Seventh Night

"Being Obsessive" About Olive Oil

As someone born on Chanukah, I feel a certain connection to this holiday. I have always wanted to use olive oil to light the menorah, however our simple silver menorah was designed only to hold candles. To rectify this problem, I bought small glass adapters to fit the menorah before Chanukah this year. Using olive oil for the first time made lighting the menorah particularly special.

I am still going to try to improve upon it next year since my size 1 adapters only hold enough olive oil to last for 35 to 45 minutes. I am searching for adapters that will fit my menorah and will hold enough olive oil to burn for an hour or more.

My wife thinks that I am "being obsessive" about all this olive oil and wick business. ....and maybe she is right. I am still wondering whether a size 2 or size 3 adapter will fit the menorah, and if I should use something other than simple cotton wicks. I wonder whether Soccer Dad has any advice on this since it appears that he too is an olive oil maven.

Glass Bulbs for Oil: Available in assorted sizes in packs of 9

Our Choice

How easy and simple this world of ours can be if only we do not give in to idleness. And how dark and difficult it can be if we do.

(Rebbe Baruch of Medzhebuz)

Things My Three Year-Old Daughter Said Recently

"We need to go get some more chocolate pennies. We are all out!"

"I'm going to HonKA Wonderland."

"Antiochus - he is VERY BAD!"

"I am a Maccabee soldier fighting for Hashem."

"Daddy, I wanna watch more Yom Kipper!"

Hearing More Than Words And Melody

When a Jew sings me a niggun, I can tell his level of yiras shamayim.

(Rebbe Yisrael Taub of Modzitz)

Question & Answer With Chabakuk Elisha - Fatherhood

How has fatherhood changed you?

Now that's a question! How has fatherhood changed me? Let me count the ways...

I find that everything changes. I am no longer an individual, I am a father. The single most decisive force in decisions, in time usage, in finance - in everything - is the fact that I am a parent.

As a child I looked at my father as grown up, old, experienced, knowledgeable, worldly, wise, in control, and above all, the man with all the answers. If my father didn't know, than no one did.

Little did I realize that fathers are often not all that old, of limited experience, with only selective knowledge, often unworldly, prone to mistakes, only wish they could be in control, and often without a clue. That's probably because I'm not as good a father as my father is, but it also means that my children look at me similarly, and although this is unreasonably and unfair to me, it remains my responsibility to try to live up to some of the expectations... Who knew that "the dad" isn't necessarily fully prepared for the job? We would never hire a pilot who wasn't fully trained to fly a plane, but dads don't get any prerequisite degree for the job. I only wish I was keeping my end of the bargain reasonably well.

Do you find that you are able to give individual attention to each of your six children?

Unfortunately, I have no idea how to give the individual attention each child needs, and especially to the children who need it more than the others. I felt like was doing ok, and mostly in control of things when I only had three children, but when we had our fourth child I instantly felt like the dam broke. Parents have limited time, limited energy and limited recourses. How is it possible for parents to devote this fairly and adequately to a large family? I don't really know.

I remember spending an hour a night on homework with my oldest child. But with each additional child, that is not a possibility anymore. If I have 30 minutes for a child in a night they're lucky and to which child should I devote it? When a couple children demanded my attention, I could usually juggle it; but with six kids demanding it, I am often drained and overwhelmed which doesn't benefit anyone.

I don't want to sound negative; I try my best (at least I'd like to think so), and I am very proud of my kids and their successes but if you ask me, "Do you find that you are able to give individual attention to each of your six children?" I would have to say, "I WISH!"

I think we'll have to ask THEM, say, in about 15 years.

Priority

A child's character education should take priority over his academic education. All education efforts are basically meaningless unless built on the solid foundation of good character.

(Lubavitcher Rebbe)

A Picture From My Family's Shtetl - Week 22

Chanukah 5765 - Neve Dekalim

Rachel Saperstein's book "Eviction" provides the following description of a memorable Chanukah in Neve Dekalim a year before the residents were expelled by the Israeli government:

"The eight glass vials were filled to the brim with olive oil. In each a wick stood proudly waiting to be lit. It is the eighth night of Chanukah, our Festival of Lights and our holiday of miracles. Hundreds of residents of Neve Dekalim and surrounding communities gathered in the parking area of the enclave known affectionately as 'mortar neighborhood'. Each vial of oil was placed in the tail of a mortar shell that had fallen in that fifty square meter radius of homes and gardens.

Shells that were meant to injure and kill were used instead to fashion the Jewish symbol of life and dedication to the Almighty, the menorah.

The shells had been collected and soldered together with an enormous chain , a chain signifying the Jewish people. A Magen David, our Jewish star with the word chai, life, was carved into its centered. The Hebrew month and year, Kislev 5765, was engraved into its base."

Only Today

The Maccabees insisted on using the pure oil for the one day and not being concerned about what they would use the following day. They believed that they must do what is most proper today, and leave the future for G-d. This attitude merited a Divine miracle.

(Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski)

Why Chanukah Is Special To Me

Anglicizing Funny Names

While everyone has heard of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses, some people may not recognize the names Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Yosef, and Moshe. Yet these were there real names!

What gives English speakers such difficulty referring to biblical figures by their real names? Is it the fact that they have never heard a Christian refer to Moses as Moshe or Elijah as Eliyahu?

Yitzchak Rabin was Yitzchak Rabin - the English press never changed his name to a more pronounceable "Isaac Rabin". Since we don't Anglicize the names of others with "funny" names like Kofi Anan, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, or Usama Bin Laden, why do we need to Anglicize the names of biblical figures?

I have no problem with someone referring to brochos as "blessings" or davening as "praying", but a name is a name!

Why can't Abraham just be Avraham?

In This Week's Parsha: Selling Yosef HaTzaddik for Air Jordans

You Got To Be Smart To Be Simple

Humans need a great deal of wisdom to be simple.

(Rebbe Naftali of Ropshitz)

eBay & Blue Paper

The sefer Sheulos U'Teshuvos Meil Tzedakah was printed in my family's shtetl in 1835 on blue paper. Even though I used Auction Sniper, I still did not win it when the auction closed Tuesday on eBay.

I became interested in the history of Jewish printing houses in Ukraine after starting to collect seforim from my family's shtetl. In 2002, I corresponded with Brad Sabin Hill of the YIVO Institute to learn more about this subject. When I asked him to explain the significance of printing on blue paper, he kindly sent me a copy his exhibition notes "Carta azzurra: Hebrew printing on blue paper: an exhibition in the King's Library" (London, The British Library, 1995) that contained the following information:

"A separate but unrelated phenomenon, often confused with the earlier convention of deluxe printing on blue paper, took place in Eastern Europe at the end of the eighteenth and in the early nineteenth centuries. During this period, books were issued on 'bluish' paper by Hebrew printing houses throughout the Ukraine, White Russia, and Lithuania. Cheap blue-tinted paper, inferior in quality to white paper, was widely used by indigent printers in towns such as Dubno, Jozefow, Kopys, Koretz, Ostrog, Poryck, Slavuta, Sudilkov, Vilna, Zhitomir, and Zolkiev. Thus, unlike the blue-paper books of earlier centuries, the Eastern European Hebrew books on bluish paper were not deluxe copies; indeed, a major portion of the Hebrew book production was on this paper.

There are, however, a few Eastern European imprints on blue paper which do appear to be deluxe copies, or seem intended to be appreciated for their aesthetics. Sometimes it is virtually impossible to distinguish between the economical use of bluish paper, and the intentional use of blue paper for aesthetic reasons, and it is likely that in some instances the two motives coalesced in the production of a book. As the Hebrew poet Bialik once noted, the Eastern European books printed on bluish paper had a great influence on the mind and imagination of generations of Talmud students. It is these Eastern European editions, if not the earlier deluxe copies from Italy or western Europe, to which the Yiddish novelist I.B. Singer drew attention in a memorable phrase, 'blue as the leaves of old Hebrew books.'"

I am grateful to Brad Sabin Hill and Dan Rabinowitz of Seforim for all the information they have provided me on seforim printed in my family's shtetl. Collecting these seforim has opened up a whole new world for me. I realize there is still so much more to learn.

The sefer printed on blue paper that I did not win on eBay

eBay description: Responsa Meil Tzedakah. Printed in 1835. Nice book. Blue paper. With many illustrations. Some handwritten notes on the margins. Some wormholes, but mainly good. In one page some lines missing by tape.

A Link To The Past

I would encourage young people who are building seforim collections to include some older editions, if only to preserve them for the future generations. Providing a tangible link to the giants of the past, these seforim will be objects that our children and grandchildren will treasure.

(Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan)

Disillusionment Of A Likudnik

Standing on the rooftop of the dorms at Tel Aviv University that summer night in June, I felt like someone had just knocked the wind out of me when the radio broadcast the results of the 1992 Israeli elections. After spending a month at Metzudat Ze'ev (Likud Party headquarters) volunteering alongside veterans from the Irgun Zvai Leumi, the news that Yitzhak Shamir had lost was especially devastating.

