First 2 pages of my new sefer - Jewish Mission

[muman613]

My Sefer – Jewish Mission

   Our holy Torah is a guide for the Jew. It is the path to g-dliness and the light which illuminates our souls. Jews are a miraculous people as our history testifies. There is no reason to believe that our journey through history will cease, as long as we raise generations who uphold the Torah and it's values. Hashem is the G-d of history, his hand is seen in events from long ago, and in events to this very day. The Jewish view of history is that everything which has happened, is happening, and will happen is in the direct providence of Hashem. Everything which has happened to us, good and evil, is due to our relationship with HaKadosh Baruch Hu.

   Time is cyclical to the religious Jew. Every year when we celebrate the festivals of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot we are to relive our experience in the Exodus from Mitzrayim. We don't just celebrate the historical value of the day like other cultures. These days are supposed to make us feel like we are involved in the events of old. We are also commanded to have joy during these festivals. Every year we should gain more and more spiritual energy as we ascend the spiral of time and space.

   All of our mitzvot involve one or more of the traits of time, place, or thought. Some mitzvahs must be performed at a certain time while others can only be done in certain places. And a few of the mitzvahs require us to have certain thoughts or emotions. From our waking in the morning, through our work day, and till we retire at night we can accomplish much kiddusha. Judaism teaches us that this physical world can be raised up through our own actions. We are tasked to rectify this world and bring it to recognize Hashems reign over all the worlds.

   He has promised our forefathers that he will keep the Jewish people alive in order to bring about this rectification. We are waiting for Moshiach to come, so that we can accomplish the goal of bringing Hashems light into the world. Any student of history must ask 'why the Jewish people?' Why indeed! The Torah answers this question very succinctly. Our Torah contains so many layers of wisdom that even the sharpest human mind cannot fathom the Chukkim {supra-rational decrees}.

   This wisdom has been passed from father to son, from teacher to student, in an unbroken chain for over 3000 years. Sages and Gaons and intellectual giants have studied and taught the oral law, which consists of our Talmud and the Gemara and the writings of the sages. We have taught Torah during times of oppression at the hands of the Greeks, the Babylonians, and the Romans, the Persians, the Spanish, the European. Not a day passed when someone in the world was not involved in studying Hashems Torah.

   The Holy One has created a very wondrous world for us.  We should marvel at the natural beauty of the world. Say blessings on the landscape, the green mountains and the blue sky. Rejoice in the sounds of the birds and the wind in the leaves. Breathe in the glorious air which was created for our lungs. It was created for a purpose. We were created for a purpose. Our purpose is to achieve the goal of living in harmony with our Jewish brethren in the holy land.


   The truth is that this world is full of beauty, but it is also filled with pain and suffering. The truth is that our G-d created all the struggle which we see and we feel. He created our own yetzer hara, and he created the people who chastise us. He created the light and the dark as our davening in the blessing before Shema relates:

“Blessed are You, Hashem, our G-d, King of the Universe, Who forms light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates all”

   Some of our people don't face the truth as it is written. It is easy to become an eternal optimist in times of plenty. During times of plenty our people have wandered from the path of Torah and the results have been disastrous. Even the prophecy of Moshe given from Hashem foretells of what happens to Jews when they stray from the will of the L-rd. Even though He is a loving father who loves us unconditionally, he is also a master who demands our service. He will punish those who deserve to be punished, and the Jewish people as a whole will be tested.

   Our Avraham Avinu demonstrates the true yids determination to bring the divine into this world. He was asked to pick up from his fathers house and all that he had grown up with. Although he rejected his fathers idolatry he still felt a need to honor his father, but was unable to do so. He left for a land which he did not know only because of the prophecy he attained due to his trust in G-d. Avraham was tested consistently, ten times he was tested. Each test was harder than the previous and it culminated in the binding of Isaac, his favorite son and the progenitor of the Jewish nation.

   Avraham and Sarah settled in the land of Canaan. Yet Hashem even tested him again, forcing them to go to Egypt because of a drought. Imagine the hardship these souls must have felt because they were doing G-ds will and yet they were struggling. Yet their trust did not wane and Hashem kept his covenant with Avraham.

   We are all tested at our own levels. Those who rise to higher levels are tested with even greater tests. But we are taught that the person is never tested with things which he cannot overcome. The yetzer hara {evil inclination} , and the entire sitra achra {the side of impurity}knows our weaknesses and yet Hashem gives us the power to overcome them.

Also Your servant was careful with them; for in observing them there is great reward. Who understands errors? Cleanse me of hidden [sins]. Also withhold Your servant from willful sins; let them not rule over me; then I will be perfect and I will be cleansed of much transgression.(Tehillim 19)

   The Holy One is a loving father and the Jewish people are his beloved son. The Holy One is a loving husband and we are his sometimes unfaithful wife. We stood under the Chuppah at Mount Sinai and we gave our vow “Naaseh V'Nishma” which means we will do, and we will hear. The Jewish people attained a level of prophecy which was not imaginable to us today, what they saw and heard at the base of the mountain. Yet even the miraculous events which they witnessed did not prevent them from making certain errors about what Hashem wanted from the nation.

   Our people have made many mistakes throughout history. We have suffered from these mistakes. Torah shows us that the nature of this world is din, or judgement. The scoffers point to the concept of Middah Kenegged Middah as a barbarian system. The simple meaning is that justice must be meted measure for measure, that if one inflicts damage which is worth so much, he must pay that amount. Everything operates in this world measure for measure, with a bit of mercy thrown in by the Holy One, blessed is he, himself.

   The non-believer would ask why was all of Egypt punished because of the stubborness of the Pharoah. Because Pharoah was the diety of Egypt he was their strength and Egypt was the strongest power at that time. Hashem wanted to demonstrate his control over time, space, and thoughts to the world. Because the Egyptians caused the Jewish people to suffer during their sojourn in Egypt, they were punished measure for measure.

I will be writing more on Sunday... I am leading towards a message of religious zionism, toward the Jewish messianic vision, and what we Jews should do to accomplish our mission.

muman613

[muman613]

Here is the beginning of another Torah discussion I started but have not finished...


The pendulum of the Generations : The lives of the Patriarchs


Parasha Toldot tells us about the story of the conflict between our father Jacob and his wicked twin Essau. The Torah wants us to learn about the struggles which go on in the world, both internally and externally. The cosmic struggle between the brothers which culminates in Jacob wrestling with the angel is still going on to this day.

Many sages have related that each of the three patriarchs represent different middot {Character traits} that the Jewish people should have. The three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, represent the middot of Chesed, Gevurah/Din, and Tiferet.

Abraham the man of Chesed

Our father Abraham was the man of Chesed. Chesed is the quality of Kindness. Abraham's kindness is legendary, and much of the Torahs narrative relates this quality. Avraham Avinu would sit at the entrance of his tent waiting for wayfarers to pass by so that he could provide food and lodging for them. He was known for his fine treatment of even the most common guests as the story of how he served the three angels which Hashem sent in order to give Avraham some guests to serve and to inform him and his wife of the birth of their son.

Abraham was also very concerned with the plight of the righteous people who may live in the cities of Sdom and Amora. He prayed mightily that if there were at least 10 righteous people in the city that the city should be spared.

Is it necessary to enter into an internal struggle, to ask for rain in spite of one's own desires? To put the needs of the nation above one's own personal feelings? There is certainly precedent for it. Abraham prayed that G-d should spare the inhabitants of Sodom, even though they represented every evil thing he had dedicated himself to opposing. Why? Because he was willing to suffer their existence, to live under the black cloud of their immorality, in order to give them the opportunity to repent.₁

Abraham dug wells which would eventually be plugged up by the Philistines. The waters of the wells represent the spiritual world, as the Torah is compared to water.

Our Rabbis often compare Torah to water. The Talmud says that "there is no water except Torah." This refers to the fact that when the word "water" is mentioned in the Torah, it refers to Torah itself. It is written, for example, that Jacob dug wells. This is referring to the fact that he established Torah schools. Maimonides also talks about this comparison and says, in the name of the Sages, that if you pour water on an incline, it goes to the lowest point. Similarly, words of Torah stick only to people who are humble and modest. ₂

Isaac the man of Din

The sages have told us that Isaac represents the character trait of Restraint and Judgment. The Torah does not tell us very much about this amazing man. Isaacs name refers to laughter, meaning "He will laugh". What laughter does his name refer to? Possibly the laughter of his mother Sarah when she was told about her impending pregnancy with Isaac when she was 99 years old. Torah also relates to us the monumental story of Abrahams final test of the Akeidah, the binding of Isaac at the altar. Isaac was 37 years old at the time of the Akeidah, thus he went willingly to be sacrificed because he knew that this was what Hashem wanted.

The Torah tells us that Isaac re-dug the wells which his father Abraham dug. This fact is important because it tells us about an essential quality of Isaac.

In fact, the one activity of Isaac's on which the Torah elaborates at some length is his well-digging. We are told how he reopened the wells originally dug by Abraham, and we are given a detailed account of a series of wells of his own which he dug--the names he gave them, and his struggles to retain control over them.₃

Isaac brought divinity from the depths of the earth, exposing the hidden waters. This is learned from a Kabbalistic source which discuss the differences between feminine waters and masculine waters.

His son Isaac was different. He personified the Sefirah of Gevurah, which is strength and restraint. After his father, Abraham, following the call of G-d, brought Isaac to the altar to be a burnt offering, even though Gd substituted a he-goat for him, Isaac was considered an oleh the offering of ascent. Thus his mode of service was that of aliyah, ascent, elevating the physical world to spiritual realms. This is also evident from the Biblical account of Isaac uncovering the wells. A well, which allows water to be drawn upward, serves here as a metaphor for the service of elevation.

The two modes of the Divine service are called in the Kabbalah the “masculine waters” and the “feminine waters”. As it was noted before, the term “masculine” is used in Kabbalah and Chasidism to denote the aspect of giving while the term “feminine” is used to denote the aspect of receiving. Thus mayim dukhrin, the masculine waters, represent the flow of the Divine benevolence from above downward. Mayim nukvin, the feminine waters, represent the elevation from below. The Gdman relationship is often viewed in Kabbalah as the meeting of these two streams. ₄

Issac goes blind towards the end of his life. One reason the sages have offered as to why our father Isaac, who is considered one of the pillars of the creation of the Jewish people, was caused to loose his sight is because he favored Essau. The Torah, when it relates the story of the maturing of his twin sons, clearly says that Isaac loved Essau, while Rebbecca favored Jacob. Rebecca, who had grown up in a household of wicked people like her father Bethuel and her brother Laban, was able to see through Essau's act of honoring his father. But Isaac was more concerned with tasty morsels which Essau would trap in the field. Hashem caused Isaac to become blind because Hashem wanted Isaac to bless Jacob while Isaac really wanted to bless Essau.

One of the reasons given is that Isaac favored Esau, and G-d knew that he wished to give the primary blessings to Esau. In blinding Isaac, G-d enabled Jacob to receive the blessings since Isaac would not see who he was blessing. If Isaac could see, he would undoubtedly bless Esau, so G-d's purpose was to reroute the blessings to Jacob. ₅


1 http://www.torah.org/features/spirfocus/antiprayers.html
2 http://www.innernet.org.il/article.php?aid=91
3 http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/62001/jewish/Isaacs-Wells.htm
4 http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/312107/jewish/The-Road-of-Ascent.htm
5 http://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/379330/jewish/Slandering-the-Wicked.htm

[Yaakov Mendel]

Thanks Muman, I think it's very good, you should continue.
One detail : why do you write "The Holy One is a loving husband and we are his sometimes unfaithful wife" ? I am not familiar with this metaphor and it sounds a little weird to me, considering the usual dual representation of the Father and the Master.

