PARSHA - Ki Tavo (Walk in His Ways)

There is a positive commandment in this week's Torah portion, Ki Tavo, "You shall walk in His ways", requiring us "to emulate the Holy One, Blessed be He." Maimonides writes, "Just as G-d is gracious, so shall you be gracious. Just as G-d is merciful, so shall you be merciful. Just as G-d is pious, so shall you be pious." Indeed, the commandment implies that a Jew is required to emulate G-d to the best of his ability, at all times and in all circumstances."

"You shall walk in His ways", the word "walk," implies an ongoing and perpetual sense of motion.

One of the differences between the soul of a Jew and an angel is that angels are stationary beings, fixed in their spiritual positions, whereas the Jewish soul constantly ascends from one spiritual level to the next. The Jew is constantly in motion, reaching higher and higher spiritual heights by virtue of his actions.

It sometimes happens that a Jew may observe mitzvot, yet he remains on the same spiritual rung as before. His performance of the mitzva did not cause him to progress or ascend any further. The commandment "You shall walk in His ways" comes to teach us that a Jew must never be stagnant, and that his performance of the mitzvot must always lead to an improvement of his overall spiritual condition.

By observing the Torah's mitzvot because they are "His ways" - because of our desire to emulate the Creator, will assure our spiritual ascent to higher and higher levels of G-dliness.

Candle lighting time for L.A. is 6:58p.m.

PARSHA - Ki Tavo (We Hashem's Bikurim)

This week's Torah portion, Ki Tavo, contains the commandment of bikurim, first fruits offering. As it says:

"And it shall be, when you come into the land...and you shall take of all the fruit of the earth...and put it in a basket...and you shall go to the priest...and the priest shall take the basket from your hand, and set it down before the altar of the L-rd your G-d."

The mitzva of first fruits applies to the "seven kinds by which the land of Israel is praised" -- grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, dates, wheat and barley.

Whoever cultivated these special fruits on his portion of land was obligated to bring the very first of his harvest to G-d's representative on earth - the priest who served in the Holy Temple -- thereby thanking G-d for His bounty and joyfully acknowledging the Creator of all things.

In the mitzva of bikurim, the farmer must go against his natural inclination to retain for himself the very best of the fruits of his labor, and hand them over to the priest in Jerusalem.

Even though we dont have the Holy Temple now, we can still observe this mitzva, in the spiritual sense; by thinking of ourselves as the "first fruit" of G-d: every action we take, every thought we have and every word that comes out of our mouths must be our absolute best, the MOST choice and select we are capable of producing.
And this should be applied to all details of our lives, as our Sages said, "All of your deeds should be for the sake of Heaven."

Until Moshiach comes, every Jew must picture himself at all times as if he is standing in the Holy Temple, about to hand over his basket of offerings to the priest.

May our efforts to refine ourselves in this manner bring the Final Redemption speedily in our day, and with it, the opportunity to observe the mitzva of bikurim in the literal physical sense as well.

Candle lighting time for l.a. is 6:58

shabbat shalom!

Some of Baal Shem Tov's sayings...

Just over 300 years ago, on the 18th day of the Hebrew month of Elul, which is Monday, is the birthday of the holy Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov. In the course of his 62 years of earthly life he revolutionized the way we see ourselves, our world, and our place in it.

The following are some of his teachings:

1. Everything is by Divine Providence. If a leaf is turned over by a breeze, it is only because this has been specifically ordained by G-d to serve a particular function within the purpose of creation.

2. Every single thing that a person sees or hears, is an instruction to him in his conduct in the service of G-d.

3. "Love your fellow as yourself" is an interpretation of and commentary on "Love the L-rd, your G-d" . He who loves a fellow Jew loves G-d, because the Jew has within himself a "part of G-d Above".

4. G-d's love of each and every Jew is infinitely greater than the love of elderly parents to their only child born to them in their later years.

5. G-d loves all Jews without distinction; the greatest Torah genius and scholar and the most simple Jew are loved equally by G-d.

6. One must have total self-sacrifice and dedication for love of one's fellow, even towards a Jew whom one has never seen.

7. A soul may descend to this world and live seventy or eighty years just in order to do a Jew a material favor, and certainly a spiritual one.

Story - Tzedoko saved him from drowning - in dream

Rabbi Yehudah HaNassi used to say; “Be careful about how you do a small mitzvah, just as if it were a big one, for you do not know the reward of mitzvot.”


Once, Rabbi Yitzchak was on his way to the synagogue. He met a poor man holding a small coin in his hand worth only half a ma’ah, which was the smallest currency in those days.

“Please Rabbi,” the man said, “have pity on me. I have no food or money. My family have not eaten for days. Can you give me something?”

Rabbi Yitzchak looked sad. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I also have no money. How shall I help you?” He dug deep into his pocket. “All I have is this coin. It’s only half a ma’ah.”

“Bless you Rabbi,” said the poor man, “Your half a coin and my half a coin will make a whole coin, and that will be enough to buy a loaf of bread for my family.”

That night, he had a frightening dream. He dreamt he was standing by the sea, when a group of murderers suddenly grabbed him, and threw him into the water. Rabbi Yitzchak could not swim, and was about to drown…

Suddenly he saw his teacher, the great Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. He was filled with hope. Rabbi Shimon saw his distress, and stretched out his arms to save him; but no matter how hard he tried, he could not reach Rabbi Yitzchak.

Rabbi Yitzchak was about to give up hope. Suddenly, in his dream, a poor beggar appeared out of nowhere, and pulled Rabbi Yitzchak out of the water. It was the same man to whom he had given the half a coin that morning.

Rabbi Yitzchak woke up with a start and trembling with fear. “Oh,” he cried, “what a strange dream! What could it mean?”

As he thought about it, he said to himself, “This is truly extraordinary! I must have been in terrible danger. Even my great teacher, Rabbi Shimon, could not help me, despite all his merit. Thank G-d, I helped that poor beggar. If I have been spared, it is only because of the charity I gave to him!”

Reb Yisroel Baal Shem Tov

Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chassidism, was born on the 18th day of Elul (this coming Monday) in the year 1698 in a little town in the Ukraine. His father, Rabbi Eliezer, who was a member of the secret society of hidden tzaddikim, passed away when young Yisroel was only five years old; his last words to his son were, "Fear nothing, but G-d alone. Love every Jew with all your heart and all your soul."

The young orphan would spend much of his time wandering and meditating in the forests that surrounded his hometown; there, watching the great miracles of nature, and seeing the divine hand in every little flower and blade of grass left a profound impression upon him, and later on, in one of his lectures to his disciples, he said: "When you see a leaf blown from a tree and whirled along the pathway, don't think it's an accident, for it's moved by the will of G-d!"

Drawing from the mystical "soul of Torah" the Baal Shem Tov, "Master of the Good Name," as he came to be known, taught about the spark of G-dliness that is to be found in every creation and about the great love that G-d has for each and every one of His children, scholars and simple folk alike. He emphasized the importance of joy and simple faith in serving G-d.

Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov instilled new life and new hope into the scattered and shattered flocks of Israel in all lands, and fortified them with faith and courage.

He passed away on Shovuot, at the age of 62, but his teachings are still studied and followed. The movement he founded has become a vital force in Jewish life.

PARSHA - Ki Tetzei - (Yetzer hora)

The first verse of this week's Torah portion, Ki Teitzei, reads, "When you go forth to war against your enemies, and the L-rd your G-d will deliver him into your hands." The Torah begins the verse with the plural--enemies-- and then continues, that G-d will deliver him in our hands, singular form.

Every word in the Torah is exact, every letter conveying a multitude of meanings which teach countless lessons. This verse, which seemingly deals with the subject of conventional warfare, alludes also to a spiritual war which is waged by every individual.

A Jew may face two types of enemies: one which threatens his physical existence and one which threatens his Jewish soul. The Torah uses the word "enemies" to refer to both these threats, for the body and soul of the Jew work in unity in their service of G-d.

The Torah tells us, "When you will go forth." A person must gird himself with the strength that comes from absolute faith in G-d, even before encountering the enemy. Know that G-d Himself stands beside you and assists you in your struggle.

Armed in such a manner, victory is assured, not only against conventional enemies, but against the root of all evil -- the Evil Inclination.

When a Jew goes out to "war" fortified with the knowledge that there is no force in the world able to stand in the face of goodness and holiness, not only are external manifestations of evil vanquished, but its spiritual source is defeated as well. The Torah therefore uses the singular form to allude to the Evil Inclination.

If a Jew, though, is not careful and falls prey to the Evil Inclination, G-d forbid, then the Torah teaches that sincere repentance has the power to elevate our transgressions until "transgressions are considered as merits."

Such warfare brings Moshiach and the Final Redemption closer, when the Evil Inclination will be totally vanquished and the victory over sin will be permanent.

Candle lighting time for L.A. is 7:07

Shabbat Shalom!

TESHUVA - Repentance.

Teshuva, repentance - how does it work? How can a single turn in the right direction "erase the slate" and eradicate years of ingrained behavior?

Chasidic philosophy explains this by comparing the Jew's relationship with G-d to a fire, based on the verse "For the L-rd your G-d is a consuming fire."

In order for a physical flame to be sustained it must be given a sufficient amount of material to burn, and it must also avoid any substances that can extinguish it.

Likewise, the spiritual "flame" that symbolizes the Jew's relationship with G-d must have sufficient "food", so to speak, to sustain it. Its food, is Torah study and the performance of mitzvot, and it must also avoid any substances that can extinguish it, like those things that the Torah has forbidden.

When a Jew observes mitzvot and is careful not to transgress the Torah's prohibitions, his "flame" flourishes and burns brightly.

When a person repents, does teshuva, he is merely "re-igniting" a flame that wasn't properly tended. To do so, he must bring a fire from another source, a fire, which is completely incapable to being extinguished, and that actually exists in the depth of every Jew's heart. The potential for a "fiery" and all-consuming relationship with G-d always exists.

When a Jew sincerely regrets his distance from G-d and contemplates his innate love for Him, he accesses this inner and eternal "fire."

Teshuva, then, is the "match" that can rekindle even the tiniest flame, and cause it to burst into a giant blaze.

Shofar in Elul - Prince...

We presently find ourselves at the beginning of the month of Elul, a month, according to our sages, to be used for introspection and repentance.

A very special relationship between G-d and the Jewish people exists at this time:

There is a parable of a king had a son whom he loved dearly and who wished to travel amongst the king's many lands. The king, an indulgent father, allowed his son to travel.

Months passed. No word was heard from the prince. The king was worried. One day, a ragged looking young man approached the gates of the king's palace. He walked toward the entrance but was stopped by the guards.

"Don't you recognize me?" the young man cried out. "I am the prince. You must let me pass."

The guards laughed. Could this common beggar possibly be their beloved prince?

The young man reasoned, cajoled, demanded, that he be allowed to enter. Out of total desperation he began to cry. From deep within the palace the king heard the crying. Something sounded familiar. He listened until he was certain that, indeed, it was the voice of his own son. The king himself came running out to open the palace gates for his beloved son.

The Jewish people are, of course, the prince. Though we travel far, we ultimately return to the palace. And when we return, the sound of the shofar - a simple, wordless cry - brings the King to listen and open the gates of the palace and let us in. For this reason, it is customary to hear the cry of the shofar every day during Elul.

Let us all cry out to the King, with the shofar and with our own voices, that He let us into the palace. We will then be happiest, and, indeed so will He.

Even a small deed - is big

A man was once hired to paint a boat. As he was painting, he noticed a leak at the bottom of the boat and decided to fix it. When the painting was done, he collected his pay and went on his way.

The following day the owner of the boat came back to the painter with a large check. "Here", he said, "This is for fixing the leak".

"That was so small a thing", he replied. "Surely you are not paying me this huge amount for so small a thing?"

"My dear friend", the owner explained, "When I asked you to paint the boat I had forgotten to tell to you about the leak. When the boat was dry, my children took it fishing. I was frantic for I remembered the leak! Imagine my relief and happiness when I saw them coming back safely. I then saw that you had on your own repaired the leak. You have saved the lives of my children! I haven't enough money to repay you for your 'small' , as you call it, good deed...”

Very often, by doing what seems to us a "small" good deed we never know what wonderful thing we have really done. And conversely, in committing what seems to us a "small" transgression, we are causing a terrible catastrophe. As in the following story:

A wealthy merchant once bought a masterpiece of a chandelier for his home, it was made of crystal and precious stones. A real fortune.

To hang this massive beautiful chandelier a hole was drilled in the ceiling, through which a rope was run and fastened to a beam in the attic.

One day a beggar came for old clothes. He was told to go up to the attic, where their old clothes were stored. He went up, collected a bundle of clothes, then searched for a piece of string with which to tie it. He saw a rope wound around a nail and so with his pocketknife he cut the rope.

Crash! There was a terrific smash. The family then rushed to the attic crying: "You idiot! Look what you have done! You have ruined us!"

The poor beggar could not understand. "What do you mean, ruined you? All I did was to take a small piece of rope. Surely this did not ruin you?"

"Yes, all you did was take a small piece of rope. But it so happened that my precious chandelier hung by it. Now you have broken it beyond repair!

Each deed, no matter how seemingly small, may create or destroy worlds.

Story - Tzedoko saved from being drafted!!

One day a chassid came to see Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (the third Chabad Rebbe). He told the Rebbe that his only son was about to be drafted into the Russian army. "Please, Rebbe," he entreated, "help us, save us."

Rabbi Menachem Mendel shook his head sadly: "I'm sorry, I cannot help you in this matter."

This chassid happened to be close with the Rebbe's youngest son (and eventual successor) Rabbi Shmuel; known as the Maharash. And so when he left the Rebbe's room, he ran to Rabbi Shmuel and told him his problem. Rabbi Shmuel promised that he would do his best to influence his father, but when he went to the Rebbe and spoke on the chassid's behalf, he too was told, "I cannot help him at all.

A few days later, to every ones delight they heard that the chassid's son had been released, and for no apparent reason.

Being that Reb Shmuel, (the Rebbe's son) was very curious to find out the course of events that had transpired, he asked the Chasid and his wife to describe what had happened on that day their son was supposed to have been drafted.

"On that very day", they began to relate, "a poor person came to the house and asked us to give him something to eat. At first we told him that we were so worried about our son who was going to be drafted that day that we really couldn't deal with him. But then he pleaded with us: it had been a long time since he had eaten anything at all and he was starving, and how could it be that a Jew did not have time or food for another Jew who was so hungry! We realized our mistake and served him a huge meal, from what we had prepared to be a special farewell meal for our son. Then..."

At this point Rabbi Shmuel interjected, "Thank you, I heard enough. Everything is clear now."

PARSHA - Shoftim/ Cities of Refuge.

This week's Torah portion, Shoftim, talks about the cities of refuge whence a person would flee if he accidentally killed someone. There, the unintentional killer would be protected from the wrath of the victim's relatives, until the High Priest who served in the Holy Temple passed away.

The cities of refuge offered protection, even for someone who committed murder intentionally, he waited there till the court issued a ruling. Basically it protected anyone who had caused a loss of life.

After the destruction of the Holy Temple the cities of refuge ceased to exist in the physical sense. Yet the Torah and its lessons are eternal, therefore, the concept of cities of refuge finds expression in the spiritual dimension.

The Torah itself is the refuge in which all may seek asylum.

In the spiritual sense, "killing" symbolizes the act of committing a sin, causing a spiritual death to the G-dly soul.

We learn from this week's Torah portion that it is never too late to repent. Even the person who deliberately sinned can repent and seek protection in the refuge of Torah.

In the times of the Holy Temple, repentance alone was not enough to atone for a sin. The unintentional killer had to remain exiled in the city of refuge until the death of the High Priest. Yet after the destruction of the Temple, like now, teshuva, repentance alone can atone for even the gravest sin.

In the same way, the month of Elul, during which we take account of our actions of the previous year, is a "city of refuge" - in time, offering us the same opportunity to clear the slate and merit a good and sweet year to come.

Candle lighting time for L.A. is 7:16 pm

Shabbat Shalom!

PARSHA - Shoftim

In this week's Torah portion Shoftim we find the verse, "For man is the tree of the field." What is the connection between human beings and trees?

The unique characteristic of a plant is its connection with the ground, its source of life and sustenance. Humans and animals are not bound to the earth by their roots and are free to move about. A plant, must always be connected to the ground; if it is uprooted, it will wither and die.

Bound to the earth, a tree must suffer the harsh punishment of the elements throughout the four seasons of the year. A tree has such a strong connection to its source that even the changes in season do it no harm.

It is in this respect that man resembles the tree of the field. He, too, is unable to exist cut off from his source of life. His soul requires a constant and continuous bond with the source of his existence.

The source of life for the Jew is the Torah.

He draws his strength and vitality from it. Even though most of us cannot spend our entire day in Torah study we derive meaning and inspiration for the rest of the day from the time that we actually did spend time learning Torah. When we dedicate a small amount of time in the morning and evening to learning Torah, the influence is felt throughout the day.

We must always bear in mind that "man is the tree of the field" - we are always bound by our roots to our source of life. Even as we actively pursue a life of commerce, or whatever one's profession may be, we must strive to feel that intimate bond with our Creator. The Torah that is learned during those few moments will permeate our life and create a Torah-true atmosphere.

Candle lighting time for L.A. is 7:16 pm