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The Coat Sale

Mon, 3 May 2010 9:51:00 PM

Yankel, a poor man, is walking home one day and passes a coat store offering coats at half price. Though he can't afford it, Yankel also can't pass up a bargain, so he goes in and buys a coat.

When he gets home, his wife, who has a better sense of finances, gives it to him over the head and tells him to go back and return the coat. “On what pretext?” asks Yankel. “Tell them,” says she, “that you inspected it when you got home and the coat is flawed.”

The man returns to the merchant and says, “I want my money back, this garment is flawed.” When the merchant refunds the purchase, his friends wonder aloud, “Why did you give a refund so fast? Why didn’t you offer him an exchange for another, unflawed coat?”

The merchant replies: “I've been in this business for a long time. You think he was was interested in another coat? Such a person would say, ‘This garment is flawed; I need a new one.’ But this shmendrik comes in here and announces, ‘I want my money back’ and only then does he say ‘this garment is flawed.’ Obviously, the flaw is not the issue—it’s the gelt!”

***

Some questions are not questions but answers. They are used to answer and excuse the questioner’s choices. In Yiddish/Hebrew, the word for answer, terutz, is also the word for excuse. A question can sometimes be a terutz. One can answer a question; one cannot answer an answer.

It takes wisdom to recognize when our questions are sincere quests for knowledge, or pretexts to deny or ignore what it is we need to do.

Oy Am I Thirsty (Jewish Joke of the Day w/commentary)

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 9:14:00 PM

Abe is travelling on a bus to to Coney Island about to fall into a sweet nap when suddenly he is jolted awake by the sound of an old Yiddishe bubbeh saying from the back of the bus: "Oy, am I thirsty, Oy, am I thirsty!"

This is repeated over and over again every few minutes. "Oy, am I thirsty. Oy, am I thirsty." Finally, Abe gets up and brings the woman a bottle of water and goes back to his seat to relax. The bus is quiet again and Abe’s just about to nod off when all of a sudden he hears from the back of the bus: "Oy, vas I thirsty… Oy, vas I thirsty…."

THE COMMENTARY

With the cry of “Oy vas I thirsty,” the woman on the train reveals that complaints are not always a symptom of need. The complaint itself is the need and thus can never be slaked.

But perhaps the lady on the train is an enlightened one disguised as a kvetch. For normally, once our thirst has been slaked—once we get what we had thirsted for and hankered after—we forget about our former state of need. It does not take long for the gratitude and joy to wear off and our new situation is all we can remember. We are now entitled, smug—and bored.

Not so our lady on the train. Indeed she chants with joy, gratitude and contentment: “Oy, vas I thirsty!”

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
* Based on the Baal Shem Tov’s take on King David’s prayer to G-d (Psalms 63:2-3): “Halevai that I should have the same intensity of yearning for You while in Your Holy presence, the sort of thirst of the soul that I experienced while in a parched and tired land, without water.”

Yiddish Quote of the Day

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 8:06:00 PM

דער עולם הזה הגשמי איז א …צוזאמענקונפט פלאץ, וואו השי"ת כביכול קומט זיך צוזאמען מיט דעם אדם....

This physical world is a meeting place.

Here, G-d ‘gets together’ with humankind....

Hayom Yom 8 Sivan.

In this world, by fulfilling our Divine mission, we have the astonishing opportunity to “meet” with the Creator. We are given the chance to connect with the Divine. We can do so by aligning our behavior and character with the Divine way.

But the world is also a garden of distractions. And G-d gives us the free choice to choose our own path in life— to walk aimlessly through the garden of distractions, pursuing pleasure and prestige, or to utilize our stay in this world to “meet” and unite with the Infinite One.

-- The Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch, sixth Chabad Rebbe

Playing Cards in Siberia

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 7:11:00 PM

The chasid pictured above is Rabbi Mendel Futerfas. His badge of honor was 14 years in Siberia for being a chasidic Jew in Soviet Russia and smuggling Jews out to Poland and freedom.

I met him as a child and merited to hear him speak several times as a teen.

He was known for telling stories, particularly from his incarceration, and deriving lessons from everything he heard and saw there. He once told that although playing cards was against prison rules, his prison-mates would always play in their cell. The prison guard could see them playing, however when he came in, the cards would be gone and as hard as he would search, the guard could not find the illicit items. When he finally gave up and promised not to bother the prisoners if they would only tell him what they do with the cards, they told him that every time he came in, they would slip the cards into his own pocket and then pick-pocket the cards back before he left. He learned from this that sometimes we go looking far and long, when we have what we want in our own pocket.

Ten Commandments of Parenting

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 8:29:00 PM

1. [A parent must say to her child:] I am your parent who took you out of the womb. You are not just your child's pal. Teach your children the old fashioned concept of honoring parents. You may not feel like you deserve or need the respect. But it's not about you. It's about the mitzvah, and the sensitvity that is instilled in a child through this mitzvah.

2. You shall have no other parents before Me. Be your child's parent-do not create other parents for them (TV, VCR..)

3. [A parent must say to her child:] Do not say my name in vain. Children should refer to their parents as Mommy and Daddy, not by their first names.

4. Remember the Sabbath day to consecrate it to spending time with your kids.

5. Honor your father and mother and your children will honor you.

6. Do not murder. The Talmud compares shaming a person to emotional and psychological murder. Never shame your children even when trying to
discipline them.

7. Do not cheat on your children by indulging in your own pleasure at their expense.

8. Do not steal from your children by ignoring their nature and talents and trying to force your aspirations upon them.

9. Do not bear false witness in front of your children (or any other time.) Teach by example. If your children hear you uttering small untruths here and there, or slandering others, they will learn the same habits and also respect you less.

10. Do not be jealous of other people's children. Love your children for who they are.

G-d bless you and your children with good health and endless nachas!

Rabbi, I'm a Bad Jew

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 8:14:00 PM

By Rabbi Yossi Marcus

Why do people lie to their dentists? It's your teeth, not the dentist's. The dentist only stands to gain if you don't floss. Yet we find ourselves denying or confessing as if the dentist were some kind of religious figure.

People also give excuses to cops. I was in a rush, I usually wear my seatbelt. Does the cop get injured if you don't wear your seatbelt? Does your cardiologist have a heart attack if you don't exercise?

As a rabbi, I find that people think I'm some kind of a dentist: "Rabbi, I haven't been to my synagogue since the High Holidays. I really meant to go, but you know how it is...." They're not even members of my congregation yet when they see me they feel they must justify or confess their lack of observance.

Often people will say to me at a Bar Mitzvah or at a chance meeting at a park, "Rabbi, I'm a bad Jew." I hardly know this person, and already a confession? To be honest, I never had a good response to this, especially since I don't like this whole line of conversation. After all, I’m a rabbi, not a dentist—I don't do confessions. So I would just smile and wait for the conversation to turn to a different subject.

But after hearing this so many times, I began to realize that here is a plague afflicting many Jews—“low Jewish self-esteem.”

People are proud of their careers, their homes, cars, even their kids. But they have low Jewish self-esteem. On the surface, this may seem like a good thing: they're being honest and maybe even a little remorseful.

But, something doesn't smell right. I began to sense that this statement was counter-productive. When a person says, "I'm a bad Jew," what they're really saying is, "I know what a Jew is supposed to be but I am a failure in that department and I've kind of made peace with it. There is some guilt involved, especially when I meet a rabbi (especially one with a beard), which I assuage by stating that I am a bad Jew, i.e., this is the way I am and I cannot change, so I'm absolved (but I’m still not completely happy with the situation, which is why I’m bringing it up)."

But just as low self-esteem is bad for your health, low Jewish self-esteem is bad for your Jewish health. This is gonna sound strange coming from an ultra-Orthodox, bearded rabbi, but here goes:

You're not a bad Jew. You're a good Jew. You go to work every weekday to support your family. You're honest with your clients. You're good to your friends and family. You honor your parents. You give charity. These don't just make you a good person, they make you a good Jew. You fulfill one of the primary precepts of Judaism which is to bring G-d and G-dly notions such as justice, righteousness and kindness, into the “real” world. Being a good Jew is not limited to going to the synagogue. Yes, a Jew has to go to the synagogue but that in itself would not define him or her as a good Jew or Jewess. Being a good Jew is also how we behave outside the synagogue. And most of the people that tell me they’re bad Jews are pretty good people outside the synagogue (and inside, too—when they show up).

I’m not condoning or recommending minimalist Judaism, or Judaism “lite.” So don’t go running happily to throw out your prayer shawl and cancel your tickets for the High Holiday services. Because, while you may already be a good Jew, where is it written that a good Jew can’t become a better Jew?

And becoming a better Jew doesn't mean moving to Brooklyn. It means that wherever you are, the person who you are now, take a single step. Sign up for a class on Judaism, light a candle before Shababt, give charity, give your child a Jewish education. One mitzvah leads to another. It's contagious.

Celebrate your identity. Celebrate your history. Find out what it's like to not have to say, "Rabbi, I'm a bad Jew."

Top Ten Spiritual Upgrades for Your Vacation

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 8:05:00 PM

By Rabbi Yossi Marcus

During non-vacation life, our spiritual needs are at times neglected. Do yourself a favor and import some spiritual practices to upgrade your vacation. You won't regret it and its impact will be felt long after the vacation is over. If you're going with kids, doing something Jewish during the vacation will go along way toward their Jewish education!

TOP TEN
1. Wherever your visiting, find a synagogue or other Jewish site to visit.

2. Make it a practice to set a side a dollar before you leave (maybe give one to each child) to be placed
in a charity box at your destination.

3. Read the Shema each morning (i would say night too but don't want to push it).

4. Dust off your tefillin and bring along with you.

5. Study Torah each day. Bring along a book or just visit www.chabadnp.com for a daily dose.

6. Patronize a kosher restaurant (good luck with that--try Gam Gam in Venice, or The Kitchen Table in Mountain View, CA).

7. Say a blessing on some kosher food. Who knows--the place you'll be might have been waiting since the dawn of creation for a blessing to be said in that place.

8. Do a selfless act of kindness for a stranger.

9. Do the same for a non-stranger.

10. Plan to import some of these spiritual practices into your "real" life.

Bon voyage!

Fire Refugees Prove Ilan Gold Wrong

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 11:19:00 AM

Ilan Gold, the popular Jewish comedian, has a somewhat viral video in which he comically contrasts the Jewish New Year -- boring synagogue appeals, sermons -- and the non-Jewish New Year, which conjures revelry, champagne, and confetti.

As comedy, Gold is gold. But his Rosh Hashanah satire also provides a teachable moment, since it is premised on a misconception. For many Jews, the Rosh Hashanah season ends at the end of Rosh Hashanah, or at the end of Yom Kippur. The truth is that Rosh Hashanah "ends" at the end of Simchat Torah.

"Rosh Hashanah" the day, ends at the end of Rosh Hashanah. But the Jewish New Year Celebration is not a day; it's a month. It's a whole season. And while it starts off with slow, moving melodies, the tempo picks up over Sukkot and ends over Simchat Torah in a way that is, at least superficially, similar to the revelry we associate with that other New Year.

According to a quick Google search, revel comes from rebel. Revelers rebel against the "normal," which can be a fun and benign letting loose, or it can devolve into a rebellion against moral norms or common decency.

Simchat Torah revelers, the real ones, are also rebels. The normal they are casting off is the normal of "usual state or condition" wherein we are not overwhelmed with joy over the gift of Torah and of life itself. I know of one congregation where the hakkafot, or dance circles around the synagogue, are half-jokingly called "revolutions," since with each circle we liberate ourselves more and more from the cerebral chains that shackle the soul's emotional expression.

This past month has not been a collection of various holidays -- it was a marathon of spiritual ascendancy, culminating at the top with an epic grand finale.

~~~

This year we at Chabad of the North Peninsula had the privilege of hosting the Chabad representatives in Sonoma County, Rabbi Mendel and Altie Wolvovsky and their eight children. You might have thought that as "fire evacuees" they would have been more than excused if they had gone low key this Simchat Torah. Their phones and computers powered down, in compliance with Jewish holiday laws, they had no idea of what was happening to their home and synagogue, which they had reluctantly left behind on Wednesday. Surely they would have been justified in not being fully "here" for the holiday. They had seen the loss and devastation first hand, as they counseled congregants who lost homes and volunteered at evacuation centers to provide a helping hand and solace.

We were in for quite a surpirse. The joy of our Simchat Torah this year was greater than ever, led with the spirited dancing of Rabbi Wolvovsky and his children, and the uplifting words of Rebbetzin Wolvovsky.

After dancing and singing for hours at the Marriott on Thursday night, they did the two mile walk, with two strollers, to where they were staying. On Friday, there were a few more hours of dancing and singing for Simchat Torah celebration, followed by a festive lunch. So I was not expecting them to come along for a visit to a senior living center on Friday afternoon. They certainly deserved a break! My expectation was wrong. Rabbi Mendel and "the boys" joined for the 20-minute walk to Sterling Court, where they danced and sang for the seniors, two of whom could remember Simchat Torah in pre-war Europe. My guess is that it was the first time a handstand had ever been done at Sterling Court, certainly the first time it was done by someone wearing a yarmulka. Seeing the tears of joy in the eyes of the seniors as they watched Jewish youngsters dance with flags and toy Torahs was one of the most rewarding moments of the holiday season.

But that wasn't the end. On the walk back, a woman walking her dog came over to ask how one says "how much" in Hebrew. This led to a Torah dance on the sidewalk for "Mindel", who had not made it to the synagogue this holiday. The commotion brought out the people living in the house nearby, a Chai Preschool family, who invited us in for a much needed cold drink and a rest.

The celebration continued on Shabbat with a joyous rendition of the prayers and Haftorah by Avremi Wolvovsky, who recently celebrated his bar mitzvah, and a lovely kiddush/lunch led by Rabbi Mendel, who entertained and enlightened the congregation with his Brooklyn humor and Chassidic warmth.

Surely on the inside there was much pain for the loss and devastation they had seen. But that was kept at bay for the duration of the holiday. Somehow, incredibly, they achieved the impossible: with the fate of their own home and community unknown, they not only rejoiced on their own but brought joy to so many others.

We thought we were providing a favor to them in welcoming them to our community for the holiday. But what we gave was far out shadowed by what we received.

Thank you Chabad of Sonoma for an unforgettable Simchat Torah -- may you and your community enjoy renewed growth and prosperity, consolation for the losses and strength to rebuild and flourish.

Torah Tribute to Aylon Engler of blessed memory

Tue, 1 Dec 2009 5:21:00 PM

BH Torah Teachings from this week’s chapter of Pirkei Avot in honor of

Aylon Engler of blessed memory

Shammai said: Make your Torah study a permanent thing, speak little and do much, and receive every person with a smile.

Pirkei Avot, Chapter 1, Mishnah 15

Speak little and do much. In the words of Aylon’s father, Asher Engler: “Aylon was short on words and long on deeds. He did not talk about his own accomplishments.” In conversation, he focused on you, listened to you, and remembered what book you were reading the next time he met you.

At meetings, Aylon had the unique ability to “cut to the chase,” to get the bottom line of what needed to be done and how to go about doing it. When he became president at Peninsula Sinai, he announced the impossible: Board meetings would be no longer than one hour! Indeed, speak little and do much….

Rabbi Yishmael said: Be deferential and agile in attending to an elder, pleasant with the young, and receive every person with joy. Pirkei Avot Chapter 3, Mishnah 12

Be deferential and agile in attending to an elder. In the words of Asher Engler: “Aylon fulfilled the mitzvah of honoring one’s parents – kabed et avicha v’et imecha -- to perfection. Never in all his years was he ever anything but the epitome of respect and honor to us.”

Pleasant with the young. Once a week, Aylon took time from his work to volunteer at the Jewish day school to help serve lunch. The other servers complained that when Aylon was there all the kids wanted to be in his line. He joked with each kid and greeted them as individuals, remembering their names and personalities. The children responded in kind and looked forward to their weekly meeting with Aylon, happily waiting longer for their food in Aylon’s legendary long line….

With Joy. This goes beyond Shammai's instruction to greet every person with a smile --greet people with actual joy, not just external cheer. Aylon certainly greeted everyone with a smile. Yet this was not just an external façade. Aylon saw the good in people and was truly happy and joyous in meeting people, both old friends and strangers. May we follow in his footsteps and bring his smile and attitude to everyone we meet…

Really??!! A Few Questions About the Turkish Provocation

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 5:07:00 PM

By Rabbi Yossi Marcus

I have a question for the world:

Really?!

Thousands of truly innocent civilians are dying in wars around the world without a peep from the “international community.” But the deaths of nine members of a terrorist-supporting Turkish group who attacked with intent to kill Israeli soldiers, this inspires worldwide condemnation and demand for inquires?

Really?!

North Korea slaughters South Koreans at sea. No inquiry.

Men and women beaten and killed daily for political dissent or other so-called crimes in the Middle East. Snooze.

Russia destroys Grozny killing tens of thousands. Pass the ketchup.

US drones doing their thing in Afghanistan with much collateral damage. Business as usual.

But Israel, surrounded by enemies who aim their rockets at kindergartens, enforces its blockade and kills nine agitators: Everybody and their uncle chimes in and is "outraged"!

From Hamas and Fatah, from Iran and the Arab world, we’ve learned to expect this language of “massacre” and demand for “UN inquiries” following the successful PR stunts of those who seek Israel’s destruction.

Turkey, occupying half of Cyprus, from which they sent their provocation boats, is lecturing Israel on occupation? Really??!!)

A “Botched” Raid

And a message to Americans critics: Could Israel have neutralized the situation differently? Maybe. I don't know. But if that’s what you‘re criticizing, let’s have a look at our record in dealing with “civilian” boats challenging our sovereignty, who are ready to kill our soldiers and even die as martyrs in the process. It is not something we have to deal with, so perhaps we should reserve judgment.

By the way, memo to “activists” teaming up with terrorist organizations: You are no longer a “civilian” when you announce your intentions to enter a war zone and defy a country’s sovereignty (yes, even when you’re still in international waters). Please don’t put yourself in the same boat, excuse the pun, as MLK and others who used civil disobedience for political change. When you block a street in Chicago you are not declaring war on America. When you attempt to interfere with Israel’s military actions against those who bomb kindergatens you are declaring war on Israel and supporting terrorism.

Action

Friends, I encourage you to go out and protest today in SF (see below) and/or send a letter to local media. Here’s what I sent KCBS 740 after hearing a one-sided interview with one of the provocateurs:

In an interview today with one of the anti-Israel provocateurs from the infamous "flotilla," you allowed him to perpetuate the lie that this was about humanitarian aid, when in fact it was about breaking a blockade against the terrorist entity, Hamas. The five boats whose passengers did not attack the soldiers were brought peacefully to Ashdod from where the aid will be passed through the normal channels after inspection. I would appreciate if you can stop perpetuating this lie, as in your headline: "The demonstration was in response to an Israeli raid on "an international civilian aid mission to Gaza." It was not an aid mission but a publicity stunt and a provocation, as the organizers themselves have stated.
Respectfully, Rabbi Yosef Marcus, S. Mateo, CA

The Future

As a religious Jew and a believer in Isaiah’s prophecy that one day we will know war no more, that nations will not lift swords against each other, I hope for and look forward to world peace. Despite the picture painted above, I believe we live in a very fast age. As bad as things seem today, as isolated as Israel is today, as dishonest and hypocritical as the "international community" seems to be, recent history shows us how quickly things can turn around. In the past, we’ve seen rapid deterioration. Let us hope we are in from some rapid improvement.

Thank You Helen Thomas!!

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:33:00 AM

The world will finally be happy if Israel stops using guns to fight its enemies and instead uses those whistles the British police are fond of.

The world may then be happy, but not Helen Thomas. Helen was the 89 year old veteran American journalist who was so esteemed in Washington she was given a special seat in the front row amid the White House press corps. The president brought her cupcakes for her 89th birthday. By custom, she would conclude White House press conferences at the president's signal by saying, "Thank you, Mr. President." (Bush II put that custom to rest.) What do you think this esteemed journalist called Israel’s action last week against the blockade-runners? That’s right, a “massacre” (it's on Youtube). A massacre no longer means what you thought it meant. The UN and Helen Thomas have a new definition. In their dictionary, massacre now means: “When people die in an IDF military action.” It doesn’t matter how they died, why they died, how many died—if Israel was behind it, it’s a massacre.

We’re used to hearing this unabashed distortion of language from the usual cast of propagandists. But we weren’t sure that Helen Thomas was one of them. Many thought she was a professional, esteemed journalist who was simply “critical” of Israel.*

Thankfully, a candid video interview now on Youtube revealed Helen’s true colors. She stated that Jews should “get the hell out of Palestine and go back to Germany, Poland, the US, wherever.” Thanks to her outburst, we now know that her decades-long criticism of Israel had nothing to do with how Israel fights its enemies but that Israel fights back at all. Israel is always the aggressor, since it has no right to defend what is not hers.

Fortuitously, the Helen Thomas scandal hit just after the hypocritical double-standard applied to Israel last week by the “international community.” Shocked Jews were scratching their heads wondering how this could be. Helen Thomas gave us the answer: Israel has no right to exist and thus had no right to defend itself. Even according to moderates, including some Jews sadly, Israel’s validity is questionable. Israel must therefore show uncommon “restraint” when responding to its enemies. The US may attack countries across the world to protect its security. But Israel must “show restraint” when fighting its immediate neighbors.

Many are calling on Hearst to fire Thomas. I say, keep her! She is now the poster child for the duplicity of the blame Israel first crowd.

PS I wrote this article this morning, before she “retired.”

*See CAMERA’s article about her from August 2008 or Tony Snow’s comment to her during the latest war with Lebanon: “Thank you for providing Hezbollah’s point of view.” In 1991, during the Gulf War she asked Bush why he was condemning Iraq’s scud missile attacks on Israeli civilians: “Mr. President, two days ago you launched a war, and war is inherently a two-way street. Why should you be surprised or outraged when there is an act of retaliation?” In other words, an attack on Israeli civilians, in Thomas’s worldview, was a sensible reaction to the allies’ bombing of Iraq. See Jack Shafer in Slate, March 12, 2003.

The Royal Wedding

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 5:42:00 PM

I received an email from my colleague in Malibu asking me to weigh in with a Kabbalistic perspective on the royal wedding.

Here's what he wrote:

Mazal tov Prince and Princess!

“ROYAL Wedding fever swept the nation - and the world today - as more than TWO BILLION people across the globe tuned in to watch....
- The Sun

The Holy Baal Shem Tov teaches us:

1. Everything is by Divine Providence.
2. Everything that a person sees or hears, is an instruction to him in his conduct in the service of The Divine.

In reading todays news about the royal newlyweds I could not help myself from asking, what is it about this event that made two billion people stop what they were doing and participate in this wedding?

So I decided to write to my dear friend Rabbi Yossi Marcus from Chabad of S. Mateo, and I share his answer with you:

***

Okay, so here's what I (YM) replied:

We are fascinated with royalty. For all its faults -- and they are many -- the notion of monarchy continues to hold some power over us. Kabbala teaches that terrestrial kingship is a reflection of Divine kingship. This can be a complicated concept, since many a terrestrial king has engaged in very un-Divine activities. Be that as it may, Kabbala teaches that the power of kingship and thus its allure, has its root in Divine kingship.

This has some interesting ramifications. For example, our tradition tells us that Moses treated Pharaoh with deference and respect because the latter was a monarch. Yes, despite Pharaoh's evilness, it was still proper Moses to treat him in a certain way.

Many centuries later, the Kabbalist known as "the Alter Rebbe", founder of Chabad, was imprisoned by the Czar, who came dressed in plainclothes to visit the Alter Rebbe. As soon as the incognito Czar entered the Alter Rebbe's prison cell, the Alter Rebbe arose out of respect and intimated he knew of the Czar's identity. Because terrestrial kingship is a reflection of the Divine attribute of kingship, and because the Alter Rebbe was the type of person who was in tune with the spiritual worlds, he was able to sense kingship when the Czar entered his room.

So what does this all have to do with us? Aside from being interesting and enlightening (and a little puzzling, maybe), there must be something we can take from this as a life-teaching. Here's one possible take-away:

Despite all protestations to the contrary, deep down we are looking for a monarch, a higher power. This is our nature. And it makes sense that we should be attracted to that which is greater than us. Yet we also have an attraction to that which is beneath us.

This schizophrenia is of course caused by our two souls, Animal vs. Divine. Animals are generally looking downward at the earth. Human beings stand upright, and are much more likely to look upward at that which is above them. Our animal is attracted to that which is lower than us. Our humanness, our Divineness, yearns for what is above us.

Let's keep looking up, to that which is above us spiritually--to our Creator, to righteous men and women; let's follow the eyes of our Divine soul. Instead of enslaving ourselves to the material, the shallow and the transient, let us bow to the holy, the good, and the eternal.

Shabbat Shalom.

High (and Low) Lights of Jewish Italian Relations

Wed, 5 Mar 2008 6:05:00 PM

Highlights of Jewish-Italian Relations

~פורים איטליאנו~

Published in conjunction with Purim Italiano @ Chabad NP 5775

Most of the information is gleaned from Jewish Virtual Library.

1652 BCE – Birth of Jacob (Israel) and Esau (father of Rome)

"Two nations are in your womb, and two nations from your insides will diverge." --- Genesis 25:23

1637 BCE – Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of red lentils.

1589 BCE – Jacob steals Isaac’s blessings; Esau super-disappointed; Jacob flees for his life.

After Esau begs for at least one blessing, Isaac says: "Behold, of the fat of the earth shall be thy dwelling," by which, according to Midrash, he meant Greater Greece, in Italy.

(The blessing Isaac gave to Esau was unconditional. Whether he deserved them or not, Esau was to enjoy all the pasta and portabella mushrooms in the world. Jacob's blessing, however, depended upon his pious deeds; through them he would receive bagels and (lactose free) cream cheese.)

1555 BCE – Jacob and Esau reunite after 34 years. Goes relatively well (close call with Esau trying to bite Jacob’s neck but it turns into a semi-heartfelt kiss).

Jacob had hoped that the age of world peace and Divine consciousness had arrived, but recognizes that Esau is not quite there. After Esau invites Jacob to Seir, Jacob replies:

“Let my master (Esau) go on, ahead of his servant, while I move on at my own slow pace…at the pace of the children—until I reach my master at Seir.”

Jacob prefers to take the long and difficult route of Jewish history, “making all local stops,” until Jacob and Esau (spirit and matter, Israel and the nations) can merge in the era of G‑dly peace.

1301 BCE—Israelites are in the desert and commanded about the mitzvah of Lulav and Etrog. Moses sends messengers to Calabria, in the south of Italy, to bring back etrogim. (Because you always go top of the line “Made in Italy” with a mitzvah.)

70 BCE —Second Temple in Jerusalem destroyed by Titus.

Okay…it’s mostly bad news for the Jews from here. So we’ll save most of the bad news for Tisha B’av and leave the good ones. (#keepin’it-upbeat)

100 —Oldest known synagogue in Western Europe is established in Ostia, the port of Rome. It serves the resident Jewish community, as well as transient sailors. It is excavated in 1961.

900 —During this century, Jews from N. France and N. Italy, speaking a language called Laaz, begin speaking earliest Yiddish, as a result of contact with German speakers.

1240 — Italian Talmudist, Rabbi Zedekiah ben Abraham Anav, writes a major halachic compendium (Shibolei Haleket) on the liturgy and holiday customs of Roman Jews, who have developed their own distinct brand of Judaism, different from Ashkenazic and Sephardic Judaism

1480 — Soncino family begins establishing Hebrew presses throughout Italy and in Constantinople and Salonika.

1488 — First complete edition of Hebrew Bible printed I Soncino, Italy, by Abraham ben Hayyim

1529 — Scuola Grande Tedesca, oldest synagogue in Venice opens-Ashkenazic

1531 — Earliest Jewish play in Europe: Italian historian mentions a Purim play he witnessed in the Venice ghetto. Plays with biblical themes are popular in Europe

1559 — Permission granted for the printing of the Zohar, book of Jewish mysticism, at the same time 12,000 other Torah books are burned.

1565 —Rabbi Joseph Caro’s Shulchan Aruch is first printed in Venice.

1566 —Maimonides’ "Thirteen Principles" appears in the Venice Haggadah; probably the earliest statement of these principles in doctrinal form.

1587 —The rabbis of Jerusalem appeal to the Jews of Italy to finance the restoration of the Nachmanides synagogue in Jerusalem (attesting to their stature and wealth among world Jewry).

1874-82 — The Moorish Revival Synagogue in Florence is built. David Levy willed his entire estate for the building of a temple worthy of the city.

1904 — The Great Synagogue of Rome is built.

1943 — January: the Italians refuse to cooperate with the Nazis in rounding up the Jews living in the zone of France under their control. In March, they will prevent the Nazis from deporting Jews in their zone.

1951 — Excavations in Rome find the remains of a small synagogue built into the southwestern chapel of the Severan basilica in the 5^th cen.

1958-1961 — Chabad emissaries arrive in Milan: Rabbi Gershon Mendel Gorelik and Rebbetzin Bassie Gorelik. (Important tidbit: Rabbi Gorelik’s name appears on the hechsher of the Bartenura Blue Moscato.)

Rabbi Moshe Lazar and Rebbetzin Judy Lazar of Brooklyn join Chabad in Italy. Judy is the aunt of Rebbetzin Esty Marcus, director of Chai Preschool.

Rabbi Lazar begins supervising the kashrut of Etrogim in Calabria, Italy. Invents The Etrodka, an etrog infused liqueur.

1964 — The Third Vatican Council repudiates the notion of the Jewish people as ‘rejected, cursed or guilty of deicide," and admonished Catholics not to "teach anything that could give rise to hatred or contempt of Jews in the hearts of Christians."

1975 —The United Nations adopts the resolution that determines that Zionism is racism, by a vote of 72 in favor; 35 against; with 32 abstentions. Italy votes against the resolution.

1987 — The Union of Italian Jewish Communities and the Italian government sign an agreement that the community will no longer be a public body that is controlled by the state. Jews can observe the Sabbath and holidays wherever employed and can obtain kosher food in public institutions.

2000 — Vatican issues "Memory and Reconciliation," listing several major areas in which the Church had failed, including the Inquisition, forced conversion and the treatment of Jews.

2015 — Fifteen Chabad centers operating in Italy, run by 24 Chabad couples. Jewish life flourishing with new shuls and Kosher restaurants opening continuously. Rome, with over 15 Kosher restaurants and shuls, sees exponential growth in the last decade.

Projections for Jewish-Italian relations: Peace between Jacob and Esau (and Ishmael) finally achieved, ushering in a world free of war, famine, disease, rivalry, and daytime TV.

And Jacob said to Esau: “Let my master go on, ahead of his servant (Jacob), while I move on at my own slow pace…at the pace of the children—until I reach my master at Seir.”

The Story of King David Hamelech

Sat, 7 Jul 2007 5:57:00 AM

David was born 446 years after the Jewish people entered the Land of Israel. He was only ten generations removed from Jacob’s fourth son, Judah, whom Jacob blessed with kingship.

Within the tribe of Judah, David belonged to the royal family of Peretz, which gave the Jewish people princes and leaders. One of David’s early ancestors, Nachshon the son of Aminadav, won fame at the crossing of the Sea of Reeds. He was the first to jump into the sea, whereupon the sea was split for the Jewish people.

David’s great-grandfather, Boaz, was the tenth judge of Israel. Boaz married Ruth, a member of the Moabite royal family, who converted to Judaism at great personal sacrifice and merited to have six great descendants: David, Mashiach, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. She was the great-grandmother of King David and lived long enough to see the reigns of King David and his son Solomon. (Her very name, Ruth, alludes to the fact that she would merit a descendant who would delight God with songs and praises.)

Throughout the years, the great traditions of the royal family, going back to Judah and Jacob, were maintained by the House of Jesse, David’s father—a house of scholarship, piety, kindness, generosity, and wealth. The most noble traits of all his great and famous ancestors were bestowed upon David.

The Scorned Stone

David was born on Shavuot to his parents, Jesse and Nitzevet. Jesse appointed David to be a shepherd, a vocation that prepared David for his role as shepherd of Israel. The Midrash describes the sensitive care that David provided for the sheep, which he would later show in his leadership of the Jewish people.

God sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse, instructing the prophet to anoint one of Jesse’s children as king. Samuel was impressed with the oldest, but God warned him not to judge by appearances. Jesse brought all of his sons before Samuel, one by one. Yet God informed him that the right son had not yet been called. Samuel said, “Are there no other lads?” Jesse responded that there was another lad, the youngest, out in the field. Jesse was certain that David was unfit for kingship and therefore had not brought him before Samuel. “Summon him,” said the prophet.

The lad that was brought before Samuel was of ruddy complexion and attractive eyes. Samuel misread David’s redness as a sign of bloodshed, like that of Esau. But God informed him that unlike Esau, who spilled the blood of innocents, David would fight wars with the guidance of the Sanhedrin, to protect and strengthen the Jewish people.

“Arise and anoint him,” God told Samuel, “for this is the one.” Samuel anointed David with oil, whereupon the spirit of God came upon him and never left. David would later say of this event: The stone that the builders scorned has become the chief cornerstone.

(The misperception and lack of appreciation for David and his profound connection to God would be a recurring theme in David’s life, only to be resolved after his death, with the building of the Temple by Solomon, as explained below.

In this way, as in others, David’s life mirrors the mischaracterization and maligning of the Jewish people throughout the Exile.)

Mighty in Courage

Although Samuel had anointed David as a king of Israel, occupying the throne at the time was Saul, the first king of Israel. Soon after David’s anointment, King Saul was overcome with melancholy. His servants suggested that a harpist be found to play for the king. One of Saul’s attendants, a man named Doeg, spoke up. Doeg is a tragic figure—a man filled with knowledge but empty of virtue. He is David’s nemesis, the subject of several psalms. Yet it is he who provides a concise and beautiful description of David:

Behold, I have seen a son to Jesse of Bethlehem—he knows how to play (the harp); mighty in courage; , a warrior; , perceptive; , of good appearance; , and God is with him.

The Talmud explains that wherever David went, the Divine presence went with him.

David plays played the harp for Saul and the king’s melancholy is was lifted. Soon afterward, the famous battle between David and Goliath occurs occurred, where David demonstrates demonstrated that he is was indeed mighty in courage and that God is with him. It is worth reviewing this story, since it conveys an essential element of David’s personality: his absolute faith in God.

Goliath had been taunting the Jewish people, calling for a duel between him and any Jewish warrior. But Saul and all of his subjects were frozen with fear. For forty days, the mighty giant appeared on the hill each morning and evening to repeat his challenge. When he would get no reply, Goliath would proceed to mock and jeer the Jews and their God. “Your God is a ‘man of war’—let Him come and do battle with me!” was his favorite sneer, and the whole valley echoed with the thunderous laughter of the Philistines.

Only David had the courage to take on the giant: “No man can defile God’s name and get away with it,” David replied. “I trust in God to fight the battle for me.”

“God has never forsaken me in the time of need…. Surely, God, who protected me when I went to save a lamb from a lion and a bear, He will protect me when I go to save the dignity of my people, in a fight with a vicious heathen who dares to profane God’s holy name!”

He took his staff and sling with five smooth little pebbles, and went to meet the giant.

When Goliath saw his adversary, he said in disdain, “Am I a dog that you have come to beat me with a cane? Look at my armor: My helmet is of solid brass; my brass coat of mail weighs five thousand shekels; the shaft of my spear is like a weaver’s beam; and my spear’s head is made of six hundred shekels of iron! Yet you come with a cane!”

David replied: “You come with your sword, spear, and shield, but I come in the name of Almighty God, whom Whom you have defied. You will soon lie defeated at my feet, and all the world will know that there is a God in Israel!”

David let a stone fly from his sling and the next moment, the giant’s huge body lay prostrate upon the ground, his forehead crushed by the sharp little stone that struck it and pierced his head.

When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. Saul’s armies, regaining their confidence and courage, pursued them. Having secured a great and lasting victory for his people, David became a great national hero.

–Based on chapter 17 of I Samuel,

as adapted in Our People

David is not motivated by glory or by the prospect of a challenge. He simply cannot countenance a situation where in which the people of God are being taunted by a brute. He views this as a taunt of God Himself. And David is completely unfazed by what petrifiesterrifies everyone else. What appears impossible to Saul and the rest of the nation—defeating the giant—appears inevitable to David. God must win. Goliath must lose. David sees himself as nothing more than the servant, the vessel, through which God’s salvation is wrought. Hence the absence of any gloating or chest-pounding on David’s part; he does the deed and moves on. When he defeats his enemies, he rejoices not in his own accomplishment but in the fact that a challenge to God’s reign had been dismissed.

David and Saul

For defeating Goliath, David receives received the hand of the princess, Michal, in marriage. In his brother-in-law, Jonathan, David finds found a kindred spirit and they are were bound by a profound friendship and love. But David’s success ignites ignited an implacable envy in Saul, stoked by Doeg and Achitophel. David’s woes begin began in earnest. Saul knows knew that David will would be king, replacing Saul him and his descendants. David is was forced to flee for his life and spends spent much of his time in hiding. David has had the opportunity to kill Saul but doesn’tdidn’t. He respects respected Saul and considers considered him God’s anointed. Even so, Saul continues continued to hound David. Only after Saul is was killed in battle can could David return and serve as king.

