The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Acharei Mos

The Rebbe says:

1. The first Verse of Parshas Acharei Mos says “Vah’yi’da’bear Hashem El Moshe Acharei Mos Shnei B’nay Aharon B’kar’va’sam Leefnay Hashem Va’ya’moo’soo – And Hashem spoke to Moshe after the death of two sons of Aharon who brought an (unauthorized) offering before Hashem and they died”.

2. The Rebbe now questions the need for the last word in this verse:

Question: If the Verse already told us that Hashem is speaking to Moshe Rabbeinu (Moshe our teacher) after the death of two of Aharons children, why does the Verse conclude by repeating that the 2 children of Aharon died?

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Tazria Metzora

The Rebbe says:

1. In this week’s Torah portion the commandment to circumcise a young infant is mentioned. The verse says “On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised” (Chapter 12, Verse 3).

2. The Rebbe analyzes this:

The Torah tells us that we should circumcise our children and it should specifically be on the 8th day after their birth. Seemingly this means that if someone circumcises his son after the 8th day he would be missing out on the exact Mitzvah of circumcision (even if he was forced to postpone the circumcision because the child was not yet ready).

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Tazria Metzora – Skoopy Healing Your Words

The Torah section of this week, Tazria-Metzorah (Leviticus chapters 12-15), discusses the laws of tzaraas, usually translated as “leprosy.” Tzaraas was a spiritual illness whose identifying mark was a white patch or patches appearing on the skin of a person, the walls of a home or on a garment. This patch, plus several secondary symptoms, determined the person as being temporarily “impure” and required him or her to separate from the public and undergo an intense program of introspection and spiritual healing.

Once the symptoms of the illness were gone, a detailed process of purification would begin, following which the person was deemed pure once again and restored to his untarnished condition.

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Tazria Metzora – This Too Is For Good

Rabbi Akiva, the Talmud relates, was accustomed to saying: Kol mah d’ovied Rachmono, l’tav ovied, meaning: Everything that the Merciful-One [G-d] does is for the good. Once, while he was traveling, recounts the Talmud, he was in dire need of lodging, he knocked on the door of a home in the village at which he had arrived, but was refused hospitality. Yet, instead of being discouraged, Rabbi Akiva declared “Everything that the Merciful-One does is for the good.”

He knocked on another door but the response was much the same and so too was his reaction: “Everything that the Merciful-One does is for the good.” His demeanor did not change even after he knocked on every door in town and was refused entry. Lacking a more favorable alternative, he encamped in a field on the outskirts of the town.

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

Today, Chof Ches Nissan marks 16 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)

A translation of excerpts of the Sicha can be read in the Extended Article.

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Shemini – The Kiss Of Death

The Midrash records the story of when Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai lost his son. Upon hearing the news his students all came to comfort him. Each one cited another great individual who had lost a child. To each he responded, “You are not comforting me. You are, instead, giving me more to grieve about.” In the end, Rabbi Eliezer ben Azaryah was the one who comforted him. He presented the following analogy:

A king once deposited a very special object with a trusted subject. Every day, the man would anticipate the moment when he could return the precious object and no longer have to bear the responsibility. He was apprehensive that he might not return it to the king in perfect condition. How happy was he when the awaited day arrived, and he was able to return a perfect item to the king.

“So too,” said Rabbi Eliezer, “Hashem gave you a precious deposit. You nurtured it; you taught him Torah, and he left this world sinless, a pious scholar who took leave of his earthly abode much in the manner that he arrived – perfect. You should feel good that you returned the ‘King’s’ deposit in such exceptional condition.”

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Shemini

The Rebbe says:

1. The previous Torah portion (Parshas Tzav) told us about how the Jewish people inaugurated the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) for seven days. This weeks Torah portion starts off with telling us that “On the eighth day” Aaron the Kohen Gadol (the High Priest) and his sons the Kohanim (the Priests) were anointed to their positions (Leviticus, Chapter 9, Verse 1).

2. The Rebbe now asks a question which is asked by one of the commentaries called the “Kli Yakar”(Rabbi Shlomo Efraim of Luntchitz):

Question: The seven days of inaugurating the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) are one thing and the day of anointing Aaron and his sons is another, so why does the Torah call the day of their anointing the eighth day??

Livin’ the Soggy Life

Life is filled with projects. Projects we take upon ourselves to enhance our lives, to improve our selves, or even just to pass the time.

Anything from spiritual resolutions, to diet & exercise, to writing semi-interesting articles, to squashing a pigeon with a large hammer (vulgar, I know, but hey – these are your projects, not mine…)

Some have a higher frustration rate than others; some take a lot longer; some require a lot more patience and dedication.
But we do our best to try and work through them.

From Boredom… To Freedom – 15 Ways to Invigorate Your Seder

Passover, perhaps like no other holiday, captures the diverse spectrum of religious and spiritual experience, from one extreme to the next.

For the most observant, the Passover Seder is a solemn time, heavily filled with rules and regulations, rich with layers of customs and meanings, to be followed to the tee with all the stringency of Passover laws.

For many the Seder is not quite as intense. Rather it is a nice, nostalgic experience. A time to get together with family and friends. A time to remember history and celebrate our heritage.

Pesach Cleaning for the Soul

Those of you who are regular readers of my articles know that I try to find a lot of meaning in the holidays and the change of the seasons. While we all (especially the unwilling children) probably feel some measure of the rejuvenation and inspiration associated with Pesach-cleaning, I am also committed to putting that feeling into action in the form of Pesach-cleaning for the soul.

Halacha Newsletter by Rabbi Yosef Shusterman

Rabbi Yosef Shusterman of Chabad of Northern Beverly Hills published the following Halacha Newsletter which covers the Halachos of Pesach and the days they are specific too.

It’s available in PDF format which you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available fore free from Adobes website Acrobat.com.

Click Here to view the Newsletter!

Demystifying the Mitzvah of Mechiras Chometz

The weeks preceding Pesach are very hectic throughout the Jewish community. It is the time when many people clean their homes from top to bottom in an effort to remove every trace of chometz (leavened bread). In addition, it is common practice to give a rabbi power of attorney to sell our chometz to a non-Jew. This practice has become a standard in all Jewish communities, in both the private and the public sectors.

Pesach 5737 (1977) by Rabbi Michoel A. Seligson

The Rebbe had a custom on the first night of Pesach of visiting the sedorim of the various mosdos; the Yeshiva kitchen at 1414 President St., FREE, Machon Chana and at times Hadar Hatorah. The Rebbe would come in to see how everyone was ready for the seder with their Kaara (Seder plate). This custom went for many years.

In 5737 (1977) when visiting Machon Chana, the Rebbe asked who would be conducting the seder for the girls. The Rebbe was told that it would be Rabbi Moshe Feller (head shliach of the upper Midwest in MN). The Rebbe then asked who would be asking the four kashes. When the Rebbe was told that it would be (the then young boy) Mendel Feller (today Rabbi Feller, Shliach in MN), the Rebbe turned to the child and pointing to his father Rabbi Moshe Feller, asked “Does he know the answers”? Everyone in the room laughed, perceiving the Rebbe’s comment as a humorous one. The Rebbe gave his blessing and left.

Pesach – Freedom Of The Soul

More than 3,000 years ago the Hebrew people were freed from Egyptian bondage by the mighty hand of G-d. The event served as the corner stone and birth of the Jewish nation and religion.

Throughout history Jews have observed G-d’s command to commemorate this event with the celebration of Passover. What is the message however, of this important holiday?

Our sages tell us, and we recite it every Passover in the Haggadah, “In every generation one must view him-self as though he him-self has gone out of Egypt”. The Hebrew word for Egypt is “Mitzrayim” which means “constraints”.

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Tzav – Shabbos Hagadol

The Rebbe says:

1. Our Sages tell us that the Shabbos before Pesach is called “Shabbos Hagadol – The Great Shabbos”.

Almost every year we read the Torah portion of Tzav on the Shabbos before Pesach, on “Shabbos Hagadol”.

The Shelah Hakodesh (lit. The Holy Shelah, Rabbi Yishaya Halevi Howrowitz) says that that every Torah portion which we read on Shabbos has a connection to the time of year in which we read it. In our case this would mean that the portion of Tzav has a connection to Shabbos Hagadol – The Great Shabbos”.

The Weekly Sedra – Parashas Vayikra – Self-Sacrifice / It Doesn’t Really Kill

On a freezing winter night as Napoleon lie under his warm covers, he was overcome by a sudden bout of thirst. Considering that in order to satisfy his craving he would have to leave his cozy conditions and go outside to fetch some water, he contemplated ignoring his nagging discomfort, but was quickly overcome by a powerful sense of shame.
“Napoleon! You have become all but lazy,” he said to himself. “There is, evidently, no difference between you and the common yokel.” With that, he tore himself out of bed and proceeded out the door to fetch himself some water.
By the time he walked across the field, where the fresh water was stored, he thought to himself: “Bonaparte, you really ought to be embarrassed of yourself. You are so weak you’d do anything to avoid a little discomfort. Have you no willpower to prevail over a tad of thirst? There is obviously no difference between you and the ordinary Joe.” He immediately retuned to bed without touching a drop of water.
Upon relating this story, the Chasidic master of Lublin, (The Chozeh) concluded: “This is what I call strength of character.”

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Vayikra

1. This week we begin a new Chumash (book) in the Torah (the Five Books of Moses) named Vayikra (Leviticus). Chumash Vayikra mainly deals with the sacrifices that the Jewish people brought to Hashem in the Holy Temple and it goes through the work of the Kohanim (the priests).

2. In the beginning of this week’s Torah portion Hashem says “Adam Ki Yakriv Mikem Korban Lashem Min Habihayma Min Habokor Oo’min hatzon… – When a man will bring an offering from (among) you as a sacrifice to Hashem, from the cattle, from the herd or from the flock…” (Leviticus, Chapter 1, Verse 2).