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• Why should I keep Shabbat?

  Jul 23, 2020 Admin 0 Comments

  Shabbat or Shabbos... we heard it so many times, some heard it since birth if they were born into religious home, while others heard it from a friend, on a lecture or read an article about it later on in their life. This is the only question that is being asked most of the time, whether one observes Sabbath... when one is about to be hired, looking for a shidduch or some other important matter, but what is it? Why such importance is placed on this one day of the week? There are books and books written on this subject and if you search the Internet, there are literally thousands of lectures on importance of keeping Shabbat and its laws. So let's look into it closely, maybe we can understand it better...
  
  The first time we see the mention of Shabbat is when Moshe Rabbeinu received the Ten Commandments. G-d said: "Remember Shabbat day and keep it Holy". 
  
  So, what Shabbat is all about?
  
  A person is not allowed to do the 39 melachot or types of work on Shabbat, according to the Mishkan's activities with which they are associated.
  
  The commandment of Shabbat is a sign between us and Hashem for generations to come, when one day of the week we unplug ourselves from mundane, and plug ourselves or shall I say flood our life with holy energy of Shabbat for one day of the week that lasts until the next week Shabbat comes around. 
  
  But I believe there's more to it, so please allow me to offer my explanation.
  
  When woman lights the Shabbat candles, the Shabbat starts. Men go to shule for prayers, the table is set and everyone is in great mood. This is when the table is set with beautiful tablecloth, and set with fine silverware. The feeling of holiness is in the air. The food is extra delicious, there are more dishes taken out and in overall it feels extra special. Kids are sitting around the table, everyone singing, talking the words of Torah and simply enjoying each other's company. There's a feeling of harmony, and oneness in the family, love and comradery. This is the time when the family bonds and the ties of love between all the members of the family become stronger.
  
  Suddenly, one member of the family gets up from the table and sits on the sofa, reaches out for the remote control and turns on the TV...and BOOM - all the magic suddenly disappears, the harsh reality of mundane sets in, the voices of the people sitting at the table become louder and louder, the situation switches from the holy to everyday and the feeling of holiness and harmony of Shabbat is no longer there.
  
  This is how Shabbat is broken. The Holy Books bring some of the harshest punishments to the one that breaks Shabbat, but why go to such extremity? Why is G-d so harsh with the one that breaks Shabbat?
  
  To answer the question above, we need to look into one incident in the Torah, and hopefully we will be able to look at this with different set of eyes.
  
  In Sefer Bereshit, G-d created Heaven and Earth, then He created animals, trees, birds, man and everything else to support His creation in the livable conditions, after each day or work He said that - It Was Good - and indeed it was. Everything was simply beautiful, the sky with the birds flying around singing and enjoying life, the land with its animals and greenery, oceans with its creatures and above all there are were Adam with his wife Chava - everything in the Garden of Eden was in harmony and was simply beautiful.
  
  Suddenly, the Snake comes over to Chava and while Adam was not around, talks her into eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, which she does and then she makes Adam to do the same. And for this, everyone involved were punished. G-d cursed Adam, Chava and a Snake with the harshest curses for breaking His word.
  
  Since Adam and Chava ate from the Tree of Knowledge, their view of the world has changed in an instant. But more then that, something else has been changed or shall I say got broken. The efforts that G-d put in to create that perfect world that can coexist with its flora and fauna - its harmony and its magic was broken, evaporated, gone and simply faded.
  
  Murder, rivalry, death, hardships, competition, diseases and more were introduced into the world. We are plagued by this till today and the whole world suffers. Turn on any media outlet and the negative news floods the minds of millions of people daily trying to sway them from spiritual truth and pursuits, we drowning in the lies and it seems that there's no way out. Go out into any social setting, and you'll see lies, slander, murder, and anything bad you can think of is done either openly or stealthily.
  
  But I believe there's more to the curse of the snake. In Bereshit 3:14 it says: "Then the LORD G-d said to the serpent, Because you did this, More cursed shall you be Than all cattle And all the wild beasts: On your belly shall you crawl And dirt shall you eat All the days of your life."
  
  In the beginning it may seem that the snake hasn't lost much, but the Sages say the real curse was that snake was walking like a human being in an upright position, but after the curse he has lost his limbs, thus had to crawl on its belly and eat the dust, which is plenty and all around him. He also lost the ability to pray or be heard by G-d, this ability has been taken away from him no matter the situation he may be in.
  
  When person breaks Shabbat, he breaks the harmony of that day, he breaks the flow of the holy energy, he breaks the ancient creation, and draws more of that negative energy into this world, thus continuing the work of the snake. That is why Masechat Chulin 5A says, that he deliberately takes himself out of the covenant and sets himself apart from the nation - where he is considered to be like a non Jew. By breaking Shabbat, it opens the door to more transgressions, at which point they are committed without a second thought.
  
  I believe we can even go further and say, that just like the snake lost his limbs, so is the person's spiritual limbs on his neshama atrophies so he can't experience the spiritual, and he pursues physical pleasures in this world. He may enjoy wealth and positions in this world since they become more available and abundant to him, because they become easier to acquire than spiritual items which require functional limbs, but he also loses the opportunity to have a relationship with G-d, and gets paid for any of the outstanding merits and good he may have done over the years in this world to enjoy his life, until he is ready to part with this world.
  
  When a Jew dies, it is said in the Holy Books, that so and so is joined to his nation, his neshama is joined with his parents, grandparents and so on all the way to the forefathers, but not so with the one that breaks the Shabbat, he is not joined to his nation and his soul goes to a different place not where all the Jews are going, the cleansing process of the soul is longer, and when the time of resurrection comes, he won’t be joining his nation, since he is not part of the Jewish nation and his soul is lost forever.
  
  By breaking Shabbat we are breaking away from our people, thus making ourselves an outsider not only to the religion, but to the G-d, to the nation, to the future redemption and vulnerable to the outside events and turmoil of the everyday life.
  
  Our passed on parents, grandparents and the ones before them all the way to our forefathers are praying that we will make the right choice and embrace the covenant so we stay together after our passing as a nation.
  
  The Sages say that this world is like a hallway before the Grand Ballroom. In order to get to the main room we need to pass through the hallway, make ourselves look presentable - by toiling in Torah and mitzvot - in order not to be ashamed in front of others that have passed before us, and not to shame our relatives because we lack in front of others present in the ballroom.
  
  But, what should we do, if Shabbat was not on our To Do list as a major and important item? Start today, and keep some of it or all of it, and you will see how your life will change. Make an opening in your heart and let G-d enter and fill your heart, and let the blessings overflow into every area of your life. And when you do that, that's when your spiritual limbs will heal and get stronger and you will be able to easily grow and prosper in the spiritual domain. As it is says in the Devarim 4:4 "וְאַתֶּם֙ הַדְּבֵקִ֔ים בַּיהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם חַיִּ֥ים כֻּלְּכֶ֖ם הַיּֽוֹם׃ - While you, who held tight to the LORD your G-d, are all alive Today." With the turmoil that's going on in the world today, you can hold tight, only if your spiritual limbs are intact and strong.
  
  So, why should we keep Shabbat? Because life is full of vanities as was told by Shlomo HaMelech, it is full of things that make noise but have no base and no real value. Loyalty to G-d, and to the generations of the past, and loyalty to your own nation - this is something worth living for, everything else is just a fading noise which is not worth pursuing.
  
  Shmuel Katanov
  
  

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• Upon whom shall we depend?

  Jun 16, 2020 Admin 0 Comments

  "When murderers multiplied, the [ceremony of] breaking a heifer’s neck ceased. That was from the time of Eliezer ben Dinai, and he was also called Tehinah ben Perisha and he was afterwards renamed “son of the murderer”. When adulterers multiplied, the ceremony of the bitter waters ceased and it was Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai who discontinued it, as it is said, “I will not punish their daughters for fornicating, nor their daughters-in-law for committing adultery, for they themselves [turn aside with whores and sacrifice with prostitutes]” (Hosea 4:14). When Yose ben Yoezer of Zeredah and Yose ben Yohanan of Jerusalem died, the grape-clusters ceased, as it is said, “There is not a cluster [of grapes] to eat; not a ripe fig I could desire [The pious are vanished from the land, none upright are left among men" (Micah 7:1-2).
  
  "Yohanan the high priest brought to an end the confession made at the presentation of the tithe. He also discontinued the wakers and the knockers Up to his days the hammer used to strike in Jerusalem, And in his days there was no need to inquire about doubtfully tithed produce."
  
  "When the Sanhedrin ceased [to function], song ceased from the places of feasting, as it is said, “They drink their wine without song” (Isaiah 24:9).
  
  "When the former prophets died, the Urim and Thummim ceased. When Temple was destroyed, the shamir and nopheth zufim ceased. And people of faith ceased, as it says, “Help, O Lord, for the faithful are no more” (Psalms 12:2). Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel in the name of Rabbi Joshua: from the day the Temple was destroyed, there is no day without a curse, the dew has not descended for a blessing, and the flavor has departed from produce. Rabbi Yose says: the fatness was also removed from produce."
  
  "Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: [the cessation of observation of the] purity laws has removed taste and fragrance, [the cessation of observation of] the tithes has removed the fatness of grain. But the Sages say: licentiousness and sorcery destroyed everything."
  
  "When Rabbi Meir died, the composers of fables ceased. When Ben Azzai died, the diligent students [of Torah] ceased. When Ben Zoma died, the expounders ceased. When Rabbi Joshua died, goodness ceased from the world. When Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel died, locusts come and troubles multiplied. When Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah died, the sages ceased to be wealthy. When Rabbi Akiba died, the glory of the Torah ceased. When Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa died, men of wondrous deeds ceased. When Rabbi Yose Katnuta died, the pious men (hasidim) ceased and why was his name called Katnuta? Because he was the youngest of the pious men. When Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai died, the splendor of wisdom ceased. When Rabban Gamaliel the elder died, the glory of the Torah ceased, and purity and separateness perished. When Rabbi Ishmael ben Fabi died, the splendor of the priesthood ceased. When Rabbi died, humility and fear of sin ceased."
  
  "Rabbi Phineas ben Yair says: when Temple was destroyed, scholars and freemen were ashamed and covered their head, men of wondrous deeds were disregarded, and violent men and big talkers grew powerful. And nobody expounds, nobody seeks, and nobody asks. Upon whom shall we depend? Upon our Father who is in Heaven."
  
  "Rabbi Eliezer the Great says: from the day the Temple was destroyed, the sages began to be like scribes, scribes like synagogue-attendants, synagogue-attendants like common people, and the common people became more and more debased. And nobody seeks. Upon whom shall we depend? Upon our Father who is in Heaven. In the footsteps of the messiah insolence (hutzpah) will increase and the cost of living will go up greatly; the vine will yield its fruit, but wine will be expensive; the government will turn to heresy, and there will be no one to rebuke; the meeting-place [of scholars] will be used for licentiousness; the Galilee will be destroyed, the Gablan will be desolated, and the dwellers on the frontier will go about [begging] from place to place without anyone to take pity on them; the wisdom of the learned will rot, fearers of sin will be despised, and the truth will be lacking; youths will put old men to shame, the old will stand up in the presence of the young, 'For son spurns father, daughter rises up against mother, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law a man’s own household are his enemies (Micah 7:6)."
  
  "The face of the generation will be like the face of a dog, a son will not feel ashamed before his father. Upon whom shall we depend? Upon our Father who is in Heaven."
  
  "Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair says, Heedfulness (being aware or alertness) leads to cleanliness, cleanliness leads to purity, purity leads to separation, separation leads to holiness, holiness leads to modesty, modesty leads to fear of sin, fear of sin leads to piety, piety leads to the Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit leads to the resurrection of the dead, and the resurrection of the dead comes from Elijah, blessed be his memory, Amen." -- Mishnah  Sotah Chapter 9.
  
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• CoronaVirus or What Is G-d Trying To Tell Us?

  Mar 2, 2020 Admin 0 Comments

  As you know more and more countries get infected with CoronaVirus and it is not slowing down. The World Health Organization has officially named this virus as Covid-19. Why did they choose this name?
  
  The Sages tell us that parents become prophets when they choose a name for their child, since they name the child with the name G-d wants him to have. I believe same thing happened here, the World Health Organization has chosen a name that G-d wants, since He is trying to tell us something.
  
  But what exactly is He trying to tell us?
  
  Covid-19 is written in Hebrew as: 19–כוביד starts with letters כו - Kaf & Vav that has a Gematria or a numerical value of 26, as in the Tetragrammaton - YHVH, and the word ends with יד - Yud & Dalet or word Yad which means Hand - with a numerical value of 14. Together both words mean: the Hand of G-d. In the middle there's letter ב - Bet that has a numerical value of 2. So, if we add all these values together 26+14+2=42 it represents a powerful Kabbalistic 42 letter name of G-d.
  
  In Exodus 8:12–15, we have a similar reference, but to a finger of G-d: "And the Lord said to Moshe, Say to Aharon, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may turn into lice throughout all the land of Mizrayim. And they did so; for Aharon stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Mizrayim. And the magicians did so with their secret arts to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice on man and beast.  Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of G-d: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them; as the Lord had said." 
  
  Back then, G-d has showed His Might to Pharaoh and whole of Egypt. But during this process Pharaoh hardened his heart every time and at the end he lost it all.
  
  I believe this time, G-d is showing His Might to the whole world and it is not pretty. 
  
  But what should we do? There's only one way to stop it, and it is a Teshuvah - to return to G-d, to keep Shabbat, Torah laws,  learn the laws of slandering and to make G-d - our Master and the driving force of our life instead of wealth and comfortable lifestyle. The nation of Israel must embrace and keep their end of the bargain - we must follow what we have promised when we accepted the Torah at the Mount of Sinai. 
  
  Same thing goes for the non-Jews, who have their own set of laws to keep.
  
  These are the times of the Moshiach and G-d will do everything to bring the end of days events and prophecies to happen whether we are ready for them or not. 
  
  DO NOT Harden Your Heart, a lot is at stake and we are all in this together.
  
  The destruction of Egypt happened with The Finger of G-d, imagine what may happen to our World from the blow of The Hand of G-d...?!??... Let's work together, do our parts and make this World a better place for all of the Humanity. 
  
  ------
  Here are the latest news from around the world where Covid-19/CoronaVirus is found.
  
  Shmuel Katanov
  
  

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• Козёл Отпущения

  May 8, 2019 Admin 0 Comments

  Я прочитал эту идею у Рав Элиягу Эссас, и хотел бы с ней с Вами поделиться.
  
  В Главе Ахарей Мот 16:5 рассказывается как Коэн Гадоль берёт двух молодых и на вид одинаковых козлят, тянет жребий который определяет судьбу этих козлов - для жертвы в Храме а другого чтоб отнесли на гору Азазель в пустыню.
  
  Тот который для Храма, Коэн приносил в жертву, а другого несли в пустыню и сбрасывали с обрывистой скалы. Этим искупались грехи всего народа в тот день Йом Кипура. Отсюда и пошло название Козёл Отпущения.
  
  Но здесь возникает вопрос, почему именно берут козлов?
  
  На иврите козел переводится как саир. А общее название этой группы животных — эз (козы; отсюда и название Азазел, сложенное из двух слов: эз и азал – конец, смерть), что в максимальной степени выражает их главное свойство. Ведь слово эз переводится на русский язык как "наглость".
  
  Наглость сама по себе очень отрицательная черта, однако здесь не всё так просто, как кажется. Если бы Авраам Авину, главное качество которого - доброта (хэсед) и стремление помочь людям, не был эз, хватило бы ему "наглости" пойти против всего человечества, которое поклонялось идолам?
  
  К тому же эта черта очень помогла нашему народу - без способности противостоять общественному мнению еврейский народ давно бы ассимилировался.
  
  Однако правильно ли вообще называть такое качество "наглостью"?
  
  В языке иврит есть другое слово, которое тоже состоит из букв, айн и зайн. Разница лишь в том, что читается оно иначе - оз, что в переводе на русский означает — "сила". Это - сила, которая дает возможность противостоять злу.
  
  Но если евреи забывают свою клятву служить Вс-вышнему, эта сила превращается в наглость, что нередко становится причиной дурных поступков.
  
  Всё это частично объясняет, почему в Йом Кипур первосвященник брал для искупления проступков народа именно козлов.
  
  Также слово саир означает не только "козел", но и "косматый" – так называли Эйсава, близнеца Яакова, и его страну. Рожденные от праведных еврейских родителей, Ицхака и Ривки, воспитанные в одних условиях, братья пошли разными дорогами. Эйсав был прозван, в результате - Эдом (от слова адом – красный) — за то, что пренебрег традицией и хотел жить, исполняя все свои желания и проливая кровь. А Яков получил от посланника Всевышнего имя Исраэль - "прямой с Творцом".
  
  Все люди - смертны. Жизнь каждого из нас, казалось бы, заканчивается одинаково. Прожив энное количество лет мы все заканчиваем свой путь в одном и том же месте - под землёй. Но разница заключается вот в чём: кто-то посвящает себя служению Творцу, и ему выпадает жребий или скорее он этот жребий тянет осознанно - чтоб подняться навстречу Ему, в Будущий Мир. Другим, то есть тем, кто стремиться к иллюзорной, житейской свободе, суждено огромный подъём и  одиночество пустыни. И в конце они катятся вниз со скалистой горы, называемой Азазелем, как падает осужденный за тяжкие преступления на самую страшную казнь - скилу.
  
  Господа, какой конец Вы выберете себе?
  
  Шмуэль Катанов
  
  

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• The Life on Autopilot

  Jan 23, 2019 Admin 0 Comments

  As you already know, Moshe Rabbeinu grew up in the palace of Pharaoh and one day he has decided to go out and see the world outside of the palace. As he was taking a tour around the city, he saw all the hardships and bitterness his people had to go through in their everyday life. Suddenly he came across this scene - he saw how an Egyptian guard was beating a Jewish slave.
  
  In Shemot 2:12 says:
  וַיִּ֤פֶן כֹּה֙ וָכֹ֔ה וַיַּ֖רְא כִּ֣י אֵ֣ין אִ֑ישׁ וַיַּךְ֙ אֶת־הַמִּצְרִ֔י וַֽיִּטְמְנֵ֖הוּ בַּחֽוֹל׃
  “He turned this way and that, and seeing no one about, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.”
  
  Rabbeinu Bahya said:
  וירא כי אין איש אין איש עתיד לעמוד ממנו שיתגייר - And he saw that no one, (there are were people standing around since pharaoh found out about this incident), no one was a man enough to stand up to him - to the Egyptian guard. All were afraid and no one stepped forward to defend the slave.
  
  So Moshe Rabbeinu struck the Egyptian guard, killed him and buried him in the sand.
  
  In the Masechet Gittin 56A there’s a story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, where the host of the party was arguing with one of the people that was invited to the party erroneously, and which happened to be his enemy - bar Kamtza. As they were arguing back and forth, no one from the rabbis present at the party said anything in his defense. When he was thrown out from the party, bar Kamtza decided to revenge all those people involved in his humiliation and the outcome was that we have lost millions of lives and the Temple was destroyed.
  
  In another scenario: when Moshe Rabbeinu came late for few hours from the Mount Sinai where he received the Torah, the people came over to Chur the son of Miriam and demanded from him to build them an idol - he flatly refused for which he was killed said Rashi on Shemot 32:5:3. After killing Chur they have approached Aaron haCohen. He saw how they have dealt with Chur and agreed to build them an idol, but he was stretching the time and slowing the process in hopes that Moshe Rabbeinu will come down and this plan will be foiled. But against all of his efforts and with the help of the Egyptian sorcerers working behind his back, the Golden Calf has emerged from the fire and people have worshipped the idol as it says in Shemot 32:4. When Moshe Rabbeinu came down with the commandments, he saw similar scenario, few thousand or so people are dancing around the golden calf and the rest of the three million people along with Aharon haCohen are standing around and watching.
  
  After this incident, Aaron haCohen becomes a Rodef Shalom - the Pursuer of Peace. Aaron haCohen understood one simple truth – we should not live on autopilot. He started strengthening the unity between friends and families, thus creating peace, unity, and harmony in the society.
  
  But what is living on autopilot? When we live on autopilot – we make mistakes in ideology, principles, and convictions. We ignore quarrels in the society, accept and spread slander, and play along in other people's arguments.
  
  Evil thrives when no one goes against it when no one challenges it and it sweeps more people into it while doing lots of damage.
  
  As German theologian Martin Niemöller said in his poem in 1933:
  
  "First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
  Because I was not a socialist.
  
  Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
  Because I was not a trade unionist.
  
  Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
  Because I was not a Jew.
  
  Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
  
  And as Albert Einstein said: “This world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”
  
  The more we ignore things that are happening with others, standing by idly while letting things to be done and words to be said, the more it goes out of control and at the end, we too become liable in the eyes of G-d. Look around in your community, your family and the places where you have influence. Is it lacking peace? Is there are harmony or there are strife and slander?
  
  Moshe Rabbeinu had to get involved when Egyptian guard was beating a Jewish slave to death and he did. The rabbis that were present at the party, had to get involved in the story of Kamtza and Bar-Kamzta without concerning themselves of the consequences they might have had. And in the building of the golden calf, the three million people and Aaron haCohen had to stand their ground and go against the people that were bowing down to the idol no matter the outcome that was there for them.
  
  The more we keep quiet, thinking that it is none of our business and while pretending we do not notice anything – we give evil time to carry out their evil plans, because that's when they start to count on us that we will defend them, justify their actions before others and not expose their plans – and for this we carry the burden of the guilt and will be responsible before G-d, as our ancestors.
  
  So, what should one do? Should he get involved in a machloket/dispute? Definitely YES! but not to make more trouble or take sides, but to make sure the dispute is ended and peace is restored.
  
  That's why in Pirkey Avot 1:12 it says: "Hillel used to say: Be of the disciples of Aaron haCohen, loving peace and pursuing peace..."
  
  When Aharon haCohen died, on his funeral there are were a lot of children from all those families that were about to fall apart, that he was able to save. Thousands of children were named in his name as a token of appreciation from their parents. Aharon haCohen has dedicated his life to peace, he was pursuing it, he has busied himself with it all the hours of his day – giving it the importance and letting us know of the huge responsibility that was placed on our shoulders.
  
  With his efforts and results, Aharon haCohen has proven that each one of us can and should be a peacemaker in his own society.
  
  Shmuel Katanov
  
  

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