Kosher - Fish

So much can go wrong in the process of ensuring that meat is kosher. Besides being of kosher species, animals or fowl are to be slaughtered only by an expert certified shochet/slaughterer. His knife must be razor-sharp without the slightest nick, the carcass has to be carefully checked for disqualifying factors and then it needs to be properly salted to remove its blood. Therefore we only eat kosher meat when it is certified by an absolutely reliable kashrut agency.

In comparison to meat, the kosher requirements for fish seem tame. The Torah's specifications for kosher fish are fins and scales (Leviticus 11:9-10). Fish needs no ritual slaughter or salting. But it still requires kosher supervision.

If you take your kosher fish home from the market while it's still whole, then little can go wrong. But most fish today is processed in some way before it gets to you. Most fish markets use the same knives to cut both kosher and non-kosher fish, which creates kashrut problems. It's best then to buy your fresh fish from a store selling only kosher fish.

One complicating factor in kosher supervision of fish is that the Torah requires the kosher signs of each fish to be ascertained before any Jew may eat it. So proper supervision requires the constant presence of a conscientious kashrut supervisor throughout the process to check each fish before it is cut up and processed.

Canned fish, like tuna, is also a problem. Some of it is canned on-board or it is brought for canning in lands like Thailand or the Philippines. It's not easy to put a Torah-observant Jew as a supervisor there. And then before a canning plant can be certified, that plant must be made kosher too.

In other words, kosher supervision is rarely simple.

Soon, however, we will get to eat the most illustrious fish of all, the fabled Leviathan, as the Talmud says, at the great national feast after the revelation of the Mashiach. But we can be sure that that fish will have no kashrut problems, for it will be under the strict supervision of the Almighty Himself!

KOSHER - spark in everything...

The great Kabbalist, the Arizal, taught that every created thing possesses a "spark" of divine energy that constitutes its essence and soul. When a person utilizes something toward a G-dly deed, he brings to light this divine spark, thereby fulfilling the purpose for which it was created. In all physical substances, a material "peel" so to speak, encases and conceals this divine spark.

It is written: "Man does not live on bread alone, but by the utterance of G-d's mouth does man live" (Deuteronomy 8:3). Meaning, that within every created thing is an "utterance of G-d's mouth", referring to this spark of energy. When the human body hungers for a piece of physical bread, this is but a reflection of its soul's craving for the Divine utterance which is the "soul" of the bread, which the human being "redeems" /elevates by utilizing the energy he or she gains from the food, towards a G-dly purpose.

No existence is devoid of a divine spark -- indeed, nothing can exist without the pinpoint of G-dliness that imbues it with being and purpose. But not every spark can be actualized. There are certain sparks that are inaccessible to us. The fact that something is forbidden by the Torah means that its "peel" cannot be penetrated, so that its spark remains locked within it and cannot be redeemed.

Thus, one who eats a piece of kosher meat and then uses the energy he gained from this piece of meat, to perform a mitzvah, thereby elevates the spark of divinity, that is the essence of the meat; raising it to a state of fulfilled spirituality. However, if one would do the same with a piece of non-kosher meat, no such "elevation" would take place. Even if he applied the energy to positive and G-dly deeds, this would not fulfill the divine purpose of the meat’s creation, since the consumption of this meat was a violation of G-d's will.

KOSHER - it's a chok

Although we may have some notion of why we keep kosher, ultimately its reason is still beyond us. It belongs to a category of Mitzvot called 'Chukim'.

Chukim is a category of Mitzvot that even after they were commanded, we really cannot understand them. And Kashrut is such a set of laws. What does it represent? We do not know.

Keeping the Chukim is a special part of our relationship with Hashem. If we know the reason for something, then we are doing the act because of our understanding, not because of G-d's will. Connecting with G-d because of our own understanding is not such a true relationship.

By way of example, if a wife makes a request and the husband responds that he will do it only if she explains it to him, the relationship is deficient. There is something special and intimate about doing something just because your spouse requested it. This request and the subsequent fulfilling of the request, without reason, reflects a deep harmony between the husband and wife.

When we do an act, or refrain from doing an act, because it is G-d's will, we are able to connect with Him in a special and intimate way. His will becomes the drive behind our action, not our own will and understanding. When we connect with G-d only because we understand, then we are connecting with our understanding. This is a shallow, if not strained, relationship. So, kashrut gives us an opportunity to connect with G-d in our every day life. Every time we eat we can be conscious of fulfilling G-d's will through our eating.

There are good reasons to keep Kosher. Ultimately, though, it is a plan designed by G-d for the Jewish body. And it works.

PARSHA - Va-ayra. Not to lose our Resolve!

Our ancestors in Egypt were slaving away for years. Then Moses appeared and began making promises. He brings them a message from G-d that they are about to be redeemed. That there is a Promised Land ahead. There is light at the end of the tunnel!

The Jews' response? “And they did not listen to Moses out of shortness of breath and from the hard labor.”

A commentary explains that they weren't able to heed Moses' call - not only from physical breathlessness, but because they lacked the spirit. Having suffered in bondage for so long, they no longer had the faith or hope to believe that freedom was still in the realm of the possible. It was simply beyond them. They had lost the spirit and therefore, they could not hear, meaning they could not absorb, Moses' message.

It happens all too often. We may become so set in our simple ways that we give up hope of ever achieving a breakthrough. We simply lose our resolve.

There is a wise saying from the legendary Chasid, Reb Mendel Futerfas. "If you lose your money, you've lost nothing. Money comes and money goes. If you lose your health, you've lost half. You are not the person you were before. But if you lose your resolve, you've lost it all."

Moses brought new hope to a depressed, dreamless nation. He gave them back the spirit they had lost and eventually, through the miracles of G-d, the promise was fulfilled and the dream became destiny.

To be out of breath is normal. To be out of spirit is something the Jewish People can never afford! May we never lose the spirit!

Candle lighting time for L.A. is 4:47pm.

Shabbat Shalom!

Reb Hillel Paritcher, hid under bed, "Appraisels".

As a young man, Rabbi Hillel of Paritch heard of the founder of Chabad Chassidism, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi and sought to meet with him. But the opportunity seemed to forever elude the young prodigy.

He finally managed to locate Rabbi Schneur Zalman's lodgings before the Rebbe was due to arrive. In order to ensure that he would not, once again, somehow miss his opportunity, Rabbi Hillel crept into Rabbi Schneur Zalman's appointed room and hid under the bed, determined, at last, to make the acquaintance of the great Rebbe.

At that time, the young scholar was studying the section of the Talmud which deals with the laws of how to appraise the value of one's pledges to charity. Rabbi Hillel had a scholarly question on the subject which he had diligently rehearsed in order to discuss it with the Rebbe.

From his hiding place, Rabbi Hillel heard the Rebbe enter the room. But before he could make a move, he heard Rabbi Schneur Zalman exclaim: "If a young man has a question regarding 'Appraisals', he had best first evaluate himself."

The prodigy under the bed fainted on the spot. When he came to, Rabbi Schneur Zalman was gone...

---

The Lubavitcher Rebbe told this story, and then asked: How are we to apply this story to our lives?

The tractate of "Appraisals" discusses the laws if a person pledges to give to charity, but instead of citing a sum he says "I promise to give the value of this individual," we are to follow a fixed rate set by the Torah, in which each age and gender group is assigned a certain "value."

We may think that an accomplished scholar be considered more valuable than a simple laborer, but The Torah states that we all stand equally before G-d.

This is the meaning of Rabbi Schneur Zalman's remark to Rabbi Hillel: If you have a question regarding "Appraisals,"meaning - if you find it difficult to relate to the Torah's evaluation of human worth, you had best take a long hard look at yourself. An honest examination of your own character and behavior will show how much you can learn from every man, how much there is for you to emulate in those who are supposedly "inferior" to yourself.

Some teachings of the Alter Rebbe, Reb Shneur Zalman of Liadi

1. The purpose of man's creation and of the creation of all the worlds, is to make for G‑d a dwelling in this physical world.

2. A little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness.

3. By virtue of its inborn nature, the mind rules the heart.

4. Prayer without direction of the heart is like a body without a soul... Love of G‑d and fear of G‑d are the two wings by which a deed rises heavenward.

5. Every individual Jew, righteous or wicked, has two souls... One soul derives from kelipah, the "other side", and from it derive the evil traits and the Jew's instinctive good traits... The second soul in the Jew is literally a "part of G‑d above."

6. The body is likened to a small city: like two kings who wage war over a city, each desiring to capture it and rule over it, so do the two souls - the G‑dly soul and the animal soul - wage war against each other over the body. The desire and will of the G‑dly soul is that it alone should rule over the person and direct him, While the animal soul desires the very opposite..

7. The era of Moshiach is the fulfillment and culmination of the creation of the world, for which purpose it was originally created..

8. Our sages have taught, "Whoever gets angry, it is as if he worshipped idols" The reason for this is... because at the time of his anger, his faith has left him. For were he to believe that what happened to him was G d’s doing, he would not be angry at all.
   

9. "One who is satisfied with his lot" describes a tremendous virtue in material matters, and a tremendous failing in all that pertains to one's spiritual attainment.

