Avraham's One Village - JEWISH & benei Noach's ONE VILLAGE Barukh haba: The Jewish Sages' Wisdom

The Most Enduring Wisdom: Ethics of the Fathers, 3:12

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 03:29:09 GMT

Climbing the spiritual mountain.

The Most Enduring Wisdom: Ethics of the Fathers, 3:12
by Rabbi Yonason Goldson

Climbing the spiritual mountain.

[Rabbi Chanina] used to say: "Anyone whose good deeds exceed his wisdom, his wisdom will endure. And anyone whose wisdom exceeds his good deeds, his wisdom will not endure." Ethics of the Fathers, 3:12

At first blush, our mishna appears to teach a principle so obvious and self-evident that it scarcely deserves mention. What good is knowledge and wisdom if they do not lead to good deeds? How can a person be truly wise if he does not apply his wisdom to daily life?

Nothing our sages tell us can be so simple. Indeed, elsewhere the Talmud tells us, after listing the most praiseworthy of all good deeds, that "the study of Torah is equal to them all." If Torah study is equal to all good deeds combined, how can we understand that Torah without good deeds will not endure?

The answer lies in the giving of the Torah itself. The Talmud records that God chose Mount Sinai on which to give the Torah because it was the smallest mountain, thereby teaching us the importance of humility. But if the Almighty wished to teach humility through the giving of the Torah, why did He not give the Torah in a valley? Would that have not communicated the message even better?

The nature of humility is frequently misunderstood. Imagine a Heisman Trophy winner who claims he is not really such a good football player, a Pulitzer Prize winner who insists he is really a hack writer, or an Olympic Gold Medalist who argues that he is really a mediocre athlete. Such a person is not humble. He is a fool. To deny talent and accomplishment is to indulge false modesty and, even worse, it is insulting to those who tried their best and failed to make the grade.

Genuine humility is recognizing that talent and ability are God-given, and that such blessings carry with them the obligation to strive toward the fulfillment of one's unique personal potential.

This is the message of Sinai: that each of us has to "climb the mountain" to merit the Almighty's greatest gift -- the Torah, which enables us to climb and keep on climbing to limitless spiritual heights.

Yes, there is no greater occupation than the study of Torah, since the Torah is the purest revelation of God's will and the source of all wisdom. But wisdom that remains disconnected from the practice of good deeds is not true wisdom. If the scholar fails to climb the mountain of practical application, if he does not concretize his wisdom through acts of kindness and righteousness, through the morality and spiritual self-discipline that are the essence of Torah teaching, then his scholarship will come to nothing.

The truly wise never rest upon their laurels. They strive every day to improve upon the past, acquiring new knowledge, building upon yesterday's wisdom, and pushing themselves to new levels of righteousness.

The Talmud describes how, upon arriving in the next world, every person will be shown his yeitzer hara, his inclination to do evil. The righteous will see a towering mountain and ask in astonishment, "How did I ever conquer that?" The wicked will be shown a tiny smudge upon the ground and ask in astonishment, "How was I unable to conquer that?"

Throughout our lives, Divine Providence places obstacles in our paths. By exerting ourselves to overcome each obstacle, we make ourselves stronger and, when we do, our lower self has to become stronger next time to preserve our free will. However, if we never exert ourselves to overcome temptation, our evil inclination never needs to become stronger at all. And so, step by step, the righteous become ever stronger so that they can defeat an ever-strengthening evil inclination, while the wicked never challenge themselves and thus go nowhere.

Good deeds are wisdom applied. Without wisdom, we have no moral compass to determine whether our deeds are good are bad. And even the greatest wisdom, without good deeds, is ultimately no wisdom at all.

Author Biography:
Rabbi Yonason Goldson writes, lectures, and teaches at Block Yeshiva High School in St. Louis, MO.

This article can also be read at: http://www.aish.com/spirituality/growth/The_Most_Enduring_Wisdom_Ethics_of_the_Fathers3_312.asp

The Fear of Wisdom Ethics of the Fathers, 3:11

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 13:30:58 GMT

by Rabbi Yonason Goldson

Can one be both wicked and wise?

The Fear of Wisdom Ethics of the Fathers, 3:11
by Rabbi Yonason Goldson

Can one be both wicked and wise?

Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa said, "Anyone whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom, his wisdom will endure. And anyone whose wisdom precedes his fear of sin, his wisdom will not endure." Ethics of the Fathers, 3:11

Genghis Khan. Napoleon. Mao Zedong. Stalin. Mengele. Hitler. The list of evil geniuses could go on and on and on.

Which raises a question: how can genius be evil? How can human intellect, with all its potential to penetrate the mysteries of the natural world and harness the forces of human society, have such a poor track record harnessing the forces of good and overcoming the forces of evil?

In Jewish tradition, the word "wisdom" acquires markedly different nuances in different contexts, but its most neutral meaning relates to "expertise:" one who has reached the highest level in a field of study, in a craft, or in any discipline may be described as wise. Used this way, the term "wisdom" makes no moral judgments.

History records myriad examples of people whose extraordinary intellect, talent, and determination led them to inflict incalculable suffering upon their fellow human beings. According to our definition, then, wickedness seems to imply no contradiction to wisdom. On the contrary, it would seem perfectly reasonable to interpret wickedness as a product of wisdom.

Or would it?

WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR BUT ...

In one of its most famous statements, the Talmud tells us that, "Everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven."

In a lesser known statement, however, the Talmud tells us that "Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for cold and heat."

Whereas the first statement appears self-evident, so obvious that it hardly warrants Talmudic acknowledgment, the second statement is baffling. Is there anything less under our control than the weather? And how can there be two things, each of which is the only thing not in the hands of Heaven?

In truth, the Talmud is not contradicting itself at all. With their profound sensitivity to the subtleties of language, the sages referred to the afterlife as Olam HaEmet -- the World of Truth -- while our physical world they called Olam HaSheker -- the World of Falsehood. Those things considered by most to be the measures of success in the physical world -- wealth, fame, power, and beauty -- are in fact deceptions, distractions that turn the hearts of men away from the measures of true success -- integrity, respect, compassion, and love.

But our world is not completely deceitful. Rather, the physical world is a reflection of the higher spiritual world. And just as a reflection must be translated so that its image does not lead a backward interpretation, so too must physical reality be translated to produce a meaningful representation of the higher reality it reflects.

THROUGH A MIRROR, CLEARLY

What lesson did the sages intend to teach us? The answer comes from recognizing that the two things that they taught are outside the control of Heaven -- temperature and the fear of Heaven -- are not two separate things at all, but two sides of the same coin.

Needless to say, man has no control whatsoever over the weather. But the sages did not say weather; they said cold and heat. Even in the fiercest blizzard, man has the ability to insulate himself from the environment, either by adding layers of protective clothing or simply by remaining indoors. Similarly, even in the most unrelenting heat man can dress in breathable cotton and position himself in the shade. Although we cannot control our environment, we can control the way we respond to it.

Just as man can choose the way he responds physically to the conditions in which he finds himself, so too can he choose the way he responds spiritually. As much as we might often like to excuse our behavior as inborn or beyond our control, the truth is that, as human beings, we have the capacity to choose whether we lash out in anger or hold our temper, whether we treat those around us with respect or with disdain, whether we deal honestly or dishonestly with others -- or with ourselves.

This is what the sages meant when they referred to the fear of Heaven: the combination of a clear moral compass and the call of the conscience, the willingness first to determine what is right and then to follow through by doing what is right. Everything that happens to us is guided by Heaven, but the choices we make, both physical and spiritual, are in our own hands. And so are the consequences of our actions.

Rabbi Chanina comes to teach us that true wisdom, enduring wisdom, wisdom that changes the world for the better and determines the difference between history's most notorious criminals and its most admired heroes -- that is the wisdom that rests on a foundation of fear of sin, which is the fear of choosing contrary to the will of Heaven.

Similarly, one can equate the study of Torah with the mere acquisition of information and the pondering of intriguing syllogisms, but this is not true wisdom, nor will it produce any lasting benefit. Conversely, the Almighty Himself guarantees the Jew who studies Torah in order to unlock the secrets of the Divine Will a successful transformation into a true Man of Wisdom. Any Jew who acquires wisdom thus will not only improve the quality of his own life but will elevate the world around him through a life well-lived.

Such is the only wisdom that truly endures.

Author Biography:
Rabbi Yonason Goldson writes, lectures, and teaches at Block Yeshiva High School in St. Louis, MO.

This article can also be read at: http://www.aish.com/spirituality/growth/The_Fear_of_Wisdom_Ethics_of_the_Fathers3_311.asp

Imitate

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 16:38:17 GMT

One day, a rabbi gathered all his disciples and

invited them to question and even to criticize

him. The disciples said to him:

_Master, your conduct susprises us, you never

do what your father, your master, did, whom

we knew before he chose you as his successor.

How do you consider his heritage, where is

your loyalty?

The Rabbi looked at his disciples gravely, but he

had a gleam in his eye, a spark of joy and of

malice. He said to them:

_I will explain to you, it is very simple. No one

is more faithful than I am! In everything I do

exactly what my father did; just as he never

imitated anyone else, I do the same!

-Martin Buber, Tales of the Hasidim

The Prayer of G-d: G-d in Search of Man - [How do we know G-d also prays?]

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 03:12:42 GMT

The Prayer of G-d: G-d in Search of Man?

[How do we know G-d also prays?]

Man is not alone, since, according to the Kabbalah, "from the other side of the

void of the universe, G-d himself is also praying." There is a surprising text in

a Talmudic tractate (Berakhot, 7a) that teaches that G-d also prays:

Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Yossi Ben Zimra:

_How do we know that G-d also prays?

_Because it is said: "I will bring them to My sacred mount and

let them rejoice in My House of Prayer. (Isaiah - Ieshayahu, 56: 7);

it is written, in "My House of prayer and not in "their" house of

prayer; so the Holy One, blessed be He, also prays.

_What does he pray?

Rav Zuttra Bar Tuvya said in the name of Rav:

_The prayer goes as follows: "May it be My will that My compassion

overcomes My anger, that My compassion surpasses My other attributes.

May I deal with My children according to my attributes of loving-kindness

(khessed) and remain in their favor beyond the strict limits of justice."

The Mysteries Of The Kabbalah, Marc-Alain Ouaknin, Chapter: THE

GROUND PLAN OF THE KABBALAH, Section The Prayer of G-d:

G-d in Search of Man, pp114-115.

THE KABBALAH IS NOT A DOCTRINE BUT A POWER

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 05:07:00 GMT

THE KABBALAH IS NOT A DOCTRINE BUT A POWER

When the Baal Shem Tov, Master Of The Good Name and founder of

Hassidism, had a difficult task before him or saw a misfortune about to befall the Jewish people, he went to meditate in a certain part of the forest; there, he lit a fire, lost himself in prayer and what he had decided to do became possible: the miracle was performed, the misfortune was removed.

A generation later, when his disciple, the Maggid of Mezeritch, had to intervene with the Heavens for the same reason, he would go to the same place in the forest and say: "Master of the Universe, hear me. I no longer know how to light the fire, but I am still capable of saying the prayer."

And the miracle was performed yet again.

In the following generation, in order to save his people, Rabbi Moshe Lev of Sassov also went into the forest and said: "I do not know to light the fire, I do not know the prayer, but I remember the place and that ought to be enough."

And it was enough.

Then it was the turn of Rabbi Israel of Rijine to lift the threat. He sat in his gilded chair within his castle, put his head in his hands and addressed G-d in these terms: "Master of the World, I am incapable of lighting the fire, I do not know the prayer, I cannot even find the place in the forest. All that I know how to do is to tell this story, that ought to be enough."

And yet again, the miracle was performed.

"Bringing Heaven down to Earth"

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 18:39:27 GMT

Happy Birthday, Baal Shem Tov!
by Tzvi Freeman, author of
"Bringing Heaven Down to Earth -- 365 Meditations of the Rebbe"

Introduction

On the 18th of Elul 5757 (Sept. 20 1997), we entered the 300th year of the Baal Shem Tov. (The Baal Shem Tov's passing was on Shavuos)
If that doesn't impress you, take the following into account. There are just too many "fifties" to ignore:
The Baal Shem Tov was born in the year 5458. Fifty years earlier was a major date on the Jewish calendar for two reasons: The classic work "Shnei Luchos Habris" (usually referred to as the "SheLoH") was published. It became the most influential book in Jewish thought over the next hundred years of more, and served as a basis for chassidic philosophy.
The other event was the catastrophe of the Chielminicki Cossack rebellion, which devastated the Jewish settlements of the Ukraine and Poland. The hardships and social upheaval that were incurred by this disaster set the stage for the need and the success of the Chassidic Movement.
Interestingly enough, in the year the Baal Shem Tov was born, a new printing of the Sheloh was published, this time in clear, large type.
Approximately fifty years after the birth of the Baal Shem Tov, in the year 5507 -- according to a letter he wrote to his brother- in-law -- on the awesome day of Rosh Hashana, the Baal Shem Tov ascended to the supernal chamber of the Moshiach. He asked the Moshiach, "When, master, will you come?" The reply: "When your wellsprings will spread to the outside."
Apparently, the Baal Shem Tov felt the time was ripe right then, in that year. But there was still work left to do. And the worked continued to progress in fifty year cycles.
About fifty years later, in the year 5557, the first comprehensive and practical guide to the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov was published. Finally, the teachings that had been the property of a select few, only trickling down to the masses in the form of tidbits and tales, was accessible to anybody who was capable of learning Torah, or who had a teacher to guide him. The guide was the "Likutei Amarim" of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the book we now call the "Tanya".
In the Jewish world, a written Torah needs an oral tradition to make it complete. Only then, can it be said that living wellsprings are truly "spread to the outside". And so, about fifty years later, the year 5608, the grandson of the author of the Tanya, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch, published his grandfathers "oral Torah" -- a collection of explanations and illuminations of chassidic thought in great detail. He called it "Likutei Torah".
By the way, that year -- 1848 -- also occupies a central place in the secular calendar. It was called the "year of revolutions" in Europe, the most significant year in the fall of the old order. And another major work by a very different Jewish author was published: The Communist Manifesto of Karl Marx.
That year, 5608, had been predicted to be a year of liberation and the end of the Jewish exile by several tzaddikim. At its close, Rabbi Menachem Mendel's youngest son and heir asked him what had happened, where was the redemption? His father replied, "Didn't I publish the Likutei Torah?"
Apparently, another major step had been made. But it still was not enough.
And so, about fifty years later, in the year 5657, on the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov, the grandson of Rabbi Menachem Mendel announced a radical move. Until now, chassidic thought was something studied in depth whenever time could be taken from the study of Talmud. It was spice to the broth, dessert for special occasions. Now it would become part of the main course. Rabbi Sholom Dov Ber of Lubavitch opened the first yeshiva where study of chassidus was a fixed part of the curriculum. Now adolescents would enter the deepest mysteries of the universe with the same approach as Talmud and Gemora. The wellsprings had come out of the bowels of the earth, sprung above, and were now spreading far beyond their original place.
Fifty years later was 1948. We all know what happened then. Or do we?
In the years before 1948, Rabbi Sholom Dov Ber's son, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchaak of Lubavitch replanted the wellspring-yeshiva his father had founded far from its roots in the New World. With all the resources he had available to him, he did whatever he could to announce to the entire Jewish world, "L'alter l'teshuva, l'alter l'geula" -- "Immediate return to our heritage will mean immediate redemption of our people". Shortly after, the state of Israel was established. But the exile of the Jewish soul remained.
Fifty years later is now!

To read the rest of this article click here or on this link http://www.lchaimweekly.org/holiday/shavuos/besht.html

The Passing of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 17:53:55 GMT

The Passing of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi

From the writings & talks of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch

In 1812, Napoleon's Grande Armée invaded Russia, with the self-proclaimed "liberator's" aim to bring the whole of Europe under his hegemony.

Around that time, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi wrote to one of his disciples:

If Bonaparte will be victorious, Jewish wealth will increase and prestige of the Jewish people will be raised; but their hearts will disintegrate and be distanced from their Father in Heaven. But if A[lexandar] will be victorious, although Israel's poverty will increase and their prestige will be lowered, their hearts will be joined, bound and unified with their Father in Heaven. And this shall be your sign: in the near time, the apple of your eyes will be taken from you...1

The chassid to whom this letter was addressed, Rabbi Moshe Miezlish of Vilna, was no mere bystander to these events. At Rabbi Schneur Zalman's behest, Reb Moshe served as a spy for the Russians, passing on information he picked up in the French general command, where he worked as an interpreter, to the Czar's generals.2

When Napoleon's advancing armies approached Rabbi Schneur Zalman's hometown of Liadi, the Rebbe was forced to flee. The Rebbe left Liadi with sixty wagons carrying his extended family and many of his Chassidim, escorted by a troupe of soldiers attached to the convoy by express order from the Czar.

A few miles out of Liadi, the Rebbe suddenly requested from the officers accompanying the convoy that they provide him with a light carriage, two good horses, and two armed drivers. Taking along of his own people, the Rebbe rushed back to Liadi. Arriving back at his own home, he instructed that a careful search be made to see if any of his personal items had been left behind. After a thorough search, a pair of worn-out slippers, a rolling pin and a kneading bowl were found in the attic. The Rebbe instructed that these be taken along, and that the house be set on fire. He then blessed the inhabitants of the town and quickly departed.

No sooner did the Rebbe leave the town that the first scouts of the French army entered Liadi from the other side. Shortly thereafter, Napoleon himself, accompanied by his generals, arrived at the Rebbe's residence, only to find the house engulfed in flames. A proclamation was issued throughout the town and the surrounding villages promising a generous reward in golden coins to anyone who could produce an object belonging to the Jewish rabbi, or a coin he received from the Rebbe's hand. But nothing was found.

For more than five months, as Napoleon advanced across Russia, took Moscow, and then embarked on his disastrous retreat, the Rebbe's entourage wandered from town to town and from village to village, only narrowly avoiding the swath of carnage cut by the French army as it moved through the country.

Napoleon's retreat from Moscow, winter of 1812-1813

The Rebbe rode in the third wagon. In the first wagon sat the Rebbe's grandson, Rabbi Nachum, with two military officers. Whenever they would arrive at a crossroads, the entire procession would halt while Rabbi Nachum walked to the third wagon to asked Rabbi Schneur Zalman which way to proceed. At times, the Rebbe would reply without moving from his seat; other times, he would walk to the crossroads, lean himself on his staff, and meditate for a while before issuing his directive.

On one occasion, Rabbi Nachum erred in his understanding of the Rebbe's instruction, and the convoy took the opposite turn. When the error was revealed, Rabbi Schneur Zalman instructed that they continue along the road already taken, but said with great regret in his voice: "How fortunate it is when the grandson follows the grandfather; how unfortunate it is when the grandfather must follow the lead of the grandson."

Many trials and tribulations followed that wrong turn in the road, culminating in their arrival in the town of P'yene.

The Rebbe's convoy arrived in P'yene in the dead of winter, on the 8th day of Tevet, 5573 (December 1812). P'yene was a good-sized town, consisting of some three hundred large houses and courtyards, many of which were empty as the men were away at war. The generous townspeople provided housing and kindling free of charge to the refugees.

Ten days later the Rebbe fell ill. On Tevet 24, Motzaei Shabbat (Saturday night) following Shabbat Parshat Shemot, at 10:30 in the evening, after reciting the havdallah prayer marking the close of the holy Shabbat, he returned his soul to its Maker.

Shortly before his passing (by one account, "after havdallah, several minutes before giving up his soul in purity to G-d") the Rebbe penned a short discourse titled, "The Humble Soul."

"For the truly humble soul," Rabbi Schneur Zalman wrote, "its mission in life lies in the pragmatic aspect of Torah, both in studying it for himself and explaining it to others, and in doing acts of material kindness in lending an empathizing mind and counsel from afar regarding household concerns, though the majority, if not all, of these concern things of falsehood.... For although the divine attribute of Truth argued that man should not be created, since he is full of lies, the divine attribute of Kindness argued that he should be created, for he is full of kindnesses... And the world is built upon kindness."

FOOTNOTES
1.	Igrot Kodesh Admur HaZaken, letter #64. For more of Rabbi Schneur Zalman's support of the Czar against Napoleon, see Is Judaism a Theocracy?
2.	See Bonoparte and the Chassid.

The Mystic Mind

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 15:59:53 GMT

The Mystic Mind

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi -- also known as "The Alter Rebbe," "Baal HaTanya" and "The Rav" -- was born in the White Russian town of Liozna on Elul 18, 5505 (1745) -- the 47th birthday of the founder of Chassidism, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov. In 1764 he traveled to Mezeritch to study under the tutelage of the Baal Shem Tov's successor, Rabbi DovBer. Despite his youth, he was accepted into the inner circle of the great master's pupils.

Upon his return from Mezeritch, there gathered about him a group of disciples whom he instructed in the ways of Chassidism. It was during these years that he formulated his distinct "Chabad" philosophy and approach to life. For twenty years he labored on his magnum opus, Tanya, in which he outlined the Chabad philosophy and ethos; first published in 1796, Tanya is the "bible" of Chabad Chassidism, upon which the hundreds of books and thousands of maamarim (discourses) by seven generations of Chabad Rebbes are based. Soon Rabbi Schneur Zalman's influence had spread throughout White Russia and Lithuania, where a significant part of the Jewish population regarded him as their Rebbe and leader.

In late summer of 1812 Rabbi Schneur Zalman fled the approach of Napoleon's armies, which were advancing through White Russia in their push toward Moscow (Rabbi Schneur Zalman actively supported the Czar in the war against Napoleon). After many weeks of wandering he arrived, in the dead of winter, in the town of Pyena. There he fell ill and on Tevet 24, Motzaei Shabbat (Saturday night) following Shabbat Parshat Shemot, at 10:30 in the evening, he returned his soul to its Maker.

Today, the Chabad movement he founded is regarded as the most vibrant force in contemporary Jewish life, bringing the warmth of Chassidism and the profundity of its teachings to Jews, and to humanity as a whole, in every corner of the globe.

For more on Rabbi Schneur Zalman and his teachings, Click Here

Uncluttering the Mind Ethics of the Fathers, 3:10

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 03:10:01 GMT

by Rabbi Yonason Goldson

A cloudy mind clears for those things that truly matter.

Uncluttering the Mind Ethics of the Fathers, 3:10
by Rabbi Yonason Goldson

A cloudy mind clears for those things that truly matter.

Rabbi Dostai ben Yannai said in the name of Rabbi Meir: If one forgets his Torah study, scripture considers it as if he bears the guilt for his own soul, for the verse says, "Take heed and guard yourself well, lest you forget the things that your eyes saw" (Deuteronomy 4:9). Should one think this applies even if his studies were too difficult for him? The verse therefore continues, "and lest they be removed from your heart all the days of your life." Thus, one does not bear the guilt for his soul unless he sits idle and allows them to become removed from his heart. Ethics of the Fathers, 3:10

In his extraordinary memoir, Skullcaps and Switchblades, David Lazerson describes how the teenagers he taught in New York's inner-city schools, identified as learning disabled and seemingly incapable of remembering the most rudimentary facts in math, English, and history, nevertheless had no trouble retaining the complex lyrics of popular rap music. When asked to explain his perfect recall, one student explained simply, "If you don't know the words, you ain't nuthin'!"

It is remarkable indeed how children demonstrate an ability to remember events, conversations, music lyrics, movie dialogues -- not to mention every inconsistency or perceived injustice ever perpetrated upon them by their parents or teachers. Yet somehow this gift of memory applies itself selectively, often passing by such pedestrian information as school subjects and household chores.

But there's really no mystery. People remember what's important to them, and quickly forget what isn't important to them. Children, whose minds are still uncluttered by years of accumulated (and often useless) information, remember better because their brains are both more flexible and also because their worlds resonate with the excitement of novelty and exploration and discovery. So much is remembered because so much is new, except when it is imposed upon them by authority figures against whom their budding egos are eager to rebel.

THE REBBE AND THE INNER CHILD

Rabbi Abraham Twerski tells the story of a group of Chassidim gathered around their rebbe's table on some festive occasion. The table ran short of supplies, and the rebbe asked if one of his students would go out to procure some more. When no one volunteered, the rebbe said that he had a boy who would run the errand. He then stepped out of the room, presumably to delegate the task.

After a long delay, the rebbe returned carrying the supplies, and the Chassidim realized with embarrassment that there had been no boy; it had been their rebbe himself who had gone off to fetch the groceries.

But the rebbe put them at ease. "Do not think I lied to you," he told them. I do have a 'boy,' by which I mean the childlike part of myself that I have preserved and nurtured even into my old age. It is the part of me that allows me to find the novelty and adventure in even the most mundane activities."

Even if we can't make a trip to the grocery store exciting, at least we should be able to arouse enthusiasm for those things that are truly important. Indeed, our sages tell us that the words of the Torah should be as new to us every day as they were when Moses received them at Sinai. A tall order, to be sure. But it's not beyond our reach.

Like the boy in David Lazerson's memoir, we can make Torah so relevant that learning is not a chore but a joy, and we can do so by cultivating a simple yet profound appreciation that, "if we don't know the words, we ain't nuthin'!"

AS PRECIOUS AS LIFE ITSELF

The sages compare Torah to water, because just as the body quickly withers and becomes ill without water, so too does the soul wither without Torah. They compare the Torah to a spice that adds flavor to all our comings and goings and adds relish to all the days of our lives. They compare it to a universal remedy, for it preserves our well-being and protects us from the spiritual ailment of too much involvement in the physical. Torah connects us with our past, defines our present, and steers us securely into the future. It adapts to the modern world without compromising its values, and it enables us to change with the times without losing our sense of who we are or what we believe.

And so Rabbi Dostai in the mishna reminds us what should be obvious but what is too easily forgotten. Just as a person might endanger his own physical and emotional well-being by neglecting his diet, his hygiene, his work, his marriage, the weather, the symptoms of ill health, or the traffic on the highway, even more so will he endanger his spiritual well-being if he neglects the welfare of his soul by not setting aside time to involve himself in Torah.

By contemplating the indispensability of Torah, we enable its words engrave themselves permanently and indelibly upon our minds and upon our hearts. All the clutter that occupies our thoughts and muddles our thinking miraculously makes way for the Divine words that we invite into our minds.

Of course, no one's memory is perfect. Even the boy in David Lazerson's school probably forgot a few lyrics from time to time. But if Torah means so little to us that we sit idly and let its words slip away from us, then we will have no excuse when we find ourselves afflicted with the symptoms of spiritual confusion and debilitation. How much wiser to take Rabbi Dostai's words to heart, to unclutter our brains and reap the benefits of a healthy spirit and a healthy soul.

Author Biography:
Rabbi Yonason Goldson writes, lectures, and teaches at Block Yeshiva High School in St. Louis, MO.

This article can also be read at: http://www.aish.com/spirituality/growth/Uncluttering_the_Mind_Ethics_of_the_Fathers3_310.asp

* Project Genesis Lifeline - Shemos

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 15:26:31 GMT

Project Genesis LifeLine - "It is a tree of life to all who cling to it."
D'var Torah and News from Torah.org - learn@torah.org
Volume XIV, Number 9 - Shemos - Exodus 1:1-6:1

To sponsor an edition of the Project Genesis Lifeline, click here.

In This Issue:

Note from the Director

History of Tzitzit - JewishAnswers.org

Life is a Test - Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis

New Installments of our Ongoing Classes

This Week's Torah Reading: Shemos

Featured Dvar Torah: Within a Child’s Reach

Note from the Director

COMING THIS SUNDAY: Our "Ki MiTzion" lecture series continues, with Rabbi Motty Berger speaking at the Center for Jewish Education in Baltimore at 1pm Sunday. He will be speaking on the topic "Anti-Semitism: Why the Jews?"

Next week: Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblum on "Turbulence in the Middle East: The Next Chapter" -- so stay tuned!

Good Shabbos!

Rabbi Yaakov Menken
Director, Project Genesis / Torah.org

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History of Tzitzit - JewishAnswers.org

JewishAnswers.org

What is the history of the Tzitzit (traditional, fringed, four-corned garment)?

In ancient times, a jacket was a four-cornered piece of cloth. G-d commanded Jewish men to put a fringe on each corner. These fringes would remind us while we are doing all the things we do, that we must do them according to G-d’s commandments. Eventually, styles changed and our jackets no longer have 4 corners. However, we realize that the idea of always wearing a reminder that we are Jewish and that we have responsibilities is still as important as ever. Therefore, the custom is to wear a special four-cornered garment, either under our shirts, and/or as a “Talit” above our jackets, with the four fringes on them. The Hebrew word for fringes is “Tzitzit.”

Rabbi David Shenker

Life is a Test - Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis

TorahMedia.com

In this first of a series of lectures from Jewish World Review, Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, who has been dubbed the "Jewish Billy Graham", questions several cliches about life. She asks her listeners to pause and consider who they are and why they are here.

Length: 8 minutes

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New Torah.org classes on Shemos

Yaakov and His Children
by Shlomo Katz
Read more in Hamaayan

Coming To Egypt
by Rabbi Yissocher Frand
Read more in Rav Frand

By Design
by Rabbi Eliyahu Hoffmann
Read more in Olas Shabbos

What’s Possible- In a Name!
by Rabbi Label Lam
Read more in DvarTorah

A Series of Ups and Downs
by Rabbi Berel Wein
Read more in Rabbi Wein

Fill The Land
by Rabbi Raymond Beyda
Read more in Table Talk

The Strife Factor
by Rabbi Naftali Reich
Read more in Legacy

Leaving Egypt, Take 2
by Rabbi Pinchas Winston
Read more in Perceptions

Read previous years' classes on Shemos on Torah.org:

Beyond Pshat by Rabbi Yosef Kalatzky

Drasha by Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky

DvarTorah by Rabbi Label Lam

Hamaayan by Shlomo Katz

Kol Hakollel by Rabbi Pinchas Avruch

Legacy by Rabbi Naftali Reich

LifeLine by Rabbi Yaakov Menken

Olas Shabbos by Rabbi Eliyahu Hoffmann

Parsha Insights by Rabbi Yisroel Ciner

Perceptions by Rabbi Pinchas Winston

Rabbi Wein by Rabbi Berel Wein

Rabbi's Notebook by Rabbi Aron Tendler

Rav Frand by Rabbi Yissocher Frand

Table Talk by Rabbi Raymond Beyda

The Living Law by Rabbi Osher Chaim Levene

Thinking Outside the Box by Rabbi Jeff Kirshblum

Featured Dvar Torah: Within a Child’s Reach

By By Rabbi Label Lam
http://torah.org/learning/dvartorah/5766/shemos.html

Pharaoh’s daughter went down to bathe by the River and her maidens walked along the River. She saw the basket among the reeds and she sent her maid servant and she took it…She called his name Moshe as she said, “For I drew him from the water.” (Shemos 2:10)

She sent her maid servant: Our sages learn that she stretched out her arm and it became elongated many cubits. (Rashi)

“Why was it that Moshe was not named “Mashui”? which grammatically describes him as having been drawn from the water? Rather she called him Moshe which implies that he drew himself out of the water …that is his own merit caused him to be drawn from the water.” (Midrah HaGadol)

I once heard the question asked, “Why did Basya, the daughter of Pharaoh, bother to send out her hand to grasp something that was out of her reach?” Would we extend our hand to the ketchup if it was at the other end of a long table and it was impossibly far away? Why bother to reach at all for something so far out of reach?

A close friend of mine who moved to Israel years back was having a problem integrating his younger son into school. The boy, we’ll call him Yehudi, was having a hard time finding his place amongst the other students. Either they weren’t welcoming to him or he wasn’t warm to them but the problem lingered and festered. The other children had adapted without much crisis but poor Yehudi began to resent going to school.

The father asked another close friend who has since become a sought after educational consultant what he should do for his son. He was advised to tune into his children’s radio hour that evening with his son Yehudi. On the program Yehudi’s problem was presented to the listening audience and callers were invited to offer Yehudi a solution. The hope was that the boy would identify some clue or suggestion of help while unaware that the discussion was about him.

A strange thing happened. Yehudi himself asked his father if he could call the radio program. He did. He suggested that the boy should bring to school candies and goodies for all the other kids in his class and that might help them accept him more. It sounded like such a good idea that the father actually implemented it and guess what? It worked! Yehudi had found his own solution and he has not looked back since.

When the daughter of Pharaoh sent out her hand it was not to grasp the ketchup or mustard. It was a Jewish child at risk amongst the bull-reeds. Sometimes a person may have to reach impossibly far to help another and the results may prove to be disproportionately favorable if one just stretches as far as they can first. There is another factor here, though. The person has to be a willing participant in being helped, and he may likely be the key-holder to his own salvation.

Someone told me just yesterday that a young boy was brought to Rabbi Mordachai Schwab ztl for misconduct. Rabbi Schwab asked that the boy come back the next day by which time it would be decided what to do with him. When the boy returned, Rabbi Schwab handed him a wrapped up present. The boy was shocked. He asked, “What’s this for?” Rabbi Schwab told him, “This is for all the times that you behaved well.” Reaching that extra distance when it’s a Jewish child amongst the bull-reeds may mean extending a measure of seemingly undeserved tenderness and placing the solution within a child’s reach.

Text Copyright © 2006 by Rabbi Label Lam and Torah.org.

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I Am

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 16:58:17 GMT

I Am

Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
Courtesy of MeaningfulLife.com

I shall be

Exodus 3:14

I shall be with you in your present distress, and I shall be with you in future exiles and persecutions

Rashi on verse

When G-d appeared to Moses in the burning bush and charged him with the mission to take the people of Israel out of Egypt, Moses said to the Almighty:

"Behold, I will come to the children of Israel and say to them, The G-d of your fathers has sent me to you, and they will say, 'What is his name?' What shall I say to them?"

G-d replied to Moses: "I shall be who I shall be... Tell the children of Israel, I Shall Be (Eh-he-yeh) has sent me to you."

An Anonymous G-d?

To name something is to describe and define it. So G-d, who is infinite and undefinable, cannot be named. Thus G-d has no name, only names -- descriptions of the various behavior patterns that can be ascribed to His influence on our lives.

In the words of the Midrash, "G-d said to Moses: You want to know My name? I am called by My deeds. I might be called E-l Sha-dai, or Tzevakot, or Elokim, or Ha-Va-Ya-H. When I judge My creatures, I am called Elokim. When I wage war on the wicked, I am called Tzevakot. When I tolerate the sins of man, I am called E-l Sha-dai. When I have compassion on My world, I am called Ha-Va-Ya-H..."

Therein lies the deeper significance of the question that Moses anticipated from the children of Israel. What is His name? they were sure to ask. What type of behavior are we seeing on the part of G-d in these times? You say that G-d has seen the suffering of His people in Egypt, has heard their cries, and knows their pain, and has therefore sent you to redeem us. Where was He until now? Where was He for the eighty-six years that we are languishing under the slave-driver's whip, that babies are being torn from their mothers arms and cast into the Nile, that Pharaoh is bathing in the blood of Jewish children? What name is He now assuming, after eighty-six years in which He has apparently been nameless and aloof from our lives?

G-dly, But Not Holy

As explained above, each of the divine names describes another of the attributes by which G-d has chosen to relate to His creation: Elokim describes G-d's assumption of the attribute of Justice, Ha-Va-Ya-H His assumption of Compassion, and so on. Eh-he-yeh ("I Shall Be"), the name by which G-d here identifies Himself to Moses, connotes G-d's assumption of Being and Existence.

This is why there is some question amongst the Halachic authorities as to whether the name Eh-he-yeh should be counted among the seven holy names of G-d. Torah law forbids erasing or defacing G-d's name, for the very ink and paper (or other medium) assume a holiness by virtue of its representation of something that relates to the divine. While there are many names and adjectives that describe G-d's many-faceted involvement with His creation, there are seven primary divine names to which the strictest provisions of this law apply. Yet despite the fact that many Kabbalists consider Eh-he-yeh to be the loftiest of divine names, it is not included in certain versions of the seven-name list as it appears in the Talmud and the Halachic works; indeed, the final Halachic conclusion is that it is not one of the seven holy names.1

The reason for this paradox is best understood by understanding the meaning of the term "holiness". What makes something holy? Holy (kadosh in the Hebrew) means transcendent and apart. G-d is holy, for He transcends our earthly reality; Shabbat is a holy day, for it is a day of withdrawal from the mundanity of the everyday; a Torah scroll or a pair of tefillin are holy because these are objects that have visibly transcended their material state to serve a G-dly end.

The same applies to the seven holy divine names: each describes a divine activity that goes beyond the mundane norm, a divine intervention in reality -- G-d as ruler, G-d as judge, G-d as provider, G-d as savior, etc. On the other hand, Eh-he-yeh ("I am") is G-d as being -- G-d as the essence of reality.2 So Eh-he-yeh is beyond holiness. If holiness is a feature of G-d's transcendence, the beingness of G-d transcends holiness itself, describing a dimension of divine reality that pervades every existence even as it transcends it, and thus relates equally to them all, holy and mundane alike.

[Nevertheless, Eh-he-yeh is a name -- that is, an assumed behavior pattern -- of G-d's. The very phenomenon of "existence" is part and parcel of G-d's creation, and G-d certainly cannot defined by something He created. Utimately, G-d can be described as a "being" or "existence" only in the sense that we speak of Him as a provider or ruler: these are mere names, describing not His essence but a certain perception He allows us to have of Him by affecting our reality in a certain manner.]

The Answer

This was G-d's answer to the people's outcry, "What is His name?!"

Tell the children of Israel, said G-d to Moses, that My name is Eh-he-yeh. Where was I all these years? With you. I am being, I am existence, I am reality. I am in the groan of a beaten slave, in the wail of a bereaved mother, in the spilled blood of a murdered child. Certain things must be, no matter how painful and incomprehensible to your human selves, in order that great things, infinitely great and blissful things, should be. But I do not orchestrate these things from some distant heaven, holy and removed from your existential pain. I am there with you, suffering with you, praying for redemption together with you.

If you cannot see Me, it is not for My ethereality; it is because I am so real

FOOTNOTES
1.	See Talmud, Shavuot 35, and Dikdukei Sofrim, ibid.; Mishneh Torah, Laws of the Fundamentals of Torah, 6:2; ibid., Venice 1524 and Venice 1540 editions; Kessef Mishneh commentary on Mishneh Torah, ibid.; Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 276:9.
2.	Guide to the Perplexed, part I, ch. 62; Ralbag and Abarbanel on Exodus 3; Ikarim 2:27; et al. See also Gevurot Hashem, end of chapter. 25.

The Path of the Soul #10: Trust

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 14:05:37 GMT

by Dr. Alan Morinis

Once you recognize that the world is not meant to be comfortable, certain, or easy, but rather an ideal training ground for the soul, trust in God can begin to take root.

The Path of the Soul #10: Trust
by Dr. Alan Morinis

Once you recognize that the world is not meant to be comfortable, certain, or easy, but rather an ideal training ground for the soul, trust in God can begin to take root.

The soul wants to live in an atmosphere of trust since the alternative is anxiety and worry. But people find it difficult to trust, for so many good and valid reasons. This world is so unreliable. Hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires and other natural disasters can strike at any moment. Your life can suddenly be overturned by illness or accident. And most of all, there is the unaccountable cruelty, incompetence and stupidity of people. A level-headed view of life seems to offer us every reason not to trust.

How and where could we possibly put our trust?

The Hebrew term for the soul-trait of trust is bitachon. To the Mussar teachers the only place to put our trust is in God, therefore bitachon means "trust in God." Including God in the definition may offer you some help, or it may bring on an additional challenge, depending on the role faith plays in your life. Growing in bitachon is a very different proposition for a person who already has a strong relationship to the divine as opposed to someone who has no active sense of Who/What he or she is being asked to trust.

But who could possibly trust a God who allows a million children to be killed in the Holocaust, who permits AIDS and smallpox and ALS, who rains fire on the innocent and allows the guilty to die in their comfortable beds? If this is the best that omniscient, omnipotent divinity is capable of, then it seems you'd have to be crazy to trust that God.

The fact that this is a difficult world is no accident or sign of bad design. The Source of all has made our world just as it is so we will not become complacent and lethargic, but instead be surprised and challenged. The stretching and pulling -- by love as well as by blows -- is what brings us to the threshold of growth that we would likely never otherwise approach.

With your free will, you have it in your power to turn away from the opportunity to grow, and instead to build thicker walls of anger, hatred and despair around your heart. Or you can offer up your heart for its initiation. The Kotzker Rebbe said, "There is nothing so whole as the broken heart." Once you recognize that the world is not meant to be nice, or comfortable, or certain, or easy, but that it is set up to be the ideal training ground for the heart, you can trust in God because the world is working just as it should be.

The suffering or difficulty in our lives almost never makes sense in the moment, and only reveals its logic in time. Have you ever looked back over a section of your life, or your whole life itself, and only been able to see the storyline in retrospect? How many people have you heard say something like "losing that job turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me" though at the time it seemed like a blow to the solar plexus? Maybe you've already had an experience like that yourself.

At the beginning of World War II, the Mussar teacher Rabbi Yehudah Leib Nekritz, along with his wife and children, were exiled from Poland to Siberia. The Russians had invaded the part of Poland where the Nekritz family lived, and because Rabbi Nekritz had been born in Russia, he was judged suspicious and was sent to labor in the harsh north country. Of course everyone in the town was distraught for the poor Nekritz family, since all the others were allowed to remain at home while this one family was singled out for the punishment of exile. "Terrible, terrible," they moaned, and it was indeed terrible, except for the fact that remaining in the town ultimately turned out to be an even worse fate -- the Nazis rolled into that part of Poland and consigned all the Jews who lived there to the death camps.

At the end of the war, the Nekritz family was released and made their way to the United States. The exile to Siberia had been their ticket to survival.

Who in the moment could have seen the big picture? No one in the middle of a story is able to see how everything will work out in the end. So our reactions to what unfolds in life are either pure speculation or they reflect our clinging to a story we ourselves generate from our unconscious.

This is true for personal events and for history as well. The Mussar teaching is to call up trust to counteract our reactivity. When you recognize the truth that you do not write the full script of your life nor do you direct all the action, then it sinks in that there is really nothing to worry about. Trust.

I am not saying that evil and suffering are not real. But it is available to us to see everything that confronts us in life as a challenge to our own soul-traits. We are meant to be good and loving, generous and kind, but we can't make any of those qualities take firm root in our inner soil unless we face the challenge of rejecting their opposites. Only if these challenges are entirely real will can we use them to help our hearts to grow in positive ways. When Rabbi Nekritz would be asked by the peasants in Siberia, "Why have you been sent here?" he would always answer, "To teach you bitachon, trust in God."

Do we draw from all this that having strong bitachon means being fatalistic? In its extreme form, the answer is actually yes. There is a Hassidic story about a rebbe who saw a frantically busy man, and he asked the man where he was running in such a frenzied rush. "I'm chasing my destiny," the man answered. To which the rebbe replied, "How do you know it isn't also chasing you? Maybe all you have to do is to stand still for a moment to give it a chance to catch up."

But we can also find more measured voices telling us that while our destiny is surely in the hands of God, we are still obliged to make our own efforts. To rely exclusively on God implies that we have absolutely nothing in hand to bring about change, when that is seldom if ever the case. Everyone has some powers that are gifted to them, like the ability to think, to speak, to write, to lift objects, to move about, to care -- and even if you are lacking one or more of these capacities, you should put what capabilities you do have to work to bring about the outcomes you see to be the best, rather than rely totally on God. God is the source of these capacities, so wouldn't it dishonor those gifts and especially their Giver not to put them to use?

When wise bitachon has taken root in you, you recognize how important it is to act on your own behalf. Making genuine effort to improve yourself, your relationships, and other circumstances in the world is a sign that you understand and accept your real responsibility for yourself and the world. It also reflects your acknowledgement of the gifts God has already put into your hands. Yet with bitachon, you also recognize that the outcome of your actions is always beyond your control.

In short, Mussar's guidance is that you should try to make things work out the way you think is best, and then be fully prepared to accept whatever occurs.

It's easy to see that practicing trust in this way will inevitably give rise to peace of mind. Effort combined with trust yields calmness -- because when you willingly accept whatever results come out of your actions, what could there possibly be to worry about? Jewish sources stress that through trust -- casting your burden on God -- you free yourself from worldly cares, bringing on the calmness and tranquility so many of us long for and that we often try to find in less-than-Godly ways.

Strong trust also makes you brave. Once you have developed the attitude that you will be just fine with whatever comes out of your actions, you will feel freer to speak out and take steps that reflect your deepest convictions, without concern for consequences. In this way bitachon helps strengthen soul-traits that are susceptible to fear. For example, people (like me, though thankfully more so in the past than today) often slip into saying things that are not true out of fear of consequences, which means that a person with strong trust is likely to find fewer challenges to being honest. And so on for any other traits that might be knocked off their proper measure by the force of fear.

When fear or worry strikes you, recognize the experience as a signal calling on you to fan the inner sparks of your bitachon. Your task is to become aware of feelings such as fear, anxiety, and clinging right as they are occurring within you, and to respond to them inwardly by identifying them as signs of not trusting. That naming should not be confused with self-recrimination. By being sensitive to feelings that imply a lack of trust, you call yourself to be conscious of what is happening within you. From that foundation of self-awareness, you can remind yourself of the other option that lies before you in this situation -- to trust.

Bitachon is not a mere philosophical principle; it is an act that requires practice. How do we practice trust? Let me prepare you with a story adapted from the Chofetz Chaim.

There was once a man who was visiting a small town in Europe. It was Shabbat morning, and he went to the local synagogue. Everything was just as you might expect, until unusual things started happening. There were well-dressed, obviously prosperous people seated near the front, but all the honors for the Torah-reading were given to scruffy men who stood clustered at the back of the room. When it came time for the rabbi to say a few words of wisdom, all he spoke about was the weather. After the prayers were finished, lovely food was spread on the table and nobody ate.

The man was flummoxed by all these incomprehensible goings-on. What kind of place was this? Was everyone here crazy? Finally, he pulled aside one of the locals and asked, "What's going on here? The men who got the Torah honors, the rabbi's talk, the uneaten food... nothing makes any sense!"

The man explained, "Those scruffy looking men had been unjustly imprisoned and the community worked long and hard to ransom them to freedom. Isn't it wonderful that they are now free to come to bless the Torah? The rabbi spoke only about the weather because there has been an unusual drought this season and the farmers have nothing on their minds but their crops, and the rabbi knew and cared for their concerns. Why didn't anyone eat? One Shabbat every month the community prepares its usual lunch but instead of eating it, the food is donated to the local home for the elderly."

"I can see how it might have looked to you," the local man told the guest, "but when you can only see part of a picture, it's easy to put together a faulty impression of what is going on."

This story offers a useful parable for our own lives. When you can only see part of the situation -- and in the present moment, all any of us can ever see is part of the picture -- then you can't possibly know what is really going on. That will only be revealed in the fullness of time.

But I introduced the story by saying that trust in God needs to be practiced, and I had in mind suggesting a way in which you can do that by making use of this story. Just by recognizing the truth in this parable, and keeping it in mind, it is there to serve you whenever you are shaken awake by something happening that doesn't fit your expected story line. Maybe the disaster will turn out to be a strangely packaged gift. Maybe in time it will be revealed that what appeared to be a glorious boon was actually the doorway to disaster. This happens, of course. Because at any moment you can only see part of the picture, and because this world and its Maker are ultimately trustworthy, you can trust.

Author Biography:
Dr. Alan Morinis is the author of the book "Climbing Jacob's Ladder" (Broadway 2002). He is an active interpreter of the teachings and practices of the little-known but ancient Jewish Mussar tradition, about which he regularly gives lectures and workshops to every segment of the Jewish community, from the secular to the Orthodox. Born and raised in a culturally Jewish but non-observant home, he studied anthropology at Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship. His doctoral thesis was published by Oxford University Press as "Pilgrimage in the Hindu Tradition." He has written books and produced feature films, television dramas and documentaries and has taught at several universities. Although he took a deep journey into Hindu and Buddhist thought and practice, for the past six years the Jewish spiritual discipline of Mussar has been his passion and commitment, guided by Rabbi Yechiel Yitzchok Perr, Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva of Far Rockaway, New York. Alan lives in Vancouver, BC, with his wife of 30 years, Dr. Bev Spring, and their two daughters.

This article can also be read at: http://www.aish.com/spirituality/growth/The_Path_of_the_Soul_10_Trust.asp

The Letters of Creation - A Midrash teaches...

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 03:31:04 GMT

The Letters of Creation

A Midrash teaches:

Before the creation of the world, the letters, the 22 letters already existed; but

they remained mysterious and secret, hidden in the depths of divine mysteries.

When G-d took the decision to create the began to move like 22 princesses in a

royal procession, advancing one after the other toward to that of the alphabet;

so that it was Tav, the last letter, which made its entrance first and was the first

to present its petition:

_Master of the world, of grace, use me in order to perform your creation. Am I

not the letter that completes the word which is engraved upon your scepter: the

word "truth" (in Hebrew: emet)?

א מ ת

_You are indeed worthy, replied the Holy One, Blessed be He. But it is not fitting

that I use you in order to create the world, because you are destined to be marked

upon the foreheads of the faithful who have obeyed the law from Aleph to Tav, and

also because you form the last letter of the word for "death" (mavet). For these

reasons, it is not fitting for me to use you for the purpose of the creation of the world.

So the letter Tav withdrew..... What could it reply?

Then it was the turn of the letter Shin. She presented herself. She presented

herself and laid claim to the fact that she constituted the initial letter of the Divine

Name (Shaddai).

_It is fitting to use the initial of the Holy Name Shaddai for the creation of the world.

ד ש י

_Indeed, replied the Holy One, Blessed be He, you are worthy, you are good, and you

are true. but the forgers will use you to swear the most terrible lies, by associating you

with the letters Qof and Resh, to form the word "lie" (sheqer)....

And the letter Shin withdrew, while its companions, the letters Qof and Resh, did not

even dare present themselves.

ר ק

All the other letters thus filed past, in turn, each claiming rights and qualities which made

them especially suited to be special too with which the world would be created. And, each

time, the Holy One, Blessed be He, replied by using an irrefutable argument wich confounded

all their pretentions.

Finally, there came the turn of the next-to-last letter, the letter Bet.

_Master of the Universe, may it please You to make use of me in the creation of the world,

because I am the initial of the word which is used to bless you--Blessed be He (Barukh).

ב ד ו ך

And the Holy One, Blessed be He--finally--agreed:

_Indeed, I shall use you in order to inaugurate the creation of the world and you will

thus be at the basis of the whole "work of creation."

And what about the letter Aleph, the very last, that is to say the very first, what happened

to it?

It stayed where it was, without presenting itself.

_Aleph, Aleph, why have you not presented yourself to me like the others?

And Aleph replied:

_Master of the Universe, seeing all the letters present themselves to you to no avail, why

should I present myself also? Then when I saw that you had already granted the letter Bet this

precious gift, I understood that it did not behoove the King of the Heaven to take back the gift

that he had given to one of his servants in order to gratify another.

The Holy One, Blessed be He, then cried:

_O Aleph, Aleph, although I shall use the letter Bet for the creation of the world you shall

be the first of all letters and I shall have no unity but in you; you shall be at the root of all

calculations and the actions performed in the world, and nowhere shall there be unity, unless

it is in the letter Aleph!

(Zohar, translation quoted by Renée de Tryon-Montalembert)

Mysteries of the Kabbalah, Chapter 24 The Letters of Creation (Mark-Alain Ouaknin) pp. 274-276

Avraham's One Village - JEWISH & benei Noach's ONE VILLAGE ***Barukh haba***: The Jewish Sages' Wisdom

The Most Enduring Wisdom: Ethics of the Fathers, 3:12

The Fear of Wisdom Ethics of the Fathers, 3:11

Imitate

The Prayer of G-d: G-d in Search of Man - [How do we know G-d also prays?]

THE KABBALAH IS NOT A DOCTRINE BUT A POWER

"Bringing Heaven down to Earth"

The Passing of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi

The Passing of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi

The Mystic Mind

The Mystic Mind

Uncluttering the Mind Ethics of the Fathers, 3:10

* Project Genesis Lifeline - Shemos

I Am

I Am

The Path of the Soul #10: Trust

The Letters of Creation - A Midrash teaches...

Avraham's One Village - JEWISH & benei Noach's ONE VILLAGE Barukh haba: The Jewish Sages' Wisdom