YOM KIPPUR

    We stand only a few days prior to the Holiest Day of the year, Yom Kippur, that brings us the key that unlocks the Homeland of our Soul.  It is on this day that our Supplications and Prayers release the latch and we enter into the Divine presence.  Here we stand, not only face to face with our creator, but, also, face to face with ourselves.  All masquerades fall away, as it is written;

"Thou  remember every deed, nought is hidden from Thee."

     We shall wave goodbye to the past and joyfully and with courage, turn to face the future.  Each year, we hope and pray that this coming year will bring peace, happiness, success and healing to a world crying for salvation and miracles.  However, hoping is not enough.  We must all come to realize that it depends on the initiative of each and everyone of us.

     A story is told of the Baal Shem Tov, leader of the Chassidic movement; The saintly Baal Shem stopped to watch, with wonder, an acrobat who was skillfully walking on a tight rope, stretched across a pond.  The disciples gently chided their master for wasting time on such a frivolous matter.  But the Baal Shem turned and said, " My children, I was contemplating, as I watched the tight rope walker, how thoroughly he had to train his feet before he could perform this difficult feat.  If men could train their souls as well as this man has trained his feet, what spiritual chasm they could cross in safety."

     May this Yom Kippur inspire everyone to a more spiritual life in the coming year, and may our lives always be defined by our loyalty and dedication to our Torah way of life.

   May this coming New Year bring life and happiness, prosperity, salvation and joy, to all our families and to כלל ישראל.

     כתיבה וחתימה טובה 

THE ESSENCE OF MAN

    As we approach the Yom Tov of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, one word surfaces to set the tone for these Yemai Noraim, and that is "Teshuvah".

     According  to the Gemorah "Teshuvah precedes the world". Rabbi Shlomo Aviner explains this statement as not chronological, but rather causal. In other words, Teshuvah enables the world to exist and is the foundation of our lives. The world is dynamic, everything is in motion, there is constant activity as the world progresses in an unceasing upward process of self perfection.

   Hashem purposely created an imperfect state, so that with man it could be enhanced and perfected. This  process of improvement is the essence of Teshuvah, which is not only the transformation of evil to good, but also the progression from good to perfect. The idea that is expressed in this concept is that man should never be satisfied with his way of life. We are constantly required to elevate ourselves from one level to the next. Doing less than we are able is a sign of failure and is a sin in itself. 

   This idea is expressed in the opening words of this week's Torah reading, Parshas Nezavim.

     אתם נצבים היום כולכם לפני הי - suggesting that we are always standing before G-D, which requires that we proceed to do the best that we can,and realizing that He demands our best and nothing less. 

     Thus, we see that Teshuvah is the act of man returning to the original true nature of a human being who was created in the Image of G-D. 

  We then begin to realize that the process of Teshuvah is returning to a way of life that is constantly representing the will of G-D. Our life must be in line with the divine plan, and when it is, we will achieve the ultimate in the perfection of man.  This was Hashem's  plan when He created man on Rosh Hashana.

     I hope we can achieve the destiny of man as G-D had planned for us in the coming New Year.

    Wishing everyone a לשנה טובה תכתבו ותחתמו and may the coming year bring peace and serenity to our  personal lives and to our glorious State of Israel.

( I hope you enjoyed my Blogs this past year and look forward to reading your comments)

SAVING SOULS

     We stand on the threshold of the New Year, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, our Yamim Noraim, that brings us the key that unlocks the Homeland of the Soul. We require nothing else than the heart’s devoutness to transport us to the gates of the majestic Homeland.  Our supplications and prayers release the latch and we enter into the Divine Presence.  Here we stand not only face to face with our creator, but also face to face with ourselves.   All masquerades fall away.  “Thou rememberest every deed, nought is hidden from thee.”

     We shall wave goodbye to the past and joyfully and with courage turn to face the future.  Each year we hope and pray that this coming year will be different, bringing peace, happiness, success and healing to a world crying for salvation and miracles. However, hoping is not enough.  We must come to realize that it depends on the initiative of each and every one of us.

     A story is told of the Baal Shem Tov, leader of the Chassidic movement in the 18^th Century;  One day he was walking with his disciples.  Suddenly, the saintly Baal Shem stopped to watch, with wonder, an acrobat who was skillfully walking on a tight rope stretched across a pond.  The disciples gently chided their master for wasting his time on such a frivolous matter.  But the Baal Shem turned and said, “My children, I was contemplating, as I watched the tight rope walker, how thoroughly he had to train his feet before he could perform this difficult feat. If men could train their souls as this man trained his feet, what spiritual chasms they could cross in  safety.”

     May this coming New Year bring life and happiness, peace and prosperity, salvation and joy, to all of us and our loved ones.

LOST SOULS

    A young man asked me,"Why  are we here and  what are we going to do while we are here?" I found it to be an astute inquiry. It reminded me of the railroad ticket collector who routinely asks the passengers "destination please?" That is the same question that Hashem asks of all of us, "destination please?",especially  as we come closer to the Yom Tov of Rosh Hashana.

   I once came across a cartoon that showed a three lane highway, with overhead signs for each of the three lanes. The arrow over the right lane read North, the arrow over the left  lane read South and the arrow over the middle lane, which had the most traffic read "Lost".  So many seem to be in the "Lost" lane when it comes to their goals and and their purpose in life.  They are not sure of their destination. 

     Keeping this in mind, I would like to reflect upon a very interesting law from this week's  Sedrah, Ki Tetzeh. 

    Herein, we read of the laws of Hashavas Aveidah, of returning a lost item to its proper owner. In Judaism there is no such thing as "Finders keepers, losers weepers". The law is clear. If you find something that belongs to someone else you are legally required to return it. If you don't know to whom it belongs, you must take care of it and do what ever is possible to find the rightful owner.

     The concept of Hashavas Aveidah fascinates me.  I believe it can  be extended further than the returning of a physical lost item. I sense we can extend this idea of Hashavas Aveidah to apply to the mitzvah of returning souls of the many that have lost their way, to their rightful owners. 

   Hashavas Aveidah not only applies to the spirituality of the Jewish soul but applies to the souls of all humanity.  We are seeing senseless killing throughout our society desensitizing the value of life.  The soul of man has, in many cases, become so tarnished that we need greater evaluation of the 'True Worth of Man'.

   There is a need, today, to have a 'recovery' and to bring back man to where he belongs.

     How do we accomplish this goal? How do we answer the young man's question, "Why are we here and what are we going to do while we are here?" 

    My answer is, we need to search for a meaningful life for the lost souls of those around us.  We need to tune into the spiritual needs of those who are "Lost", to help them find their way back to a more positive Judaic way of life and in doing so to recapture their lost Jewish souls.

     Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are upon us and our destiny is to fulfill the mitzvah of Hashavas Aveidah of those around us and, yes, even for ourselves.

     With this in  mind  and with the effort of K'lal Yisroel we will be Zocheh to bring the Moshiach, quicker  in our time.

    שבת שלום 

JUSTICE

    Abraham Heschel wrote about the essence of man. He said, "Since every human being is made in the Image of 

G-D, it follows that if we are serving our fellow human beings, in a very real sense, we are serving Hashem as well."

   This is, indeed, a very important insight into our Judaic way of life. When we live a life resplendent with kindness and justice to our fellow man we are doing the mitzvah of carrying out the will of G-D.

   This thought is apropos as we study the opening verses of our Shabbat Sedrah, Parshat Shoftim. Herein, we read  צדק צדק תרדוף , "Justice justice shall you pursue." The question that immediately comes to mind is, "Why was it necessary for the Torah to repeat the word Justice?"

     Understandably, 'Justice' is defining, in a very emphatic way, the ethical challenge that man is faced with constantly to assure that in the pursuit of all our life's endeavors 'Justice' needs to be our hallmark. 

   The words of Rav Simcha Bunam, come to mind. He said, "In our pursuit of just and righteous ends, our means must also be just". 

  In addition, we will also learn that just as we want 'Justice' for ourselves, we must demand 'Justice' for others, even for those whom we may consider strangers to our way of life. Even more so, we are to be tolerant of others. We are not here to ride herd on other people. Respect for others, must be our hallmark, if humanity is going to survive.

     I once asked a nurse why she chose nursing as her profession, and her answer was,  "I wanted to serve  G-D." This was truly poignant answer, for as she serves mankind she is truly serving G-D.

    It is written, the love of people is at the same time a love of G-D. For when we love one, we necessarily love one's handiwork. 

    Especially during these days of introspection let us remember, 'The fate of mankind rests on individual responsibility, individual integrity, individual effort, individual courage and especially individual conscience.'

    שבת שלום

LOOK and SEE

    Children look at certain aspects of life in a very unique and special way. A father was carrying his three year old into a dark room. Suddenly he felt the tiny arms of the child tightened around his neck. "Turn off the dark, Daddy",he whispered. Not, 'Turn on the light, but rather, turn off the dark.'

   All too often as I assess the the world around us, I am urged to scream out, "Please turn off the dark that our society finds itself in today." We need to concentrate on eliminating the negativity, the darkness, that seems to envelope us.

   With this thought in mind, I would like to share an interesting thought on this week Torah reading, Parshat Re'eh.

   The Torah's opening verse states :

ראה אנכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה

"See", Hashem says, "I present before you a Blessing and a curse."

    What an interesting way to get our attention, and to encourage everyone to focus on the essence of life, ראה, "Look". Why, I ask, did the Torah use such an expression?Would it not have been better to use a word like דע 'Know' and then continue with the rest of the sentence? What does the word "Look and See" come to teach us?

    'Seeing' something has greater affect upon us then merely hearing about something. When we see we identify with that particular object or person that we are looking at. In fact, it may even be that through our seeing, we become one with that object or person. 

    I remember the incident when Avraham was taking Yitzchak to the Akedah on Mt Moriah. In addition to traveling with Yitzchak, he took along Yishmael  and Eliezer. As they approached the Mountain, the Midrash states that, Avraham asked the two attendants "Do you see what I see?" They replied, "We see just a mountain." He, then, posed the same question to Yitzchak. His reply was "I see הר נאה ומשובח, a glorious mountain", recognizing  G-D's presence.

   Indeed, two or more people can look at the same thing and see something entirely different. We can look at the same reality and one will see life and the other destruction. One will see a challenge to grow and live, the other will see despair. 

   In truth, every aspect of our lives is dependent on what we see and what we bring to the experience. It is for this reason the Torah uses the word ראה, 'See'- 'Look'. For it all depends on what we want to see, and how we view life.

   I remember reading an interesting story of the shoe salesman who was sent to Africa to sell shoes. He comes back with  the report, "There is no use trying to sell shoes here. No one wears shoes." Another salesman reports back and says, "What a market we have here. All we have to do is teach the people to wear shoes."

   So is life. Some are blessed with the ability to see opportunity and beauty in life. They grab hold of those opportunities and find life to truly be a Bracha for themselves and for those around them.

  As we approach the solemn month of Elul and hear the blowing of the Shofar, we are reminded that life gives us opportunities and blessings all the time, if we choose to 'See' them.

    George Bernard Shaw wrote, "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I can't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can't find them, make them".

  Indeed the directive ראה, 'See'- 'Look',  applies to every endeavor we undertake, especially in our spiritual growth. We must open our eyes to see the wonders of the world and to live lives with faith and with optimism. 

    This is the month of, לדוד הי אורי וישעי, when we have the opportunity to see our Blessings, giving us enough reasons for song and celebration.

   ראה אנכי נותן, the choice is ours, let us choose Blessing.

                                                          שבת שלום

שפע מהקב׳ה

   In our Torah reading for this week, Parshas Ekev we learn ואכלת ושבעת וברכת the Mitzvah of Bircat Hamazon.

   Many of our Mefarshim discuss the following; The מצוה of ברכת המזון and blessings in general pose a dilemma. Normally, blessings go from the greater being to the lesser one. If that be the case, how can we, the finite, recite a bracha which bestows the blessing upon the infinite G-D? 

   The answer, I suggest, is that the blessings we make are recited, primarily, to express our total dependency on the beneficence of G-D.  In recognition of this relationship we recite our brachot. Without these brachot we would not be permitted to enjoy the blessings of the world that 

G-D bestows upon us, our Brachot are basically a matir, to enjoy the gifts of life.

    G-D is represented to us as our Melech, but more so, as our Father who is concerned for His children as is evident in our daily lives.

    Interestingly, the Bircat Hamazon, which comes after our meal, uses the word ושבעת, when we are satiated. 

    All  too often, when a man has all necessities in life he becomes indifferent  to how and from whom he received these gifts. Only through the means of the recitation of the brachot  he realizes he could not have accomplished so much in life without the Shefah of  Hakadosh Baruch Hu   raining down upon him.

     Our Sages instituted the pronouncement of a bracha not only following eating of food, but preceding nearly every act through which we partake of in life.

     The Torah states, מה ה׳ שואל מעמך "And now Israel, what does the Lord thy G-D, require of you."

Rabbi Meir in the Talmud uses the word מה in Hebrew, and he says that it sounds like the word מאה, one hundred.   Rabbi Meir explains that a person is bound to say 100 brachot each day!

    Understandably Rabbi Meir did not mean for us to walk around with a calculator counting our brachot. I believe he meant that if we are alert enough we can find 100 occasions during the day to thank Hashem for all the wonders of life.

    May our prayers always be answered and the brachot of Hashem continue to fill our lives with health and happiness and may we be inspired never to take anything for granted - always being grateful for  what we have!