a Sabbath of Spies?

פרטים

קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם בשבת, 21 נובמבר 2020 17:08

נכתב על ידי Super User

כניסות: 823

?a Sabbath of Spies

This Torah portion says Moses re-named Joshua

G-d re-named Sarah and Abraham so they could have Jewish Children

Was Moses trying to be like G-d?
NO - he was LEARNING from G-d - and IT HELPED -

and Joshua said NOTHING BAD after spying out Israel

but WHAT WAS HE SENT TO SEE THERE?

10 leaders did NOT HAVE THE EYES or the HEART to Understand the

LAND OF ISRAEL -

THEY DID NOT KNOW THEY WERE SENT THERE TO understand
THAT G-D LOVES THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND OF ISRAEL
(AND THE TORAH OF ISRAEL)

so they (10) criticized it -

and caused a tragedy -

so IF YOU DON't have forgiving and understanding eyes and heart -

LEARN FROM G-d and

as the Rebbi Shlomo Carlebach used to always say

OPEN YOUR HEARTS (in order to really see the truth)

Love and Shabbos from Tel Aviv

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

You never know

פרטים

קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם בשבת, 21 נובמבר 2020 17:07

נכתב על ידי Super User

כניסות: 817

You never know

There's a tradition that the world survives because there are 36 HIDDEN righteous people.

They do Mitzvot that others can't or don't or WON't do.

Why do I believe in this tradition?

Because of Charley in Manhattan.

A homeless fellow I have known for years

I once was having an asthma attack - before I knew I had asthma - and he was there and gave me a spray device with Albuterol (what you take when you have an attack).

I had some work to do but needed a helper - and none of my regular workers were available -

but Charley was there - and offered to help me carry a 20 foot ladder and hold it while I made some repairs (I paid him of course - but I couldn't have done that very urgent work that day without an assistant).

I couldn't find a good Yiddish dictionary I was looking for - and he pulled one right out of his shopping bag.

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach would always talk to and give charity to homeless folks - and they all loved him - and he taught us - well - it sounhds silly but -

"you never know"!

I came back from New York to Israel yesterday - and this morning and was too tired to get up for my Minyan at Dawn.

But I was stubborn and got to a later minyan -

where I gave some charity to a family with 8 kids who need money to stop being evicted.

I'm ALWAYS up at dawn - but - YOU NEVER KNOW why I had to get to that minyan!

So whenever you talk to or help out a homeless person REMEMBER -

with MITZVAS - you NEVER KNOW! JUST DO IT!

Love and Shabbos

Mazel Tov to Ivy and Anthony on their new baby!

Rabbi Andy (Chanoch) Eichenholz

Lfum Tzara Agra

פרטים

קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם בשבת, 21 נובמבר 2020 17:07

נכתב על ידי Super User

כניסות: 994

Okay - so Maimonides probably would not be able to decide -

BUT LIKE A GOOD JEW HE POSED THE QUESTION -

is the totally righteous person a stronger soul - or

a person who is able to follow his "good will" and mostly control his dark side ?

No - I'm not saying Green Lantern had a Dark Side - BUT

doen't everyone (or almost everyone) - just a little?

Maimonides quotes the Talmud

Lfum Tzara Agra -

(from there the health fanatics learned "no pain no gain")

we get Spiritual Reward based on the EFFORT we put in

to our Spirits!

How do we do that?

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach told the wise little story-

"The holy Sanzer Rebbe called in his children

after they were bar mitzvahed and said to them,

"From now on, I just want to be your best friend."

That trust gave those children self-confidence

which GIVES US SPIRITUAL STRENGTH

And Rabbi Carlebach told this:

Every Morning the Lubavitcher Rebbe would go to the Mikva on Albany Street - and walking down Union street he would always say good morning to a person he saw every day. And the person would reply "good morning Rabbi".

Each day that person wanted to say good morning FIRST - but every morning the Rebbe would say GOOD MORNING from further away!

Imagine the spiritual strength the Rebbe had - to ALWAYS GREET his fellow person FIRST - to start the OTHER PERSON's day with a SMILE!!!

(I never saw that in a Mighty Mouse cartoon or a Green Lantern comic though....)

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz

Have a Date With G-d

פרטים

קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם בשבת, 21 נובמבר 2020 17:07

נכתב על ידי Super User

כניסות: 803

Have a Date With G-d

Modified this week by Rabbi Andy Eichenholz -
from Rabbi David Aron's teaching of Isralight
Jerusalem, Israel - 
and a word from Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach OB"M

lights!
huh?

All the Jewish holidays plug us into the (GOOD) drama in Jewish life.

Otherwise it's easy to forget.

Rabbi Aron likes to quote Henny Youngman's joke

"I became an atheist - until I realized there were no HOLIDAYS!"

So Jewish holidays return us to - what?

You can always CELEBRATE - but onnecting your celebrations to RELIVING

The "sharp turns and striking contrasts" in Jewish history.

It's like Having a Date with G-d -

Remembering what was meaningful in the past,

and thinking together with a significant other-

about what is in thepresent and what can be in the future.

Torah says "your holidays are HOLY-

and why?

BECAUSE THEY MAKE US us to recognize THAT-

G-d’s love is with us all the time.

Each holiday celebrates a critical ingredient in the recipe for a lovingrelationship with G-d and our fellow man —

freedom, JOY, responsibility, fallibility, accountability, 

forgiveness, spontaneity, integrity, wholeness,intimacy, anticipation, hope and trust.

Each holiday in the Jewish calendar is a date with G- d - TO TREASURE

and adapted from a recording to Rav Shlomo (from something I just received)

LAG B'OMER is the CELEBRATION of the SECRET LIGHT hidden in everything-

the Treasure G-d leaves for us in this world-

and it is in studying the secrets of the Torah

as well as the REVEALED and SIMPLER teachings -

that reveal that LIGHT for all the world

Parashat Tazria

פרטים

קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua

פורסם בשבת, 21 נובמבר 2020 17:06

נכתב על ידי Super User

כניסות: 823

The following teaching from Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach was forwarded to me by friends -
I have edited only a few words - so those who did not know the style of Rabbi Shlomo would best understand the idea. 

---Rabbi Shlomo's words: 

Sweetest Friends, 

This Parsha (TAZRIA) we learn about a child being born, 
and then the Parsha talks about talking only good about others 
What is the connection? 

You know friends, 
holiness means to be connected to time 
(Rabbi Carlebach used to speak about all time and the NOW - and infinity) ! 

(We are counting 49 days - Omer - from Passover to Shavuote) 
When I count the Omer 
(and today is 20 days of the OMER) 

I say,please Hashem (G-d), 
please take me back to the holy Temple 
(when we brought to Omer grains to the Temple) 
(When a child is born - all counting starts from their new birth!) 

The biggest fixing 
of (from) the holy Temple (that we had in Jerusalem) 
is knowing the time TO DO WHAT"S RIGHT (at the RIGHT TIME) 
There (from the Holy Temple)
I can learn the holiness of receiving life every second - as if we were babies just born. 
If we would treat each other like we were just created right now 
(ALL NEWBORNS), 
we wouldn't hate each other, 
(and that would fix the whole world) 

because I only hate you for something you did yesterday. 
So when Meshiach is coming, 
why will we suddenly begin to love each other? 
Because I (will) look at every person like they were just created, 
(like everything RIGHT NOW IS NEW - even relationships - and 
it fixes everything between people) 

So - ok, you didsomething wrong yesterday, but who cares? 
Right NOW to me you're a new born baby-like person. 
(and who could not love you?) 

love and shabbos 
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz