&quot;If a matter eludes you in judgment, between blood and blood, between judgment and judgment, or between lesion and lesion, words of dispute in your cities, then you shall rise and go up to the place the Lord, your G-d, chooses,&rdquo; states the Torah in the portion of Shoftim.

The greatest Kabbalist in Jewish history, Rabbi Isaac Luria (16th century), interprets this verse to be addressing the historical enigma of the disproportionate suffering of the Jewish people; suffering which seems to be in complete contrast to the systems of justice G-d Himself established in the Torah! He explains that this is all caused by the quarrels, strife, and dissension among Jews themselves.

This class explores the tragedy of strife and explains the extraordinary blessing when there is unity and love.

The Midrash makes a powerful contrast between two biblical generations of Jews, one pagan and the other monotheistic. The generation living during the reign of the evil King Achav was full of pagan idol worshippers. Yet, these sinful Jews were victorious in their wars against their enemies. Why? Because of their mutual accord and respect; they learned to like each other and get along.

On the other hand, the generation of Jews living during the reign of King David was very religious and observant, clinging ferociously to the Jewish faith in a single universal G-d. Yet they died in war. Why? The sages say, because they despised and informed upon each other.

The ultimate test for the integrity and spirituality of a human being in Judaism is not in one&rsquo;s scholarship, faith or religious observance, but in our capacity to love the stranger, to transcend the ego, and to escape the traps of divisiveness and hate.

126_fighting.9b5d.jpg

22_shoftim_ac-0.pdf

shoftim2010.360p.mp4

shoftim2010.mp3

shoftim

family fighting

hatred

jewish unity

strife

machlokes

fighting

How Fighting Destroys Families, Communities and Nations

The Tragedy of Strife

At a recent class, one of the students asked Rabbi YY Jacobson if Judaism beleives in following Rabbis and Rebbes blindly. Here is his response.

2957_blind.26ff.jpg

21_what is daas torah.mp4

21_what is daas torah.mp3

rabbis

rebbes

emunas tzaddikim

faith in rebbes

daas torah

Does Torah Believe in Following Rabbis Blindly?

Hahkafah/Chassidus

What is Daas Torah? Can a "Gadol" Lie Once in 20 Years? 

&quot;A Talmudic story about Rabbi Gamliel and Rabbi Yehoshua on a boat conveys the essence of leadership from a Jewish perspective. &quot; &quot;King Rechavam was the son of perhaps the most popular king in Jewish history, King Solomon, yet the majority of the nation rebelled against him leading to the fragmentation of the kingdom, and the establishment of a rival kingdom. In this class we will analyze the events leading up to this fateful split, and discover from the words of Rechavam his tragic mistake in his understanding Jewish leadership, and conversely, what constitutes ideal Jewish leadership and kingship.&quot; &quot;Who is the greater servant &ndash; the king or his subject? This is the great struggle of every person in a position of leadership. &quot;

74_74_shoftim_edited.46ae.png

22_shoftim.pdf

Shoftim.360p.mp4

Shoftim.mp3

yirovom

yeravam

shlomo hamelech

shechem

servant

rechovim

rechavam

prayers

powerless

power

malbim

king

humble

bais hamikdosh

Who is the Greater Servant – the King or His Subject? A Meditation on the Essence of Leadership

The Most Powerful Person, the Most Powerless Person

First Anecdote:

A man goes out with a woman on their first date. For the first three hours, he talks only about himself, his history, accomplishments and interests. Finally, he turns to her and says: "Enough of me speaking about myself; let me hear what you have to say about me."

Second Anecdote:

The rabbi was hospitalized recovering from a heart attack when the president of the congregation visited him. He said: "Rabbi, I have good news and bad news."

"First the good news," the rabbi said.

"On behalf of the board of directors, I am here to wish you a speedy recovery."

"That’s wonderful," said the rabbi, "and what’s the bad news?"

"The vote was 7 to 6."

Despising Single Stones

This week's Torah portion, Shoftim, communicates the following interesting commandment<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref1')">[1]</a>: "You shall not erect for yourself a pillar; this is something which the Lord your G-d despises."

The most basic biblical commentator, Rashi<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref2')">[2]</a>, explains this as a prohibition against erecting an altar of a single stone, even if the intent was to use this altar as a place for Divine worship, where offerings would be presented to G-d.

Though the Torah elsewhere<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref3')">[3]</a> allows the existence of altars made of stone in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and in the Tabernacle in the desert, Rashi explains that this is only true of altars comprised of many stones, not of a single stone<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref4')">[4]</a>.

But what's the logic?&nbsp;Does it make a difference whether you present an offering on an altar of one stone or of many stones?

Rashi explains that the difference is not intrinsic but historical. In the times of the Patriarchs, Rashi writes, our forefathers built single&nbsp;stone pillars for Divine service, and "it was beloved by G-d." However, once the Canaanites adopted this practice and began building single-stone altars for idolatrous offerings, including the horrific practices of ancient idolatry, G-d rejected them<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref5')">[5]</a>.

But why? Just because some tribes used the single stone for idolatry, can't we use it in a productive and meaningful way?&nbsp;The Pagans would also worship the sun, the moon, or water, but we still use them and enjoy them in a beneficial way.

