How Can We Become More Forgiving by Rising to the Heavenly Realm?

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Parashat Ha’azinu  

How Can We Become More Forgiving by Rising to the Heavenly Realm? 

Practicing Forgiveness on our Forgiveness  

We have come full circle and entered the holiest time of the year. Now, we have the opportunity more than any other time to “Seek G‑d while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” (Yesha’yahu 55:6). At this time, I’m struggling to forgive an increasing number of people who I feel have wronged me lately. I’m keenly aware of the adverse effects of keeping these grudges, and their negative implications on my physical and emotional health, my relationships, and my judgment by Hashem, etc. Therefore, I was crying out to Hashem to remove this bitterness from my heart, and I was surprised to experience how it actually worked! The very same day that I implored Hashem profusely on my weekly hitboddedut walk, I experienced an immediate release that I have never experienced so fast and to that extent. When, later during that day, I thought about all the painful things people had done against me, the pain had subsided, and the bitterness was almost completely gone. I can only attribute my feeling so light and free from emotional pain to the divine assistance available to us at this time. Even when it is not always possible to work out everything that happened with the various people involved, we can still forgive them on a deeper and deeper level at this time. Like Rebbe Nachman says, “You need to do teshuva on your teshuva,” I’d like to say, “You need to practice forgiveness on your forgiveness.” Perhaps the reason why it is much easier to make rectifications during the Ten Days of Teshuva, which seemed impossible all year long, is because this time brings us closer to heaven. It is like we are being lifted above all the nitty gritty earthly things that bug us down with all our petty expectations of others, and our oversensitivity to their painful ruthlessness. 

Connecting with Heaven During the Ten Days of Teshuva 

On Shabbat Teshuva we usually read Parashat Ha’azinu that opens with Moshe’s addressing heaven and earth: 

ספר דברים פרק לב פסוק א הַאֲזִינוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וַאֲדַבֵּרָה וְתִשְׁמַע הָאָרֶץ אִמְרֵי פִי: 

“Listen, O heavens, and I will speak! And let the earth hear the words of my mouth!” (Devarim 32:1). 

Reading Parashat Ha’azinu before Yom Kippur highlights the fact that each of us is “close to the heavens” at this time. Moshe’s words are reflected by the prophet Yesha’yahu: 

ספר ישעיה פרק א פסוק ב שִׁמְעוּ שָׁמַיִם וְהַאֲזִינִי אֶרֶץ כִּי הָשֵׁם דִּבֵּר בָּנִים גִּדַּלְתִּי וְרוֹמַמְתִּי וְהֵם פָּשְׁעוּ בִי: 

“Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for Hashem spoken; Children I have raised and exalted, yet they have rebelled against Me” (Yesha’yahu 1:2). 

Drawing Down Heaven and Elevating Earth 

The word הַאֲזִינוּ/ha’azinu, from the root א-ז-נ alef/zayin/nun – ‘ear’ literally ‘give ear,’ is a stronger verbiage than שְׁמַע/shema – ‘hear.’ Comparing Moshe and Yesha’yahu’s prophecy, Moshe addressed the heavens with the word ha’azinu because he was “close to the heavens, and far from the earth.” Therefore, he was able to address the heavens at close range. Yeshayahu, by contrast, was still “close to the earth, and far from the heavens.” Thus, he used the word ha’azinu to address the earth (Sifri, Devarim 32:1). Moshe Rabbeinu’s perception paralleled that of the world of Atzilut, which refers to being unified and at one with G‑d. Although Moshe had a physical body, he perceived everything as an extension of G‑dliness. Even when living in this world – and especially during the Ten Days of Teshuva – we can connect with the world of Atzilut and feel the direct awareness of G‑d and the closeness to Him. 

Yeshayahu, who related to the world of Beriah, by contrast, saw G‑d from afar. He addressed the earth from close range with the word ha’azinu. The angels whom he describes proclaim: “Holy, Holy, Holy, is Hashem of Hosts” (Yesha’yahu 6:3), which also refers to being distinct and separate. Why did Moshe address the earth as well as the heavens? And why did Yeshayahu address the heavens as well as the earth? Why did they not confine themselves to speaking to the realm closest to them? This is because it is a major principle of the Torah to connect heaven and earth. Judaism involves drawing down spiritual reality until it meshes with worldly experience (Moshe’s contribution) while elevating worldly experience until a bond with the spiritual is established (Yeshayahu’s contribution). By revealing the Torah, Moshe endowed every individual with the potential to become “close to the heavens.” Yeshayahu developed the connection further, making it possible for a person to experience being “close to the heavens” while being “close to the earth,” involved in the mundane details of material life (Eli Touger, Close to the Heavens).  

Taking Charge of Creating Our Heavenly Reality 

When Yeshayahu said, “Hear, heavens, and give ear, earth,” many prosecutors came to break his head. A voice resounded, and asked, who dared to speak this way? Who is that who wishes to shake worlds?! Then he opened with the words, it is not I nor is it mine, but “Hashem has spoken” (Yesha’yahu 1:2). Of Moshe it is written, “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak,” I and no other. “I will speak” without fear, “and hear O earth, the words of my mouth” and not anybody else’s. Blessed is his portion. (Zohar 3:286b). When Yeshayahu’s said, “For Hashem has spoken” he distinguished himself from Moshe who said, “Listen O heavens, and I will speak.” He himself would speak. Just as Moshe forty years previously had split the sea, so is Moshe now taking charge by saying, “Listen O heavens, and I will speak.” He is taking initiative and actualizing creation. This is what happens on Rosh Hashana when the world returns to Bereishit – the beginning. We can receive the very Light of Creation when we accept that we are here to be creators. When we let go of the anger, resentment, and feelings of victimization, make space for forgiveness, give the benefit of the doubt, and share love, when we see in all things an opportunity for growth and creation, and when we understand that everything is for the good, then we draw down abundance and blessings for the coming year – we draw down heaven on earth. 

EmunaHealing Exercise for Elevating Ourselves to the Heavenly Realm 

1. Find your perfect place to be alone with yourself and Hashem. Take several slow and relaxed breaths and become mindful of your body sitting or lying relaxed on the chair, cushion, or the ground.  

2. Breathe celestial light into every part of your body and breathe out tension and discomfort from each limb and organ. Start with the top of your head, then your eyebrows, and move your breath to your eyes, nose, mouth, and chin. Move your breath to your shoulders, lungs, and heart. Keep breathing in and out of your stomach, the liver to the right below your ribcage, and your spleen to the left. Breathe good energy into the kidneys on your back.  

3. Then be still and allow yourself to be aware of your body, becoming more and more relaxed and illuminated. Each of your limbs is charged with Divine energy now. 

4. Tune into your heart – that delicate flower – where so much emotion is stored. Allow yourself to feel whatever pain you have experienced in the past, and also in more recent times. Bring painful incidents with other people to your attention and recall the upset each of these challenging encounters caused you. Pay attention to where in your body this discomfort and pain reside. 

5. Envision the heaven above you – the upper realm where we all are united, and everything is one. Imagine being so light and so weightless, like a ball of feathers. Visualize yourself levitating above the earth rising higher and higher like a helium balloon flying upwards. As you rise, envision being lifted above all the nitty gritty earthly things that bug you down with all your petty expectations of others, and your oversensitivity to their painful seemingly ruthlessness. You are leaving all these petty clashes and conflicts behind as you rise higher and higher to the heavenly realm. 

6.  הַאֲזִינוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וַאֲדַבֵּרָה/Ha’azinu HaShamayuim v’adabera… “Give ear O heaven and I will speak…” Speak to Hashem about how you are forgiving and forgetting all your past frictions with others. Now from this elevated place you are in, you can see a greater perspective. You can perceive the other side. You become aware of where these other people, who caused you so much agony, are coming from. You are now able to transform your oversensitivity to becoming sensitive to the pain of others from which they operate. Understanding their perspective transmutes the impact of their words and actions to no longer cause you pain.  

7. You are creating your positive reality with your speech. Just as Moshe himself would take initiative and actualize creation through his speech, you too can receive the very Light of Creation when you let go of the anger, resentment, and feelings of victimization, and make space for forgiveness. You can draw down abundance and blessings for the coming year by giving the benefit of the doubt, sharing love, and seeing everything as an opportunity for growth and creation. As you learn to truly understand that everything is for the good, then you can draw down heaven on earth! 

Sarah’s Role in the Akeida and in the Shofar of Rosh Hashana

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A Torah message from Rebbetzin Chana Bracha Siegelbaum, Rosh Hashana 5768

Sarah’s Role in the Akeida and in the Shofar of Rosh Hashana

We blow the shofar (Ram’s horn) on Rosh Hashana to remember Avraham’s near sacrifice of his favorite son Yitzchak. We hear a lot about Avraham’s greatness concerning the Akeida (binding of Yitzchak), but what about Sarah? What was her involvement in the Akeida? Did she know about it beforehand, or did Avraham keep it hidden from her? Did she play any part whatsoever in this self-sacrificing act? The commentaries are surprisingly silent regarding this matter.

Sarah is known to be Avraham’s devoted wife. She worked in a team with Avraham in all his great accomplishments, yet we never hear anything about Sarah’s merit regarding the Akeida, could it be possible that she had no part in his greatest most exemplary deed?

Midrash Tanchuma interprets the entire Eishet Chail verse by verse as the eulogy Avraham lamented for Sarah after her demise. When it states: “She rose while it was still night,” the midrash explains that this refers to the time when “Avraham rose early”. There are two instances when the Torah describes Avraham rising early: at the sending away of Yishmael with Hagar and at the Akeida. Etz Yosef comments: When “Avraham rose early” Sarah too rose early and went on the way with them to escort them. Perhaps this implies that Sarah indeed did have a role not only in expelling Yismael but also in the near sacrifice of Yitzchak.

Several Midrashic sources and Rashi link the Akeida with Sarah’s death. He explains that when Sarah heard that Yitzchak was almost sacrificed her soul flew out of her body and she died. The midrash offers more details. …Satan went to Sarah and asked: “Did you hear what happened in the world?” She answered, “No.” He said, “Avraham took Yitzchak his son, and slaughtered him, offering him up on the altar as a sacrifice.” Sarah began to cry and moan the sound of three wails, which corresponded to the three blasts of the shofar, and then her soul burst forth from her, and she died.

There are several different interpretations of how the broken, crying sounds of the shofar are linked to Sarah’s cries when she hears about the near sacrifice of Yitzchak. According to another midrash we are commanded to blow six tekiyot – uninterrupted shofar sounds – on Rosh Hashana corresponding to Sara's six cries. It is interesting to note that the name Sarah comprises the initials of Shofar Rosh Hashana, indicating an intrinsic connection between Sarah and the significance of the Shofar.

According to Aviva Zornberg, the shofar on Rosh Hashana is supposed to help us re-enter the state of Sarah’s pain. She dies in a haunted cry of ecstasy beyond civilization. It is the sound that bridges the ecstasy experienced at a wedding with the ecstasy of grief. There is no criticism of the way Sarah cried when she was dying. On the contrary, we are asked to enter into her state of mind. Sarah dies in the middle of the six cries. If she had managed to complete her cries she would perhaps have gone to a different level. On Rosh Hashana, we complete Sarah’s cries.

If Sarah already intuitively sensed the Akeida when she rose in the middle of the night to prepare the provisions she sent with Avraham and Yitzchak, why would she die from shock when she heard about it? How is it possible that this righteous woman to whom Avraham is inferior in respect of prophecy could so easily fall prey to the tricks of the Satan?

Sefer Avodat Hashem on Parashat Chayei Sarah explains that Sarah’s death was not the result of shock, but rather she deliberately handed over her soul at the very climax of the Akeida. Sarah perceived the holiness that was engendered by means of the great holy unification. Since the place of the Akeida was far from her to walk, to participate in it; she decided to unify with the act from afar by giving over her soul in love and purity at the moment of this great holiness.

The Zohar explains that Yitzchak was born with a feminine soul and an essential attachment to his mother Sarah. At the Akeida Yitzchak had a near-death experience, the feminine aspect of his soul departed and he received his masculine soul which enabled him to detach from his mother and afterward cleave to his wife. This is why the description of the birth of Rivkah is juxtaposed to the Akeida, Prior to the Akeida, without his masculine soul, Yitzchak would have been unable to bear progeny. Since Yitzchak’s feminine soul was intrinsically attached to the soul of his mother Sarah, at the moment when his feminine soul left him, Sarah’s soul also had to depart from this world. This explains why Sarah was bound to pass on during the split second of the binding of Yitzchak, the exact moment before Avraham was told to put down his knife.

Perhaps we may venture to say that in this way Sarah’s role in the Akeida had an aspect that was even greater than Avraham’s, while Avraham got up early in the morning, Sarah rose even beforehand while it was still night. In a super-conscious way Sarah “knew” even before Avraham, and while Avraham was willing to sacrifice his favorite son, she was willing to sacrifice her own soul for the sake of her only son Yitzchak. Through her death she enabled the birth of his masculine soul, giving over her life for the sake of allowing Yitzchak to beget life and become his independent ultimate self, get married, and raise his own family. In this way, Sarah’s cries from which we model the sounds of the shofar are both the wails of mourning for death and ecstasy of birth. They emanate from the very deepest place where death and life are one.

You have the ability to continue Sarah’s self-sacrifice for the sake of building families in the Land of Israel, and you can make a great difference without having to give over your own life. You can ensure life both in This World and the Next through your generous donation to support Women’s Torah learning in the Land of Israel. By donating to Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin you are supporting the Jewish families of tomorrow. It is almost Rosh Hashana, please increase your merits by donating to Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin.

Shana Tova, Tikateivu V’Tichateimu l’Alter Chayim Tovim!!!!
May you be inscribed in the Book of Life!
With Blessings of the Torah & the Land, Chana Bracha Siegelbaum

How Will the Process of Circumcising our Hearts Unblock our Childhood Wounds?

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Parashat Nitavim, Vayelech

How Will the Process of Circumcising our Hearts  Unblock our Childhood Wounds?

It is only the Blocks that Conceal the Essential Goodness of the Jewish Soul

The main work of EmunaHealing is to identify the blocks that make us stuck and impede us from moving forward in life and remove them through directed prayer. This is based on the central belief that whenever a person is unable to heal a certain area of her life or reach her goals, it is due to spiritual, emotional, or physical blocks, most commonly, emotional blocks. These blocks are caused by childhood wounds, traumas, or misguided stories that we have been telling ourselves and which have become self-fulfilling prophecies. The more we succeed in removing these blocks and rewriting our stories through guided imagery and positive affirmations, the better a person we will become. In this way EmunaHealing facilitates teshuva – return to our true selves, which have been hiding behind the various blocks that block us from being who we really are. Behind the belief that it is only the exterior blocks that prevent our light from shining forth, is the faith in the essential good of every single Jew. We are all an extension of the Divine. Once we uncover the external husks that conceal our inner soul, then the light of our divine spark is revealed in all its radiance. “Do not gaze upon me, because I am swarthy, for the sun has scorched me…” (Song of Songs 1:6). Rashi explains that the swarthy ugliness that a person may exude is not inherent, but only external, caused by the tanning of the sun. My darkness can easily be lifted so I will become white and pure again.

This principle of EmunaHealing is based on Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook’s optimistic perspective on the nature of a Jew: “The essence of the desire to be good to all, without any limitation at all in the world, whether in terms of the quantity of those benefiting nor the quality of the good bestowed – this is the inner core of the essence of the soul of Knesset Yisrael (Community of Israel)” (Orot, p. 139). This is its inheritance and the legacy from its ancestors, and this is the secret of the nation’s longing for redemption which gives it strength to live and exist, to the wonderment of every thinking person” (Rav Kook, Orot Yisra'el, 1:4).

Shedding the External Layers and Returning to the Essence of Who and What We Are

Teshuva – is not so much about what we are returning from – but more about what we are returning to. During the month of Elul, my students and I sing the famous Carlebach tune, “Return Again” with the help of The B’erot Bat Ayin Songbook with Guitar Chords & Torah Tidbits. The words, “Return to who you are, return to what you are!” reverberate over and over in my head. As I lead my students with my guitar, I pray to unblock all the negative character traits and return to my essential beautiful self. I yearn to return to my naked soul without the exterior blocks that conceal its light. As Rav Kook puts it: “In order to remove every partition that separates between the general Divine good and the soul who thirst for it, we need to separate from every ethical blemish, which impedes the refinement of all our character traits… To also remove that which inhibits and prevents our garments of divine good, we must remove everything that prevents and inhibits the Jewish soul. This is the vital feature for complete teshuva in all its details from every kind of sin according to the written and the oral Torah, which completely reflects the divine soul linked to every Jew (Rav Kook, Orot Hateshuva 13:2). Now during Elul is the time for soul reflection, meditating and systematically removing the partitions and blocks that prevent us to return to who we really are behind all the negative character-traits and actions caused by the accumulated pain and trauma we have experienced throughout our lives.

Circumcising our Hearts – Healing Emotional and Spiritual Wounds During Elul

Parashat Nitzavim brings the comfort of Hashem’s promise that He will circumcise our hearts. This circumcision does not refer to an open-heart surgery but rather to removing the heart walls of resentments, hurt feelings, grudges, and any block that prevents us from accessing our soul. Even the circumcision of the male organ is not to create or build something new but rather to uncover the blocking skin to reveal the crown. These blocks are also what impedes us from being in a loving relationship with Hashem, with others, and with ourselves.

ספר דברים פרק ל פסוק ו 

וּמָל הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת לְבָבְךָ וְאֶת לְבַב זַרְעֶךָ לְאַהֲבָה אֶת הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ לְמַעַן חַיֶּיךָ:

“Then Hashem, your G-d, will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, [so that you may] love Hashem your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul, for the sake of your life” (Devarim 30:6).

As we are moving closer to the final redemption when Hashem will circumcise our hearts, our desire for emotional health is growing, as we reckon from the popularity of numerous self-help books and courses. To bring the geulah, which we all await we need to first do our work of removing negative emotions, so we will be ready for Hashem to complete our efforts. This is why we are first told to circumcise our hearts by ourselves:

ספר דברים פרק י פסוק טז וּמַלְתֶּם אֵת עָרְלַת לְבַבְכֶם וְעָרְפְּכֶם לֹא תַקְשׁוּ עוֹד:

“You must circumcise the orlah [foreskin] of your hearts, and be no longer stiff-necked” (Devarim 10:16).

Since no one can accomplish anything without Hashem’s help, when we have tried our best to unblock our hearts, Hashem gives His promise to circumcise our hearts and open our hearts to learn to truly love. The optimal time for unblocking our hearts is during the month of Elul as the acronym of our Torah verse alludes:

וּמָל הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת לְבָבְךָ וְאֶת לְבַב...Elul

Through Unblocking Our Own Hearts, We Can Influence Our Children to do Teshuva

When our children grow up, we may lose some of the connection we had when they were young, and certainly our ability to teach and influence them. There comes a time when they yearn to be completely independent of us, and no matter how good advice we give them, they don’t want to hear it from us. If their friend tells them the exact same thing that we have said numerous times, they may excitedly follow his words as if they heard it for the very first time. Yet, through teshuva and unblocking of our hearts, we can retain the soul connection with our children and the ability to influence them for good. Rebbe Nachman asks, why does our pasuk mention that G-d will circumcise not only our heart but also the heart of our offspring? He explains that when we truly do the work of unblocking our hearts this will affect our descendants. As long as our heart is uncircumcised and sealed, it is impossible for us to truly feel. (We become numb). Yet when our hearts are unblocked, we are overcome by emotions so strong that they will spill over and affect our descendants and cause their repentance. This is the meaning of “Hashem your G-d will circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed.” When G-d circumcises our hearts, the hearts of our offspring will become circumcised as well. Then our children will also experience thoughts of repentance love of Hashem due to the circumcision of their parent’s heart (Likutei Moharan, Mahadura Kama 141). Through the various pains and traumas, we have experienced, we have learned to numb ourselves to protect ourselves from feeling distress and discomfort. However, when we close our hearts to avoid pain, we automatically also close our hearts to feel anything at all. So, we numb ourselves from feeling the love of G-d and from feeling the pleasures He bestows upon our lives. Being able to feel love is vital for truly being alive! Therefore, we await when Hashem will complete the process of circumcising our hearts “for the sake of our lives”!

EmunaHealing Exercise for Unblocking Your Life and Opening Your Heart
1. It’s the end of Elul – the time for you to take time for meditation and inner reflection. Close your eyes, turn your attention inward, and become aware of your breath. Allow your breath to be what it wants without trying to control it.

2. How are you feeling right now? Rather than quickly answering the habitual “fine,” or “Baruch Hashem!” Breathe into this question and let yourself feel what you are feeling. We all struggle with pain and discomfort. Besides physical pain, there are emotional hurts. People often don’t respond to you the way you expect. Perhaps you feel ignored and not included, or you may feel judged and disrespected by others. Whatever you feel, allow yourself to feel what you are feeling.

3. You may also harbor negative feelings about yourself. We all struggle with various versions of, “I’m not good enough.” Allow yourself to feel where you fall short. Breathe into this feeling without judgment. You are not alone in feeling this way. Tune into the spark of goodness within your feeling of inadequacy. Your spark of wanting to improve and rectify your flaws is a sign of your inherent goodness. Breathe into your goodness of always yearning to become better.

4. Recall Rav Kook’s heartening words: “The essence of the desire to be good– this is the inner core of the essence of the soul of the community of Israel.” Deep down you are really good and deserving of Hashem’s love. It is only the external blocks that prevent you from accessing this Divine goodness within you. Even if you cannot feel it yet, connect with the notion that despite your many flaws, you are essentially good and beloved.

5. There may be many layers of blocks concealing the goodness of your heart. Heartwalls may numb you and block you from feeling the love of Hashem, others, and yourself. Envision the Heartwalls as piles of rocks surrounding the most beautiful red rose. To get to the rose you need to shed layers of Heartwalls and penetrate the piles of rocks.

6. Envision breaking the rockpiles with your bare arms. If you need you can imagine wearing gloves as you disintegrate the rockpiles by removing the rocks one by one. Some are small and easy to remove, but others are big and heavy. It takes all your strength to remove them.

7. Each rock represents a hardship in life that has made you close your heart. As you imagine working through rock by rock, pay attention to which hardship each rock represents and what its message is for you. You have worked through many difficulties in life, and you have emerged to become a better person through your struggles. Although you are opening your heart the very best you can, there are still more rocks blocking it from opening completely. Do everything possible and Hashem will do the impossible!

8. Envision how the Divine hand works with you to remove the rest of the rocks that are too heavy for you to carry off by yourself. Hashem is completing your work of circumcising and opening your heart to once again truly feel what you are feeling. Notice all the love streaming through your heart now! Allow yourself to feel your deepest love for Hashem, your Creator, Who bestows all this kindness on you. You can now open your heart and let it fill with love and gratitude for all the blessings in your life. Now you can truly love Hashem, others, and yourself!

Why Would Performing the Mitzvah of Bikkurim (First Fruit Offering) Enable us to Merit the Land?

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Parashat Ki Tavo

Why Would Performing the Mitzvah of Bikkurim (First Fruit Offering) Enable Us to Merit the Land?

In the Land of Israel, the Physical and the Spiritual Realms are Intertwined

Since my last international speaking tour just prior to COVID-19, it seems that so many of our friends and supporters have made Aliyah, and even more are working on making Aliyah. In fact, some 70,000 new immigrants from 95 countries made aliyah in 2022. It was the largest number of olim to arrive in 23 years and a dramatic increase over the previous year when only 28,600 new immigrants were welcomed. COVID-19 generated a paradigm shift that made us face our mortality, contemplate the purpose of life, and our role in the world. Many Torah-observant Jews realized that the true place for a Jew is to live in the Promised Land. Here in Israel, even the mundane and earthly realm is imbued with spirituality as it states, “A Land in which you do not eat bread in measure, you will not be lacking anything in it” (Devarim 8:9). This teaches us that when the Jewish people live in the Land of Israel, we may merit to be on such a level, that acquisition of wealth even luxuries won’t damage our true spiritual perfection. Rather, our wealth will help us increase strength and spiritual perfection in Hashem’s straight path. Through physical abundance, our spiritual level will rise (Rav Kook, Ein Aya, Berachot 6:15). There has been a gap and disunity between body and soul, holy and mundane, ever since the magnificent physical building of our holy Temple exuding the highest spiritual light was destroyed. Throughout our exiles, the spiritual realm has been disengaged from the physical to the extent that teachings such as the Talmudic statement that a Talmid Chacham (Torah scholar) may not walk in public with a stain on his clothing (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 114a) were given little weight. Since the founding of the State of Israel, we began the process of integrating the physical within the spiritual realm. It’s hard to describe how this principle plays out in our daily day life in Israel. All I can say is that when living in Israel you really experience that every tree, flower, and fruit is holy. As I look out of my window behind my computer I see my neighbor’s holy grape-wines winding themselves along our laundry line on the backdrop of the most brilliant, bluest sky. Yes, in Land of Israel heaven and earth are truly one!

Why Would Performing the Mitzvah of Bikkurim Enable Us to Merit the Land?

We usually read Parashat Ki Tavo at the beginning of the fig harvest, the fruit which is especially singled out for the first fruit offering as it states, A person goes down into his field and sees a fig that has ripened. He winds a reed around it for a sign and declares: “This is the בִּכּוּרִים/bikkurim – “first fruit” (Mishnah Bikkurim 3:1; Rashi, Devarim 26:2). We’re excitedly awaiting the time to be able to perform this mitzvah from the Torah with the shiny fruits of our labor:

ספר דברים פרק כו פסוק א 

וְהָיָה כִּי תָבוֹא אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ נַחֲלָה וִירִשְׁתָּהּ וְיָשַׁבְתָּ בָּהּ: (ב) וְלָקַחְתָּ מֵרֵאשִׁית כָּל פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר תָּבִיא מֵאַרְצְךָ אֲשֶׁר הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ וְשַׂמְתָּ בַטֶּנֶא וְהָלַכְתָּ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ שָׁם:

“It shall be, when you come into the land which Hashem, your G-d, gives you for an inheritance, and you possess it and settle in it, that you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which you will bring from your land, which Hashem, your G-d, is giving you. Then you shall put [them] into a basket and go to the place which Hashem, your G-d, will choose to have His Name dwell there” (Devarim 26:1-2).

The authoritative halachic midrash, Sifrei, teaches that through performing the mitzvah of bikkurim we will merit of entering the land [of Israel]” (Sifrei, Devarim, Parashat Ki Tavo 1).

Why would performing the mitzvah of bikkurim (first fruit) enable us to merit the land? Moreover, since this mitzvah could only be performed after the lengthy process of conquering and dividing the land, which lasted 14 years, how could it bring about entering the land that happened several years prior?

Acquiring the Two Foundations of a Jew: Kedusha (Holiness) and Emunah (Faith)

Netivot Shalom explains that to merit the Land of Israel we need to acquire two main foundations of serving Hashem: Emunah (faith) and Kedusha (holiness). Emunah implies believing that only Hashem runs the world, and none of our own efforts, strengths, or the might of our hands bring about anything without Hashem willing it. Kedusha is to subjugate our cravings and hand over our enjoyment and lusts to Hashem. When the Temple will be rebuilt B”H, I will infuse myself with holiness, as I go down to my orchard and tie a red string around one of the most succulent figs. I will be subjugating my base desire to gobble it up myself, while I proclaim that it is bikkurim. Offering the first and the best to Hashem will ingrain my emunah that absolutely nothing can exist or grow without Hashem bringing it into creation. During our wandering in the wilderness, we by default acquired the two foundations of kedusha and emunah by quenching our thirst through the holy, miraculous well of Miriam and receiving bread directly from heaven. Whereas regular food arouses lust, eating the manna directly from Hashem’s hand imbued us with the highest holiness. The wilderness wandering experience moreover strengthened our emunah by imprinting within our consciousness how no one but Hashem led us through individual providence.

Through the mitzvah of Bikkurim we Can Enter the Physical Realm of the Land while Maintaining our levels of Emunah and Kedusha

When we were on the verge of entering the Land of Israel, we were afraid of losing our high levels of kedusha and emunah of the wilderness, as we would have to work within the physical realm to sustain ourselves. When doing all the work necessary to grow the fruits of the land, it would be much harder to maintain the clear belief that everything emanates from Hashem, rather than from the power of our own hands. Therefore, Hashem gave us the mitzvah of bikkurim to enable us to enter the Land of Israel and be occupied in earthly pursuits while maintaining our levels of emunah and kedusha. Although we work so hard plowing, sowing, weeding, composting, etc. for the fruit of our labor, the mitzvah of bikkurim – offering the first fruits to Hashem – ensures our emunah that “it is Hashem our G-d, who gives us strength to make wealth…” Rather than being enticed by the erroneous belief that “My strength and the might of my hand has accumulated this wealth for me.” (Devarim 8:17-18). Moreover, our willingness to hand over to Hashem our cravings to grab the first fruit for ourselves – which naturally is the object of our greatest desire – elevates us to the level of holiness. Thus, by offering our earthly goods to Hashem through the mitzvah of bikkurim we can strengthen our clarity of emunah and sanctify ourselves in kedusha while being involved in earthly pursuits. Therefore, this mitzvah enables us to merit to enter the land of Israel.

Overcoming the two Worst Husks Opposing our Jewish Essence: Emunah and Kedusha

The declaration that accompanies the mitzvah of bikkurim establishes the two foundations of Judaism: Emunah and kedusha. The declaration opens by mentioning their two opposing forces: “You shall call out and say before Hashem, your G-d, ‘An Aramean [sought to] destroy my forefather, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there with a small number of people, and there, he became a great, mighty, and numerous nation…’” (Devarim 26:5). The Aramean refers to Lavan, who embodied the husk of כְּפִירָה/kefirah – ‘heresy,’ which is the opposite of emunah. He claimed that everything belonged to himself rather than to Hashem, saying, “The daughters are my daughters, and the sons are my sons, and the animals are my animals, and all that you see is mine” (Bereishit 31:43). Therefore, we proclaim that Lavan is destroyed and lost as the word אֹבֵד/oved can be understood to not only refer to Lavan’s desire to destroy Israel but also to Lavan’s own destruction. Mentioning the Egyptian exile refers to the husk of unholiness, for Egypt is known as the nakedness of the land – the source of unholy lusts. In the bikkurim recital, we distance ourselves from the two worst husks: Lavan and Egypt – who are diametrically opposed to the two main foundations of the Torah, emunah and kedusha. Thus, through the mitzvah of bikkurim, we can maintain our spiritual level while being involved in working the physical land. Only in the Land of Israel does heaven and earth meet. This is alluded to in the first word of Parashat Ki Tavo is וְהָיָה /vehaya – ‘It shall be.’ The letters of this word are the initials of יִשְׂמְחוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְתָגֵל הָאָרֶץ(The heavens will rejoice, and the earth will exult). When a Jew elevates all the earthly, it arouses happiness above. This is the work of these days of teshuva, during the month of Elul, through which we Jews must elevate everything we have to Hashem. Thereby, we can establish, “When you enter the land…” – elevating the aspect of entering the land and the earthly to the source of holiness (Based on Netivot Shalom on Devarim pp.160-162).

EmunaHealing Exercise for Integrating Emunah and Kedusha Available in the Land of Israel

1. Close your eyes and settle down on the ground or relax in your chair. Take several deep breaths and center yourself. Allow all thoughts to pass through you, noticing them without judgment.

2. Tap into your ancestral memory or imagine you are wandering in the wilderness together with your fellow Jews. As Hashem takes care of you, leads you through His cloud of glory and pillar of fire, and feeds you the ethereal manna, allow yourself to feel how you are completely enveloped by the emunah that everything is from G-d. Enjoy this carefree feeling of letting go of all control to Hashem. All is G-d and G-d is all, you are part of this ‘allness’ – this oneness as you glide through the desert following Hashem’s lead.

3. Imagine receiving the manna from heaven and ingesting this spiritually nurturing nourishment. You are completely free of any earthly cravings as you enjoy your divine meal. Can you feel how kedusha enters you with every single bite? Revel in the holiness you experience within you, feeling light and illuminated.

4. Soon you will be leaving your safe and holy incubation, and entering an earthly place, where you will fight wars, till the earth, and be sustained by the fruits of your labor.

5. Get in touch with the challenge of remembering that everything is Hashem, even as we employ our own efforts to succeed. How can we maintain the clarity that it is Hashem and only Hashem Who gives us strength to make wealth and succeed in any of our endeavors? Feel the tension and the challenge to recognize that no matter how wise and clever we are to bring about successful abundance, these results are ONLY due to Hashem.

6. Allow yourself to experience the feeling of your earthly desires like when munching on juicy grapes or a crisp steak, or any other favorite food of yours. Imagine the feeling of wanting more and the challenge of eating slowly and chewing every bite.

7. Recall that through the power of the most uplifted holiness of the land of Israel, a Jew can elevate all earthly matters to Hashem. Envision yourself being in the holy land of Israel right now. Visualize the rolling hills, the intensity of the blueness of the sky, and the beauty of the fruits of the land. Breathe in all of this beauty through which the physical and the spiritual realms unite.

8. The physical land of Israel is imbued with holiness. In Israel every rock and pebble, every grain of sand every drop of dew is holy. Breathe into the notion that in the land of Israel, you can elevate the physical realm to be included in the spiritual.

9. Recite the first word of Parashat Ki Tavo is וְהָיָה /vehaya – “It shall be” softly, barely audibly. Repeat it as many times as you like, breathe into this word וְהָיָה /vehaya וְהָיָה /vehaya וְהָיָה /vehaya. This word is the initials of יִשְׂמְחוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְתָגֵל הָאָרֶץ/yismechu hashamayim vetagel ha’aretz (The heavens will rejoice, and the earth will exult). Tap into the unity between heaven and earth that can be experienced in the Land of Israel. Breathe into it and get in touch with your desire to truly live a life of holiness and faith in the Land of Israel. You may open your eyes when you are ready to return to your reality wherever you are right now.

What is the Connection Between Placing a Rail on Our Roof and Rebuilding Ourselves?

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Parashat Ki Tetze

What is the Connection Between Placing a Rail on Our Roof and Rebuilding Ourselves?

Yearning for the Transformative Renewal of Youth

Mazal tov! Parashat Ki Tetze is here, indicating that I’ve gone through twelve new moon circles and journeyed another 365 days around the sun. A birthday is like a rebirth. It is a time for renewal on all levels, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. I’m so happy that my birthday – during the month of Elul – coincides with the period that we prepare ourselves for the universal birthday of humanity on Rosh Hashana. The sound of the Shofar, which we hear daily during this month, calls us to teshuva – return – and to rebuild ourselves. At this time, we are working on becoming all we can be and striving to rise to our higher selves. Rosh Hashana means Head of the Year. We must begin the process of our renewal by changing our mindset – our thoughts, our awareness, our worldview, and the way we perceive Hashem, others, and ourselves. Yet the longer we have journeyed around the sun the more set in our ways we become. I recently gave a lift to a young woman and asked her if she lived in Bat Ayin. She was surprised that I didn’t recognize her as the daughter of one of my best friends, here in Bat Ayin. She not only dressed differently but her facial expressions too had changed significantly. I explained that she looked so different from when I remember her as a teenager. “But that was so long ago, she replied,” although it was perhaps only about four years ago. This experience made me think of the difference between younger and older people when it comes to change and self-renewal. Besides more wrinkles showing on my face, how much have I changed during the last five years? Being faced with a person who clearly went through such major transformations, made me yearn to continue to make drastic changes for the better every day and year of my life. Yet, we cannot do anything without Hashem’s help, even to transform ourselves we need His continued Divine assistance. I pray for Hashem’s guidance to leave the humdrum of my habitual routine so I will too be able to “Sing to Him a new song; play well with joyful shouting” (Tehillim 33:3).

Why is the Mitzvah of Making a Rail Linked Specifically with a Roof of a New House?
One of the many mitzvot in Parashat Ki Tetze, my ‘Bat Mitzvah Parasha,’ (I never had one), is the mitzvah to make a rail on our roof. I always favored this mitzvah according to its simple understanding without being aware of exactly why. When we moved into our current home in Bat Ayin, my husband let me hammer in the last nail on the fence of our balcony, offering me the merit of reciting the preceding blessing: “Baruch Ata Hashem Elokeinu Melech Ha’olam Asher Kidishanu Bemitzvotav Vetzivanu La’asot Ma’akeh.” This blessing is only to be recited if the roof is truly obligated in a fence, it must be commonly used and have more space than 192 x192 centimeters (75.59 inches) and be eighty centimeters, or 32 inches high (like the requirement of a Sukkah). When I recently read Netivot Shalom’s explanation of the mitzvah of placing a rail on the roof, I understood better why this mitzvah is so dear to me.

ספר דברים פרק כב פסוק ח
כִּי תִבְנֶה בַּיִת חָדָשׁ וְעָשִׂיתָ מַעֲקֶה לְגַגֶּךָ וְלֹא תָשִׂים דָּמִים בְּבֵיתֶךָ כִּי יִפֹּל הַנֹּפֵל מִמֶּנּוּ:

“When you build a new house, you shall make a guard rail for your roof, so that you shall not cause blood [to be spilled] in your house, that the one who falls should fall from it [the roof]” (Devarim 22:8).

Netivot Shalom asks why the mitzvah of placing a rail is associated with building a new house, and why it explicitly states “on your roof” as any place that constitutes danger such as a balcony, a pit, and a high place that qualifies for the mitzvah of placing a rail aren’t necessarily a roof. For example, the boundary of the Solomon Garden at B’erot is on a high mountain slope, posing a danger of falling down several meters, without a rail, which was installed when we expanded this garden almost six years ago.

Completely Changing Direction to Embark on a New Path

When doing teshuva, it is not sufficient to repent for any specific detail, rather we must completely abandon the path that brought us to commit whatever offenses and totally change direction to embark on a new path. This is the meaning of “When you build a new house.” When we recognize that our entire core is unfounded, what would it help to repent from any individual wrongdoing? We must desire to build a completely new house – that is – to rebuild the entire essence of our existence. When the Torah instructs us to make a rail on our roof, it alludes to the character trait of יִרְאָה/yirah – ‘awe’, as the numerical value of the word מַעֲקֶה/ma’akeh – ‘rail’ with the kollel (when counting one for the word itself) is the same as the numerical value of יִרְאָה/yirah – ‘awe’ (216). Likewise, a fence is associated with fear of G-d through its protective boundaries and rabbinical fences to prevent transgression of Torah prohibitions. The main protection to control our cravings from overstepping the proper boundaries is through the character trait of awe.

The Beginning of Rebuilding Ourselves is Through Rectifying Our Head

The roof alludes to a person’s head, just as the beginning of rebuilding ourselves starts with awe of G-d, which is compared to the rail, so must our renewal start with rectifying the head, with its seven apertures or gates: two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, and the mouth. Before these gates, we must place fences and boundaries through the character trait of awe. This is because all a person’s thoughts, speech, and actions are dependent on these apertures of the head, as our sages say, “The eye sees, the heart desires, and the body performs the transgressions” (Rashi, Shemot 15:39). The eyes, connected to the brain, begin everything. Therefore, we must begin by rectifying them, and then proceed to the rest of the openings of the head. This is the foundation of teshuva. “When you build a new house” – when you rebuild yourself anew, the first thing is to make a fence on your roof – through the character trait of yirah – awe. This is like receiving the Torah which also began with the character trait of awe as it states, “The entire nation that was in the camp trembled” (Shemot 19:16). Our Sages say that the Torah was given with dread, with awe, and with trembling.

Rebuilding Ourselves on Rosh Hashana Through Fear of G-d

Just as a person has a head, so does the calendar have a head which is the beginning of the entire year. This is all alluded to in “when you build a new house” – when a Jew wants to rebuild himself on Rosh Hashana, the way is to make a rail on the roof – to grab hold of the character trait of awe, just as we do during the service of the Days of Awe. Since these days are days of judgment in the upper realm, also below in this world, the corresponding service must be through awe. Simply speaking, this is because only through awe can repentance be established, as the foundation of teshuva is through awe. The time for all matters of teshuva and rectifications is during the month of Elul, whereas on Rosh Hashana the way to serve Hashem is by crowning Him King over every limb of our body. Elul is the time to prepare for building the new house and to awaken fear of heaven in all matters. For this reason, we blow the Shofar during the month of Elul, for the Shofar awakens awe, as it states, “Will a shofar be sounded in the city and the people not tremble?” (Amos 3:6). “Trembling removes the blood” (Babylonian Talmud Niddah 9a). This means that awe removes the impure blood of humanity. This is the first rectification of “When you build a new house,” as stated in the Zohar, the first mitzvah is to fear G-d, “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Hashem” (Mishlei 9:10).

EmunaHealing Exercise for Self-Renewal Through the Metaphor of Building a New House

1. Sit down on a chair or on the ground and allow yourself to relax and feel at ease. If it feels right, close your eyes, take several deep breaths, and feel your heart rate slowing down. Envision descending a stairway. Count down from ten with each downward step you take. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one. You have reached the bottom of the stairs. You are in a vast open space of emptiness.

2. All your old ways have become erased. As you keep searching for yourself you realize that you cannot find yourself for you have disintegrated into nothingness. Allow yourself to accept the feeling of nonexistence. It can be a scary feeling not knowing where you are and who you are. But within this uncertainty lies the hope of a new and better beginning. Are you ready to rebuild yourself and your life?

3. Let your mind ponder how you would start your entire life over. What would be your new foundation? From what kind of character traits would your new foundation be built? How will this new foundation be expressed in your thoughts, feelings, and actions?

4. Visualize building the foundation of a new home. Envision yourself pouring the concrete consisting of your new self-image. Imagine how the new home you are about to build is the embodiment of rebuilding your new self.

5. You are standing facing the awesome Creator of the universe. Allow yourself to be filled with awe, and dread of His greatness, as you start to tremble. Breathe slowly as you keep trembling in awe of G-d. Now imagine the outline of your new house, which is the embodiment of your renewed self. Envision the roof of your house as standing on sturdy pillars.

6. Tune into the roof which represents the most important part of yourself – your head. Which kind of windows does the roof have? Imagine how each of the windows corresponds to one of the openings of your head, the eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth. What characterizes the windows of your home, and how does each of them correspond to the apertures of your head? Breathe into each of the windows of your house and their correspondent opening in your face.

7. Imagine the window rails corresponding to the fences and boundaries you need to place on your eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth. Breathe awe of G-d into each of the apertures of your face.

8. Now envision the general rail on the entire roof of your house. How does it look, and feel? Is it made of concrete, wood, or metal? Is it made of latticework or of logs attached to one another? How big is the space between each log or the pattern in the latticework?

9. Imagine how each of the features of the rail on your roof corresponds to an aspect of your character. This visualization may not be so easy as it requires a lot of imagination. Do the best you can to tune into the sturdiness of your rail corresponding to the character traits that you have deeply integrated into your psyche. Look for any weakness in the rail and imagine rectifying its corresponding character trait.

10. Now, imagine your beautiful new home all complete, with a dining room, kitchen, living room, and bedrooms, with painted walls, curtains, and furniture. Can you feel happy and proud of your home? Scan everything in your mind’s eye and superimpose it on the rebuilding of your new self. Mazal tov! You Are embarking on a New Path of completely rebuilding yourself!

What is the Main Character Trait Through which our Forefathers Gained their Greatness?

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Parashat Shoftim

What is the Main Character Trait Through which our Forefathers Gained their Greatness?

What is the Difference Between Jewish Mysticism and General Occultism?

Before I became Torah observant, I explored everything occult from astrology to palm reading, as well as Tarot Cards, Eastern Mysticism, and more. It was my attraction to spirituality and mysticism that eventually brought me back to Judaism via the kabbalah. The first class I was drawn to at the yeshiva was Derech Hashem by Ramchal. Learning about soul reincarnation has always intrigued me and I was privileged to study Arizal’s book on the subject with my husband. Today I wish I had more time to delve deeper into the secret of Kabbalah, as from all the Torah I’ve learned, it is Arizal’s teachings that bring me the closest to Hashem and spurs me to work on myself the most. As a child, I swallowed all the C.S. Lewis books on Narnia, and I loved to do magic tricks. Yet, I was far from as proficient as my husband who began his professional career during his teens as a birthday party magician. The next generation has been mesmerized by the magical witchcraft of Harry Potter. In EmunaHealing we learn that Narnia, Harry Potter, and the likes are all books connected with witchcraft and the klipah (husk) of the yetzer hara (negative impulse). Since children especially are sensitive to energy, we must be cautious to carefully screen the books they read. Not only food but also books need to be kosher. Any unkosher book, especially with pictures of crosses or idols, etc., closes the energy fields and distances us from Hashem. It is especially important to avoid having such books in the bedrooms where people sleep. Books about non-Jewish energy healing like Reiki could also be problematic. We may use our intuition to check book by book to tune into whether it is kosher or not. My teacher Chana Luke told us about a young man, who suddenly became wildly psychotic. It turned out that under his bed there was a stack of all kinds of less than kosher journals. When they removed these journals, he calmed down. Whereas general occultism tempts us to believe in all kinds of spiritual forces which diffuse our focus from the one and only G-d, the Torah-true kabbalistic masters teach us to perceive the underlying unity within our fragmented reality and thereby return us to the path of serving the Almighty one and only G-d.

The Limitations of Occultism and Spiritual Remedies

In Parashat Shoftim the Torah denounces all kinds of impure occultism and witchcraft, calling anyone involved with such practice an abomination which Hashem will drive out from Israel. Following the prohibition of these impure practices, the Torah directs us to be Tamim with Hashem our G-d:

ספר דברים פרק יח פסוק י לֹא יִמָּצֵא בְךָ מַעֲבִיר בְּנוֹ וּבִתּוֹ בָּאֵשׁ קֹסֵם קְסָמִים מְעוֹנֵן וּמְנַחֵשׁ וּמְכַשֵּׁף: (יא) וְחֹבֵר חָבֶר וְשֹׁאֵל אוֹב וְיִדְּעֹנִי וְדֹרֵשׁ אֶל הַמֵּתִים: (יב) כִּי תוֹעֲבַת הָשֵׁם כָּל עֹשֵׂה אֵלֶּה וּבִגְלַל הַתּוֹעֵבֹת הָאֵלֶּה הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ מוֹרִישׁ אוֹתָם מִפָּנֶיךָ: (יג) תָּמִים תִּהְיֶה עִם הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ:

“There shall not be found among you anyone who passes his son or daughter through fire, sorcerers, cloud gazers, diviners of [auspicious] times, witches, one who interprets omens, or a charmer, a pithom sorcerer, a yido’a sorcerer, or a necromancer. For whoever does these things is an abomination to Hashem, and because of these abominations, Hashem, your G-d is driving them out from before you. [You must] be wholehearted with Hashem, your G-d” (Devarim 18:11-13).

The meaning of the word תָּמִים/Tamim is equivocal. Since the Torah contrasts the impure occult practices with the command to be tamim, it would make sense that the root תָּם/tam means ‘pure.’ This is how Ramban explains: “You shall be pure with Hashem your G-d” (Devarim 18:13). After the warning not to have any magicians, cloud gazers, and witches, the Torah teaches us to believe in our hearts that Hashem alone is Omnipotent from beginning to end. He is the only One who has the power to do and nullify, and therefore we should not listen to cloud gazers, sorcerers, diviners, or witches. We may in no way believe that their words will be fulfilled, but we should decree in our hearts that everything is in the hand of the Supreme One, G-d, the Almighty, Who does a person good, which was not predestined by his constellation and brings evil despite his constellation being good and fine. This is what they said about “go out of your constellation” (Ramban, Bereishit 17:1). This principle is vital for our times in which we are so inundated with all kinds of spiritual remedies upon which even Torah observant people rely. Ramban teaches us to realize that whether any of these practices including segulot from the Torah are going to work or not is totally in Hashem’s omnipotent hand.

What does it mean to be תָּמִים/Tamim with Hashem Your G-d”?

Rashi explains that “Be tamim with Hashem, your G-d” means to be wholehearted in all the trials in which Hashem tests us (Rashi, Bereishit 17:1). When you are תָּם/tam – then you are with Hashem your G-d. “Walk before Hashem whole-heartedly and depend on Him, and do not inquire of the future; rather, accept whatever happens to you with [unadulterated] simplicity, and then, you shall be with Him and become His portion” (Rashi, based on the Sifrei, Devarim 18:13). This implies that no matter what difficulty we may face, we must never lose faith. Everything is from Hashem! Since He is the ultimate good, we must wholeheartedly believe that every hardship is beneficial for us. It could be a test to help us grow, or alternatively, suffering comes to atone for any sin we may have committed. The difference between Judaism and other religious beliefs is that their beliefs are based on a variety of terrifying phenomena in nature. As a result of the Gentiles’ fears and traumas they resort to means which would foretell them what to expect and to try and take precautions against any disaster that the stars foretell. We, who are convinced that G-d always has our best interests at heart, do not need to be terrified. You may therefore best translate this verse as meaning: “You will be complete i.e., and at ease with Hashem your G-d when you are תָּמִים/Tamim – on the same wavelength as Hashem your G-d. Any evil in store for you which you would find by consulting your horoscope is not bound to happen anyway. Our patriarch Avraham is the best example of this. He thought that since according to his horoscope he would not have any children, G-d could not give him a meaningful reward. Yet, G-d taught him that he was above the zodiac and not bound by his horoscope (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 156); (Ohr HaChayim, Devarim 18:1). Tamim may also imply acquiring the most possible perfection for the human being and knowing Hashem by knowing His ways and becoming like Him as much as possible. This is the final perfection of humans intended by Hashem in the creation, when He said, “Let us make man in our image and likeness” (Sforno, Bereishit 17:1). Ba’al Haturim notices that the letter ‘Tav’ is large, indicating that if you walk whole-heartedly with Hashem, it is considered as if you have fulfilled the entire Torah from ‘Alef’ to ‘Tav’ (“from A to Z”).

Ready for Passionately Trans-Rational Dedication of Your Life to Hashem

The highest level of emunah is to totally trust Hashem without questioning Him even by a fleeting thought. This was the level of the Jewish people when we said, “We will do and we will hear” (Shemot 24:7), without even knowing what we were going to be commanded to do. We were then called יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי/Yonati, Tamati – “My dove My perfect one” (Song of Songs 5:2). When Avraham our father willingly followed Hashem to sacrifice his son Yitzchak, he embodied the highest level of being תָּם/tam. Although the Akeida (sacrifice of Yitzchak) was against all logic and against Hashem’s prior promises that Yitzchak would be Avraham’s successor, Avraham answered “Hineni! Here I am” – ready to perform Hashem’s will whatever it be. This is as it states, “O G-d, I desired to do Your will” (Tehillim 40:9). All Avraham’s desire and the purpose of his life was to align his will with Hashem’s will, to be completely bitul (nullified) to Hashem via Gratuitous Passionate Trans-Rational Dedication. Through the greatness of his love for Hashem he dedicated himself to fulfilling Hashem’s will even when it contradicted human logic. This is the great level of bitul through love which is higher than bitul through fear. Therefore, the mitzvah to be tamim with Hashem is greater than all other mitzvot, as it brings us to be with Hashem as the Sifrei states. Since becoming tamim with Hashem implies complete Gratuitous Passionate Trans-Rational Dedication, it is considered as if one has fulfilled the entire Torah from Alef to Tav (Netivot Shalom, Shoftim pp.114-115).

EmunaHealing Exercise for Integrating Wholehearted Dedication to Hashem

1. Make yourself comfortable, close your eyes, breathe deeply, and imagine yourself floating on a raft upon the soft waves of your favorite beach. (I always imagine floating on the holy waters of the Kineret).

2. Let yourself go completely and allow your raft to take you in whatever direction the wind blows. Fill your lungs with air and exhale as you let yourself trust completely that Hashem will stir your raft to secure shores.

3. Envision your raft becoming a cradle and you becoming an infant lying peacefully in your cradle as Hashem softly rocks you from side to side. Experience the pleasure of letting go of any control and just giving everything over to Hashem. The waves are soft, and you are comfortable, well-fed, and content. Just breathe into this lovely secure feeling.

4. Let your breathing be in tune with the waves. Take in the fresh sea air from your nostrils and exhale it through your mouth making a soft mmmmmm sound on the out-breath.

5. Recall a hardship that you suffered a long, long time ago, something that has already been resolved. Breathe into it, while remembering how in the end it all worked out for the good. If you try to re-experience the suffering you went through, feel how the pain has lifted now that you are aware of the happy ending of that story. Return to the cradle feeling how Hashem is rocking you softly.

6. Breathe in tune with the waves. Again, take in the fresh sea air from your nostrils and exhale it through your mouth making a soft mmmmmm sound on the out-breath. Now recall a recent hardship that you may still be suffering. Allow yourself to feel the pain, noticing where in the body the pain resides.

7. Breathe into the pain while feeling Hashem rocking you softly on the quiet waves. Make a conscious intention and speak words of trust within your heart. “Hashem everything is from You, and You are only Good, so EVERYTHING is ultimately good and for the good. While tapping into your emunah, envision the pain subsiding, melting into the waves, and disintegrating completely.

8. Are you ready to dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to Hashem’s will whatever it may be?

Imagine yourself and your raft attached to a larger boat. Wherever the boat goes, you follow happily and trustfully. You are becoming ready to do whatever Hashem asks of you, no matter how counterintuitive. Despite the odds and the ups and downs of your life, your trust in Hashem just keeps growing stronger and stronger. Imagining Hashem’s greatness and His Omnipotence helps you trust Him more and more and enables you to dedicate your life to serving Hashem.

9. Now, prepare yourself to complete the meditation and return back to regular consciousness, making a resolve for becoming תָּם/tam and serving Hashem in an even greater, purer, and more wholehearted way.

What is the Difference Between Tzedakah and Charity?

Printable Version

Parashat Re’eh

What is the Difference Between Tzedakah and Charity?

(Based on Netivot Shalom on Parashat Re’eh)

To Give or Not to Give – My Tzedakah Dilemma
The mitzvah of giving tzedakah can be challenging at times. It seems that people asking for donations always manage to call at the most inconvenient times when I’m in the midst of writing and not prepared to slowly repeat the numbers on my credit card. Then there are the beggars who usually knock on doors during the evening hours. When my husband used to work night shifts, I didn’t feel comfortable opening the door to beggars at night. On the other hand, being aware of the greatness of the mitzvah of giving tzedakah, I am haunted by guilt feelings whenever I feel compelled to turn down those who reach out for support. Furthermore, I know so very well on my own skin how it feels to be on the other side – to be the one who solicits for an excellent cause – but being told to call back at a certain hour several times before eventually being rejected. Although being a solicitor myself makes me empathize with other solicitors, to show my support, it also makes me less in a position to give to the innumerable good cause out there, because I have my own good cause that needs more support than I can ever afford. Yet, it is a positive mitzvah to give tzedakah to help poor people (Devarim 15:8; Rambam, Mitzvot Aseh 195), according to one’s ability. (Rambam, Matanot Aniyim 7:1), One who hardens his heart and doesn’t give violates a Torah command (Devarim 15:7-11; Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvot, Mitzvah Aseh 195). The Hebrew word for charity, צָדְקָה/tzedakah means far more than just that. Charity implies kindness performed from the goodness of one’s heart, doing more than what is obligatory. Tzedakah, on the other hand, means ‘justice,’ implying the obligation to help others. Ten percent of our income never belonged to us in the first place, Hashem entrusted us to be the custodian of this amount, to distribute it among the poor and use it to support worthy causes. When we keep this mitzvah of separating the ma’aser (a tenth of our income) we are performing an act of justice by returning the money to its rightful owners.

Why Does the Mitzvah of Tzedakah Outweigh All Other Mitzvot?

According to Rambam, we are obligated to be more careful to perform the mitzvah of tzedakah than any other positive mitzvah (Matanot Aniyim 10:5). Only, by means of this mitzvah is truth sustained and Israel established as it states, “With tzedakah shall you be established…” (Yesha’yahu 54:14). Furthermore, Israel is only redeemed through the merit of tzedakah as it states, “Tzion shall be redeemed through justice and her returnees through tzedakah (ibid. 1:27). What is so special about the mitzvah of tzedakah that it outweighs all other mitzvot? (Baba Batra 9a). The root of the mitzvah of tzedakah is emunah (faith) that everything we have in truth belongs to Hashem. We are not the owners of anything. It is not what we may mistakenly think “My strength and the might of my hand that has accumulated this wealth for me” (Devarim 8:17). Therefore, when we give, we return to Hashem what truly belongs to Him. This explains why tzedakah means justice. The perpetual awareness that just as everything that belongs to a slave indeed belongs to his master, so does everything – we think we have – in truth belong to the Master of the universe. This is the root of emunah. Since emunah is the most fundamental principle in the Torah, the mitzvah of tzedakah and Shabbat which also is all about emunah both outweigh all the mitzvot.

A Pleasant Demeanor is a Prerequisite for fulfilling the Mitzvah of Tzedakah

Parashat Re’eh teaches us that we must perform the mitzvah of tzedakah good-heartedly and with joy. If we gave tzedakah with an unpleasant demeanor we didn’t fulfill the mitzvah as it states,

ספר דברים פרק טו פסוק ז 

כִּי יִהְיֶה בְךָ אֶבְיוֹן מֵאַחַד אַחֶיךָ בְּאַחַד שְׁעָרֶיךָ בְּאַרְצְךָ אֲשֶׁר הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ לֹא תְאַמֵּץ אֶת לְבָבְךָ וְלֹא תִקְפֹּץ אֶת יָדְךָ מֵאָחִיךָ הָאֶבְיוֹן: (ח) כִּי פָתֹחַ תִּפְתַּח אֶת יָדְךָ לוֹ וְהַעֲבֵט תַּעֲבִיטֶנּוּ דֵּי מַחְסֹרוֹ אֲשֶׁר יֶחְסַר לוֹ: (י) נָתוֹן תִּתֵּן לוֹ וְלֹא יֵרַע לְבָבְךָ בְּתִתְּךָ לוֹ כִּי בִּגְלַל הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה יְבָרֶכְךָ הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל מַעֲשֶׂךָ וּבְכֹל מִשְׁלַח יָדֶךָ:

“If there will be among you a needy person, from one of your brothers in one of your cities, in your land that Hashem, your G-d, is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, and you shall not close your hand from your needy brother. Rather, you shall open your hand to him, and you shall lend him sufficient for his needs, which he is lacking… You shall surely give him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him; for because of this thing Hashem, your G-d, will bless you in all your work and in all your endeavors” (Devarim 15:7-8, 10).

Rashi explains that some people suffer [as they deliberate] whether they should give or not give; therefore, it says: “You shall not harden [your heart].” Others stretch out their hand [to give], but then close it. Therefore, it says: “nor close your hand” from your needy brother: If you do not give him, you will ultimately become a “brother of the needy” [i.e., becoming needy yourself]. - [Sifrei] The Maor V’Shemesh explains that the reason we don’t make a blessing over giving tzedakah the way we make blessings for performing other mitzvot is that the mitzvah of tzedakah must be performed with joy, and since people often give tzedakah in a begrudging way and therefore don’t fulfill the mitzvah, we don’t recite a blessing beforehand to avoid saying a blessing in vain.

The Merit of the Mitzvah of Tzedakah Engender Cosmic and Individual Redemption

When we live with the emunah required for fulfilling the mitzvah of tzedakah, it will be natural for us to fulfill it with joy and a pleasant demeanor. We will moreover live a happy, carefree, and satisfied life without worries and fears of loss. When we realize that nothing belongs to us, we are freed from fear and worry that it will be taken away from us. On the contrary, if we suffer a monetary loss, we will remember that Hashem has given and Hashem has taken, to grant us atonement for any sins we may have committed. Yet, if we give with a grieving heart, we do not fulfill the mitzvah of tzedakah, since giving with a pleasant demeanor is not an extra added good intention to the mitzvah of tzedakah. Rather, it is the most essential part of the mitzvah. This is because emunah is the core of the mitzvah of tzedakah, whereas giving with a heavy heart is an expression of a blemished emunah. So, if we don’t give with a full heart, then it is considered as if we didn’t perform the mitzvah of tzedakah at all. This explains why “Israel is only redeemed through the merit of tzedakah.” When we achieve the level of performing tzedakah to perfection, with a clarified faith that everything belongs to Hashem, it will bring about redemption for the community and for the individual. A person who gives a coin to the poor merits to receive the face of the Shechinah as it states, “I will see Your face with tzedek [from the root of tzedakah] …” (Tehillim 17:15); (Babylonian Talmud, Baba Batra 10a). This applies even to a wicked person. When he perceives with complete emunah that everything belongs to Hashem, and G-d supervises all that happens to us, he is redeemed from his wickedness and is elevated to the highest levels.

EmunaHealing Exercise for Visualizing Giving and Receiving Tzedakah

(Based on Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Jewish Meditation)

1. Close your eyes and take several deep breaths. Fill your lungs completely on the in-breath and empty them all the way on the out-breath. Repeat this a couple of times, each time breathing deeper and deeper.

2. Let your mind wander to all your precious possessions. Perhaps a special fountain pen, or a sophisticated lightweight multitasking tablet with the most updated paraphernalia. It could be your lovely house, a favorite dress, or a pair of golden earrings. Anything that is uniquely yours, and that you would never want to part with. See if you can envision how each beloved item really belongs to Hashem, and you are only His entrusted servant who has received permission to use these items to serve Him.

3. Breathe into the process of relinquishing your precious possessions to Hashem, one by one. This isn’t easy and we can only do the best we can to at least get a glimpse of what the awareness that everything belongs to Hashem would feel like. After you have done your best to give up your personal ownership, imagine how Hashem is now giving each item back to you, for you to use to serve Him. Visualize how you use your devices to promulgate Torah and kindness, how you dress in honor of Shabbat, and welcome guests into your home. Making good use of the wealth with which Hashem blesses you.

4. Now meditate on the four letters of Hashem’s name. Visualize the shape of each of the letters. The small י/yud hanging in midair represents the first flash of wisdom. This letter is followed by the first ה /heh, the analytic insight that fleshes out the flash of wisdom in concrete practical ways. Now visualize the ו/vav – the hook – that connects the upper with the lower sefirot. At last, visualize the final ה/heh which brings everything down into this physical world.

5. These four letters of the Tetragrammaton contain the mystery of tzedakah. The first letter, י/yud, denotes the coin that we want to give. This letter is small and simple like a coin. The second letter ה/heh denotes the hand that gives the coin. Since ה/heh is the fifth letter of the alphabet, it has a numerical value of five, alluding to the five fingers of the hand. The third letter, ו/vav, which has the form of an arm, denotes the arm reaching out to give. Furthermore, in Hebrew, the word vav refers to a hook and has the connotation of connection, as the word for the conjunction ‘and’ is represented by the letter vav prefixed to a word. Finally, the fourth letter, the final ה/heh, is the hand of the beggar who accepts the coin. This is the essence of charity on a physical level.

6. Imagine that your hand is a heh, holding the coin represented by the small yud. Visualize how you stretch out your arm represented by the vav, to offer your tzedakah. Can you envision the poor person’s hand reaching out to receive your tzedakah?

7. Tzedakah can also be understood from a spiritual perspective. Hashem is the greatest donor, and the greatest tzedakah that He gives to us is existence itself. The yud again represents the coin. But this time, the coin is not of copper or silver, but it is existence itself. Yud has a numerical value of ten. Hence, it alludes to the Ten Sayings of Creation. Imagine yourself reaching out your hand represented by the heh to receive existence from Hashem. The greatest possible act of charity is G-d’s giving existence to us. Are you ready to open your hand to receive and claim your existence?

8. Since we have no claim to existence, we cannot demand that G-d give it to us as our right. Therefore, G-d’s giving us existence is pure tzedakah. Imagine Hashem’s hand, which holds the existence He wishes to give us, as the letter heh. The vav is His arm reaching out to us, to give us existence. Finally, visualize the last heh of the Name as your own hand, which accepts your existence. G-d even gives us our own hand through which we receive existence from Him.

9. Visualize the four letters of the Tetragrammaton. Begin by contemplating the yud, which is the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet, almost like a dot. Can you envision this yud as the initial point of creation? Imagine the yud as the first point of the Ten Sayings that brought creation into existence out of nothingness. Now imagine the first heh of the Name. This is the level of the Divine at which a vessel comes into existence to hold the abstract power of creation. Visualize how G-d is holding the power of creation, in order to give it to us. The opening at the top of the heh is the channel from G-d, while the opening at its bottom is the channel to us below. Imagine the heh both as a five-fingered hand as a channel for the forces of creation.

10. Now contemplate the vav. Can you visualize G-d’s power reaching out to us? Wanting to give? The most important letter is the final heh. This is our hand, into which we receive what Hashem is ready to give us. This final heh represents our ability to receive from G-d. The connection between the vav and the heh is extremely important. This is the connection between the giver and the receiver. To receive anything from G-d we must make this connection. Visualize the vav of Hashem’s arm reaching out to give, so to speak, interlinked with the final heh representing our hand to receive. Whenever you are ready you may open your eyes and return to the room with a new resolve to be more meticulous about giving tzedakah.