Recap for 20 Av 5777 (Parsha Eikev)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Eikev, including commentary from Rav Yeager. We discussed the constant mitzvah of loving Hashem. I would like to thank David and Linda for hosting the kiddush and learning. The learning was in memory of David’s mother, Shulamith bat Tzvi Aryeh. May her memory be for a blessing.  David Schlesinger led discussion.

We discussed this Shabbos the fundamental idea that we are made up of a body and soul. We discussed that our soul exists both before and after our life in this world. We discussed the idea that life in this world is a bridge between the 2 other worlds.

We discussed the idea that before we are born, our soul exists, and is designated for us by Hashem at the time of conception. During our lifetime we have the opportunity to have experiences that grow the soul spiritually. This growth, and closeness to Hashem that we develop during our life, remains with us as the soul journeys to the world to come, after our physical bodies have expired.

We discussed an interesting idea, that the same way a baby passes on to the next world when it is born, we pass on to the next world when our physical bodies expire. Just like a baby can witness a twin disappearing from the womb when this twin is born, we witness people leave this world when their soul journeys to the next world.   

Rob commented that he would be very interested in knowing the sources for all of this. Norm commented, that this as well as many ideas in Judaism are based on faith, rather than on proven fact. Efroni commented that although Judaism is based on faith, once we lay down some fundamentals, we can reach logical conclusions and derivations that would have to be true given the fundamentals.

We discussed from this week’s parsha how Moshe spoke to the people about loving Hashem. David commented that this mitzvah of loving Hashem, is unlike other mitzvah’s that are time and/or situationally dependent. It is a great mitzvah to constantly love Hashem. Harold Katz, a regular reader of these notes has shared this idea of the 6 constant mitzvahs with me.

One of the big questions we have, that we discussed, is how can we be commanded to love. We discussed the answer to this, is that we can do this with our actions. By learning about Hashem and his creations, and following his Torah we express our love. We discussed the importance of studying secular subjects as well as studying the Torah, in order to appreciate and love Hashem.

By studying secular studies, we can get to know Hashem and admire his awesomeness. Norm spoke about how the Torah first came up with the idea that time had a beginning, long before science caught up with this idea with the theory of the “big bang”.  David shared thoughts from his father, Rav Dr. George Schlesinger, that the astronomical odds against the fine tuning of the universe needed to support life occurring randomly, is evidence of the existence of a creator. We discussed that learning secular studies and participating in the act of creation brings us closer to Hashem and helps us fulfill the constant mitzvah of loving Hashem.

Barack mentioned the very large number of planets, and that this made it more likely life would exist somewhere else outside of earth.  My personal belief is that life will exist outside of earth, if man decides to finish the act of creation and put it there, which is one of the reasons a large number of planets exists.

We discussed how love of Hashem is a constant mitzvah and applies both when things are going well, and when things are not going well. Howard shared that we should “double down” on our faith in Hashem when things are not going well.

We discussed how we all have strengths and weaknesses. We discussed 2 different approaches to this. In the first approach, we play to our strengths. For example, if I am very good at making money I focus on donating money rather than volunteering my time which could be better spent making money to enable me to give tzedukah. The other approach we discussed is that we should focus on areas in which we need improvement. For example, if I am very good at making money and giving tzedukah, I should focus on volunteering my time in our community.

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

Recap for 6 Av 5777 (Parsha Devarim)

This Shabbos we discussed the upcoming observance of Tisha B’Av, and the period of mourning that precedes this.  I would like to express condolences to David, Linda and their family on the loss of Shulamith Schlesinger, mother and grandmother.  Please try to attend our early minyan and come on time, so we can have a minyan for David and also Howard, who recently lost his mother, to say Kaddish.

David spoke about how his mother, Shulamit, came from Lithuania to Israel when she was a child. In Israel she met her husband, Rav Dr George Shlesinger. During her life she and her husband lived in several different places including Israel, England, Australia and the United States, in this order. In addition to being a mother, Shulamith was also a school teacher, and Rabbetzin. Efroni commented that his grandmother helped defend Israel, the country she loved, just as he has done. Ariav commented that his grandmother had a lot of expertise in Tanack, the Hebrew language, and all the different places in Israel.

This Shabbos we discussed the upcoming observance of Tisha B’Av, and the minor fast days as well. David Schlesinger led discussion. Tisha B’Av is the day the temples were destroyed, the spies returned with a bleak report, and many other tragedies occured. Most of the minor fast days are related to the Temple as well. We discussed that when the second Temple was built, we stopped observing the fast days, other than Yom Kippur. When the Temple was destroyed we started observing them again. When the third Temple is built, the fast days will become days of celebration and we will no longer fast.

Tisha B’Av is a major fast day, like Yom Kippur. On the major fast days, we fast, avoiding food and drink for 25 hours. There are exceptions, especially for those who are pregnant, vulnerable, and/or sick. This should be discussed with one’s Rabbi. We discussed how on Tisha B’Av and Yom Kippur we do not wear leather shoes. Historically there may have been exceptions, and ways to make a leather shoe uncomfortable.  This should be discussed with one's Rabbi if it is not possible to acquire non-leather shoes.

We discussed the meal immediately prior to the fast of Tisha B’Av, which is a small meal that follows a large meal that occurred earlier. During the smaller “separation meal”, we sit in low chairs and eat round food, such as hard boiled eggs, dipped in ash. Instead of eating eggs, some eat lentils and other round food. David commented that the custom of eating eggs is similar to the meal prepared for mourners upon returning from a funeral.

We discussed how prior to Tisha B’Av there is a 3 week period of mourning that becomes more intense the 9 days prior to Tisha B’Av. During the 3 weeks we refrain from listening to music and getting haircuts, amongst other prohibitions. During the 9 days, we refrain from eating meat and drinking wine, except for Shabbos. During the 9 days, we also refrain from swimming or bathing for pleasure. Customs may differ with Sephardi, and there may be exceptions, for example eating meat following the completion of a tractate.  All this should be discussed with one's Rabbi.

David talked about how these periods of mourning prior to Tisha B’Av have similarities to the period of mourning known as Shlosim, in which one who is mourning the loss of a loved one also does not listen to music or get haircuts. We discussed the case in which someone finds himself in the situation in which one mourning period follows another. In some cases it may be permissible to take a 1 day break, and get haircuts and listen to music. One should check with their Rabbi.

We discussed the minor fast days. On the minor fast days we fast from sun up until sun down. We are more lenient as far as making exceptions - allowing one to be able to drink and/or have food - than we are for the major fast days.

We discussed how holidays such as Sukkot, can be a much harder to observe in a meaningful way, than Yom Kippur.  This is because on holidays such as Sukkot, one experiences great distraction of physical things and pleasures such as food and drink. Every now and then, on Yom Kippur, and a lesser extent on Shabbos, we remove physicality which helps eliminate distractions allowing us to focus on the spiritual. However, we discussed that as Jews our purpose is to bring spirituality to the physical world, “elevating the sparks of kiddusha”, which is why we do not separate ourselves from physicality during all the time, and do include the physical to a large extent on holidays and Shabbos.

Efroni spoke about how we are often simply given fundamentals in the Torah, and then it is up to us by listening to our Rabbis, to interpret given the current times we live in and come up with how we should live our lives. Efroni spoke about how we often disagree on interpretation, and that neither side is right or wrong. However, in some cases the Torah is very clear, and there is not much room left for interpretation.  If a so called prophet contradicts the Torah, we should listen to the Torah.

David told a story about his dad, Rav Dr George Schlesinger, who would give a speech telling the audience that it will be very long, and the only permissible reason to look at watches would be to see if they still work. After 4 or 5 minutes, the speech would end to the surprise of everyone!

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

Recap for 28 Tamuz 5777 (Parshiot Matot and Masei)

This Shabbos we had a siyum in honor of finishing tractate Bava Basra, in the merit of David’s mother, Shulamith. We discussed parsha Matot and Masei, including commentary from Rav Yeager. We heard a dvar torah from Rav Males. I would like to thank Norm and Eileen for sponsoring our Kiddush. David Schlesinger led discussion.

We finished tractate Bava Basra and held a siyum. We did this in the merit of, and honor of David’s mother, Shulamit bat Zahava. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

The last Daf of Bava Basra is on the subject of loans and guarantees which are made by a third party guarantor. David discussed the different cases in which a guarantor comes about, such as being appointed by the court, being included in writing in the loan agreement, and being a guarantor simply by making an oral promise to guarantee a loan.

We discussed how in some of these cases an acquisition is necessary by the guarantor, in order for there to be a binding liability. We discussed that if the guarantor is appointed by the court, it is not necessary for the guarantor to make an acquisition. We discussed that this acquisition is similar to what we do when selling our chumatz. I remember lifting up a pen when selling my chumatz before Pesach.

We discussed the interesting case in which a creditor is applying physical force, such as choking, to a debtor and a third party promises to guarantee the loan in order to stop the physical force. In this case the courts will rule the guarantor must pay back the loan, if the debtor is unable to do so and meet the terms of the contract. If the guarantor would not have to pay back the loan, this would make it more difficult for someone to guarantee a loan in order to stop someone from being hurt.

The tractate which follows Baava Basra is Sanhedrin. Rob pointed out a connection between the two tractates. The last part of Baava Basra is about monetary matters, as is the first part of Sanhedrin.

Rav Males spoke about how Jews are the chosen people, and the Levites are the chosen people amongst the Jews. Those who murder someone accidently are sent to a city of refuge, or an area which is amongst the Levites. The Levites are at a very high level spiritually, and are best for encouraging mental and spiritual healing to take place.

We discussed some other cases in which something undesirable occurs through us, however we are not liable.  For example, we may eat non-kosher food which had a valid hechsher on it. Or we may carry in an area in which the Eruv was up when properly checked, but later something happened to bring it down that no one was aware of. In these cases in which we made the proper presumptions, we are not liable. However, we should try to see what the reasons are that something undesirable happens through us, rather than through someone else, and see if there are areas in which we can improve, or grow spiritually.

We discussed how the koshering of utensils comes from the week’s parsha. We discussed the difference between how a stove and microwave works. With a microwave, the heat comes from within the food, however this gives off steam which can result in particles being released from the internal walls. This is why a microwave has to be designated either for meat or for dairy. We discussed the differences between using fire and boiling water in order to kosher utensils.

We discussed the upcoming period of mourning. We discussed that ultimately Hashem would like us to have a relationship and connection with him. We are given tools, such as the ancient Temple, synagogues, the Torah, Rabbis, in order to enable us to live spiritual lives and connect with Hashem. However, through-out history we have sometimes used these tools as shields, so Hashem has had to destroy them. The Temple is one example of this.

Finally, we discussed how sometimes we have certain beliefs in our gut that are based on our experiences and how we have been programmed. We discussed that it is possible to use our free will and reprogram ourselves but it may necessitate putting ourselves through certain experiences, making certain decisions, and it can be a long process.

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

Recap for 14 Tamuz, 5777 (Parsha Balak)

This shabbos we discussed parsha Balak. And we heard a dvar torah from Rav Males. I would like to thank Yaki and Shirley for hosting our kiddush. The learning was in memory of David’s father, HaRav Nattan Ben HaRav Shmuel, and Yaki’s mother, Hannah Ben Shmuel, on the occasion of their yahrzeit.

Rob Golder led a discussion of Rav Dr. George Schlesinger’s article “Humility”, which appears in the publication Tradition.  We discussed how in the parsha, Balak did not have much humility.  In the article, Rav Schlesinger discusses the trait of humility. The article points out that humility is very important, and may in fact be the most important character trait, based on how it is mentioned in the Torah. The article talks about Moshe having the character trait of humility.

Rav Schlesinger discusses in his article how the Rambam usually advocated for a middle ground when it comes to character traits. For example, it is important to be generous, but not good to be so generous we enable others to not have to take responsibility. However, unlike other character traits, it would seem the more modest we are, the better.

Rob shared more about the article, and how Rav Schlesinger discusses the difficulty of defining humility. The article talks about how humility is often defined as the lack of arrogance, but that this definition is not clear. The article discussed how this is like defining a married man as someone who is not a bachelor.

The article goes on to discuss how we can practice humility by being modest. However, this is not necessarily that clear to define either. For example, when asked what one does for a living, to say I am the best, would not be humble.  However, if someone is clearly marketing his services, to say I am the best at what I do, does not necessary indicate a lack of humility. Howard commented that when someone makes a statement, what matters in determining whether or not the person is humble and modest, is to whom the statement is made, and the purpose in making it - not what the statement is.

David has shared at previous learnings, that his father would define being humble as being aware of one’s strengths, but believing that one’s strengths are no more important than anyone else’s strengths. We can show that we are humble with both our words, and our actions.

Rob mentioned that Rav Dr Schlesinger had a lot of thoughts and writings on the topic of time. Norm spoke about how science has finally agreed that time has a beginning, with the “big bang” theory. Norm commented that this is something that has always been in the Torah. Yaki spoke about how Hashem had to create the concept of a beginning, as a first step in his act of creation. We spoke about how Hashem created time as we know it, and that we live within time so it is hard for us to see things from outside of time. 

 Howard commented that science can never explain how something came out of nothing, but that this is described in the Torah. Yaki spoke that there is a belief that time goes on indefinitely but it loops back in some ways so that there is some repetition. Yaki spoke that perhaps there is some type of Exodus that occurs on the 15th of Nissan every year.

Yaki spoke about how there were 3 leaders amongst our people, Moshe, Aaron, and Miriam. Yaki spoke about how we received mana in the merit of Moshe, water in the merit of Miriam, and the clouds of glory in the merit of Aaron. We discussed how when Miriam died, the well stopped providing water to us. Yaki commented that this was only temporary, in order to show us that the water had been flowing in the merit of Miriam. 

Yaki commented that Moshe’s sin in hitting the rock, was trying to get water to flow in his merit, rather than having the water continuing to flow in the merit of Miriam. Yaki commented that when we influence something in this world that continues after we pass away, such as was the case with Miriam, it benefits us spiritually, as our essence continues to stay alive in this world.

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

Recap for 7 Tamuz 5777 (Parsha Chukat)

This Shabbos the learning was in memory of David’s grandmother, Zahava bat Shaul, whose yahrzeit is today. David spoke about how this is his mom’s mom, who came to Israel from Lithuania.

This Shabbos, we discussed Parsha Chukat, including commentary from Rav Yeager. Howard mentioned that this is his bar mitzvah parsha. David Schlesinger led discussion.

We discussed how the Torah seems to skip over the 40 year period when we were wandering the desert, following the sin of the spies. Howard commented that Parsha Chukat, occurs after the opening up of the earth and swallowing of many people that occurred in last week’s parsha Korach. This would cause all the survivors in the current parsha, to feel very vulnerable after witnessing the perishing of others.  

Both David and Howard commented that the Torah skips over a large period in which the purpose was to wait for an entire generation to die off. David commented that the primary purpose of the Torah is not to give a chronological historical accounting of our people, but to use historical accountings to illustrate themes and concepts to us. We discussed that often we skip periods of time, and then come back to them later, because the main purpose of the Torah is to present important themes. One of those themes we have discussed is that Hashem is not only the creator, but plays an active role in our lives today.  The stories in the Torah are meant to illustrate this, rather than simply be a historical narrative.

We discussed how Judaism is a religion which celebrates and emphasizes life, which is why we come impure after coming in contact with the dead.  We discussed the purity laws in the parsha, including using the ashes of the red heifer to regain purity.  Although Judaism does not glorify death, we do honor and respect the deceased, while being primarily a religion of life. Dave W commented that many hospitals are named Mt. Sinai, which is where we were kept alive to receive the Torah.

We discussed that perhaps the Torah skips over this time period when we are in the dessert, to bring together a direct comparison between the prior generation that was not ready to enter Israel, and the current generation that still faces obstacles but has changed in significant ways. We discussed that hopefully while wandering the desert the next generation grew spiritually to have a greater connection and faith in Hashem, which is necessary to deal with the obstacles that would face us in conquering and entering Israel. We discussed how many of us thought we could enter the land of Israel, and then no longer have to be accountable to Hashem, but this is not the case.

David commented that just like we faced obstacles in conquering and settling the land of Israel, which required faith in Hashem, we have obstacles in our personal lives today, which require faith in Hashem to overcome. We discussed that we should consider the meaning of events in our life, including obstacles, with respect to our relationship with Hashem and his plans for us. These events may seem to not be there just for us, because they affect everyone, however we should consider events with respect to Hashem’s role in our own life, and let others consider events with respect to Hashem’s role in their life.

We discussed how in the parsha, Moshe is instructed by Hashem to speak to a stone which will then provide water. We discussed how Moshe did not follow Hashem’s instructions, and hit the stone instead. We discussed that Moshe was not allowed to enter the land of Israel, not only because he did not follow Hashem’s specific instructions, but because his leadership style – symbolized by his hitting of the stone – was not the best suited for the spiritual level of the new generation. Dave W commented that hitting the stone with a stick, resulted in a solid turning into a liquid, whereas hitting the water of the Red Sea with a stick, resulted in a liquid turning into a solid.  A solid turning into a liquid would seem to indicate more progress than the other way around.

We discussed that even stones have purpose, especially if we as humans use them for spiritual purposes. We discussed how in the Torah there are sections in which stones play a role. In particular, in this week’s parsha the stone’s role is to bring forth water. Moshe thought the best way to get water from the stone was to hit it. Moshe’s leadership style was to force things in a more aggressive way, than what would be most suitable for the new generation. We discussed that this is the reason why Moshe was not allowed to enter Israel, it was not solely that he did not follow Hashem’s specific directions.  Moshe was not the best leader for our next stage of history.

Finally, we discussed how the most important decision we have to make is whether or not to believe and have faith in Hashem. If Hashem revealed himself in a more obvious way, this would take away our free will. Hashem wants us to choose to believe in him, rather than being forced.

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

Recap for 30 Sivan 5777 (Parsha Korach)

This Shabbos we discussed Parsha Korach. I would like to thank Norm and Eileen for hosting our Kiddush.

After our davening, Rav Males spoke about why it is important that specific roles are assigned to specific people. He spoke about situations where we ask “someone” to do a task, and the task doesn’t get done – or is significantly delayed – because we think someone else is going to do it. Maybe this is why sometimes we don’t make minyans!  Everyone thinks someone else will come.   Larry commented that the opposite situation can happen, in which everyone wants to do something, and this can be overwhelming.  In this case as well, it helps if specific people are assigned specific roles.

Norm shared some of the Haftorah at our kiddush.  The Haftorah speaks to the miracle and significance of Jerusalem specifically, and Israel in general.  Norm commented about the amazing progress Israel has made, from being a vast, barren desert to the green and much more prosperous land it is today. Norm commented that this perhaps indicates that we are getting closer to when Moshiach will come.

Yaki spoke about how Hashem created an imperfect world, to give man the purpose of perfecting the world. Yaki commented that each of us has a unique role. One of our challenges is to figure out what our role is to play in the world. David has spoken in the past how we all have positions on a team. Hashem could tell us directly what our role is, but then we would be more like robots.  As we discussed last week, Hashem wanted Human beings, and not robots or automatic train sets.

Yaki spoke about the rebellion by Korach. Yaki commented that Korach had a huge challenge, to convince at least 50% of us to abandon support of Moshe and support Korach and his side. Yaki commented that Korach had on his side, men who were astrologers.

Yaki shared some commentary, that just like astrologers are not told specifically what the outcome of their work will be, Moshe was not told specifically what the outcome of his search for people to fill specific roles would be.  Yaki shared his thoughts, that this was Korach’s point in including astrologers as part of his rebellious group. Korach’s point was not that Moshe had chosen someone to have a specific leadership role, but that Moshe choose Aaron, who is someone in his family, rather than the best person for the job.  Nevertheless, Hashem later in the Parsha, does make clear that Moshe's choice was correct, when Korach and his supporters are put to death.

Rob spoke about how Moshe assigned different people to different roles in order to avoid conflict. Rob commented that more than one role could be assigned to a person, as long as there was not a conflict in time.

Howard commented that sometimes we see some of us lose faith, or not have it to begin with. Howard pointed out, that we should remember and tell others that even if we believe there is only a 1 in 100 percent chance of spiritual activities such as davening providing benefits, the benefits are so huge that shouldn’t we do it? This reminds me of the article David’s father wrote on how we bet our life on our decision whether or not to believe and connect with Hashem. Once we believe there is the tiniest of probabilities that this is beneficial to us, we should be motivated to daven and follow the Torah, because we are betting our life on this decision.

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

Recap for 23 Sivan 5777 (Parsha Shelach)

This Shabbos we discussed Parsha Shelach, including commentary from Rav Yeager. We discussed the commandment to honor our parents, including commentary from Rav Malamed. We also discussed some of the fundamental beliefs of Judaism. David Schlesinger led discussion.

David spoke about our fundamental belief that Hashem is the creator of everything.  He spoke about how Hashem introduced into his world, human beings, who are agents with free will.  With free will, we are not compelled to make decisions one way or another.  Although Hashem gave us free will, he certainly does have preferences, as outlined in our Torah and unique plans he has for each of us.   

We discussed why it is that Hashem didn’t simply create us to automatically follow his will.  The answer seems to be, that in creating us to function as do automatic train sets, no purpose would be served.  

One of the most important decisions we use our free will to make, is whether or not to believe in Hashem.  As we know, many people choose not to believe in Hashem. David shared what his father, Rav Dr George Schlesinger (Ha Rav Nattan ben Ha Rav Shmuel), would say that many people choose not to believe in Hashem, because belief in him means we have to take responsibility and be accountable.  Many choose not to have this responsibility.

We discussed in Parsha Shelach, how 12 spies were sent into Israel, and 10 of them came back with a bleak report. We discussed from Rav Yeager that there is some disagreement on specifically what constituted our sin, but there is agreement that our lack of faith in Hashem was sinful. This lack of faith in Hashem, can hurt us in the lives we lead today, just like it did back in the times of the parsha. We discussed that some hold that our sin was thinking we needed spies in the first place, whereas others hold that sending spies was ok in order to formulate a strategy of conquering the land, in which case coming back with a bleak report is the sin.

Yaki had an interesting take on this, pointing out that the spies we sent in were in their 70’s, and not youngsters. Yaki shared his thoughts that the purpose of the spies was not to see how we would conquer the land physically, but how we would conquer spiritually. The purpose of sending in the spies was to get a feel for the nature of the morality of the people currently residing there.

Regardless, as we discussed, 10 of the spies came back with a bleak report. We discussed how this number 10 is also the number of men that we need to make minyans. And Dave W pointed out that 10 is the numeric value of the letter yud, that was taken from Sarah’s name and put at the end of Joshua’s (Yehoshua’s) name by Moshe in this week’s parsha. 

Our names can influence us a great deal. The yud added to Yehoshua’s name may have given him extra spiritual energy, which resulted in his not going along with the other 10 spies. Dave W pointed out that this was not the first parsha in which yud was added to his name.

We discussed how the sin of the Golden Calf represented a lack of faith in ourselves, whereas the sin of the Spies represented a lack of faith in both ourselves and in Hashem. David spoke about the importance of having faith in ourselves, as well as faith in Hashem. We discussed that it is important to not have self-limiting beliefs, which can take many forms.  Some examples of self-limiting beliefs including thinking we can not do something, or thinking we are simply worthless.

We discussed the halakuh of giving bread to the Kohen’s, which we do even outside of Israel.  We discussed that bread is special, because it is something that involves both creation by Hashem, and creation by man. We, of course, do not have bread trees. However, we do have grape trees, and the mitzvah of giving of fruits we only do in Israel.

From Rav Malamed, we discussed the mitzvah of honoring our parents. We discussed that sometimes conflicts can come up between this commandment, and other commandments.  A parent may forget all the halakuh, and ask us to do something that is a Torah or Rabbinic violation. In this case, we should nicely remind our parent why we cannot comply with their request.

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

Recap for 19 Sivan 5777 (Parsha Behaalotecha)

This Shabbos we discussed Parsha Behaalotecha, including commentary from Rav Yeager.  The learning was in memory of Howard’s mom, Bracha Bas Menashe M’choel.  We also learned in honor of Menashe’s mother’s yeirzeit, and made this a special Kiddush and Learning to say goodbye to Yakoov who has been with us but is now going home. 

Howard’s mom, Barbara Zimmerman, had a life full of service work and doing Tikun Olam.  She started collecting money for charity at age 11.  She volunteered her time to help many organizations and people through-out her life.  She helped in the effort to improve literacy and provide services to the blind.  She served on a “God’s unfinished business” committee.  She was a librarian, who advanced in her career to hold the position of law librarian in the 6^th circuit Federal Court.  

Rav Males gave a dvar Torah, in which he talked about one of the beliefs many of us had in the past that there was no creation, and that everything we see around us always existed.  He talked about how now we know from both science and Torah, that time and creation had a beginning.  One of the things that Howard once shared at our learning, that made an impression on me and I still remember, was that science may be able to explain a lot of things, but it can never be able to explain something coming from nothing.  This was the same point that Rav Males made this Shabbos.

David spoke this Shabbos about how we can continue to honor and keep our parents spirit going here on Earth, by using their memory to inspire us to do mitzvah, Tikun Olam, and/or continue whatever their mission and purpose was in their life.   David spoke about how we can grow spiritually during our lives, which helps us get ready for the world to come.  

David shared that his father, George N Schlesinger, HaRav Natan Ben HaRav Shmuel , would refer to this as “getting ready for the opera”.  It's still possible to enjoy some aspects of an opera, if we are not ready, but those who are ready get the most out of the experience. Although we may no longer be able to perform mitzvah, in this world and get "ready for the opera" after we have passed, those who are still living and have been inspired by us and hold us in their memory, can spiritually continue much essence of our life and continue enabling us to be rewarded in the world to come.  This is a beautiful idea.    

We discussed the Parsha, and how Moshe was given special trumpets to blow.  The trumpets would be blown and we would follow the clouds when it was time for us to move on, during our journey towards Israel.  We were on our way to Israel, and expected to be there soon.  However, we discussed a possible reason why Yitro did not want to journey with us, which is that he possibly knew we would be spending many years in the dessert, and were certainly not ready to go to the promised land.

We discussed how in this week’s Parsha, we celebrated our first Pesach.  Since this was the first time doing it, we made mistakes from which we should learn.  Many of us were impure and unable to bring the special sacrifices.  It was thus necessary to have a second Pesach.

This Shabbos we discussed some of the halakuh related to being left handed and how this affects our performance of mitzvah.  In particular, we discussed putting on tefillin, which we do on our weakest hand, so that those who are left handed put the tefillin on their right hands.   

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

Recap for 9 Sivan 5777 (Parsha Naso)

This Shabbos was a special Shabbos, as it was the yeirzeit of Ethan Jacobs, who was a regular at our kiddush and learnings.  All the learning this Shabbos, was in his memory.  This Shabbos we welcomed back Dan.  This Shabbos we discussed Parsha Naso, including commentary from Rav Yeager, as well as some other topics, including commentary from Rav Malamed.  David Schlesinger led discussion.

David shared how his father, Harav Nattan ben Harav Shmuel, would point out that Judaism is the only religion in which is said a blessing after meals.  Dave W pointed out that there is a lot of motivation to go through procedures, such as saying a blessing, in order to be able to consume food when hungry, but not a lot of motivation to do procedures, such as saying a blessing, afterwards. David's dad would make this point, that the way we do it is more likely to demonstrate true gratitude, rather than just motivation to get to a meal.

We discussed that we say the blessings afterwards, even when we have consumed very small amounts.  This is because we are in fact considered “full”, even when consuming an amount of bread the size of an olive.  Although we may not be full physically, we should be full spiritually, by being aware and grateful for the fact that the bread, and everything else, ultimately comes from Hashem. The lesson for us, is that as we consume food we should be consiousely aware of our gratitude that it is provided from its ultimate source.

As Jews, our purpose and mission is to bring spirituality to the physical world, and we do this by saying blessings, and following the Torah, which is our blueprint on how to do this.  Dan refers to this as “elevating the sparks of Kidusha”, which is a quote that we bring up quite often.  We remember how Ethan would refer to following the Torah, with his saying “Torah says …”.

We discussed the week’s parsha, and how the Kohen were historically given the special role of carrying the Tabernacle from location to location as we traveled through-out the dessert towards the land of Israel.  All the descendants of Aron were to have a special role in leading services.  Dave W pointed out how the parsha seems to have a lot of unrelated topics put together.  There are also commandments in the parsha, to isolate people who have contracted spiritual illnesses involving impurity.

We discussed how the original plan was for the oldest child to have the special role of carrying the components of the tabernacle, and leading services, however this did not work out so it was assigned to the Kohen, who had not participated in the sin of the Golden Calf.  To this day, the Kohen play a special role in our services.  They receive special honors, such as receiving the first Aliyah.  Along with these special honors, comes additional responsibility. 

These responsbilities include the importance of following all the halakuh, including special commandments given to the Kohen, specifically.  These include the commandment to not marry a divorcee, and not coming in contact with those who have passed away by attending funerals.  A Kohen can lose his special status by not following the commandments which apply to him.  We discussed that if a Kohen does lose his special status, it may be possible for him to do t’shuva and have his status restored.

We discussed that the descendants of Aron, the levies, were not given any land in Israel, as their role was to lead services and perform spiritual duties.  All of us were commanded to give gifts to the levies so that they could focus on their duties, rather than on making a living.

This Shabbos, we discussed how the angels had a disagreement with Hashem on whether or not we should be given all the details in the Torah.  The angels felt that we would become lost in the details, and forget our overall purpose and mission, and even lose our awareness and our connection to Hashem.  Hashem’s argument, was that the Torah is a path which can lead towards our spirituality, and it was important for this path to be laid out before us, although we may choose to not follow it. 

The lesson to us is that we always try our best to be aware of the overall reasons for why we are following the details of the commandments and mitzvah.  We should try our best to have an awareness of the overall, and have a conscious relationship with Hashem.

David spoke about the importance of renewing our interest in routines that we follow, such as how we observe the holidays, so it always seems fresh to us.  Some examples of what we can do is perhaps observe a holiday in Israel, which would be a change, or observing the holiday with new people or in a different way.  If we renew our interest in our routines and remain aware of our overall purpose, we can overcome the concerns of the angles. 

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

Recap for 3 Sivan 5777 (Parsha Bamidbar and discussion of Shavuos)

This Shabbos we discussed the upcoming holiday of Shavuos, including commentary from Rav Malamed. We also discussed Parsha Bamidbar, including commentary from Rav Males and Rav Yeager.  David Schlesinger led discussion.

Rav Males shared his thoughts on the parsha, and how we were asked by Hashem to do a census. He brought up an interesting question, which is why did Hashem need us to do a census, when Hashem already knows everything?  There were several answers to this question that Rav Males brought up. First, the census gave us an opportunity to meet personally with Moshe, or at least with the leaders of the tribes. Secondly, this census gave us a chance to be more than just numbers, but to be names as well, which is something that Rav Yeager also brought up.

Franco pointed out another interesting reason for the census, which is that it gave Moshe the opportunity to hear something positive, other than all the complaints and arguments he must have had to listen to up until this time. The census gave everyone a chance to see how our numbers had grown, and hopefully to see the role that Hashem had played in our success as a nation. One of the ideas we have discussed at our learning a lot, is that although Hashem is capable of doing everything, such as doing a census, he wants us to do this type of work on our own and not rely on him for everything, which is why he asked us to do it.

We discussed the upcoming holiday of Shavuos. We discussed how Shavuos has many meanings, one of them is that historically it was the time of the first wheat harvest. The perhaps most well known meaning of Shavuos, is that this holiday commemorates the time of our receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai. We discussed how today without a Temple, there is no Torah mandated mitzvah on this holiday, other than following the usually halakuh for Yom Tov, which includes work prohibitions. 

 We discussed how Shavuos represents the height of the fundamental idea of Judaism, that our purpose is not to reject physicality, but to bring spirituality to the physical world. David spoke about how we can elevate the most mundane objects. One of the questions I asked is how we could possibly elevate un-kosher food. We discussed how the purpose of unkosher food, is to bring more significance to that which is kosher. If unkosher food did not exist, and we could eat any food, we would not have the same significance in elevating kosher food to a spiritual level.

Dave W pointed out that we read the Book of Ruth every year on Shavuos. He spoke about how Ruth first came to Israel during the time of this holiday, and her acceptance of the Jewish faith being analogous to our acceptance of the Torah, which we commemorate on this holiday. This all shows us that the acceptance of the Torah does not only take place on Mt. Sinai, but can take place at different times, as it did for Ruth.  Everyday we all hopefully accept the Torah.

There are several customs that we do on Shavuos, that we discussed. One of these is to study all night, or as long as we can without significantly affecting our ability to function the next day. It is believed that this custom, comes from the Zocar and Kabballah.  Another custom is to consume dairy and honey on this holiday. We discussed that this doesn’t mean we forego our normal consumption of meat on Yom Tavim.  We may be able to start off eating dairy, and then finish up later with a meat meal.  

A very interesting idea that was brought up, is that by having dairy and honey, we symbolize making “good” out of something that initially would seem like an undesirable thing. Milk comes from a live animal, which normally would not be considered kosher, and honey comes from a bee, which is an un-kosher insect. However, honey and milk are considered kosher. This is a lesson for us that we can apply to our everyday lives, that we can often make "good" out of "bad", and turn negatives into positives.  David’s father, Rav Dr. Geroge Schlesinger, shared this idea many times with his articles and work on the problem of evil and virtuous response to suffering, that we can often make good out of our reaction to something negative and/or undesirable.

We discussed how Shavuos is the only holiday that historically did not have a fixed date on the calander. Once Pesach was determined, Shavuos would occur after 49 days, regardless of which day this fell. Of course today, we don’t have judges determining the new month based on witnesses accounting of the moon, so we know the date of Shavuos without having to count, but we still go through the process of counting the days in the Omer.

We discussed how Shavuos is to Pesach, as Shemini Atzeras is to Sukkot. However the reason why Shavuos can not occur immediately after Pesach, is because it takes time for us to raise ourselves spiritually to a level in which we are ready to receive the Torah. We count the Omer between Pesach and Shavuos, so we are aware of how far away the receiving of the Torah is to occur, and can measure our progress in getting ready for this event which will be soon occurring.

We discussed how with Shavuos we are at a very high point. This is why we were able to bring bread into the temple as a sacrifice. With Pesach, we commemorate freedom from slavery, and becoming aware of Hashem's existance.  With Shavuos, we commemorate the reason for our redemption, which is to receive the Torah at Mt. Sinai, and use it as a blueprint for how to bring spirituality to the physical world we live in.

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

Recap for 24 Lyyar 5777 (Parsha Behar and Bechukotai)

This Shabbos we discussed Parsha Behar and Parsha Bechukotai, including commentary from Rav Yeager. This Shabbos we were honored to have with us, Rabbi Noff, from Baltimore, who lived in Memphis at one time and worked closely with Rabbi Efraim Greenblatt. This Shabbos we heard Dvar Torah from both Rabbi Males and Rabbi Noff.  David Schlesinger led discussion.

Rav Males spoke about how the number 7 comes up a lot, both in this week’s parsha with respect to the 7th year for the land, known as the Sabbatical year, and with many of our holidays including Pesach, Sukkot, and others that last 7 exactly days. Another example of the number 7 coming up, is what we are currently in the process of doing - the counting of the Omer, which will last a total of exactly 7 weeks of 7 days.  Also, what is known as the Jubilee year, discussed below, is determined by counting 7 times 7 years.  

In his talk, Rav Males brought up the interesting thought that a great teacher would not tell his students why the number 7 comes up a lot, but bring up the topic to inspire the students to continue learning about this on their own. The answer as to why 7 comes up a lot may be something that Rob has pointed out, that this is simply just the way Hashem wants it to be and there is no specific reason. But maybe Rav Males, and these notes, will inspire some of us to look into this further!

Rabbi Nuff spoke at our Kiddush about the great importance of Shabbos. We have discussed that if we refrain from work on Shabbos, and observe Shabbos, it may seem that our economic opportunities will decrease and this will affect our ability to earn a living. However, as stories that we heard from both Rabbi Nuff, and Dave W, point out, if we observe the Shabbos and/or do other mitzvah, Hashem will take care of us. Both Rabbi Nuff and Dave W told stories about how they were able to carry out very unexpected, but highly valuable business transactions, which from all indications were the results of doing our part to observe Shabbos and/or doing mitzvah.  We did our part, and Hashem did his part which is to play a great, positive role in our lives.

This Shabbos we discussed from Rav Yeager this idea of the 7th Sabbatical year. The years are counted, and during the 7th year, the agricultural lands are allowed to rest. During this year no attempt is to be made to harvest produce. If any produce happens to grow, it becomes available to everyone, not just the land owner. After 7 cycles of 7 years, there is a 50th year, known as the Jubilee year. On the Jubilee year, the land reverts back to its original owners, and all slaves are set free. 

We discussed how by allowing the land to have a Sabbatical year, we acknowledge that Hashem is the ultimate owner of everything, including agricultural lands. By observing the Sabbatical year, we demonstrate our awareness that everything will eventually revert back to Hashem.

We discussed how today, there is disagreement on when the Jubilee year occurs, so that we blow the shofar on every Yom Kippur in honor of the Jubilee year. We discussed that one of the disagreements is whether or not the 50th year also counts as the 1rst year of another 7 year cycle.

We discussed this Shabbos the great desirability to own land in Israel. It is desirable to try to buy any land in Israel, from non-Jews. Once we own land in Israel, we should try not sell it unless absolutely necessary. When all Jews own land in Israel, this is a representation of  everyone returning to our homeland, and is an important step in bringing the world to a state that Hashem wants us to strive for. If we do have to sell our land in Israel, we should strive to get it back.

We discussed this Shabbos how at one time we had a desirable world, which we are striving to return to today. Although the world today is not desirable, Hashem has set up today's world to be the most perfect world, given the decisions man has made, such as the decision by Adam to eat from the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. There is a difference between a desirable world, and a perfect world.

After Adam made his decision to eat from the forbidden tree, conditions changed for mankind, and for animals, who became very wild, and stopped acting according to moral principles. We discussed that there is a difference between a desirable world that will be here when Magiah comes, and a perfect world which is perfect when it includes the undesirable situations we see today, because this gives us an opportunity to have the purpose of rectifying the undesirable situations, and having a virtuous response to suffering, which is an idea that comes from David's father, Rav Dr George N Schlesinger.

We discussed how each time in history that we were in an undesirable situation, and we became redeemed, there were forces trying to return us to the undesirable situation, and Hashem had to intervene with miracles. There are 3 situations we discussed. The first situation was our slavery in Egypt. We were of course redeemed from Egypt, but then Pharaoh changed his mind and wanted us back. Hashem had to intervene and perform the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea which saved us. In the second situation, we were redeemed by the Persians who decided to allow us to build our Temple. And just like with Pharaoh, the Persians changed their mind. Eventually Hashem saved us by performing the miracle of Purim. The 3rd situation is going on to this day. We were given the land of Israel, by the world, back in 1948. But today it seems that much of the world may have changed their mind when they ask Israel to make sacrifices no other nation would be expected to make, especially nations surrounded by enemies. Like the first 2 situations, Hashem will help Israel, however we must do our part.  Our part is to follow his Torah, do mitzvah, and most noteably make an effort to support Israel.  Going to Israel, helping and supporting Israel are all very big mitzvahs, and will lead to Hashem doing his part as well.

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

Recap for 17 Lyyar 5777 (Parsha Emor)

Please come to our early minyan, come on time, and bring friends.  We would very much like to keep our minyan going, continue having our Kiddush and Learning, and these notes to follow.  I would like to thank those who help us make a minyan every Shabbos.

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Emor including commentary from Rav Yeager. We also discussed the day known as Lag B’Omer, including commentary from Rav Malamed. I would like to thank David and Linda for hosting our Kiddush and Learning. I would like to wish Dave W happy birthday, which was on Lag B’Omer! David Schlesinger led discussion.

Harold Katz, a regular reader of these notes, pointed out that this week’s parsha, at least the first part, is about the Kohen, and special rules that apply to them. Even today in modern times, the Kohen play a very special role in our services.  Along with special privileges, the Kohen have responsibilities.

We discussed how the second part of the parsha starts off mentioning Shabbos, and then continues to mention our various holidays including Pesach, Shavuos, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Shemini Etzeras.

We discussed why Shabbos is mentioned first. On Shabbos we focus on our connection with Hashem, which is our ultimate goal. This section of the parsha starts off with our ultimate goal, and only later discusses the holidays which are intermediate steps on the way towards that goal.

On holidays we want to avoid distractions, which would keep us from grasping and experiencing the meaning of the specific day. However on Shabbos, we take it a step further, and more directly pursue our ultimate goal of connection to Hashem. We discussed Yom Kippur, which is considered the “Shabbos of Shabbos”, which is the most intense focus we have on pursuing our ultimate goal.

Because the holidays are an intermediate step towards our ultimate goal of connection with Hashem, the laws of not performing work are less strict. For example, we discussed how we can barbecue on Shavuos and other holidays. We discussed how the penalties for violating the laws of  holidays, are less severe than for violating Shabbos. We discussed that when Shabbos and a holiday fall on the same day, we follow the rules of Shabbos. This is because we observe Shabbos more frequently than the holidays. We discussed that whenever there is a conflict between 2 positive mitzvahs, we do the one we engage in more frequently.

We discussed how the purpose of man, is not to be like a “train set”, that automatically makes decisions. Hashem gave us free will so that we can make up our own minds whether or not we want to follow the Torah in making our decisions. Of course, Hashem has preferences.  But he leaves it up to decide if we want to go along with these preferences.  If Hashem did not leave it up to us, we would be like "train sets", and there would not be much of a purpose in this.

Hashem’s preference is that we follow his Torah, and choose to be partners with him in the act of creation. David pointed out that Hashem did not create “sandwich trees”. What this means, is that Hashem creates the laws of science, and a physical world with raw materials, however, we have to create things for ourselves. This is why it is so important that we engage in the physical world during the 6 days of the week we are not observing Shabbos, or a holiday. If we do not engage in work during these days, Shabbos has less meaning, because we are not really resting from any activity.

