Innocent Vs. Deep

We heard it all already. We know that someone who sins and returns to Hashem is greater the Tzadik who never sinned. We heard the explanation that a relationship that suffers a setback and then overcomes the obstacle is deeper, more profound and more passionate then a relationship that was never tested.

We said it so many times we now look down at the relationship that never suffered a fight. We can’t figure out why anybody would want to be a Tzaidk – the boring relationship without any bumps.  

What we are missing is innocence.

Yes, a couple who learned to dig dipper to overcome the fight indeed have a deeper relationship. But the Tzadik, is like the newlyweds who’s relationship is innocent. Who know nothing other then love for each other, who cannot fathom any weakening of their love.  

We start out with an innocent and fragile love. Shattering it is a tragedy. Period. Yet Hashen, in his kindness, shows us how to make the best of a tragedy and discover the deep love that the newlyweds cannot experience.

Joseph and Forgiveness

Rabbi Sacks credits Joseph with being the first person in history to forgive as we understand the word. Did Joseph forgive his mother-in-law and would be seducer on the same grounds that he did his brothers?

I think that If indeed Joseph did forgive her, the Torah does not say so explicitly, as the Torah says the greater novelty: he forgave his brothers. I think it's much harder to forgive family then strangers. You expect more from family (especially from Jacob's children) and the pain caused by family is therefore much greater. 

A spiritual orphan

The Rebbe was handing out quarters for anyone who worked in summer camp. A 20 year old girl wanted to get a coin very much. The problem was she worked in a school with the bookkeeping, she didn't work in camp. On the other hand she was recording camp payments because the school had a summer camp. She decided to go.

She's about 3 people from the Rebbe and her father see's her. His face turns white. She realizes she made a big mistake. In her mind she hears her father say "mit dem bistu nisht meiner"! He's disowning her! "Should I still go? I'm doing such a terrible thing! Should I get out of line? The Rebbe will definitely call me back! I just wish the ground under me would open up..."

When she's standing in front of the Rebbe, the Rebbe gives her a huge smile. The Rebbe's whole face lit up. Actually the whole 770 lit up! And the Rebbe said "Du bist doch meiner"!

Someone asked her afterwards what did the Rebbe tell you? She answered: "Ah gezunten zumer, Brachah vehatzlacha". 

"But the Rebbe said that to me too! What else did the Rebbe say?"

But how can she say it?

On the way home her father didn't say anything. It must have been the compromise: I won't scream at you, but I'm not going to ask either...

Bderech efsher 3 ways to understand this story

1. The Rebbe cares so much about this girl. She's about to get it over the head big time, so the Rebbe steps in and saves her.

2. The way the Baal hamaaseh took it: The Rebbe was saying "what are you afraid of? That he's disowning you? But you're mine"! 

3. The Rebbe actually agreed with the father. She should never have gone on line. And she would have been called out on it by the Rebbe. But the moment she felt completely worthless, and she was a nothing. And she was disowned at that moment she became the Rebbe's. 

כי אבי ואמי עזבוני וה' יאספני

Inspiration

Back in the day inspiration was the drive.

When I was in Yeshivah I woke up in the morning with the hope of being inspired. If I managed to inspire myself I considered it a good day, if not, no big deal, I would just wait for the next day.

Now that I am out of Yeshivah for a few years, I discovered that I don’t have the luxury of waiting for inspiration. I have a family, co-workers, responsibilities. I can’t afford to wait for the inspiration to come - especially that the inspiration is more elusive now that I am out in the world.

Instead of inspiration I now rely on consistency. I make sure to do my spiritual exercise daily - even of I am not in the mood. Some times I get inspired, but even if iff not I don’t feel empty. I may feel uninspired but I feel connected.

Inspiration used to be the drive to achieve, now inspiration is the reward for consistent achievement.     

The Stage and the Drama

“It doesn't seem to me that this fantastically marvelous universe … can merely be a stage so that God can watch human beings struggle for good and evil — which is the view that religion has. The stage is too big for the drama."

This quote, from Richard Feynmen, is so powerful it, caused Herman Wouk to write a book to address it. I am neither a writer nor a scientist so I won’t write a book, but as a student of Judaism I write the following short point.  

Yes, if the purpose of creation is merely for “G-d to watch the human being struggle for good and evil” then perhaps Feinman has a point; but, like so many others, this great scientist failed to discover the depth of the religious position.  

The Kabbalh gives two reasons for creation: the second reason is in order for the Human being to “create a dwelling place for Hashem in the lowest realm”, this, in other words, is what Feinman calls the struggle with good and evil. The Kabbalah, however, also offers another reason for G-d creating the world: “so that they will know him”, meaning that before creation there is nobody to appreciate G-d’s greatness. He wants to be known. So he creates a universe to so there will be a being outside himself to know him.

In order to help a finite being to “know” and fathom an infinite G-d, for the creation to understand that the creator is beyond anything in can comprehend, G-d creates a universe too vast for the human mind to grasp, to serve as a parable for G-d's infinity.

[Perhaps we can argue that both reasons for the creation are in fact two sides of the same coin: in order for the Human being to understand that he was created with a mission bring good to this world (the first reason) he must realize that there is a creator, a creator that is infinity and unknowable, a glimpse of his greatness is knowable from the universe (the second reason)].

So yes, the drama absolutely requires a great stage. For without the vast stage the actors may forget about the author and drop the drama mid play.     

On Sadness and Joy

Tisha Biav is the saddest day of the Jewish year. Yet, as a child, the saddest point of the year was the night after Thisha Biav. 

I would watch my father break his fast and wonder what changed? Why is the mourning over? Was the temple rebuilt?

This was in stark contrast to the joy that we all felt on Motzay Yom Kippur. As we sang and watched the Rebbe during Napoleon's march the awe of Yom kipput was transformed to intense joy. But after Tisha Biav, there was no reason to celebrate.

Then Shabbaos Nachamu would come around and then we would go to the Avraham Fried concert to celebrate the season. But it always felt strange to me, after all why and how are we comforted of the reality on the ground did not change since Tisha Biav?

Last week when I read what I think us the most powerful Mammar in Lekutey Toarh - the Mammar for Parshas Divarim - I thought I may have the answer. 

The Alter Rebbe explains that the verse “You shall love your G-d with your whole heart” refers - not to the conventional interpretation which is with both your good and evil inclinations, but - with both parts of your heart, with your joy and with your sadness. For if you are joyous because of material success and sad because of material lose then you don’t really love Hashem. “With all your heart” means that you are happy because you are close to Hashem and you feel sad when you feel far from Hashem.

- By the way, this one teaching includes, in my opinion, everything that Chasidus asks of a person - 

Perhaps this is the comfort. We are comforted on Shabbos Nachamu because we feel close to Hashem trough reading the Haftorah which describes his great love to us. And when we feel his love - especially after the destruction - we can fins comfort and joy amidst tjhe destruction around us. And may the Joy propel us to the day when there will no longer be ant destruction - with the coming of Moshiach.

Shabbos by the Ohel

I was asked to speak about Shabbos by the Rebbe after I came back Gimmel Tammuz. It's not easy to speak about etc. Just one point:
It's at the very same time extremely communal and extremely personal. You're sitting by a farbrengen even with your friends. You're talking, listening, interacting. Very communal. At the same time there's so much introspection. You're in a place of truth and you try with every fiber of your being to be truthful and internalize anything you should be 'taking'. At the same time you're very confused and conflicted because, the time and place is too holy, too lofty, too true.
So at the very same moment that you're interacting with people, smiling, conversing, farbrenging it's a most personal moment. And it continues for 25 plus hours. Communal and personal simultaneously.

Are we crazy?

It happened again today. Someone comes into the office, he got laid off, needs a scholarship... So I ask him to put on tefilin. He readily agrees, gets very emotional and then asks the question:
"Do you get a Mitzvah when you put tefilin on me?"
And I don't know what to answer! Should I say "well yeah but that's not why I do it, I'm doing it just for you..." Then I sound like I don't mean it and an idiot too. So what do I say? I tell him something about the Rebbe making a campaign... To Get every Jewish male to put on tefilin... But the truth is the Rebbe somehow got me to get someone to do a mitzvah just for that person's sake. And it's so absurd I can't even tell that to him!
Basically it's always exciting to find out how crazy we are.

Joy

Chassidus doesn't give remedies for depression. Chassidus teaches there's no reason to be depressed.
Self help books tell you how to be happy. Chassidus (lehavdil) tells you how can you be sad?
There's no depression in Chassidus.

Selfish Prayer

When I think about prayer or more precisely davening I think of Bitul. To push myself to the side, get inspired by Hashem's awesomeness and come away humbled. And you know for me it's quite inspiring, there's nothing greater and more inspiring than transcending myself and breaking the shackles of my ego.
Then I discover that really davening is supposed to be selfish. Because the main thing is to inspire my animal soul and my animal is selfish. So what davening is supposed to be is: "You know me? Well Hashem is so good to me". Or "He's so awesome that's so amazing to me!"
More in the words of the maamer: emotions are selfish. If I don't feel myself then I can't have emotions. So I love you because I love myself and you're good to me so I love you. Our intellect is selfless, always trying to connect to higher and therefore it's much holier, more spiritual, loftier etc. But if I want to talk to my animal, intellect just won't cut it. I got to have emotions and emotions are selfish.
So davening is selfish, who would have guessed?
Parshas Pinchas Ayin Beis

Tiferes: Beauty or Compassion?

Many times Chasidus explains that the meaning of the attribute of Tiferes is compassion; yet in other places Tiferes is describes as beauty (not the beauty of the merging of two colors, which is compassion - the combination of kindness and judgment - but the beauty) of appreciation the beauty, preciousness, of a given thing.

I must confess that ever since we learned the Mamar of Usfartem 5711, where the “Huskallus Hamidos” are explained, I always was a bit saddened that the Rebbe did not bring the “compassion”

interpretation which was easier for me to relate to.

In truth, however, these two interpretations are really one and the same, for one cannot have compassion on someone's sorry state of being without appreciating that this person is beautiful and precious, and therefore not deserving of this state of being. Hence the more beauty the more compassion.

- Bihakoscha Ateres

Parshas Shelach

Parshas Shelach

Why is that we see Moshe arguing with Hashem in defense of the Jewish people using technicalities?
After the Yidden side with the meraglim Moshe argues against killing them at once, saying the nations of the world will say that Hashem wasn't strong enough to bring them to Eretz Yisrael. And by Chet HaEgel similarly Moshe argues using a technicality, What will the Egyptians say?
(Why can't he be more like Avraham who argues that the evil should be saved on account of the righteous who are the minority.)

Maybe a viewpoint can be that if we try to understand this pattern in the context of the Jewish people being taught a lesson in maturity.
For Moshe to argue that Hashem should forgive them because he is merciful would, if agreed to by Hashem, potentially be damaging long term as the Jewish people might never learn responsibility for their action if they are constantly being forgiven. But just to leave it at, Hashem knows best and let the Yidden be punished, is also problematic.

Yesh Lomar, that if the Yidden were constantly seeing the consequence to their actions they might become better listeners, but at what cost. A nation that served their G-d out of fear, "remember what happened to the previous generation, we don't want to end up like them." Fear can be a very debilitating emotion, one never errs by not taking risks. Ingenuity gets stifled and creativity becomes non existent.

But if this is so true, why couldn't Hashem propose the proper punishment from the beginning without Moshe's input?

Utilizing an explanation in understanding the role of Mitzvas d'Rabban, there is an approach we can take but also go a step further.

In parenting at what point in time do you relent? If you have a rule that there is no dessert without finishing your plate, under which circumstances do you relent? If you heaped their plate up too high? If they ate half of a vegetable that they do not like? If they ask nicely and they did share with their sibling earlier in the day? Do you offer them the dessert without them asking for the exception?

So too here Y"L that Moshe's involvement is empowering to the Yidden to be responsible for their action and if they want special treatment to ask for it and be deserving of it.

It's All a Game

Watch children play, say the Psychologists, and you'll see that at age three children's play is all about imagination ("I'm the mother, your the father"), yet by the time children reach age six the playing is about maintaining rules ("that's not fair! you can't do that!").

Indeed, a good game includes both rules and imagination. When the world's top checker players discovered that they could play the perfect game by using a set of plays known as "The Book", they squeezed all the imagination out and pretty much killed the game.  

Chess, on the other hand, still holds the imagination of world class players, because "a player looking just eight moves ahead is already presented with as many possible games as there are stars in the galaxy; and there are more possible chess games than the number of atoms in the universe".

Listening to all of this on the radio (RadioLab, Games) on a trip from D.C to New York, I realized that this is Jewish Mysticism in a nutshell.

Judaism, according to the Kabalah and Chasidic Philosophy, is all about the uniting the infinite creator with the finite world (or in Kabalistic terminology: the unity of the "Holy One Blessed Be He" and "His Shechinah").

It's why Judaism believes that to connect to the infinite G-d you must follow defined and very specific commandments; it's why the Torah scroll losses all of it's infinite holiness if it's missing just one tiny letter; it's why the infinite G-d creates predictable rules of nature, and it's why Maimonides understood G-d to be a indefinable infinite being, who, paradoxically perhaps, relates and expresses himself to humanity in a finite way.       

Because the mystery of true infinity lies in the power that combines the infinity of imagination with the rules of the finite reality.

No Agent for Sin

If you ask, or hire someone, commit a crime, and the “agent” does so, you would be guilty of a crime in the U.S.  

The Talmud, however, says that “there is no agent for a matter of sin”, meaning that the you (the sender) are not guilty. The reason is, because you can tell the agent “the words of the master and the words of the student, who should you listen to?”. You, therefore, cannot be prosecuted in the human court, only G-d can and will hold you accountable.

There are many legal theories that explain this law, we will offer a possible philosophical explanation on why the Torah does not simply legislate that it’s a crime to ask someone to commit a crime. Would a law like that not be beneficial to eliminating crime?

The answer is no. For nothing is more powerful then to tell the criminal: you are on your own, no one else will be held accountable for helping you sin, it's your responsibility to “listen to the words of the master”. Prosecuting the sender would send a message to the broader society that the criminal is not entirely guilty since the blame is shared with someone else. From a philosophical point of you, the moment you say that the sender is also guilty, you are shifting some of the blame off the criminal.

The Torah therefore chooses to look a person in the eye and say: just know that whatever you do is entirely on your shoulders, no shifting the blame or holding others responsible for your actions.    

Sports

G-d is everywhere.
(A period ends my last sentence not an exclamation mark, why because he is there even when I don't feel him.)

Does Hashem really care about the outcome of tonight's game?!
Whether a guys lifts his right hand to call timeout or his left hand?

Lately I have noticed that players and commentators have come to mention more frequently terms such as the football gods, the sports gods for an explanation for that which in sports is unexplainable or just completely unexpected.

What we know about Hashem is that we can't understand him. Can't fathom him.

But what does he want us to understand?

That he is not able to be constrained by our expectations.

You think you know what is good, yeah you really do?

Which way is up you fool?

What is dangerous and what is safe?

What is best for you or what might be your downfall?

You really want wealth?! Let's see what it does for you?

You want to be famous? Really?! How does it feel to die young, a drug addict?

You want to be an angel, only good? Ba'al Karchach atah chai.

Oh so you start to see what is G-d.

So he picked Israel, why? Because they were the smallest.

So the angels wanted to sing at the Yam Suf (we see G-d, we understand what he is doing), Shtok my creations are dying.

The miracle of the Maccabees, the small against the many.

A built in mechanism (13 middos) so when you mess up like no one is able to mess up, I mean we just were able to experience not just G-d's presence (Har Sinai) but the underlining cause of this
whole story, Bechirah and that bechirah is greater that Chet HaEgel.

Ahron, does he get punished for his role? OK I understand Chag LaHashem Machor but please?! rewarded with Kehunah Gedola?! What am I missing?

It's amazing absolutely amazing that we know we have no intellectual ability to have an advantage gambling on football games yet hundreds of commentators give their predictions and even record their record. However bad it may be! Don't we know already that nobody knows what they are talking about! And they aren't even ashamed to admit it! Yet we read it with avid interest as if we are going to gain some semblance of added insight.

The three most lopsided football lines that I can remember are 1991 Bills vs. Giants, Bills are favored big, they lose. 2002 Rams vs. Patriots, Rams are favored big they lose. 2008 Patriots vs. Giants, Patriots are favored big they lose.

The playoff game between the Patriots and the Broncos was the highest rated tv program since the previous Super Bowl. What does this mean? Obviously that unscripted reality drama where we can't predict the outcome unlike Sitcoms and even reality TV is what we want to see. That even as we spend as much time figuring out the possible outcome it is always unexpected.

It is what we want yet we refuse to understand it.

The world thinks, how can a great powerful G-d busy himself with the minutiae of everyday life?
Yet there is a pattern and that pattern is to expect the unexpected.

Humans are the lowest of all creations yet we are the greatest and perhaps the greatest in comprehension. How so you ask? Angels can only comprehend that which they comprehend yet humans can comprehend that which we have no understanding of.

Which is greater Nigleh or Chassidus?

Nigleh or Chassidus?

Which is greater, Nigleh or Chassidus?
Well Nigleh is the Guf and Chassidus is the neshamah.
But we do know that the makor of the guf is that much greater than the neshamah.

I sit with a blatt gemorah struggle or no struggle and I feel amazing even on a day that the gemarah doesn't read itself. I chap a question of Tosfos or Rashi or the gemarah itself my mind is working in tune. I am one with the gemarah but do I feel that I am one with Hashem?

I sit with a Likutei Torahor Torah Or, davka with Likutei Torah or Torah Or, and I need to be able to understand it ( I can't understand (let's be charitable and say 50%) most of it). So I skip to a maamar that I understand and I am one with it, it is something greater than I. I am one with Hashem!
I disagree with Rav and Shmuel (I usually like the underdog) I even sometimes disagree with the Shulchan Aruch HaRav but Torah Or and Likutei Torah this fights through my layers and penetrates deep
and I am disappointed when I can't get to this state,

Unity

How is it possible to unite with people who are different than us?
It is not by seeking out in others their commonality with us,
rather by stripping away our externalities and becoming one with ourselves.
And that essence is what unites us.

The Jewish Take on Prison.

The Torah does not believe in incarceration for punitive purposes. Instead, in the case of a person who stole and cannot repay, the Torah rules that he be sold as a servant for six years, and the money is used to pay back the victim.

The Torah believes in rehabilitation, which does not happen in prison. It therefore mandates that the thief be brought into a home, and that his own needs and the needs of his family be provided for.

Allow the (non dangerous) criminal to remain within society and to contribute to helping the victim, and you help both the victim and the sinner.

Your Son

We all know those people. They'll take care of the entire world but will forget about their own family. They'll make time for everyone except for those closest to them.

Perhaps that's what lies behind the story of Hashem trying to kill Moses because Moses failed to circumcise his son. Perhaps the message to us is: go ahead, save humanity, but don;t forget about your own.