THE AKEDAH

   The most profound and most perplexing chapter in our Torah is the one that speaks of the Akedah. Hashem was testing Avraham's faith and loyalty to הקב״ה by directing him to take his son Yitzchak and offer him as a sacrifice.

  When I study this episode in our Chumash class on Shabbat morning, many are prone to think of this directive as being barbaric, and many are ambivalent regarding Hashem's will to put Avraham to such a drastic test of his loyalty. 

   The Rav, Rav  Soloveitchik זצ׳ל, directs our attention to the words Hashem uses to Avraham, "והעלהו שם, take your son, יצחק and go to Eretz Hamoriah and elevate him there". The Rav emphasizes the word והעלהו, to elevate him,to indicate that G-D did not use the word והקרבתו, and you shall offer him, because G-D did not intend for Avraham to sacrifice him. He wanted him to perform this act as a means of elevating his son to a higher state of קדושה. Avraham misconceived what Hashem wanted of him. It was only later, when the Malach said to him,אל תשלח ידך אל הנער, that Avraham realized what Hashem really wanted all along and never did G-D have in mind to sacrifice his son. 

   The Rav asked, "Who was this Angel." The answer the  Rav  gave was, "This Angel represents Torah, which is our director on earth. It is only through the Torah and our Holy Tradition that man,woman and the Jewish family can elevate themselves to a higher and much greater state of holiness.

   I find this analysis so meaningful in reference to the Akedah. 

   This is a true lesson in Yahadus - a lesson of what we are to achieve in our journey through life. We are instructed to live a life of Torah , thereby "elevating" ourselves to a higher state of Kedusha, which can only be achieved when we observe the Mitzvot, 

  בין אדם למקום ובין אדם לחברו 

   Today, more than ever, this lesson must be brought home to all of us, especially at this crucial time in our homeland, our State of Israel. 

    Hashem is not searching for Sacrifices. He is asking us to elevate ourselves to a life of  חסד, of kindness and, above all, a life of אחדות. 

   This is our call today. "Are we up to this call as Avraham was in showing his strong loyalty and  commitment to a vibrant and dynamic Judaic way of life?"

  Our answer must be in the affirmative.  It must be a strong yes, a yes that says, "We are the children of Avraham and Sarah  and their legacy is our accepted way of life."

    הי יברך את עמו בשלום 

                                 שבת שלום 

BACK TO THE FUTURE

     The best way to predict the future is to create it. Everyone is speaking about the film produced in 1985 , entitled 'Back to the Future'. This sci-fi movie took us into the future  which was October 21, 2015. We see that some of the predictions, actually took place, aside from the Cubs winning the World Series, which was snatched by the Mets  who were not a prediction of the future, but indeed created the future.

   This idea comes home to us as we see Avraham creating a new future for himself and the Jewish People. 

    When thinking of how Avraham heeds the words of G-D and follows His directives unquestionably, there is one idea that is fascinating regarding the behavior of Avraham, as suggested by the Rav.

   The Rav develops the idea that Avraham built altars to Hashem, without bringing any sacrifices on them. The question that immediately comes to mind; "Why and for what reason does one build a מזבח  and not offer any sacrifices?"

   The Rav makes a truly cogent point in the personality of Avraham, and even more so teaches us a very important lesson in life. 

    It seems that the building of these מזבחות by Avraham were not for animal sacrifices, but rather to symbolize his submission to G-D, and his surrender to the will of Hashem. We then realize that the highest sacrifice is not when you offer an animal , but rather when man, symbolically offers himself in a very  spiritual way to G-D. With this attitude, man's submission and surrender to the will of G-D and his dedication to abide, without question, to Hashem's  directives, even if they may seem to be contrary to his own aspirations are truly commendable and desirable. 

  Though, at times  life seems to pose many unanswerable questions and contradictions, we continue to submit ourselves to the will of G-D. 

  That is what our Patriach Avraham continues to teach us by his constant adherence to the will of Hashem, placing  his own pride, his own comfort,  his own desires, his own logic, his own reasons, to the will of Hashem. 

   That is how we must emulate Avraham. We must, equally, build our altars of submission, to our Torah and to our tradition. In doing so, we show our true allegiance and trust in הקב״ה.

  At this most crucial time, let us pray that peace and tranquility reign in our glorious state of Israel. 

                                                            שבת שלום 

BROKEN HEARTS

     With a heavy heart and a feeling of despair, I pen this blog knowing that our brothers and sisters in Israel are suffering daily at the hands of terrorists and  murderers  of innocent Jewish lives. Even more disturbing is the fact that the world and our.  so called friends and allys have turned a deaf ear to the plight of the Israelis.

   A very interesting Medrash recalls a conversation between Hashem and the Malachim; "Should 

G-D create man or not?"

      It seems that there were those who said, "אל יברא, do not create man." Each one explained their respective reasons for telling Hashem whether to create the human being or not. 

