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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 25 נובמבר 2020 08:18
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Tetzaveh - Make Special Priestly Garments - and on Purim - wear a Mask
Based on a talk by Rabbi Carlebach (with my interpretation)
Amalek and Haman try to bring us down by saying :
Sure you LOOK like you're doing something good,
but on the INSIDE you don't mean it!
This week's portion commands Moses and Aron to have special garments made for the Priests to wear in the Temple
Their MAIN job was to BLESS the people of Israel -
something that MUST come from the heart.
The garments are to PROTECT us from the OUTSIDE
so that INSIDE the heart would overflow with Blessings.
How did the blessings flow from the priests - and from ALL of us?
How do you wipe out EVIL like Haman's evil?
When your heart Overflows with Blessings.
But if the EVIL AMALEK and HAMAN come to you and say on Purim
"you can't destroy the Evil in the World because Inside you really doesn't WANT to!"
Evil throws DOUBTS at us
and at our resolve to do GOOD and to BLESS each other.
On Purim you LEARN to tell "old man evil" that:
"Look at me? See the Mask?
See my Jewish Uniform?
It's not just "little old ME" but
IT's REALLY the GOOD That's INSIDE ME
that wants to wipe out Evil -
and that's the TRUTH that can't be denied!"
We ALL want evil to be destroyed -
so have NO SELF DOUBTS that we EACH are a PART of wiping out the Evil in the world.
Gutt Shabbos
Gutt Purim
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 25 נובמבר 2020 08:18
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Vayishlach – Why did Jacob show his kids to Esav?
What – more Jacob and sending angels – or Messengers – to his brother who's on his way to kill them all?
Now Jacob has the 12 tribes – and a daughter – but who are the angels here?
we are – this people of Israel
–
Michael and the angels of Israel – a true story
I don't know if I ever told you about the guy who slipped in his hotel room in Jerusalem – and fell into a coma …
But the wonders of G-d are worked through the angels of Israel – and hopefully the whole world will some day understand why Jacob struggled with the angel of DEATH – the angel of Esav his murderous brother –
and
what CHESED means – loving kindness on a G-dly level – and if you read this week's portion – maybe the reason we're all here…
So this guy slips in a hotel room – is found a day or so later by the tour leader who sent him to that hotel room -and is sent to the not-best hospital in Jerusalem –
on a noisy street with nearly the worst air quality in the city – because he's in a coma in a city where he has no relatives to look after him - so who cares?
Well' the staff there care for Michael as best they can – the nurses the doctors the physical therapists – they're all working for a month or so to try to keep him alive as he "sleeps" close to death…but let's face it – how long? So his sister comes from America, takes his "stuff" back to the US – clothes, computer, whatever he had – and waits for the worst – and how long does the average patient last on a coma – before the muscles atrophy, and – what?
So I heard from a friend about the guy – who I knew a little from New York – and when I'm in Jerusalem once in a while I go visit, sit next to the bed, help the nurses with a little physical therapy, try to get him a drop of water, fluff up his pillow – but what do I know?
The Holy Kabalists know – and they say we are tested every day – and we DON'T KNOW WHY WE ARE ON THIS WORLD – OR WHAT WE HAVE TO DO TO CLAIM A SPOT IN HEAVEN …
Rabbi Carlebach used to tell stories of the Holy Water Carriers – the shleppers – the Jews in Europe who couldn't even thread a needle and survived by bringing water to others and thus earning their daily bread – so who knows what our great grandparents did to survive in a world that didn't and doesn't recognize the Jewish purpose in this world' to teach CHESED…?
So on and off for a few months I visit maybe once a week maybe twice – talk to Michael but never get an answer – exercise his legs and arms like the nurses ask me to –
And maybe my place on this world is to – well – here's what happens after months when the staff never gave up –
one afternoon Michael opens his eyes and I hear him mumble – "Andy get me some ice cream"! And the eyes close again. Really did I hear that? So I go get a nurse.
She come in. Again the eyes open. I say, Michael do you know how long you've been here?
"A week?" he says. "Three months" I think I said.
"I still want some ice cream" he says and the eyes close again. The nurse asks the head nurse and she says it's okay
but only SUGARLESS! But where to get sugarless ice cream? and what flavor if the eyes are closed again?
So I run to the best ice cream store in downtown Jerusalem, get a couple of flavors and run back. The nurse feed him some ice cream – and thus starts a year of recovery and rehab and more loving care from people who never knew Michael but who now is in the best rehab hospital in Jerusalem – Mihael the Miracle of CHESED.
And in the portion Jacob goes to his Father Isaac and thus continues the story of the Children of Israel in the Land of Israel … and yes – I saw Michael – walking - on a bus in Jerusalem not long ago, may he (and all of us) live long and may we all be blessed to do acts of Loving Kindness and bring the world to know and love the angels of Israel ….because the world needs to learn …
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 25 נובמבר 2020 08:15
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VaYayTzay – Going Out – with Angels
The word "Malach" in Hebrew can be translated as "Angel" or as "Messenger".
In this week's portion Jacob (before leaving Israel) dreams of a ladder with angels going up to heaven and others coming down.
When he wakes up and realizes he had a Holy Dream in a Holy Place (where the Temple was to be built in Jerusalem) – he goes on his way to look for his uncle's house in Syria.
He asks the locals where the uncle's house is – and they say "Here's Laban's daughter coming with her sheep".
Were they messengers? Were they angels? Or ordinary people?
Is Jacob looking for a job (like he got with his uncle) or a handout?
No – his parents sent him there to marry his cousin – the girl who was such a kind soul that everyone respected her (the local towns people) – and even the animals she took care of.
So who were the angels Jacob saw in his dream?
Rashi explains that there were real angels in a more-than-real dream.
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to say "and here Rachel comes with her sheep – like a mother with her flock of little children happily frolicking around her, with so much mutual love and caring".
And he used to bless us all to have such loving relationships!
Really - you walk all the way to Syria and the first people you meet just happen toknow your cousins?
Who were the angels that Jacob saw walking the ladder up to heaven? Were they the guardians of the forefathers – Abraham Isaac and Jacob?
And who was descending from the Almighty – because in the dream the Almighty stood at the top of the ladder?
Were they the angels Jacob had to meet – Rachel and Leah?
And maybe the souls of the 12 sons and the daughter who were to be born to them in Syria?
Maybe Jacob saw all those angels and great souls only when the townspeople - the messengers of the Almighty -
said "here come the flock with Rachel …
May we all be blessed with dreams of angels and to meet people whose souls remind us of angels – and maybe do a
few good deeds that turn average people into angels.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 25 נובמבר 2020 08:14
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Rabbi Shlomo in prison again on Portion of Toledot? What's really wrong with ISIS?
Well - not exactly - but he used to visit prisons a lot - sing, tell stories, give out hugs, etc.
There's the famous story about the murderer who told him after a little concert:
"If I had gotten some hugs in my life I would have never turned to crime"!
So - where did Esav go wrong when his twin brother Jacob went "right"?
Some say it's hard to be brought up by two great parents.
And the pressure of having a studious and brilliant twin doesn't make it any easier!
The portion says Isaac was going blind - he didn't "see" what was going on!
BUT WHAT AN WE LEARN FROM READING BETWEEN THE LINES -
and from our Masters of the Inside of the Torah?
From my friend Rabbi Shlomo Brodt who wrote:
Surely (Rivka our great great grandmother - Isaac's wife) prays up in heaven
that Eisav (Jacob's not- so good to us twin) and that all of us
will do tshuvah (repent) and ... will come to realize how much we need to be connected
with (the) real tzadikkim and tzadkkaniot (righteous people).
Surely she is praying that we will not stop praying!
That TODAY we need to SEE what's going on - in our families and around us -
and throw a little extra love out at the world!
The world is jealous of Israel - for turning a desert into a garden,
and for building a just society from people evicted from every continent - and of every skin color!
So they lie about us - and kill each other - and the leaders of the world blame the Jews for everything -
So let's ALL just TELL all the leaders to SEND A FEW HUGS (and a little SHABBOS)-
(not missiles, not rockets) to ALL the peoples being lied to by their greedy leaders-
and pray that this Shabbat the world wakes up,
sees straight-
tells the ISIS people that they can't kill because there are oil-rich successful Moslem countries around them,
and be a little extra helpful and LOVING to all those around us.
SHABBAT SHALOM from ISRAEL
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 25 נובמבר 2020 08:13
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Hello! It's Me - the Almighty!
Noah – where are you?
Are you asleep? IT's RAINING cats and dogs!!!
Noah get into the ARK already!
What was he waiting for? Was Noah afraid of the rain? Or was his family?
Or maybe he just couldn't tell that "this was IT?"
Rabbi Carlebach used to sing an old Yiddish song that went like this:
"Gevaltshe breede r voss shloft du" ….
(AE rough Translation – brother why are you sleeping? – meaning spiritually …)
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach always taught –
Just ike the WORLD NEEDS TO WAKE UP-
For each of us there is SOME time we have to wake up and make a GREAT move-
to do something IMPORTANT!
As the spiritual masters taught
There's a REASON we're all born here – we each have a PART TO PLAY-
Maybe Noah was delaying - TRYING TO WAKE UP THE WORLD
warning them year after year –
But they sadly didn't get it
(until it was too late)
Are you waiting for the Messiah to fix the world? Or some political party? Or the UN?
Or when your neighbor's kid needs to go to the hospital – do you take them – or give them the keys to your car?
We all make mistakes – but G-d gives us chances to fix things
so maybe Noah's special task was not to just save himself
but to START THE WORLD OVER.
We'll never know – but it's something to address in our own lives –
How to make that contribution to the world that we are here for
And we were granted the Shabbat as the Almighty's gift - a TIME to think about that!
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
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פורסם ברביעי, 25 נובמבר 2020 08:12
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I always laughed on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan when I walked past a house of worship where their "sukkah" was visibly in their basement and NOT OUTSIDE like it's supoosed to be.
Where do you shine the most - at home or outside?
What is the most shining your soul can do?
In the Sukkah you can be both inside (something) and mostly outside (in G-d's great outdoors) too!
The mystical Jewish works also talk about an OHR MAKIF and an OHR PNIMI -
outside brighteness and an INNER brightness. wE AN FEEL THEM - AD SHARE THEM.
G-d's protection - from the elements and from the enemies of holiness - are represented by the Sukkah.
While you may THINK it's a flimsy tent ... but the light inside shines to the outside ...
and should ignite you -
when you think of these little huts
which PROTECTED ALL ISRAEL 40 YEARS IN THE DESERT -
and have been a focus of SHARING AND SPREADING THE LIGHT OF HOLINESS for
thousands of years.
You see, ALL OUR SYMBOLS are little lights on the path to a STRONG SPIRIT -
candles on Chanukah
,Matza on Passover
AND THE LITTLE SUKKAH - a place to gather, celebrate, and SHARE.
So SPREAD A LITTLE Sukkos SHINING!
Lots of Love from Israel in a time of the joyous holiday of Sukkot!
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz
