Why is life so frantic at the moment? It seems like things are unusually hectic, not just for me but everyone I talk to. Shifts in personal life, career moves, some good and some bad, big stuff and massive changes, all in the last week or so. Is something going on spiritually that I should know about?
Answer:
Oh yes. We are in the final month of the Jewish year, the month of Ellul. A lot has to happen in these last weeks of the year.
The Jewish view is that time has a personality. Each year has a character of its own. It's like a guest who stays with you for twelve months, follows you around everywhere you go, and then leaves so another guest can move in. Each year arrives with its particular energy and feel, and then that energy makes way for a new year with its own personality and style.
Some guests are easy, others can be quite demanding. But each leaves a gift behind -the lessons learned, the challenges faced, and tasks fulfilled in the year gone by.
Every year on Rosh Hashana it is decreed in heaven what each person needs to face in the year to come. We are each given a specific set of obstacles to overcome, lessons to learn and changes to make over the course of the year.
As the year comes to a close, we need to deal with any unfinished business. We must complete this year's spiritual task list while this year still exists. Rosh Hashana will come and this year will be gone, along with all its challenges and opportunities. New ones will then arrive, but first we have to finish up with the old. Next year has its own energy and its own tasks.
So now, at the end of the year, the pace speeds up, the intensity is increased and everything is thrown at us. Our guest is about to leave. We need to say goodbye to this year soon, but before we do we need to squeeze every last opportunity out of it. No wonder it's hectic. It is the drama of saying farewell forever. There is no time to waste. This year will never be again.
''I always look orange'' says Donald Trump, blaming it on the LED lightbulbs.
It's not the lightbulbs.... it's the Eisav effect.... Eisav was orange, actually it's described as red:
And the first one emerged ruddy; he was completely like a coat of hair, and they named him Esau. [Toldot 25:25]
According to Rabbi Kessin, at the End of Days Eisav does teshuva, making Trump the tov she'b Eisav - the good part of Eisav.
Isaac told Esau that he would be a slave to his brother. However, when Jacob’s descendants would rebel against G‑d and his Torah, Esau’s descendants would be able to throw off their yoke and rise up against their masters. Only then would Esau have any power over Jacob. It is interesting to note how similar Jacob’s blessing was to Esau’s. They were both blessed with the dew of the heavens and the fatness of the earth, and there would be times when each one would dominate. The primary difference between the two is that Jacob would control when he would have mastery over Esau, i.e., when he fulfilled G‑d's will, whereas Esau would not. He would have to bide his time until the Jews rebelled against G‑d. Only then would he have power. Perhaps the reason for the similarity is that after Jacob received the blessings, and it was established that Jacob would be the one to elevate Esau and the world, Esau could now also receive the blessings, along with the ability to refine himself if he tried. That is why he was also blessed with “dew,” which, as we explained, refers to a transcendental revelation of G‑dliness necessary to refine the world.
[Source: Chabad]
In this weeks Torah portion of Ki Teitzei God instructs us to construct a fence around the roofof our new homes in order to prevent someone from falling off the roof and being killed [Deuteronomy 22:8]. This commandment is the origin of the general directive to do what we can to prevent danger and bloodshed, particularly in our own homes. The image of the fence around the roof is the image of the epitome of the value of life.
The Mashiach Connection
The image of the roof also connects to the image of Mashiach. In Psalms 102:8 King David writes: “I have been diligent, and I have become like a lone bird on the roof.”
The image of the bird is the image of Mashiach (as explained in Rabbi Ginsburgh’s audio lecture on the Torah portion of Va’etchanan). Mashiach is described as a bird sitting in a nest in the Garden of Eden, waiting to redeem the world. In this verse in Psalms, the image of Mashiach is the image of a bird on the roof. In a related image in the Midrash, [Yalkut Shimoni, Isaiah 60:499], the Mashiach once again appears on the roof, this time as a human being.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe would often quote this Midrash, in which the Mashiach stands on the roof of the holy Temple in Jerusalem and turns to the Jewish People saying, “Humble ones, (humility is a basic characteristic needed to merit the redemption) the time of your redemption has come.”
The Eternal Bird of the Soul
As birds obviously do not need a fence on a roof, the commandment to construct such a fence clearly relates to people. The verse supports the need for a fence by saying that “you should not put ‘blood’ (dam) in your home.” The two letters of the Hebrew word dam –dalet, mem – are the two last letters of the Hebrew word for “man,” adam (alef, dalet, mem). If a person falls off the roof and is killed, it is the dam that is being destroyed. Only the dalet and mem of adam need a protective fence. The first letter, alef, is not touched. It is the inner bird of the soul of adam, and is eternal.
Messianic Newness
Our verse specifies to construct a fence when we build a new home, implying that all old homes will have already been built with a fence. The new home also alludes to the new, third Temple. The concept of newness always relates to Mashiach, who teaches us the new, inner dimensions of the Torah. The commandment to build a fence around the roof of a new home is unique in its expression of consciousness of Messianic newness.
The Home — The Written Torah
The concept of the home also relates to the House of Israel and the lineage of King David and the Mashiach, called the House of David.
In our meditation, the image of the home is the image of the Written Torah (the five books of Moses, the Prophets and Scriptures). The Written Torah comes from the faculty of chochmah, (“wisdom”) and is a relatively male intellectual faculty.
The Roof — The Oral Torah
Our verse begins with the words “Ki tivneh” (“When you build…”). The Hebrew word tivneh can also be read as tevunah, “deep understanding.” Tevunah is the origin of the Oral Torah. (The oral tradition began with the Patriarchs. It is comprised of the laws and traditions passed from generation to generation). It is a relatively female mentality. When we build a new home, we build (tivneh) from the faculty of tevunah. Tevunah is the place in the mind that dictates that we must make a fence around the roof of a new home. In Kabbalah and Chassidut we learn that this commandment to actively protect life is one of the central and original thoughts behind the oral tradition of the Torah. It alludes to the origin and purpose of the Oral Torah, which is to create a fence around the Written Torah to protect it from spiritual danger.
The Fence Around the Roof
When we ascend in our consciousness to the high point, the “roof” of an idea or experience, we have reached its climax or epitome. It is precisely here that danger lies. Thus, the first teaching of the first mishnah of the Oral Torah is that we must make a “fence” (syag) around the Torah. If one doesn’t have a fence at the high point of his new house — his new consciousness and new Messianic dimension of the Torah — he is liable to fall.
The Fallen Sparks
The word in our verse (which is part of the Written Torah) for “fence” is ma’akeh. The word in the first mishnah of the Oral Torah for a fence is syag. The numerical value of ma’akeh is 215, while the numerical value of syag is 73. Together they equal 288, one of the most important numbers in Kabbalah. 288 is the number of sparks that have fallen into creation after God created high-energy, unstable worlds, which collapsed. These 288 sparks dispersed throughout reality, where they are captured and hidden. The purpose of the descent of our souls to the world is to redeem these 288 sparks. When this is accomplished, the redemption will be imminent.
Mathematical Fencing
The number 288 is a double square — 2 times 12 squared. Thus, the average value of the words ma’akeh and syag is 12 squared. The initial letters of these two words, mem and samech, equal 100, which is 10 squared. So we see that these two words fit together nicely.
If we calculate the triangles of 215 and 73 we will arrive at another amazing phenomenon. The triangle of a number is the sum of all numbers up to and including it. (For example, the triangle of 3 is 1 plus 2 plus 3 = 6). The triangle of 215 (ma’akeh) is 23, 220. The triangle of 73 (syag) is 2,701. The sum of these two numbers is 25,921. This number is a perfect square, the square of 161. 161 is another important number in Kabbalah. It is the numerical value of the Divine Name of God that represents tevunah, the faculty that builds a new home, as above. Tevunah is the spiritual force that creates the conditions in which the new dimension of Torah (the new home) is revealed. That new dimension has a roof, which is its epitome and summit. When the new Torah consciousness reaches that epitome, it needs to have a fence to protect it.
Electrum
Although our meditation is based on an image from the Torah portion and is beautified by mathematical associations, its most important goal is to help us to better serve God. Let us explore the image of the fence in our Divine service.
In Kabbalah, the fence symbolizes a field of light that protects one from falling — both spiritually and physically. This light is called chashmal. (In modern Hebrew, chashmal means “electricity.”) This word appears in the Bible only in the book of Ezekiel [chapter 1], in the vision of the Divine chariot — the deepest and most mystical part of the Bible. The meaning of chashmal in Ezekiel is the light of electrum, a certain color of light related to electricity. (The Talmud tells of a very spiritual child who once played with chashmal, became electrified and died). This light can be dangerous, but in our context it represents the secret of the fence that protects the person on the roof.
The Electric Fence
The Ba’al Shem Tov teaches that the secret of chashmal is the secret of the electric fence around the roof. He explains that in our service of God, chashmal represents the three-staged process of submission, separation and lowliness. Submission is being in a state of existential lowliness. This is followed by separation, the ability in the soul to clearly separate between positive and negative energies. The final stage of this process is sweetening, in which we reincorporate some of the negative energies into the positive, transforming the negative to sweetened goodness.
This spiritual service is the secret of the fence. The fence ensures that we retain the consciousness of beginning every moment anew with submission, and then progress to separation and sweetening. This consciousness is particularly crucial during our spiritual “highs,” when we experience the Messianic powers with which God has endowed us. The gift of these Messianic powers makes us responsible for our own environment. When we begin all that we do with submission, we will be protected on the roof of our spiritual endeavors. In this state of lowliness, we can address our environment just as the Mashiach, saying “Humble ones, the time of your redemption has come.” The redemption itself is the redemption of the 288 sparks – the ma’akeh and the syag.
Who is the Faller?
The Torah commands us to put a fence around our roof, adding the unusual phrase, “Lest the faller fall.” Our Sages explain that “the faller” is someone who is predisposed to fall. In Kabbalah we learn that the quintessential “fallers” are the 288 fallen sparks, which are in a state of existential fall since the beginning of creation. The commandment of the fence and its power is to raise and redeem those fallen sparks.
This is the most important directive for us to fulfill. When we strongly identify with the oral tradition of the Torah, the mate of the Written Torah, we create a complete home with a foundation and a roof. When we add the electrified fence of submission, separation and sweetening, we pave the way for Messianic consciousness to redeem the 288 fallen sparks and subsequently to redeem the entire world.
To read some of his teachings and connect with his soul on his yarzheit, click on the BEN ISH CHAI label below this post.
The date of his yarzheit this year - 13 Elul/13 September - will see a rare Harvest Moon - click here to read more.
by Chana Lewis
Chacham Yosef Chaim (1832-1909), known as the Ben Ish Chai, was a highly-revered Torah scholar and master of Kabbalah. Based in Baghdad, Iraq, he was recognized by the Sephardic community both locally and abroad as an eminent Halachic authority.
Youth
Yosef Chaim was born on the 27th of Av, 1832, into a long chain of rabbinic figures renowned for their spiritual influence on the Baghdad Jewish community over the centuries. His father, Chacham Eliyahu Chaim, the son of Chacham Moshe Chaim, was the head rabbi and leader of Baghdad's Jewish community.
At the age of seven, Yosef Chaim fell into a deep pit in the courtyard of his home while playing with his sister. He was eventually saved by a miracle, and in gratitude to G‑d he decided to devote his life to the study of Torah. As a young boy, he spent many hours absorbing Torah from the books in his father's extensive library. He went on to attend Beit Zilka, the Jewish seminary of Baghdad, headed by Rabbi Abdallah Someich.
When Yosef Chaim was fourteen years old, a question arrived for his father from Rabbi Chaim Palag'i, the chief rabbi of Turkey. His father was very busy and unable to answer for several days, so the young Yosef Chaim answered the question in his father's stead. The Turkish rabbi was so impressed with the boy's response that he predicted he would be a great sage. In a letter to Yosef Chaim's father, he enthused: "Your son, dear to your soul, has already preceded you and decided this case. May his father rejoice in him…"
In a special room secluded for study, Yosef Chaim continued to strive toward spiritual perfection, studying all of the Torah day and night. At midnight he would rise to recite the Tikkun Chatzot, lamenting the destruction of the Holy Temple, and at sunrise he would recite the morning prayers. For six consecutive years, he fasted by day and ate only at night, to weaken physical drives that could interfere with his Divine service. He built a mikvah, a ritual bath, in his home, so he could purify himself at any time.
At the age of eighteen, he married Rachel, the daughter of Rabbi Yehudah Someich, a relative of his teacher. Together, they had one daughter and a son. Yosef Chaim was known for the attention he showered upon his children, teaching them Torah and conversing with them, despite his demanding schedule. He often composed little riddles and puzzles to entertain them, some of which are recorded in his book Imrei Binah.
Leader of the Baghdad Community
When Yosef Chaim was twenty-five years old, his father passed away, and he became the unofficial leader of the Baghdad community. The title chacham – "wise one," the traditional Sephardic title bestowed upon rabbis – was appended to his name. Despite his young age, he was highly respected, and one of his disciples, Rabbi Dovid Chai Hacohen, testified that if Rabbi Yosef Chaim had lived during the time of the Temple, it would never have been destroyed. For unlike then, when the Jews disregarded the admonitions of the prophets, the entire Baghdad community lovingly obeyed every word uttered by Rabbi Yosef Chaim. During his lifetime, per his influence, all the Jews of Baghdad observed Shabbat and Torah law. Chacham Yosef Chaim refused a salary for his public service. Instead, he supported his family by partnering in his brother's business. He personally funded the publishing of his books, refusing sponsorship or charity, and any income from these books would be distributed to the poor. He was also known to donate his books for free to Torah scholars.
He attempted to bridge the gap between the Sephardi and Ashkenazi communities, who often followed widely differing practices, by referencing his contemporaries abroad, and reflecting on their approaches in his own writings. He felt strongly that Torah scholars needed to show mutual recognition for one another, even when they disagreed, lest their names be forgotten with the passage of time.
Though his legal decisions carried weight primarily amongst Sephardi populaces, his Ashkenazi counterparts recognized his genius, held him in high esteem, and often quoted his rulings.
For fifty years, from his appointment until his death, he lectured for one hour daily on Torah law and aggadah (historical and anecdotal material) in the Tsallat L'ziri, "the small synagogue." Four times a year, he lectured at the Great Synagogue of Baghdad, built with dirt from the land of Israel.
Chacham Yosef Chaim understood that cut-and-dry Torah law would not appeal to many, so the bulk of his discourses were coupled with Kabbalah and Aggadah. He helped his followers make associations between Biblical lore and the law, so their hearts would be drawn to the wisdom of Torah, and they would remember it.
His seminal work, the Ben Ish Chai, is based on the three-hour classes he presented each Shabbat. He'd begin each lecture with a Kabbalistic interpretation, in simple language, of the Torah portion of the week, and then present a selection of related practical laws. Two important figures guided his work: Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, author of the Zohar, and Rabbi Isaac Luria, the Arizal.
His approach was based on preservation of local traditions, even in Halachic rulings. He would not recommend a change in local tradition unless there was compelling reason to do so. His rulings testify to his innovative approach which gave credence to local tradition, and to Ashkenazi and Sephardi rulings alike.
The Ben Ish Chai became the standard reference book for Torah law among Sephardim. It appealed to a wide audience, scholars and commoners alike, including women, who were usually not provided a religious education. Due to its widespread popularity, Chacham Yosef Chaim came to be called by the name of his book.
Many stories testify to his greatness. On one occasion, a scholar from Baghdad visited a great rabbi in Jerusalem, Rabbi Yaakov Shaul Elishar, to request his blessings. The elderly sage responded, "Why have you come to me? You have Chacham Yosef Chaim in Baghdad. There is no one like him in the world."
Chacham Yosef Chaim deeply loved the Land of Israel. He supported the Jewish settlement by printing all his books there, and throughout his life, gave money to the messengers from Israel who came to collect for the poor. In 1869, he journeyed to Israel where he visited the gravesites of numerous holy figures in Jerusalem and Hebron, and met with eminent Kabbalists. Though offered a rabbinical post there, he decided to return to Iraq. He brought back with him a large stone to be placed at the entrance to the synagogue where he lectured.
Days before his death, on the 8th of Elul, Chacham Yosef Chaim went on a pilgrimage to the grave of the prophet Ezekiel, and he became sick shortly after. On the 13th of Elul, 1909, he died and was buried that same night. He was deeply mourned, his funeral attended by over ten thousand people—Jews and non-Jews alike. Years after his death, Jews still made it practice to visit his gravesite every Friday.
Legacy
Despite his passing over 100 years ago, his legacy is very much alive in the hearts of those who continue to live by his seminal work, the Ben Ish Chai. Many of his disciples became great Jewish scholars who continued to disperse his teachings.
The extensive work of Chacham Yosef Chaim encompasses all aspects of Judaism: Torah law, Kabbalah, Q and A's, sermons, parables, proverbs, and prayers, liturgics and poetry for Shabbat and holidays. His work reflects simultaneously broad knowledge of the sciences, medicine, astronomy, physics and economics. His approach to Torah, though stringent, is imbued with love for its practice, and his followers, whose numbers continue to grow even today, revere his commitment to Torah law and the inspiration he brought to it.
Many schools, particularly in Israel, have been built in his name. Thousands continue to glean from the wisdom of Chacham Yosef Chaim, studying his books, but more importantly, living by them.
This new video is published on You Tube by ''The Nation of Israel'' who I haven't heard of before. They sat down with Rabbi Mendel Kessin to speak about the misrepresentation of Trump's comments about Jews being disloyal to Israel, Bernie Sanders, orgs like IfNotNow and J Street...as well as the upcoming Israeli election. A few minutes into this video, he is asked about Trump's ''chosen'' comment although that word is not used..... and he has the answer for all the doubters out there. [The sound is not great on this video, and I have my volume at 100%.... although my computer's sound is not the greatest at the best of times !]... actually I just remembered that I can now get You Tube on my TV....
Following my brief visit to the other side of town, so to speak, here is an old Rabbi Kessin lecture which just came up on my FB feed together with an annoucement which I didn't really understand, about Judea/Shomron and some kind of plan to be revealed after the elections. If you know what this is about, please leave a comment. Meanwhile here is Rabbi Kessin from 2016 discussing the Purification of America. This seems like something I need to hear to purify myself :) My blog is back to normal folks !
Last night I reluctantly started to watch The Family. I have never watched anything that involves Xtianity and when I say I watched it reluctantly, I am totally serious. There were several times I almost turned it off, but I forced myself to continue watching.
The main reason I turned it on in the first place was because of the topic coming up on Tomer Devorah's blog, and I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. And there was also my own blog postwhere I thought Trump's ''chosen'' comment was a joke. I don't think that anymore.
After watching one episode of The Family, I now understand that when Donald Trump looked up and said he was the Chosen One, he was totally serious. Devash is right.
This of course confuses everything for me. Until now, I have thought that Trump was working towards our Moshiach, but I now think he is working towards a Xtian messiah, and I am re-reading all of Tomer Devorah's posts with a new outlook.
Truthfully, I don't know what to think about the future right now.
For those of you who have not seen The Family, and I'm sure that is nearly all of you, I suggest you watch it as reluctantly as I did. It is full of references to JC and it is difficult to sit through I admit, but at the same time it will remove any delusions you may have regarding current events.
I would like to contact Rabbi Kessin and discuss this with him, but I have no access to him. Someone reading this who does have access to Rabbi Kessin, please make him sit down and watch The Family.
Update: Just saw this on Instagram: Trump's latest post - watch out !
''Departing MCAS Cherry Point in North Carolina for Fayetteville, North Carolina. This is amazing!'' -
President Donald Trump
Update: He was murdered by terrorists Israel's intelligence agency Mossad launched an "active investigation" into the case o...
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"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad." "How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."
