Recap for 24 Kislev, 5777 (Parsha Vayeishev and Yeirzeit of Joseph Ben Abraham)

This Shabbos we discussed Parsha Vayeishev, including commentary from Rav Yeager. It was a special Shabbos, as my father’s yeirzeit followed on the 26th of Kislev. It’s interesting that my father’s name is Joseph Ben Abraham, Joseph being the main character in the week’s parsha.  We also heard and interesting dvar Torah from Rabbi Safier, following our early minyan davening.

Rabbi Dovid Safier, from the Memphis Kollel, gave a dvar Torah concerning what is known as the “3 cardinal sins”. These are the 3 sins we are not allowed to carry out, even if it means giving up our life. These sins include taking someone else’s life, sexual immorality, and idolatry. Rabbi Safier talked about how these sins are interpreted broadly. For example, we are not allowed to take medicine that saves our life, if the medicine somehow comes from, or represents idolatry. As usual, one should check with one’s Rabbi on how to interpret all this.  This is a very serious decision to not take a medicine that saves our lives.

My father, Joseph Ben Abraham, was also named Joseph. Unlike Joseph’s brothers in the parsha, his brothers (my uncles) did not have envy and hatred of him. However, like Joseph in the parsha, my father always wanted to help others, and my Dad did like to interpret dreams and would write down his own. My father was a very intelligent man who was more interested in enjoying life and helping others, than enriching himself in physicality.

Four years ago about this time, I started writing these notes, in order to provide my family a spiritual message during our time of mourning. Thus, this is the four year anniversary of the notes, and today I would like them to be for everyone, not just me and my family.  I would like to include everyone's simchas and yeirzeits, so please let me know if anything comes up, even if you do not attend our kiddush.

Norm talked about the brothers of Joseph, and how Judah, in particular, took responsibility for what was going on. Judah decided it was better to sell Joseph, than risk him being killed by the other drivers. Reuben, also had a plan to save Joseph’s life. Norm spoke about how this is a lesson to all of us that we must take responsibility for things, and how we realize consequences for the decisions we make. Norm spoke about how there was some maturity amongst Joseph’s brothers, amongst all the immaturity.

Yaki spoke about the apparent conflict between destiny and free will that seems to exist in our lives today, as well as during the time of the parsha. If Hashem’s plans are pre-determined, how can we have free will? Rob brought up the idea known as the “law of large numbers”, that eventually every possibility takes place - given enough trials. Rob shared an example that eventually a bunch of monkey’s would write Shakespare, if an astronomical number of opportunities existed to randomly type out letters.

Yaki shared his thoughts that there is a predetermined destiny however Jews have the ability to alter nature. Even though from the Jew’s perspective we have free will, from Hashem’s perspective, he is the ruler and determines the overall, whereas from the individual Jews perspective they have the ability to alter nature.

By altering nature, we can determine the details of how Hashem’s plan gets carried out using our free will, while Hashem is aware of and controlling the broad picture. It was our destiny to go to Egypt, but from the brother’s perspective, they used their free will to sell Joseph into slavery, and were thus guilty of a sin. One lesson we can learn, is that even when bad things happen, these may end up bringing about Hashem’s will, which turns out to be blessings for us.  The loss of my father is sad, but maybe it can be used to inspire me to bring about Hashem's broader plans.

We discussed, from Rav Yeager, how Jacob returned to Israel believing that everything would now be fine. Jacob believed that what Abraham was told by Hashem and the prophets – that we would be dispersed, but later return – had just occurred with him. But as we know, everything was not now fine for Jacob, who ended up having to deal with the apparent loss of his son Joseph.

We discussed how Jacob favored Joseph, because he was the oldest son from his beloved Rachel. We discussed how Joseph was to continue the conflict with Jacob’s brother Esau.

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

Recap for 17 Kislev 5777 (Parsha Vayishlach and Yahrzeit of Mindel bat Shandel)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Vayishlach, including commentary by Rav Yeager. And we discussed the meaning of Hanukkah, including commentary by Rav Malamed. This Shabbos was a special Shabbos, as we observed the yahrzeit of Norm’s mom, Mindel bat Shandel. David Schlesinger led discussion.

In the past, Norm has spoken about his mom, and described her as honest, generous and an overall mensch. She was intelligent and very hard working. Although she had no formal education, she became educated in other ways, and kept working into her 70’s. She is an inspiration to all of us to value learning and hard work, and good character.

My father, Joseph ben Abraham, yeirzeit will be on Kislev 26. I will share some words about him next week. If anyone else has a yeirzeit coming up, and would like to share some words, please let me know. I don’t mean to leave anyone out.

Rav Males gave a dvar Torah which included the story of Jacob in the Parsha, and how he had a fight with the angel of his brother Esau. During this fight, Jacob’s sciatic nerve was injured. This is why there is a prohibition against eating the sciatic nerve of otherwise kosher animals. As usual, one should check with one’s Rabbi on this, as practices may vary.

This Shabbos we discussed the meaning of Hanukkah. Norm commented that we celebrate the Macabee’s victory. We discussed how we were living in a culture very different than our own. In the Greek culture physicality was highly valued, where as in our culture, physicality was valued but as a platform in which to apply spirituality.  

In the Greek culture, physicality was valued in and of itself. We discussed how it was hard for us to retain our identity and culture and not assimilate. Hanukkah commemorates our resilience in retaining our culture and identity, in spite of living in such a hostile environment.

We discussed how as Jews, we do not want to assimilate, however we do not want to impose our culture on others. It is our belief, that non-Jews must hold to the 7 laws of Noah, however other than this, we do not believe it is necessary or desirable for non-Jews to keep the covenant that we have with Hashem, and engage in the same practices. We believe that we have our special relationship with Hashem, and it is not a relationship that everyone has, or should have.

We discussed the practice of lighting candles on Hanukkah. We discussed why it is that if we had enough oil to last 1 day, why do we consider all the days to be a miracle, including the first. One of the reasons why we celebrate on all 8 days, is because the miracle is that the oil burned at a slower rate (1/8 the normal rate) on all 8 days.

We discussed how in the parsha, Jacob was in Beth-El, when Hashem appeared to him and blessed him. Hashem told Jacob that his descendants would occupy this land in which Jacob was present. Hashem also changed Jacob’s name to Israel at this time. Rob commented that the location of Beth-El in the parsha, is different that the location of this city today.  I remember my trip to Israel, in which we went to the current day Beth-El.

David spoke about how we need to demonstrate willingness to connect to Hashem, in order for Hashem to be willing to connect to us. We can show willingness by davening, learning, and how we lead our lives. Going to early minyan, and our Kiddush and learning, can help us connect to Hashem.

At our learning we have discussed some suggestions for having success. This success includes being judged favorably on Rosh Hashanah, and growing our soul so that we are ready for the world to come. We have discussed that in order to do this, we may have to put aside short term pleasures, and avoid distractions in our everyday life.  I showed David an article which was on this topic, about discipline, and how it leads to success.  David commented that having a feeling of accomplishment every time we make progress and successfully apply discipline, can help motivate us to continue to make the right decisions.

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

Recap for 10 Kislev 5777 (Parsha Veyeitzei)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Vayeitzei, including commentary by Rav Yeager and Rav Males. And we discussed some of the material from past parsha, including commentary by Efroni. David Schlesinger led discussion.

Rav Males gave a dvar Torah about birth order and marriage. We do not have to allow the oldest sibling to be the first to get married.  However, if 2 siblings are about to get married at around the same time, there is a custom to let the older sibling get married first.

Efroni posted a video dvar Torah recently. Efroni speaks about the dynamics of the relationship between Abraham and Sarah. Sarah stays at home and is more introverted, as Abraham goes out and is more extroverted.  Efroni speaks about how this pattern continues with the relationship between Isaac and Rivka, but in this case Rivka is the extrovert, and Yitzhak is the introvert. Efroni comments that Yitzhak prefers Esau because Esau reminds him of his father.

Efroni comments that the relationship between the brothers, Esau and Jacob, was intended to be complimentary – Jacob would stay home and develop spiritually, while Esau would go out and take care of the physical needs of both brothers. However Esau does not keep his end of the bargain, and eventually it is agreed that Jacob would be the one to continue the covenant that Hashem established with our ancestors.

David commented some more on this topic of relationships between 2 people who are not identical. David relayed from his father, Rav Dr. George N Schlesinger, the 3 options one has when their spouse has interests that differ. Option 1 is to refuse to go along. Option 2 is to go along reluctantly and not have a good time. Option 3 is to go along and be happy that your spouse is having a good time. Option 3 is the way to go in order to have a successful, and happy relationship between 2 people with different interests.  

We discussed some ideas about prayer. One of these is that Hashem sometimes says “no”. An atheist may believe there is no God when prayers are not answered, but we know that Hashem is going to do what’s best, and sometimes saying “no” is what is best. However, one way to get Hashem to say “yes” is to pray for others suffering from the same dilemmas that we suffer from.

We discussed how in the parsha, Rivka prayed for a child, however it took a long time before she gave birth to Jacob and Esau. We discussed that Hashem would have been more likely to help them earlier on, if they had prayed from the beginning for all those who share this same dilemma of being childless. We discussed how if we have a situation in which we are suffering, such as being sick, depressed, grieving or lonely, by trying to help those who are suffering in the same way, Hashem will notice our efforts and will help us.

We discussed how when we do pray, we should pray for that which has not already been decided, and that which can take place within the confines of nature. Rob mentioned an example, which is praying for a not guilty verdict. We should pray for this verdict before the jury has made its decision, rather than afterwards. We can pray for things to happen, but David commented that we should put our focus in life on what we have the most control over.

Rob gave a dvar Torah in which he commented that Hashem did the act of creation but then gets “out of the way” to allow us to finish the act of creation. Although Hashem is “out of the way”, Jacob’s dream makes clear that we always have a connection to Hashem and the world to come, symbolized by the ladder, with angels travelling up and down. When we do mitzvah on earth, an angel “travels” to heaven up the ladder and comes back with blessings for us.

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

Recap for 18 Cheshvan 5777 (Parsha Vayeira)

This shabbos, we discussed parsha Vayeira, including commentary by Rav Yeager.  We also discussed some of the halakhah of shabbos.  I would like to thank David and Linda for hosting our kiddush.  David Schlesinger led discussion.

We discussed some of the halakhah of Shabbos.  On Shabbos, we are not allowed to turn on a flow of electricity.  We discussed that if we accidentally turn on a light by walking through a neighbor’s sensor, it is not a violation, however we should try not triggering the sensor in the future.  We discussed that in some cases, even if we are certain to turn on a light, we are allowed to do it.  For example, we discussed the opinion that we are allowed to trigger a neighbor's sensor going in and out of our front door on Shabbos.  However, we all need to check with our Rabbi on this.

Rob brought up some interesting issues that may become more and more important in the future.  Rob shared his thoughts that there will be more and more video surveillance cameras in our neighborhoods.  There may be many that we are not aware of.  Or we may be aware of them, but it is extremely difficult to avoid them.  These cameras may be programmed to turn on when alerted by sensors.  These are issues that we should all discuss with our Rabbi, especially a local Rabbi who is familiar with our neighborhood.  

We discussed how the work prohibitions on Shabbos apply to Yom Tov.  We discussed that on Yom Tov we cannot start a fire from scratch, however we can use an existing flame to start one.  We are not allowed to put out a fire, either, however, we do not have to stop a fire from going out due to a diminishing fuel source.  We do not have to feed logs to a fire in the fireplace.  One of the interesting things we discussed, is that we can cut off the gas supply to a stove or fireplace, however we cannot put a fire out with water.

Yaki spoke about how Judaism is based on faith.  He emphasized the importance of believing, even if we do not completely understand.  We discussed what would happen if we only believed in what we understood.  In this case, we would not follow halakah such as kosher laws, and fail to follow many of Hashem’s commandments.  We discussed that it is important to follow all of Hashem’s commandments whether we understand them or not.

In his dvar torah, Efroni discusses how Abraham did not question Hashem about the commandment to sacrifice his son, Isaac, but did question Hashem about the plan to destroy Sodom.  Dave W mentioned that with the commandment to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham was told exactly what he was to do.  Efroni mentions this as well, and how Abraham was not told explicitly what to do with the plan to destroy Sodom.  Efroni commented that Abraham figured out that Hashem wanted Abraham to talk him out of his plan, although Hashem did not come out and explicitly ask Abraham to talk him out of it.

The same way Abraham had to figure out what Hashem wanted with respect to Sodom, when we encounter something new or unusual in our lives, we should ask ourselves what Hashem wants us to do.  This is a point made by both Efroni, in his video dvar Torah, and David.  The Torah does give us some very specific commandments, but sometimes Hashem wants us to do things that we figure out on our own.  When we meet people, or encounter events, we should apply the Torah and ask ourselves what it is that Hashem desires. 

We discussed this Shabbos, the connections we have with our children.  We discussed that we can gain connections with anyone, however, these connections are conditional on friendships that are not guaranteed to be permanent.  Our connections with our children are unconditional.  The same way Hashem gives us unconditional love, we give our children the same.  David shared that we should try to influence our children, rather than control them.   This is what Hashem does with us.  We talked about how we tend to put more focus on our children than on our parents.  We discussed that this may be because we are descended from Adam who had no parents.

Finally, Dave W mentioned that the custom to have dairy before meat comes from the week’s parsha.  Also, we discussed the difference between “good enough” and being perfect.  We discussed that our best use of time may be to be "good enough" with one thing, and then moving on to another, rather than trying to be perfect with everything.

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

Recap for 11 Cheshvan 5777 (Parsha Lech Lecha)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Lech Lecha, including commentary by Rav Yeager.  We also discussed halacha related to melachot.   It was a special Shabbos, as this is Norm’s barmitzvah parsha.  Lech Lecha also marks the anniversary of our early minyan.  I would like to thank David and Linda for hosting our Kiddush.  David Schlesinger led discussion.

Rav Males spoke about how Hashem wants us to finish the act of creation with both the body and soul.  He spoke about how brit milah, which is a part of the parsha, symbolizes man finishing the act of creation with the body.  The same way we do the mitzvah of brit milah, we also need to finish the act of creation with the neshama (soul).  Rav Males spoke about how we can do this by trying our best to develop positive character traits, and remove (or diminish) negative character traits. 

One of the halacha we discussed is that when a prophet contradicts an earlier prophet, we go with the first prophet unless the second prophet gives us good news.  David shared from his father, Rav Dr. George Schlesinger, the idea that being commanded by Hashem to do something, even something like sacrificing your own child, is always good news.  This is because the command  is coming from Hashem, who has the complete picture and knows everything.  Although Hashem first said that Isaac would have children, which is contradicted by later asking us to sacrifice him, in this case the second prophecy does override the first.  The lesson here is to be careful judging what is and is not good news.  

This Shabbos, we discussed the meaning and reason for Shabbos, which we observe every 7 days.  We discussed how we imitate Hashem, who also worked for 6 days, and then rested on the 7th.  We discussed exactly what it means to "rest" on Shabbot.

“Rest” means first of all that on Shabbos we are prohibited from performing the 39 types of melachot(work) that were performed in building the temple.  We discussed how these original 39 types of work need to be interpreted and applied to the current times.  For example, the Rabbis have determined that operating an automobile, causes fires to be started in the engine, and have ruled that this is prohibited work on Shabbos, even though automobiles are not mentioned in the Torah.

Jason shared about how the Torah is written for the times, which is why there is nothing in there about automobiles on Shabbos.  Jason mentioned that historically, we could best relate to phrases such as “hand of Hashem”, although today we know that Hashem does not have a physical hand.  We discussed how we rely on Rabbi’s to interpret the Torah and apply it to the current times.  Jason shared how the Torah is true, even though we may not be able to take certain things literally.  He shared that there is an idea that some of the passages in the Torah may actually be from a dream.

We discussed how “rest” also means that we take a break from our weekday activities, even those that may not specifically be one of the 39 types of work.  David spoke about how removing the distractions of our normal routines, makes it possible to engage in spiritual activities on Shabbos and find and experience meaning in the day.  We discussed how it is very important to not just refrain from work, but to have a spiritual, special day as well.  One of the ways we do this very well in Memphis, is with our kiddush and learning. 

It is easier for Hashem to communicate to us on Shabbos, with distractions removed.  On Shabbos, we should listen to what he is telling us, through his Torah and in other ways.  By removing the distractions of our everyday activity, such as smart phones and televisions, we can better focus in, pray and meditate and focus in on the spiritual nature of the day.

We discussed why Hashem choose Abraham to come to Israel and be the beginning of our nation that has a special relationship with Hashem.  Yaki spoke about how Abraham exhibited a large amount of chesed (kindness).  We discussed the idea that Abraham was chosen because not only did he reject idol warship, he taught and inspired others to believe in Hashem and did this for many years.  We also discussed the idea that Abraham was chosen, simply because this was Hashem’s plan, and that Hashem maintains a special relationship with all Jews regardless of whether or not we are all deserving, and this included Abraham. 

Regardless of the reason, we discussed that coming to Israel was simply the next step in Abraham’s spiritual growth.  Just like Abraham, the next step in our own spiritual growth may be to go to Israel.  We discussed from Rav Yeager how Noah was just a private individual, whereas Abraham represented all the Jewish people.  Therefore there is a big difference between Hashem choosing Noah, and Hashem choosing Abraham.  We discussed how Abraham was not explicitly mentioned in the Torah as a righteous man, and this could be either because we are expected to figure this out on our own, or because it wasn’t just Abraham being chosen but the entire nation which would follow.

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

Recap for 4 Cheshvan 5777 (Parsha Noach)

This Shabbos we discussed Parsha Noach, including commentary from Rav Yeager and Rav Efraim. I would like to thank Pincus and Becky for hosting our Kiddush, and Rob and Yaki for leading our learning.  It was a special Shabbos, as it was Becky’s birthday, and also Linda's birthday during the week.  I would like to say mazel tov to Ariav and Ale and the entire family on their wedding.

We discussed Parsha Noach, and how those who lived during this time were the ancestors of what would later become the Jews. Yaki commented that the people did have a relationship with Hashem during the times of Noach, however it was based on fear. We discussed how Hashem punished the people with an enormous flood that killed all the people, and all living creatures except for Noah, his family and pairs of animals from each species.

Yaki commented on why animals who do not have the same free will that humans, were included in those who were punished with the flood. Yaki commented that the same way physical illness spreads by virus to everyone in the vicinity, so too does spiritual illness behave like a virus and affect all those who live in the vicinity.

We discussed how generations later, Abraham, the first Jew was born. Yaki commented that Abraham began the period of time in which our relationship of Hashem was based on love, and not only fear. In the times of Noah, we did not show love for each other, or for Hashem, however beginning with the times of Abraham, we started a new stage in which we expressed and were motivated by love. Rav Males spoke about how prayer for others, for example when we pray for the sick, shows Hashem that we love others. Rav Males commented that this prayer for others always serves a purpose, even if it does not have an effect on someone’s illness or struggles.

We discussed how the arc was built according to Hashem’s instructions, and why it took 120 years to complete. We discussed that the long time period was to give the people time to do T’Shuva. However, unfortunately, they did not, and only Noah, his family, and a select number of animals were able to board the arc and survive the flood.

We discussed how after the flood, Noah planted a vineyard and ended up getting drunk. Howard commented that anyone who had been through what Noah had been through would want to have a few drinks. Nevertheless Hashem was not pleased with the lack of spirituality going on.

We discussed how Hashem gave the people some laws they must follow, which are known as the “7 laws of Noah”. These laws were given before Abraham became the first Jew, and thus apply to all human beings, including non-Jews.

Rob shared from Rav Yeager specifics of how the flood was produced. Hashem simply stopped controlling the release and flow of water. The same way the people had lost control with their behavior of drunkenness and sexual crimes, Hashem “lost” control of the waters which were stored in clouds above the ground, and wells below the ground.

Howard asked an interesting question which is why Hashem choose to use water, rather than another form of plague, such as those used in Egypt during the time of the Exodus? One possible answer is that water symbolizes purity. The same way we use water to flush out harmful substances, water can be used to clean out a world that is not spiritual.

One of the interesting things we discussed, is that this use of water as reward or punishment continues to this day. Every year Hashem makes decisions concerning where and when it will rain. In our siddur we pray for rain. Of course, when the Torah refers to “rain” it may be referring to a broader definition that includes all types of reward in general.

We discussed from Efraim Greenblatt’s book, a summary of parsha Beirishit, and this parsha Noach. Rob commented from the book, how Hashem said it was good after every creation, but then said “very good” after man was created. We discussed 2 possible reasons why Hashem said “very good”. One of these is as an indication that man was the purpose of the creation. The other one is that the “very good" refers to everything that had been created in total.

We discussed some other ideas from Rav Efraim’s book. We discussed what it means that Hashem “came down” and revealed himself during the time of Noah. Perhaps this was to generate fear, which is what Yaki spoke on. We discussed the tower of Babel, which angered Hashem and caused him to disperse the people. We discussed the tree of knowledge, and how it contained both good and bad. And we discussed how the people went from “very good” after creation, to “good”, to “not good”, during the times of Noah.

Finally, we discussed how Hashem really does create everything, including the “tests” that he gives us. Hashem created the tree of knowledge, as well as temptations we all face in our daily lives every day. Without any temptation, we would automatically do the right thing, and be more like robots than human beings. Hashem wanted human beings created in his image, rather than robots.

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

Recap for 27 Tishrei 5777 (Parsha Beirishit)

This Shabbos I would like to thank Pincus and Becky for hosting our Kiddush, and Rob and Yakki for leading our learning. We had a very interesting discussion of Parsha Beirishit and various other topics. 

We discussed how in this parsha, Hashem creates everything in 6 days, and then rests on the 7th. We discussed how our observance of Shabbos is an imitation of Hashem who also rested on the 7th day.
Yaki spoke about how we are all descendant from Adam, and how Adam’s soul was at a high level - very close to Hashem, but not quite at Hashem's level.  Yaki spoke about how Adam had all the souls that man would have. 

We discussed how Adam wanted to know even more and be at Hashem's level.  This is more than Hashem intended, however Adam ate from the tree of knowledge in an attempt to have all that Hashem has.  We discussed Hashem’s reaction, which was to let Adam know he was where he was for a reason, and to drive home the point changed things so man would have to work in the physical world from that point forward.  

We discussed how Eve thought Hashem was simply mistaken about the tree of knowledge, and that it would not be a problem to eat from this tree. This is all a lesson for all of us, that we can follow in our lives today, that Hashem is not mistaken in what he commands us, and we should follow his commandments whether they make sense or not. There are many halakuh, known as chokim, that do not make sense, but we still need to follow them.  One of the ideas that Efroni has discussed is that Hashem has the complete picture of everything, and we do not.

Yaki spoke about how the Torah, which begins with Beirishit, contains an incredible amount of knowledge, much more than we may be aware of. The stories of lives, both in the past, present, and future, are contained in the Torah. We can find details of our own life in the Torah.  We can find parts of our own life that parallel the story of our ancestors in Egypt, the desert, and Israel.

Rob spoke about how the Torah is always relevant, however, we have needed the assistance of courts and Rabbi’s to interpret the information and apply it to the current times. One of the examples we discussed, is the prohibition against lighting a fire. The Torah (chumash) does not contain a specific prohibition against driving a car because cars did not exist at the time the Torah was given to us. However, the Rabbis have interpreted the work prohibitions on Shabbos to apply to driving, and there will most likely be other things coming up in the future that become prohibitions that we are not aware of today.

Howard commented that this is analogous to how secular law works, and how the supreme court has to apply our constitution to new situations that may come up. Of course the justices on the supreme court do not always agree, and it is the same with our Rabbi’s. But many decisions have been made, and it is important that we follow them, whether we agree with them or not. Norm brought up the example of eating chicken and dairy together. This is not specifically prohibited in the Torah, however was implemented by the Rabbi’s in order to create a fence and prevent us from perhaps mistaking beef for chicken.

Harold Katz, a regular reader of the notes, commented that Beirishit is an amazing parsha that describes the creation of something out of nothing, which could only be done by Hashem, and has never been satisfactorily described by science or any other secular subject alone.  I remember that Howard once remarked at one of our kiddushes that other than the Torah, noone has ever explained the creation of something out of nothing.  It is very interesting that the Torah was written long before science finally caught up and now agrees that time has a beginning.

We discussed this Shabbos some of the overall ideas of Judaism, that doing as well as believing is what is most important. We contrasted this with the ideas of other religions. In Judaism it is not sufficient to believe something, we have to demonstrate that belief with our actions. That's why we have all the mitzvah and commandments in the Torah.  Hopefully, our actions such as putting on tefillin, observing Shabbos, hanging mezuzzahs, waiving the lulav and Etrog, all of these help increase our awareness and consciousness of Hashem and the Torah he has given us.

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

Recap for 20 Tishrei, 5777 (Parsha V'Zot HaBerachah)

This Shabbos we discussed the holiday of Sukkot. We also discussed the holidays of Shemini Atzeres and Simchat Torah.  I would like to thank Yaki and Shirley for hosting our Kiddush in their Sukkah, and Rob and Yaki for leading our learning. I would like to wish mazel tov to Avishai and Esther, on their engagement over the last week.

Yaki spoke about the pilgrimage festivals, Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot. Historically, on these 3 festivals, we would travel to the temple in Jerusalem and make special sacrifices.  Yaki spoke about how these festivals correspond to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  It is believed that Abraham was visited by angels on Pesach. On our very first Shavuot at Mt. Sinai, we blew the horn made out of the Ram that was sacrificed in place of Issac. And Jacob built huts for his cattle on Sukkot.

In our learning, we focused in on the relationship between Jacob and Sukkot.  Shirley shared her thoughts that Jacob’s actions introduced us to the important mitzvah of kindness towards animals. Jacob was also very concerned about “kindness” towards his material possessions – he returned to retrieve missing jugs, for example. What is noteworthy, is that he did this out of a very strong belief that his material possessions come from Hashem, and that they have spiritual purpose. Succos is all about “elevating the sparks of kiddusha”, bringing spirituality to the physical world, which is something we have discussed quite a bit on Shabbos.

Yaki shared how Jacob built huts for his cattle, in a place called Sukkot, and this is how the holiday received its name. Jacob’s action illustrates to us that the same way our creator has been kind to us, we should be kind to all of Hashem’s creations. Yaki shared about how Sukkot is a very happy time to be with friends, family, and Hashem.

Howard shared his thoughts that holidays and mitzvot, in particular Sukkot, were offered to everyone, not just Jews. The non-Jews were not able to handle the physical discomfort of Sukkot. In general, Hashem and the Jewish people have a special relationship, because the Jews choose to sign on and have been willing to perform the mitzvah, whereas the non-Jews, in particular with Sukkot, have not.

We discussed the holidays of Shemini Atzeres, and Sukkot. Rob spoke about how Shemini Atzeres is connected to Sukkot, and how it is not. Shemini Atzeres means the assembly of the 8th day, and is known as the 8th day of Sukkot. However, on Shemini Atzeres we do not perform the mitzvah of waving the lulav and etrog, and do not say the blessings. It is believed that Hashem enjoyed our company so much, he invites us to spend another day in the Sukkah. It may also be, Sukkot is offered to everyone – Jews and non-Jews – but the 8th day is just for Jews.

Harold Katz, a regular reader of these notes, talked to me about Simchat Torah. On Simchat Torah we celebrate the entire Torah, and how the whole Torah is much greater than the sum of its parts – the individual parsha. On Simchat Torah, we read the last parsha, as well as the beginning of the first parsha Bereishit, and it is customary that we all get an Aliyah. This symbolizes that the Torah never ends, but is a never ending circle that always builds on the previous year.

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

Recap for 13 Tishrei, 5777 (Parsha Haazinu)

This Shabbos we discussed the upcoming holiday of Succot. We discussed parsha Haazinu, including commentary from Rav Yeager. Rob Golder led discussion.

Rabbi Males commented during his shier, that Sukkos occurs at the time it does because we want to remember that good times come from Hashem.  One of the reasons we shake the lulav in 6 directions, east, west, north, south, up and down, to remind us that Hashem is everywhere within the space of our world.

We discussed the mitzvot of Succos, from the Shulchan Aruch. It is a mitzvah to dwell in a succos, but only for things which are pure, so we still use the restroom in our homes, for example. We also do not use the succos as a kitchen, however we may barbecue a meal in the sukkos if it is not a fire hazard.  It is very desirable to have meals in the sukkos. And weather permitting, it is desirable to sleep in the succos.

We discussed what we should be thinking of as we dwell in the succos. We want to think of our ancestors who wandered in the desert living in huts but were protected by Hashem. We want to realize that Hashem is our ultimate protection. And we want to have gratitude for the things we have in life, such as our homes and shelter.  This as well as everything else, ultimately comes from Hashem. We want to enjoy this holiday, and dwelling in the succos with family and friends.

We discussed some exceptions to the mitzvah of dwelling in the succos. Anything that is a fire hazard, such as having lights in the succos, should not be done. If the weather is bad, for example if there is a thunderstorm, we not only can, but we should move indoors. In harsh climates, we skip sleeping in the sukkos. A husband and wife may sleep indoors, if they would like privacy from the rest of the family.  We discussed if the succos is really small, we may have to take turns being in the succos.

Harold Katz, a regular reader of these notes, commented that the weather has been very nice this year which enables us to do more dwelling in the succos. We have not experienced rains or very cold temperatures.

We discussed how Hashem can reward us, and help us, if we do our part to follow his Torah and perform the mitzvot. David has shared thoughts in the past about how if we want divine intervention we must do our part. We discussed how the Torah refers to these rewards as “rain for your crops”. We discussed how we interpret “rain for our crops” in a much broader sense, to mean help for whatever business we are in, and for whatever our goals are in our life in general.

We discussed how the Torah refers to us when we are being “punished”, as having our “rains withheld”. My thoughts based on our past learnings, are that Hashem may actually not punish us, he just doesn’t help us, and we end up living life on our own.

Howard brought up a very interesting question for discussion, as to why we can be so severely punished for sins which were committed many generations ago. We discussed specific examples of people under- going extreme suffering having done nothing to warrant such treatment. And of course, we are all facing the consequences of what happened in the Garden of Eden with respect to eating the forbidden fruit, which is a sin that none of us from this generation committed. Rob shared a thought that it was up to each generation to do as well as it could, which would result in the sins of prior generations having diminishing effect as we go through time.

My thoughts are that even if we are destined to have harsh conditions based on factors outside of our control, we should focus on what is in our control and do the best we can with that. I think of kids born into terrible families, with poverty and absentee parents who don’t care. These kids are not going to have as much as kids growing up in better homes, but they do have some control over their lives based on decisions they make. We have also discussed the virtuous response to suffering, in previous learnings. But having said all this, I think this is a very hard question to answer when the suffering is very extreme, and was not warranted by someone’s actions. We should continue discussing this.

We discussed parsha Haazinu, and how Moshe communicates a prophecy through a song. Rob commented how Moshe was asked to do three things, speak, write things down, and put words in our own mouths. We discussed how the prophecy foretells that we will sin and be dispersed from our land.

We discussed a very interesting question, which is how these things can be foretold, in particular sins and punishment, while at the same time we have free will. Rob suggested a possible answer in that there are so many of us, that it is inevitable that we will not all make perfect decisions. None of us are hashem, so none of us are perfect. It makes sense to be reminded that we will always have room to grow because none of us will ever be perfect.

Howard brought up a very interesting question, as to why during our recent Yom Kippur service we confess sins and ask for foregiveness during Maariv, seconds after having already done this in a previous Yom Kippur prayer. Rob commented that perhaps the reason is that we had the sin of wanting the Yom Kippur service to be over as quickly as possible so that we could eat. Howard commented that we were created to have hunger, so this does not make sense. Perhaps, our sin isn’t being hungry, but wanting the Yom Kippur service to be over as a solution to our hunger. I am not sure we answered this question.

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

Recap for 6 Tishrei, 5777 (Parsha Vayelech and Yom Kippur)

Last Thursday, we discussed the upcoming holiday of Yom Kippur, and specifically the Vidui, which is the prayers of verbal confession. On Shabbos, we did a siyum on Maseches Rosh Hashanah, and continued our discussion of Yom Kippur. We also discussed parsha Vayelech, including commentary from Rav Yeager. I would like to thank the Nisannis for hosting our Kiddush, and Rob Golder for leading the learning both Thursday and on Shabbos.

At our Thursday learning we discussed confessional prayers, specifically the Vidui which is coming up on Yom Kippur. We discussed how it is a mitzvah to confess our sins, but with the Vidui we seem to be confessing sins we did not commit. We discussed the reason for this, which is that we are all responsible for one another. We discussed how Moshe was the first to say Vidui, and confess for sins he did not commit. He had a responsibility for everyone, especially as the leader.

David has shared in the past a story from his Dad which illustrates how we are all responsible for one another. If someone is in a boat drilling a hole, and water starts leaking in and the boat is in danger of sinking, obviously it would be ridiculous for the guy drilling to claim his actions does not affect anyone else. Likewise, in our community, the actions of one or a few risk “sinking” our community, so we all need to join together to be concerned about, and help one another.

We discussed how normally we would do a confession in private, or very quietly, but on Yom Kippur we are not endanger of creating embarrassment, as everyone says the prayer out loud together. We discussed how sins are from the heart, and not from the head, which explains why we touch our heart while making the confessions. We discussed is how it is essential to stand during the confessional prayer.

We discussed how on Yom Kippur we want to “afflict” our souls, however we cannot do this by working. We discussed how on Yom Kippur we refrain from eating and drinking, wearing leather, taking baths, washing, anointing ourselves, and marital relations.

As we discussed last Shabbos, during the 10 days of repentance it may be too much to close the gap between where we are and where we want to be, but we can at least point our life in the direction of where we want to go and make some progress. As we do teshuva, we remove the obstacles that have distanced ourselves from Hashem.

We discussed how in this world, the purpose of any reward is to encourage us to do more mitzvah. From Rav Yeager, when we do a mitzvah, it leaves an impression on the soul. At the same time, we feel good emotionally which encourages us to perform more mitzvah. However, it is not until the world to come, that our soul will fully experience the state of reward and closeness to Hashem that has been attained. 

David has told a story from his father, Rabbi Dr George Schlesinger, about how getting ready for the world to come by receiving these impressions on the soul, is analogous to getting ready for an opera.  If we are not ready for the opera, we become very bored and perhaps uncomfortable during its performance.  Likewise, if we are not ready for the world to come, we will be empty of the closeness to Hashem that would have been available to us.  Franco pointed out that the “world to come” may also refer to this world at some future point in time, when we may all feel a reward and closeness to Hashem that none of us feels today.

This Shabbos, we did a siyum on Maseches Rosh Hashana. We finished the last daf of this tractate. We discussed how davening by some, can fulfill the mitzvah of davening for others who cannot be present in shul. Specifically, we discussed workers who are out in the field and unable to come to shul. After finishing the daf, we held a siyum.

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Vayelech, including commentary from Rav Yeager. Harold Katz, a regular reader of these notes, commented to me later on Shabbos, that we are reaching the last parshas of the Torah and will be starting the cycle again soon.

I would like to apologize if I have harmed anyone in any way over the last year. With these notes I have never meant to write anything that anyone would take personally or that would make anyone feel bad. I tend to be a perfectionist and just write down everything but want to improve.   Have an easy fast!

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

Recap for 28 Elul, 5776 (Parsha Nitzavim, Siyum, and Rosh Hashanah)

This Shabbos was a special Shabbos, as we had a siyum on tractate Bava Kama. We continued our discussion of Torah v’Derech Eretz. We discussed Parsha Nitzavim. And we learned more about the meaning of Rosh Hashanah.

We finished tractate Bava Kama and had a siyum on finishing this tractate. The siyum was especially celebratory, as Efroni finished the entire Talmud!   Efroni accomplished this over the last four years or so. For 3 of these years, he was serving in the IDF as a soldier, but was able to set aside time for Torah study. This is very inspiring to all of us, I know it inspires me to take a look at the daily daf!

From the final page of tractate Bava Kama, we learned that a carpenter can keep the saw dust from his work, as long as the work is performed on his premises, and he is using a adze, which is a tool that leaves small particles of saw dust.  If the carpenter is working on the owners premises, or is using a tool like a hatchet, all scrap and dust becomes the property of the owner.

We continued our discussion of Torah v’Derech Eretz, from Leo Levy’s book. We learned that it is not appropriate to pay someone for doing tasks for which they have an obligation. For example, we have an obligation to teach each other Torah.  However, it is appropriate to reimburse people for their expenses. So in many cases, we may pay a Torah scholar such as a Rabbi, however this pay is reimbursement for expenses, in the form of opportunity costs.

