Yehuda Lave, Spiritual Advisor and Counselor | | | | Yehuda Lave is an author, journalist, psychologist, rabbi, spiritual teacher and coach, with degrees in business, psychology and Jewish Law. He works with people from all walks of life and helps them in their search for greater happiness, meaning, business advice on saving money, and spiritual engagement | | Life helps you Empathize
Empathy is when you actually feel the pain or pleasure of another person.
View your own distressful and painful experiences as a means of being able to empathize with others when they experience something similar.
Love Yehuda Lave | | FREE museums over Pesach in Israel From Fun in Jerusalem. For the 15th year in a row, there will be museums across the country that will be open for FREE in honor of Pesach (Passover) thanks to Bank Hapoalim. The project known as "The Mosaic of Israel" is being held for the 15th year in a row and has become a tradition that hundreds of thousands of families in Israel enjoy. The idea is that the project nurtures the connection of the people of Israel to its historic heritage, landscapes and culture. CLICK on here to read through the full listing. | | Why Does Judaism Forbid Tattoos? By Baruch S. Davidson The source the prohibition to get a tattoo is Leviticus 19:28: "You shall not etch a tattoo on yourselves." This prohibition applies to all tattoos besides those made for medical purposes, such as to guide a surgeon making an incision. Although some of the commentaries1 seem to believe that this is one of the Torah's chukim, the commandments whose rationales transcend the ken of human intellect, other commentators do offer several explanations for this prohibition: - The human body is G‑d's creation, and it is therefore unbefitting to mutilate G‑d's handiwork. It is especially unbefitting for members of G‑d's chosen nation to mutilate their bodies. One must believe that G‑d, the greatest artisan of all, formed him or her in the most fitting way, and one must not change this form. Changing one's body (unless it is for health reasons) is tantamount to insulting G‑d's handiwork.2
- In ancient times, it was customary for idol-worshippers to tattoo themselves as a sign of commitment to their deity—much like an animal that is branded by its owner. On many occasions the Torah forbids practices that emulate pagan customs, considering that following their traditions is the first step towards subscribing to their idolatrous beliefs and services.3
- The covenant of circumcision is unique in its being a sign in our bodies of our relationship with G‑d. Making other signs in one's body would weaken and cheapen this special sign.4
See also Can a Person with a Tattoo Be Buried in a Jewish Cemetery? and I Want a Star of David Tattoo. Also see Is Cosmetic Surgery Permissible According to Jewish Law?. Footnotes 1. See Rashi on the Talmud, Makkot 21a. 2. See Siftei Cohen to Leviticus 19:28; Rashi to Deuteronomy 14:1; Responsa Tzitz Eliezer 11:41. 3. Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Idolatry 12:11. 4. Sforno to Leviticus 19:27. By Baruch S. Davidson Rabbi Baruch S. Davidson is a writer who lives with his family in Brooklyn, N.Y. More from Baruch S. Davidson | RSS © Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad.org's copyright policy. | | 10 Scientifically Impossible Places That Actually Exist While natural wonders like Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon are some of the most well-known around the world for their sheer size, the world we live in is filled with mystery . Believe it or not, there are the places that scientists have had to struggle just to understand how they ever could have been formed. Here are the ten scientifically impossible places that actually exist. Here are 10 Scientifically Impossible Places That Actually Exist | | A Liberal/Marxist Paradise Does Exist" A liberal's paradise would be a place where everybody has guaranteed employment, free comprehensive healthcare, free education, free food, free housing, free clothing, free utilities,and only law enforcement has guns.And believe it or not, such a place does indeed already exist: It's called Prison" Former Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio | | What kvar ba'derech- I'm on my way really means It took me some time to pick up the lingo in this country. Rega-means wait up crazy bus driver. You see me coming to you up the block with a heavy suitcase. I'm running. Just hold up and wait for me please. Slicha- means I'm trying to cut in front of you in line, because I only have three items and you have four and my time is much more valuable than yours is. Ee efshar- it's impossible, which in America and other civilized countries means, it's impossible, in Israel is really just the beginning of a negotiation. They say ee efshar and you respond that you need it. They say 'but you can't' and you say 'but I really really need it.' Ultimately there are a limited amount of really reallys that Israelis have to hear, in order to allow you to go somewhere, to get a certain document, to serve you something that you want ordered and paid for and you will get it. It's just part of the lingo.
Now one phrase it took me a bit of time to grasp was ani kvar ba'derech- I'm on my way. Again, in civilized countries when your repairman told you that, after he was supposed to be by you 20 minutes ago and you are still waiting for him, it means he feels bad and was probably caught in traffic or something and he should be by you in a few minutes. Not the case here. Kvar baderech in Israel means I am still in bed and I am truly considering get out of it right now, to brush my teeth and shower. If he's religious then he will daven, pick up a coffee, smoke a cigarette and will then be over before the day's end. It is frustrating at first if you don't understand this. You may have other things you planned to do for the day. Like go to work, pick up groceries, have a life. You certainly did not think having someone come repair your internet, or fix your washing machine or appliance should be a whole day affair. Well prepare yourself when you hear those three fatal words. Enjoy your day off. Today just became wait for the repairman day.
| | RABBI SCHWARTZ'S JEWISH SIDE OF-THE- ROAD JOKES OF THE WEEK A Stamford Hill policeman spots two youngsters riding a motorcycle. They are unmistakably hassidic: yarmulke, payoth, tsittsits, the works. He is unmistakably a bigot, so he follows them intending to catch them doing some kind of wrong. After a long ride during which they went onto the North Circular Road and then onto many side roads, he could find nothing wrong with their driving. Frustrated, he stops them anyway. "I have been following you two for a long time now, watching every move you made and hoping to catch you breaking the law, but you two seem to be perfect. How do you do it?" They replied "HaShem is with us." "That's it!" exclaimed the policeman, "Three people on a motorcycle!"
One afternoon, Moishe, was driving his Rolls Royce when he passed two poor looking men by the side of the road eating grass. He quickly stopped his car, backed up to the men, wound down his window and asked, "What on earth are you two doing?" "I'm starving, I have nowhere to live and I don't have any money to buy food," said one of them. "You can come with me to my house, then," said Moishe. "But I've got a wife and three kids just up the road." "So we'll bring them along, too," replied Moishe"And what about my friend?" Moishe turned to the other man and said, "You can come with us, too." "But, sir," said the friend, "I've got a wife and six children just up the road." "OK. So we'll bring them as well," said Moishe. "Now get in my car, both of you." Soon, everyone had been picked up. They had been travelling for only a few minutes when one of the men said to Moishe, "You're very kind. Thank you for taking all of us with you." Moishe replied, "I'm happy to be able to do it. And you'll love my place - the grass is almost a foot tall."
While on a road trip, an elderly couple stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch. After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant and resumed their trip. When leaving, the elderly woman unknowingly left her glasses on the table and she didn't miss them until they had been driving about twenty minutes. By then, to add to the aggravation, they had to travel quite a distance before they could find a place to turn around — in order return to the restaurant to retrieve her glasses. All the way back, the elderly husband became the classic grouchy old man. He fussed and complained and scolded his wife relentlessly during the entire return drive. The more he chided her — the more agitated he became. He just wouldn't let up one minute. To her relief, they finally arrived at the restaurant. As the woman got out of the car and hurried inside to retrieve her glasses, the old geezer yelled to her, "While you're in there, you might as well get my hat and the credit card.
Shmuel had a bad car accident involving a large truck. Weeks later, in court, the trucking company's fancy lawyer was questioning Shmuel."Didn't you say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine,'?" asked the lawyer.Shmuel responded, "Vell, I'll tell you vat happened. I just put my dog Moishele, into the...""I didn't ask for any details", the lawyer interrupted. "Just answer the question.Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine!'?" Shmuel said, "Vell, I just got Moishele into the car and vas driving down the road...."The lawyer interrupted again and said, "Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the Highway Patrolman on the scene that he was just fine. Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to simply answer the question."By this time, the Judge was fairly interested in Shmuel's answer and said to the lawyer, "I'd like to hear what he has to say about his dog Moishele".Shmuel thanked the Judge and proceeded. "Vell, like I vas saying, I just loaded Moishele, my lovely hundteleh (dog), into the car and vas driving him down the highway when this huge semi-truck and trailer ran the stop sign and smacked my truck right in the side. I vas thrown into one ditch and Moishele vas thrown into the other. I vas hurting, real bad and didn't want to move.However, I heard Moishele moaning and groaning. I knew he vas in terrible shape just by his groans. Den a Highway Patrolman came along. He could hear Moishele moaning and groaning so he vent over to him. After he looked at him, and saw vat terrible condition Moishele was in, he took out his gun and shoots him between the eyes.Den the Patrolman comes across the road, gun still in hand, looks at me and says, "How you feeling?" "Nu, Judge, vat vould you say?
Why did the rasha cross the road?To get to the sidra achar.
Why did the shochet cross the road? To get the chicken. Q: Why did the ox cross the road three times? A: Because he was a MOOad Q: Why did the cow cross the road? A: Do get to the udder side Q: Why was the hired worker made to repeatedly cross the road for no apparent reasonA: Because he was a shomer sucker Q: Why did the Bais Yaakov student cross the road?A: There were fewer cats on the other side Q: Why did the seminary girl cross the road?A: Because Fro-Yo moved to a new location Why did the Lubavitcher cross the road? To try and put tfillin on the chicken… There vonce voz a group of Christians who had a picnic for zer church, and zay brought with, a live chicken. The idea was that zey were going to break ze tchicken's neck and zen zey vould broil it on ze barbecue. A Jewish boy who happened to be standing nearby and happened to be a vegetarian started yelling Oy Vye! Oy Vye! The chicken got scared and ran away jumping up and perching itself on top of the cross that the church people had brought with them. And that explains and finally answers de famous qvestion: Vye did ze chicken rode ze cross. | | Passover Guide for the Perplexed, 2019 (Roots of the USA)
Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, "Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative"
Based on ancient Jewish Sages, April12, 2019, https://bit.ly/2Ignz6s
More on Passover and other Jewish holidays: http://bit.ly/137Er6J
1. The Early Pilgrims and Founding Fathers of the USA were inspired by Passover's message of optimism while facing severe challenges and threats. Moses and the US leaders catapulted their peoples from the lowest ebb of spiritual and physical servitude (to the Egyptian King Pharaoh and the British King George III) to the highest level of liberty/freedom (in the Land of Israel and the United States of America). The Passover/Exodus saga is retold annually in order to engrain the sublime value of morally-driven liberty, faith and optimism, while defying pessimism and despair, as a prerequisite to freedom and victory over lethal challenges and threats. The annual reciting of the Exodus – during the Passover holiday - enhances personal and national benefits, which are derived from experience – expressing gratitude for the blessing of liberty (which must not be taken for granted), while refraining from past errors. 2. The Exodus is mentioned 50 times in the Five Books of Moses, equal to the 50 years of the Jubilee - the Biblical foundation of liberty – which is featured on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (installed in 1751 – the 50th anniversary of William Penn's Charter of Privileges): "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof (Leviticus, 25:10)." Moses received the Torah - which includes 50 gates of wisdom - 50 days after the Exodus, as celebrated by the Shavou'ot/Pentecost holiday, 50 days after Passover. There are 50 States in the United States, whose Hebrew name is ארצות הברית= "The States of the Covenant". And, in the US there are 50 towns named Jerusalem (18) and Salem, the original Biblical name of Jerusalem (32). 3. The Exodus has been an integral part of the American story since the landing of the Early Pilgrims in the 17th century. They considered themselves "the people of the modern day Exodus," who departed from "the modern day Egypt" (Britain), rebelled against "the modern day Pharaoh," (King James I and King Charles I), crossed "the modern day Red Sea" (the Atlantic Ocean), and headed toward "the modern day Promised Land" (the USA). Hence, the abundance of US towns and sites bearing Biblical names, such as Jerusalem, Salem, Moriah, Bethel, Shiloh, Ephrata', Tekoa, Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Zion, Carmel, Sharon, Gilboa, Gilead, Rehoboth, Tabor, Pisgah, etc. 4. Thomas Paine's Common Sense – "the cement of the 1776 Revolution" - referred to King George III as "the hardened, sullen-tempered Pharaoh of England." John Adams and Thomas Jefferson – the 2nd and 3rd US presidents - and Benjamin Franklin, proposed the Parting of the Sea as the official US seal. The proposal was tabled, but the chosen seal features thirteen stars (colonies), in the shape of a Star of David, above the Eagle. Ezra Stiles, the President of Yale University – which features on its shield "Urim and Thummim," the power of the High Priest during the Exodus - stated on May 8, 1873: "Moses, the man of God, assembled three million people, the number of people in America in 1776." 