Saturday, May 29, 2010

guest article:

The Question No One Can Answer - Chukat

By: Jacob Rupp

Many of us search for deeper meaning in today's career obsessed, fast paced, superficial realities.  We hope to drive our lives in a direction that brings us long term satisfaction.  It is this search for life’s significance that has led many of my non-religious contemporaries to admit that they admire their mitzvah observant brothers and sisters.
A friend recently told me that although living a Torah observant life wasn’t for him, he admired the emphasis Torah observant Jews placed on family.  This being said, my friend explained he didn’t want to be religious because he didn’t see the need for all of the restrictions of being observant.   For him, the laws of Kashrut and Shabbat appeared out-dated and illogical.  I didn’t have the heart to tell him that explaining Kashrut and Shabbat was easy compared to explaining the mitzvah of sacrificing a Red Cow!
THE RED HEIFER
In Parshat Chukat, Hashem commands the children of Israel to take a completely red cow, without a blemish, to give to Elazar the Kohen to sacrifice (Bamidbar 19:1-3).  The ashes of the sacrifice are used to purify those who are spiritually impure, yet at the same time those who came in contact with the sacrifice became impure.  Sound confusing?  It has puzzled humanity for millennia.
The Ramban states that this mitzvah, which is to be performed in the field rather than in the Temple, is one that invites the taunting of heretics.  After all, since it's outside, in the field, anyone can witness those ‘crazy’ Jews performing a mitzvah that they themselves don’t understand.  Why would Hashem command us to do something that would encourage scorn from the outside? Through initially confusing, the mitzvah of the Red Heifer teaches us a profound lesson.
JUDAISM ENCOURAGES QUESTIONS
Judaism encourages questions.  Torah does not shy away from any topic in the world.  Want to know where you come from?  What is the point of life?  How to be happy?  Ask a rabbi; open a Gemara, read breslovworld.com.  But don’t ask how or why we sacrifice the Red Heifer!   Rashi says that this mitzvah is a decree from the Creator and is not subject to question.  Rashi’s descendants, the Baal Tosfot, go a bit further and say that one should not try to explain this precept because God gave us His best and most secret commandments in the form of a “Divine kiss,” as it were, like the intimacy of a lover to his beloved (Artscroll, commentary from Avodah Zarah 35B).
These explanations, cloaked in mystery, demand an answer.  We are supposed to be able to understand everything …or are we?  Rabbi Zev Leff distinguishes between taste and reason to clarify the lesson of the Red Heifer.  If asked why we eat, someone would likely respond that we must eat to live.  If pressed for a better explanation, he might expound on the nutritional benefits, such as energy and nutrients that can be derived from eating some things, like a delicious juicy steak, and not others, like rocks.  But if we asked more philosophical, non-scientific questions, like “Why do human beings need nutrients to live?” or “Why can we get nutrients out of food and not from rocks?”  one is led to the brink of existential chaos.  The best answer we can offer is, “That’s how God made the world" (Outlooks and Insights, p 188).
Rabbi Leff goes on to explain that although we must eat to stay alive, God, in His infinite kindness, created the world in such a way that eating is enjoyable (depending on the chef).  The delicious aroma of a warm, fresh baked challah or the amazing taste of cheesecake isn’t why we eat, but an extra perk that goes along with fulfilling our need for sustenance.  After all, even if we had no taste buds we would still have to eat.  Why must human beings eat to survive?  Why couldn’t we just be born satisfyingly full and in great shape and stay that way the rest of our lives?  Because that's not how we were created.
In the same way, mitzvot provide sustenance for our souls, although we cannot understand why or how.  We enjoy the flavor of the mitzvot, just like we enjoy the taste of food.  Hashem made the mitzvot so delicious!  The peace of Shabbat, the swell of joy that accompanies doing the right thing, all these things add flavor to our lives.  Yet this exhilaration is not the reason why we do the mitzvot. In the same way that a person with no taste buds must still eat, a mitzvah with an unusual ‘taste,’ is still necessary for our spiritual health.
Every mitzvah is as unexplainable as the Red Heifer.  Only God understands why and how wrapping tefillin or washing one’s hands before eating bread is as spiritually necessary as feeding the poor or visiting the sick.  As human beings, we must accept that God made the world according to His wisdom, and while we can enjoy His universe, the “whys” of creation evade our limited mortal perspective.
THE GREATEST WISDOM
Rebbe Nachman teaches, “To know that one does not know is the greatest wisdom.”  It is this nugget of consciousness that adds the zest to life.  Knowing that we cannot understand everything is of itself a blessing! Understanding leads to familiarity and familiarity leads to boredom.
The exhilaration we feel when we experience something amazing for the first time stems from our unfamiliarity with it.  The euphoria of the unknown can be fused into our daily lives by following Rebbe Nachman’s simple teaching.
Every moment of our lives is new.  We are perfectly unique beings, enjoying a unique moment in God’s vast universe.  By recognizing that Hashem rules the world according to laws comprehensible only to Him, we allow our relationship with the world and with God to be one that is both fresh and that is built on an ever-deepening trust and commitment.
Rabbi Munk writes, “An essential component of wisdom is the knowledge that man’s failure to understand truth does not make it untrue" (The Call of the Torah, Parsha Chukat).  By recognizing that we do not control our destiny, the mystery of the journey becomes ever intensified.  In the same way that our other senses become more acute in pitch darkness, when we recognize the darkness that surrounds the limits of the human mind, our intellect becomes greater.
Hashem blessed us with a world that is doubly pleasurable.  Not only do we get to enjoy the flavor of this world, in all of its brilliance and complexity, but we also derive phenomenal pleasure from probing and searching the vastness of a creation far beyond our comprehension.  These mysteries of the universe are the intimate, exhilarating secrets of the world that the Baal Tosfot refers to as the “Divine kiss” of Hashem.  May we all merit heightening our sensitivity and broadening our connection through our ongoing and uplifting discovery of the Almighty. 

The Question No One Can Answer - Chukat

9:18 AM K.aRieL

guest article:

The Question No One Can Answer - Chukat

By: Jacob Rupp

Many of us search for deeper meaning in today's career obsessed, fast paced, superficial realities.  We hope to drive our lives in a direction that brings us long term satisfaction.  It is this search for life’s significance that has led many of my non-religious contemporaries to admit that they admire their mitzvah observant brothers and sisters.
A friend recently told me that although living a Torah observant life wasn’t for him, he admired the emphasis Torah observant Jews placed on family.  This being said, my friend explained he didn’t want to be religious because he didn’t see the need for all of the restrictions of being observant.   For him, the laws of Kashrut and Shabbat appeared out-dated and illogical.  I didn’t have the heart to tell him that explaining Kashrut and Shabbat was easy compared to explaining the mitzvah of sacrificing a Red Cow!
THE RED HEIFER
In Parshat Chukat, Hashem commands the children of Israel to take a completely red cow, without a blemish, to give to Elazar the Kohen to sacrifice (Bamidbar 19:1-3).  The ashes of the sacrifice are used to purify those who are spiritually impure, yet at the same time those who came in contact with the sacrifice became impure.  Sound confusing?  It has puzzled humanity for millennia.
The Ramban states that this mitzvah, which is to be performed in the field rather than in the Temple, is one that invites the taunting of heretics.  After all, since it's outside, in the field, anyone can witness those ‘crazy’ Jews performing a mitzvah that they themselves don’t understand.  Why would Hashem command us to do something that would encourage scorn from the outside? Through initially confusing, the mitzvah of the Red Heifer teaches us a profound lesson.
JUDAISM ENCOURAGES QUESTIONS
Judaism encourages questions.  Torah does not shy away from any topic in the world.  Want to know where you come from?  What is the point of life?  How to be happy?  Ask a rabbi; open a Gemara, read breslovworld.com.  But don’t ask how or why we sacrifice the Red Heifer!   Rashi says that this mitzvah is a decree from the Creator and is not subject to question.  Rashi’s descendants, the Baal Tosfot, go a bit further and say that one should not try to explain this precept because God gave us His best and most secret commandments in the form of a “Divine kiss,” as it were, like the intimacy of a lover to his beloved (Artscroll, commentary from Avodah Zarah 35B).
These explanations, cloaked in mystery, demand an answer.  We are supposed to be able to understand everything …or are we?  Rabbi Zev Leff distinguishes between taste and reason to clarify the lesson of the Red Heifer.  If asked why we eat, someone would likely respond that we must eat to live.  If pressed for a better explanation, he might expound on the nutritional benefits, such as energy and nutrients that can be derived from eating some things, like a delicious juicy steak, and not others, like rocks.  But if we asked more philosophical, non-scientific questions, like “Why do human beings need nutrients to live?” or “Why can we get nutrients out of food and not from rocks?”  one is led to the brink of existential chaos.  The best answer we can offer is, “That’s how God made the world" (Outlooks and Insights, p 188).
Rabbi Leff goes on to explain that although we must eat to stay alive, God, in His infinite kindness, created the world in such a way that eating is enjoyable (depending on the chef).  The delicious aroma of a warm, fresh baked challah or the amazing taste of cheesecake isn’t why we eat, but an extra perk that goes along with fulfilling our need for sustenance.  After all, even if we had no taste buds we would still have to eat.  Why must human beings eat to survive?  Why couldn’t we just be born satisfyingly full and in great shape and stay that way the rest of our lives?  Because that's not how we were created.
In the same way, mitzvot provide sustenance for our souls, although we cannot understand why or how.  We enjoy the flavor of the mitzvot, just like we enjoy the taste of food.  Hashem made the mitzvot so delicious!  The peace of Shabbat, the swell of joy that accompanies doing the right thing, all these things add flavor to our lives.  Yet this exhilaration is not the reason why we do the mitzvot. In the same way that a person with no taste buds must still eat, a mitzvah with an unusual ‘taste,’ is still necessary for our spiritual health.
Every mitzvah is as unexplainable as the Red Heifer.  Only God understands why and how wrapping tefillin or washing one’s hands before eating bread is as spiritually necessary as feeding the poor or visiting the sick.  As human beings, we must accept that God made the world according to His wisdom, and while we can enjoy His universe, the “whys” of creation evade our limited mortal perspective.
THE GREATEST WISDOM
Rebbe Nachman teaches, “To know that one does not know is the greatest wisdom.”  It is this nugget of consciousness that adds the zest to life.  Knowing that we cannot understand everything is of itself a blessing! Understanding leads to familiarity and familiarity leads to boredom.
The exhilaration we feel when we experience something amazing for the first time stems from our unfamiliarity with it.  The euphoria of the unknown can be fused into our daily lives by following Rebbe Nachman’s simple teaching.
Every moment of our lives is new.  We are perfectly unique beings, enjoying a unique moment in God’s vast universe.  By recognizing that Hashem rules the world according to laws comprehensible only to Him, we allow our relationship with the world and with God to be one that is both fresh and that is built on an ever-deepening trust and commitment.
Rabbi Munk writes, “An essential component of wisdom is the knowledge that man’s failure to understand truth does not make it untrue" (The Call of the Torah, Parsha Chukat).  By recognizing that we do not control our destiny, the mystery of the journey becomes ever intensified.  In the same way that our other senses become more acute in pitch darkness, when we recognize the darkness that surrounds the limits of the human mind, our intellect becomes greater.
Hashem blessed us with a world that is doubly pleasurable.  Not only do we get to enjoy the flavor of this world, in all of its brilliance and complexity, but we also derive phenomenal pleasure from probing and searching the vastness of a creation far beyond our comprehension.  These mysteries of the universe are the intimate, exhilarating secrets of the world that the Baal Tosfot refers to as the “Divine kiss” of Hashem.  May we all merit heightening our sensitivity and broadening our connection through our ongoing and uplifting discovery of the Almighty. 

Today's Lesson in Tanya

The Tanya (????) is an early work of Hasidic philosophy, by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Hasidism, first published in 1797. Its formal title is Likkutei Amarim (?????? ?????, Hebrew, "collection of statements"), but is more commonly known by its opening word, Tanya, which means "it was taught in a beraita". It comprises five sections that define Hasidic mystical psychology and theology as a handbook for daily spiritual life in Jewish observance.

The Tanya is the main work of the Chabad approach to Hasidic mysticism, as it defines its general interpretation and method. The subsequent extensive library of the Chabad school, authored by successive leaders, builds upon the approach of the Tanya. Chabad differed from "Mainstream Hasidism" in its search for philosophical investigation and intellectual analysis of Hasidic Torah exegesis. This emphasised the mind as the route to internalising Hasidic mystical dveikus (emotional fervour), in contrast to general Hasidism's creative enthusiasm in faith. As a consequence, Chabad Hasidic writings are typically characterised by their systematic intellectual structure, while other classic texts of general Hasidic mysticism are usually more compiled or anecdotal in nature.

As one of the founding figures of Hasidic mysticism, Schneur Zalman and his approach in the Tanya are venerated by other Hasidic schools, although they tend to avoid its meditative methods. In Chabad it is called "the Written Torah of Hasidus", with the many susequent Chabad writings being relatively "Oral Torah" explanation. In it, Schneur Zalman brings the new interpretations of Jewish mysticism by the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism, into philosophical articulation and definition. This intellectual form synthesises Hasidic Divine Omnipresence and Jewish soulfulness with other historical components of Rabbinic literature, embodied in the Talmud, Medieval philosophy, Ethics and Lurianic Kabbalah. The Tanya has therefore been seen in Chabad as the defining Hasidic text, and a subsequent stage of Jewish mystical evolution.[1]

[1] "Five Stages in the Historical Development of Kabbalah" from www.inner.org. "The Development of Kabbalah in Light of Its Main Texts. In this lecture the five major texts of Kabbalah (Sefer Yetzirah, Zohar, Pardes Rimonim, Eitz Chayim, and Tanya) are the focus of a summary of its development over the ages". Retrieved Nov. 2009

Today's Tanya Lesson

Adar 7, 5770 · February 21, 2010
Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 31

????? ????? ??????, ???? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ???? ????? ???????
This, then, should be one’s lifelong aim in the service of G?d with great joy — the joy of the soul upon leaving the loathsome body, and returning, during one’s study of the Torah and service of G?d through prayer, to “her father’s house as in her youth,” i.e., to the unity with G?d that it enjoyed before it descended into the body.
?????? ????: ????? ?? ???? ??????
This corresponds to the statement of our Sages 1 that one ought to engage in teshuvah throughout his life.
If the word teshuvah is understood only in the sense of repentance for sin, why the need for further repentance once one has already repented
However, teshuvah as explained here, returning the soul to its source, is something in which one may well engage throughout his life — whenever he studies Torah or performs a mitzvah.
???? ?? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ??????, ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ?????? ?????
Surely, there is no joy as great as that of being released from exile and captivity. It is comparable to the joy of a prince who was taken captive, and was subjected to the hard labor of turning the millstone in prison, 2 while covered with filth,
???? ????? ?? ??? ???? ????
and who then goes free to the house of his father, the king.
Such a prince, descended from the Supreme King, is the soul — and by means of the Torah and the mitzvot it is redeemed from the captivity and degradation imposed on it by the body.
??? ????? ???? ??????? ???????, ???? ????? ????, ????? ???? ?????
True, the body remains abominable and loathsome, and as the Zohar says, it is called “a serpent’s skin,” 3
?? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ????, ????? ??????
since the essential character of the animal soul has not been transformed to good, so that it might be absorbed into the realm of holiness.
For, as explained above, the Beinoni may indeed elevate the “garments” of the animal soul — the thought, speech and action through which it expresses itself — by performing the mitzvot by means of his thought, speech and action; but the essential character of the animal soul — its intellectual and emotional faculties — remains subject to the realm of kelipat nogah. How, then, can one be expected to rejoice, knowing that his body and animal soul are still in such an undesirable state
??? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ?????,??? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ????,
Yet, let his divine soul be more precious to him than his loathsome body, so that he rejoices in the soul’s joy at its liberation, through the observance of the Torah and the mitzvot, from the exile of the body, without letting the sadness on account of the lowly state of his body interfere with or disturb the joy of the soul.
???? ????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ?????, ????? ??: ?? ??? ???
This form of divine service — in which the divine soul breaks free of its exile within the body, while the body and animal soul remain in their lowly state — is analogous to the Exodus from Egypt, of which it is written that4 “the people escaped.”
The Jews told Pharaoh that they would leave Egypt for only three days, but upon being released from his land they escaped.
??????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ????, ??? ???? ???? ????? ????? ???? ?????, ?? ??? ????? ?????
At first glance it seems strange: Why should it have been so, in a manner of flight Had they demanded of Pharaoh that he set them free forever, would he not have been forced to do so, having been stricken by the Plagues
The explanation, the Alter Rebbe goes on to say, lies in the spiritual aspect of the Exodus, and this was reflected in its physical counterpart just as every event in Jewish history reflects a parallel spiritual process.
The corporeal enslavement of the Jewish people in Egypt reflected the enslavement of their souls by the kelipah of Egyptian impurity. Their Exodus from Egypt likewise represented a spiritual liberation from this kelipah. Since the spiritual Exodus was an act of escape — i.e., their soul broke away and “escaped” from the impurity of Egypt, while the body and animal soul were still in exile within the kelipah — therefore the physical Exodus likewise assumed the manner of an escape.
In the Alter Rebbe’s words:
??? ???? ???? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ????? ???? ??????
But escape was necessary because the evil in the [animal] souls of Israel was still strong in the left part of the heart, the seat of the animal soul,
?? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ????
for their impurity (the impurity of kelipah) did not cease until the Giving of the Torah. 5
?? ????? ????? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ????, ??? ????? ?????, ?????? ?? ?????
Yet their aim and desire was that their divine soul leave the exile of the sitra achra — the impurity of Egypt, and that it cleave to G?d. 6
???????: ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ???? ??? ????, ????? ?????? ????,???? ???? ?? ????,
So it is written7 — that there is a divine service which consists of the divine soul’s “escape” from the impurity of the body and animal soul: “G?d is my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of affliction”; 8 “[He is] my high tower and my refuge”; and9 “He is my escape...”
And the Exodus from Egypt exemplified this idea of “escape”.
???? ?????, ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ????, ????: ??????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ????
Hence it is written of the Redemption which will take place in the time to come, when G?d will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth and there will therefore be no evil necessitating spiritual escape: 10 “[You will not go out in haste,] nor go in flight, for G?d will go before you.”
The Exodus from Egypt, however, took place in a manner of flight, for the evil was still strong in the people’s animal soul. Similarly, whenever one disregards the lowliness of his body and animal soul and engages in the Torah and the mitzvot in order to free the divine soul from its corporeal exile, he effects the spiritual equivalent of the Exodus from Egypt.
FOOTNOTES
1.    Cf. Shabbat 153a.
2.    Cf. Shoftim 16:21; Rashbam on Shemot 11:5.
3.    The term "serpent" refers to the three utterly impure kelipot. The body of a Jew, which derives its vitality from kelipat nogah, is thus the "skin" - the "outer shell," so to speak, of the "serpent." The subject is explained at length by R. Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (author of Tzemach Tzedek) in his Sefer HaChakirah, p. 136.
4.    Shemot 14:5.
5.    Shabbat 146a.
6.    This explains why "[when the hour of Redemption arrived G-d did not detain them [in Egypt] even for a moment” (Mechilta on Shemot 12:41) - lest the evil within them drag them back to the impurity of Egypt. (- Based on a comment by the Rebbe.)
7.    Yirmeyahu 16:19.
8.    II Shmuel 22:3.
9.    From the hymn that begins "Adon Olam."
10.    Yeshayahu 52:12.
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By Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), founder of Chabad Chassidism (Free Translation)    More articles...  |  
Elucidated by Rabbi Yosef Wineberg. Translated from Yiddish by Rabbi Levy Wineberg and Rabbi Sholom B. Wineberg. Edited by Uri Kaploun.
Published and Copyright by Kehot Publication Society

Today's Tanya Lesson Adar 7, 5770 · February 21, 2010 Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 31

9:11 AM K.aRieL

Today's Lesson in Tanya

The Tanya (????) is an early work of Hasidic philosophy, by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Hasidism, first published in 1797. Its formal title is Likkutei Amarim (?????? ?????, Hebrew, "collection of statements"), but is more commonly known by its opening word, Tanya, which means "it was taught in a beraita". It comprises five sections that define Hasidic mystical psychology and theology as a handbook for daily spiritual life in Jewish observance.

The Tanya is the main work of the Chabad approach to Hasidic mysticism, as it defines its general interpretation and method. The subsequent extensive library of the Chabad school, authored by successive leaders, builds upon the approach of the Tanya. Chabad differed from "Mainstream Hasidism" in its search for philosophical investigation and intellectual analysis of Hasidic Torah exegesis. This emphasised the mind as the route to internalising Hasidic mystical dveikus (emotional fervour), in contrast to general Hasidism's creative enthusiasm in faith. As a consequence, Chabad Hasidic writings are typically characterised by their systematic intellectual structure, while other classic texts of general Hasidic mysticism are usually more compiled or anecdotal in nature.

As one of the founding figures of Hasidic mysticism, Schneur Zalman and his approach in the Tanya are venerated by other Hasidic schools, although they tend to avoid its meditative methods. In Chabad it is called "the Written Torah of Hasidus", with the many susequent Chabad writings being relatively "Oral Torah" explanation. In it, Schneur Zalman brings the new interpretations of Jewish mysticism by the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism, into philosophical articulation and definition. This intellectual form synthesises Hasidic Divine Omnipresence and Jewish soulfulness with other historical components of Rabbinic literature, embodied in the Talmud, Medieval philosophy, Ethics and Lurianic Kabbalah. The Tanya has therefore been seen in Chabad as the defining Hasidic text, and a subsequent stage of Jewish mystical evolution.[1]

[1] "Five Stages in the Historical Development of Kabbalah" from www.inner.org. "The Development of Kabbalah in Light of Its Main Texts. In this lecture the five major texts of Kabbalah (Sefer Yetzirah, Zohar, Pardes Rimonim, Eitz Chayim, and Tanya) are the focus of a summary of its development over the ages". Retrieved Nov. 2009

Today's Tanya Lesson

Adar 7, 5770 · February 21, 2010
Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 31

????? ????? ??????, ???? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ???? ????? ???????
This, then, should be one’s lifelong aim in the service of G?d with great joy — the joy of the soul upon leaving the loathsome body, and returning, during one’s study of the Torah and service of G?d through prayer, to “her father’s house as in her youth,” i.e., to the unity with G?d that it enjoyed before it descended into the body.
?????? ????: ????? ?? ???? ??????
This corresponds to the statement of our Sages 1 that one ought to engage in teshuvah throughout his life.
If the word teshuvah is understood only in the sense of repentance for sin, why the need for further repentance once one has already repented
However, teshuvah as explained here, returning the soul to its source, is something in which one may well engage throughout his life — whenever he studies Torah or performs a mitzvah.
???? ?? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ??????, ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ?????? ?????
Surely, there is no joy as great as that of being released from exile and captivity. It is comparable to the joy of a prince who was taken captive, and was subjected to the hard labor of turning the millstone in prison, 2 while covered with filth,
???? ????? ?? ??? ???? ????
and who then goes free to the house of his father, the king.
Such a prince, descended from the Supreme King, is the soul — and by means of the Torah and the mitzvot it is redeemed from the captivity and degradation imposed on it by the body.
??? ????? ???? ??????? ???????, ???? ????? ????, ????? ???? ?????
True, the body remains abominable and loathsome, and as the Zohar says, it is called “a serpent’s skin,” 3
?? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ????, ????? ??????
since the essential character of the animal soul has not been transformed to good, so that it might be absorbed into the realm of holiness.
For, as explained above, the Beinoni may indeed elevate the “garments” of the animal soul — the thought, speech and action through which it expresses itself — by performing the mitzvot by means of his thought, speech and action; but the essential character of the animal soul — its intellectual and emotional faculties — remains subject to the realm of kelipat nogah. How, then, can one be expected to rejoice, knowing that his body and animal soul are still in such an undesirable state
??? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ?????,??? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ????,
Yet, let his divine soul be more precious to him than his loathsome body, so that he rejoices in the soul’s joy at its liberation, through the observance of the Torah and the mitzvot, from the exile of the body, without letting the sadness on account of the lowly state of his body interfere with or disturb the joy of the soul.
???? ????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ?????, ????? ??: ?? ??? ???
This form of divine service — in which the divine soul breaks free of its exile within the body, while the body and animal soul remain in their lowly state — is analogous to the Exodus from Egypt, of which it is written that4 “the people escaped.”
The Jews told Pharaoh that they would leave Egypt for only three days, but upon being released from his land they escaped.
??????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ????, ??? ???? ???? ????? ????? ???? ?????, ?? ??? ????? ?????
At first glance it seems strange: Why should it have been so, in a manner of flight Had they demanded of Pharaoh that he set them free forever, would he not have been forced to do so, having been stricken by the Plagues
The explanation, the Alter Rebbe goes on to say, lies in the spiritual aspect of the Exodus, and this was reflected in its physical counterpart just as every event in Jewish history reflects a parallel spiritual process.
The corporeal enslavement of the Jewish people in Egypt reflected the enslavement of their souls by the kelipah of Egyptian impurity. Their Exodus from Egypt likewise represented a spiritual liberation from this kelipah. Since the spiritual Exodus was an act of escape — i.e., their soul broke away and “escaped” from the impurity of Egypt, while the body and animal soul were still in exile within the kelipah — therefore the physical Exodus likewise assumed the manner of an escape.
In the Alter Rebbe’s words:
??? ???? ???? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ????? ???? ??????
But escape was necessary because the evil in the [animal] souls of Israel was still strong in the left part of the heart, the seat of the animal soul,
?? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ????
for their impurity (the impurity of kelipah) did not cease until the Giving of the Torah. 5
?? ????? ????? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ????, ??? ????? ?????, ?????? ?? ?????
Yet their aim and desire was that their divine soul leave the exile of the sitra achra — the impurity of Egypt, and that it cleave to G?d. 6
???????: ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ???? ??? ????, ????? ?????? ????,???? ???? ?? ????,
So it is written7 — that there is a divine service which consists of the divine soul’s “escape” from the impurity of the body and animal soul: “G?d is my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of affliction”; 8 “[He is] my high tower and my refuge”; and9 “He is my escape...”
And the Exodus from Egypt exemplified this idea of “escape”.
???? ?????, ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ????, ????: ??????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ????
Hence it is written of the Redemption which will take place in the time to come, when G?d will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth and there will therefore be no evil necessitating spiritual escape: 10 “[You will not go out in haste,] nor go in flight, for G?d will go before you.”
The Exodus from Egypt, however, took place in a manner of flight, for the evil was still strong in the people’s animal soul. Similarly, whenever one disregards the lowliness of his body and animal soul and engages in the Torah and the mitzvot in order to free the divine soul from its corporeal exile, he effects the spiritual equivalent of the Exodus from Egypt.
FOOTNOTES
1.    Cf. Shabbat 153a.
2.    Cf. Shoftim 16:21; Rashbam on Shemot 11:5.
3.    The term "serpent" refers to the three utterly impure kelipot. The body of a Jew, which derives its vitality from kelipat nogah, is thus the "skin" - the "outer shell," so to speak, of the "serpent." The subject is explained at length by R. Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (author of Tzemach Tzedek) in his Sefer HaChakirah, p. 136.
4.    Shemot 14:5.
5.    Shabbat 146a.
6.    This explains why "[when the hour of Redemption arrived G-d did not detain them [in Egypt] even for a moment” (Mechilta on Shemot 12:41) - lest the evil within them drag them back to the impurity of Egypt. (- Based on a comment by the Rebbe.)
7.    Yirmeyahu 16:19.
8.    II Shmuel 22:3.
9.    From the hymn that begins "Adon Olam."
10.    Yeshayahu 52:12.
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By Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), founder of Chabad Chassidism (Free Translation)    More articles...  |  
Elucidated by Rabbi Yosef Wineberg. Translated from Yiddish by Rabbi Levy Wineberg and Rabbi Sholom B. Wineberg. Edited by Uri Kaploun.
Published and Copyright by Kehot Publication Society

Becoming spiritually enhanced...

Posted on November 1st, 2009

The teaching of "As above, so below" is very interesting, as even Yeshua Himself stated it in the Lord's Prayer. This belief, that whatever happens here on earth through a person's doing and thinking has a heavenly response and vice versa, is at the core of the simpliest teachings of Judaism's circle of ancient sages and rabbis.
"Come and see: the world above and the world below are perfectly balanced." (Zohar 2:176b) The Midrash states, "Both heaven and earth are balanced by each other." (Bereshit Raba 1:15)
When reading this information, I thought about a picture that shown the World to come (Olam Ha-Ba), in two ways: 1. reigning over Jerusalem at the same time, maybe spiritually and 2. coming down to replace or take over as the next Holy City so to speak.

new-jerusalem3

Becoming spiritually enhanced...

9:10 AM K.aRieL

Becoming spiritually enhanced...

Posted on November 1st, 2009

The teaching of "As above, so below" is very interesting, as even Yeshua Himself stated it in the Lord's Prayer. This belief, that whatever happens here on earth through a person's doing and thinking has a heavenly response and vice versa, is at the core of the simpliest teachings of Judaism's circle of ancient sages and rabbis.
"Come and see: the world above and the world below are perfectly balanced." (Zohar 2:176b) The Midrash states, "Both heaven and earth are balanced by each other." (Bereshit Raba 1:15)
When reading this information, I thought about a picture that shown the World to come (Olam Ha-Ba), in two ways: 1. reigning over Jerusalem at the same time, maybe spiritually and 2. coming down to replace or take over as the next Holy City so to speak.

new-jerusalem3

A Lesson A Day- mini

23 Teves, 5769 / January 19, 2009

SEFER CHOFETZ CHAIM
Day 112 – Rumors
Halacha allows for certain rumors to be reckoned with, but never are they to be accepted as fact.
It is important to note the halachik qualifications which distinguish a rumor that may have some credence from that which is mere character assassination. If the subject is known to have enemies in the community who are very possibly the source of the rumors, it may not be granted any legitimacy. Even if everyone in the community has a favorable opinion of the subject, the rumor would have to circulate throughout the community for one and a half days without losing strength before it could be taken seriously.
When a rumor does seem to have validity, halacha allows for it to cast doubt on the status of the person(s) involved; e.g. where the report concerns the subject’s status as a kohen or similar issues of lineage.
The unfortunate reality is that rarely is a rumor anything more than wide-scale loshon hora. Even when halacha grants a rumor some degree of validity, it cannot be accepted as fact.
SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON
The Quality of Acceptance
In striving to develop the quality of shmiras haloshon, one must place great emphasis on reacting toward any situation with savlanus, that is, to be tolerant of whatever negativity is thrown one’s way. In the words of Avos D’R’ Nosson (41:11): “Condition yourself to tolerate distress, and be forgiving of insult.’’ Through such character development, the quality of shmiras haloshon is easily attainable. Conversely, one who lacks savlanus will forever be torn by the need to relate the wrongs which others have done against him. At times, he will prevail in this struggle; other times, he will fail.
A savlan is capable of bearing insult in silence. He tells himself that whatever occurs is an expression of Divine will, and that in reality his own sins are the true causes of his being shamed. When one accepts disgrace in this way, totally and sincerely, Hashem surely elevates his stature in this world and in the next.

.................

Shmiras Haloshon Yomi

23 Teves, 5769 / January 19, 2009
Day 121 – Friendly Incitement
SEFER CHOFETZ CHAIM — Laws of Rechilus 9:13
Righteous indignation is a feeling which nearly everyone experiences at some point in time. While it stems from the sense that truth and justice are on our side, the reality may be precisely the opposite. In a dispute over money, even a businessman who carefully adheres to the Torah’s business ethics in most situations may veer off track. He might find justification for his actions and say, “Since I’ve been cheated, I will never pay the balance that I owe.”
Often, says the Chofetz Chaim, the rationalizations which lead a person to take the law into his own hands are the result of rechilus. An example is when Reuven sees Shimon overpay for an item at a particular store. Though Shimon has already purchased the item, Reuven tells him, “You could have gotten that for much less at the discount outlet.” Shimon now decides to remedy the situation himself, without consulting a beis din (rabbinical court). He withholds the money which he owes the storekeeper on the theory that he is only keeping what is rightfully his own. Of course, he is wrong. As we learned in the previous segment, there are times when a beis din will not force the storekeeper to refund the amount which was overcharged. In any case, one has no right to withhold payment without the authorization of beis din.
For advice about a purchase to be considered toeles (constructive), there must be a reasonable possibility that it will serve a constructive purpose. If no constructive purpose will be achieved, then the advice can only lead to a dispute between the buyer and the storekeeper. That, in turn, may lead to the type of unilateral actions which we have described. Therefore, says the Chofetz Chaim, we cannot inform someone that he has been cheated if it might lead him to withhold payment or try in some other way to cause the seller unwarranted loss.
The Chofetz Chaim comments, “Many people today stumble terribly in this area, offering their opinion to others regarding their purchases. Their friends ask them whether they paid a fair price and they respond, ‘He cheated you!’ ”
As the Chofetz Chaim explains at length, these people fail to foresee the consequences of what seems like the simple observation of a concerned friend. To make matters worse, they often incite the buyer by telling him, “Give back the merchandise! Tell him you can buy it cheaper somewhere else. If you’re embarrassed to do that, send someone else to him with the merchandise. And if he won’t take it back, don’t finish paying him what you owe.”
What are the consequences of this advice?
The advisor in this story has transgressed the negative commandments: “Do not go as a peddler of gossip” (Vayikra 19:16) and “Do not place a stumbling block before the blind” (ibid. v.14). The Chofetz Chaim focuses on another angle: Is the advisor correct that his friend was actually cheated? Did he study the merchandise well enough to know the makings of this particular product and its market price? Might there be many variations of quality, and therefore price variations, for this product? For instance, one can buy a vacuum cleaner for $150, or for $500. If one pays $500 for a top-of-the-line model, has he been cheated? In addition, observes the Chofetz Chaim, prices can change. Perhaps a certain item has become difficult to obtain, resulting in a price increase.
In the Chofetz Chaim’s illustration, the advisor has given no consideration to these factors. Because he acted without consideration of the halachah, he has enraged the buyer without cause. In all likelihood, the buyer will see no results from his complaint to the storekeeper, and will be left feeling cheated. The resulting conflict and hatred, says the Chofetz Chaim, are rooted in comments which never should have been voiced, even if the purchaser had sought his friend’s opinion. The Chofetz Chaim cautions people to ponder these factors and the relevant laws well before speaking up in such situations. “Then Hashem will assist him that no mishap will come about through him.”
·         A daily lesson from the Chofetz Chaim: A Daily Companion/Mesorah Publications.
·         To subscribe or unsubscribe: e-mail at dcompanion@chofetzchaimusa.org with subject subscribe/unsubscribe.
·         To order tapes, books, learning programs and our free catalog call us at 866-593-8399.
·         Please treat printed version with the respect due Torah materials.

Day 112 – Rumors 23 Teves, 5769 / January 19, 2009

9:07 AM K.aRieL

A Lesson A Day- mini

23 Teves, 5769 / January 19, 2009

SEFER CHOFETZ CHAIM
Day 112 – Rumors
Halacha allows for certain rumors to be reckoned with, but never are they to be accepted as fact.
It is important to note the halachik qualifications which distinguish a rumor that may have some credence from that which is mere character assassination. If the subject is known to have enemies in the community who are very possibly the source of the rumors, it may not be granted any legitimacy. Even if everyone in the community has a favorable opinion of the subject, the rumor would have to circulate throughout the community for one and a half days without losing strength before it could be taken seriously.
When a rumor does seem to have validity, halacha allows for it to cast doubt on the status of the person(s) involved; e.g. where the report concerns the subject’s status as a kohen or similar issues of lineage.
The unfortunate reality is that rarely is a rumor anything more than wide-scale loshon hora. Even when halacha grants a rumor some degree of validity, it cannot be accepted as fact.
SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON
The Quality of Acceptance
In striving to develop the quality of shmiras haloshon, one must place great emphasis on reacting toward any situation with savlanus, that is, to be tolerant of whatever negativity is thrown one’s way. In the words of Avos D’R’ Nosson (41:11): “Condition yourself to tolerate distress, and be forgiving of insult.’’ Through such character development, the quality of shmiras haloshon is easily attainable. Conversely, one who lacks savlanus will forever be torn by the need to relate the wrongs which others have done against him. At times, he will prevail in this struggle; other times, he will fail.
A savlan is capable of bearing insult in silence. He tells himself that whatever occurs is an expression of Divine will, and that in reality his own sins are the true causes of his being shamed. When one accepts disgrace in this way, totally and sincerely, Hashem surely elevates his stature in this world and in the next.

.................

Shmiras Haloshon Yomi

23 Teves, 5769 / January 19, 2009
Day 121 – Friendly Incitement
SEFER CHOFETZ CHAIM — Laws of Rechilus 9:13
Righteous indignation is a feeling which nearly everyone experiences at some point in time. While it stems from the sense that truth and justice are on our side, the reality may be precisely the opposite. In a dispute over money, even a businessman who carefully adheres to the Torah’s business ethics in most situations may veer off track. He might find justification for his actions and say, “Since I’ve been cheated, I will never pay the balance that I owe.”
Often, says the Chofetz Chaim, the rationalizations which lead a person to take the law into his own hands are the result of rechilus. An example is when Reuven sees Shimon overpay for an item at a particular store. Though Shimon has already purchased the item, Reuven tells him, “You could have gotten that for much less at the discount outlet.” Shimon now decides to remedy the situation himself, without consulting a beis din (rabbinical court). He withholds the money which he owes the storekeeper on the theory that he is only keeping what is rightfully his own. Of course, he is wrong. As we learned in the previous segment, there are times when a beis din will not force the storekeeper to refund the amount which was overcharged. In any case, one has no right to withhold payment without the authorization of beis din.
For advice about a purchase to be considered toeles (constructive), there must be a reasonable possibility that it will serve a constructive purpose. If no constructive purpose will be achieved, then the advice can only lead to a dispute between the buyer and the storekeeper. That, in turn, may lead to the type of unilateral actions which we have described. Therefore, says the Chofetz Chaim, we cannot inform someone that he has been cheated if it might lead him to withhold payment or try in some other way to cause the seller unwarranted loss.
The Chofetz Chaim comments, “Many people today stumble terribly in this area, offering their opinion to others regarding their purchases. Their friends ask them whether they paid a fair price and they respond, ‘He cheated you!’ ”
As the Chofetz Chaim explains at length, these people fail to foresee the consequences of what seems like the simple observation of a concerned friend. To make matters worse, they often incite the buyer by telling him, “Give back the merchandise! Tell him you can buy it cheaper somewhere else. If you’re embarrassed to do that, send someone else to him with the merchandise. And if he won’t take it back, don’t finish paying him what you owe.”
What are the consequences of this advice?
The advisor in this story has transgressed the negative commandments: “Do not go as a peddler of gossip” (Vayikra 19:16) and “Do not place a stumbling block before the blind” (ibid. v.14). The Chofetz Chaim focuses on another angle: Is the advisor correct that his friend was actually cheated? Did he study the merchandise well enough to know the makings of this particular product and its market price? Might there be many variations of quality, and therefore price variations, for this product? For instance, one can buy a vacuum cleaner for $150, or for $500. If one pays $500 for a top-of-the-line model, has he been cheated? In addition, observes the Chofetz Chaim, prices can change. Perhaps a certain item has become difficult to obtain, resulting in a price increase.
In the Chofetz Chaim’s illustration, the advisor has given no consideration to these factors. Because he acted without consideration of the halachah, he has enraged the buyer without cause. In all likelihood, the buyer will see no results from his complaint to the storekeeper, and will be left feeling cheated. The resulting conflict and hatred, says the Chofetz Chaim, are rooted in comments which never should have been voiced, even if the purchaser had sought his friend’s opinion. The Chofetz Chaim cautions people to ponder these factors and the relevant laws well before speaking up in such situations. “Then Hashem will assist him that no mishap will come about through him.”
·         A daily lesson from the Chofetz Chaim: A Daily Companion/Mesorah Publications.
·         To subscribe or unsubscribe: e-mail at dcompanion@chofetzchaimusa.org with subject subscribe/unsubscribe.
·         To order tapes, books, learning programs and our free catalog call us at 866-593-8399.
·         Please treat printed version with the respect due Torah materials.

guest article:

The Question No One Can Answer - Chukat

By: Jacob Rupp

Many of us search for deeper meaning in today's career obsessed, fast paced, superficial realities.  We hope to drive our lives in a direction that brings us long term satisfaction.  It is this search for life’s significance that has led many of my non-religious contemporaries to admit that they admire their mitzvah observant brothers and sisters.
A friend recently told me that although living a Torah observant life wasn’t for him, he admired the emphasis Torah observant Jews placed on family.  This being said, my friend explained he didn’t want to be religious because he didn’t see the need for all of the restrictions of being observant.   For him, the laws of Kashrut and Shabbat appeared out-dated and illogical.  I didn’t have the heart to tell him that explaining Kashrut and Shabbat was easy compared to explaining the mitzvah of sacrificing a Red Cow!
THE RED HEIFER
In Parshat Chukat, Hashem commands the children of Israel to take a completely red cow, without a blemish, to give to Elazar the Kohen to sacrifice (Bamidbar 19:1-3).  The ashes of the sacrifice are used to purify those who are spiritually impure, yet at the same time those who came in contact with the sacrifice became impure.  Sound confusing?  It has puzzled humanity for millennia.
The Ramban states that this mitzvah, which is to be performed in the field rather than in the Temple, is one that invites the taunting of heretics.  After all, since it's outside, in the field, anyone can witness those ‘crazy’ Jews performing a mitzvah that they themselves don’t understand.  Why would Hashem command us to do something that would encourage scorn from the outside? Through initially confusing, the mitzvah of the Red Heifer teaches us a profound lesson.
JUDAISM ENCOURAGES QUESTIONS
Judaism encourages questions.  Torah does not shy away from any topic in the world.  Want to know where you come from?  What is the point of life?  How to be happy?  Ask a rabbi; open a Gemara, read breslovworld.com.  But don’t ask how or why we sacrifice the Red Heifer!   Rashi says that this mitzvah is a decree from the Creator and is not subject to question.  Rashi’s descendants, the Baal Tosfot, go a bit further and say that one should not try to explain this precept because God gave us His best and most secret commandments in the form of a “Divine kiss,” as it were, like the intimacy of a lover to his beloved (Artscroll, commentary from Avodah Zarah 35B).
These explanations, cloaked in mystery, demand an answer.  We are supposed to be able to understand everything …or are we?  Rabbi Zev Leff distinguishes between taste and reason to clarify the lesson of the Red Heifer.  If asked why we eat, someone would likely respond that we must eat to live.  If pressed for a better explanation, he might expound on the nutritional benefits, such as energy and nutrients that can be derived from eating some things, like a delicious juicy steak, and not others, like rocks.  But if we asked more philosophical, non-scientific questions, like “Why do human beings need nutrients to live?” or “Why can we get nutrients out of food and not from rocks?”  one is led to the brink of existential chaos.  The best answer we can offer is, “That’s how God made the world" (Outlooks and Insights, p 188).
Rabbi Leff goes on to explain that although we must eat to stay alive, God, in His infinite kindness, created the world in such a way that eating is enjoyable (depending on the chef).  The delicious aroma of a warm, fresh baked challah or the amazing taste of cheesecake isn’t why we eat, but an extra perk that goes along with fulfilling our need for sustenance.  After all, even if we had no taste buds we would still have to eat.  Why must human beings eat to survive?  Why couldn’t we just be born satisfyingly full and in great shape and stay that way the rest of our lives?  Because that's not how we were created.
In the same way, mitzvot provide sustenance for our souls, although we cannot understand why or how.  We enjoy the flavor of the mitzvot, just like we enjoy the taste of food.  Hashem made the mitzvot so delicious!  The peace of Shabbat, the swell of joy that accompanies doing the right thing, all these things add flavor to our lives.  Yet this exhilaration is not the reason why we do the mitzvot. In the same way that a person with no taste buds must still eat, a mitzvah with an unusual ‘taste,’ is still necessary for our spiritual health.
Every mitzvah is as unexplainable as the Red Heifer.  Only God understands why and how wrapping tefillin or washing one’s hands before eating bread is as spiritually necessary as feeding the poor or visiting the sick.  As human beings, we must accept that God made the world according to His wisdom, and while we can enjoy His universe, the “whys” of creation evade our limited mortal perspective.
THE GREATEST WISDOM
Rebbe Nachman teaches, “To know that one does not know is the greatest wisdom.”  It is this nugget of consciousness that adds the zest to life.  Knowing that we cannot understand everything is of itself a blessing! Understanding leads to familiarity and familiarity leads to boredom.
The exhilaration we feel when we experience something amazing for the first time stems from our unfamiliarity with it.  The euphoria of the unknown can be fused into our daily lives by following Rebbe Nachman’s simple teaching.
Every moment of our lives is new.  We are perfectly unique beings, enjoying a unique moment in God’s vast universe.  By recognizing that Hashem rules the world according to laws comprehensible only to Him, we allow our relationship with the world and with God to be one that is both fresh and that is built on an ever-deepening trust and commitment.
Rabbi Munk writes, “An essential component of wisdom is the knowledge that man’s failure to understand truth does not make it untrue" (The Call of the Torah, Parsha Chukat).  By recognizing that we do not control our destiny, the mystery of the journey becomes ever intensified.  In the same way that our other senses become more acute in pitch darkness, when we recognize the darkness that surrounds the limits of the human mind, our intellect becomes greater.
Hashem blessed us with a world that is doubly pleasurable.  Not only do we get to enjoy the flavor of this world, in all of its brilliance and complexity, but we also derive phenomenal pleasure from probing and searching the vastness of a creation far beyond our comprehension.  These mysteries of the universe are the intimate, exhilarating secrets of the world that the Baal Tosfot refers to as the “Divine kiss” of Hashem.  May we all merit heightening our sensitivity and broadening our connection through our ongoing and uplifting discovery of the Almighty. 

The Question No One Can Answer - Chukat

5:18 AM K.aRieL

guest article:

The Question No One Can Answer - Chukat

By: Jacob Rupp

Many of us search for deeper meaning in today's career obsessed, fast paced, superficial realities.  We hope to drive our lives in a direction that brings us long term satisfaction.  It is this search for life’s significance that has led many of my non-religious contemporaries to admit that they admire their mitzvah observant brothers and sisters.
A friend recently told me that although living a Torah observant life wasn’t for him, he admired the emphasis Torah observant Jews placed on family.  This being said, my friend explained he didn’t want to be religious because he didn’t see the need for all of the restrictions of being observant.   For him, the laws of Kashrut and Shabbat appeared out-dated and illogical.  I didn’t have the heart to tell him that explaining Kashrut and Shabbat was easy compared to explaining the mitzvah of sacrificing a Red Cow!
THE RED HEIFER
In Parshat Chukat, Hashem commands the children of Israel to take a completely red cow, without a blemish, to give to Elazar the Kohen to sacrifice (Bamidbar 19:1-3).  The ashes of the sacrifice are used to purify those who are spiritually impure, yet at the same time those who came in contact with the sacrifice became impure.  Sound confusing?  It has puzzled humanity for millennia.
The Ramban states that this mitzvah, which is to be performed in the field rather than in the Temple, is one that invites the taunting of heretics.  After all, since it's outside, in the field, anyone can witness those ‘crazy’ Jews performing a mitzvah that they themselves don’t understand.  Why would Hashem command us to do something that would encourage scorn from the outside? Through initially confusing, the mitzvah of the Red Heifer teaches us a profound lesson.
JUDAISM ENCOURAGES QUESTIONS
Judaism encourages questions.  Torah does not shy away from any topic in the world.  Want to know where you come from?  What is the point of life?  How to be happy?  Ask a rabbi; open a Gemara, read breslovworld.com.  But don’t ask how or why we sacrifice the Red Heifer!   Rashi says that this mitzvah is a decree from the Creator and is not subject to question.  Rashi’s descendants, the Baal Tosfot, go a bit further and say that one should not try to explain this precept because God gave us His best and most secret commandments in the form of a “Divine kiss,” as it were, like the intimacy of a lover to his beloved (Artscroll, commentary from Avodah Zarah 35B).
These explanations, cloaked in mystery, demand an answer.  We are supposed to be able to understand everything …or are we?  Rabbi Zev Leff distinguishes between taste and reason to clarify the lesson of the Red Heifer.  If asked why we eat, someone would likely respond that we must eat to live.  If pressed for a better explanation, he might expound on the nutritional benefits, such as energy and nutrients that can be derived from eating some things, like a delicious juicy steak, and not others, like rocks.  But if we asked more philosophical, non-scientific questions, like “Why do human beings need nutrients to live?” or “Why can we get nutrients out of food and not from rocks?”  one is led to the brink of existential chaos.  The best answer we can offer is, “That’s how God made the world" (Outlooks and Insights, p 188).
Rabbi Leff goes on to explain that although we must eat to stay alive, God, in His infinite kindness, created the world in such a way that eating is enjoyable (depending on the chef).  The delicious aroma of a warm, fresh baked challah or the amazing taste of cheesecake isn’t why we eat, but an extra perk that goes along with fulfilling our need for sustenance.  After all, even if we had no taste buds we would still have to eat.  Why must human beings eat to survive?  Why couldn’t we just be born satisfyingly full and in great shape and stay that way the rest of our lives?  Because that's not how we were created.
In the same way, mitzvot provide sustenance for our souls, although we cannot understand why or how.  We enjoy the flavor of the mitzvot, just like we enjoy the taste of food.  Hashem made the mitzvot so delicious!  The peace of Shabbat, the swell of joy that accompanies doing the right thing, all these things add flavor to our lives.  Yet this exhilaration is not the reason why we do the mitzvot. In the same way that a person with no taste buds must still eat, a mitzvah with an unusual ‘taste,’ is still necessary for our spiritual health.
Every mitzvah is as unexplainable as the Red Heifer.  Only God understands why and how wrapping tefillin or washing one’s hands before eating bread is as spiritually necessary as feeding the poor or visiting the sick.  As human beings, we must accept that God made the world according to His wisdom, and while we can enjoy His universe, the “whys” of creation evade our limited mortal perspective.
THE GREATEST WISDOM
Rebbe Nachman teaches, “To know that one does not know is the greatest wisdom.”  It is this nugget of consciousness that adds the zest to life.  Knowing that we cannot understand everything is of itself a blessing! Understanding leads to familiarity and familiarity leads to boredom.
The exhilaration we feel when we experience something amazing for the first time stems from our unfamiliarity with it.  The euphoria of the unknown can be fused into our daily lives by following Rebbe Nachman’s simple teaching.
Every moment of our lives is new.  We are perfectly unique beings, enjoying a unique moment in God’s vast universe.  By recognizing that Hashem rules the world according to laws comprehensible only to Him, we allow our relationship with the world and with God to be one that is both fresh and that is built on an ever-deepening trust and commitment.
Rabbi Munk writes, “An essential component of wisdom is the knowledge that man’s failure to understand truth does not make it untrue" (The Call of the Torah, Parsha Chukat).  By recognizing that we do not control our destiny, the mystery of the journey becomes ever intensified.  In the same way that our other senses become more acute in pitch darkness, when we recognize the darkness that surrounds the limits of the human mind, our intellect becomes greater.
Hashem blessed us with a world that is doubly pleasurable.  Not only do we get to enjoy the flavor of this world, in all of its brilliance and complexity, but we also derive phenomenal pleasure from probing and searching the vastness of a creation far beyond our comprehension.  These mysteries of the universe are the intimate, exhilarating secrets of the world that the Baal Tosfot refers to as the “Divine kiss” of Hashem.  May we all merit heightening our sensitivity and broadening our connection through our ongoing and uplifting discovery of the Almighty. 

Today's Lesson in Tanya

The Tanya (????) is an early work of Hasidic philosophy, by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Hasidism, first published in 1797. Its formal title is Likkutei Amarim (?????? ?????, Hebrew, "collection of statements"), but is more commonly known by its opening word, Tanya, which means "it was taught in a beraita". It comprises five sections that define Hasidic mystical psychology and theology as a handbook for daily spiritual life in Jewish observance.

The Tanya is the main work of the Chabad approach to Hasidic mysticism, as it defines its general interpretation and method. The subsequent extensive library of the Chabad school, authored by successive leaders, builds upon the approach of the Tanya. Chabad differed from "Mainstream Hasidism" in its search for philosophical investigation and intellectual analysis of Hasidic Torah exegesis. This emphasised the mind as the route to internalising Hasidic mystical dveikus (emotional fervour), in contrast to general Hasidism's creative enthusiasm in faith. As a consequence, Chabad Hasidic writings are typically characterised by their systematic intellectual structure, while other classic texts of general Hasidic mysticism are usually more compiled or anecdotal in nature.

As one of the founding figures of Hasidic mysticism, Schneur Zalman and his approach in the Tanya are venerated by other Hasidic schools, although they tend to avoid its meditative methods. In Chabad it is called "the Written Torah of Hasidus", with the many susequent Chabad writings being relatively "Oral Torah" explanation. In it, Schneur Zalman brings the new interpretations of Jewish mysticism by the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism, into philosophical articulation and definition. This intellectual form synthesises Hasidic Divine Omnipresence and Jewish soulfulness with other historical components of Rabbinic literature, embodied in the Talmud, Medieval philosophy, Ethics and Lurianic Kabbalah. The Tanya has therefore been seen in Chabad as the defining Hasidic text, and a subsequent stage of Jewish mystical evolution.[1]

[1] "Five Stages in the Historical Development of Kabbalah" from www.inner.org. "The Development of Kabbalah in Light of Its Main Texts. In this lecture the five major texts of Kabbalah (Sefer Yetzirah, Zohar, Pardes Rimonim, Eitz Chayim, and Tanya) are the focus of a summary of its development over the ages". Retrieved Nov. 2009

Today's Tanya Lesson

Adar 7, 5770 · February 21, 2010
Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 31

????? ????? ??????, ???? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ???? ????? ???????
This, then, should be one’s lifelong aim in the service of G?d with great joy — the joy of the soul upon leaving the loathsome body, and returning, during one’s study of the Torah and service of G?d through prayer, to “her father’s house as in her youth,” i.e., to the unity with G?d that it enjoyed before it descended into the body.
?????? ????: ????? ?? ???? ??????
This corresponds to the statement of our Sages 1 that one ought to engage in teshuvah throughout his life.
If the word teshuvah is understood only in the sense of repentance for sin, why the need for further repentance once one has already repented
However, teshuvah as explained here, returning the soul to its source, is something in which one may well engage throughout his life — whenever he studies Torah or performs a mitzvah.
???? ?? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ??????, ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ?????? ?????
Surely, there is no joy as great as that of being released from exile and captivity. It is comparable to the joy of a prince who was taken captive, and was subjected to the hard labor of turning the millstone in prison, 2 while covered with filth,
???? ????? ?? ??? ???? ????
and who then goes free to the house of his father, the king.
Such a prince, descended from the Supreme King, is the soul — and by means of the Torah and the mitzvot it is redeemed from the captivity and degradation imposed on it by the body.
??? ????? ???? ??????? ???????, ???? ????? ????, ????? ???? ?????
True, the body remains abominable and loathsome, and as the Zohar says, it is called “a serpent’s skin,” 3
?? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ????, ????? ??????
since the essential character of the animal soul has not been transformed to good, so that it might be absorbed into the realm of holiness.
For, as explained above, the Beinoni may indeed elevate the “garments” of the animal soul — the thought, speech and action through which it expresses itself — by performing the mitzvot by means of his thought, speech and action; but the essential character of the animal soul — its intellectual and emotional faculties — remains subject to the realm of kelipat nogah. How, then, can one be expected to rejoice, knowing that his body and animal soul are still in such an undesirable state
??? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ?????,??? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ????,
Yet, let his divine soul be more precious to him than his loathsome body, so that he rejoices in the soul’s joy at its liberation, through the observance of the Torah and the mitzvot, from the exile of the body, without letting the sadness on account of the lowly state of his body interfere with or disturb the joy of the soul.
???? ????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ?????, ????? ??: ?? ??? ???
This form of divine service — in which the divine soul breaks free of its exile within the body, while the body and animal soul remain in their lowly state — is analogous to the Exodus from Egypt, of which it is written that4 “the people escaped.”
The Jews told Pharaoh that they would leave Egypt for only three days, but upon being released from his land they escaped.
??????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ????, ??? ???? ???? ????? ????? ???? ?????, ?? ??? ????? ?????
At first glance it seems strange: Why should it have been so, in a manner of flight Had they demanded of Pharaoh that he set them free forever, would he not have been forced to do so, having been stricken by the Plagues
The explanation, the Alter Rebbe goes on to say, lies in the spiritual aspect of the Exodus, and this was reflected in its physical counterpart just as every event in Jewish history reflects a parallel spiritual process.
The corporeal enslavement of the Jewish people in Egypt reflected the enslavement of their souls by the kelipah of Egyptian impurity. Their Exodus from Egypt likewise represented a spiritual liberation from this kelipah. Since the spiritual Exodus was an act of escape — i.e., their soul broke away and “escaped” from the impurity of Egypt, while the body and animal soul were still in exile within the kelipah — therefore the physical Exodus likewise assumed the manner of an escape.
In the Alter Rebbe’s words:
??? ???? ???? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ????? ???? ??????
But escape was necessary because the evil in the [animal] souls of Israel was still strong in the left part of the heart, the seat of the animal soul,
?? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ????
for their impurity (the impurity of kelipah) did not cease until the Giving of the Torah. 5
?? ????? ????? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ????, ??? ????? ?????, ?????? ?? ?????
Yet their aim and desire was that their divine soul leave the exile of the sitra achra — the impurity of Egypt, and that it cleave to G?d. 6
???????: ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ???? ??? ????, ????? ?????? ????,???? ???? ?? ????,
So it is written7 — that there is a divine service which consists of the divine soul’s “escape” from the impurity of the body and animal soul: “G?d is my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of affliction”; 8 “[He is] my high tower and my ref
uge”; and9 “He is my escape...”
And the Exodus from Egypt exemplified this idea of “escape”.
???? ?????, ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ????, ????: ??????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ????
Hence it is written of the Redemption which will take place in the time to come, when G?d will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth and there will therefore be no evil necessitating spiritual escape: 10 “[You will not go out in haste,] nor go in flight, for G?d will go before you.”
The Exodus from Egypt, however, took place in a manner of flight, for the evil was still strong in the people’s animal soul. Similarly, whenever one disregards the lowliness of his body and animal soul and engages in the Torah and the mitzvot in order to free the divine soul from its corporeal exile, he effects the spiritual equivalent of the Exodus from Egypt.
FOOTNOTES
1.    Cf. Shabbat 153a.
2.    Cf. Shoftim 16:21; Rashbam on Shemot 11:5.
3.    The term "serpent" refers to the three utterly impure kelipot. The body of a Jew, which derives its vitality from kelipat nogah, is thus the "skin" - the "outer shell," so to speak, of the "serpent." The subject is explained at length by R. Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (author of Tzemach Tzedek) in his Sefer HaChakirah, p. 136.
4.    Shemot 14:5.
5.    Shabbat 146a.
6.    This explains why "[when the hour of Redemption arrived G-d did not detain them [in Egypt] even for a moment” (Mechilta on Shemot 12:41) - lest the evil within them drag them back to the impurity of Egypt. (- Based on a comment by the Rebbe.)
7.    Yirmeyahu 16:19.
8.    II Shmuel 22:3.
9.    From the hymn that begins "Adon Olam."
10.    Yeshayahu 52:12.
Listen Online | MP3 Download
By Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), founder of Chabad Chassidism (Free Translation)    More articles...  |  
Elucidated by Rabbi Yosef Wineberg. Translated from Yiddish by Rabbi Levy Wineberg and Rabbi Sholom B. Wineberg. Edited by Uri Kaploun.
Published and Copyright by Kehot Publication Society

Today's Tanya Lesson Adar 7, 5770 · February 21, 2010 Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 31

5:11 AM K.aRieL

Today's Lesson in Tanya

The Tanya (????) is an early work of Hasidic philosophy, by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Hasidism, first published in 1797. Its formal title is Likkutei Amarim (?????? ?????, Hebrew, "collection of statements"), but is more commonly known by its opening word, Tanya, which means "it was taught in a beraita". It comprises five sections that define Hasidic mystical psychology and theology as a handbook for daily spiritual life in Jewish observance.

The Tanya is the main work of the Chabad approach to Hasidic mysticism, as it defines its general interpretation and method. The subsequent extensive library of the Chabad school, authored by successive leaders, builds upon the approach of the Tanya. Chabad differed from "Mainstream Hasidism" in its search for philosophical investigation and intellectual analysis of Hasidic Torah exegesis. This emphasised the mind as the route to internalising Hasidic mystical dveikus (emotional fervour), in contrast to general Hasidism's creative enthusiasm in faith. As a consequence, Chabad Hasidic writings are typically characterised by their systematic intellectual structure, while other classic texts of general Hasidic mysticism are usually more compiled or anecdotal in nature.

As one of the founding figures of Hasidic mysticism, Schneur Zalman and his approach in the Tanya are venerated by other Hasidic schools, although they tend to avoid its meditative methods. In Chabad it is called "the Written Torah of Hasidus", with the many susequent Chabad writings being relatively "Oral Torah" explanation. In it, Schneur Zalman brings the new interpretations of Jewish mysticism by the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism, into philosophical articulation and definition. This intellectual form synthesises Hasidic Divine Omnipresence and Jewish soulfulness with other historical components of Rabbinic literature, embodied in the Talmud, Medieval philosophy, Ethics and Lurianic Kabbalah. The Tanya has therefore been seen in Chabad as the defining Hasidic text, and a subsequent stage of Jewish mystical evolution.[1]

[1] "Five Stages in the Historical Development of Kabbalah" from www.inner.org. "The Development of Kabbalah in Light of Its Main Texts. In this lecture the five major texts of Kabbalah (Sefer Yetzirah, Zohar, Pardes Rimonim, Eitz Chayim, and Tanya) are the focus of a summary of its development over the ages". Retrieved Nov. 2009

Today's Tanya Lesson

Adar 7, 5770 · February 21, 2010
Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 31

????? ????? ??????, ???? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ???? ????? ???????
This, then, should be one’s lifelong aim in the service of G?d with great joy — the joy of the soul upon leaving the loathsome body, and returning, during one’s study of the Torah and service of G?d through prayer, to “her father’s house as in her youth,” i.e., to the unity with G?d that it enjoyed before it descended into the body.
?????? ????: ????? ?? ???? ??????
This corresponds to the statement of our Sages 1 that one ought to engage in teshuvah throughout his life.
If the word teshuvah is understood only in the sense of repentance for sin, why the need for further repentance once one has already repented
However, teshuvah as explained here, returning the soul to its source, is something in which one may well engage throughout his life — whenever he studies Torah or performs a mitzvah.
???? ?? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ??????, ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ?????? ?????
Surely, there is no joy as great as that of being released from exile and captivity. It is comparable to the joy of a prince who was taken captive, and was subjected to the hard labor of turning the millstone in prison, 2 while covered with filth,
???? ????? ?? ??? ???? ????
and who then goes free to the house of his father, the king.
Such a prince, descended from the Supreme King, is the soul — and by means of the Torah and the mitzvot it is redeemed from the captivity and degradation imposed on it by the body.
??? ????? ???? ??????? ???????, ???? ????? ????, ????? ???? ?????
True, the body remains abominable and loathsome, and as the Zohar says, it is called “a serpent’s skin,” 3
?? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ????, ????? ??????
since the essential character of the animal soul has not been transformed to good, so that it might be absorbed into the realm of holiness.
For, as explained above, the Beinoni may indeed elevate the “garments” of the animal soul — the thought, speech and action through which it expresses itself — by performing the mitzvot by means of his thought, speech and action; but the essential character of the animal soul — its intellectual and emotional faculties — remains subject to the realm of kelipat nogah. How, then, can one be expected to rejoice, knowing that his body and animal soul are still in such an undesirable state
??? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ?????,??? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ????,
Yet, let his divine soul be more precious to him than his loathsome body, so that he rejoices in the soul’s joy at its liberation, through the observance of the Torah and the mitzvot, from the exile of the body, without letting the sadness on account of the lowly state of his body interfere with or disturb the joy of the soul.
???? ????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ?????, ????? ??: ?? ??? ???
This form of divine service — in which the divine soul breaks free of its exile within the body, while the body and animal soul remain in their lowly state — is analogous to the Exodus from Egypt, of which it is written that4 “the people escaped.”
The Jews told Pharaoh that they would leave Egypt for only three days, but upon being released from his land they escaped.
??????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ????, ??? ???? ???? ????? ????? ???? ?????, ?? ??? ????? ?????
At first glance it seems strange: Why should it have been so, in a manner of flight Had they demanded of Pharaoh that he set them free forever, would he not have been forced to do so, having been stricken by the Plagues
The explanation, the Alter Rebbe goes on to say, lies in the spiritual aspect of the Exodus, and this was reflected in its physical counterpart just as every event in Jewish history reflects a parallel spiritual process.
The corporeal enslavement of the Jewish people in Egypt reflected the enslavement of their souls by the kelipah of Egyptian impurity. Their Exodus from Egypt likewise represented a spiritual liberation from this kelipah. Since the spiritual Exodus was an act of escape — i.e., their soul broke away and “escaped” from the impurity of Egypt, while the body and animal soul were still in exile within the kelipah — therefore the physical Exodus likewise assumed the manner of an escape.
In the Alter Rebbe’s words:
??? ???? ???? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ????? ???? ??????
But escape was necessary because the evil in the [animal] souls of Israel was still strong in the left part of the heart, the seat of the animal soul,
?? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ????
for their impurity (the impurity of kelipah) did not cease until the Giving of the Torah. 5
?? ????? ????? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ????, ??? ????? ?????, ?????? ?? ?????
Yet their aim and desire was that their divine soul leave the exile of the sitra achra — the impurity of Egypt, and that it cleave to G?d. 6
???????: ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ???? ??? ????, ????? ?????? ????,???? ???? ?? ????,
So it is written7 — that there is a divine service which consists of the divine soul’s “escape” from the impurity of the body and animal soul: “G?d is my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of affliction”; 8 “[He is] my high tower and my ref
uge”; and9 “He is my escape...”
And the Exodus from Egypt exemplified this idea of “escape”.
???? ?????, ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ????, ????: ??????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ????
Hence it is written of the Redemption which will take place in the time to come, when G?d will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth and there will therefore be no evil necessitating spiritual escape: 10 “[You will not go out in haste,] nor go in flight, for G?d will go before you.”
The Exodus from Egypt, however, took place in a manner of flight, for the evil was still strong in the people’s animal soul. Similarly, whenever one disregards the lowliness of his body and animal soul and engages in the Torah and the mitzvot in order to free the divine soul from its corporeal exile, he effects the spiritual equivalent of the Exodus from Egypt.
FOOTNOTES
1.    Cf. Shabbat 153a.
2.    Cf. Shoftim 16:21; Rashbam on Shemot 11:5.
3.    The term "serpent" refers to the three utterly impure kelipot. The body of a Jew, which derives its vitality from kelipat nogah, is thus the "skin" - the "outer shell," so to speak, of the "serpent." The subject is explained at length by R. Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (author of Tzemach Tzedek) in his Sefer HaChakirah, p. 136.
4.    Shemot 14:5.
5.    Shabbat 146a.
6.    This explains why "[when the hour of Redemption arrived G-d did not detain them [in Egypt] even for a moment” (Mechilta on Shemot 12:41) - lest the evil within them drag them back to the impurity of Egypt. (- Based on a comment by the Rebbe.)
7.    Yirmeyahu 16:19.
8.    II Shmuel 22:3.
9.    From the hymn that begins "Adon Olam."
10.    Yeshayahu 52:12.
Listen Online | MP3 Download
By Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), founder of Chabad Chassidism (Free Translation)    More articles...  |  
Elucidated by Rabbi Yosef Wineberg. Translated from Yiddish by Rabbi Levy Wineberg and Rabbi Sholom B. Wineberg. Edited by Uri Kaploun.
Published and Copyright by Kehot Publication Society

Becoming spiritually enhanced...

Posted on November 1st, 2009

The teaching of "As above, so below" is very interesting, as even Yeshua Himself stated it in the Lord's Prayer. This belief, that whatever happens here on earth through a person's doing and thinking has a heavenly response and vice versa, is at the core of the simpliest teachings of Judaism's circle of ancient sages and rabbis.
"Come and see: the world above and the world below are perfectly balanced." (Zohar 2:176b) The Midrash states, "Both heaven and earth are balanced by each other." (Bereshit Raba 1:15)
When reading this information, I thought about a picture that shown the World to come (Olam Ha-Ba), in two ways: 1. reigning over Jerusalem at the same time, maybe spiritually and 2. coming down to replace or take over as the next Holy City so to speak.

new-jerusalem3

Becoming spiritually enhanced...

5:10 AM K.aRieL

Becoming spiritually enhanced...

Posted on November 1st, 2009

The teaching of "As above, so below" is very interesting, as even Yeshua Himself stated it in the Lord's Prayer. This belief, that whatever happens here on earth through a person's doing and thinking has a heavenly response and vice versa, is at the core of the simpliest teachings of Judaism's circle of ancient sages and rabbis.
"Come and see: the world above and the world below are perfectly balanced." (Zohar 2:176b) The Midrash states, "Both heaven and earth are balanced by each other." (Bereshit Raba 1:15)
When reading this information, I thought about a picture that shown the World to come (Olam Ha-Ba), in two ways: 1. reigning over Jerusalem at the same time, maybe spiritually and 2. coming down to replace or take over as the next Holy City so to speak.

new-jerusalem3

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

from Chabad.org

Jillian, Have a Baby!

A Response to Jillian Michaels

By Mimi Hecht (Notik)

Celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels was quoted earlier this week telling Women’s Health Magazine that she plans to adopt instead of birthing her own children because, in her own words, “I can’t handle doing that to my body.” Appalled on behalf of mothers everywhere, I decided to write her a letter.

Dear Jillian,

You would think your decision to adopt a child so to spare your body from pregnancy wouldn't surprise me considering you're part of a high-profile, celebrity world that worships image and, moreover, that you're famous for guiding people to better bodies on the hit show The Biggest Loser. But with today's celebrities bearing more than a few children, looking great and cherishing motherhood, your comments do stand out.

You say "that" like pregnancy is some horrific, unnatural and purposeless procedure foreign to womanhoodYou say you can't handle doing "that" to your body. You say "that" like pregnancy is some horrific, unnatural and purposeless procedure foreign to womanhood. I know you're a successful gym superstar, but can you really be so vain?

No mom is going to fight the notion that bearing children takes its toll on the body. A human being comes out of you - your body changes. Duh. But, as a fitness guru, you of all people should know best the body's ability to bounce back after surgery, weight gain and certainly pregnancy. And you're obviously capable! I mean, come on, look at you – every mother would love to snap her fingers and have your body, let alone your commitment and energy for fitness.

Who are you to fear the physical ramifications of pregnancy? There's no doubt you'd be one of those super celebrity moms who strut about town showing off a flat belly days after birth. Come on, Jill (can I call you that?). You can do it. I believe in you.

Obviously, your sentiments stem from your all-consuming commitment to your perfectly trim and toned body. Your body is your career, and you don't want to sacrifice that. But as a woman, your body has a calling of its own. Everything from our wide hips to our womb within beseeches us to birth children.

But your comments are insensitive to more than your own female body, but to the countless women in the world who can't handle not doing "that" to their body; women who suffer from the painful reality of infertility. They would wreck their bodies a million times over to bare a healthy child. They would take acne and obesity any day over their childless existence. And you? You're actually willing to forego the gift of motherhood--all for a six pack you can easily rebuild post-partum. And worse, you're not afraid to admit it.

You're actually willing to forego the gift of motherhood--all for a six pack you can easily rebuild post-partumThe unabashed way you share choosing your body over baby makes me worry that your mindset is not foreign to many women in today's body-first culture. And that's scary. So I'm writing because I'm convinced I represent most mothers out there – whether beach babes or soccer moms – who love looking good, feeling healthy and still feel that birthing a baby is our body's ultimate purpose (imagine that!).

When you think pregnancy, all you imagine are stretch marks. When you hear baby, you just see flab. To you, growing a child is a "that" - not a feminine experience. This attitude is the antithesis of all that is womanly. You may have a great body, and you certainly work to keep it that way, but you're no female role model.

More and more studies confirm the fact that the pinnacle of the female body's experience is growing and birthing a baby. It's confirmed both scientifically and certainly from personal accounts that our body's health is enhanced – our years lengthened! – via the physical experience of becoming a mom.

Jillian, you’re thirty-six years old. Hopefully before menopause, you’ll consider giving your body – and mind and soul – the gift it deserves. Don’t just keep doing your jumping jacks, denying your feminine self. Do something truly great for your body - have a baby. And after you do, I’m sure we’ll all see you again on the cover of Women’s Health Magazine, sporting a belly that is just as flat and toned as it was before – but a heckuva lot happier than it ever was.



By Mimi Hecht (Notik) More articles...  |   RSS Listing of Newest Articles by this Author

Mimi Hecht (Notik) is a young mother living in Brooklyn, New York. She is a freelance writer, with a passion for portraying the truth and humor in being a women, wife and mom.

The content on this page is copyrighted by the author, publisher and/or Chabad.org, and is produced by Chabad.org. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with the copyright policy.


Chabad.org · A Division of the Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center
In everlasting memory of Chabad.org's founder, Rabbi Yosef Y. Kazen

© 2001-2010 Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center

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Jillian, Have a Baby! A Response to Jillian Michaels

8:37 PM K.aRieL

from Chabad.org

Jillian, Have a Baby!

A Response to Jillian Michaels

By Mimi Hecht (Notik)

Celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels was quoted earlier this week telling Women’s Health Magazine that she plans to adopt instead of birthing her own children because, in her own words, “I can’t handle doing that to my body.” Appalled on behalf of mothers everywhere, I decided to write her a letter.

Dear Jillian,

You would think your decision to adopt a child so to spare your body from pregnancy wouldn't surprise me considering you're part of a high-profile, celebrity world that worships image and, moreover, that you're famous for guiding people to better bodies on the hit show The Biggest Loser. But with today's celebrities bearing more than a few children, looking great and cherishing motherhood, your comments do stand out.

You say "that" like pregnancy is some horrific, unnatural and purposeless procedure foreign to womanhoodYou say you can't handle doing "that" to your body. You say "that" like pregnancy is some horrific, unnatural and purposeless procedure foreign to womanhood. I know you're a successful gym superstar, but can you really be so vain?

No mom is going to fight the notion that bearing children takes its toll on the body. A human being comes out of you - your body changes. Duh. But, as a fitness guru, you of all people should know best the body's ability to bounce back after surgery, weight gain and certainly pregnancy. And you're obviously capable! I mean, come on, look at you – every mother would love to snap her fingers and have your body, let alone your commitment and energy for fitness.

Who are you to fear the physical ramifications of pregnancy? There's no doubt you'd be one of those super celebrity moms who strut about town showing off a flat belly days after birth. Come on, Jill (can I call you that?). You can do it. I believe in you.

Obviously, your sentiments stem from your all-consuming commitment to your perfectly trim and toned body. Your body is your career, and you don't want to sacrifice that. But as a woman, your body has a calling of its own. Everything from our wide hips to our womb within beseeches us to birth children.

But your comments are insensitive to more than your own female body, but to the countless women in the world who can't handle not doing "that" to their body; women who suffer from the painful reality of infertility. They would wreck their bodies a million times over to bare a healthy child. They would take acne and obesity any day over their childless existence. And you? You're actually willing to forego the gift of motherhood--all for a six pack you can easily rebuild post-partum. And worse, you're not afraid to admit it.

You're actually willing to forego the gift of motherhood--all for a six pack you can easily rebuild post-partumThe unabashed way you share choosing your body over baby makes me worry that your mindset is not foreign to many women in today's body-first culture. And that's scary. So I'm writing because I'm convinced I represent most mothers out there – whether beach babes or soccer moms – who love looking good, feeling healthy and still feel that birthing a baby is our body's ultimate purpose (imagine that!).

When you think pregnancy, all you imagine are stretch marks. When you hear baby, you just see flab. To you, growing a child is a "that" - not a feminine experience. This attitude is the antithesis of all that is womanly. You may have a great body, and you certainly work to keep it that way, but you're no female role model.

More and more studies confirm the fact that the pinnacle of the female body's experience is growing and birthing a baby. It's confirmed both scientifically and certainly from personal accounts that our body's health is enhanced – our years lengthened! – via the physical experience of becoming a mom.

Jillian, you’re thirty-six years old. Hopefully before menopause, you’ll consider giving your body – and mind and soul – the gift it deserves. Don’t just keep doing your jumping jacks, denying your feminine self. Do something truly great for your body - have a baby. And after you do, I’m sure we’ll all see you again on the cover of Women’s Health Magazine, sporting a belly that is just as flat and toned as it was before – but a heckuva lot happier than it ever was.



By Mimi Hecht (Notik) More articles...  |   RSS Listing of Newest Articles by this Author

Mimi Hecht (Notik) is a young mother living in Brooklyn, New York. She is a freelance writer, with a passion for portraying the truth and humor in being a women, wife and mom.

The content on this page is copyrighted by the author, publisher and/or Chabad.org, and is produced by Chabad.org. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with the copyright policy.


Chabad.org · A Division of the Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center
In everlasting memory of Chabad.org's founder, Rabbi Yosef Y. Kazen

© 2001-2010 Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center

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