Categories
!Short Clips! synagogue

How to Improve Your Synagogue Experience – !Short Clip!

Rabbi David Aaron – A simple short two minute paradigm shift video about what the synagogue (shul) means to us.

Click the image to link to Rabbi Aaron’s Video

If you are interested in more videos from this Rabbi please visit this YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNbVf7ibtvSJTFGUOz4pf1g

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Categories
kosher

Why Kosher? – Sparks by Rabbi David Aaron

March 24, 2022

The first man and woman ate fruits and vegetables—not animals—in the Garden of Eden. It was only later, after the Flood during the time of Noah, that G-d allowed mankind to eat meat.

We cannot understand the exact connection between the sins of mankind and the subsequent permission to eat meat, but we do know that eating meat is a concession that G-d made. The ideal state of humanity is to be vegetarian.

One suggested reason for this concession is that humanity has an inclination for aggression and cruelty. Humans were not created cruel; they incorporated the characteristic over a period of time. And now that we are challenged with this inclination, we have to figure out how to sublimate it and eventually overcome it.

One way is through the consumption of meat. There is something cruel and vicious about eating meat; it is a way of releasing aggression. But sometimes people have a craving for it. Cravings are really our efforts to express and satisfy a need. Better we satisfy our need for aggression by eating meat than by doing something harmful to people, the Torah grants. Better we not have the urge for cruelty and aggression in the first place, but it is a reality that we now have to deal with and work to overcome.

Judaism does not advocate complete suppression of our negative urges rather it gives us outlets to sublimate them while guiding us to gradually overcome them. Therefore, when we crave, we must satisfy the craving in some way while working towards kicking the habit.

Take a drug addict, for example. There are two approaches to treating the addiction. One method is cold turkey—just stay off the stuff and go through an excruciating period of withdrawal. The other approach is measured withdrawal, which looks like hospital-sanctioned drug abuse but is really medical intelligence. To wean the addict, the doctors slowly administer, each day, decreasing amounts of the drug until the addiction is gone. If a person who did not know anything about this method walked into the hospital, from his limited perspective he would conclude that this place promotes drug abuse as an ideal.

In the same way, there are Torah laws that do not express the ideals of Judaism but exist as a way to reach those ideals. In the case of consuming meat, whether it is to satisfy a craving and sublimate the need for aggression or some other divine reason unknown to us, the Torah temporarily concedes and allows us to do it in the interest of helping us eventually overcome the urge and become vegetarians.

P.S.

People who are already vegetarian should not pride themselves and think that this is a sure sign that they are more spiritually and ethically evolved than anyone else.

How Ideal is the Law?

The Talmud states: “G-d says, ‘I created the evil inclination and I created Torah as its antidote” (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 85a). The Torah is an antidote to our negative and destructive inclinations. Therefore, the Torah may sometimes appear to be sanctioning some type of amoral behavior, but in fact, it is simply employing a realistic approach in order to empower people to stop doing what they otherwise may not have had the power to overcome on their own.

Keeping this essential principle in mind, we can now explore the meaning of eating kosher and some of the seemingly odd kosher laws.

Although, as we mentioned, Torah laws do not always indicate the ideal, without a doubt they outline a way towards reaching the ideals. Therefore, incorporated within such Torah laws are windows to the future.

The laws regarding kosher slaughter are one example. Although G-d allowed humanity to eat meat, one of the “Seven Laws of the Descendants of Noah” is the prohibition against eating a limb ripped off from a live animal. G-d deemed that although humanity needed an outlet for their cruelty this is too much.

As the world evolves G-d chose the Jewish people to become a model of ethical excellence for the rest of the world. Therefore, He placed upon them even more restrictions regarding the consumption of meat.

The laws of Kashrut generate an atmosphere of discomfort to remind us that eating meat is not ideal and to preserve, as much as possible, our humanness while we sublimate our cruel urges. Therefore, we cannot feel free to eat any animal we choose, certainly not those of a wild meat-eating nature. We cannot eat meat before removing its blood. And we must cover its blood and maintain a healthy sense of embarrassment. If we are not slaughtering our own meat then we must purchase only meat that we know has been slaughtered in this most uncomfortable and humane way.

If you are interested in more videos from this Rabbi please visit this YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNbVf7ibtvSJTFGUOz4pf1g

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Categories
Weekly Torah Portion

No one is asking your opinion – Parashat Shemini

Rabbi Alon Anava – Reflecting on one part of this week’s parasha (Shemini) of Aaron Hakohen’s (the High Priest) two sons who died right after the dedication of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), Rabbi Anava gives one of the reasons given by our Sages as to why this happened in the midst of such a celebratory time in our Nation’s history. It takes some patience until the end of the lecture to get the entire point of lecture. Also, Shemini is of particular importance to me as it’s my bar mitzvah parasha (which feels out of place data wise due to this year being a shana mehuberet (Jewish leap year) as Shemini is about a month earlier than usual).

