefore we recite the bracha of Shehecheyanu at night and again during the day, leading into the main reading of the Megillah. Rambam argues and says we only make the Shehecheyanu at night and we do not repeat the Shehecheyanu during the daytime reading of the Megillah. The practical difference between the two opinions is in a situation where a person can only read it one time. Should he choose to read it at night or rather during the day? The Rabbis mentioned earlier would say to read the Megillah during the day, while the Rambam would choose to read the Megillah at night because the night-time reading reaches us first, applying the principle of 'Ein Ma'Avirin Al HaMitzvos' - we don't pass up or 'passover' the opportunity to do a Mitzva. The Aruch Hashulchan reconciles both opinions. In truth, the Rambam holds that the primary reading is also during the day, but it is only a question Vis a Vis the bracha of Shehecheyanu. This is because the Rambam holds we can't or don't make the Shehecheyanu twice on the same Mitzva in the same calendar year. Therefore, the Rambam states that we should say the Shehecheyanuthe first time it is read, which is at night, but if there were to be only one reading he advises us to choose the daytime over the nighttime, which agrees with the Baalei Tosafos, Rosh, and the Ran.
With this approach the Mitzva of Megillah reading is unique in the sense it is read both day and night, and I believe it can lead us to answer another question. The Talmud and Medrash Socher Tov tell us that after the coming of the Mashiach - the Messiah - we will no longer celebrate any of the holidays that we currently celebrate - except for Purim. What makes Purim so special that, even after the coming of Mashiach we will continue to celebrate it? Part of the Jewish people's success in gaining God's support was the fact they said similar words of Naaseh V'Nishma in order to receive the Torah. This time the Megillah tells us 'Kimu V'Kiblu HaYehudim...' - The Jewish people upheld and fulfilled the Mitzvos of the Torah. Chazal explain that we, the Jewish people, re-accepted that which we had already accepted at Mount Sinai. We accepted the Torah - which is a 24/7 responsibility. The Torah states V'Higisa Yomam Va'layla: and you must toil in Torah day and night.
The message of reading the Megillah twice is not only about the physical number of times we read it; it is about the reading of the Megillah both day and night, representing total acceptance and commitment to Torah study and a life of mitzvos all the time. Perhaps this Purim everyone should reevaluate their level of commitment to Torah study and a Torah way of life. Let us make sure that it's not something part time or either day or night, but rather a total package. We each need to make our own statement of Kimu V'Kiblu. Let us take that which we already accepted and intensify it to be important both by night and by day.
Ah Gut Shabbos & Ah Freilichin Purim
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Vayikra - Haste Makes Waste
03/07/2014 12:28:26 AM
We live in a fast-paced world that too often forces us to do things quickly. So often we may feel the need to take a short cut and do things not according to the book just to get through the day. Unfortunately, the reality is quite the opposite. Whatever time you think you are saving will sooner or later cost you somewhere else. To our own chagrin the blame for this way of life isn't always our own fault. The blame lies with a society that drives us to think, act, and re-act in a hasty, unthinking manner.
Two poignant examples come to mind, both of which occurred just last week. The office in Shul has (had) a small refrigerator that we keep (kept) to hold small items for the staff. The fridge had a small freezer section that did not automatically self-defrost. It required manual defrosting the old-fashioned way by taking out all the food and leaving the unit unplugged in order to allow the ice to melt, making a mess. Well, the Chochom (wise person) that I am decided this method takes too long and requires too much effort. Instead I decided to take a letter opener (why bother using a real ice pick? And who has one of those, anyway?) and chop away at the ice to break it up. I was actually very successful. It took me way less time, except for the little detail which was unbeknownst to me: I punctured the cooling line and effectively broke the entire fridge! A second episode occurred while preparing for Shabbos. I was in a hurry and quickly grabbed a bag containing two cartons of eggs, both of which proceeded to fall on the ground, effectively leaving me with only one surviving carton of eggs. The amount of time it took to clean up the now sprawling, slithering mass of broken eggs and go back to the store to buy more eggs was certainly longer than it would have taken to carefully handle the original bag containing the cartons of eggs.
Why do we sometimes act in irrational, unthinking ways? Experts will tell you our behaviors can be caused for a few different reasons, but I have found that when a person is physically tired, mentally strained, or just zinging out of focus, he is likely to do brash things that usually end up causing more damage than good. I'm not sure why the world thinks we need psychologists and other mental health professionals to tell us this while the sources are found in the Torah.
The synthesis between the Torah's teaching of life and the secular lives we lead are mirrored through our daily lives.
As we begin Sefer Vayikra, the Torah states in Vayikra 4:1 "Dabeir El B'nei Yisrael laymor Nefesh Ki Secheta Bishgaga Mikol Mitzva Hashem Asher Lo Sei'Asena V'Asa Mei'Achas Meiheina". "Hashem spoke to Moshe saying, 'Speak to the Children of Israel, saying: When a person will sin unintentionally from among all the commandments of Hashem that may not be done, and he will commit from one of them". The Alshich HaKadosh explains the nature of sin through this verse. The aim of the Torah is that if a person sins accidentally, he should not say 'What did I do?' Furthermore, even if he admits to wanting to do that particular act, the sin was not done with the purpose of rebelling against Hashem, heaven forbid.
When a person sins without Daas - knowledge or consciousness or awareness - it's a sign that something is wrong with his/her Nefesh. The sin was committed was a result of a previous sin. It is even possible that this sin was committed due to a foreign thought that was only contemplated in the person's heart. The Alshich suggests that it was a previous sin or the thought of a sin that brought the person to sin accidentally now. If someone does not have an iniquity that he violated first, it would not be possible to come to sin accidentally.
We know of a similar principle which explains that Hashem does not bring the opportunity of sin to come among the animals of Tzadikim. How much more so would God not allow a takalah - a mistake - to come upon their owners, who are the actual righteous individuals., takalah/ a The concept of the animal not sinning (for example not eating of grain that was not tithed properly) is the idea in our pasuk 'and the soul that sins accidentally' from where did it come from? It comes from the end of the pasuk that from all of the commandments that he did not violate BUT he did do one of them! As a result of doing one LoTaaseh (do not do's) this is the cause to sin, B'shogeg, committed inadvertently again.
The general rule being proposed is if the soul of a person remains pure and does not become tainted with sin, there is less chance to sin in the first place. But once the soul does sin, a precedent has been set, establishing a platform for other sins to be committed without awareness. This Tumah - impurity - causes yet another sin. Now we can understand the principle of 'aveira goreres aveira' - one sin causes another sin.
In the introduction to Sefer Vayikra, the Abravanel, Reb Don Isaac, writes that Hashem wanted to warn His children not to sin in front of Him and not to violate any of His commandments. Since we are only human and are therefore susceptible to sinning, Hashem gave us the opportunity to rid ourselves of physical or, worse, spiritual punishment by requesting a Korban/ an animal sacrifice that is only a monetary punishment so that our neshamos can remain as pure as possible in order not to get into the habit of sinning.
Why would anyone choose to make a mistake, causing himself grief and extra work? Why would anyone choose to sin knowing the consequences of his actions? People make poor choices when their guard is down, perhaps due to fatigue, irritability or just being in a rush. Whether it is in the physical world or in the spiritual world, the reasons and causes can be traced and linked to the same issues.
Let us all slow down and think before we act. Let's change the motto from 'haste makes waste' to 'thinking makes it lasting'.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Pekudei - Every Donation Counts
02/27/2014 03:17:14 AM
This Dvar Torah is sponsored by Suzanne Levin in memory of her mother Ruth S. Levin, Rivka Yentl Bas Velvel Yitzchok on her Yahrzeit 29 Adar
Prayer is a pretty scary concept, especially if you know what you're saying! A beautiful Tefilla that we say on Shabbos morning between the Haftorah and putting away the Torah is Yekum Purkan. It concludes with a special blessing, the Mi Shebeirach, for those who dedicate their lives to learning, teaching, and giving to uphold Torah:The "Mi Shebeirach", which translates as "The One Who Blesses" and is summarized as follows: ...particularly those who establish synagogues for prayer, and those who come to pray, those who give candles for lighting and wine for Kiddush and havdala, who give bread for the guests and charity for the poor. All who involve themselves in communal work with faith will be rewarded by Who will remove all illness from them and heal their bodies and reward the work of their hands.This Tefilla is designed for those who take care of community needs and the needy on a daily basis. Perhaps we need to substitute some of those items as they might be outdated. For example, our Shul does not solicit people to donate wine or candles for lighting, but general funds are collected and purchased with that money. Nevertheless, with any type of giving, when it is personalized or directed for a specific purpose, it affords more satisfaction to the giver. Conceivably, the donating of wine and bread may be substituted for donating tissues, coffee, or besamim to the Shul. There are many detailed items that a Shul -especially Beth Jacob San Diego- offers to members, non-members and wayfarers which do not constitute part of official synagogue services. There are things that we do which are above and beyond the mandatory items a Shul normally provides. In other words this blessing is still available to anyone who wants to make use of it in today's day and age.
In Jewish thought it's not how much you give, whether it's a lot or a little, as long as your heart is doing it for the sake of heaven. The synagogue or Shul of today is a Mikdash M'at, a small sanctuary similar to the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. Our giving today resembles the giving of charity towards the Mishkan itself. We find a similar concept of giving in this week's parsha Pekudei. In Shmos 40:34,35 the Torah states: "Viyichas HeAnan Es Ohel Moed Uchvod Hashem Malei Es HaMishkan" "V'lo Yachol Moshe Lavo El Ohel Moed, Ki Shachan Alav He'Anan, U'Chbvod Hashem Malei Es HaMishkan". "The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Hashem filled the Mishkan. And Moshe was not able to come to the Tent of Meeting, for the cloud rested upon it, and the glory of Hashem filled the Mishkan". Why couldn't Moshe enter the Tent of Meeting?
The answer is actually very simple. Moshe could not enter because there was no room - Hashem 'filled' the entire Mishkan. The real question is: Why and what caused Hashem to completely fill up the Mishkan, leaving no room for Moshe or anyone else for that matter? Reb Yakov Aryeh of Rahdzmin explains that the Mishkan was full of Ahavas Yisrael, the love of every Jew, and their monies were all from the most sincere places. The Jews donated from their hearts, as the Torah stated "Kal Nediv Lev" - all of the gifts from the heart which was the solid and undying premise of the Jew. As a result of their eagerness to give from the depths of their hearts, God's presence descended upon the area where such giving took place. There was no space that didn't have the feel of giving from a Jew, and that is the greatest honor to Hashem. God wants to be present where such love between Jews takes place, therefore allowing no room for anything else. Sefer MiMaayanos HaNetzach explains that at that moment of totally selfless giving to the Mishkan, Hashem loved the Jews so much that He could not leave any area of the Mishkan devoid of His divine presence. And so the honor of Hashem filled the Mishkan, leaving no space for anything else.
The Shaar Bas Rabim asks "how do we understand Hashem filling up the Mishkan? Doesn't it say in Tehilim that the Heavens are reserved for Hashem's dwelling? How is it possible for Hashem, who is completely spiritual, Who dwells in heaven, to come down to earth and appear in a physical place? "The Shaar Bas Rabim responds by comparing God's strength and existence to a piece of coal and a flame. The source of the heat, represented by the coal, is Hashem living in heaven, while the flame reaches out even extending into the physical world, making its place in the Mishkan. The actual reason we refer to the 'Shechina' as God's presence is because the root of that word means 'to dwell'. The words Shochen, a neighbor, Shechina, God's presence, and Mishkan, the Tabernacle, all share the common root of living.
The Medrash Shmos Rabbah 33:9 states that at the time Hashem spoke to Moshe about the details of the Mishkan, Moshe said to God, "Master of the Universe, are the Jewish people able to do this? Are they able to build the Mishkan?" HaKadosh Baruch Hu answered Moshe, "Even ONE Jew is able to build the entire Mishkan." The verse states: 'Within each person's heart from which he gave is what built the Mishkan'. It is sometimes the small change that makes the difference in a large campaign. If you try to fill up an empty space with big boulders and rocks, they will pile onto each other, but there will still be gaps between them. By contrast, when small rocks, pebbles, and dirt are used, all the cracks and crevices are filled to capacity. Do not underestimate the value of the small donations. They all add up, actually completing or filling the gaps between the large donations.
Who knows if it's the big donation or the many smaller donations that keeps a Shul or a Yeshiva open and provide all the services? The lesson of building the Mishkan is to understand the value and importance of the many donations of all sizes and the subsequent joy of Hashem, leading Hashem to occupy the Mishkan to the degree that even Moshe Rabbeinu could not squeeze in. May we all appreciate and never underestimate the power of giving, no matter how big or small as long as we give for the right reasons and for the sake of heaven. Through such giving we will merit to see the building of the third Beis Hamikdash speedily in our day.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Pekudei - Every Donation Counts
02/27/2014 03:17:04 AM
This Dvar Torah is sponsored by Suzanne Levin in memory of her mother Ruth S. Levin, Rivka Yentl Bas Velvel Yitzchok on her Yahrzeit 29 Adar
Prayer is a pretty scary concept, especially if you know what you're saying! A beautiful Tefilla that we say on Shabbos morning between the Haftorah and putting away the Torah is Yekum Purkan. It concludes with a special blessing, the Mi Shebeirach, for those who dedicate their lives to learning, teaching, and giving to uphold Torah:The "Mi Shebeirach", which translates as "The One Who Blesses" and is summarized as follows: ...particularly those who establish synagogues for prayer, and those who come to pray, those who give candles for lighting and wine for Kiddush and havdala, who give bread for the guests and charity for the poor. All who involve themselves in communal work with faith will be rewarded by Who will remove all illness from them and heal their bodies and reward the work of their hands.This Tefilla is designed for those who take care of community needs and the needy on a daily basis. Perhaps we need to substitute some of those items as they might be outdated. For example, our Shul does not solicit people to donate wine or candles for lighting, but general funds are collected and purchased with that money. Nevertheless, with any type of giving, when it is personalized or directed for a specific purpose, it affords more satisfaction to the giver. Conceivably, the donating of wine and bread may be substituted for donating tissues, coffee, or besamim to the Shul. There are many detailed items that a Shul -especially Beth Jacob San Diego- offers to members, non-members and wayfarers which do not constitute part of official synagogue services. There are things that we do which are above and beyond the mandatory items a Shul normally provides. In other words this blessing is still available to anyone who wants to make use of it in today's day and age.
In Jewish thought it's not how much you give, whether it's a lot or a little, as long as your heart is doing it for the sake of heaven. The synagogue or Shul of today is a Mikdash M'at, a small sanctuary similar to the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. Our giving today resembles the giving of charity towards the Mishkan itself. We find a similar concept of giving in this week's parsha Pekudei. In Shmos 40:34,35 the Torah states: "Viyichas HeAnan Es Ohel Moed Uchvod Hashem Malei Es HaMishkan" "V'lo Yachol Moshe Lavo El Ohel Moed, Ki Shachan Alav He'Anan, U'Chbvod Hashem Malei Es HaMishkan". "The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Hashem filled the Mishkan. And Moshe was not able to come to the Tent of Meeting, for the cloud rested upon it, and the glory of Hashem filled the Mishkan". Why couldn't Moshe enter the Tent of Meeting?
The answer is actually very simple. Moshe could not enter because there was no room - Hashem 'filled' the entire Mishkan. The real question is: Why and what caused Hashem to completely fill up the Mishkan, leaving no room for Moshe or anyone else for that matter? Reb Yakov Aryeh of Rahdzmin explains that the Mishkan was full of Ahavas Yisrael, the love of every Jew, and their monies were all from the most sincere places. The Jews donated from their hearts, as the Torah stated "Kal Nediv Lev" - all of the gifts from the heart which was the solid and undying premise of the Jew. As a result of their eagerness to give from the depths of their hearts, God's presence descended upon the area where such giving took place. There was no space that didn't have the feel of giving from a Jew, and that is the greatest honor to Hashem. God wants to be present where such love between Jews takes place, therefore allowing no room for anything else. Sefer MiMaayanos HaNetzach explains that at that moment of totally selfless giving to the Mishkan, Hashem loved the Jews so much that He could not leave any area of the Mishkan devoid of His divine presence. And so the honor of Hashem filled the Mishkan, leaving no space for anything else.
The Shaar Bas Rabim asks "how do we understand Hashem filling up the Mishkan? Doesn't it say in Tehilim that the Heavens are reserved for Hashem's dwelling? How is it possible for Hashem, who is completely spiritual, Who dwells in heaven, to come down to earth and appear in a physical place? "The Shaar Bas Rabim responds by comparing God's strength and existence to a piece of coal and a flame. The source of the heat, represented by the coal, is Hashem living in heaven, while the flame reaches out even extending into the physical world, making its place in the Mishkan. The actual reason we refer to the 'Shechina' as God's presence is because the root of that word means 'to dwell'. The words Shochen, a neighbor, Shechina, God's presence, and Mishkan, the Tabernacle, all share the common root of living.
The Medrash Shmos Rabbah 33:9 states that at the time Hashem spoke to Moshe about the details of the Mishkan, Moshe said to God, "Master of the Universe, are the Jewish people able to do this? Are they able to build the Mishkan?" HaKadosh Baruch Hu answered Moshe, "Even ONE Jew is able to build the entire Mishkan." The verse states: 'Within each person's heart from which he gave is what built the Mishkan'. It is sometimes the small change that makes the difference in a large campaign. If you try to fill up an empty space with big boulders and rocks, they will pile onto each other, but there will still be gaps between them. By contrast, when small rocks, pebbles, and dirt are used, all the cracks and crevices are filled to capacity. Do not underestimate the value of the small donations. They all add up, actually completing or filling the gaps between the large donations.
Who knows if it's the big donation or the many smaller donations that keeps a Shul or a Yeshiva open and provide all the services? The lesson of building the Mishkan is to understand the value and importance of the many donations of all sizes and the subsequent joy of Hashem, leading Hashem to occupy the Mishkan to the degree that even Moshe Rabbeinu could not squeeze in. May we all appreciate and never underestimate the power of giving, no matter how big or small as long as we give for the right reasons and for the sake of heaven. Through such giving we will merit to see the building of the third Beis Hamikdash speedily in our day.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Vayakhel - The Spice, Spirit and Aroma of Shabbos
02/21/2014 06:56:06 AM
For the women in the household, there's no question. We all smell Shabbos as we walk into the kitchen on Friday. I believe there is even an earlier indication to the boost we receive in preparation of Shabbos, and that is our Thursday night Mishmar and cholent. What is the connection of Thursday night Mishmar to Shabbos and what is the source for even having a Mishmar learning on Thursday night?
I have heard that the concept started in the great Yeshiva of Volozhin, Etz Chaim. Reb Chaim of Volozhin, a student of the Vilna Gaon, wanted to ensure that the voice of Torah always be heard in the Beis Medrash day and night. This entailed having boys study throughout the night, perhaps on a rotation basis. Reb Chaim viewed the responsibility of the Beis Hamedrash to the Beis Hamikdash - the Holy Temple. The Beis Hamikdash had a continuous presence of Kohanim who were ready to work at any time of the day if necessary. The Mishna tells us there were twenty-four Mishmaros throughout the year, consisting of Kohanim families who worked for a week at a time twice a year. The Kohanim essentially 'watched over' the Beis Hamikdash, and this is the definition of the word 'Mishmar'.
Although the vast majority of Yeshivos would find it difficult to arrange all-night learning every night, as they supposedly had in Volozhin, a scaled down version does exist today. It is suggested that Thursday night was selected due to the fact that the learning schedule on Friday was modified because of Shabbos preparations. Since Friday was a shorter day for learning, the Thursday night learning was sometimes extended to continue throughout the night. An additional component to the calculation was that on Shabbos the boys caught up on their sleep. On a philosophical level one could come to appreciate the elevation of learning and its devotion to enhancing the upcoming day of Shabbos. Perhaps the serving of cholent on Thursday nights at Mishmar is the 'tasting' of Shabbos, already in preparation for Shabbos.
What Besamim is to the revival of the Neshama after the departure of Shabbos is what cholent is for awakening of the Neshama Shabbos which is approaching our doorsteps. Cholent represents the concept of rest for Shabbos that we refrain from all activity. It reminds us of "six days shall we work and on the seventh day we shall rest". The cholent reminds us that on Shabbos we don't have to perform any peula/work in order to eat on Shabbos.
In the beginning of this week's Parsha Vayakhel 35:1,2 we read, "Vayakheil Moshe Es Kal Adas Bnei Yisrael Vayomer Aleihem, Eileh Hadevarim Asher Tziva Hashem LaAsos Osam"; "And Moshe gathered the congregation of the children of Israel and said to them 'these are the things that God commanded you to do' six days shall you work and on the seventh day you shall rest". Shabbos, by definition, requires distinction from every area of life and from the rest of the week. It is a day of bonus spirituality and holiness which feels our neshamas and infuses us with purposeful focus throughout the rest of the week. Shabbos is not only the day of rest because we are tired and need to rejuvenate physically from the demands of the work week; it also more importantly recharges our spiritual batteries for the upcoming week.
