Vayakhel

Over the past month, I've had access to a car, which has been very nice and very useful.  Several times, I've had to drive to the Haifa area to take kids to appointments.  And each time that I get into this 20 km zone, the GPS goes haywire (thankfully, I grew up not being dependent on it).

Every time I (and others) would start Waze or Google Maps, we would find ourselves, smack in the middle of Beirut's international airport.  According to its calculation, it would take more than six hours to get home.  When my kids asked me why that is so, to me the answer was obvious.  When Hezbollah decides to send some higher tech GPS-guided missiles towards Haifa … well … hopefully they'll hit the wrong one.  Pretty neat seeing these ideas.

Over the past several weeks, the Torah has been detailing to us the building of the Mishkan.  While the Mishkan/Beis HaMikdash are central to our religious lives, we see that it's clearly not our raison d'etre.  You would think otherwise, given that most of the Torah deals with things that are connected to the Mishkan.  However, that is not the case.  We built the Mishkan, fine, but now, it's time to move on to the next phase in life.  What's the goal at this point for the Jewish people?  Eretz Yisroel.  What does that exactly mean?  What is "Eretz Yisroel" exactly?  Will we live a spiritual life? A physical life? A mixed life?  Will there be a yetzer horah?  They knew none of those things.  We really don't know ourselves.  But what we do know is that this was and is our destination.

Rav Reuven Leuchter spoke of this a little over a week ago.  He said that one of the most dangerous and anti-Jewish thoughts a person can have is: having a destination outside of "the ultimate destination."  What does that mean?

Let's take somebody learning in kollel.  He can say, "I want to work hard, so I can be a Rosh Yeshiva."  Great.  So, why do you want to be a Rosh Yeshiva?  "Because I feel that I have talents that can be used to help others."  Okay … but what about after that?  "What do you mean?"

Or somebody could say, "I want to work hard, so I can understand the laws of Shabbos."  Great.  So, why do you want to understand the laws of Shabbos?  "Because I want to know what Hashem wants from me." Okay … but what about after that?  "Well, hopefully, I could learn about kashrus…"

Both have goals, but only the first has an actual destination in mind.

We ask three times a day that the world should change. If you pay attention to Shemoneh Esrei, you will see many references to Moshiach coming and the resurrection of the dead.  We daven, every day, asking for the world to change.

We even see this is the Torah.  Throughout the 40 years that we spent in the desert, the Torah does not call each location that we stayed at, "resting places," rather it called them "travels" (masa'os).

This is one of the essences of Judaism.  We are constantly travelling.  However, we ourselves don't want to travel, we want to reach somewhere.  We want a destination.  We want to BE something.  And there lies our issue.  When we have destinations, and we're talking spiritual ones, we cause an unbelievable inner pressure to get to, and remain, in those destinations.

Yet, the reality of the Jewish nation is not about destinations, it's about travelling and moving forward.

When a person has destinations, those destinations are created from his imagination.  "I want to be a huge talmid chacham," he thinks, and he has in his mind what this "huge talmid chacham" is, and then he pressures himself to reach that goal.

When a person is travelling, he has no imaginary ideas in his head.  He understands that he is moving through life, with his ultimate destination in life (when Moshiach comes), and in the meantime, he doesn't know what will be or what will happen.  In fact, he doesn't even know what that destination looks like!  He learns and adapts himself to each station that Hashem puts him in, knowing that Hashem is leading the way.

There is a famous pasuk from Yirmiyahu (2:2): "I accounted to your favor … How you followed Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown."  Rav Leuchter said that we often think that this pasuk is simply speaking of a lack of food.  But there is a deeper meaning to it.  We followed Hashem, and only with Hashem.  Being we went, not with some goals or well-defined destinations in mind, but only to live with Hashem, knowing that He knows where he's going.  That's all!

This is the nature of the Jewish nation.  We are always moving, adapting, growing.  The only destination is the final destination.  When a person wants to BE somewhere, he has pressure and he never knows if that is the right destination (and what becomes of him after that?).  When a person knows that he's on a life-long journey, then he will have less stress, and be more receptive to what Hashem wants from him and where He wants his path to be.  Again, personal/national goals are one thing … personal/national destinations are another.

If there is a time to know and understand this, it's now.  After Simchas Torah, the Jewish world changed forever.  Outside of Eretz Yisroel, Jews are being extra careful where they go, what they wear, what they say, and even considering uprooting themselves and moving. The antisemites are out in public and are gaining control.

