The Awe Inspiring World in High Definition.

[muman613]

These are the three I am mainly familiar with but I also heard the one you mentioned:

http://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/380573/jewish/FAQ-Death-and-Reincarnation-part-1.htm

QUESTION2: "After you leave this world and face the heavenly tribunal, what questions are you asked and in what sequence?"

ANSWER2: There are (of course!) different opinions. Major ones from the Talmud are
1) Did you have fixed times for Torah study?
2) Did you look forward to the Messianic redemption?
3) Were you honest in money matters?

[muman613]

It appears this idea comes from the Jerusalem Talmud...


http://ohr.edu/ask/ask160.pdf

P. C. Bruening <-----------> from Germany wrote:
Dear Rabbi,

I would like to know where I can find this passage in the Talmud. I think the indication I found in the Internet is wrong or defective. “Rabbi Hezekiah the Kohen said in the name of Rav: A person is destined to give an accounting before the Heavenly Tribunal for everything he saw but did not enjoy, ignoring Gd’s world which He meant for man’s enjoyment.”

Dear P. C. Bruening,

The source that you are looking for is the Jerusalem Talmud, Tractate Kiddushin Chapter 4 Halacha 12 (page 48, side b). The Talmud states that anyone who saw food and did not partake of it will, in the future, have to give an accounting of his actions. (Unless, of course, he has a valid reason, such as health.)

This statement means that when a person partakes of food he must make a blessing before he eats it. That blessing serves as a method to ‘enhance’ G-d’s presence in this world. By choosing not to eat, a person is relinquishing the ability to praise G-d and His creation. Obviously, the Talmud is only referring to kosher food.

The Jewish outlook on physical pleasure is very beautiful. We believe that G-d is kind, and therefore made a world full of pleasure for us to enjoy.

Sources:

Pnei Moshe, commentary on the Jerusalem Talmud

[muman613]

You may also find this discussion of this Talmud lesson in a Pirkie Avot lesson...

http://www.torah.org/learning/pirkei-avos/chapter6-4.html

Pirkei Avos

Creatures of the Next World
Chapter 6, Mishna 4
By Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld

"This is the way of the Torah: Bread and salt you will eat, measured water you will drink, on the ground you will sleep, a life of suffering you will live, and in the Torah you will labor. If you do this, 'You are fortunate and it is good for you' (Psalms 128:2). 'You are fortunate' -- in this world; 'and it is good for you' -- in the World to Come."

This week's mishna, though well-known, presents some obvious difficulties. As we know, Judaism does not believe in poverty or self-flagellation. I've written many times before that the Torah instructs us to live "normal" lives -- ones of material and physical as well as spiritual fulfillment: marry, earn a living, rest on the Sabbath. (And as I heard R. Berel Wein once put it, though we sentimentalize the poverty of our Eastern European ancestors -- practically convincing ourselves that the "truly pious" Jew is dirt poor, the Talmud writes somewhat less sentimentally: A poor man is considered dead (Nedarim 64b).)

We are taught, rather, that the world, in all its awe and beauty, was meant to be appreciated and enjoyed; that its natural, G-d-given beauty bespeaks its inherent worth and value in the eyes of G-d. The Sages tell us, "A person will one day give reckoning for everything his eyes saw which, although permissible, he did not enjoy" (Jerusalem Talmud, Kiddushin 4:12). "I granted you this beautiful world and you *ignored* it?!" says G-d. G-d's world is not here for us to ignore or resist. If we do not utilize the world in the manner intended -- certainly if we deny our own natures -- the world will be just a little less fulfilled. If, however, we live in the world and use it in the manner G-d intended -- for man to benefit from and appreciate G-d in the process, we bring the entire universe to its ultimate fruition.

In truth, we do hear of great and pious Jews separating themselves from the pleasures of this world. Jewish thinkers, however, view this as a stepping stone -- to overcome the shackles of physical lust in order to devote themselves entirely to G-d. Ultimately, when they do enjoy the pleasures of this world it will not be a slavish yielding to their passions -- further removing them from G-d, but an act of Divine service -- enhancing their love and admiration for the G-d who has granted them so much.

Thus, our mishna would at first seem difficult to integrate. It seems to promote abject poverty and denial as the ideal -- going so far as to promise contentment in this world to the underprivileged. And furthermore, besides the fact that this flies in the face of practically everything else Judaism teaches about this world, what do the Sages even mean -- "You are fortunate in this world?" Perhaps dedication to Torah is well worth a little (or a lot of) sacrifice of creature comforts. But how can the Sages even *pretend* that this is the path to happiness in this world, let alone recommend it as the "way of the Torah?"

Allow me to veer off of the subject slightly and look at another occasion when we are asked to deny ourselves the pleasures of this world: Yom Kippur. On this one day at least, the "ideal" state is suffering -- to live with hunger and abstinence.

We tend to view Yom Kippur in terms of penance. During the year we were sinful -- we did a lot and enjoyed a lot for which we need forgiveness. And we effect this atonement through fasting and affliction: we voluntarily bring some pain upon ourselves -- before G-d decides to do so Himself. Thus, regardless of Judaism's relatively sanguine attitude towards the physical world the rest of the year, on Yom Kippur we recognize that for the most part we go too far -- and on this one Day of Reckoning we make up for it.

There is some truth to this appraisal. We are told on Yom Kippur to fast and "afflict" our souls (Leviticus 16:29). But Yom Kippur is much deeper than this. The Torah also instructs us to make ourselves "pure" (ibid., v. 30). My teacher, R. Yochanan Zweig (www.talmudicu.edu; www.torah.org/learning/rabbizweig), explained as follows.

Imagine a busy day at the office (most of us do not have to imagine very hard). There are two people who skip lunch. One just *has* to meet a deadline. He is giving a presentation that afternoon and just has to finish his slides and rehearse them in time. He would *love* to run down the street for a bite, but just too much is at stake. So hungrily he works through his lunch hour.

The second individual is busy at his computer working on a very captivating piece of code. (No laughing -- this really could happen.) ;-) He is so involved with his coding, testing, debugging and fine-tuning that he does not even notice the time: he never even felt hungry. All of a sudden he looks up and realizes it's 3:15. "Might as well just munch on an apple and wait till supper at this point," he muses -- and goes on programming.

These, explained R. Zweig, are the two types of individuals who experience Yom Kippur. Most of us are quite hungry during the fast. Although we find the prayers meaningful and uplifting, we do look anxiously at our watches (at least come lunchtime), eagerly awaiting that final shofar blast and the breaking of our fasts. For us too Yom Kippur is meaningful and rewarding. We were human beings -- we *wanted* to eat -- but we did not. Why? Because G-d said so. And that is a true and meaningful sacrifice. Being the physical beings we are, it was difficult to "afflict" ourselves and fast. But we did so all the same. And G-d will certainly view us favorably on this Day of Judgment.

This, however, is not what Yom Kippur is *really* about. G-d tells us more than to afflict ourselves. We are told to purify ourselves as well. On this one day a year, we are told to so involve ourselves in cleaving to G-d, to become so angelic, that we do not even *want* to eat. We are so involved with -- so *sated* from -- closeness to G-d, that we hardly think of, let alone desire, any pleasure this world has to offer. One who reaches this lofty state will feel no affliction in fasting. Yom Kippur will be a day of communion and exhilaration. He will *enjoy* it! And in his experience, he will gain so much more than the rest of us who in our self-sacrifice have to force it.

This is as well the ideal state of mind of the true Torah scholar. Let us return to our mishna. It did not tell us that privation is the life we mortals should live or even aspire to. We are fortunate if Yom Kippur gives us a once-a-year taste of this exalted level. But our mishna does describe this as the "way of the Torah." True Torah scholars will live contentedly under conditions of denial and poverty. They will thrive on G-d's word, with no sense of "affliction" or lacking. They are so sated with G-d and His Torah that they are fortunate in this world as well -- simply because they are not bound by it. They are enthused and energized by forces far beyond anything this world has to offer. Their happiness, their fulfillment does not depend on their physical surroundings -- if they notice them at all. If anything, they will see physical comfort as a distraction from the one thing they truly desire -- closeness to G-d. They are creatures of the next world. And their joy and pleasure even in the world we know will be far beyond any pleasure known or imaginable to the creatures of this world.

[muman613]

Baruch Hashem (Blessed is Hashem) and blessed is his name.

I just got back from an incredibly joyous Lag BaOmer celebration with my Chabad community.

I did not anticipate this, and it is not a coincidence (my Rabbi does not read my JTF threads) that todays special guest at our festive afternoon was a man who is known as 'The Nature Rabbi'. He came to entertain the children, though he spent most of his time at the table next to me showing his incredible creatures to the adults as well as the children.

The awesomeness of the natural world testifies to the existence of our G-d, who created everything with wisdom and understanding. Rabbi Nature brought with him baby Chicks, eggs, snakes, moths, doves, and bugs. Maybe it was me but it seemed he was speaking to me, and even threw a box at me (which I caught) as a demonstration of how quick our human brains process information and send the signal to the arms and hands to catch (reflexively).

I told all my friends around me about this thread, the admiration of our natural world both the micro-cosm and the macro-cosm...




Rabbi nature even had a scorpion which he explained uses ultra-violet light to be able to navigate and differentiate at night.

[muman613]

[muman613]

This Dvar Torah for parsha Vaeria discusses this topic, how nature is a way to come close to Hashem... Even the rational Rambam came to this conclusion...

http://www.shemayisrael.com/parsha/leff/archives/vaiera.htm

Parshas Vaeira
Torah and Nature Paths to Ahavas Hashem

The Nile will swarm with frogs, and when they emerge, they will be in your palace, in your bedroom, and [even] in your bed. [They will also be in] the homes of your officials and people, even in your ovens and kneading bowls (Shemos 7 28).

The second plague which God brought upon the Egyptians was 1 frogs. These frogs invaded every place in Egypt, including the ovens fired up for baking.

The Talmud (Pesachim s3b) relates that the frogs were the inspiration for Chananiah, Misha'el and Azaryah

What did Chananiah, Misha'el, and Azaryah see that caused them to enter the fiery furnace of Nevuchadnezzar? They reasoned a fortiori from the frogs of Egypt. If frogs, which are not commanded to sanctify God's Name, entered the fiery furnace in order to sanctify God's Name, how much more so should we, who are commanded to sanctity God's Name, do so.

This Gemara raises the issue of how nature can serve as a means of coming to the knowledge of Hashem. Let us consider some of the uses and misuses of the contemplation of nature.

Rambam in Sefer Hamitzvos says that the path to love of Hashem is through Torah learning. Yet, in Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah, Rambam says that contemplating the natural world and its awe-inspiring wonders leads one to love of Hashem. The fact is that both of these paths are ultimately one. The Torah was the blueprint for the creation of the world, and thus nature is merely the physical manifestation of Torah. The Ten Commandments (Aseres Hadibros), in which the entire Torah is alluded to, correspond to the Ten Utterances (Asarah Ma'amaros), with which the world was created. Nevertheless, there is a crucial difference between nature and Torah as paths to Hashem.

The Midrash says that HaKadosh Boruch Hu did not create the world with the first letter, aleph, for it signifies-cursed-but rather with the second letter, beis, which signifies-blessing. But to placate the aleph, which felt slighted, Hashem began the Ten Commandments with an aleph-anoyeche. When it comes to using nature as a path to Hashem, one's explorations must be carefully guided, so that one indeed finds Hashem through his observation of nature. As King David proclaimed, Hashem is to be found in nature "When I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, I am inspired to realize my insignificance in relationship to God, Who is overwhelming" (Tehillim 8 4). But there remains a danger in the observation of nature as the Torah warns us: "Lest you raise your eyes heavenward and observe the sun, the moon and the stars, and you are enticed to bow to them and serve them" (Devarim 4:19)

Yuri Gargarin, the first Soviet cosmonaut, announced upon returning to earth that he was now sure that God did not exist, chas veshalom, because he did not see Him. On the other hand, American astronauts on one of the Apollo missions transmitted breathtaking views of the earth from space, and recited Psalm 119, "The Heavens declare the glory of God...." Two observations of the same thing, two divergent responses.

The bais of blessing must be clear and decisive when it comes to observing God through nature. However, the path of Torah is not fraught with such danger. Quite the contrary, the inner light of Torah study guides one toward the good. When it comes to Torah, even that which can potentially be a curse, the aleph, can be inspired and directed by the inner light of Torah for the good. For this reason, Torah study must always be the primary path, the aleph. Only one steeped in the study of Torah can truly and properly utilize the path of observing nature, the second path, the bats.

Two blessings precede Krias Shema, which contains the mitzvah of love of Hashem. The first, Yotzer ohr, deals with nature and all of its aspects. The second, Ahavah rabbah, deals with Torah study. Creation precedes the giving of the Torah chronologically, and hence the blessing on nature is first. The blessing of nature, however, begins with a bais -- boruch atah -while the blessing of Torah begins with an aleph -ahava rabbah. In actual practice, the study of Torah must be given priority.

The custom is to recite Barchi nafshi after Minchah on Shabbos during the winter, and to learn Pirkei Avos during the summer months. Barchi nafshi represents the path towards Hashem through nature and Pirkei Avos the path of Torah study. In the winter, nature is dormant, while Torah study is at its peak, since the long nights are conducive to the study of Torah. Therefore the path of nature must be emphasized through the recitation of Barchi nafshi, which speaks of the wonders of nature. In the summer, however, the opposite is true. Nature is in its full glory, but the nights are short and Torah study is at its low ebb. Hence the need to learn Pirkei Avos which emphasizes the path of Torah. Here, too, Barchi nafshi, nature, begins with a bais, and Avos begins with an aleph, to inform us which path must always be primary.

All creation was designed to inspire and lead us to love Hashem. The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 31a) says that on the fifth day of the week, we recite Chapter 81 of Tehillim, "Sing out to the God of our strength," for on this day birds and fish were created to praise Hashem's Name. Rashi explains that it is not the birds and fish themselves which sing Hashem's praises; rather when people observe the birds and fish, they give praise to the One Who created them. Similarly, Perek Shirah, which relates the songs of various animals, plants and inanimate objects, is explained by Rabbi Yosef Mitrani, in his work Beis Elokim, as referring not to the utterances of these creatures and objects but to the responses the natural phenomena evoke in the human beings who observe and study them.

The accessibility of nature to our physical senses is an important supplement to our knowledge of Hashem. As physical beings, we are affected more by what we see, hear, touch, smell, and taste than by what we know intellectually. Although Moshe was informed of the sin of the Golden Calf by Hashem, he did not actually break the Luchos (Tablets) until he personally observed the sin himself.

Emunah and ahavas Hashem must be made as real and intense as that which we experience with our senses. The Torah manifested in nature helps one concretize his emunah.

Entering the fiery furnace to sanctify Hashem's name required great strength and commitment. Unless Chananiah, Mishatel and Azaryah had reached a level where their knowledge of kiddush Hashem had become concretized by their senses and observed as a fact of nature, they might have shied away from taking that awesome step and wrongly justified themselves by misapplying the command to "live by them." They saw in nature the sanctification of God's Name by the frogs, and this supplemented their knowledge of the mandate to sanctify God's Name. Their new knowledge gave them the courage and will to fulfill that which they knew to be intellectually binding. By seeing kiddush Hashem represented in nature, they sensed it, they felt it. If frogs have the strength to do this, they reasoned, surely that same strength exists within us.

May we steep ourselves in Torah learning so that in observing the world around us, we can be inspired, encouraged and strengthened to navigate our paths to emunah and love of Hashem.

[muman613]

This is the kind Rabbi who was at our Lag BaOmer event:




This article from torah.org continues to explain the concept which I am trying to convey.


http://www.torah.org/features/spirfocus/nature.html

Appreciating Nature
by Rabbi Abraham Twerski, M.D.

Quite probably animals have an appreciation of nature at some level, but they cannot possibly appreciate the grandeur of nature the way man can. The importance of appreciation of nature in spirituality can be seen in Maimonides, who states that the way a person can come to reverence and love of God is through recognizing His enormous wisdom as contained in nature (Foundations of Torah 2:2).

We may walk past trees that have thousands of leaves and give no thought to the miracle of photosynthesis and to the incomparable engineering in the structure of a leaf. One does not have to travel to Niagara Falls to have a breathtaking experience. All one needs to do is look intelligently through a microscope at a simple leaf.

I sometimes wonder: How was it possible for the Israelites, who had witnessed unprecedented miracles in Egypt followed by the parting of the waters of the Red Sea, to have any doubts about God providing for them in the desert, as the Torah relates?

I believe it was because they were so accustomed to so many miraculous happenings that they related to miracles the way we relate to nature, and since they did not perceive them as miracles but as natural events, they did not know how there could be food and water in a barren desert.

"Our ancestors in Egypt did not understand Your wonders, and therefore did not remember Your abundant kindnesses" (Psalms 106:6). Anything that occurs with regularity or is commonplace loses its impact, and that is why we are derelict in recognizing the miracles within nature.

To anyone who has studied physiology, the human body is a virtually unbelievable organism. If one were to try to duplicate the functions of the liver, it is doubtful that a fully computerized four-story laboratory could accomplish the myriad of chemical and enzymatic processes with anywhere near the precision of the four-pound liver. And if one would study the central nervous system, one would discover that in the brain there are over 14 billion units (cells), all multiply interconnected, which process all the incoming data from our senses of vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste, and send messages to the appropriate body organs and limbs, with perhaps millions of interactions occurring every minute.

The one-pound organ that resides within the human skull makes the Internet system appear like a simple tinkertoy by comparison. And at the base of the brain there is a gland no larger than a thumbnail, which constantly analyzes the chemical composition of the blood, especially the various hormones and mineral levels, and regulates it with an uncanny precision by sending messages to the appropriate glands and organs. This refers only to the brain itself; we know very little about the actual function of the human mind, which although intimately associated with the brain, is not accessible to examination via a microscope.

