Shana Tova!!

"Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes...how do you measure the life of a woman or man?"

bs'd


Yes, it's so completely cliche to quote Rent, but I'm one of those people who believes that a cliche is only a cliche because it's true to life and fitting. Looking back, a year is a very long time..when you stop to think of just how many opportunities and chances to do the right thing,to make the choices and decisions that lead us closer to Hashem and the strength it takes to stay on His derech, its magnitude can be pretty overwhelming.

Being human, it's really hard to always appreciate which choice to make. We have obstacles blocking our clarity from every side- we're attacked by our yetzer hara, and are so easily sucked into choosing what's simply the "easy way out". Unfortunately, we often end up (even if inadvertently) hurting the people we love and care about along the way. I know, no matter how hard I've tried, that I have made mistakes, and there have been times when I've slipped up and made that wrong decision.I think that one of the most important aspects of tshuva is acting upon it-there's no real point in just saying you're sorry if you're just going to keep on acting the same way you did before. So now's a great time to do some introspection, and really take the time to rectify the mistakes that we have made and improve our actions and ways of behaving.

In Mesechet Rosh Hashana (perek gimmel), the Mishna discusses a few different aspects of the shofar, (which I learnt in shiur the other day with Rabbi Greenberg). It begins with conditions that need to be met for it be kosher, where it comes from, attributes of the shofar yovel vs. shofar shel rosh hashana - basically, all the technical stuff. It then moves on to a particular case of, in essence, a man walking to shul while the shofar is being blown inside. Is he yotze to having heard it?

The answer brought down is "Im Kiven libo, yotze". If he has the kavana in his heart, he's yotze. It's that simple! All we need to do is align our hearts to Hashem and truly feel that connection and devotion inside of us. My bracha to all of you is that you have a shana tova umetuka, in which we all follow the true "compass" in our hearts and have a chatima tova in sefer hachayim, blessed with hatzlocha, parnassa, briyut, ahavah, mazel and anything and everything good thing there is.

According to the Kabbalah, the shvarim represent anxiety and nervousness, while the tkiyah of the shofar is meant to offset it, to calm and reassure us. Be'ezrat Hashem, may we be zoche to feel that rachamim this year and to witness the coming of Moshiach and the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash bimhera biyamenu!!

May you all have a Shana Tova Umetuka and a Chatima Tova!

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Back in shmutz la'aretz..

First and foremost, I have to give credit to my one and only absolutely incredible Rabbi, Rav Dovid Abramovitz for the incredible "shmutz la'aretz" pun. Secondly, I need to apologise to everyone (absolutely everyone involved in this project..readers, bloggers and especially Dan!) for my lack of writing over the past while. I had been, unfortunately, preoccupied with preparations for my departure from the holy land. I thought I would be able to stay, but l'tsaari, my funding fell through (aka my parents wanted me to come back, get a degree and THEN make aaliyah..any other way and it would be coming out of my pocket!). So now it's back to the sitting around and dreaming of returning home...

I think that's what everyone feels. It's almost as if we have been genetically preprogrammed with a homing device set on "Israel". Things can be just great outside of the country..we live comfortable lives, eating our OU food that's easy and convenient to buy..we have restaurants, shuls, community centres, shiurim, kollels, community schools, great Rabbis, easy lives...what more can we really ask for?

 Here's how I explained it to my parents. As we all know, everyone has a bashert, as it says that forty days before a child's birth it's "soul mate's" name is announced in heaven. This person has the other half of our neshamas,  they complete us and compliment us, they support us, and the love that we have for them is incomparable to any other. However, it's possible to get married to someone who isn't your actual bashert. You may love and be in love with them, live happily ever after with them, raise a wonderful family..and never know they weren't the bashert assigned for you back in heaven. Had you been with your true bashert, things may have been that smidgen more amazing, that drop more incredible. But you had no way of knowing any of this, and as the saying goes, "ignorance is bliss"; you are perfectly content where you are, thinking that this is as good as it gets.

And that's perfectly okay.

As I told my parents, though, Israel is my true bashert. Sure, I could stay in North America and be content, comfortable. Realistically, the life there is harder; it's a struggle and it's not so easy. But isn't that the deal with any solid relationship? You may fight, but real love overcomes it. True connection overrules anything and everything else. So if I'm blessed enough to know who my real bashert is, why would I marry some shmendrick who's just okay?

I think it's so important to keep it in mind that our "homes" outside of Israel are not really our homes. It's not where we are meant to be. They should just be a stop on the way to our true destination. And I know there's so many reasons a person can come up with to justify not going back, but think about it..G-d doesn't want you chilling out in your fancy home driving your North American car doing chesed work for Israel. That's all commendable and well and good but it's not your true purpose. It's easy to be distracted by the material comforts that just make this feel "right". But it's like walking on the street in the dark-you may look up and think the light is coming from the street lamp. Only looking at the small picture will obviously make it easy to say you need to say. But if you were to look at the whole frame, you would see the long run,the workings in Hashem's ultimate plan...you would see the light of the moon.

We are returning to Eretz Yisrael. We are waiting for redemption, not only to leave galut and the suffering therein, but much more than that; to reveal the entire light, to pour the flow of life until the holy of holies, the source of Israel, the source of her elevated soul, that illuminates us in the special land, the Holy Land, the land of life and the land of light.

HaRav Kook, Orot HaRiyah (p.63)

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Parshat Bechukotai

Last week's Parsha, Behar, laid out (in summary) the rules of Shmita, Yovel, slaves, redeeming Jews, charging interest, and idols, and Rav Kook explained that the reason why the parsha began by saying "vayidaber Hashem el Moshe behar sinai-the Lord spoke to Moses on mount sinai"(25:1)* was because through these halachas Hashem gave us, He was given us the opportunity to bring ourselves closer to Him. The link to Har Sinai is that, on it, Hashem gave us our mission in this world- to bring down Kedusha, and the parsha continued to elaborate on the tools He had given us to actualise this goal.

This week's parsha, Bechukotai, begins two psukim into perek kaf-vav (26), which began in Behar, and also ends by stating "eleh hamitzvot asher tziva Hashem et Moshe el b'nai yisrael behar sinai-these are the commandments that the L-rd gave Moses for the Israelite people on Mount Sinai". Clearly, the enjabment between the two parshiot, and the repition of the idea that these are the mitzvot Hashem gave us on Har Sinai hint that there must be some sort of connection between the two-it must show that Parshat Bechukotai is also illustrating ways for us to fulfill our job as Hashem's am segula, and is continuing from last week's portion.

However, contrary to last week's parsha, which merely lists many halachot, Bechukotai begins to ennumerate the ramifications of following (or NOT following (to your potentially grave misfortune, as we see) ) the mitzvot Hashem commanded us. In Perek kaf-vav, both physical and spiritual rewards are enumerated, followed by a large listing of punishments we will recieve, should we chose not to do as Hashem has said. It can be found rather discouraging that the section on punishment is much larger than that of both physical and spiritual reward combined(31 psukim vs. 10!!) and, even more disparaging, is the fact that Hashem even laid out a plan of retribution for us, in the first place!!

The midrash deals with both of these two issues in a very beatiful manner. If we look at pasuk gimmel-3, the beginning of the section on reward, we see that the word "im" starts the sentence, and the word itself begins with the letter "aleph", the first letter of our hebrew alphabet. This section ends in pasuk yud gimmel-13, the last word is "komimiyut", which ends with the letter "taf"-the last letter of the hebrew alphabet. We can learn from this that, if we are to follow Hashem's torah from aleph to taf (a to z (zee or zed depending where you come from!)) (ie, we keep all the mitzvot Hashem has laid out for us), we can rest assured knowing that all of the reward Hashem has promised us will be recieved!

Ok, that part wasn't so relevant to the issue at hand, I just felt like it was just too awesome to be possibly left out. Here's where the tie comes through- if we comparethe above in the same manner with the first letter of the first word in the section on punishment (which begins in the 14th pasuk) and the last letter of the last word in the section, in the 45th pasuk, we are left with the letters "vav" at the beginning and "hey" at the end.
These two sets are symbolic to show us that, the midrash explains, although there is such a large amount of information concerning the punishment, Hashem doesn't REALLY want to punish us. The time spent on the atonement of our sins will be short in comparison to the time in which he will shower us with goodness-represented by the whole alphabet in its entirety as opposed to the letters "vav" and "hey", which are right next to each other in the aleph-beis.

To further reinforce the idea that Hashem wishes to continue shining his countenance upon us, even in times of tsoures and hardships he may need to send our way, it is interesting to note that both the letters "hey" and "vav" are key components in the four-letter name of Hashem, representing that even in diffculties, Hashem is still with us.

Shabat shalom-and may this be the last we have to experience in golus!

*All translations of psukim are taken from the JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh

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"Only in Israel" Moments

BS'D

I can't even begin to explain the joy I get in the realisation of just how blessed I am that my entire life right now consists of a series of "Only in Israel" moments. You all know what I mean by that- those times when it feels like you're on some parallel universe where being a Jew is the absolute, coolest thing to ever happen to the face of this planet, and you're a part of it. Just like everybody else. And it makes sense, and it's normal and that's just the way it is on this plane of consciousness, right? That's when you realise that you're not caught up in some warped reality..this is Israel's real, day to day life, the impossible is truth. As Ben-Gurion said,

"In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles".

The most incredible part of these moments is that you stop and marvel at these incredible people with inner strength beyond the scope of your typical ex-pat's understanding..and then you realise that these seemingly superhuman beings are your people. You stop to ponder-could you possibly be made from the same material as these resistant sabras? The reason why I have gone off on this "whoooah Israel and Israelis are so amazing" tangent (aside from the obvious fact that Israel and Israelis ARE so amazing :p) is that, especially over the last little while, I have found myself caught up in the things I see around me and the incredible acts of chessed people are doing on a daily basis. They are living incredible lives of yiddishkeit and true goodness, on a scale others dream of, and to them it's...just the way things are! All of these little moments slip by in time and are often left unnoticed, and I thought it would be nice to do them some justice..so I'm inviting you to share with me (and all the other awesome Yidden here checking out Tzipiyah-you are the GREATEST!) some of your favourite "only in Israel moments" that have stuck out in your minds over time!!

To kick it off, I geuss I'll start with acute moment that I got to witness today. Unfortunately, it's not the most incredibly profound (don't worry, I'll mull it over and get back to that!) but it's sometimes the small little things that happen all the time that have the greatest effect. In the same way that we often forget to thank Hashem for all the little miracles he causes on a daily basis and only thank Him when He does something huge..the everyday miracles are still nonetheless miracles! For example, I took the first train from Yerushalayim today to (or at least, in the direction of) the airport (needless to say, getting a group of half asleep girls to ANY destination will always be quite the adventure). By chance, we sat in the last car of the train, and it absolutely warmed my heart to see a minyan instantly formed, and a bunch of men davening out loud (picture to follow!). Between Jerusalem and Bet Shemesh, they managed to finish all of shacharis, but on his way out, one of the men informed me that there would be another minyan on its way. I didn't think much of it, until I saw a positive FLOOD of men walking into that last train car, half of them already decked out in their taleysim and tfillin. The car was absolutely packed, and as we made our way through the hills they swayed and fought gravity in order to say to Hashem they are grateful for the things He does in their lives, that they acknowledge His goodness and hand in everything and to beseech Him to continue to do so. Sounds a bit melodramatic, right? Technically, there's no hyperbole here-this is all just fact. If our ancestors could even see what I was lucky enough to witness today (just another ordinary every day occurrence) they would likely fall to their knees and praise Hashem through their tears. What?? The Jewish people are able to FREELY practice their beliefs and openly display their religiosity without the fear of persecution? A life of halachic adherence is actually attainable, even by a man on his way to work?? Impossible. The broken-spirited Jew in Auschwitz would never even dare dream that there would come a day where a Jew could carry a siddur on a train, let alone wear a kippa, wrap himself in his holy tallis, bind himself with tfillin and daven with a minyan on his way to work. And yet, these dreams are our reality, and the impossible is truth...

only in Israel.

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Israel's Proudest Accomplishments

Part of The Yom Haatzmaut Project

BS"D

Ok, so this is officially THE hardest post we've had to write. I've been pushing this one off for ages because there are SO many things in Israel's history that I'm proud of, it's been nearly impossible for me to narrow it down to just four. Every single second that passes in which this country still stands makes me proud of our resilient little piece of land that pulled herself up from nothing, and is still here against all the odds. I see every moment of our existence as a Jewish state, in a sea of Arab lands, in the twenty-first century, defying all of those all around the world who hate us and are awaiting our destruction as an absolute, definitive accomplishment of which I am schepping so much nachas, I can't even put it into words.
HOWEVER, since I need to pick four accomplishments, here are a few historical moments and other accomplishments that make me proud:

1) Recapturing Yerushalayim-War of '67

(see picture above-apparently, I am technologically inept and could not figure out a way to get that picture down here where it belonged. )*

The year of my Bat Mitzvah, the calendar worked out perfectly. Yom Yerushalayim coincided with the all-important Canadian national holiday-Queen Victoria day, and being the zionists that we are, there was absolutely no other day we would have preferred to celebrate my Bat Mitzvah. While writing my speech, I looked to this very picture for inspiration and all of the feelings I sought and found in this moment still resonate today. Can you imagine how it must have felt, to have fought and bled for your country, to watch your friends fall, to despair...and at the end of it all, to regain the physical heart and soul of our entire nation? Standing before the Kotel, our holiest site, our brave soldiers returned pride to our people. They gave us hope for the future, they stood in the epicenter of Jewry everywhere, and realised that the sweat, blood and tears of our youth had not been in vain. Jews from all corners of the world once again turned their bodies, three times a day and sent their prayers in the direction of Yerushalayim, OUR holy city, which was truly ours once again. And then these same Jews started following the direction of their prayers and came to Jerusalem for the first time, and fell in love. For every single Jew who has come to Jerusalem, for every Jew who has cried at the Kotel, for every Jew who had a spiritual epiphany, felt their connection to Hashem and their place in our nation, for every Jew, like me, who feels a physical ache in their bodies like part of their insides are missing when they are not in this golden city-we have this moment to thank.

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2) Operation Entebbe

(aka Operation Theunderbolt/Thunderball or Entebbe Raid)
On the night of July 3rd, 1976, IDF swooped into the Ugandan Entebbe airport on a mission to rescue the hostages of hijacked Air France flight 139. Under the command of Major General Yekutiel "Kuti" Adam, they landed an hour before midnight, their plane's cargo bay doors already open. Screaming "Get down!" in both Hebrew and English, they burst into the main hall of the airport building where the hostages were being held and attacked the hijackers (unfortunately, 3 hostages were killed in the crossfire). They completed their assault with hand grenades and shooting, killing all 7 terrorists. Without accruing any fatalities, the commandos calmly loaded the hostages on board, under fire from Ugandan soldiers. Yonatan Netenyahu, Binyamin's heroic older brother, was the only casualty, most likely killed by an Ugandan sniper. This entire superhuman effort was polished off in under a half hour. Our soldiers managed to save 102 of the 105 hostages, and only around 10 were injured. The beauty of this operation is that not all the people on board were Israelis (other nationalities represented amongst the hostages included Belgians, Danish, French, Greeks, Germans, Italians, Japanese, South Koreans, Spanish, British and Americans). The IDF took a stand for justice and freedom-they did not give in to the demands of the terrorists and release the various detainees imprisoned in Israel, Kenya, France, Switzerland and West Germany as the PLO and German "revolutionary cells(RZ) terrorists asked. They took matters into their own hands and efficiently and effectively put innocent human life above anything else-an ethos to which we still hold true today.

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3) Aliyah

This is, obviously, a very wide subject matter to categorize as a "moment" I'm proud of. In our shmona esrei (amida) prayer, we beg Hashem to "Tka b'shofar gadol licherutenu, v'sa nes l'kabetz galuyotenu, v'kabtzenu yachad m'arba kanfot ha'aretz-sound the great shofar for our freedom, raise the banner to gather our exiles and gather us together from the four corners of the earth"** With these word, we beseech Hashem three times a day to return us to the land of our forefathers, the home of our people-Eretz Yisroel. Despite this request, hundreds of thousands have taken this matter into their own hands-Aliyah! Sure, we've all said the words (quite recently, in fact!) "Lshana haba b'Yerushalayim-Next year in Jerusalem!" at our seders, but Aliyah has been happening from as early as the 13th century! Pre-zionist Aliyah between the 13th and 19th centuries saw religious persecution across Europe. Expulsion from many countries and the general Messianic fervour of the people both contributed to mass movements of Jews to Israel, establishing religious centers in Hevron, Yerushalayim, Sfat and Tiberia, and generally building up the population of the land. 1882 saw the first wave of biluim from Russia, and marked the start of "Zionist Aliyah", amassing the country in waves. Aliyah Bet organised by the Mossad Le'aliyah Bet and Irgun illegally brought Holocaust survivors to the refuge they so greatly needed and deserved. None of these olim had it easy and all of the above, who had suffered through difficult lives, unimaginable hardships and a perilous journey to "Palestine" helped establish a land for us to live in today. Aliyah continued with Middle Eastern Jews, Ethiopians, citizens of the Soviet Union and post-Soviet states and these early sabras worked the land and paved the way for the Jews of today. Nowadays, we have unbelievable organizations like Nefesh B'Nefesh (www.nbn.org.il) facilitating the Aliyah of thousands of people. There is no other place in the world where even getting pushed out of the way by someone else who is trying to get to the same place as you on the sidewalk is an actual PLEASURE-who can complain about being surrounded by their brothers and sisters? Being able to walk in a crowd and know you are surrounded by Jews who feel just like you, think like you, act like you and have the same awesome responsibilities as you is an absolute blessing which we could never have experienced, had it not been for Aliyah. (and if, after reading this paragraph, you think that there just might possibly, perhaps, be a secret message here for you to make Aliyah, well.....you'd be right! :P MAKE ALIYAH!)

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And last but not least, my fourth moment would have to be
*drum roll, please*

4) THE COMING OF MOSHIACH

Ok, if you have stuck it out this far (props to you, if so, I'm impressed) you are probably regretting every word of mine that you have read because you're likely thinking "wow, this girl is clinically insane..doesn't she know Moshiach isn't here yet?" Well, you're right. To my great dismay, Moshiach isn't here yet. This fourth moment is a little bit optimistic. There is not a day that goes by that I'm not waiting to hear the shofars blowing, and to see the masses of people drop everything and rush out into the streets. I can't wait to see every single person who didn't believe me when I talked about Moshiach and go "Haha, told you so!" (juuuust kidding!) Seriously, though, there will be no greater moment in the history of our state, in all the times of our people, than the glorious moment when Hashem decides to turn his face towards us and bring us our geula. This moment in the future justifies and validates absolutely any possible moment of our past that I could have put here- every war we have ever fought, every hostage we have ever saved, every single person who has ever made Aliyah, every governmental decision made, every building built, organisation or movement established, risk taken, life lost. Every baby born and every Jew on any corner of this earth who has turned towards Jerusalem, shed a tear and begged Hashem from the depths of his soul to have mercy and bring us home-each and every single moment in our ENTIRE history has been an effort to bringing us our final geula. So sure, maybe this counts as a "cop out" answer since it's really every moment that ever has and ever will exist, but there is no other moment that will ever make me more proud. And although I say I couldn't be happier about our 60th anniversary, I actually could-if we got the chance to celebrate it with Moshiach Tzidkenu!

May we have the zchus to take pride in this moment and see the coming of Moshiach bimhera b'yamenu-speedily in our times!!

*Photo credit: I copied this picture from http://www.answers.com/
**Translation from Siddur Ahavat Shalom-The Complete Artscroll Siddur

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Rosh Hashana-Tishrei or Nisan?

BS'D
Two Tanaiyim from the second century had a machloket about the months of the year. R' Eliezer of Beit Shammai held that Tishrei is the pivotal month in the history of the world, while R' Yehoshua of Beit Hillel believes Nissan is the more dominant month. Both R' Eliezer and R' Yehoshua agree that, in one of these two months, the world was created, the flood happened, and Avraham and Yakov were born. Yonatan ben Uziel agrees with R' Yehoshua, even citing 6 more events that took place in Nissan to further reinforce R' Yehoshua's argument:

1. Kayin and Hevel brought their korbanot on the 14th of Nissan
2. Avraham defeated the four kings (on Pesach night!)
3. Avraham passed away
4. Esav sold his right as the bechor to Yakov
5. Yitzchak planned to give Esav his brocha on Pesach night
6. Yakov fought Esav's angel..also Pesach night!

