Tailoring Torah To suite Our Will, The Fallacy Of Religious Revisionism

As a gesture of gratitude to her longtime Synagogue, an elderly congregant delivered a hand-embroidered mantel for the new Torah Scroll. A cursory glance was enough to reveal the woman’s proficient talent. The lush fabric, colorful pattern and superb craftsmanship rendered the article a true work of art.

Delighted with the attractive gift, the Rabbi wasted no time in putting it to the test. He quickly removed the Torah from the ark and replaced the mantel with the new masterpiece.

As they shared a moment of delight adoring the lovely new cover, the Rabbi suddenly fell somber. To the disappointment of the onlookers, he shared his sobering discovery: The new cover was several inches shorter than the scroll.

For G-d or for Azazel – G-dliness Is A Mutually Exclusive Endeavor

Scapegoat

Pronunciation: ˈskāp-ˌgōt

Function: noun

Etymology: scape; intended as translation of Hebrew ʽazāzēl, as if ʽēz ‘ōzēl goat that departs—Lev 16:8(Authorized Version)

Date: 1530

1: a goat upon whose head are symbolically placed the sins of the people after which he is sent into the wilderness in the biblical ceremony for Yom Kippur

2 a: one that bears the blame for others b: one that is the object of irrational hostility – Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Shammai said: Make your Study of the Torah A Fixed Habit

For the 7 weeks of sefira, MyShliach has launched the Pirkei Avos Learning contest. Every week there will be a sicha to download and learn for that week’s Perek of Pirkei Avos.

Skin off Your Own Back, Please! – When To Judge Favorably And When To Be Critical

“THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.

THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.

THEN THEY CAME for me and by that time no one was left to speak up.” (Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984))

19 Years to the Sicha – “Do All That You Can”

Today, Chof Ches Nissan marks 19 years to the Sicha the Rebbe said unexpectedly in 5751 after returning from the Ohel. The Rebbe said with great pain “that all that I have done… it is up to you to do all that you can to bring Moshiach down here…” AD MOSAI?!

Click Here To Listen To The Sicha (Courtesy of Sichos.com)

Click Here to see a transcript of the Sicha in Hebrew (PDF)

Look who thinks he’s nobody!” – The Elusive Pursuit of Spirituality

Moved by a powerful sense of humility and worthlessness, two spiritually accomplished mystics were observed rolling on the floor while repeatedly affirming their sense of worthlessness.

The true extent of their humility was not quite known however, until, to their chagrin, an individual of far lesser spiritual status decided to join them.

With rolling eyes, the mystics were overheard whispering to each other in utter disgust: “Look who thinks he’s nobody!”

“If you do His will only because it makes sense to you, then what has it got to do with Him? You are doing ‘your will’. You’re back in prison.” (Tzvi Freeman – Bringing Heaven Down To Earth)

“Spirituality” has got to be the most misused term in the human lexicon. It’s a word that could describe just about anything you want, from a spectacular sunset to a moving operatic rendition. It means as many different things to as many different people.

Attitute Of Gratitude – The Virtue Of Light Is In Contrast To The Dark

Charles Plumb was a US Naval Academy graduate who flew jets in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, he was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. Upon ejecting he parachuted into the jungle where the Viet Cong captured him and held him prisoner for six years in North Vietnam. After the war, Charles Plumb lectured on lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when he and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man came up to him and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!”

“How in the world did you know that?” asked Plumb, the former pilot.

“Well, because I packed your parachute!” replied the stranger. Plumb gasped in surprise. The man pumped his hand and said, “I guess it worked!”

Sicha of the Rebbe – Why Do We Eat Matza?

The Rebbe says:

1. The Passover Seder has fourteen steps . Maggid (telling over the story of the exodus) is the fifth step. During this stage we raise our Matzah (unleavened bread) and say:

“The Matzah that we eat, what is the reason? Because the dough of our fathers could not become leavened before the King of kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He, revealed Himself to them and redeemed them, as it is said, ‘They baked the dough that they had brought out of Egypt into Matzah cakes, because it had not fermented, for they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay; nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves’ ” .

2. The Rebbe now asks a question which the previous Chabad leaders have also asked:

More Than a Bowl of Oats – Kabbala Of Self-Sacrifice Continued

Back In the day when modern travel was still a dream, people would depend on a horse drawn carriage as their means of transportation. Such travel consisted of a horse, a coachman and, of course, a passenger – often an important dignitary or nobleman. Yet each of these components had their own divergent perception of the journey.

To the horse it was about oats. The horse knew that upon arrival it would receive a hearty bowl of feed. The impending reward was enough to motivate it to keep running from point A to point B all day long – day in and day out.

In the eyes of the coachman – a simple person who was often a bit uncouth – it was not much different. He could hardly wait to reach the impending destination and receive his wages so he could be off to the local tavern for a good drink of aqua vitae and a healthy bite to go along.

As for the dignitary inside the coach, the purpose was understood in an entirely different light. To him the true objective for the voyage was the important business that needed to be attended.

The Courage to be Free – Special Pre-Passover Web-Event

Just twenty four years ago, a refusenik, jailed by the Soviet communist regime for proudly representing Judaism in a country where Jewish activity was a crime, Natan Sharansky was barred from communicating with his concerned Jewish brothers around the globe. This Sunday (March 21), at 3pm EST, Natan Sharansky, now a powerful figure in Israeli politics and chairman of The Jewish Agency, will address world Jewry in a live pre-Passover webcast entitled “The Courage to be Free.” The event is sponsored by The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute and will be hosted on TorahCafe.com

Sicha of the Rebbe – Parshas Vayikra

The Rebbe says:

1. As a preparation to the upcoming inauguration of the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) which begins in next week’s Torah portion (Parshas Tzav) and continues through the portion after that (Parshas Shemini), this week’s Torah portion talks all about the various offerings.

2. The order in which the Torah decides to tell us about the offerings is first to discuss the offerings which were voluntary offerings, such as the Burnt Offering (Korban Olah), the Meal Offering (Korban Mincha), and the Peace Offering (Korban Shelamim), and then to tell us about the obligatory offerings, such as the Sin Offering (Korban Chatas), and the Guilt Offering (Korban Asham).

3. The Rebbe now questions this order of instructions:

Did you say the ‘Nasi’ Today? (Yom Daled)

From the Safer Haminhagim: [Every day from Rosh Chodesh Nissan until the twelfth of the month, usually after Shacharis,] one reads the passage [from Bamidbar 7-8:4] that describes the offering brought on that day by a particular Nasi, or tribal prince, for the dedication of the altar of the Mishkan. [In common parlance, each day’s passage itself is often referred to as “the Nasi.”] This daily reading is followed by the prayer which opens with the words yehi ratzon (and which appears in Siddur Torah Or [as well as in Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 371]). This prayer is recited even by a Kohen or a Levi [despite its seeming relevance only to tribes other than the Tribe of Levi]. [284]

Try it you’ll like it!
 – Kabbalah Of Self Sacrifice

A presumptuous group of people decided that there was no longer a need for G-d’s involvement with planet earth. They proceeded to appoint a representative whose mission it was to ask G-d to kindly turn over the reins and step aside.

After thanking G-d for having created this marvelous world, the representative proceeded to petition the Almighty that He honor the will of the people and consider retirement.

G-d was surprisingly amicable; but for one stipulation. G-d would need to be assured of man’s ability to run things for himself. By way of assurance, the spokesman offered to match G-d in whatever He should decide to do.

Upon accepting the proposition, G-d said that he would begin by creating a human being. The man indicated that he was prepared do the same. G-d took some dirt and started to form a man. Confidently, the man grabbed a handful of dirt and started to do the same. “One minute!” cried G-d. “You can’t do that; you’re using my sand! How about you begin by making your own!

A Moving Letter From an IDF Widow

Yom Kippur, 1973. Israel was suddenly attacked in the most devastating way. In the dramatic battle with Egyptian forces, many lives were lost. Following the war the Rebbe sent letters of encouragement to the wounded and to the families of the departed. A young mother whose husband perished in the war wrote to the Rebbe, asking: How can she explain this tragedy to her children? What words of comfort can she give them?

The Avner Institute would like to present this moving letter, courtesy of Rabbi Sholom Dovber Levin, chief librarian of Agudas Chasidei Chabad of Brooklyn. To learn more about the Rebbe visit: www.portraitofaleader.org