Comfot, Comfort. Its On the Way!

This week’s Parsha is called V’Eschanan. In the Parsha, Moshe (Moses) tells the Jewish people how he begged G-d to allow him to enter the Holy Land. G-d refuses instead asking Moshe to ascend a mountain from where he will be granted a view of the land.

Moshe continues his “repetition” of what the Torah has taught up until this point. He describes the Exodus from Egypt and the Giving of the Torah. Moshe calls them unprecedented historical events in human history. Moshe said the following: "Has there ever occurred this great thing, or has the likes of it ever been heard? Did ever a people hear the voice of G-d speaking out of the midst of the fire... and live? ... You were shown, to know, that the L-rd is G-d... there is none else beside Him."

Mosh goes on to predict that in future generations the people will turn away from G-d, worship idols, and be exiled from their land and scattered amongst the nations but will ultimately, re-seek G-d and His commandments.

Our Parshah also includes a repetition of the Ten Commandments, and the verses of the Shema which declare the fundamentals of the Jewish faith: the unity of G-d ("Hear O Israel: the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is one"); the mitzvot to love G-d, study His Torah, and bind "these words" as tefillin on our arms and heads, and inscribe them in the mezuzot affixed on the doorposts of our homes.

This Shabbat is called “Shabbat Nachamu” – the Shabbat of comfort. The name of the Shabbat comes from the haftarah in which it states “Nachamu nachamu ami-Comfort, comfort My people, says your G-d” (Isaiah 40:1). This is the first of seven “Haftarat of Consolotaion” that follow Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av.

The Jewish people have been compared throughout history to the cycle of the moon (which can also be an explanation as to why we operate according to the lunar calendar). We have grown and diminished. We have been at full glow, and we have been utterly invisible. On the 15^th of every month, the moon is full. We are taught that this day is special as it continues to teach that we need to be at our fullest level of joy and happiness.

The fifteenth of Av has an even greater display of joy, as it follows the deep sorrow and mourning of the ninth of Av. The light and joy which follows darkness have an added, unique power. Hence, the Haftarah directly after the ninth, and immediately preceding the fifteenth is “double certain” that consolation will follow, as it states twice, “comfort, comfort my people!”

The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught us that even if we are still at a point of descent into darkness this idea can still help us. The darkness and desolation are not a cause for despair: on the contrary, they point to the greater joy which will follow. The Rebbe stressed that the greater the darkness is, the greater the light and joy that follow will be.

Recognizing this allows us to always find comfort and consolation, even at the darkest moments as individuals, in our lives and as a people, in our history.

Immediately following our darkest day, we are promptly told that comfort will follow. Twice! We should all take a moment to remember this in our lives at during our difficult moments. We must remember that any dark situation MUST mean that light is coming! Dark is dark… and we can’t fight dark with a weapon. The only way to fight darkness is by adding light!

One small candle in the biggest of rooms will still provide light! One small mitzvah – good deed – in what can seem to be a dark world will also provide light.

Let’s do our part to add the light and joy of Torah and Mitzvot to the world!

Shabbat Shalom from Brooklyn, NY

A Special Vision

BH

This Shabbat, the one immediately preceeding Tish’ah B’Av (9th of Av)* is titled Shabbat Chazon – A Shabbat of Vision. The word, and title, come from the first verse of the Haftarah; “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem” .

The haftorah is the third of a series of three "haftarot of affliction." These three haftarot are read during the “Three Weeks” period** between the fasts of 17 Tammuz and the upcoming 9 Av.

Isaiah speaks to the Jewish people regarding a G-dly vision he experienced, chastising the residents of Judah and Jerusalem for having rebelled against G d, criticizing them for repeating their errors and not abandoning their sinful ways. He uses pretty harsh terminology to relay his message. He compares the Jewish leaders to the rulers of the evil Sodom and Gomorrah.

Isaiah then changes tone, calmly encouraging the people to repent and to perform acts of goodness and kindness towards the needy, orphans and widows. The haftorah concludes with a promise that G d will eventually reestablish Israel's judges and leaders, when "Zion shall be redeemed through justice and her penitents through righteousness."

The first verse of the haftarah speaks of a vision. What does it mean to be visionary? What does it mean to have a vision for your life and pursuits?

At its face value, it means to develop goals and objectives; it means taking future potential into consideration and aiming for a specific goal. It is the realization that there “is more to it” than what we see now. "Now" is the reality; but “vision” can alter the way it is perceived. Vision brings excitement and focus.

The problem is that with the time, dreaming becomes more difficult for the realistic person. Disappointments will catch up to you and take its due toll. That raises the question; At what point do we realize that our “focus” and “goals” are really just dreams?

Answer: Never!

A brighter future is always to remain our priority! Of course, we must take realism and actuality into consideration, but none of that discounts a better tomorrow! Consider this: Our Holy Temple, along with our entire Jewish Commonwealth, was destroyed by the Romans almost two thousand years ago.

It's been rough ever since, and we're fully aware of our reality. Every year, on the fast of Tisha B'Av, the 9th of Av, we mournfully remember the destruction and recognize the pain we are currently in. Yet, the Shabbat right before is called "Shabbat of Vision," referencing the “vision of Isaiah" regarding the destruction of the Holy Temple.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, an eighteenth century Chassidic master, taught us that the title "Shabbat of Vision" actually refers to the literal vision of the future that G-d gives on the Shabbat before our day of mourning. We are shown a vision of a rebuilt Temple, a reconstituted People and better world.

We are better prepared to mourn, knowing our hope – our Vision – never dies. The “Shabbat of Vision” assures that our recognition of "now" doesn't beat our hope for the future. Of course, you know well that I can’t see this Divinely-granted vision with my own physical eyes; but if G d's showing it to me, it must be resonating somewhere in my soul.

So this Shabbat, I'll prepare to tackle reality on Tisha B'Av by first searching myself to find G d's vision of a beautiful future.

Will you join me?

*Tish’ah B’Av – the 9th of Av is a fast day and day of mourning for the destruction of the Holy Temple and the exile of Israel. We abstain from eating, drinking, bathing, the wearing of leather shoes and marital relations. The fast is observed from sundown on the 8th of Av until nightfall of the 9th. It is customary to sit on the floor, or low rising seat until miday of the 9th. We refrain from Torah Study unless it references laws of mourning or the destruction of the Temple. Teffilin are worn in the afternoon as opposed to the morning like usual. For more information regarding Tish’ah B’Av, please visit, www.chabad.org/697770

**The “Three Weeks” period marks a time of mourning over the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. It is observed from the fast of the Seventeeth of Tammuz until the fast of the Ninth of Av. To learn more about this period, please visit, www.chabad.org/144558

Lasting Inspiration

BH

This Shabbat we read the portions of Matos and Maasei as a combined Torah portion. The first explains how Moshe told over the laws concerning the annulment of vows to the leaders of Israel’s tribes. The “Hebrews” head to war with Midian, citing their role in plotting the moral destruction of Israel. The Torah tells of the war spoils and how they were allocated amongst the people.

Later, the tribes of Reuven (Reuben) and Gad (which were later joined half of the tribe of Menashe (Menasseh)) ask for the land east of the Jordan (Today actually known as Jordan) to be their portion of the Promised Land, acknowledging the prime pastureland it provides for their cattle. Moshe is initially angered by the request, but subsequently agrees on the condition that they first join, and in fact lead, the conquest of the lands to the west.

The second portion, Maasei, begins with the phrase, Eileh Maasei Bnai Yisroel – These are the journeys of Israel. ‘Journeys’, as the name of the portion translates, perfectly describes our people. We are wanderers. Voluntarily or by expulsion, this is part of nearly each of us, or of our parents or grandparents. How is it that we keep going?!

However, when we left Egypt, the forty years in the desert were actually not spent in aimless wandering. Every move was "by the word of G‑d,” as the Torah tells us in this Parsha. The Torah in this very Parsha rejects the thought of G‑d abandoning us.

We, as Jewish people do not “go”; we are “sent”. He who sends us always accompanies us, whether we are aware of it or not! The Jew never felt alone, though he was surrounded by enemies. This was always and still is today the beauty of our religion.

I just returned earlier this week from leading a Taglit: Birthright trip to Israel. 40 college aged students from all over the country. Most did not know each other before, but are now best friends. These people didn’t “go” to Israel, they were “sent”! There was a reason each of them needed to be there!

For some it was to find new companionship while for others it was religious inspiration. Yet, some needed a break from reality, and others in fact needed a reality check! Our Birthright bus, titled, “Mayanot 260” contained 54 different people (40 American participants, eight Israeli soldiers that join for the opportunity of integration, four staff, a bus driver and a security guard). Each of us were on a Journey.

You could in fact look at our bus and summarize in one word – yes you guessed it – “Journeys”! Some of us were just at a stopover on our journey and for some, the journey had just begun. Four of us donned Teffilin for the first time. The girls lit Shabbat candles together as a family! Our now close family even celebrated the Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah of two of our own! One of us even received our Jewish name! And even our soldiers – who put their lives on the line everyday to protect OUR homeland - were on a journey!

This was the journey of Judaism. This was the journey of friendship. This was the journey of inspiration.G-d, the one who “sent” us all on this journey through Israel, was with us every step of the way. There is no doubt in my mind. I am convinced I felt it on 10 out of 10 days during the trip!

We spent 10 days on a bus touring and studying our beautiful land. The topics discussed in the Parsha this week such as the Jordan River, Judea, Samaria and more are topics that were constantly on our minds! The journey could not have been in a better place and certainly not at a better time!

As Shabbat comes in, I recall where I was last week as the sun set. Lighting Shabbat candles with the girls of Mayanot 260 in Jerusalem followed by an inspiring Friday night service at the Kotel, the western wall. We touched the wall as we prayed and cried and as we sang and danced. What an amazing inspiration!

I told myself then, that I would not let the inspiration my group gave me disappear to fast! I would like to share some of that with you, and I hope I have!

Life in the Eyes of the World Cup

BH

World Cup fever. Have you got it? Well, in any event, whether you do or don't, fact is most of the world does. The FIFA World Cup is the largest sporting event in the world. We have dozens of nations with hundreds of millions of people crowding around TV sets to see professional athletes compete on the largest stage.

What it is specifically about this mega-event that draws so many can be a whole array of different things. It could be national pride, the world’s best soccer soccer (or “football”) players in one event, or the thrill of seeing a third world country at the center of the universe. Whatever it is, there is definitely a worldwide craze.

What is soccer? Simply put, it’s a game where a large, round object – the ball, moves rapidly toward the goal. Sure, that’s the simple explanation; however, the game is far from that simple. There are “roadblocks” in the formation of a defense. You must outplay the defense to get the ball to the goal.

How to outplay? Speed, knowledge of the game and complete awareness of your surroundings. Speed in the form of moving faster than your opponent, knowledge of where to put the ball and awareness of where your teammates and opponents find themselves at any given time.

Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shemtov, or more popularly known as the Baal ShemTov, taught his followers the importance of learning a lesson in the service of the G-d from everything we see and experience. What better time than to learn something from a phenomenon that has the entire world’s attention.

That in mind, let’s analyze what the game of soccer can teach. We must get the ball to the goal, that is the main point. Ball in goal equals point on board. It would be simple as pie to score these goals and tally the points if it weren’t for the opponent. The opponent has a mission as well: stop the ball from entering the gate, protected by its gatekeeper, and in turn, march downfield and deposit the ball in your goal. Hence, they keep you from hanging one on the board and in turn, tack one up for themselves.

Sure, the opponent gets in the way of your mission, but if there was no opponent, aside from the game becoming utterly pointless, the opportunity to display full potential would be gone.

So, what does this teach us regarding our own lives?

In life there are two teams, as stated in the Chassidic compilation, the Tanya and many other Chassidic texts published over the last several hundred years. Pardon the cliché, but those teams are the “good guys” and the “bad guys”. Our mission is to take our life – the metaphoric ball – and maneuver it toward the goal of the “good guys” while constantly sidestepping the “bad guys”.

The A team is that of Torah, Mitzvot and bettering the world. The B team is that of the enemy. The enemy in this case would be all that is unholy according to Torah and Hashem – G-d. Within each of us there reside both the positive and negative forces on the field. We have the Yetzer Tov, the good influence – that encourages us to study Torah, pray and do mitzvot. On the flip side, we have the Yetzer Hara, the evil inclination that will argue as strongly as it can against the good.

The Yetzer Hara is a talented goalkeeper, but the Yetzer Tov can always outsmart him!

The Day the Sun Did Not Set

BH

In a talk delivered by the Lubavitcher Rebbe on Shabbat Parshat Korach of 1991, the Rebbe spoke about the story of Aaron's blossoming staff as told in the Parshah. Korach and his rebellious faction had contested Aaron's right to be the Kohen Gadol ("high priest"). In order to reiterate His choice of Aaron to serve Him in the Sanctuary as the representative of the Jewish nation, G-d instructed Moses:

"Take... a staff from each of [the tribes'] leaders... each should write his name on his staff.... Write the name of Aaron on the staff of Levi... and the man whom I shall choose, his staff will blossom....Moses placed each staff before G-d in the Sanctuary.... On the next day... behold, the staff of Aaron was blossoming: It brought forth blossom, produced fruit and bore ripe almonds." (Numbers 17:16-24)

The Rebbe referred to this as a "natural miracle." G-d did not simply make almonds appear on Aaron's staff. Rather, He provided the entire process of budding, blossoming, and then emergence and the ripening of the fruit. Aaron's staff defied nature's laws but the almond appeared seemingly naturally (albeit in an unnatural place). It transcended nature, but did so on nature's own terms.

The Shabbat on which the Rebbe spoke about the miracle of Aaron's staff was the 3rd of Tammuz, and the Rebbe found two more historical examples of "natural miracles", both occurring on that date. One example the Rebbe cited was on the third of Tammuz of the year 2488 from creation (1273). Yehoshua - Joshua - was leading the Jewish people in one of the battles to conquer the Land of Israel. Victory was imminent, but darkness was about to fall. Yehoshua proclaimed "Sun, be still at Giv'on; moon, at the Ayalon valley" (Joshua 10:12). G-d responded and halted their progress until the Jewish people brought the battle to an end.

We are taught throughout history that G-d does not perform a miracle in vain. Why then was such an incredible miracle as stopping the sun and moon needed here? Wouldn’t a simpler miracle, such as illuminating the battle site at Giv'on itself make more sense?

But a miraculous engineering of "artificial" light would have meant that the laws of nature were merely superseded, not transformed. To inspire the people of Israel to not only transcend their natural self but also to transform and sublimate it, G-d insisted that the miraculous light provided them should be natural sunlight -- even if this meant creating a new natural order in the heavens.

The third of Tammuz, 2488 as the Rebbe spoke about in 1991, was “the day the sun did not set”.

On the third of Tammuz of this year, (Tuesday, June 15th) Jewish people around the world will be marking the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s 16 Yahrtzeit –anniversary of his passing. The Rebbe’s influence on world Jewry is denied by no one. The Rebbe, simply put, changed the face of Judaism around the globe, post holocaust. The revival of Jewish customs, holidays and more was in large part due to the Rebbe. Due to the Rebbe’s vision and commitment to every single Jewish person, vibrant Jewish communities have sprouted across the globe.

Today, with more than 3,000 Chabad centers worldwide, the Rebbe’s mission is being seen through. The influence and guidance of the Rebbe still lives, 16 years later. The numbers of Chabad’s success throughout the years is are staggering and the influence his emissaries have had - not only on Jewish people – but on the world is amazing!

On Tuesday, we will celebrate the Rebbe’s life and influence. We will make commitments to better our lives to live the way the Rebbe asked of us. We will re-commit ourselves to the learning of Torah and Rebbe’s teachings. We miss our Rebbe and strive to continue his work, learn his teachings and emulate his ways.

On the third of Tammuz, 5754 (June 12, 1994) the Rebbe physically left this world. The Rebbe continues however to inspire, uplift, guide and teach!

Gimmel Tammuz – the third of Tammuz, indeed “the day the sun did not set”

I conclude with heartfelt prayers for the coming of Moshiach now, when we will be able to physically see the Rebbe again.

Together as One

Sitting down to write something this week, two things that recently occurred come to mind. One of course is the now world famous (or dare I say infamous) Israeli raid on the Turkish “aid” convoy to Gaza. The other was the great showing of “coming together” from across the world to assist my sister in winning an online voting battle.

While the second seems almost meaningless in comparison to the first, it did start me thinking in an interesting direction. Let me explain.

The online contest my sister entered asked for people to submit their vote. While she was in the lead much of the contest, a sleeper rose from the cellar to quickly tie her as the final hours approached. With determination and conviction, she gathered a small team of family to spend the final hour soliciting votes. After several minutes, friends were helping, and friends of friends were helping.

All said and done, my sister came in a very close second, only four votes behind. Tallying up the final numbers, we realized that half the votes were from people that didn’t even know my sister. People from far and wide. This was a demonstration of “Achdus” – unity. People were coming together for a seemingly unimportant cause, but because it felt good to a part of the excitement. In fact, this was unity that most people couldn’t even claim a personal reward from. It was purely to help another and be a part of it.

Back to the Flotilla: While it seems much of the world is gathering together to bombard Israel with condemnation and criticism, what happens in the Jewish nation must be focused on, and we must be determined to stand strong – together.

Our sages have explained that unity amongst the Jewish people is one of our greatest tools. In reference to the greatest moment of Jewish history, the receiving of the Torah at Sinai, it is written; “Like one man with one heart”. This is the essence of our people. We were all there. And we were all just as important as the next.

To truly understand what it means to stand together, we need to understand where we come from. As it is taught, every soul has a spark of G-dliness. In fact, we can look at it as G-d being the original flame, and each of us are a direct offspring of that flame. That being stated, its not possible for one to be more important than the other. We are all in reality one.

If we can come together for a pointless photo contest, we must certainly come together to support the Jewish State, and stand strong together. Our people live under the threat of attack every day, and Israel has done what needed to be done to protect her citizens. We as the Jewish people must stand behind Israel in solidarity.

This weeks Parsha, Shelach speaks of Moshe sending the 12 spies to scout out Israel. 10 return saying the land would be impossible to conquer, while two insisted the possibility remained. While they disagreed on this point, they in fact returned from the land agreeing with each other. Both groups agreed that the land was magnificent and “flowed with milk and honey”.

It’s time to focus on what we agree on and what we have in common and begin to build stronger. As it is asked in Pirkei Avot – Ethics of Our Fathers, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?”.

Good question indeed.