Besides being the party of Vladimir Jabotinsky, I also used to view the Likud Party as the party of the Irgun Zvai Leumi and Lehi. It was a party that was carrying on a proud tradition. The Irgun veterans that I worked with during the 1992 elections cautioned me what would happen if the Labor Party was victorious. At the time, I thought these older men were being overly dramatic, however time has certainly proven them correct in every regard. Territorial concessions, terorrism, and more concessions...all as they predicted.

Who knew that fifteen years later that the Likud Party would become virtually indestinquishable from the Labor Party? Who could have forcast that the Irgun veterans would one day look at the Likud Party in disgrace?

I have been thoroughly disillusioned with Israeli politics since the Likud Party initiated last summer's expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif and the northern Shomron. In retrospect, Likud governments have done more damage to Eretz Israel than their Labor counterparts. While a Labor government signed the Oslo Accords, Likud governments actually ceded the Sinai peninsula, parts of Hevron, and, the Gaza Strip. The Labor Party always talks about doing all these things, however it is the Likud Party that carries them out.

Will the the 2006 elections send the final death blow to the Likud Party? I sure hope so. Ultimately the Likud has betrayed itself.

Seeing The Future

I would love, just once, to get a glimpse of the future for which so many people toil.

(Rabbi Elazar of Poltosk)

On The Day Of His Yahrzeit - Yud Tes Kislev

Ohel of the Maggid of Mezeritch and Rebbe Zusia of Anapol
Anapol, Ukraine (July 2001)

Kever of the Maggid of Mezeritch

What Did You Learn In Mezeritch?

They asked Rabbi Aharon of Karlin, "What did you learn in Mezeritch?"

"Nothing at all" he said.

"What do you mean?" he was asked.

"That's right," Rabbi Aharon replied, "in Mezeritch I learned that I am nothing at all."

Then they asked Rebbe Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, "Well, what did you discover in the beis medrash of the great Maggid of Mezeritch?"

"I discovered that there is a G-d who is the Master of this world and all other worlds."

"But, Rebbe, everyone knows that!"

"No," Rebbe Levi Yitzchak replied. "They say it everywhere, but in Mezeritch they know it."

(Eser Oros)

To Be And Not To Be

This is how one must rule over one's moral qualities:
To learn how to be proud - and not be proud.
To learn how to be angry - and not be angry.
To learn how to speak - and to remain quiet.
To learn how to be quiet - and to speak.

(Maggid of Mezeritch)

Trying To Understand The Younger Brother

Today, the 18th of Kislev, is the yahrzeit of Rebbe Baruch of Medzhebuz. Rebbe Baruch was a grandson of the Baal Shem Tov and also the younger brother of the Degel Machaneh Ephraim.

Although he was a great tzaddik, Rebbe Baruch's neshoma was rooted in a place that makes him almost inaccessible to me. The Toldos section of the 1995 printing of Degel Machaneh Ephraim states, "Two holy souls did the children of the holy Besht bring down into this world, one from the side of chessed [kindness], namely our Rabbi [the Degel], and one from the side of gevurah [strength/strictness] namely Rebbe Baruch, may his merit protect us. And of Rebbe Baruch, it is told that at the time of his passing on the 18th of Kislev, that they found next to him the holy Zohar, open to the page on which is written, "There are different kinds of Anger. There is Anger that is blessed above and below, and it is called Baruch [blessed]".

I have visited his kever in Medzhebuz, but did not leave a kvittel there. I have a copy of his sefer Botzina DeNehora on my bookshelf, but I have not yet opened it pages to learn from it. I have had a tough time relating to Rebbe Baruch ever since reading this story many years ago. This problem was further exacerbated when I learned that the Tehilos Baruch [Perek Heh] relates that Rebbe Baruch once cursed the people of my family's shtetl when they did not act nicely towards him.

If his teachings are quoted by his older brother in Degel Machaneh Ephraim, why do I still have trouble with Rebbe Baruch?

What prevents me from seeing this great tzaddik in a better light?

--

Chabakuk Elisha responds:

A couple points:

We know that some people are rooted in Chesed and some are rooted in Gevura. We surely relate best to those with whom we share sensitivities, and there is nothing wrong with that. But we should understand that the gevura is not "mean".

Reb Baruch was a truly lofty man. As a child he slept in his grandfather's room and listened to Achiya Hashiloni study with the Besht (when the Baal Shem Tov found out, he made him sleep elsewhere). He was raised mainly by R' Pinchas of Koretz and the Toldos Yaakov Yosef - both of whom praised R' Baruch greatly.

The Ruziner stated that Yechiel, father of the Degel Machaneh Ephraim and R' Baruch, ascended to heaven to select lofty souls to be his children. He chose the Degel first and then R' Baruch, but R' Baruch's soul didn't want to descend to this world unless all Tzaddikim of the world would be subservient to him, but the soul of the Baal HaTanya refused to do so and this disturbed R' Baruch greatly. We all know of the epic struggle between the Baal HaTanya and R' Baruch, but make no mistake, they each held the other in the highest esteem.

Botzina DeNehora is a special sefer even if its not your path, it remains a lofty path nonetheless!

Chazal tell us that the words of Tzaddikim are like coals of fire; they can singe or burn those around them. This is certainly true of R' Baruch.

R' Baruch once said, "If my grandfather, the Baal Shem Tov, was R' Shimon Bar Yochai, then I am Elazar his son." (Remember that R' Shimon bar Yochai stated, "I have seen lofty men and they are few; and if there are only two, they are my son and myself.") Also remember how R' Shimon and his son R' Elazar caused a man to burst into flames when they saw him desecrate Shabbos. But that does not make them "mean" since often their gevura contains a higher level of chesed.

Botzina DeNehora contains the following story:

R' Baruch was once sitting with his brother R' Moshe Chaim Ephraim, the Degel Machaneh Ephraim, and R' Asher of Stolin. R' Baruch took a glass of vodka and said to R' Asher, "L'chaim, May Moshiach come."

R' Asher responded, "L'chaim, may we go out to greet Moshiach."

R' Moshe Chaim Ephraim said to R' Baruch, "L'chaim, May Moshiach come," and to R' Asher he said, "L'chaim, may we go out to greet Moshiach."

Then R' Baruch yelled angrily at R' Asher, "Litvak! How dare you deviate from my blessing? Take it back! Litvak! Take it back! May your ancestors to be pulled from their graves!"

R' Moshe Chaim Ephraim could not contain himself and he said, "At first I understood your words, but now I don't - what have you against his ancestors!?

R' Baruch then asked his brother, "What was your understanding?"

R' Moshe Chaim Ephraim replied, "My understanding was that you meant to say that Moshiach should come whether we are worthy or not and R' Asher's blessing was for Moshiach to come, but only if we are worthy. But your second statement has confused me."

R' Baruch then said that he had indeed understood correctly, but that the second comment was a completely differently matter, "You see, R' Asher has no sons and I blessed him that he should merit to have a son, and as is known, one's ancestor's come to his bris. So my blessing was that his ancestors should be pulled from their graves to the bris!"

And so it was, not long after, G-d helped and R' Asher had a son "the Beis Aharon" who later became the Rebbe of Stolin.

Chazal say that through gevura one can give a far greater bracha than through chesed because there are not forces that oppose gevura as they oppose chesed. R' Baruch was able to accomplish great good through his gevura! Zechuso Yagein Aleinu.

Who Owes Who?

Everyone was created to right something in this world. Either they owe it to the world, or the world owes it to them.

(Rebbe Baruch of Medzhebuz)

Another Letter I Am Saving For My Daughter

Below is a letter that I wrote to my daughter in May 2004. I plan to give it to her one day when she is old enough to understand.

My little one:

The Baal Shem Tov once said that everything that one sees and hears contains a lesson. Sometimes these lessons come to us in words we read in the daily newspaper.

Yesterday I read the words of David Hatuel, a father in Eretz Israel whose pregnant wife and four young daughters were murdered by Arab terrorists. At their funeral he cried out, "I beg forgiveness for not giving you enough time."

This father’s words enter our heart and remind us that our time in this world is only temporary. The lesson of these words is obvious. Never take for granted the preciousness of the time you have with your family. Nothing is more important.

Rabbi Chaim Vital wrote, "When a person faces his judgment in Olam Haba, he is not evaluated according to how much he helped other people. He may be a tremendous activist, may be constantly running from one affair to another, may be constantly involved in one project or another, but his worth is measured according to how he behaved with his spouse and children. The way a person acts with his family reflects who he really is."

Please know that I will always be there for you. You can always talk with me and I will listen. Nothing is more important to me.

May the Ribbono shel Olam always have nachas from you little one.

I love you with all of my heart and soul,

Daddy

Raising Wonderful Children

There are two ingredients to raise wonderful children: fifty percent tefillah and fifty percent shalom bayis.

(Steipler Gaon)

Guest Posting From Chabakuk Elisha - Singing In Defeat

In this week's parsha, Yaakov Avinu wrestles with the angel of Esav and ultimately is victorious, albeit with a dislocated hip. If you look at the details you may notice a curious thing:

It is shortly before dawn when Yaakov encounters the angel, they wrestle, and ultimately Yaakov overcomes the angel - when suddenly the angel remembers that it has to leave.

How can it be that the angel only now remembers that it has an urgent appointment to sing shira before G-d? Chazal tell us that angels only sing shira once in their existence; surely this angel had this date marked off on its calendar for some time. How could it could decide right before that appointment that it would try to get its black-belt fighting Yaakov? It certainly seems like odd timing.

I heard an answer to this question many years ago from the Bostoner Rebbe of Boro-Park/Beit Shemesh, Rabbi Chaim Avrohom HaLevi Horowitz:

It was specifically its defeat that accomplished the angel's ultimate mission, and caused it to sing shira to G-d. Ultimately, the angel was only successful when it was defeated by Yaakov.

We live in a world of discord. We see people fighting on many levels - and unfortunately, it often seems unfair, as good people suffer and less-than-good people prosper. But it is encouraging to know that there is a master plan, and we are but small players in that plan. In the end, good defeats evil, and evil is ultimately pleased to be defeated - for that is its role.

In This Week's Parsha: Shimon & Levi's Bar Mitzvah Bash in Shechem

A Chassidic Melody

A Chassidic melody fortifies hope and trust, brings joyousness, and places the home and family in a state of "light."

(Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Schneerson of Lubavitch)

Yud Gimmel Kislev - Summing Up A Life In Four Words

The 1927 Washington and Lee University yearbook contained this description of my grandfather upon his graduation:

"Once only, does there wander into each man's life a person possessed of virtue, embodying a spirit of gentleness, faithfulness, and yet the highest degree of joviality. Four years ago, we are proud to say, we were honored with just such an acquaintance.

Character of the highest caliber was not the only asset; behind his smiling countenance there lurks an ever-present vigilant sense of judgment developed to such a degree as to enable a coping with life's most delicate and intricate problems. With a disposition ever so calm, "Doc" is known to all of us as a regular fellow with great capabilities and rare qualities of friendship. We are sure he will be held in high esteem by his associates of the future as he is by us, his associates of the past."

At a very young age people referred to my grandfather him as "Doc" since he always expressed a desire to be a doctor. After graduating from college, my grandfather attended medical school at Temple University and officially became a doctor in 1934. In July 1942, my grandfather enlisted in the army after he learned about the Nazi's persecution of Europe's Jews. Although he expressed a desire to sent over to fight the Germans, he spent World War II stationed in army hospitals in New York, Florida, and Indiana.

During the last year of his life, my grandfather was bedridden with emphysema and Alzheimer's Disease. While he could not remember what happened five minutes before, he could recite medical text books from memory. Even during his final days when he was dependent on the care of my grandmother, he would ask everyone who came to visit him, "Do you need anything?"

"Do you need anything?" - these four words sum up my grandfather's entire life; a life devoted to caring for other people.

Today, on the day of his yahrzeit, may his neshoma be a meylitz yosher for us all.

Yitzchak ben Nochum z"l (1905 - 1989)

Harming With Words

Please - please do not raise your voice at any human being; a human being is precious, so precious.

(Rebbe Pinchas of Koretz)

A Picture From My Family's Shtetl - Week 21

Pure Oil - Part II (2005)

My three year-old daughter goes to a Chabad nursery school with a little girl named "Michal". Michal's mother is Jewish and her father is a devout Irish Catholic. Fortunately, Michal has a caring Jewish grandmother who sucessfully convinced the Irish Catholic father to send Michal to the Chabad nursery school by explaining that it was considerably cheaper than other nursery schools in the area.

Although Michal attends a Chabad nursery school, she returns home to a house full of Christmas decorations and is fed ham and cheese sandwiches by her parents. One day as Michal got ready to leave school, she turned to her teacher and said, "My daddy is going to pick me up now and take me to go sit on Santa's lap."

Michal's story, like the story of Binyomin, makes me want to scream. Although the parents may have the best intentions, they are raising their children in a manner that will ultimately obscure the essence of the child's being.

With Chanukah approaching, may Hashem have rachmonus on children like Michal and Binyomin and help them so they will not be lost in the great American melting pot.

Small Doses

G-d answers our pleas not to suffer His chastisement by exacting payment from us in small doses…we can look upon our small problems and frustrations as a blessing in disguise, knowing that Hashem in His mercy has softened our suffering.

(Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feur)

Where In Jerusalem Is Asher?

I wrote this posting almost a year ago about using a Page of Testimony from the Yad Vashem database to track down a family member named Asher now living in Jerusalem. Asher belongs to a branch of my family that stayed in Ukraine after the rest of the family immigrated to the United States. While Asher made aliya in 1935, his parents remained behind and were murdered in Rovno during the Holocaust by the Ukrainians and Germans. Asher served as in officer in the Haganah during Israel's War of Independence, and and later worked as a professor for many years before retiring

During our phone conversation last December, Asher proved to be an amazing source of genealogical information. He told me that he even still kept the Yiddish letters from his grandfather Shmelik (my great-grandfather's brother) who immigrated to the United States in 1921. At the end of our half-hour conversation, Asher told me that he would send me a long detailed letter about our family after he and his wife moved to a new apartment in Jerusalem the following week. Given the warm tone of our conversation, I expected that to receive the first letter in a month or two. After twelve months, I still had not received a letter and I wondered whether he lost my contact information in the move to the new apartment.

Last week, with the help of my friend Yitz of Heichal HaNegina in Jerusalem, I was able to find Asher's new address and phone number. I quickly called Asher's new number and we spoke on the phone for a half-hour and caught up. Asher is now 91 years-old and has trouble hearing. At one point in the conversation he needed to call his wife to get on the phone with us to help him understand what I was saying.

In 1920, Asher moved from our family's shtetl to the larger city of Rovno when he was only five years-old, nevertheless, he still has a faint recollection of his birthplace. He remembered that his house was located in the main square in a building where his maternal grandparents ran a small grocery store. Before ending our conversation, I told Asher that I would send him some pictures of what the main square looked like during my visit in 2001 so he could try to identify the location of his house. Since he has difficulty writing, I plan to call him back in a few weeks after he has had a chance to look over the photographs.

Between World War II and a fire in archives building in April 2003, many of the records from my family's shtetl have been destroyed. Along with the photographs, I sent Asher a number of question about our family's history. Asher remains my only hope in breaking through the genealogical brick wall.

A Question To Ask Yourself

When you do something in public, determine whether you would do it closeted in private in the same manner that you are doing it in public. If the answer is yes, then your deed is perfect.

(Orchos Tzaddikim)

Esav's Questionable Shechita

Rashi, commenting on Bereishis 26:34, states that Esav snatched women from their husbands and raped them for the first forty years of his life. In the next verse (26:35), Rashi comments that Esav and his wives worshiped idols; a source of great distress to Yitzchak and Rivka.

In Bereishis 27:3, Yitzchak instructs Esav to sharpen his sword and go out to the field to catch game for him to eat. Bereishis Rabbah 65:13 notes that the reason why Yitzchak asked Esav to sharpen his sword was because a blade with an imperfection is unfit to use for slaughter.

While Yitzchak did not eat the food that Esav slaughtered on this occurrence, the Torah tells us that on an earlier occasion (Bereishis 25:28) that Yitzchak loved Esav "because his game was in his [Yitzchak's] mouth". - thus seemingly implying that Yitzchak ate the meat Esav slaughtered.

Since we know that Yitzchak Avinu was a man of great spiritual sensitivity, how could he eat meat slaughtered by someone like Esav?

Within The Food

Because an animal's soul is present in its blood, human beings are forbidden to consume the blood, for the base animalistic traits are contained in it and would thus defile the person who ate the blood. Man's soul aspires only upwards, towards G-d in Heaven, while the souls of all the other creatures are drawn only to the earthly, physical plane.

(Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov)

Chassidim & Misnagdim

Riding on public transportation on Wednesday morning, I came across a teaching in the Gemara (Sukka 28a) that serves as the basis for one of my favorite jokes about the difference between Chassidim and Misnagdim. The joke goes something like this...

A Chassid and a Misnaged were sitting next to each other in front of an open Gemara, learning together in chavrusa. The chassid looks over at the Misnaged and excitedly says, "Do you see this!!!? It says, 'They said about Yonason ben Uziel, that when he sat and studied Torah, any bird that flew over him burst into flames.'"

The Misnaged, apparently not impressed, responds, "Nu, so what is your point?"

The Chassid repeats the line once again, "They said about Yonason ben Uziel, that when he sat and studied Torah, any bird that flew over him burst into flames."

Sitting stone-faced, the Misnaged responds, "So......"

Exasperated at his chavrusa's indifference, the Chassid explains, "Can you imagine the deveykus of this tzaddik?? He learned with such intensity and fervor that a pillar of fire shot out of the sefer before him and incinerated the birds flying over him! You are not impressed with this??"

The Misnaged responds, "Why would I be impressed with this?? I want to know whose birds they were and how much the owner gets in damages!"

Diet and Exercise

Bodily health and well-being are part of the path to G-d, since it is virtually impossible to know or understand anything of the Creator if one is sick. One must therefore avoid anything that may harm the body, and cultivate healthful habits.

