The connection between Gd, Torah and human being

Hi,

"When a person is distant from Torah, he is distant from Gd. When a person brings himself close to Torah, Gd brings that person close to Him."

(Zohar Vayyikra 21:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

"Let there be Israel"

Hi,

Some of you may recognize this one from almost two years ago; I just really like it, so I'm re-running it. R' Samson Raphael Hirsch equates "Let there be light" with "Let there be Israel," both of them fundamental to the Divine plan:

"The whole event of the Deliverance of Israel from Egypt - a Divine manifestation which laid the foundation of Isael as a people - together with everything which stems from it and which it teaches - stands as you accept it, as indeed it was, as an action revealing Gd's work, an action brought into being, as it were, by another Divine imperative, 'Let there be,' in the history of mankind."

(R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 197)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The goal of a Jewish holiday

Hello,

"The Mo'adim [times of celebration] interrupt the ordinary activities of our life and give us spirit, power and consecration for the future by revivifying those ideas upon which our whole life is based, or they eradicate such evil consequences of past activity as are deadly to body and spirit, and thus restore to us lost purity and the hope of blessing."

(R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 162)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Torah study and Secular study

Hi,

"Ben Dama, the nephew of R’ Yishmael, asked R’ Yishmael: I have learned the entire Torah. May someone like me study Greek wisdom?

"R’ Yishmael responded by citing this verse (Joshua 1): ‘This Torah scroll will not leave your mouth, and you will speak of it day and night.’ Go find a time which is neither day nor night, and during that time you may study Greek wisdom."

(Talmud, Menachot 99b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Hope

Hi,

"One student prayed, 'May it be Gd's will that my wife conceive - if the child will live. Otherwise, may it be Gd's will that she not conceive.'

"His friend prayed, 'May it be Gd's will that my wife conceive.'

"The former asked: And would it be good if the child would die? It would be better that he not be born, as it is written (Kings II 27-28), 'Do not disappoint your maid,' 'Didn't I say not to fool me?'

"To which the latter replied: When the child is born, I will pray for it to live."

(R' Yehudah haChasid, Sefer Chasidim 501)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The true nature of Gd, and Humility

Hi,

"And the word of Gd said [to Elijah]: Go stand on the mountain before Gd, and Gd will pass by.

"There will be a great and powerful wind, crumbling mouintains and breaking boulders before Gd; Gd will not be in the wind.

"And after the wind there will be a noise; Gd will not be in the noise.

"And after the noise there will be a fire; Gd will not be in the fire.

"And after the fire there will be a thin, silent sound."

(Kings I 19:11-12)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

First things

Hello,

"Every Jew must believe and know that there is a First Thing, earliest and eternal, and that this First Thing caused and created all that is found in existence. This is Gd."

(Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Derech HaShem (Path of Gd) 1:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Improve this day, and it becomes your own

Hi,

"The most minimal level among the righteous is that they improve the sanctity of each day by fulfilling that day's obligations. When the day comes for them to depart from this world, all of those days are now theirs."

(R' Dovid Shlomo Eibeschitz, Arvei Nachal, Chayyei Sarah I)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Study and Action

Hi,

"This question was asked before Rabbi Tarfon and the sages: Is study greater, or is action greater?

"Rabbi Tarfon spoke up and said: Action is greater.

"Rabbi Akiva spoke up and said: Study is greater.

"All of them spoke up and said: Study is greater, for it leads to action."

(Talmud, Kiddushin 40b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Reward for mitzvot

Hi,

"Rabbi Yaakov said: The reward for mitzvot is not in this world."

(Talmud, Kiddushin 39b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Embarrassment, as punishment

Hi,

Note for the following thought: The words shame, embarrassment and humiliation are loaded words, both culturally and personally. I use "shame" in the translation here because it's the dictionary definition of the Hebrew, but I'm not sure that I would understand it in its American sense in the following lines.

"The Midrash (Yalkut on Tehillim 6) says: 'Gd only curses the wicked by shaming them for their deeds, as it is written, 'They will be greatly shamed and upset.'

"This is because there is greater benefit and educational rebuke in feeling ashamed than in other forms of punishment."

(R' Chaim Shmuelevitz, Sichot Mussar, Miketz 5732)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Two kinds of miracles

Hi,

"There are two types of miracles:

"1) A person is walking on the road and thieves fall upon him, and HaShem saves him from their hands, and he then gives praise and thanks to Gd;

"2) Gd protects a person such that thieves do not see him at all, and he does not see them. In this he benefits additionally, in that he is saved from anxiety and fear."

(R' Yechezkel Panet, Mareh Yechezkel, Parshat Chayyei Sarah)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Treatment of strangers

Hi,

"Do not let your face be angry toward passersby; receive them with a shining face. Do not forget to give them their travel needs, to escort them and to speak words of comfort to them [for their difficulties in travel]."

(Orchot Chaim, Rabbeinu Asher, #57-58)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The pursuit of righteousness

Hi,

"This is the behavior of a person who is a Jew, whose soul desires to serve Gd:

"Regarding whatever he knows to be a sin, or to be a proper path, he will wage war against his nature [lest it drive him to sin] using various strategies, and he will strengthen himself with great power and effort, with all of his ability, to guard it."

(R' Eliezer Papo, Pele Yoetz, Chozek)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Natural unity of the Jewish People

Hi,

"The scattering of the Jewish people among the nations is unnatural; since they are one nation, it would be appropriate for them to stand united and be one. We find in nature that entities which are naturally united remain un-split and instead coalesce as one."

(Maharal, Netzach Yisrael, Chapter 1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Popularity: Cause or Effect?

Hi,

"Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa was wont to say: If people are pleased with a certain person, that is a sign that Gd is pleased with that person, too."

(Pirkei Avot 3:10)

Is Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa saying that Gd is happy with a person who is pleasant to others? Or is he saying that popularity with others is a sign of Divine favor? (We can find classic sources to support each idea.)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Honor your mother

Hi,

"When Rabbi Tarfon's mother wished to ascend to her bed, he would bend down and pick her up. When she wished to descend, she descended upon him.

"When Rabbi Tarfon spoke of this in the beit midrash, the sages said to him, 'You still have not reached even half of the obligation for honor! Has she thrown a wallet into the sea, and you have refrained from embarrassing her?"

(Talmud, Kiddushin 31b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

"Today" is the measure of righteousness

Hi,

"Rabbi Yitzchak taught: A person is judged [in the Heavenly court] only based upon his current actions, as it is written [regarding Yishmael], 'Gd has heard the voice of the youth, as he is there.'"

(Talmud, Rosh haShanah 16b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The joy of Torah study

Hi,

"The Torah of Your mouth, Gd, is greater to me than thousands of silver and gold coins!"

(Psalms 119:72)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The meal of the angels

Hi,

"Why did Avraham provide the visiting angels a meal of meat, rather than fish?

"Because he wished to be energetic in performing mitzvot for them. Preparing meat involves many mitzvot, such as shechitah, salting the meat and removing prohibited parts, but no such mitzvot are involved in preparing fish."

(R' Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, Kedushat Levi to Parshat Vayyera)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Voting, per Rabbi Moshe Feinstein

Hello,

Please note that I expect not to be able to send out these daily emails between today and next Sunday, as I will be on the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley's trip to Israel. The next daily email, Gd-willing, will be Sunday November 9.

I am reproducing here Rabbi Moshe Feinstein's 1984 endorsement of voting in American elections:

On reaching the shores of the United States, Jews found a safe haven. The rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights have allowed us the freedom to practice our religion without interference and to live in this republic in safety.

A fundamental principle of Judaism is hakaras hatov -- recognizing benefits afforded us and giving expression to our appreciation. Therefore, it is incumbent upon each Jewish citizen to participate in the democratic system which safeguards the freedoms we enjoy. The most fundamental responsibility incumbent on each individual is to register and to vote.

Therefore, I urge all members of the Jewish community to fulfill their obligations by registering as soon as possible, and by voting. By this, we can express our appreciation and contribute to the continued security of our community.

Have a great day and week,
Mordechai

The intensity of our feelings for Torah

Hi,

"When Rav Safra died, the sages did not tear their clothing for the loss, because he was not their mentor.

"Abbaye rebuked them: Is the law taught, 'When one's mentor passes [one tears his clothing]?' It is taught, 'When any sage passes [one tears his clothing]!' Further, his lessons are in the mouths of people in the study hall every day!"

(Talmud, Moed Katan 25a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai