The Lunar calendar

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R Gordon-calibratin te lunar monts of the year
Rosh Chodesh

1. 19 year cycle of the lunar calendar
2. Finalized today no more need ofwitnesses
3. fnalized by Hillel Ha Zaken
4. set by bet din in the time of the temple
5. appx 29 1/2 day months 6  @ 29  6@ 30 days = 254 days in lunar year ea moth either 29 o 30 days
6. moon will aPPear in 29th or 30th day -when seen witnesses run to Jerusalem and moon's ciing is certified by the Sanhedrin    Rosh chodesh either one or 2 days
7. witnesses 'we saw the new moon"-not visible everywhere
8. courts knew where te locatiion of the new moon was

         a. they calibrated its location astronomically
   9.  Moshe in prophecy shown the new moon as to its appearance-sanctiied by bet din
  10. Pesach in the spring
  11. Lunar months in a solar year
  12, 11 days missing in the solar year    33 days/3 years
  13. 7X leao years in a19 year cycle
  14. Adar=1 mo. added as the "leap month"
  15. small crescent of the new moon seen in the west
  16. alignment or conjunction of the moon and sun--moon not seen
  17. court mb meticulous in astronomical calcs

http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/letters/default_cdo/aid/1919703/jewish/Beginning-of-the-Year-or-Head-of-the-Year.htm


Beginning of the Year or Head of the Year?





Correspondence by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe

By the Grace of G‑d

8th of Kislev, 5718 [December 1, 1957]

Brooklyn, N.Y.



Mr. I. Groob

44 Marvel Road, New Haven, Conn.



Greeting and Blessing:



I was pleased to be informed by Rabbi V. Schildkraut about the Melave Malka which was held in your home, which also served as an occasion of Chanukas Habayis.



Inasmuch as this occasion also coincided with Rosh Chodesh Kislev, the significance of it is all the greater. For, as you know, "Rosh" means head, and it is used in connection with the New Year and New Moon, instead of an identical term in Hebrew. This indicates that as the head is the center of the nervous system and vitality of the organism, and if the head is all right, the whole organism functions well, so it is with an initial period of time, when one makes a head-start.



May G‑d help that this occasion be a good beginning for further stimulating activities in the cause of Torah and Mitzvoth in everyday life, and, as our Sages say, that the essential thing is not the theory but the practice, and there is always room for improvement.



I take this opportunity to extend to you and yours my prayerful wishes that your change of address be a change for the better, both materially and spiritually.



With blessing,


http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/letters/default_cdo/aid/1889086/jewish/Going-from-Strength-to-Strength.htm
Going from Strength to Strength






Correspondence by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe

By the Grace of G-d

21st of Sivan, 5727

Brooklyn, N.Y.

[June 29, 1967]



Greeting and Blessing:



I have just received your letter. I was already getting anxious why I have not heard from you.



Thank you very much for the fulfillment of my request to convey regards from me, and also for the good news which your letter contained.



Inasmuch as it is written, “They will go from strength to strength,” now that you have already rested up from Shovuos, it is time to begin making preparations for the 12th of Tammuz, especially as we are going to Bench Rosh Chodesh Tammuz this coming Shabbos. Moreover, this year marks the 40th anniversary of the liberation of my father-in-law of saintly memory, and 40 years is a notable period culminating in a special measure of wisdom and knowledge to understand a matter in its full depth, as Rashi comments on the Posuk in Dvorim, 29:6.


With blessing,



M. Schneerson

http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/letters/default_cdo/aid/1918292/jewish/Two-Adars-Doubly-Auspicious.htm

Two Adars, Doubly Auspicious






Correspondence by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe

By the Grace of G‑d

1st Day of Rosh Chodesh Adar 1, 5746 [February 10, 1986]

Brooklyn, N.Y.



Mr. Reuven Dovid Kimball

Springfield, Ma. 01103



Greeting and Blessing:



I duly received your letter of the 21st of Shevat, with enclosure. As requested, I will remember you in prayer for the fulfillment of your heart's desires for good in the matter about which you wrote.



You should have complete confidence in the assurance of Torah that no one gets hurt by doing a Mitzvah, especially doing it beyond the call of duty.



Moreover, we are getting into the auspicious month of Adar, which is doubly auspicious this year, being a Leap Year, with two months of Adar. It is particularly auspicious for Jews in connection with matters of Yiddishkeit. May it be so with you and yours, and may you have good news to report.


With blessing,

M. Schneerson



P.S. Enclosed is a copy of my message to the recent Convention of Neshei u'Bnos Chabad, and it is meant not only for the women, but also for the men.


A Shavuot Message (4)






Correspondence by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe

Excerpts from a letter





By the Grace of G-d

Rosh Chodesh Sivan, 5724 [1964]

Brooklyn, NY









...It is worthy of note that the festival of Shavuoth has no independent date of its own, like any other festival, since no month or day is specified in the Torah as the time of its celebration, but only that it is the "Fiftieth Day" of the counting of the Omer; the counting which we begin on the second day of Pesach, on the day after the liberation from Egyptian bondage.



In this way the Torah emphasizes that the festival of Shavuoth is the goal of the festival of Pesach; that the Season of the Giving of Our Torah is the culmination of the Season of Our Freedom -- that the true and complete freedom, both for the individual as well as for the community, and both materially and spiritually, can be attained only through the acceptance of the Torah.



We live in a time and in a country where, notwithstanding external "freedom", the society in general, and the young generation in particular, are still largely "enslaved," and at a loss how to free themselves from the shackles of spiritual and mental confusion. The only hope that Jewish children should not be swept with this stream lies in a Torah education, where the golden chain of the Torah from Sinai is maintained; the Torah in all its sanctity, the Torah of Truth which must always remain intact, and cannot be subject to compromise or concession&

http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/letters/default_cdo/aid/1889582/jewish/King-in-the-Field.htm

King in the Field






Correspondence by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe

By the Grace of G-d

Rosh Chodesh Elul, 5732

Brooklyn, N.Y.

[August 11, 1972]



Greeting and Blessing:



I am in receipt of your letter of the 27th of Av and the preceding correspondence.



May G-d grant that you should have good news to report in all the matters about which you write.



Now that we have entered the auspicious month of Elul, you surely know the explanation of the Alter Rebbe about the auspiciousness of this month, by means of the parable of the King in the Field. Before entering the city, the king’s loyal subjects go out to welcome the king in the field, when everyone has an opportunity to greet the king, and the king, on his part, welcomes everyone graciously and with a smiling face, and grants their petitions (Likutei Torah, Re'eh 32). Similarly, the month of Elul is the time when the King of Kings is in the field, as it were, and offers an extraordinary opportunity to everyone to get closer to Him, and thus ensure that the New Year will be a better and happier one materially and spiritually.



Wishing you and all yours a Kesivo v'Chasimo Tovo,



With blessing,



M. Schneerson

Torah view of war and peace

War and Peace


Seitzei

Print this Page



By Eli Touger

Adapted from

Sefer HaSichos 5749, Vol. II, p. 676ff;

Sefer HaSichos 5750, Vol. II, p. 655ff;

Sefer HaSichos 5751, Vol. II p. 796ff



Will a Dove Grow Claws?



Every day, we conclude the Shemoneh Esreh prayers by praising G-d "who blesses His people Israel with peace."1 And when describing the blessings G-d will bestow upon us if we follow His will, our Sages state, "peace is equivalent to all other blessings."2 Indeed, our Sages explain3 that Shalom, Hebrew for "peace," is one of the names of G-d Himself.



Why does peace play such a fundamental part in our Jewish heritage? Every man's soul is "an actual part of G-d from above."4 Therefore he possesses a natural desire to allow that G-dly spark an opportunity to express itself. He seeks to grow in understanding in a harmonious environment without being confronted by external challenges.



Unfortunately, this is not always possible. We live in a material world which by nature encourages selfishness and the quest for personal gratification. In such a world, the search for spiritual growth may often lead to conflicts of interest, and at times, actual conflict.

Waging War




These concepts are alluded to in the name of this week's Torah reading, Parshas Ki Seitzei which begins:5 "When you go out to battle against your enemies." In the soul's natural environment the spiritual worlds above there is no conflict. When, however, the soul "goes out" from that setting and descends to our material world, it is confronted by challenges that may require it to engage in battle.



For there are two aspects to material existence. Our world was created because G-d "desired a dwelling in the lower worlds,"6 i.e., the physical universe can serve as a dwelling for G-d, a place where His essence is revealed. But as the term "lower worlds" implies, G-d's existence is not readily apparent in our environment. On the contrary, the material nature of the world appears to preclude holiness. An attempt to resolve these two contradictory thrusts is thus often characterized by conflict.



This is the Torah's conception of war, a struggle to transform even the lowest elements of existence into a dwelling for G-d. For this reason, the Torah commanded the Jews to fight to conquer the Land of Canaan, and thereby turn a land which was notorious for its depravity7 into Eretz Yisrael, a land of which it is said "the eyes of the L-rd, your G-d, are upon it from the beginning of the year until the end of the year."8



Furthermore, even when there is no explicit command for war, the potential is there to forcefully extend the boundaries of holiness and enable it to encompass areas which were previously governed by worldliness.9


Discovering Our Resources




A person need not fear undertaking such efforts; on the contrary, he is assured Divine blessing. This is alluded to by the Hebrew ?? ?????s , translated as "against your enemies," in the verse cited above. Literally the phrase means "above your enemies,"10 conveying the promise that even as the soul descends into our material world and confronts challenges, it always possesses the power to overcome them. Since the soul is "an actual part of G-d," it is always above worldly influence and has the power to overcome all obstacles11 and transform its environment.



Moreover, it is the challenge of "battle" that brings out the essential power which the soul possesses. For such confrontation compels a person to draw on his inner strength. This search for strength in turn brings an awareness of one's inner G-dly nature. And when that G-dly core is aroused, a person can overcome any challenges, and spread G-dliness in all settings. In this way, he becomes G-d's partner,12 making manifest G-d's purpose in creation

Inner Conflicts



The concept of battle is relevant within our own lives as well. Commenting on the verse, "And you shall. see the difference between one who serves G-d and one who does not serve Him,"13 our Sages define,14 "one who serves G-d" as "one who reviews his subject matter 101 times," and "one who does not serve Him' as "one who reviews his subject matter 100 times."



In Tanya,15 the Alter Rebbe explains that, in that era, it was customary for students to review their subject matter 100 times. Therefore, it was the one hundred and first time the time when the person went beyond his normal practice which distinguished him as "one who serves G-d." For only one who struggles to rise above his nature merits such a title.



A person must challenge himself; and this means more than a commitment to gradual progress. "Serving G-d," involves breaking our individual natures, and showing that there are no limits to our commitment to Him.



This endeavor involves a constant struggle. A person cannot reach a level of spiritual achievement and then "rest on his laurels." Instead, he must continually strive to advance further.



The inner "battles" necessary to bring this commitment to the fore tap the essential and unbounded Divine potential each of us possesses within our souls. And the effects of these efforts extend beyond our individual selves, effecting the world at large. For the aspect of G-dliness which transcends all limitation is activated by each person's endeavors to transcend his personal limits.16


The Ultimate Battles




Because the task of refining the world is often compared to a battle, one of the criteria given to identify Mashiach the leader who will motivate mankind to accomplish its purpose is that he will "wage the wars of G-d."17 For it is possible that the task of refining the world will require actual conflict,18 so that Mashiach must "fill the world with justice" by "destroying the power of the wicked and waging the wars of G-d."19



This, however, is merely a stage. Ultimately, Mashiach will "vanquish all the nations surrounding him. and perfect the entire world, [motivating all the nations] to serve G-d together," thus initiating the era when "there will be neither famine nor war, neither envy nor competition. [and] the occupation of the entire world will be solely to know G-d."20

FOOTNOTES


1. Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 60.

2. Rashi, commenting on Leviticus 26:6.

3. Shabbos 10b.

4. Tanya, ch. 2.

5. Deuteronomy 21:10.

6. Midrash Tanchuma, Parshas Bechukosai, sec. 3; see Tanya, chs. 33 and 36.

7. See Rashi, Leviticus 18:3.

8. Deuteronomy 11:12.

9. This reflects the two types of wars concerning which the Jews are commanded: milchemos mitzvah: wars, which like the war to conquer Eretz Yisrael , are a direct command from G-d, and milchemos hareshus, wars undertaken by the Jewish people on their own initiative. See Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Melachim 5:1.

10. See Likkutei Torah, Devarim 36a.

11. See also Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Melachim 7:15, which offers a promise of safety to those who enter battle "with the sole intention of sanctifying G-d's Name."

12. Shabbos 10a.

13. Malachi 3:18.

14. Chagigah 9b.

15. Ch. 15.

16. To express this concept in traditional Chassidic terminology (Torah Or, Mikeitz, 39c ff.): The commandment to "love G-d. with all your might" (??? ???? ) is interpreted as a charge to summon up unlimited commitment. And we are promised that an unlimited commitment on man's part (????) will arouse unlimited G-dliness (??? ?? ????).

17. Rambam, loc. cit. 11:4.

18. Although the Rambam mentions the above as one of the criteria through which Mashiach will be identified, this will only be necessary if the Redemption will follow the dictates of the natural order. It is possible that the Redemption will follow a miraculous order (see the notes of the Ra'avad and others; even the Rambam acknowledges such a possibility in Iggeres Taiman), in which case these wars may not be necessary.

19. Rambam, loc. cit. , 4:10 in describing the role of Israel's kings.

20. Loc. Cit. 12:5.The promise of this era and the awareness that it is the truth of existence should inspire confidence in these last moments of exile, when we are confronted by challenges and conflict. Indeed, it is possible to experience a foretaste of the peace to be achieved in the Era of the Redemption through the teachings of Chassidus.



An allusion to this sequence can be seen in the fact that Parshas Ki Seitzei (which highlights the concept of war) is followed by Parshas Ki Savo (which describes the Jews' entry into Eretz Yisrael and the blessings they will receive there). Indeed, Parshas Ki Savo is read in the Minchah prayers of Shabbos Parshas Ki Seitzei. The connection between them shows that the wars of Parshas Ki Seitzei are not separate from the peace promised in Parshas Ki Savo.

Psalm 30

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/6330/jewish/Chapter-30.htm


Psalm 30
Chapter 30




1. A psalm, a song of dedication of the House, by David. 2. I exalt You, Lord, for You have uplifted me, and did not allow my enemies to rejoice over me. 3. Lord, my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me. 4. Lord, You have brought up my soul from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not descend to the pit. 5. Sing to the Lord, you His pious ones, and praise His holy Name. 6. For His wrath endures but for a moment, when He is conciliated there is [long] life; when one retires at night weeping, joy will come in the morning. 7. In my security I thought, "I shall never falter.” 8. Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; when You concealed Your countenance I was alarmed. 9. I called to You, O Lord, and I made supplication to my Lord: 10. What profit is there in my death, in my going down to the grave? Can dust praise You? Can it proclaim Your truth 11. Lord, hear and be gracious to me; Lord, be a help to me. 12. You have turned my mourning into dancing; You have undone my sackcloth and girded me with joy. 13. Therefore my soul shall sing to You, and not be silent; Lord my God, I will praise You forever.

Planet X and the Anunnaki

Our DNA has been manipulated in the past by beings that passed themselves off as gods.. In Sumer, the alien race of gods were known as the Anunnaki. In Greece, the Annodoti. In the Celtic lore, the Tuatha de Danaan. In the Semetic scriptures (Torah, Talmud, Old Testament, and other Apocryphal texts like the Book of Enoch), they are called The Nephilim, The Sons of God, or The Watchers.




These Anunnaki are said to occupy another planet in our solar system (known to scientists as 'Planet X'). This planet is called Nibiru, and is situated somewhere beyond Pluto. This planet, unlike other planets in our solar system, moves clockwise, rather than counter clockwise. It was a collision of Nibiru with another planet in our solar system which created Earth. Nibiru's orbit passes thorough our solar system only once every 3,600 years.

Should we serve the Holy One for a Rewrard?

Chapter 1: Mishna 3: Part 1






Antignos Ish Socho received (the Torah transmission) from Shimon HaTzadik. He would say: Don't be like slaves (servants) who serve the master in order to receive reward. Rather be like slaves without any intention to receive reward. And the fear of Heaven should be upon you.



How can Antignos teach us that we should not serve G-d in order to receive reward, when the Torah is full of verses teaching us to do Mitzvoth "in order that it should be good for you and in order that your days will be extended...". We also learn (Bava Bathra 10b) that one who pledges "This money is for charity in order that my (sick) son should live" is considered a completely righteous person ("tzadik gamur"). So why are we taught here to serve G-d without intention to receive reward?



Furthermore, where do we EVER find a slave working without any intention to receive reward? The second half of the Mishna presents a non-existent example as the desired behaviour! It would have sufficed to simply teach that one should not serve in order to get reward.



Finally, why does it conclude with the language of "the fear of HEAVEN" rather than (the more obvious) "fear of G-d"?



(I would add another question, which our coming explanation will deal with: This conclusion , exhorting us to have the fear of Heaven upon us, could have been tacked on to almost ANY Mishnah! It is something that can and should be taught anywhere. What is it doing as the conclusion of THIS Mishnah specifically?)



The foundation of serving G-d is to serve from love ("ahavah"). One who serves for the purpose of acquiring his own reward is not performing service in its fundamental way. He is certainly considered a completely righteous person, since G-d's will is that good should accrue to the Jewish people. And one who does a Mitzvah in order to acquire the World to Come, or some other reward, is accomplishing something that G-d wants to happen, and as such is fulfilling His will. But he has not attained the superior level of serving G-d purely from love.

(The language of the Maharal is that while he is a "tzadik gamur" with no inadequacy, he also has no superiority of "chasiduth." As we have noted before, we once again we find the distinction between a "tzadik" from the word "tzedek," which implies full compliance with what is required, and "chasid" from the word "chesed," implying more than simply what is required.)




The Gemara (Avodah Zarah 19a) quotes the verse "He is desirous of His Mitzvoth" to which Rebbi Eliezer extracts the implication that it is the Mitzvoth themselves which he desires and not the REWARD of the Mitzvoth, as we are taught...(quoting our Mishna). We see that the ideal motivation is the performance of the Mitzvah itself, rather than to receive the reward. (This would be akin to a musician's pefomrnace being motivated by the music itself, rather than the applause he will receive from the audience.) And it is about such a person that David Hamelech teaches us "Ashrei ha'ish," he is a strong and validated person.



(The word "ashrei" is a very misunderstood word, probably emanating from an incorrect use of the word "meushar" in modern Hebrew. I will use the opportunity of its appearance in this section to clarify it usage. The root of the word is "l'asher" which means to validate or give strength. Interestingly, this is its correct usage in the modern Hebrew word "ishur" which mean an authorization, certification, or validation. So "meushar" actually means strengthened or validated, and "ashrei" means one who is strong, with a stable existence. See Rav Shamshon Rafael Hirsch's elaboration on this in his explanation of Tehillim.)

There is a further explanation for the verses in the Torah that seem to imply that we should do Mitzvoth "in order that it should be good...". The word used is "L'MA'AN yitav lach...". But the word "l'ma'an" doesn't always mean "in order." Sometimes it simply implies a consequential relationship. An example of this usage can be found in the Ramban's explanation on the Torah (Devarim 29:18). So the Torah is not telling us to serve G-d IN ORDER that we should receive reward, but is rather informing us that reward is a natural consequence of our serving Him. The foundation of our service is "ahavah," which means the motivation to give and serve. Independent of this we are being informed about reality - that reward will follow

The meaning of avodah

אך לשון עבודה אינו נופל אלא על דבר שהאדם עושה ביגיעה עצומה, נגד טבע נפשו




The term “service” (avodah), however, applies only to what a man does with immense exertion, contrary to his soul’s inclination,



Indeed, it is his very disinclination for a particular task that works against him, and necessitates such exertion.



רק שמבטל טבעו ורצונו, מפני רצון העליון ברוך הוא



but he overrules his nature and will out of deference to the Supreme Will;



כגון לייגע עצמו בתורה ובתפלה, עד מיצוי הנפש כו׳



exhausting himself, for example, in Torah and prayer, “to the extent of pressing out the soul....”9



Since the soul is not naturally inclined to such a situation, a great deal of toil and effort is required.



ואף כאן, במצות הצדקה, ליתן הרבה יותר מטבע רחמנותו ורצונו



In our case, too, with regard to the commandment of giving charity, [to “serve” entails] giving far more than [would be prompted by] the nature of one’s compassion and will.



וכמו שאמרו רז״ל על פסוק: נתון תתן, אפילו מאה פעמים



As our Sages, of blessed memory, commented10 on the verse,11 “Give, you shall give”: “...even a hundred times.”



9. Note of the Rebbe: “Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 1.”

10. Note of the Rebbe: “Sifri, Devarim 15:10; commentary of Rashi there.”

11. Devarim, loc. cit.

Iggeret HaKodesh

Today's Tanya Lesson


Iggeret HaKodesh, middle of Epistle 12

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והנה מודעת זאת שישראל בטבעם הם רחמנים וגומלי חסדים



Now, it is well known that Jews by their very nature act compassionately and perform deeds of lovingkindness.1



מפני היות נפשותיהם נמשכות ממדותיו יתברך



[This is so] because their souls issue from G‑d’s attrib-utes,



אשר החסד גובר בהן על מדת הדין והגבורה והצמצום



in which Chesed prevails over the attribute of din, Gevurah, and tzimtzum,



וכמו שכתוב: גבר חסדו על יראיו



as it is written,2 “His Chesed prevails over those who fear Him,” alluding to the fact that the Divine attribute of Chesed prevails over the Divine attribute of Gevurah.



שלכן נקראת הנשמה בת כהן, כמו שכתוב בזהר הקדוש



The soul is therefore called “daughter of the priest,” since it derives from the attribute of Chesed which is called “Kohen”, as is written in the sacred Zohar.3



Since the soul derives from the Divine attributes which are dominated by kindness and compassion, Jews by their very nature are kind and compassionate.



והנה הצדקה הנמשכת מבחינה זו נקראת בשם מעשה הצדקה



Now, the charity that issues from this source — from the soul’s inherently kind and compassionate nature — is referred to as “the act of charity,”



כי שם מעשה נופל על דבר שכבר נעשה, או שנעשה תמיד ממילא



for the term “act” (maaseh) applies to that which is already done, or which is constantly being done spontaneously;



והיא דבר ההווה ורגיל תמיד



thus, something existent, common and constant.



ואף כאן



Here, too, with regard to tzedakah that is motivated by the soul’s innate sense of kindness and compassion,



הרי מדת החסד והרחמנות הוטבעה בנפשות כל בית ישראל מכבר



the trait of kindness and compassion is implanted in the souls of the entire House of Israel from aforetime,



מעת בריאותן והשתלשלותן ממדותיו יתברך



from the time that they were created and that they evolved from G‑d’s attributes,



כמו שכתוב: ויפח באפיו גו׳



as it is written4 in regard to Adam’s soul entering his body, “And He blew into his nostrils [a soul of life],”



ואתה נפחת בי



[and we likewise say]5 concerning the entry of each and every soul into its individual body, “You blew it into me,”



ומאן דנפח כו׳



and6 “He who blows, [blows from within him],” from his innermost being.



So, too, in the analogue: Since the soul emanates from the inward aspect of the Divine attributes, it is infused with them as well, so that the attribute of kindness dominates the soul even as it finds itself within the body.



וגם בכל יום ויום, בטובו מחדש מעשה בראשית



Furthermore,7 in His goodness [G‑d] renews the act (maaseh) of creation every single day, and this includes the supernal attributes.



וחדשים לבקרים גו׳



Likewise, with regard to souls below, [it is written],8 “They are new every morning....”



“Act” (maaseh) thus refers to a constant process, such as the renewal of the soul with its characteristic traits of kindness and compassion. The “act of tzedakah” hence refers to the tzedakah which a Jew practices by virtue of these innate character traits.

FOOTNOTES


1. Yevamot 79a; see Tanya, Part I, end of ch. 1.

2. Tehillim 103:11.

3. Note of the Rebbe: “II, 95a.”

4. Bereishit 2:7.

5. Morning Blessings (Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 6); cf. Berachot 60b.

6. Cited above (Part I, ch. 2) in the name of the Zohar.

7. The clause that follows paraphrases a statement in the morning prayers (Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 44).

8. Eichah 3:23.

our children learn from our deeds much more than our words

Many parents do everything right and their children are monsters, and many do everything wrong and their children are angels. As we all know, G-d most certainly has a sense of humor -- and let's just say He always gets the last laugh. But there is much truth to the fact that our children learn from our deeds much more than our words. We are their most intimate role models. Whether or not we or they realize it, their emerging behavioral patterns will be fashioned after our own (and most of us will note that we've grown into the parenting roles we saw our parents act out -- as much as we didn't want to). Their default attitudes and positions will be our own -- unless they consciously overcome them.




And this is the weapon we wield when we impact on our children, our students, or anyone who we in contact with. R. Yehoshua's mother was not praised for lecturing to her son or dragging him out of bed on time. It was for permeating his environment with a love of Torah and good deeds, even at a time when he was far too young to consciously understand this. Thus, for her own love and devotion, "fortunate is she who bore him."

Chapter 2, Mishnas 10-11(a)



Mishna 10



"Rabban Yochanan ben (son of) Zakkai had five [primary] students. They were: Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurkenos, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya, Rabbi Yossi the Priest, Rabbi Shimon ben Nesanel, and Rabbi Elazar ben Arach."



Mishna 11



"He used to enumerate their praises: R. Eliezer ben Hurkenos is a cemented pit which never loses a drop; R. Yehoshua ben Chananya -- fortunate is she who bore him; R. Yossi the Priest is pious; R. Shimon ben Nesanel fears sin; and R. Elazar ben Arach is as an increasing river."



Mishnas 10-19 deal with the five primary disciples of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai and their teachings. (We were introduced to R. Yochanan in the previous mishna.) In Mishna 11 R. Yochanan lists the respective qualities of each student.



It's interesting to note from the start that not all of the talents listed are scholastic. R. Yochanan realized firstly that his students were not simply his academic disciples. He saw his mission as not only teaching Torah knowledge to his students, but in grooming Israel's next generation of leaders. His students were his spiritual heirs far more than simply his intellectual ones. And so, R. Yochanan viewed them in their totality. And he saw the potential for greatness in each one of them.



Often, a young man or woman has the potential to contribute mightily to his community, to Israel and to mankind, but not necessarily in a strictly scholastic sense. R. Yochanan recognized this and nurtured each student according to the particular quality he saw in him. He, as all true leaders, was broadminded enough to recognize greatness in all its guises -- not only in those people most similar to him (as most of us measure greatness) -- and to nurture it in whichever form it could be found.



A second equally-significant introductory observation is the simple fact that R. Yochanan enumerated his students' praises. R. Yochanan did not merely observe his disciples' qualities. He articulated them -- and we can be quite certain he let his students know just what he felt about them. Tell your student or child what you see in him or her. Let him know what you expect of him and what you know he is capable of. We as parents and teachers often see far more in our developing youngsters than they are capable of being aware of themselves. And often, just a few words of encouragement or of faith that he will meet the goals you have set for him will open a youngster's eyes to his own unrealized potential -- and he'll go off running with it.



We now begin looking at some of the particular qualities of R. Yochanan's students.



"R. Yehoshua ben Chananya -- fortunate is she who bore him": This is perhaps the most cryptic of the qualities of our mishna. R. Yochanan does not really state what was great about R. Yehoshua -- just that he grew up to make his good Jewish mother proud. The inference here is thus that his mother played a great role in his development. His greatness -- whatever precisely it was (but all Jewish children are great in the eyes of their mothers) was a reflection of the mother who raised him so.



In the same vein, the commentators quote from the Jerusalem Talmud the intense yearning his mother had that her son grow up to be a Torah scholar. The Talmud writes that when his mother was pregnant, she would go around from one study hall to the next asking the sages to pray that her child grow up to be a scholar. Another tradition is that she placed his crib near a study hall so that her son would hear nothing but words of Torah his entire life. Whether or not this second act made any difference practically is besides the point. The single-minded devotion of R. Yehoshua's mother clearly had an effect on her son's development. R. Yehoshua -- as well as G-d -- saw the intensity of her longing that he succeed in his studies -- and it could not go unnoticed. R. Yochanan likewise recognized that R. Yehoshua's greatness did not develop in a vacuum. It was a reflection of the values so lovingly and patiently instilled in him by his parents. The apple did not fall far from the tree.



This brings to my mind an amusing paradox regarding child rearing. There is a known and very simple axiom regarding children: They will rebel. A child wants independence -- to stake out a path of his or her own choosing rather than the one set by the previous generation. Attempt to force a career or lifestyle upon your child and he will seek his pleasures elsewhere. Tell him you want him to decide for himself and he'll resent your lack of direction. (In some things in life you just can't win; parenting is one of them.) ;-) Whatever you try will somehow backfire. Children have to be different, to learn things on their own in the hardest way possible. (I'm certainly not condoning or recommending this. But we as parents must accept that our children will just want to find things out for themselves.) That is simply the nature of human beings, and that for better or worse is the way each of us matured into adults one time or the other.



Many years ago I had the unfortunate opportunity of paying a shiva call (a visit to a person in mourning) to a former Torah teacher of mine who had lost his wife tragically as a result of a car accident. During the course of the visit, he quoted a very wise remark she once made regarding the raising of children. At the wedding of one of their older children she recommended that they not arrange to have the men and women seated separately (a practice which although not a religious requirement (outside of the synagogue) has become quite prevalent in Orthodox circles today). She explained, children will always rebel. Better that we lower our standards here and there so that they rebel by becoming more Orthodox than we rather than less.



If so, we are left with a dilemma: How do we raise our children? Do we take the approach of Mama Yehoshua -- making every effort to see to it our children realize the goals we have in mind for them? Or do we back off and give them their own space -- if anything telling them to be what we don't really want in the hope that they'll actually turn out the way we do?



The answer is actually fairly simple -- not of course that there is really any magical solution. Our children will certainly not accept all that we tell them. Some kids are more rebellious than others, but no child will accept everything you tell him or fill the precise mold you feel is best for him. Children will want their independence, and one way or the other they'll get it.



However, our children will definitely pick up one thing we impart to them (whether consciously or not) -- our own behavioral patterns. From our deeds -- far more than our advice and lectures -- they will subconsciously learn the definition of acceptable behavior. Their default behavioral patterns and their basic value system will be fashioned after what they observed in the home. From our own decorum and the tone we set in the home they will learn how to talk to a spouse, be selfless or selfish in a relationship, behave in front of children, discipline, and talk behind others' backs. If our own behavior in the privacy of our homes has taught them bickering, immaturity and intolerance they will, for better or worse (usually worse), have learned something from us. And when they strike out on their own, they will relate to us and their own families accordingly.



If, however, we create an environment of mutual respect and love for one another, it will make an equally-strong impression on them. When our children come of age and redefine and realign themselves, they may just continue to exhibit the honesty and respect for us they learned in the home.



Let me not pretend there really is such a simple solution to all of this. (I'd rather not get x-thousand irate e-mails after writing this). Many parents do everything right and their children are monsters, and many do everything wrong and their children are angels. As we all know, G-d most certainly has a sense of humor -- and let's just say He always gets the last laugh. But there is much truth to the fact that our children learn from our deeds much more than our words. We are their most intimate role models. Whether or not we or they realize it, their emerging behavioral patterns will be fashioned after our own (and most of us will note that we've grown into the parenting roles we saw our parents act out -- as much as we didn't want to). Their default attitudes and positions will be our own -- unless they consciously overcome them.



And this is the weapon we wield when we impact on our children, our students, or anyone who we in contact with. R. Yehoshua's mother was not praised for lecturing to her son or dragging him out of bed on time. It was for permeating his environment with a love of Torah and good deeds, even at a time when he was far too young to consciously understand this. Thus, for her own love and devotion, "fortunate is she who bore him."

Mars world that never was

Life on Mars?  underground water---does not give up its secrets easily  canals-did it move water to dry places?
heavily cratered-deepest canyon and biggest volcanoes in solar system

viking robot team in mars
11% of the mass of earth
no plate tectonics as on earth
craters? river beds where did the water go?Meridiani Planum tiny blueberry pellets
sulfate salt in rocks signs of water
lopsided planet

1997 Mars global surveyor
MRO orbiter  Mars wobbling
Phoenix landers robot
Tharsis-enormous volcanoes
Mariner 9 mission
Valles Marinaris

Cygnus mystery

Go on a voyage of discovery that leads from the oldest known temple in the world to a prehistoric cave map, to a common belief shared by key ancient cultures, all of which were aware of the star system Cygnus' unique place in the cosmos - and it's significance as the spirit path to heaven. Most surprising is the fact that the Ancient Advanced cultures of the past were aware of cosmic rays emanating from Cygnus, and for their being the spark which ignited evolution - the same spark which continues to alter our DNA right through to the present day.

narr Dr Greg Little  nephilim offspring of watchers    leaps of evolution linked to star' constellarion of cygnus

oldest known temple is 9500 bc temple of Gobekli Tepe  enigma

1. Sabians star worshippers  oriented to North  as gatewy to heavens
2. astronomical alignments
3. star deneb doorway to star world    magical pathway  place of the primal cause  symbolized by the cosmic bird
4. ancient sites blt to align to cygnus constellation
5. river to the afterlife
6. cosmic cycles  re  ursa major
7. mythology of the swan               archaeo astronomy
8.eagle carrier of souls to exit point of heavens
9.Britain's  ancient sites  align with cygnus and deneb brightest star of cygnus
10. Callanish stone circle 3000 BC
11. Native Am trditions
12, Cave art w europe s france  aligned ith star world as evidenced b ytheir art -- children of the swan
13. cosmic rays --cosmic particles filter  to deep caves
14, astral flight of the shamans
15. ancient hindu temples alignment with deneb   also note Chinese astronomy (16000 BC)
16. ancient Egyptian sites also mirror belief in alignment with cygnus

Aliens on Earth Dolphins and Whales

Aliens on Earth Dolphins and Whales


From UFOTV®, accept no imitations. For thousands of years dolphins and whales have been revered as sacred healers, heroes and emissaries from the sea. Many ancient and diverse cultures from around the world tell stories of the unique spiritual nature of dolphins and their healing effects on human health and spiritual well being. It has even been speculated that dolphins and whales possess powers of telepathy and extrasensory perception, and are equally as intelligent as humans.

Dolphin's Brain as complex as human's re beurostructure  Dave Warner MD--dolphins curious and easily bored -leave environment to check out humans   in the water, can check out and id deep tissue re undiagnosed tumors    almost altruistic concern for humans   esp disabled children    metaphysical spirits of the sea   sea mammals   strange mythical sounds      blue whales largest creatures on earth  and loudest

On whale tours humpbacks curious and approach vessels   many sea mammals have exper  comeback from extinction   humn interaction w dolphins  many healings just placebo effect or supernatural     supernatural?  successful w autistic and downs syndrome children    brain wave activity after contact monitored

dolphins in sound space continuum   emit high freq sound patterns  they are ultra sound engines - sound energy emissions healing  alters physiological properties in humans    Santa Rosa Island off Calif coast, San Miguel Island former isle sea lions proliferate    northern elephant seals

Roger Gorke                    gray whales southbound  growing  no longer endangered
baleen whales
Santa Barbara channel


Georgiana V Sanchez   "Luhui"

 

Ancient Aliens Stonehenge and Beyond

Ancient Aliens Stonehenge and Beyond
Salisbury Cathedral
Old Sarum Cathedral Site   Arthurian Legends    Holy Grail    Stonehenge
Next video Aliens on Earth Dolphins and Wales
From UFOTV®, accept no imitations. Discover powerful evidence that links Stonehenge, Avebury, Glastonbury and many other mystical locations throughout England to ancient advanced technology and an advanced ancient order that had a direct connection with Atlantis.Travel along a set of prehistoric "tracks" that run hundreds of miles through the English countryside - evidence of a highly developed science that was capable of engineering the construction of incredibly inspiring structures, using massive stones weighing thousands of pounds, that continue to radiate their sacred energies to this day. Based on the discoveries of Cambridge-trained scholar and author John Michell, this program reveals a startling new version of the roots of civilization. Join host Doug Kenyon, editor, Atlantis Rising Magazine, as he takes us on location in England to explore some of the great mysteries of mankind
Twelve Crop cirlcles
St Michael's Tor   Atlantis Rising.com   Camelot origin of civilization

Naaseh before V'Nishma PT ii

Blind Faith





Correspondence by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe

By the Grace of G‑d

26th of Tammuz, 5733 [July 26, 1973]

Brooklyn, N.Y.



Greeting and Blessing:



I was pleased to receive your letter of 18th of Tammuz, following our conversation when you visited here. May G‑d grant that just as your letter included good news, so you should be able to continue reporting good news in the same vein and in a growing measure.



You mention that you had some questions and doubts, etc. Of course, one must not feel any shame in asking clarification, and certainly should not keep any doubts within oneself, but seek answers. However, there is only one condition: Whatever the questions and doubts may be, this must not affect one's simple faith in G‑d and in His Torah and Mitzvos, even if the answers have temporarily eluded one. This condition goes back to the day when the Torah was received at Sinai on the principle of Naaseh before V'Nishma, the guiding principle for all posterity. But after Naaseh follows V'Nishma, for G‑d, the Essence of Goodness, desires us to follow the path of Truth on the basis of faith, but then to follow it up with knowledge and understanding, for then the totality of the person is involved in serving G‑d to the fullest capacity.



However, one must always bear in mind the limitations of the human intellect in general, and particularly in relation to the area of G‑dliness, which is essentially beyond human comprehension. By way of analogy, even within the realm of human intellectual achievement, a small child cannot possibly comprehend an advanced mathematical or scientific formula conceived of by a great professor, though the latter was a small child at one time, and the former could one day surpass even the mind of the professor. It is quite different in the relation between the human mind and the Divine Mind, where the difference is not in degree but in kind; between a created being and the Creator. Therefore, the Torah and Mitzvoth, G‑d's Wisdom and Will, can at best be comprehended only in a limited way. To the extent of a person's capacity, he is welcome to inquire and probe, but, as above, without losing sight of the basic condition.



What has been said above is especially pertinent in the present Three Weeks, commemorating the destruction of the Beth Hamikdosh and our Exile. For, as we say in prayer: "Because of our sins we have been exiled from our land," etc. Hence, every one of us must do our utmost to rectify and reverse the cause, by studying more Torah and doing more Mitzvos, and spreading them throughout the environment, and thus hasten the reversal of the effect and the fulfillment of the Divine prophecy that these days shall be converted into days of joy and gladness, with our true and complete Geulo through Moshiach Tzidkeinu.



Enclosed is a copy of a general message which I trust will interest both of you. For, as mentioned during our conversation, Mrs. ---- has also an important part to play in spreading the fountains of Torah and Mitzvos among her friends and in her circles. In addition to the essential thing, this is also the way to widen the channels to receive G‑d's blessings in all needs, materially and spiritually. May you both have Hatzlocho in this and enjoy it in good health and with gladness of heart.



With blessing,

THE RATIONALE FOR NAASEH AND VNISHMA THE SOUND PRAGMATIC FOR THIS RATIONALE

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The Childless Woman’s Role in Judaism





Correspondence by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe

By the Grace of G‑d

13th of Iyar, 5737 [May 1, 1977]

Brooklyn, N. Y.



Blessing and Greeting:



Your letter (post-dated April 18) reached me with some delay.



First, many thanks for your good wishes in connection with my birthday. I can best reciprocate in the words of our Sages, "One who blesses others is himself, or herself, blessed by G‑d, the Source of all blessings." Accordingly, may G‑d bestow His generous blessings on you in all needs.



Now with regard to your question about the woman's role from the viewpoint of our religion, or, as you refer to it, 'orthodox' Judaism,



I must first point out that the division of Judaism into 'orthodox, conservative, reform,' etc. is a purely artificial one, for all Jews have one and the same Torah, given by the One and Same G‑d, though there are more observant Jews and less observant Jews. To tag on a 'label' does not, of course, change the reality.



As for the attitude of Judaism to the woman, it has also been frequently pointed out that those who think that the Torah places the woman in an inferior role to that of the man labor under a misconception, for it has no basis in truth. Man and woman are like the head and the heart in the physical body: both are equally vital, though each has entirely different functions, and only the normal functioning of both together ensure a healthy body. The same is true of the role of the man and woman in Jewish life, and, indeed, in any healthy human society.



It follows that the heart need not feel inferior to the brain, although in certain aspects it depends on the brain, just as the brain need not feel inferior to the heart because in certain respects it depends on the latter. Similarly in Jewish life there are duties and functions which G‑d has allotted to the woman and those allotted to the man.



Where a person, for some reason, is unable to perform a certain Mitzva or some of his or her functions, there is a ruling in the Torah, Toras Emes1 (so called because all its teachings are true), "the Merciful One excuses a person who is incapable of performing his, or her, duty." Indeed, G‑d who knows what is in the heart of everyone, and knowing that were the person able, he or she would have performed it, considers the thought in place of the deed.



Incidentally, it is noteworthy that of the various Divine names, it is the name רחמנא ('Merciful One') that is used in the above ruling. This pointedly emphasizes that all G‑d's precepts derive from His attribute of mercy and loving-kindness, which, like all Divine attributes, is infinite. It follows that where a person is precluded from performing a Mitzva by circumstances beyond his or her control is completely excused and exonerated.


Needless to say, one need not apologize for asking questions. On the contrary, since Jews are described in the Torah as a 'wise and understanding people,' it is desirable that questions which come within the realm of human understanding should be also be understood and not left to faith alone, wherever this is possible. There is only one prerequisite, which goes back to the time when the Torah and Miztvos were given at Sinai, namely that the Torah must be accepted on the basis of Naaseh ('we will do') first, and then v'nishma ('we will understand') - meaning, that the performance of Mitzvos must not be made conditional on the understanding of their deeper significance, etc., nor must the vitality and enthusiasm of the performance be any the less.

THE RATIONALE FOR NAASEH AND  VNISHMA    THE SOUND PRAGMATIC FOR THIS RATIONALE

This basic principle and attitude is also a matter of common sense. If the Torah is accepted as Divine - otherwise there is no point at all in any questions and discussions, since if it is man-made one would be free to do as one pleases - that is, given by a Supreme Being, Whose Essence is beyond human grasp, it would be a contradiction in terms to demand to know the meaning and significance of each Divine Mitzva before performing it, for it would reduce the Supreme being to the level of the limited human intelligence, which, moreover, is subject to development, since human understanding increases from day to day with newly acquired knowledge and experience; yet he insists on understanding it today, on his present level.


One might even add that there is a sound pragmatic, or 'business' consideration involved, as, by way of a simple illustration, when one is offered an opportunity to invest a dollar with a view to earning a thousand dollars, though there may be a remote possibility of losing the $1. A normal individual would certainly not hesitate to make his decision. Similarly, when a Jew, on the basis of na'aseh before v'nishma, invests in a relatively small effort by restricting himself in matters of Kathrus2 and Shabbos3 observance, etc., and the Yetzer hara4 attempts to distract him by saying, even if you live 120 years maybe you will never fully grasp the significance of what you are doing -- the most the person will have lost would be having denied himself certain foods or some convenience on Shabbos. On the other hand, if a person will wait with the performance of Mitzvos until he will realize their significance, and in the meantime will act like any gentile, he will deprive himself of the eternal good which was his within easy reach, and when the time will come and he will discover the truth, he will realize that he has lived in transgression of the Divine Torah, with all the consequences there from,



Much more could be said on the subject matter, but I trust the above will suffice. May G‑d, whose benevolent Providence extends to each and everyone individually, lead you in the path of Truth.



With blessing,



M. Schneerson



P. S. Since you refer to women's lib, which has become so popular in recent years, it baffles me that the thrust of the movement is centered on the woman's becoming similar to man -- and this is what is termed 'independence' and 'feminist' pride, etc.!


FOOTNOTES


1. =The Torah of truth.



2. =The Kosher dietary laws.



3. =Shabbat.



4. =The evil inclination.

In Which Body Will a Reincarnated Soul Return?

OUR SAINTLY TEACHER'S EXPLANATION IS THE MOST SUCCINCT AND CLEAR EXPLANATION ANNOTATED THAT I HAVE YET SEEN


In Which Body Will a Reincarnated Soul Return?




By Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe

By the Grace of G‑d

2nd of Tammuz, 5716 [June 11, 1956]

Brooklyn, N.Y.



Blessing and Greeting:



I received your letter in which you ask the question "if a soul has come back to earth several times to complete its duty here, when Messiah comes in which form will the soul come back?"



I was pleased to note from your letter that you are taking an interest in your studies and follow the instructions of Torah as you are taught in the Yeshivah in New Haven.



As for your question, it was already asked a very long time ago by one of our great teachers of the Talmud, Rabbi Hizkiah, as mentioned in the holy book "Zohar" (Part 1, page 131a). The answer given there by another great teacher of the Mishnah, Rabbi Jose, is that the soul will come back to life in the body in which it has accomplished Torah and Mitzvoth during her lifetime on this earth, and that a body which did not practice Torah and Mitzvoth on earth will not come back to life. This answer must be considered in the light of a further explanation by the great Rabbi Isaac Luria, who lived about 400 years ago, and is known as Ari (the "Lion"). (About his life and work you may have read in the "Talks and Tales.") The saintly Ari explained that it is almost impossible for a Jew not to fulfill at least some Mitzvoth. Therefore, in accordance with the answer in Zohar, almost all bodies will come back to life. The question then is in which body will the soul return if it had been in more than one body. The answer, strange as it may seem at first glance, is that it will return in all bodies it had inhabited. To understand how this is possible, let us remember that the souls of mankind started from two people, Adam and Eve. Their souls included all the souls of the future generations, in a way a single seed includes in it future generations of trees, fruits, and seeds. In the same way the souls of parents are not just two souls, but they can split up into soul sparks, each of which is in turn a complete soul. Therefore, when a Jew performs a Mitzvah, the body takes part in it and it is no longer "dry wood" that rots away, but it will come back to life with a soul which is a Divine spark, and which was included in the original soul. Thus at the Time of Resurrection (after Messiah will come) all "parts" of a "general" soul will each have a separate body, just as parents will come back to life with all their children.



If you find the above a little difficult to understand, you can ask your teacher to explain to you more fully, or leave the question until you grow older. But you may be sure that no good deed, no Mitzvah, not even a single minute spent in the study of the Torah, is ever lost.



With blessing,

By [signed by the Rebbe's secretary]

A Haven in Time

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/56887/jewish/A-Haven-in-Time.htm


A Haven in Time






Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Courtesy of MeaningfulLife.com



On several occasions (in Exodus 21, Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 19) the Torah discusses the establishment of "Cities of Refuge" in the Holy Land. The purpose of these cities was to shelter the "inadvertent murderer"--someone who killed another person unintentionally. The city of refuge protected this person from the vengeance of his victim's relatives, and his exile there atoned for his sin.



Every law in Torah has a deeper, soul-related meaning. The chassidic masters explain that any transgression against the will of G‑d is a subtle form of "inadvertent murder": "murder" because one has violated the essence and raison d'être of one's own life, and "inadvertent" because man is inherently and intrinsically good, and all evil deeds result only from a lapse of awareness of one's own true will. In the words of our sages, "A person does not sin unless a spirit of insanity has entered into him."



There are cities of refuge in space, and there is a city of refuge in time. And while the spatial cities of refuge await the coming of Moshiach and the restoration of Torah law in the Holy Land to be reinstated, the haven in time which G‑d has established is there for us at all times, under all conditions.



This haven in time is the month of Elul -- the last month of the Jewish year and the month which leads to the "Days of Awe" that commence the new year. This is alluded to in one of the verses which discuss the law of the cities of refuge -- "And for one who did not lie in wait [to kill premeditatedly], but G-d has caused it to happen to him, I shall establish for you a place to which he can flee" (Exodus 21:13). Master Kabbalist Rabbi Isaac Luria points out that the first letters of the central words in this verse, enah le'yado vesamti l'cha, spell the word "Elul."



The twenty-nine days of Elul offer an isle in time, a sanctum for introspection and self-assessment, for atonement and rehabilitation. It is a place to which we might flee from our subjugation to the struggles and entanglements of material life to audit our spiritual accounts and restore the sovereignty of our true will over our lives. It is a month in which to resolve that, henceforth, no accidental iniquity will mar the quintessential goodness of our soul.

The three roads to unity and miracles

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/53717/jewish/Essential-Peace.htm
14. Essential Peace


There are three ways to bring unity between two opposites:



The first is by introducing a power that transcends both of them and to which they both utterly surrender their entire being.

They are then at peace with each other because they are both under the influence of the same force.



But their being is not at peace -- their being is simply ignored.



The second way is by finding a middle ground where the two beings meet. The two are at peace where they meet on that middle ground -- but the rest of their territory remains apart and distant.



The third way is to reveal that the essence of every aspect of the two beings is one and the same.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/146476/jewish/The-Most-Wondrous.htm

41. The Most Wondrous


There are open miracles that break the laws of nature as though they were meaningless --miracles any fool can perceive.



Then there are miracles that take some thought to realize, that, yes, something out of the ordinary occurred here.



And then there are miracles so great, so wondrous, that no one but G-d Himself is cognizant of them. They are the miracles that occur continuously, at every moment.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/146483/jewish/Miracles-Today.htm

43. Miracles Today


From a talk in 1991:



The fall of the communist dictatorships of the Eastern Bloc was a kind of miracle that has no historical precedent. Never before were so many people affected by such radical change with so little violence.



The miracles of the Gulf War were open miracles. The same scud missiles that took countless lives in Iran were impotent when they struck their target in Israel. The soldiers and officers of the Allied Forces saw inexplicable miracles in their victory.



Other miracles took some thought to realize that they were miracles, that the laws of nature were not the only thing at play here. But anyone who saw what occurred in the Gulf War saw openly that this was miraculous.



And yet people ask, “Where are the miracles today?”
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/146485/jewish/The-Inexplicable.htm
44. The Inexplicable


To a fool, that which cannot be explained cannot exist.



The wise man knows that existence itself cannot be explained.

BRINGING HEAVEN DOWN TIO EARTH MANY ARTICLES WRITTEN BY THE REBBE
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/145392/jewish/Bringing-Heaven-Down-to-Earth.htm

1.   http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/146880/jewish/Momentous-Missions.htm

47. Momentous Missions


Take-off of one of the Apollo missions was delayed due to a single, tiny loose component. From this the Rebbe learned:



The more momentous the mission, the more crucial the details. Including the most momentous mission of all, the purpose of Creation.



Every detail of G-d’s world and of our mission upon it is essential. Nothing is without meaning. Nothing is without vital purpose.

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/146908/jewish/Black-Holes.htm
56. Black Holes


To an astrophysicist:



In recent years, astronomers have discovered that not all stars shine. There are some stars of such tremendous density that instead of radiating outwards, they only draw light in. Therefore, they have named these stars, "Black Holes."



Fortunately, the universe has enough Black Holes already. If you have light, shine forth.


http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/146880/jewish/Momentous-Missions.htm
47. Momentous Missions


Take-off of one of the Apollo missions was delayed due to a single, tiny loose component. From this the Rebbe learned:



The more momentous the mission, the more crucial the details. Including the most momentous mission of all, the purpose of Creation.



Every detail of G-d’s world and of our mission upon it is essential. Nothing is without meaning. Nothing is without vital purpose
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/148389/jewish/Scientist-Mystic.htm

Scientist & Mystic


Imagine yourself in the scientific hot spot of the twentieth century. At the vortex of a revolution in science such as never had occurred before, and more radical than anything that has occurred since. A small group of scientists, most of them under thirty, are rewriting the laws of the cosmos. Time and space have already been demoted from their absolute primacy, and now cause and effect are on the block.



The universe, once a collection of globs of matter following neat, well-defined paths has become suddenly much more mysterious. It is beginning to look more like an idea than a thing, more like a process than a collection of objects.



You’re at the University of Berlin from 1919 until 1932, where Max Planck, Ernst Schrodinger, Albert Einstein and other giants of modern physics hold lecturing posts. Nihls Bohr and his flock of protégés visit regularly for heated debates. One of those visitors, a young scientist named Erwin Heisenberg, has only recently extended Einstein’s revolution past the point Einstein himself is willing to go. But the younger scientists are a dominant force after the attrition of the First World War, and their ideas swiftly gain the upper hand.



In the midst of this revolution, just as the storm has reached its climax, there enters a brilliant student in his mid-twenties, forced to flee Stalin’s Russia for his counter-revolutionary activities. He is a gifted mathematician with an astounding memory, well versed in philosophy and science. He also is fluent in the entire gamut of classic Jewish thought and he is a mystic. He studies in the department of science until 1932, after which he and many of his teachers are forced to flee Germany.



In many years from now, he will become the Rebbe of Lubavitch.



To better understand the Rebbe’s concept of science, a little history comes in useful. Basing myself on his letters on the topic, this is how I believe the Rebbe might tell it:



Beginning in the latter part of the nineteenth century, scientists began to be concerned about their rigor in separating physics from metaphysics. Physics is a study of those phenomena that can be observed, measured and verified. Metaphysics is anything beyond that realm. George Mach, in particular, taught that nothing that cannot be verified in the laboratory should enter into scientific theory.



In the bag along with all the other unverifiable concepts went two rather central ones: Absolute time and absolute space. Later, cause and effect were challenged, as well. This is how it happened:



Until Albert Einstein, scientists painted their theories upon the background of these canvasses. All activity of the cosmos was assumed to be occurring within this realm, and so science had to account for them, as well.



Einstein’s breakthrough was to realize that absolute time and space were, as well, outside the realm of science. We measure space in terms of how far one thing is from another, We measure time in terms of the movement of objects in space. Whenever we measure, however we measure, it can only be in relative terms. But the framework of that movement, the absolute background, that, he understood, is metaphysics.



Contrary to what most populists and even many naïve scientists write, neither Einstein nor any of his colleagues believed they had done away with absolute time and space. They simply realized that to be real scientists, they needed to bow their heads and submit to the reality that these are things that are out of their ballpark. As, Herbert Courant, a great mathematician of that era, wrote, it was the realization "that science is not about comprehending ‘the thing itself,’ of knowing the ‘ultimate truth,’ of unraveling the innermost essence of the world that was one of the most fruitful turns in modern thinking."



Eventually, the revolution Einstein spearheaded escaped beyond borders he was willing to cross. In 1928, Werner Heisenberg, at the encouragement of his teacher, Nihls Bohr, and with the mathematical help of Max Born, published a paper describing his "Principle of Uncertainty." In it, he presented a mathematical model of the atom in which there are no determined states. An electron can be said to have either a specific velocity or a specific position, but not both at once.



Obviously, there is no point in talking about the present determining the future if the present itself is innately indeterminate. Science was now relegated to concern itself with probabilities rather than certainties. The solid chain of predictable cause and effect that ran through all scientific thought would have to be loosened to make way for mathematical matrixes that allowed for almost anything to happen.



Of course, every scientist must have some frame of reference to an underlying entity, a "thing in itself" that is not an object of direct physical observation. So scientists develop cosmologies, concepts of what the universe really is, as a background to explain that which can be observed. But the old materialist cosmology, previously accepted as indisputable fact, was forever gone. The very concept of matter, of tiny petrified globs of indivisibly dense primordial stuff, just didn’t seem to fit into anyone’s observations. Slowly, scientists became aware that it never did. All along, it was no more than a secular catechism, an assertion of faith.



A prime scientist and philosopher of the time, James Jeans, remarked that the universe had begun to look "much more like a great thought than like a great machine." Later, physicist David Bohm settled for defining matter as, "that which unfolds, whatever the medium may be." Karl Popper summed it up saying that in the 20 century, "matter has transcended itself."



Ironically, it was that old materialist catechism that had been the principal ammunition against the teachings of the ancient sages. By abandoning faith, science had opened the doors to explore faith. Nobody could say any longer that Science had relieved G–d of His duties. In fact, with a universe looking like a thought, a decent position for Him had just opened up—the Master of the Mind that thinks that thought.



o, what really lies under the ocean of observable phenomena? What causes all this to be? What is time? What is space? While the scientist has a right to present his conceptions of that which is not observable, he has stepped out of the bounds of science in doing so. He may as well be a plumber discussing medicine. True, the plumber may need medicine, but that doesn’t make him an authority.



It turns out the only one way we can know "what is there" is if What Is There comes and tells us Itself. This is the Kaballa, a revelation into the human mind of the inner cosmos and beyond. That’s why Kaballa means ‘received’—it is a wisdom that cannot be attained through intellectual pursuit alone. It must be received from Above. It starts with the first intellectual being on earth, whose mind was tuned to the heavens. It was charged with greater depth at Sinai, and came into the realm of human comprehension through the Kaballists and Chassidic mystics of the past five hundred years.



To whom the Rebbe was heir. And a scientist to boot.

Rosh Chodesh Elul

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Today is: Sunday, Elul 1, 5772 · August 19, 2012


Rosh Chodesh Elul



Today's Laws & Customs

• Rosh Chodesh Observances



Today is the second of the two Rosh Chodesh ("Head of the Month") days for the month of Elul (when a month has 30 days, both the last day of the month and the first day of the following month serve as the following month's Rosh Chodesh).



