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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 13:27
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Portion VaEtChaNan - Moses and Rabbi Healers
Reb Elimelech Of Lizensk (His great great gramdson called me a few days ago to say hello - a very close friend's son and also a friend) explained in Noam Elimelech:
How can a Rabbi help heal people or change someone's fate decreed by the Almighty?
In this portion Moses tells us to be close to G-d
Moses is the guy who saved the Israelites from countless plagues and disasters ! How did he do it?
He taught us to be close - to stick to the L-rd and to live.
G-d created us all to live - and to add life to the world (in many ways) -
but since we are human we have physical limitations - and we don't live forever-
But the closer we cling to the SOURCE of LIFE - the Almighty -
and the MORE we can bring life to others -
and that's what the portion says - cling to the Almighty and LIVE!
Lots of Love from Israel and Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 13:27
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Portion Devarim and Tisha Bav Fast: Titanic and the Temple
We used ro sing in camp:
"Oh they built the ship Titanic to sail the ocxean blue
And they thought it was a shipthat the sea could not get through..."
So' did they prophesize about the Titanic in the Great Temple of Jerusalem?
Well...
When King Hezekiah was about to die the prophet Isaiah came and said
"you need to get married ..."
Anyway he lived a long time and built a strong extra wall around Jerusalem
That he Babyloians could nor get thriugh!
But - Sadly (like on the Titanic)
the people put their faith in the wall and not in tve Almighty
And on Tisha Bav this sunday we fast because
a few generatons later the Babylonians did beak through
and
Killed housands,
and destroyed he first Temple.
MAYBE The Tutanic might have been saved if hey had trusted in he Almighty ???
Certainly Jerusalem had a chance ....
Moses in this portion reminds everyone of the lack of faith
they showed in he desert - but that the L-rd
Kept them safe forty years in the desert
until hey were ready to be the People of Israel in he Land of Israel
SO - try to Fast even a litrle on Sunday if you can
AND Trust in the Almighty and not in the Titanic
And may we dance together at the rebuilt Temple of Jerusalem
soon...
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 13:26
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Portion of Masei – Hi there – We're – Home?
This week we read the final portion of the first Four -
books of the Chumash (the 5-part Bible) – and we SHOUT-
Chazak Chazak v Nit Chazek – be Strong and Strong and be Strengthened!
The Lubavitcher Rebbe (quoted in last week's Dvar Malchut) said "really –
The end of the fourth book is the WHOLE TORAH"
(the fifth being a deepening recap of the first 4)
What a spiritual lesson – but wait – This portion speaks of homicide and marriage- certainly
NOT RELATED – but a surprising culmination of the Four Books???
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to say:
"How do you deepen and strengthen your faith in the Almighty – and your performance of the Torah – SO THEY ARE EVERLASTING like the Torah?
Go slow
Take your time
Don't bite off more than you can chew…"
So the last portion of the four books teaches – deadly mistakes happen when you rush!
Even if you didn't want to hurt someone – carelessness is a danger!
Rabbi Carlebach also taught us many stories of people finding their Soulmates
But
You gotta go slow
Take your time
And don't bite off more than you can chew!
The end of the Fourth Book tells us how the 5 daughters of Zelafchad
Found their SOULMATES! It took time – but it all ended well
AND MOSES DANCES AT 5 WEDDINGS AS HIS ALMOST FINAL OFFICIAL ACT!
MAZEL TOV!
CHAZAK!
SHABBAT SHALOM!
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 13:25
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Portion of Matos - "Hersheleh" Potter story, the Flying Prophets and - the Laws of Kashrus?
Capturing the Land of the Israelites has never been easy -
Today the Arabs buzz the world with lies -
and the FIRST time when we got there from Egypt -
The Midrash Rashi quotes tells us that the wicked
Bilam the Prophet taught the Wicked Midianite kings to fly -
so they could BUZZ the Israelites and drop "bombs" of sorts (spears etc)
BUT PINCHAS the PRIEST shined the Silver HeadBand at them and BLINDED THEM
and Joshua's troops were able to defeat the Midianites!
When they brought back "things" to the camp (spoils of war)
The Almighty said "whatever can be cleansed through fire (metals) pass through fire-
and whatever could not, must be washed thoroughly ... BEFORE USING"
Here we have the basis of the Kashering laws when utensils come from a not clearly holy source
May our Torah Lights blind the evil BUZZING around the Jewish People and Israel
AND MAY WE ALL ADD TO THE HOLINESS OF THE WORLD
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 13:24
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Portion of Pinchas : Same old same old, or Totally Renewing?
What a busy week - 2 nights ago a new Sefer Torah (based on our 3000 year best seller)
was dedicated and there was dancing in the street
Yesterday after prayers and learning I attended a bar mitzvah for 30 so so Ehiopian kids
(I didn't understand a word of the main speech, given in Amharic - more for the families than for the now-Israeli kids)
Then back to a celebraton of a bris where both grandfathers srudy with me (at the Great Synagogue - see RabbiAndy.com for pictures) - and they dedicated a kiddush (real Jews are a very GIVING group)
What's that got to do with the portion?
The portion is packed too - starts with Pinchas (in a later guise Elijah the Prophet)
being ordained a Priest,
and ends with 70 sacrifices Israel must bring in the Temple for the "70 nations" (the rest of the world) -
and in there somewhere we are instructed to bring the daily sacrifice and that it MUST be from COMMUNAL funds
Just a quick word from the Holy Ohr Hachayim (passed on about 220 yeaRS AGO -who's Yahrzeit was this Thursday too):
hE SAID: We believe there is Holiness of the individual - and also holiness of the WHOLE PEOPLE
The DAILY offering must be from THE WHOLE COMMUNITY -
to remind us that the Almighty looks at us not only as individuals -
but also as the Whole Jewish People
MAY WE ALL BE BLESSED WITH A GREAT SHABBAT
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 13:24
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Portion of Balak (in Israel) - STORY TIME
Someone remarked this week that this portion is ALL STORY!
No laws no commandments - just a couple of stories.
A couple of wizzards and a couple of wars, a talking donkey and the richest miser in the world!
A wicked king sends his emissaries to the miser to bribe him -and he tells them to sleep over -
and they are OUT OF THERE before breakfast! So he doesn't have to feed them!
The Opposite of Abraham who FEEDS EVERYONE
The Opposite of Joseph who FEEDS THE WHOLE WORLD!
The wizzards try to CURSE the Israelites who are camped PEACEFULLY and
TRYING to make connections and treaties with the WORLD who rejects every entreaty -
SOUND FAMILIAR to TODAY?
THE NATIONS ARE NOT understanding that
The Almighty wants Israel to lead the world to PeacefulPlenty -
all the wizzards can do is try to trick the Israelites by offering them indulgences in the hope that they will SIN-
and 24000 do sin
and also one leader - who is slain by Pinchas - the forebear of Elijah the Prophet.
Getting everone back to reality - and getting Israel ready to conquer the wicked -
and create a peace loving kingdom for almost 800 years -
worshipping one-ness and togetherness.
(Next Week's portion culminates in the laws of
sacrificing for the peace of all nations-
a whole different "story" - so tune in!)
Shabbat Shalom and Love from Jerusalem
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 13:23
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Portion of Korach the Ad Man – Who was he and Who are We?
Rabbi Michoel Lasry has a radio program in Israel and to paraphrase him – "When you want to buy something, why don't you just buy it? Often you are not sure of things so you ask the salesperson. But some sales people can convince you to buy what you don't want!
You are not totally sure – and they KNOW because you ASKED them - so they confuse you with so many "facts " until you just give up and buy!"
An older fellow I know was contacted by his credit card company and they said he had so many "points" he could get a new TV – so he agreed. Six weeks later though the credit card bill was over $1000!!!! When he called they said over and over again "but you ordered it!"
Luckily his wife and his daughter yelled at him too, and he may get them to take it back next week.
Korach was a pretty holy guy – but "the Satan" got the better of him and he complained to people about Aron – and many Israelites wanted to "vote" him into the High Priesthood". Like Rabbi Lasry also said – elections are the extreme sales jobs – with everyone pitching their lines. Here – 250 "leaders" decided Korach was THEIR GUY – and picked a fight with Moses and Aron.
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach said the problem was these "leaders" (and Rabbi Shlomo always warned us to "beware of LEADERS") did NOT see that Aron was always out there TO HELP SOMEONE ELSE – and even got into trouble (like at the Golden Calf) – but it was ALWAYS FOR THE PURPOSE OF HELPING OTHERS. That's a REAL HOLY PERSON.
My friend Rabbi Josh Hoffman wrote this week (quoting a couple of Torah Giants) that the Torah teaches us in the last few sections that we need to be strong about who we are. We were created A NATION OF PRIESTS ordered by the Almighty to teach HOLINESS to a world that is often full of people warring on others, stealing from others, politicians at the "United-hating- Israel- Nations" creating anti-semitism, etc.
We need to know who we are in order to not be swept into electing ourselves "priests of false priorities".
As one of Rabbi Carlebach's songs goes (and I think a guy named Lenny? helped him with the song in 1975 and performed it with him)
"Return to who you are
Return to what you are
Return to where you were born and reborn again …"
We are forever the Israelite Nation and our FOCUS should be fulfilling the reason the Almighty took us out of Egypt and has kept us alive – to make the world a holier place.
Shabbat Shalom and Love and wishes for a great summer
Sent from Israel (come visit and be comforted and excited about WHO YOU ARE and where you came from)
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
