Friday, August 26, 2016

ABORTION & EUTHANASIA & the severity of taking a life.

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

Unfortunately, and mostly out of ignorance, many people take the consideration and decision regarding abortions, when to pull “the plug”, euthanasia etc. too lightly. Many do not realize, the incredible severity attached to these very complicated and serious questions and decisions.

This isn’t just a matter of women’s freedom, or alleviating a person from pain. There are some very grave and severe repercussions connected with taking the life of another human being.

The following are laws that come directly out of the words of Mishneh Torah – Yad Hachazakah, the “strong and firm hand” of the Rambam – Maimonides (1138 – 1204), the greatest codifier of biblical law.  It is for the reason of this “outstretched hand” the Jewish people were liberated from Egypt, and brought to the Land of Israel.

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Our Sages forbade many matters because they involve a threat to life. Whenever a person transgresses these guidelines, saying: "I will risk my life, what does this matter to others," or "I am not careful about these things," he should be punished by stripes for rebelliousness.

They include: A person should not place his mouth over a conduit through which water flows and drink. Nor should he drink at night from rivers and lakes, lest he swallow a leech without seeing.

Rotzeach uShmirat Nefesh - Chapter Eleven

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It is forbidden for a person to injure anyone, neither his own self nor another person. Not only a person who causes an injury, but anyone who strikes in strife an upright Jewish person, whether a minor or an adult, whether a man or a woman, violates a negative commandment, as Deuteronomy 25:3 states: "Do not continue... to flog him." One may conclude that if the Torah adjures us against adding to the blows due a sinner, surely this prohibition applies with regard to striking a righteous person.

It is even forbidden to raise up one's hand against a colleague. Whoever raises a hand against a colleague, even though he does not hit him, is considered to be a wicked person.

.........Although the ((unintentional) killer has gained atonement, he should never return to a position of authority that he previously held. Instead, he should be diminished in stature for his entire life, because of this great calamity that he caused.

Rotzeach uShmirat Nefesh - Chapter Seven

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A person in his death throes is considered as a living person with regard to all matters. We do not tie his cheek, stuff his orifices, nor do we place a metal utensil or a utensil that cools on his navel so that his body will not bloat. We do not anoint it or wash it or place it on sand or on salt until the person dies.

One who touches him is considered as shedding blood. To what can the matter be compared? To a candle that is flickering, were a person to touch it, it will be extinguished. Similarly, anyone who closes a dying person's eyes as his soul expires is considered as shedding blood. Instead, they should wait some lest he have fainted. Similarly, we do not rend our clothes because of him, uncover our shoulders, recite eulogies, or bring a coffin or shrouds into the house until the person dies.

Avel - Chapter 4

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The court is enjoined not to accept ransom from the murderer to save him from execution. Even if he gave all the money in the world, and even if the blood redeemer was willing to forgive him he should be executed.

The rationale is that the soul of the victim is not the property of the blood redeemer, but the property of the Holy One, blessed be He. And He commanded, Numbers 35:31: "Do not accept ransom for the soul of a murderer."

There is nothing, the Torah warned so strongly against as murder, as Ibid: 33 states: "Do not pollute the land in which you live, for blood will pollute the land."

When a murderer kills willfully, he should not be killed by witnesses or observers until he is brought to court and sentenced to death, as implied by Numbers 35:12 "A murderer should not be put to death until he stands before the congregation in judgment."

Rotzeach uShmirat Nefesh - Chapter One

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 A corpse does not impart ritual impurity until the person actually dies. Even if one's veins have been cut, or he is in his death-throes, even if his two vital signs have been slit, he does not impart ritual impurity until his soul expires, as ibid.:13 states: "The soul of a man who dies...."

Tum'at Met - Chapter 1

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Hear Oh Israel -- He is ONE. .......

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Knowledge is Power -- G-dly Knowledge is SUPER Power.

In the year 1939, during the bloody Bolshevik revolution and the subsequent Communist oppression, The Russians decided to take a census of their people. On the survey there was a question whether the individual believed in G-d. Many believing Jews were afraid to answer in the positive, as this might adversely affect them.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Schneerson, (1878 – 1944) rabbi of the Ukrainian city of Yekatrinoslav (known today as Dnepropetrovsk) father of our Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, got up in the synagogue and presented a fiery speech. “Whoever responded, he doesn’t believe in G-d, is considered (in the eyes of G-d)  a denier in G-d”. As a result of this speech, many went to the offices of the census and requested to change their answer they had already submitted.

This speech costed Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Schneerson quite a bit. Subsequently banished to exile in a remote village in Kazakhstan, this ultimately led to his untimely death.

When he was asked by the officers of the NKVD, how he dared encourage people to answer in the positive, he responded cleverly and with sharp wit. “Isn’t this in the interest of the government, that people answer honestly?”

The Talmud asks the question. What is the most powerful verse in the entire Bible. Three possibilities are offered. One of them is the verse, “Hear oh Israel, the Lord our G-d the Lord is One.”

