Recap for 8 Sh'vat 5773

This Shabbos we discussed the idea that Hashem wants the Jewish people to act collectively and why it is preferable to daven in a minyan.  If we daven with a minyan our prayers will be accepted by Hasem.  They will have an affect somewhere, somehow, although we may not know what this is.  It is a special mitzvah to be one of the first 10 people who show up to daven.  Each of these first 10 people are necessary in order to have the minyan.  However it is important to keep in mind that none of these first 10 are sufficient by themselves.

In some cases it is not possible to daven with a minyan.  We will then have to daven with kuvanah in order that our prayers be accepted.  We discussed specific cases in which it is permissible to daven on our own.   If one would suffer great economic harm it may be permissible to daven on one’s own.  We also discussed if one is a teacher of Torah it may be permissible to daven on one’s own.  If we can’t daven with a minyan we should try to do it at the same time as the minyan that we are usually a part of.  Of course if we are in a different time zone, we may need to say prayers at a different time.  I remember on a plane ride to Israel we davened at the time the sun “came up” relative to the plane.  It was still dark at the shul near my house.

This Shabbos we also discussed the week’s parsha.   After 9 Plagues, pharaoh still refuses to let the Jewish people go.  In the parsha, Mosha seems to already know what is coming next, what the 10th plague will be, and how Pharaoh will react to this final plague.  How can Mosha already know what is going to happen?  We remember back to an earlier parsha where Hashem spoke to Moses about this.

In the parsha, Hashem hardens pharaoh’s heart which makes it even more likely the Jews will be freed.  Why would Hashem do this?  It seems to be planned out in advance that there will be 10 plagues, and exactly which plague will be the last.  We remember the conversation at the burning bush, but what is so special about the 10^th plague in which the first born are killed.

The first born, held special status in Egypt.  We learn that it is not status or physical strength that should determine power, but morality and spiritual principles.  Egypt should free the Jews because it is the right thing to do, not because something that is powerful in the physical world compels them to do so.  There are many different types of power in the world.  Power that comes from strength, and power that comes from status.  But the most important power is doing what is right.  And knowledge of this, comes from Hasem and our Torah.

This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 15 Sh'vat 5773

This Shabbos we discussed who can be counted in a minyan.  One of the things that is important is that those who are present in the minyan know what is going on - at least to some extent.  So, for example, someone who is drunk may not be counted.  If the person can’t recognize authority figures, known as “level 2” intoxication, they can’t be counted.  Certainly someone who is completely out of it from drinking, known as “level 3” intoxication, can’t be counted in the minyan.

We discussed whether or not a nonobservant Jew can be counted.  If the Jew is not observant in public on purpose, he can’t be counted.  On the other hand, if the Jew is being respectful of others, he can be counted even if he is not observant.  However it is necessary that the role of chazzan be fulfilled by an observant Jew.

We discussed the difference between just being physically present and being ready and able to participate in the specific prayers.  People may arrive at different times and be at different points in the service.  It is only necessary to have a majority of the minyan at the same point in the service for most of the prayers, except for the repetition of the Amidah which requires 9 out of 10.

We discussed this Shabbos how Hashem freed us from slavery in Egypt.  We did not have to prepare ourselves for this freedom, it was simply given to us.  Our freedom was finally granted suddenly after the 10^th and final plague.  We did not even have time to wait for our bread to rise it was necessary to leave suddenly.

We contrasted this experience with receiving the Torah.  In this case, it was necessary to be ready.  Hashem had us go the long way because it would take time for us to be ready to receive the Torah.  Hashem was willing to do almost everything for us in order to get us out of Egypt, but from that point forward it became necessary for us to do our part and not rely solely on Hashem.  It took us 40 days to get to Mt. Sinai and be ready to receive the Torah.

We contrasted both of these experiences with entering the land of Israel.  The threshold of preparation that was necessary for this was even greater than in the other two cases.  In fact it ended up taking us 40 years to be ready to enter the land of Israel.  The spies returned from Israel with a pessimistic report, and we refused to have faith in Hashem, so we had to wait an entire generation until we could enter the land.

We also discussed the prohibition against cooking on Shabbos and why this prohibition came about.  The original design of the world was to be so that Hashem would provide for all our physical needs, and we could focus on spirituality.  We would not have to prepare food at all.  There would be "trees" that would provide us with bread, cooked meat, and drinks, etc. etc.