Any person with intelligence would stand in awe at this and other marvelous works in nature, and indeed come to a reverence for God. And the realization of what God has provided for us in nature would lead to the love of God, as Maimonides says.

It is a mitzvah to recite Psalms and it is a mitzvah to study Psalms. But if one wishes to appreciate the adoration of God through nature, let him read Psalm 104 carefully.

The importance of appreciating nature is further made evident where King David cites the virtues of Torah: "The Torah of God is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of God is trustworthy, making the simple one wise, etc." (Psalms 19:8-10). However, he precedes his praise of Torah with: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse of the sky tells of His handiwork etc." (Psalms 19:2-7). If one thinks of the infinite greatness and wisdom of God as testified to by nature, one can approach the Torah with greater respect and admiration.

The concept of Maimonides is further proven by the fact that prior to our reciting the Shema, in which we declare our loyalty to and love for God, the sages composed a lengthy blessing which extols the greatness of God as seen in nature, and draws upon psalm 104: "How great are Your works, O God, You make them all with wisdom, the world is full of Your possessions" (Psalms 104:24).

Only a human being has the capacity to see the greatness of God in nature, and when we do so, we are being spiritual.

[muman613]

Hashems power is immeasurable when unleashed through nature...



Tehillim 148 expresses this very clearly:

http://m.chabad.org/dailystudy/tehillim.asp?tDate=10/24/2014

Chapter 148

The psalmist inspires one to praise God for His creations-above and below-all of which exist by God's might alone.

1. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the celestial heights.
2. Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts.
3. Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all the shining stars.
4. Praise Him, hea-ven of heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens.
5. Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for He comman-ded and they were created.
6. He has established them forever, for all time; He issued a decree, and it shall not be transgressed.
7. Praise the Lord from the earth, sea-monsters and all [that dwell in] the depths;
8. fire and hail, snow and vapor, stormy wind carrying out His command;
9. the mountains and all hills, fruit-bearing trees and all cedars;
10. the beasts and all cattle, creeping things and winged fowl;
11. kings of the earth and all nations, rulers and all judges of the land;
12. young men as well as maidens, elders with young lads.
13. Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for His Name is sublime, to Himself; its radiance [alone] is upon earth and heaven.
14. He shall raise the glory of His people, [increase] the praise of all His pious ones, the Children of Israel, the people close to Him. Praise the Lord!

[muman613]

Jerusalem and the land of Israel in High Resolution time-lapse photography...




Tehillim 3 http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16224/jewish/Chapter-3.htm

1. A song of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.       א. מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד בְּבָרְחוֹ מִפְּנֵי | אַבְשָׁלוֹם בְּנוֹ:
2. O Lord, how many have my adversaries become! Great men rise up against me.       ב. יְהֹוָה מָה רַבּוּ צָרָי רַבִּים קָמִים עָלָי:
3. Great men say concerning my soul, "He has no salvation in God to eternity."       ג. רַבִּים אֹמְרִים לְנַפְשִׁי אֵין יְשׁוּעָתָה לּוֹ בֵאלֹהִים סֶלָה:
4. But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and He Who raises up my head.       ד. וְאַתָּה יְהֹוָה מָגֵן בַּעֲדִי כְּבוֹדִי וּמֵרִים רֹאשִׁי:
5. With my voice, I call to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy mount to eternity.       ה. קוֹלִי אֶל יְהֹוָה אֶקְרָא וַיַּעֲנֵנִי מֵהַר קָדְשׁוֹ סֶלָה:
6. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord will support me.       ו. אֲנִי שָׁכַבְתִּי וָאִישָׁנָה הֱקִיצוֹתִי כִּי יְהֹוָה יִסְמְכֵנִי:
7. I will not fear ten thousands of people, who have set themselves against me all around.       ז. לֹא אִירָא מֵרִבְבוֹת עָם אֲשֶׁר סָבִיב שָׁתוּ עָלָי:
8. Arise, O Lord, save me, my God, for You have struck all my enemies on the cheek; You have broken the teeth of the wicked.       ח. קוּמָה יְהֹוָה | הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי אֱלֹהַי כִּי הִכִּיתָ אֶת כָּל אֹיְבַי לֶחִי שִׁנֵּי רְשָׁעִים שִׁבַּרְתָּ:
9. It is incumbent upon the Lord to save, and it is incumbent upon Your people to bless You forever. ט. לַיהֹוָה הַיְשׁוּעָה עַל עַמְּךָ בִרְכָתֶךָ סֶּלָה: