B"H

Wednesday Sivan 13, 5777 / June 7, 2017

This week's Parsha, Beha'alotcha (Numbers 8-12), begins with the mitzvah given to Aaron, the High Priest, to light the Menorah (Candelabra) in the Tabernacle during the forty years in the desert. Later, when Jews entered into the Holy Land, it was lit by the Kohen in the Holy Temple.

Being that the lights of the Menorah were lit every day and burnt through the night, they are called, “Ner Tamid,” – “An everlasting light.”

Although we do not have the Temple today, the synagogue in which we pray is called a "miniature Temple." To remind us of the Menorah in the Holy Temple, the synagogue also has a "Ner Tamid", an eternal light, in front of the ark.

Candles and light play an important role in the synagogue as well as in the Jewish home.  Our sages say, "The candle of G-d is the soul of man." Thus, at a Yartzeit, on the day when someone passed away, a candle is lit to honor the soul of the deceased. Before Yom Kippur, we light a candle in honor of the souls of our loved ones who are deceased, as the soul is compared to a candle.

At the marriage ceremony, many have the custom that the two people who lead the bride and the two who lead the groom to the Chupah (marriage canopy) hold lit candles. These candles represent the two souls which will be united in marriage. Shabbat and holidays are also ushered in with candles. 

Mitzvot are compared to a candle, while the Torah itself is compared to light. The reason is because Torah and mitzvot illuminate and enlighten ones immediate surroundings and the world at large.

When lighting other candles from a lit candle, no matter how many candles one will light, they do not diminish anything from the light of the lit candle. So too, by helping others, especially spiritually, it doesn’t take anything away from the Neshama-light of the person offering the help.   

The Midrash explains that while keeping the flame of Torah and mitzvot is up to us, maintaining our light (i.e. our soul lit), is completely in the hands of G-d who gives and controls life. G-d says, "My candle (Torah and mitzvot) is in your hands while your candle (soul) is in My hands. Take good care of My candle and I will take good care of yours!"

Before the days of electricity, Russia's main streets were lit by kerosene lamps. Each night, a city employee would make the rounds and light these lamps to illuminate the street. 

"The function of a Jew is to be a lamp-lighter," said Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber of Lubavitch. "It is not enough to feel spiritually enlightened and connected; one must also use their spiritual fire and make an effort to light up the candle/soul of another Jew by bringing them closer to Torah and Mitzvot."

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

B"H

Thursday Sivan 14, 5777 / June 8, 2017

At the end of this week’s Parsha, Beha’alotcha, we read how Moshe prayed for his sister, Miriam, that G-d heal her from her affliction when she was punished for speaking against Moshe. Moshe’s prayer for Miriam consisted of only three words – “G-d heal her.”

Our sages say that G-d hears our prayers at all times. It dosen’t matter how long or how short one prays. It is the dedication, feeling and intent which matter.

Prayer is very important in a Jew's life. The three daily prayers originated with our patriarchs. The morning prayer with Abraham; the afternoon prayer with Yitzchak and the evening prayer with Yaakov.

Although it is preferable to pray each of the three daily prayers in synagogue with a minyan (quorum), if this is not possible, one should still pray wherever they are.

One can liken prayer to a pipe and faucet.  No matter how much water may be on the other end, if the pipe is not connected or turned on, the water will not flow where it is needed.

The same is with prayer. On G-d's side there is an abundance of blessing, but to receive the blessings on our end, we have to be connected and turn on the faucet. This is done through prayer, through which we acknowledge that we are totally dependent on G-d.

A group of very wealthy Bedouins, with vast oil resources, decided to have a 10 day convention at one of the prominent hotels in New York. When the convention was over and they all left for the airport, the rooms were inspected and to the amazement of the hotel manager, they found that in each of the rooms where they stayed, the faucet was missing!

The police were notified and they caught up with them as they were about to board the airplane.  A thorough check of their bags revealed that each one had a faucet carefully packed away in their bag.

"Just name the price. We will pay you as much as you want for the faucets," they said.

"Why do you want these faucets?" the police asked in amazement.

They replied: "We live in the desert where finding water is a tremendous hassle.  But in the hotel we saw this wonderful gadget which just with a simple turn gave as much water as we needed.  This is exactly what we need in the desert and we are willing to pay any price…"

One of the translations for "Tefilah" (prayer) is "connection."  Just like water flowing from the faucet has to be connected to the reservoir, so too, in order for G-d's blessings to flow we have to connect to the source of blessings.   This is accomplished when we connect to G-d through prayer which keeps G-d's blessings flowing.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

BH

Monday Sivan 18, 5777 / June 12, 2017

This week's Parsha is Shlach. The Parsha begins with the story of the spies that Moshe sent to scout the land of Canaan which G-d promised to give to the Jewish people. Although G-d told them that the land was a good and fertile land, a land which flows milk and honey and that they would conquer the land, yet, they wanted to send spies to check out the Promised Land. This act was an expression of a lack of faith in G-d.

The spies scouted the land for forty days. Instead of returning and encouraging the people to go up and conquer the land, ten of the spies brought back a negative report which discouraged the people. 

They brought back fruits from the land.  Displaying the fruits, they told of the giants who live in the land.  They concluded their report by saying, "The land through which we have passed is a land which eats up its inhabitants!”

The people were so distressed when hearing this report that they revolted against Moshe and wanted to go back to Egypt, refusing to go into the Promised Land. G-d punished them and instead of continuing to the Promised Land they stayed in the desert for forty years (one year for each day they scouted the land). Only after all those, from the age of twenty, who refused to go into Israel died, did G-d bring their children into the Promised Land.

Q.   Why did they describe the land as "a land which eats up its inhabitants?"

A.   In order that the spies should not be harmed, G-d brought a plague wherever the spies went.  Thus, the people of the land were busy burying their dead and did not pay attention to the spies.

Had their faith in G-d been complete, the spies would have realized that this was for their benefit.  However, because they lacked faith in G-d they attributed this to, "A land that eats up its inhabitants!" 

Q.   The spies said, "And we were in our own eyes as grasshoppers and so we were in their eyes."  What lesson can one derive from this?

A.   Our rabbis explain that as a person is in his own eyes so too he is perceived by others.  Had the spies been positive and confident in their mission, remembering that they were sent by Moshe, they would have been proud of their mission.  But with their negative attitude ("we were in our own eyes as grasshoppers") they projected the same image about themselves to the inhabitants of the land; as small and meaningless creatures.

Lesson:  When we do a mitzvah, performing our G-dly mission in this world, it is important to feel proud and positive about what we are doing.  This feeling will then be projected and transmitted to others. They will look at us in a positive way and they too will be influenced to do the same.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY