The Month of Adar has finally begun, Jew’s all over the world greet each other beaming with Joy. “Mishenichnas Adar Marbim Besimcha (when we usher in the month of Adar we increase our Joy).”
None of the “soul searching” of Yom Kippur, no trace of that “may you inscribed in the book of life” heaviness. Just raising a glass of wine (or something stronger), and saying “l’chaim” (to life).
In the Month of Adar, we get a moment to surface from the turbulence of our existential angst, and the murkiness of our conflicts. Instead, we surrender to the reality of our lives and celebrate the blessings and goodness that we all to often take for granted.
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov was the “Joy Authority“ of the Chassidic world. He was at the forefront of a movement that saw “true joy” as the master key to unlocking the mysteries of the Divine.
Here is one of his classic teachings on Joy: Clapping and Dancing
Dear G-d,
Stir my heart with the spirit of joy,
Imbue my arms and my legs with that spirit,
For my arms have become heavy and my legs encumbered
Fill me my G-d, with the cleansing spirit of holy joy,
Enliven my all my limbs,
Help me raise my hands and clap,
Help me lift my feet and dance, dance, dance.
Looking forward to saying l’chaim with you personally this Purim!
Rabbi Yossi
Random musings and reflections, jewish, spiritual, and otherwise...
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Friday, February 11, 2011
Mazal Tov ,Today I become a ....MITZVAH!
A “Rebbe”, a bona fide spiritual genius, looked at life with a third eye and saw reflected in his holy soul, streams of different energies swirling around the biblical texts.
These texts, in addition to the elementary purpose of communicating a G-dly way of being in the world through mitzvot, also serve as a gateway to streams of higher spiritual consciousness that these people, were submerged in, we by reading those teachings, get to “HACK" into those sacred currents .
The opening verse of this weeks Torah portion “VeAta tetzaveh“ (“And you shall command”) is referring to G-D instructing Moses to teach the Jewish people the the specific laws regarding the construction of the Tabernacle.
The late 19th century Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter, also known as the “Sefat Emet”, shares a breathtakingly beautiful idea; He rereads the text by focusing only on those two words “VeAta Tetzaveh” (“You shall command“), and elucidates; VeAta – And You, Tetzaveh – is a commandment (a mitzvah). G-d is not merely instructing Moses to teach the Jewish people how to build a tabernacle but advising Moses to tell the Jewish People, that each and every one of them is a mitzvah!
In this mystical interpretation of the verse, there is no longer just a Human performing G-D’s will, nor G-D simply commanding the human; there is only deep mystical oneness between G-D and his people.
I personally find this a highly effective medtiation during prayer, a time when we have a perfect opportunity to close our eyes, and not only perform the mitzvah, but in the spirit of the Holy Sefat Emet’s idea, be a mitzvah .
One of the best prayers to put this meditation to use is at the beginning of the Amidah prayer -the silent prayer, widely considered the prayer with the most intense concentration of spiritual energy .
The men of the great assembly who composed the Amidah , aware of the spiritual harvest waiting to be reaped here daily, took into consideration that people are preoccupied with the turbulence of life and easily distracted , they therefore composed the one line prayer before the Amidah begins, “My L-rd open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise”
These words are their way of gently coaxing us into a different spiritual space where suddenly we are not alone; rather we are collaborating with G-d.
The wide chasm between the divine and us disappears, and a sacred duet is sounded between G-D and his people. We are not simply praying, rather we Become Prayer.
We find this same idea in Psalms, when King David writes “V’Ani Tefilati “ (“as for me my prayer), here too the text can be reread as V’Ani -and I , Tephilati – have become prayer.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yossi
These texts, in addition to the elementary purpose of communicating a G-dly way of being in the world through mitzvot, also serve as a gateway to streams of higher spiritual consciousness that these people, were submerged in, we by reading those teachings, get to “HACK" into those sacred currents .
The opening verse of this weeks Torah portion “VeAta tetzaveh“ (“And you shall command”) is referring to G-D instructing Moses to teach the Jewish people the the specific laws regarding the construction of the Tabernacle.
The late 19th century Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter, also known as the “Sefat Emet”, shares a breathtakingly beautiful idea; He rereads the text by focusing only on those two words “VeAta Tetzaveh” (“You shall command“), and elucidates; VeAta – And You, Tetzaveh – is a commandment (a mitzvah). G-d is not merely instructing Moses to teach the Jewish people how to build a tabernacle but advising Moses to tell the Jewish People, that each and every one of them is a mitzvah!
In this mystical interpretation of the verse, there is no longer just a Human performing G-D’s will, nor G-D simply commanding the human; there is only deep mystical oneness between G-D and his people.
I personally find this a highly effective medtiation during prayer, a time when we have a perfect opportunity to close our eyes, and not only perform the mitzvah, but in the spirit of the Holy Sefat Emet’s idea, be a mitzvah .
One of the best prayers to put this meditation to use is at the beginning of the Amidah prayer -the silent prayer, widely considered the prayer with the most intense concentration of spiritual energy .
The men of the great assembly who composed the Amidah , aware of the spiritual harvest waiting to be reaped here daily, took into consideration that people are preoccupied with the turbulence of life and easily distracted , they therefore composed the one line prayer before the Amidah begins, “My L-rd open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise”
These words are their way of gently coaxing us into a different spiritual space where suddenly we are not alone; rather we are collaborating with G-d.
The wide chasm between the divine and us disappears, and a sacred duet is sounded between G-D and his people. We are not simply praying, rather we Become Prayer.
We find this same idea in Psalms, when King David writes “V’Ani Tefilati “ (“as for me my prayer), here too the text can be reread as V’Ani -and I , Tephilati – have become prayer.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yossi
Saturday, February 5, 2011
The hol(istic)y Ark
In reading the portion in Shul today , I had the following Question that I posed to all .
Why did the ark , have to be made of wood , yet covered with Gold ?
If it’s the luxury that we want , then let it be pure gold like the Menorah , if on the other hand we re aiming for the simple, unadorned look ,and not for a pleasing aesthetic, then it should have remained just wood with no covering .
One approach that I threw out there was as follows , the wood represents the ordinary areas of our lives , our routines , Job,school ,family .
Gold on the other hand represents spiritual enlightenment , and transcendence .
The message of placing the Torah , which contains our creed for living ,in a wooden box inlaid with gold , is that Torah is meant to facilitate fusion in the disparate regions of our human experience .
Judaism is unique in it s emphasis on living a more holistic life .
The message is clear ,our faith , i.e. our “Gold “ our sacredness flows over the way we are ordinary in the world and gently cascades over “The wood places ”(the forest of our lives) that we inhabit , transforming simple and routine acts , into moments of sublime devotion .
Shavua Tov
Yossi
Why did the ark , have to be made of wood , yet covered with Gold ?
If it’s the luxury that we want , then let it be pure gold like the Menorah , if on the other hand we re aiming for the simple, unadorned look ,and not for a pleasing aesthetic, then it should have remained just wood with no covering .
One approach that I threw out there was as follows , the wood represents the ordinary areas of our lives , our routines , Job,school ,family .
Gold on the other hand represents spiritual enlightenment , and transcendence .
The message of placing the Torah , which contains our creed for living ,in a wooden box inlaid with gold , is that Torah is meant to facilitate fusion in the disparate regions of our human experience .
Judaism is unique in it s emphasis on living a more holistic life .
The message is clear ,our faith , i.e. our “Gold “ our sacredness flows over the way we are ordinary in the world and gently cascades over “The wood places ”(the forest of our lives) that we inhabit , transforming simple and routine acts , into moments of sublime devotion .
Shavua Tov
Yossi
Friday, January 28, 2011
Shabbat Shalom
This Tuesday morning, during “Ten minutes of Torah” a weekly program at the Chabad Community Shul , an interesting question surfaced about the juxtaposition of last week’s Torah portion Yitro ,and this week’s Mishpatim.
First a little background. One of the more mystical principles of Judaism is with regard to the interpretations of Torah. It’s fairly common knowledge that the Torah has a built in elaborate system of Hermeneutical principles which were employed by the sages throughout the ages of the Mishnah and Talmud , to interpret, or unpack that which is implicit in the written Torah.
The essence of the development of all the halachik principles that form the backbone of Jewish life today, revolved/s around the meticulous adherence to those principals
So for example, a one liner in the Torah that states “You shall bind as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes” would be too cryptic as a stand alone statement, what are they made of? What’s in them? Who wears them? And when are they worn?
Enter the sages of the Mishna and the Talmud, which came in and worked their magic, through the careful application of these interpretive divine formulas, combined with the translucent Holiness of the sages, the Halachah of Teffillin was born, and eventually recorded in what is now known as the Shulchan Aruch, The code of Jewish Law.
This same procedure happened for all the Mitzvot of the Torah.
What is less common knowledge however is that in addition to the notion that every word, and syllable in the written torah is pregnant with meaning, and the sages in their mystical journeys, were like sacred archeologist’s; mining every letter for the hidden treasures buried within, was another,spiritually daring notion ,that even within the sequence of torah portions, are embedded deep G-dly truths, waiting to be lovingly extracted.
A prime example of this, is in the aforementioned sequence of the ending of Yitro and the beginning of Mishpatim.
The portion of Yitro, with its description of the Giving of the Ten Commandments at the foot of Sinai is arguably among the most sublime portions of the Torah, the interface of the divine and the human, the nexus of mankind and G-d.
Mishpatim is the polar opposite, a collection of ordinary laws pertaining to the seemingly mundane and dreary aspects of life.
The truth is that the proximity of these two extremes is intentional. The message here seems quite clear. The breakthrough of Sinai meant that the human realm and the sacred realms resolved their core incompatibility. This enabled the registering of the divine even in the most prosaic dimensions of life.
The achievement of nirvana then from a Jewish perspective lies not in the heights of the spiritual mountains we scale, rather in the sacred manner in which we conduct our daily life.
If we hear in the Mishpatim routine an echo of the thunderous holiness of Yitro, then in that moment we are indeed transported back to the foot of the mountain , and have found the secret to “Living a Meaningful life “
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yossi
First a little background. One of the more mystical principles of Judaism is with regard to the interpretations of Torah. It’s fairly common knowledge that the Torah has a built in elaborate system of Hermeneutical principles which were employed by the sages throughout the ages of the Mishnah and Talmud , to interpret, or unpack that which is implicit in the written Torah.
The essence of the development of all the halachik principles that form the backbone of Jewish life today, revolved/s around the meticulous adherence to those principals
So for example, a one liner in the Torah that states “You shall bind as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes” would be too cryptic as a stand alone statement, what are they made of? What’s in them? Who wears them? And when are they worn?
Enter the sages of the Mishna and the Talmud, which came in and worked their magic, through the careful application of these interpretive divine formulas, combined with the translucent Holiness of the sages, the Halachah of Teffillin was born, and eventually recorded in what is now known as the Shulchan Aruch, The code of Jewish Law.
This same procedure happened for all the Mitzvot of the Torah.
What is less common knowledge however is that in addition to the notion that every word, and syllable in the written torah is pregnant with meaning, and the sages in their mystical journeys, were like sacred archeologist’s; mining every letter for the hidden treasures buried within, was another,spiritually daring notion ,that even within the sequence of torah portions, are embedded deep G-dly truths, waiting to be lovingly extracted.
A prime example of this, is in the aforementioned sequence of the ending of Yitro and the beginning of Mishpatim.
The portion of Yitro, with its description of the Giving of the Ten Commandments at the foot of Sinai is arguably among the most sublime portions of the Torah, the interface of the divine and the human, the nexus of mankind and G-d.
Mishpatim is the polar opposite, a collection of ordinary laws pertaining to the seemingly mundane and dreary aspects of life.
The truth is that the proximity of these two extremes is intentional. The message here seems quite clear. The breakthrough of Sinai meant that the human realm and the sacred realms resolved their core incompatibility. This enabled the registering of the divine even in the most prosaic dimensions of life.
The achievement of nirvana then from a Jewish perspective lies not in the heights of the spiritual mountains we scale, rather in the sacred manner in which we conduct our daily life.
If we hear in the Mishpatim routine an echo of the thunderous holiness of Yitro, then in that moment we are indeed transported back to the foot of the mountain , and have found the secret to “Living a Meaningful life “
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yossi
Thursday, October 21, 2010
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
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
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
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
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
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
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
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
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