Parshat Eikev- "Medicine for Your Soul"

       The Hebrew word "Eikev" means the heel of ones foot. Why does the first sentence in this weeks parsha start off with the word "Eikev" (which means the heel of ones foot)? In order to teach us that the mizvoth  Hashem commanded us to do are all equally the same. Not one mitzvah has a lower importance than the other. So, this comes to teach us that we cannot pick and choose which Mitzvah we want to keep because every mitzvah is important and we should strive to work on each mitzvah slowly but gradually to  reach the level that each of our precious souls need to reach in this world. The Torah is our prescription to our problems. The word Eikev is heel, to teach us that life is made up of steps, and if we realize that every little step leads to a bigger one that can define our lives, we will automatically be more careful with the steps we choose to take. Every step we take in our life leads us to a destination. Depending on your choice that will lead you to either a good or bad destination. The only way we will bring the redemption closer is if we serve Hashem with happiness. Otherwise, the depression will overcome us and we will not have faith in the coming of Mashiach and we won't care to do mitzvoth so let us all try to find one mitzvah that we will always do with ultimate happiness. Some examples, welcoming guests, kiruv, respecting parents, preparing for shabbat etc.
Make one mitzvah yours. Have a wonderful Shabbat =)

Parshat Va'Etchanan "The Power of Prayer"

                                   


      In this weeks parsha Moshe Rabbeynu emphasizes that the covenant Hashem made with our forefathers, Hashem made the covenant with us for every generation and for eternity. Moshe reiterates the the 10 commandments that was handed down to us at Har Sinai. Moshe utters the famous plea of Shema Yisrael that we say twice a day "Hear O Israel: Hashem our G-d, Hashem is One" (6:4) The parsha also continues to teach us of the art of prayer, prophecy and teachings that guarantee our Jewish survival. "For you are a holy people to Hashem, your G-d; Hashem, your G-d has chosen you to be his own treasure, out of all nations that are on the face of the earth" (7:6). In the beginning verses of parsha, Moshe Rabbeynu prays to Hashem, saying even if we are undeserving, we beseech G-d to find favor with us, accept our prayers, and grant our request as a free gift. We as an individual believe that G-d "owes us". Those who think like that are foolish because Moshe Rabbeynu who was on a high level didn't even think like that. The generation we live in is short on patience but long on expectations. If we feel that are prayers haven't gotten answered, we are quick to give up in frustration and self-righteous indignation. However, prayer is our only solution. We should never forget that when problems overwhelm us, it is only God who can help. Our sages teach us that since the destruction of the Holy Temple, all the gates to heaven are locked, except for the gates of tears, which means that genuine, heartfelt prayers can bring many miracles, We should never give up. Each us of should find one holy person from the Torah such-as; Moshe, King David etc. and learn about their greatness and faith of God in order that we can try our best to attain that belief and love of God.

Parshat Devarim: 'History Repeats Itself'

      In this weeks parsha, we learn that its never too late to start a new life, to allow ourselves to change. This is so, because no matter how much the Jewish nation complained or sinned against G-d, Hashem still forgave us and gave us many other chances to reconnect with Him. Unfortunately, what we are going through for the past thousands of years is feeling hatred from other nations simply because we are Jewish. However, we all need to understand that history repeats itself we will always be hated until Hashem will bring the final geula, redemption and the entire world will know the truth about Hakadosh Baruch Hu. We need not forget that it is only human like to make mistakes and therefore Hashem gave us the process of repentance, Teshuva. The three steps of repentance are verbally admitting the sin, feeling guilty about the sin and to try not doing it again. That is why it is never to late to start a new life and we must learn from our history how we can fix our present situation.
Shabbat Shalom! 

Parshat Pinchas

פנחס

Numbers: (25:10-30:1)

In the conclusion of last weeks Parsha, the Torah described how Zimri the son of Salu from the tribe of Shimon, and a Midiante woman, Cozbi the daughter of Zur (an elite member of the Midianite nation) came together inappropriately before Moses and the entire congregation. Pinchas rose up from the congregation and killed both Zimri and Cozbi, thus halting the plague that had killed 24,000 people of the Children of Israel.

This weeks Parsha, named for Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron, opens with G-ds approval of Pinchass actions, who has turned My wrath away from the Children of Israel, in that he was zealous for My sake among them, so that I didnt consume the Children of Israel in my jealousy (25:11).

G-d gives Pinchas a covenant of peace and of an everlasting priesthood. G-d also orders Moses to distress the Midianites and to destroy them because they distressed you with their wiles, with which they tricked you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague caused by the incident at Peor (25:18).

G-d then orders Moses and Elazar, the son of Aaron, to conduct another census of the nation, counting each male of twenty years of age and older, that are able to go forth to war in Israel. Among the list of names recorded, the Torah mentions Zelophehad the son of Hepher, a descendent from the tribe of Menassah, who had no sons but five daughters whose names are given: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.

In the midst of the list of names, we read of the laws of inheritance in Israel. G-d speaks to Moses at the beginning of chapter 26 and tells him that the land will be apportioned through a lottery system according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit (26:55), though the large tribes are to be given a larger portion than the smaller tribes.

The daughters of Zelophehad then come to Moses and Elazar and tell them that their father died in the desert, for his own sins, but that he had left no sons to inherit his land.

They ask, Why should our fathers name be eliminated from his family because he had no son? Give us a portion along with our fathers brother (27:4).

Moses brings their cause before G-d and G-d recognizes their right to their fathers land, saying What Zelophehads daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their fathers relatives and turn their fathers inheritance over to them (27:7).

G-d then pronounces the law that states that if a man passes away and has no son, his property must be handed over to his daughter. If he has no daughter, the inheritance is then transferred to the mans brothers and if he has no brothers, to his fathers brothers. If the father has no brothers, the inheritance is to be handed over to the nearest relative in his clan.

G-d pronounces, This is to be a legal statute for the Children of Israel, as G-d commanded Moses (27:11).

G-d then orders Moses to stand on the summit of Mount Abarim, from which Moses would be able to see the land of Israel but not enter it. G-d tells him that You shall see it, and then he will be gathered onto his people (27:12).

The Ohr HaChaim comments that this seeing was a spiritual vision of the land, rather than just a physical one.

G-d states that this is Because you disobeyed My command in the desert of Zin when the congregation quarreled, to sanctify Me through the water before their eyes; these were the waters of strife at Kadesh, in the desert of Zin (27:14).

G-d appoints Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom there is spirit as Mosess successor (27:18). Moses lays his hands on Joshua and commands him in the presence of Elazar and the entire congregation, according to G-ds command.

The Parsha concludes with the specific details of various sacrificial offerings, including those to be brought daily, on the Sabbath, Rosh Chodesh (the New Moon), Passover, Shavuout, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Shemini Atzeret.

17th of Tammuz

Today the 17th of Tammuz sitting and learning Torah for the Beit hamikdash to be rebuilt all I hear in the media is tragedy after tragedy while on my end I hear the beautiful birds chirping singing to Hashem to put an end to this. It all started on June 12, 2014 it was the beginning of our unity when three precious boys were abducted and killed right away by HAMAS. Every single Jew in the world whether or not he was frum, Ashkenazi or Sephardi we all united in prayer to bring back our boys... 18 days later we find their bodies under rocks dead... Gilad ShaR, Eyal YifraH and Yaakov Naftali FrenkeL. The boys last letter of there last names spell RACHEL. Rachel our mother has the power to ask for Hashem to save her children because she kept quiet when her father gave her sister Leah to marry yaakov. She sacrificed her happiness for someone else to be happy and not to look like a fool. Do any of us have an ounce of that sensitivity in us? Every sin that each of us does without knowing or with full intention we are giving energy to our enemies to harm us every bad word ..wrong doing we create a bad angel who has the ability to harm any Jew in the world it's scary how we are the cause of such tragedies without intending to harm anyone. Hashem sacrificed His home for us to still exist. What will you sacrifice in order to bring the redemption closer?

Parshat Masei- "Where Are We?"

      Parshat Masei always coincides with the three weeks of the Jewish people mourning for the destruction of the holy temples. The Torah never speaks of sorrow without imparting hope and consolation. So in this weeks parsha it imbues us with faith and strength that even though such tragedies happened in the month of Av also known as "Menachem Av" which means "a comforting father". The parsha is coming to teach each and every one of us that nothing just happens like that. Everything that happens to us in our life is for a reason whether it looks terrible or not we need to believe in Hashem and know that He is there guiding every motion. This parsha is hear to remind us that we are not alone because we have Hashem our Father and our King. How even our forefathers had a long journey before entering the promised land. No matter how difficult their journey was Hashem at the end of the day remembered His promise and brought them back. So too, we should never lose hope because Hashem has His master plan in progress all that is left of us to do is put our seat belts on and take action and responsibilities for our mistakes and know that there is room for repentance. The Torah then goes on to speak about the 42 encampments along life's journey. Forty two is a mystical number, compromising the letters in God's ineffable Name. There is a kabbalistic teaching that as a result of our sins those letters in God's holy Name have become blemished, and so we embark upon our journeys to gather those holy sparks and return them to wholeness, to God's holy Name, which we have blemished through our sins. When our journeys become hard and challenging, we suddenly start to think how can we continue with such a hard test. However, we must remember there is a purpose to our journeys. We need to only follow the ways of Hashem through His infinite Torah and Hashem will guide us to our ultimate destination. May Hashem bless each and every one of you to tap into your neshamot into your holy souls and re navigate your souls and know where you are heading because everyone needs to make sure they are heading in the direction where we will bring ourselves closer to G-d and closer to ourselves.

Parshat Chukat

פרשת חקת

Numbers: (19:1-22:1)

In Parashat Chukat, we encounter an end of an era, the ends of three of the leaders of Israel: Moses, Aharon and Miriam.

The Parsha opens with the laws of פרה אדמה (the Red Heifer), a special and rare kind of animal that is described as a perfect red cow without any blemish and upon which never came a yoke: G-d instructs Moses and Aaron,

דבר אל בני ישראל ויקחו אליך פרה אדמה תמימה אשר אין בה מום אשר לא עלה עליה על

Speak to the Children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish, upon which never came a yoke(19:2).

After the red heifer is slaughtered outside the camp before Elazar the priest, the skin of the cow, her flesh, and her blood, is burned. Her ashes are used to purify a person who has been made impure by contact with a dead body. What is interesting about this ritual is that the same way that the ashes of the red heifer can purify the impure it can also make the pure impure, as in the case of he that gathers the ashes. Of whom it written, And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening (19:10).

After forty years of wandering in the desert, the Children of Israel arrive at the wilderness of Zin. Miriam, the older sister of Moses and Aaron, dies in a place called Kadesh.

Rashi comments that Miriams death comes immediately after the portion of the Red Heifer in order to teach us that the same way the sacrifices can bring כפרה (atonement) so too, the deaths of the righteous can bring atonement.

Soon after the death of Miriam, the Children of Israel encounter a lack of water and, once again, they quarrel with Moses, saying:

ולמה הבאתם את קהל ה אל המדברהזה למות שם אנחנו ובעירנו

Why did you bring the congregation of G-d into this desert to die with our livestock? (20:4)

The מפרשים or commentators notice that the name מרים (Miriam) contains the word מים or water. Rashi explains that because of Miriams merit, during the forty years in the desert, the Children of Israel had a well that provided water for them. After Miriams death, however, the well was removed.

To address the lack of water, G-d instructs Moses to speak to the rock that will give forth its water, as it is written:

ודברתם אל הסלע לעיניהם ונתן מימיו והוצאת להם מים מן הסלע והשקית את העדה ואת בעירם

And speak to the rock before their eyes to bring forth its water; so you shall bring water out of the rock for them and you shall give drink to the congregation and their cattle (20:8).

Moses then becomes angry with the Children of Israel and calls them rebels, as it written:

שמעו נא המרים המן הסלע הזה נוציא לכם מים

Listen you rebels! Can we extract water from this rock for you? (20:10)

Instead of speaking to the rock Moses famously strikes the rock, twice, causing water to gush out in full force.

Moses and Aaron are then told that neither of them will enter The Promised Land:

יען אשר לא האמנתם בי להקדישני לעיני בני ישראל

Because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me in the children of Israels eyes(20:12)

Aaron dies on Mount Hor and the children of Israel mourn him for thirty days. Moses and the children of Israel conquer the lands of Sichon, king of the Amorites and Og, the king of Bashan, after the two nations denied the Children of Israel to to pass through their land.

וידבר ה אל משה ואהרן לאמר

G-d spoke to Moses and Aaron saying...(19:1)

In this Parsha, we see the power of speech and of words. The Parsha opens with G-d speaking to Moses and Aaron and in the next verse, G-d commands Moses to speak to the Children of Israel. In chapter 20, verse 7, G-d speaks to Moses again:

וידבר ה אל משה

G-d spoke to Moses

In 20:8, G-d tells Moses and Aharon to speak to the rock, as it is written:

ודברתם אל הסלע

In 21:5, the people speak out against G-d and Moses:

וידבר העם באלהים ובמשה

And the people spoke against God, and against Moses.

Moses was punished with a rather harsh punishment for striking the rock instead of speaking to it. His punishment, however, provides an important lesson in leadership. A leader must know when to use his staff (force) and when his staff should remain mute and he should try to communicate and negotiate with words.

Moses seems to have had difficulty with speech since we first met him in the book of Exodus when he tells G-d that he can not be a leader for,

לא איש דברים אנכי גם מתמול גם משלשם כי כבד פה וכבד לשון אנכי

I am not a man of words not since yesterday, not since the day before; for I have a heavy mouth and a heavy tongue(Exodus, 4:10).