While preparing a shiur on Davar Charif (Yoreh Deah 96) (Spicy food, combined with the pressure of a knife which renews a dormant taste in the knife, ie: cutting an onion with a meat knife, makes the onion like it was just cooked with meat) I had the following thought...
The Halacha states that it is the pressure of the knife which brings out the taste, and sharpness which makes the food absorb.
Many times we have thoughts and feelings of greatness which lie dormant within our hearts and minds. We need something to renew these thoughts. We need a "knife," whose movement back and forth, which reminds us, Razto Vashov, whether running or returning, whether we feel like life in moving forward, or we're moving backwards, Hashem loves us and wants us to be Jews in whatever situation we find ourselves in. We need a Davar Charif to open our hearts, sharp thought, or vort to renew our thoughts, feelings and yearnings for Kedusha.
3/14/10
3/9/10
Mazal tov!!!
Mazal tov to RRRR members Akiva Ben Canaan and MachineGunFodder for obtaining smicha from a well known orthodox rabbinical seminary! Go forth, ye shepherds, spread the light of the RRRR to our growing flock, and enjoy your newfound parsonage rights!
3/4/10
3/1/10
Field Report: Rebbe Reichman Purim Seuda
The post-seuda-seuda (PSS) began in total, pitch-black darkness.
We warmed things up with the decanting of several bottles of yayin and the ceremonial roasting of a portion of meat. BergMD used his torch to light the candles scattered throughout the apartment. Yitz Shady tuned up our instruments, and we began playing and singing a new Yitz Shady joint set to drop soon on Itunes with the working title "Baruch Ata Hashem" (feat. Danimal). We were soon joined by Cave dweller Basil, Maharuthie, and Professor Lichtenstein, and got things moving with a rousing chorus of Canaan Land which the Frymans told us they could hear from the street. We were clearly off to a good start. At some point during this portion of the seuda, teleconferences were held with Rabbi Machine Gun Fodder at the UMaryland Hillel, and Rabbi Akiva Ben Canaan and the choir of the school-children of the Young Israel of Staten Island (aka Staten "Lion"). On a stop-over on his way from a conference in Vienna to a conference in Finland, highly regarded Professor Benny Von Bennyboy Refa (nee Sgan) Kohanim (Ph.D in Wii Tennis from the University of Heidelberg, currently doing post-graduate work in "creative uses of the Front Guy") was still riding the high from the celebration of his bar mitzvah earlier in the day, at which he lit thirteen candles to celebrate the occasion.
And then a startling, almost shocking thing happened.
In response to last-minute, random text messages and voicemails (in addition to the shining of the Rebbe symbol into the clear night sky from the roof of the Bennett building), on his way from Medzibuzh to Wolffson to Breslov, Rebbe Reichman's purim caravan was able to make a stop at our seuda. Some local residents were recruited to keep the horses well fed with oats, bananas and oranges, and to keep the revolutionary chariot oiled and ready to fight the Amalekites and snags (and any overlap between the two categories), while Rebbe graced us with his presence. After sweeping the apartment for bugs, and being given the "all clear" by Rebbe's advance revolutionary guard detail, we ushered Rebbe into the seuda to a rousing 20 minute (ie- abbreviated) version of the RRRR Victory Niggun, in all three of its glorious parts (the third part having been revealed to Rebbe years after the first two parts). Rebbe promptly took the helm, led us in song, shared some very special purim related teachings, and offered his bracha that we should all meet very soon at the eastern gate of the holy third temple for a meat (korban) breakfast at 10 am, in 30 years from now. All felt touched by his presence. Rebbe's special guest, Rabbi G______ (if you remember his name, please post it in comments), told of his experiences with Reb Shlomo on the Moshav, and drew comparisons between the concepts of Shushan and Shoshan. As shabbos was about to begin, we prayed Kabbalat Shabbat, and also, at Rebbe's request, shook the (already shaky) Bennett building with a 30-40 minute version of Reb Shlomo's harachaman, and the niggun nevo, with YD, Yitz Shady, Chef Lasher and Danimal on guitar, and Bennyboy on Ukelele. As Bennyboy was celebrating his bar mitzvah, lechaim's were made in his honor, and a ceremonial bar mitzvah pen was gifted to him. Dr. Mark the Spark offered brilliant and meandering kabbalistic truths which bypassed the brain and went straight into the heart via the carotid artery. Herr Professor Butler proceeded to (literally) telephone every Michael Shapiro in the phone book in an ambitious and bold effort to cut through the red tape and finally track down the increasingly elusive, little known god of 1970's- 1980's jewish folk music, Michael Shapiro. Herr Prof. Butler's opening line on the telephone: (uttered with a mixture of childlike excitement and fearful trembling) "is this the home of the spiritual master and guru named Michael Shapiro? May we speak with him? May we wish him a good purim?", may not have been the best way to accomplish this goal.
We knew we had attained new levels when Willie, our holy superintendent, breached our first line of defenses (a row of sandbags placed ten meters from the door), and even got past our sentry (BergMD, who, appropriately, due to the high concentration of "high value" revolutionary targets, kept the door chained and bolted at all times). Holy Super Willie told us the ceiling of the apartment under us was caving in, and we must stop our jumping. With renewed zeal and vigor we (politely) sent Willie on his way and continued our seuda as before. Sporadic shouts of "good purim" and "Rebbe Reichman" could be heard throughout the walled city of Washington Heights, from the 34th Precinct (admittedly, a building which several members of the RRRR have had occassion to visit on Purim in years past) all the way to the fine cheese section of Frank's Marketplace. From Cabrini to Amsterdam, from Maitland to Lark Street, from Liget's piet a terre on the French Riviera to Liget's underground "coffee import" plant in the jungles of Nicaragua, shouts of "good purim" could be heard by the populace.
We give thanks to Hashem, and to Rebbe Reichman, and to Rabbi G_______, and to a very holy cast of characters, all friends and associates of the revolution, and several (perhaps unwitting) recruits to the revolution's growing sisterhood. A very partial list of those who made our seuda special: Godfather Dash, Maharuthie, Basil the cave dweller, Yitz Shady, Mark the Spark and Treelana Kurzman, BergMD, Dassi the Rocket Scientist, Type Bee Rivkie, Chad, Elie, Ariela, Guru YB, and many many others we may not have had the mental clarity to make note of.
May the energy of this year's purim take us through to next year's purim in health, happiness, joy, and success in all of our revolutionary endeavours. And may we slay many Amalekites along the way.
We warmed things up with the decanting of several bottles of yayin and the ceremonial roasting of a portion of meat. BergMD used his torch to light the candles scattered throughout the apartment. Yitz Shady tuned up our instruments, and we began playing and singing a new Yitz Shady joint set to drop soon on Itunes with the working title "Baruch Ata Hashem" (feat. Danimal). We were soon joined by Cave dweller Basil, Maharuthie, and Professor Lichtenstein, and got things moving with a rousing chorus of Canaan Land which the Frymans told us they could hear from the street. We were clearly off to a good start. At some point during this portion of the seuda, teleconferences were held with Rabbi Machine Gun Fodder at the UMaryland Hillel, and Rabbi Akiva Ben Canaan and the choir of the school-children of the Young Israel of Staten Island (aka Staten "Lion"). On a stop-over on his way from a conference in Vienna to a conference in Finland, highly regarded Professor Benny Von Bennyboy Refa (nee Sgan) Kohanim (Ph.D in Wii Tennis from the University of Heidelberg, currently doing post-graduate work in "creative uses of the Front Guy") was still riding the high from the celebration of his bar mitzvah earlier in the day, at which he lit thirteen candles to celebrate the occasion.
And then a startling, almost shocking thing happened.
In response to last-minute, random text messages and voicemails (in addition to the shining of the Rebbe symbol into the clear night sky from the roof of the Bennett building), on his way from Medzibuzh to Wolffson to Breslov, Rebbe Reichman's purim caravan was able to make a stop at our seuda. Some local residents were recruited to keep the horses well fed with oats, bananas and oranges, and to keep the revolutionary chariot oiled and ready to fight the Amalekites and snags (and any overlap between the two categories), while Rebbe graced us with his presence. After sweeping the apartment for bugs, and being given the "all clear" by Rebbe's advance revolutionary guard detail, we ushered Rebbe into the seuda to a rousing 20 minute (ie- abbreviated) version of the RRRR Victory Niggun, in all three of its glorious parts (the third part having been revealed to Rebbe years after the first two parts). Rebbe promptly took the helm, led us in song, shared some very special purim related teachings, and offered his bracha that we should all meet very soon at the eastern gate of the holy third temple for a meat (korban) breakfast at 10 am, in 30 years from now. All felt touched by his presence. Rebbe's special guest, Rabbi G______ (if you remember his name, please post it in comments), told of his experiences with Reb Shlomo on the Moshav, and drew comparisons between the concepts of Shushan and Shoshan. As shabbos was about to begin, we prayed Kabbalat Shabbat, and also, at Rebbe's request, shook the (already shaky) Bennett building with a 30-40 minute version of Reb Shlomo's harachaman, and the niggun nevo, with YD, Yitz Shady, Chef Lasher and Danimal on guitar, and Bennyboy on Ukelele. As Bennyboy was celebrating his bar mitzvah, lechaim's were made in his honor, and a ceremonial bar mitzvah pen was gifted to him. Dr. Mark the Spark offered brilliant and meandering kabbalistic truths which bypassed the brain and went straight into the heart via the carotid artery. Herr Professor Butler proceeded to (literally) telephone every Michael Shapiro in the phone book in an ambitious and bold effort to cut through the red tape and finally track down the increasingly elusive, little known god of 1970's- 1980's jewish folk music, Michael Shapiro. Herr Prof. Butler's opening line on the telephone: (uttered with a mixture of childlike excitement and fearful trembling) "is this the home of the spiritual master and guru named Michael Shapiro? May we speak with him? May we wish him a good purim?", may not have been the best way to accomplish this goal.
We knew we had attained new levels when Willie, our holy superintendent, breached our first line of defenses (a row of sandbags placed ten meters from the door), and even got past our sentry (BergMD, who, appropriately, due to the high concentration of "high value" revolutionary targets, kept the door chained and bolted at all times). Holy Super Willie told us the ceiling of the apartment under us was caving in, and we must stop our jumping. With renewed zeal and vigor we (politely) sent Willie on his way and continued our seuda as before. Sporadic shouts of "good purim" and "Rebbe Reichman" could be heard throughout the walled city of Washington Heights, from the 34th Precinct (admittedly, a building which several members of the RRRR have had occassion to visit on Purim in years past) all the way to the fine cheese section of Frank's Marketplace. From Cabrini to Amsterdam, from Maitland to Lark Street, from Liget's piet a terre on the French Riviera to Liget's underground "coffee import" plant in the jungles of Nicaragua, shouts of "good purim" could be heard by the populace.
We give thanks to Hashem, and to Rebbe Reichman, and to Rabbi G_______, and to a very holy cast of characters, all friends and associates of the revolution, and several (perhaps unwitting) recruits to the revolution's growing sisterhood. A very partial list of those who made our seuda special: Godfather Dash, Maharuthie, Basil the cave dweller, Yitz Shady, Mark the Spark and Treelana Kurzman, BergMD, Dassi the Rocket Scientist, Type Bee Rivkie, Chad, Elie, Ariela, Guru YB, and many many others we may not have had the mental clarity to make note of.
May the energy of this year's purim take us through to next year's purim in health, happiness, joy, and success in all of our revolutionary endeavours. And may we slay many Amalekites along the way.
2/11/10
Baltimore Jewish Times- "A College Park Shabbat"
A major feature of the Orthodox Union’s Heshe and Harriet Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus program—which is found on 15 major campuses in the United States and Canada, including the University of Maryland in College Park—is Friday night Shabbos dinner, in which the young rabbi and his wife who run the program (the Torah Educators, as they are known), invite students to share their table and Shabbat joy with them. This happens week after week, throughout the academic year. At Maryland, Rabbi Eli and Naomi Kohl open their doors to their students. In the following report, Naomi explains how it is done – and what the benefits are, to the students and to the Kohl family.
To make a great Shabbos meal you need three cups of energy, a spoonful of spirit, and a teaspoon of love. Monday morning in the Hillel dining hall is when we begin our weekly preparations. Between a chavrusa (a one-on-one student session) and a casual shmooze with a student, I keep a watchful eye as I mentally prepare an invitation list. If I don’t strike quickly an upperclassmen may extend an invitation and it may be months before that particular student may grace our Shabbat table. The University of Maryland is home to more than 400 Orthodox students and we try to have them all over for a meal, at some point during their college experience.
Friday is when the games begin. I hustle twenty minutes to Silver Spring, drop my two-year-old son, Yisrael, off at school and then proceed to the kosher establishments in town, to procure my ingredients. After purchasing these goodies I hurry back to College Park to begin cooking. My husband watches our six-month-old baby girl, Shira, while I slice, dice and mash the ingredients, occasionally with the assistance of a helpful student. Many Fridays it seems like I won’t beat the clock, but I always end up finishing just before the buzzer sounds. I breathe a sigh a of relief when I light the Shabbos candles, as my husband goes off to shul for four hours for davening, learning and the famed Hillel social hour.
The Magic Number:
Eli returns home with 12-15 students, the magic number. This ensures that our group is small enough to fit around our table and that we can all participate in one conversation. There are always one or two more students than originally expected, due to my husband’s over-inviting disorder, which Hakodosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One, Blessed Be He) matched nicely, with my over-cooking disorder. The avirah (atmosphere) is a very homey experience—that is what the students smell, taste and feel when they come over.
They are greeted from outside by our son, who is patiently waiting by the window for his “friends” to come over. Many students are looking for a home away from home and we feel privileged to help provide that during their college years. During these years students are making many crucial life decisions. They are asking themselves, “Who will I marry and how will that shape my future; what will my home look like; what will my Shabbat and religious experiences be when I am an adult?” Perhaps this is why we view the Shabbat experience with students as the most important interaction we will have with them.
By modeling a Jewish home that has a mezuzah, Shabbos candles and Jewish books, filling our Shabbos table with song, soup, and spirituality, we hope to inspire students to continue to strive towards a lifestyle infused with Torah values and meanings. We feel responsible to model a Jewish family for students, as we may be a reference point for future relationships they may have. To foster a sense of family we invite groups of students who are friendly with each other. If they are comfortable with each other, they will feel more at ease in our home. As friends they may already know each other well, yet we feel it is important to have our trademark parsha-themed ice breakers. They serve as a way of infusing the table with Torah, in a non- threatening way, and give the students an opportunity to say what’s on their minds.
Students are always afraid that when they go to their “rabbi’s house” they will be grilled on the parsha and their lives. Our approach is a way to break down those barriers and to connect the Torah to their lives. For example: on Parshat Miketz with Yosef’s dreams, we would ask, what’s a crazy dream you once had, or what are your dreams and aspirations; on Lech Lecha, their trials and tribulations.
While fish, soup and salad satiate some, there is not a hungry soul at the table when the meat, chicken and deli roll are done. The conversations vary as do the crowds—some want to talk about pop culture, social networks, high school stories or Israel adventures; others like to hear the rabbi’s philosophical views on a slew of geopolitical issues and old war stories from his childhood in Brooklyn; while others like to read our children their favorite stories on the couch. Many students offer their help to serve the food; what I most enjoy is the opportunity it provides to have one-on-one conversations with students I rarely have the time for during the week.
It’s Oneg Time!
As the meal seems to be winding down, we hear a knock at the door and are greeted with a burst of energy. Once a month, 60 or more additional students battle the elements to get a taste of our Friday night cholent and desserts as well as an unbeatable dose of spirituality which carries into the week. Students come from all across the country to be a part of the incredible community that exists at Maryland. Many are from Baltimore and Silver Spring but just as many come from New York, New Jersey, Florida, Chicago, California, Atlanta and more. Our onegs often begin as hip hop music is blaring from the fraternity house next door. As many as 100 Jewish souls may combat those tunes with niggunim of our own, and the fragrant scent of Oneg Shabbos suppresses the aromatic fragrances that are often found on a college campus.
For many students, we are able to provide this oasis that they crave and reawaken a slumbering spirit that may have become stagnant from the mounds of school work. Our onegs are sprinkled with inspiring stories and thoughts as many of our students are eager to share their thoughts with each other, and to encourage their peers to continue striving towards goals they may have set for themselves as they were leaving for their year in Israel. We try to pause these moments to remind ourselves why exactly we moved to the middle of a college campus, but as we embrace the last of our students close to 1:00 am and receive our final thank you, we are sure there is no place we would rather be than at the University of Maryland!
A major feature of the Orthodox Union’s Heshe and Harriet Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus program—which is found on 15 major campuses in the United States and Canada, including the University of Maryland in College Park—is Friday night Shabbos dinner, in which the young rabbi and his wife who run the program (the Torah Educators, as they are known), invite students to share their table and Shabbat joy with them. This happens week after week, throughout the academic year. At Maryland, Rabbi Eli and Naomi Kohl open their doors to their students. In the following report, Naomi explains how it is done – and what the benefits are, to the students and to the Kohl family.
To make a great Shabbos meal you need three cups of energy, a spoonful of spirit, and a teaspoon of love. Monday morning in the Hillel dining hall is when we begin our weekly preparations. Between a chavrusa (a one-on-one student session) and a casual shmooze with a student, I keep a watchful eye as I mentally prepare an invitation list. If I don’t strike quickly an upperclassmen may extend an invitation and it may be months before that particular student may grace our Shabbat table. The University of Maryland is home to more than 400 Orthodox students and we try to have them all over for a meal, at some point during their college experience.
Friday is when the games begin. I hustle twenty minutes to Silver Spring, drop my two-year-old son, Yisrael, off at school and then proceed to the kosher establishments in town, to procure my ingredients. After purchasing these goodies I hurry back to College Park to begin cooking. My husband watches our six-month-old baby girl, Shira, while I slice, dice and mash the ingredients, occasionally with the assistance of a helpful student. Many Fridays it seems like I won’t beat the clock, but I always end up finishing just before the buzzer sounds. I breathe a sigh a of relief when I light the Shabbos candles, as my husband goes off to shul for four hours for davening, learning and the famed Hillel social hour.
The Magic Number:
Eli returns home with 12-15 students, the magic number. This ensures that our group is small enough to fit around our table and that we can all participate in one conversation. There are always one or two more students than originally expected, due to my husband’s over-inviting disorder, which Hakodosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One, Blessed Be He) matched nicely, with my over-cooking disorder. The avirah (atmosphere) is a very homey experience—that is what the students smell, taste and feel when they come over.
They are greeted from outside by our son, who is patiently waiting by the window for his “friends” to come over. Many students are looking for a home away from home and we feel privileged to help provide that during their college years. During these years students are making many crucial life decisions. They are asking themselves, “Who will I marry and how will that shape my future; what will my home look like; what will my Shabbat and religious experiences be when I am an adult?” Perhaps this is why we view the Shabbat experience with students as the most important interaction we will have with them.
By modeling a Jewish home that has a mezuzah, Shabbos candles and Jewish books, filling our Shabbos table with song, soup, and spirituality, we hope to inspire students to continue to strive towards a lifestyle infused with Torah values and meanings. We feel responsible to model a Jewish family for students, as we may be a reference point for future relationships they may have. To foster a sense of family we invite groups of students who are friendly with each other. If they are comfortable with each other, they will feel more at ease in our home. As friends they may already know each other well, yet we feel it is important to have our trademark parsha-themed ice breakers. They serve as a way of infusing the table with Torah, in a non- threatening way, and give the students an opportunity to say what’s on their minds.
Students are always afraid that when they go to their “rabbi’s house” they will be grilled on the parsha and their lives. Our approach is a way to break down those barriers and to connect the Torah to their lives. For example: on Parshat Miketz with Yosef’s dreams, we would ask, what’s a crazy dream you once had, or what are your dreams and aspirations; on Lech Lecha, their trials and tribulations.
While fish, soup and salad satiate some, there is not a hungry soul at the table when the meat, chicken and deli roll are done. The conversations vary as do the crowds—some want to talk about pop culture, social networks, high school stories or Israel adventures; others like to hear the rabbi’s philosophical views on a slew of geopolitical issues and old war stories from his childhood in Brooklyn; while others like to read our children their favorite stories on the couch. Many students offer their help to serve the food; what I most enjoy is the opportunity it provides to have one-on-one conversations with students I rarely have the time for during the week.
It’s Oneg Time!
As the meal seems to be winding down, we hear a knock at the door and are greeted with a burst of energy. Once a month, 60 or more additional students battle the elements to get a taste of our Friday night cholent and desserts as well as an unbeatable dose of spirituality which carries into the week. Students come from all across the country to be a part of the incredible community that exists at Maryland. Many are from Baltimore and Silver Spring but just as many come from New York, New Jersey, Florida, Chicago, California, Atlanta and more. Our onegs often begin as hip hop music is blaring from the fraternity house next door. As many as 100 Jewish souls may combat those tunes with niggunim of our own, and the fragrant scent of Oneg Shabbos suppresses the aromatic fragrances that are often found on a college campus.
For many students, we are able to provide this oasis that they crave and reawaken a slumbering spirit that may have become stagnant from the mounds of school work. Our onegs are sprinkled with inspiring stories and thoughts as many of our students are eager to share their thoughts with each other, and to encourage their peers to continue striving towards goals they may have set for themselves as they were leaving for their year in Israel. We try to pause these moments to remind ourselves why exactly we moved to the middle of a college campus, but as we embrace the last of our students close to 1:00 am and receive our final thank you, we are sure there is no place we would rather be than at the University of Maryland!
12/14/09
Morainu VeRabaynu HaRebbe Reb Itch'le Kadoozy
We need to start boycotting Chabad to get them back...maybe even start a RRRR version? Episode 1 may need to involve a rubber chicken...
12/1/09
11/16/09
Chushim Ben Dan "The Bear Jew"
They say that if you put a frog into a beaker of boiling hot water it will jump right out but if you place it in a Luke warm one and gradually raise the temperature it will boil to death. Ah the ability to adapt! We Jews have always had this koach to cope with the temperature as it begins to rise. Upon hearing esav's objection to them laying their father to rest in his ancestral burial plot, the tribes gradually got used to the idea of their father yackov's body laying out in the open sun to rot. Enter the bear Jew, chushim ben dan and he won't have it. He is deaf perhaps his battery died or he just didn't want to hear it, wasn't ready to get used to the idea of being a victim and he changed the course of history with one swing of the bat! Any tough Jew who has walked the streets of the world has him to thank. Chushim said yes as Jews we have this strength to be able to endure and adapt to any situation but were not gonna take it anymore! And when a Jew anywhere finds himself adapting to the culture around him, philosophizing away his birthright, or selling out, he must call on the bear Jew within him to awaken, cast off the shackles and slug out the demons inside who urge complacency. A Gutten Chodesh10/30/09
Reb Shlomo Yahrzeit with Rebbe!
MONDAY NIGHT
RUBIN SHUL
8PM till the Morning Comes...
BYOK (Bring your own Musical Kelim)
10/22/09
Naamah Chana Weiss!
Mazal Tov to the Minister of Agriculture and his pioneering family on the birth of the newest Daughter of the Revolution!!!
May Naamah grow proud and strong, and learn to wield the Sword of the Revolution!
"If we can't get them out, we'll breed them out..."
10/14/09
As a field commander placed deep behind enemy lines I have grown weary. How I long to return to HQ sip some warm porridge and allow my frost bitten toes to thaw. I have entrenched myself and placed fortifications around me placed land mines that have been the poor fortune of wandering elk and often feel as if I require immediate extraction. But to where can I return? The young bucks have filled the ranks and my ax has Dulled. I can no longer contend with the fresh legs and feeble minds of the revolution. And so I hunker down for the impending spiritual frost that is sure to engulf me. To whom can I turn for solice? The candle of darkness has shown brighter then ever before and I fear that my wounds will be gangrenous by winters end. But wait.... I hear my comrades voices from their foxholes! Can it be that another poor soul with whom I shared a niggun and a banana with has found themselves a similar destination? ...............
ed. note this post was not drug induced
ed. note this post was not drug induced
10/9/09
Early RR Release Found in Japanese Used Record Shop
A rare look at one of our early, early LP's. This album can only be found in obscure, dusty, Tokyo back-alleys, where apparently, the Ruach Revival Band was once an international sensation, even breaking into the Tokyo Top Ten with the accordian-heavy hit, Rebbe's Everywhere, off the "Rolls Along" album, pictured below.
10/1/09
Victory at EnRebbe
Apparently Rebbe used a certain tune while leading Neilah in the Beis Midrash. Er...
9/17/09
Near Michael an Arab was sleeping… He leaned forward to contemplate the sleeper: so comfortable, so peaceful, nodding. Michael’s thoughts spoke to him: you are happy, servant of Allah. You’re probably illiterate; you’ve never heard of nuclear fission or Heinrich von Kleist. The problem of the immortality of the soul leaves you indifferent; knowing whether Hegel was profoundly religious or profoundly atheistic dos not trouble your mind. You’re happy. Allah is great, and if what he accomplishes is not, that’s his affair and not yours. You just sleep. One day is like another, one dream is like another, men repeat the same stories always, the rivers flow to the sea: why torture yourself? Why covet what your life lacks? Why run off to distant places if Allah is great everywhere, in sleep as in happiness, in joy as in forgetfulness? Right, you are right, sleep. Peace be with you, faithful servant of Allah. Tomorrow you will welcome a new day no different from yesterday. You’ll marvel at the timeless bravura of the snake charmer, you’ll come back to smoke your hookah, you’ll stare into empty space, and night will find you here again: nothing will have changed. Happy those who close their eyes: for them nothing changes.
Elie Wiesel, The Town Beyond the Wall, 104
Elie Wiesel, The Town Beyond the Wall, 104
8/14/09
Gathering.
Tuesday night. 8:30. My cave, er house.Teaneck. Get there. 5 minute walk from Sherut.
It's not the same address. Email me.
8/5/09
“In Shir HaShirim, we find: “My Beloved is knocking.” God knocks on one’s door: one must get up and open the door. And the person thinks to himself: Now, when I’m lying in a warm bed, I have to get up? I have taken off my coat; how can I put it back on? I have washed my feet; how can I get them dirty?
A person has a choice in this situation: sometimes he gets up, sometimes not. But the next verse relates: “My beloved put his hand on the latch” – God has reached out His hand; He is coming into view! My heart thrills for Him” and immediately, “I rose up.” The individual gets up by himself; he jumps out of bed without worrying whether he washed his feet or took off his coat. There are times when a person knows that He exists, and he will make his own calculations, with arguments one way or the other. But at the moment of firsthand experience, the revelation of this One, all his personal considerations evaporate. He jumps out of bed and runs to serve God, with no patience for any inner debates.
Rav Adin Steinsaltz, Learning from the Tanya, 69
A person has a choice in this situation: sometimes he gets up, sometimes not. But the next verse relates: “My beloved put his hand on the latch” – God has reached out His hand; He is coming into view! My heart thrills for Him” and immediately, “I rose up.” The individual gets up by himself; he jumps out of bed without worrying whether he washed his feet or took off his coat. There are times when a person knows that He exists, and he will make his own calculations, with arguments one way or the other. But at the moment of firsthand experience, the revelation of this One, all his personal considerations evaporate. He jumps out of bed and runs to serve God, with no patience for any inner debates.
Rav Adin Steinsaltz, Learning from the Tanya, 69
8/4/09
Are there some questions you feared asking as a youth?
Our recent trip to Sesame Place reminded me of some of the questions I was always afraid to ask the rabbeim of my youth and never found the proper setting to ask Rebbe. Some help from the chevrah please. "Ein habayshon Lamed" so if you have some questions of your own now is the time.
1) Can Elmo be Mitztaref to A minyan?
2) Is Oscar the grouch A misnagid?
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