(Mishneh Torah, Hilchos De'os 4:1)

A Guest Posting From My Wife - Walking In A Winter Wonderland, Oblivious

On Monday, I took my three year-old daughter and 18 month-old son over to my friend's house to play with her three year-old daughter. Although my friend's husband is Jewish, she is not, and her house is full of Christmas decorations. My daughter and son were admiring the pretty 'holiday" decorations that were up around the house but had no idea why the decorations were in place. They just thought the lights and the tree were pretty. When my daughter saw a frame picture of her little friend with a man in a red suit, beard, and funny hat, she turned to my friend and asked who was in the picture with the little girl. Meanwhile, my 18-month old stood there and waved at the picture; convinced that any man with a long beard had to be a rabbi or somehow related to Uncle Moishy.

My friend looked at me with a look of astonishment. How on earth could my three year-old not know the name of the man in the red suit? My friend responded, "Wow! You are doing a great job with your kids."

It wasn't until this experience did I realize how "Jewish" of an environment we have created for our children. It has showed me the importance of having two Jewish parents (especially the mother) to teach children about their heritage.

A Reminder To The Chassan

Have you any idea why our sages chose to have the chassan say at the moment of taking a wife, ‘You are sanctified unto me’? The Gemara does list other possible statements, such as, ‘You are engaged to me’, ‘you are a wife unto me', and so forth. They chose this phrase to remind the chassan that marriage must be entered into with holiness and purity. Should he think otherwise, even the deepest inferno is insufficient for him.

(Kotzker Rebbe)

A tremendous act of chessed.

A Picture From My Family's Shtetl - Week 20

Longing To Return

I visited the kever of the Baal Shem Tov in Medzhebuz, Ukraine four years ago, but it wasn't until I returned home did I realize that I had missed visiting a major site located in another part of the town; the Baal Shem Tov's Beis Medrash!

In October, Rabbi Aryeh Wohl sent me an article he wrote for Olam HaChassidus magazine that mentioned that when the Degel Machaneh Ephraim left my family's shtetl during the last year of his life, he settled in Medzhebuz and davened in this beis medrash. Four years ago, I must have been a only few steps away from this place where the Baal Shem Tov and Degel Machaneh Ephraim davened, and yet I missed it!

Reading 'laizer's narrative on Wilderness City and Rabbi Gedaliah Fleer's new book Against All Odds have heightened my feelings of regret for not visiting the beis medrash in Medzhebuz and Rebbe Nachman of Breslov's kever in Uman. I also long to visit my family's shtetl for a second time and visit some places that I did not get a chance to see, such as Berditchev, Breslov, Rovno, and Ostrog.

Deep in my neshoma I know that I need to return to Ukraine once again. On his journey to Eretz Israel in 1798, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov said, "I cannot tell you the reason for my journey, for my heart has not even revealed it to my mouth." I can sense that there is still a missing piece remaining to be uncovered in the land of my ancestors; a piece that will help me discover who I am and why I am here.

Constant Growth

Experience has taught me that nothing truly good comes easy. All to often we struggle in our youth to achieve goals to live by, but the older we get, the more we fall into the trap of predictability and repetitiveness. We stop breaking new ground. But G-d is infinite and there is no end to what we can experience of His goodness. All we need to do is transcend our self-imposed limitations and be willing to give up some of the comforts we have grown used to. Then when a difficult mitzvah comes our way, we can make room for G-d to enter our lives at a deeper level. As long as there is constant growth and renewed vitality in our relationship with G-d, there is nothing to fear.

(Rabbi Yaakov Galant)

Illuminating The Path

For the past two months, I have been corresponding via e-mail with Rabbi Aryeh Wohl of Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel who is a direct descendent of the Degel Machaneh Ephraim. While visiting Boro Park last Thursday, he called me on his cell phone and we finally got a chance to talk. It was an absolute pleasure to talk with someone with authoritative knowledge of the Degel's life and teachings.

When I asked him what Chassidus today was the truest to the path of the Degel Machaneh Ephraim, Rabbi Wohl answered with one word; Breslov. He then cited the numerous similarities between the seforim Degel Machaneh Ephraim and Likutey Moharan.

Before we ended our conversation, he said that he would like to meet me and referred to me as a "Sudilkover chassid". When I told him that I was not yet a chassid, he replied, "A streimel, golden coat, and tall white knee socks doesn't make a chassid. You are a chassid because you learn the seforim of Chassidus and seek to follow its path."

The guidance I have received from Rabbi Wohl, Rabbi Brody, and Rabbi Sears has helped illuminate the way back to the path of my ancestors. It now is up to me to continue this journey.

Words Of Motivation

Even if you do not understand every passage, do not understand, do not stop learning, since at the very least they are setting forth on the path of holiness, the path of Chassidus. You will understand as much as you can. Beyond that, the words and holy spirit within them will cling to you and will purify you.

(Piaceszna Rebbe)

Where I Learn

Around this time every year, I am driven to find a place inside during my lunch break because of the cold weather. During the warmer months I spend every lunch hour on a park bench learning next to a memorial made from cobblestones from the Warsaw Ghetto. I stare down at these cobblestones when I finish learning each day. Despite the fact that these cobblestone seem out of place in their North American surroundings, I try to imagine them in their former location and I think about all of the people who walked over these cobblestones before being sent to the gas chambers in Treblinka.

Every day for the past few years I return to this park bench and learn. Perhaps one day I will learn why I am drawn there and what my learning accomplished in this place.

Cobblestones from the Warsaw Ghetto

For Our Generation

Every day, every child, after studying the daily lessons prescribed by our sages, should learn about the Holocaust, for it says in our holy Torah: "Then it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are come upon them, that this song shall testify before them as a witness." (Devarim 31:21). The suffering and the testimonies, when told by Holocaust survivors, are a song, a hymn of praise, a testimony to the eternity of the Jewish people and the greatness of their spirit.

(Bluzhover Rebbe)

Guest Posting From Chabakuk Elisha - Giving Chazzanus A Second Chance

There are many shuls where I live, and this past Shabbos I finally went to a big old shul with a silver dome on top to hear the famous cantor, Chazzan Ben-Tzion Miller. This was a big attraction in my community since it was a Shabbos Mevorchim and the chazzan says the special tefila for the new month.

While I have never listened to much chazzanus and find it to be very foreign, I was almost moved to tears by listening to this world-class chazzan recite the prayers. As a chassid who is accustomed to shteibelach and Chassidishe shuls, it was strange for me to find myself in a very large old building with a carpeted floor, old wooden pews, a domed ceiling, three huge doors from which to enter atop numerous stone steps, stained glass windows, balconies for the women, a stage with seats for the chazzan, rabbi and president (but no Rebbe).

I never thought I would find this type of atmosphere to be inspiring, but surprisingly I did. I also thought about the numerous chazzonim and shuls of this kind that once existed, and how few are left today. Will chazzanus continue, or is this a dying gasp of a no longer relevant relic?

Prayer should not be a spectator sport; prayer is about serving G-d. Prayer is personal, and should be intensely so - and it is argued that for this reason Chazzanus may be antithetical to the true intent of prayer. Nevertheless, I left the shul wondering if I was disloyal to my Chassidic allegiances - as Chassidism traditionally opposed this type of Judaism, and yet, I found it to be inspiring.

I don't know; technically Chazzanus is music, and it's purpose was to inspire the congregation. Could it be that appreciating Chazzanus today may indeed be Chassidic? As R' Hillel of Paritch taught: "He who does not appreciate and understand song, can really never understand Chassidus."

Accomplished Through Song

A Jew is a human being in touch with his inner essence and possessed of the ability to unveil it, and bring it forth. How does one connect with one's inner self, one's highest levels of soul, above all, wisdom and comprehension, and then reveal it in a mundane, finite world? This can be accomplished through song.

(Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi)

Random Thought On Blood Ties

On Monday evening when I was walking home from public transportation, a strange thought popped into my mind. Since I am an only child, when my brother-in-law and sister-and-law have children, I will be an uncle, but an uncle who is not a blood relative to the child. I wonder whether my relationship to my niece or nephew will be as close as my wife's relationship to the child since the baby will be her brother's child.

Perhaps my mind is just trapped in a narrow definition of family. Although it is certainly possible to have strong ties with non-blood relatives, or even a non-relatives for that matter, people often feel a certain affinity to others with a shared lineage. It is as if a person can actually "sense" whether another person is "truly" related; a "sense" many adopted children describe they get upon meeting their natural birth parents.

Someday will this nephew or niece sense that I am not "really" family? I guess it is futile to speculate since only time will tell....

A Show For Their Benefit

A person can only be perfectly truthful when he is not dependent on anyone or anything. As soon as he feels dependent upon others, whether for money or anything else, he becomes subordinate to them and cannot do anything in public without putting on a show for their benefit, even if only subconsciously.

(Rebbe Nachman of Breslov)

A Picture From My Family's Shtetl - Week 19

A teaching from the Degel Machaneh Ephraim at AskMoses.com

Dispatches From The Home Front - November Edition

A conversation with my three year-old daughter last Friday night:

Daughter: I want a little puppy.

