When Will I Be Like Our Heroes?

When Will I Be Like Our Heroes?

A question we Jews must constantly ask ourselves

Holy Days are designed to accomplish just that:

Pesach/Tisha Bav – Avraham Avinu

Shavuos/Purim – Yaakov Avinu

Rosh Hashana – Yiitzchok’s Avinu

Yom Kippur – Moshe Rabenu

Sukkos/Chanuka – Aharon HaKohen

Rosh Chodesh – Rochel’s Imenu

The two Tus aren’t associated with heroes

But Yosef remains unaccounted for

And what about Shabbos?

Jewish Valentine’s Day

Jewish Valentine’s Day
Born out of assimilation and ignorance

Six occurrences converge on Tu B’Av 
They’re the vav connecting the two hehs
Of the 17th of Tamuz and Tisha Bav

If you’ve understood properly
You realize the all important yud
Is still unaccounted for

Your Yiddishkeit depends on it
Where’s your crown?

Tu B’Av on LT

Rav Chaim Vital Was Asked On Separate Occasions

Rav Chaim Vital Was Asked On Separate Occasions

Why we say Kiddush Levana after Tisha Bav?

And why we say it after Shabbos?

He gave the same answer for both questions

The Beis Hamikdash was destroyed then

So the shechina needs נחמה and שלום at that time

That’s who we’re really saying שלום עליכם to

We say המקום ינחם אתכם to mourners

So why not mention נחמה during kiddush levana?

And why did we say it last night instead of after Shabbos?

Shabbos Nachamu Shalom

Nachamu on LNedgi Tamid

Ahavat Chinam

Ahavat Chinam

Encouraged by popular culture

Sounds like Woodstock

And is not an authentic Jewish value

Sinas chinam is solved by

ואהבת לרעך כמוך

Which does not apply to all Jews

לאחיך בתורה ובמצות

Chazal list numerous types of Jews

We’re commanded to hate

And Hashem hates some too

Confirmed in the annals of halacha

From the Rambam to the Chofetz Chaim

Till today

Moshiach’s arrival depends on teshuva

Not on imagination

Years ago, my Rebbe said

“I wonder which is worse

Sinas Chinam

Or Ahavas Chinam?”

עשה לך רב

וקנה לך חבר

Hashem Talks To Us Through His Torah

Hashem Talks To Us Through His Torah

We respond with our tefila

Neglecting Torah learning

Renders tefila abominable

מסיר אזנו משמוע תורה

גם תפלתו תועבה

On the 17th of Tamuz

Torah learning is broken

Three weeks later, our House Of Tefila

Comes crashing down

On the 9th of Av

A new tefila is introduced

Compensation

קינות = תיקון

Why is there no new learning introduced

On the 17th of Tamuz

To compensate for our loss of learning?

The Arizal Reveals How Hundreds Of Thousands Of Jews Were Counted

The Arizal Reveals How Hundreds Of Thousands Of Jews Were Counted

Every Jew’s name was gathered tribe by tribe

Then all jumbled together

Then separated tribe by tribe

Naftoli was counted last

So no sorting was necessary

That’s why it says בני נפתלי

Not לבני as in all the other tribes

Why not just count them initially tribe by tribe?

And what’s behind Naftoli’s distinction?

Imagine

Imagine

A hopeful convert, or orphan

Homeless

Relies on srangers’ hospitality

And is rejected

Abused and expelled

Can you blame him

For being traumatized?

For an irrational reaction?

Would you execute him?

Somehow

Pesach Sheni explains

Emor’s tragic ending

Shabbos Shalom

Jewish Independence Day

Jewish Independence Day

Has a Hebrew name

פסח

Deliverance as guaranteed

To Avraham Avinu

Autonomy meant to facilitate

Requesting and embracing the Torah

Fifty days later

At Har Sinai

Hatikva

Ignores Hashem

His Torah

Tzaddikim

And halacha

Actually hopes they all just go away

לישועתך קויתי ה׳

The Baal Shem Tov Says

The Baal Shem Tov Says

If you want to denigrate

That’s great

Denigrate yourself

If you want to praise

That’s also great

Praise Hashem

The world asks the obvious

Why not denigrate evil

And why not praise all that’s good

Guy In Shul Forgot The Day Of The Omer

Guy In Shul Forgot The Day Of The Omer

You tell him what yesterday was

Why not tell him what tomorrow will be?

Ask Rabbi Akiva Eiger next time you visit the Shulchan Aruch…