RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:WHAT CRAFT SHOULD A MAN PURSUE?BEING A MUTE: JEWISH RENEWAL

 

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: WHAT CRAFT SHOULD A MAN PURSUE? BEING A MUTE: JEWISH RENEWAL

 

Jewish Spiritual Renewal: Shabbat 1/2/10: A Path of Transformation

 

The JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL class is hosted by Shamash: The Jewish Network a service of Hebrew College.

 

Shalom and happy 2010 to my beloved Talmidim, Chaverim v' Rabbanim:

May we all merit to finally know a shalom that surpasses all human comprehension.

 

This is class is for the Shabbat of January 2, 2010.

 

For those new to the class, baruch ha ba, welcome. You can access last week's class at

Rabbi Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:VAYIGASH:HAVE WE ALL NOT ONE FATHER?  or http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com/2009/12/rabbi-arthur-segaljewish_5280.html. Each class has a link taking you back to other classes. And class books can be obtained at (003) Tzadakkah Bundle - Rabbi Arthur Segal or http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc;jsessionid=34FF168A1AF58E69F7D54AF2833DEE09.qscstrfrnt03?productId=3&categoryId=1. They are being sold for 5$ less per book here, than on Amazon, etc.

 

The sages teach us "One who reflects upon his ways in this world merits and sees salvation from the Holy One, Blessed is He" (Talmud Bavli Tractate Moed Katan 5a). Honest reflection and accounting of our lives in what is called a Chesbon Ha Nefesh, (which we are studying now in Chapter Four of  (001) The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal - Rabbi Arthur Segal [also http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc?productId=1&categoryId=1 ] actually does save our lives. As we have learned in the preceding chapters, living a life that is not spiritually connected, has us at with odds with the universe and with our fellows. In fact, it has us in a continual struggle with ourselves. We cannot live a life that is happy, joyous and free.

 

Our sages further teach in Talmud Bavli Tractate Yoma 39a, "If one sanctifies himself a little, he is sanctified a great deal; if he sanctifies himself below, he is sanctified from above." This means in the context of Jewish Spiritual Renewal, that just starting the process will give you the Divine strength to continue the path. It may be daunting and to some it may seem like a waste of time. But I can assure you that I, nor our sages, have even seen a person fail who has completely followed this path.

 

There are many who are afraid to take a close look in the mirror for they fear they cannot face the truth, or worse, change it. They think God has given up on them, and worse, they have given up on God. They are angry. And they get really angry at those who have found spirituality.

 

Recently at a temple, an elderly Jewess to whom I said "Shabbat shalom,'' responded with :''If you are going to wear that rag over your shoulders, don't come to our temple...find an orthodox one!!'' She was referring to my Tallit. I smiled and said "May God continue to bless you.'' I don't hold a grudge and she isn't taking up space in my head while not paying rent.

 

The Rabbis teach :''There are people who go about life believing God is angry with them. "After all," they say, "why shouldn't He? I've abandoned Him. I've done things He doesn't like. In fact, I hardly ever think of Him any more. Why should He care about me?"  They delude themselves. At the core of their consciousness rests a spark of Him, awake and pulsating within everything they do. Indeed, that spark does not let them alone.  And from Above only love pours down, an Infinite love that does not change or interrupt. What blocks entry of that love? What holds back the spark within? Nothing more than those deluded dreams.''

 

So you see my friends, it is only our delusions, much worse than denial, that keeps us in a life of a bondage of self, a prison of ego, and makes us our own Pharaohs.

 

We have freedom of choice. I could have blasted the old lady at the Temple, or I could have responded to her derision with God's love, showing her what a life with God does for someone. I chose to access that spark of God within me, which is now an Aish ha Torah, and responded with ahavath chesed, as I would to any ill person.

 

I bring this recent event to you to truly show you what living a life of self reflection, and spirituality can do for you. No, the bull will still charge at the vegetarian, meaning just because we choose God's will to live, doesn't mean that everyone will treat us kindly. But we do not have to live a life with conflict, anger, fears or grudges or retaliation.

 

A mirror is simple. And so is a Chesbon ha Nefesh.  A mirror has no image of its own. It would not be able to reflect the image of other things if it did. A mirror is simple and so are the pieces of paper we use to do our Chesbon inventory.  

In all of us is the  Infinite Light of the Ein Sof. It is the origin of everything. God is  formless, so God enables us to reflect whatever form we choose to show Him. If we do our chesbon fearlessly, we begin to connect spiritually. When we are done, a weight is lifted from our shoulders. We celebrate. And God is dancing with us. 

 

We will learn humility. We will learn that we don't have to respond to mean comments or gossip.  "Better that a person be called a fool all his life than to be considered a wicked person even for a moment before the Omnipresent" (Talmud Bavli Tractate  Ediyot 5:6). If we come back with some clever put down we are now part of this rift:  "Scripture punishes an accomplice to transgressors like the transgressors themselves" (Talmud Bavli Tractate Makkot  1:7).

 

The Midrash states (Bamidbar Rabbah 18:3): "Take heed of the severity of strife, for when one is an accomplice to strife, the Holy One, Blessed is He, brings about his end, as it is written, regarding those who sided with Korach , 'A flame came forth from Ha Shem and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense' " (Num. 16:35).

The Sages states: "Rav said: Whoever maintains a dispute transgresses a negative commandment, as it is written, '... that he not be like Korach and his assembly ...' (Num. 17:5). Rav Asi said: Such a person is fit to be afflicted with tzaraat [leprosy]." (Talmud Bavli Tractate Sanhedrin 110a). R' Yitzchak said: Which craft should man pursue in this world? He should make himself like a mute (Talmud Bavli Tractate Chullin 89a).

So we learn to live in true shlema, integration, wholeness, shalom and serenity.

In invite you all to get a piece of paper, 8 x 11, and a pen, and read below and start your chesbon. Shake your life and limbs and spirits. Let us awake, and move off the comfortable delusion and denial that we are used to living. Only when there is chaos, tohu v'vohu, can the Spirit of God sweep over us and create a bright light in our hearts and a new world for us to live in. Do you want this today?  Do you need this today? It is yours for free. Have fun.

Let us now continue with (001) The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal - Rabbi Arthur Segal [also http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc?productId=1&categoryId=1 ] Chapter Four.

from: ''Chapter Four: The Chesbon Ha Nefesh

An Inventory of Your Soul''

First, you must learn to conquer your fears.

We all have fears, some of them so paralyzing that they stop us from enjoying life to its fullest. The first step in overcoming your fears is to realize and understand that you only go around once in life. No do-overs. No second acts. This is not an audition or a dress rehearsal; this is the big show. If you let your fears get the best of you, you're going to bomb, but if you triumph over those fears, you'll bring the house down.

 

Sadie goes to see her Rabbi and complains of her fears causing her terrible headaches. She whines, cries, and talks about fears of almost everything for hours and hours.

All of a sudden, Sadie shouts, overjoyed, "Rabbi, your holy presence has cured me! My fears are all gone! My headache is gone!"

To which the Rabbi replies, "No Sadie, the headache is not gone. I have it now."

 

The Mishna Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, 4:1 teaches: "Who is wise?  He who learns from every person." The sages, explaining the advantage of learning from others and coming up with one's own ideas, compare the bee to the spider.  Both produce something; the bee makes honey and the spider, a web. The bee's honey is sweet and delightful to eat. The spider's web? Not so sweet. Why is that?

The difference is that the bee's sweet and delicious product is a result of what it collects from others. On the other hand, the web is produced from the spider's own self and for the selfish purpose of trapping other insects.

Nobody is born with all of the answers. We all have to learn. It should never embarrass you to say, "I do not know, please teach me." In fact it is liberating. It is human. And it is the beginning of knowledge. Rabbi Akiva from circa 100 C.E., one of our greatest rabbis, sets a good example for all of us in this respect. He began his study of the Hebrew Aleph Bait when he was 40 years old.

You will remember from Chapter 3 that, in a way, everyone is your teacher. So it would follow that you are also a teacher to all with whom you come in contact and those who witness your actions. All teachers fall into one of two types: those who teach what to do, and those who teach what not to do.

