The merit of the Succah

Hi,

“'You shall sit in the succah for seven days' - This is parallel to the seven clouds of glory [which protected the Jews in the desert, on their way from Egypt to Israel].

"Also, the seven days when the Jews sit in the succah earn them seven chuppot: Cloud, smoke, light, fire, flame, glory of the Shechinah and the [messianic] succah of the Leviathan."

(Baal haTurim to Vayyikra 23:42)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Showing respect for bread

Hi,

"Four things were stated regarding bread: We do not place raw meat on bread, we do not pass a full cup over bread, we do not throw bread and we do not support a plate with bread."

(Talmud, Berachot 50b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Wisdom requires work

Hi,

"Don't [excuse yourself and] say, 'It's just that so-and-so is smart, and I am not smart.' It's that you did not apprentice yourself to scholars as he did."

(Derech Eretz Zuta 4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Yonah and the soul

Hi,

"This prophet hints at the human soul, as is stated in the Zohar (2:199a).

"Gd sends it to this world to improve the world. Instead, not only does it not repair, but it corrupts itself as well. After that Gd sends it into a second incarnation to repair, and it repairs, but in pain over its bad fate, as will be explained in this book."

(Vilna Gaon, Introduction to Yonah)

גמר חתימה טובה, May we be sealed for a great new year,
Mordechai

How to perform teshuvah

Hi,


"Among the paths of teshuvah is for the penitent to cry continually before Gd, in tears and with beseeching, and to perform tzedakah according to his abilities, and to greatly distance himself from that in which he had sinned, and to change his name, as if to say, ‘I am someone else, and I am not the one who performed those deeds.’ And for him to improve all of his deeds and follow a straight path, and to leave his place, for exile atones for sin, causing him to be brought low, to be humble and of low spirit."

(Maimonides, Laws of Repentance 2:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Avoid a hypocritical fast

Hi,

Sorry for the lack of an email yesterday; I let the day get away from me.

"They seek me day by day, and they desire to know My ways, as though they were a nation that had performed righteousness and not abandoned the law of its god.

"They ask me for judgment of justice and they desire to be close to Gd. 'Why have we fasted and You have not seen, we have oppressed our spirits and You do not know?' But on the day of your fast you pursue your own needs, and you oppress people for your payments."

(Isaiah 58:2-3 - and see more there)

Note: One must fast, even if one does not feel it inside. The goal is to work on both the fast and the sincere feeling.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The obligation to repent

Hi,

"Mitzvah 73 is that Gd instructed us to admit sins of desire and accidental sins which we have committed before Gd, and to declare them, along with our repentance. This is called viduy, and it means that one should declare, 'Please, Gd, I have sinned accidentally, I have sinned out of desire, I have sinned out of rebellion, and I did such-and-such.' One should go on at length and request forgiveness in this manner, according to his speaking ability."

(Rambam, Sefer haMitzvot, Aseh 73)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Tzom Gedalyah - The Fast of Gedalyah

Hi,

We fast on the day after Rosh haShanah; this is called "Tzom Gedalyah," "The Fast of Gedalyah."

The Meaning of the Fast: After the Babylonians destroyed the Temple, they appointed Gedalyah as governor of Israel's Jews. A group of Jews, supported by another nation, wanted the Jews to rebel against the Babylonians, and they accused Gedalyah of sympathizing with the Babylonians. They ambushed him and killed him, and in the aftermath, the remaining Jewish community in Israel went into exile.

This day is commemorated as a public fast from first light to the emergence of the stars.

Have an easy and meaningful fast,
Mordechai

Forgiveness

Hi,

Yom Kippur canot atone for sins between one person and another, however
minor the offense, until the offending party has appeased the offended
party. The offender must pursue the offended, approaching him as many as
three times apologizing and requesting forgiveness. Each time, he should
bring different people with him to help him.

The offended party is not allowed to be cruel and withhold forgiveness. If
the offended party does not forgive after three times, the offender has
fulfilled his obligation.

There are exceptions to this rule:
1. One may withhold forgiveness if he does so to help the offender.
2. One may withhold forgiveness if the offense caused a bad reputation for
the offended party; all the people who heard about the bad reputation are
not present at the time when the apology is offered.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 606:1; Mishneh Berurah 606:1-11)

May we be inscribed and sealed for a happy and healthy new year,
Mordechai

Of fathers and mothers

Hi,

I just want to take a moment to ask for forgiveness for anything I wrote or said to you, this past year or earlier. Please know that I am sorry; I would not do it on purpose. If you could please take the time to let me know of such mistakes in a constructive way, I would greatly appreciate it. May all of us be blessed with a כתיבה וחתימה טובה, an inscription and sealing for a great year.

Not sure what to make of this, but it raises interesting thoughts:

“It is the manner of a father to be merciful; it is the manner of a mother to offer comfort.”

(Midrash, Yalkut to Tehillim 103)

Note: Sdei Chemed א:כלל צז adds the words “as well” at the end of the sentence – a mother offers both mercy and comfort.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

An oath in the womb

Hi,

Lots of food for thought here, some of it quite controversial:

"What is the oath they make a person swear [before birth]?

"'Be a righteous person and not a wicked person. Even if the entire world tells you, ‘You are a righteous person,’ be a wicked person in your own eyes. And know that HaShem is pure and HaShem’s servants are pure, and the soul HaShem has placed into you is pure. If you guard it in purity, good. If not, I will remove it from you.'”

(Talmud, Niddah 30b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The merit of the matriarchs

Hi,

"HaShem did not cause the chain of events taking the Jews out of Egypt other than because of the merit of Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah."

(Midrash, Tanna d'vei Eliyahu 27)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Repentance of the body and the mind

Hi,

"What is teshuvah? For the sinner to abandon his sin and remove it from his thoughts, and conclude in his heart that he will not commit it again, as it is written, ‘The wicked one will abandon his path.’"

(Maimonides, Laws of Repentance 2:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Trusting Gd and reading the horoscope

Hi,

"We are to dedicate our hearts to Gd alone, and trust that Gd alone engineers all and knows the truth of all future events, and from Gd alone we should seek the future, from His prophets or His pious ones, meaning the urim v’tumim [the breastplate of the kohen gadol, which was used for prophecy]."

(Ramban to Devarim 8:13)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Bless the Torah, bless yourself

Hi,

“HaShem declared: If you bless the Torah, you bless yourself. How do we know this? It is written (Mishlei 9), “’For in me [the Torah] your days will be increased, and years of life will be added to you.’”

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 8:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The purpose of Death?

Hi,

"Were entities to live eternally, Gd’s glory would not be visible as the Creator who creates anew. People would rebel against His glory, thinking that they were first and remain alive on their own. Via death, all recognize their Creator, and honor Him."

(Malbim to Tehillim 104:31)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Resurrection of the Dead

Hi,

"According to our belief, we, the children of Israel, hold within our beliefs that the souls will return to the original matter from which they departed. This will occur at the time of the resurrection of the dead, of which HaShem informed us.

"This will occur miraculously and wondrously, and not in the manner of nature.

"Regarding this it is written, 'You will send forth Your spirit and they will be created, and renewed upon the face of the earth.'"

(Radak to Tehillim 104:30)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Even if at first you succeed, try, try again

Hi,

"In the morning plant your seeds, and in the evening do not stay your hand, for you do not know which will be proper, this or that, or whether both will be equally good."

(Kohelet 11:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Torah and Olive oil

Hi,

"Just as [olive] oil is bitter in the beginning and sweet at the end, the same is true regarding words of Torah: A person is pained over them in the beginning and then he produces through them a great end."

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 7:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Gd and the soul

Hi,

"To whom was King David referring when he said, five times, “My soul blesses?” He was referring to HaShem and to the soul.

"HaShem fills the world, and the soul fills the body;
HaShem sees and is invisible, and the soul sees and is invisible;
HaShem feeds the whole world, and the soul feeds the whole body;
HaShem is pure, and the soul is pure;
HaShem sits in the innermost room, and the soul sits in the innermost room.

"Let that which has these five traits come and praise the One who has these five traits."

(Talmud, Berachot 10a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The power of "Amen"

Hi,

"Rabbi Yudin said, “Anyone who replies ‘Amen’ in this world will merit to respond ‘Amen’ in the next world.”"

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 7:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Gd wants us to make others happy

Hi,

Preface: Every three years, the cycle of tithes for Israeli produce is completed. At that point the Jew is instructed to come to the beit hamikdash [Temple in Jerusalem] and declare that he has properly distributed all of the tithes. As part of this, he makes the following declaration: “I have done everything that You have commanded me. [Devarim 26:14]”

On this, the midrash makes a remarkable statement:


“’I have done everything that You have commanded me.’ This means: I have been happy, and I have made others happy.”

(Sifri to Parshat Ki Tavo 7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The global mitzvah of reproduction

Hi,

[On the mitzvah of attempting to reproduce]

"Certainly, the entire human race is equally obligated. Granted that the mitzvah is not incumbent upon each individual person, the obligation to settle the world is incumbent upon the general human race, per Gd’s desire as expressed in blessing Adam, as well as Noach and his sons, with the blessing of bearing fruit and multiplying. Gd then instructed them, ‘And you shall bear fruit and multiply,’ meaning, ‘This is My desire.’

"For Jews this is established as a mitzvah for each Jew to fulfill, as we were instructed individually in all of the mitzvoth, but others, who were not instructed individually in all of the mitzvoth, were not instructed individually in this obligation. Rather, the Divine blessing of bearing fruit and multiplying, and the expression of Divine desire that they should be involved in settling the world, was upon the nation as a whole."

(Aruch haShulchan Even haEzer 1:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai