Here you'll find the very latest in local kosher findings. Find out where to buy kosher products right here in Winnipeg! Discover Kosher. For the community, by the community.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
New Kosher Discovery Community Board
Check out our new Kosher Discovery Community Board.
Here you'll find the very latest in local kosher findings. Find out where to buy kosher products right here in Winnipeg! Discover Kosher. For the community, by the community.
Here you'll find the very latest in local kosher findings. Find out where to buy kosher products right here in Winnipeg! Discover Kosher. For the community, by the community.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Lessons from an Lapsed Skydiver; by Rabbi Moss
Question of the Week:
I jumped out of a plane last week. I won't do it again. After free falling for a while (which was amazing) I tried to release my parachute. Nothing happened. I tried again. Nothing happened. So here I was hurtling to the ground without a parachute. I thought this was it. Thank G-d the instructor had a safety parachute, which did work. We landed safely. My question: is G-d trying to tell me something?
Answer:
People tend to ask the question "Why me?" only when bad things happen. After suffering a loss or experiencing failure, we wonder what we did to deserve it. But we should be asking this question not just when things seem to go wrong but when things go right too. You need to ask this of yourself: I came to the brink of death, and I survived. Why me?
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Heads or Tails? by Rabbi Moss
Question of the Week:
I read somewhere that there is a custom to eat the head of a fish on the night of Rosh Hashana, to symbolise that in the coming year "we should be the head and not the tail." What does this actually mean? I can't make head or tails of it... (sorry...)
Answer:
We face today a crisis of leadership. In almost every area of life - familial, communal, global and personal - there is a gaping void at the top. Rather than leading with vision and purpose, today's leaders are often no more than followers.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
3 Lubavitch Owned Companies Ranked in Inc. 5000
(L-R) Zalmi Duchman, David Schottenstein, and Ben Schusterman.
Friday, August 20, 2010
How Much Does It Cost Me?
By Yossy Goldman
What do we cherish? What do we truly value? What do we make time for?
There is a rather curious juxtaposition of ideas in our parshah this week. The Torah cautions us against allowing Ammonite and Moabite men to convert and join the Jewish people. The reasons? Firstly, because they did not greet you with bread and water on the road when you were leaving Egypt. And secondly, because they hired Balaam... to curse you.
Such a diverse set of crimes lumped together in one verse. In the same breath we are told to shun them because they didn't play the good host when we were a tired and hungry nation trudging through the desert from Egypt and because they hired the heathen prophet Balaam to destroy us. How can we possibly compare these two reasons? The first is simply a lack of hospitality while the second is nothing short of attempted genocide!
How to Stop a Crying Baby; by Rabbi Moss
Question of the Week:
I feel so hard done by. I hate feeling like this when I know I have many blessings to be grateful for, like a great family and wonderful children. But I find that no matter how hard I work, how hard I try, others have it so much easier than me - they get left inheritances, win prizes, travel the world and I just slog and slave to live a decent life, and still I struggle. I harbour such negativity it is unhealthy. How can I start feeling more grateful for my blessings and less resentful about my hardships?
Answer:
I hear your frustration. Let me offer you some wisdom that I was taught this morning. I learnt it from my baby daughter.
She has been unwell and very moody and clingy over the last few days. This morning she would not stop crying, for no apparent reason, and nothing I did would placate her. I made funny faces, dangled her dolly in front of her and rubbed it in her face, sang silly songs, and made strange noises by cupping my hand underneath my armpits. But she continued to sob, oblivious to my efforts to make her smile.
So I changed tactics.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Kosher Night Out; Gala Dinner
Kosher Night Out is an annual social event and gala dinner at the Fort Garry Hotel for the entire Jewish community.
Join us on Tuesday, August 31st at 6:30pm, for an exquisite kosher cuisine in the elegance of the Fort Garry Hotel. Make it a Kosher Night Out!
Friday, August 13, 2010
"The Healer's Guilty Conscience" by Rabbi Moss
Question of the Week:
I work in the line of healing and unfortunately a patient of mine just passed away. I feel as though it was my fault, because though I did all I could, I didn't save her. This is the first time I have experienced this, and was wondering, does Judaism have any insight on dealing with the guilt of losing a patient?
Answer:
There is a paradox at the heart of all caring professions. This paradox applies to all those who deal with people's real life problems, such as rabbis, doctors, therapists and manicurists.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Over 30 Prominent Endorsements For Medicine & Morals
As we near the launch of the fall course, "Medicine and Morals," JLI is obtaining endorsements for the course from top lawyers, doctors, professors and medical ethicists. Amongst others, the course has been endorsed by Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, The Hon. Tevi Troy and over 30 prominent academics. This course has been described as "a fascinating and engaging tour of the subject of Jewish medical ethics" as well as one which "brings a framework of understanding to some of the most difficult medical ethics questions we face." These endorsements go a long way to both attest to the level of professionalism of the course and attract prospective students. "Medicine and Morals" is being offered for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) and Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit and therefore has the ability to attract a more academic and professional crowd.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Time To Pray; A Poem
I got up early one morning,
And rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish,
That I didn't take time to pray;
Problems just tumbled about me,
And heavier came each task,
'Why doesn't G-d help me,' I wondered.
He answered, 'You didn't ask.'
I wanted to see joy and beauty,
But the day toiled on, gray and bleak;
I wondered why G-d didn't show me,
He said, 'But you didn't seek.'
I tried to come into G-d's presence;
I used all my key to the lock.
G-d gently and lovingly chided,
'My child, you didn't knock.'
I awoke so early this morning,
And paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish,
That I had the time to pray."
Why Don't Women Just Say It?
Question of the Week:
Last week you wrote that women are relationship beings, and men are loners. Well if women are such relationship experts, why can't my wife communicate clearly and just say what she means?
It was her birthday yesterday, and when I mentioned it last week, she said, "Don't you dare do anything for my birthday!" So I didn't. Now she won't speak to me. I did exactly as she said, and I'm in trouble. Am I missing something?
Answer:
Yes, you are missing something. It's called women's intuition. Your wife has it, and you never will. Men are literalists, women are intuitive. It's been that way since the beginning of time.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Getting the Job Done; A Little Story
This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Why Men Just Don't Get It! by Rabbi Moss
Question of the Week:
My husband just doesn't seem to get it. He came home over an hour late last night without so much as calling to tell me that he won't be on time. This is the fifth time he has done this and we are only married three months! It may seem petty but it upsets me greatly. I don't want him to see me as a nagging wife. What should I do?
Answer:
This may be disappointing, but it sounds like your husband is acting like a pretty normal guy. And you sound pretty normal too. That's why you are having this problem.
There is something you need to know about men. They are loners. Being in a relationship is unnatural to them. They do not automatically think about how their actions affect someone else. The default emotional state of a man is loneliness.
This is not true of women. A woman has an innate sense of relationship, of connection to others. A woman naturally shares of herself and bonds with others. A man does not. She is a relationship being, he is a lonely being.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Are Your Hands Clean? by Rabbi Moss
Question of the Week:
What is the meaning behind the ritual washing of hands before meals? Was this some ancient Jewish version of hygiene?
What is the meaning behind the ritual washing of hands before meals? Was this some ancient Jewish version of hygiene?
Friday, July 9, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
A Love that Never Dies by Rabbi Moss
Question of the Week:
Quick question: why do you dip the challah in salt?
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The Bagel Theory
It all started when my friend Dodie Miller-- who wears a kippah -- was back in college and suffering through a tedious lecture. As the professor droned on, a previously-unknown young woman leaned over and whispered in his ear: 'This class is as boring as my Zayde's seder.'
You see, the woman knew that she did not 'look' Jewish, nor did she wear any identifying signs like a Star of David. So foregoing the awkward declaration, 'I'm Jewish,' the girl devised a more nuanced -- and frankly, cuter -- way of heralding her heritage.
This incident launched a hypothesis which would henceforth be known as the Bagel Theory.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
Refine Your Search for a Soulmate by Rabbi Moss
Question of the Week:
My Jewishness is making it harder for me to find love. The more I get involved in Jewish life, the less options I have for girls to date. To be honest, it is making me hesitate before becoming more observant. What should I do, take on more Judaism and limit my options, or keep my options open and put the Jewish thing on hold?
Monday, June 28, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Jews Without Shoes by Rabbi Moss
Question of the Week:
My grandmother always told me not to walk around the house in just socks and no shoes. Is there anything to this or is it a bubbemaise superstition?
MEN ARE JUST HAPPIER PEOPLE
MEN ARE JUST HAPPIER PEOPLE
NICKNAMES:
If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah.
If Mike , Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla and Four-eyes.
EATING OUT:
When the bill arrives, Mike , Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it's only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.
When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.
MONEY:
A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.
A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale.
BATHROOMS:
A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel .
The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.
ARGUMENTS:
A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.
FUTURE:
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
SUCCESS:
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.
MARRIAGE:
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, but she does.
DRESSING UP:
A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.
A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.
NATURAL:
Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
Women somehow deteriorate during the night.
OFFSPRING:
Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.
A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in two people remembering the same thing!
SO, send this to the women who have a sense of humor and who can handle it ... and to the men who will enjoy reading it.
If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah.
If Mike , Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla and Four-eyes.
EATING OUT:
When the bill arrives, Mike , Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it's only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.
When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.
MONEY:
A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.
A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale.
BATHROOMS:
A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel .
The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.
ARGUMENTS:
A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.
FUTURE:
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
SUCCESS:
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.
MARRIAGE:
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, but she does.
DRESSING UP:
A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.
A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.
NATURAL:
Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
Women somehow deteriorate during the night.
OFFSPRING:
Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.
A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in two people remembering the same thing!
SO, send this to the women who have a sense of humor and who can handle it ... and to the men who will enjoy reading it.
Written 42 years ago by Eric Hoffer
ISRAEL'S PECULIAR POSITION...by Eric Hoffer - Los Angeles Times26/5/1968.
The Jews are a peculiar people: things permitted to other nations are forbidden to the Jews.
Other nations drive out thousands, even millions of people and there is no refugee problem. Russia did it, Poland and Czechoslovakia did it.
Turkey threw out a million Greeks and Algeria a million Frenchman.
Indonesia threw out heaven knows how many Chinese and no one says a word about refugees.
But in the case of Israel , the displaced Arabs have become eternal refugees.
Everyone insists that Israel must take back every single one.
Arnold Toynbee calls the displacement of the Arabs an atrocity greater than any committed by the Nazis.
Other nations when victorious on the battlefield dictate peace terms.
But when Israel is victorious, it must sue for peace.
Everyone expects the Jews to be the only real Christians in this world.
Other nations, when they are defeated, survive and recover but should Israel be defeated it would be destroyed. Had Nasser triumphed last June [1967], he would have wiped Israel off the map, and no one would have lifted a finger to save the Jews.
No commitment to the Jews by any government, including our own, is worth the paper it is written on.
There is a cry of outrage all over the world when people die in Vietnam or when two Blacks are executed in Rhodesia. But, when Hitler slaughtered Jews no one demonstrated against him.
The Swedes, who were ready to break off diplomatic relations with America because of what we did in Vietnam, did not let out a peep when Hitler was slaughtering Jews.
They sent Hitler choice iron ore, and ball bearings, and serviced his troops in Norway .
The Jews are alone in the world.
If Israel survives, it will be solely because of Jewish efforts. And Jewish resources.
Yet at this moment, Israel is our only reliable and unconditional ally.
We can rely more on Israel than Israel can rely on us.
And one has only to imagine what would have happened last summer [1967] had the Arabs and their Russian backers won the war, to realize how vital the survival of Israel is to America and the West in general.
I have a premonition that will not leave me; as it goes with Israel so will it go with all of us. Should Israel perish, the Holocaust will be upon us all.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Palm Reading and Horoscopes by Rabbi Moss
Question of the Week:
What is Judaism's take on looking into our future? I've always been under the impression that it is forbidden for us to consult with spiritual 'mediums', but more and more I'm hearing of people who are paying big money to find out what their future may hold. Is it possible to know our destiny?
Friday, June 11, 2010
Why I'm Not a Plumber by Rabbi Moss
Question of the Week:
Many thanks to you and your wife for Friday night dinner. We had a great time. I just had one question. I noticed you have a huge picture of your Rebbe, Rabbi Schneersohn, on the wall. I don't mean to be rude, but is this type of reverence appropriate? Isn't he just another human being?
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Thank you for being a part of this incredible course!
Dear All,
Tonight we concluded our course on Beyond Never Again, How the Holocaust Speaks to Us Today. Tonight’s subject, When Night Will Shine Like Day addressed the question of where was man during the holocaust? I am happy to share the following recap with you.
We began by exploring the incredible success of the German Jewish community’s integration with German society before the war. The pity of it all is that this investment and success did not offer the insulating layer of security that was hoped for. The most successful scientists, academics, artists, musicians and composers were Jewish and yet Jews of all ranks were exterminated; they came to be despised and debased by the very people they had earlier enriched.
We went on to explore the attitude of Germans and Poles who had witnessed the Holocaust. For the most apart these bystanders did nothing to help the Jews, but that does not mean that they were evil. Most people have a well developed sense of good and evil, right and wrong. These people understood that what was happening was evil, but they were unable to muster the willpower, courage and outrage to do something about it. There was a monster in their midst and they did nothing to battle it.
The Nazis did not set out on their campaign of extermination in a vacuum. In this they had the support and active assistance of the brightest minds and the most educated elite in Germany. Doctors and scientists helped them streamline their system and actively worked to exterminate Jews.
We concluded that academic scholarship, scientific progress and cultural refinement do not insulate us against immorality. It is easy to rationalize the murder of another in a relative, rather than absolute, system of morality. If murder is wrong because I am horrified by it then it ceases to be wrong when I cease to be horrified by it. So long as I can justify the extermination of the Jew or of the mentally retarded, I can preserve my integrity and sense of right and wrong even as I do nothing to help the Jew.
The Righteous Gentile that jumped in and helped for the most part already had a strong commitment to right and wrong. They did not deliberate before acting nor did they consult others. They acted because inaction was simply not an option for them; they considered what they did, “normal.”
The difference between the indifferent and those that put their lives on the line to help the Jews lies in their well honed commitment to justice irrespective of color, race or ethnicity. Judaism attaches an absolute value to the sanctity of life. Taking human life is an affront to G-d and cannot be sanctioned by human. Irrespective of our horror or lack thereof murder is always absolutely immoral.
If we can succeed in cultivating this absolute sense of morality in the next generation then we can succeed in going beyond the slogan of never again. We can actually raise a generation with a backbone to resist the pressures that society can bring to bear against otherwise decent human beings.
We have a framework for such teaching in the seven Noahide laws; Judaism’s universal code of ethical living for all of humanity. We must not only teach it, but live it; we must ourselves become shining examples of a people that commits itself to the absolute value of ethics.
If we commit ourselves to this idea then we can afford to believe that the night will shine again; that the morrow will be brighter than today.
Thank you for being a part of this incredible course. If you would like to review any of the six lessons, the recordings will remain available at www.myjli.com till the fall when the next course begins. You are welcome to download the recordings to your own devices.
I wish you a wonderful summer and look forward to being in touch with you before JLI’s next semester, which is scheduled for the fall on the subject of Medical Ethics. If you have the opportunity, I encourage you to consider joining JLI’s National Jewish Retreat in Virginia, August 17-22. You can find more information at www.jretreat.com.
Review of Lesson Six (Beyond Never Again)
Thank you for joining us for the sixth and final lesson of Beyond Never Again in which we explored the lessons of a post-Holocaust world! Human history is strewn with examples of people perpetrating horrors on others. Is there any way to stop wanton hatred and heartless genocide?
Some have argued in the past that the key to Jewish survival is assimilation into the larger society—that we are hated because we are different. Yet as we have seen in our lesson, despite cultural, economic, and political integration, German Jews were unsuccessful at deflecting the hatred and persecution unleashed by the Nazi party.
We pointed out the importance of avoiding simple characterizations: most people are not “good” or “evil” but have the capacity of behaving in either way. Even good people can be drawn to do awful things under certain circumstances. The sad truth of the Holocaust is that while many were cruel killers, many more were content to be bystanders, pleading ignorance of what was going on, shirking the responsibility to protest, or in the worst of cases, collaborating with the evil perpetrated by others.
Who has the courage to stand up to evil rather than passively looking the other way? If the Holocaust taught is anything, it is that education in the arts and sciences are not enough to ensure a sophisticated ethic. The Germans used their technical sophistication to engineer the most efficient extermination plan the world has ever known. Nazi doctors used their knowledge to engage in cruel and human experimentation, all in the name of scientific progress.
We create a better world through providing moral education and guidance in our homes and in our schools. Indeed, many of the “righteous gentiles” who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust report that they did so because they saw the crimes as a challenge to ethical principles which were ingrained in them from childhood.
By encouraging societies to teach universal moral principles and sharing our personal example of moral sensitivity, we not only prevent genocide and anti-semitism but also transform our world.
This brings the spring course to a close. Thanks so much for joining us for Beyond Never Again. It has been an amazing journey.
Our upcoming fall course will explore Jewish Medical Ethics. I hope you will join us then. Have a wonderful summer!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
A Flotilla of Falsehood and the Tedious Truth by Rabbi Moss
Question of the Week:
What do you say to this Gaza flotilla episode? Did you see the real story behind it on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/idfnadesk ? As usual the media and world opinion condemns Israel for defending itself. When will truth prevail?
Answer:
In the battle for truth, there is an important lesson we can learn from the Hebrew language.
The word for truth in Hebrew is Emet. The word for falsehood is Sheker. Both words are made up of three Hebrew letters. The difference is that the three letters of Emet are the first, middle and last letters of the alphabet (aleph, mem, tav), while the letters that make up Sheker (shin, kuf, reish) are consecutive letters, bunched together in the alphabet.
The holy tongue is here giving a profound insight into the difference between truth and falsehood. Truth is a broad and all-encompassing perspective, while falsehood is no more than a misleading and narrow snapshot.
To know the truth you need to know the full picture, from beginning to end. You cannot understand a situation without knowing the background, the events that led to it. And you don't know whether an event is a victory or a defeat until its consequences unravel.
On the other hand, to view a scene in isolation, out of context, ignorant of the facts and unaware of the backdrop, will invariably lead to false impressions.
Sadly, modern mainstream media is prone to falsehood. Catchy sound bites, dramatic images, angry reactions and loose accusations are far more newsworthy than lengthy explanations, detailed analysis and historic perspective. In the grab for airtime, a tedious truth will not compete with a flotilla of falsehood.
But in the end truth will prevail. This crisis, like others before, will pass. People of good will and integrity around the world are already seeing beyond the false headlines. Newspapers are disposable, and for good reason. Truth is not.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Lesson Six: When Night Will Shine Like Day
Dear Student,
In this lesson, we bring our course full circle. We started with the question of, “Where was G-d in the Holocaust?” In this lesson, we ask “Where was man?” For if the Holocaust tries our faith in G-d, it also tries our faith human civilization.
The Holocaust showed us a world in which the most culturally and scientifically advanced society on earth used its sophistication to engineer the most efficient genocidal program the world had ever known. The most assimilated Jewish community of the time found that their participation did not protect them from hatred. And while not everyone was a murderer, the vast majority of people were apathetic bystanders who allowed the evil to go unchecked.
And yet, amidst this horror, there were some beacons of light. An estimated two million righteous gentiles sacrificed their own safety and well-being to stand up to evil and to save Jews even at risk to their own lives. Often, these courageous individuals were poor and uneducated. Yet their moral sense was impeccable.
Can we prevent human progress from falling prey to moral bankruptcy? Is it possible to retain faith in the future, and to believe in a brighter tomorrow? What must we do to create a world in which no more holocausts can happen?
Please join us for Lesson Six as we explore what it means to truly move beyond “never again.”
Review of Lesson Five (Beyond Never Again)
Thank you for joining us for the fifth lesson of Beyond Never Again. We started by discussing the fact that Jewish law has always served as a moral compass for Jews, in good times and bad. It covers every aspect of life, from the most lofty to the most mundane. The responsa literature documents questions of Jewish law as well as how classical Jewish legal thinking has been applied to solve these new dilemmas. Reviewing these cases provides an interesting window into the history and sociology of a given era.
Among the examples of responsa we looked at were questions regarding ritual, such as under what circumstances one might risk the desecration of tefilin or whether one could recite the blessing of not having been made a slave while laboring in a concentration camp. Other questions concerned ethical issues such as whether one could save one’s own son at the expense of the life of another.
These preserved responsa demonstrate the sensitivity, creativity, and scholarship of the rabbis who responded to these questions. But the questions also reveal a lot about the people who asked them. They show strength of commitment of Jews in the Holocaust, as well as how Torah served as an anchor of meaning in world gone mad.
Thanks for joining me to study this inspiring lesson. I hope to see you next week for our sixth and final lesson.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
A Tree of Life to Those Who Cling To It
The Jewish Halachic literature offers an unusual window into the Holocaust experience. Jewish Torah Law, or Halachah, serves as a guide for life in even the most trying of times. And circumstances during the Holocaust gave rise to many troubling questions for which Jews required answers.
In this class, we will look closely at the kind of advice that was sought. The responses these Jews were given have much to teach us about Jewish values, but the more amazing fact is that these questions were asked at all.
Some of the questions reveal the fervor and self-sacrifice of Jews who desired to observe mitzvoth. Some reveal the moral courage of Jews who debated whether they were permitted to save their own lives at the expense of others. All are testament to an inner integrity and strength that transcended the horrors of that time.
Please join us for Lesson Five of Beyond Never Again, titled, A Tree of Life to Those Who Hold Fast to It: Halachic Questions of the Holocaust Era.
Looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday evening at the Chabad Torah Centre.
The Land of Milk and Honey by Rabbi Moss
Question of the Week:
Our dream to move to Israel is finally becoming reality. We are making aliyah next month. I know it will be challenging. Any advice?
Answer:
Israel is unlike any other country in the world. Every other place you could live, as long as you like it there all is fine. But with Israel it isn't enough that you like it there. Israel has to like you too.
Israel is a land with a soul of its own. It is the Holy Land, the place of divine blessing. If Israel finds you worthy, she shares her blessing with you, and no matter how hard life gets there, you will feel at home. But if you are undeserving of her holiness, you won't feel settled there for long.
The move to Israel is called making aliyah, which means "going up." This is not merely because Israel has a higher altitude to its surrounding countries. You need to go up to Israel because Israel is one step closer to heaven than the rest of the world. To reach Israel you need to be going upwards in your spiritual life. It is a land of higher spiritual frequency that has little tolerance for stagnant souls. Only those who are willing to grow can feel at home there.
So along with all the paperwork and preparations for moving, prepare your soul for the journey ahead. Take a step up in your own spirituality by choosing a new mitzvah to observe, and taking on a new project of Torah study. The aliyah ascent begins now, long before you set foot in the Holy Land.
Life in Israel is not always easy. But for a soul on the way up, it really is a land flowing with milk and honey.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
What Are You Smoking? by Rabbi Moss
Question of the Week:
I read an article by a professor in Israel who suggests that the revelation at Mt Sinai was actually a drug-induced hallucination. I thought it was a ridiculous proposition, but it did get me thinking. How do we know that it was indeed G-d who spoke to Moses and not some mind-altering mushroom?
Answer:
I read that article too. I am not sure what that professor was smoking when he wrote it.
There are ways to test whether a revelation is truly divine or just the product of human imagination. One of them is by examining the content of the message. G-d never tells you what you want to hear. When people make up their own revelations, the message they convey tends to be very convenient and comfortable. But if it is indeed G-d talking, He most probably will demand from you something you never would have asked from yourself.
Imagine Moses came down from the mountain and said, "Ok guys, here's the deal. G-d wants us to chill out. He thinks we are just fine as we are. Eat whatever you want, be loose in your relationships, and live a life that feeds your every whim and fancy. Don't fuss over petty things like being honest in your business dealings or being nice to strangers. As long as you are good deep down in your heart and are true to yourself that's fine. We are here to have fun, not stress over little moral scruples."
Had Moses brought us this message, we would be justified to suspect that G-d may not have said that. But Moses did not bring us a message of self-assurance and convenience. Rather, he came down from the mountain and said the following (not an exact quote):
"Ok guys, here's the deal. G-d created the world as an unfinished project. And we have to do the rest. We are not here to serve ourselves, we are here to serve a higher purpose. We are naturally selfish, and we have to become selfless. We are physical and hedonistic, and we must become soulful and sensitive. We need to care for the poor and down-trodden, we need to love our neighbours even when they annoy us. We need to practice acts of goodness even if we are not in the mood. We have a huge mission to achieve - to change the world by changing ourselves. There is no promise that things will be easy for us. But this is our mission. So get to work."
The demands that G-d makes of us in the Torah are steep. They challenge us to our very core. This itself shows that Moses received the Torah when He was high on the mountain, not on anything else. The Torah is not about getting high, but about living higher.
AIPAC's Policy Director to Present at Summer Retreat
Mr. Bradley Gordon, the Director of Policy and Government Affairs at AIPAC (Israel’s primary lobbyist organization in Washington DC) will present two pivotal workshops on Israel’s status and security at the National Jewish Retreat.
Before joining AIPAC in 1995, Mr. Gordon served as Staff Director of the International Operations Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and as a political analyst at the CIA in the office of Near Eastern and South Asian Analysis.
At the Retreat, Mr. Gordon will discuss rebuttals to global attempts to delegitimize the Jewish People’s connection to our homeland, as well as Israel’s options regarding the nuclear threat posed by Iran.
For more information about the National Jewish Retreat, please call or go to www.jretreat.com.
Review of Lesson Four (Beyond Never Again)
Dear Students,
In our first class, we discussed various theodicies, rational approaches to the existence of suffering and evil. But in this class, we dealt with the emotional impact of raw pain.
Pain hurts. It makes us cry out. It can not be answered by cold intellectualism. But faith offers comfort where explanations fall short. In this lesson, we took a closer look at faith and how it can be fostered so it is there for us when we need it most.
Faith is about recognizing that life has purpose. Sometimes, the purpose is revealed to us; more often, it is not. But one who hones trust in G-d in good times has the fortitude to believe that even the harsh times have meaning.
In Hebrew, the word faith comes from the same root as “training.” Faith must become a habit of thought. We must learn to see our lives as guided, and each of our days as part of a larger order.
For many Holocaust survivors, the ultimate act of faith was simply to choose life—to remarry, to rebuild, to continue to believe in the Jewish future.
Thank you for joining us. We look forward to seeing you next week for Lesson five.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Shmuly Altein
Everything is for the Best!
“Rabbi Akiva taught: A person should always say: “Everything that G-d does, He does for the good.” Rabbi Akiva was once traveling, when he arrived in a certain town. He asked for lodgings and was refused. Said he: “Everything that G-d does, He does for the good,” and went to spend the night in a field.
He had with him a rooster, a donkey and a lamp. A wind came and extinguished the lamp, a cat came and ate the rooster, a lion came and ate the donkey. He said, “Everything that G-d does, He does for good.” That night, an army came and took the entire town captive. Rabbi Akiva said to his disciples: “Did I not tell you that everything that G-d does, He does for good?” If the lamp had been lit, the army would have seen me; if the donkey would have brayed or the rooster would have crowed, the army would have come and captured me.
Joke
A flood is foretold and nothing can be done to prevent it; in three months the waters will wipe out the world.
A televangelist takes to the airwaves and pleads with everyone to welcome J. within three months , as their savior; that way, they will at least find salvation in heaven.
The pope goes on TV with a similar message: “You have three months to accept Catholicism,” he says.
The Sheik tells his people they have three months to accept allah and prepare to die in faith.
The chief rabbi of Israel takes a slightly different approach: He tells his people “We have three months to learn how to live under water.”
A televangelist takes to the airwaves and pleads with everyone to welcome J. within three months , as their savior; that way, they will at least find salvation in heaven.
The pope goes on TV with a similar message: “You have three months to accept Catholicism,” he says.
The Sheik tells his people they have three months to accept allah and prepare to die in faith.
The chief rabbi of Israel takes a slightly different approach: He tells his people “We have three months to learn how to live under water.”
Fortunately by Remy Charlip
Fortunately, one day Ned got a letter that said: “Please come to a surprise party.
Unfortunately, The party was in Florida, and he was in NY.
Fortunately, his friend loaned him an airplane.
Unfortunately, the motor exploded.
Fortunately, there was a parachute on the airplane.
Unfortunately, there was a hole in a parachute.
Fortunately, there was a haystack on the ground.
Unfortunately, there was a pitchfork in the haystack.
Fortunately, he missed the pitchfork.
Unfortunately, he missed the haystack.
Fortunately, he landed in water.
Unfortunately, there were sharks in the water.
Fortunately, he could swim.
Unfortunately, there were tigers on the land.
Fortunately, he could run.
Unfortunately, he ran into a deep dark cave.
Fortunately, he could dig.
Unfortunately, he dug himself into a fancy ballroom.
Fortunately, there was a surprise party going on.
And fortunately, the party was for him.
Because, fortunately, it was his birthday.
Unfortunately, The party was in Florida, and he was in NY.
Fortunately, his friend loaned him an airplane.
Unfortunately, the motor exploded.
Fortunately, there was a parachute on the airplane.
Unfortunately, there was a hole in a parachute.
Fortunately, there was a haystack on the ground.
Unfortunately, there was a pitchfork in the haystack.
Fortunately, he missed the pitchfork.
Unfortunately, he missed the haystack.
Fortunately, he landed in water.
Unfortunately, there were sharks in the water.
Fortunately, he could swim.
Unfortunately, there were tigers on the land.
Fortunately, he could run.
Unfortunately, he ran into a deep dark cave.
Fortunately, he could dig.
Unfortunately, he dug himself into a fancy ballroom.
Fortunately, there was a surprise party going on.
And fortunately, the party was for him.
Because, fortunately, it was his birthday.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Review of Lesson Three (Beyond Never Again)
Thank you for joining us for the third lesson of Beyond Never Again.
In this lesson, we explored the value of Kidush Hashem, sanctifying G-d’s name. Some faiths, believing that this world is temporal and the future world is eternal, glorify martyrdom, for they see life as having relatively minimal value. But Judaism treasures the opportunity that is embedded in each moment of life. Kidush Hashem is thus first and foremost about life and sanctifying G-d’s name in this world.
Judaism does not believe in sacrificing life simply to defy an oppressor. Kidush Hashem is justified to avoid living the kind of life that profanes G-d’s name. This understanding is an important freamework which helped many Jews to make sense of the Holocaust.
During Holocaust, Jews were being killed without the option to save themselves through conversion. There was no escape. This had many ramifications. Those that perished in the Holocaust are seen as kedoshim (holy people) because they died because of their Jewishness.
We can express our own form of kidush by actualizing our innate connection with G-d, and standing strong against any influences that seek to disconnect us from our Jewish values.
Thanks for joining me to this week. I hope to see you next week for Lesson Four.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Lesson Three: In Their Deaths They Were Not Parted
Dear Student,
In some religions, there is nothing more glorious than to die for one’s faith. Is this true of Judaism as well? Do we idealize martyrdom?
Even if martyrdom is not a fate we seek out, are their principles of such great importance that life is not living without them?
Lesson Three of Beyond Never Again seeks to explore the parameters of “dying for one’s faith.” In the process, we will come to appreciate that Judaism is a religion that cherishes life rather than idealizing death, and will provide a new appreciation of those forced to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Looking forward to seeing you next Tuesday at the Chabad Torah Centre.
Sincerely,
In some religions, there is nothing more glorious than to die for one’s faith. Is this true of Judaism as well? Do we idealize martyrdom?
Even if martyrdom is not a fate we seek out, are their principles of such great importance that life is not living without them?
Lesson Three of Beyond Never Again seeks to explore the parameters of “dying for one’s faith.” In the process, we will come to appreciate that Judaism is a religion that cherishes life rather than idealizing death, and will provide a new appreciation of those forced to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Looking forward to seeing you next Tuesday at the Chabad Torah Centre.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Shmuly Altein
I Can't Answer This! by Rabbi Moss
Question of the Week:
My kids keep asking me theological questions I can't answer. Yesterday my five year old insisted he wanted to know "What does G-d look like?" I had no idea what to say....
Answer:
Sometimes the best thing you can tell your child is "I don't know." You teach your much child more by being open about your inability to answer a question, than if you would give a half-baked answer just to get off the hook.
If you don't know something, but fudge an answer, you teach a child that it is more important to look like you know something than to be honest and look ignorant. That's a bad message. Saying I don't know teaches that it is alright not to know everything, and it's ok to be honest about it.
Also, by saying you don't know, it shows your child that when you do have an answer, that answer is a real one. Your answers have more credibility when you only say what you really know.
But even more importantly, by saying, "Great question, I don't know the answer, let me try and find out," you teach your child that learning never stops, and everyone can learn more, even a parent. This is the greatest lesson you can teach your child. You may not have given him an answer, but you will have inspired him to ask more questions.
My kids keep asking me theological questions I can't answer. Yesterday my five year old insisted he wanted to know "What does G-d look like?" I had no idea what to say....
Answer:
Sometimes the best thing you can tell your child is "I don't know." You teach your much child more by being open about your inability to answer a question, than if you would give a half-baked answer just to get off the hook.
If you don't know something, but fudge an answer, you teach a child that it is more important to look like you know something than to be honest and look ignorant. That's a bad message. Saying I don't know teaches that it is alright not to know everything, and it's ok to be honest about it.
Also, by saying you don't know, it shows your child that when you do have an answer, that answer is a real one. Your answers have more credibility when you only say what you really know.
But even more importantly, by saying, "Great question, I don't know the answer, let me try and find out," you teach your child that learning never stops, and everyone can learn more, even a parent. This is the greatest lesson you can teach your child. You may not have given him an answer, but you will have inspired him to ask more questions.
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