Inside of Eretz Yisroel?  Well … our very existence is up in the air.  The world has naturally turned against us and a terrible war in the north is brewing.  For the religious world as well, changes are happening or on the horizon.  There is the army draft (which is not such a simple thing) coming up and major financial cuts throughout the country that will affect the religious world that they haven't seen in decades.

Those who cannot handle change will hold on to the belief: "No, it cannot happen, it must be fought."  And when it does happen, and they lose their fight?  What becomes of them?

Change is part of the DNA of the Jewish nation.  And we need to understand that we are not always the ones to make the changes.  By focusing on our final, and real (yet unknown) destination, we can weather the changes and come out healthy because, after all, we're following Hashem into a land not sown … the future.

With that, I leave you all with a wonderfully quiet Shabbos.

I took my son yesterday to be tested at a yeshiva that we want him to go to next year.  As he sat and learned with the Rosh Yeshiva, I went to the beis medresh to sit and learn while I waited.  When I arrived, I asked the first boy I made eye-contact with, "Where can I find a Mishnah Breura and a quiet place to sit?"  He smiled at the packed beis medresh and said, "I can't exactly help you with a 'quiet place.'"  Another boy asked which volume and went to fetch it for me.  I spoke to them for a few minutes about the yeshiva and as we were speaking, I kept getting this weird feeling.  It took me a bit, but then I realized "This place is packed with 14-16 year-olds, and they are speaking to me as if I were an adult … wait a second … I AM an adult!!!!"

It was a very scary feeling.  Something I usually only get when doing taxes.  I hope it doesn't happen too much.

And yes, thank G-d, the Rosh Yeshiva was very pleased with him and accepted him on the spot.  We have reason to believe and will continue to daven that this will be a very good place for him to grow.

Okay, on to Torah.

I'm on a roll with Rav Yaakov Meir Shechter ….

Every person is given "his lot" in life.  Each of us has different tests we must go through that others don't have to go through.  The daily pains I go through are not the same that my neighbor has.  By recognizing our "lackings," we can sometimes see what areas we need to work on and even what brachos we have that others don't.

I forgot which sefer (I think Chovos Halalavos) that said some people are blessed with families and some are not.  However, this "blessing" isn't necessarily a blessing.  And those who have not been blessed with families are spared from the "blessings" of family.

I'll give an example.

My wife and I are one of the few people in the community with no family in Israel.

It's not an easy thing.  Especially since Israeli society, both religious and secular, are centered around the family.  So, we haven't been "blessed" with this aspect.  However, we know people who are constantly tied to their families.  They have to go to this simcha and that simcha, to this city for Shabbos, to that city for Yom Tov.  While people like my wife and I might look at it and be jealous, they in turn are jealous of us!  Because we can stay where we are when we want, go where we want to go when we want.  Their blessing is a blessing, but our "lack of blessing" is also a blessing.

The goal, says Rav Shecter, is to take our "lack of blessings" (our lackings) and ask Hashem to at least "sweeten" them.  By taking challenges in life, and making them a bit lighter, we can pass them easily.  We can do this "sweetening" by recognizing our "lackings" as actual brachos (that's my idea, not his), or we can daven to Hashem that He Himself sweetens the challenges, so we can pass them in an easier manner.

He brings proof from several parshos ago.

When the Jewish nation was at Marah, they ran out of drinking water, and the only available water was too bitter to drink.  "And Moshe cried to G-d, and G-d showed him a tree: he cast it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet.  The Midrash says that Hashem taught Moshe how to pray, "Pray that the waters become sweet," He told him.

The obvious question on this Midrash is: Did Moshe NOT know how to daven?  Didn't he daven to end each of the plagues in Egypt?

Rav Shechter answers that there are two methods to pray in such cases.  One is to ask Hashem for a new source of water, one that wasn't bitter.  That's what we generally do when we are in pain.  We ask Hashem to bring something "new" into the picture to save us, be it medicine, financial help, etc. However, there is a second method: "Please Hashem, at least sweeten the bitterness of my situation."  Instead of asking for an outside source of salvation, which might not be in Hashem's plan, we could ask Hashem to take some (or all) of the negativity and turn it into positivity.

I'll give you an example of this.

I was in contact with somebody on this list, whose name shall remain secret, since I don't have permission to use it.  Actually, I can use her name, without giving away her secret identity.  It's Shoshana Rivke bas Rus.  She should get credit for this and we should continue to daven for her.

Anyhow, unfortunately, she has been through quite a bit of physical suffering over the years.  And recently, I learned from a family member of hers, that she was bored and decided to get a blood clot in one of her arteries and need an operation.  I sent an email wishing a speedy recovery and asking how she's feeling.  The response I received was more than positive.  She wrote how amazed she was at how the smaller arteries around the heart started to take on the job of the clogged artery to help keep things going.  She was amazed at the workings of Hashem's creations.

What she has gone through over the years has been quite painful, but here she was able to take the positive out of it and grow with it.

We're all "destined" to receive trouble in our lives.  But we should always daven that they should not be too hard on us and that we should be able to see the good in each and every one of them.

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

This email was supposed to be sent last week, but there were some technical issues. I've switched email providers, so hopefully we won't have any more. If in the future you do not see an email from me, please check your Promotions or Updates folder in Gmail, just in case…. So… here's last week's Dvar Torah… better late then never!

The reason my wife and I took our vacation a bit early this year was a two-in-one reason.  The first being, between three lockdowns and numerous quarantines, it was time for a break from the kids. The second reason was because it was bad enough that the government was keeping our kids out of school for longer than necessary, but it was made worse when our local schools were even more stringent, throwing entire families into quarantine even when the government didn't or barely mandated it, even though our numbers are incredibly low.  Some of the community leaders have been throwing our children’s (and parents') mental/spiritual health under the bus to make their lives easier.   I know we were not the only ones feeling this, but it was still a very heavy thing on our heads.

The first day of the trip was cold and rainy.  It was actually quite fun driving through the mountains, in and out of clouds.  When it came time to find a place to eat, my wife suggested that we go to the burial site of Rebbe Elazar ben Aruch, since there is a large roofed area with tables at the site.  So … off we went.  As we were there, I was reminded of something the Moshgiach from my yeshiva said regarding the parshos that we are in now.  He quoted the Mishna in Avos, where Rebbe Yochanan be Zakkai asked his talmidim which is the best thing that a person should have in order to grow.  Each of his talmidim gave an answer, but Rebbe Yochnanan Ben Zakkai preferred the words of Rebbe Elazar ben Aruch, who said "A good heart," since a good heart includes all the other answers given.

So, what is this good heart and why is it so important?

Over the past several weeks, the Torah has been going into great detail regarding the building of the Mishkan.  Every instrument and every nut and bolt of the structure was accounted for.  The Mishkan served the Jewish people for hundreds of years until the building of the Beis HaMikdash.  At that point, the Mishkan was hidden away.

When the Beis HaMikdash was built, it was built to last forever.  It was to be THE source of holiness in the world, more so than the Mishkan.  When Shlomo HaMelech built it, he brought in the best of the best to build it in the most beautiful manner.  It was so great that the fast of Yom Kippur was cancelled when it was inaugurated, since the entire nation was on such a high level.  Yet, we see that it was destroyed.  Years later, it was rebuilt.  Only to be destroyed again.  And even while it was standing, it was in need of constant repair.

So, what was the difference between the Mishkan, which was made in a temporary fashion, yet was never destroyed, and the Beis HaMikdash, which was made to last, yet was destroyed?

When the nation built the Mishkan in the desert, the Torah was very clear on who built it and who provided the material: those whose hearts drove them.  The people themselves donated the money and material and built it themselves.  Was it a grand structure?  No.  But, it was done from the heart.

When the Beis HaMikdash was built, who provided the finances? Taxes.  Who built the structure?  Both Jews and non-Jews.  Shlomo HaMelech brought in the best of the best.  So, if the best wood-workers were in Syria, he paid them well and brought them in.  If the best metal workers came from Iran, no problem, he brought them in.  And everything was paid via taxes, which as we all know, is not voluntary.

This is why the Mishkan was never destroyed, because it was from the heart and the inner desire of the Jewish people to become close to Hashem.  Shlomo HaMelech also had the desire, but the builders and the financial backers did not.

In the end, the "good heart" is what makes things last.

So too, I told my wife, regarding our children.  Yes, they missed a lot.  Yes, they were at home a lot, when they did not need to be.  Yes, we worry about what will be with them, missing so much.  But in the end, those who made such decisions do not control the fate of our children.  If we continue to worry for them, daven for them, and provide whatever we can, that's all that we can do.  That's us giving our hearts for them.  Whatever the "authorities" decide does not affect the ultimate outcome.

Today's culture is very big into blaming others for our own failures.  However, this is certainly not a Jewish concept.  We do our best, we put what we can into achieving our goals, and the rest is in Hashem's hands.  Our children's success in life is no different.

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

My oldest daughter came to my wife with some "intelligence" she picked up from her younger sister.  It seems, she’s planning on stealing the Afikomen this year (we usually hide it from them without them seeing).  She has a whole plan set up to get it from me without my even knowing.  And what is her blackmail going to be?  She wants a siddur with Lecha Dodi in it.  Currently, she has a siddur from her school, which has only the davening for the week, and not Shabbos.  And this is what she wants really bad.

I think we can let her steal it.

The first mitzvah that the Jewish nation received was given two weeks before Pesach occurred.  It was the establishment of the new moon, and hence, the establishment of the month of Nissan.  This week’s parsha, two weeks before Pesach, and this year, on Rosh Chodesh (the first of the month) itself, is called Shabbos HaChodesh.

As we spoke about last week, before building something, you first need to clean up the building area, which we started to do with Parshas Parah.  This week, we begin to build the foundations of the building with a new focus that should last not only until Pesach, but hopefully even Shavous, and hopefully even beyond.

It is known that the Jewish people are often compared to the moon and Hashem is compared to the Sun.  The Jewish people don’t give off their own light.  Whatever they give off is only a reflection of Hashem.  How much light the Jewish people bring into the world is completely dependent on how much we, the moon, are facing Hashem, the sun.  The more we face towards Him, the more light we give off.

Rav Shimshon Pincus says that this Shabbos we begin the work of “turning to Hashem."  Just as the New Moon is but a sliver at first, the more it “holds it’s position” towards the sun, the more it grows.  Similarly, the more we face towards Hashem, the more we will naturally grow.  However, the opposite is also true.  One small deviation away from Hashem will naturally lead a person away from Hashem.  Our job during this time is to try to focus on Hashem and His Torah.  We are to try to put our energy into “Hashem-based” activities, rather than “non-Hashem-based” activities.  We’re not talking about allowed vs. non-allowed.  We talking of Hashem vs. not-Hashem.  The goal is to try to be above normal for the next two weeks, and try to keep our focus on our goal.

There is a story I saw about the famed Kabbalist, The Arizal (who lived in Tzfas) who asked his students if they wanted to go with him to Jerusalem, using a spiritual shortcut.  Many agreed but asked to return home first to tell their wives where they were going.  The Arizal broke down crying and said that had they agreed to come, they could have gone immediately and brought the Redemption, but because the students wanted to go home first, they lost their opportunity.

Of course, there is some depth to the story, which we will not cover, however Rav Pincus was always bothered by this.  What’s wrong with going home to tell their wives where they are going?!  If anything, what they did was correct!

After much thought, he realized the lesson.  Of course, the Arizal was not just somebody who knew a lot of Torah, he was a great Tzaddik, and of course having basic “derech eretz," is something that he practiced to perfection.  So, when such a tzaddik makes such an offer, one should jump at the opportunity, because it is a given that the Arizal has taken everything into consideration.

But that wasn’t the “sin” of the students.

Rav Pincus explains that when a child, before school, is driving his bicycle around the block, and the parent informs him that it’s time to go, what’s the reaction of the child going to be?  “Just one more time!  PLEASE!”  Why?  Because the child wants to savor the moment of “life" before he leaves for school.  Similarly, the students, who DID want to have a life of holiness, still couldn’t break away from the "normalcy of life."  They needed to have a BIT more of it!

It’s similar to a person's playing a game on the computer and being told that it’s time to go daven.  Of course he plans to go and daven, but, I need JUST A FEW MORE MINUTES! Yes, he wants to be part of the spiritual world, but . . . . It’s so hard to break from “life” itself.

This is our work for the next several weeks.  It’s to turn towards Hashem and to try to lift ourselves above “normalcy," even just a little bit!  And of course, it’s important that all people be honest with themselves and work on a level that they are comfortable with.  Their “move towards Hashem” should not be painful, perhaps a BIT uncomfortable?  But certainly not painful.

Either way, we should use this Shabbos to find a way to point our lives towards Hashem, even a little.  And just like the moon, as long as we keep facing Him, we will continue to grow in His light.

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

Michael Winner

At the Megillah reading on Purim night, a nine-year-old Chassidic Rebbe was sitting in front of me.  Before davening began, I noticed that he was fiddling with something.  So I leaned over and saw that he was loading his .44 Magnum (with caps).  Now, most women would laugh at such a “contradiction.”  However, most boys and former boys, would see no contradiction at all!  Of course, the leader of a Chassidic dynasty needs to be loading his .44 Magnum!

Nor is there anything weird about the four-year-old bunny rabbit a few rows down brandishing an M-16.

Okay, on to more important things.

When a glass vessel has a chip or a hole in it, there are two ways of repairing it.  The first is by repairing the area which is damaged.  With that, you are able to use the glass vessel again without any issues.  However, it’s a vessel you would probably not want to use when the President of the United States comes for dinner.  Most likely, you would go and buy one that looks like it’s in better condition.  The second option is to melt down the glass and rebuild it from scratch.  Yeah, it’s a lot of work, but in the end, you have a brand new glass vessel.

This week is Parshas Parah (or in English, “The Torah Reading of the Cow," it sounds so . . . Chinese).  We know that when a person was in an impure state, he/she was not allowed in the Beis HaMikdash.  In order to go, and if they were impure from touching a corpse, they would need to be sprinkled with water mixed with the ashes of a Red Heifer.  We read this parsha now, in order to prepare ourselves for Pesach, where we (in theory) need to go to the Beis HaMikdash.

Rav Shimshon Pincus often describes the Seder night as the time we rebuild ourselves.  It’s worth listening to some of his talks or reading his Hagaddah on Pesach to see how we are building a “Man” on Pesach night.  After all, Pesach is the first Chag of the year, and it is the time when the Jewish nation was born.  If Pesach night is the time for building, then Parshas HaChodesh (next week), is the time of laying down the foundations of this building (hopefully more on this next week).  If that is true, then Parshas Parah (this week), is the cleaning up of the land that occurs before building the foundations.

The Gemara in Shabbos writes that a person born during a certain time will have a tendency to spill blood.  There are two ways of rectifying this tendency.  First, by keeping away from all forms of violence.  Not even to kill a mosquito.  By doing this, however, they’re not really “fixing” the issue.  They’re bypassing it (similar to patching the glass vessel).  The other way is by becoming a shochet (animal slaughterer) or a mohel.  By becoming one of those, they are using their specific characteristics for holiness.

Being so, we are to use this time leading up to Pesach by, “burning the Red Heifer,” taking one (or more) of the negative characteristics we have, and “reworking it” from scratch.  How do we do that?  How do we burn it to ashes?  By simply being honest with ourselves.  When we can take an issue that we have, ADMIT that it’s an issue, and then TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for that issue, we are breaking down that issue into ashes.  Only after that hard work and self-examination, can we start to rebuild ourselves.

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

Michael Winner

While my children first learn English, their "mother tongue" is Hebrew. We speak to them in English, using a (growing) amount of Hebrew thrown in here and there, but they think and speak in Hebrew. That being so, when they use new words, they often use Hebrew grammar rules, or translate literally. "I'm watching the baby" is now "I’m saving on the baby," for example.

The other Shabbos, the kids went for a walk around the block, and came back all excited. It seems our neighbor bought a dog . . . a rather large, ugly dog. When they first saw it, it was walking around without any owner, and with a giant fish head in his mouth, or "head fish" (remember, in Hebrew adjectives come after nouns). And my three-year-old was yelling, "He had devek (glue), lots and LOTS OF DEVEK in his mouth!!!!" (We assume he was talking about the gums and lips. So, now we have a new character in our life story: "Head-fish dog" (with LOTS OF DEVEK!!!!!).

They're fun creatures.

Okay, on to Torah!
"Every naturally talented individual among you shall come forth and make all that G-d has ordered" (Shemos 35:10).

Rav Shimshon Pincus was once speaking to a person about secular subjects and day schools that devote a significant amount of their day to secular studies. Rav Pincus asked this person whether he thought that the Moshiach would view yeshiva high schools offering secular studies alongside with Torah studies as a proper path.

This person’s father was a well-known, religious doctor. A few days later, Rav Pincus received a letter from this professor.

"Dear Rav Pincus, I wish to ask you a question: If the Rambam would come alive today, would he be accepted as a rebbe in one of the yeshivas that do not focus on secular subjects? Didn’t the Rambam also study philosophy, medicine, and general science?"

"Indeed," answered Rav Pincus, "the professor posed a good question, to which we should devote some thought. As we know, the yeshivas do not teach secular subjects (Michael’s note: with exception of some of the basics such as math and some science). Why? What is our outlook on secular studies, and how do we explain the fact that great Torah luminaries of the past engaged in various secular studies such as science? If this was acceptable for the Rambam, why isn’t it acceptable for us? The best answer to this question lies in the Rambam’s own words, in a letter he sent to a student of his (Teshuvos HaRambam III p.57):

"'Before I was formed in the womb, I knew the Torah. And before I left the womb, You sanctified me. And in order to disseminate the fountains of Torah, you placed me. And Torah is my beloved gazelle and the wife of my youth. In whose love I have been engrossed since I was young. Nevertheless, many foreign women became her associates: Moabites, Ammonites, Sidonites, Edomites and Hittites.

"'Hashem, may He be blessed, knows that they were taken in the first place only to be perfumers, cooks and bakers for her - to show the nations and the princes her beauty, for she is of exceptionally fine appearance.'"

We see that the Rambam himself testifies that there were "other women" in his life, next to the Torah, his wife. However, he also testifies that they were mere "perfumers, cooks, and bakers," and nothing more.

Let me give a brief example.

There are two members of the kollel who are basically "doing their own thing." They are well above everybody else in terms of brains and the ability to sit and learn. Their view on learning is simple: know it well and see it with your own eyes. One of the things they have been learning is dealing with time. When does the day start, when does it end. (Believe it or not, it's not so simple.) When they learned that I know a bit of astronomy, they took my astronomy books and studied the relevant things that they needed to know. Then they had me take them out at 2 a.m. to show them the stars and give them a first-hand tour of the night sky. And every night, they go out to the same spot where they have a clear view, and mark down when certain stars start to become visible. They know more about astronomy then most secular high-school seniors.

This is only one example of many, concerning their studies.

Secular studies are not inherently evil, but they must be used properly. They are mere "servants of the house." If you or your husband had a cook at home who was young and attractive, and you saw that you or your husband was making a connection with said cook on any emotional level, that cook would be out the door for the sake of your marriage. That is why there is no focus on secular subjects in yeshiva. The students need to love only one woman. When they need to know more information to help them in their studies or other areas of life, they will be able to learn it, but they will always know who is the wife, and who is the cook.

Ironically, there is a school in the States named after the Rambam that mixes up the daily schedule: religious studies, secular studies, religious studies, secular studies, to show that both are "Torah." But we see from the words of the Rambam himself that he never believed in such a thing. Torah is the main subject, and everything else is secondary, and is used only in order to help "show the nations and the princes her beauty."

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

Michael Winner

Well… it’s seems that the Jewish State has made it illegal for people to learn Torah in kollel without having to serve time in an army which does not respect their religious rights and has constantly broken their promises to the community concerning religious freedom. (yes, that was a long sentence)

Wow.

I heard recently that there is no way we can call Israel a Jewish State. A State for Jews? Sure. But “Jewish”? One that upholds Jewish law and ethics? One that is actually JEWISH?

No.

Several years ago, we bought an apartment across “the green line” as an investment. Before buying it, we went to one of our rabbeim to seek his advice. One of the issues that we discussed is what happens if the government turns over said community to the Arabs? His response was classic and you need to picture an old, Englishman, smiling and saying: “So what? We’re chareidim! What do we care what the government said! So, they’ll come with their police and army took take everybody away? We’ll bop them on the head! Okay… they’ll probably be wearing helmets… so we’ll bop them on their helmets!”

Whenever there have been anti-Torah legislation in Israel, the religious world has come out on top. We’re not afraid to go to prison, and we certainly cannot pay any fines, and I know they were/are (?) looking to take away even more money (60% cuts weren’t enough) from the yeshivos… but in the end, the religious world has some support Above which the government does not have…

“And he made for it a crown of gold all around” (Shemos 37:2)

The incense Altar, the Table, and the Holy Ark all had golden crowns on them. They represented the three spiritual crowns: The crown of Priesthood, which the Cohanim have. The crown of Kingship, which belongs to King David. And finally the crown of Torah, which is free for all who want (Yoma 72b).

Once Rav Shach was walking with his grandson, Rav Avraham Bergman in Bnei Brak. He stopped, sighed, and said, “Archeologists, collectors, and antiquities hunters pay enormous sums for broken and worm riddled artifacts from just a few hundred years ago. Our Torah is the most previous object in heaven and earth and it was given to us more than three thousand years ago, yet it lies in the corner and no one wishes to claim it! No one chases after it to raise it up and embrace it in his arms! When the Holy Ark fell into the possession of the Pelishtim (Book of Samuel), even THEY were awestruck, saying ‘Oh! Who will save us from the hand of this mighty G-d?’”

Amazing! Even the non-Jews living in Eretz Yisroel were humbled and awed by Hashem and his Torah and here, today, we have a government full of Jews doing its best to limit it!

Perhaps, the reason that the government has been so successful in their edicts recently is because we ourselves have failed to appreciate Torah learning. Perhaps, we are not supporting it financially. Perhaps, we are not learning it enough (or at all). Perhaps, even when we are supposed to be learning it, we are talking to our friends instead. Who knows? But every decree so far has been targeting the learning of Torah.

We do know one thing. Decrees limiting Torah learning (via financial threats and imprisonment) and practice (via the army and their rules), do not come into the world randomly. Hashem sends these people, like He sent Haman, to pass these decrees to force us to do teshuvah. When we identify and correct our sins, like Purim, the decrees will be nullified, Haman and his family will be punished, and we we’ll grow to new spiritual heights.

Have a great Shabbos!

I learn every day with a friend of mine, who’s a snobby Englishman. Behind us, sits another American (who married Israeli), who we are also good friends with. Yesterday, I was discussing a point in the Gemara with them, and said, “Okay, fine… let’s just pretend for a moment that you are a psychopathic maniac…” At that point, my American friend stops me and says, “Don’t say that word too loudly”. When asked to explain which word and why, he replied, “Maniac… it’s a swear word in Israeli society that ranks lower than most four-letter words you can think of, and only low class people use such a word”.

Well… you learn things new every day. When in Israel, don’t say “Maniac”.

Okay, on to Torah!
“And you shall not light a fire in all your inhabitants on Shabbos” (Shemos 35:3)

The simple meaning of this pasuk is rather simple. Don’t light fires on Shabbos.

I could save us all time and just end this dvar Torah here, but let’s try to take this a bit deeper.

The Zohar explains that this pasuk is hinting towards something else. The “fire” that it’s speaking about is the “fire” of anger. Just as it’s forbidden to light a fire on Shabbos, so to, is it forbidden to light the fire of anger.

While it’s true that it is forbidden to get angry throughout the week, it is permissible to SHOW anger or to get angry A LITTLE BIT to one’s children, for example, if it’s being used to educate them and this showing of anger is conducive to that.

One should never actually get angry to the point that it controls you, but should rather show it and try not to feel it. Not an easy thing to do, by far. One trick I try to use, is after I need to punish or raise my voice at one of the kids, I will try to turn my face towards my wife and give her an evil smile, as if I’m enjoying being evil to my kids. While my children don’t see it, I feel it, and it puts me in a lighter mood immediately.

On Shabbos, however, it seems that even this type of anger is forbidden. Shabbos is a day of rest and simcha, and one shouldn’t ruin it even with a little amount of anger.

I saw Rav Pincus quote a Rambam (Hilchos Tshuva 3:1-2) which states, that, “Every person has merits and sins. If his merits outweighs his sins, he’s a tzaddik. If his sins outweigh his merits, he’s a rasha (evil man). While it’s impossible to know where you are standing on such a scale, Rav Pincus explains, that when a person loses his temper, it is a clear sign that his sins outweigh his merits, and being so, he is obviously in a spiritually dangerous situation.

Therefore, when one loses his temper, he needs to not only do teshuvah (repentance) for becoming angry, but he should also do teshuvah for whatever other sins he might have done that is currently outweighing his merits. With that, his sins will turn to merits, and he will be brought out of this dangerous position.

With that, I wish you all a great Shabbos!

The winter is slowly coming to an end and for a few days, we had a touch of spring.

Thankfully, this winter brought us a lot of much needed rain. It was the first time in seven years since we've seen such a downfall, thank G-d. In the past, I always felt bad about enjoying the spring weather. After having such a mild winter, with little rain, you don't feel like you "earned" it. But now, during those warm sunny days, after months of cold, cloudy, and rainy days? Especially knowing the importance of such rain? It's a nice feeling... The grass (there's grass up north!) is green, the mountains are green, and you know the trees and crops will produce well... We know that bracha that enters the world via Eretz Yisroel. May this only be a good sign for our future!
"But the seventh day shall be holy for you" (Shemos 33:2)

I saw a wonderful piece written by Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein. He explained that many people fail to utilize their Shabbos meals properly, so families end up eating three meals on Shabbos, minus the Shabbos.

Just as the wife works hard to cook for Shabbos, the husband has an obligation to work hard on making the Shabbos table a SHABBOS table. Granted, it's not easy, since you're dealing with X amount of children divided into different age ranges and genders, along with different personalities and needs. However, an honest attempt needs to be made.

Rav Zilberstein knew of an outstanding Torah scholar would sit and write for hours in the beis medresh on Wednesday and Thursday. At first, people thought he was writing for what he was learning in the kollel during the week, however, he was constantly using the Chumash; instead, he should have been using a Gemara.

So, one day they asked him what he spends so much time on every week. He replied that he reviews the parsha and prepares different questions for his children to answer. He gives the questions to his children on Thursday and then on Shabbos, they bring their answers to the table with them. At the Shabbos meal, all the children would read his or her answers out loud, and he would praise the hard work they put into it.

Of course, you don't have to do that. You can set it up so each child gets to choose with Shabbos song to sing or which tune to use. You can encourage dvrei Torah from your children and reward them for their hard work. There are many ways to make the Shabbos table more exciting.

Obviously, every family is different, with different needs. The important part is for the father to invest time and energy into making the Shabbos table a SHABBOS table and not merely another weekday meal with fancy dishes.

Have a great Shabbos!

I came home from Shabbos davening a few weeks ago with a realization that I never had before: I’m not the Alpha Male of the family. My word is not godlike, nor does my family treat me like a deity. Obviously, I’m doing something wrong.

So, I spoke to my wife about it.

The first thing she asked is “If you’re not an Alpha Male, what are you, then?”

I replied, “A Zebra Male”

“What’s a Zebra Male?”

“Prey.”

So… I’ve been working hard on it. I’ve replaced her first name with “Woman” and have referred myself as “The Alpha Male”. Two weeks and no major improvements.

However, my wife took Rochel Leah to a new doctor this week. The doctor asked her, “So, you’re the oldest. Does that make you the big boss?”

“No,” was the reply.

“So you’re mommy’s the big boss?”

“No… Abba’s the big boss.”

There’s still hope.
I'm pretty happy about finding this week's dvar torah. I helped answer one of the big questions I have every year at this time. That being, why does the Torah spend so much time within so many parshiyos to describe the Mishkan and all of the utensils within it? Then practically repeat itself and describe the construction of the Mishkan. One would think that the Torah would spend more time on laws and ethics. Why so much time on the Mishkan?

There are two main approaches to what to learn from the Mishkan. Rabbeinu Bachya explains that the Mishkan is a representation of the spiritual universe. By learning and understanding the Mishkan, we can have a better understanding of the spiritual realm.

The Ibn Ezra says that through learning about the Mishkan, Hashem's house, so to speak, we can learn how we should set up a Jewish home. Each utensil represents different ideas that are unique to a Jewish home. By properly learning about them and their representations, we have an idea on how we should run our homes.

At the end of the parsha, Rabbeinu Bachya explains that importance of learning about the Mishkan. Just as a person who says korbonos (the laws concerning sacrifices) every day before davening is counted as if he actually brought those sacrifices, so too a person who learns about the Mishkan, is as if he rebuilt the Beis HaMikdash.

With that, I wish you all a good Shabbos!

My neighbor just married off his first child last week. At one of the Sheva Brachos, a friend of the chosson (groom) stood up to give a dvar torah. He started off with a question. Why is it at Sheva Brachos, a person stands up, gives a dvar torah, and then ends off praising the chosson? Just skip the dvar torah and go straight to praising the chosson! After all, that's all people want to hear!

The answer, he said, lies in the spies who toured the Land of Israel and came back with slanderous remarks. If you look carefully, their report started off with truths about the Land, and only after, did they begin to say falsehoods. Why? Because when you start off with a truth, it's easier to pass off the falsehoods as truth as well. So too here, we start off with truth, with a dvar Torah, and only then can we get away by praising the chosson!"

Pretty darn good line if you ask me!

Okay, on to Torah!
"Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Almighty" (Shemos 35:5)

Rav Simcha Zissel of Kelm explains that we should read this pasuk as it is; we should bring our hearts. Hashem was not interested in the monetary donation towards the building of the Mishkan as he was about the intent of the person giving it. Whenever a person gives money or time to a charity, he should do so in a heartfelt manner, because THAT is the main point of giving. The money and time is only secondary.

How we display our love for giving tzedakah also affects how our children give.

We will sometimes receive people knocking on the door collecting for all types of charities several times a night. So thankfully my daughter has the opportunity to see tzedakah being given quite often. We usually keep a jar of shekels on the table near the door, and when somebody comes to collect, we give some to Rochel Leah to give and we give some as well.

Now, I admit, I usually go and answer the door, give them money, and wish them success. I don't do it with a frown, but at the same time, I don't do it with simcha. They come so often, you don't really think much about it.

When my parents came to visit a few months ago, they bought Rochel Leah a little wallet to go with her purse (of course… what girls doesn’t have a matching purse and wallet set…sigh). In it, my father put a few argorot (the Israeli "penny") in it for her to play with. The next time somebody came to collect, we gave him money and she ran off yelling, "Rochel Leah give! Rochel Leah give!" She gets her wallet and hands him a few coins.

At that point I realized that while, thankfully, she has picked up on the concept of giving money, it’s very important to do so with simcha. So, I'm trying my best to be more "simcha-dik" in my giving.

By giving with our hearts, we will not only be giving some of ourselves to Hashem, but we will ensure that our children will be charitable people as well.