Tag Archive for Menorah

The Pleasures of Chanukah

January 28, 2014 Chanuka, G-d and Us, Happiness, Holidays No comments

There’s an interesting story told by Rabbi Isaac Olbaum at one of his lectures about Rav Levi Bardichiva that teaches an important lesson about the pleasures of Chanukah in which we’re in the midst of celebrating:

 

Rav Levi Bardichiva once walked into a room where his friends convened. He found it quite odd that they stopped their conversation so abruptly as if they were hiding something from him. After he pressed the issue, they confessed that they were embarrassed at the topic of conversation and felt he would think they were wasting valuable time that could be spent learning Torah. The friend mentioned how they marveled and were so impressed with the exquisite mansion of Count Potosky.

 

 

Count Potosky was a very rich man who had a son who was executed by the non-Jews because he converted to Judaism. The gentiles gave Potosky’s son an ultimatum: either convert back or be executed. He said ‘I’m staying a Jew’. Soon after, young Potovsky was hung and then burned, and many years later, a tree grew from his ashes. Till this day, people would point to that tree and tell you the story of Potosky.

 

 

Apparently, the friends of Rav Levi were admiring how rich he was and how he would indulge in all kind of pleasures. Rav Levi responded, ‘Did Potosky light the candles of Chanukah?’ Obviously he didn’t; but if he did, Rav Levi seems to imply, that would be the most pleasurable moment he would have experienced.

 

 

What is so special about lighting Chanukah candles?

 

 

The Rambam (Maimonides) who, besides being an authority on medicine, was a tremendous halachic figure (expert on Jewish law), is quoted as saying, ‘The sages enacted these eight days as eight days of happiness and praise (Hallel). What constitutes happiness? Happiness is interpreted as having meat and wine. Apparently, this is what gives pleasure to the body and soul. Every time there is a reference to ‘happy’, a meal is required. After a delicious meal then he’s able to sing praise (Hallel).

 

 

However, we know a meal is not required on Chanukah. Do you mean to tell me that lighting the candles is a substitute pleasure for the meal? How so?

 

 

Chanukah is often compared to the holiday of Purim; but why is a meal required for that holiday and not this one?

 

 

In the story of Chanukah, the Greeks didn’t want to kill us; they wanted to embrace us. Their goal was to destroy us spiritually (no Shabbat, no brit milah, etc). Purim, the wicked Haman wanted to destroy us physically. Therefore, we counter back by using our physicality and getting a pleasurable experience with a lavish meal. We use the physicality as a gratitude to G-d. On Chanukah, though, we use the spirituality as gratitude.

 

 

‘Everything is from the heavens except fearing G-d’. Although one has to make an effort, for the most part, we have a hard time controlling our lives whether it is making money, marriage, kids, and death. Many aspects of life are determined by the heavens with the exception of spirituality, which is determined by you. It’s our choice whether to keep Shabbat, keep kosher, and be nice to people. It’s in our hands, we’re in control.

 

 

So what are the pleasures of Chanukah? We”ll get a better picture from a little glimpse of history. Achav was the wicked king of Israel (kingdom was split Israel and Judea). The Gemarah says he has no share in the world to come. At the time, Aram, the neighboring country who was superior in might, was at a state of war with the Israelites. Aram sent a team to Achav with their demands of surrender. These demands included the Israelites to give up their possessions, wives, and children. Achav was listening and agreeing to the surrender demands. Then they said ‘give up your object of desire, your Sefer Torah.’ ‘Absolutely not!!’ he said, ‘we’ll go to war with you first!!’ he answered back. The Israelites went to war with Aram and won.

 

 

Achav, whose reputation as a rasha is unprecedented, violated everything in the book. Why all of a sudden did he say no? What does he care about a Sefer Torah? We see how a Jew can be so complex in his behavior. Every Jew has a certain Jewish pride, a deep down caring about his religion, about his people. When push comes to shove, a secular Jew will bang on the table and declare ‘I’ll show you what it means to be Jewish’. Perhaps this is the reason we are required to light the menorah by the window so that the whole world can see what miracles G-d did for his chosen people. We show the world, but for the most part, it is for us to feel good about ourselves. We light the menorah with pride like the Maccabees lit after they miraculously defeated the mighty Greek army. The pride in doing so should bring out a tremendous pleasure.

Introduction to Chanukah

January 28, 2014 Chanuka, Holidays No comments

        Once one lets the Genie is out of the bottle and one knows once its out it’s pretty hard to put it back in. There was one incident which demonstrated this which broke the armor of the Jewish way of life. This happened when Alexander the Great came to inspect his new conquest. The Jews were naturally scared; after all we Jews don’t have the best track record of being liked by the rest of the world.
        Upon entering the gate of the city Alexander did something very unusual and down right shocking, he got off his horse and prostrated to one of the Jewish members of the welcoming community, Yochanan the High Priest. Asked by his advisers why he bowed down to the Jew. He answered “I always saw an angel before I went to battle that led me to victory and that’s the face”.
        Alexander was kind to the Jews. He eased the restrictions and hardship imposed on them. However one of the conditions is to name for one year all new born boys Alexander. This opened the door for other Greek names, language and culture.
        After Alexander’s death the world was left in a state of chaos. The Greek Empire was split. The south, led by Tol’me, always tried to persuade Greek culture on the Jews. The North was led by Salacious who attempted to persuade by force of arms. The North and the South agreed on everything except where to draw the line and that line happened to be Israel.

 

Greek the choice culture 
        The Greek culture slowly started to seep into Jewish society. When Jews embrace a society it becomes dangerous. Here the Jews became more Greek then the Greeks, which always happens in our history. The reason is we have to prove ourselves, “super Germans”, “super American”, or “super Russians”, as an example of just a few ways that Jews try to fit in to the society around them.
        Mityavnim- Jews that adopted Greek live, other wise known as Hellenism. Hellenism adopted Greek culture as a way of life. These Jew were ready to give up Judaism. Forty percent of Jews, most of the affluent class were affected. Correspondence among these Jews was in Greek. The Mityavnim men even had cosmetic surgery to put back the piece of foreskin because everything in the culture was nude, bathhouses sports. So these Jews were embarrassed. WE WANT TO BE GREEKS!!
        Greeks would have won the battle by default but they over stepped themselves. In 190 B.C. the North gained the upper hand. Their tactics were always “by force”. Jews are a stubborn people, the most secular Jew if forced not to follow the Torah will turn around and say “I’m going to show you I can be a Jew”.

 

        The Greeks passed very oppressive laws; they banned Shabbat; a Jewish bride on her wedding night had to live first with a Greek officer; they banned circumcision etc.
The Battle
        In 165 B.C. a group stood up to the Greeks. Matistyahu the high priest lived in the town of Molbene began the uprising. The Greeks came to town and placed a pig on the Alter. They asked for a Jewish volunteer to proceed with this humiliating ceremony. One unfortunate Jew volunteered where Matisyahu proceeded to killed him. This dare by a Jew triggered a battle which escalated into a war between the mighty Greek army and the Macabees. An army which never exceeded more than 12,000 men.

Why is lighting the Menorah the symbol of Chanukah? How does it relate to the Jews winning the war?

 

        The minority won over the majority; that’s what we read about the victory. In essence this is what lighting the menorah’s all about. A little light can light up a whole room and more. The few Jews were able to beat the most powerful nation in the world. The Greeks represent darkness while the Jews, the righteous Jews, represent the light.  The Hellenist who supported the Greek army soon after the war were executed. One cannot see the light if there is no darkness. A bulb lit in the day is irrelevant. This is the reason we must only light at night. The darker it is the more intense the light. Darkness, many times, is confusion. We have to feel with all our heart the miracle and to show the world through lighting it in public the clear light; the power of G-d

 

        The Macabees fought guerrilla warfare in caves. The tactics was orchestrated brilliantly by the Jews. The Greek army was worn out, deflated. The Jews destroyed three armies. Eliezer, one of Matisyahu’s sons fought a battle using elephants. The Fortress of Antiyachous, the last great battle led by brother Shimon starved the Greeks out. Shimon’s memorable moment was destroying the Greek Idol Zeus into million pieces. The victory was the spirit of the Jewish people

Parshat Vayakhel/Pekudei

August 28, 2013 G-d and Us, Highlights on the Weekly Parsha, Tefilla/ Prayer No comments

 

 

A deeper understanding of a portion of our prayers

 

The most important prayer we have is the Amida, otherwise known as the Shemonai Esrai. We stand in silence with our legs together. The Amida consists of three sections: the praising of G-d, asking for one’s needs and expressing our gratitude to HIM.

 

Unfortunately, throughout our history some of our brethren were not exactly well versed in reading our holy Hebrew siddur. In order for them to fulfill the requirement of the Amida, the Chazan-Cantor repeats the prayer and the individuals say Amen after every bracha that is recited. By answering AMEN, he fulfills his obligation. The congregation should remain silent during the repetition and concentrate on the Chazan’s pronunciation of the words as if he is saying the words himself.

          Today, where we have siddurim readily available in every language one can possibly think of, it is very easy for one to follow and pray all the prayers. It should therefore follow that the Chazzan should not be required to repeat the prayer. Nevertheless, we still repeat the Amida because the Sages’ enactment of the law still stands and cannot be changed.
          WHY DO WE STILL HAVE THE REPETITION!!?  AREN’T THE PRAYERS LONG ENOUGH?
          PERHAPS, AS COMPENSATION FOR A LONG PRAYER, WE SHOULD FOLLOW WITH A NICE KIDDUSH!!  A  RULE SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED -THE LONGER THE PRAYER THE BIGGER THE KIDDUSH!
          Interestingly, it seems like our Sages intended another more important reason for the repetition of the Amida.  Apparently, the repetition is just as important if not more so then the silent version.
          The silent Amida has its benefits; there is privacy, “do not disturb” etc. That’s what makes it special, it’s between you and G-d and a time when one can pour his/her heart out. Therefore, the silent prayer can get quite intense.
          One’s vocalization of the prayer should be low.  It’s designed that way because of privacy, which we discussed, but also because of another important reason. There are negative forces that specialize in disturbing the connection between you and G-d. Our prayers would be susceptible if they were said in a normal tone of voice.
          Although the concentration in the repetition version is not as strong as the silent one, it’s considered more powerful.
          So what makes it so powerful?
          In order to understand why, one must be aware of a number of factors. Firstly, the name of G-d is not pronounced the way its written: YUD, HAY, VOV, HAY. It is pronounced AH DOH NAI.
          Secondly, we must use the popular science of Gematriya, where one adds up the letters of the words (ALEF is 1, BET is 2 etc.). The gematriya of MAYIM-water, for example, is 90 (MEM is 40, YUD is 10 and MEM again is 40).
          The name of G-d, YUD, HEY, VOV, HAY, in gematriya = 26, and the word AH DOH NAI=65. They together equal to 91 which is equivalent to the numerical value of the word AMEN.
          The reason why the repetition of the Amida is more important is because every time one says Amen, in essence, he says both versions of G-d’s name. We say it in unison during the repetition of the Amida.       Therefore, one thereby reaches tremendous spiritual heights. There is no fear that the prayers will get intercepted by the evil forces. One does not say Amen in the silent Amida, therefore it’s not as potent.
          In parshat Pekudai, ” KA’ASHER TZIVA ET MOSHE” as Moshe was commanded, is repeated 18 times.
          Why does it repeat it so many times?
          HERE IT REPEATS THE PHRASE EIGHTEEN TIMES!!
          G-d gave a gift to Moshe for attempting to protect the Jewish people when they sinned. When defending them, he would often say “MECHENI NA”-erase me please from your book. As a reward, Moshe’s name is repeated over and over. We try to borrow from the gift by having eighteen brachot in the most powerful prayer of service. What about the nineteenth blessing, which was added latter in our history? There is a phrase specifically for that one as well, KA’ASHER TZIVA  HASHEM ET MOSHE, which is also found in the parsha.
          Another interesting note about the Amida, if one adds up the words of each signature bracha, for example,  BARUCH ATTA HASHEM MAGEN AVRAHAM, BARUCH ATTA HASHEM SHOMAIA TEFFILLA etc, one would come up with 113 words. There are also 113 words in the Tefilla of Chana, who was praying to have children and was answered. It is probably considered one of the most intense and powerful prayers we have.  All this also coincides with the 113 times it says LEV-heart in the Torah. This infers that one should and needs to pray with deep concentration and all his heart.
          The Amida has many deep meanings and should be said both with intensity and deep concentration, both in the silent and repeated version.
                              
Extracted from the shiurim of Rabbi Isaac Oelbaum
MAIN THEME
          The parshiot  describes how the Mishkan-Tabernacle was constructed.
          The Sages find an allusion to the thirty-nine categories of work prohibited on Shabbat. The Torah states:”These are the words which G-d commanded us to do” (Shemot 35:1). and Rav Yehuda Hanasi comments (Shabbat 97b):  HA DEVARIM the words EH LEH HADEVARIM -these are the words”. This refers to the thirty-nine work prohibitions handed down to Moshe at Sinai. DEVARIM being plural, implies at least two. The preflex HEY OF HADEVARIM adds one, making three. The numerical value of ELEH is thirty six, for a total of thirty nine.
          Rashi states that Vayakhel’s warning of Shabbat (35,1-3) proceeds the section of the MISHKAN to teach that the building of the MISHKAN does not take precedence over Shabbat.
          PEKUDEI-meaning account, refers to the account taken of how the donated gold, silver and copper were used in building the MISHKAN
First Portion: 
* We’re all cooped up in this body playing the game of life. One of the many aspects of this existence is to fix our mistakes whether it is transgressions done in this lifetime or in previous ones; reincarnation is an essential part of Jewish philosophy. However, if we’re able to atone for our mistakes in our lifetime, then we are very fortunate. In this week’s Parsha, we start off, “Moshe gathered the people.” This particular gathering is to fix the gathering of Aharon when the Jews sinned with the golden calf.
* Why, again, does the Torah repeat the different aspects of the Mishkan? We went through a detailed course in Parsha Teruma and Tetzave. The RAMBAN addresses the question proclaiming a theme for the book of Shemot ‘exile’. The RAMBAN explains the exile doesn’t end until the Israelites reach the spiritual level of the Patriarchs Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaacov. G-d left specific instructions about the construction of the Temple and its leaders. Only G-d picks an intermediary. He picked Moshe, as well as the Keruvim, in the Holy of Holies. The keruvim’s golden baby-faced angel-like statues, whose gestures indicated the spiritual level of the Jews. It was only picked by G-d if a human exercised the right to choose; otherwise, it would have been considered idol worship and going against G-d. The instructions were clear and should have been followed to the letter of the law; it was not. Therefore, the instructions had to be repeated.
* There are thirteen times where the topic of Shabbat is mentioned in the Torah. The Torah doesn’t repeat for any reason. There is a purpose for every mention.
* We derive from the fact that the topic of the Mishkan is found next to the topic of Shabbat, that there is a connection between the two. There are 39 melachot activities that were performed in the Temple. The term melachot is mentioned in the Shabbat context of “one should not do activities”. Therefore, these activities were prohibited on Shabbat.
* The women were extremely enthusiastic and played an important role in contributing to the Temple. Their gold and silver were given generously this time as opposed to their reluctance to give to the golden calf.

Second Portion: * Betzalel, although, a very gifted young man, enhanced his skills through Divine spirit. He was chosen because his grandfather, Chur, tried to stop the catastrophe by the golden calf.

Third Portion: * The golden menorah was made from one piece of gold to symbolize unity among the Israelites. It was Aharon who was later picked to light the Menorah. This honor was very appropriate, for it was he who was instrumental in making peace between Jews and unifying husbands and wives and man and his brethren. “Peace” is one of the main themes of the Temple.

Fourth Portion: * We mentioned earlier how the women’s contribution to the Temple was exceptional. The Sages say they brought their own personal copper mirrors for the construction of the kiyor, the laver. These mirrors were used by our mothers in Egypt to entice their husbands for the purpose of reproduction and to continue the existence of our great nation. It was an especially difficult task considering how tired the husbands were after being worked to the bone by their Egyptian persecutors. Their devotion of preserving the family made these mirrors, theses contributions, valuable. The waters that came out from the kiyor were used for the waters of sotah. Since the Jewish women of Egypt had proper intentions and used these mirrors for kedusha, therefore, the sotah women will be tested with these pure waters to determine if they were pure and holy like their mothers.
* The kiyor was a source of bracha; it brought down rain. This is the reason we should be very careful in washing our hands, especially for bread because it’s a great segula for parnasa.

Fifth Portion: * The avney shoam – stones of the breastplate, which would light up, hinting to the Kohen gadol various answers to vital questions that were asked. Each stone contains six letters to symbolize that the world was created in six days, is found upon the 12 tribes. The total of 72 letters corresponds to the 72 letter Divine names, which maintains the existence of the universe. G-d does kindness to maintain the world. In fact, the numerical value of chessed – kindness is 72. We all know that the Friday night Kiddush has a tremendous spiritual impact. If one adds all the words of the kiddush, he will come up with 72. If one says Friday night Kiddush sincerely with all his heart, he will bring down chessed to himself from G-d.

Sixth Portion: * The mitznefet or migba’at – turban is what the Kohen Gadol wore on his head. The mitznefet atones for arrogance. G-d said let it atone for the sin of holding the head to high. G-d hates arrogance. Jews, for this reason, for generations, have always, traditionally, worn a covering on their head.

Seventh Portion: * With the mishkan complete, the Israelites are now ready to atone for their sins and to get closer to G-d

Parshat Tetzave

August 25, 2013 Highlights on the Weekly Parsha No comments

 

 

Introduction: LET’S GO TO WAR!! NO WAIT!! NOT A GOOD IDEA…. WELL…HMMM…LET’S FIND OUT IF IT’S NECESSARY; WE’LL ASK THE URIM VATUMIM.

 

The “soul” of the CHOSHEN, the URIM VE’ TUMIM, were inserted between the two layers of the CHOSHEN. It lay hidden between its folds. The CHOSHEN was worn by the High Priest over his chest. (see more detail in the highlight section, second portion)

 

The most intriguing part of the KOHEN GADOL’S-High Priest’s clothing were the URIM VE’ TUMIM which were scrolls of parchment on which Moshe had written the Divine seventy two letter name. They caused the choshen to light up. The letters supplied the Divine answers to questions that were posed to it. Hence, the name URIM VE’ TUMIM as URIM-the letters lit up (from the root OR-LIGHT), and TUMIM-their say was final and unalterable (derived from the word TAM/perfect, in contrast, the word of the prophet was not final, but conditional depending on their repentance).

 

The CHOSHEN was also called CHOSHEN MISHPAT since the final decision (mishpat for each questionable scenario was reached by means of the URIM VE’ TUMIM).

 

Only matters concerning the king, the BET DIN- high court, or the entire nation could be settled by the means of the URIM VE’TUMIM. It was not permissible to question them for private purposes.

 

In the course of the conquest of the land of Israel, after Moshe’s leadership of forty years, the Israelites were defeated after attacking the city of Ai. Yehoshua, the leader who followed Moshe, asked G-d in wonderment, “why were we defeated?” G-d answered, “Someone violated the oath prohibiting anyone from taking any spoils from Yericho, for the entire city was to be consecrated to G-d”.

 

Yehoshua determined who the sinner was by the URIM Ve’TUMIM, by looking at the CHOSHEN and finding the gem of Yehuda’s tribe lit. He realized that the culprit came from that tribe. After further investigation and drawing lots, the guilty party was discovered. Achan, the perpetrator, thereupon confessed.

 

The RAMBAN’s view is that the URIM VE’ TUMIM were actually made by G-d himself. Presumably, Moshe handed down the secret of the URIM VE’TUMIM to the greatest men of his generation and it was passed down through the ensuing chain of command.

 

There is the famous story of Chana, who’s prayer is the standard of excellence, when she came to pray for children, she got into an argument with Eli, the High Priest. When he chided her for being intoxicated, she responded, “No, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit”. Eli saw Chana weeping silently, so he asked the URIM VE’ TUMIM about her. The letters SHIN KAF RESH HEI lit up. He read it to mean a drunk, intoxicated. However, he was mistaken by not rearranging the letters correctly; it was KESHERA-reputable. Chana’s prayers were answered and she had a boy, Shmuel the Prophet.

 

Besides Moshe, no prophet could have a prophetic vision whenever he wished. By contrast, whenever the Kohen Gadol wish to pose a question to the URIM Ve’ TETUMIM, he could do so, implying that the URIM VE’ TUMIM were greater than most prophets.

 

MAIN THEME OF THE PARSHA: This week’s parsha deals primarily with the Kohanim; their selection, their attire worn during their service to G-d, and the inauguration service, by which they and their offspring would become confirmed as kohanim for all time.

 

First Portion: * G-d places responsibility on man by giving him physical resources in a giant playground called Earth, where he has to elevate himself and the settings around him to spiritual heights. Last week we discussed the various materials needed for the construction of the Mishkan (tabernacle). In this week’s Parsha, for the most part, we will discuss the High Priest’s proper attire; these kohanim are the conduit between us and G-d and therefore much emphasis is spent on the topic.

 

* The Parsha begins with a description of what kind of oil is needed for the Menorah. Only oil from the first pressing of an olive was acceptable for the Menorah. These first drops were perfectly clear and without sediment. The oil in its perfect state represents purity of the heart.

 

* There is more attention and material written in the Torah on the crown that the high priest wore rather than the king of the Jewish nation.

 

* Every Kohen who served in the temple wore four garments, termed bigdai hedyot (garment of an ordinary Kohen). They were:

– ketonet – the shirt

– michnasayim – the breeches

– avnait – the belt

– migba’at- the turban

 

The four above mentioned were made of white linen.

 

* The Kohen Gadol wore these garments to accept the migba’at. While the migba’at was pointed on top, the turban of the Kohen Gadol was round and called mitsnefet.

 

Additionally, the Kohen Gadol wore four golden garments. They were:

– me’il – the mantle

– aifod – the apron

– choshen – the breastplate

– tzits – the head plate

 

Second Portion: * The most intriguing part of the Kohen’s clothing is the choshen, also known as the choshen mishpat (breastplate of the final judgment). It was made rectangular in form and folded in the middle to form two perfect squares. The Kohen Gadol wore these squares over his heart, one layer above the other. Between the two layers, the urim vetumim were inserted. The choshen was woven in a pattern, which contained four rows of gold settings. Into each of these settings, three precious gems were inserted.

 

* It is written the Kohen Gadol should wear it on his heart. This is referring to Aharon. G-d is rewarding Aharon for not being jealous and having a pure heart for his younger brother, Moshe, being appointed over him as leader.

 

* The soul of the choshen was the urim ve’tumim that lay hidden between its folds. The urim vetumim were scrolls of parchment on which Moshe had written the divine 72 letters name. These urim vetumim caused the letters to light up. The letters supplied answers. Only matters concerning the king, the bet din or the entire Klal Yisrael could be settled by the urim vetumim.

 

Third Portion: * Bells were hanging all around the robe’s hem. The question is asked why the Kohen needed bells? Here, G-d is teaching us manners and proper etiquette. The Kohen was to enter the Holies of Holies where G-d’s ambiance was present. One cannot barge in without knocking or without ringing the bell. This is the source of ringing doorbells.

 

Fourth Portion: * Seven days of inauguration; it was a rejoicing period for the kohanim who were picked to do the holy service

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* An offering was made by Aharon and his sons for the atonement of taking part in the sin of the golden calf. There is a custom till today that the Leviyim in the Synagogue help the kohanim prepare before they bless the people. The inception of this ritual was the result of the commandment by G-d who had instructed Moshe to do so to Aharon, the Kohen. This is because after coming down from the mountain and seeing the golden calf fiasco, Moshe suspected in his heart that Aharon was responsible for this tragedy. By instructing Moshe to assist Aharon, G-d is showing that he had the purist intention. Nevertheless, as the person in charge until Moshe came back, Aharon had to pay a price for having the sin occur under his leadership.

 

Fifth Portion: * Ayil meluim – meluim signifies the inauguration. Another definition, in which Rashi explains, is perfection, an offering of perfection. This is similar to the word, Shalem, which is also a name for an offering. Rashi says the root of meluim is maleh. The concept of the Mikdash is “coming to that perfect state” which is olam habah – the next world, The Mishkan is a compartment of olam Habah.

 

Sixth Portion: * G-d reaffirms His authority with the word ‘Vayedu’, they will know through the sacrifices and through the temple where G-d sort of rests. The ability to identify with the Mikdash as G-d’s house, something tangible will strengthen the belief among the Israelites.

 

Seventh Portion: * Mizbeach haketoret – incense; this is a very important offering. It says G-d’s ambiance did not rest until the ketoret was burned.