5. Herman Melville (Moby Dick) in his 1849 novel, White Jacket: "We, Americans, are the peculiar chosen people – the Israel of our time." 6. In 1850, Harriet Tubman (who was known as "Mama Moses") established the "Underground Railroad," embraced Moses' "Let my people go," paving the road to an Exodus of black slaves. Paul Robeson and Louis Armstrong reverberated the liberty theme of Passover through the lyrics: "When Israel was in Egypt's land, let my people go! Oppressed so hard they could not stand, let my people go! Go down Moses, way down in Egypt's land; tell old Pharaoh to let my people go….!" On December 11, 1964, upon accepting the Nobel Prize, Martin Luther King, Jr., "the Moses of his age", said: "The Bible tells the thrilling story of how Moses stood in Pharaoh's court centuries ago and cried, 'Let my people go!'" 7. Theodore White wrote in The Making of the President 1960: "It is as if Kennedy, a younger Moses, had led an elderly Joshua [LBJ] to the height of Mount Nebo…and there shown him the Promised Land which he himself would never be entering, but which Joshua would make his own." 8. Today, the bust of Moses faces the Speaker of the US House of Representatives. Eight statues and engravings of Moses and the Tablets are featured in the US Supreme Court, one of them above the nine Supreme Court Justices. The floor of the US National Archives features the engraved Ten Commandments. Ten Commandments monuments were erected on the grounds of the Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas state capitols. 9. According to the late Prof. Yehudah Elitzur, one of Israel's pioneers of Biblical research, the Exodus took place in the second half of the 15th century BCE, during the reign of Egypt's Amenhotep II. Accordingly, the 40-year national coalescing of the Jewish people – while wandering in the desert - took place when Egypt was ruled by Thutmose IV. Joshua conquered Canaan when Egypt was ruled by Amenhotep III and Amenhotep IV, who were preoccupied with domestic affairs, refraining from expansionist operations. Moreover, letters discovered in Tel el Amarna, the capital city of ancient Egypt, documented that the 14th century BCE Pharaoh, Amenhotep IV, was informed by the rulers of Jerusalem, Samaria and other parts of Canaan, about a military offensive launched by the "Habirus" (Hebrews and other Semitic tribes), which corresponded to the timing of Joshua's offensive against the same rulers. Amenhotep IV was a determined reformer, who introduced monotheism, possibly influenced by the ground-breaking and game-changing Exodus. Further documentation of the Exodus is provided by Dr. Joshua Berman of Bar Ilan University. 10. The message of Passover/Exodus is dominated by the theme of liberty, which guided the Early Pilgrims and the Founding Fathers of the USA. Liberty was doubly appreciated in the aftermath of 210 years in slavery of the Jewish people in Egypt. The strategic goal of the Passover concept of liberty was not revenge, nor imperialistic, nor subordination of the Egyptian people, but the enshrining of communal/collective liberty throughout humanity. 11. According to Heinrich Heine, the 19th century German poet, "Since the Exodus, freedom has always spoken with a Hebrew accent." 12. The Hebrew word for "liberty" (Kheroot, חירות) is closely linked to the Hebrew word for "responsibility" (Akhrayoot,אחריות ), aiming to avoid anarchy and dictatorship. The Hebrew spelling of "responsibility" (אחריות) starts with the words "follow me" (אחרי), which behooves responsible individuals to assume leadership in advancing liberty. The Hebrew spelling of "responsibility" starts with the first letter of the alphabet (א), ending with the last letter (ת), attesting to the comprehensive/full – not partial - nature of responsibility. 13. Mosaic liberty (חירות) is also associated with the Hebrew word for "inscribed" (Kharoot, חרות) which refers to the eternal inscription of liberty (Exodus 32:16). 14. Passover highlights the central role of women: Yocheved, Moses' mother, hid Moses and then breastfed him at the palace of Pharaoh, posing as a nursemaid; Miriam, Moses' older sister, was her brother's keeper; Batyah, the daughter of Pharaoh saved and adopted Moses (Numbers 2:1-10); Shifrah and Pou'ah, two Jewish midwives, risked their lives, sparing the lives of Jewish male babies, in violation of Pharaoh's command (Numbers 1:15-19); Tziporah, Moses' wife, saved the life of Moses and set him back on the Jewish course (Numbers, 4:24-27). They followed in the footsteps of Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel, the Matriarchs who engineered, in many respects, the roadmap of the Patriarchs. 15. Passover is the first of the three Jewish pilgrimages to Jerusalem, followed by Shavou'ot (Pentecost), which commemorates the receipt of the Ten Commandments, and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), named after Sukkota - the first stop in the Exodus. 16. The Passover Seder is concluded by the declaration: "Next Year in the rebuilt, unified Jerusalem!" | | Shabbat Shalom and Happy Passover See you on Sunday, the first day of the Chul Hamoed period Love Yehuda Lave | | | |
