Recap for 15 Tevet 5776 (Parsha Vayechi)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Vayechi, including commentary by Rav Yeager. David Schlesinger led discussion.

We discussed how in the Torah, Jacob did not know that Joseph was alive, and felt that he had been a failure for not being able to continue our faith and traditions through his chosen son Joseph. We discussed how this feeling of failure led to depression in Jacob, and thoughts that he was going to be going to Gehinnom after passing away.  However, as we know from parsha Vayechi, eventually Jacob sees that Joseph is alive, and that his wishes will be carried out.

We discussed what Judaism believes about Gehinnom. Gehinnom is not a horrible place with fire and torture, although it is not necessarily pleasant.   It is believed to be a place where some of us have to go through a cleansing process after our physical body passes away.  Many of us can bypass Gehinnom completely, by living a good life and doing T'Shuva when we make mistakes.  Gehinnom is of course a spiritual and not a physical place.

Even after going through Gehinnom, the rewards of the after-life can vary depending on the health and state of our souls. While we are alive we have the opportunity to strengthen our souls by learning Torah, doing mitzvah, carrying out Hashem’s will for us, and being a Kiddush Hashem.  Although our physical bodies will expire, our souls live on forever.  We can elevate our souls while we are alive, and also have our souls elevated after we pass away, through the actions of others who are inspired by our lives.

David shared some thoughts from his father on this topic. Those who do not live a good and purposeful life, may not go through a horrible existence in the afterlife, but will experience regret of lost opportunity. David shared thoughts from his father how this is similar to getting ready for an opera. Those who are prepared for the opera, get a lot of enjoyment out of sitting through a concert. Those who are unprepared are bored and regret not being prepared. The afterlife for some may end up being very empty but we have the opportunity to make it a very satisfying and rewarding experience by maintaining a soul that is healthy and always growing, and doing T'Shuva when necessary.

We discussed what it means to be a leader.  It is important that we have the right motivation to get spiritual as well as physical benefit from this position.  The proper motivation is to serve God and carry out his will and good for everyone. Self-esteem, looking good, feeling powerful, being respected, may all be good for us, but should not be our primary motivation.

One thing to remember is that no one is perfect. We discussed some of the mistakes that were made by our ancestors in the Torah. Jacob used his emotions to some extent, favoring Joseph over his brothers, rather than thinking through things logically. Joseph let the idea of being a leader inflate his ego a little, and had some motivation based on purely physical and emotional rewards. Joseph’s brothers let jealousy influence their decisions to some extent, and did not realize that Joseph’s life of physicality was also spiritual in nature.

Jason shared that it is human nature to be motivated by emotion.  We discussed how we strive to live a balance in which emotions play a role in our life to some extent. Emotions can sometimes be strong and healthy motivators. Hashem created us with emotions for a reason, but sometimes they can get us into trouble, which is why Hashem also created us with free will and the ability to think.

We all have an opportunity to do t’shuva for our mistakes and avoid having to go to Gehinnom at all. We discussed last Shabbos how Joseph’s brothers did T’Shuva, refusing to leave Egypt without Benjamin, and showing great concern for the feelings of their father. In particular, Judah insisted he be put into slavery in place of Benjamin, which was the ultimate T’Shuva for putting Joseph into slavery years earlier. Joseph did T’Shuva by not using his power to put his brothers down, but for embracing his brothers and understanding that his story of being sent to Egypt was all orchestrated by and the plans of God. 

This Shabbos we also discussed some of the halakhah forbidding being wasteful. In particular, we should try not to throw away items such as food. We can give the food to someone else, to charity, or even feed it to a pet. We discussed how eating something when we are not hungry, so that it won’t be “wasted” is actually wasting food, and should be avoided. We also discussed some of the exceptions, such as ripping garments when we are in mourning. In this case, the spiritual benefits outweigh any issues with being wasteful.

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

Recap for 7 Tevet 5776 (Parsha Vayigash)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Vayigash, including commentary from Rav Yeager. We studied tractate Sotah and held a Siyum. And we discussed why Hashem seems to be hidden, and several other topics. David Schlesinger led discussion.

This Shabbos we studied the very last part of tractate Sotah. We discussed how a woman would be required to drink a certain potion, in order to tell if she had been unfaithful to her husband. We discussed how later this practice was discontinued, because it was no longer thought to work. After completing the daf, we held a Siyum to celebrate the finishing of this tractate. The Siyum was held in memory of David’s uncle Micah, whose yeirzeit is coming up soon. The Siyum was also held in honor of David’s cousin, who has a new baby boy.

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Vayigash including commentary from Rav Yeager. We discussed how in the parsha, Joseph demands that Benjamin remain behind in Egypt as a slave. We discussed how this was done in order to test the brothers, to see how they would react to leaving a son of Rachel in slavery. We discussed how this situation was similar to leaving Joseph in the pit to be sold into slavery, as Joseph was also a son of Rachel and very much favored by his father.

We discussed how the ultimate t’shuvah is to be in the very same situation again, but this time to make the right decision. The brothers passed the test and refused to leave Benjamin. In fact, Judah offered to take the place of Benjamin. And this time around, the brothers showed great concern for their father, Jacob, and how it would affect Jacob to lose Benjamin.  We discussed how Jacob favored Benjamin, just as he had favored Joseph, to be the best antidote to Esau.  Having passed the test, Joseph began to think differently about his brothers, which led to him forgiving them and inviting them to come to Egypt where they would be able to make a good living in Goshen.

We discussed that it was at the point that Joseph could see that his dream came true, that he knew we had become a nation and that we would no longer be excluding people. We discussed how up until that point, with each generation, a brother had been excluded and a brother had been chosen. From amongst Abraham’s children, Ishmuel was excluded, and Isaac was chosen. Then from amongst Isaac's children, Esau was excluded, and Jacob was chosen. Jacob initially choose Joseph, however Joseph knew that now we were a nation and that none of his brothers would be excluded. This is all why today, as Jews we are descendants of all the children of Jacob, but we are not descendants of all the children of Isaac, or all the children of Abraham.

We discussed why the brothers had thrown Joseph in the pit in the first place. The brothers were concerned that Joseph was too much into the physical, for our faith to continue through to his descendants. What the brothers did not realize, was that Joseph actually applied spirituality to the physical. Nevertheless, his brothers felt that Joseph should be excluded, as had been Ishmael and Esau. The brothers did not think Jacob would choose the right brother(s) to continue our faith, noting that in the past generations the father did not play the best role in choosing the right sons. The brothers felt they had a responsibility to make sure our faith did not flow through Joseph to his descendants.

We discussed how the brothers were also very concerned about Joseph’s dream, and that they would be attacked by Joseph. The brothers felt that it was simply self-defense to put Joseph in the pit, and that they were doing the right thing.

Norm shared how Joseph first changed his thoughts and then changed his actions. Joseph changed his beliefs about his brothers, once he could see that his dream had become true. Joseph began to believe we were a nation that would include descendants from all his brothers, who had done t’shuvah.

Norm shared how changing our thoughts and believes can lead to behavior changes, but that it can be very difficult to change our beliefs. In our personal lives it may be beneficial to us to try to control our thoughts and not only what we do, as controlling thoughts can help lead to changes in behavior. We discussed how Judaism is about action and doing, but changing our thoughts can be a strategy that leads to this.

We discussed how in the parsha, Joseph instructs his brothers to not tell the whole truth. He instructs them to tell Pharaoh that they are only there to be shepherds. We discussed whether or not this means we do not have to tell the whole truth when people ask us questions? Of course in court we may be required to tell the whole truth, but in real life this is not always the case. As an example, David commented that if someone asks what we do for a living, we don’t necessarily have to tell them everything.

We discussed how nowadays we are done excluding people from our faith, as was done to Ishmael and Esau. If it appears that someone has strayed from our faith, it is important that we accept them and welcome them back, rather than judging them and rejecting their return. We discussed how in Judaism we are always Jewish no matter what. It is important that we do outreach and try to attract people back into our way of life.

This Shabbos we had a discussion about animals. We discussed how amongst all animals, the strongest is considered the lion. However, David shared a story from his dad about how an elephant showed his disagreement to a lion! We discussed how Joseph was considered an Ox, which is the strongest of domestic animals.

This Shabbos we also discussed some more why Hashem seems to be hidden in our world which hasn’t always been the case. Seth pointed out that Hashem has always remained hidden, but being “hidden” is relative to the times people were living in. Seth pointed out that back in time, when Hashem would perform miracles such as splitting of the sea, it could be easily explained away as having been caused by the stars and planets or something like that.

Today, we have a greater understanding of the stars and planets, so that Hashem has to maintain what seems to be a better job of hiding.  Hashem wants us to be able to explain away the evidence of his existence if this is what we choose to do.  However, he also wants us to be able to see that the evidence of his existence is convincing.  It is definitely a balancing act that depends on the times, but if a balance is not maintained this takes away free will and we are forced to believe one way or another.

David commented that perhaps in the beginning Hashem had to show us certain things, similar to a parent teaching a child. And later in history, just like a child grows up, we should already know these things and it is no longer necessary for Hashem to be so obvious. Perhaps it is a combination of both Seth's and David's comments that explain why Hashem has remained hidden at the level that he does.
Finally, happy birthday to Gabriel Itkowitz, and to my father, Yoseph ben Abraham.  

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

Recap for 30 Kislev 5776 (Parsha Mikeitz)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Mikeitz, including commentary by Rav Yeager.  We discussed the holiday of Chanukah, including commentary by Rav Malamed.  And we discussed some other topics. David Schlesinger led discussion.  We were happy to welcome a lot of guys from the Yeshiva this Shabbos.

We discussed how we face temptations in life that may provide us some short term benefits, but these are at the expense of long term well-being.  We know the temptations that were in the Garden of Eden.  Today in the modern world, we face all types of temptations that may bring us some short term reward.  But using our free will to avoid temptations will bring us long term rewards.

We discussed how we often face short term vs long term decisions. For example, David commented that it is tempting in ones 20’s to buy as many physical goods and services as possible, especially when one may be experiencing the freedom to do this for the first time.  But by starting to save money early in life, one can save twice as much than they would if they started saving in their 30’s.  I once read a book on this, and this is very true that starting ones savings as early as possible is very beneficial.

David brought up a couple suggestions that will help make us more successful in life. The first of these is to work towards solving problems, rather than to blame problems for a lack of progress. If our attempts at solving the problems fail, try something else.  We discussed how the last thing that our boss at work wants to hear is that we can’t do anything because of a problem.  What our boss does want to hear is that there is a problem, but what we are doing to help solve it.

The same way we should not blame a problem for lack of progress at work, we should not blame a problem for lack of progress in life and expect Hashem to fix it unless we have made a resonable effort to do our part.  The second suggestion David brought up, is that the effort we make in life to solve problems and make progress should be reasonable and logical before we conclude we have done the best we can and can have faith in Hashem to assist us further.  For example, if we are out of money, buying lottery tickets is not making a reasonable effort in which we can expect Hashem to help us. However, if we come up with a plan and strategy to get a job including interviewing and asking friends about openings, and then start implementing this plan, that might be a reasonable and logical effort.

Once we have done our part, having faith in Hashem that we do not have to control everything is important.  We should live in peace, knowing that even “bad” things that happen to us are just an experience and part of Hashem’s world.  In Hashem's world, what's "bad" can be "good", we just don't have the same access to the complete picture as Hashem does.  We may lose a job or a relationship and be very sad only to realize the next job or relationship is better than anything we have had yet to date. This has happened to me before! Sometimes we discover years later why something "bad" may have happened.  This has also happened to me.  “Bad” things may actually lead us to become closer to Hashem, closer to our families, or provide an opportunity to have a virtuous response, an idea that David’s father, Dr. George Schlesinger has spoken and written articles about.  Hashem designed the world to maximize our opportunities to do mitzvahs and grow spiritually.  

Hashem also designed the world so we would all have the opportunity to finish the act of creation. We have discussed how Brit Milah is something we do to help finish the act of creation. Some of the other ways we can help finish the act of creation is by doing work, raising families, and serving in the military.  All these can help make the world a better place. We discussed that it is important that we have a balance of learning Torah and contributing to the world and being partners in the act of creation.

We discussed this Shabbos the importance of accepting Jews no matter where they are on their paths. If anything, we should look at the vector or direction people are going with their Judaism, and their progress rather than where they are at. I can not express how grateful I am personally that the community here in Memphis did not judge me when I lived downtown and was very secular. I can remember going to the Rabbi’s house on Shabbos night to his open house and he never would exclude anyone. If he had excluded me, I do not know if I would have continued to progress because it was at his Kiddush that I met people who invited me to the Kiddush and minyans I go to today.  I actually had fears that I would be judged, and if I had been I doubt I would have had any growth in Judaism at all.

This Shabbos we discussed the holiday of Chanukah. We discussed how observing Chanukah is one of 7 mitzvah’s that were implemented by Rabbis, other than mitzvahs designed to help us keep Torah level commandments. We discussed how woman should be involved in Chanukah in lighting the candles of their own menorah, even though this is a time dependent mitzvah, as they were involved in the miracle of the oil and our triumph over the surrounding culture.

We discussed how we light Chanukah candles before Shabbot candles on Shabbos night. We discussed how it is necessary to use extra-long candles, which can be created by cutting the wicks shorter. If someone is in a hospital or somewhere that flames are not allowed or safe, it is permitted to use electric menorahs. It is also not required to relight candles that have gone out, as long as we made a reasonable effort to not have the candles at unnecessary risk of this happening.

Finally, one of the most important traditions is that the menorah be in plain view of the outside, during the hours that workers come home right after sunset. David shared how his guys in Israel have a menorah right out on the porch facing the street.  Here in Memphis, we should try to place menorahs so they face clearly out the window.

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

Recap for 23 Kislev 5776 (Parsha Vayeishev and yahrzeit of Joseph Ben Abraham)

This Shabbos was a special Shabbos as I very much appreciate our learning was in memory of my father, Joseph Ben Abraham, whose yahrzeit is this coming Tuesday. This Shabbos we discussed the holiday of Chanukah, and parsha Vayeishev.

Last year I wrote about my Dad, how he was not religious but was a very good person who received happiness out of doing mitzvah. I also shared about how I have been using some of the memory tricks he taught me to write these notes every Shabbos.  Some more about my Dad - he liked to joke around a lot and did not like everything to be serious. He would have liked our kiddush and learning!  It is amazing that the philosophical issues we discuss, are the same ones I remember discussing with him. In particular, I remember discussing with him evidence of Hashem’s existence.  

David mentioned this Shabbos the idea of using the memory of a loved one to inspire us to do good things. This helps keep our loved ones spiritually alive within us and continue their presence in our world. This is really a beautiful idea that has helped me a lot.

One of the ideas we discussed this Shabbos, is how scientific knowledge keeps changing, but Torah does not. An example we discussed is the once held scientific belief that everything revolved around the earth. Of course, later scientific belief changed to the earth revolving around the sun. Later, scientific belief changed once again, and now we know that the sun as well as every other object in the universe is moving.

The Torah has always stayed the same, although it does need to be applied to a changing world. The Torah has always held that earth was a special place, but never suggested that everything in the universe physically revolved around it. Another example is that the Torah always held that time had a beginning, whereas scientific knowledge use to be that time always existed.

We had a discussion this Shabbos about this apparent new scientific discovery that particles can go back in time. This brings up questions, like can time really run backwards? Can we really return to the past? Of course an all-powerful God could change the state of the universe to be exactly what it was in the past, effectively moving us back in time. Perhaps what this new discovery has revealed, is part of the mechanism that would make something like this happen.  There are a lot of mechanisms built into the physical world, designed by the creator to carry out his will.   David shared with me his father’s take on this, which is that Hashem has not changed his mind yet and the direction of time is forward!

We discussed this Shabbos from Rav Malamed the holiday of Chanukah. We discussed the number 8, which is the number of days in Chanukah, and the day on which we perform and have Brit Milah. We discussed how a Brit Milah finishes the act of creating the human body on the 8th day. It symbolizes how Hashem creates the world in 6 days and then rests on the 7th day. On the 8th day man works on finishing the act of creation.

We discussed how 8 is an important number with Chanukah. For 8 days the oil burned when there was only enough oil for 1 day.  The burning did not continue for 7 days after the oil was used up. The amount of oil used each of 8 days was only 1/8th what it would usually be. The miracle is how Hashem intervened to make this happen. Miracles can happen to us today just like they happened back then.  Chanukah helps remind us of Hashem and miracles.

We discussed this Shabbos from Rav Yeager parsha Vayeishev. We discussed how in the parsha Joseph gets thrown into a pit and later sold off to become a slave in Egypt. We discussed the conflict that Jacob had with his brother Easu. Jacob wanted to have an arrangement with Easu, wherein Easu would engage in the physical world and help provide for both himself and Jacob. Meanwhile, Jacob would engage in spiritual pursuits. However, it did not work out.  Easu ended up rejecting spirituality and became emerged and engulfed in physicality.

We discussed how Jacob then had no choice but to engage in physicality. But unlike Easu, he did it in a way that used physicality as a platform for spirituality. Easu became very jealous of his brother’s success, and there was a lot of conflict between the two. We discussed how this conflict continued through to the descendants of Easu and Jacob. At some point Jacob had to choose which of his children would be the best antidote for Easu and his descendants, and he choose Joseph. As we know, this choosing made Joseph’s brothers extremely jealous, and they ended up throw him into a pit and then selling him into slavery.

We discussed why Joseph was such a good antidote to Easu. Brian Rubin pointed out that an antidote should have some of the “bad” as well as the solution. In this case Joseph had some of Easu, in the form of the desire to engage in physicality, but also had spirituality to channel the physicality in the right direction. We discussed how the result of using physicality as a platform for spirituality, by using the ideas that come from our Torah and religion, results in the maximum possible success.

David told a story from his father, Rav Dr. George Schlesinger, how Joseph was so successful Potifar ended up believing Joseph over his own wife! Of course, Potifar still had no choice but to put Joseph in jail, but it ended up being a special type of arrangement in which Joseph excelled.

Today is the fourth year anniversary of these notes based on the Hebrew calander, I started doing them shortly after my father passed away 4 years ago. The notes have helped me honor my father and I would like them to help honor everyone’s loved ones as well.  If you can help remember my father, especially on his yahrzeit this Tuesday, that is really appreciated.

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

Recap for 16 Kislev 5776 (Parsha Vayishlach and Yahrzeit of Mindel bat Shandel)

This Shabbos we had a Kiddush in honor and memory of Norm’s mom, Mindel bat Shandel, on the occasion of her yahrzeit. Norm spoke about his mom being very generous, always speaking the truth, and being a mensch overall. Although she did not have any college degrees, she was highly intelligent and very educated from her own efforts, especially in business. She worked for a family business in New York when she was in her 70’s.  This is all a good lesson for all of us to learn and develop wisdom from as many sources as possible and to continue working hard through-out our lives.

Norm also shared that his Mom was a very good judge of character, for example being very good at being able to spot a “fish”. And although she could sometimes come across as very direct and blunt, she was very loving and caring and most interested in being helpful and honest. David shared about having her at his Pesach seder.

This Shabbos we discussed from Rav Yeager, 3 types of opposition we face as Jews, and where these originate in the Torah. The first type of opposition is from those who do not believe in God at all.  This includes atheist and those who worship idols. We discussed the idea that these people originate from Nimrod, a person that tried to take Abraham’s life. The second type of opposition we face is from those who believe our Torah has been completely replaced by the Koran and is not valid at all. We discussed the idea that these people originate from Ishmael. This opposition includes the Islamic terrorists who have been active in our world recently. And the third type of opposition comes from those who accept our Torah as valid but object to us being the “chosen people”. We discussed the idea that these people originate from Esau. This opposition includes those who teach that believing in Jesus is the way to be “chosen”.

We discussed that there are 3 different ways we can fight this opposition. These are the same as the 3 ways in which Jacob tried to deal with his brother’s opposition in the parsha. We can attempt to negotiate and appease. We can fight with armies and military. And we can pray. We spent some time discussing the balance between fighting and making peace. 

We discussed how the same principles that apply in the parsha, apply in our current day. In the parsha, Jacob’s son Simon and Levi have no interest at all in making peace and kill all the male inhabitants of Shechem. Jacob disapproves of this saying that they went overboard wiping everyone out which will only cause hatred and lead to further problems. Today we face the same questions. If we completely wipe out muslim countries in order to deal with terrorism, we risk stirring up anger from more than a billion people. 

On the other hand, doing nothing at all other than offering to make peace doesn’t work either as we will continue to suffer from those who continue to strike out against us.  We clearly must fight to some extent. Dave W brought up the point that in recent history we have really backed away and gone too much in the direction of doing nothing and being peaceful when we should be fighting.

We discussed that there was not really as much conflict when we only lived in Islamic countries. It was when we started following our Torah which commanded us to live in Israel, that problems began. The descendants of Ishmael consider our Torah and what it says to be completely superseded by their Koran, so any suggested from God we should live in Israel is false and untrue, according to them.

We discussed the good news that the descendants of Esau have made T’Shuva to some extent. We see this amongst the strong support for Israel that is found within this country, and from some through-out the world. Although there has been some T’Shuva, there is still hope from others that we will assimilate and one day change and revert to Christian.

We discussed how many of the events in the parsha take place in Samaria and Judea. I remember going to visit Beth El when I was in Israel and touring a tefillin factory. Norm remarked that the wine from this region is excellent, and we should consider purchasing some in order to help them economically. We discussed how we have signed a peace agreement with Israel and Jordan but it has not been that easy with the Palestinians.

Finally we discussed that this is the parsha in which Jacob’s name is changed to Israel. And that from this parsha comes the prohibition against eating sirloin.

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

Recap for 9 Kislev, 5776 (Parsha Vayeitzei)

This Shabbos we discussed some interesting concepts, some of which are related to the week’s parsha Vayeitzei. We discussed commentary by Rav Malamed. And we discussed the upcoming holiday of Hanukkah. David Schlesinger led discussion.

David mentioned the observation that we are no more than a few degrees of separation from any other Jew. I remember running into someone in Israel at a synagogue who knew my father’s family in Costa Rica. Dave W mentioned that he is one of several members of our community with connections to the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families, friends and victims of the recent attacks in both Paris and Israel.

This Shabbos we discussed the prohibition against taking medicine on Shabbos. The Rabbis were concerned that we may try to manufacture medicine on Shabbos and violate one of the prohibitions against work. We discussed that there are exceptions to this rule. Certainly if we need specific medicine to stay alive it is not only permitted but commanded that we take it. There are other exceptions if the medicine is necessary to treat something that goes beyond a minor annoyance. As always, it is important to consult a rabbi on this issue, rather than rely on our discussion.

Ellie was interested in why we would continue following commandments that seem to be based on logic that does not apply today. David commented that sometimes the narrative that has been given to people is based on what would be best understood at the time, and not necessarily the exact and full reason for things. For example, in a corporation, it is not helpful or desirable for management to tell the employees the reasons for every decision. We discussed that it is not a good idea for us to start trying to figure out on our own what commandments should and should not apply. Only Hashem knows all the reasons for all the commandments.

We have discussed an important concept in Judaism that it is our mission to apply the spiritual to the physical world. There are some who think that physicality is a threat to spirituality. However, we can see in the week’s parsha that the Torah seems to support the model of embracing the physical world. Jacob would like to study Torah full time and live off of the labor of his brother. However, we see that Jacob has to make a living, and does so by traveling away from his family to a distant land.  Jacob works very hard for many years before he returns.

Another concept we discussed is that nothing is all good or all bad. David brought up the example of movies, and how his Dad would allow him to go even though there was some inappropriate material.
It is important that we learn how to deal with bad things, and perhaps have a virtuous response to it. We discussed the importance of making the best decisions we can at the time we make them. We can still benefit from things that may have, or turn out to have some bad elements.

We discussed the holiday of Hanukkah and how it is different from other holidays. We discussed how hanakuh is the only holiday that we continued to observe after the second temple was destroyed. Unlike the other holidays, Hanukkah has 8 days. We discussed the miracle of the oil, and how it continued to burn allowing us time to find and extract more oil. During Hanukkah we remember miracles and how they come from Hashem. This includes miracles in our personal lives, as well as the lives of those around us.  

I remember having a philosophical conversation with my father in which he shared with me the fact we can not be 100% certain of anything.  Franco shared the idea that sometimes what we think and/or how we observe something can determine reality and existence.  We discussed this Shabbos how Judaism has to be based on probabilities.  For example, if the Eruv is up a few hours before Shabbos we can presume it is up for Shabbos.  If the Eruv is actually down but we don't know about this, we have not committed an avera by carrying.  Please consult a rabbi on these issues.

Sometimes we have relied on courts to make decisions for us. For example, the court would rule whether or not there was a full moon. We discussed how, even if the court turned out to be incorrect we must follow the ruling. For example, if the court rules that there is a new moon, that day remains the first of the month, regardless of what is later discovered with respect to the accuracy of the court’s ruling.

Finally, we remember around this time of Hanukkah that miracles can happen in our personal lives. However, David pointed out that we must do our part. We must do our part for Hashem to do his.

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

Recap for 2nd of Kislev 5776 (Parsha Toldot)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Toldot, and some of the other earlier parsha.  We discussed commentary by Rav Yeager.  David Schlesinger led discussion.

One of the ideas we have been discussing is the importance of continuity in Judaism. We discussed that there are 2 important parts to this. First, that some are born in and secondly that we all use our free will to choose to continue our beliefs and traditions.

Brian Rubin commented how our continuity is done differently than with kings. Kings are typically chosen by being the oldest son of the last king.  The king is the king regardless of his beliefs and traditions.  In the parshas, it is Isaac and Jacob, not the oldest sons, that are chosen to ensure our continuity.  Our continuity is about keeping the same traditions and beliefs from generation to generation.  

  

We discussed Rav Yeager’s commentary with respect to Abraham and Sarah.  We discussed how there were false rumors that Abraham was unable to get Sarah pregnant and she went out and had an affair with someone else. But the truth is that Sarah was the one having trouble getting pregnant.  In fact, Sarah suggested that Abraham get together with the maid servant, Hagar, in hopes of having a child.

We discussed how Abraham ended up having a child with Hagar, who was named Ishmael. Later in life, Abraham eventually did have a child with Sarah, who was named Isaac. Dave W brought up some of the differences between Ishmael and Isaac, in particular that Isaac was so willing at age 37 to sacrifice himself for Hashem. We discussed how Isaac was chosen by Sarah to be the one to ensure the continuity of our beliefs and ideas known as Judaism which began with Abraham.

We discussed some of the purpose that we have as Jews in the world, to be a “light” onto all nations. We brought monotheism to the world, and have a purpose to represent and be a manifestation of Hashem in the world as well.  Abraham was focused on this idea and went on to have children with another wife after Sarah died, in order to spread himself to as many nations as possible. We discussed how we believe that today there is a little bit of Abraham in all corners of the world.

We discussed how everyone has and continues to have a purpose.  David shared how his father, Dr. George N Schlesinger, would say there is no such thing as “retirement” in Judaism. When one reaches a certain age, they may decide to no longer have a certain job or career, but continue to have a purpose, which may include inspiring others.  David shared about how his great grandfather was a Rabbi who never stopped inspiring others and having learnings at his house.  