[muman613]

Thanks Muman, I think it's very good, you should continue.
One detail : why do you write "The Holy One is a loving husband and we are his sometimes unfaithful wife" ? I am not familiar with this metaphor and it sounds a little weird to me, considering the usual dual representation of the Father and the Master.

Shalom Yaakov,

I believe that Shavuot is considered the date of the 'wedding' between Klal Yisroel and Hashem. I do not know the origin of this belief but I have seen references to it.

For example:

http://www.torahweb.org/torah/2000/parsha/rsob_terumah.html

This development of our relationship with Hashem was not merely an event of the past. Every year as we celebrate the shalosh regalim we relive theseexperiences. We are chosen by Hashem to be His bride during the yom tov of Pesach. We eagerly await our wedding which takes place on Shavuot. Finally, we celebrate our week of sheva berachot during Succot as we recreate the mishkan and the Clouds of Glory.

Each of the yomim tovim has a central theme. The essence of Succot is joy. Although there is a mitzvah of simcha on the other regalim, only Succot is defined as zeman simchatenu. On Pesach our joy is not complete because we have been chosen by Hashem but have not experienced dwelling with Him. On Shavuot we join Hashem at our "wedding", but the chupah of Har Sinai is only temporary. On Succot we celebrate life after the wedding. The true joy of marriage follows the wedding and is felt as the couple lives and grows together. The Binyan HaMishkan of old and the annual Succot are the true times of joy. It is only at these points that our relationship with Hashem has become permanent and this is our ultimate reason for rejoicing. May we merit to soon see the Binyan Beit HaMikdash, the culmination of our eternal relationship with Hashem.

http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/996

G-d is the King. The Jewish People are the bride. The Torah is our marriage contract.

Over three thousand years ago we went under the chupa wedding canopy with the Master of the World. This year, on Friday the 21st of May, we celebrate our 3,311th wedding anniversary. We don't see the King, but despite His "absence," the Jewish People still faithfully await His "return."

What keeps us going? The inviolable pact He made with us at Sinai. Ever since the nations gave up on the King, they have tried to woo the Jewish People away from waiting. However, as a nation, we have never succumbed to their blandishments.

[muman613]

Yaacov,

I also found this discussion of the Song of Songs to talk about this Husband/Wife relationship:

http://www.ou.org/chagim/pesach/shir.htm

According to RASHI, the Megilah is the “mashal” or allegory of a young and beautiful woman who becomes engaged to and then marries a king. But very soon after the marriage, she is unfaithful to him, causing him to send her away, into the status of “living widowhood,” meaning she is “as if” a widow, although her husband is still alive. But his love for her remains strong, and he watches over her at all times, from behind the scenes, to protect her. And when she resolves to return to him, and be faithful to him, he will take her back, with a love that is fully restored.

The “nimshal,” or referent, the object referred to by the “mashal,” is the People of Israel who were “engaged,” so to speak, to HaShem, when He took them out of Egypt. Then she stood beneath the “chupah,” the marriage canopy with Him, at Mount Sinai, when He gave her the Torah. But then at the foot of the mountain, she was unfaithful to Him by building the Golden Calf.

But He forgave her for that sin, and for another great sin, and He eventually brought her into the Land of Israel, where she continued to sin. His patience exhausted, He finally sent her into Exile. There she realized that it was far better for her at first with HaShem than afterwards with all the false gods, and pines for the return of their earlier intimate status, in the Land of Israel. But when He approaches her, she suddenly forgets her earlier resolution, and when she seeks Him out, He will not accept her without complete “Teshuvah,” Repentance. But during all the time of her Exile, He watches over her, from “behind the shutters” and protects her from her enemies.