Just as Lost as you Are

Concerning this, those who speak in parables say "Come to Heshbon...." [Chukat 21:27]

In Maseches Bava Basra [78b], Chazal expound on this verse as follows: "Regarding this hamoshlim would say - This refers to those who rule [hamoshlim] over their yetzer hara.  'Come to Cheshbon' - Come and let us make a calculation [cheshbon] of world importance."  This teaches us that it is incumbent upon each individual to evaluate his deeds in order to determine whether or not he is acting properly.

R' Yitzchak Blaser, one of the primary figures in the Mussar movement, was approached by members of his community who requested that the Rav rouse them with words of inspiration in light of the upcoming High Holy days.

"Allow me to draw a parable" he began.  "A caravan lost its way in a forest. For a week the travelers wandered around aimlessly, unable to find their way out.  Suddenly, the men saw a lone figure walking in the distance. They quickly made their way toward him and asked him to show them the way out of the forest.

"My brothers and friends" replied the man, "you have been roaming this forest for only a week.  I, however, have already been lost for several weeks. Let us try to find the way out of here together, perhaps then we will be successful."

"But there is one area in which I can be of assistance" continued the man. "I will tell you the paths that I have already tried, and we will know not to mistakenly tread them again."

"This applies to our own situation as well" said R' Blaser with great humility. "I am just as lost as you are; only more so, for I am old and have already been lost for many years.  Yet my experience can be of benefit, as I will be able to enlighten you as to things that I have seen in my life which I have investigated and found to be trivial and meaningless!

"You can trust me on those matters that it would not be worth your while to try those things.

"Come, let us search together for the path that leads to complete repentance!"

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

The Tenth Red Cow

"They should take some of the ashes of the burnt purification offering [of the red cow] and place them in a vessel [filled] with spring water" [Chukas 19:17]

Rambam comments: "Nine red heifers were prepared from the time this mitzvah was given until the destruction of the Second Temple.  The first was prepared by Moshe, the second by Ezra, and there were seven from Ezra until the destruction of the Temple.  The tenth will be made by King Mashiach - May he be speedily revealed! Amen, may this be your Will!"

The fact that Rambam mentions the tenth red heifer that "will be made by King Mashiach" in his legal Code [the Mishneh Torah] is understood, since Rambam included in his Code many laws that will only be applicable in the future era.  What is difficult to comprehend is why he concluded this law with a prayer "May he be speedily revealed! Amen, may this be Your Will!"  Surely a legal Code is not the place for the author to record his personal emotions and feelings, or to lapse into prayerful wishes?

It could be argued, however, that with his "prayer", Rambam did teach us a point of Jewish Law - or, to be precise, three points:

Judaism requires a person:

1) Not merely to believe [intellectually] in Mashiach, but also to actively await and yearn [emotionally] for his coming [Laws of Kings 11:1]

2) Inevitably, feeling this void will lead a person to pray for Mashiach's coming, just as he prays for any other thing that is lacking in his life.

3) And being that the requirement to believe in Mashiach is in force at all times, it follows that likewise, a person must yearn and pray for Mashiach constantly.

Therefore:

1) Rambam included prayerful wishes here in his legal Code to indicate that awaiting Mashiach must not be only expressed intellectually, but emotionally too.

2) He stresses that Mashiach should come "speedily" to indicate Mashiach's coming should be a personal heartfelt desire.

3) He recorded the above principles, not in his codification of the laws concerning Mashiach, but here out of context, to indicate that one must express a yearning for Mashiach constantly, whatever the context of one's discusion happens to be.

Source: Likutei Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

The View from Above

Yesterday was pretty chaotic for me, but I did have a couple of hours of sanity where I sat on someone else's roof deck, and took these photos.

Looking down towards Bondi Beach

Lost Penguin Update

For those who were worried about last week's Lost Penguin [now named "Happy Feet"] - you will be pleased to hear he is being looked after and New Zealand zoo staff are hoping he will make a full recovery, and that he will be well enough to take up the offer of a place onboard a cruise-ship back home to Antarctica.

The emperor penguin swam about 3200km from its Antarctic home to Peka Peka beach, about 60km north of Wellington. The only previous recording of an emperor penguin in New Zealand was at Southland's Oreti Beach in 1967.

Full story here

Australia's disappearing beach

A popular beach known as Inskip Point near Australia's Frazer Island began to disappear into a sinkhole yesterday.   As nearby campers looked on, the beach began to vanish in front of them.

Miriam's Well

Art: Devorah Designs

[Please pray for the refuah shelaima [complete recovery] of Chaya Bracha Miriam Shira bat Mira, from the Lubavitch community in Chicago, mother of four young children]


"The congregation had no water, so they ganged up against Moshe and Aharon..." [Chukas 20:2]

Water assists the digestive system to break down food, and the water within the bloodstream carries those nutrients to all parts of the body.  This represents the mission of all Jewish women: to bring the well of living water - Torah - to nourish all segments of the Jewish people, even those who totally lack knowledge of it.  Thus we find that, while still in Egypt, Miriam devoted herself to small children, and her heroic efforts led to the annulment of Pharoah's decree against children.  Consequently, it was in her merit that the well water came, since water represents the universal dissemination of Torah.

Thus, when a mother, sister or teacher educates a child, we witness the modern-day "living waters of Miriam" sustaining the Jewish people in exile, making it possible to go peacefully throughout our current "sojourn" in the "desert" of exile.

In addition to providing water to drink, Miriam's well also made it possible for the mitzvah of taharas hamishpachah [family purity] to be fulfilled.  There was no other source of water in the desert, so Miriam's well served as a mikvah, enabling children to be born throughout the forty years.

The custom of drawing water on Motzei Shabbat [to draw from the well of Miriam] is cited in the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch.  This appears to suggest that it is applicable today; however, this was not a custom practiced in the House of the Chabad Rebbeim.  In any case, it certainly applies to all of us spiritually: studying this law about Miriam's well influences the whole week, that it may be a healthy week in both spiritual and physical terms.

Source: Gutnick Chumash: Based on various Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Yarzheit: 26 Sivan: Rabbi Yonatan ben Uziel

Kever of Rabbi Yonatan ben Uziel, Amuka Israel

Tradition has it that Rabbi Yonatan ben Uziel - יונתן בן עוזיאל - gave a blessing to all those who are unmarried that if they visited his resting place they would merit to meet their soulmates and marry within the period of one year. This blessing has worked for all these centuries and countless numbers of people have married.

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"It was said that whenever Rabbi Yonathan, son of Uziel, sat down to delve into the Torah, any bird straying over his head was burnt by his words."  [Tractate Sukkah 28a]

"No fly passed over the table of the prophet Elisha." [Tractate Brakhoth 10b]

The Baal Shem Tov taught: A person is surrounded by spiritual worlds that mirror his thoughts. If his thoughts are holy, then he is surrounded by holy worlds, but if his thoughts are impure, then he is he surrounded by impure worlds.

By the same token, wherever a person's thoughts are, and whichever worlds surround him, so too he is surrounded in this earthly world, be it with kosher birds and animals, or non-kosher birds and animals. In the source text [Ben Porath Yoseph 56d-57a], the Baal Shem Tov adds that whatever happens to a person is also a mirror of his inner world. Thus, G d is constantly talking to each and everyone of us, trying to make us aware of what is going on inside us. Hence, when we see some human act "out there" that is "non-kosher," we should look inside ourselves for similar failings, rather than judge the other person.

There are three categories of worlds: the pure, the impure, and the in-between. Above these categories is the world of pure thought, which cannot be fathomed. This, then, is why any bird straying above Rabbi Yonathan son of Uziel was burnt. ["Straying birds" is an allusion to straying thoughts, which were "burnt" by Rabbi Yonathan's Torah study. Similarly, no fly, being a non-kosher creature, flew over Elisha's table, because his thoughts were always holy.]

And because no fly passed over Elisha's table, his host knew that he his thoughts were holy and that he was a holy man.

[from the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov]

Anger Management

by Rabbi Michoel Gourarie

Question:

I have come to the realization that I have a real temper problem. I lose my cool quickly and fairly often. With the smallest provocation I fly off the handle, scream and shout and say things that I later regret. Sometimes I can be quite abusive, humiliating those around me. I really need to work on this problem. What do you suggest?

Answer:

Fixing a personality defect or a character flaw is no different to treating a physical disease.

There are 5 steps in dealing with physical illness:

a) The first and most critical step is to recognize that we are ill.
b) We don't have the necessary expertise ourselves, so we go to the doctor.
c) The professional makes a diagnosis.
d) Based on an accurate diagnosis the doctor prescribes the appropriate treatment.
e) Just focusing on the specific sickness is ineffective. We need to develop a general health plan. Healthy routines of eating, exercise, rest and stress management, affect our general strength and help prevent future disease.

Dealing with a character deficit such as out of control anger is no different.

a) You have to recognize that you have a problem (you have done that already - congratulations, you are on the way to recovery).

b) Don't do it alone. Discuss it with a mentor and if necessary with a competent therapist.

c) Although the ultimate goal of self control is obvious, it can only really be sustained with a good diagnosis. You need to understand why you are so easily provoked, what are the red flags that ignite an outburst and what are the times that you are most vulnerable.

d) With a good diagnosis your mentor or counselor can help you develop a good action plan. This will include learning how to recognize the onset of an angry mood and the strategies to make sure it doesn't explode.

e) You need a general health plan. Sometimes we fail in specific areas because we have lost a general positive focus. Developing a good plan of growth where we ensure that we are involved in activities of kindness, spiritual growth, personal study all create a stronger person that can fight specific weaknesses with strength .

You have already completed step one. Only four to go - good luck.