PIRQE ABOT: Rabbi Yaaqob and the game of the three lives

רבי יעקב אומר, העולם הזה דומה לפרוזדור בפני העולם הבא.

התקן עצמך בפרוזדור, כדי שתכנס לטרקלין

 

Rabbi Ya’aqob used to say that this life is like a lobby compared to the world to come. Prepare yourself in the lobby before entering into the main lounge!

When someone goes to visit an important person who is waiting, for example, in the VIP lounge of a Hotel on the seventh floor, most probably upon entering the Hotel one you will surely fix his tie, make sure his shirt is inside its pants, or if is a woman she would probably check her makeup in the mirror of the elevator and look at herself again and again to make sure she looks as presentable as possible.

This is the metaphor that rabbi Ya’aqob has chosen to visualize the relationship between this life and the next. This metaphor is a bit “tough”, mainly because it makes us think more realistically about the (desperate) brevity of our lives, which we usually realize after living for more than a few years …. Our lives are as brief as the moment that passes from the hotel lobby to the VIP lounge …  But beyond this existential reflection, the essence of this metaphor is to help us understand the reason of our existence in this world: we are here to prepare ourselves for our life after death.

I’ll try to paraphrase the words of Rabbi Ya’aqob with my own words.

We live three lives.

Life 1: in the womb.

Life 2: this life.

Life 3: life after life.

* In this progression, each life is more meaningful and richer than the other. Life 2 is richer than life 1, and life 3 richer than life 2.

* There is an insurmountable problem: from the previous life we cannot know anything about the life to come. The next life is “unimaginable”. Can you imagine a baby visualizing his or her next life, our world? All she can imagine is that the next life is a much larger placenta!

* And now let’s see what rabbi Ya’aqob says: Each of these lives is a preparation for the life to come. Life in the womb is only a preparation for our present life. We are conceived and our bodies are formed in life 1 only to be used in this life. Our nose, our eyes and our mouths have no meaning, nor practical use in the womb. These organs and virtually all of our body can only be understood and justified in terms of the next life, life 2. Similarly, our “spiritual” growth in life 2, the lobby of Yaaqob, is fully understood only in terms of our arrival to the VIP lounge, life 3.

Now, there is a fundamental difference between life 1 vis-à-vis life 2, and life 2 vis-à-vis life 3. And this is the message of Rabbi Ya’aqob. While in Life 1 our body automatically prepares itself for life 2, in life 2 our preparation is not automatic or natural: it depends completely on ourselves, on our moral decisions and on the investment we do or fail to do in our spiritual life. That is why Rabbi Ya’aqob uses the imperative: “Prepare yourself” to enter into the lounge!!! Because what is potentially tragic is that one can live life 2 without doing absolutely nothing for life 3.

(To be continued …)

 



TEHILIM # 11: when it seems that nobody is watching…

עיניו יחזו עפעפיו יבחנו בני אדם
(11:1) In this Mizmor David’s friends advise him and his family to flee. They say that the enemy is close, lurking, waiting for a chance to attack. And the best option is to “escape to the mountains like birds”. In the mountains they will be safe, because the predators cannot reach them there. But David refuses to escape. He has faith in HaShem. And says “My trust is in HaShem.” He is my refuge.
(11:2) David recognizes that his enemies “are preparing their bows and arrows to shoot him from the darkness.” Here “darkness” does not necessarily refer to physical darkness, but rather to “anonymity and secrecy”. David’s worst enemies are not those whom he must face openly in the battlefield. The most dangerous men are those who conspire against King David in secret. Those living in his own court. The traitors. Those who praise him in public, or those who are there to protect him, but are secretly planning his death.
(11:3) David recognizes that in times of danger is natural that “a righteous man would wonder what can I do against my enemies?”.  At that moment it seems that the only solution is to escape, fly-off into the mountains.
(11:4) But King David has a answer for his friends and for himself: In the earthly, visible stage, it seems that the wicked triumphs  and continues succeeding in its corrupt mission. At first glance, nothing can stop the wicked from wreaking havoc. But, David says, do not forget that “HaShem from His heavenly throne sees everything that happens in our world, and He distinguishes among men”. In other words, God distinguishes between good men and bad men, between the righteous and the corrupt. Men can pretend loyalty or fake piety in front of other men. But unlike human eyes which can be fooled by trickery, lies and duplicity, “HaShem’s sight penetrates the hearts of men.” He, and He alone, knows the truth. He knows what we feel, think and plan.
(11:5) And then, there is more. God is not a passive observer. A spectator. “HaShem loves the righteous”, and somehow He protects them. “HaShem does not tolerate (and actually hates) the man who seeks corruption and violence”, and somehow, eventually, will punish him.
(11:6) We saw what HaShem did to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, epitome of immorality and injustice, He “destroyed them with fire and brimstone.” HaShem does not practice impunity. He will not leave unpunished the injustice of the wicked.
(11:7) ” HaShem loves the right causes, and He protects those who turn their eyes towards Him.” “Turning the eye, looking to HaShem” does not refers here to prayer, to the men who raise their eyes to beseech God in times of need. It refers above all to the righteous. And how does David define a righteous person? Righteous are those who consider, before they act, if what they are about to do is right or wrong “in the eyes of God”. The righteous are those men and women who have a full and permanent awareness that God is watching us. The righteous who “look up to God”, striving to live a life which is worthy and rightful in the eyes of God.


Giving the benefit of the doubt…when we should not

Yesterday we explained that giving the benefit of the doubt is one of the 613 commandments of the Tora. We also explored the benefits of judging others with kindness: achieving a state of inner peace; living in harmony with those around us, and knowing that, as our Sages assert, God judges me and will judge me using the same yardstick I used to  judge others.

But, is giving the benefit of the doubt an absolute value?

The Tora teaches us that we must judge the average man as we would judge the man of absolute integrity: in an ambiguous situation, in a case where I don’t have all the information at hand, I should give the average man some credit and judge him positively. However, the Tora also tells us that there are exceptions to this rule. In fact, the Tora states that we can not and should not judge the rasha’ (the wicked), the person who has a negative immoral record, with the benefit of the doubt. That would be dangerous. If I give the benefit of the doubt to the rasha’, instead of being a good person I will be crossing the line into being a naive, virtually reckless, person.

The example I will present to the reader has to do with international politics. Simply because I found it easier to explain this profound concept with such example. Besides, the reader will appreciate that the principles of the Tora, in this case the limitations of “the benefit of the doubt”, are suitable and applicable also beyond our private lives.

Let us talk about Iran.

Iran wants to make a deal with the United States and a few other world powers. Iran declares that its nuclear plants will be used for peaceful purposes. The are some doubts about Iran’s real intentions. The question is whether the US should grant Iran the benefit of the doubt and trust that Iran will actually keep its word.

The Tora tells us unequivocally that we should not grant the benefit of the doubt to those who have a negative record.

Let us examine the case of Iran in light of this criteria.

1. Currently, Iran is anything but a peaceful country.  At this time, as explained by the Israeli news agency Debka (see this), Iran is involved in four simultaneous wars, and none of them is a war of defense. These are all wars in which Iran chooses to get involved to extend its influence in the region. Iran is involved in the Lebanon war, in the war in Syria, in the war in Iraq, and most recently in the war in Yemen. All these wars have a very high cost in human lives!

2. As explained by the Prime Minister of Israel, Iran is behind numberless terrorist attacks, among them the bombing of the AMIA in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

3. Iran has stated on numerous occasions that it wants to wipe Israel off the map, and Iran never backed down from this threat.

We can give many more examples, but I think with this record it’s sufficient to establish a pattern and to assert that giving Iran the benefit of the doubt would be reckless and dangerous. In cases like this the Tora tells me NOT to give the benefit of the doubt.

Now, is the wicked doomed forever to be judged unfavorably? Could we ever judge the bad guy in a favorable light? If an individual, or in this case a country, changes and improves, not only with words but mainly with deeds, then we should reconsider it.

Let’s continue with the example of Iran:

Imagine Iran would declare today: “We want to use our nuclear plants for peaceful purposes.” And immediately gets rid of all nuclear weapons it has already accumulated. Then Iran ends its involvement in the wars with its neighbors. Not only that, Iran also admits its responsibility in the AMIA bombing, apologizes and offers a compensation to the families of the victims. And as if that were not enough, Iran retracts from its threats against Israel and offers to open its embassy in Jerusalem.