Okay, let's get started with your chesbon ha nefesh gadol. Just as our chesbon in the restaurant was written down, so must yours be. So get yourself a pad of paper and a pen or pencil. Divide the piece of paper into four columns. In the first column you are going to write down all of the fears that have held you back in one way or another throughout your life.

You will probably have many fears in common with other people, as we are all human. We fear living. We fear dying. Other examples might be fear of failure, or fear of success, fear of not being loved or accepted or fear of not being good enough. Is there anything else you can think of? Write it down. Include all of your fears. Those you have now, and those you have had in the past. Take your time and be rigorously honest.

When you have finished writing down your fears, read the list to yourself. You will probably notice that most of them are irrationally based. Most fears are of issues over which you have no control. Worse yet, many of them, like a fear of not having enough money, will lead to the chet (sin) of coveting. Coveting inevitably leads to resentment and grudges. To hold a grudge is a sin, and resentment may lead you to take action against the ones you envy, leading you to further sin.

This exercise shows that fear is a process of the mind that can have ruinous consequences in your life and drive you to hurt others.

Although many of your fears are irrational, there may be a few that have rational etiology. For example, you might fear becoming poor because your parents, who lived through the Great Depression, were always talking about it. Some people develop a fear of the opposite sex because at some point they were made to feel sexually inadequate. Others fear, in the depths of their hearts, that they are just not good enough, which leads to a fear of other people whom they perceive to be superior. Jealousy ensues, as does the desire to undermine, gossip or otherwise strike out.

The most effective way for Jews to deal with fear, rational or irrational, is to believe in, have trust in, and have faith in God. If you truly do, your fears, covetous thoughts and all other by-products of your fear will be objectionable to you. You will know how to get rid of them. You will know that you can ask God to remove your fear and end the destructive behavior that it causes. He will, but you will be the one doing the work. You will learn the removal step later.

 

Solomon, while enjoying a hike through the woods, encountered a rather large, rather hungry looking bear. Frightened for his life, he ran as fast as he could to escape and managed to find a cave in which to hide.

Most unfortunately for Solomon, the bear had seen him enter the cave and followed him in. He was trapped.

Fearing that this was the end, Solomon closed his eyes and began reciting "Sh'ma Yisrael" in anticipation of his final moments. When he finished, he opened his eyes and could not believe what he saw. There was the bear, only inches away, with its eyes closed…and praying in Hebrew!

"How lucky am I to be trapped by what must be the only Jewish bear in these woods!" thought Solomon. "We're mishpocheh (family). I'm saved!"

Joyful at his good fortune, Solomon listened closely to hear the bear's prayer, "...HAMOTZI LECHEM MIN HA'ARETZ," the Jewish blessing before meals.

God willing we will continue with chapter four from (001) The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal - Rabbi Arthur Segal  or http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc;jsessionid=1AAD298F635FC0CDB0E40D45B4556F39.qscstrfrnt03?productId=1&categoryId=1 next week.

A d'var Torah for Shabbat 01/02/10 follows:

Shalom uvracha:

Rabbi Arthur Segal

www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org
Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal

www.JewishRenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA

 

Parasha Vayechi: Genesis 48:01-50:26

Rabbi Arthur Segal

Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal

www.JewishRenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal

www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org 
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA

''When I woke up this morning I could've sworn it was the Judgment Day''

This parasha ends the book of Genesis. We find our people in the Land of the Pharaohs. We find that Jacob dies at the conclusion of this Torah portion. Before his death, Jacob blesses the two sons of Joseph as well as his own twelve sons.

To Judah, Jacob said "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a scholar from among his descendents until Shiloh arrives, and his will be an assemblage of nations." (Gen 49:10 Art Scroll Edition). Other translations (Plaut) read: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, so that tribute shall come to him, and the homage of peoples be his." Still others (Hertz) read: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, as long as men come to Shiloh, and onto him shall the obedience of the peoples be." The King James version states: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes: and to Him shall be the obedience of the people."

Why are there so many translations? What has been read into this passage by so many over the centuries? What can we derive from this verse for ourselves?

In Talmud Sanhedrin, Chapter 11, the sages argue about the validity of the Messiah in Judaism, who he will be, how he will arrive, if he already arrived, and when he would arrive. One of their proof texts is this very verse. On daf (folio) 98B, Rav Shela's student interprets Shiloh as referring to the Messiah on the basis of the verse from Isaiah 18:7: "a gift (tribute) shall be offered to God," which the Midrash renders into "all nations are destined to bring a gift to Israel and the Messianic king." The word Shiloh is formed by the two Hebrew words for gift and "to him." The Ramban (Nachmonides) says that Jacob promises Judah in this verse that the kings of the Jewish people will emerge exclusively from his tribe, until the advent of the Messiah, who will rule not only over all of the Jews but of all the nations.

By the scepter not departing from Judah, Jacob is predetermining that our kings will be from the Tribe of Judah. (Of course our first king was Saul, from Benjamin's tribe). However, it set up the "divine right" of the Davidic line from the tribe of Judah to be not only our kings, but also our Exilarchs in the Diaspora in Babylon. Many of the Rosh yeshivas during the time of the writing of the Mishna traced their lineage to King David. According to Talmud Sanhedrin (daf 5A), Hillel and Judah ha Nasi were from the Davidic-Judah line.

Onkelos' Aramaic Translation of the Torah (Targum) renders "until Shiloh arrives" as "until the messiah arrives, to whom the kingdom belongs." This Torah version was written in 90 C.E. This verse is the primary Torah source for the Talmudic belief (and it was not a unanimously held rabbinic belief at the time) in a Jewish messiah. The rabbis consistently referred to it in their debates with the church leaders in the Middle Ages.

The lines that follow (Gen. 49:11-12) make allusions to the messiah as a man of peace (the Talmud says one of his names will be the prince of peace) by the symbols of the donkey and the vineyards.

We can see that this verse pushes some hot topical buttons. The Talmudic sages, living under the harsh Roman thumb in the centuries following the destruction of the second Temple and the total loss of independence of Judea, looked for hope in a redeemer. There were no new prophets. They had to work with the texts that where available to them. Their background was Pharasitic, as the Sadducees denied the oral law (Mishna-Gemorah-Talmud) as divine and did not believe in any bodily resurrection.

The rabbis in Sanhedrin grappled with these issues. They tried to justify the suffering of our people and of the martyrdom of our great sages by speaking of the world to come and of the bodily resurrection. They also debated the idea of a messianic leader to come and save us. They even agreed upon the idea, that in every generation, a great sage will be martyred and will die for the sins of those in his generation.

These rabbis were not just dealing in the time of a few Jews who were following a cult of Jesus. They were writing the Talmud up to 500 C.E. from 586 B.C.E. The sages had to contend with forces of Christianity combined with the power of Constantine's new Rome in what is now Istanbul. While the written Mishna was still being discussed from 200 to 500 C.E. in what we call the Gemorah, the Nician creed (which delineated the Trinity) went into effect less than a hundred years after Judah ha Nasi redacted the oral tradition.

We therefore can see how different people at different times translated this verse to meet their philosophical needs. The Traditionalists via the Art Scroll edition are very Moshiac oriented. Rabbi Plaut, representing the post World War Two Reform movement, set his translation up to completely mirror the Davidic line of flesh and blood kings, but to delete references to a divinely sent messiah- savior.

How does this battle for wording, translate into our lives in this third millennium?  Simply put, we as individuals need to pick up the scepter promised to us. We need to lead using honest and ethical values whether we are at home, at work, at play, or in the synagogue boardroom. We cannot stand idly by while we are needed to do justice. We need to be excellent parents and spouses. We also need to be kind and giving adult children to our own elderly. We are all the Children of Jacob, the People of Israel, and we have all taken the name of the tribe of Judah by calling ourselves Jews.

The royal staff is in our hands no matter what position we find ourselves. Let's all do our best to be the most honest and ethical we can be in what ever we do. This is what God wants from us. We all have sparks of our own savior inside each of us. Let us each vow to hold on to this scepter, and let its golden glow be a light unto others.

Shabbat Shalom:

Rabbi Arthur Segal

www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org
Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal

www.JewishRenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA
 

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RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:shalom that surpasses all human comprehension:JEWISH RENEWAL

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:shalom that surpasses all human comprehension:JEWISH RENEWAL

 

Jewish Spiritual Renewal: Shabbat 1/2/10: A Path of Transformation

 

The JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL class is hosted by Shamash: The Jewish Network a service of Hebrew College.

 

Shalom and happy 2010 to my beloved Talmidim, Chaverim v' Rabbanim:

May we all merit to finally know a shalom that surpasses all human comprehension.

 

This is class is for the Shabbat of January 2, 2010.

 

For those new to the class, baruch ha ba, welcome. You can access last week's class at

Rabbi Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:VAYIGASH:HAVE WE ALL NOT ONE FATHER?  or http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com/2009/12/rabbi-arthur-segaljewish_5280.html. Each class has a link taking you back to other classes. And class books can be obtained at (003) Tzadakkah Bundle - Rabbi Arthur Segal or http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc;jsessionid=34FF168A1AF58E69F7D54AF2833DEE09.qscstrfrnt03?productId=3&categoryId=1. They are being sold for 5$ less per book here, than on Amazon, etc.

 

The sages teach us "One who reflects upon his ways in this world merits and sees salvation from the Holy One, Blessed is He" (Talmud Bavli Tractate Moed Katan 5a). Honest reflection and accounting of our lives in what is called a Chesbon Ha Nefesh, (which we are studying now in Chapter Four of  (001) The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal - Rabbi Arthur Segal [also http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc?productId=1&categoryId=1 ] actually does save our lives. As we have learned in the preceding chapters, living a life that is not spiritually connected, has us at with odds with the universe and with our fellows. In fact, it has us in a continual struggle with ourselves. We cannot live a life that is happy, joyous and free.

 

Our sages further teach in Talmud Bavli Tractate Yoma 39a, "If one sanctifies himself a little, he is sanctified a great deal; if he sanctifies himself below, he is sanctified from above." This means in the context of Jewish Spiritual Renewal, that just starting the process will give you the Divine strength to continue the path. It may be daunting and to some it may seem like a waste of time. But I can assure you that I, nor our sages, have even seen a person fail who has completely followed this path.

 

There are many who are afraid to take a close look in the mirror for they fear they cannot face the truth, or worse, change it. They think God has given up on them, and worse, they have given up on God. They are angry. And they get really angry at those who have found spirituality.

 

Recently at a temple, an elderly Jewess to whom I said "Shabbat shalom,'' responded with :''If you are going to wear that rag over your shoulders, don't come to our temple...find an orthodox one!!'' She was referring to my Tallit. I smiled and said "May God continue to bless you.'' I don't hold a grudge and she isn't taking up space in my head while not paying rent.

 

The Rabbis teach :''There are people who go about life believing God is angry with them. "After all," they say, "why shouldn't He? I've abandoned Him. I've done things He doesn't like. In fact, I hardly ever think of Him any more. Why should He care about me?"  They delude themselves. At the core of their consciousness rests a spark of Him, awake and pulsating within everything they do. Indeed, that spark does not let them alone.  And from Above only love pours down, an Infinite love that does not change or interrupt. What blocks entry of that love? What holds back the spark within? Nothing more than those deluded dreams.''

 

So you see my friends, it is only our delusions, much worse than denial, that keeps us in a life of a bondage of self, a prison of ego, and makes us our own Pharaohs.

 

We have freedom of choice. I could have blasted the old lady at the Temple, or I could have responded to her derision with God's love, showing her what a life with God does for someone. I chose to access that spark of God within me, which is now an Aish ha Torah, and responded with ahavath chesed, as I would to any ill person.

 

I bring this recent event to you to truly show you what living a life of self reflection, and spirituality can do for you. No, the bull will still charge at the vegetarian, meaning just because we choose God's will to live, doesn't mean that everyone will treat us kindly. But we do not have to live a life with conflict, anger, fears or grudges or retaliation.

 

A mirror is simple. And so is a Chesbon ha Nefesh.  A mirror has no image of its own. It would not be able to reflect the image of other things if it did. A mirror is simple and so are the pieces of paper we use to do our Chesbon inventory.  

In all of us is the  Infinite Light of the Ein Sof. It is the origin of everything. God is  formless, so God enables us to reflect whatever form we choose to show Him. If we do our chesbon fearlessly, we begin to connect spiritually. When we are done, a weight is lifted from our shoulders. We celebrate. And God is dancing with us. 

 

We will learn humility. We will learn that we don't have to respond to mean comments or gossip.  "Better that a person be called a fool all his life than to be considered a wicked person even for a moment before the Omnipresent" (Talmud Bavli Tractate  Ediyot 5:6). If we come back with some clever put down we are now part of this rift:  "Scripture punishes an accomplice to transgressors like the transgressors themselves" (Talmud Bavli Tractate Makkot  1:7).

 

The Midrash states (Bamidbar Rabbah 18:3): "Take heed of the severity of strife, for when one is an accomplice to strife, the Holy One, Blessed is He, brings about his end, as it is written, regarding those who sided with Korach , 'A flame came forth from Ha Shem and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense' " (Num. 16:35).

The Sages states: "Rav said: Whoever maintains a dispute transgresses a negative commandment, as it is written, '... that he not be like Korach and his assembly ...' (Num. 17:5). Rav Asi said: Such a person is fit to be afflicted with tzaraat [leprosy]." (Talmud Bavli Tractate Sanhedrin 110a). R' Yitzchak said: Which craft should man pursue in this world? He should make himself like a mute (Talmud Bavli Tractate Chullin 89a).

So we learn to live in true shlema, integration, wholeness, shalom and serenity.

In invite you all to get a piece of paper, 8 x 11, and a pen, and read below and start your chesbon. Shake your life and limbs and spirits. Let us awake, and move off the comfortable delusion and denial that we are used to living. Only when there is chaos, tohu v'vohu, can the Spirit of God sweep over us and create a bright light in our hearts and a new world for us to live in. Do you want this today?  Do you need this today? It is yours for free. Have fun.

Let us now continue with (001) The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal - Rabbi Arthur Segal [also http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc?productId=1&categoryId=1 ] Chapter Four.

from: ''Chapter Four: The Chesbon Ha Nefesh

An Inventory of Your Soul''

First, you must learn to conquer your fears.

We all have fears, some of them so paralyzing that they stop us from enjoying life to its fullest. The first step in overcoming your fears is to realize and understand that you only go around once in life. No do-overs. No second acts. This is not an audition or a dress rehearsal; this is the big show. If you let your fears get the best of you, you're going to bomb, but if you triumph over those fears, you'll bring the house down.

 

Sadie goes to see her Rabbi and complains of her fears causing her terrible headaches. She whines, cries, and talks about fears of almost everything for hours and hours.

All of a sudden, Sadie shouts, overjoyed, "Rabbi, your holy presence has cured me! My fears are all gone! My headache is gone!"

To which the Rabbi replies, "No Sadie, the headache is not gone. I have it now."

 

The Mishna Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, 4:1 teaches: "Who is wise?  He who learns from every person." The sages, explaining the advantage of learning from others and coming up with one's own ideas, compare the bee to the spider.  Both produce something; the bee makes honey and the spider, a web. The bee's honey is sweet and delightful to eat. The spider's web? Not so sweet. Why is that?

The difference is that the bee's sweet and delicious product is a result of what it collects from others. On the other hand, the web is produced from the spider's own self and for the selfish purpose of trapping other insects.

Nobody is born with all of the answers. We all have to learn. It should never embarrass you to say, "I do not know, please teach me." In fact it is liberating. It is human. And it is the beginning of knowledge. Rabbi Akiva from circa 100 C.E., one of our greatest rabbis, sets a good example for all of us in this respect. He began his study of the Hebrew Aleph Bait when he was 40 years old.

You will remember from Chapter 3 that, in a way, everyone is your teacher. So it would follow that you are also a teacher to all with whom you come in contact and those who witness your actions. All teachers fall into one of two types: those who teach what to do, and those who teach what not to do.

Okay, let's get started with your chesbon ha nefesh gadol. Just as our chesbon in the restaurant was written down, so must yours be. So get yourself a pad of paper and a pen or pencil. Divide the piece of paper into four columns. In the first column you are going to write down all of the fears that have held you back in one way or another throughout your life.

You will probably have many fears in common with other people, as we are all human. We fear living. We fear dying. Other examples might be fear of failure, or fear of success, fear of not being loved or accepted or fear of not being good enough. Is there anything else you can think of? Write it down. Include all of your fears. Those you have now, and those you have had in the past. Take your time and be rigorously honest.

When you have finished writing down your fears, read the list to yourself. You will probably notice that most of them are irrationally based. Most fears are of issues over which you have no control. Worse yet, many of them, like a fear of not having enough money, will lead to the chet (sin) of coveting. Coveting inevitably leads to resentment and grudges. To hold a grudge is a sin, and resentment may lead you to take action against the ones you envy, leading you to further sin.

This exercise shows that fear is a process of the mind that can have ruinous consequences in your life and drive you to hurt others.

Although many of your fears are irrational, there may be a few that have rational etiology. For example, you might fear becoming poor because your parents, who lived through the Great Depression, were always talking about it. Some people develop a fear of the opposite sex because at some point they were made to feel sexually inadequate. Others fear, in the depths of their hearts, that they are just not good enough, which leads to a fear of other people whom they perceive to be superior. Jealousy ensues, as does the desire to undermine, gossip or otherwise strike out.

The most effective way for Jews to deal with fear, rational or irrational, is to believe in, have trust in, and have faith in God. If you truly do, your fears, covetous thoughts and all other by-products of your fear will be objectionable to you. You will know how to get rid of them. You will know that you can ask God to remove your fear and end the destructive behavior that it causes. He will, but you will be the one doing the work. You will learn the removal step later.

 

Solomon, while enjoying a hike through the woods, encountered a rather large, rather hungry looking bear. Frightened for his life, he ran as fast as he could to escape and managed to find a cave in which to hide.

Most unfortunately for Solomon, the bear had seen him enter the cave and followed him in. He was trapped.

Fearing that this was the end, Solomon closed his eyes and began reciting "Sh'ma Yisrael" in anticipation of his final moments. When he finished, he opened his eyes and could not believe what he saw. There was the bear, only inches away, with its eyes closed…and praying in Hebrew!

"How lucky am I to be trapped by what must be the only Jewish bear in these woods!" thought Solomon. "We're mishpocheh (family). I'm saved!"

Joyful at his good fortune, Solomon listened closely to hear the bear's prayer, "...HAMOTZI LECHEM MIN HA'ARETZ," the Jewish blessing before meals.

God willing we will continue with chapter four from (001) The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal - Rabbi Arthur Segal  or http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc;jsessionid=1AAD298F635FC0CDB0E40D45B4556F39.qscstrfrnt03?productId=1&categoryId=1 next week.

A d'var Torah for Shabbat 01/02/10 follows:

Shalom uvracha:

Rabbi Arthur Segal

www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org
Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal

www.JewishRenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA

 

Parasha Vayechi: Genesis 48:01-50:26

Rabbi Arthur Segal

Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal

www.JewishRenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal

www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org 
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA

''When I woke up this morning I could've sworn it was the Judgment Day''

This parasha ends the book of Genesis. We find our people in the Land of the Pharaohs. We find that Jacob dies at the conclusion of this Torah portion. Before his death, Jacob blesses the two sons of Joseph as well as his own twelve sons.

To Judah, Jacob said "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a scholar from among his descendents until Shiloh arrives, and his will be an assemblage of nations." (Gen 49:10 Art Scroll Edition). Other translations (Plaut) read: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, so that tribute shall come to him, and the homage of peoples be his." Still others (Hertz) read: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, as long as men come to Shiloh, and onto him shall the obedience of the peoples be." The King James version states: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes: and to Him shall be the obedience of the people."

Why are there so many translations? What has been read into this passage by so many over the centuries? What can we derive from this verse for ourselves?

In Talmud Sanhedrin, Chapter 11, the sages argue about the validity of the Messiah in Judaism, who he will be, how he will arrive, if he already arrived, and when he would arrive. One of their proof texts is this very verse. On daf (folio) 98B, Rav Shela's student interprets Shiloh as referring to the Messiah on the basis of the verse from Isaiah 18:7: "a gift (tribute) shall be offered to God," which the Midrash renders into "all nations are destined to bring a gift to Israel and the Messianic king." The word Shiloh is formed by the two Hebrew words for gift and "to him." The Ramban (Nachmonides) says that Jacob promises Judah in this verse that the kings of the Jewish people will emerge exclusively from his tribe, until the advent of the Messiah, who will rule not only over all of the Jews but of all the nations.

By the scepter not departing from Judah, Jacob is predetermining that our kings will be from the Tribe of Judah. (Of course our first king was Saul, from Benjamin's tribe). However, it set up the "divine right" of the Davidic line from the tribe of Judah to be not only our kings, but also our Exilarchs in the Diaspora in Babylon. Many of the Rosh yeshivas during the time of the writing of the Mishna traced their lineage to King David. According to Talmud Sanhedrin (daf 5A), Hillel and Judah ha Nasi were from the Davidic-Judah line.

Onkelos' Aramaic Translation of the Torah (Targum) renders "until Shiloh arrives" as "until the messiah arrives, to whom the kingdom belongs." This Torah version was written in 90 C.E. This verse is the primary Torah source for the Talmudic belief (and it was not a unanimously held rabbinic belief at the time) in a Jewish messiah. The rabbis consistently referred to it in their debates with the church leaders in the Middle Ages.

The lines that follow (Gen. 49:11-12) make allusions to the messiah as a man of peace (the Talmud says one of his names will be the prince of peace) by the symbols of the donkey and the vineyards.

We can see that this verse pushes some hot topical buttons. The Talmudic sages, living under the harsh Roman thumb in the centuries following the destruction of the second Temple and the total loss of independence of Judea, looked for hope in a redeemer. There were no new prophets. They had to work with the texts that where available to them. Their background was Pharasitic, as the Sadducees denied the oral law (Mishna-Gemorah-Talmud) as divine and did not believe in any bodily resurrection.

The rabbis in Sanhedrin grappled with these issues. They tried to justify the suffering of our people and of the martyrdom of our great sages by speaking of the world to come and of the bodily resurrection. They also debated the idea of a messianic leader to come and save us. They even agreed upon the idea, that in every generation, a great sage will be martyred and will die for the sins of those in his generation.

These rabbis were not just dealing in the time of a few Jews who were following a cult of Jesus. They were writing the Talmud up to 500 C.E. from 586 B.C.E. The sages had to contend with forces of Christianity combined with the power of Constantine's new Rome in what is now Istanbul. While the written Mishna was still being discussed from 200 to 500 C.E. in what we call the Gemorah, the Nician creed (which delineated the Trinity) went into effect less than a hundred years after Judah ha Nasi redacted the oral tradition.

We therefore can see how different people at different times translated this verse to meet their philosophical needs. The Traditionalists via the Art Scroll edition are very Moshiac oriented. Rabbi Plaut, representing the post World War Two Reform movement, set his translation up to completely mirror the Davidic line of flesh and blood kings, but to delete references to a divinely sent messiah- savior.

How does this battle for wording, translate into our lives in this third millennium?  Simply put, we as individuals need to pick up the scepter promised to us. We need to lead using honest and ethical values whether we are at home, at work, at play, or in the synagogue boardroom. We cannot stand idly by while we are needed to do justice. We need to be excellent parents and spouses. We also need to be kind and giving adult children to our own elderly. We are all the Children of Jacob, the People of Israel, and we have all taken the name of the tribe of Judah by calling ourselves Jews.

The royal staff is in our hands no matter what position we find ourselves. Let's all do our best to be the most honest and ethical we can be in what ever we do. This is what God wants from us. We all have sparks of our own savior inside each of us. Let us each vow to hold on to this scepter, and let its golden glow be a light unto others.

Shabbat Shalom:

Rabbi Arthur Segal

www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org
Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal

www.JewishRenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA
 

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RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH SPIRITUALITY:CHESBON HA NEFESH:RIDDING FEARS

 

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH SPIRITUALITY:CHESBON HA NEFESH:RIDDING FEARS

 

Jewish Spiritual Renewal: Shabbat 1/2/10: A Path of Transformation

 

The JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL class is hosted by Shamash: The Jewish Network a service of Hebrew College.

 

Shalom and happy 2010 to my beloved Talmidim, Chaverim v' Rabbanim:

May we all merit to finally know a shalom that surpasses all human comprehension.

 

This is class is for the Shabbat of January 2, 2010.

 

For those new to the class, baruch ha ba, welcome. You can access last week's class at

Rabbi Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:VAYIGASH:HAVE WE ALL NOT ONE FATHER?  or http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com/2009/12/rabbi-arthur-segaljewish_5280.html. Each class has a link taking you back to other classes. And class books can be obtained at (003) Tzadakkah Bundle - Rabbi Arthur Segal or http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc;jsessionid=34FF168A1AF58E69F7D54AF2833DEE09.qscstrfrnt03?productId=3&categoryId=1. They are being sold for 5$ less per book here, than on Amazon, etc.

 

The sages teach us "One who reflects upon his ways in this world merits and sees salvation from the Holy One, Blessed is He" (Talmud Bavli Tractate Moed Katan 5a). Honest reflection and accounting of our lives in what is called a Chesbon Ha Nefesh, (which we are studying now in Chapter Four of  (001) The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal - Rabbi Arthur Segal [also http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc?productId=1&categoryId=1 ] actually does save our lives. As we have learned in the preceding chapters, living a life that is not spiritually connected, has us at with odds with the universe and with our fellows. In fact, it has us in a continual struggle with ourselves. We cannot live a life that is happy, joyous and free.

 

Our sages further teach in Talmud Bavli Tractate Yoma 39a, "If one sanctifies himself a little, he is sanctified a great deal; if he sanctifies himself below, he is sanctified from above." This means in the context of Jewish Spiritual Renewal, that just starting the process will give you the Divine strength to continue the path. It may be daunting and to some it may seem like a waste of time. But I can assure you that I, nor our sages, have even seen a person fail who has completely followed this path.

 

There are many who are afraid to take a close look in the mirror for they fear they cannot face the truth, or worse, change it. They think God has given up on them, and worse, they have given up on God. They are angry. And they get really angry at those who have found spirituality.

 

Recently at a temple, an elderly Jewess to whom I said "Shabbat shalom,'' responded with :''If you are going to wear that rag over your shoulders, don't come to our temple...find an orthodox one!!'' She was referring to my Tallit. I smiled and said "May God continue to bless you.'' I don't hold a grudge and she isn't taking up space in my head while not paying rent.

 

The Rabbis teach :''There are people who go about life believing God is angry with them. "After all," they say, "why shouldn't He? I've abandoned Him. I've done things He doesn't like. In fact, I hardly ever think of Him any more. Why should He care about me?"  They delude themselves. At the core of their consciousness rests a spark of Him, awake and pulsating within everything they do. Indeed, that spark does not let them alone.  And from Above only love pours down, an Infinite love that does not change or interrupt. What blocks entry of that love? What holds back the spark within? Nothing more than those deluded dreams.''

 

So you see my friends, it is only our delusions, much worse than denial, that keeps us in a life of a bondage of self, a prison of ego, and makes us our own Pharaohs.

 

We have freedom of choice. I could have blasted the old lady at the Temple, or I could have responded to her derision with God's love, showing her what a life with God does for someone. I chose to access that spark of God within me, which is now an Aish ha Torah, and responded with ahavath chesed, as I would to any ill person.

 

I bring this recent event to you to truly show you what living a life of self reflection, and spirituality can do for you. No, the bull will still charge at the vegetarian, meaning just because we choose God's will to live, doesn't mean that everyone will treat us kindly. But we do not have to live a life with conflict, anger, fears or grudges or retaliation.

 

A mirror is simple. And so is a Chesbon ha Nefesh.  A mirror has no image of its own. It would not be able to reflect the image of other things if it did. A mirror is simple and so are the pieces of paper we use to do our Chesbon inventory.  

In all of us is the  Infinite Light of the Ein Sof. It is the origin of everything. God is  formless, so God enables us to reflect whatever form we choose to show Him. If we do our chesbon fearlessly, we begin to connect spiritually. When we are done, a weight is lifted from our shoulders. We celebrate. And God is dancing with us. 

 

We will learn humility. We will learn that we don't have to respond to mean comments or gossip.  "Better that a person be called a fool all his life than to be considered a wicked person even for a moment before the Omnipresent" (Talmud Bavli Tractate  Ediyot 5:6). If we come back with some clever put down we are now part of this rift:  "Scripture punishes an accomplice to transgressors like the transgressors themselves" (Talmud Bavli Tractate Makkot  1:7).

 

The Midrash states (Bamidbar Rabbah 18:3): "Take heed of the severity of strife, for when one is an accomplice to strife, the Holy One, Blessed is He, brings about his end, as it is written, regarding those who sided with Korach , 'A flame came forth from Ha Shem and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense' " (Num. 16:35).

The Sages states: "Rav said: Whoever maintains a dispute transgresses a negative commandment, as it is written, '... that he not be like Korach and his assembly ...' (Num. 17:5). Rav Asi said: Such a person is fit to be afflicted with tzaraat [leprosy]." (Talmud Bavli Tractate Sanhedrin 110a). R' Yitzchak said: Which craft should man pursue in this world? He should make himself like a mute (Talmud Bavli Tractate Chullin 89a).

So we learn to live in true shlema, integration, wholeness, shalom and serenity.

In invite you all to get a piece of paper, 8 x 11, and a pen, and read below and start your chesbon. Shake your life and limbs and spirits. Let us awake, and move off the comfortable delusion and denial that we are used to living. Only when there is chaos, tohu v'vohu, can the Spirit of God sweep over us and create a bright light in our hearts and a new world for us to live in. Do you want this today?  Do you need this today? It is yours for free. Have fun.

Let us now continue with (001) The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal - Rabbi Arthur Segal [also http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc?productId=1&categoryId=1 ] Chapter Four.

from: ''Chapter Four: The Chesbon Ha Nefesh

An Inventory of Your Soul''

First, you must learn to conquer your fears.

We all have fears, some of them so paralyzing that they stop us from enjoying life to its fullest. The first step in overcoming your fears is to realize and understand that you only go around once in life. No do-overs. No second acts. This is not an audition or a dress rehearsal; this is the big show. If you let your fears get the best of you, you're going to bomb, but if you triumph over those fears, you'll bring the house down.

 

Sadie goes to see her Rabbi and complains of her fears causing her terrible headaches. She whines, cries, and talks about fears of almost everything for hours and hours.

All of a sudden, Sadie shouts, overjoyed, "Rabbi, your holy presence has cured me! My fears are all gone! My headache is gone!"

To which the Rabbi replies, "No Sadie, the headache is not gone. I have it now."

 

The Mishna Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, 4:1 teaches: "Who is wise?  He who learns from every person." The sages, explaining the advantage of learning from others and coming up with one's own ideas, compare the bee to the spider.  Both produce something; the bee makes honey and the spider, a web. The bee's honey is sweet and delightful to eat. The spider's web? Not so sweet. Why is that?

The difference is that the bee's sweet and delicious product is a result of what it collects from others. On the other hand, the web is produced from the spider's own self and for the selfish purpose of trapping other insects.

Nobody is born with all of the answers. We all have to learn. It should never embarrass you to say, "I do not know, please teach me." In fact it is liberating. It is human. And it is the beginning of knowledge. Rabbi Akiva from circa 100 C.E., one of our greatest rabbis, sets a good example for all of us in this respect. He began his study of the Hebrew Aleph Bait when he was 40 years old.

You will remember from Chapter 3 that, in a way, everyone is your teacher. So it would follow that you are also a teacher to all with whom you come in contact and those who witness your actions. All teachers fall into one of two types: those who teach what to do, and those who teach what not to do.

Okay, let's get started with your chesbon ha nefesh gadol. Just as our chesbon in the restaurant was written down, so must yours be. So get yourself a pad of paper and a pen or pencil. Divide the piece of paper into four columns. In the first column you are going to write down all of the fears that have held you back in one way or another throughout your life.

You will probably have many fears in common with other people, as we are all human. We fear living. We fear dying. Other examples might be fear of failure, or fear of success, fear of not being loved or accepted or fear of not being good enough. Is there anything else you can think of? Write it down. Include all of your fears. Those you have now, and those you have had in the past. Take your time and be rigorously honest.

When you have finished writing down your fears, read the list to yourself. You will probably notice that most of them are irrationally based. Most fears are of issues over which you have no control. Worse yet, many of them, like a fear of not having enough money, will lead to the chet (sin) of coveting. Coveting inevitably leads to resentment and grudges. To hold a grudge is a sin, and resentment may lead you to take action against the ones you envy, leading you to further sin.

This exercise shows that fear is a process of the mind that can have ruinous consequences in your life and drive you to hurt others.

Although many of your fears are irrational, there may be a few that have rational etiology. For example, you might fear becoming poor because your parents, who lived through the Great Depression, were always talking about it. Some people develop a fear of the opposite sex because at some point they were made to feel sexually inadequate. Others fear, in the depths of their hearts, that they are just not good enough, which leads to a fear of other people whom they perceive to be superior. Jealousy ensues, as does the desire to undermine, gossip or otherwise strike out.

The most effective way for Jews to deal with fear, rational or irrational, is to believe in, have trust in, and have faith in God. If you truly do, your fears, covetous thoughts and all other by-products of your fear will be objectionable to you. You will know how to get rid of them. You will know that you can ask God to remove your fear and end the destructive behavior that it causes. He will, but you will be the one doing the work. You will learn the removal step later.

 

Solomon, while enjoying a hike through the woods, encountered a rather large, rather hungry looking bear. Frightened for his life, he ran as fast as he could to escape and managed to find a cave in which to hide.

Most unfortunately for Solomon, the bear had seen him enter the cave and followed him in. He was trapped.

Fearing that this was the end, Solomon closed his eyes and began reciting "Sh'ma Yisrael" in anticipation of his final moments. When he finished, he opened his eyes and could not believe what he saw. There was the bear, only inches away, with its eyes closed…and praying in Hebrew!

"How lucky am I to be trapped by what must be the only Jewish bear in these woods!" thought Solomon. "We're mishpocheh (family). I'm saved!"

Joyful at his good fortune, Solomon listened closely to hear the bear's prayer, "...HAMOTZI LECHEM MIN HA'ARETZ," the Jewish blessing before meals.

God willing we will continue with chapter four from (001) The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal - Rabbi Arthur Segal  or http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc;jsessionid=1AAD298F635FC0CDB0E40D45B4556F39.qscstrfrnt03?productId=1&categoryId=1 next week.

A d'var Torah for Shabbat 01/02/10 follows:

Shalom uvracha:

Rabbi Arthur Segal

www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org
Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal

www.JewishRenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA

 

Parasha Vayechi: Genesis 48:01-50:26

Rabbi Arthur Segal

Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal

www.JewishRenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal

www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org 
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA

''When I woke up this morning I could've sworn it was the Judgment Day''

This parasha ends the book of Genesis. We find our people in the Land of the Pharaohs. We find that Jacob dies at the conclusion of this Torah portion. Before his death, Jacob blesses the two sons of Joseph as well as his own twelve sons.

To Judah, Jacob said "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a scholar from among his descendents until Shiloh arrives, and his will be an assemblage of nations." (Gen 49:10 Art Scroll Edition). Other translations (Plaut) read: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, so that tribute shall come to him, and the homage of peoples be his." Still others (Hertz) read: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, as long as men come to Shiloh, and onto him shall the obedience of the peoples be." The King James version states: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes: and to Him shall be the obedience of the people."

Why are there so many translations? What has been read into this passage by so many over the centuries? What can we derive from this verse for ourselves?

In Talmud Sanhedrin, Chapter 11, the sages argue about the validity of the Messiah in Judaism, who he will be, how he will arrive, if he already arrived, and when he would arrive. One of their proof texts is this very verse. On daf (folio) 98B, Rav Shela's student interprets Shiloh as referring to the Messiah on the basis of the verse from Isaiah 18:7: "a gift (tribute) shall be offered to God," which the Midrash renders into "all nations are destined to bring a gift to Israel and the Messianic king." The word Shiloh is formed by the two Hebrew words for gift and "to him." The Ramban (Nachmonides) says that Jacob promises Judah in this verse that the kings of the Jewish people will emerge exclusively from his tribe, until the advent of the Messiah, who will rule not only over all of the Jews but of all the nations.

By the scepter not departing from Judah, Jacob is predetermining that our kings will be from the Tribe of Judah. (Of course our first king was Saul, from Benjamin's tribe). However, it set up the "divine right" of the Davidic line from the tribe of Judah to be not only our kings, but also our Exilarchs in the Diaspora in Babylon. Many of the Rosh yeshivas during the time of the writing of the Mishna traced their lineage to King David. According to Talmud Sanhedrin (daf 5A), Hillel and Judah ha Nasi were from the Davidic-Judah line.

Onkelos' Aramaic Translation of the Torah (Targum) renders "until Shiloh arrives" as "until the messiah arrives, to whom the kingdom belongs." This Torah version was written in 90 C.E. This verse is the primary Torah source for the Talmudic belief (and it was not a unanimously held rabbinic belief at the time) in a Jewish messiah. The rabbis consistently referred to it in their debates with the church leaders in the Middle Ages.

The lines that follow (Gen. 49:11-12) make allusions to the messiah as a man of peace (the Talmud says one of his names will be the prince of peace) by the symbols of the donkey and the vineyards.

We can see that this verse pushes some hot topical buttons. The Talmudic sages, living under the harsh Roman thumb in the centuries following the destruction of the second Temple and the total loss of independence of Judea, looked for hope in a redeemer. There were no new prophets. They had to work with the texts that where available to them. Their background was Pharasitic, as the Sadducees denied the oral law (Mishna-Gemorah-Talmud) as divine and did not believe in any bodily resurrection.

The rabbis in Sanhedrin grappled with these issues. They tried to justify the suffering of our people and of the martyrdom of our great sages by speaking of the world to come and of the bodily resurrection. They also debated the idea of a messianic leader to come and save us. They even agreed upon the idea, that in every generation, a great sage will be martyred and will die for the sins of those in his generation.

These rabbis were not just dealing in the time of a few Jews who were following a cult of Jesus. They were writing the Talmud up to 500 C.E. from 586 B.C.E. The sages had to contend with forces of Christianity combined with the power of Constantine's new Rome in what is now Istanbul. While the written Mishna was still being discussed from 200 to 500 C.E. in what we call the Gemorah, the Nician creed (which delineated the Trinity) went into effect less than a hundred years after Judah ha Nasi redacted the oral tradition.

We therefore can see how different people at different times translated this verse to meet their philosophical needs. The Traditionalists via the Art Scroll edition are very Moshiac oriented. Rabbi Plaut, representing the post World War Two Reform movement, set his translation up to completely mirror the Davidic line of flesh and blood kings, but to delete references to a divinely sent messiah- savior.

How does this battle for wording, translate into our lives in this third millennium?  Simply put, we as individuals need to pick up the scepter promised to us. We need to lead using honest and ethical values whether we are at home, at work, at play, or in the synagogue boardroom. We cannot stand idly by while we are needed to do justice. We need to be excellent parents and spouses. We also need to be kind and giving adult children to our own elderly. We are all the Children of Jacob, the People of Israel, and we have all taken the name of the tribe of Judah by calling ourselves Jews.

The royal staff is in our hands no matter what position we find ourselves. Let's all do our best to be the most honest and ethical we can be in what ever we do. This is what God wants from us. We all have sparks of our own savior inside each of us. Let us each vow to hold on to this scepter, and let its golden glow be a light unto others.

Shabbat Shalom:

Rabbi Arthur Segal

www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org
Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal

www.JewishRenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA
 

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RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:ECO-JUDAISM :CHESBON HA NEFESH:RIDDING FEARS

 

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:ECO-JUDAISM :CHESBON HA NEFESH:RIDDING FEARS

 

Jewish Spiritual Renewal: Shabbat 1/2/10: A Path of Transformation

 

The JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL class is hosted by Shamash: The Jewish Network a service of Hebrew College.

 

Shalom and happy 2010 to my beloved Talmidim, Chaverim v' Rabbanim:

May we all merit to finally know a shalom that surpasses all human comprehension.

 

This is class is for the Shabbat of January 2, 2010.

 

For those new to the class, baruch ha ba, welcome. You can access last week's class at

Rabbi Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:VAYIGASH:HAVE WE ALL NOT ONE FATHER?  or http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com/2009/12/rabbi-arthur-segaljewish_5280.html. Each class has a link taking you back to other classes. And class books can be obtained at (003) Tzadakkah Bundle - Rabbi Arthur Segal or http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc;jsessionid=34FF168A1AF58E69F7D54AF2833DEE09.qscstrfrnt03?productId=3&categoryId=1. They are being sold for 5$ less per book here, than on Amazon, etc.

 

The sages teach us "One who reflects upon his ways in this world merits and sees salvation from the Holy One, Blessed is He" (Talmud Bavli Tractate Moed Katan 5a). Honest reflection and accounting of our lives in what is called a Chesbon Ha Nefesh, (which we are studying now in Chapter Four of  (001) The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal - Rabbi Arthur Segal [also http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc?productId=1&categoryId=1 ] actually does save our lives. As we have learned in the preceding chapters, living a life that is not spiritually connected, has us at with odds with the universe and with our fellows. In fact, it has us in a continual struggle with ourselves. We cannot live a life that is happy, joyous and free.

 

Our sages further teach in Talmud Bavli Tractate Yoma 39a, "If one sanctifies himself a little, he is sanctified a great deal; if he sanctifies himself below, he is sanctified from above." This means in the context of Jewish Spiritual Renewal, that just starting the process will give you the Divine strength to continue the path. It may be daunting and to some it may seem like a waste of time. But I can assure you that I, nor our sages, have even seen a person fail who has completely followed this path.

 

There are many who are afraid to take a close look in the mirror for they fear they cannot face the truth, or worse, change it. They think God has given up on them, and worse, they have given up on God. They are angry. And they get really angry at those who have found spirituality.

 

Recently at a temple, an elderly Jewess to whom I said "Shabbat shalom,'' responded with :''If you are going to wear that rag over your shoulders, don't come to our temple...find an orthodox one!!'' She was referring to my Tallit. I smiled and said "May God continue to bless you.'' I don't hold a grudge and she isn't taking up space in my head while not paying rent.

 

The Rabbis teach :''There are people who go about life believing God is angry with them. "After all," they say, "why shouldn't He? I've abandoned Him. I've done things He doesn't like. In fact, I hardly ever think of Him any more. Why should He care about me?"  They delude themselves. At the core of their consciousness rests a spark of Him, awake and pulsating within everything they do. Indeed, that spark does not let them alone.  And from Above only love pours down, an Infinite love that does not change or interrupt. What blocks entry of that love? What holds back the spark within? Nothing more than those deluded dreams.''

 

So you see my friends, it is only our delusions, much worse than denial, that keeps us in a life of a bondage of self, a prison of ego, and makes us our own Pharaohs.

 

We have freedom of choice. I could have blasted the old lady at the Temple, or I could have responded to her derision with God's love, showing her what a life with God does for someone. I chose to access that spark of God within me, which is now an Aish ha Torah, and responded with ahavath chesed, as I would to any ill person.

 

I bring this recent event to you to truly show you what living a life of self reflection, and spirituality can do for you. No, the bull will still charge at the vegetarian, meaning just because we choose God's will to live, doesn't mean that everyone will treat us kindly. But we do not have to live a life with conflict, anger, fears or grudges or retaliation.

 

A mirror is simple. And so is a Chesbon ha Nefesh.  A mirror has no image of its own. It would not be able to reflect the image of other things if it did. A mirror is simple and so are the pieces of paper we use to do our Chesbon inventory.  

In all of us is the  Infinite Light of the Ein Sof. It is the origin of everything. God is  formless, so God enables us to reflect whatever form we choose to show Him. If we do our chesbon fearlessly, we begin to connect spiritually. When we are done, a weight is lifted from our shoulders. We celebrate. And God is dancing with us. 

 

We will learn humility. We will learn that we don't have to respond to mean comments or gossip.  "Better that a person be called a fool all his life than to be considered a wicked person even for a moment before the Omnipresent" (Talmud Bavli Tractate  Ediyot 5:6). If we come back with some clever put down we are now part of this rift:  "Scripture punishes an accomplice to transgressors like the transgressors themselves" (Talmud Bavli Tractate Makkot  1:7).

 

The Midrash states (Bamidbar Rabbah 18:3): "Take heed of the severity of strife, for when one is an accomplice to strife, the Holy One, Blessed is He, brings about his end, as it is written, regarding those who sided with Korach , 'A flame came forth from Ha Shem and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense' " (Num. 16:35).

The Sages states: "Rav said: Whoever maintains a dispute transgresses a negative commandment, as it is written, '... that he not be like Korach and his assembly ...' (Num. 17:5). Rav Asi said: Such a person is fit to be afflicted with tzaraat [leprosy]." (Talmud Bavli Tractate Sanhedrin 110a). R' Yitzchak said: Which craft should man pursue in this world? He should make himself like a mute (Talmud Bavli Tractate Chullin 89a).

So we learn to live in true shlema, integration, wholeness, shalom and serenity.

In invite you all to get a piece of paper, 8 x 11, and a pen, and read below and start your chesbon. Shake your life and limbs and spirits. Let us awake, and move off the comfortable delusion and denial that we are used to living. Only when there is chaos, tohu v'vohu, can the Spirit of God sweep over us and create a bright light in our hearts and a new world for us to live in. Do you want this today?  Do you need this today? It is yours for free. Have fun.

Let us now continue with (001) The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal - Rabbi Arthur Segal [also http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc?productId=1&categoryId=1 ] Chapter Four.

from: ''Chapter Four: The Chesbon Ha Nefesh

An Inventory of Your Soul''

First, you must learn to conquer your fears.

We all have fears, some of them so paralyzing that they stop us from enjoying life to its fullest. The first step in overcoming your fears is to realize and understand that you only go around once in life. No do-overs. No second acts. This is not an audition or a dress rehearsal; this is the big show. If you let your fears get the best of you, you're going to bomb, but if you triumph over those fears, you'll bring the house down.

 

Sadie goes to see her Rabbi and complains of her fears causing her terrible headaches. She whines, cries, and talks about fears of almost everything for hours and hours.

All of a sudden, Sadie shouts, overjoyed, "Rabbi, your holy presence has cured me! My fears are all gone! My headache is gone!"

To which the Rabbi replies, "No Sadie, the headache is not gone. I have it now."

 

The Mishna Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, 4:1 teaches: "Who is wise?  He who learns from every person." The sages, explaining the advantage of learning from others and coming up with one's own ideas, compare the bee to the spider.  Both produce something; the bee makes honey and the spider, a web. The bee's honey is sweet and delightful to eat. The spider's web? Not so sweet. Why is that?

The difference is that the bee's sweet and delicious product is a result of what it collects from others. On the other hand, the web is produced from the spider's own self and for the selfish purpose of trapping other insects.

Nobody is born with all of the answers. We all have to learn. It should never embarrass you to say, "I do not know, please teach me." In fact it is liberating. It is human. And it is the beginning of knowledge. Rabbi Akiva from circa 100 C.E., one of our greatest rabbis, sets a good example for all of us in this respect. He began his study of the Hebrew Aleph Bait when he was 40 years old.

You will remember from Chapter 3 that, in a way, everyone is your teacher. So it would follow that you are also a teacher to all with whom you come in contact and those who witness your actions. All teachers fall into one of two types: those who teach what to do, and those who teach what not to do.

