Dear Friends;

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parashiot summaries followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parashat Vayakhel in a Nutshell “

Moshe advices Benei Israel to keep Shabbat once again, and requests donations for the materials for making the Mishkan–portable Sanctuary for G-d. He collects gold, silver, precious stones, skins and yarn, as well as incense and olive oil for the Menorah and for anointing. The princes of each tribe bring the precious stones for the Kohen Gadol’s breastplate and ephod- an apronlike vestment worn just underneath the breastplate.

G-d appoints Bezalel and Oholiav as the master craftsmen. Benei Israel contribute so much that Moshe begins to refuse donations. Special curtains with two different covers were designed for the Mishkan’s roof and door. Gold-covered boards in silver formed the Mishkan’s walls. Bezalel made the Holy Ark from wood covered with gold. On the Ark’s cover were two figures facing each other (Cherubim). The Menorah and the Table were also of gold. Two altars were made: a small incense altar of wood overlaid with gold, and a larger altar for sacrifices made of wood covered with copper.

” Parashat Pekudei in a Nutshell “

After finishing all the different parts, vessels and garments used in the Mishkan, Moshe gives a complete accounting and enumeration of all the contributions and of the various clothing and vessels which had been made.

Benei Israel bring everything to Moshe. He inspects the handiwork and notes that everything was made according to G-d’s specifications. Moshe blesses the people. G-d speaks to Moshe and tells him that the Mishkan should be set up on the first day of the month of Nissan. He also tells Moshe the order of assembly for the Mishkan and its vessels. Moshe does everything in the prescribed manner. When the Mishkan is finally complete with every vessel in its place, a cloud descends upon it, indicating that G-d’s glory was resting there. Whenever the cloud moved away from the Mishkan, Benei Israel would follow it. At night the cloud was replaced by a pillar of fire.

” Dvar Torah “

Last week we read the tragic story of the Golden Calf. Unfortunately, the children of Israel committed a grave sin. They made themselves a molten imagine and began to worship it while Moses was away. When Moses came down the mountain and saw the calf, the Torah says the people were “peruah”, meaning “wild, disorderly, chaotic, unruly, lawless.” Moses “saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies.”

So, what did Moses do when he saw that the people made for themselves a golden calf, run riot and lost its sense of ethical and spiritual direction? How do you restore moral order? How do you bring them back to serve  G-d?!

Well, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks says that the answer lies in the first few words of Parashat Vayakhel. The Parsha starts off by saying “Moses gathered the entire assembly of the children of Israel….” The word “Yayakhel” comes from the word “Kehila”, meaning “community”. When Moses came down the mountain, he didn’t see a community, but just a crowd! So, he decided to gather them together and make them into a community again, because the best way to restore order and bring back the people to serve G-d is by making a “Kehila”! And once he did that, he reminded them about two commandments: Shabbat and building a Mishkan.

But why did Moshe choose these two commandments out of all the other commandments to teach the Benei Yisrael at this time? Well, Rabbi Sacks says it’s because Shabbat and the Mishkan are the two most powerful ways of building a community. The best way of turning a diverse, disconnected group into a team is to get them to build something together. Hence the Mishkan. Building a house for G-d not only brings unity among people, but it also brings people closer to their Creator. And the best way of strengthening the relationship between man and his fellow, is by praying, eating and spending time together —– things that can only be done Shabbat. Shabbat and the mishkan were the two great community-building experiences of the Israelites in the desert.

In Judaism, community is essential to the spiritual life. Our holiest prayers require a minyan. When we celebrate or mourn we do so as a community. Even when we confess on Yom Kippur, we do so together. Rambam says “One who separates himself from the community, even if he does not commit a sin but merely holds himself aloof from the congregation of Israel; he who does not fulfil the commandments together with his people; a person who shows himself indifferent and isolates himself from the rest of the community — such a person has no share in the world to come.”  In Judaism, it is as a community that we come before G-d. “Na-ase Ve Nishma”. For us the key relationship is not “I shall do”, but “We shall do”!!

Yes my friends, the Torah is once again teaching us the importance of the community. To be a Jew, you need to belong to a community! Judaism and individualism are two opposing concepts. G-d wants to see us together when we pray, when we celebrate, when we eat, when we rest and even when we cry. He wants us to help other members of our community and care for each other. He wants us to be united!

B”H, in the Mashadi community, we take this matter very seriously. Community is one of the most important aspects of our lives. We choose where to live, where to work, where to study, who to socialize with and who to marry, all based on the community we belong to. We gladly participate in each other’s happy occasions, but on the other hand, we also share tears in each other’s sorrow. And the two commandments that we take very seriously are, building a Sanctuary for G-d and Shabbat, just like the two commandments that Moshe taught the Benei Yisrael when they needed to be united!

In other cultures and religions, the success of an individual is measured by his or her accomplishments. In Judaism however, the greatness of a person is valued by how much he has done for his community!

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah on Purim;

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

G-d tells Moshe to command the Jewish People to supply pure olive oil for the menorah in the Mishkan(Tent of Meeting). He also tells Moshe to organize the making of the bigdei kehuna(priestly garments): A breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a checkered tunic, a turban, a sash, a forehead-plate, and linen trousers. Upon their completion, Moshe is to perform a ceremony for seven days to consecrate Aharon and his sons. This includes offering sacrifices, dressing Aharon and his sons in their respective garments, and anointing Aharon with oil. G-d commands that every morning and afternoon a sheep be offered on the altar in the Mishkan. G-d commands that an altar for incense be built from acacia wood and covered with gold. Aharon and his descendants should burn incense on this altar every day.

“ Purim, the Festival of Unity “

Every Jewish Festival or Holiday, has a theme to it and comes with a “message”. For example, Pesach is all about eating Matzot and remembering the Exodus. Its’ message: Be grateful to Hashem who took you out of Egypt from slavery with strong arms and chose you to be his Chosen People.

Sukkot, is all about leaving the comfort of our homes and going to live in a temporary “Hut”, so that we realize that our comfortable homes and all of our belongings, are all because of Hashem’s generosity and not because of our own intelligence and hard work!

Shavuot, is all about receiving the Torah and realizing that we are Hashem’s chosen people and we are obligated to follow his commandments.

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is all about repentance. Once a year, we have to ask for forgiveness from Hashem, for all the sins that we have committed in previous year, and try our best not to repeat them again.

Chanukkah is the festival of lights. Its message is to show us that even at the darkest point in our lives, Hashem does not abandon us, and there is always a light at the end of a tunnel.

So, what is the theme for Purim and what message does it carry with it? Some people may think that it’s only a Festival for the children. They put costumes on them and they send out bags of candies to their friends. Others might think it’s a Holiday just to have fun. It’s time to party, dance and get drunk for some unknown reason?!

But surely, there has to be something more informative about the Festival of Purim?! After a short research, I came across a drasha given by Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetsky which explains the theme of Purim. He says that the true message of Purim can be found in the Megillah itself!

The story of the Megillah occurred in 4th century BCE. King Achashverosh ruled over the Persian Empire which extended over 127 provinces (countries). King Achashverosh had his wife, Queen Vashti, executed for failing to follow his orders. He then orchestrated a beauty pageant to find a new queen. A Jewish girl, Esther, found favor in his eyes and became the new queen—though she refused to reveal her identity. Meanwhile, Haman was appointed prime minister of the empire. Mordechai, the leader of the Jews and Esther’s cousin, defied the king’s orders and refused to bow to Haman. Because of Mordechai’s disrespect, Haman got very angry and decided to exterminate all of the Jews, who all lived under King Achashverosh’s ruling at the time.

In order to convince the king to issue a decree ordering the extermination of all the Jews, Haman came to the King with the following argument: ” There is ONE nation scattered among your people in all of your provinces. They have their own laws, and they don’t even obey the King’s law.”

Rabbi Kamenetsky says that the same argument Haman used for asking to kill the Jews, is also the reason for their salvation. The key word here is “ONE”! The Jews were scattered across the 127 provinces of King Achashverosh jurisdiction which was almost the whole world of the time, but they were all united as ONE nation. They all prayed together, they all fasted together and they really cared about each other. Queen Esther was even ready to give up her life, in order to save the lives of the other Jews!! And because of the unity and the love that they had for one another, Hashem saved them from the wicked hands of Haman and his followers, and they became victorious over their enemy!