Me: Who is going to take care of this puppy?

Daughter: I will take care of it.

Me: Who is going to feed it?

Daughter: I will.

Me: Who is going to walk the puppy every day?

Daughter: I will walk the little puppy.

Me: Where is the puppy going to sleep at night?

Daughter: Outside.

Me: Outside? It is SO cold outside.

Daughter: That's ok, it will wear a jacket.

--

My 17 month-old son is truly the master of pushing his sister's buttons. Every time his sister yells at him, he snatches her favorite Ernie doll and runs out of the room. If she runs after him and hits him, he uses all the strength in his 30+ pound body, wrestles her to the ground, and then sits on her head.

On Sunday on the way to the kosher supermarket, my daughter started whining and carrying on in her car seat. Knowing the best way to antagonize her, my son looked over at her, scrunched up his face, and said, "AAAAGH!" My daughter immediately reacted to this sound with more hysterics. This prompted my son to repeat it over and over, "AAAGGGH!........ AAAHHGH!.... AGGGHH!" Both my wife and I started laughing, and my daughter finally calmed down when she realized that her brother had gotten the better of her.

True peace between siblings was not restored until later when we returned home and watched Uncle Moishy - Volume 8 for the first time. Unfortunately, they could only sit on the floor next to each other for so long and the ceasefire was broken once the credits started rolling.

-

At the kosher supermarket my daughter pointed to one the men stocking the shelves and told my wife, "Mommy, mommy that man looks like Avraham Fried!"

--

Later that evening at dinner, the following dialogue ensued:

Daughter: I don't want this....it smells!

Wife: It doesn't smell. It's just juice.

Daughter: It smells stinky.

Wife: It doesn't smell, you smell.

Daughter: No, YOU smell!

Wife: No, you smell worse.

Daughter: Well you smell harder!!

--

Last night when I turned the channel to George Shrinks, my daughter put her hands on her head and said, "Oy gevalt, I want to watch Bob the Builder."

--

I sent this posting to Uncle Moishy's production company and on Monday night a large envelope with an autographed Uncle Moishy picture made out to my son and daughter was waiting for us in the mailbox. My wife and I are planning to give it to them once we get it framed for Chanukah. They sure are going to be excited!

--
Dispatches From The Home Front - August Edition can be read here.

As True Today As It Was In The 14th Century

Most of the masses raise their voice in prayer before Hashem but are going about it like a blind man in darkness, and they do not understand the words they are saying.

(Abudraham)

The Bane Of My Existence

Raking leaves is the bane of my existence. Even worse than the actual raking and bagging is the feeling of obligation to complete this task; especially when bags of leaves are already lining the curbs next to neighboring houses. Raking leaves, like mowing the grass, shoveling snow, or vacuuming the house, all seem to be tasks that rob me of time. As the Lubavitcher Rebbe once said, "The world says that time is money, I say that time is life."

With a birthday coming up next month, someone asked me what I would like as a present. I responded with my standard answer, "More time."

Looking back at my blog archives, I noticed that I have written quite a few postings on the subject of time. It appears to be appears to be a reoccurring theme in my writing.

Below are a few of my postings on this topic

The best 2 ½ hours of the day

The Irony of Time

But You CAN Do Something

Geneivas Zman - Stealing Time From Others

A Test Of Frumkeit

There are many people whom when it comes to mitzvos seem to be very frum. However, the real test of frumkeit is seeing how a person handles money.

(Rabbi Nasan Maimon)

Still Struggling To Learn The Other Half

After resolving my misguided thinking last November, I have spent the past year slowly learning Gemara. I have been able to finish Berachos and Rosh Hashanah, and now I am making my way through Maseches Sukka. As someone who never went to yeshiva, I continue to find learning Gemara to be extremely difficult. My simple mind constantly gets distracted by the numerous arguments and tries to remember who said what. I am pretty sure that a 10 year-old in Boro Park or Bnei Brak could learn circles around me.

I would be lying if I said that I do not struggle sometimes to find the relevance in the subject matter (ex. Can one who sleeps under the bed in a sukkah fulfill his obligation to dwell in a sukkah? [20b]) . An argument on a very minor detail in the Gemara can go on for pages and pages and pages while my mind says, "Just tell me the halacha already!!" Nevertheless, I continue to turn the pages and try to apply myself to the best of my ability.

In Vayikra 10:16, the words "darosh darash" ("inquired insistently" [literally: "inquire he inquired"]) mark the halfway point by word count in the Torah. In fact, in many Chumashim the phrase "Half of the words of the Torah" is written in small print between the words darosh and darash. The Degel Machaneh Ephraim explained that this hints to the fact that the Torah sheh b'ksav (Written Torah) is only half of the Torah. The other half of the Torah can be found in the Torah sheh b'al peh. (Oral Torah); the part of the Torah where the Rabbis "inquired insistently" to expound upon the meaning of the Torah sheh b'ksav.

I constantly remind myself that one who learns Chumash without learning Gemara is only learning half of the Torah. I daven that Hashem opens my mind and my heart to be able to better understand, appreciate, and be successful in learning Gemara. I hope that someday I will at least be able to get to the level of the 10 year-old yeshiva bocher.

Worry & Hope

Even if the chances of success and failure are equal, why worry about failure when you can easily hope for success?

(Rambam)

Thanksgiving on Rosh Chodesh Adar?

MCAryeh Responds

My good friend MCAryeh from A Whispering Soul responds to the questions in "What Does It Say About You?":

What does your davening reveal about your emunah?

Davening is a challenge. I find myself resisting the words and procrastinating in getting to minyan. My mind wanders during most of the tefillot and I find it hard to have kavannah and to be present and mindful of who I am standing before. It used to bother me that the prayers were prescribed. I felt like these would not be the words I would choose to say to God and I think on some level I resented that specific words were set down for me to say. How could I have true passion for and express well words which were scripted? How could I have any kavannah or avoid everything coming out in a rote way? A Rav advised me to compose my own prayers to say in addition to the regular davening. I actually found that enormously helpful, and after writing them realized that they expressed many of the same things and themes as the prescribed prayers! I use these prayers sometimes during hitbodedut and sometimes say them right before going to bed. For a time, it helped my regular davening as well, but it was not long before that fell back into the same old routine. I felt a little better after a Rav told me it was virtually impossible to have kavannah during all of davening and just to pick certain times where I would redouble my efforts to have kavannah. So I try during the Shema and Shemoneh Esrei to concentrate on what I am saying and be cognizant of HaShem, but it is still a struggle. Certain prayers do resonate with me more than others, and I am thankful for those. The Friday night davening I find myself being very present for, so I guess that would indicate that my emunah is very strong on Erev Shabbat and kind of wavery during the rest of the week! Very often during davening, I find myself asking HaShem to help me to have kavannah, and that in itself is a form of prayer and indicative of emunah, so it is not all bad. For the most part, however, I am very disappointed with my davening.

Does your emunah shine through when you say a brocha?

Brachot are much easier for me, possibly because they are shorter or possibly because they are almost always followed by an action (or occasionally preceded), which adds gravitas to the words I am saying. I am very cognizant of HaShem and the blessings he has given me when saying a bracha. I cannot recall the last time I forgot to say one. Now that I think more on it, the specificity of the act and accompanying bracha is certainly what makes it much easier to have kavannah. If you are holding a fruit, and are saying words of thanks to its Creator, who is also your Creator, how can you not be blown away? I find myself especially humbled and in awe of the Asher Yatzar prayer, said after going to the bathroom, where we thank HaShem for all of the orifices and cavities of the body, and for allowing them to function properly. This kavannah has carried over into everyday life, and I do take time to stop as I am walking and thank HaShem for the trees or a warm breeze or for arriving at a destination safely. Birkat Hamazon is still something I have trouble concentrating upon - again possibly due to its length, or perhaps because I have never taken the time to actually read through and translate the words and concentrate on their meaning. In general, though, I think my emunah (awareness of God) does come through in the saying of brachot, though there is always room for improvement. I am glad you asked this question as well as the other, because after the last one I was really feeling down about how sad my davening is!

--
Responses from Frum Philly Farmgirl and Sweet Rose can be read here.

Gates Of Prayer

Just as a thief breaks the lock when he does not have a key, so too, we should break our hearts with humility in order to penetrate the gates of prayer.

(Talmud - Sanhedrin 103a)

A Picture From My Family's Shtetl - Week 18

Looking For The Wizard Behind The Curtain

A colleague told me about a phone call he received from a friend that began with the question, "How are you doing?....and don't give me the PR [public relations] version".

Often when people ask, "How are you doing?", they are not excepting a real answer; they just want to hear the PR. Since most our daily conversations are on this extremely superficial level, I also respond to this question with my stock answer of "very good".

I found this caller's comment about PR to be very interesting since it showed consciousness of our use of meaningless words and phrases. It expressed a desire to cut through the small talk and get to the heart of the matter.

I have been following these postings from House of Joy the past few days.

After reading these postings, please daven that her son, Eliyahu Avichai ben Baila Bluma, has a refuah shleima.

Severity

It is better to neglect Torah study than to embarrass a fellow Jew.

(Rebbe Nachman of Breslov)

Four Levels Of Materialism

Observing the world of materialism, it appears that there are four levels:

Level 1: A person sees something and purchases it.

Level 2: A person sees something, desires it, but cannot afford it.

Level 3: A person sees something unaffordable, desires it, and despises the person who can afford it.

Level 4: A person sees something unaffordable, is happy with what he has, and is not bothered by another person possessing it.

Ironically, Level 3 people do not view themselves as materialistic. They wrongly believe that the fact that they do not have the means to purchase the object of their desire indicates that they do not have the materialistic mindset.

A person, however, can be materialistic without having money.

--
More thoughts on gashmius can be read here.

Be sure to go out and see this.

It Is Not Meant For You

A person cannot attain that which has been ordained for another.

(Talmud - Yoma 38b)

Guest Posting From Chabakuk Elisha - The Umbilical Cord

Two weeks ago my wife gave birth to a baby boy. After we brought the baby home from the hospital, he has gotten a great bit of attention from his two year-old sister and other siblings who have bombarded my wife and I with hundreds of questions.

Last night I came home from work and was greeted at the door by my very excited children, jumping up and down, and talking all at once. My wife informed me that the excitement was a result of the baby's belly button! The remaining piece of the umbilical cord had finally come off, and this was certainly a big event for all the children.

My younger children repeatedly asked me to explain why a baby needed an umbilical cord, and why it was no longer important. Indeed, the question why it was only temporarily important is interesting, since it also provides a great lesson in life: We live with certain realities that are very important, but are later told that other things will ultimately carry the most significance after this life. Although we may try to prioritize the spiritual over the physical, it is often quite a challenge - since our daily lives often dictate the opposite.

Looking to the development of a human being makes this idea easier to understand. While a baby's arms and legs develop in the womb, the baby has no real need for those limbs in the womb. The umbilical cord, however, is the most essential body part since it brings nutrients to help the baby develop. Perhaps, if the baby was able, it would try to get rid of those cumbersome arms and legs and ensure that the umbilical cord was safe and functioning. The reasoning behind ridding itself of these appendages would be incredibly short-sighted since the doctor will only cut and discard the umbilical cord when the baby is born. Removing the arms and legs in the womb would deprive the baby the ability to function normally in its post-womb environment.

Similarly, in our current reality, the "world" tells us that the physical is of primary importance and the Divine is a superfluous and superimposed element that is of secondary importance. It tells us that we must devote our efforts to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The truth, however, is otherwise; just as a baby's limbs are essential for his future, so too is the spiritual element of our life on this earth essential for our continued development in the future word.

Now that my son's umbilical cord has fallen off, he has left behind the last vestiges of his former world and G-d has given him the tools he needs to accomplish his tasks in this world. Now, with G-d's help he must take advantage of those tools, and cultivate the tools he will need for the future world.

More!

No man leaves the world with even half his cravings fulfilled; if he has a hundred, he wants two hundred.

(Koheles Rabbah 1:34)

A Reader Responds To Tuesday's Posting

Frum Philly Farmgirl responds to the questions in "What Does It Say About You?":

What does your davening reveal about your emunah?

In davening I start off with what I hope is lots of kavanah and then sometimes I have difficulty staying focused. My mind will wander to the most ridiculous things. I think this also happens when it comes to my emunah. I will start off with a bang,"YAY HASHEM! I KNOW YOU WILL PROVIDE AND TAKE CARE OF ME!" and then I will lose focus and wander off track. Next thing you know I am in panic mode.

Does your emunah shine through when you say a brocha?

Oy, this is really something I am trying to work on. I can say a bracha with much enthusiasm. I love to make brachot. But sometimes again, if I get distracted, I forget. I feel so bad and then half way through, let's say eating an apple, I remember. :-( The other thing I forget is borei nefashot. The whole "thank you." I think this has to do with my mindfulness. Being in the moment, talking to HaShem and thanking Him for what He provides for me. The other day for example as I was looking at our budget and talking to my beloved about it. I said, "We need such and such amount for the rest of this month and next." He replied with OK, he would work on it. Then I started to tell him about January, what would we do about this, and I didn't know about the rent etc. He stopped me in my tracks and said "Let's get through this month first and worry about January when it gets here. Who knows Moshiach might be here and then we will other things to think about." I was glad he said this because he got me focused again. I went into panic and not having emunah. I just needed to sit there with the 'apple', make the bracha and say thank you when I was done. I wasn't supposed to worry about where the next apple was coming from, just be grateful for this one.

--
UPDATE: Shoshana from Sweet Rose posted here thoughts on these questions here.

A True Leader

A leader needs to be mindful of even the most minor detail, or his most insignificant follower. Only then can he be considered a "leader" in the truest sense of the word.

(Rabbi Yosef Deutsch)

King David's Fan Club

King David probably looks down from Gan Eden and smiles every time my three year-old daughter gets on her little red tricycle and starts singing, "Davimehfikayon". It seems to be my daughter's favorite song while riding.

On Monday, my wife took the kids to an open gym to play. She later related that my daughter started singing this song at the top of her lungs while she rode care-free through a gym full of children. Recognizing the tune, another Jewish mother looked over at my wife, smiled, and said, "My daughter likes to sing that one too."

The loud singing later continued out in the parking lot as they left the gym....

"Shout it out! Shabbos is coming! We're so happy!"

Others may look at my daughter like she is from Mars. I just laugh at her amusing antics and shake my head. I only wish I could be there when she sings this song to random people. I would like to be able to turn to the staring people and ask, "What are you people doing?? It's Monday! Don't you know that Shabbos is coming? Get your crock pots out and start cooking your cholent for the next five days! Let's get with the program!"

Building Monuments

Physical monuments can only be secondary to spiritual monuments. Therefore, if there was a question of choice as to spending the money on physical monuments of bronze or stone, or applying the extra funds towards sacred causes of Torah and mitzvot, and the like, there can be no question as to where the priority belongs.

(Lubavitcher Rebbe)

A Picture From My Family's Shtetl - Week 17

What Does It Say About You?

In a shiur on Likutey Moharan, Rabbi Nasan Maimon taught how the concepts of emunah and tefillah are intricately tied together and commented that one's tefillah is a good litmus test of one's emunah.

Refecting upon your davening, how would you answer these two questions:

What does your davening reveal about your emunah?

Does your emunah shine through when you say a brocha?

--
My last posting on the subject of tefillah can be read here.

Foundation Of Prayer

An important principle in the service of the Creator is that faith is of its essence. My grandfather, the Baal Shem Tov emphasized that it is the basis of the entire Torah and Divine service. King David said, "All Your commandments are rooted in faith" (Tehillim 119:86), because the essence of the commandments is belief in
G-d. Only he who believes that G-d renews the acts of Creation every day can pray every day; for as he becomes a new creature each day, and the worlds are newly created, he must pray and give thanks to Him who created everything, including himself. Likewise he must pray for himself, for his wife and children, for his daily sustenance, and for all appropriate things. If you do not believe with complete faith that G-d renews the act of Creation each day, then you will see prayer and the mitzvos as hackneyed and commonplace, and you will scorn the recitation of the same words every day.

My grandfather spoke in this vein when he commented on the verse, "Do not cast me off in old age" (Tehillim 71:9). This means that prayers should not be considered old by the supplicant. Just as old age causes weakness in man's limbs, because of the diminishing powers, juices, and circulation of the blood that keeps man alive, so it is with matters of the spirit. That which is old [i.e. prayer by rote] gives man neither great pleasure nor vitality. This is not the case with something new [i.e. prayer in which the worshipper believes and senses immediate relevance]. This is the meaning of "Consider them - the words of the Torah - each day as new," for "they are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness." (Eichah 3:23). "They are new every morning" refers to G-d renewing the act of Creation daily, and because of this, "great is Thy faithfulness. Thus faith is the foundation of prayer and mitzvos.

(Degel Machaneh Ephraim)

Electronic Slavery

I work around a lot of engineers who are "in love" with gadgets and technology. As someone who doesn't own a PDA or a Blackberry, I sit back and laugh every time they get frustrated when one of their gadgets goes haywire.

My "palm pilot" consists of writing information that I want to remember on a yellow sticky pad and sticking it onto my wallet. When I return home at night and pull my wallet out I am immediately reminded of the information.

Many people do not realize that their reliance on cellular phones and other wireless communication devices has turned them into electronic slaves; shackled in the prison of technology. When used in moderation, there are certainly benefits to these devices, however, first we need to determine the difference between convenience, desire, and necessity.

Simply put, do we truly need everything we want?

Bridging The Gap

A song has the potential to bridge the gap between the heart and the mind.

(Rabbi DovBer Pinson)

Collecting Seforim From A Judenrein Shtetl

Before being shut down by the Tsar in 1836, Yalkut Volhynia notes that my family's shtetl "was considered a junior partner to the Slavuta printing industry in the production of rabbinic literature. Many volumes can still be found in private collections, synagogues and libraries...."

Perhaps the largest private collection of seforim from this shtetl can be found on the bookshelf in my living room. Over the past few years, I have collected 22 seforim from this shtetl and continue to search for more. During my visit to Ukraine, I realized the importance of my collection when I discovered that little remained to testify to the fact that the shtetl once had a significant Jewish presence. Today the shtetl is Judenrein and the only remnants of the Jewish community include the ruins of a Jewish cemetery, a few remaining foundation stones from the destroyed shul, and three mass graves.

I would be fascinated to learn the stories of how these seforim made their way through time. One sefer in my collection has a stamp inside it that indicates that it survived the Nazis' destruction of the famed Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin library. I can only speculate the history behind how this sefer left the printing house in Ukraine, survived a fire, and wound up in an antique book store in Jerusalem.

Who were the people who passed these seforim down through the ages? I imagine that each sefer on my bookshelf has a story to tell and a secret yet to reveal.

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My collection of seforim from this shtetl consists of the following volumes:

Beis Ephraim - 1833
Chidushei Haran - 1836
Chidushei HaRashba - 1835
Kitzur Shnei Luchos HaBris - 1831
Maaneh Lashon - 1824
Masas Binyamin - 1833
Meir Einei Chachomim - 1834
Mikdash Melech - 1821
Netivos HaMishpat - 1830
Orchos Tzaddikim - 1835
Pnei Yehoshua (Chelek Shlishi v'Revi'i) - 1834
Pri Megadim - 1819
Sefer Ha'Agur - 1834
Sheulos U'Teshuvos Betzalel Ashkenazi - 1833
Sheulos U'Teshuvos Givat Shaul - 1834
Sheulos U'Teshuvos Maharam Alshich - 1834
Sheulos U'Teshuvos Radbaz - 1836
Sheulos U'Teshuvos Radbaz (Chelek Rishon) - 1836
Shita Mekubetzes - 1836
Shulchan Aruch - Chukei Daas - 1835
Simchas HaRegel - 1836
Trumat HaDeshen - 1835

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Besides seforim from my family's shtetl, I also collect printings of the sefer Degel Machaneh Ephraim. One day I hope to be able to purchase the first edition printed in Koretz in 1810. I am not sure this will ever happen since antique book sellers have told me that this printing has been previously auctioned for $5,000.

To date, I have collected the following printings of Degel Machaneh Ephraim:

1858 - Lemberg
1874 - Zhitomir
1883 - Yosefov
1883 - Warsaw
1912 - Pietrokov
1942 - Satmar
1963 - Jerusalem
1995 - Jerusalem

I continue to search for these four printings:

1850 - Zhitomir
1870 - Lemberg
1912 - Lodz
1947 - New York

If you ever come across any of these seforim, please let me know.

Retaining Knowledge

There is a story of a learned man who came to visit a rebbe. The scholar was no longer a younger man - he was close to thirty - but he had never before visited a rebbe. "What have you done all your life?" the master asked him. "I have gone through the whole Talmud three times," answered the learned man. "Yes, but how much of the Talmud has gone through you?" the rebbe inquired.

(Rabbi Abraham J. Heschel)

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UPDATE: The Rebbe mentioned in this story was Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Kotzk. [Hat tip, Yitz]

Do You Have A Recommendation?

Reading Naomi Regan's novel The Ghost of Hannah Mendes has made me realize that my knowledge of this period in Jewish history is severely lacking. While the back of Ragen's book cites "Expulsion 1492 Chronicles" as one of her references, a search on Fetchbook shows it to be very expensive. The references listed on Wikipedia also seem to be a little too cerebral for me.

Artscroll has a book entitled The Exiles of Crocodile Island about "a community of children torn from their homes by the Inquisition and their defiant struggle to keep their faith", however it appears that this is a novel for young adults and not a work of non-fiction.

Does anyone know a good non-fiction book in English on the history of the Spanish Inquisition? [preferably from a religious Jewish perspective]

Remember, I am just A Simple Jew and do not like books with more footnotes than actual text.

A Slippery Slope

If you neglect Torah for one day, you will neglect it for two more.

(Talmud Yerushalmi - Berachos 9:8)

A Picture From My Family's Shtetl - Week 16

Seventh Row Center

Waking up Sunday morning, my kids had no idea that we would be driving to Baltimore for a concert that afternoon. My daughter slowly started to understand that the concert had something to do with Uncle Moishy when she saw a picture on the program before entering the auditorium.

The kids' excitement further started to build as we found our seats; seventh row center with a perfect view of the stage. When Cousin Nachum the clown first walked out, my 17 month-old son was terrified and started crying uncontrollably. My wife held him tight in her arms until he was finally consoled by seeing his grey-bearded hero. Uncle Moishy entered the auditorium from a side entrance and my son and daughter sat in their seats in absolute awe. It was as if he walked right out of our television to sing songs just for them. My wife later told me that she could feel my son's heart racing in excitement as he bopped up and down to the music.

Uncle Moishy was mobbed by swarms of young children every time he tried to come out into the audience and could get no further than the seventh row. This meant that he had to come across our row and pass immediately in front of us on four separate occasions. During these pass-throughs he bent down and waved to my three year-old daughter, patted my son's head, and shook my hand.

At intermission my daughter started crying when Uncle Moishy left the stage for a 10-minute break. Not understanding the concept of an intermission, she thought he had left for good. After my wife and I explained that he was coming back out for more songs, she dried her tears and appeared to be relieved.

When the two-hour concert finally came to an end and Uncle Moishy and the Mitzvah Men walked offstage, my son continued to wave goodbye to the empty stage for a few minutes. He didn't want it to be over and just kept waving. Both he and my daughter listened to Uncle Moishy songs on the ride home in our mini van and were able to retain their concert "glow" until they went to bed. I wouldn't be surprised if both of them dreamt of their favorite uncle that night.

Uncle Moishy has performed this benefit concert for the Weinberg Academy in Baltimore for the past sixteen years. We plan to be in the audience when he returns next year....and the year after that!

Touching The Soul

Music has the potency to enter the person's consciousness and touch the essence of the soul. Thus, hearing is regarded as the most important and vital of all senses.

(Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson of Lubavitch)

Finding Meaning In The Workplace

I came across a story one morning that really helps put things into perspective. This story comes from the sefer Kuntres Chaim V'Chessed:

The Chofetz Chaim once expressed his great envy to a pharmacist regarding his occupation, which gave him myriad opportunities each day to dispense medication and thereby save lives. The pharmacist rejected the praise, confessing his real purpose was not saving lives, but rather earning a living. The Chofetz Chaim advised him that he should not waste the great spiritual potential of his profession. "When you dispense medication," he advised, "do so with the intention that 'I am fulfilling a mitzvah of chessed and saving lives.' Earning a profit does not devalue the mitzvah, as long as you have the proper intentions."

The pharmacist followed the Chofetz Chaim's advice. He became an important communal leader whose guidance was eagerly sought. Years later, he acknowledged that the merit of the intentions of chessed with which he performed his responsibilities as a pharmacist earned him his special status.

Although it sometimes close to impossible to find any meaning in my profession, I now go to work with the intention that I am there to fulfill a mitzvah by doing chessed for others in my office building. If nothing else, leaving my home each morning with this intention allows me to find some minuscule bit of meaning in an otherwise meaningless place.

Just The Simple Meaning

The Rebbe constantly told us to force ourselves to pray with devotion, strongly binding our thoughts to each word. He said that true devotion is listening very carefully to the words you are saying. The Rebbe had told many of his disciples to study the Kabbalistic writings of the Ari. But even these were not advised to follow the Kabbalistic devotions found in these works.

He said that perfect prayer is the plain meaning of such words as Baruch Atah Hashem. Devotion is concentrating on the meaning of the words and listening to them carefully.

(Sichos HaRan #75)

A heartbreaking posting...

Second-Guessing The Doctor

There are times when a doctor prescribes medicine to a patient and the health insurance company refuses to authorize payment for the high-priced medication.

Similarly, Hashem, the Doctor of Doctors, prescribes us the Torah and there are times when our yetzer hara refuses to accept it even though it benefits our neshomas.

How can a health insurance company say that the medicine costs too much and question the Doctor's expertise when prescribing a treatment that He knows will help a patient?

Medicine

If faith in G-d were always fixed in the hearts of every person, and "G-d were his trust" (Yirmiyahu 17:7), he would certainly not need medicines or anything but the grace of G-d, arousing the love of G-d, may He be blessed, to restore him either by means of prayer or by means of studying the holy Torah.

(Degel Machaneh Ephraim)

104 Fever Hisbodedus

My three year-old daughter spent Tuesday evening shaking and throwing up after suddenly coming down with a 104+ fever. A lukewarm bath was able to temporarily bring her temperature down to 102, however she still continued to throw up and her temperature climbed back up to 103.4 before she went to bed.

In my hisbodedus early Wednesday morning I said:

Ribbono shel Olam, it is written in the Gemara, "The world endures only for the sake of the breath of the mouths of school children." How then can You prevent my daughter from going to school today to learn Torah and sing Your praises?

At school, she sings this song, "Shalom, shalom, Mommy. What do you say? Tell me, tell me Mommy. What do you say? I say, 'Baruch Hashem. Hashem takes care of me every single day.'"

Ribbono shel Olam, don't You see that my daughter acknowledges that You are the One who takes care of her? Please have rachmonus on her and send her a refuah shleima!

Effective Medicine

There is no greater cure than faith in Hashem and trusting in Him.

(Piaceszna Rebbe)

Mazal Tov To A Friend (And Frequent Guest Poster)!

I am pleased to relate that the wife of Chabakuk Elisha gave birth to a 7 pound 15 ounce baby boy this morning at 4:05 AM.

May Hashem bless the mother, baby, and entire family!

Change In My Seder

With a little nudge from Hirhurim's posting, I decided to make a little change in my daily learning seder. Starting today, I will supplement my learning of Kitzur Shulchan Aruch with a little bit of Mishnah Berurah.

My daily seder now consists of:

Chumash with Rashi
Tehillim
Gemara - Maseches Sukka
Kitzur Shulchan Aruch / Mishnah Berurah
Degel Machaneh Ephraim
Likutey Moharan
Chovos HaLevavos - Shaar HaBitachon
Perek Shirah

If you too have a daily seder, what are you learning?

Working & Learning

The great Sages of Israel included wood choppers, water drawers, and blind men. Despite these difficulties, they were occupied with Torah study day and night and were included among those who transmitted the Torah's teachings from master to student in the chain stretching back to Moshe Rabeinu.

(Rambam)

A Picture From My Family's Shtetl - Week 15

Inside Next Year

On Yom Kippur while others were inside reciting Yizkor, I stood outside the shul in my kittel and tallis listening to a man tell me about his elderly father who was on his death bed. I listened to his words and tried to comfort him. While standing there, the thought entered my mind that this would be the last year that this man would be standing outside the shul during Yizkor. Next year he will be inside saying prayers on behalf of his father's neshoma.

Last week, I received word that this man's father passed away on Simchas Torah. I went over to the shiva house on Sunday to offer my condolences. From the look in his eyes, I could tell that the man appreciated my presence.

I continue to think about our conversation from Yom Kippur and wonder what makes me so sure that I too will be standing outside again next year. How do I know that someone will not be inside saying Yizkor for me?

House Of Mourning

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to a house of feasting, for that is the end of man, and the living should take it to heart.

(Koheles 7:2)

It Doesn't Take A Ph.D

Imagine what would happen if you gave into a toddler every time he threw a temper tantrum.

Imagine what would happen if you tried to accommodate a toddler's every demand.

Any sane person believes that you need to set limits with your toddler or else your toddler will be in control of your home.

Perhaps now all we need to do is send Israeli government officials to parenting classes so they can apply effective parenting techniques when dealing with Palestinian terrorism. It's time to stop responding to terrorism like grandparents babysitting their grandchildren.

What I Am Reading Now

Waiting For Peace: How Israelis Live With Terrorism

The Heavy Boulder

A king once sent his son to distance places to learn wisdom. When the son returned home, he was well versed in all branches of wisdom. The king then told his son to take a large stone, the size of a millstone, and bring it up to the palace attic.

The son looked at the stone and realized that he would not be able to lift it. It was a huge, heavy boulder. He felt very bad because he would not be able to fulfill his father's request. The king then explained his true intention to his son: "Did you really think that I wanted you to carry this huge boulder? Even will all your wisdom, you could not do it. My intention is that you take a hammer and break the boulder into small pieces. You will then be able to bring the entire boulder up into the attic."

The Rebbe explained that G-d wants us to "lift our hearts with our hands, to our Father in Heaven" (Eichah 3:41). But our hearts may be like huge, heavy stones, which we cannot possibly lift, no matter what we do. What we must do is take the hammer of words, and break and crumble our hearts of stone. Then we can lift them up to G-d.

(Shivchei Moharan 23a #5)

Who Are The Tzaddikim In Your Neighborhood?

Today, the 25th of Tishrei, is the yahrzeit of Rebbe Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev.

The appendix to the sefer Kedushas Levi relates the following story of his birth:

At the hour that Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was born in Hoshakov, the Baal Shem Tov offered his disciples cake and brandy. "A great soul came into the world who will be the defender of the Jewish people," he said. He then told his disciples, "Before this soul was destined to descend to this world, Satan complained: "Ribbono shel Olam, this soul will turn the whole world to doing good. It will do away with all evil. What will there be left for me to do?"

G-d reassured Satan saying, "The man who receives this soul will become a rabbi. The troubles and disputes he will encounter won't leave him much time for causing Jews to repent."

During my trip to Ukraine four years ago, I was able to visit the kevarim of tzaddikim in Medzhebuz, Anapol, Slavuta, Polonoye, and Shepetovka. Unfortunately, time did not permit me to visit the kever of this great tzaddik in Berditchev or the kever of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov in Uman. There were so many places that I did not get a chance to visit.

I hope to return one day with my children and show them that their ancestors came from the area that was the birthplace of Chassidus.

My Deeds Are Of No Importance

A man must be meek and humble in his conduct and in all his actions. Now you may ask, "Shouldn't I be modest and humble also in my service of G-d? Shouldn't I consider my prayer and good deeds as irrelevant and of negligible importance?" G-d forbid; don't entertain such thoughts! You should say to yourself, "The mitzvos that I perform are valued very highly by G-d. G-d takes immense delight in my good deeds." If you would be humble to fulfilling your religious duties, if you would say, "G-d is so great that my insignificant deeds are of no importance to Him," you would be committing a grave error; in fact, you would be denying G-d's greatness.

(Rebbe Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev)

People Of The Book

Before Yom Kippur I went to Rabbi Yissocher Frand's annual teshuva drasha. After hearing him speak last year, I knew that it was an event not to miss.

Arriving twenty-five minutes early, I found a seat up near the front and watched the other early birds as they entered the room; each one entering with a sefer in hand. It was a remarkable to see people making use of every spare second before the lecture by learning Torah. Sitting idly in their seats was unthinkable. Whether they learned Mishnayos, Gemara, or Mishna Berura, every man was totally engrossed in the sefer he had brought along with him.

I sat there in awe at this wonderful testimony to the greatness of my people. I have never seen another people with such respect for books and learning; a people that always leave their homes with books in hand.

Mi K'amcha Yisroel?

What Is A Kofer?

A Jew who says he doesn't believe in G-d is called a kofer. To appreciate the implications of this word, we should see how it is examined in other contexts. In monetary law, for example, a kofer is a defendant who lies about his financial obligations. He himself knows the truth, but he is trying to deceive others. So too, a Jew who says he does not believe is doing his best to fool the world, but he himself knows the truth.

The root meaning of the word kofer is "to cover". We see this from the word kapores, which was the cover on the Aron Kodesh, the Holy Ark, in the Beis Ha-Mikdash. Even the word kapparah, "atonement", is related, since through the process of atonement, sin is covered and concealed. Similarly, a Jewish kofer is a person who "covers up" the reality of his own being. For, in essence, he to is a believer.

The deepest implications of a word are often revealed by the way it is used in the Torah the first time. The word kofer first appears when Hashem tells Noach to build the ark - "you shall smear it, on the inside and the outside, with a layer of tar." Thus we discover that the word kofer means a thin, external coating - a veneer. In other words, a Jewish kofer is a person who has covered himself with a thin layer of disbelief. But if you look just beneath the surface, you will find a believer.

(Rabbi Moshe Wolfson)

A Stinky Panda Bear In The Dryer?

Before we started to build our sukkah, my wife noticed a foul smell coming from the dryer. After putting my head in the dryer and recognizing the familiar horrible smell of a dead animal, I set off to the backyard with my three year-old daughter to investigate the window well where the dryer exhaust vent is located.

Since this window well is located under the bump-out section of our kitchen, I had to crawl on my stomach to access it. I looked down into window well and immediately smelled the horrible smell again and saw a grayish carcass that I thought was a squirrel.

I returned to the window well with gloves, shovel, plastic bag, and a bandana tied around my face. Crawling under the bump-out the second time, I tried to use the shovel to remove the dead animal but the animal was too heavy to lift. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I noticed that this grayish carcass was not so small. I could clearly make out a large head, long body, and two pointy ears.

I climbed back out and told my daughter that we could not remove the "stinky-smelling" animal because it wasn't just a little squirrel. To this she replied, "Not a squirrel? Is it a panda bear??" No, it wasn't a panda bear or even a giraffe. I told her that it was probably the fox we have seen in our neighborhood.

Not being a "manly-man", I decided to call in professional help at this point. Within two hours a truck pulled into my driveway with two men who looked like they made their living pulling dead animals out of hard-to-reach places. A muscle-bound man with tattoos on his neck and arms was able to remove the decaying 15-pound fox carcass in just ten minutes time. He told me he had just come from pulling a dead raccoon out of someone's wall and was now off to remove a snake from a car dashboard.

Before he left, he poured some moth balls down into the window well to help get rid of the odor. For the rest of the day our basement smelled of a bouquet of moth balls, scented fabric sheets, and lingering dead fox carcass. Luckily, the smell dissipated sufficiently so we did not have to eat our yom tov meals with the dead fox smell wafting in our sukkah - located just a few feet away from the window well.