LIFE - XLV!

BH

Super Bowl XXVIII, Sunday, January 30th, 1994. Tom and Beth are pushing to get to their seats at the 45 yard line, three rows from the Georgia Dome field. The Cowboys and Bills are ready for the coin toss.

They arrive at their place and see an empty seat right next to them. Marcus yells out, “what in the world? An empty seat at the Super Bowl?? Who would give up a seat to the biggest event in the country??”

Irving, an short old man sitting in the seat over shyly proclaims, “well, actually that seat belongs to me. I was supposed to be here with my wife. But she passed away. This is the first time since the Dolphins beat the ‘Skins in ‘73 that were not at the Big Game together.”

“Wow, I’m so sorry. That's amazing that you always went to the Super Bowl together. Sorry about your loss. But I must ask, could you not find someone else to take the empty seat? A friend? A relative? Even a neighbor?”

“No” replies Irving calmly, “they’re all at the funeral!”
_ _ _ _ _ _

Super Bowl XLV. Sunday, February 6th, 2011. Steelers and Packers. Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX. Will you be one of the more than 100 million projected viewers?

What exactly is this phenomenon surrounding the Super Bowl? Why the fanfare and celebration? How does this game effect us? Why do we care?

I think part of the popularity of the Super Bowl can be attributed to its “one-and-done” format. Win and You are crowned the “world champions.” The loser’s soonest chance at redemption is a year away.

The World Series is far less popular, with a viewership of a mere 20 million. Lose today, try again tomorrow. The Super Bowl is the ultimate, lets get it done now, in all of sports.

So, as the Baal Shem Tov always taught, it is important to derive a a lesson in “Avodas Hashem” - the service of G-d - from everything. What can we learn from the Super Bowl?

Many clichés of course like be the best you can be, work hard, be determined and more. Another lesson we can learn from the clash of the NFL’s greatest is this: View actions in life as the Big Game.

Oh, you don’t want to help your friend today? If this was the World Series, it wouldn’t matter, you can help tomorrow. But this being the Super Bowl, if you don’t help today, that chance is gone. Sure, another opportunity will arise, but that’s a whole new ball game. Today’s Championship, is the triumph of today, not tomorrow.
_ _ _ _ _ _

In this weeks Parsha, Terumah, the Jewish nation has just come from slavery in Egypt (where rumor has it they built pyramids. Memo to the Egyptian Rioters: Please do not destroy the pyramids, we will not return to rebuild. Thanks.), the splitting of the sea and the reception of the Torah at Sinai.

Now G-d command his people to build for him a sanctuary and He will dwell amongst them. The reference their was to the Tabernacle the Jewish people built in the dessert. G-d’s planned to dwell amongst the holiness of his people. Not specifically within the Tabernacle (hence the terminology “dwell amongst them” rather than “within it”)

As we know, the Torah is not a history book, and everything it says is meant to be a guide for life. While the commandment was to build the Tabernacle, the lesson derived still exists. We must continue to create holiness in this world, especially amongst the Jewish people, so G-d should remain comfortable dwelling amongst us.

Simple Spirituality!

I’ve been thinking, isn’t it just great to be Jewish? Now your thinking, in what regard do I say that? Allow me to explain.

So, last week, if you were in synagogue (or read my email ;) ) you would be familiar with the fact that G-d revealed himself to the Jewish people at Sinai. During that revelation, G-d delivered the Ten Commandments to his chosen people.

This week, we receive many laws from G-d, as the Parsha, Mishpatim, relates. These laws however seem very nonspiritual. Why would G-d, who had just finished the greatest spiritual act of all time, continue in a very mundane and simple way?

Well, that’s where my sentiment about the greatness of being Jewish sprouts from. Figure this... While most religions of the world give most of their focus to the ‘spiritual’ side of their faith, Judaism spends lots of time and practical observance and physical life.

G-d is telling us that through keeping these simple common sense and logical laws, we are indeed being as spiritual as it gets. By G-d telling us to pay up a pledge, he is making that simple act spiritual. When we do it because G-d commanded it, its different than simply doing it.

The name of the Parsha means “Laws.” But more than that, it means laws that are understandable. Don’t steal. Don’t murder. Repay a loan. Treat your workers properly. These laws make sense. Yet, the Torah is telling us that they too are as important as those that we need to work to or may never understand.

This is one of the most powerful messages this week’s Parsha delivers. If we are unable to derive spirituality from the mundane, simple, logical aspects of life, then of what benefit was G-d’s revelation?

Of course, we can always read inspiring words, hear an uplifting sermon or attend a masterful Rosh Hashana service. All good and encouraged.

However, drawing inspiration and spirituality from deeper wells is the trick.

Every action we do brings a “force” into the world. Negative or positive. Lets make sure that our next action uplifts the world and changes it for the better.

Shabbat shalom from the Chabad House at McGill University in Downtown Montreal, Canada.

This week I am serving as head chef at Chabad House as the Rebbetzin has traveled to Crown Heights to attend the International Conference of Chabad Shluchos. Annually, the Chabad Rebbetzins converge on New York to brainstorms and share ideas for the future.

The gathering always falls at the time of the Yahrtzeit of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, the wife of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. “The Rebbetzin,” as she was known, was a role model and source of inspiration to thousands of women and girls around the globe.

What Can YOU Do?!

BH

Shalom. This week I experienced something new. And let me tell you, this experience froze me. Literally.

On Sunday morning, I awoke to catch my flight at Miami International Airport. Destination: John F. Kennedy International, Terminal eight in New York City’s borough of Queens.

The temperature in Miami was a robust 69 degrees Fahrenheit. Pretty nice weather I’d say. Several hours after my arrival in the Big Apple, I boarded a bus. This time the destination was Montreal, Canada.

As we approached Montreal the temperature dropped and dropped. Then dropped some more. I was in Montreal about an hour when the temperature had bottomed out at a crisp -9 F. That’s a temperature change of nearly 80 degrees in less than 24 hours. Chilling if I may say so! How special that moment. True G-dliness in the world, for me to see (and feel!).

Anyways, speaking of JFK, yesterday actually marked 50 years since the former president’s 1961 inaugural address. I wasn’t around, so clearly I don’t remember it but research tells me that the address was delivered shortly after noon on a bitter cold Friday in the Nation’s capital.

During the 44th inaugural address, JFK delivered one of the most famous (and shall I say, overused) quotes in American history (and I will overuse it one more time): “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country!”

JFK was calling on the people of his generation to not sit by idly waiting to be asked to do something good for the nation and the world at large. He was encouraging them to be proactive and take that first step on their own. Get up, get out, do some good!

In this weeks Parsha, Parshat Yitro (named for Moshe’s father-in-law), we are called upon in that fashion. We are taught through the actions of G-d (and the wording in the Torah) to get out and teach the world what we know. To contribute to society with our skills and talents. To help others that may even be afraid to approach for help!

The Torah tells us that G-d "descended" onto Mt. Sinai. Strange wording considering G-d more likely should have asked the nation to ‘elevate’ themselves?! (Not to mention, is not G-d already everywhere, leaving no reason to ‘descend’ or ‘climb’?)

Thereabout lies our lesson in everyday life! G-d Chose to come down to the Jewish Nation, to deliver them a strong message, a list of commandments, and a promise that they will always be his chosen nation. He didn't wait for the Jewish people to come to him. He wanted to share it right away!

Some people need food, others money, and still others just need a friend, or shoulder to lean on. If we have it, we are not to sit idly and wait to be asked! We need to get out there and bring these people what they need. And teach them to do the same! With whatever they have.

The Rebbe taught that if you only know the Hebrew letter aleph then go teach someone that doesn’t know about the aleph! Whatever you know, or whatever you can do, its important to share it. Together we can all make the world a better place.

We can make it the place G-d intended on the day He delivered the Ten Commandments.

Sent Away to Share With Others

BH

Shalom.

This Friday night and Shabbat mark the 10th day of the Jewish month of Shevat.

On the 10th day of Shevat 5710 (January 28, 1950), The previous leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, the Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Y. Schneersohn, passed away. One year later, on the 10th of Shevat, 5711 (January 17, 1951) his son-in-law, The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, assumed leadership of the movement.

This is the day that the Rebbe began his reformation of Judaism. Judaism has come a far way from what it was 60 years ago.

The Rebbe made it his personal mission to reestablish “Yiddishkeit” by adding joy and excitement to it's everyday practices. Thus began the Rebbe'sprocess of returning thousands of Jews to their roots.

In this week’s Parsha, BeShalach, we are taught that King Pharaoh chooses to pursue the Jewish people he just freed and bring them back as slaves once again.

Pharaoh was hard at it! He was determined. He enlisted volunteers and hit the sand! He found the Jews in an apparent state of paralysis, with the raging sea ahead of them.

G-d placed a protective pillar in front of Pharaoh, he didn’t care. G-d split the sea, again he didn't care. Until the last moment, when the Egyptians were engulfed by the waters, Pharaoh was unfazed. He was determined to get his slaves back!

The Kotzker Rebbe, of blessed memory, taught that we can all learn a lesson from Pharaoh. A lesson in defiance that is. To never give up on the goal. While Pharaoh’s goal was clearly evil, he never gave up. When it even seemed impossible, he still pushed forward. Into the raging waters.

Yes, he lost, but losing isn’t always the case.

When the Rebbe set out to give Yiddishkeit a new face he was presented with many a challenge. Challenge came from inside and out. It was an uphill battle to get people to put on Teffilin. Gaining popularity for lighting Shabbat candles was a tricky task! Winning approval for public menorahs wasn’t easy. The Rebbe continued to push forward however!

The meaning of the word “BeShalach,” the name of this week’s Parsha, is “sent away.” The Question is presented, “sent away, seems negative. How is that a Pasha with so much positive things happening to the Jewish people is called by a negative name?”

Well, we need to be sure to not look at it in a negative way, but rather positively as “sent away FOR others to gain from!”

When the Rebbe sent out Shluchim (emissaries) around the globe, he wasn't sending them away from him. He was sending them out to share with others. To spread what they have, not HERE (Brooklyn) but rather AWAY from here!

Shabbat Shalom from Miami Beach, FL where I am visiting family and enjoying the sunny 70 degree weather! (Go figure, its 70 degrees outside, there is visible grass, the bodies of water are not frozen solid, there is a beautifully pleasant breeze and the people here are wearing coats! Yea, again, go figure!)

Have Some Chutzpah!

BH

If you follow American politics at all, you’ll know that this week the 112 Congress convened. As the shift of power had changed hands, Mr. John Boehner, the new speaker of the house started out his tenure by having the United States Constitution read in the house. The purpose? To remind our elected officials that we are land built on a set of morals, not on the merit of self.

When the Jewish people are nearing Exodus from Egypt, G-d says “wait, I have something important to say! Moshe, G-d’s ‘speaker of the house’ would be delivering the message. The Hebrews awaited a sort of constitution, a set of rules and laws to live life by. Something up the alley of the Ten Commandments I’d imagine.

The message Moshe delivers is far from it. A commandement yes, but a rather confusing one, considering the time and place. Its the Mitzvah of setting up a Calendar. A special calendar that this new nation would live by.

What? A calendar? Shouldn't we first hear some important rules and daily requirements before setting up a calendar. G-d says, “yes, a calendar. A calendar based on the lunar cycle.”

Henceforth begins the Jewish relationship with the moon. The moon is very much like the Jewish nation with high moments (full moon) and low moments (right before the new moon). But its a fact that when the moon disappears, it will come back. Not only will it come back, but its even called a NEW moon.

New. And better than ever. A fresh start.

Jewish history is very much the same. Many low moments (Egypt, Ancient Greek Empire, Persian Empire, Holocaust and more) but they always have a fresh new start and a high moment to follow.

When the Jews were leaving Egypt they had already become comfortable. They had food and housing, and they didn’t have to worry about it. That's precisely why the moment was so low and they didn't really know it. They had become comfortable with a foreign culture and land.

G-d figured they needed to have a little Chutzpah to knock them into shape before they headed for the highest moment to date, the recption of the Torah. G-d commands them to take the sheep, a worshiped entity in Egypt, and slaughter it! What Chutzpah! They slaughtered Egypt’s holiness AND made it out alive!

The same continues to apply today. We must have a little chutzpah to society, not be a slave to it. We need to remember that Chutzpah everyday! When we have Chutzpah to our unholy surroundings, we are moving forward.

This week my brother Shmulie is celebrating his pre-wedding “ufruf” this Shabbat in Brooklyn. As the Rabbi of the Chabad House @ McGill had to leave town due to the passing of his grandmother, I was called into duty. The popular thing would’ve been to travel to NY to participate. Yet, I felt I needed to have some Chutzpah and stand up to the occasion.

I’m glad I did. So, Shabbat Shalom from the Chabad Center @ McGill University in snowy and icy (and freezing) Downtown Montreal, Canada!

Living After Dying

BH

This weeks Parsha is called Vayechi, which means "he lived." The name of the Parsha refers to how Jacob lived the last years of his life in Egypt, as the very first verse references his last 17 years there.

We are always taught that the name of the Parsha is all inclusive of the Parsha itself, teaching us what we will learn within.

This seems strange when we think about the fact that the Parsha called VaYechireferring to Yakov’s life in Egypt in fact talks mostly about Yakov’s death and the surrounding events. Wouldn’t you think the Parsha would refer to the actual life of Yakov?!

In the Parsha, following Yakov’s deliverance of his final blessings to his children and grandchildren, Yakov breathes his final breath and “expires,” as the Torah describes it. All of his descendants, members of the Egyptian rule and more escort Yakov’s remains to the Holy Land for burial in the Cave of Machpela.

However, the Torah never actually states that Yakov died! What is this all meant to teach?

Interestingly, the name of this Parsha is very simila to that of a few weeks ago when we read Parshat Chayei Sarah – the Life of Sarah. That Parsha is called the Life of Sarah and again, talks mostly about her death and the following events.

I was explained in reference to Parshat Chayei Sarah that true life is judged by our offsprings. Sarah truly lived, as can be seen by the child, Isaac that she raised. She left a great legacy, and through Isaac, continued to live.

Sarah lived many years amongst immoral, non believers. The fact that she was able to impart on Isaac the Jewish identity that she did shows that she really lived.

Yakov lived his last 17 years in Egypt, a land known for its lack of morals, its indecency, and many trials and tribulations to true faith found everywhere. Yet, Yakov was able to leave his descendants with a true sense of Jewish identity and pride. His descendants were the next link in the chain that has followed until today.

Therefore, when the Torah refers to Yakov’s stopping to breathe, rather than him dying, its a telling of the true life that he lived. The truest ever. In fact the Talmud even offers that in reality, Jacob in fact did not die!

Furthermore, as we shall see, Jacob's death signaled the beginning of the descent that would conclude with the physical enslavement of all his descendants. The fact that the Jewish people remained loyal to Jacob's heritage even under such antagonistic circumstances is further proof that his death was the truest indication that not only was he was "alive" during his lifetime, but continued to remain so afterwards, as well.

The lessons we learn from the Parsha each week are lessons for today, not lessons of yesterday. We must apply them to our daily lives in the current, and not view them as a matter of the past. Keeping that in mind, the most prominent lesson of parashat Vayechi is that we can perform our Jewish duties, just as Sarah, Yakov, Yosef and so many before us weathered the odds of their surrounding and the trials and tribulations they offered.

The challenges of the modern world are indeed tricky, but we can beat them if we remain committed to the basic guidelines of Judaism and raise our children in said fashion!

It is thus fitting that the first book of the Torah ends with the message ofVayechi, "he lived." As the page turns from the groundwork laid by our ancestors and we begin the journey of our people becoming a nation – the chosen nation – it is vital that we recognize where this nation comes from. And where the life - the connection with G-d and Torah – actually comes from.

Parashat Vayechi reminds us that the Book of Genesis is not just a good book with stories of our forefathers who have since passed. In fact, they are alive, truly alive, and it is only by us identifying as Jewish people that they remain alive!

Lets continue to live and teach others to live!

Don't Let the Light Go Out

BH

This Shabbat is very unique. On Shabbat we are always encompassed by the holiness of G-d and Torah, more so than during the remainder of the week. On Chanukah, we are surrounded by light which illuminates the world with holiness.

On Shabbat-Chanukah, we are literally living a full Shabbat of awesomeness! The holiness of Shabbat and the light of Chanukah come together to inspire the Jewish people and give a spark as we move forward on the calendar.

Chanukah is a very unique and special time. Many lessons are learned from the holiday. The most popular theme of Chanukah is the lights.

Chassidic masters have taught over and over again how light changes the world. Of course we ask ourselves, “Why do I need a Chassidic Rabbi to tell me that light eradicates darkness?”

Good question indeed.

When a candle, emitting one small flame, is lit in a huge room, the light changes the entire room. Chassidism compares this physical fact to a spiritual fact: Do one good deed and the entire landscape of the world changes!

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson once wrote a letter to the participants of several public Menorah Lightings in the United States. In that letter the Rebbe opens with; “Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, recalls the victory—more than 2100 years ago—of a militarily weak but spiritually strong Jewish people over the mighty forces of a ruthless enemy that had overrun the Holy Land and threatened to engulf the land and its people in darkness.

What the Rebbe is stressing in the opening of the letter is how the spiritual strength – the LIGHT – of the Jewish army, led them to victory over their enemy – over the darkness.

The Rebbe then continues in his letter, “The Chanukah Lights remind us in a most obvious way that illumination begins at home, within oneself and one’s family, by increasing and intensifying the light of Torah and Mitzvos in the everyday experience.”

The Rebbe – as seen through his army of emissaries around the globe – was a pioneer in kindling the light! The Rebbe told everyone to be “LAMPLIGHTERS” and spread the light wherever they go. Yes, we must create the spark at home, but the next step is to take that spark and extend it, one wick at a time, until the entire world is engulfed in G-dliness.

“Such is the nature of light that when one kindles the Chanukah Lights which are expressly meant to illuminate the “outside,” symbolically alluding to the duty to bring light also to those who, for one reason or another, still walk in darkness. “ the Rebbe explains.

It is important that each of us take a lesson for life from our Holidays and traditions which seemingly celebrate happenings of thousands of years ago. The truth is, the celebration of Chanukah, and of other Jewish Holidays, is a celebration of the present.

The original celebrations of Chanukah celebrated the victory of the weak over the mighty, the few over the many and so on. Today’s celebration of Chanukah commemorates that and celebrates the modern day victory of goodness over evil and the triumph of what is right over it’s adversaries.

The goal of today’s celebrations of Chanukah is to create holiness out of mundane just as we create the holy Chanukah lights from a simple candle. We must transform the world and make it holy so the words of the prophet Zechariah , found in this week’s special Shabbat Chanukah Haftarah, will be fulfilled.

"Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for, behold! I will come and dwell in your midst, says the L-rd."

By creating spirituality and goodness in this world, we constantly illuminate it and bring G-d and his glory closer.

As the Rebbe concludes his letter, “Let us pray that the message of the Chanukah Lights will illuminate the everyday life of everyone personally, and of the society at large, for a brighter life in every respect, both materially and spiritually”