Metoch Shelo Lishmo Bo Lishmo, says NPR News!

I heard an interesting piece from the NPR Morning Edition today (link here). Tovia Smith was interviewing different professors and business people about whether it is better to give charity for the wrong reason or not give at all (unless you're doing it for the right reasons). The story said that these days it pays a lot more for companies to give to charity and that these days it's a must for most businesses!

Since the Torah has the same question about learning Torah, doing mitzovs and tzedaka, this piece caught my attention. The Talmud says that a person should learn Torah even when it's not for its' own sake in order that eventually he will come to learning Torah for its' own sake (lishmo). I once heard that chassidus says that the wording metoch shelo leshmo bo lishmo can be read as within (metoch) the shelo lishom is already bo lishmo meaning that even when a person does a good thing with the wrong intention inside, on a deeper level, he is really doing it with the right intentions also. Which brings me to the main point, the reporter said in the end of the piece:

"It may be increasingly hard to fool both consumers and college admissions officials, but it's also true that those who start out giving for the wrong reasons are often changed by the experience and end up wanting to give more for the right ones."

These are the Torah's sentiments. This really shows that the Torah has penetrated the deepest levels of society that also non-Jews understand these Torah values and ideals very well and speak about them. This shows, of course, that we have preapared the world fully down to the "lowest of places" for the revelation of God in this world, and are standing ready for the complete and final redemption. All we need now is for the King Messiah to come and redeem us all out of this dreamy state of exile that we are currently in.

Chabad - the Closest Religion to Judaism by Adam Reiss

b”h
A friend of mine recently sent me an article about a rabbi in England who was arrested after a week long binge of cocaine and hedonism (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6924293.ece). A wealthy man, a prominent figure in the community. Something was upsetting enough about the story to make the international news circuit. Now, conspiracy theory set aside (that a latent or not so latent antisemitism in the media picked up the story to prove the hypocrisy of orthodox Judaism), there is something disconcerting about the fact that after the passing of his wife this fellow sank into a depraved life of drugs and women. In spite of all of his religiosity, or some may say as a consequence of it, something was missing and that something he tried to make up for by other means. But the question still remains, something is missing from many people's lives and their stories don't make it all the way into my email inbox. So what is so bothersome about this man, a rabbi, falling prey to his baser instincts?

The Chassidic movement of the Baal Shem Tov began as a revivalist movement about three hundred years ago with a conscious goal. The false messianism of Shabtai Tvi, the pograms of Tach v'Tat, and the European Enlightenment had left the Jewish world in shambles. Education was very possibly at an all time low. With all the best intentions the rabbis of the day forbade the studying of kabbalah because Shabtai Tzvi's movement validated itself on the basis of heretical interpretations of certain passages in the Zohar and the teachings of Isaac Luria. All of these factors combined to create an atmosphere of rampant poverty, both materially and spiritually. The rabbis conglomerated their power to keep Judaism alive in the face of its oppressors, and advocated an approach of the most limited observance and unflinching obediance for the peasant class. The vicious cycle begun, the fate of the simple folk to live in ignorance was all but sealed when the Baal Shem Tov arrived. The true mark of genius is that the paradigm shift it engenders appears after the fact as having been totally common sensical from the outset. Thus, to describe his message is difficult, because it was neither radical nor conservative, novel nor traditional. Like a sculptor chiselling away at a stone to reveal a new form the Baal Shem Tov did not innovate in the true sense of the word. His message, that the spirit of the law and the letter of the law are inextricably bound and that one cannot exist nor substitute for the other is the fundament of all of Judaism. That God communicates with man, and that his chosen method for doing so is through the Torah, and that through its proper observance man can achieve a contact with the Divine even unto the level of prophecy – that is the message of Abraham and Moses, David and Maimonides.

There was another time in Jewish history when similar problems threatened the Jewish people. Foreign occupation, ecclesiasticism, and false messianism. It is a time we don't like to think too much about, perhaps because it's problems are similar to our own. One solution which presented itself at the time was the total abrogation of the Torah. The Christian movement claimed that the spirit of the law was in contradistinction to the letter of the law, and at that point it ceased completely to be Jewish. Confronted with a Jewish world that looked much like the one leading up to the destruction of the Temple, the Baal Shem Tov offered a solution that the proper observance of the Torah requires more than the routine performance of empty rites. He offered this solution, however, only after recognizing that there was a problem.

A rabbi in England hooked on drugs, so-called Chasidim in Jerusalem throwing stones at their fellow Jews on Shabbos, and Jewish family men sitting in Federal prison for embezzlement – how have things come to this? Does it mean that the Torah is a lie and its exemplars hypocrites? How can it be that less than five hundred years after the redaction of the Shulchan Aruch we can ease our consciences by living in a manner which is externally flawless and yet completely out of touch with the sentiment that Yosef Caro took for granted we would have when studying and trying to live by his work? I hear many people joke that Chabad is the closest religion to Judaism. A joke being like a frog (when you dissect it you kill it) notwithstanding, I can assume that what they are driving at is with its departure from many of the popular customs of European and American Jewry and its strong Messianic leanings Chabad looks like something new. But the truth is often said in jest and they have a point. Chabad recognizes that there is a problem with rote and feelingless observance. As spiritual heirs of the Baal Shem Tov our solution to that problem is recognizing that the letter of the law needs the spirit of the law and vice versa—the beginning is wedged in the end and the end in the beginning—and that this is not something close to Judaism, that this is Judaism.

What Israel Can Learn From Obama's Nobel Speech

Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize- that’s right, the leader of a nation in the midst of two WARS won a PEACE prize. If you ask me, this all makes a lot of sense. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense. Israel has a lot to learn from the commander-in-chief of the greatest army on the planet.
For one, some wars are Just. If an attack in New York can justify a war on the other side of the planet, certainly Israel can justify against an enemy much closer to home. Secondly, war is sometimes the only way. In the words of our President, “Negotiations cannot convince Al-Qaida's leaders to lay down their arms.” Let us all please do our part to convince our Israeli brothers and sisters that terrorists cannot be reasoned with, and that “Evil does exist in the world,” as Obama said. Thirdly, war as a preventative measure has been SUCESSFUL in bringing peace: “…the plain fact is this: The United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms.”
Indeed, one who pursues such a ‘Just War’ is worthy of receiving a PEACE prize because war can actually lead to peace. It may seem paradoxical, but you don't have to quote me! Obama has supported a war, won a peace prize for it, and was not ashamed to justify this war in front of the whole world. It is therefore quite fitting that Obama’s speech happened to occur so near to Chanukah, a celebration of a victorious Jewish war. May our Israeli brothers stand strong in what is most certainly a JUST WAR. And may the next peace prize go to the Israeli leader who has the guts to face the truth and make peace through war.

Moshiach Mystery

Can You Solve the Moshiach Mystery?

There has been a long standing mystery surrounding Moshiach, or Jewish Messiah: Does the King Moshiach have to perform miracles for us in order to prove himself? Doesn’t every Jew you ask on the street just know that Moshiach has to do miracles? Being that the Rambam is the accepted legal authority on the who, what, where, and how of Moshiach, the answer should be easy… yet here is where the real mystery begins:
In the Rambam’s legal magnum opus, he declares, ‘Do not think that the King Moshiach will make miracles, or create new things, or perform resurrections and the like. It is not so.”(Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings, Chapter 11, Law 3) Ah, it looks like we have the answer: Moshiach doesn’t have to do miracles after all! But wait: when one reads the Rambams letters entitled, ‘Iggeret HaTeimani,’ the Rambam states that a certain man who was claiming to be Moshiach must not be the one because he has not performed any miracles. What is going on here? Is this the same Rambam? Must Moshaich perform miracles or not? I’ve seen Rabbi Velpo give a very satisfactory resolution to this mess in his sefer, ‘Yechi HaMelech.’ I shall do my best to give over his answer:
First of all, lets make one thing clear: the Mishneh Torah, where the Rambam states that Moshaich need not perform miracles, is the final and authoritative ruling on the matter. Therefore, Moshiach need not perform miracles. However, Moshiach must be victorious in the ‘Wars of Hashem,’ build the temple, and gather in all of the Jews to Israel. All this is stated pretty clearly by the Rambam. In other words, Moshiach is defined by his active pursuit of, and his ultimate victory in, the above stipulations. Therefore, Moshiach does not have to perform a miracle if and only if it is possible to fulfill the above stipulations by natural means. Being that Moshiach can come at any moment, then even in an era where it is impossible for one to build the temple without a miracle, Moshaich can still come in a supernatural manner. Or as the sages put, “If we merit, Moshiach will come riding the clouds of glory [now that’s a pimpin‘ ride!]. If we don’t merit, he will come riding a donkey [somewhat of a less cool way to roll].”
Now lets put ourselves in the Rambam’s shoes and ask ourselves, ‘Is it possible for someone to build the temple without a miracle in the historical period that he lived in? During the Rambam’s time, there was no significant Jewish presence in Israel. In fact, some sort of Sultan ruled over our land at that time. So while it is true that Moshiach does not have to perform a miracle, nevertheless, he does have to build the temple, among other things. Now, was it possible for any Jew at that time to build the temple without a miracle?? The answer, as all can see, is ‘No, it was impossible to build the temple without a miracle because there is a foreign king in control of the temple mount at this time, and the Jews have no army with which to drive him off our land.’
By contrast, during the time of Bar Kochba, the Jews had a large army, as the Gemara in Gittin states, and it was quite feasible, at that time, that Bar Kochba could have kicked out the Romans [which in fact he did for some years] and build the temple, all without performing any miracles. Therefore, being that Bar Kochba was poised to fulfill the stipulations required of Moshiach, he was not pressed to perform miracles. All he needed to do was encourage all Jewry to follow the Torah, defeat the enemies of the Jews, build the Temple, and gather in the exiles. All these conditions were within reach; no miracles were required for him to attain these goals.
In the Rambam’s times, however, things were quite different. Being that there were hardly any Jews living in Israel, and the Jews had no army, the only way someone could build the temple was through miraculous means. There simply was no way for anyone to conquer the land of Israel through a natural war. It just wasn’t possible at that time, in contrast to the time of Bar Kochba. Being that there was no other way, at that time in history, the Rambam required a miracle of anyone in his time claiming to be Moshiach. How else could Moshiach build the temple at that time?

Now, one may ask: in which type of period do we live in? Do we live in a period like the Rambam’s time, where it would take a miracle to gain control of Israel and, especially, the Temple Mount? Or, do we live in a time more like the era Rabbi Akiva lived in, where the Jews had a large presence in Israel, and a great army at their disposal? Right after the Six Day War, control of the Temple Mount was in Jewish hands. Furthermore, Israel’s army has had the reputation of being invincible, at various times.
Therefore, I say that we live in a time similar to the time of Rabbi Akiva, in this respect. Moshaich need not perform a miracle to gain control of the Temple Mount. Most people have a misconception that Moshiach is synonymous with great miracles. It is not so. In fact, Chassidus explains that if we truly merit it, Moshiach will come in a natural manner. May Moshiach reveal himself now and rebuild the Temple!

Truth and Life - a 19 Kislev Post.

Truth and Life are two things that a person wants by nature. If you were to offer somebody a perfect life on the condition that he would be put to sleep, he would be in a dream state for the rest of his life. He would have dreams and fantasies be put into his subconscious for the rest of his life. Who would ever agree to such a thing? Nobody. But why? it would be seemingly perfect. There are two problems with such an arrangement, it is not emes, truth, and it is not chaim, life. G-d is called both Truth and Life.

The Rebbe Rashab wrote "the 19th of Kislev...is a festival on which "He redeemed our soul in peace," and our soul's illumination and vitality were given to us, this day is Rosh Hashana for Chassidus bequeathed us by our sacred forebears, identical with the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov."

Light (Ohr) and liveliness (chayus).

Chassidus is that which gives us light which illuminates for us the truth of the world.
Chassidus also gives us liveliness (chayus) to live a life full of vitality.


Happy Yud Tes Kislev.

nervous about economy - nervous about fulfilling mitzovos

nervous about economy - nervous about fulfilling mitzovos

Rest on Shabbos Photo.

noahide video

Peggy Noonan: He Can't Take Another Bow - WSJ.com

Peggy Noonan: He Can't Take Another Bow - WSJ.com

UN Watch Oral Statement Delivered by Colonel Richard Kemp UN Human Rights Council 12th Special Session, 16 October 2009 Debate on Goldstone Report

Saw this link on thinkinginsights.blogspot.com. The Colonel saves the day and tells the truth about Israel.

Climategate: the final nail in the coffin of 'Anthropogenic Global Warming'?

Climategate: the final nail in the coffin of 'Anthropogenic Global Warming'?

if you want a real cause bring Moshiach.

Lamplighters by Moshe Hecht (audio)

Lamplighters by Moshe Hecht

A nice song about people who go around lighting other people's lamps (souls).

A great newly heard Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg story.

A great new Holtzberg story was heard recently from the shliach who took over the Chabad House for the Holtzbergs. A woman asked the Holtzberg for help, she had been asking her estranged husband for a get (bill of divorce) for 20 or 25 years and he wouldn't give one. The man was living in India. He was living in a very far away place in India which was very hard to get to. So Rabbi Gavriel  Holtzberg went with another man to find the man. They traveled for many hours and it was hard to get it and they had to walk for a while. They got to a place which was well secured and finally found the place where the the man was whom they were looking for. They came in and the man pointed a gun straight at them and said that he knows why they are here and that its not going to happen. Holtzbergs friend found a way to run away from the man. Holtzberg stood there without moving and said back to the man with the gun the story of the Freidecher Rebbe when he was in prison. This gun he said can scare a person who believes in one world and in many gods but not one who who believes in two worlds and one G-d. The man was very impressed and after speaking more with Rabbi Holtzbers he eventually signed the get.
The new shliach also commented that Rabbi Holtzber's shoes are not easy shoes to fill.

Jerusalem Stone and the Genocide of Titus

Jerusalem Stone and the Genocide of Titus

"But now Obama has done the quarrelsome Israelis a favor...sort of. Ninety-six percent of the Israeli population believes that Obama is a threat to their survival. Israel is uniting against a common threat. Thank you, Mr. Obama"

Historic videos of Yidden singing Yechi to the Lubavithcher Rebbe in 770 in the early 1990's.

Historic videos of Yidden singing Yechi to the Lubavithcher Rebbe in 770 in the early 1990's. Some people probably have a hundred and one opinions on what this means or doesn't mean. But it's good to see what happened as recorded on these videos, this way most people won't claim that it never happened.

Also Mazel Tov on God-World's 100s blog post!

International Conference of Chabad Lubavitch Emissaries

International Conference of Chabad Lubavitch Emissaries

Torah in Brief: Chayei Sarah

This week's Torah portion is "Chayei Sarah" -- "The Life of Sarah" -- which opens with the passing of the first Matriarch. "The life of Sarah was one hundred years, twenty years and seven years; the years of Sarah's life." Rashi comments that the odd language teaches us that at age one hundred, Sarah was as innocent and as beautiful as a young girl. Her death immediately follows the Binding of Isaac. Rashi explains that this is because she heard "the news that her son was readied for slaughter and was nearly slaughtered." There are two ways of understanding what Rashi meant. According to one opinion, this means that Sarah was so distraught over the news that her son was about to be slaughtered, and then so overjoyed that he was rescued, that her soul "flew from her body". According to another interpretation, she had faith that her husband wouldn't do such a thing unless commanded by G-d, but then erroneously inferred that her husband had failed to carry out his divine mission and so she passed away.

After his wife's death, Abraham sought to purchase a certain cave for her, the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron (a.k.a. -- Kiriath-Arba). This holy site was the burial place of Adam and Eve, and would later serve as the resting place of all the Patriarchs and Matriarchs but for Rachel. Abraham said to the Hittite chieftains in his area, "I am an alien and a resident among you; grant me an estate for the burial with you, that I may bury my dead from before me." (Gen. 23:4) The seemingly contradictory terms "alien" and "resident" demonstrates the duality of a Jew: while a Jew should be a loyal citizen who prays for the welfare of his nation of residence, his primary allegiance is always to G-d; "G-d and country" in that order.

Though Ephron the Hittite offered the land for free, Abraham insisted on paying full price. Abraham didn't want there to be any dispute as to the true ownership of the land. Likewise, King David purchased the threshing floor of Aravna at full price, even though Aravna offered to give the land for free and the king could have taken it by right (I Chronicles 21:24, II Samuel 24:24). On that site, King David built the altar around which his son, King Solomon, built the First Holy Temple. (It's sad to note that these two indisputably Jewish holy sites have since been conquered by others who deny their true history and ownership.)

After Abraham buried Sarah, he tasked his trusted servant, Eliezer, with finding a suitable wife for his son, Isaac. Abraham had Eliezer take an oath that he would not allow Isaac to marry a Canaanite girl, but charged him to find Isaac a wife from among his relatives in Haran. According to Rabbi Sampson Rafael Hirsch, this wasn't merely because the Canaanites were idolatrous, for so were Abraham's relatives; rather, the inhabitants of Canaan were morally degenerate. Eliezer swore to his master, and set out for the city of Nahor.

Upon arriving, Eliezer asked G-d to send him a sign. He decided to stand by a well and wait for a girl to approached to draw water, then he would ask her for a sip. If she would agree and even offer to water his camels, this would prove that she possessed the necessary compassion and moral character to marry Isaac. Eliezer had not even finished praying when Rebecca approached, carrying a water jug. Sure enough, when asked for a sip, she even offered to water his camels. Overjoyed, Eliezer gave her a ring weighing a beka, two bracelets, and ten gold shekels (coins), symbolizing the future annual donations to the Temple (which weighed a beka), the two Tablets, and the Ten Commandments.

Eliezer then inquired as to the girl's family, and she brought him to her home. Excited about Rebecca's new jewelry, her brother Laban ran to greet the strange visitor and offered him a place to stay. The Bible then records Eliezer's recounting of this entire episode, spurring the Amora (Sage of the Talmudic era), Rabbi Acha, to comment, "The conversation of the servants of the Patriarchs is more pleasing before the Omnipresent than the Torah of their descendants, for the episode of Eliezer is doubled in the Torah, while many essential elements of the Torah were given only by allusion."

Upon hearing Eliezer's words, Rebecca's family is convinced that it is divine providence that she marry Isaac. Eliezer prepares to take her back to Isaac, but her family requests that she stay for a year or at least ten months. Eliezer insists that he return immediately, so they ask Rebecca her opinion, and she states, "I will go." Rashi cites a Midrash stating that this teaches that we may not marry off a woman without her consent. With that, her family blessed her and she went with Eliezer.

They arrived home just as Isaac was finishing his afternoon prayers in the field. Rebecca noticed Isaac and inquired of Eliezer about him, then took her veil and covered herself out of modesty. Eliezer recounted to Isaac all that had happened, then Isaac brought Rebecca into the tent of his mother, Sarah. During Sarah's lifetime, three miracles took place in her tent: a candle burned from Sabbath to Sabbath, her dough was blessed, and a cloud provided shade over the tent. These miracles had ceased when Sarah died, but they returned upon the arrival of Rebecca, proof that she shared her predecessor's righteousness. Isaac "married Rebecca, she became his wife, and he loved her; and thus was Isaac consoled after his mother." (Gen. 24:67)

The final section discusses Abraham's other children, whom his wife Keturah bore to him. According to tradition, this was Hagar's second name, which was given because her deeds were beautiful like the incense (ketores). Abraham "gave all that was his" to Isaac, but he sent his other sons to the East with gifts. Noting the apparent contradiction (if Abraham gave everything to Isaac, what "gifts" were left for his other children?), the sages explain that Abraham gave his other sons spiritual gifts, hidden wisdom which grew into the Eastern religions. The covenant, however, passed through Isaac.

At 175 years old, Abraham died "at a good old age, mature and content, and he was gathered to his people." (Gen. 25:8) His sons, Isaac and Ishmael, buried him with Sarah in the cave of Machpelah. Ishmael repented in his later years, and he passed away at 137 years old.

written by Yehoshua Jason Bedrick, chosid of the Rebbe.

The Economic Collapse and a Torah Solution

Torah can help guide our financial system

By Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan

The financial crisis is absorbing the attention of the country. How will the crisis unfold? What will the solution be? Who will be the winners and the losers?

Where the crisis originated and what is the root cause is receiving scant attention, and that is what I want to address.

In human economic affairs, there is a built-in paradox. On one hand, if economic activity is tightly regulated and controlled by the government, as in the communist module, then all initiative, energy and drive is sucked out of the system and it ultimately collapses, as we witnessed in the Soviet Union in the 1990s.

On the other hand, if we do not have any (or only minimal) regulation and permit an unfettered free market, then greed becomes the dominant drive in the system, which ultimately is also doomed to fail, as is happening before our eyes in the U.S. today.

read more here

Peace in Israel Short Video

so many problems in the world and the world just insists on focusing on Israel as if it's the main problem. when will they just let us live?

Torah in Brief: Vayeira, Part I

This week's Torah portion, Vayeira, contains some of the most well-known stories in the Bible. The portion opens with G-d visiting Abraham before three angels disguised as humans arrive to inform him that Sarah will give birth to a son in one year. Afterward, G-d informs Abraham that he intends to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham pleads with the Supernal Judge to do justice, sparing the cities for the sake of any righteous people within them. The Bible continues with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot's wife turns to a pillar of salt, Lot's folly, Abimelech's abduction and release of Sarah, the birth of Isaac, the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael, a covenant between Abraham and Abimelech, and finally the binding of Isaac.

Each of these stories is rich in lessons for us, but I won't be able to give each its due. There are many perplexing occurances as well which require detailed explanation. Feel free to ask me anything about the sections I've glossed over as well as those I discuss below.

Psalm 128:1 says, "Blessed is the one who fears the L-rd, who walks in His ways." Yet how can we possibly follow His ways? Isaiah 55:8 states: "your ways are not My ways"! The sages teach us that we must emulate G-d's acts of kindness. For example, we must clothe the naked just as G-d clothed Adam and Eve after He expelled them from the Garden of Eden, and we must bury the dead just as G-d buried Moses.

In the opening verses of Vayeira, G-d appears to Abraham. Rashi explains that this was the third day after his circumcision, and G-d had come to comfort him, serving as a model for us to visit the sick. Just then, three travelers arrive at Abraham's tent, which was open on all four sides so that travelers approaching from any direction would feel welcome. Abraham took leave from G-d to greet the guests, demonstrating that "the mitzvah of housing travelers is greater than greeting the Divine Presence."

Not knowing that these guests were really angels who don't require food, Abraham set about making a great feast for them. It was Abraham's practice to feed guests, then teach them how to pray to G-d in thanksgiving. As we've discussed previously, anything our patriarch's did was a portent for future generations. Just as Abraham served his guests bread and meat, G-d fed the Israelites manna and quail in the desert. Just as Abraham sent a servant to serve them water, G-d sent Moses to bring forth water from a rock. And just as Abraham escorted his guests as they left, G-d escorted the Israelites through the desert as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

One angel had come to inform Abraham and Sarah that she would bear a child. The other two went to Sodom. G-d informed Abraham of that He intended to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah "for their sin is very grave" (Gen. 18:20) and Abraham vigorously protested. "Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?" (Gen. 18:25) However, only Lot's family was worthy of being saved.

When the two incognito angels arrived in Sodom, Lot offered to take them into his home. Soon, a large mob of Sodomite arrive, demanding that Lot send out his guests "that we may know them" ("know" in the biblical sense). Lot protests, heroically risking his own life... then he does something perplexing and horrific: he offers the mob his own virgin daughters instead. Fortunately, the crowd rejects this offer and as they break down the door, the angels strike them with blindness. In the Tanchuma, G-d rebukes Lot for this sin, which directly leads to a second sin with his daughters.

After Lot escapes with his family, the fire and brimstone rain down upon Sodom and Gomorrah, utterly destroying them. Against the command of the angels who saved them, Lot's wife looks back at the destruction of the cities and turns into a pillar of salt. According to some commentaries, she was pining to return to the wicked cities. Alone in a cave after the destruction, Lot's daughters mistakenly believe they are alone in the world, just as Noah's family after the Flood. In a striking parallel to Noah's being disgraced after falling into a drunken stupor, Lot's daughters give their father wine until he is utterly inebriated, then they sleep with him and conceive. The older daughter calls her son Moab (meaning "from my father") and the younger daughter gives birth to Ammon; the two sons lead tribes bearing their names which dwell in Canaan until the era of kings.

In Part II, we'll pick up with the abduction of Sarah and the birth of Isaac!

by: Yehoshua Jason Bedrick

Interesting Naohides video

saw this link on the Beis Moshiach website.

General Eisenhower Warned Us

Got this in my in box today;

It is a matter of history that when the Supreme Commander of the Allied
Forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, found the victims of the death camps he
ordered all possible photographs to be taken, and for the German people
from surrounding villages to be ushered through the camps and even made to
bury the dead.

He did this because he said in words to this effect:

'Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses
-because somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get
up and say that this never happened'.

This week, the UK debated whether to remove The Holocaust from its school
curriculum because it 'offends' the Muslim population which claims it never
occurred. It is not removed as yet. However, this is a frightening portent
of the fear that is gripping the world and how easily each country is
giving into it.

It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europeended.
This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the, 6 million
Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians, and 1,900 Catholic
priests.

Who were 'murdered, raped, burned, starved, beat, experimented on and
humiliated' while the German people looked the other way!

Now, more than ever, with Iran , among others, claiming the Holocaust to be
'a myth,' it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets.



This e-mail is intended to reach 400 million people! Be a link in the
memorial chain and help distribute this around the world.

How many years will it be before the attack on the World Trade Center .

'NEVER HAPPENED'

because it offends some Muslim in the U.S.???


Do not just delete this message; it will take only a minute to pass this
along to another 20 or 30 or more.
FREEDOM ISN'T FREE . . . SOMEONE HAD TO PAY FOR IT

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.
-Sir Winston Churchill

Torah in Brief: Lech L'cha.

by Yehoshua Jason Bedrick

Our weekly Torah portion opens with G-d's command to Abram (Abraham's original name) to leave his homeland, and His promise that He will bless him and make of him a great nation:

"Go for yourself from your land, from your relatives, and from your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation; I will bless you, and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you, I will curse." (Gen. 12:1-3)

Abram takes his wife, Sarai, and nephew, Lot, to the land of Canaan. They also travel with "the souls they made in Haran" which is often interpreted as their slaves, though some sages say it refers to the converts they made.

Even in Canaan, Abram lives a nomadic life, constantly pitching his tent further and further south in the land. At one point, there's a famine in the land, so Abram briefly descends to Egypt. Fearful that the immoral Egyptians will kill him and take his wife, they pretend that they are siblings. Pharaoh treats Abram well on account of his "sister", whom he takes into his own home. G-d then afflicts Pharaoh's household with a severe plague, which tips off Pharaoh that something is amiss. He discovers that Sarai is already married, and he sends the couple away.

Abram returns to Canaan and flourishes, but his shepherds quarrel with Lot's shepherds. Abram offers to part ways to make room for each other, so Lot moves to Sodom. Once again, G-d promises the childless Abram that He will make a great nation of him in this land, as innumerable as the dust of the earth. Abram then builds an altar in Hebron. Though the Jewish people was never so large at any given time, their incredible longevity fulfills this promise. The Midrash notes that just as dust outlives all who tread upon it, so G-d promised Abraham that his offspring would outlive all the nations that would persecute them.

At one point, five local kings go to war with four other kings. Caught in the crossfire, Lot and his family are taken captive. A fugitive informs Abram, who immediately springs into action and rescues his kinsman and many others with a small force of a few hundred men. After Abram's success, Malchizedek, King of Salem (a.k.a. - Jerusalem), a priest of G-d, greets Abram and gives him bread and wine, an allusion to the sacrificial offerings Abram's descendants would offer there. Abram then tithes to Malchizedek. The king of Sodom offers Abram all of the loot, but Abram refuses, taking only supplies for his servants. Abram did not want anyone to mistakenly conclude that the wicked king of Sodom had made him wealthy; his good fortune was entirely a divine blessing.

After these events, G-d reiterates his promise to Abram. Abram protests that he remains childless, and G-d responds with a specific promise that he will bear children. G-d sent Abram outside and tells him to gaze into the heavens, promising that his descendants will be as innumerable as the stars. Rashi comments that G-d was also telling Abram to ignore the astrology by which he had determined that he was destined to remain childless.

They then seal a covenant with an animal sacrifice. Afterward, Abram falls into a deep sleep, and G-d continues to speak to him. G-d reveals to Abram that his descendants will live in exile for 400 years, that they will be oppressed by a foreign nation, but that they will be redeemed and leave with great wealth. (See: Book of Exodus. G-d, however, showed mercy in calculating the exile from the time of Isaac's birth -- the exile in Egypt was commuted to 210 years.)

Sarai, frustrated at her barrenness, asks her husband to bear a child through her maidservant, Hagar. Hagar conceived and began acting haughtily to her mistress. Sarai complains bitterly to Abram, who grants her permission to treat Hagar as she sees fit. Sarai disciplines Hagar, who then flees. An angel appears to Hagar and directs her to return to submit herself to Sarai. He also reveals to her that she will bear a son, Ishmael. There is a concept in Torah study that everything written about our ancestors applies to us as well. Of Ishmael, ancestor of the Arabs, the angel tells Hagar: "He shall be a wild ass of a man; his hand against everyone, and everyone's hand against him."

Abram was 86 when Hagar bore Ishmael. When Abram was 99, G-d sealed another covenant with Abram. G-d changed his name, Abram ("father of Aram") to Abraham ("father of a multitude"). G-d seals this "everlasting covenant" in Abraham's very flesh, commanding him to circumcise himself, and commanding that all his male descendants be circumcised at the age of eight days.

The circumcision is called both "My covenant" and "the sign of the covenant." According to Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, this expresses a fundamental principle. The Artscroll Chumash summarizes his view: "A commandment consists of two parts: the physical act and its underlying moral or spiritual teaching -- and neither is complete without the other."

G-d also changes Sarai's name -- "my princess" -- to Sarah, signifying "princess over all nations". Previously, her greatness was only attached to her husband's, but now her limitations were removed. G-d informs Abraham that he will bear a child with Sarah named Isaac, and that the covenant would pass through him, though Ishmael would also become a vast nation.

Abraham then circumcises himself, his 13-year-old son Ishmael, and his entire household.

Torah in Brief: Bereishis

By Yehoshua Jason Bedrick

I'm going to try to write a short synopsis of each week's Torah portion, with a little bit of commentary along the way (in addition to a more in-depth analysis of one concept). Your questions or comments are welcome and appreciated.

Last week's Torah portion, Bereishis, is the first portion of the Torah (Gen. 1:1-6:8). Genesis famously begins "In the beginning, when G-d created the heavens and the earth..." The first chapter details the six days of Creation and ends with the seventh day, upon which G-d "rested".* In his commentary, Rashi wonders why the Bible opens with the creation of the world (as opposed to a commandment, which would be expected since the Torah is not primarily a history book, but an "instruction manual"). Rashi then explains that this is because people would one day accuse the Israelites of stealing the land from the Canaanites, but Genesis allows them to retort that G-d created the world and therefore He may give it to whomever He sees fit. (There are echoes of this ancient accusation in the modern claim that the Israelis are "settlers" on native Palestinian land -- despite thousands of years of Jewish residence in the Holy Land.)

The second chapter details G-d's creation of Adam and Eve. The Talmud explains that G-d created only one man at first so that we should know that if we save one life, it is as though we saved the entire world. Noting that "it is not good for Man to be alone," G-d created an "ezer k'negdo" for Adam -- literally, "a helper opposite him." Rashi comments that if the man is worthy, his wife will be a "helper" but if he is unworthy, she will be "opposite him". After Adam finds Eve pleasing in his eyes, the narrative concludes: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife and they shall become one flesh."

The third chapter depicts their subsequent fall after eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. G-d punishes them and expels them from the Garden of Eden, but He makes them warm clothes before He sends them away, a sign that He still loves humanity.

The fourth chapter opens with the birth of Cain and Abel. Cain becomes a farmer and Abel a shepherd, but G-d accepts Abel's sacrifices while rejecting Cain's. In a fit of jealous anger, Cain murders his brother. When G-d inquires about Abel, Cain infamously asks: "Am I my brother's keeper?" G-d curses Cain, but allows him to live seven generations, albeit with the "mark of Cain". The chapter concludes with details about Cain's descendants and the birth of Adam and Eve's third son, Seth.

The fifth chapter is the list of Adam's descendants through Noah. While many people prefer to skip over the "begot" sections ("And Enoch begot Methuselah..."), these sections are filled with meaning. Here's an example I learned from Rabbi Daniel Lapin: Keinan begot Mehallalel, who begot Jared (Yered). Their names mean, "acquired", "praised gods", and "descent" respectively. Each represents the trend of their generation: an acquisitive and materialistic generation (Keinan) is followed by a generation which seeks spirituality in all the wrong places (Mehallalel) which is then followed by a generation of decline.**

Parshas Bereishis concludes with the first part of chapter six, which describes the descent of humanity into depravity. G-d decides to destroy all of humanity, but the Torah portion ends on a positive note: "But Noah found grace in the eyes of G-d."

With G-d's help, we'll continue with Noah and Parshas Noach later this week!


*The chapters commonly used are of Christian origin and include the seventh day at the beginning of the 2nd chapter, but it is included as a part of the first "aliyah" in the Jewish reckoning.

**For greater depth on this point (and a whole lot more), pick up a copy of Rabbi Lapin's "The Gathering Storm: Decoding the Secrets of Noah".

Got God? In New York City?

God in New York City
They gave out these newspapers in New York City yesterday and there I was to pick one up and read it. They are putting ads in the subway systems which claim that one million new yorkers are okay with out God. The paper says that they take their numbers from a survey done a few years back in which 15% of people answered not affiliated to some sort of religious serve. Now I haven't seen the survey but I don't think that a person who checked unaffiliated necessarily means he doesn't believe in God. It could just mean that he is not affiliated with any formal religion but he does believe in the One, Transcended God, which would probably make him a Noahide of some sort. Well whatever the story is I love the picture and headline.

Btw, its parshas Noah! All is by Divine providence all the time.