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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 18:42
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Portion BeHaAhLotCha - by Word of G-.d: and All Those Prophecies
The books of the Prophets are not well known to even the religiously observant.
In general we learn a little about the prophecies in the weekly Haftora, and some references if we learn Talmud.
This year many weeks we read a different portion in Israel from the Torah portion read in the Diaspora, must make us wonder how the Torah "is Unity", and how we are taught that Shema Yisrael means that G-d is Unity, and how can the Kabala explain that "Israel and the Torah is Unity" (to say nothing of our concept that the world must be together to fulfill the G-dly purpose)?
Here this week in Israel I want to give a bit of insight from where we read potion BeHaAhLoatCha:
The Fourth Aliyah has a simple but DEEP
Meaning for us all in just one Sentence !
Al Pi Hashem, the (Israelites in the desert) camped and traveled by special Orders of the L-ord
Last week the Torah portion set the Camping formation of the Israelite Army - protecting the Sanctuary whih was built to travel in the desert
This week the Army's Traveling formation is set – and it is used for 40 years
I believe the whole Tanach ( all the Jewish Bible thru the Megillas and Tehilim ) need to be understood as a whole - to understand a small part of G-d's plan of UNITY of time and purpose
So this week I ask you from the Book of Joshua (which follows the 5 Books of Moses) – did the Army of Israel relate to the camping and the traveling formation of ther 40 years in the desert?
Next week's portion has the Haftora where Joshua sends 2 spies into Canaan, just as the Israelites are about to enter Israel and attack the Canaanites
Does Joshua keep the formation? Does he camp the same way during the following 7 years of wars and 7 years of dividing the land among the tribes?
The answer is in that one sentence from our portion BeHa ah LoteCha – that EVERYTHING DEALING WITH Israelite Camp Formation WAS PER THE DIRECTION OF THE ALMIGHTY.
And so with our OWN journeys and major changes in life.
We can look at everything in parts – but EVERYTHING CAN BE OVERCOME SUCCESSFULLY if we view the WHOLE as MUCH MORE THAN THE PARTS, and everything in our lives being totally interconnected.
The Israelites marched into Israel – after beating (against all odds) the attacking Amalekites, the armies of Og and Balak and Sichon!
Joshua now changes tactics, but the CAMPING and MARCHING FORWARD as per the Almighty's Idea - stays the same – and
Leads us with SUCCESS into the PROMISED LAND
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 18:42
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There is no way in the world to do justice To All the portions we read this Holy Weekend.
BUT - In a few words - let me remember to you the Shavuos of my youth.
A bunch of us kids and teenagers would always stay up and study Talmud all night.
But at Midnight we would go out and see the sky open -
as it did for the Jewish People when the 10 Commandments were given.
What did the Israelites see - and what did we kids see - and what will YOU see?
Was the Almighty visible sitting on his throne (as it were)? Will we see that again?
Rabbi Yaskil uses the Rebbe Nachman approach to explain:
FIRE came out from the throne, to CLEANSE THE WORLD,
but the ALMIGHTY sat ABOVE it all and
sent messages of Mercy and Kindness - that we all need to learn from.
What do we need to see? THE STRENGTH OF SINAI AS TRANSMITTED TO ISRAEL
AND
MAYBE the mercy and kindness of G-d so we can learn from it!
Maybe see G-d's glory and gifts of life - instead of complaining that life is NOT PERFECT
So we won't give excuses for not doing mitzvot - like
"That happened to him, so I don't need to like G d".
Love G-d and one another this Shavuote
Look out for all the signs of the Almighty,
Study and receive the Torah this Saturday night thru Sunday AM!
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 18:41
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Portion Bamidbar in Israel - Bechukow Thai in the Diaspora - why donate to the Temple
So the earlier (way ahead of) things, this week's portion,Bamidbar - read in Israel tomorrow , talks about counting and recounting the Children of Israel in the Sinai Desert.
The portion read this week in the Diaspora - Bechukothai - talks about valuations of different kids of donations to the Temple.
So tell me if you can - is the Temple Cult all about money?
Nothing could be further from the truth if you realize that the Torah is a SPIRITUAL GUIDE, not just a bunch of rules.
Every person in every status has a value - and that value can be connected to the Jewish Enterprise.
Every person in Judaism's philosophy - COUNTS - and the numbers are grouped by tribe as well as total individuals -
So we will all know that we count - BOTH BY OURSELVES AND TO THE GROUP.
Donating makes one more committed to the whole of Israel - and makes you feel well also!
So - know G-d thinks of EVERY PERSON,
and about EVERY GROUP,
and CONNECT yourself to the holy groups and get closer to G-d in every way.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 18:40
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One More Time in Exile - Portion Emor - but Behar is the portion in Israel about a Nation of Priests and Nation of Mountains
So how does the portion of the Torah bring out Amazing and Magnificent from New Yorkers?
In Portion Emor:
The priests are told to stay away from "TUMA" - spiritual defilement.
TUMA could be described as "a withdrawal" from life (especially because it is related to dead people or things)
So what is LIFE anyway? A breath? A wonderful (Amazing) moment?
And why did the Rabbis decree that "outside Israel the land itself is a defilement?"
The Portion Behar:
It says "proclaim liberty throughout the land ..." HEY THAT'S on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia!
It teaches about liberation and sanctity of the land of Israel
AND EVEN THE HOMES IN THE CITIES!
Think about sanctity - and what Judaism and Jews are standing for in the world.
Now coming back from Washington DC a couple of days ago some guys were standing behind me saying
"we hate Israelis ... they kill Palestinian kids" (A STUPID LIE)
Now look at this news report yesterday from the Philadelphia of the Liberty Bell:
The Muslim groups responsible for an event featuring children singing about “chopping off heads” claimed participants’ “command of Arabic [was] not advanced” enough to understand the words.
By World Israel News and AP
Muslim leaders in Philadelphia apologized Wednesday for an event last month ...
so was that a lame excuse or what? AND which is more important -
teaching the sanctity of the land and the purity of LIFE -
or teaching children to be violent and hateful?
THE TRUTH:
Israel sends doctors to Africa
Israeli medical teams built a field hospital in Haiti
THE Only safe place for Arab kids to grow up is in Israel...
So love G d and love Israel for loving you and the whole world
The Gift of Israel from the Almighty is "magnificent ... Amazing ... and HOLY!!!
Does America get it???
Love... from New York
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 18:39
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Portion Emor and Holy celebration of a Struggling To Be Holy nation Surrounded by - OIY
How can we all be just a bit holier?
On Friday count " today is the twentieth day of counting the omer "
And after dark say " today is the twenty first day of counting the omer "
Is that so hard? ....thats what the Almighty wants. Count HOLY THINGS!
Also Count how many pleasant days have you had since Seder night!
And
Count your blessings .... AND
Count on the Jewish holidays to stay connected .... As we read about them in this week;s portion
We in Israel just celebrated Independence Day
We also just had a little HOLY war. Did you PRAY for ISRAEL? For our soldiers? For our kids running when the sirens warned them of attempted murder by evil people?
Pray a little - or not just a little - because ISRAEL IS KEEPING THE WORLD SAFE AND FREE
So ...
Read That Siddur with a little Reverence tonight and remember what
Rabbi Shlomo taught: (revised from the message of Yeshivat Simchat Shlomo founded by Reb Sholom (zatza"L)
How Israeli soldiers get so much holiness?
Imagine if I would learn Torah day and night. For two thousand years, I could not reach that level of holiness. I could not.
That is Avraham Avinu's holiness.
Everybody asks, when G-d spoke to Avraham for the first time, why didn't He tell him to keep Shabbos, to keep Kashrut?
Why did He immediately tell him, "Lech lecha - Go though from thy land, and from thy father's house?"
G-d gave over to Avraham Avinu what Israeli Soldiers know - sometimes you must leave everything behind you for G-d, for Israel, for somebody else.
Their awesome holiness comes from the deepest depths, from inside. This is what Avaham Avinu is all about.
Rabbi C taught:
When Mashiach comes it will be revealed to us how holy our children are.
You never know, sometimes you see somebody and you don't have the faintest idea of how holy they are inside. This is why we NEED to be in touch with the mystical part of the Torah, with the deepest secrets.
Love and Shabbos and Prayers from the Holy Land of Holy People of Israel
Rabbi Andy Eichebholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 18:36
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Portion Metzora: Cannibalism Slavery Destruction and the Passover Hagada
Last week I re-discovered Rabbi Zolti. He was the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem and gave a weekly class when I studied in yeshiva.
Actually I discovered his son where I sometimes pray ( and say Kaddish ) - at his synagogue/yeshiva in Jerusalem. His son is a genius like the father. He is always interesting, too.
It is customary to read the Hagada this Shabbat to prepare for next week-Passover-as Rabbi Zolti was teaching (mostly by explaining ideas from Maimonides ).
If you don't look at the Hagada before the Seder you miss the context of the world at the time of when Israel miraculously left Egypt - and left the world in chaos!
If Israel had not been redeemed from slavery and accepted the Torah, the world would probably still be a world of degradation slavery destruction and worse.
What's that to our portion in the Torah this week?
Purity purification and re dedication!
When coming out of a degrading disease the person is to bring offerings in the Temple - to re-dedicate themselves
and the priest is to mix some oil and some blood and put a touch:
On their
Ear ( so we will ALL listen in holiness ) and
Thumb ( to remind us to DO holy things ) and the
big Toe. (To remind us to go to holy gatherings )
So get ready for Passover and read the Hagada THIS Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
