chabad jerusalem

As we “go to press” (publish our weekly words of Torah), a de facto ceasefire has taken hold in Gaza.  We have not heard that Israel officially accepts this “truce,” that was literally forced upon it by the “OK duo” of Obama and Kerry, but it is nevertheless in force.  We hope that Israel manages to destroy all the tunnels that Hamas burrowed under Israeli territory in order to kill and terrorize the Israeli population.  In the meantime, we turn our attention to other matters – today is Rosh Hodesh Av, the first day of the Jewish month of Av.  On this day, Aharon the high priest died, and the timing is no coincidence.  Aharon embodied the concept of Ahavat Yisrael – love of a fellow Jew, regardless of his status, abilities or views.  Love of our fellow, and especially of our Jewish brothers and sisters, is a very important component of bringing the ultimate redemption of all of mankind.  The Temple was destroyed precisely because of lack of love, and it will be rebuilt as the result of “free love” among Jew, and among all peoples.  For the next nine days or so, it is a very serious time of introspection and minimizing of ourselves and our egos.  Let it be for the good and result in good news for all of us…for something on the weekly Torah portion, go to http://jerusalemconnection.org/weekly  To delve more deeply into the subject of prayer and meditation, go to www.jewishspiritualbooks.com, and finally for a bit of history and color on Chabad in Jerusalem, go to www.chabadjeruslaem.org 

And don’t forget to have a look at www.rootsofprayer.blogspot.co.il, as well as www.neirot.com.  A little something for everyone!

A couple of weeks ago, we read the prophecy of a non-Jew (Bilam) and what he had to say about the Jews. Among other things, he described the Jews as “a nation that dwells alone.” That can be an intimidating thought, but these days it seems to be true. As Hamas shows its true colors, shooting from civilian quarters and beseeching its population to remain in place as the Israeli army enters, we Jews know that we “march to a different drummer.” For example, we go way out of our way to avoid harming Gaza civilians, even though by willingly remaining in the line of fire they become accomplices to the conflict. Some of the world sympathizes with us, but only so much and only for so long. So, is there anything wrong with blazing our own path, with being a nation that “does things our way”? I for one am becoming very comfortable with the idea. We’re on our own national journey and we can be quite proud of that. Want to know more about the Jewish journey? Go to http://jerusalemconnection.org/weekly Feeling like praying, cause the situation calls for it? Go to http://www.jewishspiritualbooks.cm Want to know more about Chabad in Jerusalem? http://www.chabadjerusalem.org is for you!
And if you’re an avid reader of Jewish spiritual matters, you’ll enjoy both http://www.rootsofprayer.blogspot.co.il as well as http://www.neirot.com That should keep us all busy for awhile!

Where were you when the missiles fell? All of us here in Israel have a miklat, or bomb shelter nearby. Whether we run there or not when the sirens go off, is another question. As a friend of mine said, “I’m not one to run away from a fight.” So, he does not run to the shelter. But, how can you fight? Here’s a suggestion from this week’s Torah portion. Take a spear. That’s right, you heard me, take a spear in your hand. “Spear” in Hebrew is romeach, and it has numerical value of 248. There are 248 words in the shema and 248 commandments from the Torah. Our bodies contain 248 organs, and we protect ourselves by saying the shema and fulfilling the commandments. So, I’m not saying to avoid the shelters, they are still a good idea if you live in this neighborhood. But, grab a spear while you’re at it and give yourself some real protection. Say the shema twice a day and do a few mitzvoth. It improves your risk/reward ratio. There’s much more to be said about this, but for that, you’ll have to go to http://jerusalemconnection.org/weekly And if you want to delve even deeper and develop some techniques of prayer and meditation, go to http://www.jewishspiritualbooks.com. Or just go to http://www.chabadjerusalem.org and you will find out about some great events in Jerusalem. If you’re into chasidut and prayer, check out http://www.rootsofprayer.blogspot.co.il and for a whole magazine on spirituality, go to http://www.neirot.com Lots of ways to fight the missiles…