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TENTH OF TEVES
By Rabbi Yehudah Prero - www.torah.org
The Talmud (Yoma 9b) discusses the causes for the destruction of the two Temples. “Why was the first Beis HaMikdosh (Temple) destroyed? Because of three [evil] things which prevailed (during that time): idolatry, immorality, bloodshed.” The Gemora (Talmud) continues “But why was the second Beis HaMikdosh destroyed, seeing that in its time they were occupying themselves with Torah, observance of mitzvos, and the practice of charity? Because baseless hatred was prevalent at that time.”
The Netziv (Meromai Sadeh Yoma 9) notes that, historically, some of the problems that were prevalent during the time of the first Beis HaMikdosh existed during the time of the second Bais HaMikdosh as well. Specifically, we see both in Talmud (Avoda Zara 8b) and in the writings of Josephus that murder was rampant during the time of the second Beis HaMikdosh. That being the case, why is “baseless hatred” cited as the reason for the destruction of the second Beis HaMikdosh, if murder, the cause of the destruction of the first Beis HaMikdosh, was a problem then as well?
In the times of the second Beis HaMikdosh, the “murderers” of the time did not feel that what they were doing was wrong. They did not consider their murderous actions as transgressions. Rather, they viewed them as appropriate, and even a “mitzvah!” And why was that the case? When these people saw their brethren committing various transgressions, they said to themselves “These people are Sadducees; these people are apostates who deny the validity of the Torah and the supremacy of G-d. These people are rebellious and must die, as they legally deserve such!”
Were these “righteous” murderers correct?
No.
In truth, when these people saw their brethren committing various transgressions, the only thought that should have occurred to them was that the sinners were just that: sinners. They were people whose desires led them to sin. Their act of sinning contained no overt philosophical statement, nor was it an act of outright rebellion. What caused this grave error in judgment? Baseless hatred. If true love had existed amongst the nation of Israel, if the fellowship we are supposed to feel with our brethren had existed, these murders would never have happened. There would be no way that anyone would unjustly rationalize the death sentence of another. Because baseless hatred was prevalent, people justified murder. Baseless hatred, therefore, as the root cause of the murder, is appropriately singled out in the Talmud as the cause for the destruction of the second Beis HaMikdosh.
The time of the second Beis HaMikdosh was a time that the Talmud describes as one when people were occupied with Torah, mitzvos, and acts of kindness. Yet, there was still baseless hatred. There was a dedication to performing mitzvos and studying Torah. There were acts of kindness being performed. But there was an extremely serious and pervasive problem that negated everything else: baseless hatred. Baseless hatred not only existed in a community where people were dedicated to Torah, mitzvos and kindness; it caused people to kill others – wrongly - in the name of Torah. Clearly, baseless hatred is dangerous.
To this day, we have no Beis HaMikdosh as a result of the destruction that occurred because of baseless hatred.
We fast on the Tenth of Teves because it marks the beginning of our sorrows - the first event in a chain which resulted in the eventual destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the exile of the nation of Israel. As the Netziv mentioned, the sinful actions that “caused” the destruction of the first Beis HaMikdosh existed in the time of the second Beis HaMikdosh as well. However, in the time of the second Beis HaMikdosh, the sinners did not believe that they were sinners. The Rambam (Maimonidies) writes in the fifth chapter of Hilchos Ta'aniyos (The laws of Fasts) that we fast on days that calamities occurred to us "because it can serve to arouse our hearts and to open ourselves to the paths of repentance. It serves as a reminder of our wicked conduct and that of our ancestors which resembles our present conduct, and therefore brought these calamities upon them and upon us.”
The sorrows that started with the Tenth of Teves have not yet ended. The words of the Netziv should not be lost upon us.
THE EIGHT NIGHTS OF CHANUKAH
The Beis Yosef asks a very famous question and below are a couple of his answers.
He asks why is Chanukah eight days long? If there was enough oil in the flask that was found to last one day, then the miracle of the oil lasting for was really only a miracle for the latter seven of the eight days. Yet, we know that we celebrate Chanukah for eight days! What is the reason behind the eight day celebration that we have?
The Beis Yosef answers: Those who were preparing the Menorah for lighting knew that it would take eight days until new oil could be obtained. They therefore divided the flask into eight parts, so that at least the Menorah would be lit every day, albeit not for the entire day. A miracle occurred and the small amount of oil that was placed in the Menorah each day lasted an entire day. Hence, there was a miracle on the first day as well.
Another answer by the Beis Yosef is: On the first night, the entire contents of the flask were emptied into the Menorah. This would enable the Menorah to be lit for an entire day. When the Menorah was checked on in the morning, it was discovered that none of the oil burned up, and the Menorah was still full, although the flame was lit. This miracle occurred for each of the days. Hence, the first day when the oil did not burn up was miraculous as well.
CLIMBING THE LADDER
Is life really fair?
