Get to Heaven Keep the Seven

Everybody wants spirituality. To be a good person means to walk in G-d's ways. How does that translate to reality? The only guidebook to spirituality that has stood the test of time is the Hebrew Bible. The Bible says that the Jews will be a light onto the nations. But if you are not a born Jew, you have to convert, which is not so easy!! If you do convert, it is a lot of work to be a Jew (three times a day prayer, keeping kosher, observing the Sabbath).

This blog will show you how to be Jewish without the work!!

Saturday, April 7, 2018

If G-d had intended us to fly, he would have made it easier to get to the airport (Jonathan Winters) and remember my wedding on Tuesday April 10 at 4:30 PM

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Yehuda Lave, Spiritual Advisor and Counselor

Focus on the Benefit of Doing Mitzvahs

Whether you subjectively find something easy or difficult, depends to a great degree on the perceived benefit. If there is no gain, then even a minor action might seem difficult. But when you gain an immense fortune by taking some action, even a difficult one is now considered easy.

When you focus on the eternal benefits gained from performing mitzvahs, you will be far less bothered by any difficulties or hardships involved.

I have tried to let as many people know about my wedding on Tuesday at 4:30 Pm. No party scheduled yet, just a chuppah, please come:

We are doing the Chuppah at 4:30 in Bloomfield Garden on time (not Jewish time) as we want to make it to be on Yom Shelsie (Tuesday) April 10, 2018. Nisson 25, 5788)

Bloomfield Garden Rehov King David | Yemin Moshie neighborhood.

The entrance to the park is right on King David Street across form the King Salomon hotel.

There is an entrance that says water closet (bathrooms) and a large outdoor fountain right next to the street. There is also a parking lot right under the area by entering the parking lot on the top for Yemin Moshie and then just walk up a few stairs.

We will be in the grass just next to the fountain looking over a vista of the walls of the out city.

I hope all my friends can make it.

Love Yehuda Lave

Love Yehuda Lave

Watch: From Kuwaiti Arab to Orthodox Jew

 

Watch: From Kuwaiti Arab to Orthodox Jew

Kuwaiti-born Israeli Jewish 'Palestinian refugee' decries UN hypocrisy in keeping Arabs refugees forever.

 

 

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/242788

Contemporary Philosophers

 As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind - every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder.~ John Glenn 
 

 

When the white missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes.
When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.

 ~ Desmond Tutu
  
 America is the only country where a significant proportion of the population believes that professional wrestling is real
but the moon landing was faked.

  ~ David Letterman
  
 I'm not a paranoid, deranged millionaire. God dammit, I'm a billionaire.
 ~ Howard Hughes
   
 The only reason they say 'Women and children first' is to test the strength of the lifeboats.
 ~ Jean Kerr
  
   When a man opens a car door for his wife, it's either a new car or a new wife.
  ~ Prince Philip
  
  Wood burns faster when you have to cut and chop it yourself.
 ~ Harrison Ford
  
  
 Lawyers believe a man is innocent until proven broke.
 ~ Robin Hall
 

Having more money doesn't make you happier. I have 50 million dollars but I'm just as happy as when I had 48 million.
Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

We are here on earth to do good unto others. What the others are here for, I have no idea.

  ~ WH Auden
  
 If life were fair, Elvis would still be alive today and all the impersonators would be dead.
  ~ Johnny Carson
  
 I don't believe in astrology. I am a Sagittarius and we're very sceptical.
 ~ Warren Tantum ~
  
 Home cooking. Where many a man thinks his wife is.
  ~ Jimmy Durante
  
 The first piece of luggage on the carousel never belongs to anyone.
 ~ George Roberts
  
 If God had intended us to fly he would have made it easier to get to the airport.
  ~ Jonathan Winters   

 

an incredible website to honor those who died defending the State of Israel..please share with others as well

There is a website called Yizkeirim that has a database of all 23,632 people who died defending the State of Israel.  In honor of the upcoming 70th anniversary of Yom Hazikaron/Yom Haatzmaut, one can honor his/her choice of fallen hero by doing a mitzvah in his/her honor.  The website is honorisraelsfallen.com

Taking out the trAsh

 
How do you begin your day? Some people start with a cup of coffee, and others with a brisk walk. In Temple times, the priests would begin their day in an entirely different and unexpected way. After getting dressed, the priest would 'raise the ash of the elevation offering that the fire consumed on the altar, and place it next to the altar.' (Leviticus 6:3) Essentially, the priest began his day by literally shovelling all the ash from the previous day off the altar, and placing it outside of the Sanctuary. It would seem this tedious task was below such venerable individuals, and that someone else should be dispatched to carry it out. Why is it necessary for the person who spends his day immersed in lofty and holy endeavours to carry out this mundane chore?

Perhaps the Torah is teaching that even the most menial of tasks, such as 'taking out the trash', can be imbued with implicit holiness. Whilst many religions define that which is holy and spiritual by its distance from the material world, and by maintaining a clear separation between the spiritual and the material, here the Torah is sanctifying the material by synthesising it with the holy. Through taking this most physical of actions – clearing the ash – and imbuing it with spirituality, the Torah is demonstrating that holiness is not only achieved through separation and abstinence, but rather it can be reached through harmony between the material and the spiritual, and through an acknowledgement of the material as essentially spiritual. Indeed this idea is so important that it is taught through the first task of the priest's day, which remains the first part of the 'sacrifices' section read in Shacharit, the morning prayer service, and thus establishes our perspective on spirituality for the entire day. This approach to achieving holiness through the elevation and sanctification of the mundane generates a significantly wider array of possibilities for achieving spirituality than the approach that requires separation from the ordinary in order to become holy.

The requirement that the priests start each day by clearing the ash from the previous day before embarking on their holy service in the Temple, presents an additional insight into the 'celebrity status' of the priests. As stated in the Jerusalem Talmud (Shabbat 10:3.): 'There is no greatness in the palace of the King.' That is to say, relative to the greatness of the Creator, we are all mere mortals, regardless of our social status. Celebrities in almost every arena are often put on pedestals by other humans. For this reason, we do not think of famous movie stars, rabbis and politicians as engaging in basic everyday errands such as washing the dishes or sweeping the floor. This in turn can very easily affect the self-image of those individuals, who begin to believe that they are above being involved in the everyday trivialities of life. This law requiring the priests to sweep up the previous day's ash, equalizes all humans in relation to God and serves as a reminder of the humanity of the saintly priests despite their elevated status.

That said, the question still stands as to why the priest should begin his day with it. Why does it come before all the other tasks?

Not only do the masses need to understand the humanity of those with elevated status, but perhaps of greater importance is the need for the spiritual leaders themselves to appreciate their own normality and their place in the material world. It is easy for people with great fame or fortune to let their status and their material riches define who they are to the extent that they think themselves above basic responsibilities. By beginning the day with such a menial task, the priest is forced, on a daily basis, to absorb tremendous humility in view of his own position relative to the King of Kings.

This powerful lesson has long outlived the Temples and, as mentioned, is still positioned right at the start of the daily morning prayers. Perhaps, hidden beneath the surface of this fascinating requirement for the priests to clean up yesterday's mess before starting their daily Temple service, is a metaphor for us all in the way we are meant to start each day. Every day, the first prayer we say upon waking up is Modeh Ani, a prayer of thanks to God for restoring our souls to our bodies and offering us the gift of a new day. 'I offer thanks to You, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great.' If God with His ultimate faith in His beings, can restore our souls to us each morning, granting us the gift of a new day, it is incumbent upon us, before even starting our day, to set aside the 'ashes' of the previous day, to clear our slate, to set aside grievances and to start each day with a renewed and fresh perspective. Approaching each new day through this lens will help us appreciate the greatness of God and His mercy. It will help us maintain a humble perspective and remember the value and hidden sanctity in seemingly inferior tasks.

The Seder Night-The Matzot of Rav Meshulam Igra

The Seder night refers to the first night when we sit around the table and conduct the Seder, as our Sages established. In Israel, this Seder is conducted only on the first night of Pesach; outside of Israel, this Seder is conducted on the second night of Pesach as well.

 

The Tur (Chapter 472) writes that all of the necessary items for the Seder should be prepared before the onset of Yom Tov, i.e. the Seder table should already be set from the afternoon of Erev Pesach. A nice tablecloth should be place on the table and all of the Seder items, including the MatzahKarpas (celery), Maror(romaine lettuce), Charoset, salt water (or vinegar), and all other Seder necessities should be placed on the table.

 

The reason for why one should be meticulous regarding this matter especially on the night of Pesach is so that the Seder can begin immediately when the men return home from the synagogue. The great Rishon Le'Zion, Hagaon Rabbeinu Yitzchak Yosef Shlit"a writes that it is not necessary for all of the items to actually be placed on the table, for sometimes there is not enough room on the table for everything or they wish to bring each item to the table as necessary for convenience. Thus, it is sufficient to prepare everything in advance and place the items wherever one wants in a manner that everything will be prepared and there will be no hindrance to the holiday meal.

 

Nevertheless, the Rishon Le'Zion writes that this should not become a point of contention in the home, for peace stands above all. This is especially true on this holy night which must be filled with joy and no anger should infiltrate one's heart on this night.

 

It is recounted about one of the greatest luminaries of the past generations, Hagaon Harav Meshulam Igra zt"l (who lived approximately two-hundred years ago and even in his youth was known as a tremendous genius), would toil himself in the preparation of the Matzot for Pesach. He would plant wheat in his yard and he would then harvest the wheat himself, grind it, knead it into dough, and bake the Matzah all on his own from beginning to end. This was all done with utmost meticulousness in Halacha as well as sanctity and purity.

 

In those days, in was customary to keep the Matzah (as well as other baked goods) in a sack attached to a rope that hung from the ceiling in order to protect it from infestation of insects and rodents. These special Matzot were placed in such a sack as well. Next to this sack, his wife placed the other regular Matzot (ones Rav Meshulam did not bake himself) in a separate sack and they would eat these other Matzot on Chol Ha'Mo'ed.

 

A poor, young Jewish woman lived in Rav Meshulam's home and served as a housekeeper and she would assist the Rabbanit with all of her household chores. On Erev Pesach, the Rabbanit was busy preparing Matzah balls out of Matzah meal to be placed in the soup. She asked the housekeeper to bring her three regular Matzot so she could grind them into Matzah meal for the soup. The housekeeper went and then inadvertently took three of the Rav's own precious Matzot and gave them to the Rabbanit. The Rabbanit was not aware of her mistake and ground up these Matzot for Matzah balls.

 

That evening, after the Rav had already left to the synagogue, the Rabbanit went to get the Rav's Matzot so that she could place them on the table but when she entered the room, she realized what had happened and let out a cry! The housekeeper had also understood what had happened and she ran away from the home and hid close to the synagogue. The Rabbanit did not know what to do and she decided to place the regular Matzot on the table, hoping that the Rav would not notice the difference.

 

The Rav returned from the synagogue and soon began the Seder; however, he soon realized that the Matzot in front of him were not the ones he made. He asked his wife where his Matzot were and she told him exactly what had transpired and he furrowed his brow. He was not worried about the Matzot, however; another thought entered his mind. "Where is the housekeeper?" the Rav inquired. The Rav immediately instructed his son to go find the housekeeper and bring her home. Indeed, he returned a few minutes later with the noticeably ashamed housekeeper following behind him. The Rav sat her down and told her, "My daughter, believe me, I do not care about the Matzot at all and do not worry about it at all. To show you that I am not upset at all and that I want you to be happy with us on the Seder night, I promise you that immediately after Yom Tov, the Rabbanit will buy you a new dress!"

 

This story is truly incredible. Rav Meshulam who worked so hard on preparing the Matzot himself did not become personally attached to them in the least as he had only done this to perform the Mitzvah in the most preferable manner possible. However, at that moment, the greatest Mitzvah he could perform was to gladden the heart of the poor, young woman. This was the true will of Hashem. May Hashem grant us the merit to follow the path of this righteous man.

See you tomorrow

It is always good to share Pesach Seder stories.

Love Yehuda Lave

Rabbi Yehuda Lave

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