Rabbi YY Jacobson gives a Zoom lecture for the Jewish&nbsp;Community of Beth Tefilah, of Scotsdale, Arizona. On Tuesday,&nbsp;17 Sivan, 5780, June 9, 2020. The MC&nbsp;is the spiritual leader Rabbi Pinchas Allouche.

Our Role as Jews Today

Rioting in America

Corona, George Floyd, & the Evil of Racism

This women&#39;s class was presented on Tuesday Parshas Chayei Sarah, 21&nbsp;Cheshvon, 5780, November 19, 2019 at the Ohr Chaim Shul, Monsey, NY&nbsp;

What It Takes to be the Mother of the Jewish People

Women's Chayei Sarah Class

The Psychological Test of Rebecca

This lecture, a mix of English and Yiddish, was presented by Rabbi YY Jacobson at a fundraising event for Kupas Ezra, to help poor families in Monsey, NY. The speech was given at the Feig home, on 21 Shevat, 5776, January, 31, 2016.

All of Torah Is Love: An English/Yiddish Address for Kupas Ezra

Some People Just Don't Get It

<p style="line-height: 13pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Forbidden Piety: To go beyond the letter of the law and do more than is obligatory is usually most laudable - and sometimes forbidden.

<p style="line-height: 13pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Our sages tell us that the patriarchs observed the entire Torah although G-d had not yet commanded it.&nbsp;Yet in the 29th chapter of Genesis we find Jacob marrying Rachel after having been tricked into marrying her sister, Leah. Why did Jacob marry two sisters, a clear biblical prohibition?

<p style="line-height: 13pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">But Jacob had given his word to Rachel, who had waited seven years as he worked for her father to gain her hand. To refuse to marry her would have caused her grievous hurt and embarrassment. Since the laws of the Torah were not commanded to Israel before the revelation at Mount Sinai, Jacob had no right to uphold his self-assumed piety at the expense of another human being.

<p style="line-height: 13pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Therein lies an important lesson to each and every one of us. The Torah&#39;s laws are eternal and unequivocal---one cannot second-guess the Almighty, even if the observance of His commandments may appear to cause hardship and suffering. Ultimately, the Torah is the only source of life and well-being for the Jew, both spiritually and physically. Yet this applies only to what the Torah directly commands. If a person wishes to go beyond what the Torah obligates him, this is most laudable---as long as it affects only himself. Where others are affected, a fellow&#39;s needs must always take precedence over one&#39;s own loftiest &ldquo;values.&rdquo;

How Could Yaakov Marry Two Sisters?

Women's Vayeitzei Class

Don't Be Holy at the Expense of Others

This text-based class, in Likkutei Sichos vol. 15 Parshas Lecha Lecha, explores the four stages of spiritual development from Adam to Noach, to Avraham, to Moshe.&nbsp;
The Rebbe Rashab once said: &ldquo;The portion of Bereishit, is a happy portion. G-d is creating universes and creatures and is satisfied that &lsquo;it is good.&rsquo; Its ending, however is not so pleasant. Still in all, it is generally a happy Torah portion and in all Jewish communities there is joy and delight - we have begun the Torah anew. With the next week's reading, Noah, comes the Flood. It is a depressing week, but with a happy ending - Abraham our father is born. But the truly joyous week is Lech-Lecha. Every day of the week we live with Abraham Our Father.&nbsp;
An obvious question comes to mind: indeed, why are these weekly readings so divided? Why mar the &ldquo;happy portion&rdquo; of Bereishit with its depressing ending, especially since these last few verses actually begin the story of the Flood, the central theme of the next week's reading? A similar thing happens at the end of Noah: after a detailed description of Noah's life and the events of the Flood and the Tower of Babel, the portion concludes with a brief account of the birth and early life of Abraham, whose life is to fill, with rich detail, the next three Torah portions.&nbsp;Surely, a far more natural division would have been for Noah to begin with the final eight verses of Bereishit, and for Lech Lecha to open with Abraham's birth, a scant seven verses before the end of Noah!
The class takes us on an incredible journey to discvoer four levels of one's spiritual and emotional develpment, expressed in how we view ourselves, others, and the world around us. We discover a tale of four loves.