Kol Nidrei
The Meaning of Kol Nidrei
The extraordinary history and lesson of this moving prayer
by Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks
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Infusing our lives with integrity
Honest to G-d Program: Infusing our Lives with Integrity, Rabbi Cary Friedman
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Teshuva
As we are on the lead up to Rosh Hashana it is an opportune time for teshuva (repentance)
There's a story of a man who rushes onto the 11:00 train just before the doors close. He looks worn out, dejected and disheartened. He stands holding onto the bar as the train starts to leave the station.
An older man with an empty seat next to him says to him “hey it’s a long journey take a seat” The man hurriedly replies “NO”. Anyway some time into the long journey he decides he’s getting tired so he sits down next to the older man. The older man through the course of the journey tries to make conversation noticing that the young man was down and looked uneasy. The younger man wasn’t in the mood for talking. Until eventually the man tried again to make conversation and asked why he was so troubled and looked so worried .
The young man suddenly opened up and starting telling the older man his life story. He was a troubled child who didn’t get on with his parents though it was mainly his fault. He was failing at school and always in trouble. His parents asked him to do one thing and he would purposely do the opposite. Fortunately he was good at something, he was good with his hands and when he was 16 he managed to invent a product and patented it and made millions by the time he was 21. He moved out of his parent’s house – something he had always dreamed of doing – and found a mansion on the other side of the city. He married a beautiful woman and had a couple of amazing kids. A few years down the line he got a phone call about a business venture; he would have to invest most of his fortune to enable a tenfold profit. He did so and soon realised that the phone call was false and the company ran off with his fortune.
Soon his wife found out and couldn’t stay with him and took the children with! He had nowhere to run no one to turn to and he had no money. He thought he would have to ask his parents for help, for it was the only help he would get!
After years of not speaking to them he couldn’t just suddenly turn up at the door, even calling them would be difficult so he thought he’d write them a letter.
In the letter he said he would be on this train on this day it arrives at 14:30. At the end of the platform there is a tree. If you forgive me you will tie a white handkerchief around the tree. If I see the white handkerchief I will get off the train and I will know you have forgiven me. If there is no white handkerchief I know you have not forgiven me and will carry on my way!
The old man was very sympathetic and assured him that everything would be ok and he is sure that the white handkerchief would be tied around the tree.
As the journey was coming to its end the young man was becoming very nervy and anxious. He told the older man he was too scared to look. As the station platform drew nearer he felt very tense and the old man asked if he would like him to look out for the tree. The young man agreed and shut his eyes. The platform approached even closer, 400 yards 200 yards 50 yards by now the man could see that the whole tree was covered; every branch had its own white handkerchief. The old man said “They have forgiven you. The young man smiled and delighted he got off the train after thanking the man and hugged both his parents who were there waiting for him to disembark the train!
The parents in this story were always going to forgive the man just like G-d is always ready to forgive us. At this time of year we are on a journey and we have waiting for us a Father in Heaven who is happy and more than willing to welcome us back. He wants nothing more than for us to cling to Him and come back to him.
May we all return to G-d with complete Teshuva (repentance)!
Three weeks
The Talmud (Baba Metzia 58b) tells us that when Rav Dimi arrived in Babylon from the land of Israel, Abaye asked him: "About what are they careful in the West - what Mitzva (positive trait) do they especially adhere to? The response was "they take extra special care not to embarrass others in public". Why was it that they were specifically cautious in Israel regarding this and surely this prohibition also applies to Chutz La’aretz (everywhere outside Israel) too? Our Sages teach us of a critical story that occurred in the time leading up to the destruction of the Temple.
The nation had fallen to a low spiritual state characterized by baseless hatred. The story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza was the pivotal event that ignited Emperor Nero's rage and caused the destruction of the Holy Temple: A Jew who had a friend named Kamtza and an enemy named Bar Kamtza made a feast. He told his servant to invite Kamtza, but by mistake the servant invited Bar Kamtza. Bar Kamtza took this as a gesture of forgiveness and put on his finest clothes and attended the feast. But when the host noticed Bar Kamtza, he demanded that Bar kamtza leave.
Bar Kamtza was embarrassed. "Since I am here," he requested, "let me stay. I will pay for whatever I eat and drink." But the host refused his offer.
"Then allow me to pay half the cost of the whole feast," begged Bar Kamtza.
"No!"
"Then I am willing to pay the full cost of the feast, but do not embarrass me any more..." The host had Bar Kamtza dragged from the feast and thrown into the streets.
Bar Kamtza stood up, brushed the dust from his clothing and said to himself: "Since the rabbis were present at the feast and did not stop the hosts actions, this shows they agreed with him. I'll slander them to the Emperor!" Bar Kamtza went to Emperor Nero and told him that the Jews were planning a rebellion against him. "How do I know that to be true?" Nero asked.
"Send an offering to the Temple and see if it will be accepted," Bar Kamtza said.
Nero sent a choice calf with Bar Kamtza, along with a delegation of Romans. During the journey, Bar Kamtza secretly made a blemish on the animal, disqualifying the animal as a sacrifice, and the animal was therefore not accepted.
The delegation returned to Rome and told the emperor that his offering had been refused. Emperor Nero was furious, and the ramifications of his fury brought about one of the darkest chapters in our history.
Rabbi Elazar said, "Come and see how great is the punishment for causing embarrassment — for G d assisted Bar Kamtza [i.e., He allowed Bar Kamtza's plot to succeed because of the embarrassment caused him] and He destroyed His house and burned His Tabernacle." (Gittin 57a).
Our Sages tell us that the Beis Hamikdash (Temple) was destroyed due to the way the host publicly embarrassed Bar Kamtza. This not only brought about the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, but also the repercussions of our two thousand year exile from our land and subsequent persecution - all due to one man publicly embarrassing his fellow Jew. Even though Bar Kamtza's reaction - informing the authorities - is a clear indication that he was not among the righteous of the generation, there was no justification for the way he was treated. Hashem (G-d) punished the Jewish people for the lack of respect accorded Bar Kamtza and it was through this man who was an object of derision that the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed and the Jewish nation went into exile. These two people, the host for having publicly embarrassed Bar Kamtza, and Bar Kamtza himself for the Lashon Hara (slander) he had spoken, were together responsible for this massive destruction. One's mouth is not "hefker - ownerless property", it must be used cautiously.
This is the reason why when Rav Dimi arrived in Bovel (Babylon) he stated that the people in Eretz Yisrael (Israel) were careful not to embarrass others. It was because they were actually witnesses to the great catastrophe that can result from publicly embarrassing a fellow Jew.
At this time of the year when we are reminded about and in fact mourning the loss of the Beis Hamikdash (Temple), let us all work on our own personal characters and try to better ourselves in the area of baseless hatred and needless slander.
May we merit the re-building of the Temple and the coming of Moshiach (the Messiah) soon.
The 17th of Tammuz
The seventeenth of Tammuz is a public fast in remembrance of five tragic events which happened on that day. They are:
1. The tablets engraved with the Ten Commandments were broken by Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses) when he descended from Mt. Sinai and saw the Jews worshipping a golden calf.
2. The daily offering was discontinued in the first Beis HaMikdosh (Temple) because Jerusalem was under siege and it was impossible to obtain the animals needed.
3. The wall around the city of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) was breached by the enemy in the times of the second Beis HaMikdosh.
4. Apostomos burnt the Torah.
5. An idol was placed in the Beis HaMikdosh.[3]
A fast is not just a commemoration or remembrance of a particular event; it is primarily a means whereby the tragic event is eliminated. Evil befalls Jews only because they have sinned. A fast serves as an inspiration and reminder for repentance, to come closer to G-d. In the words of the prophet read on fast days: "Seek the L-rd while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near." A Jew can repent on any day of the year. But on a fast, when G-d "may be found" and "is near" to all Jews, and we are reminded of the evil which caused the troubles, it is much easier.
Repentance causes past transgressions to be forgiven. When the cause of the troubles that befall Jews is thus removed, the elimination of the troubles automatically follows. It is therefore important to study the events which the fast commemorates and, in understanding them and their spiritual equivalents, we can learn in which areas to concentrate our efforts of repentance and service to G-d.
The first tragedy to happen on the seventeenth of Tammuz was the breaking of the tablets. Forty days had passed from the time the Ten Commandments were said at Mt. Sinai until Moshe broke the tablets. In those forty days the Jews studied the Ten Commandments they had heard, and presumably wrote them down. Thus, not only had they already been given parts of the Torah, but they had heard the Ten Commandments and written them down. If they already possessed the Commandments, why was the breaking of the two tablets so tragic an event that because of it a public fast was instituted?
The tablets were not given to inform the Jews of the Ten Commandments as they had already studied them for Forty days. They served another purpose, one which was uniquely instrumental in laying the fundamental relationship between Jews and Judaism.
The Ten Commandments were engraved in the tablets; and there is a major difference between engraved letters and letters which are written with ink on paper. In the latter, the letters, the ink, are not part of the paper. They remain separate, and even after they have been written they can be removed. Letters which are engraved in stone, however, are part of the stone. The letters cannot be removed without mutilating the stone.
It was this which differentiated the Ten Commandments of the tablets from the Ten Commandments which the Jews themselves wrote down, and it was this which molded the way Jews would relate to them. The Commandments would be engraved in a Jew's soul, a part of him.
such as Mesilat Yesharim or thoughts such as those presented by Ramban, Vayikra 19:2 come to mind. Spiritual growth is generally connected with a separation from the physical world.
OMER: MOVEMENT TOWARDS SINAI
By Rabbi Benjamin Hecht
Vayikra 23:15,16 states that you should count 49 days from the second day of Pesach until the holiday of Shavuot. The Zohar Chadash1 states: "When the Children of Israel were in Egypt, they became defiled by all manner of impurity until they sank to the forty-ninth degree of spiritual uncleanliness. When we count the forty-nine days of the Omer from the second night of the festival, it reminds us that each day marks a step away from the defilement of Egypt and a step towards spiritual purity."
The Omer is a time that marks spiritual growth. When we think about the nature of spiritual growth, works such as Mesilat Yesharim or thoughts such as those presented by Ramban, Vayikra 19:2 come to mind. Spiritual growth is generally connected with a separation from the physical world. It is marked with a removal or control of desire and a goal of a contemplative life. While these ideas clearly find expression within the literature of Torah, there are other concepts presented within the literature that change this simple understanding of spiritual growth. One such idea is found in connection to the Omer.
Vayikra 23:17 states that on the holiday of Shavuot, we are commanded to bring the lechem panim, a meal offering consisting of two loaves of leavened bread. Meal offerings are usually matzah; in fact it is generally forbidden to bring chametz, leaven, on the alter. This bringing of chametz on Shavuot stands out. Many commentators approach this issue by comparing the concepts connected to chametz with the concepts connected to matzah. Matzah is generally perceived to be a more spiritual food; the absence of leaven is compared to an absence of the yetzer hara, the "evil" inclination. Chametz, as such, is considered to be a more materialistic food. Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, Vayikra 7:11 ties chametz to both a sense of greater material well-being and of independence. It is no wonder that sacrifices should come from matzah thereby reflecting a commitment to God and a removal of materialism. Yet, on the holiday that marks the giving of the Torah, we bring chametz?
The Omer counting further intensifies the question. The bringing of chametz on Shavuot is not just seen in relation to other sacrifices but is also seen in connection to Pesach. On Pesach we eat matzah. This is understood to represent our commitment to God and spiritual growth as we mark the creation of our nation. Then on Shavuot, we bring chametz. We move from matzah to chametz. The general understanding of spiritual growth would be more readily portrayed as a movement from chametz to matzah. The forty-nine days of the Omer, however, counts a movement, a process of spiritual growth from matzah to chametz.
A perusal of the Mesilat Yesharim would indicate that it presents the generally understood process of spiritual growth. That is until its last chapter. In Midat HaKedusha, Ramchal presents a new level that incorporates the physical; he declares that one achieves holiness when one relates to the physical world with purity. Separation from the world is not the goal. The human being is to be involved in the world. This is indicated by the connection of the harvest to the festivals. There is purpose in developing this world. This is especially evident on Shavuot when we bring the first fruits, celebrate our labours and G-d’s bounty. A person not involved in this world could not celebrate Shavuot to its fullest. A person not involved in this world is lacking in the ability to relate to Hashem for this person is not able to appreciate the benefits and pleasures of existence and thereby not able to thank G-d properly. The Stoic also cannot truly learn from his existence for such a person is not correctly concerned about potential pitfalls of life that we ask G-d to protect us from. Only someone who can feel, who desires, can understand the lessons of life and relate to G-d to the fullest. But a correct understanding of materialism and the world is not easy to achieve. First one must separate, achieve the lesson of matzah. Only then can one reach for the higher level symbolized by the chametz of Shavuot. While Mesilat Yesharim devotes the vast majority of its pages to the first process of spiritual growth - the movement from materialism - and only little to the level of kedusha which incorporates the physical in a holy manner, one must still recognize that this latter process also demands effort and time.
We thus have two processes of spiritual growth. One is the initial one - the movement from chametz to matzah. That is embodied not only in Pesach but in our preparation for Pesach. We have to remove ourselves from the dominion of our drives and passions. We cannot let material drives overcome us and direct us. But once we achieve this level, we must understand that there is another process that is also necessary. That is embodied in the Omer, the movement from Pesach to Shavuot, from matzah to chametz. We must learn to use the physical parts of our being to achieve unity of self and life. This also demands work and intensity over time. The count of the Omer is a time period to think about who we are, how we relate to God. It is a time period to contemplate not only our connection to Torah but what we must undertake within ourselves to ensure that this connection achieves its maximum potential. But this contemplation must be undertaken with the recognition that the goal of Torah is not a removal from the world but an involvement in the world. We must separate in order to see and understand the objective but the objective is still human beings connected to physical existence creating a prime model of life in this world. The Omer period, the count of 49 days, offers us the opportunity to contemplate our role in the world. The spiritual growth of the Omer culminates with the acceptance of the Blueprint of Life by the Jewish People. We must spend this time to learn how to read the Blueprint.
A Parent's Prayer
Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan (Thursday 2nd June) is a special day for parents to say the Tefilloh of the SHELAH HAKODOSH for their children.
All parents are urged to say this prayer - this is a permitted download from ARTSCROLL MESORAH
This document can be printed if you wish but if so, should be kept or treated as SHEMOS.
Click here to download the prayer
Yom Yerushalayim
Jerusalem United - Celebrating the re-unification of Israel's eternal capital.
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Jerusalem of Gold - Yerushalayim shel Zehav sung by Sam Glaser
Chol HaMoed Pesach
Pesach- What’s the point?
Yes, it is amazing that G-d took us out of Egypt. But if you think about it- He is the one that put us there in the first place! So why did we have to go through it all and what are we celebrating?
Picture an apple seed dropped to the ground and left below the surface to disintegrate. Imagine, if it could talk it might say, "What happened to me? I used to be part of something beautiful and now I am in this low place. I am falling apart and things seem hopeless."
Yet only from that dark place when the seed disintegrates, can it begin to grow into something even more beautiful and powerful than it could ever have dreamed of- to be its own tree with hundreds of apples.
Our experience in Egypt was parallel. It says in the Zohar that G-d said, had the Jewish nation not been planted in the cold, dark difficulties of Egypt, they wouldn’t have been able to become the His people. The effort and pain of the challenging exile in Egypt brought them to turn to G-d and to develop a relationship with Him. Then they were able to become a nation of 600,000 people who, only 50 days after leaving Egypt, could stand and receive the Torah from G-d on Mount Sinai.
PESACH
Reliving the Pesach Experience
Pesach (Passover) is the classic example of a festival in which we eat, drink, and live the ideas that it represents. We modify our home environment by removing all leavened products, we change our diet to eat matzah and avoid all leavened products. We refrain from working, and we transform a festive meal into a high-impact, super-charged educational experience – the Pesach Seder.
Why do we go to such lengths? Wouldn’t it be easier if we just spent some time thinking about the Exodus and the lessons it teaches? The following source answers this question.
Quoting from Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah #16 – A person is shaped and influenced by his actions. Therefore, Pesach involves many actions to ensure that the miracles of the Exodus and its lessons are imprinted permanently into our consciousness.
If is fitting for us to do symbolic actions [e.g. eating matzah, having a Pesach Seder and telling the story of the Exodus] that remind us of the tremendous spiritual heights we reached at the Exodus. Through these actions and symbols the experience of the Exodus is imprinted permanently into our consciousness.
You might ask: Why did G-d need to command all these actions and mitzvot [e.g. eating matzah, ridding oneself of chametz, telling the story of the Exodus] just to remember the miracle of the Exodus? Wouldn’t it be enough just to think about it once a year to ensure that it is not forgotten “from the mouths of our children” [Devarim 31:21]? …
To answer, it is important to understand that a person is affected and shaped by his actions [more than by his thoughts alone]. A person’s thoughts and feelings follow after his actions, either for good or for bad …
For example, if a complete degenerate … will inspire himself and exert himself to study Torah and perform mitzvot – even for the wrong reasons, such as honour and prestige – he will still begin to change in a positive direction. His self-destructive tendencies (yetzer hara) will be weakened since he will be influenced by his positive actions.
And on the other hand, if a completely righteous and upstanding person, who exerts himself in Torah and mitzvot, will occupy himself with negativity and impurity all day long (for example, if someone forced him to do it), at some point he will turn into a degenerate. For even the strongest person is affected by his actions …
With this principle in mind – that a person is shaped by his actions – we understand the need for the many mitzvot regarding remembering the Exodus and its miracles, for they are a central feature of the entire Torah.
PURIM - 14th Adar
Mordechai: Scholar, Statesman or Both?
By Mendy Herson - Taken from chabad.org
Purim celebrates Jewry's rescue from annihilation in 4th century BCE. Persia. Jewish history portrays Mordechai, one of Purim's main protagonists, as an extraordinary man. Scholar-par-excellence and Jewish leader, Mordechai emerged from Purim's intricate story of palace intrigue events as a political powerhouse; he had actually become viceroy to the king.
Mordechai comes across as a true 'renaissance man', respected and adored by his people. But the Talmud reveals a little-known fact: Mordechai's public acclaim wasn't exactly unanimous.
Our attention is first drawn to the Megillah's (Scroll of Esther's) conclusion: "Mordechai…was a great man among the Jews, and was loved by most of his brethren…" It sounds like some of 'his brethren' (albeit a minority) had a problem with him.
The Talmud also notes a second curiosity: Mordechai is mentioned among the Jewish leaders who returned to Israel (from Babylonia/Persia) to build the Second Jewish Commonwealth. When the book of Ezra enumerates that list of leaders, Mordechai appears as the fifth name; the Book of Nechemiah's later listing has Mordechai as number six. There seems to have been a ‘demotion’. What was going on?
The Talmud teaches that some in the rabbinate disapproved of Mordechai's new public persona. Mordechai was a member of the Sanhedrin - the Jewish Supreme Court of seventy-one sages. He was a man totally immersed in Torah.
