TO THEIR HEARTS

   As we conclude Sefer Braishis, wherein we studied, intensely, the personalities of our Patriarchs and our beloved Matriarchs we learned how they lived and the inspiring moral lessons of behaviorism they left within our reach, nurturing the Jewish People. 

  This idea is realized as we study the relationship between Yoseph and his brothers as they returned to Egypt after they buried their Father Yaakov in M’arrat Hamachpelah.

   The Medrash relates that on their return, they past the pit into which the brothers had cast Yoseph. In fact, Chazal informs us that Yoseph stood and gazed at the pit and intoned a Bracha thanking G-D for saving him from the jaws of death. 

   One cannot imagine what went through the minds of the brothers as they witnessed Yoseph revisiting the pit. They feared that he would take revenge for their actions, especially, now that Yaakov is no longer there to protect them. 

  At this point Yoseph set the record straight. אל תראו אתם חשבתם עלי רעה ואלוקים חשבה לטובה, 

"You intended evil against me, but Hashem intended it for good". 

  It seems they weren't convinced that Yoseph would not harm them. It was only when the Torah states that Yoseph spoke, על לבם, "To their Hearts", that they were assured of their safety.  Rashi explains this statement וידבר על לבם to mean, that Yoseph told them that the Egyptians always considered him as a slave without any good family credentials. It was only when the brothers came to Egypt with Yaakov did they finally realize that he was the scion of an outstanding ‘Mishpacha.’ 

  Yoseph was trying to win the brothers trust and he did so by convincing them that he was not only their benefactor but also their beneficiary. Yoseph showed them that he benefited from their relationship and that they had no reason to fear that he would act in a vengeful way. Yoseph was, in essence, showing them that he needed them even as they needed him. 

  The idea of דבר על לבם, suggests an acceptance of each other as equals, which can bring about security and peace. 

   This is truly a cogent message for all families. Relationships are built on mutual understanding, where each member of the family can feel as if they are contributors to the welfare of all the family members. 

   This concept is not only true to our immediate families, but it is even evident within the extended families - the nations of the world, as we saw last week in the United Nations vote against America.  וידבר אל לבם  it is well to tell the world, “You need us as much as we need you, and it is time to stop showing bias against the State of Israel, a country that reaches out to others with all their resources of friendship and benevolence.” 

   Our world can become a better one, if we all begin to speak as Yoseph did with his brothers, וידבר אל לבם, acting with a change of heart, recognizing others as equals, that can bring about a fellowship, leading to seeing all brethren dwelling with respect and benevolence, one to the other. 

  With such an outlook to our society and to the larger world around us, we can resoundingly declare, as we conclude Sefer Breishis , חזק חזק ונתחזק, “May we strengthen ourselves to see the day when humanity will respect one another and the Blessing of G-D will bring about the גאולה שלמה.” 

WAGONS OF LIFE

 As I write this blog,  I can still feel the emotional pull of the Holiday of Chanukah. In particular, I am always awed when lighting the Menorah and reciting הנרות הללו קדש הם ואין לנו רשות להשתמש  בהם. With these words we are enjoined to remember that Holiness, קדושה, must not be dealt with indifference and light heartedness.  If we do so, then our lives will, equally, become, experientially, without value. 

  These are times when we must approach life with reverence and with great sensitivity. 

  The act of Kedusha, more than ever, has to be present, specifically, in our family relationships. Too often, in our busy life schedule, family ends up as an afterthought. 

   This idea comes to mind, more seriously, as this week's Parsha, Vayigash, shines its light on the relationship between Yoseph and his brothers, specifically Yehudah who serves as the leader of the family.  Yehudah returns home to his Father Yaakov with the good news that Yoseph is alive. 

   Let us tune into the conversation between Yehudah and Father Yaakov. 

עוד יוסף חי וכי הוא מושל בכל ארץ מצרים

“Yoseph is alive and he is the ruler of Egypt."

 ויפג לבו כי לא האמין להם  "Jacobs heart remains cold, for he did not believe them." 

   The Torah continues to relate the following; When Yaakov sees the עגלות, the wagons that Yoseph sent to transport them to Egypt, the Spirit of Yaakov was revived. The question we all ask, "What did these wagons conjure up in his mind to believe that Yoseph was indeed alive?"

  Rashi offers a moral and psychological insight into this question. He teaches us that the root of עגלה is a homonym, meaning two ideas, wagon, and heifer.  The heifer reflects upon the Laws of עגלה ערופה, the ritual of the beheaded cow that he and Yoseph were discussing at their last meeting. It was Joseph's way of signaling to his father that he still remembers the last learning experience that they had together. 

   This law, in itself, is a very important lesson in life. At this ritual, the Torah states, "When a man was found slain near the town and the murderer was unknown, the leaders of the community were required to demonstrate mutual responsibility for this dastardly act.” They begin to realize that they should have been more concerned for the victims well being.  They thought, "Perhaps we did not welcome him to our community and were not hospitable to him, resulting in his untimely death.” In a sense, it was an indirect self indictment of the leaders of the community. They were saying in essence, "We are guilty of not being concerned." 

   What a powerful lesson for the brothers. It was a lesson reminding them of their inappropriate behavior in the past and a need to act in the future with regard for the feelings of others, and to act with respect and with compassion to each other as well as to their father.

    The hallmark of Kedusha is, "To live a life of empathy and concern."

    This past Shabbat we intoned the Bircat Ha'Chodesh and uttered those magnificent and instructive words חברים כל ישראל. As Jews we must always be cognizant of the crucial idea, "We are and will always be a unified K'lal.  A K'lal that emphasizes that as one unified people, we must always act as חברים, true friends who are loyal and compassionate and loving towards each other.

      As we act with compassion to others we can pray to Hashem, רחם עלינו וקבל ברחמים את תפילתנו. 

                                    שבת שלום ומבורך

DREAM ON

 One word comes to mind as we read this week's Parsha, Miketz. That word is Dream. The word Dream conjures in our mind many different ideas and directions that life has planned for us. Personally, I see Dreams as a clarification of our hopes and aspirations. The future seems to unveil itself as we enter the realm of our Dreams  and very often,dreams serve as a catalyst for projecting our innermost hopes for our future. 
   This idea is realized as the Torah describes and unveils the dreams of Yoseph. They involved the future lives of his family and for, which we may even suggest, the future of Am Yisrael. For Yoseph, these Dreams were not mere fantasy and mythical, but were true prognosticators of what we are experiencing in our modern era. 
   The revelation of dreams into reality seems to be a reflection of the entire story of Chanukah. Yoseph was concerned about the dynamics of his family and he made serious plans to assure their survival and safety.
    We see this to be true as we celebrate the Holiday of Chanukah. The main directive and Halacha of Chanukah is נר איש וביתו  which dramatically stresses the importance of family and the role of what the home plays in nurturing all those who are part of that household. We, then, begin to realize that though we are commemorating the lighting of the Menorah in the Beit Hamikdash and even though logic would dictate that the remembrance and observance should be in the Synagogue, the true observance actually takes place in the home. Yiddishkeit realizes, more and more, especially, in our time, that the true Mikdash M'at  is our home. 
   As we light the Menorah at our windows to publicize the miracle, we are sending an important message to the world; "Know well that Judaism is alive and vibrant and the proof of this revivalism is the Sanctity of our Homes and the fulfillment of Shalom Bayit, which is realized with the cohesiveness of the family."
   We light the candles in our homes and say, הנרות הללו קודש הם "These candles are holy" to emphasize, in a like manner, that our homes are, equally, holy  ואין לנו רשות להשתמש בהם, "We must not, in any way, defile or upset the Kedusha that permeates the heart that keeps our homes Holy’  

     It is interesting to note that the Seleucids, the Greeks in the time of the Chasmonaim wanted to destroy the Jewish Spirit and therefore prohibited the Jewish People from observing three Mitzvot;  the observance of Shabbat; denying the fulfillment of the Mitzvah of Brit Melah;  the observance of Rosh Chodesh. One wonders why these three and not any others? 
     I sense that the observance of Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh is the fulfillment of קדושת הזמן the Sanctification of Time and Melah is a reflection of קדושת הגוף the Sanctification of one’s physical being. 

As long as we maintain our Holiness of Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh, which represents our קדושת זמן our daily life of Kedushah and we continue to adhere to the Mitzvos of טהרת המשפחה which affects our physical beings,our קדושת הגוף, then there is no force on earth that can destroy our essence and our existence. With these two components and values we as a nation of G-D, can exuberantly sing out עם ישראל חי. 
  
  This permits us to understand why we observe the Chanukah celebration is in our homes, for it is here that we truly maintain our קדושת הגוף והקדושת זמן. .

    So let us continue to Dream. To Dream of a more sanctified way of life, with the fulfillment of  Ner Ish U’beiso,  wherein our homes continue to be replete with greater Kedushat Hazman and Kedushat Haguf.  

