Recap for 3 Tamuz 5775 (Parsha Korach)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Korach. In the parsha, Korach leads a rebellion against the leadership. Ariav talked about how it is ok to have disagreements and question things in Judaism, but it is not ok to rebel against the will of Hashem. It was Hashem’s plan that Aaron lead the sacrifices in the Temple, however Korach and his supporters could not understand and/or agree to this.

Avishai talked about the people’s reaction to Korach being swallowed up as a punishment. The people did not understand what Korach had done wrong. The response to continued rebellion was yet a subsequent plague. Eventually the plague ends, and Aaron retains his role as Hashem intended.

It is a very important point that Judaism encourages questions and disagreement is fine, however we must respect the will of Hashem at all times.  Ariav spoke about how disagreement is one thing, but rebellion is quite another.  We discussed how sometimes there are laws known as Chokem - that do not make sense, however we still must follow them. It may not have made any sense at all, that only Aaron was capable of leading the sacrifices, however it was still important to respect that this was Aaron’s role.

This Shabbos we welcomed back Dan, and remember his quotes about “elevating the sparks of kiddusha”. This principle, of elevating the physical into a spiritual dimension is central to our religion.  Our mission as Jews is to bring spirituality to a physical world.  One of the main purposes of all the food and drink we enjoy on Shabbos, is provided to enhance the spirituality of the day.

We discussed again how we are all “in it” together. I personally sometimes forget or do not know all the halakuh. We try to help each other, and I appreciate those who have helped me. Just this year I have learned some more halakuh which I did not know previously. I can also be absent minded at times and appreciate being reminded of halakuh I already know about, as well.

We discussed how Judaism is all about making a connection to Hashem. We discussed how Hashem may be more receptive to this at certain times of the day. For example, Hashem may “listen” more intently in the early morning. We discussed how of course Hashem’s ability to listen does not vary during the day, but if we are willing to wake up early we show more willingness and motivation, so Hashem is more receptive to us.

This Shabbos we discussed another topic which is the 2 different models we have for how we spend the Shabbos day. In the first model, we wake up early, and do all our davening (sacharis, Torah reading, and mussaf) without delay.  In this case we go home and have our first meal well before noon, and then move on to Torah study.

In the second model, we see Shabbos as more of a day of rest and start davening later than normal. There may be a long break between the Torah reading and Musaff in which the rabbi and others speak. In this case the first meal would be closer to noon, if not later. 

We discussed and concluded that both models are equally valid. It is my opinion that the community should be as strong as possible which is achieved when both models are offered.  

Regardless of which model we participate in, it is important that we spend sufficient time learning. We discussed how Shabbos is usually about 25 hours. If we allocate 7 hours for sleep, this leaves 9 hours each for learning and Oneg. The time we spend davening counts towards the learning. For example, if we spend 2 hours davening, we are left with 7 hours for learning. It may be possible to combine the learning and Oneg together, and not all learning has to be formal.

Finally, we discussed the idea of bringing in Shabbos early. In the summer and perhaps at other times of the year, we can start Shabbos before sun down. We divide the afternoon into 4 equal periods, and we can start Shabbos anytime during the 4th period, if we choose. In this case we would daven earlier than required, and once we bring Shabbos in, we would follow the normal Shabbos commandments and mitzvah.

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

Recap for 27 Sivan 5775 (Parsha Shelach)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Shelach, including commentary by Rav Yeager.  And we welcomed back Ariav, who is here from Israel!   David Schlesinger led discussion.

We discussed how in the parsha, we sent spies into Israel to see about conquering the land.  The spies came back and talked about the fruits of the land, but they also came back with a bleak report concerning the obstacles we would face in fighting any battles. Only 2 of the spies dissented and urged that we move forward and have faith in Hashem.  After the spies returned, we started complaining that we would rather go back to Egypt than conquer the land.  Hashem decreed that as a consequence for our lack of faith, we would have to wander the desert for 40 more years before having another opportunity to enter Israel.

We discussed how a lack of faith in Hashem lead to our having to spend this 40 more years in the desert. We discussed some differences between the commentary of Rashi and Rombam.  Rashi’s commentary is that it was a sin to send the spies to begin with.  However, the Rombam’s commentary is that any nation would send spies in order to understand what they were facing.  The Rombam's position is that the information from the spies should have been used simply to come up with a strategy.

Ariav gave a dvar Torah in which he commented that many parshas in the Torah are about our complaining, and preferring to go back to the past. Why it is that we never seem to get it? Ariav suggested that we simply always continued to be out of touch with reality. This would be like telling someone not to wear a certain color any more. It just doesn’t make sense, so the person keeps wearing that color. It seemed to take us a very long time to get it.

David talked about exactly what it is that we needed to get.  There are 2 main fundamental beliefs to our belief system.  These are first of all that Hashem created everything – including the earth, world, and ourselves.  And secondly, that Hashem continues to take an active role in the world and in our lives.  We discussed how the “sin of the spies” represents a lack of belief in the second foundational belief.  If we had faith that Hashem plays an active role in our lives, we would have had the confidence and motivation to go on into Israel.

One of the other points that I think it was Ariav brought up, is how it was unusual that the leaders, in this case Moses, went along with what the spies were saying. It may be that the leaders had faith in Hashem, but knew that our soldiers did not.

We discussed the point that although Hashem decreed we would spend 40 more years in the desert, this consequence was just our most natural course. We all have a most natural course. Our not going into Israel based on the spy’s report was also our most natural course.  But we can always use our free will to go against what is our natural course.  

It is important that we use our free will in our own personal lives to not just follow a natural course.   In our personal lives we often wander the desert for a long time before making progress with something that would be analogous to “entering Israel”. We come up with some negative aspect, or some obstacle, and then decide to not to anything and keep wandering our own personal “deserts”. In our personal life it may not be black and white. We may have entered Israel in some ways and not in others, but the lessons are in the Torah, and all these lessons are communication that Hashem is having with us not just about the past, but in our own lives in the modern world today.

Yaki spoke about how our conquering of Israel was not only physical, but spiritual as well. Yaki noted that the spies we sent into Israel were elders, who had reached great spiritual heights. In our personal lives we may not be ready to make progress spiritually. But once we have reached the spiritual growth, to know that a certain path represents Hashem’s will for us, we are ready to move forward. Yaki also asked why it is that the younger generation was punished for the older generation's lack of faith. The answer may be that Hashem wants everyone to learn from this entire experience, and as we have discussed in the past we are all in this together and what one person does affects everyone else.

David spoke about how once in a while we get a tap on the shoulder, and are reminded that Hashem is with us.  I can definitely relate to getting these taps on the shoulder.  I have survived a few emergencies, gone to what seemed like random learnings and events and then heard exactly what I needed, felt surprisingly good about decisions at the time the decisions were made, and then not realizing why I had felt good for several years later.  We can always find other explanations for coincidences at the time they happen, but then I see the hand of hashem many years later in what has happened.

Finally, we discussed this Shabbos how we say the prayer of ha gomel when we have survived a potentially dangerous event, or series of events. I can think of a few times in which I did not, but should have said this prayer, including car accidents, and times in which I was unconscious. We discussed whether we should say Gomel after plane flights. I missed part of this discussion, but I tend to feel very safe, although have been in situations in which I was very grateful to have landed.

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

Recap for 19 Sivan 5775 (Parsha Behaalotecha)

This Shabbos we discussed the week’s parsha Behaalotecha. We welcomed back Avishai from Israel. We welcome Jason, a regular reader of the notes, to our kiddush.

David Schlesinger led discussion. In this week’s parsha, we did a lot of complaining as we travelled through the desert. We complained about the work involved in travelling, and also complained about the food, which had been only mana (bread). We discussed the connection between the parsha this week and the parsha next week. It was our mission to head straight into the land of Israel, after receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai. However, with all our complaining and negativity the spies – in next week’s parsha – bring back a negative report and we end up wandering the desert for 40 years.

The other part of the parsha we discussed this Shabbos, has to do with Miriam who was talking negatively about Moses. This talk led to Miriam contracting the disease of lepardsy. From this parsha, we learn the laws of lashon hara. We discussed how lashon hara is talking negatively about others, and how it it not allowed by Jewish law, unless there is certain exceptions. These exceptions include preventing harm in others, in which case it may be an obligation to warn people of certain situations.

We discussed how sometimes we are faced with ethical dilemmas.  For example, if someone asks us how they look in a dress, just because they asked doesn’t mean it is ok to be brutally honest!   Sometimes we think there is an ethical dilemma when there is not. For example, David told a story from his dad, Dr. George Schlesinger, about someone who approached him with the ethical dilemma of not knowing whether or not he should cheat off of an available answer sheet. We may want to be honest but sometimes it is best to not hurt someone’s feelings. 

 With lashon hara some ethical dilemmas may come up because in certain situations we may have to talk negative about someone. We may need to warn someone about someone else in order to prevent harm, but we certainly should not be getting enjoyment out of the lashon hara.

This Shabbos we discussed how perhaps the biggest obstacle we face is internal rather than external. This obstacle is known as the yetzer hara. The yetzer hara gives us a lot of temptation to do things that are harmful to us, or not do things that are good for us. When we can overcome temptation, that is a big accomplishment.

We discussed how we have a mitzvah to help bring God and Torah to everyone.  In the past, we have discussed how we are all in this together. It is a big mitzvah to help bring Torah to others.  I really appreciate those who have helped bring Torah to me. We discussed how it is also a mitzvah to help others overcome the yetzer hara. The yetzer hara gives us temptation to ignore Torah and live solely in the physical world. We have discussed in the past how it is not our mission to reject the physical world completely, but to apply Torah to the physical world.

Finally, we discussed the giving of Aliyahs during our services.  In certain cases, such as on a yeirzeit it is appropriate to ask for an Aliyah. We talked about some of the drawbacks of giving out too many aliyahs. I really appreciate all the aliyahs I have received.

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