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A WOMAN was flying from Seattle to San Francisco . Unexpectedly, the plane was diverted to Sacramento along the way. The flight attendant explained that there would be a delay, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft the plane would re-board in 50 minutes.

Everybody got off the plane except one lady who was blind. The man had noticed her as he walked by and could tell the lady was blind because her Seeing Eye dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of her throughout the entire flight.

He could also tell she had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached her, and calling her by name, said, ‘Kathy, we are in Sacramento for almost an hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?’ The blind lady replied, ‘No thanks, but maybe Buddy would like to stretch his legs.’

Picture this:

All the people in the gate area came to a complete standstill when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with a Seeing Eye dog! The pilot was even wearing sunglasses. People scattered. They not only tried to change planes, but they were trying to change airlines!

True story… Have a great day and remember…

… THINGS AREN’T ALWAYS AS THEY APPEAR.

A DAY WITHOUT LAUGHTER IS A DAY WASTED!!!

We have posted the essays for this week:

Haftarah – Nasso: Identity

Table Talk – Nasso: Impressions

The Music of Halcha – Shabbat 26: Fire

The Voice of The Torah: Rabbi Chaim Goldberger

The Torah Connection: Rabbi Yaakov Shlomo Weinberg

Words Can Heal: Rabbi Irwin Katsof: Your Kids May Be Armed and Dangerous

Stories of the Baal Shem Tov: Bentzion of Medziboz: Nasso

Keter Shem Tov: Bentzion of Medziboz: Chapter 140

For Our Members in Israel we have posted:

Haftarah: Beha’alotecha: Walkers

They can also review the Haftarah for Shabbat Chanukah:

Table Talk: Beha’alotecha: The Challenge of Change & The Vocabulary of Evil

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.

We began with the Intellect’s statement on the bottom of pages 18 -19 in The Knowing Heart:

1) A person achieves Dveikut – Attachment as he or she achieves greater self-mastery.

2) Dveikut – Attachment is to God’s Kedusha – Sanctity.

3) Dveikut allows one to enjoy his or her perceptions of God’s Glory.

4) That enjoyment will not be limited by any of the three major barriers: 1. Hindrance – Someone or something holding you back from moving forward, 2. Barrier, and 3. Impediment.

5) The Ramchal quotes three verses to explain and define each of the three limitations to enjoyment.

6) Whenever the Ramchal quotes more than one proof-text, he intends to prove more than one point.

7) The three limitations are discussed in prayer: Amidah: Avot: “Melech ozer, u’Moshia, U’magain – The King Who Helps, saves and shields.

Hindrance refers to ego interfering with attachment: Jacob holding on to Esau’s heel (where the Serpent of Eden attacks) is holding Esau back from asserting power – a positive hindrance. Serving God without integrity – with self-serving motivation – is ego. The attacks of others in word and deed create barriers. Our inability to accept that God uses His abundant blessings to guide us toward the fulfillment of our purpose in life is the impediment.

9) This too is in the Amidah: Gevurot: Mechakail Chaim – God sustains us in order to help us achieve Techiat Hameitim – World to Come – which is our ultimate purpose.

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.

Torah Study:

If you are not participating in a program: Divide the night into two main parts:

1: A Celebration of your learning of the past year.

2: What you hope to learn between now and next Shavuot.

1: Make a list of the favorite things you learned this year. Spend the first half of the night reviewing and applying the practical lessons of your studies.

2. Are there books or areas of learning you would like to study? Bible, Prophets, Proverbs, Psalms, Midrash, Philosophy, Talmud or law? Choose two of the areas that most intrest you and study them for the rest of the night.

Relationships:

Preparations for Sinai included the purification of relationships between husbands and wives.

First Day: Have an honest and open evaluation of your relationship and what each can do to improve the marriage.

Second Day: Together, study the story of the Covenant of Sinai that appears at the end of Mishpatim: Exodus, Chapter 24.

Conversion:

All the laws of conversion are derived from the preparations for Sinai.

Day One: Consider and/or discuss whether, if offered the choice, you would choose to be part of the Covenant of Sinai.

Day Two: Consider and/or discuss which aspect of Torah would compel you to convert.

Teshuva

“Just as they left Rephidim in Teshuva, so they arrived at Sinai in Teshuva.” (Rashi, Exodus 19:2)

Day One: Ask two people you respect and trust to pinpoint two of your positive qualities and to suggest two areas you can improve.

Day Two: Review and discuss the Six Constant Mitzvot and how you can improve your incorporation of those commandments.

Prayer

Shavuot is more about relationship than laws.

Day One: Spend extra time reciting the blessings before Torah study.

Day Two: Spend extra time reciting “Ahavah Rabbah” the blessing immediately before the morning Shema.

Perform a Post Shavuot Evaluation, preferably with a partner, of what you gained from the Chag.

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.

Ezekiel 1:1-28, 3:12: Never before had the nation been so distant from Sinai. Even when the Assryians exiled the Northern Kingdom of the Ten Tribes, the people of Judah did not believe God had forsaken them. They believed that no matter how they behaved, God would protect His city and Holy Temple.

But the Babylonians had come. King Jehoiachin and the leaders of Israel were exiled to Babylon. People sensed that it was the beginning of the end. They no longer felt safe in Jerusalem. The exiles themselves were in shock. The Revelation at Sinai was a distant memory of a Covenant that seemed dead.

Ezekiel, the only prophet to prophecy outside of Israel, must bring the Revelation at Sinai back to life. God charged him to remind the Jews that Sinai was in their blood, a part of their souls, and that the Divine Presence, which they witnessed at Sinai, was in exile with them. (Zohar W 149a) Maimonides, in his Guide For The Perplexed (3:6) quotes the Sages: This vision of Ezekiel is the same as Isaiah’s (Isaiah, Chapter 6). The two visions can be compared to two men who saw the king riding, the one, a city dweller, the other, a countryman. The former, seeing that his neighbors know well how the king rides, simply tells them that he saw the king; but the villager, wishing to tell his friends things which they do not know, relates in detail how the king was riding, describes his followers, and the officers who execute his orders and commands. Isaiah is like the city dweller and Ezekiel is like the villager. (Chagigah 13b)

Isaiah was the prophet for a generation that still experienced Sinai. Ezekiel spoke to people still wearing their chains. Sinai was dead to them.

There are differences between the prophecies of Isaiah and Ezekiel: Isaiah saw angels with six wings, Ezekiel saw angels with only four. Isaiah heard the angels sing, “His Glory fills the earth!” Ezekiel heard a watered down song, “Where is the place of His Glory!”

The Divine Presence was exiled together with the people. It was bound to them through the covenant of Sinai. The Glory of God was weakened by the exile. The Angels had their wings clipped. They searched for God’s Glory, rather than sing of its Presence everywhere.

“Don’t think that Sinai is over. Do not believe, even for a second, that the covenant has been smashed. It is still alive. God’s Glory is so intertwined with Israel that His Presence must go into exile with His people. His angels are weakened. His Glory is diluted. This is an even stronger expression of the covenant of Sinai. It does not end. It cannot end. He, Who sits on the Highest Throne, and hears the praises of the holiest angels, goes into exile with you!”

At that moment, when Ezekiel shared his vision, almost as powerful as that of the great Isaiah, despite the fact they were in exile, the people rejoiced. They understood that God had not forsaken them. Sinai was alive and well. (Zohar II 2a) God is watching you, wherever you are, even in the wicked confines of Babylon: “Their backs were full of eyes surrounding the four of them.” (Ezekiel 1:18)

You must restore My Glory! Only you, Israel, with whom I made the covenant at Sinai, can restore My Glory!

How? We have already failed You. We are weakened, humiliated, crushed. How can we restore Your Glory?

Even the holiest of Angels: “The Chayos ran to and fro like the appearance of a flash.” (1:14) They run towards God, in an electric atmosphere of clarity and passion, but, they pull back, overwhelmed by the power of their experiences.

You Israel ran towards me in the electric atmosphere of Sinai and other great moments in your history. You pulled back, and now you suffer, but you will run back towards me. You will restore the passion and fire of Sinai. The covenant will pulsate with the same life and Glory. You will restore My Presence to the world.

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.

Purpose driven action was introduced in the previous Music of Halacha essay. We posited that the laws of Shabbat define Action of Intention for everything we do, not only on Shabbat, but for the entire week. One of the three most important ingredients is purpose. The Shabbat laws were derived from the work necessary for the construction of the Tabernacle. Every step had to be done with its specific purpose in mind. How do we define purpose? Do the laws of Shabbat guide us in determining what is considered a positive purpose?

We needed wheat to bake bread. Wheat needs to be planted and harvested. We have to plough a field before we can plant. What was the purpose of the plowing? Was it to plow in order to plant in order to have wheat in order to have bread etc.? Or, was it sufficient to plough with the purpose of making a space in the ground to hold the seeds? How conscious did the plowman have to be of the ultimate purpose of the trench he was making in the ground?

We can apply this question to Mitzvot we observe during the week: What purpose must someone have in mind when praying? Is the purpose to observe God’s commandment to pray? Is it necessary to have in mind why we observe God’s commandments? How conscious must we be of the ultimate purpose?

We must begin by defining the parameters of Purpose in the context of the Shabbat laws. We will start by studying the approach of Tosafot in Tractate Shabbat 94a. The Tosafot are discussing whether performing the identical action to what was done for the Temple service but with a different purpose is a liable action. They determine that the only purpose that concerns us is if the purpose is the same as the purpose of the action in the Temple. For example: Carrying from private to public property is one of the 39 Categories of Prohibited Actions. If someone dies inside a house and the family wants to carry the body outside to a public thoroughfare to protect them from the serious impurity of a corpse; their purpose is not to have the corpse outside as much as it is to not have the corpse inside the house. It is the same action, carrying something from one domain to another, but with a different purpose; rather than to bring the corpse to a specific place the person simply wants to remove it from his home. The purpose is different.

The Tosafot take the idea of purpose in this context beyond Rashi and other commentaries and they stress that the purpose must be exactly the same as the purpose served in the Temple.

It is clear that the Tosafot do not consider the ultimate purpose as the defining factor. They are interested in the immediate purpose. The Tosafot believe that a person plowing his field to grow wheat to be used in the Temple service does not need to think how the wheat that grows will be used. He must only plow with the purpose to plant. The immediate purpose is our only concern.

In order for a prayer to be considered a purposeful prayer it is only necessary to consider the immediate purpose, which is to fulfill the obligation to pray. The immediate purpose necessary for the fulfillment of a mitzvah is simply to fulfill an obligation.

The Tosafot’s insistence that the purpose be the same as it was for the Temple raises other issues. Do the concepts of Thoughtful Action apply to actions that were not part of the construction of the Tabernacle or its service? Do the ideas of Thoughtful Action apply to the mundane as well?

To be continued…