Shabbat

(Adapted from "Shabbos in my Soul by R'Boruch Leff)
We all know the famous Midrash where Shabbos came before Hashem and complained that it doesn't have a partner when every other day of the week does; Sunday has Monday, Tuesday has Wednesday, Thursday has Friday. But what about Shabbat? So Hashem answered that Shabbat has Am Yisrael, the Jewish people!

What exactly does this mean? The thing that gives any day value is the fact that there's a tomorrow. I do something to bring along a result. I study to get a job. I get a job to pay bills. If there was no tomorrow, I wouldn't do anything today. So each day has value, which is why Shabbat complained because then it would have no value because it doesn't have a tomorrow, a pair. But Hashem answers that Shabbat's partner is much more elevated. Shabbat is a completely spiritual day and it is designed to fulfil Am Yisrael's need for spirituality.

In that case, then, let us use this Shabbat and indeed every Shabbat in its intended purpose; to reach spiritual heights when we might not have as much chance during the week when we are working towards physical stability. Our actions and speech should be elevated and we should only have in mind Hashem's kedusha.

Shabbat shalom

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What was that Tisha B'Av all about anyway?

One minute we are mourning; no music, meat, etc, and when chatzot (midday) strikes we can be merry again. What's this all about? As people tell me they can't wait to listen to music and eat meat again (myself included), I ask myself about the last 3 weeks. How can we ever be fully happy again? How can we rush out of our mourning like this? If we truly felt it, surely we would never eat meat and listen to music... because aren't we always supposed to lament the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash?

These questions have been in the back of my mind the past 3 weeks. I think I may have an answer, but I'd like your opinions.

In truth, we're never completely happy without the Beis Hamikdash. We even commemorate it at biggest simchas with the breaking of a plate. We're always lacking. But at the same time, we can't be in constant mourning. We have to "ivdu et Hashem besimcha" (serve Hashem in happiness) and count all our blessings. The 3 weeks are there to make us stop our lives and remember why we're here and where we're going. If we never have a period of time to reflect upon the matter it would be even more distant than it already is from us. We're missing closeness with G-d and we don't even know what we're missing!

But once we explore this and understand a little bit more, we'll know why we're sad. And then we can be happy, because we know it's not all gloom. We know there's hope.

Now, can somebody pass me the shnitzel?

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Mourning our loss; Yearning our future

I look out my window as Hashem's nature plays its part. The sun is low. The leaves are waving. The sky is pleasant. The clouds are following an Easterly wind. Flowers sway to it. The occasional shout of a child echoes. Everything is so calm. You'd never think there's anything wrong or missing in the world. This is just life and people are living it.

But the greater picture is neglected. A few thousand miles away lies our Homeland. There, things aren't so calm or normal. There's something indescribably more lingering in the air. There's confusion and complexity. There's spirituality trying to absorb the politics and the galut. It's like an unanswered scream. It's loud, but few hear. It's the centre of our heritage and tradition. This is where it all happened and it's where it all will happen. Every stone is steeped in history and every stone will merit the future. You enter the beautiful walls of the Old City to reach our current holiest place. Something, though, isn't quite right. You walk along the Kotel plaza. You look up. You expect to see something holy and vast, but instead its antithesis lies; ironically, a huge, golden mosque. We can't really go beyond the wall, and we can't really explore most of the Old City. We're restricted in our own country. How could galut be any more obvious?

I could carry on a calm life in Chutz Laaretz. Everything could be normal and relatively easy. But I cannot be away from my source. I can't tear myself away from my country and my home - despite its difficulties. I can't be away from my people, who live in such messirut nefesh everyday. I can't be away knowing that this is G-d's chosen Land, and this is where the Beis HaMikdash will be. The worst part of galut is not knowing you're in galut. And that's exactly what we're mourning about in the three weeks. We're mourning our lack of spirituality, our lack of awareness of G-d. We go through the motions in the three weeks; we don't listen to music, have haircuts, take pleasure trips. And we can't wait until it's over; we're mourning that too. We're mourning the fact we don't see, for example, an apple as a dvar Hashem and we don't recognise the neshama and inherent holiness in every person. Yet during this time, we are also yearning. While we mourn our loss, we also recognise that this is a stage for flourishing. Tisha B'Av will sprout into a day of simcha.

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Gemma's Profile

Display name: Gemma



Gender: Female

Birthday: 29th Adar, 5749

Current city of residence (and where grew up): Manchester

Favorite City outside of Jerusalem: Oh...all of the North (Tiberias, Kiryat Shmona, in particular) and yishuvim like Nof Ayalon and anywhere in the Gush, and ooh I love Kochav HaShachar. Sorry, I know you only asked for one.

Seminary: Midreshet HaRova

Occupation: University Student, studying Linguistics

Interests/hobbies: Torah, Israel, sports, hiking, music

Favourite music: Shwekey, Avraham Fried, Shalsheles, etc. The usual Jewish chevra. Oh I like Chevra too.

Favourite books: Tanach, Bilvavi mishkan evneh, Nefesh shimshon, Chovat hatalmidim, Rambam, Igeret HaRamban, R'Lazer Brody stuff, R'Pliskin and R'Tatz (esp. Living Inspired!)

When you hesitate before hitting snooze on your alarm clock, are you being lazy? : I don't I've ever used the snooze button in my life, waste of time, I'd rather just get longer to sleep and then jump out of bed

What's the earliest you've gotten up to watch cartoons and what did you see?: Probably on one of my earlier birthdays.. like 18, (joking), and it was most probably the Flintstones or Tom and Jerry

For your birthday, your aunt gave you a maple syrup dispenser shaped like a rooster. Please write her a thank-you note.: Dear aunt, how did you know I wanted one of these?! I'm so glad I made that wish-list on amazon.com. (It actually doesn't sound like such a bad present)

Have you ever drank your soda from a straw?: Probably, I hear it's better for your teeth

What is your dream vacation?: Going to Metula. Hike around the mountains in the area. Camp by the Kinneret and go swimming. Visit a few graves (I know this is on the itinerary of most people's dream holiday), before going to the coast to like Herzilia. And then right in the middle of the desert somewhere, hike, reflect, and then finish up in Yerushalyim.

Do you like hot sauce?: What is hot sauce.. like gravy? I don't really like gravy if that's what you're asking...I like BBQ sauce though

Whats your favorite planet and why?: Saturn! Oooh, it's such a cute planet. I love how the rings go round it and such.

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