by admin
Kabbalah teaches that the Matzah we eat on the first night of Pesach is food of faith, and on the second night it’s food of healing.
How about we take it a step further and say that the whole Seder process follows those same themes?
Let us say that night # 1 is a 15 step process of spiritual growth – soul steps. And night # 2 follows with fifteen steps of physical, psychological and relationship growth – body steps.
So, even though we say the exact same words and do the same actions on both nights; they are two different journeys altogether.
Night 1 - Soul
Kadesh: Kiddush comes from the Hebrew word ‘Kadosh’ holy. The first step in tapping into our soul power is to realize that our soul is a piece of G-d, and that we have G-dly power to achieve anything we set our mind on.
Urchatz: When journeying toward holiness we must first remove all the dirt and filth of sin and impurity.
Karpas: A few tears of remorse for the times we didn’t do what pleases G-d are a vital step of repentance and growth.
Yachatz: There is no grey area between what G-d wants and that which is against His will. The grayness and lack of clarity between good and evil is broken, for the two just cannot mix.
Maggid: ‘Cheshbon Hanefesh’ (accounting of the soul) is a basic tenet in Judaism, where one looks retrospectively back at his life and makes an account of all the decisions and actions he’s done.
Rochtza: Ok, enough with dealing with the past. Now we can wash away what was, and start looking ahead into the future.
Motzi: There are three Matzos which resembles three types of Jews. When reciting this blessing we hold all three in our hands. This is a sign of unity, which according to the words of the great sage Hillel: “This is the whole Torah, the rest is merely commentary.” What a great way to begin the future!
Matzah: Matzah with its lack of yeast resembles humility. Bringing humility and a broken heart is the next step in making ourselves a vessel for holiness.
Maror: Earlier we shed tears of remorse. This time we shed tears of yearning and love for G-d, to Whom we are working to get closer to, one step at a time.
Korech: Humility mixed with love for G-d?! Wow that is the whole Chassidus on one foot! Way to go!
Shulchan Orech: So, you’ve become holy! Does that mean that you have to climb onto the Himalayas and starve yourself for weeks with your eyes closed to become holier? No! The Jewish way is to live in the world and bring holiness into the physical.
Tzafun: Judaism doesn’t shun individuality; quite the contrary, it encourages people to discover their talents and use them in the service of the Creator.
Barech: When using the physical (Shulchan Orech) and our talents (Tzafun), make sure not to get carried away and forget who gave it to us, and why they exist.
Hallel: Wow! What an opportunity of growth has been given to us. A song of praise and thanks is sung to the Creator who gave us the chance to repent and become closer to Him.
Nirtza: Yes, our journey has been a success, but we cannot forget about the greater journey which began at the dawn of creation and is about to conclude – the coming of Moshiach. Stand up and cry: We Want Moshiach Now!
Night 2 - Body
Kadesh: Wine brings happiness, and when going on this journey we can either do it with sadness and anger or with joy and elation. The Jewish way is the happy way. L’chaim! For a successful journey.
Urchatz: All those notions you have developed about yourself “I can’t do this, I can’t do that!” - just wash them away. If we are to change, we must believe that we can change!
Karpas: On this journey, you might have to confront hurts from your past which will cause pain and tears, don’t be afraid to take them head on, it will only make you stronger.
Yachatz: Ok, let’s go. The first step in healing is the acknowledgment that we are all good and the mistakes we made don’t make us bad people. Separate the action from the person.
Maggid: Talk it out. To yourself, to a trusted friend. Talk it out. If that’s too hard, write it down. Put your life story in front of you. And appreciate the G-dly Hand in all of it.
Rochtza: Ok, enough with dealing with the past. The past is past; your future is in your hands. Don’t let your history keep you hostage! Wash it off!
Motzi: When looking toward the future, you are not alone. There is Someone up there who loves you and watches over you every second. Why, He even takes time to make wheat grow to sustain us. He is there. He is here. He is everywhere.
Matza: Humility is not only a vessel for G-dliness. It’s also a vessel for wholesome relationships, with family, friends, and even with ourselves. Put your ego aside, and your life will take a leap for the better.
Maror: “Happily ever after” is a nice slogan for story tellers, but an untrue line for humans who live in this universe. Pain is a fact of life, the question is the perspective on how to look at it and deal with it. If we can accept the challenges that come our way, we are guaranteed a happier and more peaceful life.
Korech: Every one of us has his own ‘pekel’ - baggage of good things and of the not so good, be it family, parnasa, nachas, etc. we all have our own ‘pekel’. Mix ‘em all together and thank G-d for your ‘pekel’.
Shulchan Orech: Enjoy life! Eat, sleep, enjoy each precious moment. Ok, don’t go overboard… but it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the sunshine, nature and all its blessing. After all it was all created for you!
Tzafun: Oh, don’t say that you’re not special, and that there’s nothing unique about you. For if that’s the case, then why would G-d have put you in this world? Obviously because you can accomplish things that no one else can accomplish! Bring out the real you! Let yourself shine!
Barech: A good tool for any relationship: say “Thank you!” compliment people and say nice things about them. Tell a kid he’s an animal, and he’ll act like one. Tell him he’s a saint, and he’ll be one!
Hallel: Even though we are dealing with the body, we must remember that in Judaism, body and soul are deeply connected. This is your chance for thanking G-d for everything He’s given you and continues to give!
Nirtza: Look onto the horizon and envision for yourself a future. Once you have a clear vision, now it’s time to start the journey to become the best you can.
In Chabad we don’t say “The Seder is over”, because in essence the Seder never really ends. On the contrary, the journey has just begun…
by admin
When did the Jews leave Egypt? Exactly at noon on the fifteenth of Nissan. When did they start counting down the 49 days to the giving of the Torah on Sinai? Just a few hours later on the sixteenth!
Let’s think about it for a moment. The Jews hadn’t even crossed the Red Sea yet, Pharaoh was still bound to chase them and bring them back to slavery, (as he so daringly tried to do, and only by the miraculous miracle of the splitting of the sea, and the drowning of the Egyptians was his evil plan averted.)
If that’s the case, then why were they rushing to begin the countdown to the next milestone – Sinai, immediately after the exodus?
Moreover, we can be sure that the Jews had a pretty decent hint about what would transpire at Sinai. They knew that Sinai would spell the end of doing what they want without accountability, and a whole new way of life with so many limitations and consequences/punishment.
The Jews hadn’t even had the chance to live like free men, and they were already counting down to a new form of slavery and accountability? Is there anything wrong with enjoying the delicious taste of freedom for a few days, without thinking about the next leg in this historic journey?
The answer my friend, can be found in the Declaration of Independence of the USA. Let’s take a peek:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Yup, those magic words “endowed by their Creator” are our answer. For in them lay the difference between the American Revolution which made the country the beacon of freedom and liberty to the whole world until this very day; to so many other revolutions crying the same cry of “democracy” or “all men are created equal” (communism) which did not last.
Freedom without a Creator, or in other words, without the understanding that the freedom is a gift of G-d, and that only when serving and being accountable to G-d is freedom possible, is not freedom. It might sound like freedom, it might even taste for a moment like freedom, but it is not freedom. It isn’t even a democracy. For if there are no divine principals to be accountable for, then there are no principals at all.
Just look at so many countries claiming to be democratic, and how far they really are from earning that title. Democracy without G-d is simply not possible.
Our ancestors 3300 years ago were yearning to live like free men with rights such as Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. So they rushed to Sinai to be given those rights, and to live a life of true freedom – as servants of the Creator.
by admin
The other day, I was arguing with my kids (ok, not my kids, but you get the point…) doing my best to convince them that they need to go to school and get an education if they ever hope to lead meaningful lives…
For everything I said, they had an answer, until….
They read this.
Alias Abu Omar was 28 years old. Gavriel Holzberg was 29 years old. Both of them were kids of the eighties, who ‘did’ their teen years during the nineties and then started their adult lives and dreams in the 21st century.
One turned out to be a sadistic killer, while one turned out to be a selfless missionary of goodness. One wanted to die and kill in the name of Allah, whereas the other wanted to live and give life to others in the name of G-d.
Now for argument sake let’s go back 27 years, when Omar and Gabi were still cute little babies. Gabi I’m sure was a doll, and (forgive me for saying this,) my guess is that Omar was cute baby, and had I been alive then and seen him, I might have even pinched his cheek (had his parents not been around).
[Of course there was something extra special about Gabi thanks to his Yiddishe soul, but we're focusing on the human aspect.] These two babies were both cute little innocent kids, and had they met then they might have even hit it off and become crib buddies.
Now, somewhere in the span of 25 years, these two cutie-pies suddenly found themselves at the two extremes of good and evil. One gave away the luxuries of life to spread a message of goodness, the other committed homicide to spread the message of evil.
How did this happen? Why? Where did things go wrong? How did such an innocent (yes, innocent) baby become a baby killer?
Ok, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to answer the question.
Education. It’s all about the education.
Hitler educated three million to kill; the Torah educated six million to cry out Shema Yisroel as they were butchered and burned in the gas chambers, and continues to dictate the peaceful and harmonious lives of millions. Healthy societies raise healthy children, while those who grew up in an unhealthy society have a great struggle to overcome the impulse to continue the destructive cycle. Many don’t and our prisons are evidence to that.
Traditional Judaism has a single digit percent of intermarriages, whereas secular Judaism is at 50 percent. Facts cannot be argued with, and the statistics show for themselves: EDUCATION, EDUCATION AND EDUCATION. You educate with morals you get moral people. Educate with hate and you have ten year olds shooting and killing.
It’s all about what you teach. Hitler knew it and Bin Laden knows it. Isn’t it about time that we got the message? Give your kids (and yourselves) a Jewish, a.k.a. moral, ethical and G-dly education.
Let the disastrous meeting between Gabi and Omar ring in our ears for as long as we live. Unfortunately it is too late for millions in the Arab world who have already been brainwashed and have to be removed, but for the sake of humanity we must do all we can to educate the rest with the message of goodness. We can’t afford to have a sixth of the world on a Jihad mission.
Terror is the biggest threat to the world. Education is our only solution.
*
1940. Berlin. A gang of Nazis surround an elderly Jew. “All right Jewboy, who caused the war?”
He might be scared, but he isn’t stupid. “The Jews”, and after a brief pause, “and the motorcyclists.”
They don’t get it. “Why the motorcyclists?”
“Why the Jews?”
by admin
We all have had those awkward moments which we wish would never have happened, and which we later tried unsuccessfully to forget. But the story of Yosef meeting his brothers definitely takes the cake as one of the most awkward moments in the Torah.
It’s so awkward, that it’s almost surreal.
Here we have siblings who took the term ’sibling rivalry’ to a whole new level (save for Cain killing Abel), and after tormenting and harassing their brother Yosef for the longest time, they then plotted to kill him. Only with some last minute intervention did they change the ‘punishment’, and instead sold him to wanderers as if he were an animal.
Jump forward 22 years. Yosef had spent portions of those years as a slave, another few years incarcerated in prison, and now he’s been appointed as second to the most powerful person in the world for the latter decade.
And now the brothers have returned, and unknowingly found themselves at the mercy of the one person whose life they had all but destroyed.
By now the sparks were flying between Yosef and his brothers. Yosef had just given his brothers a real run for their money, playing with their nerves and testing their commitment to family. And at the moment of the greatest tension…
Yosef breaks the news: “I am Yosef your brother! Is my father still alive?”
Like I said, awkward is the only way to describe that moment.
It lasted for barely one moment.
The next moment however, turned out to be (one of the) the most forgiving, mature, holy and thought provoking moments in the Torah.
“Oh, don’t be sad about what you’ve done to me, it was all a plan of G-d! Here, let me hug you! Take these presents, they are for you! Please won’t you all come down to Egypt? I will support you and your families! I love you my dear brothers, there is not a grudge in my heart against you!”
How great was this man who took the most awkward moment and turned into the greatest moment of reconciliation.
It was a moment four thousand years ago, but remains as a lesson for all time.
***
A guy had been feeling down for so long that he finally decided to seek the aid of a psychiatrist.
He went there, lied on the couch, spilled his guts then waited for the profound wisdom of the psychiatrist to make him feel better.
The psychiatrist asked him a few questions, took some notes, and then sat thinking in silence for a few minutes with a puzzled look on his face.
Suddenly, he looked up with an expression of delight and said, “Um, I think your problem is low self-esteem. It is very common among losers.”
Hakhel:
We are all part of one body. Each limb is needed for a compete body.
by admin
I once asked a wise man for a blessing, he replied, you should be blessed with many problems throughout your life.
Yes, you read it correctly; he blessed/cursed me to have “many problems”.
You could imagine the shock on my face upon hearing these ‘kind words’. He saw the look on my face and explained:
“Levi, when a great tragedy befalls someone, be it death, sickness or a failed relationship, the affected persons’ mind is centered on that one painful issue, he/she can think of nothing else but the deep pain and hurt of this one humongous problem.
“When one however has the ‘freedom’ of thinking about many problems, it is obvious that these issues are trivial and small, which gives him/her the ‘liberty’ to think about his many ‘problems’ like ‘where did I
leave my tooth brush’. Had there been a big issue; all the small ones would disappear.”
Since the India incident took center stage, a phenomenon has been taken place. All of a sudden fights lasting decades have been rendered mute, former rivals were seen crying over each other’s shoulder, and big organizations who were unable to acknowledge each other’s existence, let alone work together, are bonding together to find comfort and do good things for the world.
Hello!
One second! Am I not your enemy? Isn’t the cold war between us bullet proof? Weren’t we on opposite sides of the Berlin wall just one week ago? Didn’t I always disown you and everything you do? Where has the hate and ‘I can’t stand him’ gone?
A few Jews were tortured and killed in India and walls of hate are crumbling all around us. The sharp pain in that one horrific incident has put all our ‘problems’ into perspective. Ah, that’s the word: Perspective.
The perspective that if someone chooses to follow a different lifestyle, or interpret things in a way unlike yours and leads his life and teaches others in a way that you think is downright off track, it is ok, or
better yet, it’s beautiful!
The perspective that even though ’she said this’ and ‘he did that’ and ‘he started up the fight!’ there is a bigger picture out there.
The perspective on what true pain really means – not just a hurt from a wink taken the wrong way.
The perspective that there are people just like us dedicating their lives for something so much greater than themselves, not looking for billboards and dinner diplomas.
Boom!
The light bulb turned on, our vision has cleared and we see that we all truly love each other. A few tears cleared up our eyes and we remember that we are all one family and that our destinies are intertwined in
every way.
I can just hope that as time will go by and the light bulb will fade out, that the lessons we learned when the light of truth shined so brightly be not forgotten.
And by the way, I’m sorry for crying over your shoulder, I just missed your warmth and friendship. The stains of my tears will come out in the wash, but at least our friendship in back, intact and stronger than
ever.
