PARSHAT VAYECHI - Yaakov blesses....we have potential...

If life were a chessboard, would you be a pawn who can travel only in one direction? Or would you be a queen, who can strike out in the direction of her choice?

Angels are unidirectional. Their characters are molded by G-d into single, predetermined profiles. Some angels serve G-d in love. Others serve G-d with joy. etc. Angels are described as stationary. It is incapable of doing things that are different from their nature.

But we are different. We are referred to as G-d's bride. If G-d is the king, then we are his queen. On the chessboard this means that the Jewish soul IS capable of multi-directional travel. We each have our own characteristics and prefer our own path of worship. Some of us are joyful, others loving. Some like to study, and so on. Our paths are unique to ourselves, but unlike angels, we CAN veer from our characters.

Just before his passing, Yaakov blesses his sons. Each son receives a blessing consistent with his character of spiritual worship.
After Yaakov blessed each son individually, he repeated all the blessings to each of his sons because he wanted his children to enjoy all forms of spiritual worship, not only those with their individual characters. He wanted them to engage in all mitzvot even those inconsistent with their personalities.

Jacob's blessing, which enabled his sons to transcend their limitations and enjoy all manner of spiritual worship, endows us, too, with that wonderful ability. Which means that no mitzvah is beyond our potential.

PARSHA - VAYECHI. The Big Picture....

This week’s Torah reading speaks of Yaakov's final years of life, the seventeen years he spends reunited with his family and the blessings he gives them for the future.

Throughout his life, Yaakov is continually being taken by surprise; him taking the blessings from Esav, then needing to run away, being tricked into marrying the sister of the woman he loves and then the disappearance of his beloved son, Yosef. But at the end of his life he is peacefully reunited with his family, and in these final years, he is able to recognize the patterns of his journey through life. He sees the intent of each step along the way, realizing the bigger picture. It becomes clear to him that all the details of his life were bringing him to this place he was now at.

In life we have the ‘big picture’ vision and ‘small picture’ vision. Very often we find ourselves stuck in the ‘small picture’ reality. We get bogged down by the small picture vision of life that we forget the big picture. We see the trees and not the forest, as it were. Our lives have a route, yet, we often lose ourselves in the minutiae, “this and this person did this to me, i can’t believe this is happening to me now, etc . . ." It is because of this that we forget the bigger picture, and we veer off course.

This week’s Torah reading gives us the ability to step back from the details and recognize the little fragments as integral parts of a whole. And This way, we recognize the minutiae for what it is and we dont get stuck in the smallness of events and/or emotions.

This week, let's keep sight of our greater goals and purpose, and not get bogged down by the details.

The Rebbe gives blessings to light Chanuka lights in Iran...

In 1980, during the Iranian occupation of the American embassy, Rabbi Hershberg, the past chief Rabbi of Mexico, was scheduled to travel to Iran for a public service project. Because of the tense atmosphere at the time, many tried to persuade him to postpone his trip. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, however, encouraged him: "Go with blessing," The Rebbe told him. "You are certain to light the Chanukah menorah in Iran."

Rabbi Hershberg was puzzled by the Rebbe's closing words. He was not necessarily planning to stay in Iran for Chanukah. But if he would, there was no question that he would light a menorah. He did not understand the Rebbe's reference, nor the emphatic (em-fa-tik) tone in his words.

Afterwards, it all became clear. His mission in Iran took longer than expected, during which time he developed a relationship with some Iranian officials. He knew that there were six Jews among the hostages in the American embassy and he asked permission to light the menorah with them. "Just as we have granted permission for a priest to meet with the Christian hostages on their holiday," the Iranians replied, "we will allow you entry as well."

And so it was in the barricaded American embassy in Iran that Rabbi Hershberg lit the Chanukah menorah that year.

Chanuka is not over. Today is the last day, we still have a chance to bring down whatever light and blessings we need. Let's take advantage of this special day and accomplish whatever holiness we can....and we should take these chanuka lights, take these chanuka messages and miracles, to last us throughout the year....

Story - Chanuka/Shehechiyonu.....Bergen-Belsen

The day before Chanuka was a tragic one in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp; hundreds of Jews had been killed. However, the shattered and tortured surviving Jewish prisoners began looking for a way to kindle the Chanuka lights. They created some makeshift menora, a thread from their pants was a wick and a drop of black wax was oil.

Late at night word spread quickly in the barracks that the Bluzhever Rebbe would be kindling the menorah.
The Jews in Bergen-Belsen were well aware that anyone caught participating in any sort of religious act would be brutally punished. This did not however, stop the hundreds of them from gathering to watch the Rebbe do the mitzvah.

With intense concentration the Rebbe made the first 2 blessings. Then he paused, turned around and saw the emaciated faces in front of him.
He then turned back to his menora and with great emotion, said the blessing of Shehechiyanu, thanking G-d, "Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this time". And he lit the wick.

A Jew from the crowd said, "Rebbe, i can understand why you lit the Chanuka lights, but i cannot understand how you could possibly make the shehechiyanu. Hundreds of Jews are being murdered every day in front of our eyes. How can you thank G-d that you lived to see this day!?

"I too had the same question", responded the Rebbe, But then i turned around, i saw hundreds of jews standing with Emuna, with belief and with trust, waiting to see the menora lit.
If after a massacre like yesterday's, Jews can still risk their lives and wait with eagerness to fulfill G-d's mitzvah, then for this alone i can recite the blessing thanking G-d, "Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this time", - to see so many people displaying such strength, such emuna, here in Bergen -Belsen".

We face the challenges of our time, and struggle to cope with them and sometimes even reach the brink of despair - however, there are still a great many signs of hope. There are still many reasons to say Shehechiyanu.

PARSHA - Miketz - Chanuka. Make your dreams a reality!

In this week’s Torah reading Pharaoh the mighty ruler, has two dreams and so he summons Yosef/Joseph from his prison cell and Yosef interprets the dreams to Pharaoh so brilliantly that Pharaoh promotes him to the second most powerful person in Egypt.

Years earlier Yosef himself had dreams that indicated to him that he was destined to become a powerful ruler, and now, through interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, his own dreams of leadership were actualized. Yosef's dreams came to be when he rises to the occasion and not only interprets Pharaoh’s dream but takes it a step further and offers advice on how to save the Egyptian people from starvation. Advice giving is a bold act, which may have cost him his life. Yet, he made this courageous move in order to achieve his life's goal.

This week we too can take a step forward, with complete faith in our ability, to realize our dreams.
Tonight we begin celebrating Chanukah. Chanukah is a story of a small group of courageous people, the Maccabees, who stood up to their Greek/Assyrian oppressors because they had a dream of a better reality. When they entered the Temple, it lay in ruin and shambles. It had been defiled and vandalized, yet they had a vision, a dream, of rededicating the Temple by kindling the Menorah Lights with pure, untouched oil. Given the circumstances, it would have been understandable had they kindled the menorah with impure oil.

Yet they searched for pure oil and found one tiny cruz. Only because they had sought it, did they find it. Their unwavering trust and belief in the miraculous caused a miracle to occur, and the oil was lit and remained miraculously lit for eight nights.

Had they not moved forward, their dream would have remained just that, a dream.

This week, be courageous, take a bold step forward towards your dream, with complete faith in the possibility of the miraculous.

BE JOYFUL!

It is written in Tehillim "עבדו את ה' בשמחה", one should serve G-d with Joy.
The Rebbe explains that since a Jew is constantly serving G-d in all he does then he needs to always be joyful.

Our sages say that the Shechina, G-d's Holy Presence, does not rest on those who are sad or downhearted. It only rests where the joy of a mitzva is present.

When the prophet Elisha became angry at Yehoiram for his wicked ways, the spirit of prophecy left him. Only after music was played before him, did the spirit of prophecy return.

Walking around the marketplace, the Amora Rav Broika asked Eliyahu Hanavi if anyone who was there was meritorious of Olam Haboh,(the world to come), and Eliyahu Hanavi answered in the negative. Soon two brothers entered the marketplace, and Eliyahu Hanavi pointed to them, saying, "These will merit Olam Haboh." Rav Broika approached them and asked them how they conduct themselves. "We are joyful people and we make those who are sad, happy. If we hear about an argument, we make peace, using humor, between those quarreling."

The Rebbe explained that Yidden should rejoice out of trust that G-d will bring moshiach soon. This will then hasten G-d, so to speak, in sending moshiach."

Every little thing we do has an effect on the world

Though subtle, harmony in our personal lives helps bring harmony to the world. We may not be able to sense the “butterfly effect” of our behavior on the universe, and its effect is not always direct and overt. Nevertheless, we are told with absolute certainty that our actions do have a ripple effect on the world. We therefore are not victims of circumstances of world events; we have the power to change the world. As we refine ourselves we in some way also refine the universe.

We all have, in microcosm, the struggle between soul and body. Between G-d and the universe.

Next time, before you judge another person think of the ripple effect it has on the world. True, you may not be a terrorist or be committing another atrocity. Yet, even speaking badly about others is called a subtle form of “murder.”

The Baal Shem Tov tells us that we are like mirrors. Every event that we experience is actually a reflection of our own lives. It comes to teach us a lesson that we need to learn and repair.

Our individual effort changes the world. When we change the microcosm the macrocosm is directly affected.

Maimonides writes: A person must see himself and the world as equally balanced on two ends of the scale; by doing one good deed, he tips the scale and brings for himself and the entire world redemption and salvation (Laws of Repentance, 3:4).

If each of us would improve our own balance, we would change the landscape of the universe.

Simcha!! JOY!! :)

The Rebbe gives many reasons why we should have simcha/joy:
Because G-d created us. Because He made us a Jew. He is always with us. He has given us so many things. We should be joyful that we have the ability to connect with Him. And we should be full of joy that we are heading towards moshiach.

To someone who complained about sadness the Rebbe wrote that one should be so busy doing what needs to be accomplished, that there be no time to think about sadness

The Zohar says that the way one acts in this world, is the way that he is dealt with above. If a person is happy and acts joyously, then his situation will improve.

The holy Tzaddik Reb Elimelech from Lizhensk would often perform various afflictions on himself as a kappara, one of which was rolling in the snow without warm clothes. One cold, winter night, while rolling in the snow, Reb Elimelech did not notice a nail sticking out from a board, for it was covered in snow, and he rolled over it, piercing his hand. When he arrived home, his relatives, seeing the hole in his hand, made a great tumult and each gave their advice on how to stop the blood flow. Reb Elimelech's daughter, overhearing bits of the discussion, thought they were discussing a hole in the wall, called out, "What's the big deal? Take some straw and stuff it up!" Hearing this, everyone began laughing, and suddenly Reb Elimelech stopped bleeding. He explained that there had been a decree passed above, but through the joy his daughter had caused, a joy had been aroused above, nullifying the decree.

Every little thing we do - matters.

Once upon a time, the Baal Shem Tov sent a group of his students on an important mission in another town. When they returned, he was not so interested in hearing about their mission as about the minutiae of their trip—what they ate, where the slept, how they traveled, etc.

They didn't understand the relevance of these details, but he insisted on hearing everything. When they related that one morning they sat down near a brook and drank some water there, the Baal Shem tov's face lit up and he said, "That water was waiting from the beginning of time for someone to come and make a blessing over it and drink it."

In Jewish mystical thought, space, time, and matter are understood to be forces of Divine energy—sparks which fell down to earth at the time of creation and which became embedded in all aspects of existence; these sparks must be elevated in holiness for the world to achieve perfection as per the Divine plan. This is why the little things you do in life are sometimes more important than the big things—the journey is sometimes as or more important than the final destination.

When we go to work or anywhere, let's take a moment to appreciate how we got there. Every second of our trip matters—the people we meet on the way, the cup of coffee we drink, the piece of paper we throw in the trashcan—all matter.

Quite often the things that are seemingly beyond our control are really opportunities to elevate sparks of Divine energy trapped in the mundane, and by doing so, to spiritual'ize the material.

It's a deeper way of looking at the world. And when we begin looking at life this way, a whole new world will be revealed to us—a G-dly world, an immortal world, the real world.

Every little thing we do - matters.

Prophet Elisha with poor widow.....oil.....vessels....

In Yesterday's haftora we read the story of A poor woman who cried to the Prophet Elisha, that her husband died and now the creditor has come to take her two sons as slaves.
So Elisha asked her what she has in her house. She answered: 'Nothing, but a cruse of oil.'

"He said, 'Go borrow empty vessels and pour this oil into all these vessels.

A woman cries out about her husband's death—it's the death of her divine spark." My soul has become apathetic to any deeper, spiritual reality of life. And the creditor has come to take my two sons as slaves."

The sons are our emotions. My soul is dead, and my emotions have been enslaved.

"Said Elisha to her: what have you in your home?' Meaning, You must search within yourself for the answer to your crisis. The answer to human pain must ultimately come from man himself.

"I have nothing," the woman cries. "There is nothing left of my soul. I am spiritually and emotionally dead." But I do have something, a cruse of oil.

Oil, represents the core of cores of human identity. This core—the essence of human dignity—is the "cruse of oil" that could never be taken from you.

Your emotions may be faint and your soul may be dead, but your "cruse of oil" is always there. That part of your life that stands face to face with G-d's essence — essence to essence — never dies.

The prophet Elisha says "Go borrow empty vessels and pour the oil into all these vessels.'"

Empty and borrowed vessels is a metaphor for uninspired robot-like actions that are empty of passion and enthusiasm, actions which we could never call "our own" since our heart and soul are not present in these actions.

So the prophet says, Just perform G-dly deeds, even if they seem borrowed and empty to you.

When we don't feel G-d; we feel our mitzvot are hollow and empty acts, we are to remmeber that we do have a cruse of oil and we ARE capable of filling our lives with empty vessels with a schedule saturated with meaningful acts.

Today is not Yesterday.

In a small town in Russia lived a porter who made his living by transporting people and packages to and from the train station. The porter had a young son who assisted him with his work. Every morning the two would awaken early, recite their morning prayers, eat breakfast, prepare the horse and wagon, and hit the road.

One morning, which happened to be a fast day on the Jewish calendar. The porter roused his son at the usual time, and off to the synagogue they went. When they had finished praying, the porter informed his son that today there would be no eating due to the fast.

The day wore on. The son grew hungrier and hungrier. He kept asking his father continuously when they would finally be able to eat. Finally, the day ended and his hunger was satisfied.

The following morning, the boy refused to budge when his father tried to wake him. With an air of indignation the boy told his father, “I do not want to get up, and I do not want to work. I am afraid that you will not let me eat anything today either!”

“Ah, my son, have no fear,” replied the porter. “Today is not yesterday.”

Whenever the Rashbatz, the great chassidic mentor, told this story, he would tap his listener on the shoulder, as if to exclaim, “Get up! Today is not yesterday!”

What an important lesson.

THE DAY AFTER YOM KIPPUR. WHAT NOW?

What should we feel on the day after Yom Kippur? On Yom Kippur, we naturally feel spiritually awakened, but what happens the following day? Can we sustain the heightened awareness of Yom Kippur throughout the year?

Yom Kippur is a time when every Jew "comes close to G-d." That experience, however, must not be self-contained; it must be connected to the days and weeks that follow.

Spirituality is not an added dimension, separate from our everyday experience, but a medium through which to elevate our ordinary lives. By fusing our material and spiritual realities, we refine the world, infuse it with holiness, and transform it into a dwelling for G-d's Presence.

Yom Kippur should not be viewed as an isolated experience, but as a means to enhance our relationship with G-d on a day-to-day level. The necessity of connecting Yom Kippur to the realities of the rest of the year is illustrated by the service of the High Priest on Yom Kippur.

On this day he would enter the Holy of Holies where he was alone with the Shechinah, the revealed Divine Presence. No deeper religious experience is imaginable. Immediately, however, he would offer a short and simple prayer, requesting blessings for an untroubled livelihood on behalf of the Jewish people.

Fresh from his ascent to great spiritual heights, he would immediately thrust himself into concern for the Jewish people on a day-to-day level.

We, perhaps, do not experience the same heights as the High Priest in the Holy of Holies, but we do have spiritual peaks, times when we feel more in touch with our souls and with G-d.

Surely this applies to Yom Kippur, a day on which we are removed from all worldly concerns.

We cannot allow such moments to remain unconnected to our ordinary lives; rather, the spiritual power of these special days should be used to recharge our everyday service of G-d.

This course of action also calls down blessings upon our material affairs.

When G-d sees that an individual focuses his intention on elevating the world around him and keeps that intention in mind even at the highest peaks of his spiritual experience, He rewards him with success both in his divine service and in his material affairs.

G-d blesses him with health, wealth, and children.

This approach to the service of G-d leads to the ultimate fusion of material prosperity and spiritual growth which will take place in the Era of the Redemption