If you are interested in more videos from this Rabbi please visit his YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0dP4ZdfDvIFQy4sm6yL8Qw

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Categories
Gedolei Torah

Rabbi Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim Kanievsky ZT”L רַב שמריהו יוסף חיים קַניֶבסקִי זצוק”ל

This is the incredible and phenomenal seder hayom (daily learning schedule) of Rav Chaim Kanievsky, זצוק”ל:

He would wake up a half hour after Chazos and say Tikun Chatzos, then he would learn:
11 pages of Zohar
10 Prakim of Tehillim
8 Prakim of Tanach
10 Simanim of Mishna Berura
8 Prakim of Rambam
10 Simanim of Tur and Shulchan Aruch
8 Daf of Talmud Bavli
8 Daf of Talmud Yerushalmi
8 Prakim of Midrashim
8 Daf of Kisvei HaAri
8 Daf of Kisvei Haramchal
Then he would write his chidushei Torah

Twice a day, for an hour, people would come for a Bracha.

He would make a siyum every year on all of Zohar, Tanach, Mishna Berura, Rambam, Tur, Shulchan Aruch, Shas Bavli, Tosefta, Shas Yerushalmi, Midrashim, Kisvei HaAri, and Kisvei Haramchal.

The Siyum always took place on Erev Pesach, 14 of Nissan, for Taanis Bchorim. This year, a leap year, he did the siyum on the 14 of Adar, the day before his petirah!

CREDIT (taken from this Linked In Post): https://www.linkedin.com/posts/shmuel-reichman-ma-ms-332884154_no-matter-who-you-are-this-will-leave-you-activity-6911764174939279360-WZfZ

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaim_Kanievsky

Categories
World Events

Leading Rabbis Speak on Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Rabbi Daniel Travis – Short 11 1/2 minute video (at the Kotel – Western Wall – in Jerusalem) on the spiritual reasons of the Ukraine/Russian War. Although I don’t understand a lot of the words Rabbi Travis uses the basic premises stated of taking on more learning Torah and extra kindness to others are good positive messages to take from the most recent World events.

Click here for more videos from this Rabbi go to this YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjMaM6rfcyEgICMADAFTTRQ

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Categories
Jewish Holidays

Purim: The victory over Haman or The Amalek Attack

Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz – Purim class on why the Jews were worthy of being destroyed and the elixir that saved the Jews from Haman Harasha (the hated) and Amalek.

Click here for more videos from this Rabbi’s on Yibonei’s YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnwd_5P2_hGVNkQfScEmP_w

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Categories
Jewish Holidays

Weekly Hashkafa Shiur #89 | Purim and the Power of G-d AUDIO

Rabbi Mendel Kessin – Shares some deep concepts about Purim and how important it is to the Jewish people and how to approach it to get the most out of it. The power of Purim can change our whole perspective about our past, our present, and our future.

If you are interested in more videos from this Rabbi please visit his YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIMIqdB5fEBERo-tan6K03A

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Categories
Jewish Holidays

KLM: Want more Kavanah for Purim? Prep for Purim

Rabbi Asher Baruch Wegbreit – Shares how we can prepare for Purim before it starts and plan out intention in advance. This will result in a more meaningful and connected experience. More bang for your spiritual buck! Also see the extra bonus post attachments to reference.

If you are interested in more videos from this Rabbi please visit his website: https://www.kavanahlmitzvos.com/

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Categories
Torah Learning

War Against G-d – Amalek Today

Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz – The first 20 minutes or so is jam packed with good stories about the Chofetz Chaim and how important it is not to reject others and at the very least to pray for them and have compassion for others.

Click here for more videos from this Rabbi’s on Yibonei’s YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnwd_5P2_hGVNkQfScEmP_w

Bonus Q&A Video:

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Categories
General Torah

The Shechina Is In Exile, But Where?

Rabbi David Yisrael Kalmus – In this video Rabbi Kalmus explains the concept of the upper tzaddik and the lower tzaddik. Some examples are: Moshe and Yehoshua, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and that G-d’s presence rests between these pairs. Also, an interesting perspective about why G-d’s presence is hidden today and a major cause is people learning for alterior motives.

If you are interested in more videos from this Rabbi please visit his YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXpoH1TewxolChPsAZsuAtAAdAiRMO7Ee

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