We discussed how after Isaac came back from his willingness to be sacrificed, Sarah had fulfilled her mission of having a child to ensure our community. She passed away shortly thereafter. On the other hand, Abraham wasn’t through. His purpose was to spread himself to as many future nations and corners of the world as possible, and he found another wife and had more children.

We discussed how the story of Isaac and Rebecca parallels the story with Abraham and Sarah. Just as Sarah saw it as her purpose to ensure our continuity, so did Rebecca. Rebecca chose Jacob for this role, and even went to the extent of disguising him to Isaac, in order that Jacob would be chosen. As we know, Isaac was not focused on continuity and showed a preference for his other son, Esau.

Of course, not all the descendants of Abraham turned out to ensure our continuity.  We discussed how the descendants of Ishmael have gone on to become a people who do not share our values. These people believe it is desirable to die and kill others, as we have seen recently on a train in Jerusalem and in Paris.   On the other hand, we discussed how the descendants of Esau have done teshuva and share some of our values.  For the most part, we live in peace with the descendants of Esau, and many of them support us and Israel.

We discussed how ultimately it is preferable to change people, rather than get rid of them, and we have been able to be a great influence over our world and be a “light onto nations” as Hashem intended.  This is particularly true for the descendants of Esau.  Unfortunately, we have not been able to change everyone for the better.  Our hearts go out to the victims of the recent terrorist incidents in Jerusalem and in Paris.  It was recently veterans day, and I would like to thank those who help fight and defend our country, and well as those who help defend Israel.

There are several lessons in the parsha for all of us. Just as Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Rebecca all had a purpose, we all have a purpose in our own lives as well. We can see from the parsha, the importance of the role of woman. We can see that it is always important to have the whole story, and not to make judgement on bits and pieces as people did when Sarah became pregnant the first time. And finally we can see the importance that we each do our own part to help ensure our continuity.  

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

25 Cheshvan 5776 (Parsha Chayei Sarah)

This Shabbos we discussed the commandment of netilat yadayim, including commentary by Rav Malamed.  We discussed parsha Chayei Sarah, including commentary by Rav Yeager.  And we discussed an article about the need to believe.  It was a special Shabbos as Chayei Sarah is Yaki’s bar mitzvah parsha.  David Schlesinger led discussion.

We continued our discussion from Rav Malamed concerning the commandment to wash our hands before eating bread. We discussed the concept of purity, and what happens when we come in contact with non-kosher meat or animals. Of course many of the laws with respect to purity no longer apply with the temple no longer standing, however, commandments that we follow to this day have evolved from these practices we had in the past.

We discussed how during the times of the temple, the Kohen would wash their hands before making sacrifices. The Rabbis then decided that everyone should wash their hands, in order that the Kohen would not feel alone in this requirement.  Since not everyone made sacrifices at the temple, the rule was established that everyone would do this before meals, with a meal defined by the consumption of bread.

We discussed how body parts would be presumed to be pure unless there was evidence otherwise. However there were special rules for the hands, which are a part of the body that seems to come in contact with everything. It was presumed that the hands were impure, which is why the Cohen would be required to wash before making sacrifices.

We discussed parsha Chayei Sarah including commentary from Rav Yeager. This is Yaki's barmitzvah parsha.  We discussed how Isaac’s brother Ishmael would comment that Isaac had it easy. After all, Ishmael had his brit at 13, whereas Isaac had his brit at 8 days old and did not have to make decisions to go through this experience. We discussed how in response, Isaac told Ishmael he would be willing to do anything for Hashem. This is a reason why Isaac was asked to sacrifice himself, and proove this willingness. We discussed how the stress of all of this may have been too much for Sarah which is why she passed away.

We discussed how in the parsha, Eliezer is instructed to go to Aram to get a wife for Isaac. We discussed that Aram was a preferable location for a wife, where it would be possible to get someone for Isaac from Abraham’s family. We discussed that although those in Aram may not share the same beliefs as Abraham, the people there had better character and made better choices than those in Canaan.

 We discussed how in general it is preferable to be someone who doesn’t believe in Hashem, but has good character, than someone who believes but is immoral. We discussed that it is easier to change belief, if it exists at all. But changing an atheist or one who doesn’t believe at all, or one who is immoral, can be very tough and challenging.

We discussed that it is interesting that Hashem knew Isaac would find a wife in Aram, but he waited to reveal this until after asking for Isaac to be sacrificed. We discussed several possible reasons for this, including not wanting to interfere in Abraham's decisions.

We had an interesting discussion about how free will isn’t all that determines one’s life. We can actually be born into a certain life. For example, the woman in Aram were eligible to be Isaac's wife simply because of where they were born.  It did not matter whether or not the woman in Canaan wanted to use their free will to make choices with respect to this.  Another example, some of us are born into Judaism, or born into lives of apparent privilege. We discussed that this may not seem “fair”, but along with this privilege comes a lot of responsibility.

We discussed an interesting article entitled “The Need to Believe: where does it Come From”, by Marcelo Gleiser. The article discusses the idea that whether or not we believe Hashem exists can be a range. However the idea of belief being a range can be bothersome to scientist who have definitions of what it means for Hashem or anything to exist that are based on science.

We discussed that throughout history there seems to have been conflict between science and religion, however it is interesting that the more we know about science, the more it confirms what we have known about religion. Brian Rubin talked about the importance - that even the very religious - believe in science.  Brian talked about processes such as photo syntheses.  And the more we know about these, the more amazing it is how it works and it becomes evidence of a creator.

There have been some who have thought science is completely false, and some who have thought religion is completely false. It can be hard to imagine how both can be true, but the article suggests that it is not one or the other.  David told a story from his father how spirituality seems to have decreased since Mt. Sinai, similar to how there doesn’t seem to be the same great musical composers we have had in the past. The only reason spirituality remains strong, is because the more we know about science, the more it seems to confirm what we know about religion.

Conflict will always remain if we look at spirituality through the framework, logic, and definition of science. It seems necessary to get “outside the box” of our physical world, and to believe in something even though we will never have all the details.  We all seem to have a yearning to understand that which is greater than ourselves.  But it is up to us how we use our free will to make decisions, hashem has not created us to automatically do everything, including determination of our fundamental believes.

David told a story from his dad, Dr. George Schlesinger, that just because one wins an argument doesn’t mean that person is right. So although science can proof something doesn’t “exist”, wherein the definition of “exist” is determined by science to mean has certain physical characteristics, doesn’t mean that this argument that seems to have been “won” is right.

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

Article for This Shabbat (Nov. 8)

This article touches on a subject that comes up often during our learning. I encourage you to read it and be prepared to discuss:
Article on Belief

Recap for 18 Chesvan, 5776 (Parsha Vayeira)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Vayeira including commentary from Rav Yeager.  David Schlessinger led discussion. 

We started off asking an interesting question of what we should do if required to work on Shabbos. Should we quit our jobs?  Perhaps we should establish communication with our employer when being hired about our need to have religious days off. Perhaps we can take vacation time, or offer to work extra on Sunday or on a Christian holiday instead. David mentioned that if we absolutely must work on Shabbos, we should try to avoid specific prohibited work, such as writing.

What if we own our own business and it seems like it would cost us money to shut down on Shabbos?  Dave W shared about some people he knows who made the decision to observe the Shabbos with their business, and ended up making even more money than they would have anyhow. 

The lesson that Dave W brings up is to have faith, and realize that everything ultimately comes from Hashem. It requires some faith in Hashem to close our business on Shabbos.  However, if we don’t work on Shabbos, it brings us up spiritually.   And with help from Hashem, this spiritual uplifting will carry over into increased productivity at work during the week.   

When we are not working, we often engage in Torah study. Brett commented that we should study what we are most interested in. David commented that much of Torah study is about how to apply spirituality to a physical world. We talked about how fire, sex and food are examples of things that can all get out of control. Hashem wants us to live and use these things, rather than reject the physical world completely, however it is important to apply the Torah and bring spirituality to our world. Brian Rubin commented that we call this “elevating the sparks of kidusha”.

We discussed how in the previous parsha, Lech Lecha, Hashem asks Abraham to leave his home and come to a new land and start a new life. We discussed how this does not only apply to Abraham. We all may need to leave an old life and come to a new life of spirituality. Often times, this new life involves a change in higher power to Hashem from something else.

We discussed how we are all born with a yearning or desire to connect to something greater than ourselves. Hashem created us this way. However, it is up to us to choose our higher power. We discussed how some people, such as atheist, may actually suppress this desire for a higher power completely. On the other hand, someone who warships idols has just chosen a higher power that is not Hashem. We discussed that perhaps an idol worshiper would be easier to change than an atheist.

We discussed the week’s parsha, Vayeira, in which Abraham is unable to have a child for a long time. Finally, Hashem gives a son to Abraham and Sarah. We discussed that in order to assure the continuity of Judaism, it is important to have children, as well as attract converts. This is why Abraham so much wanted to have a child.  What can we do if we are unable to have children? We discussed how praying for others to have what we don’t have, will often bring us what we don’t have.

We discussed how in the parsha Abraham is asked to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Dave W pointed out, that we should not forget that Isaac himself at 37 years old, was making a great sacrifice to be willing to give up his life. We discussed how Isaac does not end up being sacrificed, but that there is a big lesson in all of this about the importance of sacrifice in our religion. We discussed how sometimes some of us have to sacrifice in order for the benefit of all of us.

We discussed how Judaism is a religion of responsibility rather than a religion of rights. We discussed how a society based on responsibility is much more likely to thrive and be successful than one based on rights. We discussed how the Cohen have special privileges but along with this comes additional responsibilities.

David shared a thought from his father, Rav Dr. George N Schlesinger, that the reason we have to have our government of checks and balances, is because leaders tend to be self-centered and act in only their self interests. There would not be that much of a problem with dictatorships if they consisted of a single benevolent king.

We discussed how with the temple no longer standing, Hashem’s intervention in the world is less obvious. Although it is built into nature to respond to our choices, it may seem that some moral choices have no consequences. However, we discussed how in the long run our actions as individuals, communities, and nations most certainly do have consequences.

Finally, we discussed 7 rabbinic laws this Shabbos. Amongst them is washing before meals. We discussed some of the reasons for this law, one of which is to purify ourselves. We discussed how the hands are involved in everything, and it is important to take a moment and slow ourselves down when we are hungry.

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

Recap for 11 Cheshvan 5776 (Parsha Lech Lecha)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Lech Lecha including commentary by Rav Yeager. We discussed how in the parsha, Abraham is commanded to leave his home and go to a new land which Hashem will show him. We discussed how “lech lecha” means for Abraham to go for his own benefit, and not for the benefit of Hashem.

We discussed how this is an important point in Judaism, that all the guidelines, commandments, mitzvah, and directive we are given from the Torah and Hashem, is not for Hashem’s benefit, but for our own benefit.  So why does Hashem bother to guide us like this?  This is because Hashem loves us.  The Torah is an expression of Hashem's love.  Doing mitzvah and following the Torah benefits us greatly and is for our own good.

We discussed how as Jews we are “chosen people” but this comes with added responsibility as we are held to a higher standard than everyone else.  Not everyone in the world wants to be held to this higher standard, and that is ok.  Hashem made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants, that we will do our part and Hashem will do his.

Norm talked about some of the ways that Hashem has done his part.  Norm mentioned how we have been able to win one war after another, conquer our enemies and survive against all odds.  All of this is evidence of Hashem's existence and that he has been on our side.

Some would say that there are specific factors that have led towards our success and it has nothing to do with Hashem. For example, we have been able to develop specific weapons.  And this may be how we have won the wars, but why were we chosen to have certain talents as people that led to our ability to defend ourselves?  And why do we have certain characteristics, that powerful countries like the United States are sometimes helpful to us?

We discussed this Shabbos that science and technology can answer the “how” of understanding the world, but we need to believe in and understand Hashem to understand the “why”.  We discussed that we are a people that value morality and life, who have a covenant with hashem, and this helps explain why Hashem has been on our side.  At the same time, we have enemies that value death and have other moral problems.  

We did a review this Shabbos of the first parsha, in which hashem creates man and remarks that it is “very good”. We discussed how unlike everything else around us, including physical objects and animals, we as human beings have free will to make choices. We discussed how it is Hashem’s will that we follow his Torah and make moral choices, however it is a more perfect world in which we have this choice rather than being robots that automatically do the right thing. 

We discussed how Hashem purposely designed the Garden of Eden, to have some temptation with some forbidden fruit. We discussed how up until that point in time, our choices were a lot more clear cut as to what was the right thing to do. However, starting with the forbidden fruit, it became more difficult for us to do the right thing, or even know what the right thing is. 

We discussed this conflict we all have between short term pleasure, and long term reward, that began in the Garden of Eden. There are behaviors and activities that may bring pleasure in the short term, but are destructive in the long term.  It can be very difficult to make long term change, with all the short term temptations and distraction going on.  That is certainly my experience!

We discussed how Noah made moral choices however the people did not, and Hashem let nature go forth which resulted in a flood. We discussed how Hashem did not so much create the flood, as he simply allowed the flood to go forward. If we were not going to be organized in our morality, Hashem was not going to implement any organized control of nature.

We discussed some of the differences between Noah and Abraham. Noah did make moral choices, but Abraham exhibited more concern and kindness towards others. Eventually it is Abraham whom Hashem chooses to inhabit the promised land, and to join in a covenant.

What if we need to make major changes in our life that will take time because they represent long term goals?  Certainly we should avoid short term distractions and temptation that would be destructive with respect to these long term goals.  But should we measure our success based on where we are in life absolutely, or where we are with the "vector" or direction we are headed?  David mentioned that we should be satisfied if we are doing the best we can to move in the right direction, and if we are doing the best we can perhaps this is how Hashem judges us as well.   

Ellie spoke about how it is easier to make changes if we accept ourselves. Ellie shared that it is important that one wants to make a change and there is not a piece of oneself holding them back. If 100% of someone wants to make the change, it would take willpower not to make the change.  We may need to do something about the pieces of us that do not want to make a change, which can be part of moving in the right direction.

Finally we discussed this Shabbos how when something makes a big impression on them, they remember it very well. David told a story from his father, Rav Dr. George N Schlesinger, that it is admirable those who can remember a lot about their Torah study, the same way they remember the details of 9/11.  It is admirable to remember not only the Torah that we studied, but when and where we were, as all of this indicates it made a big impression on us.

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

Recap for 27 Tishrei 5776 (Parsha Bereishit)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Bereishit including Rav Yeager’s commentary on the parsha. David Schlesinger led discussion. This Shabbos we welcomed David and his family back from Israel, and we welcomed Dave W back from Destin, Florida.

David Schlesinger spoke about his trip to Israel, and how he was able to meet Rav Yeager in person, and attend one of his classes. He also spoke about seeing his guys over in Israel, and how they have a very strong early minyan and kiddush "franchise" set up.   I really appreciate David's guys and everyone from our community who is over in Israel serving in the IDF, or being a part of Israel in other ways.

Dave W spoke about his trip to Destin, and how Hashem did great work in creating such a beautiful place not only physically with the beaches and scenery, but also spiritually with the inner beauty of the Jewish people who live there as well.  Dave recounted how welcomed he felt in the Sephardic shul, even as an Ashkenazi, and how meaningful the services there are for everyone.

We recently celebrated Simchah Torah, which occurs once we finish the Torah and prepare to start over. One of the concepts we discussed this Shabbos is that we really do not start over. Of course we start over with our Torah reading, however we are continually growing as a people and as a nation. When we come back to Bereishit again, we bring with us the experience and knowledge of having gone through the entire Torah many times so we are not completely starting over.

We discussed Rav Yeager’s commentary as to why Hashem says “it was good” after creating the world, and says “it was very good” after creating man. We discussed what it is that is good. This gets to a concept that David’s father, Rav George Schlesinger, talks about in his articles – that Hashem created the most perfect of worlds.

We discussed that the most perfect world is one in which man has the opportunity to use his free will to make moral decisions and finish the act of creation. The point of everything that exists, is to create a world in which man will interact, create, and represent Hashem. 

We discussed that Hashem says that man is “very good”, because man is the whole point of everything. The most perfect world is not one in which we are all robots who automatically do the right thing, but one in which we have free will and can choose whether or not to do the right thing.

Ellie asked an interesting question, which is what happens when man does not make the right decisions. Do we now have a world that is not the most perfect world? The answer seems to be, which we discussed, is that once man has used his free will in a certain way we now have the most perfect world given what has taken place. We discussed how Hashem did not make a static world, but one that would be constantly changing, some of that change based on man’s decisions. We discussed how Hashem designed the world to change in whichever way results in the most perfect world, given the events that have taken place up until that point.

One thing that we discussed is that Hashem is very optimistic about the world and man. He says “it is good”, and “it is very good”. We should also try to be optimistic in our own lives, about ourselves, community, nation, and world. Brett commented that we would be depressed if we are constantly pessimistic, and he is right. That’s been my own personal experience anyways. Trying to be positive and optimistic is one way to feel better, and it seems to be Hashem’s way of being.

We discussed one of the ways we can be more positive, which is when we review and do an inventory of ourselves. We discussed how we have assets and liabilities and not just liabilities. David mentioned we should try to leverage our assets in order to deal with our liabilities. Trying to grow from our good things, no matter how small they seem, is an interesting and helpful suggestion we discussed.

We discussed how in the parsha Moshe looks out over Israel and “sees” the future. He sees what is going to transpire over the long run. Likewise, Hashem “sees” the future of mankind and the world. However in both cases, what is seen is the large picture of what will transpire over the long run. We discussed how we could apply this to our own personal lives, and try not to get caught up in what is happening day to day and focus more on the big picture and long term.

We discussed this Shabbos some of the differences between Rashi and Rombon when it comes to commentary on the Torah. Rashi seems to take the approach of commenting on the details first, and then later we can make conclusions and formulate a larger picture. Rombon seems to take the approach that we should be given whatever details and commentary we can understand at the moment.

One of the interesting discussions we had is whether or not there is a conflict between science and Torah. David mentioned how his father would say that science is actually proof of the existence of Hashem. It is interesting how the Torah was first in saying there was a beginning of time, long before scientist came forth to accept this idea. David's father, Rav Scheslinger, would point out how fine-tuned the universe has to be in order to support life, and the astronomical odds against this happening by chance.

There will never be 100% proof of Hashem's existence, because this would take away free will.  Actually, my father once told me that we can never be 100% certain of anything.  

What does seem to be the case with the Torah, is that much of it was never meant to be taken literally. It was communicated to us as it is because that was what would be most understandable to us. As an example, there are words such as “day” and “hand” in the Torah.   A “day” to hashem when creating the world in 6 days, may be a lot longer than the days we are use to.  And the “hand” of hashem, does not mean that hashem has a physical hand like us.

Hashem works through the physical world. We discussed how things like evolution may involve processes that are obeying physical laws. But it is all under the guidance and plans of Hashem.  Hashem can interfere with with the physical laws, but it seems more likely that there is going to be order, as Norm has pointed out.

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

Recap for 13 Tishrei, 5776 (Parsha Haazinu)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Haazinu and the upcoming holiday of succos. I want to thank Norm for hosting the Kiddush and learning.

Norm started off by thanking everyone for their support of the early minyan.  He commented that we continue to go forward with this minyan with a lot of help from Hashem.  Just when we need them, newcomers come for their first time.  I have shared in the past that I don’t think it is a coincidence who I have met in this community, and what help is needed ten years later.  Of course, there are other reasons why I have met who I have, I believe Hashem may have multiple reasons for everything. Just like in the stories in the Torah, Hashem is always with us and with our minyan and influences people to help where it is needed.

Norm shared about how he provides counseling services for the police department. Norm shared about attending the funeral of a police officer who recently passed away in the line of duty. Norm spoke about  the kindness of some of the police department, in particular the chief of police, Armstrong, who will stop what he is doing and help citizens change their tires on the side of the road. Dave W also expressed appreciation for the police chief as someone who has been helpful to our city.

We discussed how non-Jews are only required to keep the 7 laws of Noah, however it seems that some non-Jews expect us to follow their religion or suffer the consequences of not having a comfortable existence in the world to come.  We discussed how it can make us feel uncomfortable to go to funerals and other events when certain non-Jewish religious leaders are speaking as if everyone should share their beliefs.  This all makes me keep in mind that when non-Jews visit me I should be clear that we don't believe they are going to be punished for not following all the halakuh that I do.

We discussed this Shabbos, the character trait of humbleness. Norm mentioned how Moshe would help look for someone else’s lost lamb. Norm commented that by being humble and not thinking so much about himself, Moshe became the leader and became known as a great person. But if he had always just thought of himself as great, he never would have actually become great. We discussed how it is funny that those with-out a big ego end up getting what those with ego desire. Having said this, we did discuss that Hashem created us with an ego with at least some purpose in mind.   Sometimes it is important to think of what is best for ourselves and put other's needs aside.

Yaki spoke about Abraham’s main character trait which was kindness. As we know, Abraham brought monotheism to the world. We discussed how this was one of the most important events in the history of man-kind.

Yaki talked about how it is a mitzvah to be happy and have simchah. He shared how the ultimate simchah is to be close to hashem, and how Succos is the holiday with the most simchah. Yaki spoke about how we get particularly close to hashem on Yom Kippur. This closeness is celebrated with simchah on Succos.

We also discussed the holiday of Pesach, which also occurs on the 15 of a month. We discussed that much of our experience through-out history and who we are today has been shaped by our experience in Egypt. Yaki commented that it was part of Hashem’s plans that we go to Egypt for the length of time that we did, and how important it is to always remember the exodus from Egypt. Brett commented on how important it is to observe Pesach every year.

Yaki spoke about how we have 2 parts to our soul. We have a part that comes from our animalistic nature, and another part that comes from our more spiritual, intellectual and human side. Our animalistic nature can be very strong. It is not necessarily bad to have this piece of our soul active, but it is important that we control it. As David Schlesinger would say, it is important that we channel it into activities that are consistent with the Torah, and best apply the spiritual to our physical world.

Yaki spoke about how all of us are on a natural path. This is the path of least resistance that we will stay on, unless we make an effort to get on another path. Our natural path is not necessarily the best path for us. During Rosh Hashanah we do an inventory and analysis of the path we are on. If we do not make any effort it is likely we will stay on this path. However, we could decide to make the effort and do the work to get on a better, healthier path. We should consider changing the direction of our life prior to Yom Kippur, and prior to asking Hashem for forgiveness.

Dave W spoke more about the Sephardic community in Destin, and how the services and customs there differ from the Ashkenazi that we are use to. Dave W commented about the beautiful work of natural beauty that Hashem did in creating that part of our country.

Norm spoke about how it was on Succos many years ago that the custom of separating men and woman during the services began. In the past it was very common to have second story balconies where woman would daven.

Finally, Yaki spoke about how water symbolizes love. As the human body is made up of mainly water, Hashem seems to have created us as an expression of love. 

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

Recap for 6 Tishrei 5776 (Parsha Vayelech and meaning of RH and YK)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Vayelech, the meaning of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and various other topics. Yaki Moskowitz led discussion.

We discussed how there are different months that are considered to be the start of a new year. These include Tishrei as well as Nissan. Nissan is actually the month that is considered to be the first month of the year according to the Torah.  However we keep track of years starting with Tishrei, which is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve.  Nissan is the month in which we were free from Egypt, however we go with Tishrei, when numbering the years.

We discussed how through-out the Torah, Hashem would speak to Moshe in the Tabernacle and then Moshe would relay the information received to the Jewish people. However, in this week’s parsha Hashem speaks to both Moshe and Joshua at the same time.

We discussed how during Tishrei hashem really comes down to earth and we can feel his presence whereas during Nissan hashem does not really come down.  One of the ways Hashem comes down to earth is with the shofar. Seth suggested that blowing the shofar is like blowing the horn of a car. When we hear the shofar we should think of Hashem blowing the shofar to alert us.

Yaki talked about how everything has a purpose. Sometimes it is hard to see the purpose in things, such as a stone, but the stone has a purpose. Norm gave an example of a baby boy that is born and unfortunately passes away after a few weeks. It is hard to see that this baby served a purpose. But Norm suggested that the baby’s purpose may have been to have his Brit Milah.

Yaki spoke about how on Rosh Hashanah hashem judges everything. Everything includes people, things like stones, communities as a whole, and nations. We discussed how the judging that takes place is not necessarily whether someone is “good” or “bad” but how well they are fulfilling their purpose and mission.

We discussed how on Rosh Hashanah the progress we are making towards fulfilling our mission and the overall direction of our lives is what is judged, not necessarily where we are absolutely. For example, someone who grew up in a secular home could be making great progress simply to come to shul once a month, whereas someone who grew up in an observant home may not be making much progress at all if his focus on learning is very low.

We discussed that it is very important to leave the judging up to Hashem. Norm commented that we shouldn’t judge anyone. It is tempting to judge others, but we don’t really know fully what others have gone through and/or what obstacles they face.  It is possible for anyone to be moving in the right direction, regardless of how things appear.

Yaki spoke about how it seems that the order of the holidays are backwards. Why is it that Rosh Hashanah – in which we are judged, comes before Yom Kippur in which we ask for forgiveness. Yaki gave the analogy of a car. Why would we first inspect a car, then judge based on our inspection, followed by working on fixing the problems? Wouldn’t it make more sense to inspect the car, fix the car, and then judge the car?

Yaki explained the logic behind the order of the holidays. On Rosh Hashanah hashem does an inventory of how we have done over the last year, and we should do our own inventory. Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we should try our best to make amends for things, but it is not our goal to fix everything. What is most important is to make progress towards moving our lives in the best possible direction.  On Yom Kippur we ask for forgiveness after we have done our inventories and demonstrated we are serious about living the coming year the best that we can.

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

Recap for 28 Elul 5775 (Parsha Nitzavim and Rosh Hashanah)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Nitzavim, and the upcoming holiday of Rosh Hashanah. We included in our discussion commentary by both Rav Yeager and Rav Malamed.  David Schlesinger led discussion.

We discussed how in the parsha Moses reminds the Jewish people of our covenant with Hashem.  We discussed secular law in which a contract with a minor is not valid.  However, unlike secular law, our covenant with Hashem applies to all future generations.  We discussed how some of our holiness comes from having holy people such as Abraham as ancestors, and some of our holiness comes from how we ourselves are holy by keeping our part of the covenant.

Dave W pointed out how unlike many people, the Jews were offered this covenant and accepted. We agreed to the covenant even before we were given all the details at Mt. Sinai. We discussed how there are actually 2 covenants, one with each of us as individuals, and the other with our nation as a whole.

Because of the covenant with us as a nation, it is important to look out for each other. None of us should think we are living in a vacuum. David told a story from his father, Rav George Schlesinger, about a person in a boat drilling a hole under his seat. Although the person had the seat reserved, his drilling obviously affects everyone. Likewise, what one of us does in our community affects everyone.

In the parsha, Moshe reminds the Jewish people that we have free will to choose between good and evil.  Through out history, man has sometimes chosen good, and sometimes chosen evil.  Those who choose evil are not necessarily punished immediately.  If they were punished immediately, this would take away free will.  Do we really have free will whether or not to touch a hot stove?  Although rewards and punishments are not immediately, eventually there will be an accounting.

We discussed how free will is a prerequisite for Tikkun Olam (repairing of the world). What would be the purpose of repairing the world if we did not have free will? Hashem left us things to be repaired, because he wants us to repair them.  And having robots repair things, is not what Hashem wants for his world.

We discussed how some people seem to be born into great wealth and privilege where others seem to be born into more challenging situations. Norm commented that the world is unfair, because that is how it was meant to be. We discussed how we each have a mission, and a purpose as to what we are suppose to do with our wealth, or talents or skills.  Those who are wealthy, are expected to use their wealth for Tikkun Olam and to carry out their mission and purpose.

This Shabbos Brian was here, and offered up an interesting observation from the Torah. He talked about how the year 1948 corresponds to the year 5708. If we read section 5708, it is remarkable and amazing the correspondence between what is written in the Torah, and what actually happened in history thousands of years later in 1948.

This Shabbos we discussed some more of the evidence for Hashem’s existence. Norm pointed out that those who have faith are a lot happier. It would make sense that Hashem created us to be happier when we carry out his will, and that it would be Hashem’s will that we believe in him. David pointed out what his father would say that those who do not believe in Hashem have a lot more explaining to do, than those who do. Some of the questions that the non-believers would have to explain include the fine tuning of the universe in which everything is in a perfect state in order to support human life.

Those who have faith and believe are often asked to explain things such as why we can not call out for Hashem and he appears. Why can’t we jump off a cliff and in the middle of the fall ask Hashem to save us? Norm pointed out that there is order in the world for a reason. After all, if there were no order we would not know how to create and interact with things in an unpredictable world that does not follow rules.

We discussed the upcoming holiday of Rosh Hashanah. This holiday has a tendency to be fearful, however many people also are able to celebrate and feel joy.  Dave W pointed out that it is really both. We need to be serious about being judged, but being joyous and celebrating the creation of the world is part of the holiday.

We discussed how the judgements made by Hashem on Rosh Hashanah are not based on absolutes. For example, someone who has been born into a secular home who has been doing their best, would be judge by a different standard than someone who grew up in an observant household. David commented that we are all given our different set of obstacles that we need to overcome. One person may be at a higher level in absolute terms, but not judged as well as someone at a lower level.

We discussed the purpose of blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. The shofar was also sounded at Mt. Sinai, and by blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah we are reminded that we received the Torah as part of our covenant with Hashem. The shofar is an alarm and wake up call to us. We all need to wake up and become aware of where we are going, and whether or not it is where we should be going. If we are not on the right path in life, hopefully the blowing of the shofar will help wake us up to this.

We discussed how there is both a big horn and a small horn. The big horn represents the Jewish people as a whole. The short horn represents us as individuals. It is important that we focus on both. There are secular Zionist who are focused on our people, but not on themselves. On the other hand, there are very observant jews who are not concerned about their community. Ideally, we want to strive to be committed to both ourselves and our communities and nations.

We discussed some more this Shabbos how the best way to be judged favorably every year at Rosh Hashanah, is to spend the year focused on longer term goals. It can be very tempting to go for short term pleasure, but in the long run we will be happier and more content if we focus on the long term. David pointed out that this is particularly important within families. We discussed how the building block of a healthy society is healthy families.

Finally, we discussed how doing mitzvah outside of Israel, is analogous to the NFL preseason. Our country has been good to us, but it is our ultimate desire to be in Israel. And once we are there, the mitzvah we are doing is analogous to the regular season. Dave W commented on how much he misses Israel when he comes back to Memphis.

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

Recap for 21 Elul 5775 (Parsha Ki Tavo)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Ki Tavo, including commentary from Rav Yeager’s book Paths. In the parsha, is the mitzvah of giving of the first fruit, and tithing 10% of one’s crops. The first fruits are taken to the temple as a sacrifice to Hashem, and the tithing is given to the Levy and/or the poor. We discussed how these are the 2 mitzvah in which we verbalize what we are doing. We discussed the reason for this verbalization, which is to be clear that we are not entitled to anything, and that everything that what we do receive comes from Hashem.

David commented how the very first of anything has special meaning to us. He mentioned the first penny that he earned at work having special significance to him. The idea that everything comes from Hashem is very important in Judaism. By sacrificing the very first of the fruits, we show that we are not entitled to any of what we are about to receive.  By showing our gratitude in this way, we develop the proper mind set as we go forward and have our fruits.

We discussed the mitzvah of tzedakah. Norm brought up that there are 8 different levels of tzedakah. We discussed how we should want to give tzedakah emotionally, rather than feeling forced to do so. However in some cases we really are not sure where the money is going to. We discussed that maybe the rabbi or Vaad should certify the legitimacy of those asking for donations.

We discussed how we have an obligation to give, however entitlement is not a part of our religion. David specifically brought up holiday meals. We have an obligation to see who does not have a place to go, and open up our homes, however no one is entitled to these meals. Unlike secular society which seems to be based on rights and entitlements, Judaism is based on mitzvah and obligation.

We discussed how, as a society we run into problems, when more and more people want to consume without producing. It is clear that Hashem wants us to finish the act of creation by producing. However, how should this be done?  Should it be done by just some of us, while the others study Torah full time?  Or should each of us both work and study Torah?  There seems to be a lot of controversy surrounding this issue, especially in Israel.  Judaism is about applying the Torah to the physical world, and Tikum Olam, which we can do through our work, so work seems very important to me.

We discussed that if Rosh Hashanah falls on a Monday or Tuesday, as it does this year, we separate out parsha Nitzavim and parsha Vayelech and read these separately. This is because there is an extra Shabbos between Yom Kippur and Sukkot. We will do Nitzavim next Shabbos, and Vayelech the following Shabbos.

We discussed how in Judaism we can have privileges, however this comes with responsibility. For example, the Kohen receive certain privileges, but have a special responsibility in our community. The privileges and responsibilities originate with the original covenant that Hashem made with Abraham.  As we are all descendant from Abraham, we all have a covenant with Hashem.

I brought up an article that I noticed over at the Yeshiva. I found the following link to the article http://www.iep.utm.edu/design/ The article is called “Design Arguments for the Existence of God”, and is written by Kenneth Einar Himma. In the article is mentioned some of the ideas by David’s father, Dr. George N Schlesinger.

Dr. Schlesinger argues that if an event has a 1 in 1,000,000,000 chance of occurring, such as hitting a jackpot at a casino on a single machine, and the event occurs, this could be due to random chance with no “cheating”.  However, if there are 3 separate events, each of which has a 1 in 1,000 chance of occurring, such as hitting consecutive jackpots on 3 different machines, and all 3 occur, this is much less likely to be due to luck and the casino would certainly suspect some type of “cheating” took place.  For life to exist, there are a series of different extremely low probability events that need to occur. If just one low probability event occurred, that could be due to luck, but when each of these events occur this is strong evidence of intelligent design.

Finally, Norm brought up the idea of turning things over to Hashem. We do the best we can to change what we can. The remainder we turn over. I can say from my own experience, this is not always easy to do but it is better to let go of some things.

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

Recap for 14 Elul 5775 (Parsha Ki Teitzei)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Ki Teitzei including commentary by Rav Yeager from his new book, Paths. It was nice to see some folks we have not seen in a while including some new faces.  David Schlesinger led discussion.

We discussed some of the mitzvah that are included in the parsha, including the mitzvah to marry one's sister-in-law when a deceased brother is left childless.  We discussed how today we do not practice this, however it is important to understand the reasons for this mitzvah.

We discussed the different levels of motivation that exist, for doing what is right, following the Torah, and doing mitzvah. At the lowest level, fear of punishment motivates us. As a parent, we may punish a child for doing something wrong. Hopefully, the fear of punishment will prevent this child from doing wrong again. We discussed that in order for this to work, punishment needs to be based on logic and facts and not on our emotions.

David commented that it is not good parenting to punish children simply to “let out steam”, or because we feel like it emotionally. Norm has reminded us in past discussions that our head is on top of our heart and at the top of our body. We should use our head and not emotions in determining when to punish children, and in determining our behavior in general.

At a higher level, and as we grow up, we switch over to positive re-enforcement type motivation.   Love is an example of a positive motivator.  We love Hashem and want to get as close to possible to him. We are motivated by this love by following his Torah, and carrying out his will for us as best as possible. We discussed how positive motivation usually works better for people, but sometimes we have no choice but to punish others.

As an example of all this, those who make aliyah to Israel are motivated by love, love for hashem and love for Israel.  I really admire and appreciate everyone who has made Aliyah to Israel, or who has inspired others to do so.  I was thinking in particular how much I admire and appreciate those from our community who help defend Israel by serving in the IDF.  We discussed this Shabbos that there is always a need to help support and defend Israel. 

We had a long discussion on the topic of self will and what really motivates us. Did Hashem design us to only do what is in our self-interest?   I think we do tend to act out in self-will, but we should strive to align our self-will with Hashem’s will, so at some point it would take an effort not to follow what Hashem wants us to do.

We can determine Hashem’s will from his Torah, and also from our personal experiences in life. Yaki shared how Hashem has specific plans for us. Yaki commented that what we experience as individuals, communities, and nations is meant to be.  David commented that this is the best of all possible worlds, and things play out like they do in order that we can have a virtuous response.

Charlie commented that we have free will, but hashem “knows” how we are going to use our free will. Of course the definition of the word “knows” with respect to hashem may be different than what we are use to so it is not clear what this means.  

