A LINGUISTIC JOURNEY ON (NOACH’S) NOAH’S ARK

                                 
 


Have you ever stopped to think about
just how much in our lives depends upon (teivos) words?  Although in theory, we could manage the basic
tasks of  survival without them, it
doesn’t take much imagination to appreciate that without language we would
probably function much as the animals do, but in a less accomplished fashion,
since we lack the instincts and physical prowess that they were given.   Language is a repository for human traditions
and culture. Each nation uses words that convey the collective cultural,
historical and geographic experiences of its people and their unique
worldview.  These words, however, are
descriptive, but not creative.

(Lashon Hakodesh) Hebrew is a unique language in that it was
the instrument with which the Creator fashioned the creation. Thus the DNA, the blueprint, of the created universe, exists
within the letters and words of the (Torah) Five Books of Moses.   Consequently a word in Lashon Hakodesh
not only describes the subject, it literally creates it and continues to do
so.  

When (Hashem) G-d brought the flood
waters to inundate the world, He directed Noach to build a (teiva)
Ark.  In Lashon Hakodesh, “ark”
and “word” are cognates, that is, they are both composed of the same
letters.  This is not mere
coincidence.  There is a profound
spiritual message in that equivalence.  
Sheltered within that “word-Ark”- were all of the precious letters and
words which were going to ensure the continued physical and most significantly
the spiritual survival of its hand picked human passengers and their ecosystem,
the necessary animals, birds and vegetation that made up their world.

This “word-Ark” was constructed of
certain specific dimensions. The dimensions of the Ark were (shin) three
hundred (amos) cubits long; (nun) fifty (amos) cubits wide and (lamed)
thirty (amos) cubits high. The three letters, nun, shin and lamed,
which are embedded within these dimensions, form an(rashei teivos)
acronym for the three major motivators of human behavior – the (neshama)
soul, the (seichel) mind, and the (lev) heart. 

These qualities are expressed through
the personalities of the three sons of Noach whose names were: Shem, Cham and
Yafes.  Shem personifies the (neshama)
soul in all of us
which ideally is drawn to the spiritual and dedicated to
learning and following the ways of Hashem. 
Cham personifies our (lev) hearts through which the emotions are
expressed.  Yafes personifies our (seichel
)intellect
whose cultural and esthetic pursuits should ideally be directed
at refining and adorning a person’s good deeds and Torah study ( as it is
written in the Zohar Chadash Part I  parashas Noach, 36a).

          Like
the Ark – words, too, are a vehicle. 
They are the repository for our thoughts, ideas, dreams and hopes.  Just as the Ark had three dimensions, length,
width and height, language has three dimensions.  These dimensions in our verbal expression
provide the means for setting course and direction and maintaining balance and
stability in our lives.   The quality in
language which gives direction to our thoughts is our seichel,
our unique intelligence that assists us in navigating through life’s
challenges.  This attribute is expressed
through the Ark’s shin amos length. The characteristic of
language that provides stability and guidance is our neshama
which endow us with the spiritual balance that keeps us at an even keel as we
face adversity during our voyage through the seas of this physical world.  This attribute is expressed though the nun
amos
width of the Ark. The trait in language which provides the emotional
coloration, the vitality and enthusiasm is the lev – our
heart.  This attribute is expressed
through the lamed amos height of the Ark.

We are all well aware of the power of
speech which can either build or destroy worlds.   When Shem, our neshoma, takes the lead in
our lives and focuses us upon the service of Hashem, and Yafes, our minds which
supplies the intellectual support for that endeavor and in conjunction with
Cham, our hearts providing the inspiration, we are able to produce spiritually
empowered  (siach) speech spelled
out in Loshen HaKodesh – the Sin of Sham, the Yud
of Yafes and the
Ches of Cham which becomes the
vehicle for the Torah directed communication of ideas that shapes and sustains
the world.

             When Noach emerged from the Ark,
he offered (korbano) sacrifices, to praise and thank Hashem.  Today, we accomplish this through our words
of (tefilla) prayer.  Indeed, when
we perform the (mitzvos) commandments and make them the primary focus of our
lives, they become the guiding light over all aspects of our neshama,
thereby transforming our siach, speech, into a sincere appeal for our
long awaited (Moshiach) true redeemer.  Moshiach spelled in the order of mem, shin,
yud, ches
alludes to the perfection of all mankind through our Mitzvos
guiding our neshamosShem – to its fulfillment, then directing
our intellect – Yafes to its fullest potential and thereby guiding our
heart – Cham – to its fullest potential. This will be one of the powers
of healing and rectification that the Moshiach will bring to the world.                                     

                                                            
   



              May we all fill our (teivos)
Arks
with (kedusha) holiness so that they can serve as a sanctuary
for us in our voyage through this world thereby meriting to complete our
passage through the storms of (galus) exile safely returning us to our
home port of final (geula) redemption 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

IN RETROSPECT THE SUCCAH WHERE HEAVEN AND EARTH MEET

                                                                                 

We live in two realms simultaneously – the physical world that we can see, hear and touch and the spiritual world of  the neshama which is connected to Hashem and is accessible through thoughtful contemplation.  The Succah is the extraordinary instrumentality that allows us to make a smooth transition from the see – hear – smell touch world of the physical to the place of our neshama-consciousness.  In the Succah, we can actually experience the transformation; Whether we have carefully observed and absorbed this process as it was occurring or do so now in retrospect,  we can take this special consciousness with us into the rest of the year so that what happens on the neshama level does not remain hidden from us.  What is the nature of this transformation?

 The perception of change in the physical world is accomplished by enhancing our intellect through the acquisition of knowledge, by physical growth and sometimes by adorning ourselves and by changing or improving our environments and is accompanied by signs that we can perceive with our senses.   Thus a baby is weaned.  A child begins cheder. A youth learns a new masechta.  A young woman becomes a kallah. A family moves into a new home. However, when it comes to spiritual growth, unless we are paying attention to the subtle changes inside of ourselves  we can pass through various stages of spiritual growth without marking the event consciously. We see the results when eventually they manifest themselves as changes in our temperament and in our reactions, but that can take a very long time and sometimes by the time we “notice” the change we are not able to consciously work on it to enhance it or, r’l if it be a change down the ladder, to uproot it.

        To rebalance this, Hashem has given us Chodesh Tishrei in which  we are encouraged to participate in the spiritual rectifications necessary to meeting the challenges of the new year.  The Holy days of Tishrei which precede Succos teach us how to use in-sight and search our hearts with our inner eyes to root out those negative attributes that diminish our holiness.  We are then prepared to enter the spiritual realm called Succah.  In this realm we encounter the Divinely inspired influences of the Ushpizin –the special guests we invite into our Succahs. 

These, our Shepherds, aid us in the rectification and renewal of  the seven principal character traits that  form the infra-structure of our personalities: Under the influence of  our forefather Avraham we are aided in the development of  the trait of Chesed– the exercise of  loving- kindness for the sake of Heaven.  Under the influence of our forefather Yitzchak we are aided in the development of the trait of Gevurah  which is the use of discipline to direct and channel kindness so that it can be constructive rather than destructive.  Under the influence of  Yaakov Avinu  we are shown how to use Torah to develop Teferes which is the trait that harmonizes loving kindness and discipline.  Our next guest,  Our Teacher Moshe Rabbeinu helps us understand Netzach that eternal component within us that connects us to Hashem and makes it possible for us to fulfill the  Creator’s will.  Under the tutelage of Aaron HaKohan we experience Hod, splendor in service of Hashem. Yosef HaTzadik – Yesod  inspires us and encourages us to cleave to   moral purity in righteousness.  David HaMelech – Malchus demonstrates the power of royalty to orchestrate and combine all of these attributes and  implant in us those aspirations and decisions that will enhance our holiness and our ability to come closer to Hashem in the upcoming year.  

David Hamelech sings “ V’Ani tefilasi lecha Hashem . . .”    In a certain spiritual sense our Succahs are a form of concretized prayer which embodies those crucial elements that form us. Like ourselves, the Succah is composed of  earthly and heavenly components.  That combination of body and soul; of the material and the spiritual is epitomized by the s’chach – the thatched roof of our Succahs — because the s’chach represents the quintessential form of Divine protection and blessing. 

Thus by understanding the connection between the halachas of the s’chach and ourselves we can direct our lives throughout the whole year: 1) the s’chach must be made from material which originally grew from the ground—mechubar l’karka.  We too are connected to this physical world through our bodies and our senses which create a strong psychological bond to this world.   2) The material used for the  s’chach must be detached from the ground. Perhaps the Torah is thus declaring to us that in order to be elevated and reconnected to the Heavenly realm even while we are still living in this world we need to uproot our psychological, emotional and intellectual attachment to the nonessential pulls of this world 3) The s’chach must not be a  keli (vessel) which is capable of  receiving tumah—spiritual impurity. Although the halachas, laws, of  spiritual impurity are  very complex  and we thus are unable to cover them here, we can say that  most kelim that have import and value are susceptible to spiritual impurity.  Perhaps this third halacha of the s’chach is therefore coming to teach us that  we need to  be extremely diligent in annulling those prideful and self  righteous parts of our egos, replacing them with  a humble but sturdy sense of self respect.

 A halacha that directs the placement of the s’chach offers an additional illuminating insight. The roof of the succah must be sufficiently porous to allow rain to fall through it and ideally have openings large enough to allow us to see the stars.  We can learn a profound lesson from this halacha.  Even when we live in a permanent dwelling, with its impermeable ceilings, covered by a solid roof, we can look up and see right through this illusory protection to the true Protector,  Aveinu Shebashamayim.  

 This means that as we mature and become less dependent upon others and less enamored of the lures of this world, we can step up to a level of self nullification that  allows us to acknowledge the true Source of all security and sustenance in life.  This is a great lesson for us.  Our bittel to Hashem’s Torah keeps us protected from the powers of tumah as symbolized through the s’chach which is the conduit for Divine protection and revelation. May we merit to take the message of the s’chach back into to our homes opening our doors and our hearts to the will of Hashem.

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

DWELLING IN SUKKAH CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

                                                                                                                                                                  Once
again we find ourselves standing at the entranceway to the season of Sukkos. Have
we ever taken the occasion to consider the meaning of a mitzvah that we
literally step into and dwell within  for
seven full days?

            From
Caterpillar to Butterfly

            Just
as we can observe dramatic changes within the creation, such as the transition
of the relatively graceless dawdling caterpillar into a gracefully airborne
butterfly, so also we at times observe quite dramatic changes in the course of
our lives. Examples of these milestones our when we learned how to walk and
talk, graduated, became engaged, began a new job or moved. However, when it
comes to spiritual growth, unless we pay close attention to the subtle changes
inside of ourselves, we can pass through the various stages of development and
transformation without being fully aware of them.

            The sukkah can serve as our
spiritual cocoon

             In order for us to begin dwelling in sukkah
consciousness we need to remove any “roofs” of perceptual limitation and
replace them with the supernal lattice –s’chach –which allows us to widen our
spiritual horizons. By understanding the connection between the halachas of
the s’chach and ourselves , we can begin to peer through the gaps and gaze into
the supernal realms of our lives.
 

              The Sukkah can be seen as a form of
concretized prayer which contains all the components necessary for our
spiritual metamorphosis. The mitzvah of sukkah is one of those divinely
constructed conduits that enables us to make that smooth transition to the next
level of our avodas Hashem. This transformation is made available to us through
the halachas of the sukkah.

            The
sukkah in a metaphysical sense is like a human being with a body and a soul, as
it is composed of both earthly and heavenly components.  This duality is reflected in the s’chach  which originated from a natural substance that
was attached to the ground and is now uprooted from its soil ( even as Avraham
Aveinu uprooted himself from his  cultural surroundings). The s’chack is then placed
on high and becomes a  supernal
quintessential covering that offers us Divine protection and Heavenly insights.
The mitzvah of sukkah aids us to detach from any materialistic excesses as well
as guides us through the Uzpizin to nourish from the eternal values of the
Torah as will been explained. 

              How many of us have thought about the
following dichotomy? We all have seen how parents begin prodding their toddlers
to walk and talk as rapidly as they are able, yet as soon as these same children
get a little bigger their parents and educators are constantly telling and
teaching these children, often in futility, to sit down and be quite. For the
children this mixed message might be quiet confusing but there lies within this
moshal a profound message for all of us.

             Indeed, in the first phases of
life, our task is to learn how to walk and talk and use all of our efforts to
“get up” on our own two feet and succeed in the world, however, if a person
does not learn how to “sit down” introspectively and become “quietly”
contemplative they will find themselves spending their entire adulthood trying
to conquer the world instead submitting to their own inner spiritual calling.

Perhaps one of the many invaluable lessons within the mitzvah of (leishev) to
sit in sukkah is to teach us how to “sit down” in contemplation with our neshomos
under the guidance of each days Ushpizin – the supernal sublime guests that
grace our sukkah..

             Just as the period between Rosh Hashanah and
Yom Kippur awakens within us our yir’as Hashem, the seven days of Sukkas has
the power to draw  from within us   expressions of ahavas Hashem.

         To
aid us in this transition Chazal teach that on each of the seven days of Sukkos
one of our forefathers is invited to join us in the sukkah. They are our
honored guests who educate us in perceiving our true purpose and potential that
we can strive to attain throughout the year when we return back into our homes.
This transition is best facilitated by opening our hearts and minds to the
divine attributes that the seven Uspizin symbolize as the infra-structure of our
spiritual stature
.

            Under the influence of our
forefather Avraham Avinu we can reveal and refine the trait of – chesed –
loving kindness for the sake of Heaven. 
Under the guidance of our forefather Yitzchak Avinu we are aided in
developing the attribute of discipline so that our chesed can be constructively
channeled.  Under the influence of Yaakov
Avinu we are shown how to harmonize these seemingly disparate attributes of
chesed and gavurah.

             Moshe Rabbeinu awakens the netzach Israel within
us that links us with the eternal message of the Torah. Under the tutelage of
Aaron HaKohan we learn to offer ourselves for service to the Creator thereby
engendering greater peace in  the world.

 Yosef HaTzadik inspires us in our strivings
towards righteousness through acts of purity. Finally the attribute of malchus,
which is expressed through the kingdom
of David HaMelech, is the
power within us to orchestrate and combine all of these attributes  so as to harmonize our potential to reveal
the will of the Creator in this world. This means that each day of Succos we
each have been blessed with our own private supernal “tutors” who join us while
we are enveloped within the mitzvah thereby aiding us to elicit from deep
within us the seven divine attributes. 

                  Through following this spiritual
prescription may we see to take the inner message of the sukkah back into our
homes the whole year, thereby meriting to dance (stand up) and sing (speak)
words of praise and gratefulness for each moment throughout our lives thereby
meriting to soon dwell in the long awaited Sukkos David.    

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

SUKKAH UNBOUNDED BOUNDARIES

                                

                  From Caterpillar to Butterfly

            Just as we can observe dramatic changes within the creation, such as the transition of an unassuming dawdling caterpillar into a gracefully airborne butterfly, so also we at times observe quite dramatic changes in the course of our lives.

        The sukkah is a, so to speak, spiritual cocoon that can help us remove any “roofs” of perceptual limitation and replace them with the supernal lattice covering –s’chach –which allows us to widen our previously limited horizons. By understanding the connection between the halachas of the s’chach and ourselves , we can begin to peer through the gaps and gaze into the supernal realms of our lives. 

             

The mitzvah of sukkah aids us to detach from any materialistic excesses as well as guides us through the Uzpizin (seven days of supernal guidance from our greatest spiritual leaders from Avraham Avinu through David HaMelek), to nourish from the eternal values of the Torah as will been explained. 

 

 For during each of the seven days we spend in our sukkas we have the opportunity to absorb spiritual ‘nutrients’ that provide a far greater visual range– a broader and sharper perception of ourselves, others and our world then we would have ordinarily been able to obtain without this mitzvah.  

When compared to our sturdy homes, the halachic construction specifications of our sukkas call for a less then solid and contiguous structure. For example, the   ‘latticed’ roof – the s’chach – contains many small openings. Also there need be only a minimum of three ‘halachic’ walls which need only come to within three tefachim of the ground—lavud –and do not need to come all the way up to the s’chach.  The walls, also amazingly, do not even need to be located within the boarders of the kosher area of the sukka—dophin hakoma – as long as they are within four amos of it (about six feet).

    Several elements of these halachic parameters stand out.  The first is the degree of openness and seeming “incompletion” that is tolerated by the halacha.  We have an open lattice roof and walls that can seem to be somewhat incomplete. How, one wonders, could such a configuration be considered a suitable dwelling?  Yet it is precisely the idiosyncratic nature of this construction that allows us the opportunity to contemplate connections that might have eluded us from our vantage point within the solid shelter of our houses. These seeming ‘gaps’ thus can and do serve a lofty purpose.

 We are finite beings living in a finite world and our usual perception of reality is confined within the parameters of human consciousness. When the Yom Tov of Succoth arrives, however, the Creator allows us a glimpse – especially through the latticed s’chach and also through the other halachic ‘openings of G-dly consciousness. We, ourselves, cannot contrive this opportunity, only Hashem can afford us this glimpse into limitlessness. As is said in Koheleth which we read on Shabbos Chol Hamoed Sukkos, there is a time and a season for everything and only Hashem can create that time and season. For seven blissful days we are given a seasonal opportunity to live in a temporary dwelling that allows us to access a vastly expanded realm above and beyond time, place and limitation.

(Optioanl) [ In a worldly sense, to what can the s’chach and the walls of the Succah be compared?  In nature, the living cell is covered by a membrane. And so how do the necessary nutrients get into the cell ?  There are several routes inward, however, recently, scientists have discovered that miraculously, from within that membrane, molecules of a protein, called clathrin, assemble into a cage-like structure made up of lattice walls.  This latticed cage captures and transports nutrients,  hormones and other necessary substances into the cell.  When the job is done, these latticed walls spontaneously disassemble. 

So we too, through the mitzvah of sukka, assemble a latticed roof – the s’chach which allows for the ‘spiritual nutrients’ to become accessible to us, until the end of the festival. Now let us examine some of these ‘spiritual nutrients’ that come through the ‘lattice s’chach’ and possibly even through the walls of our sukkas.]

       The walls of the sukka bring us additional messages.  There are numerous fascinating laws concerning the walls of the sukka. Certain areas of a sukka can still be kosher even if its walls are under a roof or under the branches of a tree, as long as the wall or walls are within four amos of the kosher area. This wall, which is called – dofin a coma – a bending wall, is now  able to serve as a kosher wall to complete the sukka, even though a person would not be fulfilling the mitzvah of sukka by eating or sleeping in that area.

Perhaps we can offer the following insight. Each of us has a part of our personalities which can be understood through the metaphor of the wall. A physical wall can serve several purposes – it can define living spaces and provide staging areas in which we can organize the activities of life. Indeed, with respect to tefillah, we are taught to select a makom kavua—a designated place– in our shul or in our home where we can daven.  Walls provide much needed privacy, stability and security. Just as physical walls perform these functions, so too do psychological walls.  We build psychological barriers to shield ourselves from unwanted influences and undesired intrusions.   However, there are times that these “walls” can work against us. If, for example, we allow the “walls” of our personalities to become too rigid a barrier between ourselves and others, then we lose precious opportunities for growth and connection. If, however, we allow ourselves to ‘bend over towards others’ by letting go of our personal idiosyncrasies, we then can unite with them in the building a ‘sukka of peace’ and cooperation.  Perhaps this is one of the many wondrous lessons that the Torah had in mind in giving us the law of the bending wall  dophin hakoma.

This number seven is echoed in the number of days we spend in the sukka as well as the seven emotive attributes within each of us. Thus, not only does our stay in the sukka  help us to develop the attribute of humility, the time spent in the sukka also allows us to take advantage of each of the rectifying attributes of our seven ushpizin – Avraham Avinu through David HaMelek and through the various mitzvoth during this auspicious time.

When we spend seven days in the sukka, in the company of these special dignitaries of the Creator we are able to access the inner value of this special time and specific place.

            One of the well known sayings of the Bal Shem Tov is: “You are where your thoughts are.” Even though the Yomim Tovim will pass, we can continue to dwell in the holy ‘conceptual atmosphere’ of the sukka with its profound symbolism.  May we merit to nurture these ideas and feelings throughout the whole year thereby bringing closer the final geula soon in our days.

 

 

              Through the year we dwell in homes that are solidly constructed to provide us with insulation, protection and privacy. The security we experience in these dwellings is a paradigm for the external reality of  nature, which cloaks the Creator‘s essence within it.  When we leave our homes to dwell in the Sukkah, we are proclaiming that we desire to relinquish our man-made “security” for true Divine protection. 

 

 

We are then prepared to enter the spiritual realm called Succah.  In this realm we encounter the Divinely inspired influences of the Ushpizin –the special guests we invite into our Succahs. 

 

              How many of us have thought about the following dichotomy? We all have seen how parents begin prodding their toddlers to walk and talk as rapidly as they are able, yet as soon as these same children get a little bigger their parents and educators are constantly telling and teaching these children, often in futility, to sit down and be quite. For the children this mixed message might be quiet confusing but there lies within this moshal a profound message for all of us.

             Indeed, in the first phases of life, our task is to learn how to walk and talk and use all of our efforts to “get up” on our own two feet and succeed in the world, however, if a person does not learn how to “sit down” introspectively and become “quietly” contemplative they will find themselves spending their entire adulthood trying to conquer the world instead submitting to their own inner spiritual calling. Perhaps one of the many invaluable lessons within the mitzvah of (leishev) to sit in sukkah is to teach us how to “sit down” in contemplation with our neshomos under the guidance of each days Ushpizin – the supernal sublime guests that grace our sukkah..

 

         To aid us in this transition Chazal teach that on each of the seven days of Sukkos one of our forefathers is invited to join us in the sukkah. They are our honored guests who educate us in perceiving our true purpose and potential that we can strive to attain throughout the year when we return back into our homes. This transition is best facilitated by opening our hearts and minds to the divine attributes that the seven Uspizin symbolize as the infra-structure of our spiritual stature.

            Under the influence of our forefather Avraham Avinu we can reveal and refine the trait of – chesed – loving kindness for the sake of Heaven.  Under the guidance of our forefather Yitzchak Avinu we are aided in developing the attribute of discipline so that our chesed can be constructively channeled.  Under the influence of Yaakov Avinu we are shown how to harmonize these seemingly disparate attributes of chesed and gavurah.

             Moshe Rabbeinu awakens the netzach Israel within us that links us with the eternal message of the Torah. Under the tutelage of Aaron HaKohan we learn to offer ourselves for service to the Creator thereby engendering greater peace in  the world.

 Yosef HaTzadik inspires us in our strivings towards righteousness through acts of purity. Finally the attribute of malchus, which is expressed through the kingdom of David HaMelech, is the power within us to orchestrate and combine all of these attributes  so as to harmonize our potential to reveal the will of the Creator in this world. This means that each day of Succos we each have been blessed with our own private supernal “tutors” who join us while we are enveloped within the mitzvah thereby aiding us to elicit from deep within us the seven divine attributes. 

                  Through following this spiritual prescription may we see to take the inner message of the sukkah back into our homes the whole year, thereby meriting to dance (stand up) and sing (speak) words of praise and gratefulness for each moment throughout our lives thereby meriting to soon dwell in the long awaited Sukkos David.    

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

ADDING SUPERNAL COMMINICATION FEATURES THE MONTHS ELUL & THISREI

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Modern technology has brought many advantages with
it, especially when it comes to making our material life more convenient and
efficient. Telecommunications is certainly no exception, and since everything
that exists in the physical world has a spiritual counterpart, it is worthwhile
trying to understand what we can learn from the now commonplace telephone and
its wireless counterpart – the cell phone from a fresh Torah perspective.                                                                                

          

           Speed dialing or automatic redialing can
help us to better appreciate the value of each second as Rabbi Tarfon’s said: “The
day is short and …the task is abundant …” Pirkei Avos: 2:20.

          

           Call forwarding can remind us of that
which the Baal Shem Tov said that “a person is where their thoughts are”.

         

           Storing and erasing information, at the
push of a button, can help us to understand that we all have the power to retain
valuable thoughts and delete undesirable ones.

             

           The flash button, which enables us to
put a call on hold until we are ready to speak further, can serve as a reminder
of the wise words of Pirkei Avos 3:17, that “… a protective fence for
wisdom is silence.”

          

            Caller
I.D,
which screens our calls, can be seen to teach us that we all have the
ability to “monitor” our thoughts.

           

            Being able
to make calls at any time can make us more aware that how much more so
are our tefillos are receivable at anytime.   

             Wireless phones can help us to better
understand that our tefillos certainly do not need any physical connection
to reach their destination.

       

             Limited calling plans that become
exorbitantly costly if one exceeds their quota  reminds us the value of “weighing and
measuring” our words..

         

              Dialing 911 for emergency services can
be seen to correspond to the “Heavenly hot line” available whenever we “call
out” from the depths of our hearts.

         

                Three-way
calling
can help us to realize that all of our conversations are “three
way” as it is written: “… He Who implants the ear, shall He not hear …”  (Tehillim 94)

        

                And last
but not least we can certainly come realize that since there exists unlimited
unrestricted calling plans
between friends and family how much more is our
“calling plan” between us and our Father in Heaven limitless and unrestricted.

 

                All
year long these and other “supernal features” are available but months of Elul and Tishrei are times that are especially fitting to upgrade our “lines of communication”.

 

 

 

 

  

 

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

AN ELUL – TISHREI TIME TRAVELERS MANUAL

                              

We Jews are ancient, expert travelers in time.  We are given special times, from our holy
Torah and wise Sages, in which we can help mend, renovate and elevate the
entire creation. The whole month of Elul along with the first twenty two days
of the month of Tishrei are a case in point. To the rest  of the nations these days are merely times on
a calendar that hangs  on a wall,
destined  to be marked off and discarded.
For us, these sanctified days are our “time machine” that transports us to new
levels of holiness (kiddusha). If we program this “time-craft” of opportunity carefully
according to the laws (halachas) and  customs (minhagim), fill it with the fuel of
enthusiasm and adjust our trajectory by keeping our proper spiritual focus, we
can strive to reach into the “stratosphere” of kiddusha undeterred by the pull
of  the atmosphere around us.

THE COUNT DOWN  – T
minus 30 Days
:[1]   

ALL CHODESH ELUL : Take on board sefarim on Musar
and Chassidus to inspire thoughts of teshuvah. Sefardim begin saying Slichos
and blowing the shofar, Ashkenazim blowing the shofar and many are reciting additional
Tehilim. We now have a unique opportunity to prepare for our new journey:  (The space shuttle is launched in two
stages.  At liftoff, it uses boosters and
main engines
.)

 

T minus (minimally) 4 days: (Main engines ignite in staggered intervals.)  Ashkenazim begin to say Slichos the Motzei
Shabbos before Rosh Hashanah which can fall no less than four days before Rosh Hashanah
in order to allow for final countdown preparations. A small reminder of the
power of these days:  {These engines
provide 1.2 million pounds of thrust and the boosters provide 6,600,000 pounds
of thrust.} 

 

T minus I day:   (Main engines commanded to lift off position.)

EREV ROSH HASHANAH.  It seems that there could not possibly be
sufficient time to achieve what needs to be accomplished before we set
off.  However, through various minhagim and
halacot such as:  hataras nedarim,
fasting until chatzos, toveling in the mikvah and other Yom Tov preparations culminating
in halacot narot, we are then able to reach the necessary level of energy and
preparedness for our holy mission. Erev Rosh Hashanah is the last moment before
take-off :{In order to attain orbit, 
the space craft has to accelerate 
from zero to eighteen thousand miles per hour and travel at an altitude
higher than most of the Earth’s atmosphere.}

 

T minus 0 seconds: Rosh Hashanah seen as the lift off for the New Year :       (
Onboard computers ignite solid rocket boosters; three main engines at 100 per
cent thrust level. Ground launch sequence terminated, lift off.) 

ROSH HASHANA: 
All of the external preparations – the Yom Tov clothing, the festive
meals and the internal preparations of introspection, learning halachas, making
resolutions- are done, and here we are. 
We lift up our machzorim and feel the weight of the awesome and
spectacular task that lies ahead of us.

Rosh Hashanah, the – rosh – head, is truly the
beginning of the new year, setting the trajectory which in turn sets the course
for the whole year.  Using delicate
instruments consisting of  halachot and
minhagim, it fine tunes the three essential dimensions of  person-nefesh, place-makom and time-z’man.

The first tikun in the dimension of nefesh is when
upon concluding our tefillos on Rosh Hashanah eve we greet and bless our
friends and families with the wish that they be inscribed for a good year. 

The tikun achieved for the dimension of time—z’man
is through the sounds of the shofar.  The
sounds of the shofar are halachically regulated by the length and number of the
notes which help to rectify the dimension of time. These holy customs and laws
are infinitely more powerful than the following moshal: {At lift off the
shuttle with its boosters and fuel weighs 4.5 million pounds and takes eight
seconds to accelerate to a speed of one hundred miles per hour.  After one minute,  the craft is traveling at 1,000 miles per
hour and has used more than one and one half million –pounds of fuel.}

 

T plus 2 days: Solid
rocket boosters separate
.

ASERES YIMAI TESHUVA: Rosh Hashanah with its
stirring tefillos,  awe inspiring melodies
and soul searching shofar blasts proclaims Hashem’s Kingship. Now it is the
fast day – Tzom Gedalia, the third day of the ten days of repentance. Even
during the fast we are still continuing to ascend:  {When it reaches an altitude of twenty
eight miles, and is traveling at 3,000 miles per hour, it jettisons its
boosters.} 

————————————————————————————————————

T plus 9 days:  (The three main engines continue to fire.)

EREV YOM KIPPUR. Sometimes we feel distant from
the process, as if the judgment is going to happen to someone else, but as Erev
Yom Kippur arrives we all become very involved, feeling the day of awe and hope
is soon to be with us. This dichotomy within us also exists in the creation:  {The engines burn liquid hydrogen – which at
 minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit is the
second coldest liquid on earth – with liquid oxygen. When they unite and burn the
mixture can reach a temperature of 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit – higher then the
boiling point of iron.}

 

T plus 10 days:  Space Craft  attains preliminary orbit.

 YOM KIPPUR.
 We are now shaping the path and
direction of the coming Year. We are accelerating very quickly because we must break
out of the physical atmosphere and move into a very unique spiritual zone.

To do this we need let go of those habits and
thoughts that have weighed us down and taken their toll upon us in the past year.
This is a critical moment, allowing for our final stage of being freed from the
past:  {After that period of time, the
space craft, in an ovoid (oblong) orbit, reaches a speed of five miles per
second.  The engines shut down, the
external fuel tank is jettisoned and the shuttle will have consumed more than
3.5 million pounds of fuel
}.

       T minus 14 days:  (Orbital maneuvering system engines are
fired.)
 

 SUKKOS.  We now are dwelling in our Sukkas.  For an entire week we live inside this unique
mitzvah where we rebalance ourselves and establish our course for the year,
free of the gravitational pull of our daily lives.  We wave the lulav, esrog and two other
species in all six directions suggesting an empowerment over all of the spatial
orientations and also symbolizing the Heavenly gift of freedom from attachment
to the – teva – nature through our deepening connection with the Creator. Our
avoda on Succos is essential for our spiritual growth in the upcoming year.   :  {If nothing more was done, the space craft
would begin to descend and re-enter the atmosphere.  However, about a half hour after the main
engines have shut down, usually as the shuttle reaches the highest point in the
ovoid orbit, the two orbital maneuvering system engines, are fired for about
three minutes. This causes the spacecraft to travel in a circular orbit that
stabilizes it at a safe altitude above the atmosphere.
}

    From
this elevated position which spiritually parallels Shimini Atzeres/ Simchas
Torah we are truly free of  the
gravitational pull of this world.  We
enter a euphoric / blissful state of “free fall” sustained and supported by
rapturous song and ecstatic dance while embracing the holy Sefer Torahs.         

            
These first twenty-two days have been given to us as a blessing to
assure our proper and safe “take off” directing us properly to our new set of
goals for the New Year.   May we all
travel together, returning in joy and peace to our land, with the advent of the
Mashiach soon in our days.

 

 



[1]  The data for the space shuttle reported here
is provided by the National Space Agency. It is in no way meant to minimize our
days of holiness or limit them to the physical world. These figures are only
here to help alert us to the awesome power of these days and the advoda in
them.

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