A Spiritual Drama in Four Acts: Adam, Noach, Avraham and Moshe

Likkutei Sichos Lech Lecha: A Tale of Four Loves

Out&nbsp;Of&nbsp;This World?

A man returning from the world's first wedding on Pluto seemed disappointed.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

"What's wrong?" asked his friend. "The band was no good?"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

"The band was great," he answered.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

"The food was lousy?" asked his friend.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

"Out of this world!"&nbsp;&nbsp;

"Nu! So, what was the problem?" asked his friend.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

"There was no atmosphere."&nbsp;&nbsp;

Hospitality

The opening of this week's Torah portion<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref1')">[1]</a>,&nbsp;Vayeira, relates the tale of Abraham sitting during a hot day at the entrance of his tent and observing three men standing nearby. He ran toward them and insisted they come to relax in his tent.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Abraham was very specific<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref2')">[2]</a>: "Let some water be brought and wash your feet, and recline beneath the tree. I will fetch a morsel of bread so that you may sustain yourself."&nbsp;&nbsp;

The three men consent and accept Abraham's invitation.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

At this point, the Torah&nbsp;gives us a detailed account of what transpired during the following moments<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref3')">[3]</a>:&nbsp;&nbsp;

"Abraham rushed to the tent to Sarah [his wife] and said, 'Hurry! Three measures<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref4')">[4]</a> of the finest flour! Knead it and make rolls! Then Abraham ran to the cattle, took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the young man who rushed to prepare it.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"He took cottage cheese<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref5')">[5]</a> and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed these before them; he stood over them as they ate under the tree."&nbsp;&nbsp;

"They asked him, 'Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, 'Behold — in the tent!'"&nbsp;&nbsp;

"'I will return to you this time next year,' said [one of the men], 'and your wife Sarah will have a son.'"&nbsp;&nbsp;

The continuation of the narrative makes it clear<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref6')">[6]</a> that these three visitors were no simple men, but rather spiritual energies, or angels, manifested in the bodies and the guise of men. These angels were sent to carry out three monumental tasks described in the continuation of the story: A) to inform Abraham that Sarah would give birth to a child; B) to overturn the evil city of Sodom and, finally, C) to rescue Abraham's nephew Lot and his family who lived in Sodom<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn7" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref7')">[7]</a>.&nbsp;

Three Questions&nbsp;

The commentators raise a few questions. &nbsp;

1) Since two of the three angels came to carry out tasks unrelated to Abraham, why did these two angels come to Abraham's home first<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn8" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref8')">[8]</a>?&nbsp;

2) Why does the Torah find it necessary to inform us of the exact words and tasks of Abraham upon greeting the guests, including the exact menu of what he served them? If the Torah wished to teach us about his extraordinary hospitality, couldn't it have simply stated that Abraham took care of all their needs?&nbsp;

3) The question the men asked Abraham — "Where is Sarah your wife?" — seems amiss, since after Abraham told them where she was, they did not proceed to address her, and continued speaking to Abraham. Why did they ask this question<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn9" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref9')">[9]</a>?&nbsp;&nbsp;

Visiting&nbsp;A&nbsp;Rebbe&nbsp;

The Chassidic masters offer a moving&nbsp;homiletical&nbsp;interpretation of this biblical episode<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn10" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref10')">[10]</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

According to Jewish tradition<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn11" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref11')">[11]</a>, there exists in each generation a&nbsp;tzaddik, a great moral giant, who serves as the spiritual foundation of the world, as a bridge between heaven and earth. This is a human being who carries the burden of history on his shoulders and always has his finger on the pulse of the generation. While others plan their vacations and retirements, this person cannot sleep at night as long as there is one soul in G-d's&nbsp;universe hurting.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In his times, Abraham served as this&nbsp;tzaddik, the&nbsp;Rebbe&nbsp;(spiritual master) of the world. When three angels were dispatched to pay a visit to planet Earth, they were determined to visit this extraordinary human being. They longed to be touched by his soul, inspired by his spirituality, and ignited by his passion. The angels craved to encounter the majesty of holiness at its peak.&nbsp;&nbsp;

When the three angels approached Abraham's tent, they expected to discover a soul burning with a sacred flame, steeped in heavenly meditation, melting away in infinite ecstasy. They expected to find a spirit dancing with the Divine, free of any trace of the mundane, suspended above the crassness of the physical universe and its materialistic trappings.&nbsp;

The Shocking Moment

What was the reality the angels actually encountered?&nbsp;&nbsp;

"Let some water be brought and wash your feet, and recline beneath the tree," the great&nbsp;Rebbe, Abraham, declared. "I will fetch a morsel of bread so that you may sustain yourself," were the words that came out of G-d's&nbsp;ambassador to planet earth.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"Abraham rushed to the tent to Sarah [his wife] and said, 'Hurry! Three measures of the finest flour! Knead it and make rolls! Then Abraham ran to the cattle, took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the young man who rushed to prepare it. He took cottage cheese and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed these before them; he stood over them as they ate under the tree."&nbsp;&nbsp;

A man of infinite ecstasy?&nbsp;No. A good chef who knows how to run a smooth kitchen — that is what they saw in Abraham.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"We thought we were coming to a&nbsp;Rebbe," they must have thought to themselves. "Instead, we ended up at a butcher."&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

In lieu of finding the light of the divine radiating from Abraham's tent, they discovered an old man running around, tongue and mustard in his hands<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn12" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref12')">[12]</a>! "We must have come to the wrong location," the angels mused.&nbsp;

What&nbsp;About&nbsp;The Wife?

Then a thought came to their mind that perhaps when they heard in heaven that Abraham was the&nbsp;tzaddik&nbsp;of the generation, it was actually referring not to him but to his counterpart, Sarah. She might be the real master of the generation and Abraham merely her attendant.&nbsp; &nbsp;

So the narrative continues: "They asked him, 'Where is Sarah your wife<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn13" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref13')">[13]</a>?" Perhaps we can get a glimpse of your wife and we will finally encounter the presence of authentic holiness.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

"And he said, 'Behold — in the tent!'" What Abraham was telling the angels is that if they did not 'get it' henceforth, seeing Sarah wouldn't do the job either, for she is even more concealed than Abraham. She is concealed in the tent. Her true identity is not easily appreciated.&nbsp;

Angels Enlightened

At that moment, for the first time, the angels realized how deeply they had erred. In their longing to encounter holiness, they missed the ultimate point: that the authentic majesty of human holiness consists of a person's daily acts of love, selflessness, and graciousness performed amid the stress and lowliness of physical existence. The angels failed to recognize that the genuine experience of serving G-d means not to soar to the heavens searching for angels, but to be there for another human being in a very real and pragmatic way.&nbsp; &nbsp;

"Hurry!&nbsp;Three measures of the finest flour! Knead it and make rolls!" In this simple, mundane behavior, Abraham constructed&nbsp;a fragment of heaven on earth.&nbsp;

What Life Is Really Like

"I will return to you this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son,"&nbsp;came&nbsp;the response of the angel. This was not merely a communication of G-d's&nbsp;earlier promise to Abraham; it was also a response of an angel in awe of the revolution that Abraham introduced to the world, in which a human being in his ordinary daily behavior can build a home for G-d. Abraham's revolution, the angel insisted, must have a future in the form of a family, and, ultimately, a people, charged with the mission to teach the world how to fuse heaven and earth.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The angels never forgot that visit. Abraham gave them not only a sobering lesson in what real life is like but also a lesson of what it meant to be authentically spiritual.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

True spirituality, Abraham was communicating to the angels, lies not in man's attempt to escape the trappings of the world, but rather in his commitment to drawing down light and beauty into the darkness of life. It is only here -- not in Pluto -- that you can create the real atmosphere.&nbsp;

Above the Angels

This explains an enigmatic change in the language of the text. In the beginning of the narrative detailing the visit of the angels, we read: "vehinei&nbsp;shlosha&nbsp;anoshim nitzavim aluv," meaning that the angels were standing over him. Later, when the guests are being served by Abraham, we read: "vehu omed aleihem," meaning that Abraham stood over&nbsp;them<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn14" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref14')">[14]</a>.&nbsp;

It was through this act of hospitality that Abraham&nbsp;rose&nbsp;far and beyond the angels; he was now standing over and above them. Through simple human kindness practiced on earth that the human being reaches far beyond the most spiritual angels.&nbsp;

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn1')">[1]</a> Genesis chapter 18. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn2')">[2]</a> Ibid. 18:4. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn3')">[3]</a> Ibid. 18:6. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn4')">[4]</a> Se'ahs in Hebrew. This is equivalent to around 30 cups or 9 pounds of flour!&nbsp; 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn5')">[5]</a> Chemah&nbsp;in Hebrew. See The Living Torah (by Rabbi&nbsp;Aryeh&nbsp;Kaplan) for the various translations of the word.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn6')">[6]</a> Genesis 19:1. Cf. referenced noted in the following footnote. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref7" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn7')">[7]</a> These three tasks are explicitly stated in the biblical narrative. Our sages point out that the third angel who rescued Lot also healed Abraham after his circumcision at the age of 99 (Bava&nbsp;Metzia&nbsp;86b;&nbsp;Bereshis&nbsp;Rabah&nbsp;50:2;&nbsp;Rashi&nbsp;Genesis 18:2). 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref8" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn8')">[8]</a> According to the sources in the previous footnote, two of the angels were given tasks related to Abraham. Still the question remains, why did the third angel go to Abraham's home? 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref9" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn9')">[9]</a> See&nbsp;Rashi&nbsp;Genesis 18:9 (from the&nbsp;Midrash&nbsp;and the Talmud) for three possible answers to this question. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref10" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn10')">[10]</a> The germ of the idea I heard from Rabbi&nbsp;Yisroel&nbsp;Twersky&nbsp;(Lakewood, NJ), who heard it from his relative, the distinguished Jerusalem Rabbi Baruch Shimon Schneerson (1912-2001), Rosh Yeshiva of&nbsp;Tshebin, and son-in-law of the famed&nbsp;Tshebiner&nbsp;Rav, Rabbi&nbsp;Dov&nbsp;Berish&nbsp;Weinfeld&nbsp;(1881-1966).&nbsp;Later I found it in&nbsp;Chidushei&nbsp;Harim&nbsp;to&nbsp;Vayeira, in the name of Rabbi&nbsp;Yechiel&nbsp;Michel of&nbsp;Zhlotshov. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref11" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn11')">[11]</a> See Talmud Yuma 38b (based on Proverbs 10:25);&nbsp;Bereishis&nbsp;Rabah&nbsp;56:7;&nbsp;Tikkunei&nbsp;Zohar&nbsp;Tikkun&nbsp;69 (p. 114a);&nbsp;Kesser&nbsp;Shem&nbsp;Tov, and many Chassidic sources. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref12" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn12')">[12]</a> See Talmud&nbsp;Bava&nbsp;Metziah&nbsp;86b;&nbsp;Rashi&nbsp;to Genesis 18:7: Abraham prepared three bulls in&nbsp;order&nbsp;to feed them three tongues with mustard. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref13" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn13')">[13]</a> This also explains why the angels felt the need to specify to Abraham in their question that Sarah was his wife ("Where is Sarah your wife"?). Surely,&nbsp;Abraham,&nbsp;knew who Sarah was! Yet the angels were explaining why they could have erred in thinking that Abraham was the&nbsp;tzaddik, though it was really Sarah, since they were connected as one, as a husband and wife. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref14" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn14')">[14]</a>See&nbsp;Degel&nbsp;Machane&nbsp;Ephraim on the verse.&nbsp; 
My thanks to Shmuel Levin for his editorial assistance.&nbsp;

Angels and Mustard - What Angels Don&#39;t Understand About Humans

What Angels Don't Understand About Holiness

Essay Vayeira

Angels & Mustard

Four Mitzvos and a Slice of Fish

In a small town in Eastern Europe, a poor beggar once approached the home of an extremely wealthy but very stingy man. "Sir, I haven't had a morsel of food in more than two days," he said. "Can you please spare something to eat?"

"My home was not made for losers like yourself," the miser replied. "Why don't you go to the synagogue? There they will surely feed you!"

But the poor man pleaded. "Please, I beg you, I have no strength left. If I don't eat something now, I will die. Please, give me any food you have in the home."

The rich man took from the garbage an old, rotten and smelly piece of fish and gave it to the beggar, who consumed it within a few seconds. As the poor man thanked his host and left the home, he collapsed in the street. They rushed him to the local hospital.

That evening, after returning home from the evening services in the synagogue, the wealthy man informed his wife that he would be leaving and return later at night. "The poor man who ate in our home suddenly fell ill, and he was taken to the hospital. I must go visit him and fulfill the great mitzvah of visiting the sick."

The following morning, after returning home from the synagogue's morning service, the man told his wife: "I have a busy day today. In the synagogue they announced that the poor beggar died early this morning, and that his funeral would take place at 2 p.m. I must attend the funeral of this man and perform the extraordinary mitzvah of escorting the dead on their final journey."

That evening, after returning home from synagogue, the wealthy man informed his wife once again that he would be out late. "At the funeral they announced that the deceased beggar was survived by a son. I must go pay him a shivah call and perform the great mitzvah of comforting a person who is in mourning."

When the wealthy man returned that night from the shivah call, his face was beaming with joy. His entire countenance radiated with happiness. The man was simply kvelling.

"What are you so happy about?" his wife asked him. "What was so exciting about visiting an orphan sitting shivah?"

To which the wealthy miser replied: "How could I not be overjoyed when I think of how many tremendous mitzvos I performed with merely one small stinky piece of fish!

"Think about it. With one decayed slice of fish, I achieved four of the most extraordinary mitzvos: hospitality to the poor, visiting the sick, escorting the dead and comforting the mourning. Ah! How happy I feel."

An Ego Trip

This satirical episode depicts, of course, the profile of a man who may consider himself to be very religious, but who totally doesn't get it; an individual who may technically follow the laws, but who is absolutely alienated from G-d’s truth and from the very definition of holiness; a person for whom religion is merely a self-centered obnoxious ego trip, rather than a challenge to transcend the superficial, base and depraved aspects of the human personality and touch the divine within himself and his fellow human beings.

It is against this type of "religious” person that the Bible warns us in the beginning of the second Torah portion of this week, Kedoshim<a id="_edn1" href="javascript: void(0);" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref1')">[1]</a>.

"Speak to the entire assembly of the Children of Israel," G-d tells Moses, "and say to them: You shall be holy, for holy am I, your G-d."

What is the meaning of this commandment to "be holy"? What does it mean to be holy? How does one become holy?

One of the greatest biblical commentators, the 13th century Spanish sage, Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, known as Nachmanides or Ramban<a id="_edn2" href="javascript: void(0);" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref2')">[2]</a>, maintains that the injunction to by holy is not to observe any particular commandment. Rather, it is an instruction that relates to the entire weltanschauung of the Jew, to the core of his lifestyle, to his very perception of self.

In Nachmanides' own words<a id="_edn3" href="javascript: void(0);" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref3')">[3]</a>:

"The meaning of this ("be holy") is that since the Torah has cautioned (in the previous Torah portion) against forbidden promiscuous relations and against forbidden foods, while permitting intimacy in a marriage and eating meat and wine, the gluttonous person can find a place to wallow in fornication with his wife or wives and become one of the guzzlers of wine and the gluttons of meat. He may converse at will about all types of licentious things, since no prohibition against this is specified in the Torah. He can be a degenerate with the permission of the Torah. Therefore, after enumerating the things which it forbids entirely, the Torah declares, 'Be holy.' Constrain yourself also in that which is permitted<a id="_edn4" href="javascript: void(0);" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref4')">[4]</a>."

"A degenerate with the permission of the Torah!" What a dramatic and moving expression coming from the quill of a 13th-century sage occupied most of his time with defending his Spanish brethren from Christian Jew-haters. Nachmanides is crying out against religious smugness and egocentricity, against Torah-sanctioned vulgarity. He views this verse as a divine protest against the individual who may technically perform all the laws and rituals, but still remains coarse and vulgar. He may have learned Torah, but the Torah has taught him nothing. His inner beastliness and selfishness have never been refined; his bias and crudeness never challenged. G-d, for this individual, is an object of his own making, not an invitation to infinity, mystery and transcendence.

Religion, we all know, can be a crutch allowing us to remain stuck in our bubble, secure in the consistency of ritual, yet unready to challenge our core narcissism and listen deeply to another human being. Dogmatic ritual can give us the sense that we are good and holy, while we remain crude, crass and delusional, never asking the ultimate G-dly question, "What have I given up for someone else?" Even our kindness can become superficial, false and self-serving. We engage in kindness, or "chesed," so that we can tell ourselves we are good and that we will merit a seat in "the world to come."

Perhaps we will. But that place in the "world to come" will smell as bad as that piece of fish...

"Be Holy" is the eternal call to challenge the status quo of our nature, to remember that religion may have little to do with G-d and to recall that serving G-d is not merely a ticket to paradise. It is the daily battle for transcendence; a daily battle to go beyond the superficiality of mundane existence, and the confines of the insecure ego; a daily battle to find the unifying light within.

To be sure, self-deception is not the exclusive purview of religious people. All of us, regardless of our level of outer religiosity, find it much easier to engage in a huge amount of self-deception to maintain our self image as “good people” than to actually challenge our baser, more selfish instincts. “Religious people” are not the only ones who sometimes don’t get it; all of us are in danger of becoming stuck in the quagmire of our psyche’s comfort zones, too lazy or scared to confront the hard questions. Yet, for those of us who call ourselves religious, the injunction “be holy” reminds us that G-d must always be synonymous with truth, integrity and inner refinement. Vulgarity in the name of religion is a sin all its own.

Careful we must be not to use religion as a tool to eclipse our insecurities and selfishness. The first and foremost definition of G-d is that He has no definition and thus must inculcate us with an endless sense of humility and wonder.

<a id="_ednref1" href="javascript: void(0);" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn1')">[1]</a> Leviticus 19:1.

<a id="_ednref2" href="javascript: void(0);" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn2')">[2]</a> Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, known as the Ramban, was the leader of Spanish Jewry in the turbulent 13th century. His great Torah scholarship, heroic personal life and incisive analysis of Jewish history and destiny remain a beacon of light through the centuries. The Ramban was born in Girona, Catalonia, Spain in 1194, and was the crown of that country's golden age of Jewish scholarship. Toward the end of his life, he was forced to relocate from Spain. He moved to Jerusalem, where he passed away around 1272.

<a id="_ednref3" href="javascript: void(0);" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn3')">[3]</a> Leviticus ibid.&nbsp;

<a id="_ednref4" href="javascript: void(0);" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn4')">[4]</a> The Ramban quotes the Talmudic dictum (Yevamos 20a): "Sanctify yourself also regarding that which is permissible to you." Or as a Chassid once remarked: The first dictum we heard from the Rebbe (Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi) was, "What is forbidden, one must not; what is permitted, one need not."

Religious But Vulgar - A Degenerate Sanctioned by Torah

A Degenerate Sanctioned by Torah

Essay Parshas Kedoshim

Religious But Vulgar

Farbrengen 19 Kislev 5772, in Florida. Talk 1: The love of Reb Zusha of Anipoli; the love of Reb Levi Yitzchak of Barditschov; the love of the Alter Rebbe. The two principles of Tanya ch. 30 and Tanya ch. 32. The story of a kidney donor whose father refused to allow his son to donate his kidney. The soul behind Chabad shlechus &ndash; genuine love for our fellow Jew. The difference between anti-Semites and Jews&hellip;"
Talk 2: The fourth level of love&mdash;articulated by the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Shabbos Emor 1982), stemming from the very darkness we encounter in ourselves or others. How to deal with flaws you see in your spouse or in any other friend."
Talk 3: How Jacob&rsquo;s image saved Joseph from moral failure. The story of Adam eating from the tree and why we may not underestimate every single act we do."
Talk 4: Why Reb Chaim Valozhiner did not sign the ban on Chassidim. How careful we must be when it comes to denigrate or harm another Jew. Let love reign!

Music & Inspiration Celebrating the "New Year for Chassidism"

Yud-Tes Kislev 5772 (2011) Farbrengen: A Tale of Four Loves

Already our Biblical forefathers in the desert, notwithstanding all of their rebellions and complaining, 
knew how to be generous. As a matter of fact sometimes they even gave blindly and to contradicting 
causes. The Talmud expresses this in amazement: “What is the peculiar nature of this people? When 
asked to contribute to the Golden Calf, they gave, and when asked to donate to the building of the 
Sanctuary they also gave!” Some people are compulsive gamblers, Jews are compulsive givers.
One of the most striking characteristics of the Jewish people is that by nature we give charity. 
This is not only a religious virtue and charity for religious institutions—Jews support endless 
organizations: Organizations devoted to world peace, to a greener environment, fighting cruelty to 
animals, saving the whales, the Democratic Party, the UN, and countless hospitals and universities.
Where did we get the genes to give so much charity? From our father Abraham, the quintessential man 
of love and kindness. Jacob gave us the talent to study Torah, Isaac—to work on ourselves, pray, and 
grow inwardly, but Abraham taught us how to love and give."
A Talmudic statement alludes to a fascinating fact: even at the end of days, as the generations progress 
and grow spiritually and intellectually weaker, Jews will continue to give. 
This class will explore how today—more than Isaac and Jacob—Jews are characterized most by the 
‘genetic’ influence of Abraham. This is also our modern mission more than anything else, to emulate his 
example and learn how to love and accept each other.

The Extraordinary Story of Jewish Philanthropy; Why Are Many Youths Leaving Judaism?

Class Lech Lecha

What Assimilation Could Not Destroy

<div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 120%; margin: 12pt 0in;">
<big>The Gender of Computers</big>

<big>Why computers should be considered masculine:</big>

<big>1. They have a lot of data but are still clueless. 2. They are supposed to help you solve your problems, but half the time they&nbsp;are&nbsp;the problem. 3. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that, if you had waited a little longer, you could have had a better model and for much cheaper.</big>

<big>Why computers should be considered feminine: 1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic. 2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else. 3. Even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for later retrieval. 4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.</big>

<big>Searching for the Discrepancies</big>

<big>Jews have long known that the Hebrew Bible can be truly appreciated only when attention is paid not only to the explicit narrative and message, but also to the text's apparent discrepancies, grammatical flaws, and unusual syntax. In fact, one of the outstanding features of Jewish biblical literacy produced over the past two-and-a-half millennia is its incredibly rich interpretation of the Bible's apparent errors, a study that almost totally escaped the eye of many Bible critics of the past two centuries.</big>

<big>In this week's essay, I wish to draw our attention to one such small anomaly in this week's Torah portion, Tazria, which, upon further reflection, exposes to us the Torah's majestic attitude toward the cultivation of sensitivity and empathy.</big>

<big>Post-Birth Offerings</big>

<big>The beginning of this week's portion, Tazria, discusses the offering every Jewish woman would bring during the Temple days following the birth of a child. This offering, representing post-birth healing and dedication, was brought forty days after the birth of a male, and eighty days after the birth of a female.</big>

<big>The type of this offering depended largely on the financial means of the family. Here is how the Torah describes it<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref1')">[1]</a>: "She shall bring a sheep within its first year for an elevation offering, and a young dove or a [mature] turtledove… "But if she cannot afford a sheep, then she shall take two [mature] turtledoves or two young doves… and she shall become purified."</big>

<big>The Anomaly</big>

<big>It seems quite clear and straightforward. Yet the discerning student of the Bible will notice a glitch here.</big>

<big>The Torah has already discussed a number of times the possibility of specific individuals bringing turtledoves or young doves as an offering to G-d<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref2')">[2]</a>. Later, too, the Bible will discuss this type of offering repeatedly<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref3')">[3]</a>. In each of these instances, the Torah first mentions the turtledove (tor, in Hebrew), and only afterward the young dove (ben yonah, in Hebrew). Here too, when discussing the offering brought by the woman possessing smaller means, the Torah states, "She shall take two turtledoves or two young doves," first mentioning the option of offering turtledoves and only afterward the option of young doves.</big>

<big>In all of the nine times&nbsp;this offering is discussed in the Bible, the turtledove precedes the young dove.</big>

<big>There is, surprisingly, one exception. In our portion, while discussing the offering presented by the woman of larger means, the Torah states (as recorded above), "She shall bring a sheep within its first year for an elevation offering, and a young dove or a turtledove." Here, suddenly, the order is changed. First the young dove, and only afterward the mature turtledove. Why?</big>

<big>The Pairs</big>

<big>One of the greatest legal and spiritual personalities of the Middle Ages, Rabbi Jacob Ashkenazi (born 1270 in Germany; died in 1343 in Toledo, Spain), in his Torah commentary known as "Baal Haturim," offers a simple but profoundly moving two-line answer.</big>

<big>Wherever the bird offering is mentioned throughout the Torah, says Rabbi Jacob, it is always in the context of a pair of turtledoves or a pair of young doves. The above quote is one example: "But if she cannot afford a sheep, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young doves." Birds are offered in pairs of two.</big>

<big>The only exception is the woman possessing greater means, who, following childbirth, offers one sheep and one bird. Here the Torah states, "She shall bring a sheep… and a young dove or a turtledove." This is why the Torah, in this instance, changes the order of the birds, first mentioning the young dove, than the older turtledove.</big>

<big>The Torah is attempting to teach us that in a case when a single bird is offered, preference should be given to the young dove over the older mature dove. The older turtledove should only be brought as a last resort, if a young dove could not be found. This requirement would not apply when a pair of birds are being offered together.</big>

<big>The loyalty of a Dove</big>

<big>The logic behind this is moving. Most animals do not enjoy monogamous relationships.</big>

<big>The majority of animals belong to the 'sowing wild oats' school of thought, in which they are constantly switching mates, even in a single season.&nbsp;The male chimpanzee, for example, goes so far as to invite different females to mate by just spreading his legs. Creatures such as fish (and particularly sea urchins) take it even a step further: They release their eggs and seed into the sea and hope that some of each will meet up and fertilize.</big>

<big>There are a few exceptions to the non-monogamous trend among animals; one of them is the dove. Many (though not all) birds of the dove family are loyal to their mates, sometimes over many seasons and even years.</big>

<big>In fact, the Talmud states<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref4')">[4]</a> that if the Torah had not been given, we would have learned how to be loyal to our spouses from the behavior of doves.</big>

<big>The passionate words expressed by the groom to his bride in the Song of Songs<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref5')">[5]</a>, "Behold, you are lovely my beloved; behold you are beautiful, your eyes are doves," is understood in the Midrash<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref6')">[6]</a> as G-d's profound complement to the Jewish people. "Just as a dove, from the moment it recognizes its partner, never exchanges it for anybody else, so the Jewish people, from the moment they recognized G-d, never substituted Him with any other deity."</big>

<big>There are even certain doves who mourn the death of their mate, not easily choosing a new partner.</big>

<big>That is why in the case of a woman offering only&nbsp;one&nbsp;dove, the Torah is urging us to avoid taking a single mature dove as an offering, since we might&nbsp;be depriving its partner from his or her mate which has ascended to G-d. The preference must be the&nbsp;young&nbsp;dove that has not yet begun to mate. In all other instances, though, where the instruction is to offer&nbsp;two&nbsp;doves, no partner will lose its mate, hence the Torah does not give preference to the young doves over the mature doves.</big>

<big>The Lesson</big>

<big>This conveys a profound lesson on the sensitivity the Torah demands of us toward feelings of animals, even toward a bird left over after its mate has been offered to G-d. Certainly, it tells us how we must honor the dignity and feelings of a fellow human being. How much more must we deeply honor and cherish the emotions and experiences of our partners in life.</big>

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn1')">[1]</a> Leviticus 12:6;8. See Rashi there that the turtledove must be mature vs. the “young dove” which is not fully mature yet. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn2')">[2]</a> For example, Leviticus 1:14; 5:7; 5:11. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn3')">[3]</a> For example, Leviticus 14:22; 14:30; 15:14; 15:29; Numbers 6:10. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn4')">[4]</a> Eiruvin 100b. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn5')">[5]</a> 4:1. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn6')">[6]</a> Midrash Rabah Shir Hashirim 1:15; 4:2.
</div>

Don&rsquo;t Kill the Love - Cultivating Sensitivity toward Birds

Cultivating Sensitivity toward Birds

Essay Tazria

Don’t Kill the Love

When Can You Expel a Child From School?- How to Criticize the People Around You

How to Criticize the People Around You

When Can You Expel a Child From School?

An address at the annual Melave Malka of Hatzalah in Boro Park, Motzoai Shabbos, 27 Iyar, 5775, May 16, 2015.

Yiddish Hatzalah Dinner Speech: I Am My Brother's Keeper!

The Extraordinary Story of Hatzalah

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