She listens carefully to many lectures on prayer, and prays according to her notes, but she finds that her prayers remain unanswered.

He writes down everything he learns about being a good husband, makes lists of all the things a husband must do, and still is unable to make his wife happy with him.

He observes all the laws with a firm belief in a concept that has been drilled into his head; “External practice will change you internally,” and yet has not experienced any internal change.

She is “working on her anger” by never acting angry, yet, her anger is still “eating away at my gut.”

I believe that they all share the same problem: They are playing a role, not expressing themselves, nor discovering their authentic selves. One is playing the role of praying, doing everything she is “supposed” to do, but her heart is not invested. One is playing the role of a good husband, doing everything he “must,” except authentically expressing real love for his wife. One is playing the role of an observant Jew, but his heart was never connected to his actions. One is playing the role of a person who has mastered her anger, but she has yet to find a healthy and healthful way to express her anger.

Most of us play many roles throughout our lifetimes. We have learned how to shift roles, but we don’t know how to look behind them. The roles we assume – spouse, parent, nice guy, righteous person, etc. – are not necessarily bad and can provide useful models to follow in unfamiliar situations. Our task is to find those parts that work for us, and those that don’t. It’s like peeling the layers of an onion, and just like peeling an onion, it’s a task that can bring on a few tears. It can be terrifying to let go of a role we have been playing for many years, so, we get stuck in our roles. We act as we believe we should rather than discover our authentic selves.

“It will be that if you hearken to My commandments that I command you today, to love God, your Lord, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 11:13) We are challenged to find ways to find ways to express our love in our service. (The Mechanic and The Artist) We are also reminded that our service must FOLLOW the love. Our service must be an expression of what we feel. We must first learn to be authentic.

When we serve to avoid punishment; we are inauthentic. We are role playing.

When we serve to express love; we are authentic.

When we serve to receive reward; we are inauthentic. We are stuck in the role of Servant of God, but we are serving our own needs.

When we serve to express ourselves, “With all our hearts and all our souls,” we are authentic.

“To know what is in your hearts.” (8:3) (Chipping Away the Pieces) “You shall know in your heart.” (Verse 5) Only then, “You shall observe the commandments of God, your Lord, to walk in His ways and be in awe of Him.” (Verse 6) We cannot choose our path, “Walk in His ways,” until we know what is in our hearts. People stuck in a role cannot begin to walk on their own.

It is exactly at this point, the Eikev – Heel – that powers us to move forward on our authentic path, that God says of the Snake, “You will bite his Eikev, his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) He’s still at it. It’s time for us to, “He will pound your head.”

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

The great Renaissance artist Michelangelo was once asked how he created sculptures such as the Pietas or David. He explained that he simply imagined the statue already inside the block of rough marble, then chipped away the excess to reveal what had always been there.

The marvelous statue, already created and eternally present, was waiting to be revealed. “You shall remember the entire road on which God, your Lord, led you these forty years in the Wilderness so as to afflict you, to test you, to know what is in your heart, whether you would observe His commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2)

The testing is not for God. We can assume He already knows.

The knowing is not God’s. He knows.

The testing is for us to find the marvelous human being that is hidden inside. The knowing is for us to know the priceless, eternal beauty we carry within. The afflictions are simply the way God chips away at the excess, allowing us to discover our own greatness.

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

My ten-year-old nephew was visiting from Argentina and gave a demonstration of his Tai Kwon Do forms. It was fantastic to watch him go through the complex movements, but something was missing from his performance; he was mechanistically perfect but there was no poetry in his motion. It reminded me of “Isaac Stern Goes To China,” in which the great violinist (and Talmud student) explained to the Chinese students that the difference between the good and the great musicians is that the good have perfect mechanics, while the great play with such poetry of motion that the audience ignores the mechanics.