With this we can understand the Alschich HaKadosh's question from Parshas Bereishis. He asks, "Why does rain fall on Shabbos but the Manna did not?" He answers that there is no action or thought required by a person in order to benefit from the water. In contrast, the Manna required calculations of how many piles of Manna were needed for each household. Did one acquire a slave or maidservant that week that needed an extra portion, or did one release or sell a slave or maidservant and would therefore need less Manna that week? Did anyone in the household give birth, now requiring the need to recalculate the amount of Manna to be collected? In addition to the amounts of Manna necessary to be ordered, one had to think of what it would taste like. A person had to choose from the 'menu' of tastes: fish or meat? Therefore the Alshcich says that the Manna did not fall on Shabbos in order to prevent taking away from ruchniyus/spirituality, turning it into gashmiyus/physicality, even by mere thought alone. The sifrei mussar, books of ethical development, explain that through a person's learning of Torah and observance of Shabbos God will send blessing and success through the handiwork that he does during the week because he doesn't think of business on Shabbos. The success of a person's business is directly related to the absence of talk of business and the appreciation and merit of Shabbos. This is the definition of Shabbos Shabbason. The double usage of Shabbos is six days a week do your work by itself, and with the help of Hashem and the merit of the seventh day it will be a holy Shabbos. Shabbos is for the body or the physical, but Shabbason is for the soul and spirit within the thoughts of Shabbos. Even though the verse says that a person is only subject to death by violating Shabbos, keep in mind that the will of Hashem is to have a Shabbos in a person's thoughts as well.
The smell and taste of a cholent bringing Shabbos in and smelling the besamim at the end of Shabbos reminds us of the spirit of Shabbos which should be created with keen anticipation. Perhaps I may suggest that the word 'mishmar' - to watch and observe - used within the context of Thursday night learning, is an important way to prepare for Shabbos Kodesh!
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Ki Sisa - - The Thirst of Knowledge
02/21/2014 06:36:56 AM
Everything in life has its pros and cons. As technology progresses, our personal lives seem to become more comfortable, easier, and, in the case of child rearing, safer. But these modern innovations and conveniences come to us always with some non-monetary cost. One of our most widely-used technological conveniences is the smartphone, a device that has made life so much easier on many levels. And yet we are becoming increasingly concerned with the negative impact this amazing device is having on our social society. There are a myriad of examples of inventions which have, on some level, improved our lives, yet each of these innovations has also come at some cost, creating a negative effect in tandem to its positive contribution. Despite this I am not seeking to remove them from our world. Rather, what we all need to think about and set out to do is figure out ways to more effectively curb the detriments that these advances have wreaked upon society.
I have witnessed the introduction of many useful inventions, gadgets and chochkies throughout my life. I can't recall exactly when specific great innovations hit the market, but I can definitely remember the excitement of seeing new gadgets appear during my teen years which had not existed during my early childhood. One such new category was child-proof devices such as outlet plugs to insure that a child not stick something in an outlet, thereby protecting the child from electric shock and cabinet locks designed to keep children out of cabinets that may contain harmful items such as poisonous chemicals. There is no question that these simple devices have saved thousands of injuries and deaths to toddlers and unsuspecting children. What I am about to say should NOT be misinterpreted to imply that we should get rid of these protective devices. What I am saying is that having these locks and barriers can also contribute to harnessing a child's curiosity. While the locks and gates are intended to avert or prevent harm, they can also be used to block and even inhibit a child's natural quest for exploration.
I once heard an educator speaking about the difference between today's young children and similarly-aged children from previous generations. Today's young child, according to this educator and also supported by emerging research, tends to be less inquisitive and too accustomed to being told "no" than children of previous generations. Observing parents disciplining their children, one frequently hears, "No! Don't do that." Or "Don't touch that" (this is not with regard to hot or dangerous objects), and so forth. These words are verbal inhibitors which can negatively affect the child's natural desire to seek out and to explore. Safety devices, created to protect children, should not be used to styme a child's curiosity. Parents, when putting safety latches on cabinet doors need to be aware of the importance of allowing cabinets which contain sources of "safe wonder" such as linens, pots and pans, lids, plastic goods, and so forth, to remain open. The mess created is the source of great learning and creative play for the child. While we should embrace products designed to protect our curious toddlers and young children, we need to also perhaps we should allow our children the ability to explore different cabinets, keeping at least some doors unlocked so a toddler's curiosity can still be sparked and nurtured. There is something wonderful about watching a child pull out pots and pans, allowing him opportunity to play with them - always, of course, under parental supervision. Handling objects, exploring their feel, taste, and even their sounds all contribute mightily to a child's growing understanding of the world he lives in.
Perhaps the main ingredient lacking in today's Jewish world is excitement and enthusiasm when it comes to performing Mitzvos, in learning Torah and in observing Shabbos and Yom Tov. One time last year I was so glad to hear one of the children reacting to one of our superb children's' programs called Mishmar. This incredible program runs on alternate weeks for boys and girls. I was surprised and happy to hear one of the children say, "We only have Mishmar every other week? Why?" I could detect a strong desire that this child was looking for more Judaism in his life. This is the critical tool we need to give teachers and educators to create better, more deeply significant Jewish Education.
In this week's Parsha Ki Sisa we find this dual-edged sword of something negative which had a positive redeeming quality: the sin of the Golden Calf. This was undoubtedly the greatest national sin collectively done by the Jewish people. On its own, it was horrible, disgusting, repulsive, but ...it did contain an element from which we can learn: the incredible hype and enthusiasm the Jews had for this event. The negative fallout of the worshipping of the Eigel HaZahav, the Golden Calf, is obvious, but the positive spin should not be overlooked in order to learn from that experience. The people wanted to engage, to be part of a spiritual experience.They were excited and forthcoming in participating at the expense of donating their gold. Where do we find the key in keeping our children engaged and excited about life, and especially about Judaism?
In Parshas Ki Sisa Hashem appoints B'tzalel to be the architect of the Mishkan. The Mishkan/Tabernacle was built as an atonement/Kapara for the sin of the Golden Calf. In 31:2 the Torah states "R'ay Karasi B'Sheim, B'tzalel ben Uri ben Chur L'Matei Yehuda". "See, I have called by name: Betzalel son of Uri, son of Chur, of the tribe of Judah". The sages in Gemara Sanhedrin reveal to us that Betzalel was only twelve years old at the time God commanded Moshe that Betzalel was to do the work on the Mishkan. The background to this topic of finding someone to construct and build a tabernacle with all of its intricacies was challenging. In actuality, it was not possible to find someone who had the ability, someone who was an expert, well-rounded in all areas of construction and design. The reason is because the Jews had been enslaved in Egypt, forced to do back-breaking work, making and carrying huge amounts of bricks and mortar. They did not have the finesse or the skills necessary to design or construct the fine details of the Mishkan. They did not possess the skill set that was essential for building the intricately detailed items of the Mishkan. There was no one who was skilled and trained to work with fine metals such as gold, silver, copper and precious gems. The people had never seen them in Egypt; they were slaves. It would be a great wonder to find someone capable of such highly skilled work amongst the Jewish people. In fact, after Moshe heard the list of items needed to be built, sewn and crafted for the Mishkan, he asked out loud, "Who is able to build and create all of this?" He asked, "Who will be chosen and who could come close to performing all the necessary tasks?"
Immediately, Hashem said to Moshe, "See this great, talented man whom I "called" from the earlier generations before the Jews went to Egypt." Furthermore, God said, "During the time of the six days of creation it came to mind that this generation and in this year the Mishkan will be built. Therefore, I am preparing now the child who will be born and will be that builder/architect of the Mishkan."
During the six days of creation Betzalel's soul was with God, hence giving him the name Betzalel - which means 'in the shade of God'. During the days of creation Hashem prepared this Neshama/soul of Betzalel, giving him all the necessary tools and creative forcefor building the Tabernacle. The Midrash says Hashem "showed" the book that was given to Adam HaRishon (the first man) that contained the names of all the generational leaders. And Betzalel's name was written, stating that he was going to be the one to build the Mishkan.
We derive from the Midrash that Hashem had long ago prepared Betzalel for this day. Hashem nurtured Betzalel, encouraged him, and gave him the opportunity to explore and to grow, to polish his talent. . We cannot stunt a child's learning and curiosity. To the contrary, it is our responsibility, our privilege as parents and teachers to fuel each child's natural quest to discover and to learn, allowing curiosity to be sparked and flourish. From the very earliest stages of development we must encourage our children to be curious and to seek out adventure, albeit with parental supervision - monitoring but not inhibiting. Hopefully, if we instill these qualities of seeking out and of exploring we will be paving pathways for our children to grow and thrive as confident, inquisitive, creative individuals. We should be zocheh to Chochma, Binah and Daas./ Wisdom, intellect and knowledge.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Parshas T'Tzaveh: You can't play a symphony alone; it takes an orchestra to play it
02/07/2014 04:56:32 PM
I recently attended a cantorial concert which included a phenomenal orchestra. Of all the performers, the singers and the musicians, there is one person who on the surface appears to not be doing very much. The maestro or conductor stands on a podium and waves a baton which, to the untrained eye, seems not only pretty easy but also appear to me - a novice in this area - to be rather useless. As I began to observe him more carefully, focusing on his every move, I could detect the attention he garnered from every one of the musicians and singers. I noticed that throughout the performance they looked to him for guidance and direction. Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures; it is also the art of bringing the musicians to a new level of understanding and expression of the music. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically to each instrument, shaping the overall sound of the ensemble. Conductors are more than guides to the orchestras and/or choirs they conduct; they are interpreters. They choose the works to be performed, study the scores, which are the full orchestral notation of the symphonic piece work out their interpretation, and relay those interpretations to the performers. In addition, the conductor will demand absolute obedience to every detail of that interpretation from every member of the orchestra. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other sizable musical ensembles have conductors. Small ensembles such as quartets have one musician as the lead which the others follow.
The theme of this week's Parsha Tetzaveh is the Bigdei Kehuna, the Priestly garments. Four specific, unique garments were worn during the Avoda/service by an ordinary Kohen while the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, wore an additional four garments during his service, particularly on Yom Kippur. One of those four additional pieces was the Tzitz. Many commentaries mention that the Tzitz wasn't actually a 'garment' but rather an accessory. Reb Yosef Chaim of Bahgdad writes in his sefer, the Ben Ish Chai, how the Jewish people stem from one place and we are like one body. Kabbalisticaly, the word Tzitz, spelled Tzadi, (equals ninety), Yud (equals ten),and Tzadi (equals ninety but expanded to the nine hundred) represents the number one thousand years that Adam Harishon was supposed to have lived. After the sin the thousand was broken up as follows: ninety went up to the upper spheres, ten remained on earth, and the remaining nine hundred fell to the 'klipos' - spiritual shells around the world. In this week's Parsha Tetzaveh 28:36 the Torah states: "V'asisa Tzitz Zahav Tahor, Ufitachta Alav Pituchei Chosam Kodesh La'Hashem". "You shall make a Tzitz of pure gold, and you shall engrave upon it, like the engraving of a signet, 'Holy To Hashem'. The Tzitz, as Rashi explains, was like a golden plate that was two fingerbreadths wide which extended around the forehead from ear to ear.
Along with the Torah that was written as the blueprint of the world and therefore pre-dated creation, Hashem also had to have thought about a people who would accept and follow the Torah. This Machshava/thought is the souls of the Jewish people being thought of prior to the creation of the world along with the Torah. The Tzitz was worn on the forehead of the Kohen Gadol as the forehead is opposite the place where thinking goes on in the brain.
The Zohar HaKadosh in Vayakhel 218 explains the Tzitz rested on the forehead so that when the Jewish people saw it on the Kohen Gadol's forehead, it would "break their hearts and remind them of the purity from whence they had come". Anyone who looked at the Tzitz became embarrassed because of their sins and ultimately repented. This was an added component which the Tzitz had on the Jewish people. It reminded us where we come from and the source which reveals we Jews are all one. This is accomplished through the Kohen Gadol - who in reality was the maestro or the conductor for the entire Jewish people. The Kohen Gadol as the conductor is able to coordinate and bring every player in the choir or orchestra together, reminding each one of them that they are part of this special group called the Jews.
The Jewish people as a whole are compared to a symphony. If one musician is out of tune, plays the wrong note, or misses a cue from the conductor, the entire piece is ruined. Precision and accuracy is necessary for each and every member of the orchestra. The conductor, therefore, must be in complete control works very diligently to create the sound and cohesiveness which makes a performance memorable. Each and every Jew is part of Hashem's orchestra. In order for the world to hear a beautiful symphony of life it is incumbent upon every Jew to play his part flawlessly. Just as each member of the orchestra, along with every person attending a concert, looks to the conductor to attain deeper understanding of a piece of music, so too every Jew needs to look toward the conductor. During Temple times we were able to look to the Kohen Gadol for leadership, but today we lack such a person and therefore we need to find great gadolim - leaders of our people - who will help us coordinate our lives to play the right music at the right time.
These parshios of Teruma and T'Tzaveh do not reflect simple furniture that was used in the Mishkan and clothing that was the dress for the Kohanim. Rather the articles in the Mishkan represent the different parts of furniture in our own homes of today. Similarly, the clothing of the Kohen Gadol reflects different atonements of different sins for the Jewish people. The Tzitz was special in the fact that it brought everything together and created a symphony of beautiful music to God's ears!
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Teruma - Reconciling the Illogical
01/31/2014 05:08:35 PM
Years of learning Gemara (Talmud) in yeshiva have helped me to develop excellent critical thinking skills, but these very skills, beneficial as they are, have also created a great deal of frustration as well. What do I mean by that? As I speak with the agent of a company which sent me an offer that I didn't ask for but nevertheless created interest in obtaining, being told that I can't sign up because I'm already a customer, no amount of Gemara 'kup' logic helps. It is useless to try to convince an agent that I, a twenty-plus year member/customer in good standing, should be more entitled to this promotion than a new, unproven, prospective customer. Now I surely understand that the agent is only doing his or her job and is told what to say. I know that I am not going to get the new deal, but I want the person to at least admit that my logic makes sense even though I know he has no authority or ability to change the rules.
At a certain point it is irrelevant to me whether or not the company changes its decision. My only contention at this point is that the company should admit to me that their decision is illogical. Maybe they don't want to admit for fear I will then force them into giving me the deal, or they are just programmed to repeat the same old line they were told to say. Nevertheless, I used every logical deductive/inductive argument I could muster to show them how illogical their reasoning is - to no avail. Company representatives never give in - won't even agree with me 'off the record'. This is the problem of learning Gemara and trying to use that keen logic when dealing with a company or bank representative and a policy that is completely illogical.
I would like to suggest that the physical world as we know it runs on logic or ways and ideas that our limited human brains can understand. The spiritual world is something beyond the logic that our brains are capable of understanding; it just requires acceptance. Using Gemara, which is kind of spiritual, in a physical setting, does not necessarily interconnect well together. We as Jews have the understanding of both the spiritual and the physical, but at times we have difficulty reconciling the two.
One of the greatest challenges we face in understanding the Torah is the spiritual and miraculous pieces mentioned in the Torah. People have difficulty getting a handle on the laws of Tumah/impurity or things that are Kodesh/holy. Not to oversimplify the issue, but the reason we have difficulty with certain spiritual areas of the Torah is because we are physical beings. True, we have a neshama/soul that is spiritual, but it is overshadowed by the physical body it embraces.
After the Jewish people left Egypt, received the Torah, and became a nation, it was time to create a physical dwelling place on earth for Hashem - who is completely spiritual. This must be the most difficult task: to build a physical abode for God, who is completely spiritual. How was it possible for man to accomplish this? The answer is, we can't. The only way we could build such a dwelling was to receive exact instructions from Hashem, and that exactly what took place. The Mishkan /Tabernacle and later on the Beis Hamikdash /Holy Temple were built on ideas and measurements which were completely illogical. The only way this could exist was through miraculous means.
In this week's Parsha Teruma 25:8 the Torah states: "V'Asu Li Mikdash V'Shachanti b'Socham" "They shall make Me a sanctuary-so that I may dwell among them". Yet in this week's Haftorah Yeshayahu 66:1 (which is read because it is Rosh Chodesh) it states: "So said Hashem, the heaven is My throne and the earth is my footstool; what House could you build for me, and what could be My resting place? These two verses seem to contradict each other. I would like to humbly suggest the following explanation. Hashem knows how the human being thinks because He created us. Thus, when Hashem wants to convey a complete spiritual picture of Himself, He tells us that it is impossible for us to fathom or to understand because we can't take something so spiritual and find a place for it in this physical world. On the other hand when Hashem wants to make us feel connected to Him spiritually, He finds a way to do it through physical means. In order for us to have a way to relate to this spirituality, we get a glimpse into the spiritual world. The key into the spiritual world is knowing that we may not understand it all and certain parts don't make sense. But they only don't make sense because we are viewing it through the physical lenses and not the spiritual ones.
In today's day and age we are short changed. We lack the physical instruments such as a Mishkan to feel the spirit of Hashem. It is an even greater challenge today, especially with more physical pleasures and distractions all around us which make it more difficult to connect to Hashem. This is why Hashem commands us to build a sanctuary so that He can dwell in us. There is, as Chazal tell us, a place that Hashem is found in this world outside of a Beis Hamikdash and that place is the four cubits of Halacha, Jewish law. When we speak the language of Torah and learn Hashem's commandments and seek to fulfill them, then we can begin to feel and see the spiritual side of Hashem in this very physical place.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Mishpatim - Middle Aged
01/24/2014 06:49:17 AM
Health insurance, annual checkups, milestone-suggested tests, and more are all part of getting older... and yes, of even getting old. Two of the down sides to longevity include either witnessing our contemporaries moving on to the next world or having to endure our own personal illness and sickness. The fantasy of life is that bad things happen to others, but the reality is that we are affected as well. No one is immune from God's decisions in our lives.
Due to the fact that people in general are living longer, we get caught off guard when someone who is middle-aged gets sick or begins to fail. We tend to look at the oldest people of society becoming sick or progressively frail who need to be taken care of. Prior to the years of longer living, people in their sixties and seventies were considered to be elderly, so when they became ill it was not a surprise. Now that the generations are living longer, we don't think of sixty and seventy year-olds as old. We are taken aback when we hear disturbing news of someone who is "only" in his or her sixties or seventies having serious health issues. Personally, my family is experiencing this phenomenon. I am the second to youngest cousin among all my cousins and the youngest of my siblings. The issues and situations of middle-age illnesses do not indicate that more people are becoming sick. Illness is not necessarily an aging issue but is rather a need to be more proactive with regard to annual physicals and needed tests; to be active participants in practicing preventative medicine. In a way, I compare taking active care of ourselves to that of an automobile which comes with a maintenance manual, clearly telling us, the owners, exactly what kind of servicing we need to do as we reach specific mileage plateaus. Besides the regular oil changes, there are the twenty-five thousand, fifty, seventy-five and one hundred thousand mile service calls that are similar to the annual doctor visits and array of tests we must also do to take proper care of ourselves.
I saw a beautiful explanation given by Rabbi Feuer in his book on Shemonei Esrei regarding the blessing of healing. The Torah in this week's Parsha uses the word Y'Rapay, but in the bracha during the Amida it starts with R'faeinu and concludes with Rofeh. Why in the Torah is there a Dagesh - a dot - making it a hard sound, and in the Amida there is no Dagesh, making it a 'phey' - a soft sound? Rabbi Feuer answers that when a human doctor tries to heal, it can sometimes be harsh and painful to get good, healthy results. But when it comes to Hashem's healing, He heals softly and swiftly without pain. This is the way we want it.
Life can be scary and full of fear at these junctures. What else can we do besides following medical advice and trying to lead a healthy lifestyle to ensure a better outcome? The Gemara Bava Kamma 85a brings quotes from this week's Parsha Mishpatim: 'V'Rapo Y'Rapay', the permission given to doctors by Hashem to heal people. The words V'Rapo Y'Rapay here in Shmos 21:19 is significant because the the word for healing is repeated. The Torah is replete with repetitive words, each usually used to emphasize a point. Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzenski pointed out that in Shmos 15:26 in B'shalach, Hashem refers to Himself as "Ani Hashem Rofecha", "I am Hashem the Healer". Why the double usage of the word? The reason is that Hashem only takes one time to heal, but a human being may sometimes grow worse before getting better after the initial efforts of healing by the doctor. Furthermore, the Gemara Sanhedrin 17 states: "A talmid chacham is not allowed to live in a city that does not have a doctor! In fact many of the Tannaim, Amoraim and Rishonim were physicians in their spare time, dedicating daily time for healing and helping the sick following their Torah studies.
I have spoken and written on the parallels between the physical and the spiritual many times before. This topic is one more example of the need for a regimen dedicated to physical healing as well as to spiritual healing. Maintaining our physical well-being requires that we follow the guidelines suggested by the medical professionals. Even if our medical insurance does not cover certain things, we must find the resources to get those needs taken care of. On the spiritual side, the regimen we must follow can be found in a tefilla we say every single morning throughout our lives.
The order of healing is listed in the first blessing of the Shema in the Shacharis service. It states: "Borei Refuos, Nora Tehilos, Adon Haniflaos". First and foremost Borei Refuos - the Creator of healing is directing us to consult with doctors and to follow their instructions, whether that means doing exercise, losing weight or taking medication. If that does not work, then step two is Nora Tehilos, the awesome praises directing us to pour out our hearts and recite Tehilim - the book of Psalms. I view Tehilim as medicinal; even though we don't necessarily understand the words of Dovid Hamelech, we say them. Similarly, we take medication which, while prescribed, has ingredients listed which we don't understand, but we follow the doctor's instructions and hope that the medication will work. If the situation persists or grows worse and, Chas V'Shalom, deteriorates, then we say Adon Haniflaos, the Master of the wonders. With all the bad that is going on we should never become despondent and give up hope. Rather we should hope for the wondrous ways that Hashem can fix problems and situations through miracles. We should continue to wait and pray for a miracle to intervene on our behalf During these difficult times of stress and illness I want to wish everyone who is in need a Refua Shelaima. We should focus inward and concentrate a little more fervently during our davening for people to regain the health they lost and at least maintain that which they have. I would like to conclude with a somewhat familiar Bracha that many of you have heard me say.
When I share a L'Chaim with someone, the person knows the bracha or the common toast I offer when drinking. I say "to health, to health and to health, because when you have your health you have it all"!
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Yisro - Being Jewish in San Diego
01/16/2014 08:23:49 PM
B'Shalach - Cutting Your Losses
01/10/2014 12:38:10 AM
In life we often come to say "should've, would've, could've, or shoulda, woulda, coulda", which really means "if I had it to do over again, this is the way I would do it". Unfortunately, we don't get to do things over again. There is no 'undo' button in the game of life; it is a one-way street upon which we are riding without even the ability to slow down or pause. We must make decisions, sometimes split - second decisions, all the while continuing to roll along. One of the major challenges and possibly a life game changer is to find a way to stop or slow down as much as possible in order to calculate the next move or decision we make in life for ourselves, for our families, and for our people.
The opening theme of this week's Parsha B'Shalach is about Pharoah finally allowing the Jewish people to leave Egypt. Think for a moment: what in the world was going on in Pharoah's mind throughout the ten plagues?! After witnessing the total decimation of his country one would think he would say, "Maybe I should have let the Jews go out earlier in order to spare me and my people some grief and loss." To add insult to injury, after realizing that the Jews had left on a permanent journey, he scrambled his army and chariots to chase them down only to be devoured by the raging sea. A question remains: When Pharoah returned to Egypt after this final blow, did he experience any regret? Did he say he should have let them go earlier? Did he consider that had he let them go earlier that he would have been better off?
The opening words of this week's Parsha B'Shalach Shmos 13:17 states "Vayehi B'Shalach Paroah Es Haam Vlo Nacham Elokim Derech Eretz Plishtim Ki Karov Hu Ki Amar Elokim Pen Yinacheim Haam Birosam Milchama VShavu Mitzraima" " And it happened when Pharoah sent the people out that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, because it was near, for God said, 'Perhaps the people will reconsider when they see a war, and they will return to Egypt". A famous rule in Jewish literature is that the term 'Vayehi' connotes something bad is going to happen. In this instance most commentators explain this 'Vayehi' applies to the Jews. I would like to suggest that 'Vayehi'relates to Pharoah's ultimate demise which awaited him after the Jews reached the other side of the sea of Reeds. What was it that gave Pharoah pause to consider bringing the Jews back to Egypt and perhaps subject himself to more pain and suffering?
The answer lies in the fact that Pharoah thought, 'Maybe, just maybe this time would be different'. Pharoah read into the mindset of the Jews. In Shmos 14:15 as the Jews are backed up against the sea, they complain to Moshe. At that point Hashem said to Moshe, "Why do you cry out to me? Speak to the Children of Israel and let them journey!" The MaHaral teaches that the phrase used by Hashem, "Why do you cry out" tells us that they should not have cried. How could they NOT cry out at a time like this? The Mechilta brings two opinions regarding how the Jews should handle this situation. They were backed up against the water and the Egyptian army was closing in on them. Rebbi Yehoshua says that their only option was to continue traveling forward into the water. Rebbi Eliezer says Hashem said to them, 'My children you are in a desperate situation and you are calling out for mercy?
Rebbi Yehoshua explains the verse 'Why do you cry out' after all that the Jewish people witnessed and experienced, seeing first hand the cloud of glory and the pillar of fire lead them on their way, they had no need to cry out. According to Rebbi Eliezer, who says they should not ask for mercy now because of the following logical deduction: Hashem made dry land for one individual -Adam HaRishon. Just as Hashem said Yikavu HaMayim - let the waters be gathered - and dry land appeared during creation, how much more so now Hashem would gather the waters and dry up the land in order to allow an entire holy congregation safe passage!
The MaHaral further explains that the natural way of the world is that water should cover land. Despite the fact that water naturally covers the land, Hashem had to go beyond nature and create a dry piece of land for Adam to inhabit. So too Hashem went above nature to provide Klal Yisrael dry land to walk over. It is obvious that man needed dry land in order to survive on this earth. When the Jews left Mitzrayim, the only way they could become a nation was Ha'avoras Hayam -'passing over the water'. Because of this 'passing over' we were called Ivrim. In a similar vein Avraham was called an Ivri because he 'passed over' from the other side. So too Avraham's descendants passed over the dry land with Emuna and Bitachon, with faith and trust in God to save them. This is the Midda/character trait that Avraham transmitted and which later became embodied in his children.
This, then, was the final blow to Pharoah, causing him to finally give up. It wasn't until these final moments when the Jewish people actually crossed over that Pharoah realized his defeat and that there was no return. Until that actual crossing over occurred, Pharoah believed that he could recapture the Jews and bring them back to Egypt. Pharaoh should have recognized how much he lost and should have cut ties much earlier in the game.
Each and every one of us should learn a lesson from this Parsha. We need to know when to cut our losses. We all make mistakes in life; instead of trying to fix them it may be better just to move on and start anew. Most times it is difficult to play catch-up; we would be better off just making a fresh start.. It was critical that Nachshon Ben Aminadav led the Jewish people forward by jumping into the sea, thereby not allowing the Jews to turn back towards Egypt and 'try to work it out'. The Jewish people had faith as they crossed over the physical land, but the psychological barrier which faced them as they came to the Sea of Reeds was enormous. But they moved forward and did not look back.
The difference between Am Yisrael and the other nations of the world is that we continuously look forward. If we were constantly looking back on our history, we would become depressed. Rather, we look forward to the ultimate Geula. I believe the lessons taught by Klal Yisrael should be adopted by its individual members who make up the group. Individually we should look forward to a brighter future and cut the losses of our past performances.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
Bo - Tick Tock, the Second that will never return
01/03/2014 05:33:08 PM
One of the timeless teachings a parent helps his child to master is the ability to tell time. Perhaps more important than telling time is the art of managing one's time to maximize life in order to make the most of it. I was blessed to be forced to learn how to tell time with an analog watch or clock. While I was just beginning to understand how to read an analog watch, the digital watch was beginning to appear in the stores. Most children learn to tell time between the ages of six to nine. I was born in 1964; the digital watch revolution arrived on the scene right about the time I was beginning to learn how to read my new analog watch.
The earliest U.S. patent for a digital alarm clock was registered by D.E Protzmann and others on October 23, 1956. Protzmann and his associates also patented another digital clock in 1970 which was said to use a minimal amount of moving parts. Two side-plates held digital numerals between them while an electric motor and cam gear outside controlled the movement. In 1970, the first digital wristwatch with an LED display was mass-produced. It was called the Pulsar and was produced by the Hamilton Watch Company, Throughout the 1970s, despite the initial hefty cost of digital watches, the popularity of those devices steadily rose.
Looking back I am glad that I was able to learn to tell time with an analog watch instead of relying on a digital one. Many people today have difficulty telling time using an analog clock. There is no question that these individuals would not be able to tell time using a watch or clock without numbers or a second hand. I am not suggesting that everyone needs to become a horologist or learn to tell time with a sun dial, but everyone should learn the basics of telling time. Please keep in my mind I have no objection to using digital timers; I just think everyone should learn to use an analog face.
Today, shuls across the globe have digital clocks situated in strategic positions throughout the sanctuary for a host of different reasons. The four primary reasons I've learned about are: 1) to assure accuracy as to the starting time of davening; 2) making people aware of the latest time to recite Krias Shema in the morning; 3) simply to know what time it is; 4) to enable the congregants to track exactly how much time the Rabbi's drasha took. In fact, digital clocks are actually more popular and are used more frequently than analog clocks. I recently took notice how many shuls no longer have analog clocks, opting instead for digital clocks. Many of these clocks, including the clocks in my shul are atomic, designed to keep the most accurate time. There is something to be said about the difference in an analog versus digital clock. The second hand (the second counter) goes round and round, pushing the big hand a little notch over while the analog seconds actually counts from zero to fifty-nine. I feel the counting of the numbers themselves makes me more aware of the actual ticking away of real time.
Time is one of the most precious commodities we have yet cannot control. This is a scary thought. The recognition of time is found in this week's Parsha Bo. In Shemos 12:2 the Torah states: "HaChodesh Hazeh Lachem Rosh Chadashim Rishon Hu Lachem L'Chadshei HaShana": "This month will be first of all the months; it will be the first to you of the months of the year". Rav Ovadia ben Yakov Sforno*, in his commentary on Chumash, explains the significance of the word 'Lachem' - 'to you' in the passuk. The experience and process of Yetzias Mitzrayim/ The exodus from Egypt can be said to have different stages of development. One of these stages was the completion of the ten plagues whereby the land of Egypt was decimated and ability for the Egyptians to keep the Jews enslaved was marginal. I heard from Dr. Pelcovitz that a sign of slavery is the lack of time an individual has for himself. Therefore, immediately after the warning of last Makah, the slaying of the first born is introduced. The Jewish people are about to experience 'time' in a different manner- from the perspective of a slave to the perspective of a free man. From this point on the months will belong to 'Lachem' - 'to you' - in order to do freely with your time. During the time of the exile and slavery the days and time did not belong to the Jewish people, but rather to others; time was used at the whim and will of our oppressors.
This was the beginning of the reality of free choice and the decision-making process of what and how to manage our own time. In order for a person to have free will, he needs to have free time. The prerequisite of the Jews accepting the Torah was to have control over their own space and time. In order to fulfill a Mitzva, a person needs the time to do it. One of the obstacles that makes it difficult for Jews to fulfill and observe Mitzvos is the Yetzer Hara filling up our free time with non-essential, trivial matters.
Unfortunately, we all are guilty of wasting an enormous amount of time with mundane activities that really do not help us. Downtime is an important and necessary component in our Avodas Hashem, in serving God. Nevertheless, we need to calculate that time and make sure it is used efficiently and wisely. The clock of life does not stop for even one second. Every second that passes us will never come back. If we didn't use the time we're given wisely, we are guilty of wasting i that precious commodity. Life is too short; we need to appreciate every moment and use time wisely.
It is interesting to note and compare that when Klal Yisroel was leaving Mitzrayim they were considered newly born. The imagery of a young people growing into a nation will need the ability of time management to fulfill the mission of the Torah. The most critical component of time management is knowing 'how to tell time'. Whether it is analog or digital is really not so important. Appreciating every tick of the clock and making it count - one second at a time - is the essence of wisdom.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky
*Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno was an Italian rabbi, Biblical commentator, philosopher and physician. He was born in Cesena about 1475 and died in Bologna in 1550.
After acquiring a thorough knowledge of Hebrew, rabbinic literature, mathematics, and philosophy, Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno left Cesena and journeyed to Rome to study medicine. In Rome his learning earned him a prominent place among scholars.When Reuchlin was in Rome (1498-1500) and desired to perfect his knowledge of Hebrew literature, Cardinal Domenico Grimani advised him to apply to Obadiah.
Obadiah was an indefatigable writer, chiefly in the field of Biblical exegesis. The characteristic features of his exegetical work are respect for the literal meaning of the text and a reluctance to entertain mystical interpretations. He possessed excellent judgment in the selection of explanations from the earlier exegetes, including Rashi, Abraham ibn Ezra, the Rashbam, and Nahmanides. He very often gives original interpretations which betray an extensive philological knowledge.
Fri, May 2 2025
4 Iyyar 5785
CALENDAR ADVERTISING
CLICK ON COVER to place an ad in our 5786 Wall Calendar
UPCOMING EVENTS
General Davening Schedule
Week of 5/4 and beyond:
Shacharis
Sunday: 8:00am
Monday-Friday: 6:15am
Shabbos Shacharis: 8:45am
Sunday: 8:00am
Daily Mincha/Maariv -per Shkiah (Approximately 20 minutes before Sunset):
Mincha/Maariv
Sunday-Thursday: 7:20pm
Mincha
Friday: 6:45pm
*Please view The Weekly link above for Afternoon times and/or special davening times.
Sign up For or manage Your Email Subscriptions
Zmanim for San Diego
- HOME |
- Donate
- | CONTACT US
Privacy Settings | Privacy Policy | Member Terms
©2025 All rights reserved. Find out more about ShulCloud