The Old Lady and Her Cane

Shalom!

Right before Yom Kippur, I have a great story for you. It's safe to say that this is one of my best.

One day, you are walking down the street. You see an old woman, hunchbacked, limping very slowly, putting half her weight on her cane. She calls you over. "Honey, would you please help me cross the street?" Naturally, being the angel that you are, you decide to do so. "Of course!" And so you put your arm under hers and proceed toward your destination - the other side of the street. It is taking a while, and you are growing impatient. When you reach halfway through, you realize that this is taking way too much time. So you decide to forget her. You let go of her and tell her you have to go. But then, you decide to have some fun. You take her cane from her, thinking to yourself, "Let's see her cross the street now." But that wouldn't be enough for you. You decide to trip her with her own cane, pushing her to the ground. Your giggle turns into a laugh that turns into an uncontrollable hysteria that has you jumping for oxygen. Funny, right? You'll probably never see this woman again in your life. Nothing to worry about. That's the end of it.

After some time, your guilt got the better of you, and you felt really bad about this terrible action. This regret leads you to do teshuva.

Many, many years later, your time has come. You go up to shamayim. Hashem sits you down on a recliner and says, "Sit back and relax. I want to show you a movie. The movie is called, 'Your Life,' with your thoughts in subtitles. And I'm going to invite some people to come watch it, too. I'm actually going to invite everyone you know. Your parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, even Moshe Rabbeinu!" (Our Rabbis tell us that this actually happens.)

And so the movie starts with you crying as a newborn baby. You look around and everyone is smiling. And the movie shows everything you have ever done, with the thoughts that you were thinking at that time. And some events were embarrassing, but not so bad. Until it comes to the point when this old woman walks over to you, and you're thinking, "NOOOOO!!!!!!" And she asks you to help her cross the street, and the panic kicks in. And you start crossing with her, and you want to get up and leave the room. And then, at last, you reach the halfway mark. What to do? You cringe and wait for it, imagining that everyone around you will say, "What's wrong with you, you freak?"

But for some reason, you don't leave the old woman in this movie. You never take her cane. And you never trip her. Rather, you cross the street with her, and ask her if you can help her in buying her groceries. You actually buy her groceries for her, and then hail a cab, pay that cab driver in advance for a safe trip to the old woman's apartment and send her on her way.

"What happened? Why did my sin just turn into a tremendously good deed??? That makes no sense! THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED!!!"

If you really think about it, teshuva is completely irrational. If you sin, why should G-d forget about this sin? How could G-d forget about this sin? That's not what happened! How can our Sages tell us that if you do teshuva out of love for Hashem, your sins will turn into good deeds? How does that make sense?

The answer is, it doesn't. It doesn't make sense. But here's what you have to know: It doesn't have to make sense. Hashem has given you a gift, an opportunity, an irrational present. Do you realize how foolish it is not to repent? You have just been given the "get out of jail free" card, but you like staying in jail. You enjoy jail. You think that jail is better than freedom. You rip up the "get out of jail free" card and spit in Hashem's face for giving it to you. Do you realize how foolish this is? You have been given a chance that you don't deserve. You have been given a second chance that makes no sense. Should such a person need encouragement to take advantage? Should he need to be inspired to capitalize? Of course not! If he's not a fool, he'll repent in a second.

I will be thinking about this.

If this applies to you, I suggest you think about it, as well. Don't be foolish.

Tizku leShanim Rabot, Ne'imot veTovot.

May we all be inscribed in the Book of Life.

May you have a meaningful fast.

And make sure to forgive everyone for anything anyone has ever done to you, because if you are quick to forgive, then Hashem will be the same.

Shabbat Shalom!

Avraham Adam Sabzevari

Laborious Thinking

Shalom Lekulchem!

I am sitting here, on the last day of the year, thinking of something to write. I've got nothing. Writer's block. Thinking about this makes me think, "Gosh, if it's the end of the year, and I have nothing to say, something must be wrong." And I guess something is wrong. Normally, what I do is I open a chumash, look over the parasha, and see if I have something nice to write about. If that fails, I will start looking up different sefarim. And, B"H, there is no shortage of Torah (quite the opposite, actually), so I always find something. So why can't I find something this week? Because there is no Parashat Hashavua.

You might be thinking, "Where is he going with this?" So am I.

Allow me to share with you an epiphany that I have just undergone.

This thought of, I have nothing to write about, makes me thing, "Why not? You learn a good amount, right? Why don't you have something to write?"

At the end of the day, you have to have something that will show that you've gained, that you have grown, that you possess something more than the average person, or than your average-self. You have to have something concrete, something that you can point to and say, "LOOK! Look what I can do! Look what I've accomplished."

It's never too late. The best thing would be to be able to pick something up and say, "Look what I've accomplished." It can be a sefer. Pick up the sefer and say to yourself that you've gone through this. It can be a picture of a family that you helped out through tough times. It can be an email that you decided that you will send out to spread Torah learning (good idea, no? you should try it). But you should have something for yourself. Can you go into the Day of Judgement and have nothing big to plead your case? Is it possible to stand in front of your Creator for inspection, for Him to determine if you should be granted yet another year, and you have nothing to say for yourself? It's a scary thought. It scares me a little. But a little fear may be the spark that starts the flame. We all should have that one thing - at least one thing - that we can call our own. Some mitzvah that we adore and would walk a thousand miles to fulfill. (My thoughts my be drifting from where I started off, but remember, I'm thinking of this as I go.) Example: Birkat Halevana. Every month, as the moon is waxing (becoming full), we go out and make a beracha to Hashem for the moon, one of the many gifts He bestows upon us. A person can say, "This will be my mitzvah. This is what I'll have to take with me at the end of year. If it means that I will have to rent out a helicopter to go above the clouds because I'm gonna miss it otherwise, so be it. Maybe I'll even buy the helicopter. But at the end of the day, I'll be able to say, 'This mitzvah is mine.'" It can be simply saying good morning. "I will never - ever - ignore a person I see between the hours of 6 AM and 12 noon. I will make sure to wish him a good morning. And if I don't know him, maybe I'll get to know him because of this. But I will say good morning to everyone."

What's my point? It's very easy to let things fly. It's very easy to be taken, to go with the flow. And we really should be in charge of our entire lives. But that's easier said than done. So let's start with one project. Just one. Right now, I am asking you - yes, you - to do the following: think. Think of one thing that you've been wanting to improve. Maybe it's praying out of a siddur as opposed to by heart, because we all know that we skip words when we do that. Maybe it's praying with a minyan, three times a day. You will pay 9 guys if you have to get a minyan. Maybe it means you will finish a certain sefer by such-and-such date. Maybe it's to stop using unclean language. Maybe it's to stop wasting your time doing _________ (fill in the blank).

I'm asking you to make now the time that you start to perfect that one thing. Anything. But aim for perfection, and be satisfied with nothing less.

"Look what you did." This feeling is the fuel that gets you going. Accomplishment is happiness. Knowing that you make a difference is the best feeling in the world. So please, don't just leave right now. It's the day before the Day of Judgement. Think. Think of something that you will do, write it down, and get to work. If you want more ideas, email me and I'll be glad to make a list together with you.

Be'ezrat Hashem, if Hashem sees that we take Him seriously, and we decide to make changes for Him, He will change everything in our favors on this Day of Judgement.

Tizku leshanim rabot, ne'imot vetovot!

Thank you very much for an amazing year!

And please forgive me if I have offended anyone in anyway. [We all know that I've only made you laugh. But maybe the incessant laughing hurt you. How would I know?] But please to forgive me, and I forgive everyone.

Shana Tova,

Shabbat Shalom,

Avraham Adam Sabzevari

Shuttle Destination: Heaven

Helllllooooo!

Wow. It's been a while. I haven't written a d'var Torah during these last two weeks. I've been very busy with starting YU and adjusting. But B"H, I will not allow a third week to go by without boring you with my long autobiography. That would be irresponsible of me.

So I started YU, and it is difficult. Trying to become a talmid chacham couple with a full semester of college classes is easier said than done. But I will not complain. I know I'll get used to it. It is very nice to be in a place where there are, on average, 74 minyanim for mincha, and something like 29 roshei yeshiva.

Tonight, we had a very important Rav come speak in YU. Rav Itamar Schwartz, the author of Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh and Da Et Atzmecha, spoke and really got us in the mood of Rosh Hashana. Think about how serious these days are, as the entire world weighs on the balance, and every action may tip the scale to either of the two sides (Rambam).

In honor of the end of the year, I will give a d'var Torah that stresses the importance of the Torah. May we all end off this year and begin next year with a great level of appreciation of the Torah.

For this commandment that I command you this day, is not concealed from you, nor is it far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us and take it for us, to tell it to us, so that we can fulfill it?"… Rather, this thing is very close to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it. (Devarim, 30:11-14)

"This commandment" is very close to us. Which commandment, you may ask? Well, I may respond, there is a dispute. One opinion says it refers to teshuva, and a second says it refers to the Torah (as a whole). We will be discussing the latter opinon.

