Parshat Toldot-- --FINDING THE PERFECT BALANCE

            

 In this weeks parsha it speaks about how Rivka was pregnant with twins; when she passed the yeshiva of Shem ve’ever one child would kick, desiring to come out. When she would pass a place of idol worshipping her other child would kick so hard to come out. She then went to a prophet and he said that she will have two nations. They both will go in their own separate ways. 

            Rivka gave birth first to Eisav and then Yaakov. Eisav was into physicality, hunting, killing, and acting immorally; while Yaakov was full of spirituality and learning Torah. We learn that Yitzchak favored Eisav more when Rivka favored Yaakov more. How can it be that Yitzchak would love a Rasha like Eisav? Yitzchak knew he wasn’t a Tzaddik but he knew that Eisav had the potential to be great through by channeling his physicality.

            We learn a very important lesson from this parsha. Hashem put us in a world of physicality, which He wants us to enjoy. However, we have to find a compromise between these two worlds-- the physical and spiritual worlds. We don’t want to over indulge in the physical like Eisav and not end up reaching our spiritual potential. We need to incorporate the spirituality Yaakov had. 

We need to have that right balance, especially in the world today.  Ways to integrate our physical world to a spiritual plain-- balancing the physicality with spirituality:

1.     If you have an iPod, iPhone or iPad download an app that can bring you closer to Hashem and Judaism. Search for Torah and look what will come up.

2.     If you are addicted in watching television, minimize your time you spend watching it. If you watch television for 5 hours a day (I really hope you don't!) cut it down to 2 ½ hours.

3.     If you are afraid to tap into your spiritual side. Don’t be. All you need to do is talk to your Creator, your G-d, your King and most of all, your Father.

*There are many other ways to balance but these are the few I hope can help you become more in tuned to Spirituality.

SHABBBOT SHALOM!!

Esther Shamayev

Accepting the good with the bad

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Parshas Chayai Sarah

This week’s parsha, Chayai Sara, begins with Sara’s death. After Avraham returned from Mount Moriah, excited to tell Sara the amazing news, that Yitzkak was not sacrificed and he was saved by Hashem, Avraham instead found out that Sara had died.

Depsite Avraham’s loss, he did not complain to Hashem once! Rather, he went out to buy a plot for Sara.

To me, this is the most remarkable character trait seen in Avraham! Despite the fact that he almost lost his son, now, he actually lost his wife, still, he did not complain! His bitachon- truth in Hashem- was so strong! Avraham was able to see that everything that happens in life is G-d’s will.

Moreover, what happened to Sara in Avraham’s absence?

When the Satan failed to achieve victory over Avraham and Yitzkak during their journey to Mount Moriah (the Satan was attempting to get them to rebel against Hashem), the Satan decided to trick Sara.

He asked her, “Where is Yitzkak?”

Sara responded, “He went with his father to learn the laws of sacrifices.”

The Satan responded, “That is not true! Yitzkak is the sacrifice!”

When Sara heard this, she went to the three giants who lived at that time and requested that they look into the distance as far as they could to see if what the Satan said was true. Low and behold, the giants said they saw Avraham on Mount Moriah holding a knife over Yitzkak. When Sara heard this, she screamed six times and her soul left her body (now, on Rosh Hashanah we blow the shofar six times—the six uninterrupted tekiyos) .

How could is be that Sara and Avraham, who dedicated their lives to Hashem befall such tragic events? Their sole purpose of their lives was serving Hashem, so how could this happen to them? Unfortunately, we cannot understand how Hashem thinks and why He does what He does, in His infinite wisdom.

 However, the Midrash teaches us that when the Angel of Death came to take Sara, he could not take her, because her mind was constantly dwelling on the shechina—Hashem’s divine presence. Her entire life was about being conscious of Hashem’s existence. For the one moment that she diverted her thoughts, when she though Yitzkak was being sacrificed, the Angel of Death took her soul.

Of course Sara Emanu was on a higher spiritual plain than we can understand, she was a prophetess and spoke directly to Hashem. Nonetheless, we should look at her as an example and strive to emulate her.  All the 127 years she lived were righteous. Everything Hashem had bestowed upon her, good or bad, she accepted with happiness. Her entire being was in the service of Hashem! This should shed light onto us, just as Sara Emanu always meditated on G-d’s glory, how much more should we! For a split moment that Sara was distracted, her life was taken! How many times a day do we forget Hashem?! How many times a day do we stray from following Hashem’s ways because we get lazy or feel uninspired?

           

Our relationship to Hashem should be eternal, just as He is. We should not only praise Hashem for the goodness He bestows upon us, but rather, everything He does is for the ultimate good! We must strive to accept the good with the bad, because it is all from Hashem. Once we develop constant G-d consciousness, we will be able to see Hashem’s hand in our lives everyday, whether goodness prevails or tragedy strikes.

Parshat Lech Lecha

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In this week’s parsha, Lech Lecha, Avraham is commanded to leave his home and travel to an unknown destination. Hashem said, ‘Lech lecha- Go to yourself.” Hashem is telling Avraham to leave all that he knows behind and enter the unknown. He is testing Avraham yet again (this is Avraham’s third of ten tests). In actuality, what Hashem is telling Avraham when He says, ‘lech lecha- go to yourself’- Hashem is telling Avraham to find himself. Hashem wanted Avraham to leave everything he had known and reestablish himself in the world. Because he had developed and reached such a high level it was time for him embark upon a new journey and implement all that he has learned.

Similarly, in our own lives, Hashem too tells us, ‘lech lecha,’ explore yourself and take leaps towards new discovery. Throughout our lives, as we develop more spiritually and religiously, our growth tends to get impeded upon our inability to take that ‘leap of faith.’ Rather than implementing a life more connected to Hashem, we get scared and sometimes let that fright take us in the opposite direction! What we can learn from Avraham is to have the utmost trust- bitachon- in Hashem, and know that these struggles are tests from Hashem. Hashem wants to see how far we are willing to go for Him, and how far we are willing to go for ourselves. 

Moreover, this should push in the direction of self discovery. This parsha should push us to contemplate who we are. What is our potential is this world? What steps can we take towards developing that potential? These were all questions Avraham undoubtedly asked himself and these too are questions we should constantly be asking ourselves! May Hashem give us all the clarity to uncover our inner most essence and what our potential in this world is!

Don't let embarssment get the best of you!

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This week’s parsha is Parshat Lech Lecha. We know that Sarah Emeynu wasn’t able to conceive children. Sarah wanted to make her husband, Avraham happy by giving him the most incredible gift on earth, a child. So, she decided that she would give her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar, to marry her husband, so that way he could have a child with her. Rashi says, Sarah made that choice so that she could benefit from Hagar by raising the child in the way of Hashem. She then told Avraham and he listened to Sarah and he married Hagar.

Hagar immediately got pregnant and started to look at Sarah in a less respectful way. Hagar felt that Sarah was superficial and just looked spiritual on the outside, since she couldn’t get pregnant right away like Hagar. Everyday Hagar would humiliate Sarah. However, Sarah Emeynu didn’t respond back to her, she kept silent. After a while, she decided to get rid of Hagar and remarry Avraham.

The Targum Yonatan says, that Sarah Emeynu came to Avraham Avinu and said; ‘look how much I sacrificed for you. Hashem said Lech Lecha; you should leave not me. I gave my maidservant Hagar to you and now she is embarrassing me to no end. I was violated twice, by AviMelech and the Plishtim.’ She continued, ‘with all the pain and suffering that I have undergone, I am certain that Hashem broke the judgment against me of not having children.’ Avraham agreed and remarried Sarah.

We learn an incredible lesson from Sarah Emeynu. She knew that she had a bad decree set for her; however, she knew how to change the bad decree. The tool to change your fate is to accept all the embarrassment and suffering people bring upon and not respond back, but rather to swallow your words. Let the embarrassment be an atonement for your sins.

The Gemara compares those who accept the embarrassment, to the light of the stars that shine forever. “The embarrassment of sin atones for sin.” - Rabbi Eli Mansour

Next time someone embarrasses you, don’t say anything back because it’s your lucky day, your bad decree will be erased! That’s exactly what happened with our mother Sarah. She knew she had to go through atonement in order to erase the decree. There after, she was pregnant!

Shabbat Shalom!

By: Esther Shamayev

Parshas Noach - POISONOUS INDEPENDENCE

This week’s parsha, Noach, begins discussing the crimes of the generation before the flood. Although mankind no longer lived in Gan Eden, their lifestyle was extremely comfortable. The people lived enjoyable lives, with uninterrupted serenity. Children were born on the same day they were conceived. A newborn even had the ability to walk and speak immediately. The people lived extremely long lives; only after they sinned did Hashem shorten life to one hundred and twenty years. People from the generation before the flood had enormous physical strength, they were able to uproot trees and lions and panthers were harmless to them. This generation did not know what suffering was! Because the seasons never changed and the weather was always enjoyable, the perople only needed to sow the land every forty years.

The generation before the flood was living the dream! They had everything they needed and didn’t think they needed to follow G-d’s authority. They were knowingly guilty of idol worship, bloodshed, and immorality (three of the six commandments Hashem gave over to Adam). They said,

           

            “For what purpose do we need still need Him? We do not even require His help to obtain water, since we need no rain. We get abundant supply of water from different sources; we have the streams and wells of the earth!” Hashem answered them, “Is it with the very goodness that I bestowed upon you that you rebel against Me?! I shall punish you with the same substance, rain   water, and therefore, (6:17), ‘I will bring the flood of water.’

The generation before the flood completely turned from Hashem. They were prosperous and gained their independence from Him through witchcraft. They worshiped idols, they murdered, and they were sexual immoral (Many men took two wives, one for childbearing and one for pleasure. Men exchanged wives. They arranged marriage contracts between man and beasts.) This generation had been taught the laws Adam was given, yet they still chose to sin. Moreover, Hashem in His great mercy, was going to spare this generation, had they repented; however, their additional sin of robbery was inexcusable.

Does this sound familiar? WE live in that very same world! A world where people think they are completely independent from Hashem (worshiping themselves and their accomplishments, rather than recognizing that their success is from Hashem) and where people knowingly ignore Hashem’s commandments! 

Today we live in the most affluent society known to mankind, where we are independent thinkers, too advanced to believe in G-d. Ironically, we are enslaved by this corrupting ideology! Our society has been corrupted by material abundance, which has caused immense pandemonium! Our society worships materialism, we have become desensitized by bloodshed, and people are more promiscuous than ever! Rather than learning from the mistakes made in history, we repeat them!

The only way to achieve true harmony and avoid any future destruction is through living according to Hashem’s dictates. The Torah is not just a book of restrictions, as many people like to argue, but rather, the wisdom of the Torah teaches us how to be freed from being dependent on this materialistic and corrupting society, as the generation before the flood and our current generation are ruled by. 

Moreover, the Torah teaches us how to rule over the physical dimension that our society is poisoned by (Judaism teaches to take the physical and material world and elevate it to get closer to Hashem, examples include: using your wealth to help the needy, saying prayers before eating, getting married according to the Torah standards--sexuality challenged properly, etc.). 

Moreover, by recognizing that we are completely dependent on Hashem for everything we have, and not dependent on our material desires, we will develop a heighten appreciation for all the kindness He bestows upon us. Parshas Noach teaches us just that! Don't let the allure of independence poison you to forget your true dependence on Hashem!

Torah for your table! MIKVAH YOURSELF!

            As we have seen from this week’s parsha that G-d commanded Noach to build an ark because the generation of Noach angered Hashem and broke all commandments given to Adam. They lived a life full of immorality and a life full of emptiness. This caused Hashem to bring a flood upon the world and to destroy them from earth. (6:13). Hashem needed the world to be purified from all the sins that the generation of Noach committed, just like a Mikvah. The water filled the earth with the same measurement of a kosher mikvah, 40 se’ah. Hashem gave the generation of Noach 120 years to do Teshuva- repent. 120 years passed. Nobody repented. The only people spared were Noach and his family.  The clean animals were also spared (the animals that didn't commit bestiality).

         This parsha comes to teach us many things. The first thing is that we can see is how our society breaks all of Hashem's Commandments, all day, every day. We live in a world full of tumah- impurity. Our job is to find the holiness and avoid the things that are against Torah and Hashem. This is very serious; we must do teshuva before we are redeemed from our current exile. We have to be strong and overcome the battles that society brings forth to us.  The world we live in today is very similar to the time of Noach. To help purify the world again we need to mikvah ourselves (mikva-ritual purifying bath). We need to look within ourselves and find ways to create meaningful change, only then can we purify ourselves from all the sins that we do. In the merit that Mashiach should come speedily, take upon yourselves one thing that you want to fix about yourself.

Examples: Try to speak positively. Try to smile to others.  Try not to raise your voice. Try not to get angry. Try to keep Shabbat.  Try to keep Shomer Negiah. Etc.

If you really want to be saved from the potential flood on your neshama that society brings, then act now and start to change!

Shabbat Shalom

By: Esther Shamayev

        

Parshas Bereshit

WHERE ARE YOU?

 

This week’s parsha continues discussing the consequences of Adam’s punishment. When Adam heard Hashem calling out to him, after he sinned, Adam hid. The sin caused Adam to tremble when he heard Hashem’s voice, whereas before the sin, he could bear Hashem’s voice without fear. Hashem called out, “Ayeka—Where are you?”  Hashem, who obviously knew where Adam was asked him this question to get Adam to confess his guilt and repent. How is it that Adam hid from Hashem? Didn’t he know that Hashem, the all-knowing creator of existence, would know exactly where he was? Despite this awareness, Adam still hid because he felt such shame for his sin and now the shechina- Hashem’s divine presence- had departed from Gan Eden.

Nevertheless, Hashem persisted in questioning Adam, hoping he would confess his sin and do teshuva. However, instead of confessing, Adam blamed Chava for sinning, he said, “Did I sin as long as I was single? It was the woman You brought to me who seduced me and made me violate your command!” Hashem was displeased with Adam’s lack of remorse and how ungrateful he was for the wife He had given him.

Hashem then turned to Chava and asked her what she had done, hoping to get her to admit her sin and repent. However, she responded, “Master of the Universe, it was the snake who persuaded me to sin!”

Obviously, Hashem was displeased with their answers. Instead of taking responsibility for what they had done and asking Him for forgiveness, they just tried to shift the blame; therefore, they were eternally punished.

This infamous Garden of Eden story should shed light into our own lives. Throughout life, we too do many things that Hashem would not approve of, and that even we wouldn’t approve of. In order to avoid embarrassment and shame, we think of every excuse under the sun as to why we did what we did. When we are faced with these challenges, we must remember that Hashem is calling out to us saying, “Ayeka—Where are you?”  In other words, where is your higher self? Rather than getting defensive about past mishaps, we must take full responsibility for our sins, but recognize that that is exactly what Hashem wants from us. Once we take complete ownership for our sins, only then can we find the strength within to repent and avoid making the same mistake again. Let us learn from Adam and Chava rather than continuously repeating the mistakes of history. We have the formula to create change; it is up to us to take responsibility when Hashem asks us, ‘Ayeka,’ only then can we looking introspectively within and allow real change to be made.