Saul is was a righteous and extraordinary person. Yet, in comparison to David, he falls fell short. He is was noble and wise but lacks lacked the absolute, simple faith in God that David has had. He therefore fails failed to completely destroy Amalek as Samuel had commanded him. This lapse costs him the kingship, which leads led to his melancholy and envious pursuit of David.

This difference between Saul and David becomes evident in another episode:

The Dancing King

One of the joyous moments in David’s life was bringing the Ark to the City of David. During the event, David danced with joyous abandon. His righteous wife, Michal, looked down from the window with a critical eye. She felt that David had humiliated himself in front of the commoners:

…Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and she said, “How honored was today the king of Israel, who exposed himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the idlers would expose himself.” David said to Michal: “Before God, who chose me above your father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of God, over Israel; therefore I have made merry before God. I will hold myself even more lightly esteemed than this and be humble in my eyes….”

David’s dancing with abandon and his exchange with Michal conveys the critical difference between him and his father-in-law. This was not just a stylistic difference between the monarchs—it cut to the essence of why God chose one over the other. Saul’s worship of God was constrained by his intellect. He therefore left the Amalekite animals alive, reasoning that they could be used as sacrifices. And it was for this that he lost the throne, which was then given to David, God’s servant, who worshipped Him with absolute selflessness. His dancing with abandon was a symptom of his manner of worship—the very quality for which God chose him as king and by which he would continue to be king.

~Model of Joy~

When Maimonides seeks a model for how to rejoice in the performance of a mitzvah, he turns to David:

The joy that a person should experience in the fulfillment of the mitzvot and the love of God who commanded them is a significant act of worship….

Whoever regards himself arrogantly, honors himself, and acts haughtily in such situations is a sinner and a fool. Concerning this, Solomon warned (Proverbs 28:10): Do not seek glory before the King.

Anyone who humbles himself and thinks lightly of his person in these situations—he is the great one, worthy of honor, the one who serves God out of love. Thus did David, King of Israel, declare (II Samuel 6:22): “I will hold myself even more lightly esteemed than this and be humble in my eyes.”

There is no greatness or honor other than celebrating before God, as it is written: (II Samuel 6:16): King David was dancing wildly and singing praise before God.

God is with Him

The difference between Saul and David is also expressed in the Talmud’s comments regarding the last of Doeg’s six praises of David—and God is with him: Whenever he takes took a position in a debate over Jewish law, God is with him—the law accords accorded with his rulings. Saul, on the other hand, wise as he might have been, fails failed to reach the correct halachic conclusion.

If the Torah was nothing more than a document, the interpretation of the smartest person in the room would most likely get to the truth. But the Torah is a Divine entity that transcends human intellect. So it is the person who is in a state of awe before God—the one of whom it is said, “God is with him”—who reaches the correct conclusion.

As the spiritual successor to the prophet Samuel, King David perpetuated the traditional study of the Torah. He surrounded himself with a group of prophets and scholars and together they studied the Torah. He thought nothing of the comforts that his royal palace could offer him, and unlike other kings, he would rise before the sundawn to pray and chant psalms of praise to God.

Kingship

During his reign, David successfully expanded and secured Israel’s borders, but was beset by a series of revolts and personal tribulations. He became king at the age of thirty and his reign lasted for forty years. During the first seven years, he reigned in Hebron over the tribe of Judah. For the remaining thirty-three years, he reigned in Jerusalem over the entire nation. (For six months, however, he was in exile during the revolt of his son Absalom.)

David yearned to build the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. But God told him that this would only be done by his son, Solomon. David’s hands had been bloodied through war, which precluded him from building the Temple. The Temple is a place of peace, the opposite of war, even a moral war such as those fought by David. This principle lies behind the Torah’s mandate (Exodus 20:22) that the stones of the altar could not be cut with metal, since metal is used to make weaponry.

Still, David did all he could to prepare for the Temple’s construction. He worked hardtoiled to identify the place God had chosen for the Temple and eventually God revealed it to him. David purchased the site, arranged funds and materials for its construction, and showed Solomon how to build it.

Posthumous Exoneration

Throughout his reign, there were those who rejected David. They claimed that his sin with Bathsheba disqualified him from being king and that God would certainly reject him. Because of his profound repentance, David was forgiven by God. David wanted more than forgiveness; he wanted God to demonstrate to all that he had been forgiven. God told him that He would do so, but only after David’s death.

This occurred when Solomon finally built the Temple and was ready to inaugurate it. When it came time to bring the Ark into its new home, the doors to the Temple refused to open. They prayed for help in the merit of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, but to no avail. Finally, when Solomon invoked the merit of his father, David, the doors opened and the Ark was brought in.

On that day, say our Sages, the faces of David’s enemies darkened, since their entire lives of rejecting God’s anointed one was shown to be a farce. Despite their Torah knowledge, they had allowed their own coarseness to distort their perception of David. David speaks prophetically of this event in Psalm 30.