Chag Kasher V'Sameach

Wishing you all a wonderful Pesach.

Please see the attached.

Naftali & Mindel Kassorla

Happy Purim!

To all of our teachers, family and friends,

Wishing you a very happy Purim!

Please see the attached card.

Naftali and Mindel Kassorla

Parshat Bo - The Perch of History

 In this week's parsha, HaShem prepares for the final plagues against Egypt that will pave the way for the redemption of Klal Yisrael. We are about to start the last three plagues; these will be the final knockout to Egypt. Egypt is currently in desolation. It has been struck with some of the most devastating blows. At this moment HaShem tells Moshe that He is bringing these plagues upon them Egyptians "so that I can put these signs of Mine in his midst, and so that you may relate in the ears of your sons and your son's sons that I made a mockery of Egypt…So that you may know that I am HaShem." HaShem commands us to tell over the story of the plagues and his domination of Egypt, because in seeing the power of the plagues, we will have a greater recognition of HaShem.

However, one could ask a seemingly glaring question: Why now? The last three plagues have not commenced, yet HaShem is telling us now of the obligation to recount the plagues? Wouldn't it make more sense to tell us of this obligation after all the plagues finished? It seems logical that after the conclusion of all the plagues we would have a clearer perspective of HaShems greatness. Furthermore, one could ask, why not obligate us before all the plagues even began?  

The Gemara in Yevamot (79a) says there are three attributes of the Jewish people: we are a reserved, beneficent, and merciful people. Our nations collective DNA is to be merciful. Yet it is a dangerous midda as well. Sometimes that causes us to be too trusting. One just needs to look at the last 65 years of the state of Israel, and the many attempted (and one-sided) overtures for peace, with nothing but more violence in return. This desire stems from our attribute of Mercy, and heartfelt desire for love and peace. In contrast, Golda Meir one remarked that there will only be peace between Israel and the Palestinians when the Palestinians love their children more than they hate us. To hate is in their nature. Yet in our mercy we cannot recognize that truth.

With this in mind we can now answer our question. The most appropriate time for the obligation to recount the plagues was specifically in the middle of plagues. Egypt was desolate, literally standing on one crippled foot, about to crumble. Not to feel some sort of rachmanut, one would have to be totally devoid and desensitized from any sort of emotion. A modern-day example: the sport of boxing. While one may favor one boxer over the other, it is hard to not feel sad and merciful when the boxer whom you are rooting against is brutally and savagely beat, despite the fact that a minute ago you were rooting for him to be in this very position! This is a natural response for anyone, but all the more so for the Jewish people. 

HaShem in His great wisdom specifically picked this opportunity to state the obligation to recount the plagues in order to forestall this innate emotional, merciful response. Through recounting the story, we remind ourselves of the reasons for why HaShem is doing this to Egypt, the pain they caused, and the evil decrees they enacted upon us. The response of mercy would have been misplaced - now was the time for HaShem to glorify Himself for all generations. For this, our nerves needed to be steeled.  This was a time when we couldn't allow ourselves to fall into the trap of misplaced mercy.

This does mean that we don't have any mercy for the Egyptians. On the contrary; Seder night, when we recount the story of the redemption, we spill the wine in deference to the fallen Egyptians. But this sign of respect only comes at a time when we are about to look at the redemption as free people, from the perch of history, where we can see everything come together to form the beauty of the redemption. This is not misplaced mercy, for the mercy is not stemming from an automatic emotional response. Instead our mercy comes from a greater place: that although we are all royalty on this night, we do not rejoice in their downfall, rather we overcome our feelings of supremacy and feel the pain others, even for our enemies.

Through this we can see how a Jew is meant to use his emotions. They should not be simply an automatic emotional response to situations; rather they can be controlled and felt at the appropriate times. There is a time to be merciful and a time to be harsh, a time to be happy and a time to be sad. HaShem wants us to be masters over our feelings and use them properly.

Shabbat Shalom

 

Naftali Kassorla

 

 

Parshat Va'yechi - A Promise For the Ages

Enjoy

Parshat Va'yechi

      In this week's parsha, the Torah continues to tell us of the reunion between Yaakov and Yosef. The Passuk says, "The time approached for Yisrael to die, so he called for his son for Yosef, and said to him, 'Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, please place your hand under my thigh and do kindness and truth with me,  please do not bury me in Egypt. And I will lie down with my fathers and you shall transport me out of Egypt and bury me in their grave." Yosef answers back to his father, "I will do in accordance to your words." But this isn't enough for Yaakov, as he reiterates to Yosef, "Swear to me" and as a result Yosef swears.

      At first glance, this episode is hard to understand. Just before this, in Parshat Mikeitz, after Yaakov hears the news that Yosef is still alive and is a ruler in Egypt, HaShem comes to Yaakov and says, "Do not be afraid of descending to Egypt...I shall surely bring you up." Rashi explains that HaShem Himself promised Yaakov that he would be buried in the land of Israel. According to this, why does Yaakov feel the need to push Yosef so hard to bury him in Israel? Wasn't the promise of Hashem enough? One could say that this teaches us that one must make 'Hishtadlut' (effort) to open up a path for Divine help, but this explanation isn't enough. We learn that Yosef was punished with two extra years imprison for asking the wine butler to speak to Pharaoh to get him out. It would seem that this was proper hishtadlut, but rather we learn from this episode that the forefathers are held to a higher standard than us, and they must rely solely on HaShem. It would follow that Yaakov, as one of the forefathers, did not need to put in so much hishtadlut in this case.

      Furthermore, the way Yaakov makes Yosef swear to him is reminiscent of how Avraham made his servant Eliezer swear to find his son Yitzchak a wife. (In both instances, the one swearing is asked to put his hand on the other's thigh.) Interestingly, the Medrash tells us that Eliezer wished that Yitzhak would marry his daughter, which explains why Avraham made him swear to take a girl only from Avraham's family – it could be that Avraham feared that Eliezer would give his own daughter instead. But does Yaakov really think that Yosef would not bury him with his father Yitzchak and grandfather Avraham in the Maharat HaMachpela? If Yaakov has nothing to fear, why is he so adamant?

      To answer these questions we must deal with another profundity. If we look at this weeks Haftorah we will notice an instant connection between it and the parsha: the ending of David and Yaakov's life, the gathering of their sons to bless them, and so on. Yet there is one disparity – David leaves an ethical will to his children to "Safeguard the charge of HaShem, your G-d, to walk in his ways, to observe his decrees, commandments ordinances and testimonies as written in the Torah of Moshe..." However, by Yaakov, there is no such ethical will; he only gives his children blessings. Where is Yaakov's ethical will?

      One could explain that Yaakov's urging of Yosef to bury him only in Eretz Yisrael serves exactly this purpose. Through this, he was sending a very powerful message to his children for all generations. Perhaps Yaakov saw the affluence with which Yosef lived in Egypt and he feared that he would get too comfortable in Egypt among his luxury and freedom, thus forgetting the bond between our nation and the land of Israel. (This also gives us more understanding as to why Yaakov stresses to be buried not only in Eretz Yisrael but also "...With my fathers," meaning to uphold the connection which Avraham and Yitzchak had to Eretz Yisrael by being buried among them.) Yaakov's emphasis on being buried in Eretz Yisrael would serve as a constant reminder to his children of the strong connection we have to this land. According to this, Yaakov completely trusted in HaShem's promise to him to be buried in Israel, and of course Yosef had no such thought to bury Yaakov in Egypt, but rather Yaakov wanted to stress this connection to the land of Israel to his offspring forever. This was Yaakov's ethical will.

     Today, our exile prevents us from living in Israel or, even for those of us who do live there, from fully connecting to G-d's presence in the land. However, we should always remember the bond that exists between Klal Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael, and with G-d's help, we will merit experiencing that bond in its totality very soon with the coming of Mashiach.

Shabbat Shalom 

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Naftali Kassorla

Chanuka Sameach

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy Chanuka!
Please see the attached.

~Naftali and Mindel Kassorla

Parshat Toldot

Parshat Toldot

This week's parsha tells us of the rivalry between Yaakov and Eisav. The Torah states that the "children were crushing within her." In explaining these words, Rashi brings two interesting ideas. When Rivka would pass houses of Torah study, Yaakov would push to get out, when she passed places of avodah zarah, Eisav would push. Rashi also quotes the Medrash saying that Yaakov and Eisav were struggling with one another over the inheritance of two worlds: this world and the world to come.    

   

This Medrash is perplexing, for as we all know, Eisav was a very evil person. Chazal tell us that on the very same day of Avraham's passing, Eisav committed idol worship, murder and licentious relations with a betrothed woman.  On a day of mourning, Eisav wasn't by his father's side comforting him or mourning the loss, rather he was out committing despicable and immoral acts. The question is: why is Eisav fighting Yaakov for this world? We already know that even from the womb, he planned to lead an improper life, as he was pushing when near places of idol worship. And throughout his life, he went against G-d's will and pursued physicality. The life he's going to lead won't be fulfilling; his chosen path does not bring him any real pleasure or enjoyment. As it says in Pirkei Avot (6-4) "This is the way of the Torah: Bread and salt will you eat, measured water will you drink, on the ground will you sleep………and in the Torah will you labor. If you do this……..'You are fortunate' in this world; 'and it is good for you' in the World to Come". We see from this that the real way to truly fulfill this world is only through Torah and mitzvoth. Chazal tell us that while we were in the womb, an angel taught us the whole torah. It would be safe to assume that this Mishna was also taught to Eisav in the womb, so why is Eisav fighting for this world – doesn't he know the emptiness of his way of life?

The answer is: it takes honesty and courage to look into oneself truthfully. The ability to feel the contradiction in ones life and to change for the better is a painful experience. One could even know the whole torah and its deepest meaning and still fool himself of the emptiness of the physical pleasures of this world. This was Eisav in his essence, a purely superficial person. This is why Eisavs nickname is Edom, for he called the lentils "that very red stuff." Eisav didn't even bother to call the food by its name; rather all he saw was the external. This defines his and his offspring's complete essence. A people that fawn over externals, and do not care about true internal content (case in point: Obama). When one does not have the courage to look truthfully at oneself, scars included, he will see depth in little else.

Modern western society views the attainment of money and power as the true sign of success in life. Yet if we look deeper, we will see a culture in which no one is happy or fulfilled. According to recent studies 20 percent of Americans are on some type of anti depressant, and nearly 59 million Americans have met with a therapist (parenthetically that number is almost 10 million more than there are uninsured Americans, which was called by many in the media an "epidemic" and thus necessitated "government intervention" – so where is the government therapy?!).* Thank G-d even in our current economic woes, our modern society is still the wealthiest and most abundant nation that has graced the earth. Yet with all of our amenities we are still depressed. These findings shouldn't come as a surprise to us, for Chazal tell us that if one has $100, he wants another $100 on top of that, meaning that no physical desire is ever truly fulfilled; It only grows bigger and bigger. And yet people still kill themselves to live this way! Why doesn't anyone just stop and think about their lack of happiness?

As we learned from Eisav's mistake, it is a difficult task to realize the falsities of this world and focus on what truly matters in life. May we all have the strength to do so.

Shabbat Shalom.

*Source: http://well.wvu.edu/articles/dispelling_the_top_eight_therapy_myths

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Naftali Kassorla

Shana Tova from the Kassorlas...