Ellie suggested we will never know for certain if Hashem exists, is a concept, or what. Charlie commented we need to want to believe in Hashem.  It just makes more sense to me personally that Hashem exists.  It is the most reasonable of all possible explanations.  We have discussed some of the evidence for Hashem's existence, such as the article concerning the odds of a planet having the necessary conditions for life, and articles by David's father.  And I'm glad that Hashem's existence is the most reasonable explanation, because it certainly gives my life more purpose and meaning.

We discussed this Shabbos how Hashem gives to us some absoluteness in a world of relativity, with respect to ethics and morality. We don’t first learn what is ethical and then conclude that following hashem’s Torah is ethical. The Torah defines what is ethical.

Most other things in life are relative. For example, we have discussed in the past whether the world is “good” or “bad” overall. We could argue this forever, because it is relative to the person. But ethics is not relative.

Moral behavior, such as being honest, loving others, having integrity is not relative. Charlie commented that someone who is ethical and moral but is not perfectly observant is a better person than someone who is perfectly observant but is not ethical, in business or in life. Having said this, no one is perfect and I myself have been dishonest and not loving of others in the past.  

Of course it is possible to overdo it with anything. There are mitzvahs to be kind to others, but for example, 2 people could argue forever who is going to pay a bill, if they both want to pay for a lunch. David told a story from his dad, Dr. George Schlesinger, where 2 people would both want to do the mitzvah of walking someone home after a get together. They would go back and forth and no one would ever get to their destination!

We discussed the month of Elul, and how we are approaching the time of year in which if we have not been loving of others, honest towards others, or harmed others, we will need to seek forgiveness. We discussed how Elul is a time of year in which we are particularly aware of hashem, and should be making inventory of our year.

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

Recap for 30 Av 5775 (Parsha Re'eh)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Re’eh, including commentary from Rav Yeager.  We began studying a new book from Rav Yeager know as Paths.

In the parsha, there is discussion of blessings and curses.  There are rewards and punishments that are consequences of our actions.  We discussed the idea that the rewards are already built into the world. Hashem assumes that we will use our free will to make the right choices, to the best of our ability.  It is when we do not make the right choices, that Hashem has to intervene and hold us back from receiving a blessing.

We discussed the idea that mitzvahs are blessings in and of themselves.  Doing mitzvah brings us closer to hashem, and brings us the opportunity to do more and more mitzvah.  In the world to come, we benefit tremendously from how close we are to hashem.  David has shared in the past how his father compares this as getting ready for an opera.

We discussed this idea that every opportunity we have to do a mitzvah is a blessing, because it will bring us the opportunity to do an increasing number of mitzvahs. David told a story from his dad about how giving tzedukah to people, will lead to more and more people coming to ask for tzedukah. Of course it is important to ask people and research where the donations are going to make sure we are really doing a mitzvah!  

We discussed the question of whether or not the world is good overall. If hashem has built in blessings, and the times when he has to intervene are exceptions to the rule, does this mean the world is good overall? It seems like people could argue this question forever. Perhaps hashem created the world so that we would all have the free will to perceive the answer to this question as we wish, the same way we can perceive the answer to the question of Hashem's existence as we wish.

I personally choose to believe the world is good overall because that has been my experience. Every country I have visited there are hospitals, police, ambulances, some sense of law and order, but I understand others have had different experiences in their life.

David brought up some interesting questions about how we would design things if we were hashem. 

David shared about how his father would say this is the most perfect of possible worlds. If we could perfectly understand the world we would be hashem. But some things do seem to be designed with certain objectives in mind.

Hashem wants us to have free will, and have something to do. If hashem was out and visible we would automatically follow each and every directive in the Torah automatically and be robots instead of people. If everything was perfectly good, we would not know things were good as there would be nothing in which to compare. We would have nothing to do. There would really be no reason for us to be here, at all.

David mentioned again the idea from his Dad with respect to the virtuous response to suffering. Sometimes we feel a lot of stress – I know I have recently – and wonder what in the world could be the virtuous response to this? Sometimes at least with me the stress is there because it is something I have never dealt with before, so maybe this is an opportunity to learn something new and grow stronger.

Norm shared about how we have some choices in life. We can see the glass as half empty or half full. We can decide how long we want to hold on to things which can be represented as glasses or other objects. If we hold onto them for a little while, we will be fine, but after a while our arm is going to get tired. Norm shared about the importance of letting things go, and turning things over to Hashem after we have done all we can.

David shared how his father would say if Hashem is not the creator of everything, omni present, and having always existed, then we would ask what is the point of worshipping him.  We discussed how hashem not only created us to have free will, but created us to have something to do as well. Yaki shared how there are specific plans and missions for each and every one of us. Who we meet, and what we experience may give us some clues as to Hashem’s plans for us. David has shared about how we are all on a team with each of us occupying certain positions.

Eliona shared about her recent trip to Poland and Denmark and Israel. My grandmother is from Poland, so I really related to all this. My grandmother was lucky to escape from there many years ago, and it seems that it may still be a place worth escaping from.   Eliona also shared about being in Denmark, and how some people there have obstacles that make it hard for them to practice our relgion. She then shared about arriving in Israel and the emotional experience of going to the Kottel. I related to this, remembering the first time I went to the Kottel back in 2010.

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

Recap for 16 Av 5775 (Parsha Va'etchanan)

 This Shabbos we discussed how everyone can help our early minyan.  Please come to our early minyan, and bring a friend(s), if possible.  Please let others know about us.

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Va’etchanan, including commentary by Rav Yeager on the parsha. We discussed how in the parsha the 10 commandments are repeated, starting with the first commandment which comes in the form of a statement from Hashem, that “ I am your God who took you out of Egypt”.

We discussed what this first commandment means - that there is a God, and we need to have faith in this God. We discussed how belief in Hashem, as the creator of everything, always playing an active role in the world and in our lives, is the foundation of Judaism and our belief system.

We discussed how Hashem has always existed, and it is he who brought the world into existence. We discussed the importance of the wording of the very first sentence in Bereishit.  Hashem always must come first. We do not want any suggestion that “in the beginning” came before Hashem.

One of the fundamental beliefs we have is that the physical world, which includes time, did not always exist, and was brought into existence by Hashem. This idea has been stated in our Torah for thousands of years.  In the 1970’s, science finally “caught up” to the Torah, and with the “big bang” theory finally agreed that time had a beginning.

Science has finally caught up to the Torah in other ways.  It has recently been scientifically discovered, that even with the enormous number of planets that exist, the probability that one of them would contain the necessary conditions for life is virtually zero.  Science has finally caught up - by strongly suggesting that the work of a creator is substantially more likely than the conditions of life emerging randomly, let alone life itself emerging.

We discussed the mitzvah of “clinging” to Hashem. In the Torah Moshe is never able to “get” to Hashem completely. Hashem gets down to earth, but does not get down to the final 10 t’fachem. Moshe gets up to the heavens, but does not get to the final 10 t’fachem.  So what does "clinging" to hashem mean?

Brett suggested that we could cling to Hashem spiritually.  We will never be able to comprehend Hashem completely.  However, we can “cling” to Hashem, and comprehend him, by emulating his actions.  Some of these actions that we discussed include burying the dead, and taking care of the sick.

Dave W brought up one way we can cling to Hashem, which is to love other Jews, which has not been going on recently in Israel. There has been attacks on others because they are perceived as not following standards or at the same level as others. Sometimes we do very well with the detailed halakuh that is easy to measure, such as eating only kosher food, but then fail at more general halakuh such as peace and love towards others.

We discussed this Shabbos the idea of a Khumra, which is adding a “fence” around the Torah. As we know the Rabbis implemented additional halakha, in order to protect the halakha in the Torah. It is important of course that we follow halakha to the best of our ability, but sometimes we overdo it by taking it upon ourselves to add on additional restrictions which have never been called for.

We discussed how it is an important part of Judaism to go ahead and enjoy some pleasures.  Denying ourselves pleasure is not necessary a mitzvah.  In fact, it can be the opposite of a mitzvah.  We discussed how there will be an accounting, and we will have to answer why we did not engage in some pleasures. So it is not desirable to think that the more strict we are the better.

However, there is an exception if we have a weakness for something. For example, someone who has a weakness for alcohol, can and should restrict themselves to grape juice and not do Kiddush over wine. Or perhaps someone has a weakness for certain foods.

In general the restrictions we have should be enough for us. We discussed how it would be considered “showing off” to stand for an entire service, or say additional blessings that are not called for.

Brian brought up the additional days of Yom Tov. Would it be considered an unnecessary khumra to observe additional days of yom tov?  We concluded that this is not an unnecessary khumra because we go strict when in doubt about a Torah level commandment.  

 How about wearing a kippuh, which is never specifically mentioned in the Torah?  This has become a tradition that we follow. We discussed how our head covering symbolizes Hashem “above us”, and the fact we need this higher power above us - as we can not control everything.  

Traditions are not unnecessary Khumra's, as long as these are the traditions that everyone follows. An example we discussed, if we go to a shul and everyone is wearing Tefillin during Chol Chomod, it is not an unnecessary khumra to wear tefillin.  But if noone is wearing Tefillin, it would be considered "showing off" and an unnecessary khumra to wear tefillin.

Finally, we discussed that back in history - we would daven with robes and needed to wear a gertel. Brian pointed out that today we have ways of dealing with this, such as belts that separate the lower and upper body.

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