We're Missing the Big Picture

We take the laws of nature for granted. Birds fly, people don't. An apple falls from a tree and hits the ground. It doesn't head out into the sky. We have four seasons. (In Michigan there are two - winter and construction.) The leaves on the trees turn pretty colors in the fall. Snow is cold. We can go on and on.

While we take the rules of nature for granted - we see the Jewish laws and customs as random; a haphazard set of archaic rules. We don't see a "big picture" banding them together into a coherent message or guide to life.

This is why I picked the two books on the featured page of A Jewish Minute's store. I have read both and sincerely recommend them without hesitation.

Masterplan by Aryeh Carmell - This book takes the mitzvot and creates that coherent picture that we're missing. How these mitzvot relate to one another, how the mitzvot help us relate to each other, help us relate to the world, and how we can create a better world. One or two pages are dedicated to explaining each mitzvah and how it fits into this bigger picture. It is readable and can be read slowly - one mitzvah at a time, or obviously more.

The Sabbath by Dayan Dr. I. Grunfeld - This book does a good job of explaining what exactly the Shabbat is and what it really means to "rest". I just finished reading this book and while I thought I understood the purpose of Shabbat and what we're supposed to get out of it, I really did learn new things. It's a short book, just over 100 pages long and of course readable.

These two books do an excellent job of clarifying that big picture that we're missing. The assumption that Judaism is made up of a bunch of random and useless rules just isn't true - these books help put the pieces together.

The High Holidays and the Three Weeks

Just last week I saw an big sign outside a synagogue advertising High Holy Day tickets to services. I was shocked. Here we are in the beginning of July and they are advertising early bird tickets. I could not believe it.

But the message planted itself into my brain and started bouncing around. It's true, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are only two months away.

One of the main ideas associated with the High Holidays is one of teshuva, return. We are attempting to return to G-d and doing the mitzvot. The time of year we try to make amends. Many people spend the week prior to the Holidays running around to their family, friends and acquaintances apologizing for the way they may have been mistreated over the past year.

I think that this is a nice idea, but there's a better time of year to begin this mea culpa ritual. I believe that the time is now.

There is a period of time during the Jewish calendar year called the "Three Weeks". This is a period in our history that includes terrible things that have happened over the last 4000 years. It's a period of mourning. It begins on the 17th of Tammuz (this year June 29) and ends on Tisha B'Av (this year July 20).

While there is more to the 17th of Tammuz than I am including here - I am going to focus on the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, the center of Jewish life. On the 17th of Tammuz the enemy broke through the walls of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Second Temple. The Second Temple (and the First) was then destroyed on Tisha B'Av, the Jewish national day of mourning.

The Talmud teaches us that the reason that G-d allowed for the Second Temple to be destroyed was because baseless hatred had become prevalent within the Jewish People - known in Hebrew as sinat chinam (free hatred).

While it is difficult to imagine the High Holidays coming up, it may be a good time to think about that concept of teshuva. During the Holidays we are focused on our relationship with G-d, not on our relationship with others. In fact, G-d can not and does not forgive us for what we have done to our fellow man, rather G-d expects us to work on these relationships and right the wrongs which may have occurred.

Since this is the case, it is really up to us to do teshuva in the interpersonal relationships of our lives. During this period of the Three Weeks where we remember the loss of the Holy Temple due to our own loss of love and baseless hatred for our fellow Jew - this - is the time where we need to take the time and call our friends, family and acquaintances to ask for their forgiveness for any errors in judgement on our part. This is the time to outwardly show baseless love for all Jews. Don't wait for the High Holy Days to roll around, jump on the early opportunity today.

Modim - A Prayer of Thanks

We thankfully acknowledge that You are the Lord our G-d and G-d of our fathers forever. You are the strength of our life, the shield of our salvation in every generation. We will give thanks to You and recount Your praise, evening, morning and noon, for our lives which are committed into Your hand, for our souls which are entrusted to You, for Your miracles which are with us daily, and for Your continual wonders and beneficences. You are the Beneficent One, for Your mercies never cease; the Merciful One, for Your kindnesses never end; for we always place our home in You.

The part of this prayer that strikes me is the part I have marked in bold and recount here "...for Your miracles which are with us daily, and Your continual wonders and benefices..."

While walking home one day I stopped at a traffic light waiting for the sign to let me cross. While waiting I noticed a beautiful scent. I looked around and found the lilacs and had to smile. I realized at that moment how blessed I really was. I had not noticed the flowers before, but per chance had stopped to enjoy the smell.

Soon after the encounter at the traffic light I had the opportunity to visit with both my nephew and my niece. Both are approximately the same age (6-7 months old) and only beginning to realize that there is a world around them. They have discovered their hands, and most importantly their thumbs. They have begun rolling and crawling backward trying to get from place A to place B. It is truly an amazing thing to watch.

Over these past five months I have also had the opportunity to volunteer with 1st graders, about 6 years old (going on 17), helping with their reading and writing. They are just beginning to really understand and comprehend what they are reading. They are deep in concentration when forming the letters on the page. They are creating relationships with others in class, figuring out what makes them "friends".

All the things that these children, whether 6 months or 6 years old, are learning the first time, we clearly take for granted. When was the last time we closely examined our fingers? Or carefully concentrated on our handwriting? The ease in walking from one end of the room to the other? The ability to communicate our needs and hopes to another person?

These are all gifts. We generally do not spend any time thinking about these things. Perhaps it may cross our mind to consider our bodies when something isn't working right - when we sprain an ankle, or break a wrist - but generally it doesn't.

These gifts are available to us 24/7 without break. It is human nature to focus on the things we do not have, and to overlook those that we do. This prayer reminds us that we must take time to be thankful for the things we have and take for granted. Start noticing those small things - see how many you can find each day. Perhaps even keep a list - and you'll see what a difference it will make in your life.

Shabbat Shalom.

Why G-d Loves the Giving of Tzedukah

Before lighting the Shabbat candles, there is a tradition to put money into a tzedukah box, to give "charity" to those in need. This "Reach for the Quarter" video is a short and interesting take about why G-d loves the giving of tzedukah.

Good Shabbos everyone.
Shira

Yom Yerushalayim/Jerusalem Day

One of most obvious miracles in history happened 43 years ago today. Israel was attacked by her neighbors: Jordan, Egypt, Syria with additional troops from Kuwait, Algeria, Saudia Arabia and Iraq.

Amazingly enough, Israel won what then became known as the Six Day War. Israel gained control of the Western Wall and Jerusalem - which had been divided since 1948 - and Jews were finally allowed to worship freely at the holiest location in Judaism.

We can finally take for granted the ability to pray at the only surviving remnant of the Second Holy Temple, built in 349BCE by returnees from the Persian Exile - located on the same ground as Solomon's Temple.

We also need to celebrate the liberation of Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem and of Hebron, where our Patriarchs and Matriarchs are buried. Hebron was also the first capital of King David. The first seven and a half years of his kingship were located there.

Today is a special day in Jewish history. Please take a moment to appreciate it.

Shavuot - A Romantic Holiday

We are quickly approaching the holiday of Shavuot - the holiday where we received the Torah from G-d at Mount Sinai.

Unfortunately while Jews know of the receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, many do not realize that there is a holiday to commemorate the occasion. The beginning of Jewish history - the creation of the Jewish People, is unknown as a whole.

Rabbi Berel Wein relates a story,

I remember that as a lawyer in Chicago over thirty-five years ago I attempted to obtain a new date for a trial in which I was representing my client and the Jewish judge, a scion of a great Eastern European rabbinic family, asked me the reason for my request. I told him that the original trial date was to fall on the holiday of Shavuot and as such I would not be able to attend court that day. He sneered at me: "Counselor, there is no such Jewish holiday!"

How can this be?

One possibility is that Shavuot generally falls out in mid-May or early June. Most (if not all) Sunday morning Hebrew schools have finished their school year by mid-May, never teaching about this important holiday.

Another possibility is that there aren't any exciting laws connected to Shavuot. There are plenty of customs, but compared to the preparation and excitement of Passover or the noise-making and costumes of Purim -- Shavuot lags behind.

Shavuot is a forgotten and neglected holiday.

I find this sad because I find this a most romantic holiday.

On Shavuot we read the Book of Ruth. Most know the story - Naomi has been widowed outside the land of Israel (her husband had brought her across the Jordan) and wants to return home. She has two daughter-in-laws (her sons have also died), Orpah and Ruth. She asks them to return to their people. Orpah leaves Naomi. Ruth on the other hand does the unexpected. Famously she pleads with Naomi,

Do not urge me to leave you, to turn back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people are my people, and your G-d is my G-d; where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. (Book of Ruth 1:16-17)

This act tugs at our hearts. Ruth wants to be with Naomi - even until death. This is love.

Shavuot is the holiday where HaShem chose us to be His People. We had chosen G-d many years before with the devotion of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel... and now G-d took us out from the midst of another nation - to make us His very own. This is love.