I examined a few Mezuzot this week. Some were fakes, and others were, as was my nephew’s karate demonstration and Stern’s Chinese students, mechanistically perfect, but lacked any sense of artistry. There are homes that are unfortunately perfect for such Mezuzot; the homes in which everyone mechanistically observes all the Mitzvot, but lack any artistry or passion in their observance.

The second paragraph of Shema addresses the difference between the mechanic and the artist. “It will be that if you hearken to My commandments that I command you today, to love God, your Lord, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 11:13) This verse adds an element missing from the first paragraph of Shema: “and to serve Him.” This verse challenges us to express our love for God through our service of Him. The service mentioned is not that of the mechanic, but of the artist, who finds way to express love in every aspect of his Avodah.

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

The Name Without the Reality

A student who does not study the appointed themes is not a real student.

A mourner who feels no grief when condoling with the bereaved is not a real mourner.

An old servant who neither tidies things away nor chatters about family affairs is not a real old servant.

A host who escorts a guest no further than the door is not a real host.

A cook without an apron or knife and chopping block is not a real cook.

A teacher who does not correct his pupil’s exercises and studies is not a real teacher.

Underlings who not squabble and curse are not real underlings.

Li Shang-yin (858 C.E. – China)

How can we make sure that what we do and whom we are is real?

“It will be that if you hearken to My commandments that I command you today, to love God, your Lord, and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 11:13) The love must turn into action – service. We must reify each and every idea we learn by making them part of our service of God. We cannot allow our powerful experiences and insights to remain A Name Without Reality.

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

When Something is Missing: I want to share something very deep with you. The most important things in Avodas Hashem, in serving G-d are always the things you don’t have to do, you can get by without them. The truth is some of the most important things in life are the things which we don’t really have to do. The most important things between my wife, my children and I are always the things I don’t have to do. If I don’t, it’s also okay, but gevalt are they important, gevalt are they important.

I want you to know, when Moshe Rabbeinu says ‘Ribbono Shel Olam, I have to go into Eretz Yisrael’ Moshe Rabbeinu brought down a new teaching from heaven. Moshe Rabbeinu is showing yidden that it’s not only about what you have to do, it’s what my neshama mamesh wants… deep deep inside. And deep deep inside, every yid knows I have to go into Eretz Yisrael.

Rashi says that Eikev is talking about Mitzvos Kalos She’adam Dash Be’akeivav. You know what that means? We are talking about mitzvahs you step on, mitzvahs which I don’t have to do. Let me ask you something. I see a poor man and I give him ten dollars, do I have to smile at him? I don’t have to. Let me ask you something else.

When I say good Shabbos to a yid, where does it say that I have to say it besimcha? It doesn’t say it anywhere.

You know something, the truth is that mide’oraysa, from the Torah you don’t have to wear a yarmulke. That means that a person can say ‘I’m very strict on everything the Torah says, and I don’t have to wear a yarmulke. Yes it’s a minhag, it’s a custom, I’m not into customs. I have enough from what the Torah says’. You know what? Maybe I’ll go to heaven, maybe I will sit next to Avraham Avinu without a yarmulke, but gevalt something is missing… something so deep is mamesh missing.

The child arrives like a mystery box…

with puzzle pieces inside

some of the pieces are broken or missing…

and others just seem to hide

But the HEART of a teacher can sort them out…

and help the child to see

the potential for greatness he has within…

a picture of what he can be

Her goal isn’t just to teach knowledge…

by filling the box with more parts

it’s putting the pieces together…

and creating a work of art

The Heart of a Teacher

by Paula Fox

The opening paragraph of Shema teaches us, “You shall teach them thoroughly to your children, and you shall speak of them while you sit in your home, while you walk on the way, when you retire and when you arise (Devarim 6:7).” I’ve met many people who teach and speak words of Torah, bit I guess they are stuck in the first paragraph because the second paragraph of Shema, in this week’s portion, reads, “You shall teach them to your children to discuss them (11:19).” Our job is not finished when we’ve taught Torah; we are obligated to teach Torah so that our children will love it enough to discuss Torah ideas, “while you sit in your home, while you walk on the way, when you retire and when you arise.”

Does this paragraph instruct us how to teach our children so that they will discuss the ideas conveyed?

But, of course: “Then I shall provide the rain of your Land (Verse 14),” becomes, “the rain of the heavens (Verse 17).” We are instructed to convey Torah so that the child can possess it and feel as if it is his. It is only as punishment when things are not ours, but Heaven’s!

People point out that I ‘forgot’ to put my name in some of my sefarim. “My father doesn’t let me put my name in that book!” They don’t understand.

One of my sisters gave me bookplates for my sefarim as a bar mitzvah gift. I couldn’t wait to paste them in all the books I received as gifts, but my father zt”l confiscated them. “You will feel much better if you only place the bookplate in the sefer after you’ve made it yours,” he said.

I was confused. The sefarim were mine, at least the ones my father allowed me to keep (but that’s a different story). “They are mine,” I insisted.

My father took out a volume of the responsa of Rabbi Akiva Eiger and asked me if I knew what it was. “It’s Rav Akiva Eiger!”

“What does it say?” he asked. “It’s Rav Akiva Eiger’s sefer now. Once you learn from it, think about it and use the ideas, it will become yours. When you are able to talk about the sefer’s ideas is when you should put you name in it. Your sefarim stamp should be a sign of real possession; one about which you can be proud.”

I still won’t place my bookplates in a new sefer until I have learned from it and used its ideas. I learned how to make a sefer my own.

My father was the Torah teacher as artist, my role model for how to teach Torah so that my children and students will discuss their Torah.

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

After 40 years, the people were about to enter the land. G-d told the people He will throw out the nations before them a little bit by little bit i.e. the Israelites should not defeat them all at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon them.

This is a powerful lesson for us today. Many times we may have waited for an opportunity, and when the opportunity comes we seize it without any thought to the future. You always need to think four or five steps ahead of the process to try to avoid any unintended consequences. When you have a long-term goal, shortcuts might sabotage your ability to reach that goal.

Imagine what would have happened if the Israelites had not been warned to not destroy their enemies in one fell swoop. The consequence would have been that wild animals might have devoured them. That would certainly have negated the long wait to come into the land. That is why you need to have a big picture and think long-term about the consequences of what you’re doing right now.

In today’s world of rapid communication and the desire for instant gratification, we see many instances of this problem. One example is when you fire off an ill thought out e-mail in response to something you didn’t like and it is available to anyone whom your correspondent wishes to send it to, even though it may put you in a bad light and have disastrous consequences.

Long-term planning needs the curmudgeon who will point out the bad things that might happen as a result of what you’re doing, and those warnings are very valuable. Driving full steam ahead with blinders on may result in a tragic accident. So take the time to think through your long-term goals and strategies to make sure you won’t be devoured by unintended consequences.

In the Analects, Confucius’ definition of goodness starts with the “golden rule,” but he takes his concept further, famously stating that to be good, one must be “resolute and firm, simple and slow in speech.”

The Master said, ‘To be resolute and firm, simple and slow in speech, is to approach true goodness.’ (Analects 13.27 [17]). Commentator Wang Su said, ‘Gang [resolute] is to be without desire; yi [firm] is to be determined and daring; mu is to be simple; na is to be slow in speech. To be possessed of these four qualities is to approach true goodness.’ …

”

‘Simple and slow in speech’ becomes almost a refrain in the teachings of Confucius. For instance, in 12.3, he says, ‘The person of true goodness is restrained in speech.’

Throughout the text he repeatedly cautions his followers not to mistake eloquence for substance, as in 1.3: ‘The Master said – artful words and a pleasing countenance have little, indeed, to do with true goodness.’ …

”

Commentator Zhu Xi wants to understand why this is so. The answer for him is partly that restraint in speech indicates a general self-restraint, which, in turn, indicates that one’s original mind and heart, with its endowed true goodness, has been preserved and not won over by selfish desires. … For Zhu, words that are not simple but, rather, are ‘artful’ are evidence of ‘adorning oneself on the outside in an effort to please others, a matter of human desire having grown dissolute.’ ”

We confront the question of eloquence versus simplicity when we praise God. “One may only use Moshe’s words of praise to speak of God: “The Almighty, Who is Great, Powerful and Awesome.” (Megillah 18a) Rabbeinu Avraham ben HaGra insists that all prayer is based on these four Hebrew words: “HaKail, HaGadol, HaGibbor, V’HaNorah”.

There is danger in waxing too eloquent in praising One Who is Infinite. Our attempts to exhaust God’s praises imply that we can find words to describe this Infinite being.

We are limited in finding the proper words for the essential part of our prayers. If we must be so careful in our praise of God, should we not be as careful in all areas of our speech? We can use the discipline of speech in praise to train ourselves to speak so we may approach true goodness.

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

My wife and I have been taking care of our 8 year old nephew, Felix, for a while and have quickly realized how much we forgot about dealing with younger children. The hardest part for me is becoming “Google” again, or as my wife and kids like to joke: “The Source of All Knowledge.”

Debbie took Felix to Wave Hill for a Shabbat walk. She told him the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. “Why did they not simply vomit the fruit and undo their sin?”

They took out a book about Shabbat and its laws: “Why can’t Tio Simcha design a solar powered car that does not use a flame and can be used on Shabbat?

Debbie then explained how we derive the Shabbat laws from the Mishkan: “Why doesn’t the Prime Minister of Israel simply build a new Temple?”

We had a small tornado this past Sunday in the Bronx: “Boy! God must be very angry!” “Well, Felix, no one was hurt even though so many trees fell and cars were destroyed. Maybe He isn’t so angry.” “Then, why did He do it?”

I may have been an “Answer Machine” for many years, but the position does not carry as much prestige as being “The Question Machine” Felix has become.

There is an important difference between the first paragraph of Shema and the second: “You shall teach them thoroughly to your children and you shall speak of them while you sit in your home…” (Deuteronomy 6:7) The second paragraph has an almost identical phrase with a powerful change: “You shall teach them to your children to discuss them, while you sit in your home…” (11:19)

The first paragraph of Shema commands us to teach Torah. The second paragraph commands us to teach our children to discuss Torah, to nurture them as Question Machines.

We can only nurture our kids as Question Machines if we are willing to become Answer Machines, even if we must respond, “I don’t know. I’ll have to look it up on “Google.”

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

In response to numerous requests for the text version of this podcast: “Perhaps you will say in your heart, these nations are more numerous than I; how will I be able to drive them out? Do not fear them! You shall remember…”

The verse actually describes a series of steps:

1) These nations are more numerous than I.

2) How will I be able…

3) Do not fear…

The seed of fear and doubt is planted the minute the people say; “These nations are more numerous.”

The verse does not mention fear. It simply says, “you will say in your heart.”

The battle with the Canaanites will change with that simple statement: It changes from a war in which God will lead Israel to a regular battle that must be examined and studied by numbers, strategies and weapons.

The next word is Eicha – How – the word that is the theme of the Three Weeks of Destruction ; Eicha – How? Alas! Woe!

We create the sense of doubt in our hearts, and that doubt leads to Eicha.

The verse is teaching us that all the Eichas of the three weeks that climaxed and ended in Tisha B’Av began with doubts – doubts planted in our hearts by us.

The verse continues with “Do not fear.” Once the doubt has been planted in our hearts, once we ask even a silent Eicha – we will begin to fear.

This week’s portion Eikev – is a description of different processes: The process of learning a Mitzvah in our heads and allowing it to flow all the way through our bodies into our heels. The process of Reward and Punishment. And now, the process we begin with our unstated doubts and questions that lead to fear, and a battle that will have to be waged on a more practical level rather than allowing God to fight for us.

Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.