Yehuda Lave, Spiritual Advisor and Counselor | | | | YEARN: We can yearn to do Ha Shem's will instead of focusing on petty matters.. Love Yehuda Lave I returned August 15 to Jerusalem after a 16 day absence from Israel. I visited over 100 synagogues, graves and holy spots throughout Czech and Vienna, along with castles and tourist spots. My friend the Cabalist, says like the Bal Shem Tov, I was gathering up the holy sparks of Jewishness that has been trapped there and bringing the spiritual energy back to Jerusalem. I hope I have accomplished that goal, but I know for sure that I brought back lots of pictures. There are too many to share at one time so I am trying something new and sharing them day by day as experienced with a 16 day delay. I will repeat this introduction each day. I have been studying Jewish history and Israel in my time in Jerusalem, but the history of the Jewish people in modern times from 1492 to 1945 was in central Europe where the majority of the Jewish people lived. It is worth studying and knowing about and by sharing it with you my friends, I hope I am expanding your knowledge as well. | | | Great theater is about challenging how we think and encouraging us to fantasize about a world we aspire to. Willem Dafoe, Actor A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theater admission and the babysitter were worth it. Alfred Hitchcock, Filmmaker Theater is immediate gratification. Chita Rivera, Actress The theatre, our theatre, comes from the Greeks. Edward Bond, Playwright Television is great but for me, as a performer, nothing compares to a live theatre show. Bruce Forsyth, Actor In the theatre the audience wants to be surprised - but by things that they expect. Tristan Bernard, Playwright If we don't reach out to make theatre affordable to the young generation, we will lose them all. Kevin Spacey, Actor All theatre is absurd. Eugene Ionesco, Playwright When it is good, theatre takes a lot of beating both to watch and perform. Dan Stevens, Actor Acting in the theatre is fun; acting in film is work. Alec Baldwin, Actor I don't mean to be oily, but critics are very much part of the theatre. Diana Rigg, Actress | | | Rosh Hashanah (New Year) guide for the perplexed, 2018
Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, "Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative"
Based on ancient Jewish Sages, September 5, 2018, https://bit.ly/2NfMtFe
More on Rosh Hashanah and other Jewish holidays: http://bit.ly/137Er6J
1. Rosh Hashanah ("the beginning of the year" in Hebrew), the Jewish New Year (5,779), is celebrated on the first day of the Jewish month of Tishrei (תשרי). Tishrei was a Babylonian term for launching the agricultural (creation) calendar, starting with the planting of seeds and the first rain.
2. Rosh Hashanah is celebrated on the sixth day of Creation, when the first human-being (Adam) was created, highlighting the centrality of the soil – a metaphor for humility - in human life. Thus, the Hebrew word for a human-being is Adam (אדמ), which becomes the Hebrew spelling of "soil" (אדמה) when the Hebrew letter ה (an abbreviation of God, the Creator) is added.
In addition, the Hebrew word Adam (אדמ) contains the Hebrew word for blood (דמ), the liquid of life, and is the acronym of Biblical Abraham (אברהם), David (דוד) and Moses (משה), the three role models of humility.
3. The Hebrew word "Rosh" means "beginning," "first," "head," "chief." The Hebrew letters of Rosh (ראש) constitute the root of the Hebrew word for Genesis, pronounced "Be're'sheet" (בראשית), which is the first/lead word in the Bible (Book of Genesis). Rosh Hashanah is celebrated at the beginning of the Jewish month of Tishrei, which means beginning/Genesis in ancient Acadian. The Hebrew letters of Tishrei (תשרי) are also included in the spelling of Genesis (בראשית). The Hebrew spelling of Genesis (בראשית) consists of the first two letters in the Hebrew alphabet (אב), the middle letter (י) and the last three letters (רשת) – representing the complete/wholesome undertaking of the Creation. Just like the Creation, so should the New Year (and human actions) launch a thoughtful, long-term – not a hasty – wholesome process.
Rosh (ראש) is, also, the Hebrew acronym of "the will of our Father that is in heaven" (רצון אבינו שבשמים).
4. Rosh Hashanah is one of four Jewish New Years: (a) the anniversary of the Creation, the beginning of the Jewish civil calendar (5,779) and the seasons, the setting of the Sabbatical (7th) and Jubilee (50th) years, and the time for calculating the annual tithe (10%) on vegetable and grains. (b) The first day of the month of Nissan initiates the three Jewish pilgrimages/festivals (Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles) and the measuring of the reign of ancient kings. (c) The first day of the month of Elul initiated the preparations for Rosh Hashanah and the New Year for animal tithes in ancient Israel. (d) The 15th day of the month of Shvat is the new year of the trees, which provide role-models for human-beings in humility, tenacity and growth.
5. Rosh Hashanah is announced, and celebrated - in a humble and determined manner - by the blowing of the Shofar (the ritual ram's horn). It is a wakeup call morally, individually and collectively. The Hebrew spelling of Shofar, שופר, is a derivative of the verb שפר, which means to enhance – an unending, uphill effort (sometimes, against all odds) for improvement.
6. The shofar is the epitome of peace-through-strength. It is made from the horn of a ram, which is a peaceful animal equipped with strong horns to fend off predators. The numerical value of the Hebrew word for "ram," איל, is 41 (א-1, י-10, ל-30), which is equal to the value of "mother" (אם, א-1, ם-40), who strongly protects her children. Rosh Hashanah prayers highlight motherhood, optimism and the pregnancies of Sarah, Rachel and Chana, who gave birth to Isaac, Joseph, Benjamin and Samuel, respectively. Noah – who led the rebirth of humanity/world – also features in Rosh Hashanah prayers.
7. Rosh Hashanah and the blowing of the Shofar….
*Constitute a moral wakeup-call, providing an expressway for prayers;
*Alert humanity to pending positive and negative significant developments (e.g., deliverance and attacks);
*Tumbled the walls of Jericho, and intensified Judge Gideon's posture of deterrence during his war on the Midianites;
*Reaffirm the faith in God as the Creator, the supreme king (ancient kings were anointed to the sound of the Shofar) and judge (a day of judgment). An ancient expression of "In God we trust.";
*Intensify the bonding of God and human beings;
*Commemorate the creation of the first human-being, Adam, on the sixth day of the Creation;
*Underline the annual judgment day, soul-searching and behavioral enhancement.
*Highlight the almost-sacrifice of Isaac – which was avoided by God's angel and a ram (a paradigm shift away from human sacrifices!) - and the Biblical (Abrahamic) Covenant;
*Remind us that the three Jewish Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the Prophet Samuel (the latter inspired Thomas Paine, the author of "Common Sense," the cement of the American Revolution), were conceived/born during the month of Tishrei, "the month of the strong ones " (Kings A, 8:2);
*Blasts of the Shofar – along with thunder and lightning - were heard when Moses ("the humblest of all human-beings") received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, a unimpressive, relatively-undersized (humble) mountain;
* In ancient times, the Jubilee (Leviticus 25:10) was announced - every 50 years - by the blowing of the Shofar, ushering in deliverance from spiritual and physical slavery (release of slaves and land). The Jubilee was the role model of liberty for the early American Pilgrims and Founding Fathers. It inspired the anti-slavery Abolitionist movement in the USA. Jubilee - "Yovel" (יובל) in Hebrew – is a synonym for Shofar (the ram's horn);
*Highlight the ingathering (Aliyah) of Jews to the Jewish Homeland;
*Emphasize optimism in the face of challenge and adversity.
8. Rosh Hashanah was conceived by Jewish sages, during the Second Temple period, referring to the Biblical "day of blowing the shofar" and "the day of commemorating the blowing of the shofar" (Leviticus 23:23-25, Numbers 29:1-6). Commemoration is a central Jewish value – a prerequisite for national cohesion, survival, an enhanced future and abstention from past critical errors. On the other hand, forgetfulness spells ignorance, loss of critical values and lessons, and therefore the tendency to repeat past errors.
9. Rosh Hashanah initiates the Ten Days of Repentance, which conclude on Yom Kippur (the Day of Repentance). It delivers a message that one should never underestimate one's capabilities to enhance one's fortunes, when guided by morality-driven tenacity/determination and faith.
10. It is customary to eat pomegranate seeds on Rosh Hashanah, accompanied by the following blessing: "May your benefits multiply like the seeds of the pomegranate." The pomegranate is supposed to contain (at its prime) 613 seeds – the number of Jewish precepts, which regulate the Jewish way of life. The pomegranate – a prominent ornament of the Torah scrolls - represents fruitfulness, knowledge, learning and wisdom.
May the New Year, 5779, be top heavy on health, modesty, humility, challenge and reward.
More on Rosh Hashanah and other Jewish holidays: http://bit.ly/137Er6J | | Street Life in London, 1876-1877 Check out our photographic homage to the street life in the city of London during the years 1876-1877. We hope you enjoy. | | How Its Made Pineapples Discovery Channel I am addicted to learning how things, are made, built, and manufactured. This might be a redundant statement but it is what I enjoy. This is the reason I am sharing all these with you guys! If you enjoy please thumbs up and sub cause I will be uploading a ton more | | | K A H A N E The magazine of the Authentic Jewish Idea September – October 1990 Ellul 5750 – Tishrei 5751 ISAIAH 6: 9-10 Some 2500 years ago the Prophet Isaiah was chosen by the Almighty as His prophet to His people, Israel. And thus did G-d speak to Isaiah: "… Hear ye indeed – but understand not, and see ye indeed – but perceive not. Make the heart of the people fat and make their eyes heavy and shut their eyes; lest they, seeing with their eyes and hearing with their ears, and understanding with their heart, return and be healed . . ." (Isaiah 6:9-10). That the Jewish people in both the Land of Israel and Exile hear and understand nothing and see and perceive not, is so abundantly clear as to be beyond debate. The only question is whether there is hope left for them or, because of their stubborn refusal to see and understand, the almighty brings down upon us the curse of Isaiah 6: 9-10 in which as punishment, the Jew is no longer allowed to see and understand (See Radak, Ibn Ezra Ibid.). But whatever the reason for the phenomenon, it is clear; it is an indisputable fact: The Jew is blind and deaf and lacking in understanding. And worse: He does not want to see; he does not want to hear; he does not want to understand, because the reality is so difficult and tortuous and agonizing, and it would call upon him to take steps that he refuses to even contemplate. And so, the edge of the cliff comes closer and the coach and its wildly charging horses rush to it. As I await the resumption of my trial for "incitement" after having stated that the Arabs are a cancer in our midst, I look at an article in the paper today that tells of a policy involving the building that houses the Supreme Court of Israel, the one that ruled that Kahane is a "racist". The article describes a policy that bars any Arab from the territories from entering the building even if he is a worker hired to repair the building. Furthermore, any Israeli Arab, meaning a citizen if Israel, can only enter the building to work with a policeman in tow, who must be with him all the time. I am deeply moved by this expression of trust in the loyal citizens of Israel and can hardly wait for the Supreme Court to send the racist Kahane to Jail. This goes along with the policy of the Knesset of Israel which bars any Arab from working in the building, even as a waiter, and any Arab taxi driver from entering past the guard post. Indeed, as I once told Arab Knesset Member Muhammad Watad, in replying to his motion to condemn Kach's victory in the Kiryat Arba elections: If you had not been elected as a Knesset Member you would not be allowed here as a waiter. And then, I read about a secret military prosecution report to the Attorney General and the State Attorney (who led the fight to bar me from the Knesset), which states that Faisal Husseini is one of the four Arab leaders of the intifada and the PLO's representative. I know that at that moment, Husseini was in the U.S. with Moshe Dayan's daughter, being welcomed and cheered by liberal Jews, by Jewish leaders and temple rabbis, and spoke at the Los Angeles Jewish Federation building, from which Jewish "racists" are barred. And then, I go over the foreign news and my heart is warmed by such items as Amal and Hezbollah factions killing each other by the scores in southern Lebanon; Christians and Moslems doing the same in Beirut. Tamales and Singhalese are massacring each other in Sri Lanka; Serbs and Croats engage in bitter dispute in Yugoslavia along with fighting between Serbs and Albanians while the Slovenes there want to break away and form their own state, and the Macedonians are demanding land from Greece which is engaged in a bitter dispute with Turkey in Cyprus, while the former is furious over Bulgarian treatment of its ethnic Turks. Meanwhile, the Kurds are fighting the Turks (and the Iraqis) for their own land and the Iraqis take over Kuwait which was already sending back Palestinians who work in its oil fields because they are an internal danger . . . And watching all this is Great Britain, which demands that Israel sit down with the PLO while it refuses to meet with the IRA which kills three policemen and a nun in its struggle against the Protestants. And in the capital of the European Common Market, Belgium, Flemish and Walloons fight a bitter language battle that tears the country apart, and the sick giant of the East, the Soviet Union, is hardly Soviet and less of a union with tens of different ethnic groups shouting "nyet, we want out." And in the New World, the French dream about a Quebec libre, and the Indians in New York State and Canada and all over are on the warpath and in Los Angeles an Hispanic school district is carved out, and blacks hate Koreans, and whites hate blacks and vice-versa, and it is so clear that if only Jews had the good will and made the necessary compromises they and the Arabs could live together happily because they have so much in common...! No, there is no doubt. It is a people that are very disturbed. Seeing nothing, hearing nothing, understanding nothing and not wishing to. And then, a long article appears in the Friday edition of Ha'aretz. The title? "Israel Arabs Seek Autonomy." Indeed! Boker Tov! Good morning. Surprise. And after autonomy? Guess, dear Jew. But what most impresses me is the following quote from the article: "The Arabs of the Galilee speak bitterly about the official description of the state as the 'Jewish people's state.'" In their eyes, there is a contradiction between this and the universal description that maintains that a state is first and foremost the state of all its citizens." Well, well, well. And when did we first hear that? And who was the first to declare that there is a basic contradiction between a democratic universal state and a Jewish one? Of course the Arabs are right. And of course we must choose and of course we must choose a Jewish state and of course the Arabs must go and of course it is because they are a cancer. I say it again and if the government wants to put me on trial again, let them do so. But the truth is the truth. They are a cancer; a dangerous and spreading one and they must go. | | Vienna's famous Studttemple Built in 1825 it was the only temple in Vienna not destoryed on the outside. It was destroyed on the inside but rebuilt after the war beautiufully | | This is fascinating. You'd swear the things he draws are real. Stefan Pabst - 3D DRAWINGS | | Source for Afterlife I know that Judaism believes in the afterlife, but in reading the Torah I did not see any mention of that. You would think such major, essential, fundamental ideas would be openly stated. Where is this discussed? The Aish Rabbi Replies: Maimonides writes (Teshuva 8:1) that we know of this from the Torah's statement in Deuteronomy 22:7: "You will have good and your days will be long." Without the traditional interpretation we could think it is just promising long life in this world. Elsewhere, Maimonides also mentions Numbers 24:17-18 and Deuteronomy 30:3-5. The afterlife is discussed in detail in the Talmud, Sanhedrin Chapter 11. Another source for the afterlife is logic: The soul, which is spiritual and therefore cannot die or decay, existed in the "world of souls" before the body was "born," and will continue to exist after. The reason the afterlife is not mentioned explicitly in the Torah, is because the purpose of earthly existence is to do good in this world, to give the soul a chance to elevate itself. To the extent we make the right "spiritual" choices (e.g. give charity, care for others, pray, study Torah) is the extent that we become sensitive to the spiritual reality of God. This attunes our soul to appreciate the pure spirituality of the eternal afterlife. The famous book Path of the Just explains that the purpose of life is to enjoy God's radiance. Rabbi Noah Weinberg explains that this refers to the pleasure we get in this world from doing good. The eternal reward will come of its own accord, providing that we do good in this world. Further, the eternal reward is perhaps too intangible to be an effective motivator. Finally, the ultimate reason for serving God and doing His mitzvot is so that we can become close to God, love and admire His essence. Thus, we should serve God whether or not there is a reward or punishment, either here or in the afterworld. (source: Maimonides - Mishnah Sanhedrin 10; Chatam Soffer Y.D. 356) | | See you tomorrow Love Yehuda Lave | | | |
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