The Talmud describes Shavuot, the day marking the giving of the Torah, as the wedding day between the Almighty and the Jewish people. The nation standing at the foot of Mount Sinai represents the couple standing under the canopy, while God's giving the Torah to the nation represents the groom placing the ring on his bride's finger.

Ani L'Dodi v'Dodi Li - I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine. (Song of Songs 6:3)

This is Shavuot. The holiday where we each say - we want to be with You. We do not want to be left behind, as Ruth reminds us.

Our Father in Heaven loves us. The blessings before the Shema speak of His love for the Jewish People.

Lord our G-d, You have loved us with everlasting love... For You are G-d who performs acts of deliverance, and You have chosen us from among all nations and tongues, and have, in love, brought us near... Blessed are You Lord, who chooses His people Israel with love.

In a relationship we are always looking for ways to be closer to the other person. The word 'love' in Hebrew is 'ahava'. The root of 'ahava' is 'hav', which means - to give. The way to create love is by creating a connection. We create this connection by giving. This could be by giving physical things - gifts, or giving of your spiritual self - your time, your attention and fulfilling the others wants and needs.

Make your will like His will so that He may make your will as His will. (Ethics of the Fathers 2:4)

This is Shavuot. A holiday of love. We chose HaShem many years ago. It's time to choose our Beloved again.

Pesach, the Holiday of Freedom?

I had borrowed a vacuum cleaner from a neighbor and was unlocking my apartment when a lady wished me a Happy Passover and said - holiday of "freedom" right?! Passover cleaning does not rank high on my "fun" meter (and obviously not hers either).

That being said, it is true that Passover is a labor intensive holiday - it requires more elbow grease than any other holiday on the Jewish calendar. But what is it that we're cleaning for? Chametz. Chametz is not dirt. Chametz is the stuff that goes into our bread, cookies and pasta. It's the leavening - the stuff that makes bread rise.

During the holiday of Passover we not allowed to have chametz in our possession. We are not only supposed to get rid of our physical chametz, but also our spiritual chametz.

At this point we have to examine ourselves. Who are we? What are our priorities? What drives us? Ourselves or others? What is our spiritual chametz?

Let's look at the concept of freedom. What is freedom? Is it the ability to do whatever you want without restriction? No, that would be chaos. What's interesting is that Pesach - the holiday of "freedom" is followed seven weeks later by Shavuot, the holiday of the Giving of the Torah. Our rule book. G-d took us out of Egypt to give us the Torah. G-d gave us "freedom" in order to become a Holy Nation, the Nation of G-d.

The holiday of Passover is one of introspection, not just physical work. The physical work removing the chametz from our surroundings is supposed to be the reflection of the chametz we are removing from our spiritual beings. We should look at our surroundings - not only for physical chametz, but also to see who we are friends with, what we do for fun, what we do to "kill time" - are these people/activities those that build us as G-dly people, or bring us down?

We have two souls. The animal soul - enjoys the physicality of the world around us and the G-dly soul - the part that enjoys doing good deeds.

Our job is to elevate the animal soul - not to destroy it. We elevate it by doing physical activities for spiritual purposes. Eating can be a spiritual activity, if we remember that food is there to help us stay strong to do mitzvot and G-dly things - like helping others. Working out can be a spiritual activity, if we remember that it's important to be healthy - since we can do mitzvot easier when we keep in shape. Cleaning for Passover can also a spiritual activity if we remember what Pesach is about.

Passover is the Holiday of Freedom. Not unrestricted freedom, that leads to destruction. The Freedom of Passover is the freedom to be G-d's People. We know we have only One to answer to. When we realize that we only have G-d to answer to - we become free from all the outside influences that bring us down and away from G-dliness. We are looking to become better people - to improve ourselves and the world around us.

Passover is the first step on our way to Shavuot and receiving the Torah. We are getting rid of those things that lead us away from spiritual things. But we cannot leave a vacuum - once we remove what isn't good for us we must move on to replace those things with activities and friends that will point us in the right direction. We are on our way to receiving the Torah.

Between the holiday of Passover and Shavuot we take a few minutes on Saturday/Shabbat afternoons to read a chapter of Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of our Fathers. This is a short book focusing on ethical matters.

Whether you pick this book up or another Jewish book - I sincerely ask everyone out there to examine themselves closely to see how we can all do better. Each mitzvah brings us closer to G-d and brings the world that much closer to the coming of Mashiach. This is the holiday of Pesach - the original redemption. May this year bring us the final redemption - and the end of suffering around the world.

For more information:
Passover at Aish HaTorah

Passover at Chabad Lubavitch