In the Garden of Eden all our physical needs were taken care of, however we still had to focus on the spiritual and the mitzvah we were given not to partake of the forbidden fruit.  Since we did not fufill this mitzvah, today we have to spend most of our time working in the physical world.  However, we still have Shabbot.  And on Shabbot we are not suppose to be focused on working, which is why we do not cook - but prepare our food ahead of time.

This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 22 Sh'vat 5773

This Shabbos we continued our discussion of what it takes to make a minyan.  The shul may have many rooms, but it is necessary to have 10 men physically present in the main room.  Additional men can then gather in an adjoining room, and they will count as having been part of the minyan, but they can not count for meeting the requirement of having 10 men.

There are 4 levels of minyan participation.  The first level is being present in the main room.  The second level is being present in an adjoining room.  The third level is being present in the parking lot or somewhere within listening distance.  And the fourth level is listening to a minyan over the radio, television, internet, or some other communication device.  We discussed whether or not we could answer "amen" to a radio broadcast.  We can, but it is less than the ideal situation of being actually present with a minyan.

We discussed what would happen if there are enough to have a minyan and begin a service, but someone leaves.  If someone leaves in the middle of a section, resulting in less than 10 men, it is permissible to finish the current section – even if it normally would require a minyan.  It is also permissible to do the kaddish which separates the sections.  But any subsequent sections requiring a minyan will have to be put on hold until 10 men are present.  Some minyans immediately stop when someone leaves, and this is not necessary.

Yaki spoke this Shabbos about the differences between believing something because it is logical, and believing something because we believe it in our gut and as a core of our being.  There are some things in which it is better to choose to believe, and to believe it with all our heart.  This includes our belief in Hashem.  This way we can never be talked out of it.  

Our belief in Hashem makes logical sense, that the incredible organization and design of the world did not come about randomly and by accident, but we also have to belief this as a choose and as a core foundation of our being.  David pointed out how there are things that we just belief and no amount of argument is going to convince us otherwise, such as politics.  This is the same with our belief in Hashem.

We talked about how Pesach is coming up, and how this sometimes brings stress and anxiety in people when it should bring great joy and happiness.  Many people think Pesach means a complete and never ending “spring cleaning” of their home, and it brings anxiety to them that all this will need to be done within a deadline.  But according to the actual halakhah the preparation required is a lot less than this.  It has just become a custom to take this opportunity to do a lot of cleaning.

We discussed the parsha and how the order of events as described in the Torah is not the actual order of events.  The organization of the Jewish people is described before the giving of the Torah, however the Jewish people’s organization as described occurred afterwards.  We discussed possible reasons for this.  One of them is that we must be organized in order to accomplish our mission of learning Torah and applying it and using it as a guideline.  There were 600,000 Jews at the time, and in order for all of them to absorb the Torah and incorporate it in their lives it was necessary to have an organizational structure.

We talked about the month of Adar, and how we elevate our level of Simcha during this month.  We discussed how the greatest joy occurs following times when we were in our darkest moments.  Our emotions compare our current well-being to the place we recently were at, and this large gap results in a lot of happiness.  An example that was brought up, if we are in a boat and reach shore we may be glad to have arrived; but if it started and continued hailing while we are on the boat we are going to be absolutely delighted and relieved to have made it to shore!

This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 29 Sh'vat 5773

This Shabbos we continued to discuss davening in a minyan.  We discussed how it is best to daven in a minyan at shul, rather than in our homes.  It is also best to daven in the same shul consistently rather than moving from shul to shul.  However, there are exceptions.  There may be good reasons for davening in a different shul.   For example, there may be a special learning at another shul in between the davening, or we may want to see a family member who davens at a different shul. 

We discussed how it is desirable to have one's own spot for davening within the shul.  This could be the same chair or corner.  Some shuls allow members to reserve seats, but even without officially reserved seating we should try to daven in the same spot.  We do not have to measure our spot exactly to the nearest inch.  As long as we are within 7 feet of where we usually daven, this would be considered good enough.  If someone is visiting the shul and happens to be in our spot, it is better to allow him to do so, as it is more important to welcome a visitor and make him feel comfortable than to daven in our regular spot.  Having said this, we should be careful when visiting a shul to respect the spaces of others.

We discussed how we should be in a hurry to go to shul, but never in a hurry to leave.  We should walk quickly to shul and enter the building.  When the services are done we should take our time, talk to others, and not be in a rush to get somewhere else.  This shows a lot of respect and honor to our shul and to Hashem.  Shul is not a place we have to go, it is a place we want to go.

We discussed how we may be reading 2 separate sections of the Torah, but we still bring out 2 Torahs to do so.  It would take less time to just take out 1 Torah, but taking out 2 Torah’s gives both sections the same formality and blessings that they would receive as if each one was read on separate days.

We discussed the halakah of giving a “half sheckel” coin on Purim.  The custom now-a-days is to give coins that are each equal to ½ of the host country’s currency.  So in the United States we give half dollars.  The custom is to give 3 half dollars for each household member.  The shul sells the half dollars to members, who can pay an amount that is more than the face value if they wish to make a larger donation.  During Purim it is customary to give Tzedukah, and this is one way in which this can be done.

We also discussed the Torah portion that we read on Purim about the battle between the Jews and Amalek.  The Israelites eventually prevail.  Hashem then instructs Moses to write about what happens in a book which we read on Purim.  

This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 6 Adar I 5773

This Shabbos we continued our discussion of tefillah and where is the best place to daven and hear the Magillah reading.  As we discussed last week, we should try to have a regular shul, and a regular spot in this shul.  How should we pick a regular shul?  We should prefer large minyans over small minyans, unless the small group needs help making a minyan.  We should prefer a beit midrash, or a place with Torah study somewhere in the building, over other shuls.  However, the most important thing is to daven in a minyan that helps us have the most kuvanah.

Norm talked about his father, on the occasion of his yahrzeit.  His father worked very hard in the garmet district of New York.  Norm spoke about meeting his father at the train station with an umbrella, and how his father was very loving and generous, opening up his home for lodging and meals to anyone.

David talked about how his father says all events happen in a place and time.  How are these events determined?  With Purim we see the hand of Hashem, even though Hashem remains hidden.  We discussed this central theme of Purim – to uncover that which is hidden.  We discussed how men often hide their true character, but there are ways to see who someone really is on Purim.   These ways include seeing ones generosity with tzedukah, seing their sense of humor, and seeing how they react when angry. 

We discussed how Purim ties the written and oral Torah together.  Purim is not a Torah mitzvah, as it does not come from the Chumash, but it does come from a later written work in the Tenach.   Purim was the last book to make the canonization.  The 4 main mitzvah from the book include reading the Magillah, participating in the festivities, giving tzedukah to the needy, and giving mishloach manot bags to others.  In addition to these mitzvahs, there is a Torah reading that we do Purim morning, a fast, and a section that is added to the benching and siddur.

We discussed in detail the mitzvah of speaking the Magillah reading.  Like other speaking mitzvah, hearing the reading fulfills the mitzvah.  The mitzvah is to hear the reading both day and night.  This mitzvah applies to men, woman and converts.  Woman play a large role in the story of Purim, and were deeply affected thus it is a mitzvah for them even though it is positive and time dependent.  Converts need to participate even though their ancestry may not include a nation of Jews.  It is important to hear every word of the Magillah.  If we miss some words, we need to pick up a book, and read these words up to the point where we catch up to the reader.

We discussed how it is ok to to work on Purim, but it is better to avoid it unless our work involves festivities and simchah, or it is absolutely necessary in order to avoid loss.  Purim is a rabbinic holiday so work is not strictly prohibited, but even at home we should try to do errands and tasks that bring pleasure.  This would not be a good day to scrub toilets or mow the lawn.  If we do go to work we should not start something new.

David spoke about a joke that his father tells.  A man is talking to a potential father-in-law.  He is bragging how he makes $1000 a day.  But it turns out he only made $1000 a day on Purim delivering Mishloach Manot bags!

This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 13 Adar I 5773

This Shabbos we discussed 3 mitzvahs related to Purim, always remember, never forget, and rid ourselves of “almalek”, which means any enemy or evil inclination.   We need to always remember the story of Purim.  A way that we do this is by attending the Magillah readings and participating in the festivities of the holiday.  As individuals we may have also encountered our own “almaleks” that we overcame, that we should also remember.  We do not want to forget the story of Purim (or our own Alamalks) and then remember it only when we read the Magillah.  We should always be aware.  We should rid ourselves of our enemies including temptations which would cause us to act in a way contrary to what Hashem has commanded us to do.

We discussed how the story of Purim teaches us a lesson, that if we focus too much on what we don’t have we can end up losing what we do have.  Haman had a position of great status, with many of his needs taken care of but he choose to focus on what he did not have – Jews bowing down to him.  If he would have accepted that Jews were not going to worship him, he probably would not have lost everything including his life.  This is a lesson for all of us.  We should be grateful for what we have and not go insane because of what we don’t have.  We should see the glass as half full rather than half empty.  Rather than trying to get more and more things, and more and more power, we should take some time off on Shabbos and at other times to appreciate.

We discussed how when we can’t have something, we end up wanting it more.  For example, in the Garden of Eden the only thing that was out of bounds was forbidden fruit on one specific tree.  Not being allowed to have this fruit, increased the temptation to try it.  The fact that Mordechai would not bow to him, increased Haman’s desire to make it happen.  Hashem gives us free will and a world with temptations.  If we choose to do the right thing, we will grow spiritually and become closer to Hashem.

We discussed the 3 things Jews needed to do upon entering the land of Israel.  First we needed to become organized and appoint a king.  Second we need to rid ourselves of our enemies.  And finally we needed to build a Beit Midrash. This brings up a conflict in moral values, as ridding ourselves of our enemies means we have to go to war and people are going to lose their life.  But sometimes we deal with an enemy who leaves us no other choice.  If our enemy hates us and does not want us to exist at all no matter what we do, what other alternative do we have?  

In our personal lives we may have rules, guidelines, and halakah that we follow 99% of the time but sometimes conflicts can come up and there are exceptions.   An example we discussed, we may have to stop ambulances at the border to check for bombers.  Another example, we may have to eat non-kosher food if we are starving.   Another example, we may have to listen to Christian gospel in order to visit the sick.

This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 20 Adar I 5773

This Shabbos we discussed how a handful of Jews went to Egypt and after 10 generations, there were millions of Jews with 600,000 of these being men over 20 years old.  We discussed why Hashem would send us to Egypt or allow us to be taken there in the first place.  The answer is that having suffered ourselves in Egypt, and having been able to recover from this suffering, we are better able to understand the plight of others and help make the world a better place.  Elli mentioned that organizations such as AA take advantage of this idea, using those who have recovered from a form of enslavement to help others who find themselves in the same situation.

We discussed how Egyptian society was very much wrapped up in the physical world, whereas the Jews embraced spirituality.  For the Jews, this spirituality began with Abraham.   The Jews were uniquely qualified to be the chosen people for carrying Hashem’s message and Torah to the world.  Having said this, the Jews still did take advantage of the physical world in Egypt.  They not only left during the Exodus with large amounts of wealth, they learned how to use the physical world as a platform for practicing their spirituality.  We discussed how spirituality can not exist in a vacuum.  Hashem created the physical world as a platform, so we could “elevate the sparks of kiddusha”, as one of my friends puts it.

We discussed 2 major themes of Pesach, Hashem revealing himself and the Jews being the chosen people.  Matzo symbolizes Hashem revealing himself, and the “passing over” of the Jews symbolizes our being the chosen people.  As discussed above, the Jews were chosen because they had a tradition of embracing spirituality dating back to the time of Abraham.   We discussed how Judaism was the religion that brought monotheism to the world.  The idea of monotheism was a revolutionary idea.  The Eastern religions all worship multiple entities and are polytheistic.

We discussed how Hashem loves us, but must sometimes use fear of punishment as a motivator.  The times when Jews have found themselves in trouble, it is often because we lacked motivation and expected Hashem to do everything.  Sometimes we are motivated by having “skin in the game” but other times we lack the maturity to be motivated in more sophisticated ways.  One of the examples we discussed is how the tablets that came from Hashem were scattered, but the tablets coming from Moses were not.  

We started our discussion of the halakah of Passover and how it is not difficult to transfer ownership of that which is in our possession.  We started to discuss how we do not want to be so tired from our preparations, that we barely have energy for the Seder.  We also discussed how we not only remember the story of the Exodus to understand the Jews as a nation, we remember the story because we may experience our own forms of enslavement of various types in our personal life.  The story of the Exodus can give us inspiration our own personal lives, and just like our enslavement from Egypt we never want to forget our own stories.

This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 5 Nissan 5773

This Shabbos we discussed the difference between our intentions and our actions.  Our intentions may be good, but our actions may not be good even if they could lead to achieving our objectives.  For example, we discussed the sin of the Golden Calf.  Our intention of finding a way to connect with Hashem in the absence of Moses was good, but our action of idol worship was not good.

We discussed the ways of doing t’shuva, doing the opposite of what we did wrong, and being in the same situation and not repeating the same mistakes.  The Jews did t’shuva for the sin of the Golden Calf, by being meticulous in following the instructions for building the temple.  In the Torah these instructions are repeated, which indicates Hashem’s happiness with our work.  Moses was not sure that Hashem was pleased so he did not enter the newly constructed temple at first.  But then Hashem called out to Moses.

We discussed how sometimes we need rules so that objectives are met, and other times we are successful with just the objectives.   For example children need bedtimes, but professionals at work do not need to be micromanaged.   We discussed how there are areas in which we were not following the Torah, so the Rabbis instituted additional rabbinic laws that would hopefully lead to better observance.  For example, a lot of the laws concerning the mixing of dairy and meat are not spelled out in the written Torah, but are later presented in the Talmud and oral law.

We continued our discussion of getting ready for Pesach.   There are two standards, one for ownership and one for consumption.   The standard for ownership is that we are not permitted to own pieces that are larger than a thimble.  If there are areas of the house in which we will not be eating or preparing food, we only need to make sure there are no pieces larger than this size. A thimble is a piece with dimensions of about ½ inch in each direction.  

It is important to note that there is a difference between ownership and possession.    We can possess chumatz as long as we don’t own it, and we can’t own any chumatz regardless of whether or not it is in our possession.    The way to possess chumatz without ownership is to lock it up in one area of the house, and then use a rabbi to sell it to a non-jew.  We need to remember to sell any chumatz we may not possess, but still own.

We discussed how it is a special positive mitzvah to eat matzah during the first 2 seders.  It is necessary that this be a special matzuh that has been guarded against contact with water or anything else that would render it unsuitable.  For the remainder of the days of Chol Chomed some authorities take the position that there is extra mitzvah in continuing to eat matzah, however it is only necessary to eat a thimble’s worth each time.  Eating more than this brings no additional benefit, however we should eat matzah in situations where we would normally eat bread.

Finally, David talked about what his father would say about interrupting Torah learning.  It is not desirable to interrupt learning, but being interrupted by birds or to admire the trees does not have to be an interruption to the learning.  The key is to be conscious of the miracles of Hashem's creation, especially on Shabbos.   

This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 12 Nissan 5773

Last Shabbos we discussed how character traits are a range and it is usually best to be in the middle. For example, there is the extreme of being stingy and the extreme of being too generous. It is best to be in the middle. There is the extreme of being overly cautious, for example too afraid to leave the house, and the extreme of not being cautious at all and acting recklessly. Again, it is best to be somewhere in the middle.

We discussed one exception to this, which is humility. The opposite of humility is arrogance, which is represented by chumatz. It is best to be as humble as possible. Matzah represents humility. Before Pesach we get rid of our chumatz – arrogance – and replace it with matzah – humility.

During the times of the temple we would sacrifice animals, which represented getting rid of our animal instincts. When we give in to our ego and animal instincts we distance ourselves from Hashem. When we do mitzvah, and carry out our mission and follow the Torah we get closer to Hashem.

We discussed why we are allowed to eat chumatz all year around, if it represents our rising egos. If we ate matzah all the time, we would have nothing to compare eating matzah to. In Judaism, the day begins with darkness and ends with light. We have to visit the dark, first. The Jews went to Egypt in order to know what slavery is like. Only after being in Egypt can we appreciate freedom. The Jews remember how they turned something bad into something good, slavery into freedom, and recount the story every year so that they can apply the same lessons to their personal lives.

If there is something bad, challenging, or unpleasant going on in our lives perhaps Hashem put it there or allows it because he wants us to learn something and grow stronger. We also need to keep in mind that only Hashem has the complete picture, and we may not know why bad things happen to us, or the reason for anything. But we should be grateful that bad things happen, because if they did not we would never grow stronger as human beings. Hashem wanted us to finish the act of creation, so that we could be humans, rather than robots or animals.

We discussed the fast of the newborn. In Egypt power came from being physically stronger, or having a superior position, like that of being first born. The reason Hashem instituted the plague of the first born was to demonstrate that power should not come from these sources, but should come from being spiritual and doing what is right. The day before the seder is the fast of the first born. The first born do not have to fast if they are going to be going to a simcha that day, or if they feel that fasting would interfere in their ability to participate both mentally and physically in the first seder.

We discussed whether or not there really is a conflict between science, and the Torah. It is very interesting that the Torah has always said that time had a beginning, but it wasn’t until the 20th century that scientists discovered and agreed that time has a beginning. The Torah is more a book of “why” than a book of “how”. Science can explain how things happen in the physical world, but cannot really explain why the world and an were created, and how we should live our lives and use our free will. We have to describe the spiritual world, by using representation in the physical world so sometimes what we read in the Torah is not to be taken literally. For example, when we read “the hand of Hashem” , we do not mean to say that Hashem has a physical hand! The fact that taking something literally doesn't make sense doesn't mean it is not "true".

On Pesach during the lunch we discussed what is the purpose of the remaining days of Pesach, after the Seders, and what remaining mitzvah remain. The primary mitzvah is to continue enjoying the holiday, and to make it a happy occasion. We should also start looking into those things that hold us back in our own personal lives. And just like the Jews Exodus from Egypt, we should think about how we might try to rid ourselves of these things, so that we can experience our own personal freedom.

We discussed whether or not there is a mitzvah to continue eating matzah for the remaining days of pesach after the seders. It is widely agreed that we should substitute matzah in those cases which we ordinarily would eat bread, but should we go out of our way to eat matzah? There is some disagreement on this, but many authorities would say that yes it is a mitzvah to go out of our way to eat matzah. In order to get the mitzvah, we only have to eat a small amount every day. It is certainly ok to eat a larger amount, but there is no more mitzvah in doing so.

We compared the mitzvah of eating in the sukkah with eating matzah over pesach. We discussed why we say the blessing for every day of sukkot, but only say the blessing for matzah during the first 2 days. An explanation we discussed was because we really have no choice but to be in the sukkah every day - as sleeping is not really an option in life, but we do have a choice whether or not to eat matzah.

This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos. No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 10 Lyyar 5773 (Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim)

This Shabbos we continued our discussion of Lag BaOmer which we celebrate on the 33rd day of the Omer.   This day is the yorzeit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who authored the Zohar which is a text of Jewish mysticism.  We discussed why this would be a day of celebration rather than mourning. Rabbi Yochai believed and taught that it is a great experience for the soul to be free of the constraints of the physical body. The Rabbi taught that once free from physical constraints we have a far greater capacity to understand Hashem and the spiritual world.  So in honor of him and his teachings, we celebrate the day of his Yorzeit rather than mourning.  It is sad to leave the physical world, but the entrance into the spiritual (without any physical constraints) can be seen as a cause for celebration.

We discussed how difficult it would be to explain colors like red, yellow, and blue to someone who is color blind. Likewise, it is difficult to understand Hashem and the spiritual world when our souls are constrained within a physical body, as part of a physical world.  For the person who is color blind, we can tell him that somehow the color he sees as black is different with different objects, but there is sure to be a lot of skeptical people who are sure it looks the same in every case!   Likewise, there are a lot of skeptics who are sure they do not “see” Hashem, and it is true they do not see him physically, but this does not translate into Hashem not existing.  We just have to "see" him in different ways.

There was actually a time in ancient history when Hashem did manifest himself in a more obvious way.    David talked about the different types of power.  In ancient times, reward and fear were used as a way to exert power by Hashem over his creations, thus giving Hashem a more obvious physical presence.  Back then the Jews really had to punish someone who was not following the Torah, as there was sure to be consequences to the entire community. This form of power was used for a long time, but at some point Hashem wanted humans to evolve and become more sophisticated in their motivations.  Today, Hashem relies on our being motivated to be holy regardless of what we receive in return.  And Hashem also relies on us following the Torah regardless of whether or not it makes logical sense.

We should do mitzvah in order to realize the spiritual benefits,  rather than trying to get something in return. Yaki talked about how we can be holy and cling to Hashem.  Following the Torah to the best of our ability is one way. We should also ask ourselves often whether or not we are carrying out the will of Hashem.  Yaki pointed out that Jews need to be with other Jews in order to carry out their mission.

To be holy we need to imitate Hashem and finish the act of creation. David talked about how it is important to do work in the physical world, as well as study Torah. Working in the physical world, we can create things and “elevate the sparks of kidusha”, as one of my friends puts it.  There needs to be a balance between work and Torah study.  Rabbi Bar Yochai hid in a cave and had food and his other needs miraculously taken care of, but in today’s world if we don’t work we are going to suffer with a lot of unmet needs, and/or be a burden on others.

We each have a mission, similar to a quarterback or center on a football team.  Even the person who brings water has an important mission.  We are a team.  It is important that we work together.

We also honor Rabbi Akiva on Lag B Omer.  Rabbi Akiva perished at the hands of the Romans, so we do not commemorate his yorzeit on the actual date of his passing, but honor him on Lag B Omer instead.  And on Lag B Omer it is customary for those who turned 3 years old during the preceding days of the Omer, to finally get their first haircut!

Please do not hesitate to leave questions and or comments.  This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos. No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 19 Nissan 5773

This Shabbos we continued our discussion of Pesach.  Pesach is a holiday that commemorates our becoming a Jewish nation.  We are freed from Egypt in order to receive the Torah, and to become the chosen people to carry out the commandments and serve Hashem.  However, when we first left Egypt we had very little faith in Hashem, and were not yet spiritually ready to receive the Torah.

After years of enslavement, there was only a tiny amount of faith left, like a flame that has been reduced to a small flickering.  The Jews did see how Hashem had helped free them, which brought back some faith, but it was necessary to have still a higher level of faith before the Torah could be received. 

In addition to faith, the Jews needed to become spiritually ready to receive the Torah by improving their character.  There are 7 character traits in which the Jews needed improvement.  These 7 traits are listed in the Siddur.  They are chesed, gevurah, tipheret, netzach, hod, yesod, and malchut.  These traits represent the number 1 through 7 when counting the weeks and days.

 The Torah prescribed a 49 day period in which the Jews would travel to Mt. Sinai and work on becoming more spiritually fit.  This period is known as the Omer, and we are commanded to count this period every year even though we are no longer travelling to Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah.  We count both the days and the weeks, and focus on our spiritual condition during this period.  This period begins the second day of Pesach – which is the day of the Barley sacrifice.  After 49 days, the festival of Shavuos begins.  In ancient times, after these 49 days there would be a wheat sacrifice.

There is some debate as to whether the counting is now only a rabbinic mitzvah as we are no longer making sacrifices, such as sacrificing Barley during Pesach.   There are some practices and laws that no longer apply, such as purity and sacrifices, because we no longer have a Temple and counting the Omer would seem to be one of them - but the rabbis did reinstitute this practice. 

The fact it is a rabbinic mitzvah means we can be lenient when we are not sure of whether or not we have counted the Omer at the right time.  This is an issue during the summer, when many congregations bring in Shabbot early.  If we count the Omer after Mariiv, it may not be completely dark at the time but as long as it might be the new day, we can consider it the new day.

David talked about how Pesach is a physical holiday, Shavuos is a spiritual holiday, and Sukkot is a combination of the two.  It took time for us to grow spiritually fit enough to receive the Torah.  But then additional time was needed, to learn how to apply the Torah to our world, and elevate the physical to the spiritual realm.  During sukkot, the Jews have learned how to do this and the holiday is both physical and spiritual.

If one forgets to count the Omer, one can do it during the day but should not say a blessing.  If one forgets to count during the entire day, one must no longer say a blessing for the remaining days.  We had some discussion whether or not counting the Omer was one big mitzvah, or whether each day is a separate mitzvah.

This Shabbos we also discussed the halakah which forbids Jews to charge interest when loaning money to other Jews.  It is also possible to raise money by selling stock and equity.  Equity deals are allowed whereas charging interest is not.

However we had some discussion as to whether or not interest refers to nominal or real interest.  Real interest is the interest rate minus the inflation rate.  We discussed the case of a Jew who borrows $100 and then pays it back 10 years later.  Because of inflation, $100 is no longer worth “$100 dollars” after 10 years so is it ok to require that the borrower at least make up for the loss in purchasing power?

Yaki pointed out that in ancient times what was loaned out was silver and gold coins so this was not an issue because they retained their purchasing power.  If we loaned out these coins today, if we were paid back with the same coins, theoretically the value measured in dollars will have increased and we would retain the same purchasing power.

Although it is not permissible to charge interest, we agreed it is ok to be reimbursed our fees.  For example, if I am going to have to pay a fee in order to get money to loan someone, it is permissible to ask the borrower to reimburse me the fee.  This being the case, it would seem reasonable to ask a borrower to make up for lost purchasing power because of inflation. 

This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 26 Nissan 5773

This Shabbos we discussed the week’s parsha.  After 7 days, the Jews were still waiting for the divine presence in the temple.  Nadav and Avihu, 2 sons of Aeron decided to act on their own and no longer follow the direction of their leaders.  They started offering sacrifices that were not necessary or asked for.  At some point, a fire came down and engulfed Nadav and Avihu and they both ended up dying.

We discussed the lessons of this, that sometimes we have to surrender to a leader or to some outside force no matter how sure we are that we are stronger, smarter or better, especially when that leader or outside force is directly connected to Hashem.  Otherwise everyone will be making their own decisions and there will be total disorganization no matter how smart everyone is. Yaki  talked about how Hashem had no choice but to take the lives of Aeron’s sons, or the Jews would not have learned the lesson to follow their leaders.

Only Hashem has the complete picture and has knowledge of everything, regardless of what our egos tell us.   That is why we must follow the directives of Hashem, and those leaders who are in contact with him.   Moses and Aaron were following the specific directives of Hashem, while Nadav and Avihu were out on their own.  Nadav and Avihu had good intentions, but they were trying to control that which was not there's to control.

This Shabbos we continued our discussion of the 49 day period between Pesach and Shavous that makes up the Omer.  This is the period of time after the Jews were free from Egypt, but were not yet ready to receive the Torah.  Through-out history, the Jews have experienced tragedies during this time period.  Most noteworthy, is the death of Rabbi Akiba’s students.  Ashkenazi Jews also experienced the pograms during this time period.   

It is customary to observe a 33 day mourning period within these 49 days, as there are 33 non-simcha days within the 49.  The custom is to observe either the first 33 days, or the last 33 days of the Omer.  Different communities and different families may observe different days.  Regardless, Lag B Omer is one day that is a great celebration and is not to be a day of mourning.

During the days of mourning we generally want to refrain from hair-cuts, shaving, dancing, festivities, and listening to live music, however there are exceptions.  If we make a living playing live music, then it is allowed.  If we are invited to a Bar Mitzvah from someone who is not observing the day, then we do go ahead and attend and partake of the festivities.  And mitzvahs, such as Brit Milah would certainly override any customs we have during this time period.

This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 3 Lyyar 5773

This Shabbos we discussed the great Mitzvah of going to Israel.  There is a positive Torah commandment to live in Israel.  We discussed the idea that it is better to live in a village in Israel where they worship idols, than anywhere outside of Israel.   We discussed the practice of tearing our clothing in mourning, when we are in exile and not part of the leadership of our communities.

Hashem promises Abraham the land of Israel for the Jews.  Eventually Joshua conquers the land, but the Jews get sent into exile when the Romans take over.  Although some Jews may have remained, we were in exile until 1948 when Israel gained its independence.  David talked about how much progress we have made since independence in 1948.  Today there are more Jews living in Israel than anywhere else.  Many families are making Aliyah.  And Israel supports Jewish people throughout the world. 

We talked about the holiday of Yom Ha’atzmaut that we celebrate to commemorate the establishment of the State of Israel.  We talked about how we have to thank Hashem for miracles, if we want more miracles which is why many Jews say the Hallel prayers as part of Yom Ha’atzmaut services, and on other holidays.  It took a long time to set up Yom Ha’atzmaut as a holiday, as Jews are more interested in the long term and act slowly to declare a new holiday based on current events.

We discussed some of the specifics of this holiday.  It is not a Torah holiday so we are allowed, and do move it when it interferes with Shabbos.  This is unlike holidays such as Rosh Hashanah, which can fall on a Shabbos, in which case all we can do is refrain from blowing the shofar. 

We did discuss that there are a minority of Jews who think we should be waiting for the Masiah to give us Israel rather than having fought a war of independence and acquiring the land on our own.   Others believe that the coming of the Masiah is a gradual process and does not happen all at once, and that the creation of Israel is part of that process.

The Jews were in agreement with the land of Israel as given to them, and did not intend to be greedy and conquer more land, however there was also an agreement that other nations would recognize and respect Israel as an independent nation.   David talked about how his father would say the other nations did not keep their side of the deal an attacked Israel, so we do not have to, and should not keep our side of the deal either.  Given that other nations are a threat to us, we have a right and responsibility to do what is necessary to defend ourselves.  We discussed this idea in contract law about what happens when a party does not follow what it has agreed to do, and whether or not the other party has to follow through on its obligations.

Yaki talked about how our spiritual and physical health can affect each other.  When we are spiritually unhealthy, for example by talking about and judging others, it can show up as physical ailments such as leprosey and other skin diseases.

Finally we discussed the holiday of Lag B Omer which is coming up.  This is celebrated on the 33 day of the Omer.  All mourning is suspended on this day.  It is believed that Rabbi Akiva’s students stopped passing away on this day. 

This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.