Recap for 9 Av 5775 (Parsha Devarim)

This Shabbos, we discussed Parsha Devarim.  And David was very happy to announce that Rav Yeager’s new book is complete and will be with us in a few weeks.  And we were very happy to welcome back Dave W from Destin.

We discussed how, in the parsha, Moshe repeats to us our history up until that point in time.   Moshe rebukes us for not following the Torah, and not having faith in Hashem, all of which resulted in our not reaching the promised land. After leaving Mt. Sinai, the land of Israel was only 11 days away, but we were still not there after 40 years.

We discussed the different ways that we were rebuked, and the different ways that we can rebuke in general. We discussed how we can be part of an organization like the army, in which rebuke comes swiftly and strongly.  In this case, we have signed up for this type of rebuke and it should be expected.

On the other hand, Ellie pointed out how a therapist may take a softer approach, rebuking by asking the patient if he has any concerns about anything. We discussed the different ways of rebuke used by Moshe in the parsha. He did not go into all the details when bringing up the sin of the Golden Calf, but is much harsher in rebuking us for the sin of the spies.

We discussed how this really is a sad time of year. We discussed how we put off Tisha B’Av for 1 day, as it can not fall on Shabbos.  However, we still spent Shabbos anticipating the next day.  We discussed what would be necessary to get ready for the day, including an early minchah on Shabbos and a return home for a last meal, before returning to shul. We discussed the importance of hydrating on Shabbos, in preparation for the fast, and the restrictions on Shabbos pertaining to what we can do in private.

We discussed how the purpose of Tisha B’Av, and the time leading up to this day, is not necessarily to feel sad, but to become motivated and formulate a plan which will help alleviate sadness. There is sadness we have as a people, and sadness we may have in our personal lives.

The sadness we have as a people, for the loss of the temple, continues to this day. We discussed how in order to bring about mashiach and the restoration and rebuilding of the temple, we must all do our part as individuals. As individuals we can remember why the temple was destroyed to begin with, and do our part to promote our progress towards the messianic era with how we treat others, and maintain a relationship with Hashem.

As individuals we may all face sadness in our lives for various reasons.  We discussed some of the action we can take to improve our lives.  These include accepting things we can not change. If we worry too much about what we can’t change, it affects our ability to change what we can.  In particular, self-acceptance seems to be very important. We discussed doing mitzvah and giving to others, and to continue to make the contributions that were made by love ones, who we have lost. 

Trying to make at least a little progress with things every day, has helped me.  Norm has shared about taking things one day at a time.  Ellie has told us about different therapies that are used. It may be necessary to get professional help for depression, from therapist(s) and/or doctors and/or other professionals.  

We discussed how lively Jerusalem seems today. There are hotels, condos, apartments, night life, stores, people, and many synagogues and religious institutions. Although Jerusalem does not seem empty physically, it may still be empty in other ways such as spiritually. What we don’t want to do is take our "foot off the gas pedal”. We need to keep moving, to continue growing as a people, keeping in mind that we still do not have our temple.

Finally, on a different topic, David brought up the idea that maybe the law to separate fish and meat, has to do with the danger of fish bones.  And David told a story from his father about asking a date about love, family, and philosophy.

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

Recap for 2 Av 5775, Yeirzeit of Tsvi Mayer Ben Avraham Halevi

This Shabbos was a very special Shabbos, as this Shabbos day 2 Av is the yeirzeit of Ira’s father Tsvi Mayer Ben Avraham Halevi. Ira spoke about how this year is the 8th year yeirzeit, and about how his daughter was born on this same date.  Ira spoke about how his father worked as a chef, and about how his family is from Hungary.

Ira spoke about his grandmother on his father’s side and what life was like back in Hungary. Ira spoke about how his grandmother and her sisters were rescued and sheltered by a German soldier after the war. They were later able to escape to freedom and come to America.

David spoke about how we went in and rebuilt Germany after the war.  David spoke about how his father, Rabbi George Schlesinger, would talk about the United States being a very moral country to go in and rebuild a country that we just fought against.  We have discussed the source of these moral ideas, which first came from our religion, Judaism.  Morality is the idea of doing what is right, rather than doing what we have the power to do.

This Shabbos we talked about the power of speech. We can use speech to give Torah status to certain objects. For example, if one makes a vow to not eat herring, this creates a prohibition on eating herring the same as the prohibition against eating non-kosher food. 

 Obviously we want to be careful with our speech, particularly when making vows.  It is important when making commitments to add phrases such as "God willing", or "planning" to do something, when we make commitments. Otherwise we take the risk of breaking our vows, which carry the same importance as following halakuh.