Yes my friends, the message of Purim is quite clear! Purim is a Festival of unity and friendship!! When we are united, there are no kings or leaders in the world that could defeat us. Hashem is always with us when we are united. The Festival of Purim is the time to bring us closer to each other. It is the time to show our love for one another and to show that we care about ALL the Jews across the world and not just the ones in our own community! In the whole Megillah, there is no mention of Hashem’s name, not even once! Maybe it’s because during this Festival, Hashem wants us to get closer to each other, rather than to get closer to Him! It’s a Holiday for us Jews to bond together!! That’s why the main Mitzvot of this Holiday is to give gifts, preferably to a distance friend, and give charity to the people in need. It’s the time to get rid of all the grudges and find the way to become close to those people who we have distance ourselves from!! It’s a time to find a way to people’s heart and love everyone we know! And that’s what Purim is all about!

So my friends, let us celebrate Purim this year with a different attitude. Let’s find it in our hearts to love every other Jew. Let’s drink, dance and party together. But keep in mind that the reason for our celebration is not because we just want to have fun, but rather, the main reason is that we really do care about each other!

Shabbat Shalom, Purim Sameach & Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

Joseph’s imprisonment finally ends when Pharaoh dreams of seven fat cows that are swallowed up by seven lean cows, and of seven fat ears of grain swallowed by seven lean ears. Joseph interprets the dreams to mean that seven years of plenty will be followed by seven years of hunger, and advises Pharaoh to store grain during the plentiful years. Pharaoh appoints Joseph governor of Egypt. Joseph marries Asenath, daughter of Potiphar, and they have two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Famine spreads throughout the region, and food can be obtained only in Egypt. Ten of Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt to purchase grain; the youngest, Benjamin, stays home, for Jacob fears for his safety. Joseph recognizes his brothers, but they do not recognize him; he accuses them of being spies, insists that they bring Benjamin to prove that they are who they say they are, and imprisons Shimon as a hostage. Later, they discover that the money they paid for their provisions has been mysteriously returned to them.

Jacob agrees to send Benjamin only after Judah takes personal and eternal responsibility for him. This time Joseph receives them kindly, releases Shimon, and invites them to an eventful dinner at his home. But then he plants his silver goblet, pretending to have magical powers, in Benjamin’s sack. When the brothers set out for home the next morning they are pursued, searched, and arrested when the goblet is found in Benjamin’s sack. Joseph offers to set them free and to keep only Benjamin as his slave.

“ Dvar Torah “

This week, we continue with the story of Joseph. So, the excitement continues! Pharaoh has a dream. In his dream he sees himself standing over the Nile River, and behold, there came up out of the River seven cows, handsome and fat of flesh, and they fed in the grass reed. And, behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the River, ugly and lean of flesh, and stood by the other cows upon the bank of the River. And the ugly and lean cows ate up the seven handsome and fat cows, and still, stayed thin and ugly.

Pharaoh wakes up in distress. Falls asleep again. He has a second dream. This time he sees seven thin, dried ears of grain swallow seven fat ears of grain.

In the morning, Pharaoh summons all his wise men and advisors, but none of them can offer Pharaoh a satisfactory interpretation of his dreams. Then, the “young Hebrew slave,” Joseph, is summoned from the dungeon to the palace. Joseph interprets the dreams to mean that seven years of plenty, symbolized by the fat cows and fat grain, will be followed by seven years of hunger, reflected by the lean cows and the shriveled ears. The seven years of famine will be so powerful that they will “swallow up” and wipe out any trace of the years of plenty.

Joseph then advises Pharaoh how to deal with the situation: “Now Pharaoh must seek out a man with insight and wisdom and place him in charge of Egypt.” A rationing system will have to be set up over Egypt during the seven years of surplus, Joseph explains, in which grain will be stored for the upcoming years of famine.

