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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 14:28
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Va yey Ttzay - A kiss is not Just a Kiss
Last week we read about the "Revolving doors"
Isaac couldn’t stop blessing Jacob –so Rebeca had to call Jacob outside to keep his nasty brother Esav from walking in on Jacob receiving all those blessings…
But anyway Jacob has to run away (this portion) from his angry brother with 3 pagan wives
But Jacob has nothing to write home about? Even though
all of a sudden angels are following him,
and he is rescued from a murderer,
and meets his cousin and falls in love?
Maybe his protective MOTHER Rebecca gets secret reports back from her brother Laban who gave Jacob his first real job? Probably not since Laban is an abusive employer.
And Where did Isaac Disappear to? We never hear about him any more!
EVERY WORD OF THE TORAH is our STORY ... and our SOUL
Jacob in our portion meets and falls in love with his cousin Rachel – and the Torah says he kissed her!
Did people kiss 3000 years ago? It says so!
Rachel his cousin will be his future wife – but he ALSO MARRIED LEAH! (and 2 others!)
What does that have to do with world history and Jacob's struggle with Esav?
Esav has 3 pagan wives worshipping idols in front of holy Isaac and Rebecca.
Jacob has 4 holy wives raising 13 children who will (with all their struggles)
Bring Holiness .... and Prophecy …. And hopefully healing to the whole world!
That's history! Read about it every day as the media tries to distort our story…
But the Soul of Israel struggles on and brings light to the world!
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to teach:
A real kiss needs you to close your eyes
Because a real kiss is LOVE, BELIEVING and TRUSTING – as we see that
Jacob meets his holy cousin – and believes and trusts and knows his future will be just
as in the Prophetic Blessings from Isaac (last week's portion) –
and that is our future too.
May this Shabbat be a Shabbat of Belief Blessing Trust and Love
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 14:27
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Portion Chayei Sarah - What a Weekend
This weekend is one of those Shabbats
that tie up loose ends in the story of our PEOPLE
And the portion puts it all together for those seeking continuity with the past
and ties to the future
and clarity from the constant turmoil which we get if we are
reading or watching the news media who seem to always try to make the Hebrew People look like less than the Muslem Masses ... for whatever reason.
1. Many young Jews of all types will be in Hebron this Shabbat -
(like Judy Goldman who was there with me last summer)
celebrating the First PURCHASE of land in Israel by our forbears
This portion tells us Abraham
purchased a cave and a field.
FROM the Hitites!
The tribes living there
who came out of the north who had killed those who were there before...
And they sold the land to Abraham -what they had inherited by force....
But Abe the Hebe paid cash...so COME VISIT!
2.
And this past week AGAIN the US congress held hearings about =
? moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv (near the beach - to JERUSALEM!
Maybe after 3000 years it's time the world knows we built it and rebuilt it -
and ONLY WE KEEP IT OPEN FOR THE WHOLE WORLD TO VISIT!
and
3. Last wekend was the memorial for Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach' s passing
But as things are crazy in this world -
The Manhattan celebration memorial at his Synagogue
was put off because of some marathon
SO
This weekend it is being celebrated at the Rabbi s Shul on 79 th Street -
SO NEW YORKERS SHOULD LOOK INTO THE CARLEBACH SHUL WEBSITE
to connect to the music the teachings and the people from all over
who were connected down here - and to the up above - by Rabbi Shlomo!
Oh - there's also a lot to read in this portion -
But he clincher is that so many people
will be at the castle on the cave (look up Tomb of the Patriarchs on google or
Arutz Sheva website -
and connect to Abraham and Sarah like you never did before!
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 14:27
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Portion Vayera - turn turn turn
Abraham tried to save the wickedest people of rhe world. Why?
Rabbi Hirshler explains it wasAbrahams
World View - (that made him the father of the Israelite Nation)
thatAll People can be Turned on to GOOD
So he prayed that if there wereA FEW RIGHTEOUS people in SEDOM
That the Almighty would GIVE THEM A HANCE TO TURN ON THE GOOD IN THE OTHERS
With ALL the people who read the Bible in the world-
YOU SEE MANY GOOD PEOPLE - but if only they would put th kind of effort into it
we could see the whole world turned around
the new media reporting how many people helped others
how many countries were helping others
and how the Irans and the North Koreas turned their atomi research into transportation so
we could all be CLOSER RO ONE ANOTHER
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
(Thank you Rabbi Hirschler - and Michaels internet connection)
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 14:26
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Portion LechLecha
How did our Father Abraham come to trash idol worship And believe in One G-d?
I saw an article this week about how in the fifties The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught that atomic theory
Teaches how to believe in G-d I a nutshell I extrapolate from what he said -
something like You think you see a wooden desk
But it really is a bunch of atoms
mostly energy but
Just empty space
And a few tiny particles
(creating that energy)
Which looks like a continuity
But its empty space
If you can imagine atoms you
can know there is an unseen G-d...
The energy of the univrse
Making empty space beautiful (my interpretation)
Soז Abraham theorized atomic physics
And read between the spaces
So if maybe you think you
DON 't SEE G-d...
But all you see is created by G-dly energy
Let's pray for a lot of that energy
Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
- פרטים
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 14:26
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Portion Key TayTzay - where we Goin' Out
Key Tay Tzay means "when you go out"
Rabbi Malka the Rabbi of my town gave an idea from these words
Which are Starting out in the Singular form
That the Almighty speaks to us all individually and WANTS us to always START AFRESH.
Rabbi Carlebach used to say ...
you get where you have to be - But you must know what you have to do!
So HOW DO YOU GET OUT OF YOUR ROUTINES AND START MOVING THINGS?
Last night at a wedding I was speaking with a
Mother of a five yr old down syndrome girl...
and was able to tell her of a special program in Bar Ilan University
working with such kids on a one-on-one basis,
Was that why I was at the wedding? Chance?
Later I was speaking with a Child Psychiatrist -
and when I got home I got an email about the need to help a family wih a troubled child.
Was that why I was at the wedding? Not Chance?
HOW to put the results of these "chance meetings" together...?
The portion Key Tay Tzay talks of punishing a very willful son -
but the Talmus says there never was such a case!
But our sages taught - the CONCEPT of the punishment
Is written to MAKE US Look ahaead to the end result -
And quite obviously to deflect the problem -
as historically the Talmud says there never was such a bad child!
How do we nip child problems in the bud?
How do we try to fix serious issues like those stated in the Torah?
With our families and with the joy of weddings and the friendships that grow from these!
That is the Jewish Way!
Shabat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 14:25
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Portion R Aiy - Holy Women, BATMAN
(dedicated to the couples whose weddings I will be attending in the next couple of weeks)
The portion starts off warning us Israelites against false prophets
and against being led astray from our closeness ( to the L-rd and to EACH OTHER)
The Almighty brought us out of Egypt and does so many wonderous things -
see the Blessings he has given us !!!
Then the portion sends us Mitzvas ... and tops it off with Holiday Celebration details!
The Great Commentator Rashi explains about one mitzva in this portion
"It is a special Mitzva to DECLARE a firstborn domesticated animal HOLY- Kadosh"
So too at a wedding we call the ceremony Kidushin and the groom DECLARES to the bride
"you are CONSECRATED to me (meKuDeshet)" - a HOLY woman
CONSECRATION says Rashi REQUIRES you to SAY IT OUT LOUD
MAKE a STATEMENT in this world that THERE IS HOLINESS
In a marriage
and in every child
even a newborn animal
there is a cause to celebrate-
and in everything we are blessed with -
which should give us reason to celebrate
Don't be led astray by those who may want to drain the holiness or the excitement from you
As Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to say
"Mr Devil says - yeah it's nice but it won't last ..."
But Rashi TEACHES US - declare how every little thing is Holy and how to
connect it to the Holy Shabbos
and MAKE it LAST
And you will ALWAYS have things to celebrate ...
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 14:24
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Portion Devarim when 1000 is not a number
In this portion Moses blesses וus all with a blessing to Israel to "become 1000 times"
And moses follows it saying "and the Almighty will give you his blessings too"
Most of the commentaries keep it numerical:
That israel should become 1000 times its desert population
And that Hashems blessing is unlimited in number
But if we look beyond the straight translation
And look back and forward in history for the hidden meaning
It might be a blessing that
1000 times we might be struck down like on Tisba Bav
but 1000 we bounce back
And 1000 blessings our people have bestowed on the world
like the idea of liberty from slavery: AND
through our geniuses like medical
and science (and NOBEL) prize winnners
And 1000 places in e world where our people
may have been scattered to and have STILL
enlightened those around them
and 1000 blessings like the great Rabbi Akiva and the Lubavitcher Rebbe
( 2000 years apart )
And 1000 great moral leaders
who remain the
The moral standard bearers
in a world often bought off or lured off course by short
term glitz and spins and PR marketing
Mose's 1000 times blessing is maybe on our impact on the world around us
And his reminder of
the Almighty' s blessing maybe is to show us the whole path of the Blessings of Israel
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
