Balance the intellect and the emotion

Hi,

"Due to a person's weakness, when he is able to engage in intellectual exploration then his foundation in faith is weakened, and when he is complete in his faith then he is likely to reduce his insight and the wisdom of his heart. But the goal of the straight path is that each strength not reduce the other, and not be reduced by it, but it should be revealed in its full strength as though it reigned alone."

(Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, Orot Yisrael 8:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Borrowing on Divine credit for a mitzvah?

Hi,

"Rabbi Yochanan cited Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Shimon:

"Gd told Israel: My children! Borrow on My credit, and sanctify the sanctity of the day [Shabbat/Yom Tov]. Trust Me, and I will pay for it."

אמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי אליעזר ברבי שמעון: אמר להם הקב"ה לישראל: בני, לוו עלי וקדשו קדושת היום, והאמינו בי ואני פורע. 

(Talmud, Beitzah 15b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The true source of healing

Hi,

Regarding the story in Bamidbar 21, wherein Moshe makes a copper alloy serpent and places it atop a pole, and Jews who have been bitten by poisonous snakes look up at Moshe's statue and are healed:

"Does a serpent kill or cause life? Rather, when Israel looked heavenward and bound their hearts to their Father in Heaven, they were healed, and if not then they perished."

וכי נחש ממית או נחש מחיה אלא בזמן שישראל מסתכלין כלפי מעלה ומשעבדין את לבם לאביהן שבשמים היו מתרפאים ואם לאו היו נימוקים 

(Mishnah Rosh HaShanah 3:8)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Why start with "I took you out of Egypt"? Part 2

Hi,

"And it said, 'I took you out of the land of Egypt,' for taking them out demonstrated His existence and His will, for we left there with Divine knowledge and supervision. It also demonstrated that the world is new, for were the world eternal, none of its nature could change. It also demonstrated Divine power, which in turn demonstrated the uniqueness of Gd, as Shemot 9:14 says, 'So that you will know that there is none like Me in the entire land.'

"And this is the reason for 'I took you out of the land of Egypt,' for they know and are witnesses to all of this."

ואמר אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים, כי הוצאתם משם תורה על המציאות ועל החפץ, כי בידיעה ובהשגחה ממנו יצאנו משם. וגם תורה על החדוש, כי עם קדמות העולם לא ישתנה דבר מטבעו. ותורה על היכולת, והיכולת תורה על הייחוד, כמו שאמר (לעיל ט:יד) בעבור תדע כי אין כמוני בכל הארץ. וזה טעם אשר הוצאתיך, כי הם היודעים ועדים בכל אלה:

(Ramban to Shemot 20:2)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Complete trust in Gd

Hi,

"The meaning of 'You shall be complete with HaShem your Gd' is that we are to dedicate our hearts to Gd alone, and to trust that Gd alone engineers all and knows the truth of all future events. From Gd alone we should seek the future, from His prophets or from His pious ones, meaning the urim v'tumim."

וטעם "תמים תהיה עם ד' אלקיך" שנייחד לבבנו אליו לבדו, ונאמין שהוא לבדו עושה כל והוא היודע אמתת כל עתיד, וממנו לבדו נדרוש העתידות, מנביאיו או מאנשי חסידיו רצוני לומר אורים ותומים. 

(Ramban to Devarim 38:13)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

That's why we pray

Hi,

"Just as one must arrange praise first, so one must thank at the end for his lot, like a servant who has received a gift from his master, and who praises him and departs, as the Sages taught. (Berachot 34) One must explain, though, why they said that one is like a servant who has received a gift from his master, who praises him and departs. Apparently, he hopes for his prayer to be heard immediately!

"Perhaps they taught us here one of the fundamentals of prayer: That one should not make his goal, in praying, that his prayer be heard; as they taught (Berachot 32b), such a person will come to heartache… If so, then when they said "like a servant who has received  a gift from his master," that meant he should view himself as though he had already been answered, for the goal of prayer is not to be answered, but to demonstrate that we should pray to no one other than G-d, and that we lack everything in this world and only G-d can fill in that which we lack. One speaks before G-d of his lacking in order to demonstrate this. The reward will come in the end, but the goal of prayer is not achievement of a sought-after item, such that one would not pray if he knew that he would not be answered with that prayer.

"This may resolve a difficult matter regarding prayer. It appears inappropriate and unseemly to ask for the same thing multiple times; if one were to ask a flesh and blood king for the same item twice or three times, he would be angry at the supplicant! Had the king wished to honour his request on the first or second time, he would have honoured his request, and persisting would be excessive and harmful to the request. And [yet] we pray to G-d daily, evening, morning and afternoon, with the same prayer, the eighteen enacted blessings! Even though we are not answered for most of them, we do not stop saying them daily! But the intent o prayer is to recognize and demonstrate that we should pray to no one other than Him… and G-d will do as good in His eyes."

וכמו שצריך לסדר שבח קודם, צריך לתת הודאה בסוף על חלקו שהוא כעבד שקבל פרס מרבו שמשבחו והולך לו, כמו שדרשו ז"ל (ברכות לד) וצריך לתת טעם למה אמרו שהוא כעבד שקבל פרס מרבו שמשבחו והולך לו, שנראה שהוא מקוה שמיד תשמע תפלתו!

ואפשר שהורו לנו כאן עיקר מעקרי התפלה, והוא שלא ישים אדם מגמת פניו כשמתפלל שתשמע תפלתו, וכמו שאמרו (שם לב:), סוף בא לידי כאב לב... ואם כן מה שאמרו כעבד שקבל פרס מרבו הוא שיחשוב בעצמו כאלו כבר נענה כי לא היתה תכלית התפלה כדי שיענה, אלא להורות שאין בעולם למי שראוי להתפלל אלא לקל ית', ולהכיר שהוא חסר מכל וכל בזה העולם ואין מי שימלא חסרונו אלא הוא ית'.  ומספר לפניו חסרונותיו, להורות זה הענין, וסוף השכר לבוא, אבל לא שתהיה התפלה לתכלית השגת המבוקש, שנראה שאם היה יודע שלא יהיה נענה באותה התפלה לא היה אומר אותה.

ובזה יתורץ דבר קשה בענין התפלה שנראה דבר בלתי הגון ונאה לשאול שאלה א' כמה פעמים, כי לפני מלך בשר ודם אם ישאלו ממנו דבר א' פעמים או שלש יחרה לו על השואל, כי אם היה רוצה המלך להשלים לו שאלתו בפעם הראשונה או השניה היה משלים חפצו, ואם כן ההפצר הוא דבר מותר ומזיק להשאלה, ואנחנו מתפללים לקל בכל יום ערב ובקר וצהרים תפלה א', י"ח ברכות שתקנו, וגם כי אין אנחנו נענים ברובם, אין אנו נמנעים מלאומרם בכל יום! אלא שכוונת התפלה היא להכיר ולהורות כי אין בעולם למי שראוי להתפלל כי אם לו ית'... וד' הטוב בעיניו יעשה.

(Mabit, Beit Elokim, Shaar haTefillah 2)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

A message of the word "Sh'ma"

Hi,

The "Sh'ma (Hear O Israel)" prayer contains the essence of Jewish beliefs, and is recited at least twice daily - at the morning and evening services.

Avudraham, an early commentary to the prayer book, points out that the word "Shma," שמע, may be read as an acronym: Si'u Marom Eineichem [שאו מרום עיניכם] - Raise your eyes heavenward.

Ultimately, all of our Jewish beliefs can be distilled into that message [as seen in Chavakuk 2:4 and a related comment in Makkot 24].

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Limits of Self-Reliance

Hi,

"When a person depends on his own mind and thoughts, his spirit is darkened, without a straight path, for he is always in doubt."

(R' Isaac Abarbanel, Commentary to Chavakuk 2:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

When do we say, 'Gd will provide'?

Hi,

"In truth, when we inquire of a person about his conduct in his household spending, in which he acts as though he was wealthy and great beyond his means, his answer is ready to hand. He says that he cannot reduce his household needs one iota, and he trusts Gd to help him with this.

"However, when a matter of tzedakah and chesed comes before him, he toughens his heart and closes his hand and makes himself out to be needy and indigent, and he does not even give according to his means.

"Regarding this Mishlei 13:7 says, 'There is one who acts as though he is wealthy and he has nothing, and one who acts as though he is poor and he has great wealth.'"

(Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (Chafetz Chaim), Ahavat Chesed, Afterword)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Faith of Michah

Hi,

"I fell into the depths of the pit, but via this I will rise and become strong, for via this I will be saved. Even when I sit the darkness of troubles, Gd is light for me. If I lack physical light, the light of material success, I have the light of Gd, the light of religion and faith."

(Malbim to Michah 7:8)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

An interesting religious approach to the pursuit of wealth

Hi,

We are familiar with texts which denigrate the pursuit of wealth, arguing that people amass wealth for a future they might not live to see. Here's a different perspective:

"The ant lives only six months, and consumes only one and a half wheat kernels, but it gathers any wheat and barley it can find all through the summer.

"Rabbi Tanchuma said: In its entire life it consumes only a wheat kernel and a half, and it gathers all of this - why? It says: Perhaps Gd will decree that I should live, and so I need to have food prepared to eat."

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 5:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The mezuzah reminder

Hi,

"Among the roots of this mitzvah is to act as a reminder of faith on HaShem whenever a person enters or exits the home."

(Sefer haChinuch, Mitzvah 423)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A promise of Divine protection

Hi,

"A song of steps, by David. I raise my eyes to the mountains; from whence will my aid come? My aid is from Gd, Creator of Heaven and Earth. He will not allow your foot to falter, your Guardian will not sleep. Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps."

(Tehillim 121:1-4)

Have an easy and meaningful fast,
Mordechai

One more pre-Shavuot email

Hi,

"Rabbi Elazar said: When the Jews committed to fulfill the Torah before they had even heard what was in it, a voice emerged from Heaven and said to them, 'Who revealed to My children this secret of the angels?'

"For it is written [Psalm 103], 'Bless Gd, His mighty angels, who do His bidding, to hear His words.' First they do, and then they hear."

(Talmud, Shabbat 88a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Opening the door at the Seder

Hi,

Towards the end of the Seder, we open the door. Many people have a tradition of singing the song "Eliyahu haNavi," "Elijah the Prophet," about Eliyahu. The penultimate sentence in the 3rd chapter in Malachi declares that Eliyahu will come to herald the arrival of Mashiach.

The origin of the door-opening practice is two-fold:
1. To show our confidence that Gd will protect us on this evening, just He protected us in Egypt long ago (Shmot 12:42).
2. To invoke our faith that Gd will send Mashiach to lead us back home and rebuild the Temple.

(Mishneh Berurah 480:10)

Have a great day,
Mordechai