Va'eschanan

I've noticed that there's still a lot of chatter on how Moshiach HAS TO COME, especially from Americans... (especially those who thought Trump WAS Moshiach).  Many have been contemplating moving to Israel with their families (something which is quite dangerous for older children, as we have witnessed over and over again), thinking, "Well, Moshiach is coming...".  Just a few days ago, somebody in the States sighed to my wife after Tisha B'Av, "Well... I guess Hashem didn't want Moshiach to come...."

It's as if, our whole religion is based around the Messiah... mmmm... sounds familiar.

It should be clarified that there is no mitzvah to expect Moshiach to come at a certain date or after a certain event.  Rather we are to believe that he CAN come ANY DAY ANY TIME.  Each day, there's a 50/50 chance of him coming.  But it's not dependent on dates or events... if anything, it's dependant on our spiritual standing.

Let me give a parable.  I was recently at a grocery store near Haifa, which I rarely get to.  It's a fun place.  Lot's of kosher items, which I don't have access to.  So, I stop by the ice-cream freezer.  Why?  I rarely buy ice-cream.  Like, really rarely.   Many years ago, there was a flavour called "Boomba", which I loved.   It reminded me of a Baskin Robbins flavour when I was a kid.  And on the rare occasion that I needed to buy ice-cream, I would buy that.  Seven years ago, they stopped selling it.  I don't know if it was just where I live, or across the country.  But, every time I pass an ice-cream freezer, I peek in.  I know there's a good chance that it's not there, but... you never know.  There's always that chance.

So... I guess you can say that Moshiach is like Boomba ice-cream.  Always have hope, always daven, always check... but keep in mind, he might not be there just yet.

Okay, on to Torah...

"It shall be that when Hashem, your G-d, brings you to the land that Hashem swore to your forefathers, to Avraham, to Yitzchok, and to Yaakov, to give you – great and good cities that you did not build, houses filled with every good thing that you did not fill, hewn-out cisterns that you did not hew, orchards and olive trees that you did not plant – and you shall eat and be satisfied" (Devarim 6: 10).

Every year this pasuk stands out and bothers me.  There seems to be something "not right" with it, but you can't tell the Torah that the Torah is not Torah-dik, can you?  So obviously, I'm missing something.

This year it hit me.  Well, two things hit me.  The first was my wife when I attempted to compliment her looks one morning (why she could not see the poetic beauty of being compared to a grizzly bear coming out of hibernation, I don't know).  The second was a possible answer to the question that I have every year.

There's a famous question, "If Hashem wanted to give us only good, why didn't He simply create a perfect world for us?" And the famous answer is that a person enjoys reward for his hard work more than he enjoys getting things free all the time."

So, my question was, in that case, why is it a good thing to come into a land where everything has been done for us?  The nations previously living in Eretz Yisroel did all the hard work, and we simply come in and take over, without lifting a finger.  This is getting things for free.  This is NOT working hard and receiving a reward!  How could a person feel good about what he has when he didn't do a thing to earn it?

Many opponents of kollel, will often quote the Rambam: "One who decides that instead of working he will occupy himself with Torah study and live from charity, profanes G-d's name, disgraces the Torah, extinguishes the light of the law, brings harm upon himself, and removes himself from the World to Come…"

Yet, at the end of Hilchos Shmittah V'Yovel, the Rambam writes: "Not only the Tribe of Levi, but each and every individual human being, whose spirit moves him and whose knowledge gives him understanding to set himself apart in order to stand before the Lord, to serve Him, to worship Him, and to know Him, who walks upright as God created him to do, and releases himself from the yoke of the many foolish considerations which trouble people - such an individual is as consecrated as the Holy of Holies, and his portion and inheritance shall be in the Lord forever and ever. The Lord will grant him adequate sustenance in this world, just as He granted to the priests and to the Levites."

It's seems like a bit of a contradiction.  I'm not going to go into all the details of kollel vs. working or anything like that.  That's a whole big thing beyond the scope of this Dvar Torah.

My Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Asher Rubenstein, once said that the first Rambam is applicable to those who are supposed to be sitting, learning, and growing, yet are wasting their time. They are taking money from others and not using it appropriately.  The second Rambam is dealing with those who do use their time properly to grow.  They don't expect others to give them money, but they do expect Hashem to provide for their needs in whatever way He deems fit.  Note the language the Rambam uses.  In the first quote, it was speaking of taking money from people, while the second was Hashem providing.

I know two types of people who, still in their forties, receive money from parents.  Both types are found in the working world and the kollel world.  It has nothing to do with one's "job."

The first type works hard, whether working or learning, and the parents recognize this fact and happily give them money here and there to help them out.  The children might not depend on the parents, nor do they expect anything from the parents, but the parents wish to help.

The second type never learned to take their own lives into their own hands.  Their parents were "enablers," who every time their children whimpered, they jumped in and "saved the day."  The children, while in their forties, consider themselves "stressed out" all the time and "are barely coping," while the parents are taking care of them in many different ways.

When a person is like the second type, anything that he is given, inside, he doesn't feel right about.  He knows that he never earned it.  It eats away at him.  By nature, people don't like living off of the charity of others, and while this person does and will continue to do so, inside, they don't feel right, and that is one reason they are always feeling stressed.

The first type is somebody who relies on Hashem.  He does whatever he needs to do in order to make things work, but in the end, he knows that Hashem supports somehow.  When something comes their way, whether via a parent, relative, friend, or who-knows-what, he doesn't look at is as taking charity or receiving help because he's a nebach.  He's doing his 100 percent and Hashem is providing him for that.

We often look at our level of income as our "end all be all."  If we are successful in business, then of course, we deserve all sorts of fancy things.  If we are not so successful, but we're "hanging in there," then any additional "help" makes us a nebach.

But this is not true.

When we depend on man, then we're a nebach.  That means even a rich person can be a nebach if he's dependent on others.  However, when a person relies on Hashem and His agents, whomever they will be, then as long as he does what the Torah expects of him, he is not a nebach, but rather a success.  So, in the end, he can receive something for free and feel good about it, since it's not coming from another human being, but rather from Hashem Himself.  And it's not really for "free," since he "paid" for it, by following the Torah.

I believe that this is an important lesson for all of us to internalize.  Depending on others to take care of us is not healthy, whether one is working or learning.  It's against human nature to live off of the charity of others.  Depending on Hashem though is something different, even if it's via other people.  Perhaps the outcome LOOKS the same, it's coming through human beings, but on the insides, it's completely different.

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

The days from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av are commonly referred to as “The Three Weeks”, where joy is diminished. I prefer to call the time between the 9th of Av and Rosh Chodesh Elul as “The Three Weeks”. It is a time that the schools and yeshivas are out. In most religious cities there are “keitanot”, half-day summer camps, run in people’s homes. However, given many different reasons, we have none here. So… we have all the kids home, we both have to work, and accomplish all the errands that we could not do during the past session. Not so easy… sometimes even fun… but certainly testing.

My wife this morning took Rochel Leah to the kosher beach in Acco (today it was for the women, tomorrow for the men). She came back with glowing reports about it and given that I’ve have a lot on my plate recently (hence the absence of a dvar torah last week), has told me to go by myself tomorrow morning. I can leave here at 7:15 am, enjoy a nice swim in a practically empty and clean beach, and be back by 11:15 am. How can I turn down such an offer?

Next week, we are switching homes with friends of ours in Jerusalem for two days, since we need to do some shopping for things we cannot get here. The day after our return, a family of eight that we’re good friends with, are coming for Shabbos and our traditional Hike of Death. Hopefully, I’ll have a dvar torah next week… no promises though.

Okay, on to Torah!
“Safeguard the Shabbos day to sanctify it” (Devarim 5:12)

Once, when walking down the street on Shabbos, a driver pulled up to Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein to ask how to get to a certain address. Rav Zilberstein became quite upset that this person should have the chutzpah to ask such a question to a very obviously religious person on Shabbos. He was about to express his disappointment with this person, when he noticed that the driver was wearing a stethoscope around his neck and had other medical equipment around him. At that point he realized that this driver was a doctor who was driving to save somebody’s life. It was this incident which reminded him to always try not to jump to negative conclusions, even when it seems “clear cut”.

Rav Zilberstein continued with a story of the previous Belzer Rebbe in Tel Aviv.

Once, after seeing a car driving by on Shabbos, he yelled, “Mazel tov, mazel tov!” He explained to his chassidim that the people in the car were undoubtedly on their way to the hospital to have a baby. So… he wanted to give them a bracha that it should go well.

On another occasion, the Rebbe saw a large truck drive by on Shabbos. Again, he cried out, “Mazel tov, mazel tov!” He answered his confused chassidim, “The woman probably tried to get a regular car to take her to the hospital, but didn’t manage to get one, so she had no choice but to travel in a large vehicle. What do you expect: that she should give birth at home?”

With that, I leave you all with a great Shabbos!

I’m happy to announce that Frum.org Corporate Headquarters will be moving in another two weeks.

Unfortunately, due to the high costs of apartments in Jerusalem, and the lower income level of the Winner family, we have concluded that staying in Jerusalem long-term, especially if we’re staying in learning full-time, is simply not feasible.

So… what do we do when we don’t have tons of money, are in kollel, and have no interested in leaving Eretz Yisroel? We head up north.

We found a nice place, only 20 km from the Lebanese border (only a rockets-throw away). The city itself is secular, with a small, but growing Ultra-Orthodox community. However, there seems to be a very good relationship between the two groups, so it says something about both sides. We’ve found a nice place to buy, which offers us a lot more room that we have now, right in the middle of frum community (or at least where they are scattered around), and a whole three-minute walk away from the kollel and five minutes from the schools (NO MORE DAILY BUSSES!).

I’m moving with my chavrusa (learning partner), and we’ll be the only red-blooded Americans in the kollel (though he married an Israeli, and I think, loses that title). However, the community seems to be very friendly and open. I met my new neighbor, who also happens to be frum and doesn’t speak a word of English. He understood me, I understood him (sort of). His wife brought out a bowl of watermelon and a plate of cookies. It’s a good beginning. Hopefully, my Hebrew will improve so much, that I’ll forget my English in another six months.

I think, the best part is when my wife asked me about how the area fared during that last war.

I responded, “I believe it took around 180 Katusha rockets.”

“Ah huh… and G-d forbid it should flame up again?”

At that point I put on my best John Wayne face and answered “We hold the line.”

G-d willing we won’t have any of those issues…. I would hate to let John Wayne down.

Well, now you know… if I miss one or two dvrei torah over the next month, you can blame the move.

Okay, on to Torah!
This week’s parsha begins with Moshe recalling his plea that Hashem should allow him to enter Eretz Yisroel.

According to the Ibn Ezra (Devarim 3:24), the reason that Moshe related this episode was to show the Jewish people how precious Eretz Yisroel was to him, in order that they should develop a love for the land before actually entering the land. Since the ability for the Jewish people to stay in Eretz Yisroel is dependent on their keeping of the Torah; Moshe felt by making them have an appreciation for Eretz Yisroel, they will strengthen themselves in their Torah observance.

The Torah describes Eretz Yisroel as a land which “the eyes of Hashem, your G-d, are on” (Devarim 11:12). There is a special love that Hashem has for Eretz Yisroel, and a special providence that He gives for those who live in it. Obviously, Hashem is not interested in the physical beauty and the economic flourishing of Eretz Yisroel, but rather He wants the spiritual growth of its inhabitants.

I’ve seen several sfarim speak about Eretz Yisroel (sorry, I cannot provide them… they’re in boxes right now), that have spoken about the… oh… lack of finances… that plague those who live here. They note that this is what the situation always has been and always shall be as long as we’re in exile. The reason is spiritual. When we don’t have stable finances, we are forced to turn to Hashem by davening to Him and recognizing that everything comes from Him. The Gemara states that while other countries are “governed” by an angel, Eretz Yisroel receives its substances directly from Hashem. The closeness between the Jewish people and Hashem is what keeps us in Eretz Yisroel.

The more we appreciate Eretz Yisroel for its spiritual qualities, the more we will keep the Torah. The more we keep the Torah, the closer we become to Hashem. The closer we become to Hashem, the more we flourish in Eretz Yisroel. And around and around, it goes…

Have a great Shabbos!

I hope everybody had a meaningful Tisha B’Av. Next week, Frum.org is taking a small vacation to Ashdod. We know somebody’s married children, who will be swapping apartments with us for two days and a night, so I doubt I’ll have the time to write. Just a little ‘heads-up’.
“I implored (ve’eschanan) Hashem at that time saying…” (Devarim 3:23)

“Forms of the word ‘Chanun’ (as in ve’eschanan), imploring, in all places in the Torah, only mean ‘granting a gift for free’. Although the righteous could make their request dependent on their good deeds, they seek from Hashem nothing but a gift without payment” (Rashi on above)

The first Rashi in this week’s parsha is nice and simple, yet teaches us an important lesson: When we daven to Hashem, we approach Him with our requests as a poor servant approaches a king.

Just as the servant has nothing to ‘barter’ with and he asks his king for his wish, so too should we approach our King.

I’ve come to learn that davening is probably one of the most difficult things to do properly. We do it three times a day, early in the morning when we are tired, in the afternoon when we are very busy, and in the evening… when we’re tired again. It’s hard to focus on the words and their meanings, and because of this, we tend to go through our prayers quickly and without thought.

Despite the difficulties, we still need to try our best to make a real connection with Hashem during davening. From the above Rashi, we see how we can help ourselves achieve this goal. We act, and if we’re really good, we actually believe, that we have nothing to offer Hashem and nonetheless we beg Him to answer our prayers. In order to do that, we should look at what we would do when approaching a powerfully rich person, asking him for his help.

First and most importantly, we would show up on time. It makes a terrible impression to show up late to a meeting where you are going to be begging for money and help.

We would also make sure our appearance is set properly: we tuck in our shirt, we make sure our clothes are neat and set as much as possible, we wash our hands and face if needed, etc… Personally, I would make sure my hat and jacket are on properly, and not in a haphazard way.

Another thing we would be careful with is our choice of words. We would be concentrating on what we are saying, making sure to make our plea clear and also making sure we would not accidently say something insulting to our potential helper.

We would also speak in a clear and ‘educated’ manner. We would not quickly ramble through the list of things we need while looking around his house. We would list the things that we are lacking, say why we are lacking them, and how having such things would help us in our lives.

When we leave the meeting, we say thank you for the person’s time and praise him for his generosity. We wouldn’t be mumbling a few words of praise as we leave the door (I’m sure we’ve all done this with Alienu, no? )

I’m sure there are a few more examples, but I think the lesson is clear.

Davening is a major point in our relationship with Hashem. It’s something that needs constant work on a daily basis. By realizing that we a poor men asking Hashem for free help, we can better utilize our davening and understand its importance in our lives.

Have a great Shabbos!

Rochel Leah went to a play group over Tisha B’Av for obvious reasons. Now, I don’t know if they are big into this in the States, but here, Keters (crowns) are THE thing for kids. You know, the simple paper crown with some drawing on it. Well, I went to pick her up and she was wearing a keter that they made. I looked at it and it looked like a wall made of stone on fire. Despite my fear of asking, I did ask, “Rochel Leah, what type of keter is that?”

“It’s the Beis Hamikdash on fire”

Uh-huh.

Lesson in bad taste. Well, she had a good time and was out of our hair for a bit, so I won’t complain.

Okay, on to Torah!
“Things will then go well for you and you will increase very much in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as G-d, Lord of your fathers, promised you” (Devarim 6:3)
Several weeks ago I had to go further into the West Bank with somebody to take care of some business. Thankfully, he had a car and drove us both in. Unfortunately, starting even before the military checkpoint, the traffic was practically at a standstill. Being that, with the exception of one turn coming right after the checkpoint, the road was the only road in that direction and there was no way of getting off. So, we pulled out the map to see if we can take this other road to our destination without going through any arab villages with the name: “Abu”, “Ali”, or “Kill the Jews” in it. Thankfully, we found a route that satisfied our desire to get to our destination along with our desire of not dying a painful death at the hands of an RPG.

As we took this new route, we were discussing our love for traveling around Eretz Yisroel. In the course of the conversation he told me that one of the beauties of Eretz Yisroel is that every few miles, the scenery changes, perhaps not dramatically, but you begin to notice the changes in trees or bushes, sand or rocks, altitude, etc… Our 30 minute trip took us through the flat desert and out of nowhere the mountains of the Judean Hills, where you had to drive all 5 miles per hour, lest you drive over the cliff and die. With all the twists and turns, it was impossible to gauge which direction you were facing or where in the world you were. It was a beautiful trip.

This past Shabbos, my wife heard Rebbetzin Neusdat speak. She happened to have made the same point as my friend did: everywhere you go in Eretz Yisroel, the scenery is constantly changing.
She likens this to the human being. Just as Eretz Yisroel is constantly changing as you move through her borders, so too should a person be when moving through life.

I heard recently, from two sources, that in a way Tisha B’Av is the beginning of the “High Holiday” season. With Tisha B’Av we mourn our current status in exile and our distance from Hashem. Yet on Rosh HaShanah, we stand before Hashem and “coronate” Him as King. During this next month and a half, we work on moving from mourning to coronation, from distance to closeness with the King. Even during these hot summer months, we’re expected to be in constant change and refinement, preparing ourselves for Rosh HaShanah.

Have a great Shabbos!

We’ve just start bein hazmanim, a three week break from the normal yeshiva and school schedule. Combine with extra hot weather with no air conditioning, and you get: lots of fun!

Sounds like a nice break, no?

This morning, Rochel Leah woke up early and started to moan and cry. My wife called her into her room and asked her if she’s having problems sleeping. Rochel Leah replied, “I’m stressed and can’t sleep”.

Lessons to mothers: children pick up everything.

On a separate note, I would like to put in a free plug for Rabbi Gershon Seif.
I’m one of those many people out there who can’t stand today’s Jewish music, which is neither Jewish nor music. So, with the exception of two CDs of Chassidish songs, I haven’t bought music in years. Thankfully, Rabbi Sief has composed, played, and sung his own songs and have them up on his website, free of charge. If he knew that I was writing this, he would probably want me to warn you that they still need “cleaning up”, however, in my humble opinion, you can hardly tell. My personal favourite right now is his “Od Yishama”, which is a nice English/Hebrew song. His site is: http://www.motagator.net/gershon_seif/blog.php . So, sit back, download, and relax!

Now on to Torah!
“If you beget children and grandchildren and become old in the land, and become corrupt and make an idol, the image of anything, and you do what is evil in the eyes of the Almighty, your G-d, to anger him…” (Devarim 4:25)

Rav Zelig Pliskin quoted an interesting thing he heard from Rav Chayim Zaichyck.

Rav Zaichyck asks, if a person merits having children and grandchildren, why does this lead to him becoming corrupt and doing evil? If anything, won’t a person have a deep sense of gratitude to Hashem for everything that he has been given?

The answer, says Rav Zaichyck, is in the words “becoming old”. When something in a person’s life becomes old, being he is accustomed to having it, he no longer appreciates it. Taking things for granted can occur in all forms, whether one’s spouse, children, health, career, material possessions, etc…

When something is taken for granted, he no longer enjoys it. When he no longer enjoys it, he cannot express his gratitude for having it. Of course, things spiral downwards from there.

Thank G-d we’ve all been given many good things in life. And of course, there are many things in life we still need or want.

Perhaps, by constantly expressing our gratitude to Hashem for the things we already have, coupled with taking nothing for granted; Hashem will continue to bestow upon us further blessings.

Have a great Shabbos!

This week’s dvar torah will be covering both this week’s Shabbos parsha and Tisha B’Av, which begins this Wednesday at sunset.

Speaking of Tisha B’Av, there is an EXCELLENT article on Aish.com right now that was written by my favourite author. Now, I’m not saying she’s my favourite author for any other reason, except for that she happens to be an EXCELLENT writer…really… you can see why yourself… read the article! 

http://www.aish.com/spirituality/odysseys/Her_Name_was_Patience.asp

Okay, after your done reading that story, you can continue with the dvar torah below.

The first part of this week's parsha, Moshe is reminding the nation of their relationship with Hashem and what will happen to them if and when they stray from Him. It continues with the love that Hashem has for the Jewish people and how he has given them Eretz Yisroel, and the key to keeping Eretz Yisroel. After this, the Torah takes a small 'break' and teaches us that Moshe set aside three of the forty-eight 'cities of refuge', where an unintentional murderer can flee to, so he is not killed by the victim's relatives. Afterwards, the Torah continues with Moshe reminding us to listen to the Torah and keep the mitzvos. This is followed by a review of the Ten Commandments and the Shema, and a list of other mitzvos.

So... the Shem MiShmuel asks, why does the Torah mention the Arei Miklat (Cities of Refuge), in the middle of Moshe's speech? When reading the parsha, it seems rather out of place!

Answers the Shem MiShmuel:

Last week's parsha and the beginning of this one's contains rebuke after rebuke and warning after warning against the nation. Moshe was worried however, that this unending stream of rebuke might cause the nation to fall into despair. So, the Shem MiShmuel says, right in the middle of the rebuke, Moshe sets aside a few of the Arei Miklat in order to show the nation that there is hope.

Makes complete sense, no?

Let's get some clarification on this, so we can better understand.

I think we can all agree that one of the worst things you can do to a person is take his life, right? Following that logic, we can assume that an accidental killer is going to fall into a deep depression over what he did and feel as if there is nothing he can do about it.

When this 'killer' runs to one of the forty-eight arei miklat, he is now under the influence of the Leviim who run each of the cities.

What was the job of the Levi? To help inspire the nation in their service to Hashem. They did this in two ways: One, they were the chorus in the Beis HaMikdash. They were the ones singing praises to Hashem, which helped inspire others. Two, they would travel city to city teaching Torah and inspiring the population through their Torah lessons. It was the job of the Levi to inspire the nation in their growth.

So, now we have the poor 'killer', living in one of the cities run by the Leviim. He's completely downtrodden. Not only did he accidentally kill another human being, he was forced to go into exile and leave his family - his entire life - behind. You can't feel any lousier than this.

But, this is where things change. Hopefully, with the influence of the Leviim, he will see that even though he might have hit rock-bottom, he still can rebuild his life and reconnect with Hashem.

This is why Moshe placed this 'out of nowhere', right after his stinging rebukes. He wanted to show, that no matter how low we might sink, there is always room to move forward.

How appropriate that this lesson should be taught on Shabbos Nachamu (Consolation), the Shabbos that falls out right after Tisha B'Av. Tisha B'Av, the day of national mourning, is also considered a moed, a holiday. Not only that, but after midday, some of the laws of mourning are relaxed. Why? Not only do we mourn over the past, but we also look forward to the near (hopefully) future, where we will have a complete redemption. It is not only a day of mourning, but a day of hope. It is a time when we recognize the distance that we have placed between ourselves and Hashem; yet it's also a time when we recognize that we can always move up and repair the breach.

May we all experience the final consolation soon!

My apologies for not writing up a dvar torah this past week. We've been spending most of our time running around, so I've had little time to sit and write or even answer emails. However, I'm hoping to have something for this week, though no promises. In the meantime, I thought I would email over a recent Lazer Brody piece which I thought was very applicable in our times. Also, a special thank you to Kenny Landsman who emailed me a little warning for all Cohanim living in Chicago. It seems that the Science and Industry AND a concourse at Midway Airport, now contains an exhibit called "Body Works", which consist of cut-up corpses. So, if you're a Cohein, speak to your Local Orthodox Rabbi.

Okay, on to Rav Brody:
Rebbe Nachman of Breslev mentions several times in his writings the notion of "erev-rav" (riffraff) rabbis, money and position grubbers who lack the basic piety of their most simple congregants. Rebbe Nachman warned that these types cause the delay of redemption and the destruction of Jewish communities. In light of recent tragic events in Israel, try the following dialogue (sound familiar?) as food for thought:

Congregant: Rabbi, I can't pray properly with all the chatter going on in the synagogue.
Rabbi: I'm not a traffic cop! Besides, the synagogue is the only place that some people get to see each other.
Congregant: I appreciate that, Rabbi, but I heard a lecture that all our prayers go to the evil forces (sitra achra) when people talk during services. How can we allow that?
Rabbi: You must have heard a cassette tape from one of those fanatic chassidic freaks from Israel, like Lazer Brody. Over here, we're more liberal.
Congregant: But Rabbi, we are committed to the same Shulchan Oruch as they are in Israel. How can we bend the law?
Rabbi (with increasing impatience): The guys who are talking happen to be the shul's biggest supporters. I just can't walk up to them and tell them to shut up.
Congregant (now beginning to understand - the chatterboxes also sit on the board that renews the rabbi's six-figure contract every year, together with the side bennies of the car and the house): Rabbi, the Chofetz Chaim writes in the name of the Eliahu Raba (see Mishna Brura on Or HaChaim 124:7, clause 27) that entire synagogues and communities of Jews become destroyed because of talking in shul. Don't you know that 3 shuls in Gush Katif were destroyed today? Who knows - maybe the entire stupid destruction of Jewish Gaza is because of chatter during services in the USA, Canada, and the UK? G-d forbid, we here could be responsible for what's happening in Israel! All Jews are responsible for each other!
Rabbi (disgusted, wishing he could nail Brody and all the other Israeli tshuva-preaching troublemakers, looks at his watch): I'm sorry, but I have an urgent meeting with the architect and the building committee. Don't argue Halacha with me - after all, you never even went to Yeshiva. Let's continue this discussion some other time (after all, thinks the rabbi, this little nurd is nothing but an insignificant shopkeeper, who'll never stand a chance of being elected to the board. Let him go jump in a lake...)
Sorry, Rabbi - the "little nurd" is a simple, innocent, and G-d fearing Jew whom Hashem loves, and you are a people-fearing apple polisher who treats sacred Jewish law like a rubber duck. If you condone chatter in shul, then your sin is unbearable. You had better make Tshuva, to prevent similar tragedies such as the destruction of Gush Katif from happening in the future, Heaven forbid.

I hope everybody's Tisha B'Av went well. Hopefully next year it will be a holiday instead of a fast day.

Starting at 1:30 am this Sunday, I will be taking my first vacation since my England trip, a year and a half a go. For the next few weeks, the yeshiva is on break. Those of us remaining in country for the break will be attending "camp" for the next 12 days. We start at 1:30 am, go to Masada, climb it, daven with sunrise, trek down, visit the Air Force Museum, and then finally head north to our "camp". It sounds like this whole adventure is equivalent to "Hell Week" that the Navy Seals go through. We even get to hand wash our laundry! The 12 days will be spent hiking, paint-ball, hiking, museums, hiking, a chocolate factory (don't ask), hiking, the beach, hiking, and maybe a little learning here or there. It's where you are constantly on the move, you don't get to sleep, you hopefully lose ten pounds, and, oh yeah, you get to hike. I will be sending out dvrei torah still and answering email. Thanks to modern technology, I'm able to hook up to the web using my cell phone as a line. I'm getting a good 28.8kbs on it. How nerdy is that? I will probably be a tad slow on responses given the schedule, but I will be here.

Oh! I nearly forgot! One year from tomorrow will be the first anniversary of The Giant Meatball (tm)! (http://www.frum.org/blog/index.asp?BlogID=33) It's amazing how time flies!

Okay, on to Torah!

After three week's of mourning and soul-searching, the Shabbos after Tisha B'Av is called "Shabbos Nachamu" (consolation). In this week's haftorah, Yeshayahu the Navi (Prophet) begins to console the Jewish nation for their loss. With this consolation, he gives hope that no matter how far we have fallen, Hashem will always be with us, and in the end, will lift us up to Him. Yeshayahu reminds us to trust in Hashem, and to understand that everything that has happened to us, whether good or bad, is ultimately for our best; and that we should learn from everything that has happened.

"A voice calls in the wilderness, 'Clear the way of Hashem, make a straight road in the plain, a highway for our G-d'" (Yeshayahu 40:3)

Rav Moshe Swift offers a unique interpretation on this pasuk from this week's haftorah. In every person's 'wilderness' of life, it is important to clear a path, 'allowing' Hashem to descent and join us. Each person creates their own path in life through 'the wilderness'. There are two ways of making a path. One can either run through the wilderness without any thought, or one can slowly cut a path in front of him, clearing out the brush.

If a person chooses to run without thought, he will not only cut himself, trip, and fall, he will also fail to leave a path behind him for others to follow. Not only that, but if he gets lost, he will be unable to find his way back. On the other hand, if somebody takes his time and uses it probably, he will be able to clear his path of all obstacles and at the same time, allow others to follow that path.

So too with our life. If we rush in without thought and preparation, we will get cut up, bruised and lost. On the other hand, when we think it through and use our time wisely, we will create a path for Hashem 'to follow'. Then every action we make will be with Hashem by our side! Have a great Shabbos!

"And you who cling unto Hashem, your G-d, are all alive today" (4:4)

Rav Aharon Bakst writes that Hashem demands that we live our lives with power and vigor. He uses an interesting law mentioned in the Shulchan Oruch concerning the kosher status of a goose that has fallen off a roof. The question is simple: Is the goose alive and well? If so, it would be considered kosher if properly killed. If the fall caused the goose to be mortally wounded and is in the process of dying, then it cannot be considered kosher. The Shulchan Oruch presents a test, which will properly determine whether or not the goose is alive and well, or not. We simply place the goose into a flowing river and see how it responds. If the goose lets itself flow with the river, then the goose is not well and is dying. On the other hand, if the goose is swimming against the current, then we know it's alive and well.

The same applies to us. While we are all living beings, the question we should ask ourselves is whether we're REALLY living, or are we allowing ourselves to float down the stream under a power other than our own. Look around you. Wherever you go today, you are being bombarded with advertisements of naked people selling food, naked people selling holiday vacations, naked people selling the hottest new car, and of course naked people selling the little amount of clothing they have on... and you know what? Most people in society simply buy into it. We need the trendiest clothes, to be up-to-date with the latest movies, have the nicest cars, know where all the good "hangout" bars are. Heck, hangout bars are a great example of what we're talking about. People, who night after night, simply "hang out". Where's the vitality? Where's the growth? Where is the person making the best of his time here on this planet?

Instead of doing those things, we, as a society, are concentrating more on "going with the flow" in life. Why? Because it's easier to do. Less labour involved. But that's not what the Torah wants from us! It wants us to be alive! It wants us to show Hashem, that we can swim up the stream in all aspects of life! We don't need to use our money to buy expensive or elaborate clothing like society does. Nor do we need to spend hours upon hours of our time watching television and movies; just so we have a something to talk about next time we "hang out" with our friends! One thing is to relax, but it's a completely different thing to waste half your life on these pursuits. Imagine all the time and money we spend on these things...and then imagine how many mitzvos could have been accomplished using that same amount of time and money. How much money could we have given to tzedakah? How much time could we have put into charitable work? Imagine...instead of buying a $400 suit, you buy a $200 suit instead...that's an extra $200 you could have used on sefarim (books), or tzedakah or a lulav/esrog or on a Shabbos meal! The $400 suit will last you a few years at most, but $200 could easily last you an eternity.

The stream of life in today's world is materialism. We Jews have been charged to use the material world in a spiritual way in order to become closer to Hashem. If we let ourselves be carried away by this stream then we are only showing that we are a dying creature. But, if we use the material world properly, and swim against it's current, we will surely show Hashem, ourselves, and the world, that we, the Jewish people, are truly alive and well. It's sink or swim. Have a great Shabbos!