Latest Essays

• The Baseless Hatred Mystery Revealed

  Jul 24, 2018 Admin 0 Comments

  Our Chachamim z"l tell us that the First Bet Hamikdash was destroyed because of three sins: Avodah Zarah/Idolatry, Shefichat Damim/Murder, and Arayot/Adultery. The second Temple of only one sin - Sinat Chinam - Baseless Hatred.

  Each of the sins are bad in their own right, but it took three sins to bring down the First Temple and only one the Second. Why? Why only one, what is so destructive and bad about it?
  
  Let's dive into Sinat Chinam cause I believe the reasons for the destruction of the First Temple are pretty self explanatory.
  
  So what is Sinat Chinam? It is Baseless Hatred or simply Hate that is coming from a place of evil. It's a wish to see another's demise or failure and when you in that hating mode you observe and translate anything that person does to negative with no benefit of a doubt.
  
  When you hate you always pursue the harm of another. You speak of him in harmful way, you make up stories so you get more people on your side to believe the lies, so he can have enemies. You speak and spread lashon hara - an evil speech, because you want others to see him in a bad way. You may say things to his spouse, so the family will have no peace and eventually falls apart. You accuse him and his children, so it should effect their shidduchim/marriage prospects. You make sure his reputation is ruined in his community and places of business. You make sure your family and people around him show him a cold shoulder so he feels unwanted and unbelonged.
  
  All of this is done stealthily where few people involved in the community or many across many communities. In our times, all of the above can be accomplished with just few clicks of the computer or the phone.
  
  Because of this ugly behavior, of the few or the many, Hashem has destroyed the Second Temple. So if the Temple is destroyed and it may seem like nothing is at stake today, what do we have to lose this time around?
  
  Chachamim tell us, that when a new family is born, the chatan and kallah are on their way to build something enormously holy - their Own Bet Hamikdash, where each room of their house resembles the original Temple. The bedroom is like the Holy of Holies, the living room table is like a Mizbeach where we cater the guests and consume our earthly sacrifices. Kitchen is where it's all prepared to the strict laws of kashrut.
  
  Our houses and shules are small Batey haMikdashim. This is where Shechina rests, this is where the mitzvot are done and kedusha is kept.
  
  Hashem wants peace and unity between people in the community or between communities, where people help each other, happy for each other, where they see good in each other with no jealousy and hate towards each other. Where they want others to have better houses, cars, vacations, respect and accessories. This is what Hashem expects from his people.
  
  Second Temple was destroyed because of Hate, the most ugliest trait that consumes many communities and people no matter their religious backgrounds. The solution to it is Achavat Chinam - Baseless Love. Otherwise our small Batey haMikdashim are at stake.
  
  The Sages taught, "Any generation in which the Temple is not built, it is as if it had been destroyed in their times" (Yerushalmi, Yoma 1a).
  
  Our job is to change for the better, to do good to others, more of baseless love and no hate and animosity towards others - be it in their own community or outside of it, better ourselves in our servitude to Hashem and earn the merit to see Moshiach and the Third Beit Hamikdash rebuilt in our days. Amen.
  
  Shmuel Katanov

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• Solar Eclipse or MoonShine vs WifeShine

  Jan 15, 2018 Admin 0 Comments

  by Shmuel Katanov
  
   During the total solar eclipse - moon covers the sun. Moon aligns with a sun, and sun allows the moon to bathe in its aura.
  
  This is a MoonShine.
  
  A husband is considered to be as a sun and wife as a moon.
  
  When he follows the Torah and she helps him in that task - aligns herself with him, being on the same page with him in life goals, values and priorities - he grows and one day he will become a luminary - a sun. That's when as the moon she will bathe in his aura.
  
  When Rachel wanted to go through the crowd to see Rabbi Akiva - no one allowed her and that's when Rabbi Akiva said: "Let her through. All the Torah that you have and all that you know is because of this woman. All that I have become is because of this woman".
  
  This is a WifeShine.
  
  Rachel was bathing in the aura of her husband - Rabbi Akiva. Just like the Moon bathes in the aura of a Sun during a total solar eclipse.

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• Why did Yaakov Avinu switched hands while blessing Joseph's sons?

  Jan 15, 2018 Admin 0 Comments

  by Shmuel Katanov
  
  Every Friday night, we bless our children with the blessings of Menashe and Ephraim the sons of Joseph. We want our children to be, act and be blessed like those two boys. But while blessing, Yakov Avinu switched his hands and placed his right hand on the Ephraim – the second son, and the left hand on Menashe – the firstborn. The right way should be always right hand on the firstborn and left on the second son.
  
  It pained Joseph to see this. So Joseph pointed it out to Yakov Avinu saying that this is his oldest son pointing at Menashe. But Yakov Avinu said from him will come a great nation, but from the other a greater nation will come, but... there are was something that made Yakov Avinu to give importance to the second son. What was it?
  
  Let's look into this closely.
  
  When Yakov Avinu saw these two boys he was happy to see the achdut, friendship a brotherly love these two boys had even though they were raised amongst the gentiles, in Mitzraim - far from the influence of Jacob's household. He saw something that earlier generations lacked. Kain and Hevel had problems between themselves, where Kain ends up killing his brother. So with Yishmael and Yitzchak where Hashem intervenes and asks Avraham to listen to Sarah and he drives out Yishmael from his home. In case of Yakov and Eisav they had problems as well, Yakov had to run from home because he was afraid for his own life. Even amongst his own children there are was animosity towards Joseph. And now by placing his right hand on Ephraim - it is like ‘Déjà vu’ all over again. When Yakov gave a ketonet passim, a striped coat, to Joseph and singled him out from all his children, the end result was 22 years of separation with his son Joseph. And now by putting his right hand on Ephraim he is introducing exactly the same thing into the relationship of these two young boys.
  
  But Yakov Avinu saw it differently. The love that he saw they had towards each other was more then any others had before. And by placing his right hand on the second son, he knew that his oldest brother will not be jealous of his younger brother and only will be happy for him.
  
  But there are may be another reason.
  
  Gideon (see Judges) will come from the tribe of Menashe and Yehoshua bin Noun will come from tribe of Ephraim. Both are great men, but Yakov Avinu saw that the tests they will go through in life will be on different levels for each.
  
  The tests in life are the things that separate us all, and our reaction to them will determine whether we make the right choices or the wrong ones. While going through a test and under pressure we may hurt others and burn the bridges or build castles and discover powers within to overcome whatever thrown our way.
  
  When Moshe Rabeinu was approached by the tribes to send the spies to Eretz Yisrael, Yehoshua bin Noun was picked as one of the candidates to go and spy out the land. Knowing the intentions of the others Moshe Rabbeinu was afraid that this will influence Yehoshua bin Noun and he may take the wrong side and commit a gravely sin of slandering the land. So Moshe prayed for Yehoshua so he would not make that mistake and he even changed his name to increase the odds.
  
  When Yakov Avinu was giving the blessing to Joseph's sons, and seeing the consequences of that slander he felt that Yehoshua needs a blessing from his right hand, an extra push in the right direction, a zechut a merit from Yakov Avinu himself through Ephraim.
  
  The death of that whole generation, wars, pogroms and destruction of both Temples and all of the suffering that Am Yisrael has endured to date came because of that day, the slander, a false report that spies gave to the nation when they came back and nation’s reaction to it.
  
  Thus by blessing Ephraim with the right hand Yakov Avinu helped Yehoshua bin Noun to pass the test of the spies with flying colors. Yehoshua bin Noun came back, brought the right report, became the leader after passing of Moshe Rabeinu and took the Am Yisrael to the land of Israel.
  
  May the blessings of our fathers and our rabbis give us the right push in the right direction when the times come, so we all shall build and not destroy, make the right choices and pass our personal tests with flying colors. Amen.
  
  Shabbat Shalom!!

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• The Holy Ambassadors of Peace

  May 14, 2001 Admin 0 Comments

  Over 3,300 years ago the nation of Israel received the Torah on the night of Shavuot, on the Mount Sinai. This event was accompanied with many miracles, lightning and thunder. Hashem has come down upon the mountain and gave us the Torah - it was a transfer from spiritual to physical realm or merging of the spiritual and the physical domains. This continues to happen every day, in different communities across the world. 
  
  Every day in the morning services in the Sefardi synagogues, the cohanim bless the congregants. Says Rav Yosef Karo, that the cohanim should turn their faces and hands from side to side, which the Mishna Berura (168) explains as symbolically "spreading" the blessing over the people. In a way, the cohen is acting like a conductor or an intermediary between Hashem and the community, raining the blessings from the above.
  
  The trait of peace belongs to Aharon HaCohen and to his descendants - who are ohev shalom v'rodef shalom, the lovers and pursuers of peace, and to the cohanim of every generation till our times. Their unique ability to strengthen the broken relationships in the nation, something that has been passed down to them from Aharon HaCohen, has made them The Holy Ambassadors of Peace. 
  
  As the kohanim bless the community in the synagogues - they are emulating Hashem - just like Hashem was able to merge the spiritual and physical domains together and thus elevate the united nation of tribes to the level of prophets on Shavuot, so are the kohanim doing the same - unite the nation and bring down the spiritual blessings and rain it on the people, families and the world. 
  
  The only issue is, when those that choose to cause harm to others be it by speaking or doing evil that are present in the minyan or outside of it, prevent their own physical bodies to accept the spiritual blessings - thus doing disservice to themselves. On top of it, if the kohen is not following in the footsteps of Aaron HaCohen, and he is aware of the problems that exist in the community and he has not done anything about it in the past and is not working on implementing peace in the present, it puts him in the position where it would be hard for him to bring down the blessings for the community, thus making it hard for the whole minyan to raise their prayers to Heaven.
  
  Why is it so important to strive for the unity inside the community, and in the nation as a whole?
  
  Because when we have the unity - then we have more blessings rain down upon us, our families, and the world. Once united, we can stand on Shavuot or any other day - one in heart and body, like in the days of old - together shoulder to shoulder serving One and True G-d. 
  
  Shmuel Katanov

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