 Love said  ' Let him be created, because he will dispense acts of love'. 

Truth said 'Let him not be created, because he is compounded of falsehood '. 

Righteousness said 'Let him be created , because he will perform righteous deeds'. 

Peace said 'Let him not be created because he is full of strife'. 

 The Medrash goes on to say that after hearing all the different opinions, Hashem took truth and cast him to the ground, and went on to create the human race. 

    My understanding of this Medrash is quite simple but yet very insightful. Hashem created man to emulate his ways , to live  בצלם  אלוקים, and one of the most important aspects of living in the Image of G-D is to be creative and any intrusion which disrupts that creative ability must be cast to the ground and not to be entertained in our way of life.   

   In this sense we must begin to realize that when that creative ability is denied by violence, murder and terrorism,destroying the Image of G-D , then the אל יברא , must come into force and such an action must be uprooted and removed from our society and especially from our Jewish State. Such hatred and wanton destruction cannot and must not be tolerated in a Democratic country. The lives of Jews are not cheap, as many have thought in the past and ,sorrowfully, many are of the opinion even today.

   As we read the Parsha of Noach this Shabbat there are diverse  opinions if he was really righteous or not. That is up for discussion, but truth be told, it was  Hashems' decision, in the time of Noach, to  destroy  the world after seeing the total disintegration of mankind and how they were destroying a beautiful world that Hashem had created.  This act, ultimately, proved that the Angels that said, אל יברא were seemingly correct. 

 To our dismay, we are seeing once again that self same, 'Chamas', rise up again in our Jewish State with the blatant and heinous acts against innocent men, women and children. This cannot be tolerated and we must refuse to go into the ark of indifference and believe that all is well and that hatred will dissipate. When leaders of Palestine encourage their youth to act with murder In their hearts and in their hands then peace will not reign in Israel.

  We will only see a semblance of peace , when the Palestinian leadership will step forward and condemn the terror and stop preaching from their mosques 'kill the  Jews'. Then and only then will the Ark of Peace be realized.

 Know well my friends, Hashem is waiting for our response before He acts to correct this abominable situation.

   These are times when we must side with the Angel and say yes to Hashem יברא , continue to be there for us and eventually, You will be proud of the fact that You have created Mankind in Your Image. 

  הי יברך את עמו בשלום.

                                                      שבת שלום

ONE PEOPLE

   The Yemay Noraim are behind us and we are anticipating the joyous YomTov Of Succot. One of the main Mitzvot of this Holiday is the taking of the Esrog and Lulav.

 Chazal tell us that the Four Species that we take daily on Succot and the manner in which we take them represent unity in Klal Yisrael, an ingredient that is sorely needed in our day and age.

    Rav Chayim Soloveitchik זצ׳ל noted that since the Bes Hamikdash was the gathering of all the leaders of Am Yisrael and the entire Jewish People, it was imperative to stress the need for unity.  To emphasize this point we are required to take the Esrog and Lulav for seven days so that the lesson of unity becomes ingrained in our being. 

    This idea reminds me of a story that I read recently; There  was a blind horse named Buddy. The man who owned him was terribly proud of him because Buddy was a very strong horse. One night a car got stuck in a ditch. It's driver saw there was a farm house nearby and knocked on the door and asked for help. The farmer said, "Sure no problem, I have a horse named Buddy who is so strong he will pull your car out of the ditch in no time flat." He went to the barn, got Buddy and hitched him up to the car. Strangely, the farmer started shouting to three other horses who didn't even exist. "Pull Silver, Pull  Ginger, Pull Becky,"and then to Buddy,  "Pull Buddy" and Buddy pulled the car right out of the ditch. 

   The man who owned the car was very appreciative and thanked the farmer profusely. And then asked, "Why were you calling other horses' names out? There were no other horses here."

     The farmer replied, "I do that every time. You see, if Buddy thought that he was pulling alone he would never have pulled so hard."

   When we pull together, we can achieve extraordinary things. 

   That is our lesson for Succot.  Taking the Esrog and Lulav, that represent different types of Jews, with many different ideas and philosophies and when we unite with each other than we are truly one עם״"a people that will survive against all acts of assimilation. These are times when  we need to act together. The Jew never pulls alone. We are a unified people, helping each other to achieve our goals in life.

   This is one of the most enduring traits of the Jewish People.  We are never alone. With G-D  as our guiding light, we are a Kehillah Kedosha , a community that shares a holy destiny. This can only be achieved if we continue to be a unified nation that is inclusive and caring for one another. 

    May this Yom Tov inspire all of us with a greater love for our fellow Jew and may Hashem bless us with, הי יברך את עמו ישראל בשלום.

    Wishing everyone a Gabensthe Yaur and a שמחת יום טוב and may we have the Zchut to see in our day and age the, ביאת גואל צדק.

  

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.