Parshat Devarim

Parshat Devarim

         This week’s parsha marks the beginning of the preparation for the nation to go into the land of Israel. With the people about to enter, Moshe Rabbeinu stands before them, leading them for the last time. Through veiled and sometimes explicit references to past infractions, Moshe scolds the nation and prepares them for their journey ahead.
In his speech, Moshe alludes to the sin of the Meraglim. Within this allusion, he also mentions his fate from the episode of Mei Meriva (the Waters of Strife) where Moshe, instead of speaking to the rock to bring forth water, chose to hit the rock. Moshe was penalized very sternly for this, and was prohibited from entering the land.
         At first glance, we see something peculiar here: when referencing his own punishment, Moshe rebukes the nation saying, “With me as well, HaShem became angry because of you.” This seems uncalled for – why would Moshe blame the nation for his own infraction? Is this the behavior fitting for a man of Moshe’s stature? To blame others for ones own mistakes? We can be sure that Moshe Rabbeinu did not rebuke the people for his own benefit or personal anger towards them. No, if he “blamed” them, it must have been because he had a message for them. What is that message?
         To answer this, we must first understand that there is a concept of cause and effect in the spiritual spheres. There is a famous saying in the name of R’ Yisrael Salanter, “When we here in Lithuania are learning and acting the way we should, there is a Jew in Germany who will decide not to smoke on Shabbat”. The effect that Torah learning has on this world cannot be measured – it can bring health and happiness as well as peace and serenity, as Chazal say, “Talmidei chachamim marbim shalom b’olam (Torah scholars increase peace in the World).” This idea is further explained in Nefesh HaChaim ('שער ג), where Rav Chaim Volozhiner says that the world runs solely on the merit of Talmud Torah – without the Torah the world would cease to exist. Spiritual actions have an incredible impact, even if we can not physically see it.        However, the flip side is that not doing our job properly leads to detrimental consequences in the world. It can cause Jews to give up observance and bring pain and hate to this world. Our actions have tremendous power, and with this power comes tremendous responsibility.
         Perhaps Moshe was trying to relay this message of collective responsibility to the nation. By saying that his own infraction was their fault, he was teaching them that when the communal service of HaShem is low, it has an affect on the entire nation, even the greatest among them.
         This idea can be a source of great chizzuk to us this Tisha B'av. It should steer us away from the negative thought that ones actions will accomplish very little, because we see from here the exact opposite is true. If each one of us takes upon ourselves to love another Jew just a little more, it will have far-reaching effects on the entire nation. If we each do just a little better in our daily actions and personally cry out to HaShem to rebuild the Beit Hamikdash, it can be the catalyst to overarching change in our world. This little bit goes a very long way.
     With your help, we will not have to see a Tish’a B’av this year.
     Shabbat Shalom

Parshat Matot-Masei

Parshat Matot-Masei

Among the many topics discussed in this week's parshiot is the episode of the tribes of Reuven and Gad. Having already conquered and settled the east bank of the land of Israel, Rueven and Gad ask Moshe Rabbeinu if instead of inheriting their share in Israel, they can keep these lands as their share. Moshe castigates the tribes for this request, because it might show the rest of the nation that they are afraid of entering the land, thus repeating the sin of the Meraglim. The tribes vow to Moshe that they will "arm themselves swiftly in the vanguard of the Children of Israel." Hearing this pledge Moshe replies to the tribes, "If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before HaShem for the battle…..then you shall return (i.e. your land)".

The Abarbanel points out a difference between the pledge of the tribes and Moshe's response: the tribes state that they will fight with their brethren, the children of Israel, yet Moshe responds that they will fight before HaShem. 

It seems that the tribe's affirmation of loyalty was based on the shared bond loyalty to their bothers; they did not want to leave the rest of the nation deserted in war. However Moshe's reply to them is "No, you must fight before HaShem," meaning that the reason for fighting should not be based a feeling of loyalty to the nation, but rather on the obligation to fulfill the will of HaShem. 

This Abarbanel is difficult to understand. Why does it seem that Moshe is reprimanding the tribes for their reason to fight? Are unity and loyalty not a foundation of the Torah? Given the time of year in which we now find ourselves, when we are told of the destructive effects of sinat chinam (baseless hatred) and the importance of ahavat Yisrael (love for fellow Jews), we would think that unity should be a central focus of our lives, and the performance of our mitzvot.

        In order to make sense of this, we must understand what it means to feel unity and compassion. Human definitions of compassion are imprecise, and are subject to societal changes. The absolute guarantee of consistent moral truth is reliance upon the definition of compassion which G-d, the Source of all morality, has set out for us. This is why it was imperative that the tribes enter their mission with the intention of doing HaShem's will, and not what they define as compassionate and correct.

        Sometimes we look at the commandments of the Torah and think "that is not moral" – as though we understand morality better than Hashem does.  But the Torah is the absolute standard of what is true, what is moral, compassionate and kind; it is our complete guide to life and is all-encompassing. That which falls outside the bounds of Torah and Halacha is by definition immoral. With our own subjective standards, we will make mistaken decisions, but when our innermost intention is to do everything "before HaShem," and we act according to the standards set by the Torah, then we can know our actions to be truly correct.  

        This was Moshe's message to the tribes and to us today, that the only way to deepen their brotherly connection is by doing the will of HaShem. May we have the strength in life to make all our decisions according to His Will and may we merit seeing the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash very soon.

Shabbat Shalom

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Naftali Kassorla

Parashat Chukat

Parashat Chukat

In this week's Parsha, when Miriam dies, the well of water which accompanied the Children of Israel in the wilderness in her merit ceases to do so, leaving Klal Yisrael complaining of thirst. In response to this, Hashem commands Moshe and Aharon: "Take the staff and gather together the Assembly, you and Aharon your brother. And you shall speak to the rock before their eyes, and it shall give its waters." [Bamidbar 20:7-8]. Then, "Moshe raised his arm and struck the rock with his staff twice." [ibid 20:11]. 

Hashem is angered that Moshe hits the rock instead of following His specific instruction to speak to the rock. "Hashem said to Moshe and Aharon: Because you did not believe in me to sanctify me in the eyes of the Children of Israel, therefore you will not bring this congregation to the land which I have given them." [ibid 20:12]. Here, Rashi explains that Hashem is saying, "Had you spoken to the rock, and it would have brought forth water, I would have been sanctified before the eyes of the Assembly, and they would have said 'Just as this rock, which neither speaks nor hears and does not need sustenance nevertheless fulfills the will of Hashem, how much more so should we fulfill His word.'" [Rashi, ibid]. 

At first glance, this seems difficult to understand. When Moshe hits the rock, it still brings forth water. Given that the Children of Israel do not know that Hashem commanded Moshe to speak to the rock, surely, whether Moshe hits the rock or speaks to it, they see the rock produce water and deduce that if a rock obeys Hashem, how much more so should humans obey Him. What is the special significance of speaking to the rock? Why can't the same message come across though hitting it?

Last week, in Parshat Korach, Korach and his followers were unwilling to accept that the Shechinah spoke through Moshe, and that Moshe's instructions to the Children of Israel were really Hashem's instructions. In our parsha, Klal Yisrael may learn from Moshe's action of hitting the rock that they are obligated to listen to Hashem but they would not deduce from this that Moshe was the transmitter of the divine word in this world.  Perhaps Hashem wanted Moshe to speak to the rock so that Klal Yisrael would understand that they are obligated to serve Hashem, from an act that resulted from Moshe's speech, thus correcting the mistake of Korach and his followers and reasserting Moshe's position as the emissary of Hashem. 

This can serve to remind us of the importance of having faith not only in the words of Hashem, but also in those of Moshe and our sages. Pirkei Avot begins with a statement of the authority of Moshe – "Moshe kibel Torah m'sinai" and passed it on, all the way down to the rabbis of later generations, entrusting them with that authority as well. In a world where we are rapidly losing respect for the instruction of the rabbis of long ago, as well as for our leaders today, it is vital for us to internalize this lesson. 

May we all strive to heed the advice of our wise leaders and we should then merit seeing the coming of Moshiach when we will hear Hashem's word directly once again.

Shabbat Shalom

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Naftali Kassorla