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Sparks Everywhere - Bereshit 5786

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One of the descriptions in the Torah for Sukkot, the holiday we just celebrated, is “Chag Ha’asif” - the Harvest Festival. The literal translation of the words is “holiday of ingathering.“ Another verse says: “Make for you a holiday of Sukkot when you gather in [the produce of] your granary and your wine press.” As the Midrash tells us: Although it is a Mitzvah to be joyous on all the festivals, the Torah does not tell us explicitly to be joyous on Pesach, it says once “you shall be joyous” on Shavuot, and three times “you shall be joyous” on Sukkot.  This is because on Pesach the crops are still in the fields and we don’t know yet what the harvest will be like. By Shavuot we are celebrating the successful grain harvest but the fruits are not yet ripe. On Sukkot, however, the Torah tells us three times to be joyous, because now all the fruits have been harvested and we can enjoy all the produce.  (Jews around the world celebrated this holiday the ingathering of the remaining l...
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A Joyous sukkot - 5786

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We connected to Hashem in Elul, we accepted Him as our King on Rosh Hashanah, we did Teshuvah over the Ten Days of Repentance, and we bonded with Him and started with a clean slate on Yom Kippur.  This all brings us tremendous joy, like a child reunited with his or her parents after a period of distance.  We can imagine what joy both parents and child feel. This joy is expressed in the next phase of our holidays, the “Time of our Joy,” Sukkot.  It is a beautiful holiday with many wonderful observances, culminating in the joyous day of Simchat Torah. This is how we express our joy in our connection with Hashem, by observing extra Mitzvot.  And this holiday has several.  Sitting and eating - actually “dwelling” - in the Sukkah, shaking the Four Species, special prayers and meals, including kiddush and challah, parties and gatherings, cutting back on work and dancing with the Torah. This joy, and the “tying it down” with the physical observance of the joyous Mitzvo...
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A Day of Joy? - Yom Kippur 5786

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Yom Kippur!  There is hardly a Jew in the world who does not relate to this day in some way.  For many, it is a day of prayer, fasting and forgiveness.  For some it is a long, boring day sitting through the prayers and sermons.  (A young boy was bored during the Musaf service on Yom Kippur after many hours of services.  He walks out to the synagogue lobby and starts reading the names on the memorial board.  He notices that several of them have American flags next to the name.  A congregant sees him and tells him:  You know what the flag means?  Those are people who died in the Service.  The boy’s eyes open wide and he says:  Which service, Shacharit or Musaf?)  For some it is a day of sadness and for others it may not mean much, but as our Sages teach, every single Jew’s soul is somehow moved on Yom Kippur. I believe that Yom Kippur is a day of great joy, and relevant to everyone.  The first recorded event on Yom Kippur wa...
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Welcome to 5786!

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We spent the last two days reconnecting to Hashem, reaching into the depths of our soul and finding the essence of who we are - His people.  We crowned Him as King, and He once again found pleasure in us mortals making the choice to accept our role in the world.  Rosh Hashanah is the time of renewing the bond, reaffirming that Hashem created us and gave us a mission.  In fact, the entire universe and all the spiritual worlds that preceded it were created by Hashem in order for us humans to choose to serve Hashem.   Specifically because we naturally tend to just follow our own needs, when we choose to rise above that and do what Hashem wants us to do, that brings Him real pleasure. This is the annual work of Rosh Hashanah, for us to show our commitment and for Hashem to “renew the lease” on the world. Now it’s time to start examining how we have been doing on that commitment.  The next eight days are called “Days of Teshuva.”  Everything has a season, a...
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A Good and Sweet Year - Nitzavim 5785 - Pre-Rosh Hashanah

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Parshat Nitzavim is always read on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah.  Our Sages taught that one connection between the two is a mystical interpretation of the first verses of the Parsha.  The simple meaning is that right before Moshe passed away, he charged the people with a covenant and an oath between Hashem and all the people: “You are all standing today before G-d, your G-d — the leaders of your tribes, your elders, your sheriffs, and every Israelite man, your young children, your women, and your converts who are in your camp, from your woodcutter to your water-drawer — in order to perform a ritual by which you will enter into a covenant with G-d, your G-d — and to take His oath to uphold it—which G-d, your G-d, is making with you today.” (Devarim 29:9-11) In addition to the actual event that happened then, there is an eternal message here that relates to all times.  “Today” refers to the special day of Rosh Hashanah, the birthday of the world.  On this day the e...
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It’s all in the Basket - Ki Tavo 5785

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I had a very interesting discussion with a person I have known for many years.  While he is not connected much to observance of Mitzvot, he described to me the great spiritual path he has found.  He told me about going deeper and deeper into various levels of consciousness, finding nothingness and then the light behind it.   After explaining to him that the ultimate mystical and spiritual secrets are found in the Torah, we discussed the primacy of practice.  We are here on Earth to fulfill Hashem’s will, and that is specifically to work within the darkness of the physical world.  Mystical meanings bring life to the Mitzvot, but without physical practice, there is no true connection to Hashem.  I was struck by the relevance of this discussion to this week’s Parsha, and it is actually a mystical teaching that brings this idea to light. One of the most beautiful pilgrimages to the Holy Temple that farmers in Israel would observe was the “Bikkurim,” bringing th...
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Seize the Moment - Ki Tetze/Elul 5785

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  How often do we get “can’t miss” offers?  They used to come in the mail. “A sale you can’t miss.” “An opportunity for you! Don’t miss it!”  Now it seems we are bombarded with these urgent offers every day all day on our phones. We have become jaded and actually cautious. I hardly believe any of them.  But… there are in fact opportunities that we should take notice of and not miss. Sometimes we have a life-altering opportunity but we are too busy to take notice and let it slip between our fingers.  Rosh Hashana is hard to miss. It’s safe to say that any Jew who feels a connection to Judaism and Jewish communities notices Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The synagogues fill up, the impressive voice of the cantor and the unique High Holiday liturgy and melodies move us. The sound of the Shofar penetrates our hearts and the priestly blessings uplift us. The special foods we eat, Challah dipped in honey, apple dipped in honey, and as I learned when I came to California...
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