The Birth(story)of a G-dly man, the Power of tears… and OUTSTANDING advice (from this Rabbi) on a VERY special day.

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KNOWLEDGE IS POWER -- G-DLY KNOWLEDGE IS SUPER POWER.

Here is a little Israeli Trivia.

The second most visited religious site in Israel after the Western Wall, is the burial site of this great Rabbi, (in North Israel)
Shimon Bar Yochai.

Rabban Shimon bar Yochai, also known by his acronym Rashbi, was a 2nd-century tannaitic sage in ancient Israel, active after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. He was one of the most eminent disciples of Rabbi Akiva, and is the author of the Zohar, the chief work of Kabbalah/Mysticism.

The Parents of Rabbi Shimon, Yochai and Sarah were barren for many years. Yochai decided that he would be forced to exercise the option to divorce his wife, as is the law, in order to fulfill the mitzvah/commandment of having children, which was a matter of great distress especially to Sarah his wife.

Sarah fasted, prayed and cried a lot to G-d, like Hannah did many years earlier until her son Samuel the first prophet was born to the Jewish people. On the night of Rosh Hashanah, Yochai had a dream he was in a beautiful garden with many trees. Some were dry and barren and some, were producing beautiful foliage and fruit. Suddenly, an Angel appeared with a flask of water and started to water only some of the dried out trees.

When the Angel approached the dry tree Yochai was leaning on, the Angel pulled out a container from close to him, and watered his tree. Not long afterwards, it started to bloom and produced beautiful apple like fruit with a great scent and which was extremely tasty.

Yochai told his wife of the dream, and what he felt was its interpretation. They would be blessed with a child in the following year. “But why did the Angel water your tree differently than all the other dried out trees?” asked Sarah. Yochai said they would have to go to Rabbi Akiva, the leading Rabbi of the time for an interpretation.

Rabbi Akiva said. “The container you say the Angel pulled from his chest, was filled with the tears of Sarah’s prayer. Your dry tree was given life, from the tears of her prayers.”

It wasn’t long afterwards on the Holiday of Shavuot, the holiday that celebrates the giving of the Torah, Shimon was born.

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was one of three G-dly giants in the Talmud, who is described as “a regular with (living and experiencing) miracles.”

After the death of his teacher, Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Shimon and his son Elazar, pursued by the Romans were forced to hide in a cave. G‑d caused a carob tree to spring up at the entrance to the cave, as well as a spring of fresh water. For thirteen years, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his son Elazar dwelt in the cave where they studied the hidden secrets of the Torah, sustaining themselves on carobs during the week, and figs on Shabbat, which again miraculously the tree offered, and water. During this time, they studied and prayed until they became the holiest sages of their day.

I would like to share with you a few of the powerful sayings and teachings of this great sage.

1. There are three crowns (reasons for a person to wear honor and respect); 1) the crown of (those who study and know) Torah, 2) the crown of priesthood (those who are fortunate to be born descendants of Aron and are priests), 3) the crown of royalty, And the crown of a good name (an earned positive reputation) surpasses all of them. 

1. Whoever is arrogant and haughty, is in His eyes, as if he worshipped strange (and false) gods.

1. Three worthy gifts G-d presented the Jewish people, (However) they were only given (by way of) great struggle and difficulties. Torah, the Land of Israel, and the world to come.

1. Great is work, for it (brings) honor to its master.

1. Greater (and worse) is someone who fools (and takes advantage of) another through words, than someone who fools (and takes advantage of) someone through money. Because, regarding (fooling someone with) words, the Torah says “and you shall fear G-d”, while regarding (fooling someone with) money, the Torah does not mention “and you shall fear G-d.”

1. Even if someone is a complete righteous person his entire life and rebelled in the end, he has forfeited all that he earned in the beginning, and, even if one is a complete wicked person his entire life and repented in the end, his wickedness, is not mentioned.

Changing the unchangeable. Trying to re-discover the wheel? AND transgender bathrooms!

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KNOWLEDGE IS POWER -- G-DLY KNOWLEDGE IS SUPER POWER.

People are searching for an earthly Eden. Whether it’s in a bigger home, faster car, more extravagant vacations, everyone is seeking and searching for the ultimate in happiness. Everyone is pitching you their product as the answer.   The answer, is right there in front of you. However, unfortunately, the mentality is many times, the other side of the pasture is greener.

A book came out not too long ago, on the story of American Utopianism. Reformers who refused to take any assumptions about society as a given, and turned to experimental communities. There were the Shaker colonies in the late 18th century, the commune in the 1820s, George Ripley’s brook Farm near Boston in the 1840s’, the Icarian experiment in the 1850s and the Oneida Perfectionist Society.

One preached heaven on earth, and among other trials, outlawed the use of rugs a favorite hiding place for devils. One foretold of global warming and worked out elaborate schemes for harnessing individual passions. One renounced private property. One professed atheism, based his reforms on human sympathy and banned religious worship. And one, who tried to enlist Emerson, Thoreau and Hawthorne, tended their cattle by day and staged plays and wrote poetry after hours.

Utopias, reflecting the personalities of their founders. Finite and biased human beings. Not to mention the Branch Davidians and Jonestown.

One died in an apoplectic rage when his maid bungled his breakfast, and one ended in a devastating fire that ended their experiment. Some committed suicide and some got burned to death. Not much different than the song artists of late and groupies who die of an over dose and addiction to drugs and/or the Wall Street titans who end up ripping off everyone’s money.

Another book came out recently lamenting the lack of innovative growth since the 1970s when annual growth has fallen below 1% annually. The author wonders if Americas economic glory days are past and will the best brains of the future build anything resembling our past innovations.

He supports the hypothesis that the Great Depression was a period of innovation, was good for growth, that the New Deal policies brought prosperity to a wider swath of Americans which engendered later technological change. The author tries to explain it all and proposes policy fixes.

The other day as I was walking home from Shabbat services a thought came to mind.

It is a fact that tall and handsome people get better job offers than short and especially stubby people. So what’s one to do if he is short and yearns the admiration and job position of the tall and handsome.

Maybe he would study the daily diet and practices of the “more successful” fellow, and if more academic and scholarly, study the practices of the parents who brought this tall and handsome person into the world. That, might bring him/her to reach his/her “happy” objective. Over the years, there were people who actually did think this way only to realize their bitter conclusion after much investment of energy and money that there are certain things that are pre-ordained.

The field of genetics is a relatively very new discovery and very much in its infancy. We now know, there are certain areas in life that predisposes a person to being tall or short, redheaded or blond and blue eyes.

The Great Depression isn’t something that anyone wished for at the time, and probably even if they could replicate, would not want to, notwithstanding any innovations that came as a result of that very difficult period of time.

We live in a society that is forever claiming progress and evolving, while more children are giving birth to babies, our SAT scores are falling, more and more people are depressed, the divorce rates are through the roof, and what concerns people are transgender bathrooms!!!

Look around. Our experiment to find utopia doesn’t seem to have discovered anything worthwhile. As science continues to discover more and more of what is in our Universe, our age old Torah and its teachings seem to be more and more validated and confirmed.

We now know it is a good thing to eat fish and its omega 3 fatty acids. We, are encouraged to eat fish and wine (another good source of health) at our Shabbat Meals.

We now know it is a very good thing to avoid the transmission of germs by washing our hands regularly. Our tradition instructs us to wash our hands before and after we eat and every time we come out of the bathroom. Stem cells research is the wave of the future. Mysticism told us thousands of years ago that at the core of everything it is all there in the one, before it manifests into restricted specifics.

We are learning today in the field of epigenetics that while certain parts of life are part of G-ds plan, genetics, there is a dimension of the DNA that is subject to our influence. “Everything is in the hands of G-d, except for the fear of G-d.”

The conclusion. There is no need for any more failed experiments when we have a system, communicated in front of millions of people by G-d Himself, that has successfully stood the test of times - AND WORKS.

To what degree?? Science or the Bible ?? or Both??

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Knowledge is Power: G-dly Knowledge is Super Power.

I was watching an interview with a Chabad Rabbi and Richard Dawkins, a British biologist, evolutionist, agnostic and leftist/liberal, an ardent opponent of religion which he dismisses as mere superstition. Mr. Dawkins is aghast that the Jewish Religion should be teaching the universe is only 5776 years old, when it is incontrovertible in science that this is utter rubbish.

The Chabad Rabbi argues, the mere wide discrepancy among the scientists in the millions and billions of years demonstrates how unclear and unsure their own position really is. Besides, whatever is leading the scientists to their own conclusion as far as the age of the world, was built in to creation just as Adam and Eve were already created, evolved and mature. This seemed to catch the good scientist by surprise.

The Rabbi continued. Just as 100 years ago scientists were singing a different tune regarding matter and the universe, there is every reason to believe they will be doing the same in another 100 years, so why take science today as an absolute irrefutable truth.

Mr. Dawkins responded, that our science today is of the highest caliber, and believing otherwise was irresponsible and foolish.

This reminded me of a statement said in the name of Charles H. Duell who was the Commissioner of the US patent office in 1899. Mr. Deull's most famous attributed utterance is that "everything that can be invented has been invented."  In 1899!!

The other day I was reading an article extolling the latest discoveries in the study of human embryos. For the first time they were able to grow embryos outside the uterus for up to 13 days, an accomplishment that opens a NEW window on the earliest stages of human development. This key period of time, “was entirely a black box of development that we were unable to access until now.” Magdalena Zernicka Goetz Professor at Cambridge UK.

Well, imagine what happens when a Rabbi is asked a halachic legal question regarding abortion and must draw wisdom from the eternal truths of the Torah and disagrees with a Medical Doctor! Now we are hearing, they aren’t even sure of what happens exactly during that period of time!

The researchers were surprised to notice how the embryos were able to “self-organize” without any biological cues from the mother.

Dr. Hyun a bioethicist at Case Western University school of Medicine said. “We’re now at the stage where the decades old rule (growing embryos after 14 days to keep within international regulations when a key change in development occurs) is up for challenge because of the scientific value of what these scientists are trying to do.”

Another key finding of this study was that early embryonic development is significantly different in humans than in animals such as mice.

Let me tie everything together by concluding with one more anecdote.

Mr. Michael Mandelbaum. an eminent foreign policy scholar from Johns Hopkins University has recently authored a book, Mission Failure.

He is filled with criticism, and asserts that US attempts abroad after the cold war, time and time again have totally fallen short of their ambitious goals.

So, we have one scientist who believes HE has the absolute last word on science and how dare anyone hold on to a notion that contradicts his idea of reality.  We have other scientists, who admit, not knowing everything and being in a black box regarding a critical time frame in the development of the human species.

These scientists are also discovering, an age old axiom that declared mice are the same as humans and on this basis many medical conclusions have been influenced as perhaps totally wrong!!!

And another scientist ethicist, because of the always changing fluid state of science and the possible current benefits, expressing interest, to change the standards of ethics!!

And, to top it all off, we have a prominent scholar accusing all the very smart well educated people in our government as being total failures for all these, so many years.

What’s the conclusion to all this?

In the book of ethics, it is written, “it is not upon you to conclude the work, and yet you are not at liberty to desist from making an effort.”

As human beings, we must acknowledge and recognize our limitations. It is, TOGETHER with G-d and it is with His partnership we are assured of blessings in our efforts.

We are fortunate that G-d who created the universe communicated with millions of people at Mt Sinai and gave us a book of rules and guidelines, the Torah.

“And (when) you will cleave to G-d your G-d; you will live eternally.”  The path to success is never, in trading in our G-dly granted eternal truths. On the contrary, “you have chosen us from all nations and have given us your Torah… and eternal life you have planted in it…”.

While humans continue placing their good foot forward not always sure of where it will take them, fortunate is the person who “G-d blesses in all that a person does.”

Be Happy ALWAYS, Avoid strife & arguments - The weakness in human nature...

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Maimonides – Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon 1135 - 1204, codified Jewish law so it would be accessible to all people on a very simple level.  Jewish law is derived directly from the Bible, as presented by G-d on Mount Sinai to the Jewish people, and through Moses.

The laws delineated by Maimonides therefore, are eternal words of guidance. These LAWS, work, and have stood the test of times.

The following are some words directly out of Maimonides Magnum Opus – Mishneh Torah, “so one would not need to resort to any outside sources…” to gain understanding and guidance in life.

Be Happy --- ALL THE TIME.

“…. The happiness with which a person should rejoice in the fulfillment of the mitzvoth (commandments and instructions in the Bible) and the love of God who commanded them is a great service. Whoever holds himself back from this rejoicing is worthy of retribution, as [Deuteronomy 28:47] states: "...because you did not serve God, your Lord, with happiness and a glad heart."

Whoever holds himself proud, giving himself honor, and acts haughtily in such situations is a sinner and a fool. Concerning this, Solomon warned [Proverbs 28:10]: "Do not seek glory before the King."

 [In contrast,] anyone who lowers himself and thinks lightly of his person in these situations is [truly] a great person, worthy of honor, who serves God out of love. Thus, David, King of Israel, declared [II Samuel 6:22]: "I will hold myself even more lightly esteemed than this and be humble in my eyes," because there is no greatness or honor other than celebrating before God, as [II Samuel 6:16] states: "King David was dancing wildly and whistling before God."

Always avoid when possible – acting in defiance to the practices held in your community. –  Be conscientious of your surroundings to avoid an argument.

“……When a person journeys from a place where it is customary to perform [labor on the Day before Passover] to a place where it is not customary to perform [labor], he should not perform [labor] in a settled region, (Where people will see his actions) lest [this cause] strife. (I.e., people will see him departing from the local custom, and when he explains the reason for his actions an argument may arise.) He may, however, perform labor in the desert.

When a person journeys from a place where it is not customary to perform [labor on the day before Passover] to a place where it is customary to perform [labor], he should not perform [labor at all]. ……

Even though [he is prohibited to perform work], he should not make it appear to [the local people] that he is idle because of a prohibition. For a person should never deviate [from local custom], lest strife arise.

Similarly, a person who intends to return to his place should follow the customs of the inhabitants of his place, whether stringent or lenient. He should not, however, be seen [conducting himself contrary to the local custom] by the inhabitants of the place where he is located, lest strife arise. (Shulchan Aruch HaRav goes further and explains, that if it is impossible for the person not to perform work without calling attention to his actions, he should perform the work, because maintaining peaceful social relations overrides the importance of preserving the customs of one's native land.)

One must try to find a logic behind the commandments… The Mitzvot in the Torah are meant to address Human weaknesses.

“……..Although all of the statutes of the Torah are decrees, as we explained in the conclusion of Hilchot Me'ilah, it is fit to meditate upon them and wherever it is possible to provide a reason, one should provide a reason. The Sages of the early generations said that King Solomon understood most of the rationales for all the statutes of the Torah.

It appears to me that the verse Leviticus 27:10: "It and the animal to which its holiness will be transferred shall be consecrated" shares a similar motivating rationale as the verse ibid.:15: "If the one who consecrates it shall redeem his house, he shall add a fifth of the money of the redemption valuation to it."

The principle behind these laws is that the Torah descended to the bottom of a person's thoughts and the scope of his evil inclination.

For human nature tends to increase his property and attach importance to his money. Even though he made a vow or consecrated something, it is possible that he will reconsider, change his mind, and redeem it for less than its worth. Hence the Torah states: "If he redeems it for himself, he must add a fifth."

Similarly, if he consecrated an animal in a manner that its physical person becomes consecrated, he might reconsider. In this instance, since he cannot redeem it, he will exchange it for a lesser one. If he was given permission to exchange a superior animal for an inferior one, he will exchange an inferior one for a superior one and claim that it was superior. Therefore, the Torah removed that option, forbidding all exchanges and penalized him that if he made an exchange, "It and the animal to which its holiness will be transferred shall be consecrated."

All of these ordinances are to subjugate one's evil inclination and improve one's character. Similarly, most of the Torah's laws are nothing other than "counsels given from distance" from "He Who is of great counsel" to improve one's character and make one's conduct upright. And so it is written Proverbs 22:20-21: "Behold, I have written for you in the Torah prominent matters, to inform you of the veracity of the words of truth, so that you will respond truthfully to those who send to you."