The fall is here. The sun is no longer burning hot in the middle of the sky; it is soft, caressing, nourishing the soul. The kind of sun you enjoy with your heart and mind as well as with your body. Now, as I write these lines, I look up to the ceiling of my apartment, and through the windows in the ceiling I see the sky is grey. Some people become sad when the fall arrives, but to me it's such an auspicious time. It is the feeling of home, an invitation to stay indoors, reflect inwards, lie on the sofa, read a good, thought-provoking book with a good cup of tea in my hand. Nice, quiet classic or jazz music in the background are the perfect match for this picture. I had a chance to do just that yesterday. I sometimes feel guilty when I read literature that is secular, that is not Torah-related, but I find that when I do, I learn a lot about myself, about human-relations, about life and life-perception, and about G-d. Even non-religious authors have perception of the spiritual realm, and it is so interesting to find reference to this in their books. I don't indulge in prose books so often, but when I do, it's such a delight.
We've finished reading a whole one-year cycle of the Torah, and this coming Shabbat we will start reading the whole Torah (and parts of the Prophets as well) from the beginning again. I recently started reading a book about the Book of Genesis called "The Beginning of Wisdom", by Leon Kass. I try to read one chapter of it every Shabbat. The author is a "secular" professor in Chicago, but when you read his words, you see that he does have faith. Still, for religious people, some of his ideas are totally foreign, but in others you can find a lot of taste. We'll see if I can finish the book or not. I tried once and stopped, but I hope to be able to read it through this time.
WhatsApp is such an amazing application. It can literally change the world. I was slow to join it, refusing to be part of the social-media revolution, but I realize now it is such a potent tool - you can use it to do harm, or you can use it to do good in the world, and if you choose the latter, you can really transform the world and people's lives in it. It can be a convenient tool to care for the weak in society (posting messaged on their behalf asking for any kind of help, etc.), it can be a convenient tool for organizing charitable projects. It's really amazing.
One more use of it that I find blissful is the fact that you can get recordings of Torah classes. So as I do my morning walk, I listen these days to recorded classes about the whole Bible - all the Prophets, and Scriptures. It is so enriching, and I feel it clarifies things for me, historically and otherwise. I feel like I would like to listen to the whole series of classes, and when I'm done, to do it all over again, and again and again, until I remember everything that was said there. The Rabbi that sends these class recordings is teaching in a Yeshivah (Torah school) in the Golan, he is very educated and it is a delight listening to him. I feel like I know so much now about Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Hosea. The next book I'll start listening to next week is Joel (I joined the WhatsApp group after they finished Isaiah, but I will listen to it too sometime).
I'm delighted to say that I finished writing my first book. Well, not really a 'book', more like a 'booklet', but it has the blueprint in it for me to expand it into a full-length book sometime, if I wish to do so. It is an essay about Israel and the fulfillment of the prophecies in our times and through history. It is in Hebrew and meant for secular Israeli audience, mostly university students like I used to be. I hope to open their eyes to what I found out in my life, without them having to do all the world-wide journey that I did to find the truth. I felt an amazing back-wind when I did this, plus, it seems like a HUGE wave of return to G-d washes all over the country, even those who are born to secular families. It feels like in every family, G-d "planted" one person who returns to His Torah and affects the rest of the family in this direction. But a lot of effort is being done by people, and I feel compelled from within to do something like this too. It kind of burned inside me, and I finished writing it in two days. Now I just have to proof-read and design it, and then print it. I have to figure out how to do that so that it should look like a book and not like a bunch of A4 pages. We'll see.
I just heard on a radio show here that a few good months ago, the Israeli military Intelligence warned Australia of a planned terrorist attempt to bomb a passenger jet. Thanks to that warning, the Australians were able to arrest the terrorists before they boarded the plane. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said something very true: Whatever curse the world throws at Israel, Israel finds a way of translating it into a blessing for the world. This is just one such example. Israel, who suffered great losses because of the curse of terrorism, is now a blessing to the world in that it helps the world protect itself against this very same curse. In this week's Portion, G-d promises Abraham that in him will all the nations of the world be blessed, and the same promise was given to Jacob as well later on. We merit to see in our days how these prophecies are being fulfilled.
In relation to what I wrote above, the Prophet portion (Haftorah) we read about the people of Israel this week is from Isaiah 42: "Thus saith God the LORD, He that created the heavens, and stretched them forth, He that spread forth the earth and that which cometh out of it, He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and have taken hold of thy hand, and kept thee, and set thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations;To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house."
To open blind eyes I try.
Shabbat Shalom
Friday, October 25, 2019
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Simchat Torah
It's been a while since I last wrote here. It's a pity, because there were so many things to write about - all the wonderful Portions of Deuteronomy, and now the High Holidays, etc. Every one of these things merits to have innumerable books written about, not to mention a short blog post. But I didn't find the motivation to do it. I often wonder how many people really read this, and if it has any effect in the world.
Jerusalem is such an exciting place to be in on any random day, but especially on the Holiday of Sukkot. Today is the last day of this holiday. I took my smartphone for a Sukkot shooting walk in my new neighborhood and the neighboring one. So many sukkot, it is so nice to see. Sukkot is also the holiday of the nations. When we had the Temple, our priests sacrificed a bull for every one of the nations of the world, praying for their peace and welfare. And the city is full of visitors from every country today, it is dazzling.
One of the most moving events that I merited to witness this holiday was the Singing of the Levites. Levites are Jews from the tribe of Levi, usually carrying the family name of Levi, Levin, Levinas, etc. They are direct descendants of the tribe of Levi, and their role in the Temple was to sing, to play trumpets, and to help the Kohanim (Cohen family, Jewish priests) in their work in the Temple. They were also assigned the job to teach Torah to each of the tribes of Israel, and therefore they had no piece of land for themselves, they were scattered among the tribes. When we (the tribes of Judea and Benjamin) were exiled, the Levis in these tribes were exiled with us. And when we returned to Israel after 2000 years, they returned with us. Last week, a big group of Levis, Levites, stood on the southern stairway of the Temple Mount and sang the Psalms there (including Psalm 122 that I love so much, and other Psalms of Ascension that the Levites used to sing in the old days), and also played the traditional trumpets - for the first time in 2000 years. It was SO moving, really incredible. We feel that our return to the Holy Temple and the full redemption are really near.
https://www.facebook.com/JewishInspiration5773/videos/521552461969847/
I feel privileged to be able to document these things and share them with you here.
Today is the last day of Sukkot. Tomorrow we will read in synagogues the last Portion of the Torah and finish the reading cycle of one year, and then immediately we will start reading the very first Portion of the Torah - from Genesis 1:1. This holiday is called Simchat Torah ("The Joy of Torah"), and in Leviticus 23 it is referred to as "The Eighth Day" of Sukkot. I remember this holiday as a child. I lived in a small community in the Northern Negev, called after Isaiah 35:7, and it was very new, there was no synagogue yet. One of the houses in the community was turned into a synagogue. I remember sitting on my father's wide shoulders, receiving the typical Simchat Torah flag and running around with all the other kids. All of us also received a special candy: an apple, coated with red sugar-candy. Because I didn't like apples (and also didn't like this kind of candies), I was always disappointed. I wish they had given us chocolates instead :-) Anyway, scrolls of Torah were taken out of the holy ark, and people were dancing with them, and we were kissing them. It is one of my childhood memories. A few years later there was already a big, beautiful synagogue in the community, even though it is a secular community.
I have very fond memories of Sukkot itself - my father sticking natural wood logs into pits he dug in the ground, and then we covered the four corners of the Sukkah with white bed-linen. The most fun part was making decorations for the Sukkah, and then sitting there and eating there. It was so special. Later, at the age of 12, when my mother was remarried and we moved to the city, there was no longer Sukkah. Secular people who live in the city do not bother building sukkahs. It is such a shame. Sukkah is such a family thing, it is a home.
Anyway, when we moved to the city, I lost my home a few times - the community grew and became much more bourgeois, the original population moved and different kinds of people moved in instead, my childhood friends moved out to different communities, etc. At least the kindergarten, school and little clinic stay the same :-) It is located not far from Gaza, and when I was a child, my uncles used to have friends from Gaza and fix their cars there, there was no problem at all, it was peaceful and nice, but then incitement of the Arab leaders started a fire, and we know what the results of it are today. A pity. By the way, one of the largest families in Gaza is the Al-Masri family (meaning: "The Egyptian"). Most of them came to Israel from Egypt. And to think that in the past there used to be a thriving Jewish community in Gaza, this is unbelievable today, but it is true. Jews lived in Gaza. But now they can only die there. And in my old community, they sometimes get missiles from Gaza.
Anyway, I'm happy that I'm in Jerusalem now. I would not want to live in a remote community far from Jerusalem. I can't live without the air of Jerusalem, without the light of Jerusalem. And I feel that some of my missions in life are directly related to Jerusalem. So as long as I can, I want to live here. This is THE place, and the eyes of the whole world are on Jerusalem. The real drama of humanity and life is taking place here. Ever since I was a child I thought to myself that Jerusalem is the most beautiful place on earth. I was right.
Anyway, the holiday is just around the corner, and I have to start preparing.
Have a wonderful day, and write to me if you can.
Hag Sameach,
Revital
Jerusalem is such an exciting place to be in on any random day, but especially on the Holiday of Sukkot. Today is the last day of this holiday. I took my smartphone for a Sukkot shooting walk in my new neighborhood and the neighboring one. So many sukkot, it is so nice to see. Sukkot is also the holiday of the nations. When we had the Temple, our priests sacrificed a bull for every one of the nations of the world, praying for their peace and welfare. And the city is full of visitors from every country today, it is dazzling.
One of the most moving events that I merited to witness this holiday was the Singing of the Levites. Levites are Jews from the tribe of Levi, usually carrying the family name of Levi, Levin, Levinas, etc. They are direct descendants of the tribe of Levi, and their role in the Temple was to sing, to play trumpets, and to help the Kohanim (Cohen family, Jewish priests) in their work in the Temple. They were also assigned the job to teach Torah to each of the tribes of Israel, and therefore they had no piece of land for themselves, they were scattered among the tribes. When we (the tribes of Judea and Benjamin) were exiled, the Levis in these tribes were exiled with us. And when we returned to Israel after 2000 years, they returned with us. Last week, a big group of Levis, Levites, stood on the southern stairway of the Temple Mount and sang the Psalms there (including Psalm 122 that I love so much, and other Psalms of Ascension that the Levites used to sing in the old days), and also played the traditional trumpets - for the first time in 2000 years. It was SO moving, really incredible. We feel that our return to the Holy Temple and the full redemption are really near.
https://www.facebook.com/JewishInspiration5773/videos/521552461969847/
I feel privileged to be able to document these things and share them with you here.
Today is the last day of Sukkot. Tomorrow we will read in synagogues the last Portion of the Torah and finish the reading cycle of one year, and then immediately we will start reading the very first Portion of the Torah - from Genesis 1:1. This holiday is called Simchat Torah ("The Joy of Torah"), and in Leviticus 23 it is referred to as "The Eighth Day" of Sukkot. I remember this holiday as a child. I lived in a small community in the Northern Negev, called after Isaiah 35:7, and it was very new, there was no synagogue yet. One of the houses in the community was turned into a synagogue. I remember sitting on my father's wide shoulders, receiving the typical Simchat Torah flag and running around with all the other kids. All of us also received a special candy: an apple, coated with red sugar-candy. Because I didn't like apples (and also didn't like this kind of candies), I was always disappointed. I wish they had given us chocolates instead :-) Anyway, scrolls of Torah were taken out of the holy ark, and people were dancing with them, and we were kissing them. It is one of my childhood memories. A few years later there was already a big, beautiful synagogue in the community, even though it is a secular community.
I have very fond memories of Sukkot itself - my father sticking natural wood logs into pits he dug in the ground, and then we covered the four corners of the Sukkah with white bed-linen. The most fun part was making decorations for the Sukkah, and then sitting there and eating there. It was so special. Later, at the age of 12, when my mother was remarried and we moved to the city, there was no longer Sukkah. Secular people who live in the city do not bother building sukkahs. It is such a shame. Sukkah is such a family thing, it is a home.
Anyway, when we moved to the city, I lost my home a few times - the community grew and became much more bourgeois, the original population moved and different kinds of people moved in instead, my childhood friends moved out to different communities, etc. At least the kindergarten, school and little clinic stay the same :-) It is located not far from Gaza, and when I was a child, my uncles used to have friends from Gaza and fix their cars there, there was no problem at all, it was peaceful and nice, but then incitement of the Arab leaders started a fire, and we know what the results of it are today. A pity. By the way, one of the largest families in Gaza is the Al-Masri family (meaning: "The Egyptian"). Most of them came to Israel from Egypt. And to think that in the past there used to be a thriving Jewish community in Gaza, this is unbelievable today, but it is true. Jews lived in Gaza. But now they can only die there. And in my old community, they sometimes get missiles from Gaza.
Anyway, I'm happy that I'm in Jerusalem now. I would not want to live in a remote community far from Jerusalem. I can't live without the air of Jerusalem, without the light of Jerusalem. And I feel that some of my missions in life are directly related to Jerusalem. So as long as I can, I want to live here. This is THE place, and the eyes of the whole world are on Jerusalem. The real drama of humanity and life is taking place here. Ever since I was a child I thought to myself that Jerusalem is the most beautiful place on earth. I was right.
Anyway, the holiday is just around the corner, and I have to start preparing.
Have a wonderful day, and write to me if you can.
Hag Sameach,
Revital
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