Pharaoh is blown away by Joseph’s vision. “Can there be another person who has G‑d’s spirit in him as this man does?” Pharaoh asks his advisors. “There is none as understanding and wise as you,” he says to Joseph. “You shall be over my house, and according to your word shall all my people be ruled; only by the throne will I outrank you.” Joseph is thus appointed viceroy of Egypt.

A few questions come to mind. First of all, following his interpretation of the dreams, Joseph proceeded to give Pharaoh advice on how to deal with the impending famine. How dare does a newly liberated prisoner offer the king of Egypt, the most powerful man on the face of the earth, unsolicited advice? Pharaoh summoned Joseph from the dungeon to interpret his dreams, but not to become an advisor to the king?! Second of all, why was Pharaoh so mesmerized by Joseph?! What was so genius about Joseph’s advice?! Joseph’s interpretation seems simple and obvious. When are cows fat? When there is lots of food. When are they lean? When there’s no food. When is grain fat? When there is a plentiful harvest. When is grain lean? During a time of famine. And you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to suggest that if you have seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, you should store food during the time of plenty for the time of hunger. So why couldn’t the advisors of Pharaoh come up with the same interpretation?! Keep in mind that the King’s advisors at that time, they all knew Astrology and had the power to see the future.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Late Lubavitcher Rebbe, gave a beautiful answer to these questions. He said that the Pharaoh’s advisers did indeed come up with the same interpretation as Joseph, but they rejected it instantly because they could not make sense of one part of the dream. The Torah says: “ And, behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the River, ugly and lean of flesh, and stood side by side of the other cows upon the bank of the River…….”. In other words, there was a moment during which both sets of cows coexisted simultaneously! It was this detail of the dream that caused the wise men of Egypt to reject the interpretation that Joseph would later offer to Pharaoh, for how is it possible that plenty and famine should coexist? You can either have abundance of food or you can have no food, but you cannot have them both together!

This is where Joseph’s brilliance was revealed. When Joseph proceeded to tell Pharaoh how to prepare for the upcoming famine, he wasn’t offering an unwelcoming advice to the King on how to run his country; but rather, the advice was part of the dream’s interpretation!

Joseph understood that the coexistence of the two sets of cows contained the solution to the approaching famine: During the years of plenty, Egypt must “live” with the years of famine as well, as though they were already present. Even while enjoying the abundance of the years of plenty, Egypt must experience in its imagination the reality of the upcoming famine, and each and every day store away food for it. The seven lean cows ought to be very much present and alive in people’s minds and in their behavior during the era of the seven fat cows. And this is what impressed Pharaoh so deeply about Joseph —— one little detail of the dream that no other wise man could see!

Yes my friends, there is a great lesson to be learned from Joseph’s interpretation. In the times of plenty, we should always think and prepare ourselves for the times of need. B”H, when the times are good, extremely good, we all live our lives to the fullest. We all buy the best houses, we get the best cars, we wear the best clothes and we go on the best vacations. But what if, G-d forbid, the things turn around one day and it becomes hard to make a living. How many of us have saved from the time when Hashem gave us plenty? And this is the essence of Joseph’s wisdom: You must never detach the years of plenty from the years of famine; they should coexist together. At the time of plenty we should save up for the time of need. Unlike the western mentality which believes in “live each day to the fullest”, us Jews, believe in securing our future. For us, living in the future is as important as living today!

So my friends, the next time you make a big profit in a business deal, you shouldn’t ask yourself “what should I buy with the money I just made”, but rather, “how much of it should I save on the side”?!……….

Shabbat Shalom, Happy Hanukkah, Chodesh Tov and Regards;

Martin

Dear friends;

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah.

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

Jacob returns to the Holy Land after more than 20 years stay in Charan, and sends messengers to Esau in hope of a reconciliation, but his messengers report that his brother is on his way with 400 armed men. Jacob prepares for war, prays, but decides to go in peace and sends Esau a large gift (consisting of hundreds of sheep and cattle) to appease him.

That night, Jacob ferries his family and possessions them across the Yabbok River; he, however, remains behind and encounters the angel, with whom he wrestles until daybreak. Jacob suffers a dislocated hip but triumphs the supernatural creature, who bestows on him the name “Yisrael”, which means “He who prevails over the Divine.”