We discussed how speech is a reflection of our soul, and what is inside us. Of course we often have a filter and do not say everything on our mind! However, there are certain times when we are tested, and usually do not filter things. These include when we are angry , drinking, or asked for money.

We discussed some of the reasons why Hashem may have given us the ability to speak in the first place.  One reason is to make vows.  Another reason is so we can advance as a species.  We discussed how there are other animals such as monkeys that may be intelligent and communicate, however human beings are the only animal that has steadily advanced. Today we have the internet, cell phones, and flat screen televisions that did not exist even 20 years ago.

We discussed the idea of bringing Hashem's name into a vow.  For example, the standard oath we take before testifying in court includes the phrase "so help me God".  When we bring in Hashem’s name, we are saying that our vow is as true as what is in the Torah. When we break the vow, we are implying what is in the Torah is not true. 

We discussed how even if we keep our vows, we should not include Hashem’s name in the vow unless we have reached a level in which we have a very close relationship with Hashem. This is why the section on vows occurs after the main part of the Torah is complete.

We discussed how the parsha this Shabbos, concludes the section of the Torah in which what Hashem tells to Moshe is transmitted to the people.  Subsequent parshas will include the last book of the Torah in which there is a summary of our experience and history so far.

We talked about how Judaism is more focused on rehabilitation than on punishment.  For example, in the world to come some of us may need to go through a cleansing process, but the process is about cleansing rather than punishment. Another example is the sin of the spies and how it led to us having to spend 40 years wandering the desert. The purpose of the 40 years in the dessert was for us to focus on learning Torah, growing spiritually, and being better prepared to enter Israel. It wasn’t necessarily about being punished.

We also discussed how we can learn lessons from our history and apply them to our personal lives.  It is always the most amazing thing to me, how the stories in the Torah and what we learn parallels and relates to my own life.  I have been in "Egypt", received a "Torah", wandered the "desert", and so on.

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

Recap for 24 Tamuz 5775 (Parsha Pinchas)

This Shabbos was a special Shabbos, as a Kiddush was held for the yahrzeit of David’s father, HaRav Natan Ben HaRav Shmuel (aka Dr. George N Schlesinger). Last Shabbos David led a discussion of some of his father’s work. Much of what we discuss and learn every Shabbos originates from Dr. Schlesinger.

We also discussed this Shabbos the current time period we are in. It is not yet the month of Av, however we are in the 3 week period prior to the 9th of Av. It is believed that this is not the best time of year for us. It is believed that we are more likely to encounter difficulties this time of year, and that this is built into nature and our world. Having said this, it is important to remember that Hashem is always here to comfort us and perhaps this can be the time of year in which we most appreciate Hashem’s comfort.

We discussed how we refrain from certain activities this time of year. These activities include having weddings, shaving, getting haircuts, and playing live music. However, there are exceptions and it is best to consult one’s rabbi before making any decisions.

We discussed the analogy between this time of year and mourning a loss. We discussed how we mourn the loss of the temple in a way that is analogous to mourning the loss of a loved one. The periods of time with respect to mourning the loss of the temple are: the 3 weeks, the 9 days, the week of the 9th of Av, and the 9th of Av itself. The periods of time with respect to mourning the loss of a loved one are the Shiva period, the 30 day period, and the year.

We discussed how Shabbos interrupts any period of mourning, either with respect to the 3 week period, or with respect to a shiva.   On Shabbos, we desire to be in a joyous, non-mourning state.  However when we are in private there are situations in which we may continue to mourn. In particular, if the 9th of Av falls on a Shabbos, we discussed how we would refrain from marital relations on this date.

When the 9th of Av falls on a Shabbos, we push it off until the next day. We discussed whether pushing Shabbos off for one day would result in a “week of” which includes 8 days or a "week of" which includes just 1. Regardless of whether the “week of” includes the prior week or not, on Shabbos we do not want to show any outward signs of mourning. We discussed how this would apply to a shiva as well, as we do not sit shiva over Shabbos.

This Shabbos we discussed how in the past, there were certain cases in which we could take the law into our own hand and take the life of someone who was committing a sin, such as have inappropriate relations with someone in public. However, we discussed how we no longer do this anymore, as it is no longer necessary to prevent consequences for our behavior such as earthquakes and floods, with the way Hashem remains hidden.

In order to preserve free will, hashem remains hidden and there is no longer a direct and consistent cause and affect between our behavior and consequences. If someone doing something wrong were immediately punished, this would take away our free will.

Also this Shabbos, Seth talked about how the jews have overcome a lot to be where we are today. We did not rely on government handouts, or spend a lot of energy and time blaming others. We focused on our goals and have become a strong and successful people.

Finally, please join us next week as we commemorate the yahrzeit of Ira’s dad.