We discussed some more about the payment of judges. A judge has an obligation to not take a bribe. However there is no obligation for someone to not bribe a judge. This is to encourage bribe givers to talk and report their bribes.  Obviously if one is going to get in trouble, he is motivated to keep his mouth shut.  So we give automatic immunity to one of the parties, in order to encourage people to talk.

We discussed some more about how Judaism is a religion of obligations, and not a religion of rights. For example, we have an obligation to give tzedukah, however the needy do not have a right to this help. We all have an obligation to do our best to not put ourselves in a position of needing tzedukah. We discussed that we may need to work while studying Torah.  This work may be serving in the army, as Efroni has done.  

We discussed how doctors have an obligation to help heal people, so they can not "profit" from their activities.  However, we have an obligation to reimburse them for their expenses, which includes the enormous opportunity cost they incur.  We discussed how the work of doctors helps people. Eliona pointed out that this help can be mental as well as physical. Cosmetic surgeons in particular, help people mentally.

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Nitzavim, including commentary from Rav Yeager. We discussed how in the parsha we are told of our covenant with Hashem, that would not only be binding on us, but be binding on future generations as well. We discussed that with this covenant we and our children are guaranteed a “net plus” of rewards and benefits, so it is a great honor, and not necessarily unfair to be born into this.

We discussed the concept of free will that is mentioned in the parsha. We are all human, and have the freedom to choose whether or not to keep our part of the deal with Hashem. Hashem does not want us to be robots and automatically follow the covenant.  He wants us to freely choose to follow the covenant.

We discussed how much of our judgement, is collective. On Rosh Hashanah, we should take inventory of how us as a whole are keeping the covenant. At the same time, we should do an inventory of ourselves. But much of the focus is on us as a community and nation.

Yaki shared that unlike many situations in life, with our holidays the order of things is judgement and then forgiveness. Yaki shared that on Rosh Hashanah, the focus is on judging the direction of our life rather than where we are absolutely. If we are not headed in the right direction, we have an opportunity to correct this during the period of time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur, if we are now headed in the right direction, we can be forgiven for where we are in an absolute sense. Even if we are in a good place absolutely, we all have room for more growth. None of us are Hashem, so none of us will ever be perfect.

David shared that on Rosh Hashanah we should not be negative and fearful because of the gap between where we are, and where we want to be. This applies to us in modern life, as well as the Jews when returning to Israel after the destruction of the temple. If we see a very large gap, and an enormous mountain to climb, we should still celebrate that we now have Hashem with us, and put the focus on the future (as we discussed last week), and celebrate where we are going.

We discussed how the Shofar wakes us up, to take inventory both as individuals and collectively, to make changes that will point us in the right direction. Rosh Hashanah is a festive day in which we celebrate our closeness with Hashem and how this relationship has and will benefit us. We discussed how just like with other Yom Tov, we want to wear our best clothes, and eat our best food.

David shared about the importance of being positive on this holiday. When we are positive, we are more likely to focus on our strengths. These create a base for us to build on. David shared that if there is no base then we are hopelessly trapped, as there is nothing to support and propel us into the coming year.

David shared that Hashem looks after our EM. I would also like to share that Hashem helps me remember and write these notes every week. I would like to wish everyone a Shana Tova, and thank you for your participation at our em and learning, and reading the notes. Our learning definitely helps have a positive and meaningful RH, I know it helps me.

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

Recap for 21 Elul 5776 (Parsha Ki Tavo)

This Shabbos we continued our discussion of Torah V’Derech Eretz, including commentary by Leo Levy. We discussed parsha Ki Tavo, including commentary by Rav Yeager. And we discussed some suggestions we can follow in our individual lives today. David Schlesinger led discussion.

We discussed the mitzvah to spend our life as much as possible in a state of gratitude and simcha. David mentioned some members of our community who are amazing and inspirational with this. They remain in a state of simcha regardless of the problems, challenges and/or difficulties they are facing. In a previous Shabbos, David shared that his father, Rabbi Dr George Schlesinger, would say it is not the events that happen to us that matter, but how we react to them.

David suggested that we should put the focus in our life on the future, rather than in the past. This is an excellent suggestion, and I know it helps me. This applied to our story in the Torah as well. It was most helpful for us to focus on our journey into Israel, rather than beating ourselves up for our past experience wandering the desert. It is good to learn from the past, but at some point it needs to be accepted and focus should be on the future, which is what we have the control over.

We continued our discussion of the appropriateness of paying people to perform mitzvah. We discussed the case of judges, who may be paid, however payment should come equally from both sides in a lawsuit.  This helps avoid any conflict of interest. We discussed the pros and cons of a system in which the loser pays the fees. A disadvantage of such a system, is that those with lower income would be less able to seek justice.

We discussed that although we sometimes pay Rabbis to compensate them for opportunity cost, payment can take away the spiritual value of doing mitzvah. We discussed how this spiritual benefit is analogous to the time value of money, worth much more in the "world to come" than it is now in the form of a few dollars.  We discussed how the Rambam was strongly against paying anyone, however there has been disagreement from those who note that we have a history of donating to the Kohen.

We discussed the importance of having a relationship with Hashem. Hashem is a power greater than ourselves, and all the distractions and issues we are facing.  In general, Hashem will help us, but we must do our part. We discussed the example of David and Goliath. In the story, David had to do his part and make an effort to fight Goliath. Then, at just the right moment Goliath “coincidentally” had an itch which resulted in protection being removed. A relationship with Hashem can help us live in a state of simcha even when times are rough, by giving us a source that is more powerful than anything we are facing.  We discussed that davening was an excellent way to develop a relationship with Hashem.  

We discussed how it is important for us to try to do things differently once in a while to get out of routines. This is built into some mitzvah, such as having mezuzah. We all have the same Torah writing, but differ with the outer décor. David mentioned going to Israel for sukkot, which is different than his normal routine. We should all think of how we can change our routines in order to keep the spirit of our life and the mitzvahs as fresh as possible.

We discussed the upcoming holiday of Rosh Hashanah. We discussed the blowing of the shofar, which takes place every day during the month of Elul. On Rosh Hashanah we blow the shofar 100 times. We discussed several reasons why we blow the shofar. One of these is as an alarm, to remind us to examine our deeds and correct our ways. Another one of these is that the shofar signals new opportunity for us. We discussed how Rosh Hashanah is a day of fear, but also a day of opportunity as we look forward to the new year. Yaki mentioned that Hashem judges the whole world on Rosh Hashanah, however Rosh Hashanah is for Jews.  

Finally, we discussed how on Rosh Hashanah, we should be very grateful for all Hashem has given us over the past year. We should be more than happy to give a fraction of this away in the form of tzedukah and/or tithings, if we are in Israel.

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

Recap for 14 Elul, 5776 (Parsha Ki Teitzei)

This Shabbos we continued our discussion of Torah V’Derech Eretz. We discussed Parsha Ki Teitzei. And we discussed the upcoming holiday of Rosh Hashanah. David Schlesinger led discussion.

From Leo Levy’s book, we discussed that in certain cases we can and should pay someone for being our Rabbi, and teaching us Torah. The reason for this is to compensate the Rabbi for the opportunity cost that he incurs. For example, if someone is able to make $50 per hour in business, however they are willing to forego this to work as a Rabbi instead, they incur an opportunity cost of this $50 per hour. We discussed specifically, that it is appropriate to pay someone to help teach us for a bar mitzvah.

Dave W pointed out that this week’s parsha contains 74 mitzvah. We discussed 2 of these: having accurate weights and measures, and letting the mother bird go. These 2 are important enough that the number of days in our life is increased if we follow these commandments. We discussed that there is a third mitzvah, that is not in this week's parsha, that will also increase the number of days, which is honoring our parents.

Brett brought up the importance of conducting business ethically, which includes having accurate weights and measures. Brett pointed out that according to the Torah, we will specifically be asked to answer as to how ethically we conducted business during our life time. In business, in addition to accurate weights and measures, we should not misrepresent things.

We discussed how we have rabanic law, which is in addition to what is in the Torah. We discussed how rabbinic law helps us follow Torah law, however Ellie pointed out that if there are too many rabbinic laws, this may result in there being too many opportunities to do averas.

We discussed the halakah of building a fence around the roof of our house, if the roof is flat. Rob pointed out that if it is Hashem’s will that something negative happens in the world, such as someone losing their life, it is going to happen.  However, it does not necessarily have to happen with someone falling off of our roof!  We don’t want to be the vehicle through which negative things happen in the world.

We discussed that the mitzvahs and commandments are for the benefit of us. Hashem does not need us to do mitzvah.  However, hashem loves us enough to want us to do what is best for us. The purpose of the commandments is for us to grow spiritually, feed our soul, and help shape us as human beings with good character. 

We discussed how animals do not have rights, but we have the obligation to treat them well. This is why we have prohibitions against hunting, and why we have laws about how we slaughter animals.  

David shared a couple stories with us. He told of a couple who walked to shul for the first time and how it was pouring rain during the walk. Although one would wonder why this would happen to someone doing this mitzvah for the first time, the rain can be explained as tears from Hashem. In the other story, someone falls down while going to do a mitzvah. Although one would wonder why this would happen to someone doing a mitzvah, it may be that Hashem did in fact intervene so that someone only fell down, rather than having a much more severe accident.

Finally, we discussed how Rosh Hashanah is similar to an annual review for employees who work for companies. Hashem does an annual review of his creations, and from this is determined the potential of the coming year. Of course we have an opportunity between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to improve our evaluations, before the final determination is sealed.

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

Recap for 7 Elul, 5776 (Parsha Shoftim)

This Shabbos we continued our learning of Torah V’Derech Eretz from Leo Levy’s book. We also studied Parsha Shoftim, including commentary from Rav Yeager's book. David Schlesinger led our learning.

We learned from Leo Levy’s book the differences between someone who studies Torah as a craft, and someone who is engaged in a regular work profession. The Torah craftsman studies Torah at certain times, and does not interrupt, postpone, or reschedule his study in order to do work. On the other hand, those who are not Torah craftsman give priority to their work, and do not let Torah study get in the way of this. Regardless, Torah study still has the status of “kevah” status for everyone, as we discussed a few weeks ago. Torah study remains a permanent part of everyone's overall life.

We learned from the Parsha, how certain cases would require at least 2 witnesses. Rob commented about his personal experience, that sometimes having more witnesses is not necessarily better. Nevertheless, the Torah requires 2 witnesses in capital cases. We discussed how gamblers cannot be included as a witness, if their primary income comes from gambling. The reasoning is that if gamblers cannot carry out their own obligation to engage in productive work, they cannot be trusted to testify against those on trial for not carrying out obligations.

We learned how Judaism is a religion of obligations, and not a religion of rights. For example, from the parsha, we are commanded to build cities of refuge for those who commit inadvertent murder. Those who live up to their obligations, but commit murder inadvertently, are not held responsible and are in fact protected. This is quite different from secular law which provides for all types of lawsuits and possibly criminal charges when someone’s rights are violated.

We learned from the Parsha some of the laws we must follow when going to war. We must not destroy any fruit bearing trees. As human life has a lot of value, we should try to save it by offering terms of peace before leading an invasion. Prior to conquering the land of Israel, we gave the inhabitants 3 choices: leave the land, adapt to our ways, or fight us.

We learned from the Parsha, that there is an order of doing things in life, building a house, starting a business, and getting married. Dave W pointed out that those who are engaged in these activities are exempted from going to war.  Specifically, those who are building a house, planting a vineyard, or just getting married are exempt.  We also exempt those with a soft heart from going to war.

We learned cases where we are allowed to make assumptions. For example, we can assume that someone who keeps Shomer Shabbos is going to provide kosher food in his home. We do not need to check the hectar of the items he or she is serving us. There are also assumptions, such as assuming the Eruv is up, if it was up the last time we checked it.

Finally, Norm relayed from a lecture he attended, how the 10 commandments are all contained in the Parsha. Also we must avoid wasting anything, not just fruit bearing trees. If we have extra food we should consider donating it or giving it away.

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

Recap for 23 Av 5776 (Parsha Eikev)

This Shabbos, Rabbi Males spoke about the commandment to love thy fellow Jews, regardless of where they are in their life journey. He mentioned, in particular, welcoming and helping newcomers to the community. Norm shared that he appreciates the welcoming and help he received when his family came hear following hurricane Katrina. I appreciate that I have always felt welcome by everyone, especially when I was a newcomer and very early in my journey back to my religion.

I want to thank Rob Golder for hosting our Kiddush and learning this week. We discussed some interesting questions and issues. Rob Golder led discussion.

We discussed the practice of bringing out Sefer Torahs during Sukkot. In particular, we discussed how on the 7th day, some shuls bring out as many Torahs as they have, but usually no more than 7. We discussed how we circle the shul with these Torahs.

We discussed the origin of the 3 tefillah services, Shacharit, Mincah, and Mariiv. There are 2 sources. The first source comes from the patriarchs, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who prayed at these times. These patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, correspond to Shacharit, Mincah, and Mariiv, respectfully. The second source is the sacrifices, which we now replace with prayer. These were done during the morning, afternoon, and evening.

We discussed how the patriarchs, do not account for Mussaf, and how the sacrifices do not account for Mariiv.  We discussed how we use a combination of these sources, to come up with the 3 prayer services, plus Mussaf, which is known as the additional prayer. We discussed how we only repeat the Amidah part of Mariiv once, because it is only indicated by 1 out of the 2 sources.

We discussed the practice of doing Mincah/Mariiv early, in particular during the summer. We are allowed to bring in the new day early by 1.5 hours. The definition of these "hours" is 1 "hour" equal to 1/12th the total daylight hours of the day. We discussed that if we bring in the new day early, we should be consistent.

We discussed how during the summer, it is common to bring in Shabbos early by amounts that are less than 1.5 hours. We discussed that there is opinion that this is allowed, as long as we would not get a minyan earlier, and/or there are people who could not get to the earlier minyan.

We discussed that it is not problematic to do business with Christians, as they have a monotheistic religion and moral values. It is ok for Christians to not follow all of our halakah, but as Jews we are commanded, and have a covenant, to do so.

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

Recap for 16 Av 5776 (Parsha Va’etchanan)

This Shabbos we continued our discussion of Torah v’Derech Eretz, including commentary from Leo Levy’s book. We discussed Parsha Va’etchanan, including commentary from Rav Yeager's book. Norm gave a brief summary of his talk on PTSD. This was a special Shabbos, as we welcome and wish Mozel Tov to Ariav and Ale. David Schlesinger led discussion.

Last week, we discussed how just like the moon grows full and disappears, the temple was constructed and destroyed. We discussed how when machgiah comes the temple will be rebuilt, however the moon will continue its cycle.  There is a Mishnah we were discussing that uses the moon as a metaphor, however, this was not clearly stated in these notes, so I wish to clarify this.

We continued our discussion of Torah v’Derech Eretz. We studied from Leo Levy’s book, and discussed the obligations parents have in raising children, to teach them a trade, and put them into position to find a spouse.

We discussed from Leo Levy’s book, how faith in Hashem plays a role in determining the results of our work. We discussed that if we do not believe in Hashem, we are pretty much on our own and completely in control of our results. However, if we do believe in Hashem, once we have done our part, Hashem determines the results and provides for us.  We discussed how what many of us consider the “luck factor”, may actually be that which is determined by Hashem, when we believe in him.

We discussed from Leo Levy’s book the balance we have between Torah study and work. Although we may spend more time engaged in work, we should consider Torah Study “kevah”, permanent, and our work temporary. We should set aside a set time for Torah study every day and make a commitment to do it, even if something else comes up. Work, on the other hand, is thought of as "temporary", but not necessarily of less importance, or something we should engage in less often.  Work in and of itself is of value and part of Hashem’s will for us. Ale commented that what is important is to have a state of mind that Torah study is of a permanent nature.

We discussed the difference between permanent and temporary with respect to the halakah of putting up a mezuzah. We are required to put up a mezuzah within 30 days that we take up a permanent residence. However, we are not required to put up a mezuzah for temporary residencies such as hotel rooms. Efroni commented that the 30 days is how long we have to put up the mezuzah, but has nothing to do with whether or not a mezuzah needs to be put up. If we expect a residence to be permanent, such as moving into a house, we are required to put up a mezuzah within 30 days.

We discussed the ordering of the questions we are asked upon arrival in Olam HaBah. We are first asked if we faithfully engaged in work. Then we are asked if we set aside time for Torah study. We discussed that the questions are ordered like this, to show that we work so that we can engage in Torah study. If we didn’t work, we would not be able to engage in Torah study at all, as we would be constantly looking for others to provide for us.

Norm shared with us a summary of his upcoming talk on PTSD. Norm shared that PTSD involves going through tragedy, and that it can drastically change our life. These changes include how we think about the world, and changes to our ability to feel emotions, which includes numbing. Norm spoke on how avoiding the issues is not a healthy way to deal with them, and what is often therapeutic is to set aside time for emotional processing during planned periods of time. Norm spoke about how PTSD often affects soldiers who fight wars, but can also affect any of us who have been through tragedy, and that there are treatments available for this condition.

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Va’etchanan, including commentary by Rav Yeager. We discussed how in the parsha, Moshe foretells what will happen to the Jewish people. Dave W commented that everything Moshe foretells has come true, including our return to the promise land realized since Israel became a state in 1948.

We discussed why the Torah often mentions the Exodus from Egypt, but does not mention the receiving of the Torah as often. We discussed that prior to being told about the receiving of the Torah, we are reminded of the importance of the information.

We discussed the differences between optimism and pessimism. Pessimism means when things are good we think they are going to get bad. Optimism means that when things are bad, we consider them temporary bumps along the road, and that the overall picture is good. We discussed the importance of focusing on the big picture in our lives, and not letting bumps in the road throw us off course.

Ariav spoke about how Moshe grew up outside of Israel, in an Egyptian family, however, later became a great leader of the Jewish people. He spoke about how this is similar to how he himself and his siblings were born and grew up outside of Israel.

We discussed some more this Shabbos, how Hashem chooses to remain hidden, in order that we may keep our free will. However, when we were a lot “younger” as a nation, Hashem’s presence was a lot more obvious. Today, we are expected to be “grown up”, which is why the rewards and punishments we receive are not as immediate.  

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

Recap for 9 Av 5776 (Parsha Vayikra)

On Tuesday, we held a siyum in honor of Efroni finishing another tractate of the Talmud. On Shabbos, we continued our discussion of Torah v’Derech Eretz. We discussed Parsha Vayikra, including commentary by Rav Yeager. And we discussed the observance of Tisha B’Av. David Schlesinger led discussion.