Looking at the "Nirtzah" section at the seder's conclusion, we recite "vayihi bechatzi layla"-it happened at midnight. If you are in chutz la'aretz, that means that you state this list of events on the first night. The piyyut itself was written by a mystic in the middle ages. We learn in kabbalah that time is a real and heterogenous concept-different qualities are given to different times, and the moment of midnight on the 15th of Nissan had incredible powers of redemption through the ages. The Torah even refers to Pesach as "leyl shmorim"-the night Hashem has promised to watch over and protect us, as it says in Shmot: "Hu halayla hazeh l'Hashem, shomrim lchol b'nei Yisrael l'dorotam- This was the night or Hashem, a protection for all the Children of Israel for their generations"*(12:42)


Some of these events couldn't possibly have occurred on the 15th of Nissan, though. R. Shlomo Kuger suggests that perhaps we attest each of these events to midnight is to emphasize that Hashem works through hester (covertness) in order to save us. Other interpretations are of the opinion that, when there are two connected events that obviously occurred over a larger span of time than just midnight (for example, Haman's letters with the decree to exterminate us is mentioned, along with his hanging-we know this happened over a span of three days, yet the events are related), we can assume it means that the first event was conceived and enacted in a discreet manner-'in the dark of night' and the redemption itself came to pass on the 15th of Nissan at midnight.

So, returning to R' Yehoshua and R' Eliezer's machloket-what are they really fighting about? The essence of the argument is truly which mida is dominant in Hashem's governance of the world: rachamim or midat hadin? Tishrei is known for the rule of law (midat hadin), the ultimate justice. Preparing for Tishrei, we do teshuva merah (in awe and fear). Nissan, conversely is synonymous with mercy, which Hashem displayed by redeeming us. The Sfat Emet elaborates on this difference in the months in Lekutim by elucidating on the concept from Mesechet Sota stating that 40 days before a child is born, Hashem proclaims its future traits. So too, in preparation for Tishrei we do teshuva, and in preperation for the month in which Hashem reinforced His unique relationship with us(Nissan), we add ahavah the month before (think about our crazy Adar!), and increase our observance of mitzvot and Torah study (Shkalim 5631).

R. Eliezer is stating, therefore, that although we were redeemed in Nissan from Egypt, the ultimate geula will occur in Tishrei. If midat hadin is the dominant charecteristic Hashem uses to govern the world, then we can only be worthy of geula if we do teshuva. Yitziat Mitzrayim doesn't follow along this train of thought, however- we were redeemed because we cried out to Hashem and he finally answered our pleas. He saw that, unless He saved us, we would assimilate into the ways of the mitzrim, and therefore chose to redeem us in Nissan-the month of mercy. In a similar vein, R' Yehuda, interpreting the words "Midleg al heharim-He springs above the mountains" (2:8) from Shir haShirim, states that Hashem only redeemed us by merit of our avot.

At this point, you're probably all wondering how any of this is even remotely relevant, but it's like a conversation with me: sure, it may take a while but I promise to (eventually) get to the point! Here's the bottom line: maintaining the opinion that mercy is the dominant trait, R' Yehoshua is saying that, in the same manner that we were redeemed from mitzrayim in Nissan, so too will the ultimate geula occur! Even if b'nei yisrael aren't worthy of redemption, Hashem will, nonetheless, free us (not that that's a "get out of doing teshuva free" card:P). Therefore, Pesach is not just a time to celebrate our redemption in the past-it is a time to anticipating our redemption in the future and, according to R' Yehoshua, the night of our final geula. May we be zoche to see it, bimhera biyamenu-THIS YEAR!!

~~~~~~~~LESHANA HABA, BIYERUSHALAYIM~~~~~~~~



*translation from the Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash

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Only in Israel!

I've taken a lot of videos and pictures that I thought represented moments that can only happen in Israel, and I've decided I should post some of them here to share! This video is from a prayer rally by the kotel earlier this year..and it doesn't even remotely show you just how MANY people there were. There's nothing more beautiful than the gathering of am yisrael en masse to make you feel true achdus!

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Shmini

BS'D

This week's parsha is set in the eight and final day of the mishkan's dedication, a time where b'nei yisrael's happiness and excitement over the completion of their tasks was at its climax. We also see the listing of all the halachas concerning kashrut and korbanot, as well as the laws of tumah (impurity). After all their hard work, this mishkan was finally ready to function, and Aharon was prepared to finally take on the role of cohen gadol that Moshe had been temporarily performing. Juxtaposed against this festive atmosphere, is the story of Nadav and Avihu, two of Aharon's four sons. At the beginning of perek yud, we see Nadav and Avihu that Nadav and Avihu

"took his [Aharon's] fire pan, put fire in it, and laid incense upon it; and they offered before the L-rd alien fire, which He had not enjoined upon them. And fire came forth from the L-rd and consumed them, thus they died at the instance of the L-rd." (10:1-2)*

The Tanach never tells us what Nadav and Avihu's actual sin is. What did they do that was so wrong that Hashem sent a heavenly fire down to smite them? In Vayikra rabba, Rashi states the commonly known explanation that Nadav and Avihu gave their korban while inebriated. This opinion is most likely based on the fact that, right after this tragedy occurred, Hashem decrees to Aharon that he should "drink no wine or other intoxicant, you or your sons, when you enter the tent of meeting, that you not die"* (10:9). Due to this edict's close proximity to the incident, we can assume that there is a link between the two. The second possibility, as suggested in Eruvin is that Nadav and Avihu made their own halachic decision before Moshe, their teacher. As the Rambam states in Mishna Torah, (Hilchot Talmud Torah) "it is forbidden to determine halacha in front of one's teacher. If one were to do such a thing, he would be liable to capital punishment".

The gemara explains that, although a heavenly fire would come down from the heavens onto the mizbeach Nadav and Avihu decided to light a fire themselves. However, according to the Rambam, "even though fire descended from heaven, it was a mitzvah to add human fire" (Temidim u'Mishpatim 2:1) So if they had, in fact, been doing a mitzvah, why would Hashem have punished them so severely?

The job of the cohanim is to pursue shalom, to show am yisrael how Hashem's world fits together, and to understand the intricate ways of the world. A cohen needs to understand his place in the world's order. Nadav and Avihu forfeited their right to this place when they entered the mishkan in an inebriated state- "wine gladdens the heart" (Tehillim 104:15), and because of it, one follows his emotions and not his intellect, as it normally should be. They were not fully aware of the correct order of things, and because of this, were liable this seemingly severe punishment. As we see in Sefer Shmuel, Hashem cursed the house of the cohen Eli for honouring his sons more than Hashem Himself. Just as Eli was punished for not following the proper order of his responsibilities and remembering his place in the order of the world, Nadav and Avihu had to be punished, as well. When they decided to create their own halacha without Moshe, they again forgot the proper order of things in the way of the world, despite the fact that the halacha to which they arrived was correct.

From this incident, Rav Kook states we should "seek to find the correct balance in all things to achieve peace and divine harmony" ( Sparks of Light: Essays on the Weekly Portions Based on the Philosophy of Rav Kook) . Later on in this parsha, among the halachot of the "sheretz hashoretz" (things that swarm upon the earth), it is written:

"You shall not draw abomination upon yourselves...and thus become unclean. For I, the L-rd am your G-d , you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am holy"* (11:43-44)

On this pasuk, Chazal comment that, if one were to contaminate themselves a bit, it will become a lot. If one contaminates himself in this world, he contaminates himself in the next. Contaminating oneself from below results in being contaminated from above...and the opposite to all of the above is true for purifying oneself, as well. The Chofetz Chaim illustrates this point with an example that, if one were to speak loshon hora, all the words he speaks with that same mouth are, as a result, contaminated. Even if he were to speak words of torah, to daven, to learn, each of these holy words that leave his tainted lips are brought down in merit because of the loshon hora that had passed through them just before. The zohar ellaborates that this effect is due to the koach tumah (the power of impurity) manifesting itself on each word, exponentially decreasing the level of holiness of every word the man would say. In this same way, Hashem wishes to uplift us with kedusha. Overcoming our yetzer hara, working on our avodat Hashem and fulfilling His will, brings down the spirit of sanctity on our souls. This little bit of kedusha then becomes an even greater amount.

Keeping this idea in mind, we see that we each have an incredible untapped power right at our fingertips. Each time we overcome our yetzer hara a little bit, the effect is like that of throwing a stone into a calm pool of water- the ripples from the small impact stretch out further and further, reaching corners beyond the realm of the original impact itself. As the Rambam discusses in chapter 6 of the Shemoneh Prakim, our sages state that "a person who has an inclination to sin and desires to do so is on a higher and more complete level than one who has no desire for them and does not feel discomfort in spurning them". We each have the inclination to do things we are instructed not to by Hashem, and overcoming this desire is often the hardest part of living religious life in a secular world. We need to remember our place in this world, and our job to bring kedusha down on this earth. By overcoming our yetzer, we ensure that we don't fall into the same trap as Nadav and Avihu and set off the "domino effect" of bringing holiness into this world, and our geula even closer...and by merit of these acts, may we be zoche to see it, speedily in our days!

I hope you all have a wonderful shabos..sorry it's been so long!

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Decisions

Ask any grown up what the scariest part of being an adult is, and I bet you they'd answer it's the responsibility. I can easily tell you that's what's scaring me most about getting older, and it all flies by so fast that it's not until you hold your future in your hands that you realise it ever fell there in the first place. Making choices and decisions are the unfortunate consequence of growing up and recognising the gravity of seemingly minute decisions can be terrifying. It's all so much easier when we're younger, our parents hold our hands and tell us where to go, where to live, what to do, make our meals, wash our clothes.....and we happily skip off to play on the swings while our parents balance the checkbook. In every decision that we make, the alternate option is lost, and there is no way for us to see how it would have played out and whether we did, in fact, make the right decision-and it's hard living with that kind of uncertainty.

At the moment, I am feeling the decision making pressure in copious amounts. It seems like an easy enough thing to do, right? Make one simple choice, it shouldn't be that hard! But from where I'm standing, I realise that one basic decision has the power to alter my entire future. If anyone's ever seen the movie The Butterfly Effect, you know what I'm talking about. The smallest things can change our lives forever, without us realising its possible ramifications in the moment. As Kundera (author of one of my favourite books ever) said: ""There is no means of testing which decision is better, because there is no basis for comparison. We live everything as it comes, without warning, like an actor going on cold. And what can life be worth if the first rehearsal for life is life itself?" Life is nothing more than a series of moments, little cliffs we jump off of every day without thinking.

In high school, we learnt in business studies class that in any situation, there is an opportunity cost-the loss incurred by choosing one option over the next best alternative. We make hundreds of choices each day, and therefore incur equal opportunity costs. Waking up at 8 in the morning means we lose out on sleeping in till 8:30. Eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast means we miss out on the chance to have some eggs. Driving to work means we miss out on taking the bus. In each situation, there isn't even a way of knowing what you have lost.

Ultimately, though, this is the way of life. It's all about trust in Hashem. We need to be able to take that blind leap every second of every day and know that Hashem is our safety net-there's no need to look down. No matter which decision we make, He has it all planned out, and everything will work out for the best. That's the beauty of Judaism-we have free will, yet everything is already decided in shamayim. We often question how this can be possible..my Rabbi once laid out the issue in this way: it's kind of like a scientist running a mouse through a maze with cheese waiting for him at the end. Knowing the behaviours of the mouse, the scientist can predict the exact course the mouse will run to reach his goal. Despite this knowledge, at each corner the mouse makes the decision for himself, with no intervention from the scientist. He runs according to plan, yet made all the decisions by himself.

Keeping in mind that life is short, we need to recognise the power of each decision we make, and ensure that we do not leave that power untapped. Not all opportunity costs are as inconsequential as the eggs we miss out on when we eat cereal for breakfast. Other decisions, like learning torah vs. facebooking or sleeping in vs. volunteering at an old folk's home have far greater ramifications. These small day to day choices shape the person we are and become, without us even knowing it. They build up our schar in olam haba. They change the people around us, and can affect them for years, even if you don't see it's impact right away.

The gemara brings down a story in mesechet brachot about the Tana Shmuel. His father was a very pious, careful man, to whom many members of the community would leave their money to in the event that they should pass away and leave behind young children who could not be responsible for it, until they reached a certain age. He was so cautious with this money that when he himself passed away, even Shmuel did not know where it was hidden. It got to the point where, for his lack of knowledge, he was being accused of having stolen the money for himself. Shmuel went to his father's grave to ask where on earth the money could have been kept and, while there, encounters the "ghost" of his friend Levi who had passed away some time ago. He asked Levi what he could possibly be doing still on this earth- Levi had been a learned man, a careful follower of mitzvot and , on top of that, a rosh yeshiva!Levi then explained that for seven years, he had skipped a shiur every day by Rav Afas. For this, he was accountable for two grave aveyrot: firstly, every day Rav Afas noted his absence, and was hurt. Secondly, as Rav Chaim of Volozhin says in Shar Daled of Nefesh HaChayim says: one word of torah is greater than all the mitzvot. Therefore, by skipping the class when he had an opportunity to learn, Levi was bitul torah!

From this, we learn the grave power of each decision we make, the way each moment can shape and alter our lives. Despite all his good deeds, Levi would not be allowed to enter gan eden for seven years (one year for each in which he skipped Rav Afas' class). In each moment, each interaction, we have two choices. We can choose to put in a little extra effort, or take the easy way out. We can think of another's feelings, or we can be selfish. No matter what we ultimately choose, we need to be careful that the opportunity cost is not the option that could have bought us a brick in the road of the world to come.

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Lessons in Giving from Parshat Trumah

In this week's Parsha, Hashem instructs Moshe on the creation of the mishkan, based on the contributions of am yisrael needed in order to construct it. A very important lesson we can learn in Truma is the importance of giving tzedaka . The opening psukim state "Vayidaber Hashem el Moshe lemor: daber el b'nei yisrael vayikchu li trumah- Hashem spoke to Moses, saying: speak to the children of Israel and let them take for Me a portion" (25:1-2). It can be very difficult for many people to be generous with their hard-earned money..is it not human nature to fend for ourselves and then protect what we have toiled for? Yet, Hashem gave Moshe a large list of 15 materials He required from b'nei yisrael, including gold and silver, spices and gems in order to create a portable dwelling place. However, as King Solomon said in mishlei: "kchu musari vi'al kesef-take my rebuke and not money" (8:10) From here, we learn it's more important to take the words of the torah to heart than expend our energies in amassing wealth and fortune. Ultimately, our material possessions can only be possessed in this world and can only bring us complications and strife, but torah is a possession we carry (and carries us) into the next world. As Rabbi Yaakov said in Pirkei Avot, "Haolam haze dome lifruzdor bifnei haolam haba;hataken atzmecha bifruzdor, k'dei shetikanes latraklin-This world is like a lobby before the world to come. Prepare yourself in the lobby, so that you may enter the banquet hall". The money and possessions we have here are not things that we will be able to take into olam haba with us, but using them to help others will help us get there.

Looking back on the words of King Soloman "kchu musari - take my rebuke", we see that it is important to not be lazy, and to act with zealousness as demonstrated by the active word "kchu-take". We see that we must fulfill the mitzvot that we do with a pure heart and with happiness, otherwise no matter how much good we do, it will all be worthless. The same goes for the manner in which we give tzedaka. The Mishna outlines the four ways to give tzedaka in Pirkei Avot, the third of which being "Yiten vayitnu acherim-chasid. That he should give and others should give is pious". When we give tzedaka, it should not be with a longing to be acknowledged, and gain recognition. For this reason, the opening pasuk contains the word "li" ("vayikchu li trumah"). "LI" to indicate that it is for Hashem, and not in order to flatter ourselves and boost our own ego. So that when we do give tzedaka , we do so quietly, with no one but Hashem knowing. As Rabi Yossi says in Pirkei Avot "v'chol ma'asecha yehiyu lishem shamayim- let all your deeds be done for the sake of heaven" (2:13).

The word "vayikchu" also conveys other matters of importance. The fact that the active word "take" is used as opposed to any other word with essentially the same instruction, like "let them give" teaches us that we should also try to get others to give tzedaka in addition to our own giving. As it says in the Gemara, "Gadol hama'ase yoter min ha'ase- He who causes a good deed to be done is greater than the one who does it". This is, of course, not to say that we should not do mitzvot ourselves and merely encourage others to do them..conversely, it is imperative that we extend ourselves that tiny bit further and encourage and enable others to do mitzvot, as well.In doing so, we bring Hashem closer to us, as it says in tehillim "ki ya'amod liyamin evyon- for He stands to the right of the impoverished"(109:31)

According to the Toldot Yitzchak, the words "vayikchu li" is Hashem's way of saying to us that by giving tzedaka, we are reinforcing our relationship with Hashem, as if we are 'marrying' Him, in the same way that a groom betroths his wife with a gift. One final possible explanation is that the word "take" is used to show that the amount of tzedaka we give is rewarded by Hashem greater than the amount we have given-it is like being reimbursed with interest! Every possession that we have here on this world in this life has been given to us,as if on loan, by Hashem. We are given free will, and have the choice to do whatever we desire with it. However, it is important for us to recognize that when we give tzedaka, we are merely acting as Hashem's emissaries and delivering what He would want to give to the person to whom we are giving. We are merely the vessel through which Hashem betters their lot, and we should not be concerned that we are at loss..not only do we get proportionately rewarded but, chas v'shalom, if we were ever in a situation of need, we could only pray that someone would share the blessings that Hashem has bestowed upon them with us in the same way. As it says in tehillim, "ashrei mashkil el dal biyom ra'ah yimaltehu Hashem- fortunate is he who cares wisely for the needy. On the day of evil, Hashem will save Him" (41:2) Clearly, the merits of giving are inconceivably great!

Shabat shalom umevorach!

*Translations credited as follows
All quotes from Parshat Trumah taken from the Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash
All quotes from Pirkei Avot taken from the Artscroll Pirkei Avos byRabbi Meir Zlotowitz
All quotes from Tehillim taken from the Artscroll Tehillim

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Snow Days!

I can't even begin to say how bad I feel about not getting a parsha post out! I've just been so busy lately..we even had snow in Jerusalem!(see picture*)! Ok so this picture above is clearly not mine, if it were I would have had to dress up as a man and that would be highly sacrilegious, but I wish I COULD in fact take credit for it because it's beautiful, and has a lot to do with a side point I want to make in this post
So this morning while I was heading down to daven, I was thinking about what to write, and these words popped out at me during P'sukei D'zimra : "Hanoten sheleg k'tzamer, kfor kaefer yifazer. Mashlich karcho kfitim, lifnei karato mi ya'amod? - He who gives snow like fleece, He scatters frost like ashes. He hurls His ice like crumbs-before His cold, who can stand?"(Tehillim kuf mem zayin-Psalm 147)** I never really noticed this allusion to winter weather before, especially when talking about Yerushalayim, as in this perek of tehillim, one of the last of the 150. This perek "places its primary focus on Jerusalem, the center from which holiness, redemption and torah will emanate," "continuing the theme of redemption [of the psalms that precede it]"*** I found these verses in particular very interesting, and not just because I've been thinking about snow after these last few days! Generally, cold has negative connotations, and the words "hurls His ice" are almost frightening. The image it conjures (at least to me) is of anger, of ice being thrown, perhaps in punishment by a power of unimaginable magnitude. Of an unapproachable "cold" detached from us and so distant that, before it, one would be unable to stand.


And is that not the way some people view Hashem? Like a mere entity so far removed, it no longer has any effect or control on us, or care for us. As "the philosopher" in Yehuda Halevi's Kuzari stated, there is no way G-d could POSSIBLY care about each and every individual person- He merely created something, an effector of sorts that catalysed other actions, resulting in our existence with no individual intent whatsoever involved. This view, however, is completely contrary to Jewish belief. Without our emunah, our Judaism could not stand. As we learn in Sefer V'ten Bracha (which is actually what I had originally planned to write about, but seeing as I got a little sidetracked, I think I'll have to do it in a separate post after a little while so you don't all get overwhelmed with Ashira-ness), when Hashem creates anything, be it a vegetable or an animal, He knows exactly where it's going. He creates it with you, as an individual, in mind. For example, when he creates an apple, He has the specific intent of creating this apple for your benefit- it is like placing a stamp on it, and addressing it to you.

I tried to find any commentary I possibly could on this perek of tehillim, but there was not much out there I could use. However,according to Rashi, the words "like crumbs" is referring to the fact that Hashem is merciful and everything He does is proportionate-it is all in accordance to our burden. As he brings down from the Midrash Aggadah, Hashem would consider the lack of clothing on a poor man and therefore be lenient with him. As it says earlier in this perek, "moneh mispar lacochavim, lichulam shemot yikrah- He counts the number of the stars, to all of them He assigns names"** There are billions of stars-an innumerable and inconceivable amount, to us, yet Hashem counts each and every one and gives them a name. If Hashem can take the time to count and care for stars in His sky, how much more so would he care about each and every one of us,His children, individually? This however, does not take away from the frosty image created mid-perek.


Looking to the next verse, we find our answer: "Yishlach dvaro viyamsem, yashev ruchu yizlo mayim-He issues His command and it melts them, He blows His wind; the waters flow"** Despite the image we can create in our minds of Hashem 'freezing us out', we are thus reminded that it isn't so-with just His words Hashem melts the ice He hurls. We can never forget the compassion and love Hashem has for us- for each of us on an individual level. We need to remember how special and blessed we are to be so close to Hashem, to have Him on our side, looking out for us. It's easy to become jaded and to second guess whether or not Hashem is truly caring for us on the individual level, to get lost in a 'spiritual winter' and lose sight of the truth while our eyes are blinded by the snow. But it's imperative to keep in mind that we really ARE the lucky few, despite any bumps we may find in the road, as the perek finishes: "Lo asa chen l'chol goy, umishpatim bal yidaum,hallelukah! He did not not do so for any other nation, such judgments they know not . Halleluka!" **

For an English translation of Perek 147 in its entirety, click here: http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/16368/jewish/Chapter-147.htm

* http://zioneocon.blogspot.com/kotel%20snow%20w%20daavening.jpg
**Translation from the Artscroll Siddur Ohel Sarah-Women's Siddur, Klein Edition
***The Artscroll Tehillim

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"Who cares about growth?? I'm fine just the way I am"

PERSONAL GROWTH.
Big words, right? I'm pretty sure that you've all heard a thousand times that personal growth is what Judaism is allllllll about (I know I sure have). But do you ever stop and think what that even means? Sure, it's a great ideal, but if I'm happy and comfortable where I'm at in my Judaism, shouldn't that be enough? Why should I even bother pushing myself if I've found my own niche, my little happy place???
They say that growth is like riding a bike up a hill. The harder you persevere and push yourself, the further up the hill you go. But the second you stop trying, you roll back down-there is no such thing as just "taking a break".
Now, when we are riding up that hill, things can get pretty tough. For those of us who have ever taken biology, we know that the anaerobic respiration occurring in our muscles results in a build up of lactic acid, which is the cause of soreness, muscle aches and cramps (can you believe I only got a B in science??). In English, that basically means that when we are using our muscles a lot and pushing them as much as we can, nasty gooky stuff is made that tries to force your muscles to stop their exertion, by way of making it uncomfortable and difficult-our own bodies act as an obstacle against itself. If we try and take this analogy and translate it into our own lives, (emphasis on the word "try" because I just made that metaphor up myself and I have absolutely no idea whatsoever if it will make sense to anyone but me :P) we see that the "muscle" here is us, its activity is our actions, and the "lactic acid" is our yetzer hara (evil inclination).



The harder we work on ourselves, the greater our inclination to do things we shouldn't-just like the longer and harder a person were to work out, or ride their bicycle or whatever, the more lactic acid he'll build up to deter him from using those muscles. I've heard before that Hashem only gives hardships in direct proportion to our strength and ability to overcome them. In other words, it's kind of like a compliment from Hashem when He gives you a really difficult test-it means that He thinks you are on the madrega (level) at which you can handle and rise above. But it's not so easy to keep going up the hill-in fact, the higher up you get, the steeper it may feel, until it feels as if the hurdles and hardships before you are insurmountable. It's hard to keep your motivation and your perseverance against whichever odds may arise.

So today, I learned something beautiful that was brought down in Sefer Chofetz Chaim (which is what actually sparked this entire post). In Mesechet Shabos (104a) it says that "one who seeks to purify himself is granted heavenly assistance". So, what could this "heavenly assistance" possibly refer to? The Tana D'vei Eliyahu Zuta answers: "If a person strives to be a tzaddik (righteous individual), Hashem will assign an angel to treat him like a tzaddik. If he sincerely strives to be a chassid (extremely righteous individual), Hashem will assign an angel to treat him like a chassid."

These words teach a powerful lesson. It appears that merely having this desire burning like a fire in your belly seems to be enough! OK, not enough, but enough for an ANGEL, an emissary of Hashem Himself to treat you as what you desire to be. This shows that Hashem truly believes in us, He believes in our potential. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I really feel like no ordinary man could look into himself and think "Hmm, I could definitely be a tzaddik", and then go for it and make it happen. The average man will look into himself and say "Who am I, just some regular everyday normal guy. No WAY could I ever get to the madrega of a tzaddik". And then, he just gives up. Because it's impossible, right? So why bother trying?

If Hashem sees this possibility in us based solely on our desire, obviously we should be able to see it in ourselves, too. I mean, come on. He's G-D! He knows what He's doing, and if He says we have potential, clearly we do. All it takes is for us to see that inside ourselves, and have the desire to reveal it. Our potential is already there, but it is up to us to act upon it. It is our responsibility to chip away at the stone and reveal the true beauty of the diamond inside waiting for us to reveal it. That diamond was always there, hidden underneath many layers of shmutz. If we look at it, perceive it as a rock and never chip away at it and clean it off, it will remain just a seemingly worthless rock. But if we take the time and persevere, slowly but surely we will break away the rough exterior and discover the stunning innate beauty that lay hidden all along. So what's the nimshal? Each of us is like a rock. We merely need to recognize our own potential and hold fast through the trials and tribulations that come our way to expose our own inner diamond that lays waiting inside.

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Parshat Yitro-Girl Power!!

This week's Parsha is named after Yitro, Moshe's Midianite father-in-law. In it, we see Yitro assisting Moshe in the legal system, teaching him to delegate some of his responsibility to others. Bnei Yisrael encamp by Har Sinai, Moshe ascends the mountain and Hashem declares the ten commandments.

There is a very interesting lesson we can learn from the way Hashem instructed Moshe to teach B'nei Yisrael the mitzvot. As it is written in Perek Yud-Tet (19), Pasuk Gimmel (3): "Vimoshe alah el HaElokeim vayikra eilav Hashem min hahar lomar: Co tomar libeyt ya'akov vitagid libnei yisrael- And Moshe went up to G-d, the L-rd called to him from the mountain saying: Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and declare to the children of Israel" * We know that there are no extra words in the Torah, so why would Hashem say what appears to be a redundant statement "house of Jacob" and "children of Israel" when Yakov and Yisrael are one and the same person?

According to the Midrash, we learn that "beit yaakov-the house of Jacob" refers to the women (which is most likely why we now know Bais Yakov as a religious women's movement and educational system!) Hashem was instructing Moshe to first tell the women certain commandments. According to some opinions, this is because the women would not be able to receive all the mitzvot immediately. According to many opinions, including the Rambam, women do not operate in the same way as men and therefore would perhaps be lacking the understanding necessary to fully appreciate and comprehend the Torah had they received it all at once(not my favourite opinion).
R' Bechaye provides a different outlook on this thought (that is MUCH more to my personal liking). He explains that the Jewish woman ensures that her children learn Torah through her motherly love. Tfillos are accepted more easily when made with the fulfillment of a mitzvah, and a woman lighting her shabos candles can pray that her children will learn Torah and illuminate the world. For this special power that a woman has, Hashem instructed Moshe to give the women certain Mitzvot first.

The message that I believe this idea really brings home is the concept that a Jewish woman effectively holds the fate of the nation in her hands. Although it is often perceived that in Orthodox Judaism women take a secondary role to the men, it is clear to me from here that really, without the Jewish mother, Am Yisrael would be nowhere. The Jewish mother teaches her children Yidishkeit, and nurtures them in a home based on midot so they can, as my father always blesses me before shabos "walk in the ways of mitzvot and torah". The merit of this act is immeasurable, as we see in Mesechet Sota. According to the Gemara, a guilty eisha sota** may not immediately die after drinking the waters, based on the merit of two actions. She will be allowed to live a bit longer if she has either allowed her husband to be away from her in order that he may learn Torah, or if she took care of her children's Torah study (ie took them back and forth to cheder, etc). Seeing that this woman's imminent, painful and extreme death can be postponed because she facilitated the Jewish education of her children just illustrates its importance and the crucial role of the woman on the future of Am Yisrael.

And now I'll have to conclude with a shout out to all Jewish mothers everywhere (particularly my own)..thanks mommy!!!

May you all have an amazing, spiritually fulfilling shabat and remember to thank your mom for being a Yidishe mama!


*translation from the JPS Hebrew-English Tanach
**a woman accused of adultery who is made to drink water in which holy words (including the name of Hashem) have been dissolved and if she is proven guilty, will subsequently "explode" (for lack of better word)

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Mi-rac-les

Shalom!

Let me start out by explaining why "shalom" is the absolute, most incredibly apropos word with which to start you out on the magical journey (yeah right) that will be my blog. Firstly, we all know it as the Hebrew equivalent to "hello". Digging a little deeper, we see that the word "shalom" means "peace"-could there possibly be a better way to greet people than giving them a brocha that they should have peace? The reason why I have recently taken to saying shalom to just about every single person I see is, unfortunately, not nearly as virtuous...for some reason, my friends and I decided a little while ago that it would be REALLY funny to walk around saying it to people. We were in the rova, surrounded by tons of tourists in their groups from all over the world, following their tour guide who lead them with a gigantic flower (or something equally ridiculous and non-obstructive to the other people squeezing their way down the narrow stone streets) like children and their pied piper. So we walked around to every single Russian/Chinese/French/*insert any nationality in the world here* group, holding up the peace sign, saying "shalom, welcome to Jerusalem" (except it came out more like "sha-lome, welcome to juuu-ru-salem", since we had a hard time properly pronouncing the words while simultaneously making disturbingly weird faces). Good old tourists. They thought it was cute.
Some of them even took pictures.

Now here's what I love about Israel...that's what people are like! Even though we find it funny to go around acting dumb, we really ARE happy to welcome people to Jerusalem, to welcome them home. Because no matter how old they are, no matter where they come from, THIS is their home. We are their family. That's why it's so cool to be Jewish, and it's something my non-Jewish friends could never possibly understand. Not that I blame them..how could they possibly even ATTEMPT to comprehend the network we have all over the world? I could go to just about any country in the world with no place to stay, no food to eat, and somehow manage to find food and lodging with some awesome family who don't even realise their own generosity-by us, it just seems to be a way of life.

There is no other place in the world where you could possibly feel that connection more than here, in the holy land of our fathers, the land of milk and honey, the promised land, the....ok I'm drawing a blank for more cliche descriptors, if you can think of any others please feel free to send them to me. Most creative answerer gets cookies. (Alright, you caught me there are no cookies, so sue me). ANYWAYS, what I was trying to get at is that, basically, Israel is the bomb. For real. Even the air you breathe here is holy. You walk the streets, and you are connected to almost every person you see. (and I'm not just talking in terms of Jewish geography connections) These people speak your language. They eat the food you eat, they dress the way you dress, they face the same hardships that you do..I could go on and on, but the bottom line is: they GET you. And in a secular world, that can be a pretty hard thing to find.

Over Chanukah, I was staying with two friends at one of my friend's family's apartment the night before we all headed off for a trip the next day. At around 2 in the morning, my friend and I realised that we had forgotten our mishnayot back at our place. We freaked out because we had to finish our mesechet before our trip would be over (we were learning for someone's zchus and we were told we had to finish what we had taken on before the shloshim were over). We decided to grab a cab off the road, go back and pick it up, even though we had to get up to leave in a few hours. We hailed a taxi and got in. Our driver was kind enough to make us a good deal for the round trip, especially after he heard where we were going (also, we drive a pretty hard bargain) On the way there, he started talking about Chanukah. Hearing that we spoke English, he told us it was time for HIM to give US an English lesson. He asked us: "what do we celebrate on Chanukah?" We started to explain the miracle of the oil, the miracle of the battle. He answered "Ok, so basically, we celebrate the fact that Hashem made MIRACLES for us, right?" He then told us to "think in Hebrew", and broke it down: "miracle:mi-rak Kel! Who else but G-d?" (The words mi rak kel literally translate to "who, only G-d")

Moments like that one define the concepts of Israel and Judaism for me, which is why I decided to start off my blog with them. I'm all about achdus. I believe in loving every Jew, no matter what their affiliation, ethnicity or level of religiousness, in Eretz Yisrael as our homeland, and I believe these are intrinsically Jewish concepts. I believe that every ben-adam is my brother, a child of Hashem created b'tzelem Elokim, and that my "family" welcomes everyone with such open arms because of this belief. I believe in balancing life as a human being and life as a Jew, and that it IS possible to walk the tightrope between the secular and Jewish worlds. And I'd be really, really happy if you stick around and bare with me as I try to explore this concept! (also really flattered. I don't really see why anyone in their right mind would want to spend their time reading things I've written, so PROPS to you if you held out this long!) (Just kidding. Please read my blog. I promise I'll try to be funny.)

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Ashira's Profile

Display Name : Ashira

Gender: Female

Current City of Residence: Jerusalem

Occupation: Student (Limudei Kodesh)

Favorite Books: White Oleander, A Clockwork Orange, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, A Fine Balance, The Timetraveller's Wife, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, White Teeth, Night, Dawn, Where the River Meets the Sea, A Handmaid's Tale, The House of Spirits, Life of Pi, Love in the Time of Cholera, The Lovely Bones, Exodus, Mila 18, On Beauty, A Million Little Pieces, The Dignity of Difference, and loads more!

Hobbies: Music, reading, writing, photography (I took my display picture!), anything and everything nerdy (I love checking out museums, archaeologically sites, etc), travel, underwater basket weaving, and spending wayyyy too much time on the internet (my computer is my yetzer hora incarnate)

Freestyle description:

I'm just a girl with a lot of questions trying to find the answers! I am very passionate about the things I believe in, but I am also a firm believer in exploring all sides to every issue. I think it's hard for a person to say they have conviction in something if they do not know it's other side..or maybe that's just my old debate team instincts kicking in! Either way, I try to be thorough with any issue, and try to be sure I really understand all its possible ramifications. I love to travel and observing other cultures in action-I think it helps you figure out where you stand in society when you understand other people's customs.

My Judaism is of huge importance to me,it's defines who I am, where I come from and where I'm going, and it always amazes me with its versatility and ability to translate into our daily lives. One of the biggest challenges (at least in my opinion) is walking that fine line tight rope between a "Jewish" life and a modern one, which I hope to discuss in this blog as best I can...I'm new at this, bare with me!!

Random Questions:

When you hesitate before hitting snooze on your alarm clock, are you being lazy?

Just thinking about hitting the snooze button isn't lazy at all. As a matter of fact, I think it's more active than automatically hitting it...those few extra seconds require quite some effort, that's pretty commendable.

For your birthday, your aunt gave you a maple syrup dispenser shaped like a rooster. Please write her a thank-you note.

Dear Aunty, I love waking up with a cockle doodle doo and some syrup from you..thanks!

Have you ever drank your soda from a straw?

I try to always drink my soda from a straw..they say it does less damage to your enamel that way!

Do you like hot sauce?

Most definitely. I like my food to have a little personality

Whats your favorite planet and why?

Venus. That's where women come from.

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