Rabbi's Thoughts

It was almost 16 years ago to the day that I heard these words spoken by Rabbi Kotlarsky a"h, as thousands of mourners escorted Rabbi Gabi and Rebbetzin Rivky Holtzberg H"YD to their final resting place. As a young teen, it was the first time in my life that I had a close up view of terrorism and those affected by it. I was attending the school system that Rebbetzin Rivky had attended, taught by teachers who had taught her. We had watched the the terror attack in India unfold over multiple days, gathering in our assembly room to say Tehillim for the hostages in the Chabad House and when the tragic news arrived and their bodies brought back to Israel, we joined with thousands of others, the entire Jewish family together in mourning.

Standing in the hot sun, shoulder to shoulder with strangers and shedding tears for people I didn't know, but felt connected to, I can clearly remember these words spoken and the impact they made. It was a pivotal moment in my life, causing me to evaluate my Jewish practice and take ownership of it. To live this life not as a by-product of my upbringing but intentionally, because I wanted to and understood the meaning it had. To know that through Torah and Mitzvot I could continue on the legacy of the Holtzbergs, adding goodness and spiritual light, reveal G-dliness, into the world to combat the darkness.

Unfortunately, 16 years later these words need to be shared again as the Jewish family mourns the loss of another Shaliach murdered by terrorists, Rabbi Zvi Kogan H"YD. As as they resonated then, they do so again now. We will continue to fight with light, with goodness, with Torah, and as our nation survived and thrived 1000s of years of persecution, we will do continue to do so.

In Hebrew, the word for exile (our current state) is "gola" גולה and the word for redemption (Moshiach times) is "geula" גאולה. The difference in the words is one letter; the Alef (א). The numerical value of Alef is 1, representing G-d, Hashem Echad. What is the different between exile and redemption? G-d. When the world is permeated with G-dliness in a way that the entire world can look around and acknowledge it, we will be in the redemptive state.
This isn't something that we have to passively wait for, something that happens to us, but something we create! Every Mitzvah, every act of goodness and kindness, every phrase of Torah learned draws down G-dliness bringing us closer to the era of Moshiach. You too can be a part of this change!

Please take on a Mitvzah in memory of Zvi ben Alexander and Ettel, Chabad emissary to the UAE, may his soul be uplifted.

In this week’s Torah portion (parshat Terumah), the Jewish people are instructed to build a temple for G-d: “And they shall build for Me a temple and I will dwell in them.” G-d will dwell “in them”; the temple is in each and every one of us.

So how do we build this temple in ourselves?

Two of the holy vessels in the temple were the ark (holding the tablets) and the table (for the showbread). The ark measured 2 1/2 X 1 1/2 X 1 1/2 (all measurements are in cubits), whereas the table was 2 X 1 X 1 1/2.

Why is it that the ark is all broken measurements while the table’s measurements consist mostly of whole numbers?

These measurements are meant to teach us how to build our inner temple. We should always perceive our table - our physical and material needs and wants - as being full and complete. Yet, we should always perceive our ark - our spiritual and intellectual (Torah study) pursuits - as being incomplete and constantly in need of development and improvement.

Shabbat Shalom!❤️

In this week’s Torah portion, we find G-d’s command to Moses to make two silver trumpets which would be blown by the Jewish people in the temple. The Torah tells us to blow it at a time of trouble (war) as well as a time of joy (salvation).

While we unfortunately do not yet have the third holy temple in Jerusalem, we still have a lesson to learn from this mitzvah. 

A trumpet call represents an essential call of the soul. We often trumpet (cry out) to G-d in times of pain and trouble. When we are in the foxhole, it is natural and cathartic, and most importantly, G-d responds to our trumpet call.

But at times of joy, when everything is going smoothly, we forget to give praise. When everything is normal, we don’t even notice that there is anything to be grateful for, as the normalcy is our baseline. Being on the dance floor with no care in the world, means that we aren’t truly appreciating the glory of the moment, we are just being mellow.

Even when we remember to be grateful in the positive moments, we may feel slightly awkward discussing the uncomfortable subject of “G-d”.

The Torah comes to teach us that we should trumpet our thanks, even when everything is normal and mellow. When we are proud of our gratitude, it inspires others to do the same. Give thanks for all the good things you have in life, and be loud about it!

Wishing you many good things to be loudly grateful for!

Shabbat shalom!❤️

Tonight, we count the 32nd day of the Omer (the 49 day count until Shavuot). As we approach the holiday, we count in anticipation and preparation for once again "accepting" the Torah anew.