Moshe Rabbeinu is speaking about the Torah and tells us that it's not in some remote location. It's not across the sea, and it's not in the heavens. Rather, it's very close to us. It's in our mouths and hearts. Let's think about what our leader is telling us. He's basically entertaining some possible excuses for us, and then rejects them. "I can't learn Torah because it is way above me...I'm incapable" - "It's not in the heavens...it's actually in your heart. Sorry." "Um....I can't learn Torah because that means I have to take transportation to somewhere, and it's too hard..." "Actually, it's not on the other side of the sea...It's on your side...it's actually in your mouth." If you look around, there is so much Torah everywhere. There are so many cheap books, there are so many shiurim, there are billions of websites that spread Torah. It is soooo easy to learn Torah. There can be Torah available to you in the palm of your hand with all the gadgets that technology provides for us. You can call up numbers and listen to a short halacha. There are softwares that have more texts than anyone from the last century would ever even dream of having.

The list of excuses can go on and on, but Moshe is a busy man. He figures you'll get the point. The point is, we can justify whatever we want, whenever we want, however we want. We can always come up with an excuse. But we have to realize that that's all they are - excuses. It all boils down to one thing - you are fooling yourself. Hashem is not being fooled. You can bet on that. I'l guarantee it. If after 120, you realize that you actually fooled Hashem, I will apologize to you. But I don't like apologizing, so I wouldn't say that unless I was 1000% sure that you can't fool G-d. So who are you fooling? There is so much Torah at your disposal. Open your eyes. OK. That's enough from the mussar department. I'll give it over to the vort department.

Let's play a logic game.

Steven is renting a room from Larry, the Landlord. Larry gives Steve a list of rules. Part of the rules is that he has to clean up the room once a week. Larry tells Steve, "But you don't have to go far to get a broom because I put one in the closet - so you don't have to ask yourself, 'Oh no! Who's gonna go buy me a broom now?' You don't have to go far to get soap because I put some under the sink - - so you don't have to ask yourself, 'Oh no! Who's gonna go buy me soap now?'"

So here's the question that I have for you. Let's say the landlord didn't provide soap. Would Steve have to pay? Let's say he wasn't kind enough to provide the broom. Would that mean that the rules change? OF COURSE NOT! That was an act of kindness, a favor. He didn't have to provide the broom and soap. He could have said these are the rules - follow them, or leave and don't let the door hit you on your way out. And if he would do that, Steve would have to go buy the broom and soap.

Same with us. (Rashi) When Moshe tells us that the Torah isn't far away, that it's not across the sea, that it's not in heaven, what is he really telling us? He isspelling out the limits we would have to reach for the Torah had it not been provided for us. If the Torah was in heaven, we would have to elect a worthy candidate who would ascend and retrieve the Torah for us. That would be our obligation as Jews. We must learn Torah. And if we don't have it, we must obtain it. This is what Moshe Rabbeinu is teaching us indirectly. The Torah is not is the heavens. It's very close to you. But, if it were in the heavens, you would have to go up and get it. So take advantage now tha tyou have it.

So this is it. The last week of 5769 is staring us in the eye. It's here. It's our last chance to make a change. It's our last chance to realize and truly acquire Torah that it not be far from us, but be right in our mouths and in our hearts. Do not let this opportunity to go.

Shabbat Shalom!

Have a great end-of-year!

And I ask for forgiveness if I have ever offended or wronged anyone, whether through the emails or another way.

Adam Sabzevari

Trust in G-d, and Nothing But G-d

Hey People,

We are now in the month of Elul. Hashem is in the field, waiting for us to go out and greet Him. He is coming closer and closer every day. With every day of selichot, with every blow of the shofar (for Ashkenazim), we can hear and feel our Creator nearing towards us. Take advantage. DO NOT LET THIS OPPORTUNITY PASS. Read last week’s email (or go to adamstorah.blogspot.com) to see a beautiful idea on the word “Elul.”

In this week’s parasha, Parashat Shofetim, Moshe Rabbeinu teaches many, many laws. He starts off by charging us to pursue justice, and nothing less than justice. No bribery. No favoritism. No cronyism. He proceeds to warn us not to serve idols. He speaks about appointing a king. He speaks about the punishments of false prophets, and how to test which prophets are genuine and which are not.

Moshe Rabbeinu, then, tells us not to do a lot of things that the other nations involve themselves in. “Let there not exist among you anyone who passes his son or daughter through fire, who practices ‘kosem,’ superstitions, baseless auspicious times, or sorcery. Or a snake charmer, or one who invokes the spirit of ‘ov’ or ‘yidoni’, or communicates with the dead” (Devarim 18:10-11).

First of all, what are all these things? We’ll mention some. “Kosem” is if one drops a stick, and based on the direction in which it falls, he will go either right or left. Some might say that this is similar to flipping a coin. Heads or tails? If you flip a coin, and you believe that it really has power, then you are placing your belief in something other than Hashem. Unfortunately, you are placing your faith in a coin, with a picture of George Washington’s head on it. And the backside of an eagle. I’m not saying that if you are indecisive and you want something else to decide for you, then you can’t flip a coin. Of course you can, under those circumstances. But if you actually believe that the coin has power, look-out.

Another wrong practice is superstition. I saw a black cat today. I guess that means I shouldn’t go to work on my normal route. I should probably take a detour. Or, I broke a mirror….seven years of bad luck. Opening an umbrella indoors…..rain on your wedding day. Number 13? Why would you do such a thing? [These are just a bunch of examples of ridiculous superstitions that are simply not true.]

Another one of these practices are communicating with the dead.

The obvious question is, why not? What’s wrong with communicating with the dead if I have the means to do so? What’s wrong with believing that a coin can determine my destiny? If I want to believe it, why does Hashem have to tell me I can’t? What’s wrong with using “magic?”

Moshe Rabbeinu explains it all in just a few, short, true words.

“Walk in perfect trust with Hashem” (Devarim 18:13). There may be nothing intrinsically wrong with any of these things. It’s not a matter of what these practices are. Rather, it’s the matter of what these practice are not. They are not Hashem. All of these practices stem from a disbelief in Hashem. Does it make sense that since I broke a mirror, I am destined to seven years of bad luck? Is G-d stripped of His abilities (chas veshalom a thousand times)? Where does He fit into this? If you believe that the coin has power, and whatever the coins lands on is binding, does that mean that Hashem can’t change your destiny? If you feel the need to awaken the dead to find out what to do in life, where does the power of prayer run off to? What will happen with all of the advice that the worthy Rabbis (representatives of Hashem on this world) have to offer?

When we walk down the paths of life, there is only one thing we must remember: Hashem is in charge. I was in someone’s office this past week, and he put up an awesome sign in his room. It wrote “Only Hashem is in charge. Everything is under control…not yours!” [I’ll attach a picture for all those who are interested.] Keep that in mind. Don’t put your trust in anything else. It will be useless, because nothing else can offer you anything. It’s all from the One Above. Remember that. If you do what’s right and place your trust in Him, then you need not worry about anything. Walk in perfect trust with Hashem.

Shabbat Shalom!

Chodesh Tov! Let’s make this the best Elul ever!

Avraham Adam Sabzevari

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For questions, comments, criticisms, or suggestions, please email adamsabzevari@gmail.com. We are awaiting your feedback. :)

www.adamstorah.blogspot.com

Throw Your Bread in the Waters

Hello Everybody!

I hope everyone’s week was a good one. Although, there’s no reason for me to hope. You see, the week has come and gone; even if I hope that it was a good one, it can’t change. I never understood why people say, “I hope you’re enjoying your summer.” How can you hope about something that already happened? It’s like saying, “I hope you won the lottery.” This is me just being annoying.

This coming week, we will be beginning the month of Elul, which is the month that precedes our Day of Judgment. It is the month during which we all make changes and resolutions. It is the month of actions, and not words. Sephardim begin waking up early or going to sleep for late for selichot. It’s a big deal.

One cute idea on Elul (אלול) is that if you spell it backwards, you get the word lulei (לולא). Lulei means “if only.” “If only I would do……..” Fill in the blank. “I should have…..” “I could have…..” These are phrases that we don’t like to have in our vocabularies, but unfortunately, we all do. This month of Elul is the time to turn the lulei around. Elul islulei backwards because we are turning things around, and during this month, we don’t make excuses. We do what we are supposed to. Let us all not lose the opportunity, and begin progressing from the very beginning, this Wednesday night. There will never again be Rosh Chodesh Elul 5769.

This week’s parasha, Parashat Re’eh, discusses an eer hanidachat. This is a city in which the people have been persuaded to serve idol-worship. Unfortunately, the entire city must be burned down because the damage is done. Obviously, it will be hard for anyone to take part in the burning of a Jewish city, even though the entire city is rebelling against Hashem. Therefore, after the Torah demands we burn it down, it says, “Hashem will grant you mercy, and He will be merciful toward you” (Devarim 13:18).

What does this passuk mean? I understand the second part. “He will be merciful toward you.” I get that. He’ll have mercy on us. But what does it mean that He will grant us mercy? Is that the same thing? Does that also simply mean that He will be merciful toward us? Can’t be, because the Torah wouldn’t just repeat itself. So what does the first clause mean? “Hashem will grant you mercy.”

The Gemara in Masechet Shabbat (151b) learns something very interesting from this passuk. “Hashem will have mercy on everyone who has mercy on other people.” How does the Gemara understand this passuk? The first part of the passuk - “Hashem will grant you mercy” – means that Hashem will grant us the ability to have mercy. Hashem will grant us with the ability to be merciful. Hashem will gift us with this beautiful quality trait of having mercy on others. And, if you live up to that, and you take that gift and actually have mercy on other people, then and only then “He will be merciful toward you.” If we give to others, then Hashem will give to us. And the contrary is also true, sadly.

There is another beautiful passuk in this week’s parasha. You should give charity to the poor people, and, “because of this, Hashem will bless you in everything that you do” (Devarim 15:10). Once again, we see this idea that what goes around comes around. If we give to the poor people, Hashem will give to this.

I like to call this The Boomerang Effect. Shlomo Hemelech writes in Kohelet (11:1), throw your bread in the water, because one day, the waves will bring the bread back to you. Now, of course, we don’t do good things only for their rewards. That’s very childish. I’ll behave if you give me a candy. We don’t do mitzvot for selfish reasons. But maybe that can at least be a starter’s incentive, until we do it all out of a pure heart.

This month of Elul, let’s give to others. Let us try to give as much of charity as possible. Times are hard. Hashem will give us if we give. Keep that in mind. Try to be merciful on others. If someone doesn’t deserve something, don’t let that be the reason that you don’t give it to him. After all, we all know that we don’t deserve all the good that Hashem gives us, but we most definitely want to continue receiving it. Remember, Hashem grants you that ability to be merciful. Don’t let that go to waste.

May this coming up month be the best month of our lives. May we take corrective measures to make self-improvements. And may we raise the entire world with us.

Shabbat Shalom!

Avraham Adam Sabzevari

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For questions, comments, criticisms, or suggestions, please email adamsabzevari@gmail.com. We are awaiting your feedback. :)
www.adamstorah.blogspot.com

The Entire Mitzvah: A Hospital's Worst Enemy

Shalom to the group,

It's almost a month that I've been back to the States. First of all, I would like to mention, just in case anyone hasn't noticed, it rains a lot over here. Just pointing that out.

It was also very easy to feel the lacking of the Beit Hamikdash on Tisha Be'av when I also feeling the lacking of Eretz Yisrael. To my dismay, we're still waiting for the Beit Hamikdash. But I figure if I keep wanting it, eventually I'll get it. B"H.

I feel like I should make this introduction a little longer, but unfortunately I don't know anything from current events about which to speak. I guess you can read the paper in this segment, and continue when you're satisfied.

At the beginning of Parashat Eikev, Moshe Rabbeinu discusses all of the blessings we will receive if we observe the mitzvot. "He will love you, He will bless you, He will multiply you, He will bless all of your food, He will bless animals (in modern-day, this would mean our businesses -- cha ching), He will give you the Land of Israel."

"There will never be anyone amongst you that can't have children." You can imagine, all of the pain and suffering newly-married couples, as well as not-so-newly-married couples, have to go through. The doctor's appointments, the emotional roller-coasters, the small sparks of hope that dwindle into mere fantasies, the endless medical treatments and futile attempts. Unfortunately, so many of us know someone who has gone through this or is currently going through this. It is our job to encourage them in their efforts and support their every actions. We must hearten them and do everything we can to prevent and to uproot any speck of depression, chas veshalom. We must be there as friends, siblings, or even spouses.

But imagine actually being able to cure them. Imagine being able to do something tangible that will grant this couple with the ability to bear offspring. Would you do it? How much money would you give? How much time out of your busy schedule would you sacrifice if you knew that your efforts would allow a man and wife to have a child? Think about it. Now imagine, you can cure the entire Jewish population from this. Would you? Moshe Rabbeinu promises, "You will be blessed more than all the people; there will not be among you a sterile man or a barren female" (Devarim 7:14). This is all a consequence of heeding the laws of the Torah. So there you have it. I have placed the cure in front of you. It's here in black-and-white. How much will you be willing to help a more unfortunate friend? How much will you sacrifice to be there for someone who needs it? It's in your hand.

The Torah continues, "He will remove all illness from you" (Devarim 7:15). OK. What if I told you I have the cure for everything? The ultimate panacea. Even cancer? You got it. All illnesses. Every disease. Moshe Rabbeinu promises to us in the Torah, just follow the mitzvot and nothing will ever go wrong. I'm sure you get the point. You have the ability to remove sickness from this world, if you care to do anything about it.

In any event, that's not the D'var Torah that I wanted to write about. I just got carried away. Sorry.

"The entire mitzvah that I am commanding you today, guard it so as to fulfill it" (Devarim 8:1). "Do the entire mitzvah." There are two possible interpretations what the word "entire" is referring to. First, it can be referring to the entire Torah. Keep the entire Torah. Second interpretaiton, offered by Rashi, is, "If you began to fulfill a mitzvah, complete it; for the mitzvah is only accredited to the one who completes it." You have to do an entire mitzvah. Don't just start something. Don't let yourself get lax after you have already begun. It is very easy to be excited about a project when you first begin it. Everyone is gung-ho at the start. "I'm going to change the world." The question is, can you keep that up? Can you follow it through? It is very difficult. Unfortunately, many people will drop put. When climbing a mountain, many people start at the foot. But how many actually make it to the top of Mount Everest? Everyone can start.

Our Rabbis teach us, "When a person begins a mitzvah, we should tell him, 'Complete it!'" Why? Why should we butt-in in someone else's business? Leave the guy alone. The explanation is, our Sages know how difficult it is. If we tell everyone else to encourage him to continue, then he can feed off the energy the other people offer him. This way, we can help each other do what's right, and hopefully, as a consequence of doing the mitzvot (with the encouragement of others), we will rid the world of all sicknesses.

Yours Truly,

Avraham Adam Sabzevari

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For questions, comments, criticisms, or suggestions, please email adamsabzevari@gmail.com. We are awaiting your feedback. :)

www.adamstorah.blogspot.com

The Pawn in Someone Else's Game

Hello Everyone!

This week is "Shabbat Chazon." It is called this because the first word of the Haftarah is "chazon," or "vision." It's about a vision that the prophet Yesheyahu had, and he laments over the causes of the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash. This coming week is supposed to be a week of improvement on all our parts because we want to repair the destruction that occurred in our land close to 2,000 years ago. As we all know, our Rabbis teach us that the second Beit Hamikdash was destroyed because there was baseless hatred between the people; we just weren't nice people. Furthermore, Chazal also teach us that in every generation that the Beit Hamikdash was not rebuilt, it is as though is was destroyed during that generation. Which means, we should really be feeling as if the Beit Hamikdash was destroyed in our very days. Remember September 11th? That event is really real to me because I was alive when it happened. It's not just a historical event, but I experienced it. It should be the same with the Beit Hamikdash.
This week, try to give a little love. Try to dish out baseless love. Don't ask questions. Don't be nice only to those who deserve it, but to everyone. Just for one week. Try it. Love people irrationally. Help bring back the Beit Hamikdash.

"You shall not bother Moav and you shall not provoke war with them, for I shall not give you an inheritance from their land..." (Devarim 2:9)
Hashem tells us in this week's parasha that we will not be able to ever conquer land that belongs to Moav. If we want a land that belongs to them, forget about it.

Let's back-track a little bit. In the end of parashat Chukat, the Torah says, "The poets [ha'moshelim] would say, 'Come to Cheshbon! Let it be built and established as the city of Sichon'" (Bamidbar 21:27).
The word "moshelim" - "poets", comes from the word "mashal" - "parable." Poets are the ones who make analogies, metaphors, personifications, and parables. The simple understand of the passuk is that during that time, when the Jewish nation was conquering one city after another on its way to the Promised Land, everyone was talking about it. Everyone was writing about our military operations and covert missions. When we conquering Cheshbon, which was a city that belonged the Sichon (the King of Emori), the poets spoke about that conquest, as well.
Our Sages interpret this passuk in a different way, in addition to its simple meaning. The word "moshel" can also mean a ruler - one who rules or reigns over something. "These [moshelim] are those people who rule over their [evil] inclinations. 'Come, let us think about the matters and calculations of the world. [Let us compare] the loss one undergoes when doing a mitzvah in respect to its reward and the reward one receives when refraining to sin in respect to the loss one undergoes by transgressing the sin'" (Baba Batra 78b).
What were these moshelim saying? When the righteous people, who completely ruled over their evil inclinations, saw what happened to Sichon and the entire city Cheshbon, their initial reaction was, "Let's start thinking. Let's take an account (cheshbon) of everything we are doing and make sure that we are on the right path. Let us make sure that we are never sinning. And even in the things we are doing correctly, let us make sure we are doing them with our utmost ability, not slacking off at all. How will we come to such yearning to do that which is correct? We will weigh out both sides. If, right now, I have the choice to do a mitzvah, let me think about the advantages and disadvantages. How much will I lose by doing this mitzvah? Will I have to buy some things? On the contrary, how much will I gain by doing the mitzvah? How great are the everlasting rewards that are promised to me in the eternal world to come? Is it worth it to exchange a couple dollars for eternity? The same comparison should be done with negative mitzvot. How much eternal reward will I receive for refraining from transgressing this sin at hand? How much momentary pleasure will I actually gain by committing it?
In any event, there is a lot to think about regarding this interpretation of this passuk. "Let's start thinking."
The question arises: What does this have to do with anything? Why are we learning about "taking account for our spiritual lives" from this passuk? This passuk has to do with the military conquests of the Jewish nation before entering Israel! Is there a connection merely because the name of the city was "Cheshbon," which means "an accounting or calculation?"
I once heard someone make a beautiful connection.
This city, Cheshbon, wasn't always under the rule of Sichon (the Emorite King). It used to belong to Moav.
"Cheshbon, was the city of Sichon, king of the Emorite; he went to war against the first king of Moav and took all his land from his control." (Bamidbar 21:26)
This is significant because the Jewish nation was not allowed to conquer any land from Moav, by the order of Hashem, as we see in this week's parasha.
So in truth, we were never allowed to get our hands on Cheshbon. Cheshbon belongs to Moav, and we are not allowed to take anything from them. However, once the Emorites took Sichon from Moav, there was no longer anything holding us back from conquering Cheshbon. It no longer belonged to Moav. Therefore, we conquered Cheshbon. Sichon was serving as a pawn in the Jewish nation's battles, to help us achieve our goal of conquering Cheshbon. Initially, when Sichon took over the land from Moav, he definitely thought that he was invincible and an unbelievable leader. He definitely grew arrogant because he was amassing property while others were losing. But little did he know that his good fortune had nothing to do with him. It only happened to him so that someone else (the Jews) can reap the benefits. He was successful, only to give us what we want.
Now, you can understand that anyone who sees something like this will start thinking about it. Wow. Maybe there are good things happening to me. But why? Am I blessed because I deserve to be? Or am I just doing the hard work and amassing properties and assets just to hand it over to a more worthy fellow? Well, there's only one way to be sure that this is happening for me: "'Come, let us think about the matters and calculations of the world.'" Let us make sure that we are doing everything correctly and pleasing our Creator. Let us make sure that we are on the right path, and hopefully, not have to hand over our blessings to our enemies.
May we all merit to have the knowledge and intellect to be able to think about our spiritual lives, ensuring that we do what is right. May we all introspect properly, and through that, not only will ensure that we are not a pawn is someone else's life, but we will also make sure we are living with more of Hashem in our lives.

Shabbat Chazon Shalom!
May we all be enjoying a Yom Tov this coming Thursday and no longer be mourning the loss of the Beit Hamikdash.
Sincerely,
Avraham Adam Sabzevari


Last week's Torah Trivia
"If a man takes an vow to Hashem or swears an oath to establish a prohibition upon himself..." What is the difference between taking a vow or swearing an oath?
Simply put, a vow changes the status of the object, whereas an oath places an obligation only on the person. For example, you can make a vow against fruits, and the fruits will be like non-kosher. If you want to swear off sleeping for a night, that would have to be done with an oath.
A great difference between the two is the following. Let's say someone wants to bring a korban. He has a specific cow, called Cathy the Cow. If he makes a vow to bring Cathy as a korban, then if she dies, he no longer is obligated to bring a korban, because Cathy's status changed, but she's dead. On the contrary, if he made an oath to bring a korban, then the obligation is placed on him. If Cathy dies, he would have to bring another korban, like Bessy the Cow.

I Told You So

Shalom Alecheim Le'Kulam!

Baruch Hashem! Life is great! We are living to see another day, to breathe another breath, and to sit by the computer another time. Thank G-d! The reason I'm saying this is that I don't want to start off on a morbid/sad thought. But now that I have started off on a happy note, let's speak a little about the time.
So we are now in the three weeks. We are starting to get a taste of mourning. Everyone should be feeling the lack of the Beit Hamikdash in his or her own way. If we refrain from doing everything that our Rabbis tell us not to do during this period of time, but we dread it and can't wait 'til it's over, then we are slightly missing the point. We aren't home. We aren't in our ideal state. We are currently being forced to lived under unnatural circumstances. Chazal teach us that if we don't share in with the pain of the nation, then we will not merit to witness the consolation and restoration of the nation. May we all take this time to really feel the lacking, feel the missing, reflect upon ourselves, and make a 180 turn to see the Beit Hamikdash this coming up Av.

Now, I know I normally go on for pages, but this week, I have a very short thought. I don't know why. Maybe it's because Israel is wearing off. I hope not. In any event, he it goes.
In the beginning of Parashat Matot, the Torah discusses the laws pertaining to vows and oaths. The passuk says:
"איש כי ידור נדר לה' או השבע שבועה לאסור איסר על נפשו לא יחל דברו ככל היוצא מפיו יעשה" - "If a man takes an vow to Hashem or swears an oath to establish a prohibition upon himself, he shall not desecrate his word; he should do whatever he says" (Bamidbar 30:2).
If you say you will do something, do not desecrate your word. Do not devalue your power of speech. Rather, when you say you'll do something, do it. Very simple.
The Biyala Rebbe from B'nei Barak has spent this past week in Great Neck. One night, between Mincha and Arvit, he offered an alternate understanding to this passuk. There are two clauses: "he shall not desecrate his word" and "he should do whatever he says." The first clause is talking about people. We shall not desecrate our words. We shall do everything we say and not abuse our ability to speak. And if we do that, if we take our words seriously and are careful about what we say, then He will do everything he says. Hashem will do everything that this guy says. (The second clause is referring to Hashem.) If an individual values his speech to a great extent, so much so that he will keep to his word, then Hashem will also take his word seriously. If he asks for something from G-d, He will grant it to him. If he gives someone a beracha, then the blessing will come true, just because he was the one who said it. In fact, this is why there is a huge minhag to get berachot from big tzaddikim. By virtue of the fact that they are saying this beracha, Hashem will make it come true.
May we all take our words seriously, never lie, and really appreciate how powerful our tongues can be. May we all keep to what we say. Furthermore, may we all refrain from speaking Lashon Hara, promote love amongst the Jews, and bring back the Beit Hamikdash to our home, Yerushalayim, Ir Hakodesh.


Torah Trivia
At the beginning of this week's parasha, the passuk is, ""If a man takes an vow to Hashem or swears an oath to establish a prohibition upon himself..." What is the difference between taking a vow or swearing an oath?

Last week's Torah Trivia
If you have a natural inclination towards blood, what are two mitzvot that you should involve yourself with?
Answer: The two I had in mind were Shochet (a kosher butcher) and Mohel (one who gives berit milah). Other responses were doctor and surgeon. All are correct.

Thank you very much!
Shabbat Shalom!
Take care of yourself.
Sincerely,
Avraham Adam Sabzevari


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For questions, comments, criticisms, or suggestions, please email adamsabzevari@gmail.com. We are awaiting your feedback. :)
My Blog - www.adamstorah.blogspot.com

"An Identified Problem is a Problem Half-Solved"

Hello Everyone!

And so it is. I am back in The States. Back to reality. Back to the streets of Great Neck. Sleeping during the days, awake all night. It's too early to reminisce, so I won't. But I miss it already.

As I've been long speaking about, this week is the first week that Israel and America have the same weekly portion - Parashat Pinechas. Therefore, to celebrate such an occasion, I will speak about Parashat Vayechi. [You'll see what I'm doing. The jet-lag has me tired, but I'm not completely crazy.] There will also be a trivia question later on.

The following is a D'var Torah that I heard from Rabbi Moshe Stavsky, the Menahel at HANC.

In Parashat Vayechi, Yaakov Avinu blesses his children while on his death-bed. His twelve sons gather around to hear their father's final words. They are expecting inspiring words that will affect their futures. They patiently wait to learn what the future has in store for them. We won't go into all of the specifics, but we will discuss the so-called "blessing" he gives to the dynamic-duo, Shimon and Levi.

"כי באפם הרגו איש...ארור אפם כי עז, ועברתם כי קשתה" - " For in their rage they murdered people...Accursed is their rage for it is intense, and their wrath for it is harsh" (Bereshit 49: 6,7).

What's their blessing? That they be the leaders of their generations? Nope. Perhaps that they will persevere in everything it is that they decide to do? Try again. Maybe that they will merit to have many prophets come from them? Wrong.

Their blessing was that they get angry. Their blessing is that when these brothers get wrathful, look-out. There's no stopping them. Head-cases on the loose. They'll kill cities if they so please.

According to www.merriam-webster.com, "to bless: to confer prosperity or happiness upon." According to www.dictionary.com, "to bless: to request of G-d the bestowal of divine favor on." Blessings are supposed to be wishing good things upon someone. Blessings definitely don't have a negative connotation, and they certainly are not just stating facts! All Yaakov Avinu, in his wisdom, said was, "You get angry. Real angry. And when you are angry, it would be best for everyone else if they stayed home."

Where's the blessing? We see neither any indication of the future nor anything positive. Where's the blessing?

I think we will offer another definition to the infinitive "to bless." A blessing is not only something mystical that will give an individual super-natural powers. It doesn't only have to be a mere "request" of G-d to bestow divine favor on someone. A blessing can also be identifying one's strengths and weaknesses. A blessing can be the bestowing of knowledge upon an individual, informing him of what he is capable of doing. A blessing can be identifying one's problem.

When Yaakov Avinu was blessing Shimon and Levi, he was doing exactly this. He was telling Shimon and Levi, "You guys are very passionate. When you want something, no one can stand in your way. If you get angry and want to kill an entire city, consider it done. However, with great power comes great responsibility. (That's Yaakov's line.) If you are very passionate and enthusiastic, become the teachers. If you are very determined, then get up in front of the entire nation and do what you think is correct. If you are very zealous, then kill someone when he doing something terribly wrong in front of the entire nation. Channel your strengths and use them the right ways.

Okay. Let's go back to the future. In Parashat Pinechas (and in the end of Parashat Balak), Zimri ben Salu was having relations with a non-Jewish woman, Kozbi bat Sur. Zimri was the head of the tribe of Shimon. Why did he do such a crazy thing? If he was the leader, we would expect more of him! Why is he doing something that our religion demands that one give up his life before committing, and why was he doing it in the town square?

The entire Shevet Shimon was doing this. They were all having relations with non-Jewish woman. Zimri, as the leader, was very passionate and enthusiastic. He got up in front of the entire nation and showed that he agreed with how his tribe was behaving. He was giving his haskama by doing it himself. And he wasn't just gonna sit back and let others be doubtful of their actions. He got up and made sure everyone knew he agreed.

When Pinechas saw this, he couldn't tolerate it. He took out his spear and put an end to both Zimri and Kozbi's lives. He also was enthusiastic and passionate. He, too, was very zealous and did what he thought was right in the town square.

And who was Pinechas? The son of Elazar, who was the son of Aharon Hakohen, who was a descendant of Levi.

So it just so happens to be that Zimri and Pinechas come from Shimon and Levi. Both were passionate. Both were enthusiastic. And both were zealous. However, only one went in the right path. The other used his great attributes for terrible uses.

When Yaakov Avinu "blessed" Shimon and Levi, saying that they are very powerful and dangerous at the same time, he was warning them. He was telling them to use their power in the right way. As we have seen, Pinechas listened and was rewarded with rewards that we all wish to have. Zimri, on the other hand, did not.

[I'm also pretty sure I once heard that the teachers come from Shimon and Levi because of their enthusiasm in teaching. If you know what the source is for this, please let me know.]

May we all know what we are naturally gifted with. May we all recognize our strengths and weaknesses. And when we understand what we can do, may we all use those superior qualities in the right way. If we can identify our problems, then all our problems will be half-solved. After all, this is the best blessing we can ask for.

Torah Trivia: If you have a natural inclination towards blood, what are two mitzvot that you should involve yourself with?

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For questions, comments, criticisms, or suggestions, please email adamsabzevari@gmail.com. We are awaiting your feedback. :)

My Blog - www.adamstorah.blogspot.com

Witchcraft? Uhh, actually, I'm not sure...

Hello Everyone!

Yeshiva has ended about two weeks ago. There is a good group of guys who are still here, and I'm enjoying the extra time. It really is unbelievable. Also, school has ended, and summer programs have begun. I hope everyone is adjusting and will continue to adjust to his/her new schedule accordingly, if he/she has one, of course. If you have the same schedule, or just lack a schedule, I hope you enjoy that, too. I know if you lack one, you definitely will be enjoying. I always enjoy that.
In any event, while I am still in Israel, I am a week ahead of many of you who are currently residing in the US of A. I apologize for being a week early. It's not my fault. It has to do with the moon. Well, not really. Next week, America will have a double parasha whereas Israel will not, so we will be, once again, back together. Sorry for slacking off and not writing in the past couple weeks. I hope you enjoy it.

In this week's parasha, Parashat Chukat, we are introduced to the mitzvah of the "Parah Adumah," or the "Red Heifer." This mitzvah is the classic example of a "chok" - a mitzvah that we don't understand.
Quick summary of the process: Take a completely red cow, burn it together with other things, put its ashes in water, and sprinkle this water on someone who has become contaminated through touching a dead body (amongst other ways). The person who does the sprinkling must be pure during the process, and he will became impure as a result of this process.
Some of the questions that make this the biggest mystery in the Torah are: Why does it have to be completely red? Why is it burned together with cedar, hyssop, and a scarlet thread? The biggest question is, How does this process purify the contaminated and contaminate the pure at the same time? How is it that someone who is in need of purification needs this ash-water sprinkled on him, yet the guy who does the sprinkling becomes impure by doing it? That is just irrational! It doesn't make sense.
Or does it? Perhaps it doesn't make sense to me. Perhaps I don't understand it. But does that mean it doesn't make sense?
Well, we must mention that Shlomo HaMelech, the wisest of all men, admitted that he failed to understand the "parah adumah." The Midrash Yalkut Shimoni (759) writes that although he tried to understand it, its understanding was far from him. (See Kohelet 7:23)
Nevertheless, there are many commentators who suggest reasons and understandings for this mitzvah. And there are many explanations out there.I'm not going to mention any of them. Instead, I'll bring an awesome story that has a beautiful message. (Midrash Yalkut Shimoni)

A non-Jew asked a certain rabbi, R' Yochanan ben Zakkai, "Why do you Jews do the mitzvah of parah adumah if you don't believe in witchcraft? You bring the cow, burn it, grind it, and take its ashes. You sprinkle two or three drops on one of you who is contaminated with corpse defilement and say to him, 'You are clean.' This is witchcraft!"
R' Yochanan ben Zakkai said, "Have you ever been possessed by a demon?"
"No," he responded.
"Have you ever seen a man possessed by a demon?"
"Yes," he answered.
"And what do you do for him?"
The non-Jew explained, "We bring herbs, make them smoke beneath him, and throw water on him. The demon is then exorcised."
R' Yochanan said, "Let you ears hear your own words! Our spirit of contamination (tumah) is the same as your demon. We sprinkle water on it, and it is exorcised."
After the non-Jew left, R' Yochanan's students said, "You have pushed him away with the false answer, but what answer will you give us?"
R' Yochanan responded: "By your lives, neither does the dead body make someone impure nor does the water purify anyone. It's Hashem. It is Hashem's decree that makes people impure, and it is Hashem's decree that once again purifies him. It doesn't have to make sense. It doesn't have to be rational. It just has to be what Hashem said, and we have no right to violate it."

We learn an unbelievable message from this story. Sometimes, there are certain people that require a reason for everything. Everything must be rational. If our religion doesn't make sense, then it is disposable. And, we have many commentators who cater to the needs of certain people. Our Rabbis try to explain everything to everyone to help give us an understanding of what the Torah is about. But, at the end of the day, when the Rabbi was speaking to his own students, he told them straight it, "It doesn't make sense. But it doesn't have to make sense. If Hashem said a certain thing will make someone impure, then that makes sense. And if Hashem said the same thing will purify another, then that, too, makes sense.
Of course we are allowed to question the mitzvot and try to understand the ways of Hashem. Coming to a clear understanding will most certainly enhance our service and generate more enthusiasm in our performance of the mitzvot. Ultimately, however, we must know that our service must be a given - we do it even if we don't understand. Because Hashem said so, and we are sure that Hashem knows what He's doing.

Sabbatical Salutations to all! I hope you enjoy your mini-vacation.
Be in touch!
Sincerely,
Avraham Adam Sabzevari

Synchronize

Hello Everyone!

Last week, I asked a trivia question.
Trivia: How do Israel and America synchronize and eventually end up reading the same weekly portion?
There will be a week during which we will read one parasha in Israel and two parshiyot (double-parasha) in America. For the week of Parashat Balak in Israel, America will read both Chukat and Balak. We will then be synchronized for the following week.

Take Care,
Adam

An Unmemorable Memory

Shalom!

How is everything going? [I'm not really expecting a response to that question, but I would love to hear one if you would like to share.] We are coming right out of Shavuot. As my weeks in Eretz Yisrael wind down, I'm trying to make the most of my time here. Shavuot was the beginning of what will hopefully be a strong finish to the year. I hope we all took what we could from the chag and are able to keep it going for as long as possible, at least for the summer. By then, we'll have Rosh Hashana to keep us going. Looking forward.
So here's the dilemma. The 6th day of the month Sivan was on a Friday this year. That means Shavuot is on Friday. Now, if Shavuot is one day (i.e. in Eretz Yisrael), then on the following day, we would read Parashat Nasso (which actually happened in Eretz Yisrael). If, however, Shavuot is two days (i.e. in America), then on the following day, we wouldn't read Parashat Nasso (which was the case in America). Instead, we would read it the following week. Basically, since in Israel, we already read Parashat Nasso, this week's parasha is Parashat Be'ha'alothcha, whereas in America, it's Parashat Nasso.
So this week's parasha is both Parashat Nasso and Parashat Be'ha'alothcha. So which do I write about? I think it just makes most sense for me to right on Be'ha'alothcha because that is the parasha where I am, and also, those in America can still have it for next week. And that is what I'll do.
[Trivia: How do Israel and America synchronize and eventually end up reading the same weekly portion?]

In this week's parasha, Parashat Be'ha'alothcha, the Jewish people complain to Moshe Rabbeinu. In terms of food, we were completely taken care of. Every single day, a portion of 'man' fell from the sky, and everyone was fine. It really doesn't get any better than that. One problem. I love pizza. A lot. I can eat it everyday. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And even though that sounds great, after doing it for a while, I'll get sick of it. In fact, I'm sure that after a long time, I wouldn't even want to see pizza. Wouldn't even want to hear the word "pizza." Why? Because we get sick of certain foods. So too with the Jewish people. They got sick of the 'man.'
"Who will feed us meat? We remember the fish which we ate in Egypt freely (chinam); the cucumbers, the watermelons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. Now our bodies are withered, there is nothing at all, except for the 'man' before our eyes" (Bamidbar, 11:4-6).
As we see, they were reminiscing over the variety of delicacies offered to the Jews in Egypt. But there is one word that they threw in to their complaint which indicates that not only were they complaining about the food (or lack thereof), but about the conditions under which they are currently eating. They remember that they used to eat the food freely ("chinam"). What was their complaint? Do you really think they were granted fish for free without having to work for it? They were slaves! All they did was work! How do you call that free?
One explanation is offered by the Midrash Sifri (11:5) and is brought down by Rashi. They were given food in Egypt when they were free from mitzvot. Hashem supplies food for Israel only when they perform the mitzvot. For example, people who were less observant had to walk a far distance to pick up their 'man.' Their accessibility to the food depended on their observance of the commandments. So the food wasn't "free." But this did not apply in Egypt, before the Torah was given. Everyone received his portion, irrespective of his religiosity (because it didn't exist yet).
The Maggid of Dubno explains differently. He offers a novel way of reading the passuk and gives us such a beautiful insight into this statement.
He gives the following parable. Imagine one morning, Michael gets ups and goes to work, as he normally does everyday. On his way home after work, he no longer remembers anything. He completely lost his memory. How does he get home? He doesn't even know if he has a home. He grabs the first person he sees in the street and asks,
"Where do I live?"
"Um, I don't know. What's your name?"
Michael responds, "I have no clue."
"Ok. Are you married? What's your wife's name? What's her number? I'll give her a call."
"Uhh, I don't even know if I'm married."
"Maybe you have some family? Parents, brothers, sisters, etc?"
"I don't even know what you're talking about!"
I could keep on going with this forever. Even if Michael ever even finds his house, he wouldn't know who his wife is, or his kids, or anything. He can't live a functional life.
Obviously, Hashem graciously granted us with the precious gift of memory. Without it, we would not be able to function. We need our memories. Hashem gave us this necessary ability. How wrong would it be to take this gift, without which we cannot survive, and use it to remember negative things, bad things, things that we shouldn't remember, things that if we spend our time remember, it would be better off not having a memory at all?
One of the reasons why the Beit Hamikdash was destroyed was sinat chinam, or baseless hatred. The only reason why I bring that is to show that the word "chinam" can also mean "baselessly," or "free of justification."
The Jewish people said, "We remember the fish which we ate in Egypt," chinam - baselessly. The Torah is interjecting and explaining that when the Jewish people said, "We remember the fish," they we remembering baselessly. They had no justification for using their memories for such negative reasons. They were remembering baselessly! Hashem gifted us with memory so that we can function in this world, not so that we can complain about Hashem! We abused our gift! It was all chinam. It was all free of any legitimate reasons.
The amount of kindnesses Hashem does for us on a daily basis is unbelievable. You wouldn't be able to count your blessings because they are just way too many. There are many abilities and qualities Hashem bestowed upon us with which we can do great things. We have to use our abilities for good things, to help us function well in this world, to help us help make this world a better place. Not to complain. We weren't given eyes to call something ugly. We weren't given noses to whine about foul odors. We weren't given the ability to remember to show a lack of appreciation to Hashem.
May we all use our qualities, efficiently, in their proper usages. And may we all be thankful to Hashem for those qualities, as well.

Shabbat Shalom!
Thank you very much for reading the D'var Torah, and please share your thoughts on it with me.
-Avraham Adam Sabzevari

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For questions, comments, criticisms, or suggestions, please email adamsabzevari@gmail.com. We are awaiting your feedback. :)
My Blog - www.adamstorah.blogspot.com

Fields of Faith

Greetings to the World,

This week, we all experienced Lag Ba'Omer. It was amazing for me, as I am sure it was for all of you.
With that introduction, I would like to write about an amazing topic on this parasha - belief in Hashem.
The very beginning of Parashat Behar speaks about the mitzvah of Shemitah. Shemitah basically means that there is a seven-year-agricultural-cycle. For the first six years, you go about working your field as usual (will all know what working our fields is like, right?). However, on the seventh year, we are not allowed to work the field. We are privileged with the opportunity of leaving our field fallow, not touching it at all, and living by Hashem's promise that He will provide enough food for us to live for that year. In fact, the Torah promises that the sixth year will provide enough food for three years. It has to provide for the sixth year itself, for the seventh year (because we won't be working the land), and for the eighth (it will take some time before the field will be up and running).
Right in the middle of giving over all if the details of Shemitah, the Torah takes a very small break and speaks about something else. It discusses the prohibition of cheating in business. "When buying and selling something from/to your friend, do not cheat one another" (Vayikra 25:14). The obvious question is, what does this have to do with our mitzvah of Shemitah - refraining form working on the fields?
[The simplest answer is that the year in the fifty-year-Yovel-cycle is a factor how much you should sell something for. I'm not going to get into the technicalities of that answer, but if you want to know about it, ask and I'll be happy to explain.]
Rabbi Frand offers a beautiful answer to this question. Why do we have a mitzvah of Shemita? One word -- "Emunah," or "belief in Hashem." By not working the field for an entire year, you are demonstrating that you acknowledge that your livelihood doesn't come from you, but from Hashem. When you took off a year from working because Hashem said so, you made just as much money, if not more, than when you were actually working. That can only mean one thing - Hashem is in charge of how much money you really get.
Rabbi Frand explains that mindset must be carried out into the business world, too. The idea of Shemitah and the emunah it teaches shouldn't be exclusively offered to the farmers, but to the businessmen, as well. "When buying and selling something from/to your friend, do not cheat one another" (Vayikra 25:14). When cheating in business, you obviously think that you are in charge of how much money you make. If you nickel and dime people, you will be richer. That shows a huge flaw in your belief in Hashem. You really think that you can cheat and make money off that? Do you not realize that Hashem runs this world?!? You can't steal from people! Hashem says, farmers should take a year off, to know I run the world, and businessmen should make sure to be faithful and truthful in business, to know I run the world.
I would like to connect this to another thought I once heard. Our Sages tell us (Shabbat 31b) that when we go up to Heaven after leaving this world, we will be asked a list of questions. The first question will be, "Nasata ve'natata be'emunah?" - "Were you faithful in business?" That is the very first question we are asked when being judged. That, in and of itself, should stress the gravity of the mitzvah. But I just want to analyze the words - "Nasata ve'natata be'emunah?" Did you do business with emunah, with faithfulness towards your friend. Were your faithful to him when doing business?
But there is another way to understand this question. "Nasata ve'natata be'emunah?" Did you do business with faith in Hashem. Did you really believe that you weren't in charge? Did you have faith that if you did business in the proper way that you will get every penny that you deserved, or did you think that you can cheat people and make more money on your own? Did you have emunah when doing business?
We must all believe that no matter what we do, it is not the strength of our hands that feeds us, but Hashem's hand. We must have this mindset all the way through. Furthermore, we mustn't cheat because that would be showing that we don't really have belief in Hashem. [All this is easy for me to say because I'm not working yet, but I don't think that should take away from the thought at all.]
May we all have the belief that will help us get through the good times and the bad (or seemingly bad, at least). May we all be able to see the truth in life, with complete clarity. And may we all merit to receive sustenance from the hand of Hashem - directly.

Shabbat Shalom!
Be in touch. Please.
Avraham Adam Sabzevari

Peace and Togetherness

Greetings, dear subscribers,

This week's parasha, Parashat Emor, starts off with Hashem commanding Moshe to do the following: "Say to the Kohanim, the children of Aharon, and you should say to them..." Hashem tells Moshe to give a message over to the Kohanim. What should be the next thing Hashem says? The message! But that's not what the Torah says. Instead, the Torah repeats, "and you should say to them..." Why does Hashem command Moshe twice to give over a message? Hashem says, "Moshe, go tell the Kohanim, and go tell them." What does that mean? What was the first thing that he was supposed to say? It almost sounds as though there were two messages, but the Torah only lists the second one. What was the first message?
To understand this, allow me to bring down a story (Yoma 71b). There is one room in the Beit Hamikdash that no one is allowed to enter. It is called the Kodesh HaKodashim, the Holy of Holies. There is only one day a year (Yom Kippur) that only a certain individual (Kohen Gadol) is allowed to enter this room, and he is only allowed to enter to do the specific service of the day.
Over 2,000 years ago, there were two men by the names Shemayah and Avtalyon. They were the two greatest men of their time, serving as the two highest positions (President and Highest Judge). Moreover, they were converts (according to most opinions) and were not born Jewish.
One year, on Yom Kippur, when the Kohen Gadol came out of the Beit Hamikdash, everyone was following him. All of the Jewish people wanted to be next to the man who has just been where Hashem's presence (shechina) is most concentrated. All of a sudden, Shemayah and Avtalyon appeared. What do you think happened next? All of the people immediately left the Kohen Gadol and ran over to Shemayah and Avtalyon. They wanted to be with the men who emulated Hashem, day in and day out.
A little later, Shemayah and Avtalyon were leaving, and they wanted to wish the Kohen Gadol farewell. The Kohen Gadol, who was slightly offended because they drew away his crowd, said the following remark: "Let the nations of the world leave in peace." He was bringing up the fact that Shemayah and Avtalyon weren't born Jewish, but were actually born to other nations of the world. He was saying, "No matter how great you think you are, at the end of the day, you aren't even really Jewish. You are just converts. I, on the other hand, have always been a Jew!"
When they heard this, they too took offense. They responded, in a polite way, "The nations of the world will leave in peace, because we act like Aharon HaKohen, the lover of peace. The son of Aharon, however, will not leave in peace, because he does not act like Aharon." They were saying, "Granted, we may not be born to Jewish blood. But at least we act like Aharon HaKohen, who was the pursuer of peace. On the contrary, even though you are Jewish and are a descendant of Aharon, you do not act like him. You do not act properly."
There is a famous mishna in the first chapter of Pirkei Avot: Be like the students of Aharon HaKohen - Love peace, pursue peace, love people, and bring them closer to Torah.
The Kohanim are supposed to represent peace. They are supposed to be the ones that bring us closer to each other. They are supposed to be the representatives of Hashem and bring us closer to the Torah. This Kohen Gadol did not serve his role and did not act like a son of Aharon.
Back to our first question. Why does the Torah write, "You should say...you should say...?" The answer is, you have to look at the words that are in between those two commandments. I will copy it again: "Say to the Kohanim, the children of Aharon..." The first commandment is, "Say to the Kohanim, they must be the children of Aharon." The first thing the Kohanim must do before they even think about serving Hashem in any way is to make sure that they act like the children of Aharon. They must love peace. They must pursue peace. They must love people. That is a prerequisite to serving Hashem in the Beit Hamikdash. First thing's first - make sure you have exceptional manners.
This isn't a lesson only for the Kohanim. This is a lesson for all of us. Before you can serve Hashem, be it through praying, learning, performing mitzvot, or any other way you can think of, YOU MUST WORK ON YOURSELF FIRST.
May we all know how to treat each other properly. May we all be the students of Aharon: to love peace, to pursure peace, to love people, and to bring them closer to Torah. And after we do that, may we all merit to serve Hashem in the proper way.
Be'ezrat Hashem, may we soon all gather around the Kohen Gadol and the Gedolei Hador in Yerushalayim Eeer Hakodesh, bimeherah beyameinu, amen.

Shabbat Shalom!
Peacefully,
Avraham Adam Sabzevari

Parental Holiness

Hello Everybody!

This past week was an amazing week for me. Experiencing both Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha'Atzmaut for my first time in Eretz Yisrael was a moving experience, and I undoubtedly grew from both of them. Every year, my yeshiva has a trip to Yerushalayim on Yom Ha'Atzmaut. Now, I know that doesn't sound all to special. After all, it's my year in Israel. I should go to Yerushalayim every now and then, no? Here's the thing. We walked. Left 4:00 AM. I don't even know when we arrived at the Kotel. I think around 9:00 PM, but registering the time in my mind took too much energy at that point. It was one of the most unbelievable things I ever experienced. There's really so much to say about it. But I'll stop here for brevity's sake.

I have a very quick D'var Torah on the parasha. At the beginning of Parashat Kedoshim (the second of two parshiyot that we are going to read tomorrow), Hashem commands us to be holy. There is an opinion that says this commandment is referring to a very specific act (I'm not going into it). There is a second opinion that understand that this miztvah could also be taken very generally. Hashem is telling us that in everything that we do, we should make the correct decision - we should try to classify every act as either good or bad, and then pick the good.
The hardest part is to assess and define every act -- which acts are good and which are bad. But even after you determine what to do, it is extremely difficult to put that into action. So how do we do both of these things?
Two answers are: by studying Torah and by thinking. By studying the Torah, you will know what is right. You will know how to act. Second, by thinking things through instead of rushing into decisions, you will have a lot more clarity.
I would like to offer a third option. And the third option comes from the very next thing the Torah says. Hashem tells us to be holy, and He then tells us to fear our parents. Why does the very next passuk talk about how our relationship should be with our parents? Why stress the reverence we must have towards them over here, from all places in the Torah?
To teach us this very point. Do you want to know how to be holy? Every time you are about to make a decision, think about your parents. If you are about to do something wrong, and all of a sudden, a picture of your father comes into your mind, you'll definitely think about it twice. We know that when Yosef HaTzaddik was challenged with a certain test, he passed the test only because he thought of Yaakov, his father. The fear of letting down your parents, of not making them proud, of not living up to their expectations - that fear will place you on the right path. I could speak from personal experience as well. Thinking about my father and mother has helped me hundreds of times in the past, and it will continue to do so in the future, IY"H.
Obviously, this idea is not exclusive to your parents. It can be your grandparents, close friends, rebbeim, teachers, or even your children. The idea is, sometimes, if you ask yourself, "Would I do this if there were someone watching - especially someone who I really cared about?," you won't do what you would have done otherwise.
Be'ezrat Hashem, we will learn from our biological parents how to decipher what our Father in Heaven desires from us, and may we all merit to experience the closeness of our Father in Yerushalayim, Ir Hakodesh, in the Beit Hamikdash. Amen.

The Power of Speech

Shalom everybody, I am now typing this email in Eretz Yisrael. I really enjoyed being home. It was really very nice to see the family, and Baruch Hashem, since it was Pesach, I really did get a chance to see a lot of the family. Very enjoyable. I hope everyone enjoyed his/her chagim. I remember when I was a kid, like in third grade, when we would go back to school, we would always spend the first day of classes discussing what we did over vacation --- highly productive academic curriculum. So I started typing up an email about everything I did over the past month, and I just wanted to share it all with you.
I'm kidding. In truth, I did not write this week's Dvar Torah. A good friend of mine, Emanuel Karmely, asked to write the Dvar Torah one week. Being that our goal is to spread Torah and to encourage Torah learning, it is irrelevant who writes it, so long as it is a good thought. Emanuel's Dvar Torah exceeds my approval requirements. It is a beautiful idea that we all need to work on every day of the year. So I have copied his email below. Feel free to respond to him directly, or to me and I will forward the responses.

Enjoy, and Shabbat Shalom!
Sincerely,
Avraham Adam Sabzevari

[From this point on, it's Emanuel speaking.]

Don't worry guys, this won't be a weekly thing, I just felt that it would be nice to write something after coming off such a great Chag. Before I begin, I want to give credit where credit is due. Adam- I want to thank you for sending out this Dvar Torah for me. Also, some of this Dvar Torah has been taken from the introduction of "A Lesson A Day" (based on the Chofetz Chaim's work).
As it is the time of Sefirat Ha'omer now, I'm sure we are all hearing Divrei Torah about Rabbi Akiva's students. The famous question is: why and how did such a great number of people - 24,000 people - die in this short period of time? What possible sin could have been so great to wipe out all of Rabbi Akiva's students? The simple answer that we've all heard is Sinat Chinam (baseless hatred). 24,000 of the greatest in the world died for such a sin. There are even some opinions that say the sin of "Sinat Chinam" they committed, was that when "Person A" was doing a good deed for "Person B", "Person A" wasn't doing it with a smile on his face.I want to bring a Kal V'chomer from this answer. Obviously, these students were held at higher standards than we are. But if 24,000 were wiped out for simply not smiling while doing a good deed, what can we expect for ourselves when we commit the grievous sin of Loshon Hara, which is one of the worst sins one can commit? We have to pay attention to our words. They are more powerful than we realize. Just think for a second - with a few words, a woman turns candles into *nerot shel shabbat*; with about 30 words, we turn bread into *hamotzi*; and with about 50 or 60 words, we turn a cup of wine into the mitzvah of *kiddush*. Our words our powerful, whether we realize it or not. If we see what good our words can do (by turning these things into mitzvot), imagine what it can do in the other direction, chas ve'shalom.We are currently in a time where we should work on ourselves, especially when it comes to *ben adam l'chavero*. So, the next time we have an urge to say something about someone, just think about how powerful our words are and how they should *really* be used. And I believe that is what is meant the statement of Pirkei Avot that says "Weigh the reward of a sin against its cost".
Shabbat Shalom!
Emanuel

The Boomerang Effect

On the last day of Yom Tov, I gave over the following story in my Beit HaKenesset. Enjoy!

Rabbi Yechezkel Landau, author of the Noda BiYehudah, was the renowned Rabbi of Prague. One cold winter's night, he noticed a poor Gentile boy, crying and wandering through the Jewish neighborhood. The lad looked very distraught, and so the kindly Rabbi approached him and asked him what was the matter. Drying his tears, the boy began to pour out his heart to the man who was nice enough to be concerned for his plight.

"My father is a baker," he began. "Ever since my mother died and he remarried, my life has been a living misery. They stay indoors, where it is warm, and bake all day. Then they give me a basket of bread and pastries and force me to go door to door, in freezing weather, selling their products. Woe to me, if I don't sell every last one. My stepmother is free to beat me badly for not fulfilling my mission properly.

"The truth is that I've gotten used to this, more or less. But today, a catastrophe occurred. After spending the whole day selling all of the baked goods, I prepared to finally go home when I realized that all of the money I earned is missing; either it was lost or stolen, I'm not sure. Now I am afraid to face them and receive the punishment they will surely mete out on me."

The Rabbi was pained at the abuse of the child and the suffering of a human being. "How much did you have?' he asked the boy. "Twenty gold pieces," he replied. Rabbi Landau immediately gave the boy the entire amount plus an extra dinar for himself. "Before you go home, go into a grocery store and buy yourself something to eat." The boy thanked the Rabbi profusely and ran about his way.

Many years passed. Rabbi Landau had long forgotten the kindness he had shown to a suffering lad. But the boy never forgot the stranger who had helped him in his time of need. It was past midnight, the eve of the Seventh day of Passover when a young man knocked on the door of the Rabbi of Prague. The Rabbi did not recognize his strange visitor but let him into his home.

"You may not remember me," began the unexpected guest, "but I have never forgotten you. Tonight I have come to repay you the kindness you bestowed upon me years ago when you gave me the money I had lost and saved me from my cruel parents. Now I have come to save you from them too.

"I'm sure you are well aware of the hatred the local priest has towards the Jewish residents of Prague. This year he came up with a diabolical plan to murder all of your People in one day. He is aware of the Jewish custom to eat bread as soon as possible after your Passover holiday. Since your bakeries have none yet, all of you buy a loaf of bread from the non-Jewish bakeries in town. The Priest called a meeting of all of the bakers, including my parents, and promised them absolution for all of their sins if they would poison those breads intended for the Jews of Prague. The deathly loaves will bring tragedy to your people unless you think of a way to save them. I put my own life in danger by coming to warn you but I knew that I owed it to you for the kindness you bestowed upon me when I was in trouble. And now I must leave quickly before anyone realizes that I am missing and I may be caught."

The stunned Rabbi thanked the boy from the depths of his heart and began to think of a plan to save the Jewish community. On the Eighth day of Passover, he called the leaders of the community for an urgent meeting. Within minutes, everyone was assembled at the Rabbi's home, curious as to the urgency of the call in the midst of their Yom Tov rest. Rabbi Landau told them that something terrible had happened and that they must summon the heads of all of the households to the main synagogue before the holiday ends. He stressed that they must be sure that every one of them attends this urgent gathering. The leaders of the community were even more anxious to know what was so crucial, but they rushed to do their Rabbi's bidding. Within an hour, the entire group waited to be addressed by their venerable Sage.

"My beloved friends," the Rabbi began with a trembling voice. "A terrible thing has happened. Actually, I am embarrassed to admit it, but I have no choice. Although the Rabbis are experts in the Jewish calendar, this year, somehow, we made a terrible miscalculation and we began the Passover holiday a day earlier. Thank G-d, we caught the mistake in time, and we are able to prevent a catastrophe from occurring. I called you all together to inform you that today is not the last day of Passover but next to last. Everyone is to observe another day and no one is to eat any chametz (leavened products) tonight, G-d forbid. Those who listen to the Torah, as espoused by the Rabbis, will save their lives from disaster, in this world and the World-to-Come."

The town of Prague was all abuzz. It was unthinkable that such a thing could actually happen. Another day of Yom Tov meant another day of not working and earning their meager living. But everyone knew that they must listen to the Rabbi no matter how uncomfortable the situation might be.

That night, the Gentiles of Prague set up stands in the Jewish neighborhood and waited for the unsuspecting Jews to buy their deadly goods. But to their great surprise, not one Jew came to buy a thing. They inquired as to this strange phenomenon, and were informed that the Rabbi had extended the Holiday for another day. The bakers complained to the Mayor of Town that the Rabbi had caused them a tremendous loss and should be taken to task for it. The Mayor summoned Rabbi Landau to immediately and presented him with the bakers' complaint. The Rav acknowledged his "guilt" and promised to pay for all of the products if they were brought to him immediately, in front of the Mayor. The bakers rushed to bring everything they had prepared for the Jews and displayed it before the Rabbi. Rabbi Landau then turned to the Mayor and argued, "If I am to buy all these food products, I should surely be allowed to inspect them first and make sure that they are edible, shouldn't I? The Mayor agreed that he certainly had that right. But the bakers began to tremble when the Rabbi suggested that they themselves each take a bite first. Against their will, they had to admit that the entire stock was poisoned, by instruction of the evil Priest.

Now, everyone understood why Hashem had sent the poor, Gentile boy to the Rabbi of Prague, so many years ago. The Rabbi had cooperated with the Hashgachah and had done what was right, and today he had saved his entire community from tragedy

Parashat Shemini - Physical and Spiritual, Together

Greetings to all,

I hope everyone enjoyed his or her chag. And now that it's over, I'm sure we're all enjoying our bread, that bread that we have desired so much during this last week.
After focusing so much on Pesach, it's very difficult to change gears and jump into Parashat Shemini. I must say, I haven't fully changed gears. I'm still thinking about the sea splitting and about leaning to the left so as not to choke. However, my Rebbi, Rav Reich, did share a D'var Torah with me, and I will simply just write it over.

In this week's parasha, Parashat Shemini, Nadav and Avihu (Aharon's two sons) pass away. The reason the Torah states for their premature death is that they offered a certain spice offering that they were not commanded to bring. The Torah says explicitly that the cause of death was that they should not have brought that korban.
Our Rabbis have offered several alternative reasons for their death. One opinion says that they did the service while they were drunk. [There are many opinions, and each has its own source. For brevity's sake, we will not go into them.]
Rav Shlomo Yosef Zevin asks, why must we pin the reason on something else? The Torah states explicitly that they were not commanded to bring this korban. Why must we say that they entered the mishkan while intoxicated, and place the blame on that?
He explains that in order to understand this, we must understand a dispute between two opinions regarding what we are supposed to do for kiddush on Shabbat, every single week. On Friday night, when we say kiddush over the cup of wine, we make two berachot: (1) Bore Peri Hagefen - The blessing we make in order to actually drink the wine; and (2) Kiddush - We sanctify the day of Shabbat. The dispute between the two opinions is, which one of these two berachot goes first? The first opinion (Beit Shammai) says we sanctify the day first, and the second opinion says (Beit Hillel) we make the blessing over the wine first.
How can we describe this dispute? The first opinion (kiddush goes first) requires man to fulfill his potential to his fullest. Man should be able to sanctify something spiritually without using anything in this world. He shouldn't have to use the wine. He should jump directly to the spiritual, and he should sanctify the day immediately. On the other hand, the second opinion judges man at a much more practical level. He understands that it's very difficult for human beings to elevate to a spiritual level and sanctify the day without any stimulant. It is a lot easier to make kiddush when you are doing something physical to help get yourself "in the zone." Go ahead, bless on the wine, and then once you have done something physical which you can relate to, then sanctify the day.
It is very interesting to note that we hold and practice like the second opinion. We aren't expected to be angels! We aren't required to start with the spiritual blessing because we are but flesh and blood. It is understandable that we first make a blessing on the wine (physical), which is something that we can easily relate to, and only afterward attempt to make spiritual blessing. When it comes to our daily lives, we can use stimulants to enhance our service of Hashem. In fact, we should use these physical stimulants. They help us achieve our goals.
However, when it comes to the House of G-d, we are expected to be on a higher level. We are held to higher expectations. We shouldn't use any physical stimulants to help enhance any service.
When Nadav and Avihu drank wine before entering the House of G-d, and subsequently offered incense on the mizbe'ach, they were revealing that they wanted to achieve those spiritual heights with physical stimulants. Normally, that would be ok, and even recommended. However, they can't serve Hashem that way in His Own house.
When the Torah explains the reason for their deaths to be that they offered a certain spice offering that they were not commanded to bring, we are meant to understand it as they were not commanded to bring that offering in that fashion. They weren't supposed to use a stimulant. They weren't supposed to drink wine before entering the mishkan. They were supposed to bring that offering, and find the energy from within.
There are two great lessons that can be taken from this D'var Torah. First, we should use this world to help us serve Hashem. As we see from what we do every week, we make the blessing on the wine first because it is the easier and more effective to use that route. I don't know about you, but I'll speak for myself and say that I am not an angel, and I can't serve Hashem without using something in this world to help me get in that zone.
Second, we should understand that, at the end of the day, even though we need to use the physical to serve Hashem, that is not the ideal. Eventually, we want to be living our lives as though we are in His House, in the mishkan. That is something to strive for, and when the time is right, Be'ezrat Hashem, we will all be doing what we have to do without needing a crutch or some other aid to assist us.

Shabbat Shalom!
Regards to all, and be in touch.
Adam Sabzevari