POSITIVE MIND SET – MIND OVER MATTER HIDDEN WITH THE OLIVE

                                   

               A study was conducted by a team of researchers from New York University who used   functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in an effort to determine whether the trait of optimism can be identified with a particular area of the brain.  The subjects were told to think about the outcomes of important future events as they were being scanned.  The scans showed that the more optimistic the person’s outlook was, the more activity emanated from a part of the brain known as the Rostral Anterior Cingulate Cortex which the size of an olive (kezayis).  The implications of this discovery resonate in other areas of our lives and are worth some additional exploration.

          The propensity for optimism has long been a defining element of human culture. Winston Churchill, a previous Prime minister of England, once said: “A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity, whereas an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” Optimism produces a positive outlook that we perceive as joy.  Our holy (Torah) Jewish teachings instructs us to strive to achieve a state of happiness (simcha) – (mitzvah gedola li’yot b’simcha).  This heightened state of positive consciousness provides us with the incentive to improve ourselves and the world around us.

 In order to fulfill these optimistic goals, the Creator has provided us with food that contains within it sparks of holiness that are made available to be absorbed through the blessings (brachas) we say before and after eating.  The minimum amount of food required in order to say an after-bracha  is a ) an olive sized portion (kezayis) of the food. 

Can we find a connection between the (kezayis) olive sized portion of food necessary for an after bracha with the olive sized “seat” of optimism in the brain since spiritual reality is reflected in this physical world?  Perhaps one of the reasons that an olive has been chosen to represent the minimum size (shiur) for a concluding bracha is that its oil symbolizes wisdom and has the power to illuminate the darkness.  Similarly the blessings we say after eating contain profound spiritual wisdom which has the power to illuminate even the greatest darkness with the “light” of positive optimism.

            The more stringent view of some Rabbis (poskim) is that because of certain halachic factors, regarding the size referred to for the measurement of a shiur, it is preferred if possible to eat double the quantity – two kezaysim – before making an after-bracha. Perhaps we can also gain from these thoughts that, as we come closer to the final redemption (geula), since spiritual stature of the generations has lessened, and we should endeavor to “re-double” our efforts to reawaken our optimism. Perhaps you may you ask, where do we see two kezaysim in our fMRI models? Interestingly enough, there are actually two areas in the brain opposite each other, each about two inches from each of our ears where these optimistic impulses have been observed.  

              Our brachos act as spiritual “refineries” to transform the physical food into a refined source of spiritual energy. In the fourth bracha of the blessings after a bread meal (Bircat Hamazon) we say: “…He did good, He does good and He will do good to us. He was bountiful with us, He is bountiful with us, and He will be bountiful with us forever with grace and with kindness and with compassion, with relief and rescue, success, blessing , salvation, consolation, substance, support , compassion, life, peace and all good and of all good things may He forever not deprive us.

              After saying such a wonderful bracha blessing we should always be filled with optimism.

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

PARSHA TERUMAH – THE STAVES WILL REMAIN ON THE SIDE OF THE ARK

                     In parshas Terumah 25: 8 – 16  states: “They shall make a Sanctuary for Me – so that I may dwell among them – like everything that I show you, the form of the Tabernacle and the form of all its vessels; and so you shall do. They shall make an Ark of acacia wood, two and one half cubits its length; and a cubit and one half its width; and a cubit and one half its height. You shall cover it with pure gold from within and from without you shall cover it, and you shall make a gold crown all around. You shall cast for it four rings of gold and place them on its four corners, two ring on its one side and two rings on its second side. You shall make staves of acacia wood and cover them with gold; and insert the staves in the rings on the sides of the Ark, with which to carry the Ark. The staves will remain in the rings of the Ark; they may not be removed from it. You shall place in the Ark the Testimonial-tablets that I shall give you.”

               Pusack 8 sets the foundational tone of the purpose of the making a Sanctuary for Me: that being – it is made for the purpose of fulfilling Hashem’s will of being a place where the (Shekina) Divine Radiance dwells and is revealed. “That I may dwell among them’– teaches each of us that in order to have the Divine Presence reveal itself within us we need to prepare ourselves a sincere pure place in our personal Sanctuary – that being are our transformed physical bodies allowing for the Divine Radiance connected to our (Neshoma) Soul to dwell within us. ‘Like everything that I show you, the form of the Tabernacle and the form of the vessels; and so shall you do’. That I show you is written in the present tense to teach us that continuously we must strive to build our Tabernacle and vessels anew, never resting on our laurels or being content with our past actions or efforts. The service of Hashem should always be seen and experienced as an ongoing inspirational growth and formation of renewing our personal Tabernacle. This requires us, in order to allow the presence of Hashem to be revealed within us, to break free of the bonds of physicality in both time and place transcending the finite thereby allowing ourselves to be unified with the Infinite.

               “They shall make the Ark of acacia wood…”– The Ark which is the vessel containing the Torah was gold plated inside and out with the center made of acacia wood. Acacia wood symbolizes growth and development which parallels our need to be constantly striving to rise upward, however this species of trees was not fruit bearing perhaps symbolizing that it is not our work that makes us fruitful but only the blessing from Hashem. Gold plaited inside represents the sincerity and purity of our thoughts. The gold plaited on the outside parallels the sincerity of our efforts.

          Pusak 12: ‘You shall cast for it four rings of gold and place them on its four corners…and insert the staves in the rings on the sides of the Ark, with which to carry the Ark. The staves shall remain in the rings of the Ark; they may not be removed from it.’ Rav S. R Hirsch expresses beautifully that the permanent presence of the staves symbolizes the concept that the Torah is not tied to any one place; wherever Jews go, willing or otherwise, our Torah goes with us, for the means of its transport is always attached to it. We also need to feel this way in our connection with the Torah that we are always attached to it no matter in what place or circumstance we find ourselves.

              The Cazal tell us that the Ark carried itself and those around it only looked like they were carrying it. This message travels with us through every moment of life. The Torah is eternal and emanates directly from her Infinite source. When we willingly accept upon ourselves to walk in the ways of the Torah – meaning guarding its precepts and fulfilling its commandments then Hashem will help us see who really “carries” us through life. May we merit to come close and travel with the Torah of Hashem that will light up the darkness paving a clear path leading to redemption, love and peace.  

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

HAR SINAI – SEARCHING FOR THE MESSAGE

               This world is filled with treasure hunters—people looking for riches in all of its forms –wealth, power, position and glory.  They search high and low for clues and directional signposts to show them the way. A recent article reported on the activities of one of the most successful hedge fund managers in the world whose fund returns a whopping 36% a year (net before fees).  To accomplish this he uses  a  vast array of sophisticated computing equipment reputed to be worth over 600 million dollars and 150 employees who hold doctoral degrees in fields as diverse as  astrophysics and linguistics rather than in finance.  All of this combined brain power is used to sift through huge amounts of raw data eliminating what appears to be irrelevant information or “noise”  and  scrutinizing what remains for patterns with the goal of  discerning   investment trends and directions.  If we think about it, the tools for this search may be  new, but the methodology is not. It is the age old process of mining for minerals and gold by clearing through tons of dirt and rock  to reveal the riches within, using computers rather than digging tools.

            So much of mankind is on a seemingly never ending search for success and fortune, however, at best, their endeavors  produce only transitory gains. This is in contrast to the enduring legacy of our nation which we acquired 3300 years ago when we merited to receive the durable, eternal wealth of our holy Jewish teachings (Torah).

            At the giving of the Torah, we were not asked to be searchers seeking out subtle clues and vague directives.  We did not have to explore the heavens and plumb the depths of the seas.  We did not even have to climb to the top of the lowest mountain upon which it was given in order to receive it. It was brought down to us—by our leader and emissary, Moshe Rabbeinu. The question then as now was not how to find it,  but rather how are we to comprehend, appreciate and incorporate its treasured value into our lives?  There are maps and guideposts that are available to help us with this exploration.  All it requires is for us to take a fresh look at some old familiar landscapes.

              To start we might wish to consider the place of its presentation. The desert is a place that is separated from the busyness of the world—a place where the world’s standards and distractions do not impinge—a place where we lacked the ability to be self sustaining, but in fact had to rely upon the Creator’s (Hashem’s) kindness and protection.  In this place, greatness is measured in humility rather than in power and wealth for ones’ very survival depended upon the willingness to humbly accept the direction of the Creator of the Universe.  And thus we find our first  prerequisite for “mining” the treasure that is our Torah—that is the ability to allow the Torah to guide us rather than us making determinations that impose our own limitations upon it.

          Another key for accessing the Torah’s eternal wisdom and guidance is derived from the fact that it was given from above but was received below.  This alludes to the fact that the Torah emanates from a place that is “above” natural law, but in order for us to benefit from the wealth of our Torah these teachings need to descend into all facets of our lives.

             How does this happen? Ordinarily, it is difficult to evoke changes in habits and behavior, therefore perhaps the intense roaring thunder and streaking lightening bolts at Har Sinai may have been much more than just an introduction of the giving of the Torah but actually served to “jolt” the whole nation out of their old mind set in order to elicit the new spiritual revelation that was to follow.  For us it can serve as a lesson reminding us that  before valuable growth in the service of Hashem) can occur, there often comes a challenging “storm” – ie: a difficult situation or person that  jolts us and in so doing actually helps us to realign with Torah directed sensibility and sensitivity. 

             This perhaps explains the fact that the entire nation experienced a transposition of the senses in which they heard what they saw and saw what they heard. We, who are the beneficiaries of the Sinai revelation, can continue to benefit from this vital experience, if when hearing of some else’s difficult problems – we see what we can do to help them. Likewise when we see someone struggling – if we allow ourselves to hear our inner voice guiding us as to how we can react most sensitively to their needs, we will hopefully bring closer the final redemption (geula), may it be soon in our days.

             

 

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia