Without darkness, there wouldn't be any stars....Aish Kodesh, Parsha Ki Seitzei

Without darkness there wouldn't be any stars.

                                                                                                   -popular saying

The Children of Israel are likened to the stars, which G-d counts and calls by name, when they come out and also again when they pass from the world and are gathered in.

                                                                                                                          -Rashi to Exodus 1:1

Parsha Ki Teitzei                    

Aish Kodesh - Holy Fire

This interpretive translation is taken from a manuscript written in 1939 in the darkness of the Warsaw Ghetto, based upon a talk given on the previous Shabbat by the Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, the Piasetzner Rebbe.  Found in the book Aish Kodesh - Fire of Holiness.

"When you will go out to war...and Hashem, your G-d, will place him (your enemy) into your hand and you will capture its captives."  (Deut. 21:10)

There is an explanation brought down by the saintly, great Magid of Mezritch regarding the verse, "You are the Kohen, forever".  'Kohen' represents loving-kindness and the word, "You", in the verse represents the idea that every Jewish person is able to say to G-d, "Baruch Ata...", Blessed are You.  The great loving-kindness of Hashem IS that  we can use the term "You" in addressing Hashem.  Until here is his (the Maggid's) holy language.

(To explain)  For  "You" is in the grammatical second person form, which in Hebrew is termed, "right in front of", whereas, the pronoun, "He", which is third person, in Hebrew is termed, "hidden".  So, by the fact that the Men of the Great Assembly fixed the language of the blessings and prayers using the language (Blessed are) "You G-d, our G-d" (King of the universe), certainly, these words cause a Divine revelation of which can be described as "right in front of", or else the use of "You" would result in a blessing in vain (bracha levatala).

And, this is what is brought down in holy books that "prayer, to be effective, requires Torah", as it is written in Proverbs, "the one who prevents his ear from hearing Torah, so are his prayers scorned". So, too, does "Torah requires prayer".  For we say in the blessing over learning Torah, 'Blessed ...the One who teaches to his nation Israel'.  That is, he teaches Torah to His nation, as a collective unit. 

Yet, it is possible for a person to receive "individual" instruction from Hashem.  However, for this, it is upon him/her to affect this, personally.  We find in the beginning of Parsha Vayikra, Rashi comments regarding Moshe meriting that Hashem's voice to spoke to him, personally, while the rest of Israel received general instruction....see there.

But, how do we affect this?  Through prayer, as explained above, which utilizes "You", which affects a direct, divine revelation.  Since he addresses Hashem in the "You" pronoun, Hashem responds by speaking to him and teaching him as well in the "you" form.  Through this, each person grasps their unique portion of the Torah, a portion that is particular to that individual.  One in which no other can grasp or achieve.  There is an insight on the verse, "The secret of G-d is for those who fear Him" (Psalms 25:14) found in the book, Ma'or VaShemesh (The author's maternal great, grand father and namesake). "Secret" usually refers to the deepest level of Torah interpretation, known commonly as Kabbalah.  However, even this esoteric level is able to be learned and is not fully a 'secret', as it is revealed in books.  Only a person's individual a nd personalized grasp of the Divine, which no other person can attain can be termed the true 'secret' of which the verse is fully.referring.  Until here is the his holy language (The author of Ma'or Vashemesh).

But, to be clear, for a person to really have the words of his prayers cause this type of direct, divine revelation, his essence and being has to be found inside those words. And, then, can there be an equal and opposite response, "as a face reflects a face in water" (Proverbs 27:19), will Hashem counter with a direct response. 

And, this applies even when a person's prayers are from "the walls of his heart" (meaning, that he put his essence and being into the words) due, solely, to difficult times, G-d forbid. Nevertheless, since there is an outpouring of the soul and it (the soul) is found in the words of prayer, there is already affected this type of direct response.

And this is the meaning to the beginning of the parsha "When you go out to war upon your enemies, and Hashem, your G-d..."  Even when it is only under duress that you truly pray from the depths of your hearts (like going to war), still the verse continues with the result of "and Hashem, your G-d, will place him (the enemy) into your hands."  Which can be interpreted to mean that the result will be Hashem becoming your (so to speak, personal) G-d".  The verse continues, "And you will capture its captives." (In a play on words, the Hebrew word for 'captive' and the Hebrew word for, 'return/repent' share the same etymological root.)  For Israel beseeches, "Hashem return us to you" (Lamentation 5:21) and, in turn, Hashem asks, "Return to me" .  Thereby, with this particular revelation you affect, "And you will capture its captive/return its returnees" and you will return what that Hashem needs to return, that is that He will return us to Him.

Who was the first Acupuncturist in the Torah?

Pinchas!        (Refer to the end of Parshas Balak)
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I have this friend, let's call him 'Jack'.  Now, Jack is quite crafty at employing different voices in order to play phone pranks on me.  It always serves as a good laugh between friends.  Well, one Sunday, actually it was Mother's Day, Jack called me on my home phone utilizing his real-to-life elderly Jewish grandmother's voice.  He wasn't going to get me this time.  

Jack: "Hello? Is Dr. Wasserman there?"

Me: "Yes, this is him."

Jack: "Are you an Acupuncturist?"

Me: "Nope," I said firmly.

Jack: "You aren't? Then what are you?"

Me: "I am a harpoonist!"

Jack:  "A whaaat?!?

Me (trying to be funny): "You see, harpooning is very similar to acupuncture, except the needles are longer and they kill whales."  (...as I chuckled, almost audibly, to myself)

Jack:  "I must have the wrong number."

Suddenly, I realized that this was not my friend Jack, but actually a real, elderly Jewish woman accidentally calling my home phone instead of my office number.  I apologized profusely explaining about my prankster friend, hoping that I didn't just lose a potential client.

That ole Jack!  He got me again.  And, he wasn't even aware of it.

Microversion of Pinchas' spear that earned him the 'Covenant of Peace'

                          

At the end of last week's parshah, we see that Pinchas stops a supernatural plague which was resulting from an act by Zimri, the head of the tribe of Shimon.  Zimri was performing a certain illicit act with a person with whom he was not supposed to be.  With the insertion of an over-sized acupuncture needle the size of a spear, Pinchas quite literally caught Zimri in the act.  'Nuf said.  See there.  

The G-d-given reward of this act occurs in this week's Parshah, Pinchas.  He is given Hashem's "Covenant of Peace".  Doesn't it seem ironic that what appears to be a violent act is rewarded with a "Peace" covenant?

Perhaps, the healing arts and acupuncture, in particular, might lend a (healing) hand to understanding this paradox.  Acupuncture's stated goal in healing is 'to bring a person closer to a homeostatic state of wholeness and balance' ; closer to the ideals of health and wellness.  Similarly, the word for Peace is Shalom, which in Hebrew, can also connote completion and wholeness.   This idealic state rarely comes through ease and comfort.  To those unaware of  acupuncture's purpose, the idea of multiple needles being inserted into a person in a single session (at a cost) does not sound like a Sunday past time.  Yet, once aware of the mechanism and goal, it is done voluntarily.  So, too with the achievement of any ideal state, it is accomplished through hardwork, even pain.  L'fum Tza'ara Agra...

Maybe its for this reason that with Parshas Pinchas, we enter the 'three weeks' of the Jewish calendar termed "Between the Straits".  There is a pivotal explanation by the Maggid of Mezritch to the verse in Lamentations (1:3) from which this term is derived.  The verse reads, 'Kol Rodfeha Hisiguha Bein HaMeitzarim'.  Translation: All of her (Israel's) pursuers capture her between the straits.  The Hebrew word, Rodfeha, meaning 'her pursuers' can be craftily read as 'those who pursue Hashem' (by simply placing a space between the Rodfe and the ha).  This results in an alternate reading of 'All of those who want to come close to Hashem may achieve a greater understanding of Him in difficult times' (Note: the Hebrew for capture can also refer to an intellectual grasp).  Although healing isn't always pleasant, it can bring us to a higher state than what existed before the imbalance. 

