Go Celtics /Pre Shabbat Musings

Dear Friends,
Are you as excited as I am that preseason is over for the NBA and we can get on with the business of redemption from that fateful game 7 loss against the Lakers? With the upcoming match against the Heat, the energy in Boston is incredible.
This reminds me of a beautiful midrash about the creation of the sun and moon in Genesis. The text tells us that "G-d made two great lights---" but then contradicts itself by inferring that the sun was greater. Rashi explains that they were created equal but the moon complained, knowing that inherent in the idea of greatness is singularity. G-d then commands the moon to diminish itself and is then compensated by the host of stars that will now accompany it at night. The moon experiences both loss and gain and reveals the powerful relationship between diminishing oneself in order to increase. A Jew sets his calendar according to the moon, a lunar cycle. Inherent in the passage of time is the waning of the moon and its lessons. To grow, to enhance light, you first need to diminish yourself. Painful sacrifices of self are often needed in order to sustain growth both in the individual and in the world.
When a person gives Tzedakah, and invests their time or money in others, he/she discovers the message of the moon. While a team like the HEAT is HOT, it’s only because they are a team of smoldering individually talented suns! (Not talking about Phoenix) Doc Rivers and the Celtics establishment have a doctrine that emphasizes Team mentality over all. While this approach may diminish the individual brightness sometimes, it s what ultimately allows “STARS” to emerge. This team embodies team effort and partnership. If each player was concerned with personal greatness, they would not have a shared victory.
So, let's raise our glasses in a toast: Here is to the Celts, to us knowing when to diminish ourselves, understanding that humility allows a new light to break through and shine and the beginning of true greatness on the part of all us. "Lchaim!"
Part of being in the lunar cycle, is the possibility for constant spiritual growth . In That Spirit we are offering Three "Lunar Growth" opportunities.
The first one is for adults it’s the new JLI course entitled Medicine and Morals, and it begins on October 27 with both morning and evening options . Both of these classes will be led by Layah Lipsker and you can enroll today by going to www.myjli.com . The second journey is a virtual trip to Israel ,and its for teens only! The course entitled Israel 3D is beginning on Sunday October 24 th and I will be teaching this course. Please enroll your teens today at www.nsjewish.com
The final study opportunity is the long awaited continuation of the Wednesday evening Talmud class which will resume this week at 8:30 in the lower level classrooms at the Chabad Community Shul . LET THE LEARNING BEGIN!!!
On a Separate note , I want to congragulate the Israel 3D interns for winning an international video contest! Click here to view the winning entry

Recap of an amazing Shabbat Experience

Just wanted to shout out a HUGE thank you to all who made this past
weekends "where the wild things " Hot Shabbat Party, such a Success,
with over 100 men woman and Children truly getting into the Shabbat
Experience

. First and foremost thanks to the Finkels for Sponsoring and Mazal
tov to Robert on your BIG BDAY! Thanks to Layah for ,teaching an
inspiring class on "the Kabbalah of Kosher , For Morah Susan who ran a
wonderful "MINI MINYAN service , to Robin Kaplan who made the first
TOT SHABBAT the fun experience it was for the Children , Thanks to me
as well for doing a special program for the first and second graders
and getting into a great story about Noahs ark titled "we ar e all in
the same boat. Thanks to David Nathan who ran concurently with HOT
SHABBAT, the first (of many more ) North of Boston JEW CREW high
school Shabbaton,and to JOEL Weingarten AKA the Topsfielder REBBI for
a cholent that was GALACTIC. (?.. why not:)...Last but not least every
one of you who participated and walked up the Ramp into the Ark .. (
even though it was a vacation weekend ) and shined your holy souls and
shared your spirit in a true expression of Kehilah , I m so proud to
be part of The Chabad Community Shul! Please mark your calanders for
the next HOT SHABBAT , coming your way November 13th. If you are
interested in joining the new JLI course , medicine and morals ,
proudly offered by the North Shore Community COLEL ,beginning October
27 please log on today to www.mylji.com . If Your will be taking the
new teen JLI course on ISRAEL entitled Israel 3D please enroll today
at by logging on to www.nsjewish.com
AM YISROEL CHAI ...!!
Yossi

Rosh Hashanah is almost here , time to get out the shovels....

Some young college students came to visit the Lubavitcher Rebbe of Blessed memory, my teacher and mentor, and asked him the following question: What is a Rebbe good for?

Far from being offended, The Rebbe said "that is a very good question. Let me tell you. It is written 'You shall be unto me a land of desire' [Malachi 3 :12] The Earth contains all kinds of treasures, but you have to know where to dig. If you do not, you will come up with nothing but rocks. So too in the spiritual realm. If you ask the geologist of the soul where to dig, you might find silver, which is the love of G-d; gold, which is awe before Hashem; or diamonds, which is faith. A Rebbe can only show you where to dig. You must do the digging yourself."