The siyum was held on Tuesday in celebration of Efroni's accomplishment of finishing the in depth study of a full tractate. Although the siyum was held during the 9 days, we were able to enjoy many types of meat which were very nicely barbecued.  Efroni gave a dvar Torah, and shared when and why it is appropriate to have a siyum and eat meat during the 9 days. Since it has always been our habit and custom to have Siyums all year around, and not just during the 9 days, we can have one during the 9 days.  

We continued our discussion of Derech Eretz, which we define as the “ways of the world”. These "ways of the world" includes all the physical laws, and how we use these to participate in the act of creation and perform work. We discussed how regardless of our need to do work, there is a minimum amount of Torah study we should engage in. There are 2 Opinions on exactly how much this minimum is. One opinion is that the minimum amount is simply to say the Shma in the morning and evening. The other opinion is that the minimum and maximum Torah learning is the same, and is equal to as much as we can do, with limited exceptions for other activities, such as work. 

We discussed that we should not engage in lengthy secular study, that takes away from Torah study, just to have a profession that enables us to make a lot of money. However, if we are very passionate about a certain career, and have good reason to believe that it is our calling to pursue this, then we should pursue it, although it would mean less Torah study for us.

We discussed how in the parsha, we are told that we spent many years travelling a distance that was only 11 days away. We are told this, in order to remind us that we could have entered Israel much sooner. We discussed how Moshe recalls the broader reason why he was unable to enter Israel, which is because as leader he was responsible to get us ready to enter the land, which we were not.

Regardless of what happened, we discussed how the messages we were receiving at the time were much more oriented towards the future than dwelling on the past.  This is a lesson for us today, that rather than dwell on the past so much we should focus on the future which is something we have the power to change.

We discussed an analogy that Moshe was like the sun, and Joshua who would be taking over as leader, was like the moon. We discussed how, unlike the sun, the moon grows larger and smaller. We discussed that the temple being built and destroyed, follows a pattern similar to the moon. We discussed how when mashgiah comes, the moon will always be at full size, and the temple will always stand without any more destructions.

We discussed the observance of Tisha B’Av that gets pushed off by one day, as the 9th of Av falls on Shabbos. We discussed that we can have a Brit on Tisha B’Av, however no one is allowed to have a meal during the day with one exception. The exception is, that if there is a brit on Tisha B’Av, and Tisha B’Av is observed on the 10th, then the Mohel, Sandak, and father are allowed to have a meal during the day.

We discussed the reasons why we can not just go and rebuild the temple. Rob shared that there are practical as well as Torah reasons. The practical reasons include not wanting to start a major war. The Torah reasons include our making of vows that would prohibit us from rebuilding the temple at this time.

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

Recap for 2 Av 5776 (Parsha Matot-Masseit)

This Shabbos we continued our discussion of Torah v’Derech Eretz. We discussed Parshas Matot and Masseit. We discussed observance of Tisha B’Av, including the 9 day period. And we discussed the topic of human memory. I would like to thank David and Linda for hosting our Kiddush and Learning, and Zev Samuels, a regular reader of these notes, for hosting a later Kiddush at Anshei. David Schlesinger led discussion.

We discussed from Leo Levy’s book, how we live within the confines of the physical world, and should not pray for miracles that would necessitate divine intervention, once something has been determined. One of the examples we discussed, is that once the sex of a baby is determined we should not pray for the child to be born a baby boy or baby girl. An all-powerful God can of course change the sex of a baby, but we should not pray for this to happen. Another example we discussed, if the fire trucks are on the way to a neighborhood to put out a fire, we should not pray for it not to be our house, since the house has already been determined.  

If we are not sure whether or not something has been determined, we can pray for it. Harold Katz, a regular reader of these notes, told me they were not sure whether or not his wife was pregnant on Rosh Hashanah, but prayed for a boy, regardless, after already having 2 girls. Coincidentally, the Haftorah at the time was about Hannah who was also praying for a child. Thanks to Hashem, like in the Haftorah, the Katz were able to have a boy.

We discussed that even if something has not been determined, we cannot live our life relying on prayer and miracles. We must do our part, to the best of our ability, to carry out Hashem’s will for us, follow the Torah, and help finish the act of creation by doing work as we are discussing in our Torah v’Derech Eretz class. If we do our part, Hashem will do his. But we cannot rely on Hashem, we must take action ourselves.

This Shabbos, David shared from his father, Harav Nattan Ben Harav Shmuel , that we remember things that have meaning to us. I personally can remember my Barmitzvah, and where I was and with whom on 9/11. However, I cannot remember what I was doing a day, week, or month after these events.

This Shabbos we discussed the parsha and the importance of vows. We discussed how when we make a vow, it rises up to the importance of a Torah level commandment. We discussed how Hashem and others rely on our vows. One of the interesting examples we discussed, is the case of a person who vows to fast in order to save someone else's life. If the life ends up being saved, the person who made the vow still has to fast.  Hashem saves lives with the expectation that vows will be carried out.

Rob shared how we can sometimes get out of a vow, however this requires an appearance in front of a special court that may no longer be operating today. Perhaps someone can testify that if he was aware of certain facts he would not have made the vow, and the court will relieve him of the vow. There are also cases where a spouse can cancel the vows of the other spouse, and where parents can cancel the vows of their children. It is best to be very careful making vows, and to always include a “way out”, by including phrases such as “god willing”.

We discussed the great importance of speech in general. It is of utmost importance to be honest, as Hashem and others rely on what we say. It is also important to not say negative things about others – LaShan Hara. David shared from his father a story in which a person lets others know of someone’s dishonest indirectly, in order to avoid saying LaShan Hara. He describes the dishonest person as having such a good memory, he remembers things that didn’t occur.

We discussed how speech is how we differ from other animals. We discussed how speech reflects our character, and how our character is shaped by our speech. We discussed how the best way to improve our character is to start off with changing our behavior, which includes our speech.

We discussed T’sha B’av. The observance of this day reminds us that we have not accepted the status quo of not having a temple and being dispersed out into the diaspora. We discussed that perhaps this is the most important holiday for a secular Jew to observe. We discussed some of the customs we have as part of mourning, such as not shaving, getting haircuts, and taking baths, however there may be exceptions to these so it is important to speak to a Rabbi. On the day of T’sha B’av we fast, if we are medically able to do so.  We should discuss any fast with our doctor and rabbis.

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

Recap for 24 Tamuz 5776 (Parsha Pinchas)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Pinchas, including commentary by Rav Yeager.  I want to thank Norm for hosting this week, and David and Linda for hosting a later Kiddush in memory of Harav Nattan ben Harav Shmuel, whose yahrzeit was this past Monday.  David Schlesinger led discussion.

We discussed how in ancient times the spiritual and physical worlds were very tightly connected. During the times of the parsha, there were immediate and more obvious rewards and punishments for our actions. We discussed how there was a plague that had killed 24,000 people, because of our immorality.

We discussed how today, the connection between our actions, and reward and punishment is a lot more blurred.  Today we are given a lot more free choice to make decisions. Hashem had no choice but to make his presence clear and obvious during ancient history, but now we are more “grown up” and should be able to make good decisions knowing that we will be rewarded spiritually which will eventually have great affect on our lives and in the world to come.

We discussed how immediate punishment takes away free will. As an example, we do not have much free will as to whether or not we should touch a hot stove. On the other hand, we do have free will as to whether or not we should eat kosher food. If every time we ate non-kosher food we felt intense pain, everyone would eat kosher food! But we should know we benefit spiritually from eating kosher food, even though the rewards and punishments are less obvious.

We discussed how Tisha B’Av should not only be observed to remember the destruction of the temple, but also to remind of that at one time the spiritual and physical were more tightly connected. We should be reminded by our observance of Tisha B’Av, that a spiritual world still does in fact exist, and although the connections are more blurred and less direct than in the past, we need to continue being aware of Hashem and that there is more than just the physical around us.

We discussed how in the parsha Pinchus performs a zealot act killing a prince in order to stop a plague and stop the desecration of Hashem’s name. We discussed how today it is unnecessary to kill people who are not following halakhah, but in the past everyone was affected by plagues and other tragedies due to the immorality of some.

Norm commented how just like Pinchus, we have zealot rabbis today, including those we know from Memphis who helped his family tremendously in their time of need, following the loss of Moshe ben David, who was an uncle. May his neshoma have an Aliyah.

We discussed how there are many mitzvahs that do not require a pure mind and soul, and we will still get credit for the mitzvah regardless.  However when it comes to taking a life, it is absolutely necessary that our motivation be pure.  In the Parsha, Pinchus had pure motivation to stop the desecration of Hashem’s name.

We discussed how his act was so courageous and righteous, that he received the reward and honor that from that point forward, all the descendants of Aaron would automatically be priests (Kohen) without having to be appointed. The reward was great because he did something that greatly went beyond his comfort zone, in order to do the right thing, and he was very thorough in making sure his motivations were pure.  Aaron had great concern that there would be backlash against him for killing a prince, however he took the life of the priest regardless.

We discussed why Moshe was not the one to do or order the killing of the priest. Moshe – unlike the levites - actually was descendent from idol worshippers, and there was concern his motivation would not be pure.  