May we all utilize our difficult times (G-d willing, they be few in number) to achieve a greater sense of Shleimus (wholeness) and closeness to Hashem.

MIshpatim - Far and Near

There is a line in last week's Torah’s portion that discusses events surrounding the Sinaic experience. It reads: "Then He said to Moses, "Come up to the Lord...[All of] you must worship at a distance." (Exodus 24:1) The Kedushas Levi, R' Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, uses this phrase as a jumping off point to explain the two aspects of how we conceive the Infinite G-d. He terms these two aspects, ‘distant' and 'close'. The 'distant' aspect of G-d is the awareness that G-d is completely beyond any human, or even angelic, cognitive grasp. Any appellation with which we would refer to G-d would be completely inaccurate. For example, to refer to G-d using the term 'kind' is not accurate since G-d was the One to create the concept of 'kind'. We can't call Him 'compassionate', since He created the cognitive faculties to even dream up these what ‘compassionate’ looks like. It would be silly to think that a potter can be fully grasped by one of his ceramic bowls. The realization of the impossibility of grasping the boundless limits of time and space gives us a glimpse of this 'distant' aspect. HOWEVER, even the concept of "infinity" had to be created by G-d. He adds that this aspect of 'distant' is the source of awe (often translated as 'fear') of G-d that we are enjoined to have. Since, as the Kedushas Levi explains, you can only be in awe of things that are larger than yourself. This awe leaves us 'speechless' at G-d's vastness. It was this aspect which was epitomized and implanted into the recesses of our Jewish collective consciousness at 'the Giving of the Torah' by Mount Sinai. The midrashic description of that scene dramatizes this point. The mountain was on fire, the shofar sound grew increasingly louder, we saw the thunder and heard the lightning....And finally we are told that Mount Sinai was suspended over our heads, until we 'accepted' the Torah; certainly an allusion to that aspect of the Torah, G-d's wisdom, that is beyond our grasp. The other type of awareness of G-d, he terms, 'closeness'. This opposing aspect is described as the awareness of G-d being infinitely close to us. He is closer than our very own nose. He IS the Here and Now. This aspect was epitomized for the Jewish people in the days of Purim, when Hashem's presence was completely hidden within our natural world. Only at the end of the story, when the "curtains were drawn”, did G-d’s conspicuous control become so apparent; the biggest punch line in history. How can it be that G-d’s name never appears even once in the entire Book of Ester, yet it is considered to be one of the deepest and mystical of all books of TANACH? The reason is that the concept of 'closeness' can be so intense that it is often missed. Witness the case of the lost mayonnaise in the fridge that all the while was right in front of your eyes. Meditating on this aspect of 'closeness' develops love of G-d that we are obligated to cultivate. When the Tzaddik in his youth was asked, "I will give you a ruble if you tell me where Hashem is." He quickly responded, "I will give you TWO rubles if you tell me where Hashem ISN'T." In addition, to G-d being often referred to as HaShem (lit. the name), He is also called HaMakom (lit. the place). This term is most famously found in the Haggadah, right before the discussion of the four sons and in the verse recited to mourners, "May G-d (HaMakom) comfort you amongst the mourners of Zion." The Gemara explains that the reason that G-d is called The Place is because "G-d is the PLACE of the world, but the world is not His PLACE". This phrase captures these two aspects of our awareness of G-d. He is the place of the world. He is present right here, now. On the other hand, he is not contained by the world, but 'distant' from any conception.Now it becomes understood, says the Kedushas Levi in his Kedushah regarding Purim, why we are told that the Jews re-accepted the Torah in the days of Purim. The genetic engineering wasn't complete with only the 'distant' aspect of the Sinaic experience. But, we as a nation had to taste the intense closeness of Hashem as well.

The Grandson of the Baal Shem Tov

The wonderful blog entitled "A Simple Jew" asked me the following question:

What prompted you to start learning the Chassidic classic entitled "Degel Machaneh Ephraim" (the collected teachings of the grandson of the founder of the Chassidic movement) and what do you feel you have gotten out of learning this sefer?

This was my response:

In order to answer this question, please allow me to preface with a brief personal history. Although I grew up in a secular Jewish home, my connection to the Chassidic movement began twenty years prior to my birth. On my book shelf is a copy of Buber's Tales of the Hasidim. By its inscription, it is clear that this book was a gift to my maternal grandfather in the 1950's. Although he died when I was six months old, he was alive long enough be the sandek at my bris. I am still not sure exactly how I inherited this book. Unfortunately, I had not even peaked inside it until I was around 20 years old...

Well, life as a secular, searching Jew led me to study various religions in university. While making plans for a study abroad program in Bali, I met my (eventual) wife. She advised me to consider Israel. After some thought and the fear of required immunizations in order to travel to Indonesia, I began exploring Judasim in preparation for a 9 month journey to Israel. I remember sitting in the library at Florida State University being captivated by the fire and passion of the spiritual revivalist movement, known in the religion department, as 'Hasidism'. Something resonated within me. While in Israel, I became a full-fledged 'Groovy T'shoovy'. Fast forwarding 10 years with a wife and four kids, my family found themselves in an established Orthodox community in South Florida. I would often daydream about the long-lost thrill and excitement of being a fresh Baal Teshuva.

About three years ago, thanks to some help from the Kedushas Levi, I was alight again burning with the desire to understand the movement that had so captivated me. Just as the Besh"t sought to inject vitality into a cold, ritualistic Judaism, so too, chassidus was beginning to resurrect 'Hislahavus' within my own Yiddishkeit. I felt like I needed to get inside the mind and times of the movement's founder. I began a systematic quest to understand the origins of this movement whose deconstructionist approach infused G-dliness into every aspect of being. I began studying its historical background, its opponents, and its philosophies. (And here is the answer to your first question of, "What prompted you to start learning Degel Machaneh Ephraim?") What better way to understand the original thoughts and philosohpies of the founder than to study the writings of his family members? The 'Degel', who grew up on his Zaide's lap, writes so personally about his grandfather in a way one might submit entries into a diary. Selecting this sefer to learn would have made perfect sense. However, this is not at all how I found the Degel. As matter of fact, the Degel found me. I remember the day clearly. I walked into the local Jewish bookstore and a small book on the shelf caught my attention. I opened it up and, gevalt, the front page said that it was from the grandson of the Besht. For $6.95 I had a first hand witness of the holy Baal Shem Tov. Now for your second question, "What have I gotten out of learning this sefer? " Spending time with the Degel is the closest thing to being a fly on the wall in the home of the Baal Shem Tov. This cannot be overemphasized. But, in addition to this, I have grown from his warm and personal style. The Degel, I believe, is raw Chassidus. There was not yet a plethora of Chassidishe seforim from which to quote nor were there generations of potentially inaccurate transmission. What exists in this sefer is direct Chassidic philosophy straight from the 'wellspring'. Learning the Degel is like drinking from the water fountain. It is this that I have gotten from learning the sefer.

Where is 'Vitamin D' mentioned in the Torah?

Here is a riddle: Where is ‘Vitamin D’ Mentioned in the Torah?

In this week’s portion of the Torah, Vayishlach, we read about the famous battle between Jacob and the angel of Esav. This wrestling match lasted throughout the night with the two opponents locked in a head-to-head competition. As dawn approached, Jacob’s nemesis took a cheap shot below the belt dislocating Jacob’s hip. As a result, we are told that Jacob began to limp. The verse in Genesis 32:32 reads, “…and the sun shone for him.” Rashi, the classical 10th century commentary, asks what do the words “for him” mean. When the sun shines is it not shining ‘for everyone’?! He answers by telling us that the sun had a specific benefit “for him” and that was to heal his hip. So here you have a musculoskeletal injury being healed by the rays of the sun. We know that Vitamin D is manufactured by the interaction between the skin and sunlight. And, of course, the main role of vitamin D is to increase absorption of calcium in the digestive tract. Could this section of the Torah be an allusion to the wonderful healing mechanisms that G-d has implanted in the natural world? Besides its well known role in bone support, Vitamin D is becoming an all-star nutrient for cancer prevention, strokes, and autoimmune disorder, like multiple sclerosis.

The sun has been a recognized source of health and healing throughout the Jewish tradition. In the book of Malachi, it is written, “a sun of charity, with healing on its wings.” There is ancient midrash that tells us that Abraham used to wear an amulet around his neck. Anyone who was infirmed could look at this charm and be healed of his sickness. What happened to this amulet after Avraham died? The midrash answers, after Avraham’s death, G-d hung the amulet around the neck of the sun.

We are told that the light that illuminated the world during the six days of creation was removed from the world. The sun is only a minute fraction of this original light. According to the Jewish description of the messianic times, this divine light will return to the world once again for us to enjoy. Can you imagine, if the sun contains such incredible powers to heal, what the ‘original light’ will be able to do? In the merit of Chanukah, whose theme is the revelation of light in the midst of the darkness, let this time come soon. AMEN.

VaYeitzei and Acupuncture

Here is a question from the Tiferes Shlomo (Chassidic Rebbe from the 1800's from Radomsk) regarding a verse in this week's Torah portion uttered by Yaakov: "...Hashem is in this place and I did not know". Didn't Yaakov know that G-d fills the world and is everywhere? Certainly, the Avos were well aware of this. After all, even my four year old child knows the spiritual reality of the omnipresence of G-d when she sings, "Hashem is here, Hashem is there, Hashem is truly everywhere...". So, what gives? (The Radomsker didn't actually use the phraseology of 'what gives?')

The Radomsker Rebbe answers that Yaakov is telling us the way to realize and actualize the awareness of G-d's omnipresence. By 'not knowing the 'I' and by putting aside my "I", it can become clear that G-d is in this place. Often we are our own biggest impediment to Divine influx. Later on in the parshah, we see Yaakov involved in removing a large stone from the mouth of a well, thereby allowing waters to flow and nourish the flocks. This is the same concept. The flow already exists, we only need to remove the obstacles, whether they are physical, spiritual, psychological.

This forms the common denominator of all natural medical modalities, from acupuncture to osteopathy. Remove the impediments and let the implanted wisdom of the body and mind heal itself. Rabbi Akiva, in the Gemara, compares the healer to a gardener. As such, the healer's role is to ensure proper nourishement and balance of sun and water to optimize the growth of the produce.

Skeleton Key and the Journey

This weeks parashah details the 42 'journeys' made by the Jews throughout their 40 years in the Wilderness. The Baal Shem Tov makes this parashah immediately relevant by informing us that each of our lives contains 42 parallel journeys. Beginning with birth (when the amniotic waters 'split' and the fetus is liberated from the womb/Egypt) to the end of our lives when we enter the 'holy land'. It's brought down in Likutei Torah (from the Ba'al HaTanya) how the 42 journeys parallel the 42 words of the Shma from VeAhavta to U'vyshaarecha. On a similar theme, the Ohev Yisroel (one of the principle students of Reb Elimelech of Lijzensk and great grandfather to Heshel) draws a parallel between the 6 + 42 cities of refuge and first 6 words of the Shma and the following 42 words of the VeAhavta. I was thinking that the skeleton key (or refuge) that opens the lock to all of our various journeys through life could be the simple attachment to the concepts of G-d's oneness (represented in the first six words of the Shma) and the influence it has on our actions (represented by the next 42 words).