Sefiras HaOmer

Shortly before his death, David Ben Gurion had a dream where two angels visited him. They told him that he had only a few more days to live and it was up to him where he wanted to go afterwards. Naturally, he had two choices: Heaven or Gehenom.

“Well… can I see them both to get an idea?” asked Ben Gurion.

“Sure, no problem” they responded, and within a flash they were transported to a giant beis medresh, where millions of Torah scholars were learning.

“Who’s that guy in front?” asked Ben Gurion.

“That’s Moshe”, replied the angels.

“Uh-huh… looks pretty boring. What’s Gehenom like?”

Within a flash, they were transported to a beach party, with millions of people playing volleyball, listening to music, surrounded by BBQs with racks full of meat, etc, etc..

“And this is…?”

“Gehenom”, replied the angels.

“Really? WOW! I LOVE it here! THIS is where I want to go when I die!”

After filling out all the appropriate documents, he was returned to this world to live out the next few days.

Shortly after, David Ben Gurion died.

His soul, happy with his choice, was taken down to Gehenom where he was subjected to the most brutal torture that could possibly be afflicted on somebody. He cried out, “WHERE’S THE BEACH PARTY? WHERE’S THE BBQ? WHERE’S ALL THE FUN THAT I SAW ONLY A FEW DAYS AGO!?!?!?”

The angels answered him: “Oh THAT? No, no, no… that’s for when you’re a tourist, NOW you’re an oleh chadash (new immigrant)”

Anybody who’s made aliyah can appreciate this joke.

Just this past week, I was informed that I owe the National Insurance Agency 13,000 shekels. It seems that Betuach Leumi (the national insurance agency) is actually protected BY LAW that they do NOT have to tell you that you owe them any money. In my particular case, I never received anything in the mail from them stating that I had to pay them. I thought that it was coming out of my wife’s pay along with her payment to them. I had no reason to think otherwise.

A few years ago, I heard that this is one of the many scams that Betuach Leumi pulls on people and I really need to look into it. . (Another great thing they do, which we got caught in, is they can take the payments directly from your bank account, automatically. However, they schedule it for the day AFTER the payment is due, and then CHARGE you for late payments). So, I immediately went to the local office and asked them to check my account. “Clear”, they said, I don’t owe them any money. They even gave me a username and password to check my account on-line, which also said I’m clear.

Okay, I guess my wife is covering for both of us, after all.

Then, last week when I went to get a letter from them, they informed me that I owe 7 years of backpay, interest, and a penalty. I told them the situation and even made some phone calls and used some protexia, but to no avail. They’re being “nice” by knocking off the penalty and the interest that has quietly been accumulating against me, but I need to pay off the whole sum. So, I’m hoping they will allow me to pay it off over five years, which will cost me an additional 260 shekels every month.

So typical.

Okay, on to Torah!
From Pesach until Shavous, we “count the Omer”, and prepare ourselves for Shavous. It’s a time for teshuvah and building. With teshuvah and building, comes the danger of slipping, falling, or more seriously depression and/or giving up.

My Rosh Yeshiva spoke about this idea a few weeks ago. He pointed out that as high as 90% of the Jewish people were killed in Egypt during the plague of darkness, because they did not really want to leave Egypt. Only a minority of the nation actually left Egypt and made it to Mount Sinai. Quoting the Medresh, he noted that there were very few differences between the Jews that were killed in the plagues and those that survived to leave. What was the main difference between the two? One had a desire to leave and one didn’t.

This is something that is important to keep in mind during these days. Yes, any time we push ourselves to improve, we will slip or have thoughts of doubts on if we are “worthy” of receiving the Torah. We are reminded about our past sins, some in the far past, some from as recent from today. However, the key to keep in mind is, “I WANT to improve”. If we have that in mind and we seriously believe it, than no matter how many times we fall or how deep we fall, there is ALWAYS hope and you are ALWAYS worthy of receiving the Torah.

Have a great Shabbos!

Today, Pesach Sheini, marks the first yartzeit of Rabbi Chaim Flom, whom my son was named after. Thousands around the world, every week, would receive his very short and very sharp, words of Torah via email every Erev Shabbos. For his yartzeit, Yeshivas Ohr Dovid, which he helped found, published a small booklet containing these dvrei torah.

I thought it would be appropriate to share one tonight in honour of Rav Chaim Moshe Flom.
“Wow! I can’t wait for Monday. It will be 20 years since I opened my retirement plan!!”

“It’s amazing that you’ve put money in every month!”

“Well, ummm, I haven’t actually invested as much as I was supposed to…”

When we “count the Omer”, we do so in the ascending order (one day, two days, etc…). Why isn’t this countdown to Shavous, when we received the Torah, done in descending order like other countdowns (i.e. 5,4,3,2,1, blastoff)?

The lesson to be learned is that our being worthy of receiving and appreciating the great figt of the Torah is based on our continuous build-up of spiritual growth.

Are you making your regular deposits?

I’m growing more and more attached to the concept of Chol HaMoed (the ‘intermediate days’ of Pesach and Sukkos).

We don’t have Sundays here, and for my wife and I, our work week begins right after Havdalah. My wife has only Chol Hamoed off and can take a few days a year off. Me… well, technically I can take off whenever I want, but I have clients to keep happy thankfully. So Chol HaMoed comes along and what happens?

My wife and I are beside ourselves on what to do after Yom Tov and Shabbos! We actually could clean up in a nice fashion, relax and not worry about work. Every morning, I’ve awoken for the 5:45 am minyan, came home after davening, had a relaxing breakfast with my family, went to learn for a few hours, went out with the family for a trip, came home, made dinner, davened, and went to bed early (i.e. before 12 am). It’s relaxing, you spend time with your family, don’t even think about work or finances, and go to sleep early.

Anybody out there interested in turning my entire life into a Chol HaMoed?

Didn’t think so… okay, on to Torah!
I’ve been going through “49 Steps to Greatness” by Rabbi Ephraim Nisenbaum over Sefiras HaOmer. He takes each of the 49 qualities, listed in Pirkei Avos that a person needs to acquire Torah and deals with them one day at a time.

Day Four is An Understanding Heart and in it he relates a story from Rav Shach which was very to the point and very important to internalize. I thought I would share it with you:

Rav Shach was once speaking to a group of yeshivah students. “If you were ninety-nine years old, had just endured a painful circumcision, and now saw three dusty idolaters traveling in the wilderness, it’s very possible you would run towards them and offer them a place to rest and a meal. After all, that is exactly what we learn about our ancestor Avraham. Then how is it that yeshivah students sit at the table when a new student appears, and they don’t run to greet him with offers to sit down and to bring him food? Students understand what a kal v’chomer (tough to translate… a type of logical deduction) is, yet they don’t see that if a ninety-nine year old invalid runs to help three idolaters, certainly young and healthy students should help another Jew! That is only because they learn the Torah’s account with their mind and not their heart”

A very powerful statement. The Torah isn’t some secular study where you simply try to memorize the correct answers. It’s there to take every lesson you can find and apply it to your life, changing who you are, and making you a better person.

Have a great Yom Tov and Shabbos!

We spent our second Shabbos in America with another family who used to be our neighbors before they moved back to the States. He's continuing to learn in kollel and thank G-d is doing very well.

The kollel that he is in is funded by one individual who owns the homes that the families are living in. The one that our friends are living in, is brand new, three floors, six bedrooms, a very nice kitchen, etc... This, for a six person family who used to live in a small 3 bedroom apartment in Jerusalem.

Do you want to know what proper Jewish education is?

The eldest daughter, age seven, happens to be a very intelligent and talkative little one. Over Shabbos, she was speaking to my wife and asked, "How many rooms are in your apartment?"

"We have two bedrooms", replied my wife.

She went silent for a moment then sagely responded, "You know... that's all you really need. All of this? It's not really needed"

It's amazing. Thank G-d, this family has good financial backing and has never lacked anything, even while living in Israel. Yet, my wife and I could never 'smell' the money in their behaviour. To be able to have children to say such things shows you a lot.

Okay, on to Torah!
Considering that Lag B'Omer falls out right after Shabbos this year, I thought it would be nice to go over a nice Gemara on Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai, who's yartzeit (day of death) we commemorate.

The Gemara is located in Brachos 35b. At this point, the Gemara is covering several apparent contradictions in verses in the Torah. One such case is that of, "You will gather your grain" (Dvarim 11, also found in the Shema) and "This sefer Torah will never leave your mouth; rather you should contemplate it day at you observe to do according to all that is written in it..." (Yehoshua 1:8).

The Gemara asks, is this to be read literally? If so, how can one collect his grain, when Hashem commanded him that Torah should never leave his mouth day and night? If he's busy learning Torah day and night, when will he have time to collect his grain? Two answers are given, which have interesting halachic ramifications (see last year's dvar torah).

Rebbe Yishmael says that it's not literal. A person must do work to feed his family IN ORDER to learn Torah (side note: not work for the sake of working, rather work IN ORDER to learn Torah).

Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai says, NO! It's to be taken literally! If you plow the field in the time of plowing, and seed the field in the time of planting, and cut the grain in the time of cutting, etc..., what will ever happen to Torah?

Rather, when the Torah says, 'You shall gather your grain', it is speaking of times when the Jewish nation is not learning and fulfilling the Torah, and is being punished to work! What happens when the Jewish nation does what it's supposed to do? "Foreigners will stand and tend your flocks and the sons of the stranger will be your plowmen... and you will be called 'Priests of Hashem'" (Isaiah 61:5)

Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai would be considered an extremist by today's standards. He held, and the Rambam says that the halacha is like him for those who volunteer for this lifestyle, that if a person dedicates is entire life, 100%, to serving Hashem; Hashem will take care of all his needs. Again, see last year’s dvar torah for more detail.

Unfortunately, many people celebrate Lag b’Omer with bonfires, music, BBQs, and other festive events, and completely lose track on whose yartzeit they are commemorating.

Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai was about learning Torah. No interruptions, no working for a living, no taking part in the physical world more than necessary. He was about learning and acting according to the dictates of the Gemara. He went so far to rule that a person is obligated to learn and allow Hashem to care for all of his needs.

I think it behooves us all to take some time out this Lag B'Omer and dedicate it solely for learning in the zchus of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai.

Tonight, we commemorate the passing of Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, one of Rebbe Akiva's five main disciples. It is interesting to note, that the only commemoration of a great Sage’s death that is noted throughout the Jewish world, is that of Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai. Not even for Moshe himself, do we recognize in such a public manner!

Now, there are many deep reasons that we mark the yartzeit of Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, most of them are well above everybody's intellectual and spiritual level (except mine of course). However I think it behooves us to have some idea who Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai and equally important, Rebbe Akiva was.

As many people know, Rebbe Akiva started his learning at the age of forty. Until then, he was simply "Akiva"; an ignoramus. In fact, the Gemara quotes his testimony saying that when he was younger he hated Torah scholars more than ever. However, at the age of forty he did tshuvah and began learning Torah from the beginning: with the aleph beis.

Naturally, the beginning was difficult. The Gemara relates how difficult it was and how Rebbe Akiva's wife played such a crucial role.

Being that he was learning from the beginning, he was sharing classes with those who were much younger than he was. Being immature, the kids mocked and ridiculed the forty year old sitting in their midst.

It came to a point where Akiva was about to give up. His wife heard nothing of the sort. So, she decided to use unconventional means to bring her husband around.

She bought a donkey with a wound on its side and planting a plant called Shakkaliyim, which used the liquid from the open wound to grow. A few days later, she took Akiva to the market place and called out, "Shakkaliyim! Who wants fresh Shakkaliyim?" Seeing the spectacle of a woman with a donkey with Shakkaliyim growing from it put people in tears. They mocked and teased, but she didn't flinch. The next day, she repeated the call and again, she was teased. Day after day she continued this, yet day after day, the jeers calmed down. The marketplace got used to this spectacle, and considered her to be part of everyday life.

Learning this lesson, Akiva went back to the yeshiva and became the great Rebbe Akiva. It was this same Rebbe Akiva whose five main disciples carried the banner of Torah and enabled Judaism to survive throughout the dark Roman times. Not only do we have Rebbe Akiva to thank, but we have his wife, who was responsible for him following his destiny.

So, the question remains: We can understand why Rebbe Akiva would have his yartzeit commemorated, but why his student Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai?

Again, I will only speak only of one of many reasons.

Rebbe Akiva saved Torah. Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai lived it to the maximum.

After being informed on the Roman government, Rebbe Shimon and his son had to flee. So, as the story from the Gemara goes, they fled to a cave. From there, they spent twelve years learning Torah in a cave living off of a Carob tree and a spring of water, which Hashem created. After twelve years of uninterrupted study reaching “the highest of highs”, they emerged from the cave.

One of the first things Rebbe Shimon saw were frum people working and planting the land. What did Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai do? He sentenced them to death. Why? Because they were 'wasting' their time working the land. According to Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, we are put on earth for one thing; the learning and fulfillment of the Torah. Income? Hashem will provide. Just as He did for them inside the cave.

What did Hashem do to Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai and his son? He told them to return to the cave for another year and learn to be a little more tolerant. He did NOT say that they were wrong; but that he simply needed to understand that not everybody is on his level and can live like that..

There is a question in the Gemara on what perspective a person should view making a living. Rebbe Yishmael holds that a person should work ONLY to support himself in learning Torah. Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai holds that a person should NEVER leave full time learning, and trust that Hashem will take care of him. Note, that these are the only two options. Getting rich or making money for the sake of having nice things is not one of them.

So, what is the halacha for today? The Rambam and Shulchan Oruch hold that the halacha is NOT like Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai. A person can work, but only to support Torah. They are to work for three hours during the day and learn for nine hours.

However, the Rambam writes at the end of Hilchos Shmittah V'Yovel that those who are on the level and wish to live their life like Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, MAY do so and Hashem WILL take care of them.

What does that constitute? It constitutes living like Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai: No outside world and nothing but Torah and trust in Hashem. That's it! (like it's so easy).

It's Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai and those few who follow in his way who have been in the forefront of the survival of the transmission of Torah. This is just one reason we look towards Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai. He was the epitome of the "Only Torah" approach. The total and complete immersion in Torah.

Perhaps many of us cannot live up to such high standards. However, we should look at Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai and his lifestyle and at least appreciate and understand the greatness of such people and the important role they have played in the history of our nation.

Have a meaningful Lag B'Omer!

I just received an email from somebody today (a woman...go figure) asking me to possible share my "feelings" that I am going through living here in Israel. Thankfully, she correctly surmised that as a guy, I don't do "feelings". However, throughout the course of this site, I will of course share THOUGHTS and INSIGHTS as I see fit. Chances are, a lot of my introductions will be revolving around life here, and thankfully, very little around politics and other things, for reasons to be mentioned later. Don't worry, I'll try my best to continue to publically embarress my father!

I think this week, I'll give you a basis on where I am. I'm currently living/learning at Yeshivat Toras Simcha, located on Sorotzkin Street in the neighborhood of Mattersdorf in Jerusalem. Anybody who has been to Jerusalem probably knows of this area. This neighborhood is 100% frum. It's more black and white then the Amish could possibly be. Every Shabbos the streets close down completely. For 25 hours, they are no longer occupied by cars and buses, but rather couples and children, walking or playing ball or jump-rope. I'll write more on that later.

My yeshiva is home to approximatly forty single guys (average age: 20), and has 20 or so kollel members (married guys; average age: 26). As a single guy, I have the privalege of living in the building. I share a small room with three others, one who is currently engaged (to a friend of yours, Shoshana...ps. nice pictures), and a Brit from Manchester. We occupy the "Executive Suite". We only have three people in the room, with our own washroom and shower, compared to everybody else who has four people, and have to share four showers and toilets down the hall. G-d has been good to me. :)

The official day starts at 7:15 am and ends at 10:30 pm. We have just over two hours for a lunch break, and fifty minutes for a dinner break. With those exceptions we are learning full-time. For those who haven't tried it...it's no simple feat. I think that lays a nice basis for future dvrei torah. This Saturday night/Sunday day, we will be celebrating Lag B'Omer. It's traditional to hold bonfires on this night. In fact, here in Israel, starting right after Pesach, you see children collecting anything that is not held down and preparing their own bonfires. I've seen them working on some two stories high. Unfortunately for them, they don't have what we have. Combat engineers (ie Professional Yeshiva Pyromaniacs). I believe we have 40 crate boxes locked up, ready to go. Needless to say, pictures will be put up as soon as possible. Speaking of...I've already put some up on the website. In the mean time...on to Torah!


This coming Saturday night/Sunday we celebrate Lag B'Omer. Now, I'm sure we're all wondering exactly what Lag B'Omer is, and why we are celebrating it.

As we know, from Pesach until Shavous, we count each night of the Omer. Lag B'Omer falls on the thirty-third night of the Omer ("Lag", consists of the letters "lamed" and "gimel", whose numerically value equals thirty-three).

"Rabbi Akiva had twenty-four thousand students, and all of them died at the same time of the year during the omer, because they failed to give honour to each other" (Yevamos 62b)

There are varying opinions as of which days Rabbi Akiva's students died, but the most prevalent opinion is that they began to die right after Pesach and the "plague" ended on Lag B'Omer. Hence, during those days, we are in a semi-state of mourning (i.e. no music, men cannot shave or get haircuts). On Lag B'Omer, however, we leave our state of mourning, and celebrate.

So, what exactly is going on concerning the death of Rabbi Akiva's students? Especially considering that there were twenty-four thousand of them.

Now, we have to understand something. Rabbi Akiva wasn't just some everyday rabbi. He was one of the greatest leaders of his generation. His students weren't just everyday students either. They too were the top of their generation. So, what exactly happened to cause all of their deaths? The Gemara makes note that did not give honour to each other. Again, what exactly does that mean? Unlike the university systems, we do not call a person 'great' based solely on their brain. We also consider their character. In order to be a student of Rabbi Akiva, you not only had to have a great mind, but a good character.

How exactly does giving honour work? When one person gives another one honour, he is in fact recognizing that somehow, that other person is superior to himself in someway. Says the Shem MiShmuel, this only works when people view each other as individual people, with individual personalities. After all, if people viewed themselves, not as individuals, but as just one cog in the system, no different from the next, then his friend is no better or worse then he is. Hence, we have the plague called Communism. And from Communism, you have hippies. Boy, do I hate hippies... I'm sorry, where was I? One of the reasons communism failed, is that individual talents were not recognized. Everybody was the same, working for the 'greater good of the people'. Blach...

When everybody is the same then there is no way of giving honour to others. After all, how can I recognize the greatness of somebody, if they're not so great after all? This is the trap that the students of Rabbi Akiva fell into.

Judaism clearly holds that we are a community that consists of individuals. We do not identify ourselves only as a community or only as individuals. We are both. We cannot look at other people and wonder why they do not live up to our 'high' standards. Each person was put on earth for a different mission. Some follow chassidus, some are more into mussar. Some have this custom, some have that custom. Some are to be rabbis, teachers, tailors, computer nerds, and doctors. And no, Ira Piltz. Nobody was destined to be a lawyer. That is a direct result of the Yetzer Horah.

The father of the Shem MiShmuel suggests that Rabbi Akiva's students viewed themselves only as a community. Accordingly, they did not recognize each others individual strengths, failing to show each other the proper respect due.

Additionally, the father of the Shem MiShmuel had another small insight concerning this.

The period of the Omer takes place during the months of Nissan, Iyar, and Sivan. The astronomical sign for Nissan is the sheep. How appropriate is it that sheep should be the sign during the month of our redemption when we, as a people, were born. Just as sheep always travel together, so too did the Jewish people.

The sign for the month of Iyar is the bull. Bulls tend not to move together, unless herded down thin streets in Spain, being chased and trampling a slew of silly Spaniards. During this time of the Omer, we look at ourselves as individuals seeing how we can improve ourselves.

Then comes the month of Sivan, containing Shavous. Here the astronomical sign is Gemini The Twins. Here, we have two different individuals, working together as one. This is the ideal form of service to Hashem. Individuals using their strengths and weaknesses as a community to serve Hashem.

Have a great Shabbos and Lag B'Omer!

As we all know, starting on the second day of Pesach, we began the counting of the Omer, aka "Sfiras HaOmer". Each night, for forty-nine days, we make a counting, "Day One", "Day Two", etc... all leading up to Shavous.

Several questions arise concerning Sfiras HaOmer, such as why do we count upwards, instead of down? Why is it called "Sfiras HaOmer"? If anything, should it not be called "Sfiras HaShavous", since we are counting towards Shavous? And finally, why is it the Torah commands us to count fifty days, and we only count forty-nine (Shavous is the fiftieth)? Rabbi Tatz, naturally, comes in and gives us some insight to the concept of Sfiras HaOmer.

Sfiras HaOmer is not a simple 'counting down' to some big event. We count down to things such as birthdays or anniversaries, but that is because they are dates where something is commemerative. Shavous on the other hand, isn't a simple holiday where we celebrate the giving of the Torah. It is a day where we actually receive the Torah once again. Of course, in order to properly receive the Torah, we must prepare ourselves for it. Sfiras HaOmer is such a time of preperation, and that is why we are counting upwards. When an accountant counts money, he counts, "One dollar, two dollars, three dollars...", always building upwards. So too, Sfiras HaOmer is time for building, hence we count, "Day One, Day Two...". Each day is adding on to the work of previous days.

Rabbi Tatz continues and compares Sfiras HaOmer to music. Music is comprised of several notes that are strung together. These notes, when played individually, mean and sound like nothing. Yet, when they are placed with other notes in a song, these same notes take on a whole new meaning. Day One of Sfiras HaOmer is the first note. Day two, is the second. This continues for forty-nine days. Finally, we hit Shavous. When we turn around, we notice a song comprimised of forty-nine different notes. So what is the note for Shavous? The answer is: it's not a note. Shavous is a compilation of all forty-nine notes. Shavous IS the song! By slowly and maticulously building each note day by day, we finally complete an entire song on Shavous. That is why we do not count the fiftieth day! Because there is no fiftieth note! That day exists not by itself, but rather as a comilation of the previous forty-nine days!

We started to build a path on the second day of Pesach when the Korban Omer was brought. For the next six and a half weeks, we are to continue to build that path. Yet, their is a difference between this path and other paths. Other paths lead towards a destination. Sfiras HaOmer creates one!