Now he had become a political figure, a position which doesn't allow for the single-minded Torah-focus he'd enjoyed.
It's a fact that community involvement distracts from one's internal spiritual pursuits.
A community leader has to worry about the people's welfare, at every level. It's a burden that simply doesn't allow for total preoccupation with Torah.
So, some of Mordechai's Sanhedrin-colleagues disagreed with his 'new' lifestyle. Although he was as observant as ever, they felt that he had sacrificed his total-immersion Torah study for the sake of political leadership. For some Torah-Jews, this was a mistake. In that sense, Mordechai took a step down in the religious world when he became a political leader.
But Mordechai, and the majority of the Sanhedrin, took a different position. Why?
The Midrash (Tanna D'bei Eliyahu Rabba ch. 11) teaches that the "It would behoove the Sanhedrin's Sages … to lift their robes … and circulate amongst the cities teaching the Jews …"
This isn't a simple statement. The Sanhedrin was a very rare group of people. They were spiritual and intellectual giants, and they were supposed to convene on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem - a Holy place that lent the Sanhedrin special clout and spiritual strength. For example, it was only when they gathered there that the group could decide capital cases.
Yet the Midrash says that it would behoove these religious titans to leave the Temple Mount, lowering themselves as it were, in order to teach the nation.
In other words, the Sanhedrin's rabbis weren't to obsess on their own spiritual achievements. They most definitely had the obligation to study, pray and climb to greater heights; but they also had the responsibility to lead, even if that impacted their personal spiritual pursuits.
Mordechai made a choice. He could've chosen to closet himself in a yeshiva and devote his every breath to Torah study. He undoubtedly wanted to do just that. But Mordechai didn't think about what he wanted; he thought about what G-d wanted from him. He saw the need for a leader, and he took the lead.
This is true leadership. Genuine leaders aren’t people who yearn to ‘be in charge’, to be ‘the boss’; that smacks of megalomania.
Real leaders are people who would prefer to focus on self-mastery than on the mastery of others. They would prefer the peace of mind and privacy that a non-leadership role would afford. But they see a communal need, and feel a responsibility to step into the breach.
TU B'SHVAT - 15th SHVAT
Very little is mentioned in Shulchan Aruch (the Code of Jewish Law) with regard to the observance of Tu B’Shvat, the day popularly known as the New Year for Trees.
The Mogen Avraham (1633-1683) mentions that we have the custom to increase our consumption of various types of fruits on Tu B’Shvat. As Tu B’Shvat marks the start of year for many agriculturally related Mitzvos (commandments), it follows that our observance of the day would incorporate some partaking of fruit, as some sort of physical manifestation of recollection. However, as we know, customs have an underlying rhyme and reason. The custom that the Mogen Avraham mentions may leave us wondering what exactly is accomplished by eating many different sorts of fruits. What are we trying to achieve when fulfilling this custom?
On Tu B’Shvat, we obviously think of trees and fruit. We probably eat fruit on a relatively regular basis. But do we really appreciate what we have? Do we really appreciate G-d’s provision of sustenance? Do we appreciate the ramifications of whether a tree yields an abundance of fruit or not? Do we appreciate the opportunities trees provide to us in the form of Mitzvos? Probably not that often.
By partaking of many different fruits on the New Year for Trees, we can greater appreciate what exactly Hashem has given to us. We can give ourselves the reminder that we need to properly focus ourselves on the New Year for Trees. By enjoying many different fruits, we can allow ourselves to value the great gift that Hashem (G-d) has given us in the form of trees and fruit: a source of both physical and spiritual sustenance.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CHANUKAH
Taken from a Sicho By RABBI SHLOMO PRICE
Some people think we just celebrate the victory of the Jews over the Greeks as if we were stronger and better soldiers. Some old Chanukah songs that I remember as a kid only praise the might of Yehudah HaMacabi (Judah the Macabi) and his soldiers yet forget that Hashem gave them the power to be victorious. In fact the name Macabi is the four Hebrew letters Mem, Chof, Beis and Yud which stand for Mi Comocha Bo’ailim Hashem - Who is like You among the heavenly powers, G-d. This is the banner that Yehudah HaMacabi would carry with him to make sure that he knew Who was orchestrating the war.
Also it wasn't just a victory of one nation over another. Rather it was a victory of one ideology over another. Torah values of spirituality over the Greek culture of being submerged in physical pleasures. As we say in the "Al Hanisim" prayer of Chanukah, "....when the wicked Greek kingdom rose up against Your people Israel to make them forget Your Torah and compel them to stray from the statutes of Your Will...."
So, when we light the Menorah and remember the significance of the victory, we should try to do things that will help us "remember His Torah and not to stray from the statutes of His Will."
How contradictory it is that whilst we watch the flickering Chanukah candles, we run after the Greek culture of watching the box or going to the movies. Even if we can't completely get rid of this problem we should at least minimize it especially while the Chanukah lights are burning. We should spend that time learning or gazing at the lights and thinking about the Divine Intervention.
There is also a "custom" of gambling the night away with cards or a dreidel (a spinning top). This is a spin off (pardon the pun) of the dreidel that was used during the era of the Chanukah victory. If we would understand the origin of the dreidel in the Chanukah era, we would realize that this too is totally the opposite of the spirit of Chanukah.
The Greeks made an evil decree that the Jews shouldn't learn Torah under the penalty of death. The Jews risked their lives and attended their yeshivos as usual. However they brought along little tops to spin, and they posted watchmen outside. When the watchmen saw a Greek officer approaching they warned the children who immediately started playing with their tops. This gave the Greeks the impression that they weren't learning rather playing. How anti-Chanukah this is to use the very scheme they used to learn Torah at the risk of their lives, and we use it for totally the opposite, to waste time. (Using the Dreidel game as an excuse for quality family time is great!)
It was once pointed out to me that the name of the Israeli Olympic games is called the "Maccabean Games". Of course the origin of the Olympic Games is the Greeks. Again, the very name Maccabi which is the symbol of the arch enemy of the Greek customs is used to describe one of the very customs that the Maccabeans fought valiantly against. Again we see how people don't realize the significance of Chanukah.
Let us use these days of Chanukah to symbolise the true Chanukah spirit in the way that it is meant to be celebrated.
CHANUKAH
Chanukah is an eight day holiday which begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. It marks the miraculous victory of the Jews, led by the Maccabees, against Greek persecution and religious oppression.
In addition to being victorious in war, another miracle occurred: When the Maccabees came to rededicate the Temple, they found only one flask of oil with which to light the Menorah the candelabra in the Temple). This small flask lasted for eight days instead of the usual one day.
In order to commemorate this miracle, we light a Menorah for the eight days of Chanukah.
This year (5771 / 2010-2011) Chanukah begins at nightfall of Wednesday December 1st, 2010, and ends by nightfall on December 9th, 2010. On the evening before each one of the days, the corresponding number of Chanukah candles are lit, one candle for the first night, 2 candles for the 2nd night etc.
8 DAYS OF CHANUKAH
The Beis Yosef asks a very famous questions and below are a couple of his answers,
He asks why is Chanukah eight days long? If there was enough oil in the flask that was found to last one day, then the miracle of the oil lasting for was really only a miracle for the latter seven of the eight days. Yet, we know that we celebrate Chanukah for eight days! What is the reason behind the eight day celebration that we have?
The Beis Yosef answers: Those who were preparing the Menorah for lighting knew that it would take eight days until new oil could be obtained. They therefore divided the flask into eight parts, so that at least the Menorah would be lit every day, albeit not for the entire day. A miracle occurred and the small amount of oil that was placed in the Menorah each day lasted an entire day. Hence, there was a miracle on the first day as well.
Another answer by the Beis Yosef is: On the first night, the entire contents of the flask were emptied into the Menorah. This would enable the Menorah to be lit for an entire day. When the Menorah was checked on in the morning, it was discovered that none of the oil burned up, and the Menorah was still full, although the flame was lit. This miracle occurred for each of the days. Hence, the first day when the oil did not burn up was miraculous as well.
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM NOAH'S ARK
One: Don't miss the boat.
Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat.
Three: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
Four: Stay fit. When you're 600 years old someone may ask you to do something really big.
Five: Don't listen to critics, just get on with the job that needs to be done.
Six: Build your future on high ground.
Seven: For safety's sake travel in pairs.
Eight: Speed isn't everything. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
Nine: When you're stressed, float awhile.
Ten: Remember the Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals.
Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with G-d there's always a rainbow waiting.
SUKKOS
The Brocho (Blessing) for building a Sukkah
The extraordinary Mitzvos of Succos
ECHOES OF A SHOFAR
Please click the link below to see an incredible and inspirational video about blowing the Shofar at the Kotel during the British mandate
Echoes of a Shofar
YOM KIPPUR
The day of Yom Kippur seems to have two contradictory natures to it. On the one hand there are five "afflictions" prescribed on Yom Kippur (no eating or drinking, no washing one’s body, no anointing one’s body [perfume or deodorant], no wearing leather shoes and no marital relations), but on the other hand the gemoro (Talmud) calls it one of the two happiest days in the year, and some Rishonim (early commentaries) learn that there is a mitzvah (commandment) of simchas ha’chag (enjoyment) even on Yom Kippur.
How can one balance simcha (enjoyment) and affliction?
The idea seems to be that both the simcha and the affliction stem from the same point here. The simcha of Yom Kippur is due to the fact that it is the day when we cleanse ourselves of sin, as well as the fact that this is the day we received the second luchos (set of tablets). Likewise, the five afflictions are aimed at removing ourselves from the contaminating distractions of the physical world (distractions which take us away from our real selves) and allow us to focus on the spiritual nature of the day - thus facilitating our Teshuva (repentance).
So, the simcha and the affliction are not contradictory at all - on the contrary, they stem from the same point; atonement and purity
SIMANIM (SYMBOLIC FOODS)
On Rosh Hashanah (New year) we start the meal with various simanim and their accompanying brachos (blessings) and texts. For example, we eat a pomegranate and ask that our merits should be as numerous as pomegranate seeds, and we eat apply with honey so that we should have a sweet new year, etc.
What is the idea of these simanim - are they just games or examples of clever play on words?
Rabbi Neventzal explained that the main idea of these simanim are to inspire us to repent. When we look at the apple and honey and ask for a sweet new year, we are reminded that we need to mend our ways to merit such sweetness. And so it goes for all the simanim - they are mental reminders and motivators for us to repent.
The Shem Mishmuel offers a different approach, arguing that each thing we eat on Rosh Hashanah has certain effects in the spiritual realms. It is these spiritual effects that we are tapping into when we eat these select foods on the Day of Judgment.
ARE WE GOOD OR BAD?
Are we good or bad? I guess the smart answer is “both”.
Seeing only your good points makes you haughty while seeing only your bad points leaves you vulnerable to depression. Seeing them alternately puts you on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Being aware of both simultaneously creates a healthy balance. You can neither become too high due to you considering your faults nor too low as you know your goodness.
THOUGHT FOR ELUL
There is an ancient custom that when writing a letter in the month of Elul, we should include a phrase or sentence which conveys a timely message. Several alternatives are suggested for the appropriate text for this, derived from Tanach (the Bible). Perhaps this is the origin of Rosh Hashanah cards.
It is an interesting custom, but why choose to convey this message at this time of year out of all our many special days rich with meaning, particularly through the written word?
Perhaps the answer lies in the historical origins of Elul, when Moshe (Moses) ascends Mount Sinai to receive the second Luchos (tablets) - a time of reconciliation and restoration - the visible evidence of Hashem’s (G-d’s) compassionate forgiveness was that Moshe was instructed to write the second Luchos, this command being referred to several times in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy) which we read much of in Elul.
To remind our friends and ourselves of this powerful symbol of our opportunity to reconcile with Hashem and rebuild, we use the written word to convey the essence of Elul.
With thanks to Rabbi Benjamin Simmonds LLB(hons) PGCE(adult education)
Assistant Rabbi Stenecourt
TISHA B'AV
This Album memorializes the arrival of Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz in May of 1944. It is the only one of its kind, and it is solely due to this album that we have a visual history of what occurred in the Auschwitz-Birchenau death camp.
The album was discovered after the war by an Auschwitz survivor, Lily Jacob, who donated it to Yad Vashem in 1980. Now, with the aid of the Internet, it can be viewed by millions of people, anywhere in the world.
Please pass this around, to help assure that people will continue to bear witness to this evil legacy.
Click here to view the Auschwitz Album
THE NINE DAYS
KEYS
It is said that at the time of the “Churban/destruction of the Temple”, as the Beis Hamikdosh (Temple) burned, the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) and many other fellow Kohanim (priests) stood on the roof and threw the keys of the Beis Hamikdosh up to Heaven in an act of contrition and profound despair, expressing the idea that "we have not fulfilled our duty as custodians". (It is further said that a hand came out of Heaven and took the keys back).
What may be the significance of these Keys?
In Mishnah Tamid 1.1 (which deals with the daily procedures in the Beis Hamikdosh) we learn that, each night, the Elders of the Kohanim went to sleep holding the keys of the Beis Hamikdosh.
Perhaps we could suggest the following: When we unlock a door to a building, we usually have a clear focus and sense of purpose. We unlock our house to go in when we return from work, we want to go in and have a purposeful relaxing evening. We unlock a car to begin our journey. A Shul is opened each morning so that our daily "Avodas Hashem" (service to G-d) - our focused, pre-arranged encounter with G-d can begin.
"The Keys" represent this idea. Perhaps at the time of The Churban, the act of throwing the keys back was the despair of the Kohanim actualised, we have failed in our mission, the Service of the Beis Hamikdosh was not focused, it grew to be no more than a ritual, with the real purpose of closeness to G-d being diluted to insignificance. Let us reflect on this and use the nine days as an opportunity to refocus and realign our own "Avodas Hashem".
With thanks to Rabbi Benjamin Simmonds LLB(hons) PGCE(adult education)
Assistant Rabbi Stenecourt
PRACTICAL HALOCHO FOR THE 9 DAYS AND TISHA B'AV
Please click here for an article on "Practical Halocho for the 9 days and Tisha B'Av"
Thanks go to Torah.org and Project Genesis for permission to use this material.
THE EIGHT NIGHTS OF CHANUKAH