The Midrash Rabba (Song of Songs, 1:4) relates that prior to G-d giving the Torah to the Jewish people, He asked for guarantors; an assurance that the Jews’ acceptance wouldn't be a fleeting fancy, but an eternal commitment. After G-d rejected the use of our forefathers and prophets, the Jews declared that the children would serve as guarantors. It was only then that G-d gave them the Torah.
"The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘They are certainly good guarantors, I will give it to you on their account.’ That is what is written: “"From the mouths of infants and sucklings You founded strength”" (Psalms 8:3)"

It wasn't the sages or the prophets, the scholars or our ancestors, who were accepted as guarantors, but the children. It wasn't our past or present that could ensure the continuity of Torah and the fledgling Jewish nation, but our future. As a nation we took upon ourselves the responsibility to learn in order to model, teach, and pass on our heritage.

Back in November, I experienced the pride of a teacher as each of my students at Nigri Jewish Online School was presented with their very first Chumash by their parents at our virtual Chumash party. Following our celebration, we took our journey of Torah  learning to a higher plane, reading, translating, and decoding words inside the text.

Today, I got to sit on the other side of the screen and experience the pride of a parent, as we presented Bracha Elka with her very first Chumash. It's been hidden away for months, as she studied hard, her teacher laying the groundwork for exploring the Torah on a deeper level. She's been begging to see it for some time. As she clutched it today, her smile is a reminder of our 3,300 year old promise and responsibility that has brought us to this point, but also a glimpse of our hopeful and bright future as a nation.

In this week’s Torah portion (Acharei Mot-Kedoshim), we find the words “you should be holy”.  Holiness by nature means to separate oneself from and to transcend the surrounding culture,  as succinctly stated in our Torah portion: “Like the practice of the land of Egypt, in which you dwelled, you shall not do, and like the practice of the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you, you shall not do, and you shall not follow their statutes.”  

As human beings, we have a tendency to equate the usual with the normal; we equate normalcy with fitting in and doing as everyone else does. The Torah teaches us that in reality, human beings, who are created in G-d’s image, are in a state of normalcy when being holy, when being transcendental.

We all want to fit in, either with Egypt- the superpower, the majority- or with Canaan- the counterculture, the underdog. The Torah teaches us that we must transcend both.  We must realize our holiness by transcending the regular and holding ourselves to a higher standard.

With this transcendence of ego and sense of fitting in, we will be able to achieve the famous dictum of our Torah portion: “Love your fellow as yourself”!

So, don’t be afraid, be different, it is this difference that makes you normal!

Shabbat shalom!❤️

Tonight, I sat with approximately 6,000 Chabad Rabbis and lay leaders representing 100 countries and all 50 states, at the International Convention of Shluchim (Chabad emissaries). It has been an evening of conflicting feelings; I felt elated and sad, humbled and empowered.  I cried and I danced, I felt accomplished and challenged to do more. 

I heard stories of great self-sacrifice, stories of love, and stories of faith.

But the idea that inspired and spoke to me most was the idea that every individual is a whole world and doing a favor for and feeling love for one Jew, one individual, is itself a world- changing event.

Last March, I had a conversation with an executive of a Jewish philanthropic organization. I asked her if she’d be willing to fund Chabad on Campus activities. She asked me to tell her about our activities. We spoke of many ideas, one of them being solitary opportunities.  An occasion when I meet a Jew once and do a favor for them, or put on tefillin with them, or give them Shabbat candles, or just engage in a warm and friendly conversation. On many such occasions, I will never see that person again. This woman could not understand how we can calculate the impact and value of such activities and how an organization such as hers could finance such activities.

But for a Chabad Rabbi or Rebbetzin, this is not even a question. We know the infinite value of every act of goodness and kindness, of every genuine smile filled with the warmth of love, or every mitzvah. We see it on daily, firsthand basis.

I live this night inspired to continue dedicating my life in Bellingham, motivated by these values.

L’chaim!

Search on Google: “How dreams create success”, and you will find over 39 million results. We were brought up with the idea of the “American dream”. How many times have we been told to “dream bigger”? I'm sure all of us have been told countless times never to give up on our dreams.

The election cycle is over. Many of us feel disappointed (or worse) with the results. Many of us felt disappointed with the candidates. Still, it’s over, so now what?

This week’s Torah portion begins with G-d’s instruction to Avraham: “Lech Lecha”- Leave your home, your land, and your family. In other words, G-d is telling Avraham and his wife Sarah to leave their comfort zone. Their mission is to be accomplished somewhere else. The effect they will have on the world, the legacy they are to create, will happen somewhere out of their once peaceful environs.

Avraham and Sarah follow G-d’s command and leave Haran to begin their travels to Canaan, only to find that their new home is suffering from famine. Their new residence, the new sanctuary of their love, is also taken from them, so they must continue moving. They arrive in Egypt and encounter more trouble. Finally, they travel back to Canaan and begin to build a new home.

During all these travels, Avraham and Sarah did not complain, nor did they drown their sorrows in scotch (though, had they gotten their hands on some, they may have). They saw it as an opportunity to make connections with people, all the while teaching every person they met about bringing G-dliness into the world through acts of goodness and kindness.

Avraham and Sarah didn't just preach; they practiced as well.  We see this during their numerous struggles on their journey, where we can find the first mention of the idea of tithing- giving 10% of their earnings to a cause they believed in.  They also endangered their lives twice, once, to make a positive and G-dly connection with the pharaoh in Egypt, and a second time to rescue POWs from being sold into slavery.

After all this struggle, G-d made an everlasting covenant, that the children of this amazing couple- the fruits of their arduous labor- will forever be known and that their message of kindness and goodness will forever be valued.

We, too, have been forced from our “sanctuaries”, our comfort zones. The world today does not look like it did yesterday. But we can learn from Avraham and Sarah, and we can also use this moment when we are looking for comfort, even from strangers, to make connections. Not just by giving out free hugs, though that is a wonderful idea, but to teach the people we meet, the new friends we connect with, to add in their acts of goodness and kindness.

We shouldn’t just teach; we should be the shining example of it. Give charity to organizations that promote kindness and education. Fight for the rights of the underprivileged, and make sure to remind our leaders that kindness and justice must prevail.

G-d made a covenant with us that our efforts will not be in vain. Just like our ancestors, that power couple, the message we relay will forever be valued.

I am a born and bred New Yorker, so being an aggressive driver seems to come with the territory. But I am also a consistent driver. When I get on the highway, I typically use cruise control and change lanes as many times as necessary to pass slower vehicles, but no more. My pet peeve is when a driver speeds up to pass someone else, only to slow down immediately after the pass.

Yesterday, as I was driving back from SeaTac Airport, on the I-5 north at about 11 pm, I saw a car speed up to dangerously tailgate another car. The other car wisely moved to the right lane. The car that sped up inexplicably slowed down in the left lane and did not pass. As I pulled even with the car, I noticed that the driver was talking on the phone.

Besides feeling annoyed at the driver for doing something dangerous and aggravating, I wondered what I could learn from the episode.

We just finished the High Holiday season, and it was inspiring. We started with Rosh Hashana, reconnecting with G-d. Then on Yom Kippur, we reconnected with our inner selves. We united with the Jewish community and nation over Sukkot, and for the grand finale which took place on Simchat Torah, we danced joyfully and ecstatically, celebrating our gift which is the Torah.

We are all energized and motivated, driving in the fast lane, ready to pass any and all difficult hurdles and challenges that life will throw at us this year. Then we get distracted by something small and seemingly insignificant, and that can cause us to dangerously crash and burn or lose sight of our destination.

Let us not be those people. Let us use our “drive” to reach our destination using consistent growth, making this year our most successful and fulfilling one yet.

I remember watching a YouTube video called “The Science of Happiness” (on the Soul Pancakes channel) and was awed by the idea that saying thank you to someone makes you happy. The video was quite powerful.

This week's Torah portion begins with the mitzvah of "Bikurim"- bringing first fruit to the Beit Hamikdash (the Temple) in Jerusalem as a show of appreciation to G-d. The Jewish people had gone through a long winter, when food was a questionable proposition. Would it rain enough for new food to grow? Would the food in the storehouses last all winter? As soon as they saw the new fruit, they lovingly tied a string or bow to the tree’s branch to dedicate it as a gift and thanksgiving.

Since they have started the Happiness Index, Israel has been consistently rated among the top 15 happiest countries. In 2015, Israel was number 11. The top ten countries have the combined stress level of a cat being stroked!  How do Israelis remain so happy?

I think that this week's Torah portion gives us the answer. The Torah strongly encourages gratitude in so many ways. Honoring one’s parents, saying blessings over food, praying, celebrating holidays, etc. But one way is very special to me, and that is the Modeh Ani prayer said every morning. Twelve words that express appreciation for life and are dedicated to realizing that every day is a gift.

The Modeh Ani correlates to Bikurim in another way. The Bikurim are the first fruit, and the Modeh Ani is said in the first precious moments of our day -our gift from G-d- thereby training ourselves to feel appreciation and happiness just to be alive!

The point of all this, is to just say THANK YOU!

In this week's Torah portion, G-d instructs us with the commandment of crowning a king for the Jewish people.  400 years later, the prophet Samuel is disgusted with the Jewish people for making this exact request, asking Samuel to help them crown a Jewish King.  What’s going on? Is it a mitzvah or a travesty to have a king?

As I sit here working on the back-end of our website with Rabbi Yosef, we notice how a mistake in one place can have effects in many different areas of the content. It can be a small and seemingly meaningless mistake, but that only makes it harder to find and correct.

This got me thinking about the upcoming month of Elul, the month when we are supposed to make a "cheshbon Hanefesh" -a soul accounting- of our last year.

Why are our actions not up to par?  Why do we feel like we can give more to the world, but we haven't yet?

Oftentimes, the solution is in the back-end of our "programming". Looking into the details of who we are, how we react under pressure, and how we treat our families may give us the answers we seek.  If we can find the small detail in our character that needs correcting, our whole system can suddenly become aligned. With this alignment, we will be able to reach our true potential and be positive influences on our families and surroundings.