Tag Archive for Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai

Are they some Kabalist/Rabbis who take their powers from evil sources?

This article was constructed with the help of either writings, lectures or shiurim of Rabbi’s Noach Isaac Oelbaum, Berrel Wien, Eliyahu ben Chaim, Asher Hurzberg, Naftali Gonzvi, Pinchus Winston, Yossi Bilius,  Abba Wagensberg, Nissan Midel and The Nachshoni

What’s the difference between a Kabbalist and a Rabbi? A Kabbalist is in a higher tax bracket.

Do traditional Jews take mysticism with a grain of salt? One prominent Orthodox Jew, when introducing a speaker on the subject of Jewish mysticism, basically said, “It’s nonsense, but it’s Jewish nonsense, and the study of anything Jewish, even nonsense, is worthwhile.”

However in many circles going to a Kabbalist is a way of life. One may have a favorite social drink, favorite sport team and a favorite Kabbalist. Perhaps in our New York circles, the Kabbalist has replaced the psychologist as “the go to guy” for help with every aspect of life’s decisions. It makes a great conversation piece at wedding, “Oh, who’s your Kabbalist? Does he take American Express?”

One has to ask if this is the right path for us Jews to consider. Do Kabbalists actually have special powers? And if they do, where do they get their powers from? Is it possible they can get their energy source from a negative evil side? Can we tap in to their superpowers?

First and foremost, one has to realize that once people begin to complicate their lives by attending a Kabbalist it becomes addicting. The reliance increases for every small item. It could start with a legitimate inquiry and gravitate toward the most trivial, like what color paint my patio should be. People start to think, “No I can’t make that decision, I’m not as worthy as the Kabbalist.” This is an addiction and it starts when man seeks to have an edge in life. However, man, not being G-d, is part of that perfect imperfection and is therefore prone to making mistakes. Man, be it the person seeking help as well as the Kabbalist, can, even innocently at times, end up working against G-d even when, at times, he thinks that he is working with Him. As it has been said, the road to Gehinom is paved with good intentions.

We see how having an edge sometimes could lead to a big fiasco. Korach saw through Ruach HaKodesh that from him is destined leadership. But “the eyes fooled him” (Rashi). He didn’t realize is that it was not him who was destined to be the leader but his descendent Shmuel. He misread the divine prophesy.

Similarly, Achitofel was King David’s teacher and was the smartest man in the world at the time. His advice was as good as gold. He saw in Ruach HaKodesh, again that edge, the he is destined the Kingdom. That motivated him to contrite a plan instigating David’s own son Avshalom to rebel against his father. This became one of the uglier episodes in Jewish History. At the end the coup failed and both Achitofel and Avshalom died. What he too didn’t realize was that it wasn’t he who would be king but his great grandson Shlomo.

POWERS TODAY?

In the early part of the 1900’s in Eastern Europe there were documented cases of “DEBUK”- a malevolent wandering spirit that enters and possesses the body of a living person until exorcized. Why was there such a scary phenomenon at this particular period and place? Can one imagine children being possessed by evil spirits? Our Rabbis taught us a concept that when there is a high level of kedusha then there will automatically also be a high level of impurity. In our illustrious Jewish history, this period was known for tremendous amount of Torah learning. The Volozhin as well as the Pressburg Yeshivot were at their heyday and produced some of the greatest Torah scholars that we ever had. But life has to be of equilibrium. When there is a high level of kedusha there will always be an equal amount of evil. The balance must always be.

Today however the generation is substantially weaker compared to yesteryear and it would be highly unlikely that we can produce high levels of great Torah scholars, and equally unlikely to have witches, demons, ghosts or goblins. You are the product of the environment.

Where do magic and extra -terrestrial powers measure on the glucometer of today? Let’s examine the mechanics or at least touch upon one of the many major ways one can elevate himself to superhuman status. In this week’s parsha we encounter one of the more fascinating characters in the Torah, Bilam.

Bilam first appears in our parsha as a human menace, one who with magic or the evil eye by sight or by speech can cause havoc. However we find something interesting that he, by his behavior, is totally dependent on G-d. Although he doesn’t listen very well and transgresses the command against harming Israel, nevertheless he seeks Divine consultation. Strangely, we see a shift later; his devilish image disappears, replaced by that of a prophet who knows the secrets of the future. But we’re not quite finished with him yet. The next episode has him becoming an inciter, who advises corrupting Israel in the pleasures of the flesh. Ultimately, he is killed in battle by the Jews.

In our modern world what can we learn from him? Not the black magic that he inherited from his father (or as some say his grandfather) Lavan. Nor is it the presents Balak received from the gifts that Avraham, our forefather gave to the sons of Ketura, one of his wives. Rav Yirmiya bar Aba taught, “He gave over to them the use of G-d’s name with impurity.” This, Rashi tells us, means that he taught them black magic and demonology. Some Sages teach us that some of the black magic had to do with incense. Avraham received the knowledge of this power from Pharoah as a gift along with his daughter Hagar when he went to Egypt. But today all this is pretty much irrelevant and a waste of time. The Torah is attempting to teach us something. In order to understand a tremendous insight in ourselves and our powers, what we can achieve, we have to examine a few occurrences in our rich past.

We left Egypt in the most thunderous way, with miracles and with the hand of G-d clearly visible. What a way to become a nation. As we know from the Torah and the stories we recite at the seder, we were in a rush (I guess we trace that trait from our ancestors) and didn’t have time to bake the dough. Apparently they didn’t even want to prepare anything for the way, and thus the commentators explain that they had to leave quickly in order to avoid descending to the final level of the Fifty Gates of Impurity. This, of course, is where we encountered Matzot.

However, this does not seem to be correct. Just the opposite! The strength of impurity had been eliminated as a result of the revelation of the Divine Presence, as it says, “For the Children of Israel even a dog will not growl.” (Shemot 11:7). He judged their gods and killed their firstborn. If so, how can it be said that impurity has any control, G-d forbid?

After the redemption had already commenced, from the time the plagues had begun 12 months prior, Evil (Sitra Achra) began to lose power and he continued to do so from that point onward, particularly from the time the actual oppression ended which was on Rosh Hashanah, as it says in Tractate Rosh Hashanah (11a).

In the month of Nissan, and especially on the first night of Pesach, Evil- the S”A was completely beaten and conquered to the point of extinction. If so, how can one say there was concern about the power of the 50th gate of Impurity?

For, G-d, shined His holy light onto the Jewish people, as the author of the Haggadah has written, “The King of Kings was revealed to them.” Therefore, they could not remain in Egypt a moment longer lest the S”A become completely eradicated and free will become eliminated. Egypt was the chief of all the Klipos- negative energy, and if she had been destroyed then so too the S”A and Evil inclination would have been destroyed completely. Free will would no longer have existed, and for this reason they could not delay. Thus, the verse says, “Egypt imposed itself strongly upon the people to hasten to send them out of the land, for they said, ‘We are all dying.'” (Shemot 12:33).

Thus, redemption had not occurred as a result of their own merit, but on the contrary, they had been quite absorbed and drowning in the zuhama and depths of Egyptian impurity. Indeed, only as a result of the merit of covenant with our forefathers Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaacov had this been accomplished.

What begs to be asked is in what method did G-d eradicate and weaken Evil, the Yetzer Hara?

At one point in history, the leading sages were Rabbi Yehudah, Rabbi Yosei the Galilite, and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. While discussing what attitude to take towards the Roman government, Rabbi Yehudah suggested a friendly one, Rabbi Yosei expressed no opinion, while Rabbi Shimon spoke very bitterly of the Roman tyrants and advocated every possible defiance. Rabbi Shimon could never forget the terrible sight of his beloved master and teacher, Rabbi Akiva, being tortured to death by the Roman executioners. The sages were not aware that their conversation was overheard by a certain young man, Judah ben Gerim. At one time a disciple of Rabbi Shimon, Judah ben Gerim later turned spy for the Roman authorities. This treacherous man reported the conversation of the sages to the Roman authorities.

Rabbi Shimon fled for his life together with his son Rabbi Elazar. Without telling anyone of their whereabouts, they hid in a cave for thirteen years.

One day after Rabbi Shimon emerged he met Judah ben Gerim, the treacherous spy who had caused him so much trouble. Rabbi Shimon exclaimed, “Is this man still alive?” and soon afterwards Judah ben Gerim died.

Our Sages comment how Rabbi Shimon killed the spy. “Rabbi Shimon gazed at him and he turned into a heap of bones.” With his gaze, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was able to suck out all the kedusha of the individual, like a mosquito sucking blood from a person. Similarly by the redemption, the kedusha was being drained out of Egypt and for this reason the Israelites had to hasten their leave.

According to the Mystiques, our job in this world is to uncover or perhaps increase the sparks of kedusha from elements and people that we encounter. Everything is covered by a shell (klipa). There are times when we can increase the kedusha from under these sparks, but there are also times when we can decrease kedusha; empty it of its holiness. The two examples we used were Egypt and the death of the spy by the gaze of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. In order for evil to exist it needs sparks of kedusha. For this reason all of our most notorious enemies have had in one sense or the other an association with G-d, the Torah or the Jewish people.

Shabtai Tzvi (1648), the false prophet whom we discussed a few weeks ago, began eating prohibited foods claiming he was able to bring out the spark of kedusha from these products even though in essence you can’t. When the Mashiach comes then we all will be able to eradicate those sparks. Apparently Shabtai Tzvi thought he was the Mashiach and gave his stamp of approval to do so. The Sages were suspect of his claim and thought otherwise. We have seen that all of Creation is composed of a mixture of good and evil. Likewise, in every food that a person eats there is a combination of good and evil. Food physically consists of good counterparts, i.e. nutrients, and bad aspects, i.e. waste or indigestible matter. Likewise, spiritually, food contains sparks of holiness, or good components, and husks, or kelipot, which are the gross, bad components that encompass the sparks.

Eating is one of our most common activities. It must be G-d’s Will that we are so involved in eating. There must be an important spiritual purpose to it. If we really can separate good from evil by eating correctly, then this purification has great ramifications upon all levels of reality.

HOW CAN WE INCREASE OUR ABILITY TO BE SUPER?

Let’s examine Noah. Noah was an ISH (man) TZADDIK (righteous person) TAMIM (who was completely righteous) (Genesis 6:9). The word ISH is a compliment in its own right, and the additional descriptions heap honor upon honor on Noah. No other personality is described with so many consecutive praises in one verse!

The first verse in the Book of Psalms teaches: “Fortunate is the man (ISH) who has not gone in the counsel of the wicked, and has not stood in the path of sinners, and has not sat in the company of scoffers.” The Midrash Socher Tov, in the name of Rabbi Yehuda, comments that the phrase “Fortunate is the man (ISH)” refers to Noah, since Noah is called ISH, as in our pasuk.

Why is Noah described as “fortunate”? According to the Midrash, Noah was fortunate in that he did not follow the ways of the three categories of people (wicked, sinners, scoffers) cited in Psalms. These three negative categories correspond to the three generations that arose in the world over the course of Noah’s lifetime: the generation of Enosh (Adam’s grandson, who initiated the practice of idolatry), the generation of the Flood (who were immersed in immoral behavior), and the generation of the dispersion (who built the Tower of Babel in order to wage war against G-d). It was Noah’s good fortune that he did not go in the path of any of these three generations.

The Midrash teaches us that Noah spent his entire life surrounded by evil and wickedness, yet he managed to make himself into one of the most righteous people who ever lived. This is a remarkable feat. How is it possible for a person to maintain such a high level of spirituality while surrounded by an environment of depravity and corruption?

A passage from the Talmud will help us resolve this question. Ben Zoma says, “Who is a wise person? One who learns from everyone.” (Avot 4:1). This is a strange statement. It seems reasonable for us to want to learn from righteous people, but what is wise about learning from the wicked?

The Berditchiver Rebbe remarks that righteous people are able to perceive positive qualities in even the most negative situations. From everything they encounter, they learn how to serve G-d better.

For example, if a righteous person were to witness someone passionately engaged in sinning, he would recognize and appreciate the tremendous motivating power of passion. However, instead of taking that power and using it to accomplish negative goals, the righteous person would redirect it for a meaningful purpose. The correct channeling of passion has the potential to change rote, sterile performance of God’s mitzvot into mitzvah observance driven by enthusiasm and fire! (Kedushat Levi, end of Parshat Bereishit.)

Noah epitomized this ability to channel negative forces toward a higher purpose. A hint to this idea is found in his name. The Torah tells us (Genesis 6:8) that Noah found chen (favor) in the eyes of God. The name NOAH (nun-chet), when reversed, spells CHEN (chet-nun)! Noah found favor in the eyes of God by mastering the art of reversal. He had the ability to redirect every energy from a negative goal to a positive one. All powers come from one source, and therefore they are all good; the only question is how they are used. It is written in our holy books, “Who is strong? One who conquers his self.” Our sages define conquering as channeling and redirecting, and that is what Noah did.

This is why a wise person learns from everyone. Instead of being corrupted by his evil generation, Noah used it as an opportunity for spiritual growth. He had the ‘best’ teachers available! All Noah had to do was learn to take their ingenuity, arrogance, passion, jealousy and zeal, and use them in a productive, constructive way to get closer to G-d.

The understanding from the writings of our great Sages is that each one of us has been created in our own unique way and each individual can reach to the highest spiritual superpower level by his own gifts and abilities. There must be a tremendous amount of Torah learning, refinement of character and acts of kindness. The secret is it has to be done measured correctly to our own self. We all can tap in to Kochot-powers that we didn’t know we had. If we hone our abilities we would be shockingly surprised with ourselves. By channeling different aspects of our character traits and shuffling around the different reservoirs of our personality we can master the world. This was Noah’s great ability. He was able to redirect kochot and channel the energy in a positive G-dly light

May we all learn how to transform the power of every energy into positive actions in order to become the best we can possibly be ….. and that can be enormously super!

So in conclusion there is no difference if one, the kabbalist, goes through evil or kosher route, since  all sources  originates from G-d. This is evident from the reliance Bilam  put on the Master of the Universe. What is important to note that we are able to transform a negativity to a positive light. Noach is the prime example of this. The other way around is also true, Furthermore, the kedusha in the world is not on the strength of yesteryear therefore the power of evil is not as strong. Good and evil are always equal.”

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

  Why was the rainbow chosen as a symbol of peace between G-d and mankind?
          G-d said, “When I brought the flood, my bow was drawn against man.” The rainbow resembles a reverse bow, signifying that there shall be no more arrows from heaven sent to destroy humanity.
G-d commanded Noach- P’ru u’rivu – be fruitful and multiply. However, Noach was discouraged after leaving the ark and seeing the devastation. The rainbow is a reassurance along with a statement in the Shema that “you and your children will live long on the land that I swore to your fathers.” You will live long without another flood.
In the time of King Chizkiyahu and of the Men Of The Great Assembly (which includes Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai), the Jews reached a very high level of spirituality and righteousness. (In Chizkiyahu’s time, even little children were well-versed in complicated halachic matters.) These two generations did not need the reassurance of the rainbow or the covenant which it represented, since their great merits protected them.
It is a custom in Israel and in some neighborhoods in the New York area that the children carry bows on Lag Ba’omer. The reason is to commemorate Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, in whose generation, no rainbow was seen. (Note that in Hebrew the words “bow” and “rainbow” are the same – KESHET.) The positive message is that we should strive for perfection. In many communities, the Zohar is read on a person’s yartzeit. The portion in the Zohar which we read describes the death of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. It describes him passing away SHALEM whole. SHALEM and SHALOM – peace are from the same root. We pray that the deceased passed away fulfilled his whole being and peace. It’s the antithesis of the generation of the flood, where there was no peace.
It is forbidden to stare at the rainbow because G-d’s presence is in it. However, it is proper to glance at it and recite the blessing, reminding ourselves of the promise that G-d will not to bring destruction despite our sins. 

Modern Day Zealot?

Excerps from the teachings of Rabbi’s Jay Shapiro, Akiva Grunblatt, Yossi Bilus and Dr. Robert Goldman

 

The term “zealot”, in Hebrew kanai frequently used in plural form, (kana’im)), means one who is zealous on behalf of God. IS ZEALOT SOMETHING WE CAN RELATE TO TODAY? Is it possible that “zealot” can be applied to many aspects of our lives?

 

By creating a new minyan, for example, does that constitute being a new zealot?Are there valid reasons for establishing a new minyan? It all depends on the motives of the person. If he is doing it solely for the purpose of improving a problem then it is great. However, there can be underlying reasons, such as honor or reward, which can be a real issue. What are the criteria required for establishing a new minyan? Some considerations (not an exhaustive list) for why people might want a new Minyan:

1. Different style of reading or custom (perhaps very few people in the community pray this different custom at one time, but now more people with that custom have moved to the community).

2. Personal grievance (shared by the group).

3. Convenience (location and/or scheduling).

4. Too friendly (ie., too much talking).

5. Not friendly enough (ie, no socialization, even at permitted times or after prayer).

6. Personal preference (speed, speeches, announcements, Mi SheBerachs, etc.).

 

Are there hard and fast requirements for establishing a new Minyan? Guidelines? If a Minyan is established not in accordance with the requirements/guidelines, does this preclude someone from attending the Minyan, whatever his motivations might be?

 

It’s funny how people get inspired differently these days. Today there is a major Baal Teshuva movement on the rise. Jews who had little or no affiliation to Orthodox Judaism are embracing it through many avenues. Some have been influenced through the experience of spending Shabbat with a family. The Shabbat table is tailor-made to remedy a dysfunctional family. Some found Judaism through intellectual means. Some unfortunately, through their difficulties or problems they faced in life. I heard something profound by one such individual. “If G-d wants you to get close to him, he will try various ways for one to connect. He’ll even crush and squeeze you till there is no choice but to recognize him, which will force you to see the light and to embrace him”. In essence that person will be considered LUCKY!!

 

We say a few times in the 2nd blessing of the Amida (the silent prayer) ” the ALL MIGHTY revives the dead”. Why the repetition? There are some people who are spiritually dead and cannot be revived. In essence G-d is saying “AH leave him alone”. However, you!! I want you to come back. I’ll give you an opportunity. The fact that there are occurrences in our lives which can be construed as a sign, remind us that WE SHOULD GET UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE! Everything that happens to us in life is from above and shows us that it is never too late to become more observant of G-d’s commandments. Ah, but I have a career. A family. A life. I don’t have time for such stuff. Well, there are plenty of fine Orthodox Jews who are juggling both career and a vibrant progressive and fulfilling Torah life, and are leading happy lives.

 

An individual confessed to me that when he finally realized G-d and was ready to change his life, he went to a private room and cried. He relayed that at that moment of realization he felt so close to G-d, he knew he found the truth. The special and lucky individuals who have become inspired are called Ba’alei Teshuva.

 

This weeks parsha we read how Pinchas was enraged with the actions of Zimri ben Salul, who challanged Moshe’s authority by taking a non-Jewish woman into the tent, in front of the entire nation to have an illicit relationship. Pinchas was so furious with the audacity of Zimri that after receiving permission from Moshe, he entered the tent and speared the two sinners to death. His brazen act of zealousness was praised by G-d and he was rewarded greatly.

 

Is there such a thing as being a zealot today? G-d says and I paraphrase “A place where a Baal Teshuva stands no one can stand in his place.” Meaning, he is special to G-d. After all, it’s a hard and brave step in life. However though, some problems may arise. The Baal Teshuva who is supercharged with enthusiasm can be over-zealous. He is so eager to do G-d’s will that he might look down at people that have not “seen the light” like he has. One falls into a trap that ” I’m holier then thou”. One of the most important ingredients in Judaism is strengthening character traits. Tolerance and patience is important, especially for people who have risen to greater heights. They are challenged not to look down at people below them but rather help them grow.

 

When Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai came out of the cave he was learning in, he saw a man wasting his time. With just one stare, this holy tzadik was able to kill the man since he could not tolerate his lackluster attitude. G-d said to him “go back to the cave you are not ready to live with people. Train yourself to be patient”. A lesson to learn from this is that don’t act on impulse. Think first and always ask advice from someone who is greater than you in Torah knowledge. Some people make the mistake of doing something l’shem Shamayim yet they don’t realize that they are simultaneously hurting others. Sometimes keeping one’s mouth shut is the best remedy, because if one gets involved then he can make the situation worse.

 

Being a zealot does not work very well in marriage. There’s an old expression; “A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument. A real zealot is who has an unconditional love for Hashem and does His will with no ulterior motives. We cannot achieve such a high level in our day and age since there are underlying reasons why people do good deeds (such as honor, reward, etc.). Pinchas however, was able to achieve such a lofty level of holiness where everything he was doing was purely for the sake of G-d. This was Pinchas’s greatness that is still remembered till this day.

Emerging Again from the Cave a Second Time

          Growing up in Queens, I felt that many of my friends did not receive a positive and proper Jewish education. If I can pinpoint one incident that effected me the most and sparked my pursuit of teaching, it would be when a relative/friend (I know he’s reading this) raised his hand in the middle of a Chumash (Jewish studies) lecture and asked the Rabbi “how do we know G-d exists”. The question floored me. I had never seen my relative show any interest in theological matters. It was a very sincere question.
          However, the Rabbi was not well prepared and in fact ignored the question, making my cousin feel uncomfortable. My cousin’s interest quickly withered away.
          We are celebrating Lag Ba’Omer this coming week and there are many valuable lessons to learn, but first let’s provide some background with regard to this famous event.
          Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was a student of Rabbi Akiva, the spiritual leader of the Bar Kochva Revolt against Rome in 135 CE. As a student of the spiritual leader of the revolt, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was pursued relentlessly by the Romans. He and his son, Rabbi Elazar, took refuge in a cave, where they remained for thirteen years. During those years, Rabbi Shimon studied Torah with his son, the Revealed Torah as well as the Hidden/Secret Torah, the “Torat HaSod,” also known as Kabbalah. Rabbi Shimon wrote down the latter material for the first time in a book called the “Zohar,” meaning “Splendor” or “Radiance”. The first time Rabbi Shimon came out of the cave, he was completely “out of tune” with the people of his generation. He observed Jews farming the land, and engaged in other normal pursuits, and made known his disapproval. “How can people engage themselves in matters of this world and neglect matters of the next world?”, he wondered. In response, a Heavenly Voice was heard saying “Bar Yochai, go back to the cave! You are no longer fit for the company of other human beings”. Rabbi Shimon went back to the cave, reoriented his perspective to some extent, and emerged again. This time, he was able to interact with the people of his generation and become a great teacher of Torah, the Revealed and the Hidden.
          An educator today has to have the ability to interact with people. The Rabbi could have been the biggest egg head in his class and passed his Rabbinical tests with flying colors, however, if he can’t give over the material, it’s worthless. He has to give over the material in such a way that the student will open up and be receptive. He has to give the children a warm and comfortable feeling about Torah. That feeling will remain with them well into adulthood.
          This week, I’m honored that my son’s former Pre1- A Rabbi, Rabbi Yehuda Frummel, is being presented the Educator of The Year award for his work at Yeshiva Ketana of Queens. It is truly an honor well deserved. I closely observed my son as he warmed up to Rabbi Frummel that year. I think back fondly at some of those Rabbis, just like him, who gave over the Torah the way it should be presented. I’m glad I had those educators and also those who are educating  my son.
I’m saddened that many did not have that positive experience. I only wish those people will give our Torah another chance!!

Parshat Bechukotai

 

“A Cup of Coffee 

 

&

A Quick Thought”

 

 

Steaming Cup of Coffee
Spark Of Jewish Experience
 
 Bechokotai

May 19, 2011

15 Iyar, 5771

Dear Friend,

THIS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY

 IS LAG BA’OMER!!!

In This Issue
Bechokotai
Lag Ba’omer

Bechokotai
list of responsibitilies

 

There is a section in this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Bechokotai, where they are many curses. Yes, you heard me correctly, big time nasty curses. G-d warns us ‘if you do not go in my ways then I will punish you’. My father z”l instructed my bar mitzvah teacher that I not read that portion, citing it is not appropriate that a wet behind the ears bar mitzvah boy, who is introduced to G-d’s commandments for the first time, read such negativities; after all, a bar mitzvah is a happy occasion. It’s a custom that the Rabbi or chazan get an aliya (called up to the Torah) for both the curses as well as the brachot (the Ten Commandments, Az Yashir etc.), and avoid any uneasiness on the gabai to pick people for the undesirable aliya. The negative portion is read in a lower tone than usual.

In the Torah (26:18), G-d warns us ‘If, in despite, you do not listen to me, then I will punish you seven ways for your sins.’ According to our sages, punishment is meant to wake us up and correct our mistakes and become better people. However, Rav Henoch Leibowitz, z”l points out ‘there are those who do not take criticism very well and it’s counter productive to rebuke them.’ How easy it is today to get depressed when we encounter negativity. We live in a very pressurized society where the stress level is beyond normal. The amount of responsibilities is enormous; just paying bills is overwhelming; we are billed for everything; if opportunity strikes they’d bill us for breathing. There’s the headache of finding the right mate and the difficulty of trying to conceive. It seems like when one takes a breath of fresh air, new problems arise; therefore we are susceptible to be ‘down and out’. So how are we able to cope with our problems?

To shed some light on this question, I’d have to go back to this past Shabbat where I would take my customary walk after Rabbi Olbaum’s shiur, with my friend Ophir Haimov. Ophir reminded me of a gemarah that fits this d’var Torah perfectly. He said, ‘We all know King David wrote psalms, which happens to be one of the greatest dedications to G-d. However, believe it or not, it was almost surpassed by the psalms of none other then, the egotistical maniac, Nevuchanetzar.’ Nevuchanetzar was the king of Babylon who destroyed the first temple approximately 2500 years ago. This king of Babylon was a very complex character. On one hand, he was notoriously known for his cruelty towards humanity and also having the audacity to proclaim himself G-d. However, shockingly, there was a glimpse of strong appreciation and acknowledgement of G-d. He reached the heights of holiness and the depths of evil on a daily basis.

The gemara continues, ‘G-d sent an angel to knock his pen down and Nevuchanetzar never wrote again’. The commentaries explain the difference between the two; King David went through so many knocks but he never put down his pen. He was labeled an illegitimate son where he was ostracized by his father and brothers after beating Goliath. Instead of being embraced by King Shaul and given his daughter for marriage, Shaul tried to kill him. His own son rebelled and tried to kill him and in turn was killed against David’s wishes. But through these painful adventures, David never put his pen down and even proclaimed, ‘I feel closer to you then ever’. On the contrary, Nevuchanetzar never recovered from his ordeals and denounced G-d.

Similarly, we find Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, who was hated and sold by his brothers to a strange land. Joseph had to go through one of the biggest tests of all time; his boss’s wife was trying to seduce him for approximately a year; this was especially difficult being seventeen. Could the guys reading this dare to believe they cannot sin in that situation? One would figure after passing the test, G-d would reward him handsomely. Not so – he was put in jail for a lengthy time. Throughout his difficulties, we never heard Joseph complain. On the contrary, every conversation he had, Joseph praised G-d.

David and Joseph were able to persevere and reach the heights of being leaders of Israel because, of what Rav Leibowitz describes, people of their character have an ability to believe that whatever negativity they experienced, is inflicted by G-d himself for the direct results of their sins. As David writes in Tehillim, ‘I know that whatever happens, G-d will never leave me’. They were able to learn and become better, stronger people from their experience; there is always room for improvement. They didn’t say, “I’m just going to take a vacation and turn myself off from life until this bad time goes away.”

Before Ophir and I departed to our respective synagogues, he offered a great example. ‘It’s like poker; you don’t need a good hand to be a winner.’

Lag Ba’omer
 upsherin

One of the most spiritual and exhilarating times of my life occurred on lag ba’omer (the 33rd day from the 2nd day of Passover), five years ago. On that day, my family and I were in Miron, Israel; the site of the gravesite of Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai, (also referred to as Rashby), the founder of Kabbalah (zohar), commemorating his yartzeit. It’s a custom not to cut the hair of young boys until they reach their third birthday. The cutting of the hair ceremony is called upsherin or kalacha. At the gravesite in Miron, there are many little boys awaiting haircuts. One of them was my son, as well as yours truly, when I was three, many years ago – well, not that long ago. It’s not your ordinary gravesite and we weren’t the only ones there. There are approximately 600,000 people visiting the site where bands play music, food stands are put up and various foods are distributed for free. I’ve never experienced a place where people are so friendly and polite to each other then lag ba’omer in Miron. It is Jews at their best and one experiencing this can really feel proud of being Jewish.

Why the custom of celebration on his yartzeit? Why the cutting of the hair? In fact, there is a strong Bukharian tradition of commemorating the yartzeit of a loved one by reading the portion of the zohar, which describes the death of Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Why is the connection between his death and others emphasized? Also, why do Bukharians celebrate with a meal?

There is an emphasis in the zohar that Rashby died in peace, which in Hebrew is pronounced ‘shalom’. The root of the word shalom is shalem – complete. Therefore we learn that Rashby passed away in a perfect state, complete. The idea of kabbalah is to be completely infused with Torah in order to connect with it on every possible level, or worlds. The knowledge of Torah, through kabbalah, enables us to change frequencies, similar to changing channels on a radio dial. One hears different sounds when changing the dial even though he’s situated in the same spot.

Another example of different views of reality is the status of a woman accepting a wedding ring presented by her chattan, after he says ‘you are betrothed to me with this ring’. In the process, her status changes. Although the woman’s appearance is noticeably the same as before but on a different frequency, one can apparently notice the change of her being branded her husband’s name and the status of a married woman; so one must be careful and realize how powerful words, or any act for that matter, can be. When one makes a bracha on an apple, he doesn’t notice, but in other worlds (there are three) the apple changes status. Good and evil are more apparently noticed in other frequencies. Rashby’s philosophy was that material and physical are the skin that hides the holiness of the soul. The light has to come out. That is the reason haircuts are given on lag ba’omer. Hair represents materialism in its highest sense. Presumably, that is one of the reasons married women wear shaitels (wigs). Ask any person what is one of the main features of beauty in a woman. One of the leading answers would be the hair. Women take tremendous pride in beautifying the hair. It’s a tremendous self-sacrifice to cover one of their pride and joys. No matter how nice the wig is, any woman would still like to show her own hair. In essence, what a woman is saying to G-d, “I’m giving this up because of your commandment.” This is one of the biggest tests of faith the daughters of Israel have.

Rashby died achieving peace and completeness. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan writes ‘one has to be at peace with himself in order to attain peace with others, and only then he can achieve great heights’; this is hinted in the zohar. The yartzeit was the one important part of Judaism in which Bukharians practiced in public back in Russia; it united people, and unity is the result of peace. Incidentally, ever wonder why one tradition at a yartzeit dinner are that there are no knives? Because that would go against Rashby’s message of shalom and shalem (peace and complete). Knives represent strife and war.

We also try to connect this zohar that we read to when one passes away. It describes how Rashby died complete and we try to symbolically connect the deceased to Rashby through the concept of ‘he died complete with peace.’ This is the reason why we read that particular passage in the zohar. We hope that with the read, G-d will have mercy and guide the soul with that of Rashby. Also, the passage describes a fire that came out of Rashby and into his disciples; this symbolizes the transformation of the Torah to the next generation. Here too is a transformation from one generation to the next.

There is a passage that says ‘G-d makes peace in the heavens by putting together fire and water, then He can surely make peace here on earth’. One reader asked a great question pertaining to last week’s article referring to opposites, which cannot exist in the spiritual world. So then how can fire and water co-exist together?  Opposites are usually at odds with each other! G-d made a miracle not only enabling fire and water to co-exist with each other, but He made peace (shalom and made them shalem) between them, wedging them together through the common denominator, G-d; now they have similarity.

Seeing my son smile while I gave him his first haircut as the music was blasting the song ‘Bar Yochai’ which is one of the favorite songs that was sung by Pop, z'”l, and I, at the Friday night Shabbat table, made that moment an extremely happy occasion. Rashby said, “I want People to celebrate my yartzeit with tremendous joy”. Well, I sure did.

Sincerely,
Rabbi Avi Matmon
Spark of Jewish Experience