Faith of Innkeeper of Vohlyn

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi once said to one of his grandchildren: "Let me tell you about the simple faith of the Jews of Vohlyn.

"Many years ago, I was traveling home from Mezeritch after a period of study under the guidance of my master, the great Maggid. It was a cold winter night, and my feet had become immobilized by the cold. When we stopped at a wayside inn The innkeeper, an elderly, G-d-fearing Jew, rubbed my feet until the life returned to them. He asked me about the purpose of my journey, and I told him that I was a disciple of the Maggid of Mezeritch. In answer to my questions, he told me that he had been operating this inn for close to fifty years, and that, thank G-d, he has earned a comfortable living from it.

'Is there a Jewish community here?' I asked.

'No,' replied the innkeeper.

'So you don't have a minyan? What do you do on Shabbat and the festivals?'

'To my sorrow,' sighed the old man, 'we pray without a quorum all year round. For the High Holidays, we close the inn for two weeks and travel to the city -- a several days' journey from here.'

'But how can you live this way!' I exclaimed. 'How can a Jew go for months on end without a kaddish or borchu, without hearing the public reading of the Torah?'

'What can I do? This is my livelihood. There is nothing for me to do in the city.'

'How many Jewish households are there in the city?' I asked.

'About a hundred,' he replied.

'If G-d manages to provide a living for a hundred families,' I said, 'don't you think He could find a way to provide for one more?'

I was then given a room in which to rest, and the innkeeper went off to attend to his affairs.

"An hour later, I heard a commotion outside. I saw several carts and wagons piled high with bundles and crates, furniture and household items. The innkeeper and his sons were running about, tying down the bundles and settling the women and children into the wagons.

'What's going on?' I asked the old man.

'We're moving to the city,' he replied. 'You're right -- this is no place for a Jew. A Jew needs a minyan, a rabbi, a community...'

'But just like that, you're going? Where will you stay? And what will you do for a living?'

'We'll find something. As you said, if G-d can take care of a hundred families in the city, He can surely provide for a few more souls...'

"Such was the faith and trust in G-d of these Jews!" Rabbi Schneur Zalman concluded his story. "I was but a young man at the time, but because I had told him that I was a disciple of the great Maggid, he unquestionably acted on my advice. Without giving it another thought, he set out, that very night, to a place where he could better serve his Creator."

Tanya - Torah Close To You. The Long And Short Way.

Said Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananiah:

"I was traveling, and I met a child at a crossroads. I asked him, 'which way to the city?' and he answered: 'This way is short and long, and this way is long and short.'

"I took the 'short and long' way. I soon reached the city but found my approach obstructed by gardens and orchards. I retraced my steps and said to the child: 'My son, did you not tell me that this is the short way?' Answered the child: 'Did I not tell you that it is also long?'"

Also in life there is a "short but long" way and a "long but short" way.

In his Tanya. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, whose anniversary of his passing was yesterday, sets down the fundamentals of the Chabad-Chassidic approach to life.

He based his book on the verse: 'For the Torah is something that is very close to you, in your mouth, in your heart, that you may do it'-- he explains how it is indeed close, in a long and short way."

But can the ordinary "everyman" be expected to conduct his every act, word and thought in accordance with the Torah's most demanding directives?

The Torah is a practical and attainable goal to achieve. "For the mitzvah which I command you this day, it is not beyond you nor is it remote from you. It is not in heaven... nor is it across the sea... Rather, it is something that is very close to you, in your mouth, in your heart, that you may do it."

The Chabad approach to life is that the mind and intellect play the leading role. First, a person must study, comprehend and meditate upon the all-transcendent, all-embracing, reality of G-d.

Then he is to translate this knowledge and comprehension into emotional feelings. The love and awe of G-d.

Finally, when a person has so oriented his mind and so transformed his heart, his observance of the Torah's commandments becomes a compelling need since they are the only means by which he can connect to his Creator.

This is the long but short way. It is winding, steep, tedious, and long as life itself. It is full of ups and downs, setbacks and frustrations. But it is a road that leads, steadily and surely, to the aspired-to destination, his purpose in life.

PARSHA - Shemot - Brachot for what we WILL accomplish

This week's Parsha, Parshat Shemot, describes the beginning of bondage for the Jewish people in Egypt. Moses experiences his first official Divine revelation at the Burning Bush where he is told to confront the Pharaoh and demand that he "Let My people go."

Moses asks G-d what have the Jewish people done to deserve such a miraculous redemption. To which the Almighty answers him. ".....when you take the people out of Egypt, you will serve G-d on this mountain." (This mountain, where the burning bush occurred, was in fact Mount Sinai.)

It was not necessarily for what they had done in the past that He was ready to redeem the Jewish people, but for what He anticipated for them in the future. On this very mountain that the Burning Bush has occurred they would receive His Torah; they would become His chosen messengers to be a light unto the nations. Never mind what they did or didn't do in the past. G-d had big plans for this nation and it would all begin with the impending Exodus.

What a powerful message for all of us!

Sometimes, the kindness G-d does for us is not because of what we've been but rather what it would enable us to become. It's not for what we have already done but for what we still will do. So should any of us be the beneficiaries of a special blessing from Above, instead of patting ourselves on the back and concluding that we must have done something wonderful to be rewarded, let us rather ask ourselves what G-d might be expecting us to do with this particular blessing in the future. How can we use it to further His work on earth?

Special blessings carry with them special responsibilities. May each of us successfully develop all the potential G-d sees in us and use it for our moral development and to somehow better the world around us!

Candle lighting time for L.A. is 4:41 pm.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Akiva -

Rabbi Akiva was a shepherd, who at the age of forty could not read the Alef-Beis. He subsequently developed into one of the greatest scholars in the history of Jewish learning. He was once watching a stone notched by the steady dripping of water. He concluded that if water could penetrate stone, Torah could penetrate his head. His employer’s daughter heard of his resolve and was so touched by his sincerity to learn that she married him. She encouraged him to go away to learn Torah in a Yeshivah where he remained for twelve years. After his return from the academy, his wife once again agreed that he should again go away to learn. He reappeared a second time with twenty four thousand students.

Upon his return when his wife came out to greet him, he, R. Akiva publicly told his students that all his Torah, and all the twenty four thousand students Torah belonged to her.(From this we learn the rule that the Torah learned by a husband with the permission of his wife is equally credited to the merit of the wife.)

R. Akiva died a martyr’s death. It had been ordered by the Romans that no Torah was to be learned in public. R. Akiva ignored this edict and, when detected, was tortured to death by the Romans, combed with combs of red hot metal. He died, although in horrible pain, in a state of ecstasy having fulfilled all the mitzvot including that of dying a martyr’s death to glorify the Name of G-d.

RAMBAM - Chof Teves

Today is the 20th day of the Hebrew month of Tevet, it marks the yartzeit, the anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, Maimonides, otherwise known as the Rambam. He lived in the 12th century and was a great philosopher, doctor, and Jewish scholar. But he is probably best remembered for his encyclopedic codification of all 613 commandments of the Torah in his magnum opus called the Mishne Torah.

Although he passed away so long ago, he and his great wisdom are still with us. When a person sits down to study a law from one of the Rambam's works, his spirit and teachings remain alive.

About the Rambam, our Sages have said, "From Moshe to Moshe, there was none like Moshe!" This means that from the time of the Moshe who took us out of Egypt, there has never lived a person who exhibited all of the Rambam's unique qualities.

In the Mishne Torah, the Rambam enumerates and details all of the 613 laws of the Torah. He places the laws relating to the Jewish king, and Moshiach, at the very end of his work - to emphasize that the true and complete performance of all the mitzvot of the Torah will be attained only when a king rules over Israel. The Rambam then defines Moshiach as a king, who will not only redeem the Jews from exile, but also restore the observance of the Torah to its complete state.

The Talmud writes that "the world was created solely for Moshiach." This being the case, we certainly must do everything in our power to prepare ourselves for Moshiach's imminent arrival.

What is within the power and reach of each individual? Good deeds, charity, , fostering peace between family and friends, studying concepts associated with Moshiach and the Final Redemption, and actively waiting for and anticipating his arrival each and every day.

Instinct or Behavioral Training??

The Rambam (Maimonides) once had a dispute with a philosopher as to whether instinct or behavioral training governs the behavior of an animal. The philosopher maintained that one of the main reasons for the difference in ability between man and animal is that man has been trained and animals have not. He held that an animal can be trained to do almost anything.
The Rambam argued against this.

To prove his point, the philosopher trained a number of cats to stand upright, balance trays on their paws and serve as waiters. He dressed them in white shirts with little black ties, and conducted a banquet with the cats as the waiters. As these feline waiters were serving the soup, the Rambam, who had been invited to the banquet, released a mouse. The banquet hall was turned into utter chaos as the cats, forgetting all their hours of training, let their trays crash to the ground, rushing about on all fours after the mouse.

Even though one can train a cat to act like a waiter, its natural inclinations cannot be changed. The only way one can change
one's habits, is through Torah and mitzvot.

A human being is different from the animals because he can perfect his character so that it controls his baser instincts. One who has not yet worked on perfecting his character will, like the trained cat, be able to put on a show of discipline for a time, but only so long as no “mice” are released in his path.

Only the Torah can bring one’s character to ultimate perfection.