Special portions are added to the daily prayers: Hallel (Psalms 113-118) is recited -- in its "partial" form -- following the Shacharit morning prayer, and the Yaaleh V'yavo prayer is added to the Amidah and to Grace After Meals; the additional Musaf prayer is said (when Rosh Chodesh is Shabbat, special additions are made to the Shabbat Musaf). Tachnun (confession of sins) and similar prayers are omitted.



Many have the custom to mark Rosh Chodesh with a festive meal and reduced work activity. The latter custom is prevalent amongst women, who have a special affinity with Rosh Chodesh -- the month being the feminine aspect of the Jewish Calendar.



Links: The 29th Day; The Lunar Files

Lunar Files






By Tzvi Freeman

Arguing with G-d is an old Jewish tradition. Abraham did it, Moses did it, most Jewish grandmothers do it frequently. But, according to our sages, the first to argue with G-d was the moon.



Before we get to that story, it's important to point out just how ludicrous arguing with G-d really is. Here you have the first belief system that ascribes absolute omnipotence to a single deity. Power over everything, both in heaven and in earth. He knows all, directs all, and everything that occurs comes from Him. Everything -- including Abraham, Moses and your grandmother. And they argued with him.



It doesn't stop there: They usually win.



We must say, therefore, that G-d wants to argue. It's part of The Plan. Furthermore, we must say that He likes losing arguments (most of the time).



I can empathize. After all, what fun is it to run a world so passive that its inhabitants agree with whatever you do? There would be no challenge, no thrill. It's that interactive experience that G-d desired in creating the cosmos. And a lot of that comes from losing arguments with your own creations.



In fact, the rabbis of the Talmud recount that when G-d lost an argument with them once, He laughed and said, "They beat me! My children beat me!" So, He really does get a kick out of the whole thing.



Arguing with the moon -- and losing -- was also part of the plan. G-d set her up to it.



The Babylonian Talmud (Chulin 60b) tells the story in cryptic form. Here, for the first time, reconstructed from genuine accounts of enlightened sages, is the entire dialog:







It was early on that first Wednesday morning that the sun and the moon woke up to find themselves initialized into existence, high up in the sky, both illuminating Planet Earth with equal intensity. Right off, the moon complained.



"So we've got two bosses in the same office! What kind of a dumb cosmos is this anyways?"



Now, G-d is a reasonable employer, open to constructive criticism. He considered the comments of His newborn critic and replied, "Good point."



"Yes?"



"Yes. Therefore, kindly make yourself smaller."



Creation being a voice-activated interface, the moon was instantly diminished in size. That's when the real argument began.



"What a crummy system!" the moon exclaimed. "You lay things out the way they are, and you get shrunk for it!"



Once again, G-d was impressed by the biting insight of His creation. It seemed that He really liked the moon and felt for her case. "Please allow me to make up for this," He begged her.



"Like how?" she demanded.



"How's this," G-d replied. "The sun only gets to shine for her set twelve hours. You, on the other hand, are permitted to shine both at night and sometimes for a little of the day."



"Big deal!" she snapped back. "With the luminance rating you've given me, I might as well be some puny candle in the big blue sky!"



"Talking about the sky," -- the dark sky began to glitter as G-d spoke -- "I've filled the night sky with pretty stars to keep you company!"



"I'll keep the jewelry," she answered, "but I'm still not satisfied. I don't like being small."



"Look at the brighter side," G-d pleaded with her. "What's so terrible about being small? The truly great people of history will be small! Jacob will be smaller than his brother, Esau. David will be smaller than his seven brothers. There will even be a great sage who they will call, 'Samuel the Small'!"



"Great!" she cried back. "And I'll be the small, insignificant moon. Nobody will probably even notice me! They'll just say, 'When's that dumb little moon going to go away and the sun will come back and give some real light?'"



"That's not true!" G-d exclaimed. "You will serve a very major function in their lives. You see, although most peoples will fix their calendars according to the position of the sun and the corresponding seasons, I will tell the Jewish people -- right away, as soon as I'm about to take them from Egypt -- to count their days according to the appearance of the new moon!"



"And what about seasons?"



"Seasons?"



"Yeah, seasons. Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer. Rainy Seasons. Dry Seasons. You're going to tell me they won't bother with seasons? That's impossible. I know what's in the works. You're planning to have them make all sorts of adjustments so that their holidays stay in the right seasons. They'll take a look at where the sun is and add a month once in a while, just to keep up with the seasons."



"So what's so terrible? They're still counting months, not days!"



"You see! It's not enough I've been condemned to second place! Even when I get my own domain, it's got to be tailored to suit Miss Big over there!"



She paused, sniffed a little, and then muttered, "Can't you just make me big again?"



"And what, then," G-d pleaded, "will be with my universe? I can't make everybody the same size. You said that yourself. There has to be protocol or else it just isn't a world!"



"Aha!" the moon exclaimed. "Just as I thought! You had this whole thing set up! You were just waiting for me to kvetch so you would have an excuse to diminish my size! It was a trap, and I fell neatly into it like a fool! And now you expect me to forgive you and go about my planned role as if it were all my fault!"



"No. It's my fault." G-d spoke pensively. "I wanted a world. And a world is a place where there is higher and lower, greater and smaller, parent and child. A hierarchy. Where things begin in one place and move on to somewhere else."



"And I have to be the somewhere else," kvetched the moon. "The bottom of the pyramid. I don't even get my own light. I just get to take whatever light I can receive from Her Royal Highness, Miss Luminance, and reflect some fraction of it down to a dark earth."



"In my mind, you're no less than her. You are both my creations, and both of utmost significance."



"But light begins with her!"



"Are you sure?"



"Of course."



"Then watch this."



It was an eerie feeling as the spin of the earth suddenly swung into reverse, along with the orbit of all the planets, the moon included. The strangest part, however, was the flow of radiant energy, as though it were sucked inwards, back from the moon to the sun. The moon was no longer receiving and reflecting light. It was emanating light, and -- strangest of all -- by the time the light arrived at the sun, it was a million times as powerful.



"What kind of a crazy cosmos have you made now?!" exclaimed the moon.



"Nothing more crazy than the first," G-d answered. "What's better one direction of time than another?"



"But what's the point?"



"The point is that, as far as I am concerned, the hierarchy that bothers you so much doesn't really exist. It's only an artifact of the time continuum of your world. You see light originating with the sun and emanating towards you. I can see all things moving in the opposite direction. Or in any direction. Or not at all. Or all at once. For I am beyond time. And so, for me, you and the sun are both the same. You both shine, and that's it."



"Very nice. I'm very glad for you. And if you're planning to make one of those backward worlds, I'll be the first to sign up. In the meantime, I'm condemned to live through this forward paradigm, where I get to be the afterward. And for you, my pain doesn't even exist."



"Of course it exists! Otherwise, why should I have built in all this compensation!" G-d paused. "Here, let me show you what the future has in store."



The cosmos quickly arranged themselves to the year 2448 after creation. The moon rose over Ancient Egypt, no more than a sliver in the sky.



"What do you see?" G-d asked her.



"Pyramids. Just what I was talking about."



"Yes, this is the land of pyramids. The ultimate in authority and hierarchy. All knowledge, all power, all wealth in a neat pyramid of higher to lower. No one dares question the absolute power of Pharaoh. No slave dares question his lot in life as a slave. No one -- until my man in Egypt. And now I shall speak with him."



"Moses!"



"Yes sir."



"You have done a fine job. As your ancestor, Abraham, smashed the idols of his father's house, you have flattened the pyramid of Egyptian authoritarianism. You have championed the plight of the oppressed and brought freedom and liberation into my world."



"Thanks, O Infinite One. What's next?"



"Now I want to introduce you to your mascot. She is the symbol of all that you and your people must accomplish. She is the moon and she is small, and she is humble and oppressed. You will begin now to redeem her, to uplift her status, by counting your calendar according to her cycles. And this shall be a constant reminder for you and your people of your mission in this world. For in this world you shall not be the most powerful, nor the most numerous. You shall be the smallest of the nations. At times you shall dwindle and almost disappear -- as she disappears from the sky at the end of each month. But only to return again, as an imperishable light, once again to champion the cause of the downtrodden and enslaved."



"Social activism is cool," Moses commented, "but what about spirituality?"



"That's where it all begins. Currently, the spiritual leadership promotes abandonment of the lowly, earthbound realm in order to achieve enlightenment. They're hiding out in caves, pastures and mountaintops, leaving the common world desolate. Your people need to reverse that trend. You will demonstrate that the most awesome spiritual highs are to be found in mundane matters of the everyday world. I've got a whole passel of mitzvahs ready for you guys, all involving fusion of the spiritual and the physical. It's all part of one big scheme: To flatten the pyramids of the world and reveal the value of those placed on the bottom."



Moses raised his fist in a power-salute. "Right on, O Faithful Redeemer!" he cried out.



But the moon wasn't yet impressed.



"That all sounds very inspiring and nice," she said. "But I don't get how you plan to make any of this really happen."



"Why, through mitzvahs and acts of kindness and beauty!"



"Show me."



"Very well."



A thousand scenes passed by. Scenes of valiant giving, heroic rescue, boundless compassion, of sharing and kindness. The oppressed were rescued from their plight. The downtrodden were returned their self-esteem. Those suffering pain and misfortune were comforted and healed.



"What do you see in all these scenes?" G-d asked.



"I see that there is always one who gives and one who gets. And I don't get it. If it's justice you want, then why do you allow injustice to begin with?"



"If it were not for some imbalance, what room would there be for acts of kindness?"



"Who needs the acts of kindness? It just reinforces your whole hierarchical scheme. Like I said, there are those who give and those who get. Now if that isnt a pyramid..."



"Look again."



It was a simple scene of a lone traveler knocking on the door of a suburban home. The door opened, the traveler was invited in and he explained his predicament. His brother needed some very expensive medical therapy and he was traveling abroad to collect contributions. The homeowner listened patiently and then wrote a modest check. Sympathetically, he wished the traveler good luck. The traveler in return blessed the homeowner and his family a traditional blessing.



"Same thing all over again," muttered the moon. "One gives, one gets."



"Look again."



As the traveler left the house back into the dark night, a deep joy filled the hearts of those inside. Warmth and blessing emanated from inside their home. Somehow, they had all been elevated, their home infused with a glow of the Infinite Light that preceded all worlds.



"Now who is giving and who is receiving?" asked G-d.



"But how did they receive so much?" the moon asked in amazement.



"Now look again."



It was a classroom, an active one. The children were at the prime of human intelligence -- about ten years of age. The teacher was struggling to get a point across, but the students kept badgering her with questions.



"Another hierarchy," commented the moon. "Just that this time the goods are intellectual."



"Keep looking."



The teacher was struggling to clarify a point. She drew a diagram on the board, but that didn't help. She showed the class pictures. But some were still confused. Finally, she closed her eyes to concentrate. Then she smiled. "Listen to this," she said.



For once, the students sat still and listened as the teacher told a parable, a wonderful metaphor for the subject she had been trying to explain. Their eyes widened and they sighed with relief, as the idea finally became clear to them. When the teacher was finished, a student exclaimed, "Teacher, why didn't you put it that way before?"



The teacher smiled again. "I guess I hadn't thought of it that way before," she answered.



"Now," prodded G-d, "who is giving and who is getting?"



"Does that always happen?" asked the moon.



"Always," affirmed G-d. "There are no one-way streets in my world. Nothing, but nothing, only receives without giving back at least as much. The poor give to the rich, students to their teachers, children to parents, the small to the great. And those who exploit others, in the end are only stealing from their own selves. It's just that you must look again, look deeper, to see the inner flow of life."



"But they are still small!" exclaimed the moon. "They are small and the others are great! If you have to give, wouldn't you rather be on the top giving downwards? Wouldn't you like to get some recognition? Hey, I'll bet that's the whole reason you created this whole universe to begin with -- 'cause you want some recognition for your greatness! After all, without a world, who's going to know how Absolutely One and Infinite you are? Well, I want recognition, too. I want to be seen, to be big and shiny up there and everyone below will look up and say, 'Isn't that a great job that big, shiny moon is doing!'"



"That's just what people will say! Once a month you will look so lovely in the dark velvet setting of the night as you reach your fullness."



"Once a month," she mocked. "Once a month you let me grow and be a little bit of a somebody. And then, just as I get to the point where I can feel that I'm accomplishing something, then I've got to start diminishing myself all over again. Until I'm a nothing. An absolute non-entity in the sky!"



"Just as the great personalities of history I mentioned to you before. They, too, become great by becoming nothing."



"Now you get great by being nothing. Now if that isn't a sneaky paradigm shift..."



"It's true!"



"Not with the big guys I see down there. Look at Pharaoh. Struts around his luxurious palace with his nose in the air. Boats down the Nile in his yacht like he created it. Same thing with all those Caesars, Emperors, Czars, Global Corporation CEO's..."



"They are all nothing, and their end is nothing. I'm talking about the truly great. The ones who carry the entire world on the shoulders of their righteous deeds. Look at Moses! I choose him out of all humankind for the greatest job of history, and what does he say? 'I'm not good enough.' Same with King Saul -- they had to drag him out from his hiding place behind the luggage when he was chosen as the first king of Israel. And King David? At the height of his glory, he sits in his palace late at night and sings songs to me about what a worthless worm he is! And then there's Harriet Goldberg..."



"Who's Harriet Goldberg?"



"The whole world will endure on the merits of Harriet Goldberg."



"How come I haven't heard of her?"



"Nobody will. She's a waitress in a greasy-spoon cafeteria where she excels at keeping her good deeds quiet. Like you and all the other true greats -- as soon as she begins to shine, she reminds herself of her nothingness, diminishing herself to a complete state of spiritual void. And that is the secret of the power of her deeds."



"I bet she leads a miserable life."



"She doesn't think so."



"I bet there's a lot of suffering down in that world of yours."



"Well..."



"Well, nothing. There's suffering, there's pain, there's just a lot of darkness. And you're going to tell me that's all part of the plan. Because from the suffering will come good and from the darkness light. Well, I don't buy it. I don't get the whole idea of making a world so full of darkness, people can't tell between good and bad. If it were up to me, the entire world would be filled with light and joy and happiness!"



"And what's so great about light?" G-d asked.



"Oh, come on. Now you've gone too far."



"Really. Why is light any greater than darkness?"



"Because, when there's light, you know the truth!" yelled the moon in exasperation. "And you don't suffer this horrible pain of meaninglessness and confusion!"



"When there is light you have a ray of the truth. In the dark you can touch the essence."



Now the moon was entirely bewildered. G-d continued. "Let me illustrate what happens when you diminish to complete darkness as far as the inhabitants of the earth are concerned. Let's put you in full moon mode. Okay. Where are you in relation to the sun?"



"Well, there's the sun, then a few planets. Then earth. Then, a little further and there's little me. The sun shines onto me and some of that light bounces down to earth."



"Exactly. Now, let's see where you are when your light disappears from the earth. There. How do you relate to the sun now?"



"Well, the earth isn't between us anymore."



"So are you further or closer?"



"Closer."



"Yes!" G-d exclaimed. "And so it is with all those who travel through darkness in their life. They may feel dejected and hopeless -- but the reality is that they are closer to the truth at that time than at any other. It is only because of those dark moments that they are able to shine at others."



"But they are in the dark! And dark is bad!"



"Darkness is my creation just as is light."



"Well, I don't know what in heaven's name you made it for!"



"Do I have to tell you everything?"



"No. You could just concede the case and make me bigger again," the moon suggested.



"But then you would never know the beauty of darkness. At the time when the sun rises or sets in its glory, you would not be there to proclaim that no, that is not all there is to the greatness of the Creator of All Things. He is more than just light. More than a nuclear fusion generator in the heavens that brings all things into being. He knows no limitations whatsoever, not even that of unlimited creative ability."



"But that is who you are," the moon asserted. "The Creator. You made all this out of the absolute void. And you sustain it from collapsing back into that nothingness at every moment."



"And if darkness was only a tunnel to reach the light," G-d replied, "if it had no real purpose of its own in my world, then I would be known as just that. And nothing else would have meaning."



"So I made an utter darkness. I made a world where my Presence is hidden in such an absolute way that its creatures would feel entirely autonomous of me. And then they would have free choice, to take responsibility for their lives and for their destiny."



"But you are here!" the moon exclaimed. "In everything that happens and within all things! You are the true Being of All Things."



"But I am more than Being," G-d explained. "I am the Absence of Being, as well. And when you and the sun unite at that point just before the new moon, that is when Being and Absence of Being converge. And there is the Essence of G-d."



The moon pondered on this. "So they have free choice," she said. "And in that free choice is expressed your Essence -- your Being and Not-Being, as you say."



"Yes."



"And that is why there is darkness, and pain, and oppression and all the other bumps and blemishes of your world. It's supposed to be that way. So they can touch not just you in a revealed sense, but your essence."



"Yes."



"And your Essence is unlimited and infinite."



"Yes."



"Then why can't you do anything?"



"I can."



"SO THEN WHY CANT YOU MAKE THAT THEY COULD REACH YOUR ESSENCE WITHOUT THE BLASTED SUFFERING?!!!"



"That I will not say."



"Then you lose."



Silence.



Then G-d looked down again to Moses. "Moses!" He called.



"Yes, sir!"



"I have another mitzvah for you. It has to do with the new moon. When it comes to that time, at the beginning of each month, I want you to bring a sin offering for me."



"A sin offering for who?" Moses asked.



"For me. Because I have diminished the light of the moon. And because there is suffering and oppression in my world. And darkness."



"But G-d," Moses asked. "Why don't you just do away with the suffering?"



"That's your job, Moses."



"So why did you put it here in the first place? Who forced your Almighty Hand?"



"You, too?"



G-d paused. Moses waited. Finally, G-d said, "Moses, you know I have revealed to you every secret of the cosmos. I have opened for you every chamber of the innermost wisdom, all the gates of esoteric understanding. I have not held back a thing, but given you my entire Torah, my most essential wisdom, to share and to teach to your people."



Moses stood perfectly still, in waiting.



"But there is one thing that, as long as you live in this world, I cannot reveal to you, one thing for which I must only say, 'Silence! So I have decided that it should be!'"



"But tell me why, Eternal G-d!" Moses pleaded.



"Moses," G-d asked, "if you knew the answer, if you understood why there had to be suffering from an all-powerful, beneficent G-d. What would you do then?"



"I suppose I wouldn't feel so bad about it then."



"Precisely. And that is just what I don't want. I don't want you to be complacent. I don't want you to tolerate darkness. You must fight it with every sinew of your flesh, with all the capacity of your soul. Until you redeem every spark of light from its captivity, until you can bring sweetness to the most bitter places, until you have not left a corner of my world untouched with acts of kindness and compassion... until then you must hate the darkness as a blood-sworn enemy."



"So until that time, when I will wipe the tears of sorrow from every face, when all darkness -- even the darkness of the past -- will become light as the light of the first day of Creation, when, as Isaiah will say, the light of the moon will be as great as the light of the sun..."



"Until then, atone for Me."