Jacob and Esau meet, embrace and kiss, but part ways. Jacob purchases a plot of land near Shechem, whose crown prince — also called Shechem — abducts and rapes Jacob’s daughter Dinah. Dinah’s brothers Simon and Levi avenge the deed by killing all male inhabitants of the city after rendering them vulnerable by convincing them to circumcise themselves.

Jacob journeys on. Rachel dies while giving birth to her second son, Benjamin, and is buried in a roadside grave near Bethlehem. Reuben loses the birthright because he interferes with his father’s marital life. Jacob arrives in Chevron, to his father Isaac, who later dies at age 180.

Our parshah concludes with a detailed account of Esau’s wives, children and grandchildren, and the family histories of the people of Se’ir among whom Esau settled.

” Dvar Torah “

The character of our Forefather Jacob really fascinates me. He was the man who became Israel, our father in faith. Israel is the one whose name we bear, not Abraham nor Isaac. Jacob is not the most obvious choice of religious hero. He does not appear – at least on the surface of the biblical text – as a man with Abraham’s courage or kindness or Isaac’s faithfulness and self-restraint. He was a man surrounded by conflict: with his brother Esau, his father-in-law Laban, his wives, Leah and Rachel, and his children, whose sibling rivalry eventually brought the whole family into exile in Egypt. His life seems to have been a field of tensions. The way he purchased Esau’s birthright, took his blessing, and eventually outwitted his sneaky father-in-law Laban only shows his deceitful ways of doing transactions.

So the obvious question is: why did the Torah choose to portray the third of the Patriarchs and the most important one to our faith in this way? The Torah is highly selective in the details it chooses to relate. Why not paint Jacob in more attractive colors? Why couldn’t it use the midrashic way to describe Jacob? The midrash says that even in the womb Jacob longed for a synagogue, who spent his years as a young man studying in the bet midrash, who looked like Abraham and whose arms were like pillars of marble. His motives were always pure. He bought Esau’s birthright because he could not bear to see Esau offering sacrifices (the privilege of the firstborn) to idols. As for his father’s blessing, the very reason Isaac became blind in old age was so that this could be possible. Esau was the opposite, a violent and mercurial character who had deceived his father into thinking he was ultra-pious, but who had – on the day he came in “tired” from the field – committed a whole series of crimes including murder.

But the Torah chose not to describe him in this way. The Torah only relates to us his deceptions. His life was a series of struggles. Nothing came easily to him. So the question that still remains is “why Jacob”? What was so special about him that became “Israel”, the father of the Chosen People?!

Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gives a beautiful explanation. He says that Jacob, out of all the patriarchs, was a man who chose to be chosen. Abraham was called by G-d. Isaac was chosen before his birth. G-d appeared to Moses in burning bush and told him that he is the leader.  But not Jacob. It was he who bought the birthright and took the blessing, he who chose to carry Abraham’s destiny into the future all by himself. He had to fight his way up to be part of the chosen ones! Not until he was running away from home did G-d appear to him. Not until years later, alone, at night, terrified at the prospect of meeting Esau, did G-d or an angel wrestle with him. He alone was given, by G-d or the angel, a completely new name, not an enhancement of his old one but a completely new identity: “Israel.” Jacob’s whole life was a struggle, yet it was through Jacob’s extended wrestling-match with destiny that he eventually achieved what neither Abraham nor Isaac accomplished: all his children stayed within the faith. And that is Jacob’s special characteristic: G-d did not find Jacob — Jacob found G-d!

Yes my friends, there are saintly people for whom spirituality comes easy to them. But G-d does not reach out only to saints. He reaches out to all of us. Some of us have to work harder, get more blessings and pray more in order to find G-d. Sometimes we go through hardship in life which we don’t understand. Sometimes we pray and we think G-d is not listening to us. Sometimes faith becomes a challenge and hope seems to be unreachable. But we learn from Jacob that G-d never abandons us. He still can be reached when you are on the run and under stress. All you need is to have the courage to continue and never give up hope!

So my friends, if you find yourself struggling with faith, you are in the company of Jacob-who-became-Israel, the father-in-faith of us all.

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin