This week's portion gives us an account of the series of the miracles that took place as we finally were able to rid ourselves of Pharaoh. These include the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, the pillars of clouds and fire that led the people through the desert, as well as the mannah, spiritual bread the fell from the sky. Constant miracles, which were even greater than the ten plagues discussed last week.
Yet, again, the Torah portion begins with quite enigmatic language. Despite all the miracles in the background, we are told that God did not lead our people in the shortest path to the Promised Land, lest the people see war and decide to go back to Egypt.
How could war make them reconsider? They had God Himself on their side! Their certain victory should have been fairly obvious, no?
As we soon find out, despite all the miracles, when certain challenges presented themselves, the Jewish people doubted God, as well as the leaders He chose. The Talmud (Megillah 10b) notes that the very first word of the portion "Vayehi" is a combination of two negative words, "Vay" and "Hee," which connote distress. Rabbi Immanuel Schochet explains that this distress is related to the future complaints of the Jewish people, which occured despite all the miracles they witnessed. (For audio lessons from Rabbi Schochet, click here).
People forget miracles - it's human nature. Faith is not something that comes naturally. It has to be worked on, developed. That's what God was doing with us in the desert. God was molding our faith. Moshe is called in the Zohar as the "Raya Mehemna," the Faithful Shephard. The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that this can also be undertsood as the Shepherd of Faith - he helped develop the faith of the Jewish people.
Both the challenges and the subsequent miracles helped develop our faith. There are plenty of examples of this in this portion alone: the pressure of the Egyptian cavalry and chariots followed by the splitting of the sea; the lack of drinkable water followed by either fresh water coming from a rock or by the sweetening of bitter water with a tree (Torah); the war with Amalek and the subsequent victory thanks to Moshe's raising his arms in prayer; the lack of food, followed by the mannah; and many others.
The mannah is perhaps the best example of God developing our faith. We had to trust God that he would deliver our sustenance every day. We had to learn that on Friday we received two portions, and that on the Sabbath we weren't supposed to even try to collect one. All this "molding" did not come easy, and not without setbacks, but after 40 years in the desert and 2000 years in exile, we Jewish people are proud to be called "Maaminim Bnei Maaminim," believers sons of believers.
Rabbi Natan of Breslov (Likutei Halakhot, Hilchot Pessach 7) explains that the whole idea of the Exodus and the entering of the Promised Land is related to the concept of faith. The very reason for the exile was due to a slight blemish in faith, found in Abraham's question to God, "How will I know that I will inherit [the land]." (Bereishit 15:8) It is only after Abraham asks this question that God tells him that his descendants would be slaves for 400 years. Rabbi Natan goes on to explain that the whole purpose of life is for us to develop faith.
As mentioned last week, we should not be afraid of challenges. Rather we should embrace them as ways to come closer to God. This week we learn that the greatest challenges we face are not when we are slaves, but actually when we are free. Free to grow.
For more information on the life of Rabbi Natan, which was action-packed with extreme challenges and with faithful success, check out "Through Fire and Water." Available at ModernJewishHome.com, here.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Bo: Come to Pharaoh
In this week's Torah portion, we learn about the last three plagues, which culminate with the Passover sacrifice and the death of the Egyptian firstborn. The portion starts out with words that are somewhat enigmatic. God tells Moshe, "Come to Pharaoh" instead of "Go" to him. This implies that God is in the same place as Pharaoh, and that by coming to Pharaoh, Moshe is actually coming to God as well. Continuing the thoughts of last week's portion, it is important for us always to remember that when we are on a mission and we're facing difficulties, God is in the difficulties, too. Every obstacle we face comes from God. He places them in our way in order for us to realize just how much we need Him, and to bring us closer to Him.
On a similar note, even the plagues themselves were sent in order for us and the Egyptians to come closer to God. Rabbi Yossi Jacobson points out that the ten plagues parallel the ten faculties of the soul, known as the sefirot. These faculties had been utterly corrupted by Egyptian culture, and the plagues began a process of purification of the impure husks (klipot) created. The healing of the ten soul faculties was ultimately achieved with the giving of the Ten Commandments. More information on this concept can be found here.
This idea of rectifying the ten faculties of the soul and nullifying the ten levels of klippah connected to them, is also found in the works of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, particularly in his famous "Tikun HaKlali" (General Remedy). Rebbe Nachman and his main disciple, Rabbi Natan, discuss a spiritual discovery Rabbi Nachman made regarding a general rectification that is achieved through the recitation of ten particular psalms. These psalms represent the ten expressions of song, which are the basis for the entire Book of Psalms. These psalms are to be said in order, and are the following: 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, 150.
Rebbe Nachman said that he is "very strong" about everything he taught, but that he is "strongest" regarding the great power of this general remedy. He also stated that reciting them seems relatively easy, but that in practice it will be difficult.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. The bottom line is that we have to work in order to achieve. If we realize that the whole process is actually bringing us closer to God, then the work and hardship won't be that bad after all - it will actually be good. I don't mean to be repetitive, but the idea is worth repeating: the main thing is to have faith and not be afraid. Never give up - there's no such thing.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. The bottom line is that we have to work in order to achieve. If we realize that the whole process is actually bringing us closer to God, then the work and hardship won't be that bad after all - it will actually be good. I don't mean to be repetitive, but the idea is worth repeating: the main thing is to have faith and not be afraid. Never give up - there's no such thing.
More information regarding Tikun Klali can be found in Avraham Greenbaum's book, available at ModernJewishHome.com, here.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Artist of the Month of Shvat: Sandra Felzen
Sandra Felzen was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences, Sandra began her art studies from 1981-86 in New York. Past solo exhibits include “Brazil is the Name of a Tree” in the Brazilian-American Cultural Institute in Washington, DC, “Estações” (Seasons) in the National Museum of Fine Arts of Rio de Janeiro, “Terra” (Earth) in the Centro Cultural Candido Mendes in Rio de Janeiro and “Vereda” in Centro Cultural Paschoal Carlos Magno in Niteroi, Brazil. She has participated in several group exhibits including “5th International Biennale of Contemporary Art”, Florence; "Variations" in Gwenda Jay Gallery, Chicago; "America 500" in Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires; “Cells of Creation” in Espaço Cultural dos Correios, Rio de Janeiro and "Recent Trends in Works of Art on Paper" in Museo de Arte Moderno, Buenos Aires. She currently resides in Rio de Janeiro.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Vaera: "I Appeared"
This week's Torah portion begins with God speaking to Moses, and answering (though not really answering) Moses' question/complaint regarding why the Jewish people were suffering so much, since after all, he was sent by God Himself to redeem them. How could this lead to them suffering even more? The story continues to enfold, and progress is made. God sends miraculous plagues upon the Egyptians, with Pharaoh still stubbornly refusing to let the Jewish people go, all along the way.
The incredibly tragic events that took place and are still taking place in Haiti this week evoke many of the same themes as Vaera. They remind us of God's vast power as well as our vulnerability, and, perhaps more importantly, of the tremendous degree of unexplainable human suffering present in the world.
We cannot even pretend to understand why such tragedies take place. To try to find reasons for the Haitian people (including infants and children) to deserve such a tragedy would be simply inhumane. That is not our job - specially given all the suffering that we've been through ourselves throughout our history and especially in this past century. However, it is our job to feel the pain of our fellow men, and to help. We must ask God how He could do such a thing - even if we know we won't get immediate answers.
What we can be certain of, though, is that just as in Egypt, we and the entire world will be redeemed. It might take time, we might encounter Pharaohs such as the one now in Iran (who even claim divine inspiration!), but the bottom line is that we know that we will be made whole with miracles even greater than those encountered in Egypt.
There's a famous Jewish saying that states: "Kol Hatchalot Kashot." "All beginnings are difficult." (Rashi and Mechilta, Parashat Yitro). The main thing, as Rebbe Nachman of Breslov would say, is not to be afraid and not to give up. There is no such thing as giving up.
As we start this blog and we pass the beginning phases of ModernJewishHome.com, we know that there will be initial challenges, but we know we will also pull through, with the help of our Boss.
The incredibly tragic events that took place and are still taking place in Haiti this week evoke many of the same themes as Vaera. They remind us of God's vast power as well as our vulnerability, and, perhaps more importantly, of the tremendous degree of unexplainable human suffering present in the world.
We cannot even pretend to understand why such tragedies take place. To try to find reasons for the Haitian people (including infants and children) to deserve such a tragedy would be simply inhumane. That is not our job - specially given all the suffering that we've been through ourselves throughout our history and especially in this past century. However, it is our job to feel the pain of our fellow men, and to help. We must ask God how He could do such a thing - even if we know we won't get immediate answers.
What we can be certain of, though, is that just as in Egypt, we and the entire world will be redeemed. It might take time, we might encounter Pharaohs such as the one now in Iran (who even claim divine inspiration!), but the bottom line is that we know that we will be made whole with miracles even greater than those encountered in Egypt.
There's a famous Jewish saying that states: "Kol Hatchalot Kashot." "All beginnings are difficult." (Rashi and Mechilta, Parashat Yitro). The main thing, as Rebbe Nachman of Breslov would say, is not to be afraid and not to give up. There is no such thing as giving up.
As we start this blog and we pass the beginning phases of ModernJewishHome.com, we know that there will be initial challenges, but we know we will also pull through, with the help of our Boss.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Sefer Shemot: The Book of Names
This week we start a new Book of the Torah: Shemot (Exodus), which in Hebrew means "Names." Our rabbis teach us that there were three important cultural practices the Jews kept that allowed them to maintain their Jewish identity through exile in Egypt: 1) their Jewish names; 2) the Hebrew language; 3) and their way of dress.
Nowadays, most of us don't dress particularly different then the rest of the nations. Most of us outside of Israel don't know any Hebrew either. However, when it comes to Jewish names, we pretty much all have one - and if we don't, we can always get one (it's often derived from the name commonly used by the person).
Fortunately, as the title of the Book of Shemot indicates, of all three things, having Jewish names is the most important. No matter how far people go away from their Judaism and Jewish identity, their name can always bring them back to their roots.
Names are full of meaning and describe the essence of a person. The Holy Rabbi Isaac Luria (the "Ari" - the Lion) of Tzfat, perhaps the greatest kabbalist to ever live, states that the parents' choice of name for a child is a form of divine prophecy. God places the name in the mouth of the parents. Various mystical sages, including the Lubavitcher Rebbe, when asked to give a name to another's child, would refuse to do so, so as to not take away this special prophetic moment.
Simply having a Jewish name should be cause enough for celebration. Yet, us here at Modern Jewish Home believe that we should always strive for more. In order to ultimately achieve the three cultural aspects mentioned above, as well as other key characteristics that make us live fully as Jews, we should start by improving the Jewishness of our homes.
By keeping our homes Jewish, both in their look and feel, we set the correct foundation for everything else. We make a powerful and immediate impact on all those that live there, and on all that come to visit. That's what we mean by "Celebrating Jewish Life in Style."
Nowadays, most of us don't dress particularly different then the rest of the nations. Most of us outside of Israel don't know any Hebrew either. However, when it comes to Jewish names, we pretty much all have one - and if we don't, we can always get one (it's often derived from the name commonly used by the person).
Fortunately, as the title of the Book of Shemot indicates, of all three things, having Jewish names is the most important. No matter how far people go away from their Judaism and Jewish identity, their name can always bring them back to their roots.
Names are full of meaning and describe the essence of a person. The Holy Rabbi Isaac Luria (the "Ari" - the Lion) of Tzfat, perhaps the greatest kabbalist to ever live, states that the parents' choice of name for a child is a form of divine prophecy. God places the name in the mouth of the parents. Various mystical sages, including the Lubavitcher Rebbe, when asked to give a name to another's child, would refuse to do so, so as to not take away this special prophetic moment.
Simply having a Jewish name should be cause enough for celebration. Yet, us here at Modern Jewish Home believe that we should always strive for more. In order to ultimately achieve the three cultural aspects mentioned above, as well as other key characteristics that make us live fully as Jews, we should start by improving the Jewishness of our homes.
By keeping our homes Jewish, both in their look and feel, we set the correct foundation for everything else. We make a powerful and immediate impact on all those that live there, and on all that come to visit. That's what we mean by "Celebrating Jewish Life in Style."
Friday, January 1, 2010
Book of the Month: Family Portrait
Embedded in the images of an old photograph was a family history waiting to be revealed to Ann Helen Wainer. Family Portrait documents Ann's journey of discovery that led her to learn more about the people in the photograph, and ultimately, about herself.
Ann's family, the Kuprewassers, lived in Poland during Hitler's rise to power and cautiously watched the events unfold in Nazi Germany. Like other Jewish families at the time, they faced an uncertain future. On the eve of one of the world's greatest atrocities, the Holocaust, Ann's grandfather gathered his clan for a family portrait, on that would survive its characters - who either perished in Nazi death campts or remain unaccounted for.
Amazingly, the photograph survived, as did the story of the Kuperwassers. In this extraordinary memoir, Ann reconstructs her family's history by means of extensive research, countless interviews with family, friends, and other survivors, as well as from an oral history recorded by an uncle.
In the process, Ann discovers a lifetime of treasures in the stories and information about her family, and Family Portrait guarantees that they will endure for generations to come.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)