RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:GOD GAVE US BURDENS,BUT ALSO HIS SHOULDER

 

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:GOD GAVE US BURDENS,BUT ALSO HIS SHOULDER

 

Jewish Spiritual Renewal:Shabbat 3/6/10 part two:A Path of Transformation

 

Shalom my dear Chaverim, Talmidim and fellow Rabbanim:

 

In the past weeks we have learned a great deal about ourselves...our defects of character, our fears, our resentments. We have learned that living a life with we playing God, only gets us into trouble with others, and does not allow us to live a life of true happiness, simcha, and freedom. And thank God, we have learned that we hold the key to this bondage of self, this prison of Mitzraim in which that we have kept ourselves. We found this way of living objectionable, and last week, we did vidui, Jewish confession, to God and to a rabbi or another person we can trust with our confidences.

 

I was humbled and thankful to so many of you who wrote and called to allow me to hear your vidui. The honesty and humility that I saw in all of you shows how Jewish Spiritual Renewal works if we take the time to do the path to transformation. I am also actually more pleased that many of you found  a rabbi in your towns and cities, spread all over this globe, that you could trust with this Holy task.

 

Now we are ready to make permanent changes in our lives, renew our Judaism, and transform.

 

Since our class is continually growing with new members, below is a link to last week's class. And inside last week's class will be a link taking you further back.

Rabbi Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH RENEWAL :KI TISA:JEALOUSY,LUST, + GLORY KILL  or http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com/2010/02/rabbi-arthur-segal-jewish-renewal-ki.html

 

While the Talmud and so many of our texts, even the Torah, give us so many reasons why having resentments is futile, and while I usually quote rabbis, Ethics of the Fathers tells us that a wise person can learn from anyone. So: "Don't carry a grudge. While you're carrying the grudge the other guy's out dancing." Buddy Hacket

 

As we have learned living a spiritual life does not mean that life becomes a bowl of cherries. Tsorres will come to all of us. But living a spiritual life allows us to believe: "The Creator gave burdens, but also His shoulders."

We have also learned that God is not 'out there.' He is where ever we let Him into our lives, into our hearts. Living spiritually is not a destination. Its a daily path of growth. We all will stumble. We all will have self doubts. We pick ourselves up and move forward a day at a time. The rabbis teach: ''There are those who chase the infinite - and find they cannot live. There are those who chase all things finite. Their life is not worth living. Redemption is when the infinite is at home within our finite world. ''

 

Living a life of Jewish Spiritual Renewal or spirituality generally does not open doors to some tony club.  "To be a person of truth, be swayed neither by approval nor disapproval. Work at not needing approval from anyone and you will be free to be who you really are." Rebbe Nachman  of Breslov, b. 1772. As I have written as our sages long before me taught, when we are living  a life of doing our best to do what is good and just in God's eyes, and know that God loves us, the love and approval of friends and family members are icing on the cake.

 

The Seer of Lublin said that if a person is eating and stops because he does not want to appear to be over-eating in front of others present, this is akin to avodah zarah (idolatry). Siftei Tzaddikim, p. 51 #2  

 

Once, in the middle of a Passover seder, after he made Kiddush over the wine, Rebbe Hayim Meir of Vishnitz asked for water to drink. He drank such a tremendous quantity of water that it was incredible.

Rebbe Yudel of Dzhikov who was present then expressed his astonishment whenever he told this anecdote. And he said that he understood what people meant when they said that when Rebbe Hayim Meir wanted to do something, he did it, without any concern about what people would say.  There were hundreds of people at the seder who were astonished at his behavior, yet he did what he needed to do without caring what they might say about him. Zichron Yehuda, p. 139, # 9

 

Torah is many times referred to as 'water.' Living a spiritual life isn't always easy, especially when we are living in a society, even our synagogues, which at times seem more concerned about the finite and material, than the spiritual.

 

The below chapter will discuss Tashlich, asking God to remove our defects from us. This too is not an overnight process. We are used to our defects. We are used to getting angry when things do not go our way. We are used to holding grudges, and/or being jealous. We are used to saying lashon ha ra and listening to it as well. We as we learned are used to being selfish, self seeking, fearful and even emotional dishonest. But if we ask each day for God to keep these defects from us, and make an immediate teshuvah, amends, if we slip, in time, our brains will have their wiring rerouted and these defects will leave us. Remember, the Talmud Bavli Tractate Kiddushin 40b teaches:  "Once a man has been guilty of transgression and repeats it, it becomes to him like something permissible." 

 

So the below chapter, half of it, will start us on the next step on this path of transformation of Jewish Spiritual Renewal.

Remember when your yetzer ha ra starts to try to toss you off this path...your ego, your yetzer ha ra, does not want take second place in our lives. Take this path as you would any endeavor in which you wish to succeed. "If you seek it out like silver, and search for it like buried treasures, then you will comprehend the love of God and knowledge of God you will find" (Prov. 2:4-5).

 

 

Chapter Six: Tashlich - Casting away your Defects (first half of Chapter Six, from

(001) The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal - Rabbi Arthur Segal  or http://www.shop.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/product.sc;jsessionid=04521ABA1825875C1BB51B07A89CFECD.qscstrfrnt04?productId=1&categoryId=1

Finding These Defects Abhorrent To You And Asking God To Take Them From You

 

We have come to a pivotal point in your Jewish Spiritual Renewal. You now understand that living a life without God is a selfish life, putting you at odds with others and with God's universe. You have, through the process of completing your chesbon ha nefesh, an inventory of your soul, taken a hard look at your character defects including your resentments and grudges. You have learned to do vidui, confessing your sins to God and to a fellow human being.

Now it is time to ask God to help you remove these defects. We use the word "remove" as opposed to the word "destroy" because temptation will always be around you. The Talmud tells us that as we grow closer to God, our yetzer ha ra grows even stronger, that it actually chases us. God never chases us. He doesn't nag us to do good. He sent us prophets millennia ago to guide us. But since those ancient times, He doesn't advise us unless we ask Him for His Guidance. The yetzer ha ra, however, is always speaking loudly to us. We need God, through prayer and meditation, to keep us on track. We will discuss this in subsequent chapters.

 In the Talmud Bavli Tractate Sukkah 52b, Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish says: "The evil inclination overpowers a person every single day, trying to kill him. Were it not for God coming to his aid, no person would be able to win against his evil inclination." The yetzer ha ra is "the collective name for the drives and attitudes which interfere with man's search for spirituality and closeness to God." (Rabbi Aharon Feldman, The Juggler and the King, p. 21).

So how do you remove your character defects? In Judaism, the word for sin is the Hebrew "chet." It is actually an archery term meaning "to miss the mark." In life nobody is a perfect marksman who hits the bull's-eye every time. We will often miss the mark and produce chet. Our goal is to grow spiritually so that we miss the mark less or worse, and our chets become smaller and smaller.

 

Rabbi Bloom caught two of his rabbinical students gambling and drinking on Sabbath. The next day, Rabbi Bloom called them into his office and asked them what was going on. They immediately confessed to having given in to weakness and agreed that they deserved some form of punishment for their sin.

Rabbi Bloom thought a lot about this and then came up with the answer. He bought two bags of dried peas from the delicatessen and told them, "Put these in your shoes and walk on them for a week to remind yourselves how hard life can be when you turn away from God."

A few days later, the two students met each other in the street. One had a pronounced limp and had dark circles under his eyes. He looked very tired and weary. On the other hand, the other was the same as he had been before.

"Hey," said the first. "How is it that you are walking so easily? Why didn't you do as the Rabbi asked and put the peas in your shoes?"

"I did," said the other. "But I boiled them first."

 

The first step in the process of tashlich, which is asking God to help cast away and remove your defects, is to find your defects abhorrent and objectionable. It is not enough for your spouse or your friends to tell you that you are defective, or to read in the Torah or Talmud that you are breaking some rule. You have to recognize that what you are doing is bad for your own sake.

You must truly want to change. You have to firmly believe that you no longer want to be resentful. You have to recognize that you have also done wrong by the people you resent. You may resent somebody due to jealousy, for example, but you must realize that the jealousy began with you. You need to truly understand that living your life based on self and ego is not the way you want to live. You need to understand that a life full of selfishness, self-seeking, self-centeredness is not healthy for you. Your dishonesty to others and to yourself, with fears that lead you to jealousy, coveting, gossip, theft and withholding kindness and love, is not the way God wants you to live.

Without this vital step, you will follow in the footsteps of generations of Jews who have done Tashlich at the river's edge, only to carry the same grudges and character defects back up the riverbank. If you have taken a good, hard, honest look at your chesbon ha nefesh, made vidui, and do not like what you see, you are ready for the actual tashlich. This can be done anytime, not just at Rosh ha Shana.

Let's get started. You will need crackers or matzah and a Sharpie marker. You will also need to go to a body of water that has fish living in it. This will be explained shortly. Starting to sound like fun, isn't it?

First, write each defect that you have recorded in your chesbon: dishonesty, resentfulness, gossiping, etc., on a piece of the matzah. Rabbi Moses Isserles, co-author of the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish law), explains: "The deeps of the sea saw the genesis of Creation; therefore to throw bread into the sea is an appropriate tribute to the Creator to rid ourselves of sin." (Torat ha-'Olah 3:56).

 

The Tashlich Crumb List:[1]

For ordinary sins – white bread

For exotic sins - French bread

For particularly dark sins - Pumpernickel

For complex sins - multi-grain

For twisted sins – pretzels

 

The word "tashlich" means, "You will cast away."  In this context, it refers to a custom dating from at least as early as the fourteenth century, but probably much earlier, based on the last verses of the Book of Micah 7:18-20:

"Who is a God like You?  You forgive sins and overlook transgressions.

For the survivors of Your People; He does not retain His anger forever, for He loves Kindness; He will return and show us mercy, and overcome our sins.

And You will cast into the depths of the sea all their sins; You will show kindness to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, As You did promise to our fathers of old."

Consequently, Jews have for many generations gone to bodies of water and recited tashlich prayers, which consist of Psalm 130 and the verses of Micah, to symbolize our wish to get rid of our sins and to be forgiven by God.

Tashlich is preferably recited alongside a body of water containing fish, to remind us that just as the water in which they live protects the fish, we pray to God for his protection. Also, just as fish swim freely through the water, but can suddenly be caught in a net, we swim freely through life, but can become entangled in a net of sin. "As the fishes that are taken in an evil net." (Ecclesiastes 9:12). And as the fishes' eyes are always open, we pray that God will help us keep a vigilant watch over ourselves.

 

For sins of indecision - waffles

For sins committed in haste - matzah

For sins committed in less than eighteen minutes - Shmurah matzah

For sins of chutzpah - fresh bread

For substance abuse/marijuana - stoned wheat

For substance abuse/heavy drugs - poppy seed

 

The Talmud tells us that God has forgiven us for our sins when He places us in a position to commit the same sin and we resist the temptation. The purpose of the tashlich ceremony is to facilitate our desire for renewal, our desire to change, to return to God and to do the teshuvah, the amends, to people we have hurt with our defects

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[1] Rabbi Richard Israel was the author of The Tashlich Crumb List, which has been circulating around synagogues since 1999, without giving him credit. Tragically, Rabbi Israel passed in the summer of 2000, never getting the chance to see his list being used a second time. He was rabbi in Newton, MA. May his memory be for an eternal blessing. In honor of his memory, I will entertain you with segments of the Crumb List throughout this chapter.

 

Since we published the d'var Torah for March 6th's Shabbat, last week (Ki Tisa), below find some Purim Shpiels, sent by our fellow talmidim and chavera, Sharon Frant, from Adath Israel Synagogue, in Lawrenceville, NJ, a suburb of Trenton, and where in 1965, when the building was in Trenton, a chanted my Bar Mitzvah haftarah, Shabbat Parah, which falls on March 6th this year, 2010.

 

With Purim, some simple but important rabbinic mitzvoth:

 

 The Today, Thursday 2/25/10 is Tannit Esther, the fast of Esther. The day before Purim is usually observed as a fast day, called the fast of Esther.  However, when Purim falls on Sunday, as this year, and the day before Purim is Shabbat, it is not permissible to fast on Shabbat.  In this case, we observe the Fast of Esther on the Thursday before Purim, which is today.

 

There are various opinions as to the reason for this fast.  In the Megilah we read that before approaching the King on behalf of her people, Esther tells Mordechai to proclaim a three day fast for all Jews in the Capital City of Shushan.   Many are of the opinion, that this fast commemorates the fast which Esther proclaimed.

 

Other sages are of a different opinion as to the origin of this fast.  The Megilah tells us that on the 13th of Adar the Jewish people battled their enemies. 

 

Traditionally, when Jews had to fight a war they would fast and pray to God for His help.  Today's fast, Taanit Esther, on the 13th of Adar recalls the fast of the Jewish people on the day they fought their enemies. In either case, this fast is much more lenient than other fasts and can be avoided for those whom it is difficult to fast.

 

Today, at the Mincha prayer, we remember the "Machtzit HaShekel," the "half Shekel" given during the times of the Holy Temple.  Today, before the Mincha service, one will find "charity plates" in synagogue, in which to perform this mitzvah by giving three half dollars (or whatever currency in that country), or the equivalent sum.  It is preferable to give for all members of the family.  The money is then distributed for charity. 

 

 The Megillah will be read Saturday night and again Sunday morning.  Everyone -- men, women and children-- must hear the Megillah reading.  Listening to the Megillah is so important that according to Halacha (Jewish law), one should not miss even one word of the Megillah. 

 

Women are exempt from most mitzvoth which have a time factor.  Yet, the Megillah, which is read only one day a year, Purim, women are required to hear it just like men. Haman's decree was to kill every Jew - men, women and children.  Since the miracle of Purim affected women just the same as men, women are also required to hear the Megillah reading.

 

 Mordechai was involved in the story of Purim together with Esther.  Yet the Megillah  is called "Megilat Esther" - "Scroll of Esther"? The Megillah tells us that Esther's Jewish identity was originally not known, so she was not affected by Haman's decree.  In spite of this, Esther risked death, revealing her Jewish identity, to plead for her people.  Since Esther put her life in danger more than Mordechai, the Megillah is named after her. Also, Esther was the one who insisted that the story of Purim be recorded and be added to the Holy Scriptures, thus, it was named "Megilat Esther."

Give to the Needy (Matanot La'evyonim) .Concern for the needy is a year-round responsibility; but on Purim it is a special mitzvah to remember the poor. Give charity to at least two, (but preferably more) needy individuals on Purim day, February 28, 2010.

The mitzvah is best fulfilled by giving directly to the needy. If, however, you cannot find poor people, place at least two coins into a charity box. As with the other mitzvahs of Purim, even small children should fulfill this mitzvah. 

Send Food Portions to Friends (Mishloach Manot) .On Purim we emphasize the importance of Jewish unity and friendship by sending gifts of food to friends.

On Purim day, February 28, 2010, send a gift of at least two kinds of ready-to-eat foods (e.g., pastry, fruit, beverage), to at least one friend. It is preferable that the gifts are delivered via a third party. Children, in addition to sending their own gifts of food to their friends, make enthusiastic messengers.

 

Eat, Drink and be Merry . Purim should be celebrated with a special festive meal,suedah, on Purim Day, at which family and friends gather together to rejoice in the Purim spirit. It is a mitzvah to drink wine or other inebriating drinks, but do not do so, if you have an allergy to alcohol, or are in AA, NA, etc. Indian Purim Seudah (feast) : It is written that King Ahasuerus reigned from India to Ethiopia. In Hebrew, the word hodu means both India and turkey. Thus, some people eat turkey on Purim. Others eat Indian dishes. This year this would be Sunday day, Feb 28th. 2010.

 

 

 

Happy Purim and many blessings,

 

Rabbi Arthur Segal
Via Shamash Org on-line class service

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

 

1) Rabbis Debate Global Warming

 Jerusalem—A panel of nine rabbis met in Jerusalem this week to discuss the question: Is global warming permitted on Shabbat?

Four of the rabbis maintained that global warming is allowable, since it is merely warming and not cooking—an activity strictly forbidden to observant Jews on the Sabbath.

The rest of the rabbinical panel disagreed.

"Once you allow global warming," warned Rabbi Herr Splitter, "it can easily lead to boiling temperatures, and boiling is clearly forbidden on Shabbat."

Rebbe Yam Moskow insisted global warming should not be allowed even on Shabbat, as "It makes my Doppelganger in Philadelphia schvitz  like crazy during Tisha b'Av.'' Rebbe ben Eko of San Francisco  agreed. "Global warming makes my sour dough challah look like matzah.''

Asked how the problem of global warming might then be avoided, Rabbi Splitter suggested, "Find a non-Jew to warm it for you."

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2) Winter Olympics Of Rabbinic Scandals Held In Vancouver; Rabbis Held In Contempt

Prime-time scandals: A rabbi competes in the Side Curling competition at the first Winter Rabbinic Olympics in Vancouver, B"H.

 

Vancouver, B.C. --In a last-minute burst of energy, the once highly respected Rabbi Mutti Alone of Israel has captured the gold medal by setting a world record for fastest ever in the Downhill Reputation event in the first international Winter Olympics of Rabbinic Scandals.

Alone won the overall individual competition, scoring highest in Most Shocking and Disturbing Revelation of the Year – in his case for alleged abuse of boys.

Dozens of lesser-known rabbis in the US, Canada and Israel tied for second in the fiercely contested category.

Rabbi Booshaw N. Chleemaw, chairman of the inaugural games, explained that he and his colleagues around the world felt that rabbinic scandals had become "so pervasive, sophisticated and significant" in recent years that they deserved full-scale treatment through direct competition at an international event, with global media attention.

"This is proof that we've made it," Rabbi Chleemaw declared at a moving ceremony in which a track-suited rabbi, sprinting with a torch, set fire to a copy of The Ethics of the Fathers as thousands cheered.

An NBC official explained that the network was thrilled to televise the event because "rabbis in beards make for the best TV images."

Rabbi Leib Tripper of Team USA, who until last week was thought to be a shoo-in for the top gold prize, expressed disappointment at the outcome.

"I was already deciding where to put the gold trophy," he acknowledged, "either on my shtender near the Western Wall of my shul, or at home on the desk of my phone sex room.

"After all," he reasoned, "I thought to myself, `who could top a holier-than-thou rabbi like me, who once annulled a woman's conversion after learning that she wore pants, and then is – you should excuse the expression – exposed for coercing potential converts to have sex with other people.'"

Rabbi Tripper said that despite his dismay at being bested by an underdog, he was proud to be taking home top honors in the always-competitive Hypocrite of the Year Award.

Rabbi Milton "The Brooklyn Bundler Bungler" Bulkitup of Brooklyn, came in first in the High Wire Fraud competition for his bold performance last week, exhorting and extorting a wealthy businessman to give his all to several local yeshivas.

"It's a tale of the tape," he said, on learning that his conversations with a federal official had been recorded.

Another media favorite, and at 87 the oldest competitor in these winter games, Rabbi Saul Cashin, representing Syria, Persia and Team USA, took home the top honors in the less than graceful Dancing On Thin Ice competition. Although he was not the top vote getter for his performance in many categories, the rabbi from Let'sMakeADeal, NJ, finished first because he received ten percent of all the judges' votes.

"It adds up," a devotee of the press-shy rabbi noted.

Tonight's televised events include Chasidic side curling, bubbesledding, the chas v'Slalom, freestyle schnorring, cross-country schnorring, speed shtupping and men's hocking. 

 

3) Tiger Woods: "Bogey Man Loves His Niblick'

Lining up his best shot: Tiger Woods was described by one authority as "the greatest golfer ever if he could only control his putts."

 

Tiger Woods made a surprise speaking visit to a group of Jewish Golf Association Leaders to launch his new tell-all memoir about golf and carousing ("Practice Makes Perfect: 18 Holes A Day"), focusing on the front nine, the back nine, driving long, and the chip shot. 

The highest-paid professional athlete in 2008, having earned an estimated $110 million from winnings and endorsements, explained the secret to his golf success as well as his subsequent loss of endorsements, family, and reputation with one word: Putts.

"It's the secret to everything I've become," admitted Woods. "And believe me, it takes one to know one."
Months after crashing his sport utility vehicle in his driveway, leading him to acknowledge his marital infidelities and take an indefinite leave from professional golf, Woods will now embark on a 10 week speaking tour to enlighten the secret to his career in golf success.

Abe Shmendrick, an Aventura retiree and avid golf player, reflected after the Woods speech: "He'd be the best golfer ever if he could just control his putts."

Meanwhile, Woods told the golfers he has converted to Judaism, and plans to alter his sex as well.
"I'm making radical changes in my life," Woods told the group. "I'm becoming a woman and giving up golf. I'm getting rid of my club and balls."

Woods said his gender-bending operation is part of a concerted effort to show his wife how sorry he is for his marital infidelities.

Asked why he converted, Woods explained, "As a Jewish woman, I hope to work as a mikvah lady. That way I can continue to see other women, only now it'll be a mitzvah." 

 

4) Pirates Attack Kosher Cruise Ship

Searching for booty: Pirates fled Jewish singles cruise, vowed never to plunder for gelt again.

 

Somalia—On Sunday night, Somali pirates hijacked a kosher cruise ship sailing in the Caribbean Sea.
The passengers, who were held hostage for three days, were Jewish singles on a two-week pleasure cruise.

The pirates gained easy access to the ship because they boarded during Masquerade Night. Crew members assumed the hijackers were merely passengers disguised as pirates.

By Wednesday, the pirates had abandoned the vessel and returned to Somalia.

"Five of the women insisted on marrying me," said pirate Long John Silver from his home in Mogadishu. "They kept asking where my buried treasure was."

Another pirate said one female followed him everywhere aboard ship, insisting that she knew a "top New York ophthalmologist" for his eye-patch condition. "She also made

appointments with her osteopath for my wooden leg and hook hand," he added.

The pirates fled the ship after partaking in a "4-K buffet" that featured kugel, knishes, kasha, and kishke.
"Who can eat all that?" Silver exclaimed.  

 

--

oy!

HAPPY PURIM!!

Rabbi Arthur Segal
Via Shamash Org on-line class service

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