The Torah Center

A Taste of Torah....Beha'alosecha

In the beginning of this week's Parsha, Hashem instructs Aaron, the High Priest, regarding kindling the Menorah in the Mishkan - Tabernacle. The question is - how is that relevant to us here and now?

Judaism teaches that each one of us is connected to Hashem by virtue of our G-dly soul. "The lamp of G-d is the soul of man" (Proverbs 20:27). But a lamp is only functional when it is fired up. Even though the instruction to Aaron is to light the Menorah, the actual wording is, "when you kindle the lamps" - including our own personal spiritual "soul/lamps".

It is the function of the spiritual leaders, and parents, in every generation and community to bring out the potential light and warmth inherent within our individual "lamps". It is his/her merit to "turn on" the people within their sphere of influence - to be aware of, and strengthen their connection with, the Al-mighty. This is achieved through love, caring and sharing - qualities associated with Aaron.

Our sages tell us the even in the Mishkan, the Menorah could be lit by a regular Jew - not just a Kohen. Similarly, when it comes to inspiring and motivating people to upgrade their connection to their spiritual self, one need not be a Rabbi, teacher or outreach professional. We are all authorized, indeed required, to share whatever knowledge and enthusiasm we have with those around us.

We live in a time of pervasive darkness. It is so dark, that, to the majority of people, the darkness seems like light. Things that were unthinkable just a few years ago have become the "new normal". For kids growing up today, or "millenials" for that matter, without an historical perspective, light and dark are interchangeable. That is why it is imperative for us to do the best we can to illuminate our environment with the eternal values of the Torah, the ultimate light.

We are also taught that when kindling a light, we must stay with it until it burns on its own. It usually takes a little time for the transfer of positive energy to be absorbed. Our sages also teach us that we should strive to be among the students of Aaron, "Love peace, pursue peace, love people, and draw them near to the Torah".

Just a Thought...Please turn on the light...

This week's Parsha, Beha'alotecha, begins with the instruction of Hashem to Aaron - to kindle the holy Menorah. The relevance of this concept to us is - that in order to navigate the darkness of our world, we must kindle our own personal "menorah", namely, our G-dly soul.

The darkness pervades not only the world around us, but our own Jewish community as well. It is all too common to overlook primary concerns, such as being functionally literate as Jews. When it comes to basic knowledge of our Jewish heritage, we are almost totally in the dark. Nobody ever taught us our Torah beyond a Sunday/Hebrew school level, certainly without any kind of deeper, relevant meaning.

Unfortunately, many of us will be the final link in a chain of 4000 years of Jewish continuity, through the best of times, and, mostly, the worst of times. Unfortunately, it often takes our enemies to remind us of our Jewish identities.

Just as in the Menorah, the lights faced toward the center, so too must we focus our light introspectively, to help distinguish whether our priorities are in order.

May Hashem help enlighten us, and help us figure out what He really wants of us.

A Taste of Torah....Naso

n the middle of this week's Parsha we have one the most well-known sections of the Torah, the "Priestly Benediction". This short, but powerful, blessing is recited every morning as part of the Shacharis prayer. Parents also bless their children Erev Shabbos and/or Erev Yom Kippur with these loving words. On all major festivals (daily in Israel) the Kohanim invoke this blessing for the entire community.

Various commentators offer interesting explanations for the meaning and significance of many of the details of this fifteen word blessing. Two things stand out as being indispensable to the blessing itself, and to its invocation. The first is that the final word is - Shalom. In order that all the previous blessings be meaningful, there must be Shalom - peace. This starts with the individual being at peace with himself. If a person is internally conflicted, it's hard to be at peace with others. Actually, the mere knowledge that Hashem bestows His blessings upon us - can help us feel an inner peace and tranquility, which in turn will affect how we deal with others.

Secondly, when the Kohanim bless the community, they are required to do it with love. If a Kohen has issues with the congregation and can't evoke a positive feeling towards its members, he should not participate in issuing the blessing. This requirement of love is even part of the Bracha the Kohanim say before beginning the Mitzvah of blessing G-d's children.

May we all, as a "Kingdom of Priests", share the blessings of Hashem with the entire world, starting with a positive attitude toward ourselves, as well as toward those within our sphere of influence. And may we all be credible representatives of G-d in this world.

Just a Thought....Torah Study

I trust that each of you had a joyous and meaningful holiday of Shavuot. Every special occasion, or event, in our lives gives us the opportunity and the impetus for a new - and improved - beginning.

