Tu B'shvat

The 15th day of Shevat on the Jewish calendar. It is the day that marks the beginning of a "New Year for Trees."
This is the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.

On this day we remember that "Man is {like} a tree of the field" (Deuteronomy 20:19) and reflect on the lessons we can derive from our tree-metaphor.

Trees, are continually growing and rise heavenward to great heights. This should likewise be true of us. Though our physical growth may cease, we should strive to continue growing intellectually and spiritually, never ceasing to develop.

We are nurtured by deep roots, as far back as Abraham and Sarah; we reach upwards to the heavens while standing firmly on the ground; and when we do all this right, we produce fruits that benefit the world—namely our good deeds.

We celebrate this day of Tu B'Shevat by eating fruit, particularly from the kinds that are from the seven species of produce for which Israel is praised: grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.

Rebbe

YUD SHVAT. Mamor- Bosi l'gani...

Sixty years ago, upon the passing of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory, leadership of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement passed on to his illustrious son-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory.

The Rebbe revolutionized, inspired and guided the post-holocaust transformation of the Jewish people that continues to this day.

The new Rebbe's discourse entitled Basi L'gani was in fact based upon the very discourse that his father-in-law had submitted a year earlier. He started off where his predecessor left off...

The words Basi l'gani are taken from Solomon's Song of Songs.

The garden is our world. Announcing His arrival here in this garden is G-d Himself—who refers to it not as "a garden," but as "My garden." All that He created belongs to Him, but of all the myriad spiritual emanations and worlds, there's only one that He refers to as "My"; because it is only here – in the very lowest realm – that He wants to call home. The divine light shines ever brightly in the supernal worlds, but only in this physical world does G-d wish to manifest His very essence.

His Shechinah (presence) was here when He created this world. But it was driven away by a series of sins, starting with Adam and Eve eating the fruit from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge. Subsequent sinful generations drove the Shechinah further away, as it ascended from one heaven to the next.

This was no glitch in the plan, it was anything but.

G-d envisioned a world characterized by frightful spiritual blackness wherein creations – possessors of free choice, capable of embracing the darkness or rejecting it – would repress the darkness, and ultimately transform it into light.

Through the difficult work of banishing and transforming the darkness, it becomes a beautiful "garden." A place that G-d is delighted to inhabit.

Abraham started the process of bringing the Shechinah back down here. The next generations continued the process that was completed by Moses, the seventh generation from Abraham—for, as the Midrash tells us, "All sevenths are precious."

At the giving of the Torah, G-d returned in full grandeur—"And G-d descended.upon Mt. Sinai" (Exodus 19:20). A few months later, G-d's presence graced the newly-constructed Tabernacle. This time the Shechinah was here to stay.

And G-d exclaimed, "I've come to My garden."

This day, so relevant to every Jew in our generation, is surely a day for reflection, learning, prayer, positive resolutions and acts of loving-kindness.

Yud - Shvat. A leader/shepherd. Rebbe spoke about Love..

Tomorrow is the 10th day of the hebrew month of Shvat, it marks the anniversary of the passing of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn. And 60 years of leadership of Chabad-Lubavitch by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe or simply known as "the Rebbe".

What is a leader?

Before he became a leader of Israel, Moses was a shepherd.

The Midrash tells how one day, while Moses was shepherding the flocks a kid goat ran away. Moses chased after it, until they came to a spring and the kid began to drink. Exclaimed Moses: "Oh, I did not know that you were thirsty!" He cradled the runaway kid in his arms and carried it back to the flock. Said the Almighty: "You are merciful in tending sheep-you will tend My flock, the people of Israel."

Besides demonstrating Moses' compassion, the incident contains another important lesson: Moses realized that the kid did not run away from the flock out of malice or wickedness--it was merely thirsty.

When a Jew alienates himself from his people, G-d forbid, it is only because he is thirsty. His soul thirsts for meaning in life, but the waters of Torah have eluded him. So he wanders about in foreign domains, seeking to quench his thirst.

When Moses understood this, he was able to become a leader of Israel. Only a shepherd who hastens not to judge the runaway kid, can mercifully lift it into his arms and bring it back home.

The evening of his acceptance the Rebbe spoke about love -- about the interrelation between love of G-d and love of one's fellow. He stated, that The three loves -- love of G-d, love of Torah and love of one's fellow -- are all one.

A person who loves G-d, will eventually come to love what G-d loves -- all His children. And one who truly loves a fellow Jew will inevitably come to love G-d, since love of one's fellow is, in essence, the love of G-d.

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.