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

Recap for 17 Tamuz, 5776 (Parsha Balak)

This Shabbos we continued our discussion of Torah v’Derech Eretz from Leo Levy. We discussed parsha Balak.  This Shabbos, the learning was in honor and memory of David’s father, Dr. Rav. Natan Schlesinger, whose yeirzeit is this coming Monday. We studied the article “The First Commandment” written by Dr. Schlesinger.

We welcome back Yaki, and honor and remember his mother, Hannah Ben Shmuel. Yaki spoke about his Mom, and how she was from Romania. Yaki spoke about how her Father (Yaki's grandfather) was a very famous Rabbi in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with Yaki and his family.

David spoke about his father, HaRav Natan ben Harav Shmuel, whose yeirzeit is this coming Monday. Much of the material in our learning originates with David’s father. We have a website that contains much of his Dad’s material, at www.georgeschlesinger.org.

David spoke about growing up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and how they went to the Hillel on Shabbos, where Rabbi Schlesinger would often give talks to the congregants. David shared how they would often be walking in the opposite direction from everyone else on campus.

David spoke about some of the topics that interested his father. He had a very strong interest in time, and has authored many articles and a book on this subject. One of the questions we discussed this Shabbos, is how time works in the world to come, if our soul travels outside of space and time when our life is over.  

Dr. Schlesinger developed a lot of material on the idea that Hashem created the world in a way that maximizes our opportunity to do mitzvah, rather than maximizes our opportunity to experience good feelings and pleasure.  Our material on the idea of the virtuous response to suffering comes from Dr. Schlesinger. Of course, there does seem to be a lot of suffering that we cannot alleviate, and we do not wish suffering on others. But if something negative does happen, Dr. Schlesinger’s ideas, helps lead us towards healthy ways of dealing with things.

We discussed the article, “The First Commandment”, by Dr. Rabbi Schlesinger. We discussed how it can be possible to command someone to believe something. We discussed how once someone has a belief in their core, it is nearly impossible to talk them out of it.

The article suggests that one way we can carry out this commandment is to be honest in all our affairs.  The article discusses how being dishonest towards others, leads to being dishonest with ourselves and self-deception.  It is self-deception which causes us to not follow the first commandment.  Self-deception, explain why some are atheist, in spite of overwhelming evidence that Hashem does in fact exists, created and controls the world.

The article postulates that we all have a basic yearning for Hashem, but many of us block this out due to dishonesty and deception. Although we are always on the look out to counteract dishonesty in others, we often do not bother to counter self-dishonesty. We discussed how when we really wish something to be true, for whatever reason, we tend to look for arguments in favor of our belief, and ignore those that are contrary.

We discussed that the best way to follow the first commandment, is to be honest in all our affairs, because this will lead us to be honest to ourselves, in which we will have no choice but to believe in the obvious. Some of the ways in which we must be honest, which are mentioned in the article, include more than just with our words. We must be honest with our deeds to not mislead people. This includes such things as not to dress up used articles to fool people into thinking they are new, and not pretending to be sad at a funeral, when this sadness is due to something else.

This Shabbos we continued our discussion of Torah v’Derech Eretz. We discussed the idea that  work is not just a necessary burden, but in fact has intrinsic value. Someone who wins the lottery, or inherits a lot of money, should work even though he doesn’t have to. If we do not work we tend to be bored, and/or have an empty feeling.  Hashem created us to have these feelings because he wants us to participate and work and finish his act of creation.

We discussed that parents have an obligation to teach a trade to their children. And we discussed that if we are between jobs, we should continue to do work, such as creating and maintaining a garden. We discussed that it is Hashem’s will that we create and work, but we must make this decision with our free will. Hashem created us to have free will, because there was not much desire in him to be the king of a world with a bunch of robots.

This Shabbos, Dave W talked about how Israel is a home for us, just like going to where our families may live. And we wish Mazel Tov to Ariav, and to everyone else celebrating Simchas in our community.

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

Recap for 26 Sivan, 5776 (Parsha Shelach)

On Thursday night, and this past Shabbos, we continued our discussion of material by Leo Levy, related to the importance of doing productive work, known as melacha. This Shabbos we also discussed parsha Shelach, including commentary by Rav Yeager. David Schlesinger led discussion.

We discussed that doing productive work is a Torah mitzvah. We can see this from noting that Hashem did work for 6 days, when he actually had the power to create everything instantly. We discussed how Hashem did this, in order to show us that this is what he wants us to do. We also discussed passages from the Gemara in which work is referred to as a mitzvah, with respect to being permitted to board a boat within 3 days of Shabbos.

We discussed how work is good for us and goes beyond being just necessary. This is why we need to be told to work. Doing work helps give us a feeling of accomplishment and supports our happiness. When we do not work, we often have feelings of boredom and/or emptiness, at least I do.

Brett commented that he often sees a swagger in people when they are positively participating in things, such as work. We discussed how work in this world can bring contentment in the next world. In the world to come we can look back on the positive contributions we made through our work.

Many of us do work by making a living, however we discussed that those who are unemployed, retired, stay at home parents, full time students, do work as well. Work includes creating things, gardening, fixing and much more. Basically, we want to participate in creation within the physical world.

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Shelach. Harold Katz, a regular reader of the notes, mentioned to me that this is a very sad parsha. In the parsha, we send spies into Israel and they come back with a bleak report, that we should not attempt to conquer the land.  Dave W mentioned the idea that the walls that were built around our enemies in Israel were actually signs of weakness, and we should not have come back with such a bleak report.  It was simply that we had a bad attitude.

We discussed that we had a very bad attitude back in the times of the parsha. We discussed how back then, as well as today, attitudes can shape and change reality. If we do not think we can do something – whether it was the Jews contemplating going into the land of Israel – or ourselves in current modern day life - we are licked from the start and won’t get it done. We discussed how in order to accomplish our goals, it is necessary to believe that we can do so!

We discussed that attitude and how we react to things, can be more important than the actual events that happen to us. David commented that his Dad, Rav. Dr. George Schlesinger, would often say there are people with terrible things happening to them, yet they somehow seem to be content, and it is because of their attitude and how they react.

We discussed the different views of Rashi and the Rambam with respect to the parsha. Rashi’s opinion was that sending spies into Israel in the first place was showing a lack of faith in Hashem. Rambom’s opinion was that if we are sending spies into Israel in order to access the situation, then that is not necessarily showing a lack of faith. We discussed that it would seem that Rambam would have the burden of proof.  However, Dave W mentioned that Hashem did say “go if you want to”, which would seem to support the view of Rambam.

We discussed how Hashem was a lot more forgiving with the sin of the Golden Calf. The sin in this case was not believing in Hashem at all,  However it may be that we believed in Hashem although we needed a way to relate to him. The remedy for all this was building the mishkan. With the sin of the spies, we believed in Hashem, however we did not have faith in him. Hashem was a lot less forgiving with the sin of the spies and sent us into the desert for an entire generation.

Finally, we discussed how in order to achieve our goals we need to have the help and assistance of Hashem. This applies in the times of the parsha as well as today. At the same time that we need the help of Hashem, it is necessary that we do our part.

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

Recap for 19 Sivan, 5776 (Parsha Behaalotecha).

This Shabbos we continued our discussion of Leo Levy’s work. We also discussed parsha behaalotecha. David Schlesinger led discussion.

We talked some more about the concept of melachot, which we define as work with a purpose. Usually, what we do for a living would be considered melachot, but there are exceptions for work that does not create any value for anyone.  Melachot also includes work we may do for ourselves, such as working in our yard.  By doing work, we imitate Hashem who also did work for 6 days, and we also have an opportunity to apply spirituality to our physical world - "elevate the sparks of kiddusha".

We discussed how as Jews, it is important that we engage in melachot. Melachot to us is not just a necessary burden, but something that is beneficial to us spiritually, and in many ways. We discussed how Hashem himself engaged in melachot, in order to show us that this is what he wanted us to do.  Clearly Hashem had the power to create everything instantly, but the way he did it in 6 days and then resting on the 7th, is because he wants us to do the same.

We discussed that it is not desirable to not engage in melachot at all. This would leave someone without the means to take care of their own needs, in which case they would have to beg from others. All the time spent begging, would take away from time and energy that they could devote to Torah study.  Our ultimate goal is to study and follow the Torah, but the best way to achieve this is to engage in melachot that we do to finish the act of creation and help us make a living.

We discussed how Adam actually had to do some melachot in the Garden of Eden, although many of his needs were taken care of. Last Shabbos, we discussed how it actually created a desirable situation for mankind that Adam ate the forbidden fruit, as the best situation for man is that we all have to work.

We discussed how historically we each did all the work necessary in order to take care of our needs. However, as the modern economy has grown, we have developed a monetary system that allows us to each do what we do best, and to trade this work for the value created by others who do what they do best. We discussed how in Israel, there are so many high tech jobs, some of the lower level jobs need to be done by non-Jewish immigrants.

We discussed the idea of receiving money for doing a mitzvah. It is ok to receive money in certain situations. For example, we may pay someone to teach Torah, such as a Rabbi, with his salary being provided to compensate him for the opportunity cost he endures.

We discussed what was going on with us in the parsha. We discussed how this section of the Torah is not necessarily a happy time for us, as we commit sins and fail to realize our mission of making it to Israel.

We discussed how in parsha Behaalotecha, we see that we each had a role to play in the tabernacle, which had just been inaugurated. The Levies were given special roles, but everyone had a role to play in the construction.

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