When you light the menorah this year, remember that the illumination and warmth happens inside YOU and, then spreads to your home and family, and goes on to light up the world. This Chanukah, let us celebrate our commitment to personal development and inner growth.

  Wishing you and your family a Freilichan and Inspired Chanukah

                   שבת שלום וחג שמח

VISIONS OF LIFE

   Writing a weekly blog gives me an opportunity to put my thoughts and ideas of how I see life and what makes our world go round into words.  Often my mind travels in such a way that makes me wonder, "What is life all about? Why are we laboring so hard to make ends meet? What ends are we referring to and how will we know when those ends are met?" If you think that I am traveling on a philosophical road for all of us to contend with, then I say, " Let it be and keep on traveling. It may be just the trip we should be taking once in awhile."

    Permit to me begin with one of my favorite stories about two bedridden men who shared a room in a nursing home. One man occupied a bed next to the window and the other was across the room next to the the door. Because the man next to the door  could not see out the window, he asked his roommate to tell him about the happenings in the outside world. Every day, the window side man gave his friend a report. He told him about the postman who made his rounds wearing a raincoat and boots in rainy weather and short sleeves on sunny days. He told him about the lovers who passed his window every day at noon. He described how they first held hands then embraced and then parted. He even spoke about the backward glances the two would give each other, showing they longed for one another's presence. The door side man lived for these reports. Unfortunately the window side man died and another man was wheeled into the room to take his place. The man next to the door introduced himself and asked his new roommate to share with him the goings on outside the window. "Of course," replied the new occupant, "Only I don't know how I can do that, there is nothing outside the window but a brick wall."

    Amazing story! The first occupant near the window had vision that helped make life brighter for him and his roommate. 

     I ask,"What is our vision? How can we look at our world and our surroundings  and begin to find the inherent beauty that envelopes us daily?"

    This week we begin to get a true glance into the life of Joseph. We begin to read of his sterling qualities which can serve for us as a prototype of a Jew who lives in  the Galut and still maintains his strong identity as a Jew and as a righteous person. 

     Joseph sees life in a two pronged way, as evidenced from his visions which he shares with his brothers. 

   The first dream/vision was where he sees the Alumot, the sheaves, which rose and stood up high while the sheaves of his brothers came and bowed down to his. 

   The second dream was of the sun and the moon and the stars bowing down to him. 

     Many of our commentaries speak about the reaction that the brothers had to these dreams. They felt they were being maligned and subjugated by their brother. 

     I would like to focus on what these two dreams and visions mean to us. We, in a like matter, live in a  Galut environment and we may be able to learn from Joseph's dreams how to prosper and live as devoted Jews in our society. 

   Let us review the dreams; The first speaks of Sheaves, which are reflective of the material and the economic power and of the prosperity and opulence found in our society. 

    The other dream referring to the cosmos, the stars and the sky, seems to reflect upon the spiritual and the heavenly grandeur, that is equally present. 

   What seems apparent is that Joseph wanted to achieve both in his lifetime. He wanted to be powerful in a political sense and attain wealth and prosperity. At the same time, he wanted to be respected as a spiritual person and to be loved by all for his righteousness and his benevolence. 

    Joseph wanted to synthesize the Alumot and the heavenly bodies into one cohesive way of life, bringing blessing and accord from G-D and from man. This was his vision and it seems he truly accomplished his goal, for he is uniquely called יוסף הצדיק a title that no other biblical personality has achieved.

    This is our lesson in life. This is the lesson that our Heroes of Chanukah, the Chashmonaim, projected to all, a lesson worthy to be followed.

   The Chashmonaim reflected this important synthesis, as they were excellent warriors, and when they were victorious, laid down their swords and ran to the Temple and immediately searched for a cruse of oil to light the Menorah and to achieve, once again, the Kedusha that emanated from the influence of יוסף הצדיק, to bring together the Alumot of the physical and materialistic power and the Kedusha of the celestial heavenly bodies of G-Dliness found in our holy temple. This is our lesson, today, no matter where we reside. 

     As the news unfolds, we take great pride to realize that our modern day Maccabim in Israel are part of an historic event as we learned of the decision of the President of the United States of America, Mr. Donald Trump, to recognize the City of Jerusalem as the United and Eternal Capital of The State of Israel.  These are times when we should all bless our country for taking this enormous step of diplomacy. Hopefully, this will lead to peace with Israel and its neighbors.

We need to sing out with pride  G-D bless America and

 הי יברך את עמו בשלום. 

                                                            שבת שלום ומבורך