Embracing Diversity

What this prohibition against the single-stone pillar may be teaching us is that though there is one G-d, the altars constructed by the human being to serve Him should not, and could not be of one stone, of one color, dimension, shape and quality.

In paganism, or modern atheism, a human being creates a god, or some higher power, in his or her own individual image. My mind and ego define what is essential, and what is of supreme importance. When god is a product of my image, that god is inevitably defined by the properties of that image. Since no two human images are identical, it follows that your god, the god of your image, cannot serve as my god as well. My god must be worshiped in my way, based on my perception of who he is and what he stands for. My altar must be constructed of one stone: my own.

Sure, I will tolerate those people and views that my "image" of my god can make peace with. But if you step out of line, I will hunt you down. I have no genuine room for your position.&nbsp;

The faith of Judaism, the idea of Monotheism, declares the oneness of G-d and the plurality of man. The transcendental G-d of Judaism transcends the natural universe but also any spiritual definition. G-d is undefined by any form, shape, or characteristic, physical or spiritual. We do not create Him in our image; He creates us in His image. Judaism thus challenges me to see G-d's image in the one who is not in my image, for every person knows and feels something about reality, about truth, about G-d that no one else does.

None of us knows all the truth and each of us knows some of it. Like a symphony composed of many notes, each of us constitutes an individual note in the divine symphony, and together we complete the music. If G-d wanted you and me to experience Him and serve Him in the same way, one of us would be superfluous.

True Religion Celebrates Diversity

Diversity within religion is not only a factor we must reluctantly accept; it is a cause for genuine celebration. It grants us the opportunity to encounter G-d since it is only in the face of the other that we can discover the part of G-d that we lack in our own face. The result of a relationship with a transcendental G-d is a growing appreciation of people's differences, not merely as tolerable, but as the essence of a rich and rewarding human and religious experience.

“Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common, celebrate it every day,” a wise man once said. Diversity is the trace of an undefined G-d on the human species.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

One of the greatest challenges facing humanity today is the ingrained belief by many Muslims that those of us who do not embrace Islam as a faith and a lifestyle are infidels who need to be converted or killed.

On another level, and in a far more subtle and fine way, one of the challenges facing many communities today (a challenge that has pervaded the history of all religions from the beginning of time), is a sense of tribalism that found a nest among many devout Jews. My way of serving G-d is the only true way, and if you have a different path, you are on the "wrong team." I can't respect you.&nbsp;

Many of us feel that in the construction of the "altars," the structures in which we serve G-d, there is room for only a single stone, a single path, one flavor,&nbsp;and one style -- to the exclusion of anything else that does not fit our religious imagination or upbringing. Yet, paradoxically, it is precisely the paths of paganism, polytheism, or atheism,&nbsp;that invite&nbsp;a singular altar, made of one stone, while the monotheistic path of a singular G-d welcomes the diverse altar, made of many distinct stones.&nbsp;The structures constructed by man to serve G-d are, by definition, diverse and individualistic<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref6')">[6]</a>.

This does not mean that G-d condones every act done in His name. The G-d of the Bible created absolute universal standards of morality and ethics that bind us all. But these rules do not step from my ego and comfort zone, but rather from an absolute truth that includes and benefits every human being.

To the Jewish people, G-d presented an absolute system of Torah and mitzvos.

Yet within this framework, every human possesses his or her unique path to Truth. One of the great masters put it this way<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn7" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref7')">[7]</a>:&nbsp;"The concrete laws of Torah are the same for us all, but the spiritual experience of Torah, the feelings of love and awe, contain infinite pathways, one for each person, according to his (or her) individual identity."

We may compare it to the 88 keys of the piano that lend themselves to infinite combinations. The very same keys allow for so many different expressions. Authentic religion must welcome, not fear, diversity, and individualistic expression. When you truly cultivate a relationship with G-d, a G-d who is undefined by any image or color, you know that in the presence of other-ness, you can encounter a fragment of truth that you could never access within your own framework<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn8" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref8')">[8]</a>.&nbsp;

_____________

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn1')">[1]</a> Deuteronomy 16:22. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn2')">[2]</a> Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki lived in France and Germany during the 11th century. His classical commentary on the Bible and the Talmud turned him into one of the greatest and most cherished Torah figures in the history of Judaism. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn3')">[3]</a> Exodus 15:22. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn4')">[4]</a> This is the difference between the Hebrew expression "Matzavah" vs. "Mizbach." Matzavah is an altar made of a single stone while Mizbach is an altar built of many stones. That is why the tombstone erected on a grave is called in Hebrew a Matzavah, since it is made of a single large stone. The reason that tombstones in cemeteries are permitted is that they are not used as altars for offerings, but as monuments for the dead (see Midrash Hagodol to this verse. Cf. Abarbanel here). 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn5')">[5]</a> Rashi here from Sifrei section 146. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn6')">[6]</a> This may be the deeper reason why during the time of the Patriarchs the single-stone altar was welcome and used. For during the time of the Patriarchs, prior to the development of the Jews into a nation, each of the Patriarchs embodied a particular mode in serving G-d, which became the paradigm of service in that generation. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref7" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn7')">[7]</a> Tanya chapter 44. Cf. introduction to Tanya. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref8" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn8')">[8]</a> This essay is based on Mei Haseloach, by the great Chassidic master&nbsp;Rabbi Yosef Mordechai Leiner of Izhbitz (1800-1854), vol. 1 to Shoftim 16:22. Cf. Likkutei Sichos vol. 18 Parshas Korach and the references noted there. See also Likkutei Maharan I, 34:4.

Have We Become Too Tribal? - True Religion Must Embrace Diversity

939_puzzle.jpg

22_ac_to_vayeitzei_5771_final_1-0.pdf

individuality

tribalism

pagnism

diversity

And Why True Religion Celebrates It

Essay Shoftim 

Why Atheism Struggles with Genuine Diversity

The&nbsp;Rabbi and his Driver 
A renowned rabbi, a brilliant philosopher, was held in high regard by his driver, who listened in awe at every speech while his boss would easily answer questions about morality, ethics and philosophy.Then one day the driver approached the rabbi and asked if he was willing to switch roles for the evening's lecture. The rabbi&nbsp;agreed and, for a while, the driver handled himself remarkably well. When it came time for questions from the guests, a&nbsp;man in the back asked, "Is the epistemological view of the universe still valid in an existentialist world?""That is an extremely simple question," he responded. "So simple, in fact, that even my driver could answer that, which is exactly what he will do."

The Detached Teacher 
The teacher was always so involved in the text he was teaching that he never looked up at his students.

He would call on a student for translation and&nbsp;explanation, and -- without realizing it -- he often chose the same student day after day.

Out of respect, the students wouldn't point this out to him.

After being called on four days in a row, a student named Goldberg asked advice from his friends.

The next day when the rabbi said "Goldberg, translate and explain," Goldberg replied, "Goldberg is absent today."

"All right," said the rabbi. "You translate and explain."

The Final Lesson 
There is an intriguing Midrashic tradition (1), that Jacob's final lesson with his beloved son Joseph just hours before he was kidnapped and sold into slavery dealt with a law concerning an unsolved murder case in this week’s portion, Shoftim.We are all familiar with the narrative. Joseph, who was 17 years of old at the time, was asked by his father to visit his brothers, who were shepherding the family flock near the city of Shechem.&nbsp;When the lad arrived in Shechem, his brothers kidnapped him and cast him into a pit; then they sold him into slavery to Egyptian merchants.Joseph&nbsp;ended up working for an Egyptian dignitary, then spent 12 years in an Egyptian dungeon and&nbsp;finally became viceroy of that country (2).Twenty-two years after Joseph was torn away from his father, the Bible relates (3), Jacob received word that he was alive, but he could not believe it.&nbsp;The Midrash relates (1) that since Joseph suspected that this might happen, he gave the emissaries a sign to demonstrate to his father the authenticity of the message: "Tell my father," Joseph suggested, "that when I left him 22 years ago we had just completed studying the laws of the calf that was brought as an atonement for an unsolved murder."This, the&nbsp;the Midrash explains, is the meaning in the biblical verse that reads, "They told him [Jacob], 'Joseph is still alive and he is the ruler over all Egypt'; but his heart rejected it, for he could not believe them. However, when they related to him [to Jacob] all the words that Joseph had spoken to them, and he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him [from Israel to Egypt], then the spirit of Jacob was revived (3)."The Hebrew term used for wagons ("agalos") can also be translated as calves. "When Jacob 'saw' the calves that Joseph sent," i.e., when he realized that this Egyptian leader knew the content of the last Torah lesson that Jacob taught Joseph, Jacob realized that this man was indeed his lost son Joseph.An Unresolved Murder 
What exactly is the nature of this law that Jacob taught Joseph? It is discussed in the book of Deuteronomy in this week’s portion and it goes like this: 
&nbsp; 
"When a corpse is found fallen in the field in the land that G-d gives you&nbsp;to possess," The Torah instructs (4), "and it is not known who the murderer is, your elders and judges must go out and measure the distance to the closest city," where we assume the victim was last before his murder. The Talmud explains that a delegation of five members of the Jewish Supreme Court in Jerusalem (known as the Great Sanhedrin) would come to the field where the victim was discovered and make the measurements to the closest city (5).&nbsp;Following this, the elders of that city situated closest to the corpse, were obliged to go out and bring a heifer as an atonement for the slain man's blood (4). The elders of the city would then declare, "Our hands have not spilled this blood and our eyes have not witnessed it (6)."&nbsp;Then the priests who accompanied the elders in the ritual would beseech G-d, saying, "Forgive your people ... do not allow the guilt for innocent blood to remain with your people Israel (7)."&nbsp;The Torah concludes by saying that "The blood shall thus be atoned for. You shall thus rid yourself of the guilt of innocent blood in your midst, since you will have done that which is morally right in G-d's eyes (7*)."&nbsp;Yet the interesting question is, was it merely a coincidence that the last piece of wisdom Joseph received from his saintly father prior to their 22-year separation focused on the Jewish response to an innocent man slain the field? Or was there something deeper about this final exchange between father and son (8)?A National Crisis 
To answer this question,&nbsp;we must examine the purpose of the enigmatic ritual that followed the discovery of a slain victim in the field -- where members of the Supreme Court, the most exalted and distinguished body in the Jewish state, were required to come down and make measurements; the elders of the city were obligated to offer a calf as an atonement and the priests needed to pray for forgiveness.&nbsp;Biblical commentators explain that the ritual achieved&nbsp;a number of major benefits (9):&nbsp;1) The ritual served as a means to publicize the event. The publicity would increased the chances of apprehending the murderer and bring him to justice. It also would send a warning to all future potential murderers that they would not get away with an isolated murder of an innocent man.&nbsp;2) The Torah viewed each member of the nearby city and even each member of the entire nation indirectly responsible for the murder. As the priests proclaimed during the ritual (7*), "Forgive your people; do not allow the guilt for innocent blood to remain with your people Israel.""Would it occur to anybody that the elders of the court are murderers," asks the Talmud (10)?"&nbsp; What they meant was that "perhaps we did not notice him leaving and we sent him off without food and without escort." Clearly, if we would have looked after this man, he might not have been slain. If he was given shelter, food and company, he might have escaped his horrible fate. What was he doing out in no-man's land alone?&nbsp;Why did nobody look after him?For this the entire community of Israel, beginning with the members of the Supreme Court, needed to ask of themselves tough questions. They were required to make resolutions for the future. The ritual served as a tool for repentance and atonement.The Outcasts 
Each Mitzvah and law in the Torah contains, in addition to its literal interpretation, a psychological and spiritual dimension as well (11).What is the meaning of "a corpse fallen in the field"&nbsp;on a psychological level?The Torah describes&nbsp;the great struggler&nbsp;Esau (Jacob's twin brother) as "a man of the field (12)." In the teachings of Kabbalah (13), a field -- as opposed to a city -- often symbolizes an environment that has no protective fence, a location that is open and vulnerable&nbsp;to&nbsp;destructive forces of immorality, abuse and addiction.Every community produces a certain number of what we like to call "dropouts" who at some point during their life, particularly during adolescence, abandon the shielded "city" and enter into the unguarded "field" to experiment with all that is available out there. Many of them lose their souls in the process and end up in the abyss, emotionally slain in the killing fields of addiction, despair and moral indifference.The Torah teaches us that each of these souls who ended up in the "field" and encountered a form of emotional death -- death of innocence, of hope, of dignity and of meaning -- 
is the concern and responsibility of each and every member of the nation of Israel, including the spiritual giants of the Supreme Court in Jerusalem!When a fellow human being wanders out to the scary fields of hopelessness, every individual of the community, particularly its spiritual teachers and leaders, must shake the heavens. Each of us must ask ourselves the question, "Perhaps we did not notice him leaving and we sent him off without food and without escort." Did this teenager need somebody to talk to about his frustrations and doubts but could not find anybody? Was this young boy or girl craving for some love, encouragement, inspiration, to no avail? 
&nbsp; 
Each of us must ask ourselves the question,&nbsp;"Are we not responsible in some small way for this youngster's mental and psychological deterioration?"&nbsp;Principals, educators and community leaders&nbsp;often talk about statistics. "Statistics show," they inform us,&nbsp;"that a certain percent of high school kids end up..."&nbsp;When the future of a particular child is put in question, we have&nbsp;the ready answer: "What do you expect? He or she is part of the statistic." 
&nbsp; 
I do not mean to be harsh, but we must remember that it was Joseph Stalin who said, "A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic." When we begin viewing people as statistics, we know that our society&nbsp;is eroding&nbsp;from within. Human lives are not means; they are ends in-and-of themselves. The value and sanctity of&nbsp;an individual&nbsp;destiny is infinite, absolute and eternal.

It is time for all of us, parents and leaders of all communities, to open our eyes to the struggles of so many of our young, most precious souls, to be attentive to their needs, rather than getting frustrated that they are not living up to our delusional expectations of them. Do not shut your eyes and heart to mental illness, to addiction, to depression, to the results of molestation and abuse of all sorts, to all types of agony these youngsters are suffering from.

More than anything, do not make them feel like outcasts, losers, disappointments. Believe in them, so that they can believe in themselves. See them as fragments of G-d, as particles of holiness, as rays of infinity. Make them feel welcome, embraced, and loved.

The Nuremberg Trials 
In "Judgment at Nuremberg," American judge Dan&nbsp;Haywood sentences Ernst Janning, an important legal figure in Germany even before the rise of Hitler, to life in prison for condemning an innocent Jewish doctor to death in 1935. Janing pleads to Haywood that he was unaware of the magnitude of the Nazi horror and that he would have never assisted Hitler had he known what the monster was scheming."Those people, those millions of people," Janing&nbsp;begged for his freedom,&nbsp;"I never knew it would come to that. You must believe it."To which Judge Haywood replied: "It came to that the first time you sentenced a man to death you knew to be innocent."The moment a single life loses its absolute value, a thousand lives, even a million lives, are ultimately not of value; they are merely more chocking numbers.This is the essential message behind the mitzvah of turning the murder of a homeless man found in an isolated field into a national event. The Torah is attempting to teach us that If hell does not break loose with the undeserving death of a single individual, we are well on our way downward to absolute moral decomposition; we have successfully forfeited the most important staple of humaneness --&nbsp;viewing each and every life as a reflection of G-d.

You Matter! 
Above all, this loaded ritual around a human being slain in the field provides a message for those children or adults who find themselves out in the "field" of confusion and depression.The message is that from G-d's perspective, your individual life and destiny contains endless value and significance. If you "die," G-d expects everybody to experience the pain, to take part&nbsp;in&nbsp;the path of introspection.&nbsp;Your journey, your struggle, your future is of the greatest importance to G-d, to the world, to history. Know that every deed counts, that each word has infinite power. Fashion each day of your life as if it were a piece of art.Now we will understand why providence had Jacob teach this lesson to Joseph hours before he was cast into a new hellish reality.&nbsp;For this was the message that rescued a vulnerable Joseph from falling into the abyss, after being brutally torn from a sheltered and sacred "city" and cast into the most depraved "field" on earth. The last lesson that Joseph heard from his father imbued within him the unshakable conviction that his life, each moment of it, was eternally significant; that his choices&nbsp;had divine&nbsp;significance.&nbsp;Twenty-two years later, when Jacob heard that Joseph did not forget that final lesson, a father's soul was brought back to life. Jacob recognized that despite all the pain and abuse that Joseph endured, his son did not lose the inner spark that gives each of our lives endless&nbsp;nobility and meaning (14).(This essay is based on an address by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in August 1981 (15))

1) Midrash Rabah Vayigash 94:3; Tanchumah Vayigash section 11; Rashi to Genesis 45:27. 2) Genesis 37:12-41:45.&nbsp; 
3) Genesis 45:26-27.&nbsp; 
4) Deuteronomy 21:1-2.&nbsp; 
5) Soteh 44b. Quoted in Rashi to Deuteronomy ibid.&nbsp; 
6) The heifer was decapitated. There is a divergent Midrashic tradition that the heifer was merely struck on the back of its neck so that it would run away and find the house of the murderer (Midrash Agadah; Bechaya).&nbsp; 
7) Deuteronomy 21:3-8.&nbsp; 
7*) Ibid. verses 8-9.&nbsp; 
8) Another point in question: From the Midrash it seems that Jacob's spirit was revived primarily because of the information he received that Joseph remembered their final lesson so vividly. Yet this seems amiss: Was the news that Joseph was alive insufficient enough to restore Jacob's life and joy? (See Likkutei Sichos vol. 30 p. 222).&nbsp; 
&nbsp;9)&nbsp;See Rambam, Guide to the Perplexed 3:40, quoted in Ramban and Bechaya to Deuteronomy 21:1. Cf. Sefer HaChenuch Mitzvah 530 and Abarbenel on the Parsah. See also Kesef Mishnah to Hilchos Rotzach 10:6.&nbsp;Bechaya to Deuteronomy 21:1.&nbsp;Ramban ibid. Cf. Likkutei Sichos vol. 24 pp. 126-8 and in footnote # 59 and references noted there. 
10) Soteh 45b. Quoted in Rashi ibid. 21:7.&nbsp; 
11) See Rambam end of Hilchos Temurah. 
12) Genesis 25:27. 
13) Or Hatorah to Genesis ibid. (p. 142b); Likkutei Torah Reah p. 32b; references noted in Likkutei Sichos vol. 30 p. 223 footnote no. 17. 
14) Jacob obviously was unaware of the true significance of this lesson. He was acting super-consciously, as an agent of Divine providence (See Likkutei Sichos ibid. footnote no. 24). 
15) Likkutei Sichos vol. 24 pp. 126-131. See also Likkutei Sichos vol. 30 pp. 222-224.

857_lostsoulsjpg.jpg

22_ac.pdf

yosef

vayigash

jacob

lost souls

eglah arufah

Jacob's Last Lecture

Lost Souls

This class was&nbsp;presented on Tuesday, Parshas Shoftim, 3 Elul, 5782, August 30, 2022, at 18 Forshay, Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY.

8676_two_donkeys.aef1.jpeg

22_source_sheet_women_class_shoftim_5782_revised_2.d332.pdf

21_8676_women_class_shoftim_5782.fbcd.mp4

21_8676_women_class_shoftim_5782.fbcd.mp3

king saul

jewish leader

leadership

shmuel hanavi

lost donkeys

King Shaul, the Farm-Boy, and the Young Women of Ramah

Women's Shoftim Class

Searching for the Donkeys: Five Qualities of Jewish Leadership

This lecture&nbsp;was presented at an Addiction Awareness Event by the AZ House Jerusalem (https://www.azhousejerusalem.com)&nbsp;on Tuesday Parshas Ki Seitzei, 10 Elul, 5779, September 10, 2019, at the Ohr Chaim Shul, Monsey, NY

&nbsp;

7150_depositphotos_5238825_xl_2015.ef70.jpg

21_7150_rabbi_yy_jacobson_lecture_on_addiction.34f8.mp4

21_7150_rabbi_yy_jacobson_lecture_on_addiction.34f8.mp3

eitz hadaas

addiction

self consciousness

eglah arufa

How to Prevent Your Children from Addiction

Lecture on Addiction

We Are All Addicts Trying to Escape Self-Consciousness

The King’s Torah’s

In this week’s Torah portion, Shoftim, the Torah teaches us a fascinating mitzvah concerning every Jewish King:

<table width="100%">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td width="436">
			18 And it will be, when he sits upon his royal throne, that he shall write for himself a copy of this Torah on a scroll from [that Torah which is] before the Levitic kohanim.
			</td>
			<td width="30">
			&nbsp;
			</td>
			<td width="306">
			יח וְהָיָ֣ה כְשִׁבְתּ֔וֹ עַ֖ל כִּסֵּ֣א מַמְלַכְתּ֑וֹ וְכָ֨תַב ל֜וֹ אֶת־מִשְׁנֵ֨ה הַתּוֹרָ֤ה הַזֹּאת֙ עַל־סֵ֔פֶר מִלִּפְנֵ֖י הַכֹּֽהֲנִ֥ים הַֽלְוִיִּֽם:
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td width="436">
			19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord, his G-d, to keep all the words of this Torah and these statutes, to perform them.
			</td>
			<td width="30">
			&nbsp;
			</td>
			<td width="306">
			יט וְהָֽיְתָ֣ה עִמּ֔וֹ וְקָ֥רָא ב֖וֹ כָּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיָּ֑יו לְמַ֣עַן יִלְמַ֗ד לְיִרְאָה֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֔יו לִ֠שְׁמֹ֠ר אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֞י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּ֛את וְאֶת־הַֽחֻקִּ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה לַֽעֲשׂתָֽם:
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

Asks the Talmud:<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn1" name="_ednref1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref1')">[1]</a>

סנהדרין כא, ב: מלך אין, הדיוט לא? לא צריכא לשתי תורות וכדתניא&nbsp;וכתב לו את משנה וגו' כותב לשמו שתי תורות, אחת שהיא יוצאה ונכנסת עמו ואחת שמונחת לו בבית גנזיו.

Every Jew is obligated to write a Torah Scroll (Sefer Torah), as the Torah states explicitly<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn2" name="_ednref2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref2')">[2]</a> ("And now, write for yourselves this song, and teach it to the Children of Israel. Place it into their mouths, in order that this song will be for Me as a witness for the children of Israel." The Talmud5<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn3" name="_ednref3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref3')">[3]</a> understands it as an obligation to write the entire Torah).<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn4" name="_ednref4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref4')">[4]</a> If so, why does the Torah give a separate mitzvah for the king to do this?&nbsp;

The Talmud explains that the Torah is instructing the Jewish leader to write not one, but two Torah Scrolls. One travels with him wherever he goes, and one remains permanently at home, in his private treasury.

But why? What’s the point of the king having two Sifrei Torah?<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn5" name="_ednref5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref5')">[5]</a>

Timeless and Timely

There is, perhaps, a profound message here.<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn6" name="_ednref6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref6')">[6]</a> The Leader must hold on to two Torah’s, as it were. One remains in his treasure chest; the other travels with him wherever he goes, in the words of the Mishnah:<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn7" name="_ednref7" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref7')">[7]</a> “He goes to battle, and it goes with him; he enters the palace and it enters with him; he sits in judgement, and it sits with him. He sits down to eat, and the Torah is there with him.”

There are two elements to Torah: On one hand Torah represents the unwavering truth that remains unchangeable, unbendable, un-phased by the flux of time, space and history. Shabbos never changes. Tefilin, matzah, shofar, sukkah, mikvah, mezuzah, the text of Torah, the bris milah—these are eternal, unchangeable, Divine laws and truths. The same delicious or horrible “stale” matzah we ate 3300 years ago in the desert we still eat in the 21st century in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. The same ram’s horn we blew two millennia ago is still blown today the world over. The same tzitzis, the same Shabbos, the same Yom Kippur, the same kosher laws, the same conversion laws, the same Torah.

But there is another element to Torah—its ability to give perspective and guidance to each generation according to its unique needs, challenges, struggles and experiences. Each generation is different. The issues that plagued us a half-century ago are not the issues we confront today, and conversely: today we have dilemmas never experienced before in history. Our bodies, psyches, souls, sensitivities, and environments are different. Our world has changed in significant ways. Torah must also be a blueprint and luminary to the unique journeys of each milieu, to the climate of each generation, to the ambiance of every era, to the sensitivities of each age, to the yearnings of every epoch.

The prophet Isaiah says:

ישעיה נ, ד: אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, נָתַן לִי לְשׁוֹן לִמּוּדִים, לָדַעַת לָעוּת אֶת-יָעֵף דָּבָר...

My Lord has granted me a tongue for teaching, to understand the need of the times, to give knowledge to those who thirst for knowledge.

A Jewish leader—and every one of us is a leader in our own individual way—must have two Torah’s. One Torah remains immune to change. One pristine Torah Scroll never leaves the ivory tower of the king’s treasury house. It speaks of truths of life and of G-d that are timeless. It transcends borders of time, geography, and people.

The Kilogram

There was a recent report concerning 'The Kilogram' in Paris. 'The Kilogram' is a calibrated weight by which all other kilograms in the entire world are measured. It is kept in triple layered glass casing, to ensure that it is in no way influenced by the elements. Unfortunately, scientists are afraid that this standard kilogram has been losing some mass over the years. This, at least theoretically, ­has ramifications for all types of commerce throughout the world. The pure kilogram standard must never become corrupted!

The famous Maggid of Dubno once told the story of a country boy whose fame as an archer had spread far and wide. A delegation of the finest archers traveled to his farm estate in order to see for themselves if the rumors were true. As they approached the estate, they observed hundreds upon hundreds of trees, each one painted with a target, and in the center of each bullseye there was a single arrow. Amazed at the sight, they asked the lad how it was that he had become such a fine shooter. He replied plainly that he would shoot the arrow first and then paint the target around it.

This is the error some make with Torah. You can’t just keep on adjusting Torah to your predefined positions and desires. If Torah is truth, it is true in all times and in all places. If it is not true, who needs it all together?

But it is not enough to just teach a timeless Torah. A leader must also find in Torah the language of G-d to this particular generation, to this individual person, to this unique situation, to this singular struggle, to this mindset and weltanschauung. Torah has the capacity to speak to the timely as much as to the timeless, to the modern as much as to the ancient, to the future as much as to the past, to the things that are always in flux as much as to those that remain unchangeable.&nbsp;

To Find Your Bio in Torah

This is also the deeper meaning of the Torah’s words: "And it shall be with him and he should read it all the days of his life in order that he learn to fear G-d, to observe all the words of this Torah..." &nbsp;

The Torah is telling us more than just the fact that the king has to read the Torah throughout the days of his life. The actual literal translation reads: “He should read in it all the days of his life.” This means that the Jewish leader must be able to see in Torah a perspective for “all the days of his life,” for everything that transpires in his life and in the life of his people. He has to read in it (v'kara bo) his entire biography (kol yemei chayav), all the events of his life. Every new situation has a perspective from Torah, guidance from G-d’s blueprint for life.<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn8" name="_ednref8" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref8')">[8]</a>

The Balance

It is not always an easy balance. How can the same Torah address both the timeless and the timely? If it was relevant 3000 years ago how can it still be relevant today?

The answer is: Since the Torah comes from the Creator of the world, He embedded into the Torah all the changes, developments and fluctuations of history. The Torah is the Divine blueprint not only for timeless truths, but also for timely issues and questions—it speaks to each generation addressing its dilemmas and concerns.

The late Israel Shenker, a New York Times reporter, interviewed the Lubavitcher Rebbe for his 70th birthday. Here are his words published in April 1972, in The Times:

“To the suggestion that his orthodoxy marks him as a conservative he [the Rebbe] objected, saying: ‘I don't believe that Reform Judaism is liberal and Orthodox is conservative. My explanation of conservative is someone who is so petrified, he cannot accept something new. For me, Judaism, or halacha [Jewish religious law], or Torah, encompasses all the universe, and it encompasses every new invention, every new theory, every new piece of knowledge or thought or action.

"Everything that happens in 1972 has a place in the Torah, and it must be interpreted, it must be explained, it must be evaluated from the point of view of Torah even if it happened for the first time in March of 1972."

These are the “Two Torah’s” a Jewish king—and by extension every Jewish teacher and leader—must possess.

___________

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref1" name="_edn1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn1')">[1]</a> Sanhedrin 21b

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref2" name="_edn2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn2')">[2]</a> Deuteronomy 31:19

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref3" name="_edn3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn3')">[3]</a> Nedarim 38a

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref4" name="_edn4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn4')">[4]</a> The Rosh (Rabbi Asher ben Yechiel, c.1250-1328) writes (Laws of Sefer Torah 7:1) that in previous eras, the Torah scroll was the only text that Jews could use for study, since it was forbidden to write down the Oral Law. Nowadays, however, when it is permissible to write down the Oral Law, and the Torah scroll is stored in the synagogue for public readings rather than used as a study text, the obligation to write a Torah scroll encompasses the obligation to purchase other holy books (seforim) which can be used for study. 
Some halachic authorities understand this to mean that there is no longer an obligation to own or write a Torah scroll and that the obligation is fulfilled in its entirety by owning other holy books, e.g., a Chumash, Mishnah, Talmud, Code of Jewish Law, etc. Other authorities say that the Rosh meant that the obligation to write a Torah scroll still exists, but that in addition to this, one must also purchase other holy books. 
The Lubavitcher Rebbe once explained a fascinating insight. We don't find any record that upon receiving this mitzvah the Jews en masse wrote hundreds of thousands of Torah scrolls! Nor do we find historically that many people commissioned the writing of their own scrolls. Why not? The Rebbe concluded, that since the main purpose of the Torah Scroll is to read from it, one can fulfill one's obligation through the Torah scroll that is owned by the community. 
In addition to the fact that as a member of the community, he owns a part of the Torah scroll, the Rebbe proved from various sources that he can also can be considered a full owner during the time that he actually reads from it – that is, when he receives an Aliya. It is an unspoken agreement that whenever anybody is called to the Torah, all of the community members temporarily give that person full ownership of the Torah for the duration of that aliyah. When the Aliya is over, he then “returns” the ownership to the entire community. 
Although ownership of a Torah scroll is not enough to fulfill the mitzvah, but rather the person must commission a scribe to write it for him or write it himself, in the case of scrolls written for the community, we consider the scribe an agent of the entire community. In addition, if the Torah needs to be corrected – something which is a frequent occurrence – the scribe who does the corrections is seen as an agent of the entire community. Thus, even those who were not yet born when the Torah was written have a part in the writing. 
This answers the above questions and also explains how we can all fulfill this mitzvah today—even according to the opinions that one must actually write one's own Torah scroll and not simply be a partner. (For all the sources, see Likkutei Sichos vol. 23, p. 24, and all references noted there.) 
In addition, the Lubavitcher Rebbe initiated campaigns to unite all of Jewry in this mitzvah by having as many Jews as possible purchase letters in Torah scrolls. Separate scrolls are written specifically to unite Jewish children.

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref5" name="_edn5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn5')">[5]</a> Rabbi Shlomo Kluger (1785-1869), the famed chief Rabbi of Brody, Galicia, and other Rabbis, offer the following insight into these two Sefer Torahs. The Torah describing the appointment of the King uses the double language of “Som Ta'sim,” You shall surely place upon yourselves. The Rabbis infer from here that the fear of the King must be upon the people. 
On the other hand, at the end of the section dealing with the monarchy, the Torah emphasizes concern "That his heart not become haughty over his brethren and that he does not turn from the commandment right or left" (Deut. 17:20). This almost seems to contradict the earlier language. Should the king be humble or powerful? 
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The Jewish Monarch must act like a king when he is in front of the people, but he is not allowed to let his heart get carried away. He must remember who he is and remember who the Only real King is. 
Rabbi Shlomo Kluger says that this is what is meant by the fact that the King writes two Torah scrolls for himself - one with which he goes out and one which remains at home. When he goes out, he must wear the Torah of "You shall surely place upon yourselves a King," he must act like a King and instill awe like a King. But when he returns home and settles down into the privacy of his own abode, he must be aware of the Torah that is hidden away at home. That is the Torah of "Lest his heart be lifted above that of his brethren."

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref6" name="_edn6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn6')">[6]</a> The following explanation is based on the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s explanation on the difference between the Torah of Moshe and the Torah of Aaron, between “Emes” and “Chesed,” Sichas 13 Nissan, Parshas Shmini, 5748 (1988), published in Sefer Hasichos 5748 vol. 2, and in Likkutei Sichos Parshiyos Shmini.

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref7" name="_edn7" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn7')">[7]</a> Sanhedrin 21b

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref8" name="_edn8" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn8')">[8]</a> This is the interpretation of the Chasam Sofer Parshas Shoftim.

In this week&rsquo;s portion, Shoftim, the Torah teaches us a fascinating mitzvah concerning every Jewish King: He must write not one but two Torah scrolls. One travels with him wherever he goes, and one remains permanently at home, in his private chamber, unmoved.

But why? What&rsquo;s the point of the king having two Sifrei Torah?

There is, perhaps, a profound message here. The Leader must hold on to two Torah&rsquo;s, as it were. One remains in his treasure chest; the other travels with him to wherever he goes, in the words of the Mishnah: &ldquo;He goes to battle, and it goes with him; he enters the palace and it enters with him; he sits in judgement, and it sits with him. He sits down to eat, and the Torah is there with him.&rdquo; There are two distinct elements to Torah. The unchangeable and the relevant.

The story of the Kilogram in Paris, the metaphor of the Dubner Maggid, the New York Times interview with the Lubavitcher Rebbe by Israel Shenker, all express the two dimensions of Torah we must teach to the world.

7130_clock.b161.jpg

lubavitcher rebbe

two torah's

israel shenker

A Tale of Two Torah's: The Timeless and the Timely

Essay Shoftim

If Judaism Is Immutable, How Can It Be Relevant?

This women&#39;s class was presented Tuesday Parshas Shoftim, 3 Elul, 5778, August 14, 2018, at Ohr Chauim Shul, Monsey, NY.

There is a strange law in Judaism. If a court judging a case of capital punishment votes unanimously to convict the defendant, the defendant is acquitted! Only if there is at least one judge who attempts to argue on the defendants behalf, will the conviction stand, following the majority.

This seems bizarre: Where the evidence of guilt appears indisputable, Jewish law frees the suspect! Yet a case with weaker evidence, and thus containing a split among the justices, results in conviction! Is this not an irrational outcome of the law?!

The Torah, as usual, does not fit into our man-made, prefabricated political platforms, but rather has its own unique and refreshing approach. This class presents two fascinating insights. One presented by a 16th century Turkish scholar; the other by a 19th century Polish scholar. Fascinatingly, Dostoyevsky&rsquo;s world famous novel Crime and Punishment sheds light on the Jewish version of Crime and Punishment.

5534_judge.7dcf.jpg

21_yyj_crime_and_punishment_8_16_18.f7e1.mp4

21_yyj_crime_and_punishment_8_16_18.f7e1.mp3

If the Entire Court Says Guilty, He's Innocent. Really? 

Crime and Punishment

Giving it back to G-d

<span style="font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">This class, in Likkutei Sichos vol. 24 Shoftim, was given in Evergreen Estates, in the summer of 2014-5774. It explores the Halachik distinction between one's body and one's money. Why is it that I can obligate myself to pay money based on my admission, but not to receive a bodily punishment based on my confession? Why is it that we have to make blessing before we eat, but not before we receive money? When does G-d maintain His ownership over the universe, and when does He &ldquo;transfer&rdquo; it to man?

2520_money.jpg

20_the real full on.pdf

19_12343.mp3

human body

money

likkutei sichos shoftim

The Distinction in Halacha Between Our Ownership over Our Bodies Vs. Our Finances

My Money Vs. My Body: Likkutei Sichos Shoftim

My Money Vs. My Body: Likkutei Sichos Shoftim

The Distinction in Halacha Between Our Ownership over Our Bodies Vs. Our Finances

Class Summary:

Categories

Related Classes

Please help us continue our work

Sign up to receive latest content by Rabbi YY

Ways to get content by Rabbi YY Jacobson