Miracle All Around
We are living in truly miraculous times! Unlike the Purim story and throughout our history, we have super powers looking out for the interest of the Jewish People!
The Hand of Hashem is visible to us if our eyes are not closed.
The Sin of the Golden Calf that we read about in this week's Torah portion was a result of the People looking for a physical manifestation of G-d on this earth. After the revelation at Sinai the Jews needed something tangile to hold on to. With Moses on the Mountain, they panicked and that led to them making a molten image.
The state of exile is such that we usually don't see the hand of Hashem. Our job is to look for G-d in all of the things that otherwise would be relegated to chance.
Today we just need to open our eyes and recognize the kindness of Hashem that He is showing us His hand wherever we look.
May Hashem bless us to not fall into our own (Jewish) insecurity (see last week's article) and relegating the events of today to a political agenda.
L'chaim and good Shabbos!
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Self = Neshama
Trigger = Animal Soul
There is lots of noise in the world right now. Really more than our nervous systems can handle. There is the endless push of media, news, social and many other useful and useless media. Add in the negative spin of the media and its varying agendas. Throw in a little antisemitism and you are ripe for a full shut down.
Since October 7th, the Jewish People have changed forever. Israel has changed forever.
Many things have changed, one of the most obvious ones is that we no longer wait for our enemies to attack before we take action, we make the first move. We no longer worry what the world will think (they don't like us anyway), we're going to be proactive. It's about time! Whatever happened to self confidence?!
For starters, if you are going to do Jewish, Simchas Torah is definitely the holiday to celebrate. It has food, dancing (who doesn't like to dance and let loose), L'chaims, pretty short prayers, brisket, Jewish pride, and a little bit of holy spirituality too! All other Jewish holidays may have one or the other, but not all of them.
Secondly, the Torah is the basis of everything Jewish.
A great Rabbi (I believe Reb Simcha Bunim of Pshischa) once said that the sin we leave Yom Kippur with is not believing that G-d has forgiven us.
I don't think he meant that we don't believe G-d is capable of forgiving us.
This season can feel heavy. The Yom Hagadol - the Big Day of Yom Kippur is upon us and it pulls deep into our soul.
This Shabbos we read the Haazinu song. It is Moshe's last blessing and instruction before his passing.
He begins with the words "pay heed heaven". There are many reasons our commentators tell us for this call upward.
For this commandment which I command you this day, is not concealed from you, nor is it far away.
It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?"
"Ani l'dodi v'dodi li." I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine. This is the verse from Song of Songs whose initial Hebrew letters spell out the Hebrew month of Elul, the month we are currently in.
In the book of Song of Songs, we read the poetic story of a young maiden and her beloved shepherd, and the fascinating progression of their courtship.
I've never related to people who dislike the marking of theirbirthday. I find my birthday to be a joyous and positively uplifting day. Conversely, there are those who find rainy days to be uplifting and nourishing :-).
It is spring in the Land of Israel. The rain has stopped, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the smell of spring wafts through the air. A young maiden goes out to the vineyards for some fresh air and encounters a handsome-looking shepherd.
Even though they’re dead, they are not gone — they continue to find a way to help others out postmortem. These fallen giants provide “generational facilitation” in the afterlife, they continue to offer safety, nurture, love and protection from outside unhealthy influences, thus nurturing and making way for the new generation.