A series of actions in the right direction would change the status quo of a person, an institution or a country. But until that happens, giving the benefit of the doubt in a case like this is nothing but suicidal.

In conclusion: Judging the benefit of the doubt demands moral clarity. The clarity needed to identify evil, violence and injustice.

 

SHABBAT SHALOM

 

Candlelighting in NYC     7:32 pm

Shabbat ends in NYC        8:33 pm



PIRQE ABOT: Giving the benefit of the doubt, unlimited

והוי דן את כל האדם לכף זכות

 

 

“Yehoshua ben Perahia used to say, make for yourself a teacher, invest in a friend, and judge others with the benefit of the doubt.“

 

Giving others the benefit of the doubt is a Mitsva of the Tora. Where does this Mitzva appear? In the book of Vayiqra 19:15 it says: betsedeq tishpot ‘ amitekha, “With righteousness you shall  judge your neighbor.”
This is how our Hakhamim  explained this Mitsva:

 

There are 3 categories of people: the righteous man, the evil man and the average man.
The  righteous or tsadiq is the person with an impeccable record of good deeds. Those who are more angels than human. Not many. Perhaps, they are 5% of the population. perhaps less. On the other extreme we have the resha’im, or wicked, selfish individuals with a record of immoral deeds. Perhaps they are  5% of the total population (the book “The sociopath next door,”  says that sociopaths are 4% of the population) perhaps more.  And then we have the average guy, people like you and me. Individuals who usually have noble intentions. People who do good things, but also wrong things. Sometimes act selfishly and sometimes altruistically. This is 90% of the population.

The Torah says three things:

1. You have to judge the righteous man, the tsadiq , indulgently. Even when you perceive a suspicious situation, while not having all the incriminatory evidence before you, you shall judge the righteous man with the benefit of the doubt.

2. The bad guy o rasha’ . This is the person with a proven record of acting immoraly and in bad faith You can not give this person the benefit of the doubt while he does not repent or improves his deeds. You must be suspicious, even when it seems he wants to do something noble (more on this point, BH tomorrow).

3. And what about the average man? The incredible novelty of the Tora is that it tells you: JUDGE THE AVERAGE PERSON ASYOU JUDGE THE TSADIQ,, THE RIGHTEOUS PERSON. Give the average person the benefit of the doubt, unless otherwise proven. In other words, this Mitsva, “with justice you shall judge your neighbor” could be read as saying: “judge your neighbor (=the average man) as you would judge the righteous man (the tsadiq)”. Thus, according to the Torah, we must judge leniently virtually everyone!

Giving the benefit of the doubt has its great benefits.

Here’s why.

LESHON HARA: When we speak ill of others (leshon hara’), many times we just echo what we have heard about other people, without even knowing if that is true or false. If we learn to judge others with the benefit of the doubt, we will avoid repeating these type of gossip, or even better, we will not give credit to the negative things we hear about that person. If we internalize this principle we will avoid many types of leshon hara’.

BAMIDDA SHEADAM MODED … “With the same yardstick that we judge others, we will be judged by Heaven.” How do we want to be judged by God, after 120 years? Do we expect Him to judge us harshly or leniently? Surely we want the Heavenly Court to find mitigating factors that will excuse our many mistakes. We want to be judged with kindness and understanding. Well, I have good news! The Hakhamim explain that God will judge us using the same yardstick we use to judge others. If we learn to judge others with kindness and benevolence, so will God judge us. I should add that not only God judges us as we judge others: usually our gestures and attitudes are reflected and imitated by the people around us, our co-workers, friends, and family. If you want to be judged by other with indulgence, if you do not want people to rush and condemn you before having all the information at hand, then learn to give others the benefit of the doubt.

The way we are judged by people, mirrors the way we judge them. 

(To be continued …)

 



PIRQE ABOT: Understanding the concept of benefit of the doubt

והוי דן את כל האדם לכף זכות

“Yehoshua ben Perahia used to say, make for yourself a teacher, invest in a friend, and judge others with the benefit of the doubt.“

Judging with the benefit of the doubt is, first of all, one of the 613 commandments of the Tora. And it can also be considered as one of the most important elements of Jewish morality.

This principle should be analyzed in depth and with patience. Therefore, we will devote to it more than one entry, to explore it and understand it well.

First, we will define this concept as reflected in PIRQUE ABOT and give some examples of it. Second, B’H tomorrow, we will see where and how it appears in the Tora. And third, we will explore the exceptions to the rule, that is, under what circumstances we should not give the benefit of the doubt.

Giving the benefit of the doubt means that when I do not know the whole scenario, or all the circumstances surrounding an action that seems to be wrong, I should not rush to judge that act or the person involved in it, negatively. Rather, I should try to find in my mind mitigating factors, possible or hypothetical reasons or scenarios that would justify this action that seems to be wrong.

Example: I have a date or a meeting with someone, and he or she is late. There are two possible ways to react to this event, before knowing the facts. One, I judge this person negatively and think of him or her as careless, negligent and irresponsible. The second option is thinking within myself that most probably he is late because of something beyond his control. Probably, he was stuck in traffic, or she cannot find parking, etc. This is to judge giving the benefit of the doubt.

At this point, we don’t really care what the real reason for that person’s delay was. We are not in a fact-finding mission. We are now analyzing my initial reaction, my character, to determine if I judge others in a critical way, or with the benefit of the doubt.

Unfortunately, we are not “programmed”  to give the benefit of the doubt. In general, we tend to judge others by their actions, while we judge ourselves by our intentions. It seems that our western culture educated us to be rather suspicious. The Tora, however, invites us to change this attitude, to “re-program ourselves” and judge others with indulgence.

Another example: I’m giving a speech and at the end of the hall I see a familiar face talking nonstop with another person, probably a guest. At the end of my speech I approach my friend to reproach him for his bad behavior, but before I could utter a word he says, “Hi rabbi, I want to introduce you to  my cousin Gerard, from Paris. I was translating to him your speech, and he loved it” .

From my pulpit and from my judging standpoint, I only saw two people talking, undermining my lecture, and the first thing that crossed my mind is that these were two inconsiderate individuals…   I did not judge them with the benefit of the doubt.

Judging with the benefit of the doubt, in Hebrew לשפוט לכף זכות, is the ability to develop a positive, trusting disposition towards people. It is NOT a method to find the truth, but a Mitsva and an attitude to achieve and maintain inner peace.

(To be continued ...)



PIRQE ABOT: Who wants to be a Hasid?

כי ידוע הוא שהמעלה הגדולה אשר אין אחריה מעלה היא שיהיה האדם טוב לשמים וטוב לבריות

מגן אבות לרשב”ץ, הקדמה

Rabbi Shimon Duran (Rashbets, 1361-1444) explains in his commentary to Pirqe Abot that the reason we study this treatise of the Mishna before Shabuot is to reach the level of “Hasid”. “Hasid” is usually translated by pious, or devoted Jew. Or more popularly as “ultra-religious”. Let’s see now how Rabbi Duran understood the concept of “Hasid” 600 years ago.

The Hasid stands at a level above that of the Tsadiq, the righteous man. Rabbi Duran  quotes the Gemara in Qiddushin 40a that says that a person could be a  “non-righteous tsadiq” . For instance, if someone is very meticulous in his relationship with God, but does not behave well towards people, or vice versa. Rabbi Duran explains that “the highest level of religious observance, above which there is no other level,  is when a Yehudi is simultaneously good to HaShem and good to other people.” If one of these two dimensions does not exist, religious observance is incomplete. The Hasid is the Yehudi who observes the commandments toward God, and he also behaves correctly, with love and concern for others. This idea is based on two texts of the Gemara where the concept of “Hasid” appears.

 In the Gemara Berakhot the Rabbis said that the “First Hasidim” (that is, the epitome of the role model individuals of the Jewish people) use to pray for three hours, three times a day. In other words, they spent most of the day praying to God. From here we see that one can not be a Hasid if he or she does not maintain a deep and close relationship with HaShem.

On the other hand,  another Gemara mentions the Hasidim Rishonim, those who were praying nine hours per day, in a different scene, as  role models of a strict  moral behavior. The example that the Gemara brings is incredibly modern. These Hasidim,  the Gemara in Baba Qama 30a says,  were very careful in the way they disposed of their garbage. If they had to get rid of broken glass or thorny branches, they would dig a hole three feet deep and threw this type of garbage there, so that no damage would occur to anyone, not even to someone who years later would be plowing that parcel of land.

 This selfless love for people, which translates into the desire to avoid causing harm to others, is what earned them the name of Hasidim (remember that the word “Hasid” comes from “Hesed”, which means “kindness”, “doing good deeds for other people”).

In this way,  rabbi Duran says, the Gemara gives us a complete and full picture of what it means to be a “Hasid” . On the one hand, whoever wants to be a Hasid must build and maintain a very close connection with HaShem. And on the other hand, he or she must love people and be very careful in dealing with others, doing everything in his power to help and to avoid causing harm to another human being, directly or indirectly.

Rabbi Duran now concludes: Why studying Pirqe About as a preparation for receiving the Tora? Because this Mishna contains the words of the Rabbis as to how to become a Hasid, in other words, how to be a good Jew with God and with our neighbor.



Rabbi Yehuda Moscato (1530-1593) and the Cuzary

Rabbi Yehuda Moscato was born in Osimo, Italy in 1530. He was a rabbi a poet, and a philosopher. He left Osimo in 1555 and went to Mantua  (Montova) when the situation of the Jews there worsened under the pope Paul IV. In Mantua he had the instruction of the foremost Jews of his time, the brothers Moshe, David, and Yehuda Provençal and Azaria de Rossi. In 1587 he became chief rabbi of Mantua.
Rabbi Moscato was educated in all areas of knowledge. As many of his contemporaries, he believed that Jews should learn liberal arts and sciences because all knowledge derives from Tora knowledge.   In terms of Jewish thought he followed the greatest Jewish Philosophers, rabbi Yehuda haLevy and Maimonides.
Rabbi Moscato also wrote poetry.  Especially “elegies” (funerary poetry) on the deaths of friends and scholars, including one poem on the death of Rabbi Yosef Caro (1585).
We know of two books published by rabbi Moscato. The first one is Nefutsot Yehuda. This book was composed in Mantua and published in Venice in 1589. It is a collection of  fifty-two sermons which takes the subject of Jewish festivals as a platform for addressing issues in philosophy, theology, ethics, history, and other subjects that were relevant for the speaker and for his audience. These sermons were delivered in Hebrew and Italian.
Illustration: Sermon eleven is entitled: “What should a man do to live rightly in this world and to inherit the world to come?”  ( מה יעשה האדם ויחיה בזה ובבא ). The sermon is build around the Psalm 15 of the book of Tehilim.  Rabbi Moscato explains that this Psalm could be divided thematically into three subjects: the obligations of man toward God, the obligations of man toward men, and the obligations of man toward himself.
Rabbi Moscato shows that also the Ten commandments are divided into these three categories, as expressed in man’s actions, speech and thoughts.
The book Nefutsot Yehuda was translated into English by Gianfraco Milet and Giusepe Veltri and it can be found in Google books, see   here
The Second important book Rabbi moscato wrote is Qol Yehuda, the first and the most popular commentary of the book “The Cuzari” , by rabbi Yehuda haLevi.
One interesting point brought by rabbi Moscato is the historicity of the Cuzari, in other words, the assertion that the dialogues and debates between a Jewish sage, the “haber” Rabbi Yitshak haSangari, and the King of the Khazars was a real and historical event, and not a literary fiction of Rabbi Yehuda haLevi.
“ Should it not be believed that the great and awe-inspiring story which is the basis and essence of this book [The Cuzari by Yehuda HaLevi] is true and really happened? If that were not so, why would the author of the book lie? For he wrote in the beginning of his book: ‘As it has been recorded and known from historical works.’ He repeated that in the introduction to the second part of his book: ‘This is what happened afterwards with regard to the Kuzari, as it is known in the books of Khazaria.”
Today is accepted even by secular historians that the events narrated in the Cuzari took place in the eight century, in the times of the King Bulan. And that the Khazars, or at least a notable segments of its aristocracy, converted to Judaism.
Rabbi Yehuda Moscato died in Montova Italy in 1593.To download the book Nefutsot Yehuda follow this link



YOM HAZIKARON: 23,320 z’l

Israel Independence Day, YOM HA’ATZMAUT, will begin BH tonight. It celebrates the anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 (5708), 67 years ago.

Today, one day before the great celebration, we commemorate YOM HAZIKARON, a day devoted to honor the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the establishment of the State of Israel and its continued existence.

They are Israel’s heroes. “The silver platter” on which the State of Israel was given to us. As Rabbi Melamed says: These soldiers, most of them very young men, sacrificed all for having our land, where we will fulfill our biggest dream, that all of AM ISRAEL will be back in its land, serving HaShem. The state we have, is becuase of them.  The children raised in Israel, is for their merit. The Tora studied in Israel, for their merit.  We should be inspired by their devotion sacrifice, and dedicate our lifes to sanctify God’s name (leqaddesh shem shamayim).

Today in Israel tens of thousands of people attend the local cemeteries to mourn their children, grandchildren, parents, siblings, spouses and friends. We honor 23.320 soldiers and victims of terror, who fell on the wars of Israel, from the Independence war in 1948 until today.

In the morning, at 11.00 am, a siren sounds across the country. Everyone and everything stops for two minutes: people, cars, businesses, public transportation, etc. honoring the memory of the fallen heroes. Many Israelis would spend the day at home watching on the Israeli National TV the short clips prepared especially for the occasion, in which they show the lives, the bravery and the heroism, particularly of the soldiers and victims of terror who were murdered this year.

Please, light a candle in their memory.

 

May HaShem treasure the souls of the fallen soldiers in Gan Eden.

 

May HaShem protect our soldiers and shield them from the hands of our enemies.   

 

May HaShem bring everlasting peace to Medinat Israel. AMEN

 

 



What do we celebrate in Yom HaAtsmaut?

אם-יִהְיֶה נִדַּחֲךָ, בִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמָיִם מִשָּׁם, יְקַבֶּצְךָ ה ‘אֱלֹהֶיךָ, וּמִשָּׁם, יִקָּחֶךָ. וֶהֱבִיאֲךָ ה ‘אֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר-יָרְשׁוּ אֲבֹתֶיךָ וִירִשְׁתָּהּ; וְהֵיטִבְךָ וְהִרְבְּךָ, מֵאֲבֹתֶיךָ

  4 ‘דברים ל

The Tora speaks of reward and punishment for the mitsvot we do or fail to do. There are penalties established for individuals and collective punishments, which affect the entire Jewish people. The most severe collective punishment that the Tora stipulates for the rebellion of Israel is “exile”. So says, for example, Debarim 28: 64-65 “And then [if Israel abandons my Tora] HaShem will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other …. among those nations you will not find peace or a resting place … You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life … “.

But just as the Tora predicted the rebellion of Am Israel and the horrors of the exile, it also predicted the reconciliation and the return of Israel to their land (qibbuts galuiyot).

In chapter 30 of the book of Debarim (Deut.) This process is explicitly described. Let’s analyze it verse by verse.

In the previous chapter, as we said, the Tora states that if the people of Israel leave the Tora they will be taken into exile and live oppressed and persecuted by the nations. Now, the Tora says that a new thought will awake within the Jew.

30:1 “And when all these [bad] things will happen to you (= exile, persecution, suffering) … and you would reflect in your heart, while you are among the nations where HaShem your God has led you … “. This pasuq describes the beginning of Teshuba, our return to HaShem. This reconciliation begins with us. First, with a new way of thinking. Understanding that all the suffering, the bad things that happened to the nation of Israel, was predicted by the Tora thousands of years ago. Thereore,  and this is the “new” thinking, if leaving HaShem has caused all this suffering, if we return to Him, our exile and tribuations will end. This thought should awake a feeling: feeling closer to Hashem, realizing that He loves us as a father loves his children.

This is what the next pasuq says

30:2 “And then you woud come closer to HaShem your God and obey his voice,  all I’m commanding you this day, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul.” These thoughts and feelings must be translated into actions: observing the Tora, our covenant with HaShem. In a way, by observing the mitzvot the individual Jew is “resetting” the dormant covenant with HaShem, reactivating it.

Once we take the first step, it is the turn of HaShem. The greatest miracle is about to be detailed:

30:3 “And then [when this happens] HaShem your God will bring you back from among the captives (= the Jews who were exiled among all the nations of the earth), and He will have compassion on you, and He will gather you from all the peoples where HaShem your God has scattered you. “

HaShem’s response to our Teshuba is qibbuts galuiyot, ending our exile, bringing us back from all the nations of the earth to our own land.

Thus says the following pasuq

30:4 “Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens,  from there HaShem your God will gather you and bring you back  [to your land].”

 

No matter how far we are. HaShem will bring us back from exile. And would He take us?

30: 5 “HaShem your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors.”

The process of returning to the land of Israel is taking place today. More and more Jews return to the land that Hashem granted to our parents. Israel is a very prosperous country, more porsperous than ever, and the number of Yehudim living there has never been higher. No doubt there is still much to do and improve, but the fact is that our collective reconciliation but HaShem has begun. We are probably the most privileged generation of all Jewish history. We are living this ancient and beautiful prophecy. Moreover,  we ARE that prophecy.



Learning the details of Sefirat hOmer

esterday we explained that the counting of the days of ‘omer connects the Holiday of Pesah, the commemoration of our physical freedom, with Shabu’ot, the day we received the Tora and we attained our “mental” freedom.

 

Following, a brief summary of the basic laws of Sefirat ha’omer.
WHO?
Counting the days of ‘omer is  mandatory for adult males. Women can also count the days but they should not recite the blessing. In some Ashkenazi communities it is customary for women to say the Berakha for counting the ‘omer. Children can count the ‘omer and  recite the blessing, as a training for the future (hinukh).
HOW?
The counting of the ‘omer takes place at night and it is preceded by the blessing: ... asher qiddeshanu bemitsvotav vetsivanu ‘al sefirat ha’omer. Then we proceed to count the days and the weeks. Today, for example, is the tenth day of the ‘omer, that is, one week and three days since the ‘omer.
WHAT IF…?
If we forget to count the ‘omer at night we can still count it during the next day until sunset. But only when we count at night we recite the proper blessing. If we miss one entire day, and we did not count the ‘omer during that night or the following day, we should continue counting, but in the opinion of most contemporary rabbis, Sephardim and Ashkenazim, we should not recite the blessing anymore.
It is customary in most communities to announce the day of the ‘omer in the morning Minyanim, so no one misses one entire day.
WHEN?
The days of the ‘omer are counted at night. Because for us Jews, the new day starts at night. Now, at what precise moment the new day starts and at what time the previous day ends is a complicated technical Halakhic matter.
Very briefly: there are two possible astronomic indicators for the new day. “Sunset”, when the sun disappears from sight, and “nightfall”, which is marked by the visibility of three medium size stars in the sky. All Rabbis agree that before sunset it is still considered day # 1, and most Rabbis agree that after three medium stars are visible it is considered day #2.  The time in between sunset and the appearance of the three stars is known as “twilight” or in Hebrew, “ben hashemashot”. This time-period can fluctuate between 13 ½ minutes (for example in Israel or in other areas closer to the equator line) and 3 hours or more in extreme southern or northern locations. In New York area, Brooklyn, Long Island, Manhattan, etc., the length of this time is approximately 30 minutes (it also varies in different seasons). According to a very famous Gemara day #1 ends and day # 2 begins at an unknown, unidentifiable brief instant within this “twilight zone”. Now, what do we do in practical terms when we need to perform a Mitsva which needs to take into account the beginning of a new day? Regarding Shabbat, for example, we take the strictest stand by receiving Shabbat always a few minutes before sunset, and ending Shabbat only after three medium stars are visible.
For the Omer, ideally one should count the ‘omer only after nightfall. In many  Sephardic communities in America however, the rabbis would authorize to count the ‘omer 15 minutes after sunset (thus says rabbi Eliyahu ben Hayim, for example). In exceptional circumstances Rabbis would authorize to count with berakha earlier, but never before sunset.
Every individual should follow the customs of his or her own community.
TO READ ABOUT THE TRADITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS OF THE DAYS OMER SEE THIS