Okay, let's get started with your chesbon ha nefesh gadol. Just as our chesbon in the restaurant was written down, so must yours be. So get yourself a pad of paper and a pen or pencil. Divide the piece of paper into four columns. In the first column you are going to write down all of the fears that have held you back in one way or another throughout your life.

You will probably have many fears in common with other people, as we are all human. We fear living. We fear dying. Other examples might be fear of failure, or fear of success, fear of not being loved or accepted or fear of not being good enough. Is there anything else you can think of? Write it down. Include all of your fears. Those you have now, and those you have had in the past. Take your time and be rigorously honest.

When you have finished writing down your fears, read the list to yourself. You will probably notice that most of them are irrationally based. Most fears are of issues over which you have no control. Worse yet, many of them, like a fear of not having enough money, will lead to the chet (sin) of coveting. Coveting inevitably leads to resentment and grudges. To hold a grudge is a sin, and resentment may lead you to take action against the ones you envy, leading you to further sin.

This exercise shows that fear is a process of the mind that can have ruinous consequences in your life and drive you to hurt others.

Although many of your fears are irrational, there may be a few that have rational etiology. For example, you might fear becoming poor because your parents, who lived through the Great Depression, were always talking about it. Some people develop a fear of the opposite sex because at some point they were made to feel sexually inadequate. Others fear, in the depths of their hearts, that they are just not good enough, which leads to a fear of other people whom they perceive to be superior. Jealousy ensues, as does the desire to undermine, gossip or otherwise strike out.

The most effective way for Jews to deal with fear, rational or irrational, is to believe in, have trust in, and have faith in God. If you truly do, your fears, covetous thoughts and all other by-products of your fear will be objectionable to you. You will know how to get rid of them. You will know that you can ask God to remove your fear and end the destructive behavior that it causes. He will, but you will be the one doing the work. You will learn the removal step later.

 

Solomon, while enjoying a hike through the woods, encountered a rather large, rather hungry looking bear. Frightened for his life, he ran as fast as he could to escape and managed to find a cave in which to hide.

Most unfortunately for Solomon, the bear had seen him enter the cave and followed him in. He was trapped.

Fearing that this was the end, Solomon closed his eyes and began reciting "Sh'ma Yisrael" in anticipation of his final moments. When he finished, he opened his eyes and could not believe what he saw. There was the bear, only inches away, with its eyes closed…and praying in Hebrew!

"How lucky am I to be trapped by what must be the only Jewish bear in these woods!" thought Solomon. "We're mishpocheh (family). I'm saved!"

Joyful at his good fortune, Solomon listened closely to hear the bear's prayer, "...HAMOTZI LECHEM MIN HA'ARETZ," the Jewish blessing before meals.

God willing we will continue with chapter four from (001) The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal - Rabbi Arthur Segal  or http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc;jsessionid=1AAD298F635FC0CDB0E40D45B4556F39.qscstrfrnt03?productId=1&categoryId=1 next week.

A d'var Torah for Shabbat 01/02/10 follows:

Shalom uvracha:

Rabbi Arthur Segal

www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org
Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal

www.JewishRenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA

 

Parasha Vayechi: Genesis 48:01-50:26

Rabbi Arthur Segal

Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal

www.JewishRenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal

www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org 
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA

''When I woke up this morning I could've sworn it was the Judgment Day''

This parasha ends the book of Genesis. We find our people in the Land of the Pharaohs. We find that Jacob dies at the conclusion of this Torah portion. Before his death, Jacob blesses the two sons of Joseph as well as his own twelve sons.

To Judah, Jacob said "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a scholar from among his descendents until Shiloh arrives, and his will be an assemblage of nations." (Gen 49:10 Art Scroll Edition). Other translations (Plaut) read: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, so that tribute shall come to him, and the homage of peoples be his." Still others (Hertz) read: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, as long as men come to Shiloh, and onto him shall the obedience of the peoples be." The King James version states: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes: and to Him shall be the obedience of the people."

Why are there so many translations? What has been read into this passage by so many over the centuries? What can we derive from this verse for ourselves?

In Talmud Sanhedrin, Chapter 11, the sages argue about the validity of the Messiah in Judaism, who he will be, how he will arrive, if he already arrived, and when he would arrive. One of their proof texts is this very verse. On daf (folio) 98B, Rav Shela's student interprets Shiloh as referring to the Messiah on the basis of the verse from Isaiah 18:7: "a gift (tribute) shall be offered to God," which the Midrash renders into "all nations are destined to bring a gift to Israel and the Messianic king." The word Shiloh is formed by the two Hebrew words for gift and "to him." The Ramban (Nachmonides) says that Jacob promises Judah in this verse that the kings of the Jewish people will emerge exclusively from his tribe, until the advent of the Messiah, who will rule not only over all of the Jews but of all the nations.

By the scepter not departing from Judah, Jacob is predetermining that our kings will be from the Tribe of Judah. (Of course our first king was Saul, from Benjamin's tribe). However, it set up the "divine right" of the Davidic line from the tribe of Judah to be not only our kings, but also our Exilarchs in the Diaspora in Babylon. Many of the Rosh yeshivas during the time of the writing of the Mishna traced their lineage to King David. According to Talmud Sanhedrin (daf 5A), Hillel and Judah ha Nasi were from the Davidic-Judah line.

Onkelos' Aramaic Translation of the Torah (Targum) renders "until Shiloh arrives" as "until the messiah arrives, to whom the kingdom belongs." This Torah version was written in 90 C.E. This verse is the primary Torah source for the Talmudic belief (and it was not a unanimously held rabbinic belief at the time) in a Jewish messiah. The rabbis consistently referred to it in their debates with the church leaders in the Middle Ages.

The lines that follow (Gen. 49:11-12) make allusions to the messiah as a man of peace (the Talmud says one of his names will be the prince of peace) by the symbols of the donkey and the vineyards.

We can see that this verse pushes some hot topical buttons. The Talmudic sages, living under the harsh Roman thumb in the centuries following the destruction of the second Temple and the total loss of independence of Judea, looked for hope in a redeemer. There were no new prophets. They had to work with the texts that where available to them. Their background was Pharasitic, as the Sadducees denied the oral law (Mishna-Gemorah-Talmud) as divine and did not believe in any bodily resurrection.

The rabbis in Sanhedrin grappled with these issues. They tried to justify the suffering of our people and of the martyrdom of our great sages by speaking of the world to come and of the bodily resurrection. They also debated the idea of a messianic leader to come and save us. They even agreed upon the idea, that in every generation, a great sage will be martyred and will die for the sins of those in his generation.

These rabbis were not just dealing in the time of a few Jews who were following a cult of Jesus. They were writing the Talmud up to 500 C.E. from 586 B.C.E. The sages had to contend with forces of Christianity combined with the power of Constantine's new Rome in what is now Istanbul. While the written Mishna was still being discussed from 200 to 500 C.E. in what we call the Gemorah, the Nician creed (which delineated the Trinity) went into effect less than a hundred years after Judah ha Nasi redacted the oral tradition.

We therefore can see how different people at different times translated this verse to meet their philosophical needs. The Traditionalists via the Art Scroll edition are very Moshiac oriented. Rabbi Plaut, representing the post World War Two Reform movement, set his translation up to completely mirror the Davidic line of flesh and blood kings, but to delete references to a divinely sent messiah- savior.

How does this battle for wording, translate into our lives in this third millennium?  Simply put, we as individuals need to pick up the scepter promised to us. We need to lead using honest and ethical values whether we are at home, at work, at play, or in the synagogue boardroom. We cannot stand idly by while we are needed to do justice. We need to be excellent parents and spouses. We also need to be kind and giving adult children to our own elderly. We are all the Children of Jacob, the People of Israel, and we have all taken the name of the tribe of Judah by calling ourselves Jews.

The royal staff is in our hands no matter what position we find ourselves. Let's all do our best to be the most honest and ethical we can be in what ever we do. This is what God wants from us. We all have sparks of our own savior inside each of us. Let us each vow to hold on to this scepter, and let its golden glow be a light unto others.

Shabbat Shalom:

Rabbi Arthur Segal

www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org
Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal

www.JewishRenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA
 

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