The High Holidays give us an opportunity to come together, and, using our prayers as shovels, provide us with ample tools to dig deep into our hearts to bring out the best that is within us.

This note is an invitation to dig. Please roll up your sleeves and join us at the Chabad Community Shul for a meaningful High Holiday experience .

For more info,or to reserve your spot for meaningful High Holidays at the Chabad Community Shul, please log onto http://www.nsjewish.com/.

Shana Tova!

Rabbi Yossi

Rosh Hashanah Thoughts

This past Rosh Hashanah, Israel's chief Rabbi , related the following episode:

One year ago, King Juan Carlos of Spain invited me to organize a commemoration of the 800th anniversary of the passing of the Rambam. Born in Cordova, Spain, the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon) is famous for his summaries of Jewish law and for his profound writings on Jewish philosophy.

When I arrived in Spain, I presented the King with the gift of a shofar. The shofar was long and curved, and part of it was covered in silver adorned with images of a crown, the Wailing Wall, and a menorah.

When King Juan Carlos saw the shofar, he didn’t understand its significance. “Is it from Africa?” he asked.

“No, it’s from the Land of Israel,” I replied. The King thought that perhaps it was used to play torero, a traditional sport involving the deadly pursuit of bulls that is played through the streets of Spain. I explained that Judaism is against such games because of the commandment of tzar baalei chayim, the prohibition against harming an animal without reason. “So what is the meaning of this present?” the King inquired. This is how I answered him.

Dear King of Spain, today with this gift I close a very old circle. More than 500 years ago, your great-great-grandfathers expelled my forefathers from Spain. Many Jews remained in Spain, and in order to avoid persecution they became maranos, secret Jews who behaved on the outside as Christians but in private remained Jews. The maranos made many small minyanim—gatherings of ten men—in underground synagogues, and they prayed very quietly. Once a year on Rosh Hashana, they were faced with a dilemma: how to blow the shofar and remain undetected. How can you fulfill the mitzvah of hearing the shofar if you cannot hear it?

So one year, a marano who was the conductor of the orchestra of the King of Spain approached the King and suggested that he arrange a special concert with old wind instruments. Being very fond of music, the King was delighted at such a novel idea and he instructed the conductor to reserve the largest theatre in Spain. The King told him to speak to his secretary and set a date for the concert. The conductor ran to the secretary and told him, “Please, I want a specific day in September.” That day was Rosh Hashanah.

At the concert, the King, the Queen, the royal children, and the ministers sat in the front rows, and behind them sat hundreds of maranos who came to hear the concert on Rosh Hashanah. The conductor held up the shofar and explained: “Dear King. Before you expelled the Jewish people from your country they used to blow this instrument, the shofar, as a sign of the first day of their calendar year. Before they used this instrument they used to say the following: Baruch atah hashem elokeinu melech haolam asher kidishanu bimitzvotav vitzivanu lishmoa kol shofar. Shehechiyanu vkiyimanu vhigiyanu lezman hazeh— Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to hear the sound of the shofar; Who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion.” And all the maranos, the secret Jews, answered quietly, “Amen.”

And the Marano proceeded to perform the concert…

Today, dear King, over 500 years later, I am very happy as Chief Rabbi of Israel to bring you back this shofar. But now I can do so overtly, not covertly, because you treat my brothers with democracy. Here in Spain everyone can pray, build synagogues, and blow the shofar. And everything that a Jew can do today in Spain is because of you, the King.
The King looked at the shofar and said, “Dear Rabbi, you see around me many gifts from all over the world, but I think that this gift contains the greatest historical significance."
Even in their worst times in Spain, our people found ways how to blow the shofar, how to perform the mitzvos.

Today, the powers of the inquisition are gone; but the sound of the shofar still resonates.
Please feel free to join us at the Chabad Community Shul.
We have worked hard to ensure a meaningful and warm experience for all ages and all backgrounds
Whether you will be in the main service , the exciting youth services ,The teen program , The learning service with layah , or the family shofar service on Thursday afternoon , we know you and your family will feel good being part of the truly warm, welcoming , and spiritual community that the Shul at Chabad has become known for .


On behalf of Layah and myself , I wish you and yours a Happy , Healthy , and sweet new year .

The portion of Shlach opens up with the Jewish people less than enthusiastic about going into Israel. They demand an advanced spying mission before the Jews "agree" to enter the land of Israel, and G-d is disappointed that the Jewish people are not more trusting. "Haven't I taken you out of Egypt with an outstreched arm? Have I not brought ten plagues upon the Egyptians? Have I not split the sea and delivered you from the Egyptian chariots of fire?"

The spies come back with a negative report and dampen the enthusiasm of the Jewish people for entering into the land, preferring to create a desert Diaspora, before even entering the land.

G-d tells Moses, "this unit is not yet prepared to appreciate the gift of Israel. They still have the taste of slavery in their mouths, and it doesn't mix well with the taste of freedom." You see, they were missing the basic element that exists in the psyche of every free man. Namely, that he is entitled to freedom, and needs merely to embrace it. After the civil war, many of the slaves preferred to continue their bondage, in its familiarity, than face the unknown as free men.

To be free means to feel free.

G-d tells Moses they will need more time, forty years, to wander in the wilderness and build up the desire to claim their ancestral home. Through this process they will acquire a passionate sense of ownership and attachment to the land, that will help navigate them through the challenges they will face along the way. Just read through the book of Joshua to get an idea of the complexity of that generation's unique struggles and the fortitude they displayed in achieving their objectives.

This week we found ourselves in the exact same predicament. The whole world is watching us to see how deep our commitment is. Do we feel that we have a right to be in Israel or not. Does this country mean something to us or not? Will we show cynicism, or will we show passion for what's ours?

I am proud to say, aside from some of the rather embarrassing, and sadly predictable editorials... the general response has been of a family coming together in solidarity and expressing its devotion and LOYALTY to our homeland. One particularly poignant image was that of a young sixteen year old marching fearlessly in the center of a typically hostile anti-Israel demonstration, and defending his country so eloquently to the media. When G-d looks down on that he says, "Wow, we could've used that spirit in the desert." Especially heartwarming was his response when asked what group he is affiliated with. He said, "I am affiliated with Judaism, and with Israel. That's it!"

In times like these we need to remind ourselves of the precious gift we have been given, that we even have an Eretz Yisroel. Let us not lapse into a desert of cynicism mentality.

Let us, together, show the world our love, passion and commitment to Eretz Yisroel. By coming together as one, we can combat the "Armada of hatred and violence" with our own flotilla of togetherness, love, and loyalty. In the merit of this week's parsha, may we, together with the blessings of Hashem, break through the blockade of hatred and anti-Israel sentiment, and sail our ship into Israel, every Jew from all four corners of the world, its proud and triumphant passengers.

Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisroel Chai


Sincerely,
Rabbi Yossi Lipsker
Chabad of the North shore

Shavuot Greetings

Every holiday has it greeting that is so familiar to us , "happy and healthy new year " , "a meaningful fast " .. etc , what about Shavuot ? How do we greet each other ? The Chassidic masters would greet one another on Shavuot in the following way . I will share in the original Yiddish and then Translate .
"Es zol zayn , Kabolas HaTORAH , Besimcha ,U bepnimiyus ".

Ok here s the translation " I Bless you that you Should Receive The Torah with JOY , and in an a fashion that speaks to your innermost being .What they were essentially saying is that Judaism must be practiced at the highest levels of happiness , otherwise its message will not resonate throughout your being ,at most it will be something secondary to you. The Chassidic Rebbes were advocates of living a more holistic life way before it even entered our modern cultures vocabulary.
Chag Sameach
Please join us this Shavuot at the Chabad Community Shul for a JOYOUS celebration ,click below for all the info.

http://tinyurl.com/28ehv35

Rabbi Yossi

I watched  the movie, "The Taking of Pelham 23". Throughout the film John Travolta, or "Ryder", repeats this phrase numerous times, "we all owe G-d a death."(meaning we all die one day...)

In the final scene of the film, Travolta and Denzel Washington square off on the bridge, with the skyline of Manhattan as the indifferent spectator.

Ryder begs to be killed, "Remember," he says, "we all owe G-d a death." Denzel refuses, of course, and responds back with a primal scream that is part refusal of the request, and part existential proclamation.

"We all owe G-d a life," he screams, prayer-like, in a cathartic moment of self discovery.

This reminds me of a Chassidic prayer that goes something like this: "I don't know if my prayer has any meaning, but I am giving you my soul tonight, and I am asking you, give it back tomorrow morning on one condition; that tomorrow I do something that will make your name holier and greater, and if you feel you don't need me tomorrow, don't return my soul to me."

This helps to understand one of the more puzzling explanations of the Kaddish, that its purpose is to console G-d .

Why does G-d need consolation?

Based on this it makes sense. G-d needs the soul to bring goodness and holiness into the world. So, when a person dies, it's less holiness being transmitted into the world, so G-d needs comfort.

How do we comfort G-d? By saying Kaddish, which is a prayer that ironically speaks all about expanding a G-d Conciousness in the cosmos.

I'm with Denzel, Lchaim To life!