I hope we all focused on how fortunate we are that Hashem blessed us with His Torah, which gives meaning to all of existence. We should express our gratitude for this gift every single day.

Now that we move forward from once again "receiving the Torah", it is an auspicious time to re-dedicate ourselves to actually studying the Torah, in the most meaningful way possible. We invite you to join us for our Zoom Torah Study sessions, Monday and Wednesday evenings.

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Just a Thought....Torah....Who needs it?!

We are on the eve of once again celebrating the greatest event in the history of mankind - the giving of the Torah at Sinai. The Jewish People expressed their commitment to Hashem by saying, "Naaseh v'nishma" - we accept the Torah now, and we'll learn to understand it later. It is a wonderful act of trust to commit to something without knowing the details.

Our sages, however, say that we received the Torah under duress, not of our own free will. This seems to be a clear contradiction.

We are all familiar with the expression, "...an offer you can't refuse". Without context, one would think that this implies duress - you 'can't' refuse. But we know that what this really means is, that the offer is so overwhelmingly good, that it doesn't make sense to refuse it. In our context, when our ancestors at Sinai were able to perceive the true value of Torah, that the world couldn't exist without it, they had no rational choice but to accept it.

We cannot imagine what the world would look like without the infusion of Torah values. There are certain self-evident truths which leave no room for doubt.

The problem is - that this perception, based on the overwhelming Divine revelation at Sinai, didn't last very long. From that point on, it is our responsibility to achieve that vision on our own - with the help of the Torah. It is incumbent upon us, especially as we approach the Yom Tov of Shavuot, to think about the partnership of Hashem, the Torah and the Jewish People, in giving meaning to all of existence.

It is a partnership we should treasure with every fiber of our being.

The advantage we have over our ancestors is that we have 3500 years of Jewish history to help us appreciate the impact of Torah on all of humanity. Having the Torah to guide us through all the compexities of life is truly liberating, the ultimate fulfillment of the freedom which began as we left Egypt, on our way to Mt. Sinai, and ultimately to the Promised Land.

Even the Promised Land is something we could only dream about, and speak about, for almost 2000 years. Now we have the ability to be there within mere hours.

May we all celebrate this glorious event with joy, and depth of meaning.

A Taste of Torah....Bamidbar

This week's Parsha, Bamidbar, is highlighted by a census of the Jewish People in the desert. This portion is always read before the holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah at Sinai. The question is, what is the connection between the two? Many answers are given, but we'll focus on one, which is highly relevant.

Our sages tell us that the Torah was given primarily to bring about peace in the world. Without a structure of laws and values, and accountability to the Creator, chaos and destruction would reign supreme. Without mutual respect, we would have a world like the one that was destroyed by the Flood, at the time of Noah. Even much of our world today reflects the corruption and perversion that was prevalent back then. Some things never change.

As a prelude to our annual re/receiving of the Torah, we read about the census. What's unique about a census is that each person is counted as one, no more and no less. A person with the stature of Moshe doesn't count any more than the "shlepper" who doesn't seem to have any significant value. The same phenomenon is relevant when assembling a Minyan; nine world-class scholars, as great as they may be, do not constitute a Minyan. If one commoner walks in, as ignorant as he may be, he enables all the others to be part of the Minyan.

The lesson is simple: every person, being a child of "our Father in Heaven" has a unique soul and a personal purpose for which s/he was created. As long as a person behaves in a manner consistent with being a member of "The Children of Israel" s/he is deserving of respect. If we, in fact, treat each other with courtesy and kindness, we become part of that process that G-d so desires - to bring about the Messianic era, highlighted by peace and tranquility for all.

Just a Thought...Shavuot

As we approach the Festival of Shavuot, commemorating the giving of the Ten Commandments at Sinai, it is appropriate to use the next week to give some serious thought as to the real meaning of that event. When you grow up in the Jewish community, you tend to take for granted that a unique event happened 3338 years ago, and thousands of miles away. But it really has nothing to do with my life here and now.

The reality is that being a direct descendant of ancestors who personally experienced the receiving of the Torah, and transmitted its values and directives to their children, generation after generation, until this very day, should encourage us to embrace our heritage in the best way we can.

The Jewish People have had a miraculous history, and has contributed more to the world than any other group, in spite of our minimal numbers. It behooves each of us to want to be an active participant in that ongoing process.

If you want to intensify or upgrade your connection to your essential self, we are here to help. If you have any questions or issues, we would be happy to discuss them with you.

"If not now, when?"

A Taste of Torah....Behar

Our first Parsha this week begins with Hashem telling Moshe 'Behar' (at Mount) Sinai to instruct the Jewish People regarding the Mitzvah of 'Shemitta' - the Sabbatical Year. The classic question is, "What has the Shemitta to do with Sinai? - all the Mitzvos were given at Sinai? Yet the Torah singles out this one Mitzvah - to indicate a special relationship.

It can be said that this Mitzvah is one of the most difficult in the Torah. For an entire year, every Jew living in Israel is prohibited from exercising control over his own agricultural land. One may not plant, cultivate or harvest from his own fields. To observe this Mitzvah takes an awful lot of faith - that somehow, whatever he has stored up from before - will be enough to last for well beyond a year. He must be able to trust that Hashem will somehow provide for the needs of his entire family. How can a person be expected to actually set aside his realistic concerns?

The answer is 'Har' (Mount) Sinai. The extraordinary, reality changing, experience of receiving the Torah at Sinai, gave us an eternal ability to function in the realm of the supernatural. In addition to the one time phenomenon of receiving the Ten Commandments with all the awe inspiring spiritual and physical revelations, there was, perhaps, an even greater miracle taking place. An entire nation was being transformed from a group of idol-worshiping slaves - into G-d's Chosen People.

We were imbued with the ability to function beyond the rules of nature. Need a proof? - We're still here! The continued existence of the Jewish People has been an on-going series of supernatural events.

Throughout thousands of years of Jewish history, we have lived in a multitude of countries, virtually around the world, usually under duress. In spite of living in different cultures, and speaking different languages, we survived, because the Torah has united and empowered us in a most extraordinary way.

Just recently Jews around the world celebrated Yom HaAtzmaut - Israel Independence Day - do you believe in miracles now?

Just a Thought....Lag B'Omer

Yesterday, May 5th, Jews around the world celebrated Lag B'Omer, a day of festivity associated with the survival of the Torah and the Jewish People through turbulent times - almost two thousand years ago. The mere fact that we have survived all the vicissitudes of history - the best of times, and the worst of times, is reason enough to celebrate.

We actually commemorate two events on this day. In the second century CE, the famous Rabbi Akiva had 24,000 students, who died tragically during this season, between Pesach and Shavuot. On the 33rd day, the dying came to an end, with only five students remaining. We celebrate the termination of this terrible tragedy on Lag (the 33rd day) B'Omer.

Among Rabbi Akiva's remaining students was the illustrious Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the author of the classic work of Kabbala, the Zohar. Many years later, he passed away on Lag B'Omer. As he led a complete and productive life, we actually commemorate his death, according to his wishes, by rejoicing, a virtual "celebration of life'.

These two luminaries, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, whose sacrifice for the preservation of Torah is legendary, should serve as an inspiration to all of us, to strive to be the best that we can be. At least our grandchildren and great-grandchildren should remember the positive impact that we had on their lives, by virtue of our living and sharing our eternal Jewish values.

Our lives matter!

A Taste of Torah...Emor

In this week's Parsha, Emor, we read about the special laws for Kohanim, the Priestly family. After the Torah encourages the entire Jewish people to strive for holiness, and to avoid impurity, it singles out the Kohanim for an extra measure. Because their role is one of spiritual leadership, and service in the Holy Temple, they are held to higher standards. For example, in this Parsha we have the prohibition of the Kohanim to be in the presence of a co**se, which transmits spiritual impurity. On the positive side, a true Kohen is a man of peace and kindness, bestowing G-d's blessing on his fellow Jews.

As Hashem refers to the entire Jewish People as a "Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation" - we are all empowered to set a positive example and be "a light unto the nations". This is truly an amazing phenomenon; millions of people who have spent their entire lives in slavery are now empowered to shift gears, and become a role model for the rest of the world! Only Hashem could affect a transition of that magnitude. It certainly doesn't happen naturally.

This concept is especially relevant as we remember the student of Rabbi Akiva who died an untimely death during the period between Pesach and Shavuot. Even though they were Torah scholars, they were not divinely protected from tragic death - because they did not exercise proper respect for one another. Just as the Kohanim are held to a higher standard, so are Torah scholars, who must reflect Torah values in an exemplary manner.

How fortunate are we - that Hashem has chosen us to be leaders and luminaries. Let us appreciate and embrace our unique role in the world. The world is counting on us.