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. The musical Hallel this morning should be fun. See you there. The great joy of being in Jerusalem on Yom Yerushalayim Day | | | The heart of those that seek God shall rejoice. Seek God and His might, constantly seek His countenance (Psalms 105:3-4).
One might ask, "Why should I try to seek God? He is infinitely great, and so totally beyond human grasp that the search to understand Him is all in vain. Is it not senseless to exhaust oneself in an effort that is doomed to failure from its very outset?" Rabbi Simcha Zissel of Kelm states that the above verses are the Psalmist's reply to this question. Spiritual quests are qualitatively different from physical ones. In worldly matters, a quest is futile if one finds nothing, and the disappointment is frustrating. Not so in one's search for God, wherein the search itself brings joy, for the very inquiry elevates the searcher. Indeed, the Psalmist urges us never to cease the search, because the promise of joy in searching is contingent upon its continuity. One cannot stop midway, abandon the effort, and retire with one's winnings. Abandoning the search for God at any point brings a person back to square one. To achieve the joy in searching, it must be constantly seek His countenance. This thought was also expressed by the Rabbi of Kotzk, on the verse, And from there you shall seek your God, and you shall find Him, if you seek Him with all your heart and soul (Deuteronomy 4:29). The Kotzker interpreted the verse to mean that the seeking is the finding; "you shall find Him if you seek ..." - but only if it is a lifelong quest, with all one's heart and soul.
Today I shall ...
... try to find God everywhere in the universe. I will study Torah literature to help me in this search. Love Yehuda Lave | | YOM YERUSHALAYIM - JERUSALEM DAY SHOULD WE SAY "HALLEL" ON INDEPENDENCE DAY OR THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIX-DAY WAR? The Shulchan Aruch in chapter 697 (Mishneh Brura) and Tractate Pesachim (119) bring down the halacha that if a miracle occurs, even for a specific individual only, he must make a celebration every year on the date that the miracle occurred, saying "Hallel" and praising G-d. From here stems the practice of saying the "Hallel" prayer on the anniversary of the Six-Day War victory, when all the Arab nations ganged up as one against Israel with the intention to obliterate the Jewish State. During those times there was no doubt in any rationally thinking person's mind that it was only a matter of days before Israel went under. By any normal standards of logic, there was no way that the Arab nations wouldn't be rolling into Tel-Aviv in a very short period of time to carry out their plans of slaughtering all the Jews. But it did not happen. Within six days, we pushed back those very same armies (and if we only wanted to, we could have conquered their capitals), recapturing after 2,000 years the cities of Schem, Hebron, Jericho, and Gaza, as well as the Sinai (remember?), the Golan Heights, and most important of all - Jerusalem! During those days, only the blind could not sense G-d's Divine Presence and the Messiah knocking on the door, crying, pleading, and perhaps even threatening, "Return to me, and bring the Complete Redemption". After such an introduction, it would appear incomprehensible why so many Jews from various circles do not say "Hallel" on this day, and others are in great doubt regarding this matter. And our answer to these people is: Just one "Hallel" should be said?! A thousand Hallels need to be said!! Hallel on the saving of Tel Aviv, Hallel for Haifa, Hallel for the South and Hallel for the North; Hallel for the redeeming of Schem, Hallel for the conquering of Jericho, and another Hallel for the stupidity of that dwarf king across the Jordan for entering the war despite the desperate pleas by the Israeli Government that he stay out - thereby granting us the opportunity for conquering Jerusalem and the rest of the territories. But what do we do when despite these victories, we find ourselves floundering in this miserable reality of an Israeli government who do everything in their power to do away with the glorious miracles of 1967? How can we celebrate when they are ready to turn over to our enemies all the territories we gained? It is our obligation to honestly ask ourselves: Why say "Hallel" when the territory we conquered in 1967 is dissolving away, and we are about to return to a situation a lot worse than it was before the 1967 war? Our answer to these questions is the following: For the miracles that G-d granted us, we must thank Him no matter what, in the same way that we thank Him for the miracles He performed for us in the days of the Macabees against the Greeks 2,500 years ago, despite the fact that the Temple was eventually destroyed. And we still thank him for taking us out of Egypt despite the fact that we messed up pretty bad since then. But; if we want to be honest with ourselves, it is our obligation to combine our "Hallel" prayer with an all out war against all those who aspire to cast away the miracle we are saying "Hallel" for! We must act with great self-sacrifice against all those who are quite comfortable without G-d and without His miracles, and those entire purpose is to rub elbows with the enemy and decide with them how to sell out the Jewish State. On the other hand, all those who are not ready to gird their loins in the war against those who want to do away with the miracles and the country - for what are they thanking G-d? For the miracles that are about to be thrown away, which they do nothing to prevent? Like anything else, the sincerity of our prayers can only be measured by how much we are willing to do to back our prayers up with action. Let us pay attention to these words. | | Curious George's Daring Escape from the Nazis Hans and Margaret Rey, the German-Jewish couple who created Curious George, were living in Paris in 1940 when the Nazis were closing in. | | 10 Yiddish Sayings about Jewish Mothers The 12th of May was Mother's day. Here are some Yiddish expressions about Mothers: by Dr. Yvette Alt Miller Great lines to share on mother's day. The Yiddish language is full of wonderfully expressive sayings and many of these adages include wise words about the value of mothers. As the famous Yiddish song A Yiddishe Mama says, A Yiddishe mama, es gibt nisht besser oif der velt – A Jewish mother, it doesn't get better on this earth. Here are 10 beautiful sayings about mothers and motherhood, culled from a thousand years of Yiddish insight and wisdom. A shlechteh mameh iz nitto. "There is no such thing as a bad mother." Yedeh mutter denkt ir kind iz shain. "Every mother thinks her child is beautiful." A mame hot oygen fun gloz. "A mother's love is blind." Literally: A mother has eyes of glass. Mames farshteyen vos kinder zogen nisht. "Mothers understand what their children cannot say." Di varemsteh bet is di mames. "The warmest bed is mother's." A mame muz hobn a groyse fartekh di khesroynes fun di kinder tsu fardekn. "A mother must have a large apron to cover up her children's faults." Vos a kind zol nit der'raiden vet di muter im farshtain. "Whatever a child babbles, its mother will understand." Got hot nit gekent zayn umetum, hot er beshafn mames. "God couldn't be everywhere, so He created mothers." Kinder un gelt iz a sheyne velt. "Children and money make a beautiful world." Ein mama dergreykht mer vi a hundert lerers. "One mother achieves more than a hundred teachers." | | ALL G-D WANTS IS A LITTLE FAITH Regarding Jacob's ladder, the Rabbis comment (Tanchuma, Vayetzei 2): "G-d showed Jacob the archangels of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome climbing the ladder and then falling down. Said the Almighty, 'Jacob, why do you not climb?' Jacob was afraid and said, 'Just as those fell so shall I fall.' Said the Almighty, 'If you climb you will not fall.' But he did not believe and did not climb. Concerning this, Rabbi Shmuel Ben Yosina said, 'Nevertheless they sinned further, and did not believe in His wondrous works' (Psalms 78:32). Said the Almighty, 'Had you climbed and believed, you would never have fallen. But since you did not believe, your children will be enslaved to these four kingdoms...'" G-d promised Jacob in his dream, "I will be with you" (Genesis 28:15), but Jacob was nevertheless scared when he left Laban's house and heard that Esav was approaching. And so, the Almighty sent an angel to wrestle with Jacob and wound him. As the Rashbam writes, "Jacob was stricken and limped because he fled [from Esav] even though G-d had promised [to be with him]. In general, we find that anyone who goes on a path that G-d does not desire, or refuses to go on a path that He does desire, is punished." Fear of man is the key to lack of faith in G-d and none of us, not even the greatest, is immune from it. And it is this fear of human beings rather than trusting in G-d which is the source of the tragedy which, G-d forbid, will befall us. In the words of King Solomon (Proverbs 29:25-26), "The fear of man brings a snare, but he who places his trust in the L-rd shall be safe. Many seek the ruler's favor, but a man's judgment comes from G-d." Rabbeinu Bechaya in Kad HaKemach: "And we have seen that the Torah warned us against fearing the nations: 'When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and a people more numerous than you, you shall not fear them; for the L-rd, your G-d, who brought you up out of the Land of Egypt, is with you' (Deuteronomy 20:1). The Torah further states, 'Who is the man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house' (ibid. 20:8). For the fear of the nations has conquered him, and while it is possible that he truly believes that everything is in G-d's hand, his heart is weak and his nature inferior because his soul did not grow in the element of trust...And there is no doubt that he who fears the might of flesh and blood is low of soul and he who fears man forgets the Almighty..." The reality of our times. The fear of human beings and the erosion of faith in the Almighty so that we pay lip service to the general concept of trust in G-d but shrink from the reality of the steps we must take in every actual, individual challenge. We are convinced- in our lowness of soul- that we cannot survive without the gentile and thus are terrified at the thought of isolation. We see it as a curse when it is the greatest blessing imaginable. "And He shall drive them the enemy from before you and shall say: 'Destroy them!'Israel shall then dwell in safety alone..." (Deuteronomy 33:27). And the Ohr HaChaim says: "'Israel shall then dwell in safety.' When? When he is alone..." Isolation. That is the role and obligation and destiny of the Jew. And how we have lost our way... | | Top 10 Saturday Night Live Sketches Top 10 Saturday Night Live Sketches Subscribe: http://goo.gl/Q2kKrD These are the funniest SNL sketches ever. Join WatchMojo as we list our picks for the Top 10 SNL Skits of all time. List Entries and Rank: #10. Total Bastard Airlines #9. James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub Party #8. Olympia Café #7. Colonel Angus #6. Super BassOMatic '7 #5. Celebrity Jeopardy #4. Digital Shorts #3. ? | | Medical cannabis to be made available by prescription for certain illnesses Health Minister Yaakov Litzman announced on Thursday evening that medical cannabis will be available by prescription rather than with Health Ministry permission for certain medical conditions. By Eytan Halon Patients with certain medical conditions will be permitted to receive medical cannabis by prescription rather than requiring Health Ministry permission, Deputy Health Minister Ya'acov Litzman announced on Thursday evening.
"I have decided to adopt the position of Ministry of Health professionals to permit a prescription instead of a license for certain medical conditions where diagnosis is clear," Litzman said. "I emphasize that this is not legalization, and individuals who are not medically authorized to use [cannabis] will not be able to receive the drug at the pharmacy. But this is a process that will make it significantly easier in terms of bureaucratic procedures for the sick." The move will require the alteration of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, which regulates the use of dangerous substances.
In addition, non-THC products – such as products containing cannabidiol alone – will also be excluded from the ordinance. Israel is a leader in the use of cannabis for medical purposes, and this step is another stage in making it easier for patients and turning medical cannabis into a medical product like any other," said Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov. "We will continue to monitor its application and make it even easier for patients, while ensuring that those who need to receive it do so in the easiest way." A draft of the new medical cannabis regulations will be published soon, the Health Ministry said. | | See you tomorrow-bli neder Love Yehuda Lave | | | |