We discussed how on the 7th day of the week, it is important that we take a step back and increase our focus on our ultimate purpose. We discussed that if we did not take this seventh day, we would tend to forget who is the “senior partner” in the work in which we engage. It can be easy to forget who is ultimately in charge, if we get lost in the physical world and do not take the time once a week on Shabbos to increase our awareness of Hashem’s presence.

We discussed the holiday of Lag B’Omer, which occurs every year on the 33rd day of the Omer. We discussed that here in the diaspora we begin counting the Omer from the second day of Pesach. Lag B’Omer is a celebratory day, which is a break from the normal mood of the time through-out the Omer. On Lag B’Omer, we can get haircuts, listen to music, and have weddings.

We discussed that there are 2 events that we commemorate on Lag B’Omer. The first is that the death of Rabbi Akiva’s students stopped on this date. 5 students were left, who are the source of Torah knowledge we have today. Lag B’Omer is also the day that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the author of the Kaballah work known as the Zohar, passed away. Rabbi Bar Yochai transmitted much knowledge on this day, and wanted the day of his passing to be commemorated.

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

Recap for 26 Nissan 5777 (Parsha Shemini)

This Shabbos we discussed parsha Shemini, including commentary from Rav Yeager.  I would like to thank Barack for hosting our Kiddush.  Rob Golder led discussion.

Please continue to keep Howard’s mom, Bracha Bat Malka, in your thoughts and prayers.  May she have a refuah schlema.   

I’d like to wish mazel tov to Avishai and Esther and their families.  The wedding is to take place April 25 at 10:30 AM CST.  There is going to be a live video, please contact David Schlesinger or me for the link.

We discussed the week’s parsha, and how much of the kosher and purity laws, come from this parsha.  We discussed how Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, both lost their lives as the apparent result of not following directives from Hashem and Moshe.  Some commentators add to the reasons they lost their lives, that they were not married, and they were trying to perform their duties while intoxicated.

We discussed that Nadab and Abihu offered up sacrifices to Hashem that were not called for.  We discussed the idea that perhaps Nadab and Abihu were martyrs and knew they would die, but did what they did for a greater cause.  The idea being that this human sacrifice of themselves would result in greater honor for the creator.  We discussed how Moshe said to his brother Aaron, that through their deaths, honor for Hashem would increase amongst the people.

We discussed the argument against this idea, that in Judaism we do not seek martyrdom, and only give up our lives when the alternative is one of the 3 cardinal sins.  These sins include murder, sexual immorality, and idol worship.  In the case of Nadab and Abihu, they were not facing any of the 3 cardinal sins as an alternative to giving up their life.  Nevertheless, it can be argued that Nadab and Abihu had good intentions, and even when making the wrong choices, good can sometimes come out of it.

We discussed the law that the Kohem Gadol, who were in charge of serving the temple, are not allowed to mourn.  Aaron, and his 2 remaining sons, were thus not allowed to mourn the death of Nadab and Abihu.  This is a Kiddush Hashem that they did not mourn and kept up with their duties in the temple.   

We discussed what is meant by a  Kiddush Hashem.  Kiddush Hashem means to bring honor to Hashem’s name.  We discussed that we can do this with both life and death.  When we allow our lives to be taken, rather than committing one of the 3 cardinal sins, this is a Kiddush Hashem through death.  When we act as honorable, spiritual, and moral people, who study and follow the Torah, this is a Kiddush Hashem through life.   

We discussed that the opposite of a Kiddush Hashem, is a Hillul Hashem.  We discussed how through out the Torah, where it states that we did things “as commanded”, this is a Kiddush Hashem.  However, when Nadab and Abihu offered sacrifices that were not called for, it states in the Torah that they did what they were not “commanded to do”.  We discussed that even when we have good intentions, if we do not follow the Torah and commands of Hashem, it can be a Hillul Hashem.

However, as stated above, there has been some commentary that what Nadab and Abihu did was to restore Hashem’s honor to an entire community, in which case it would be a Kiddush Hashem.  We discussed what role good intentions play in determining whether one committed a sin.  And we discussed if we are allowed to give up our life to save an entire community.

We discussed some of the halakuh related to our historic legal system.  In order to convict someone in a capital case requires 2 witnesses.  It does not matter how much forensic evidence there is.  2 witnesses are required, so that it is very hard to get a conviction in a capital case.  Contrast that to our modern secular system, in which forensic evidence is often considered more reliable than eye witness testimony.

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

Recap for 14 Nisan 5777 (Shabbos Hagadol, Parsha Tzav)

This Shabbos Rav Males gave a dvar Torah on the subject of divine intervention.   We discussed that it was a special Shabbos, known as Shabbos Hagadol.  I would like to thank Norm and Eileen for hosting our Kiddush.

Please continue keeping Howard’s Mom, Bracha bat Malka in your thoughts and prayers.  There is a place in the Shemoneh Esrei in which names of those we wish a refua shleimah can be inserted.   

Rav Males gave a dvar Torah in which he commented that Hashem performs miracles however we must do our part.  He commented that Hashem prefers to perform miracles working through nature.  An example of this is the splitting of the Red Sea.  We had to do our part and get in the water.  And then rather than magically splitting the sea with no natural causes, the sea was split with an enormous gust of wind.

Rav Males commented that one of the purposes of us doing our part, is to “minimize” the miracle that appears to come from Hashem.  For example, Hashem commanded Noah to build a very large boat, so that the boat appeared to be the reason why Noah was able to float, along with the animals that were with him.  Hashem could have simply enabled Noah and the animals to float, however he wanted to minimize the miracle.

This all is as true in our everyday modern lives, as it was during historic times.  If we would like Hashem to perform miracles, or simply help u out, we have to do our part.  For example, Hashem will make sure we are provided for so we do not have to work on Shabbos, but we must do our part and work on the other days of the week, and make sure we are observing the Sabbath.  If we work on Shabbos, we may think we will receive more, but we will actually receive less in the long run, as we can not count on Hashem helping us out.   

Rav Males made the point that sometimes the help we receive from Hashem is disguised as it comes through another avenue.  For example, we have to do our part and work days of the week that are not Yom Tov and/or Shabbos, however, Hashem may provide for us through something other than payment through work.  We may win a lottery, or be giving a mysterious gift, that we would not have received if we had not done our part.

Rob led a discussion, of how this Shabbos was a special Shabbos known as Shabbos Hagadol – the great Shabbos.  We discussed the miracles that occurred to us on this Shabbos, such as the Egyptians being unable to do anything when they saw us taking and tying up lamb.  It was on the Shabbos before we left Egypt, that we gathered lamb and began to prepare for the sacrifice that would occur a few days later. 

We discussed how when we were in Egypt, Shabbos Hagadol occurred on the 10^th of Nissan.  We discussed why it is that we commemorate the Shabbos before Pesach, rather than the 10^th of Nissan which may not necessarily fall on a Shabbos.  This is because we could have easily lied to the Egyptians if they questioned our gathering the lamb on a day that was not Shabbot.  However, we do not want to lie on Shabbos.  Because being Shabbos is an important part of the miracle, we commemorate on Shabbos, rather than the 10^th of Nissan.

We have discussed how there is both holiness of space, and holiness of time.  Rob gave a dvar Torah in which he presented the idea that the holiness of Pesach, comes from the holiness of the preceding Shabbos Hagadol.  We created the holiness of the time of Pesach with the Exodus.  We have discussed how there is also a holiness of space.  For example, the space in the tabernacle is holy, as it is a meeting place between man and Hashem. 

We discussed how it was difficult for Moshe to give up his duties to his brother and the Kohen.  Norm commented that perhaps we have given up something in our lives, and it was very hard to give it up, so we can relate to Moshe.  My thoughts are that it can be hard to give something up, but if we do our best, Hashem helps us out with this.  That has been my experience, anyhow.

I would like to wish everyone a Chag Samayach, including my friends and family in Memphis, New York, Israel and Costa Rica.  There are friends and family from all over the world receiving these notes.

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

Recap for 5 Nisan 5777 (Parsha Vayikra)

This Shabbos we discussed Parsha Vayikra, including commentary by Rav Yeager.  We continued our discussion of the upcoming holiday of Pesach.  David Schlesinger led discussion.

This Shabbos it was good to welcome back Howard to our kiddush and learning.  Please keep his mother, Bracha bat Malka, in your thoughts and prayers.  Yaki shared that there are prayers for refuah shlema within the Shemona Esrei.  There are also Psalms that speak about recovery and healing.  

If there is anyone else who is not well that I should mention in the notes, please let me know.

This Shabbos we discussed why the detailed instructions for building the Mishkan, were repeated again in the parsha.  Why did the Torah not simply state the Mishkan was built as instructed?  Howard shared his thoughts that the repetition may have been to indicate that we completed all the details we were instructed to do, however we may not have done them in the same order as instructed.  If the Torah only told us we did things in a different order, we would think we probably left out some details as well.

We discussed that when things are repeated in the Torah, there is a meaning to this repetition.  By including all the details for building the Mishkan more than once, we are also reminded that those commandments that are more briefly described are brief for a reason.  That reason could be that Hashem wants us to figure out the details, or that the details may differ depending on the time period we are in.  However, for building the mishkan, Hashem did not allow for much variations in the details.

We discussed one of the central ideas of Judaism - that Hashem plays an active role in our lives, and has preferences for us.  However, he gives us free will to make our own choices.  We discussed that if Hashem prefers we satisfy the desires he gave us in certain ways, and we use our free will to choose different ways, Hashem may still help us along.

We discussed an example of this, which is with the Golden Calf.  Hashem created us to want to connect to a higher power - however gave us free will to choose this higher power.  Hashem’s preference for us was that we choose him as our higher power.  However, as Norm pointed out, when we choose to have an idol instead, it seems that Hashem actually helped us with its creation – as the idol simply appeared after we had done our part.

We discussed how we built the Mishkan with a lot of enthusiasm.  In fact, when Moshe asked us to bring materials, we brought so much that he had to ask us to stop.  Although we also had enthusiasm with the Golden Calf, the enthusiasm when building the Mishkan indicated our willingness to repent.  It also reminds us that it is important to have enthusiasm when carrying out the commandments in the Torah.  Enthusiasm is great, but we need to be careful how it is channeled. 

We discussed how when we traveled in the desert we were followed by a cloud.  This can be seen as a cloud over the oil that is used in the tabernacle.  The oil represents miracles.  The cloud represents the fact that some of Hashem’s preferences are cloudy, and we may not be able to see crystal clear what his will is for us.  If things were always crystal clear, it would take away free will.

This Shabbos, we discussed some more the upcoming holiday of Pesach.  We discussed how the rising dough which occurs when making bread, represents our ego.  David shared his thoughts that once a year we need to put aside our ego and acknowledge that we are the “junior engineers” relative to Hashem, when it comes to creation.  Hashem did give us an ego for a reason, and during the year we feel good about our abilities and what we accomplish.  This is why we eat bread year round.  However once a year we acknowledge that the ultimate power rests with Hashem and not with us.

We discussed some more this Shabbos, that to get ready for Pesach, it is not necessary to do a complete “spring cleaning” of the house.  It is important to focus on all aspects of this holiday, and not just the preparatory work.  We discussed that although we try to rid our homes of all Chumatz, it is permitted to retain possession of small amounts that are less than about 1 cubic centimeter. 

We discussed some miscellaneous situations.  Rob pointed out that it is ok if a non-Jew brings a sandwich into our homes, although we want to be absolutely sure that this does not increase the odds we will end up consuming some of this chumatz!  We also discussed that if a baby or a pet spits out chumatz, the composition has changed and it is no longer considered chumatz.  We discussed that we only need to clean out rooms in which chumatz was brought in during the year.  And we do not need to be concerned about property that we rent out, that has become the homes of others.

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

Recap for 27 Adar 5777 (Parsha Vayakhel)

This Shabbos we discussed Parsha Vayakhel.   We also discussed the idea of “legal fictions”, which are ways the Rabbis make it easier to follow the Torah.  And we discussed the upcoming holiday of Pesach, including how we sell our chumatz.  I would like to thank David and Linda for hosting our Kiddush.  David Schlesinger led discussion.

We discussed the idea of “legal fictions”.  The Rabbis have come up with ways that make following the Torah easier for us.  Each of these ways appear to be creating a Torah violation, however this is technically not the case.  Technically, we do not violate the Torah with these "legal fictions".  The “legal fictions” include setting up an Eruv so that we can carry in our neighborhoods, and selling Chumatz right before Pesach, so we can continue to possess the Chumatz during the holiday locked up in our homes.

We discussed how the Rabbis were concerned that if following the Torah was too difficult, some of us would not do it, and would “fall off the dereck”.  However, we discussed that today we may have gone too far.  Allowing driving to shul on Shabbos, for example, because we would not come otherwise, seems to be going too far.  With this leniency, we would in fact be violating the Torah. 

We discussed the process of selling our Chumatz for Pesach, which is one of our “legal fictions”.  Before Pesach, we agree on a price, and receive a down payment from a non-Jew for the purchase of our Chumatz which we have locked away somewhere in our house.  The Chumatz becomes completely owned by the non-Jew upon making the down payment.  The agreement made is that the Chumatz will be completely paid for later. The agreement states that the Chumatz will become owned by us, again, if the non-Jew fails to pay the remaining balance.  

Yakoov pointed out, that we need to make sure the total price of the Chumatz is high enough that the non-Jew is not as likely to buy it, and if he or she does, at least we will receive a fair price.  It is also important to make the down payment small enough that the non-Jew is interested in making the deal.  Most importantly, we do not want to create the appearance that we are pretending to have a sale – even though we know the non-Jew is unlikely to make the purchase at the end.  We should try to have the mindset that maybe the non-Jew will in fact go through with the deal.

David brought up that there has to be different contracts for selling Chumatz, depending on the time zones of where we are planning to be before Pesach.  For example, Pesach comes to Israel before it comes to the United States.  If we are planning to be in Israel for Pesach, we must contract for the sale of our chumatz earlier than we would if we were planning to be in the United States.  It does not matter where the chumatz is located.  What matters is where we will be.  If our Chumatz is in Israel, but we are planning to be in the United States, our Chumatz can be sold later, however we need to make sure that ownership does not revert back to us until Pesach is over in the United States. 

I asked why we just don’t sell our Chumatz a day early, and have ownership revert to us a day later to avoid these issues.  Rob shared his thoughts that we really like our Chumatz, and would not like to be waiting unnecessarily!  Regardless of our time zone, we should try to get rid of as much Chumatz as possible, and only sell some of it if it is absolutely necessary.

We discussed Parsha Vayakhel.  Yaki shared some of his thoughts.  He spoke about how we were first reminded to observe the Sabbath, prior to given instructions on building the Mishkan.  This was to remind us not to work on the Mishkan over Shabbos.  Yaki commented that although a positive mitzvah of building the Mishkan, would normally override a negative mitzvah of not violating Shabbos, in this case there was no requirement that the Mishkan be built on a specific date.  This is in contrast to a Bris, which can in fact take place on Shabbos.  This is because this procedure and ceremony must be done on the 8^th day. 

Finally, we discussed that as we look forward to Pesach, and begin our preparations for this holiday, it is important to go into it with a positive attitude that this is a joyous holiday, rather than one which requires a lot of work.  Cleaning the house for Pesach, does not have to be as rigorous as many make it out to be.  As we have discussed, we are allowed to own small pieces of Chumatz that are smaller than about the size of an olive.  Therefore it is not necessarily to do an enormous spring cleaning.

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

Recap for 20 Adar 5777 (Parsha Ki Tisa)

This Shabbos we discussed Parsha Ki Tasa.  We discussed the upcoming holiday of Pesach, including commentary from Rav Malamed.  We also discussed some of the fundamental beliefs of Judaism.  David Schlesinger led discussion.

We discussed that there are two fundamental beliefs that we have.  First, that Hashem created the world.  And secondly, that Hashem plays an active and continuous role in the world and in our lives.  Judaism does not believe in deism, which is the belief that God created the world, but does not care and play a role once it has been created.  We believe Hashem’s act of creation continues through-out time.

We discussed how in the parsha, we felt that we were accountable to Moshe, however did not feel a strong accountability to Hashem.  As soon as Moshe was no longer around, we felt a void and a lack of accountability to anyone. This led to our committing the sin of the Golden Calf.

We discussed the importance that we are well aware that we are ultimately accountable to Hashem.  This is true in modern life, as nuch as in the times of the parsha.  David pointed out the problem of being overly accountable to someone.  If something should happen to this person, we are left with no one to turn to.  I pointed out how early on in my journey with Judaism, if the people I looked up to had faltered, I may not have continued.  In life, we tend to focus on pleasing and satisfying other people, and care much about what they think, but what is of the ultimate importance, is being accountable to the creator and carrying out his will for us.  Of course, we are accountable to many people during our life, such as our spouses, parents, and managers at work, but we should always be conscious of our overriding accountability to Hashem.

We discussed the holiday of Pesach that is coming up.  We discussed the commandment to “rid ourselves” of chametz during this holiday.  We discussed that we want to avoid consumption, benefiting from, or owning chametz during this holiday.  We discussed that although we do not want to consume any chametz, and thus must do a very thorough job of cleaning our kitchen and sections of the house in which we eat, it is not necessary to do exhaustive cleanings of the entire house.  This is because we are permitted to possess small amounts of chametz, which are less than about the size of an olive.

We discussed some of the customs that we follow over this holiday.  We eat lamb shank which represents that we are now free, and can enjoy pleasurable food.  However, we also eat bitter herbs, which remind us of our struggles in Egypt. We discussed how matzah bridges the two.  

We discussed various other reasons for why we eat matza.  One of these is that Hashem took us out of Egypt abruptly.  Matza symbolizes that we did not have time to allow the dough to rise when baking bread.  Matza also symbolizes humility, with  the rising dough of bread symbolizing arrogance and ego. 

During pesach, we want to let go of ego, and our desire to control everything, and realize that Hashem is the one ultimately in charge.  Of course, Hashem wants us to finish the act of creation and control some things, so we do go ahead and eat bread during much of the year.  Norm pointed out that ego does have its use.  But once a year it is important to remind ourselves, that we cannot do it all.  

Norm brought up an interesting point, that one of the most humble people there is – Moshe – is not mentioned in the haggadah.  He is so humble, he does not need to be mentioned.

We discussed why it was Hashem’s plan that we go to Egypt in the first place.  By actually living in a society without morality and extreme materialism, we could better understand and relate to our mission and purpose of bringing spirituality and morality to the world.  Egypt was a place of extreme materialism.  As we often discuss at our kiddush, we do not reject materialism and physical things.  However, physicality and materialism should be used as tools, and a platform in which we express spirituality. 

Our purpose is to “elevate the sparks of kiddusha”, as we often say at our Kiddush.   We have the mission of bringing morality to the world.  We discussed how bringing morality to the world, leads to the transition of what are the sources of power in society.  We move away from survival of the fitness, towards survival of what is right.    

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

Recap for 29 Sh'vat 5777 (Parsha Mishpatim)

This Shabbos, we discussed the upcoming holiday of Purim, including commentary from Rav Malamed. We discussed parsha Mishpatim, including commentary from Rav Yeager. We heard a shier from Rav Males. And we discussed some miscellaneous topics.

Rav Males talked about how some people have jobs that are physically quite dirty. We call these “dirty jobs”. Rav Males talked about how those engaged in this work can take showers, put on clean cloths, and come and pray and make sacrifices to Hashem, and are no better or worse than anyone else.  A person who has a "dirty job" should be judged no worse than someone who has a “clean job”, such as a white collar worker.

 Rav Males pointed out that what matters in life is the cleanliness of one’s soul. We are judged on whether or not we are moral and honest. Perhaps we put too much value in society on having prestige occupations, rather than on having good character.

We discussed the upcoming holiday of Purim, and how we increase our level of simcha during the month of Adar. David spoke about how the same way locations in space have meaning, locations in time have meaning. In particular, Adar is a month of increased simcha, whereas Av is a month of diminished simcha. Nisan is a month of redemption. The meaning of these periods of time, is why events such as the redemption from Egypt occurred when they did, rather than the other way around.

One of the other points we discussed, is that in Judaism we want to be in a constant state of simcha. We define simcha as being close to Hashem. Our level of simcha varies based on the period of time, but we should never be in a state in which all simcha is absent.

We discussed some of the customs we engage in during Purim, in particular those that represent a big difference from our normal routine. We discussed the custom of giving half a shekel, or half of whatever is the standard unit of currency, in our case the dollar. We discussed how we make fun of each other more than we usually do.

We discussed an interesting topic which is how our mindset determines our reaction to events. In particular, we discussed how expectations determine how we feel about results. David commented that it is the gap between our expectations and the results that determine our level of happiness and satisfaction, rather than an absolute way of evaluating things. This is why we should set realistic goals. If we set unrealistic goals, we will struggle to feel like we have accomplished anything.

In addition to being careful how we set expectations, we can also choose how we perceive results. We discussed how an optimistic person always expects good things to happen, but even when something happens that many of us would consider “bad”, the optimistic person can see the good in what has happened. David commented that learning how to perceive the “bad” as an opportunity to turn the situation into something good, is very worthwhile. We also discussed the importance of believing we can succeed. If we believe we will not succeed, we are licked from the start.

We discussed why slaves would have their ears pierced, when they wanted to be a slave. This was to remind them to do a better job listening. Hashem wants us to be accountable directly to him, and not a slave owner. A slave does not have the freedom to choose to serve Hashem. It is not desirable for us to be in a situation where we do not have the freedom to choose how we live our lives.  Hashem redeemed us from slavery for a reason.

Although we want to be accountable directly to Hashem, we can use others to help us execute. For example, we do not have to determine on our own the kosher status of everything we eat. We can rely on others to make this determination, and notify us through the use of a system of hectars. David pointed out that this is very different than a corporate structure, in which we are accountable to our boss, rather than the man at the top. In life, we are ultimately accountable to Hashem who is at the top.

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

Recap for 22 Sh'vat 5777 (Parsha Yitro)

This Shabbos we discussed Parsha Yitro, including commentary by Rav Yeager. We discussed the holiday of Purim, including commentary by Rav Malamed. We discussed the idea of applying spirituality to the physical world.  David Schlesinger led discussion.

We discussed how in this week’s parsha, we receive the Torah from Hashem at Mt Sinai. In particular, we receive the 10 commandments. Rav Males spoke about the commandment to honor our parents.  Rav Males shared that we should honor parents that may not be our biological parents, in the case of adoption. He also spoke about honoring parents who may have not been good parents if we can, because the honoring is for us to do a mitzvah, and not just for our parents. Rav Males pointed out that honoring our parents is one of those mitzvahs that will contribute towards giving us a long life. We can continue to honor our parents after they pass away, by observing yeirzeits, and being inspired to do mitzvah by their memory.  This is something we have discussed at our kiddush.

Dave W brought up the interesting question of why the parsha would be named Yitro, when the receiving of the Torah seems to be the main important event that took place. Dave pointed out that Yitro came to meet with Moshe and our people, but soon returned to Midian thereafter, so why is he given such great importance?  The parsha is named after the first important word that appears, which is Yitro, but could have been written so that the first word had to do with us receiving the Torah. It may be that all the parsha’s are us receiving Torah, which is why this particular parsha doesn't have to be named as this.  Rob pointed out that Yitro took Judaism with him back to Midian, so it wasn't necessarily desirable that he stay with us.

We discussed how Yitro came from Median to join us and talk to Moshe about setting up a system of courts and judges. We discussed how Yitro told Moshe that he was trying to do too much. Rob shared his thoughts about how having just a single court and making litigants wait long periods of time to have their case heard, causes injustice. Rob brought up the case of a defendant who may have been innocent but pled guilty to a crime and was sentenced to 1 month, rather than sit in jail for 3 months waiting to go to trial. Rob also commented how the courts in the time of the parsha did much more than the secular court systems we have today in modern life.

David shared about an article that was written in the Young Israel newsletter this week, on the topic of elevating the mundane. The article talks about how as Jews we do not reject the physical world. We should not consider the physical world a necessary but undesirable place.  We should consider the physical world, part of what is needed to carry out our purpose.  As Jews, our mission is to elevate the physical world, by applying the Torah and our relationship with Hashem. We have referred to this in our Kiddush as “elevating the sparks of kidusha”.

One of the important ideas we discussed this Shabbos is that our relationship with each other is important as well. We apply spirituality in teams. We discussed how the phrase “lo tov” appears in the Torah in cases where it is not good that someone tries to do everything by themselves. The phrase appears in this week’s parsha, that it is “lo tov” that Moshe was trying to deal with so much on his own. The other place it appears, is when Hashem says it is lo tov that Adam be by himself in the Garden of Eden.

We discussed the upcoming holiday of Purim. David remarked that this is the hardest holiday to observe properly. We discussed how this holiday is actually very holy. On this holiday we engage in physicality to the max, enjoying a lot of food and drink and dancing. It is very easy to get lost in all of this, and lose awareness of the meaning of the holiday which is this elevating the sparks of kiddusha. The physical world provides for us the opportunity to enjoy a lot of pleasures, especially on Purim. As we enjoy the pleasures, it is important to realize that all of it comes from Hashem with a purpose.

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