Jews Started Observing Sukkos

Jews Started Observing Sukkos

Only after entering Israel

According to the רמב“ם and the מבי“ט

The Baal HaTanya writes in his Shulchan Aruch

Moshe Rabenu miraculously arranged a mass esrog shipment

To the desert Jews from Italy!

The Rambam doesn’t address the desert dalet minim

The Baal HaTanya doesn’t mention the desert lack of sukka

Where did the desert Jews shake their lulavim?

Lulav without a sukka is like tefillin without a talis

And how does our mitzva of lulav represent

The miracle we’re celebrating on Sukkos?

למען ידעו דורותיכם

Yom Kippur Is Moshe Rabenu’s Day

Yom Kippur Is Moshe Rabenu’s Day

Focus on that during the following avodas of the day:

1-The first word of each Kriyas Shema

2-The third brocho of each shemoneh esreh

3-The first mention of שלום in each שים שלום

4-The first mention of שלום in השכיבנו of maariv

5-Going shoeless

6-Fasting while receiving the לוחות שניות

7-Campaigning on behalf of the entire כלל ישראל

8-Saying any portions of the Chumash or רעיא מהימנא

9-Reciting Tehillim 90-100 inclusive

10-Being endlessly patient with all

11-Prostrating on the floor

גמר חתימה טובה

Wherever I Go I’m Traveling To Eretz Yisrael

Wherever I Go I’m Traveling To Eretz Yisrael

Puzzling thing for Rabbi Nachman to say

He traveled throughout his life

With only one voyage to Israel

וילך משה

To parts unknown

Like Avraham Avinu in לך לך

Before he ordained Shachris

Torah is called דרך

Transports us to תפלה

Torah surges out of ציון

To stationary תפלה

Which aims us back to Israel

On holy days we stand in shul

And Amalek’s okay with that

Just please don’t learn

Don’t drink and drive

The Annual Jewish Scavenger Hunt Approaches

The Annual Jewish Scavenger Hunt Approaches

Parshas Re’eh is the cue to open your eyes

What are we searching for?

Who – is more like it

And how do we search?

The shofar reminds us that it’s we who are lost

Rabbi Nachman makes a science of Elul

And his encore is The Lost Princess

Let Rabenu guide you

To your best Rosh Hashana ever

Your best you ever

What you need to bring למעשה:

Torah Vav with it’s corresponding Tefilla

Rabbi Nachman’s story

And lotsa optimism

Thank God For The Land Of Israel

Thank God For The Land Of Israel

And it’s ten levels of kedusha – קדשים

Chutz la’aretz has none – חולין

The posuk of seven species has ten words

The brocho on bread does too

It’s said while holding bread with your ten fingers

שאו ידיכם קודש וברכו את השם

Any דבר שבקדושה requires ten Jewish men

Our world is built on nine

Only בני ישראל can provide the tenth inning

Make a קידוש השם out there fellas!

100 Daily Brochos Aren’t Enough

100 Daily Brochos Aren’t Enough

Dovid HaMelech instituted them to save lives

But Chazal add the need for 90 daily Amens

מה is read מאה

A drasha to support the King’s decree

Where does that א come from?

אמן = 91

Why do 90 (= מלך) Amens suffice?

Brochos are incomplete without Amens

The element of unity is lacking

Amen brings א to the brocho

Without that א

It’s called אמן חטופה

An aveirah instead of a mitzva

Brings death instead of life

Hashem Wants Your Attention

Hashem Wants Your Attention

At least 100 times a day

Acknowledge it’s all Him

The Zohar says ברוך = ראש ומקור כל ברכות

The brocho of מודים is linked to the Baal Shem Tov

As is the word ויברך in ויכלו

מודים = 100

The Baal Shem Tov’s father was 100 years old when he was born

Before he died, he instructed young Yisroel

Have יראה for Hashem only

מה ה׳ שואל מעמך כי אם ליראה

אל תקרי מה אלא מאה

The Baal Shem Tov adds

מאה is not enough

מאה ואחד is necessary

Concentrate when you say Hashem’s name

At least 100 times a day

מאה ואחד = אדני

Nachamu Nachamu Ami

Nachamu Nachamu Ami

Calling all prophets:

“Transport the Jews to mincha!”

Yeshaya relayed this message once

And it’s continuously related

By a creature unknown

Whose name is uncertain too

Either רציפי or אונכי

42nd speaker in Perek Shira

רציפי indicates constancy

Like a יתד במקום נאמן

אונכי generates the nechama

Resulting from אנכי ה׳ אלהיך

Our world is an emuna vacuum

Allergic to Avraham

Allergic to מה

On a need to know basis

אברהם = ברא מה

אמונה = אנו מה

Mincha ends what shachris begins

צלותא דאברהם

Three Weeks Of Mourning

Three Weeks Of Mourning

Followed by seven weeks of consolation

A ratio encrypted deep in the world’s genome

Parallels the עשרת הדברות

Seven negative commandments

And the three positive

In the ten sefiros

The three מוחין hover above

The seven mundane מדות

The three מוחין are loftier than מדות

But negative commandments

Tower above the positive

And נחמה above אבילות

Pondering this discrepancy

Is the mitzva of שבת נחמו

Laws Of The Three Weeks

Laws Of The Three Weeks

Are well known and readily available

For those interested

How about the avoda?

Not well known, not readily available

Interested?

1-Five Lurianic kavanos during shemoneh esreh

2-Tikun Rochel starting mid-day

3-Extra oomph during the tikun chatzos of midnight

4-אנא בכח before shachris and mincha

5-Tefillin during mincha too

6-Focus on the two shins of the shel rosh

7-Concentrate on the 21 mentions of Hashem in each of the two tefillin

8-Verbalize your intention before performing positive mitzvos

9-Tikunei Zohar 21