If the Torah at large is considered the “wisdom and understanding of all nations in the world”, if the Torah is the medium through which “You are connected to G-d your G-d (and therefore) you (people) live eternally”. This verse, Hear oh Israel….., must contain within itself, the deepest amount of G-dly wisdom and understanding,  and the strongest most powerful means through which a person can become connected with Almighty G-d!

The Torah tells us, when the Jewish people went out to war, there was a special priest who would make an announcement of encouragement to the soldiers. One of the pronouncements he made was. Any soldier who expresses the “Shema Yisroel…..”, “Hear oh Israel…..”, every morning and night, this alone, generates merit to be victorious at war.

We read in the Torah, there were 6 cities of refuge that would protect a murderer from anyone who was out to avenge the death of the killer. Our sages tell us; these six cities translate spiritually into the six words of the SHEMA ISRAEL ADONAI ELOIHAINU ADONAI ECHAD. “Hear oh Israel, the Lord our G-d the Lord is One.”

The Rabbis are telling us. When someone says (and believes) these six words with concentration, they serve as a spiritual place where an  individual will be protected from the dangerous dark  forces that are out there ready to pounce and suck in, whoever is weak enough to be dragged down the pit of darkness and gloom.

So what exactly is the Shema Yisroel all about?

Rabbi Shlomo (1738-1792), Chassidic Rebbe in the town of Karlin, Russia (near Pinsk), was  granted the power of seeing all the wanderings of souls in their various incarnations, was accustomed to teach……

“A Jew must regularly thank G-d for all His kindness and good, and should constantly say, everything is good, and so it will be. Like a little child who boasts in front of his father, that his father is good hearted and merciful. Would a father ever want to argue and make the point that this is not the case?”

The Shema Yisroel, is passionately and strongly encouraging us to understand deeply and truly appreciate, and this takes much effort and concentration and study, that there is nothing else but G-d everywhere. Not just any G-d, but one G-d, indivisible, who is exactly the same everywhere, in his infinite qualities.

The name “Lord” in Hebrew represents the force which is bigger and higher than nature. The words “our G-d” in Hebrew, refers to the dimension of G-d that is personal inside each creation, according to its limitations, deserving and eligible boundaries.

The power in this statement which must be repeated twice every day by all men,  is the realization, awareness and actually being, in an intellectual and spiritual place, where a person sees in everything the greatness and goodness of G-d.

Actually living and being in this frame of mind is the frequency for all the strength there is in this most powerful verse.

You are invited to our classes where you are offered the tools and understanding that will guide you to this most secure and G-dly place, ".....G-d our G-d, G-d is One."

Friday, August 12, 2016

MAIMONIDES; on Proper Ethics & Values. It feels (IS) spiritual and good inside to do what's right

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Knowledge is Power
      G-dly Knowledge is Super Power.

 
Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, Talmudist, Halachist, codifier of Jewish Law, physician, philosopher and communal leader, known in the world by the acronym "Rambam" and to the world at large as "Maimonides," is one of the most important figures in the history of Torah scholarship. On his gravestone were inscribed the words, "From Moses to Moses, none arose as Moses."
 
Rabbi Moshe was born in Cordoba, Spain, on the 14th of Nissan (the eve of Passover) of the year 4895 (1135 C.E.) - and passed away in Egypt, 1204. His father Maimon, was a direct descendant of King David, and he was a judge in the city's rabbinical court.
 
The following are the exact words from the Rambam’s magnum opus, 14 volume Yad Hachazaka - “The Mighty Hand”, on the subject of ETHICS & VALUES.
 
You can scan the highlighted bold words to get an idea of the pointers, and then, for more detailed information, read that entire paragraph.
 
Whenever the prevailing assumption is that an article is stolen, one is forbidden to purchase it. Similarly, if the majority of a particular substance is stolen, one is forbidden to purchase it. Therefore, one should not purchase wool, milk or kids from shepherds. This applies within a settled community. In the desert, by contrast, one may purchase milk and cheese from them.
 
To state the general principle: Whenever a shepherd sells an article that would be noticed by the owner, it may be purchased from the shepherd. If the owner would not notice it, it is assumed to be stolen and may not be purchased from the shepherd.
 
Genevah - Chapter Six - Laws 1 & 2.
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The following rule applies. When a person gave money to a colleague to purchase landed property or movable property, and the colleague, left the person’s money in his domain, and went and purchased the object for himself, with his own money. The purchase he performed is (Valid) concluded; (AND) he is, however, considered to be a man of deceit.
 
Mechirah - Chapter Seven - Law 10.
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When a person agrees to a transaction with a verbal commitment alone, it is appropriate for him to keep his word even though he did not take any money at all, did not make a mark on the article he desired to purchase, nor leave security. (And legally the transaction is not considered executed.)
 
If either the seller or the purchaser retracts, although they are not liable to receive the adjuration mi shepara, (a curse for backing out of a deal) they are considered to be faithless, and the spirit of the Sages does not derive satisfaction from them.
 
Similarly, if a person promised to give a colleague a gift and failed to do so, he is considered to be faithless.
 
When does the above apply? With regard to a small gift, because the recipient will depend on the promise that he was given. With regard to a large gift, by contrast, the giver is not considered to be faithless if he retracts, because the recipient does not believe that he will give him these articles until he transfers ownership through a formal kinyan. (Act of commitment)
 
Mechirah - Chapter Seven- Law 8 & 9.
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The punishment for the person who uses false measures is greater than the punishment for licentious sexual behavior, for this is a sin between a person and his colleague, and this is a sin between a person and God.
 
Whoever denies the mitzvah (commandment) of just measures is considered as if he denied the exodus from Egypt, which is the first of God's commandments.
 
Conversely, one who accepts the mitzvah of just measures is considered as if he acknowledges the exodus from Egypt, which brought about all of God's commandments.
 
Genevah - Chapter Seven - Law 12.
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One may not bury weights in salt so that their weight will be reduced, nor may one heat while measuring a liquid.
 
This applies even if the measure is very small, for the Torah was concerned with even the slightest deviation from an honest measure, as implied by the mention of a mesurah in Leviticus 19:35. A mesurah is a very tiny measure, merely a thirty-third of a log.
 
Geneva - Chapter 8 - Law 7

Friday, August 5, 2016

"Protected" - From the vices of the evil inclination !!

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Knowledge is Power --- G-dly Knowledge is SUPER Power.

All commandments in the Torah, have a corresponding spiritual reality, that is always available and accessible, to perform the exact function, that its physical counterpart was intended and designed to accommodate.

We read in the Torah, if a person murdered or killed someone, there were 6 cities of refuge that would protect this person until his case was heard before Judges and/or as long as the High Priest was alive. If anyone attacked the murderer/killer while he was in these cities he would be culpable for his deed.

These six special cities were protection, from G-d, from the bad guy.

When a person sins against G-d he/she is essentially murdering or killing a portion of his/her own G-dliness within, the soul, that was whole and complete before the negative act was done. 

The evil animalistic tendencies within, is permanently seeking materialistic persuasions to entrap the person away from proper and G-dly values. This takes place mainly during the six days of the week when we are commanded to “go into the world, and conquer it” – “six days a week you shall do all your work”.

The antidote to these potentially harmful SIX days, G-d gives us “the cure before the sickness” and presented us according to the Sefer Ha-Chinuch (“Book of Education”) with six constant commandments to stay strongly connected with G-d, our higher source of power, and protected from the bad energies out there seducing us into its trap.  The more a person places himself inside the observance and consciousness of these practices, the more he will be protected from the vices of the evil inclination.  

The Sefer ha-Chinuch ("Book of Education"), was published anonymously in 13th century Spain. It separately discusses each of the 613 commandments, both from a legal and a moral perspective, usually based on Maimonides' Mishneh Torah - and closes with a summary as to the commandment's applicability.

Though there is a debate about who is the true author, it is agreed, the Sefer ha-Chinuch (Book of Education”) was written by a father to his son as a gift, upon reaching the age of Bar Mitzvah.

And, here are the very special BIG SIX --  tools and techniques for protection against the evil & animalistic inclinations.

1,    To Know There is a God

I am G-d your God who brought you out of Egypt. (Exodus 20:2)

The first of the Six Constant Commandments - Mitzvos is also the first of the Ten Commandments; it is the mitzvah to recognize, G-d exists. We must acknowledge not only that He created the world, but that He continues to be involved in its day-to-day operations and our personal lives.

2,    Not to Believe in Any Other “gods”

Do not recognize any other “gods” in My presence. (Exodus 20:3)

Any place one could possibly go is in G-d’s presence; accordingly, there are no other powers! We must recognize that no being created by G-d can ever thwart His will.

3,    To Know That G-d is One

Listen, Israel, G-d is our G-d, G-d is One. (Deuteronomy 6:4)

Recognizing G-ds unity means knowing that He is unique, He has no partners, components or divisions, and that He exists outside of time and space.

4,   To Love G-d

You shall love G-d your G-d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your ability. (Deuteronomy 6:5)

Loving G-d should be the natural result of recognizing His existence; if we truly understand all that G-d does for us, how could we help but appreciate and love Him for it? We should also be prepared to give of our time, our resources and more for the sake of G-d.

5,    To Be in Awe of G-d

You must revere G-d your G-d; Him you shall serve. (Deuteronomy 10:20)

To revere G-d means to recognize that our actions have consequences. Knowing that there’s a G-d and a system of spiritual checks and balances helps keep us on the right path.

6,    Not to Be Led Astray by Our Desires

Don’t follow your heart or your eyes, after which one can go astray. (Numbers 15:39)

“Heart” refers to heretical thoughts, and “eyes” refers to physical temptations, both of which can distract a person from what’s really important in life. We must not be led astray by philosophies that are not compatible with Torah (our values) or by physical desires.

Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan (1838-1933, known as the Chafetz Chaim) discusses the applications of these commandments and comments: "At every time and moment that a person ponders these, he fulfills commandments, (he strengthens his eternal bonds with G-d the source of infinite strength) and there is no limit to the amount of reward given for the mitzvoth (commandments)..."