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In this crazy-busy world of ours – forget about so-called "time-saving" devices, we’re busier now than our previous generations ever were! – we struggle to find a "space" (sorry for using that over-used buzz-word!) to just be calm & peaceful. A place to let our minds roam free as we pause & think - just plain think - about the magnificent, multi-dimensional world around us; our place in it, & G-d.
I once asked Rav Shlomo Carlebach – a man who was perpetually on the move & surrounded by fans & friends - where he goes if he wants "private time." Where is his "escape room" where he can be alone with his thoughts? He pondered that for a moment & then said, "My one & only refuge from this all-too invasive & intrusive world is when I am wrapped up completely in my talit!"
The talit is one of 4 Mitzvot that can completely surround us from all sides so that, in a sense, we are "swallowed up" by a Mitzva. There is the Mikva, of course, & then there is the Sukka, which also totally envelops us, & is the closest thing we Jews of today can experience akin to the Ananei Kavod, the Clouds of Glory, the impenetrable, Heavenly wall that kept Bnei Yisrael safe in the desert.
In my Sukka, I am the Prince of my Castle (Hashem, of course, remains the King!). Cozy (I prefer that to "small") & constructed by our own hands (every Jew wants to be a kablan!), we can sit in the great outdoors, under the stars, & contemplate nature, escaping, as it were, the rush-rush of "normal" everyday existence. The decibel level has dropped, the spiritual level has risen, & somehow – despite its temporary structure - I feel safe there. I feel that Hashem is squeezed right in here with me.
Of course, there is yet one more Mitzva in which we can be completely immersed, & that, of course, is Eretz Yisrael. The moment we fulfill this glorious, foundational commandment & come to Israel, its Kedusha encircles us as if G-d is whispering, "You are home; you are safe in your Sukkat Shalom!"
Ironically, the Sukka was once upon a time a symbol of our national homelessness, as we moved through the desert from place to place on our epic journey to the Holy Land. We quickly assembled & then disassembled our makeshift quarters, & headed to the next stop on the map, wandering, & wondering when that long voyage would come to an end. And historically, that voyage would continue for a long, long time thru the Diaspora.
But now we are home, finally & forever. Wrapped in my talit, sitting in my Sukka in the re-Jew-venated State of Israel, I can close my eyes as the Mitzvot wash over me as I rhetorically ask, "Does it get any better than this?!"
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Re'e NEVER EXTREME EXCEPT ISRAEL
Parshat Re'eh
Judaism is against extremism, so how can we understand the seemingly extreme statements found in our sages in favor of living in the Land of Israel and against living in Chutz laAretz? The article deals with the seeming contradiction between the strength of Free-Will and the strength of being influenced by our surroundings.
Ekev DANCE FOR ISRAEL- FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Parshat Eikev
Description: The 7 Haftarot we read after Tisha B'Av ("Shiva D'Nichemta") surely get us excited that they're coming TRUE, and awaken us to yearn, dance & join the return to Zion! The short article also deals with the problems and solutions facing the American Jewish community as discussed at a recent panel, as well as the question why Jews come from America to Israel to help when we face problems, but Israelis don't come to aid Jews in America when they face anti-Semitism.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
