The Financial Crisis From a Torah Perspective

A shiur from Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet

What If...

Tzedaka With Intent

Question: Is it permissible to donate a sum of money to charity in the merit of which someone should become healed or for any other personal request or is it improper to do this, for the Mitzvah is not being done for the sake of Heaven, rather, for one's personal purposes?

Answer: The Gemara in Masechet Pesachim (8a) teaches us that our Sages said: "If one says, 'I am hereby donating a certain amount of money to Tzedakah in order for my son to live,' he is a completely righteous person." If so, the Gemara teaches us that there is nothing wrong with one who donates a sum of money to charity in order for his son to be healed, for ultimately, he intends to donate the money even if, G-d-forbid, his son does not recover. He is merely requesting that the merit created by him donating money to charity help his son recover; however, this is regardless of his will to donate money to charity because doing so is a great Mitzvah.

Similarly, Rashi in his commentary on this Gemara in Pesachim explains that we do not say that because one donates this sum of money in order for his son to be healed that this action is considered not for the sake of Heaven; rather, we say that he has fulfilled the Mitzvah of giving charity as his Creator has commanded him and he intends this to serve his own purposes as well, i.e. for his son to live.

Maran Harav Shlit"a proves from here that any action one performs for the sake of Heaven and in his mind he intends for this to be for his own benefit as well, for instance, one who eats on Shabbat in honor of Shabbat and in order to make the holy Shabbat enjoyable as per Hashem's command while also having in mind for his own personal enjoyment, we do not say that he is performing the Mitzvah not for the sake of Heaven; rather, since his intention includes doing so for the sake of Heaven as well, it is indeed considered that he is doing so for the sake of Heaven and his reward shall be great. Many other great Poskim write accordingly.

This concept has other far-reaching ramifications regarding the Mitzvah of Yibum (levirate marriage). This Torah commandment entails one brother marrying his deceased brother's widow if he left over no children in order to establish a name for the deceased brother. The Gemara in Masechet Yevamot (39b) tells us that Abba Shaul holds that if the brother does not intend for this to be for the sake of Heaven, rather, he wishes to marry his brother's widow because of her beauty, wealth, and the like, he may not marry his deceased brother's wife, for the Torah only permitted him to marry her when he intends to do so for the sake of Heaven. However, if this is not the case, this constitutes a severe prohibition.

It is nevertheless common that the deceased's brother claims that although his intentions are not purely for the sake of Heaven, he nonetheless intends to fulfill the Mitzvah of his Creator to establish a name for his deceased brother as well. In this scenario, is it considered that he is doing so for the sake of Heaven or not? Based on what we have discussed above we can prove that as long as some thoughts of doing so for the sake of Heaven are mixed into one's intentions, he is in fact considered to be doing so for the sake of Heaven and we sometimes suggest to the brother to perform the Mitzvah of Yibum by marrying his deceased brother's widow and establishing an everlasting name for his brother, in accordance with the opinion of Maran HaShulchan Aruch.

Summary: One may donate charity in order for a relative or the like to recover from an illness, for he intends to do so for the sake of Heaven as well, in order to fulfill Hashem's commandment. The same applies to the fulfillment of any Mitzvah which one performs for his own benefit as well. If one intends to perform a Mitzvah solely for the sake of Heaven, this is an especially unique Mitzvah, for such Mitzvot cause Hashem great satisfaction and are the most anticipated by Hashem.

Source: Halacha Yomit

Italian Bank Crisis

''The problem for Italy is that where Spain goes, there’s always the perception that Italy could follow.....” Italy Moves Into Debt-Crisis Crosshairs After Spain Bank Rescue 

The first to fall: BNI blocks bancomat, online, and any way of getting to one’s account.
See:  More on Closure of BNI, Italy

Moshiach News

One must openly publicize to all that we are currently in the period of Ikveta Dimshiha - this matter is clear as the sun. 

A must read from Yeranen Yaakov: Rav Shmuel Eliyahu on the Geula Situation - Part 1 of 2

Covering The Hair, Changing the Aura

Picture: Headcoverings by Devorah

I've had this post in draft for a long time now, and was inspired to publish it after reading Human Aura

where we can actually see a photo of the affect that it has - just as tefillin does for men. I've said this to people many times, but they didn't seem to understand, however a picture paints a thousand words, so check out the Human Aura blogpost and see for yourself......and if you are a spiritual person and that alone doesn't make you want to commit to covering your hair, I don't know what will !

Here are some extracts from letters of the Lubavitcher Rebbe regarding [married] women covering their hair.

It is an explicit law -- and not only a custom -- of the Torah that a [married] woman is to cover her hair, "kissui harosh". Moreover, from the great reward received for performing this law, one can apprehend that there is great import to fulfilling this law....

As the Zohar states in Parshas Nasso, [quoted in Mishnah Berurah, Laws of Kerias Shema, Chapter 75] and I choose to quote only the blessings mentioned there, omitting the negative aspects resulting from failure to comply with this law:

"Her children will be superior to other children; moreover, her husband will be blessed with all blessings, blessings of above and blessings of below, with wealth, with children and grandchildren, etc."

[Igros Kodesh, Vol. XXIII, pp. 345-346]

Much more can be found at Sichos in English

Also see: A Zone of Privacy in Sheitel

P.S. You may think that the last quote about being blessed and having superior children is an exaggeration, but I can tell you that it is NOT.  Even if you look at some women who do cover their hair, and who appear to have troublesome lives/children/lack of money.... just imagine how much worse it could have been... things are not always as they seem, and I guarantee that any step towards increasing modesty [of which hair covering is no doubt one of the hardest things to do] will bring you extra blessings in your life. Click on the link under the picture above to purchase and learn more about hair coverings.  The site belongs to another Devorah, and well worth a visit.

How to Deal with Economic Challenge

The "days" and "nights" of life

by Rabbi Y. Y. Jacobson

The Debate

An architect, a surgeon, and economist are arguing who of them holds the most prominent position.

The surgeon said, 'Look, we're the most important. The very first thing G-d did was surgery: to extract Eve from Adam's rib.'

The architect said, 'No, wait a minute, G-d is an architect first and foremost. G-d made the world in six days out of chaos.'

The economist smiled, 'And who made the chaos?’

The Dual Canopy

"On the day the Tabernacle was erected, the cloud covered the Tabernacle," the Bible records in the Torah portion of Behaalosecha (1). "Then, in the evening, there would be upon the Tabernacle like a fiery glow till morning."

"From then on it remained that way," the Torah continues. "The cloud would cover it [by day] and a glow of fire by night (2)."

Two points require clarification. First: What was the significance and purpose of this dual miraculous canopy that hovered over the Tabernacle in the desert -- a cloud during the day and a glowing flame during the night (3)?

Second: Like every episode recorded in the Bible, this one, too, contains a spiritual interpretation that continuously plays itself out in journeys of the human spirit. How can we apply the story of this Tabernacle canopy to our lives today?

Smugness Vs. Despair

The Tabernacle was the edifice erected by the people of Israel in the Sinai desert to serve as a home for the Divine presence. In Jewish writings, the Tabernacle represents the place in the human heart where the light of G-d resides (4). The Tabernacle, then, exists timelessly within the human soul.

This sacred and noble place within us, declares the Bible, must include both a cloud by day and a fire by night. Let us apply this practically:

Each person experiences in his or her life "days" and "nights" -- moments of light and moments of darkness, times of happiness and contentment as well as times of agony and turmoil. For some, the days are longer than the nights; for others the nights sadly exceed the days. Yet most humans possess a share of both realities.

Now, when things are going well for us -- when we're paying the bills nicely, the kids are healthy, our spouses are there for us and we're satisfied with our lot -- we often forget how vulnerable we really are in this world. We tend to become smug, complacent and desensitized. We often become apathetic to other people's pain. We don't feel the need for genuine friendships, and certainly not for a relationship with G-d. We don't feel the urgent need to be real. At moments of bliss people often feel that they are on top of the world and they do not need anybody. They forget their humaneness and simplicity.

On the other hand, when things become (heaven forbid) difficult and painful – your company “is in der erd” (Yiddish for “is in the ground”), a loss in the family, illness of a loved one, a marriage goes sour, the bank is after us, our children are not doing well or we are overcome by inner mental or physical challenges -- we often fall prey to feelings of despair and loneliness. We sink into the morass of life's hardships, as we say to ourselves, "it's dark and it's getting darker."

Maintain Perspective

Thus, the Torah this week teaches us a movingly profound lesson.

If you are to become a human Tabernacle, if you wish to discover the grace of G-d within your heart, you must recall the darker cloud hovering above you even during times of brightness and splendor. A person must always remember that ultimately he cannot claim ownership over anything in his life: Life is a gift, love is gift, parents are gifts and children are gifts. Financial success, too, is not a natural symptom of your brilliant investments; it is a gift. One ought never to become blind to the truth that everything can change in a single instance (5) and that there is so much pain in the world. When you remember the clouds, you will never become arrogant, detached and false.

On the other hand, when night falls upon us, when life exposes its painful and darker side to us, we need to recall the glowing light hovering above us. We must remember that every experience we endure is part of our life's mission to serve G-d under these circumstances and to transform the world into a home for goodness and G-dliness. Every challenge contains an opportunity for deeper growth and for a deeper relationship with our soul and our G-d. Each cloud contains a flame within.

Judaism's Mission Statement

This is the powerful significance behind the mitzvah, the Jewish tradition, to recite twice each day the Shema Yisroel, the most reverent Jewish prayer, once in the morning and once in the evening.

When dawn breaks and the sun emerges to embrace us with its warmth, we state: "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One." Each of us is essentially a reflection of G-d, a recipient of His grace.

When night falls and darkness makes its way into our lives, we once again declare: "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One." G-d is one means that the same G-d Who was present during the "day," is also present during the "night." Darkness is painful and bitter, but it, too, must become part of a dynamic relationship with life and with G-d (6).

The Breaking of the Glass

This is also the mystical reason for the enigmatic Jewish custom to break a glass under the wedding canopy (the Chupah) at the moment when the groom and the bride are about to enter into a private room and celebrate their union, and the guests are about to begin feasting and dancing.

Granted, we break a glass during a marriage ceremony to remember the destruction of Jerusalem and all of the broken hearts in the world. But couldn't we do the breaking a little earlier, during the more solemn moments of the ceremony? Must we, at the happiest moment of a bride and a groom, introduce sadness and melancholy?

The answer: Those who at the peak of their personal joy and remember the pain that is still present in the outside world, will, at the moment of their pain, remember the joy out there in the world. On the other hand, those who at a moment of a personal high, become totally submerged in their own mood and are indifferent to the broken hearts around them, then, when struck by pain and hardship, they will remain stuck in their own quagmire, unable to reach out and glean hope and inspiration from the laughter and joy still present in the world (7).

Thus, the Torah states: "From then on it remained that way, the cloud would cover it [by day] and a glow of fire by night." This is an eternal directive. During your days, look up to the clouds; during your nights, gaze up to the fire.

And if during your days, you will remember the clouds, then during your nights you will remember the flame (8).

To view the footnotes: click here

Out of Order

Teshuvah has the power to wipe away a person's past deeds, and transform him into a new person.

This is the inner reason why the account of the Second Pesach offering [Beha'alotecha 9:2] - which represents the concept of correcting and compensating for the mistakes of the past - was recorded out of chronological order, because teshuvah has the power to re-arrange a person's life ''out of chronological order'', wiping away his past mistakes.

Based on Likutei Sichos Lubavitcher Rebbe