POSITIVE MIND SET – MIND OVER MATTER HIDDEN WITHIN 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 spiritually
absorbed through the blessings (brachas) we say before and after eating.  The minimum amount of food required in order
to say an after blessing is an 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 supernal “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 never
deprive us.

              See how beautifully this
blessing itself it filled with an such an optimistic view of  life. May we all merit a life filled with
blessings.

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

HARMONIZING SOUL, BODY, MIND AND EMOTIONS

                        

           Since everything in the physical
realm has a spiritual connection let us try to unveil the metaphysical
underpinnings that corresponds to the four elements of air, earth, water and
fire in relationship to the three dimensional reality of person, place and
time.

         In relationship to people, air
can be perceived to symbolize the ethereal realm of our higher consciousness, while  the earthiness in us is the innate
power of our fruitful productivity, water symbolizes the flow of our
creativity, while fire is the spark which helps to illuminate the world.

             With regard to the essential spiritual place for
air, earth, water and fire lies within the four mystical cities of Tzaft,
Teveria, Jerusalem and Chevron respectively. Each of the holy places can in its
own unique way, help us harness our supernal energy.

           We also find a transcendental
connection between the time related Jewish Holidays and these four elements of
air, earth water and fire. How so?

           Blowing of the shofar on Rosh
Hashana – the New Year – gives us the opportunity to refresh the universal spiritual airways.
Just as the air vibrations passes from the narrow end of the shofar to its
expanded wider opening, so also Rosh Hashanah shows us how to travel the airways
of expanded consciousness.

          Prostrating ourselves down to the earth
on Yom HaKippur is a time for planting those spiritual seeds that will throughout
the year germinate in the soil of potential.

             Succos not only brings with it a special
mitzvah connected with water but it is also a holiday which can help us open
the flow of higher awareness.

         And lastly but not least, rejoicing on Simchas
Torah allows us to rekindle our flames of supernal passion thereby weaving our soul, body. mind and emotions into a magnificent seamless tapestry with design and purpose.

           May we always be at the right place at the right
time!

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

THE SHINE OF MOSHE’S FACE WAS RADIANT – PARSHA KI SISA

                                                                                                                   
B.S.D.

        The inspiring ideas of this
beautiful Torah thought in Pasuk 34: 29-35, is found in the drashas of the
Casam Sofar brought from the Yalkut Reuvani and additional kidushim by one of
the Rosh Hayashivot before World War 2.  
In-order to give us a greater appreciation of the preciousness of the
thought for the general reader, I have expanded and elaborated on them .  

         The Midrash informs us that
one of the explanations of how Moshe Rabbinu received the (keren hod)
illuminating Divine radiance was that Hashem Yisbarach had commanded Moshe to
write a Sefer Torah. Moshe preceded to transcribe the Torah onto a (clopf)
parchment, beginning with the words – ‘Berasihis bara Elokim’ … ‘In the
beginning G-d created …’ and proceeded until he reached the lasts words of the Sefer
Torah which are – ‘…l’einey kol Israel’ – ‘…before the eyes of all Israel’.

             The Midrash tells us
that upon writing the final lamed of the word Israel there still remained a few
drops of (dio) ink on the (klumos) quill. The obvious question is why there
remained a few drops of ink ‘left over’, since Hashem, who created the entire
universe, knows preciously how many atoms are needed to create the universe, so
He also certainly knows exactly how much ink is necessary to write a Sefer
Torah, therefore why was there a few drops left over on the quill? To this the
Midrash informs us that when Moshe finished writing, he passed his hand with
the (kulmos) quill close enough to his forehead that the supernal holiness that
lay in these drops of dio imprinted on Moshe Rabannu a spiritual Divine shining
radiance.

             Fine, this is how Moshe
received the (keren hod) Divine shine on his forehead but there is still to ask
what he said or did that merited these lights of holiness? Since the keren hod
is a sign and symbol of greatness and honor, let us try to discover what
special quality was exemplified to Moshe Rabbanu.  The Torah itself testifies when he was
commanded by    G-d that Moshe was the
‘the humblest man on the face of earth’, that he requested due to his sincere
humility to leave this pasuk out of the Torah. The Creator answered him that
since there are many reasons for everything written in the Torah it was
necessary to write this pasuk but in deference to Moshe’s request the word stating
that he was the humblest – anav – could be written without a vov. However the
pronunciation – Crea – of the word is as if it were written with a vov.

                   We find another
place in the Torah where Moshe requests Hashem to modify a word in the Torah. The
third Sefer in the Chumash is named and starts out with the word – ‘Viekra’ –
‘And He called…’ This was the Creator’s calling to Moshe from the Tent of
Meeting. In all Sefer Torahs that alef of the word Viekra is written small. The
Sages explain that here also Moshe requested of G-d that the word ‘called’ – ‘Viekra’
– be written without an alef, thereby indicting a lesser degree of Moshe’s
importance in being called  at the Tent
of Meeting, but Hashem said there are seventy reasons for each thing in the
Torah and this word needs an alef at the end but out of deference for your
sincere humility, the alef can forever be written small.

            With this informative
information we can now put the seemingly disparate pieces together into a
beautiful mosaic of rich Torah (hasgafa) insight. The amount of ink saved by
writing the Sefer Torah without a vov and with only a small alef was the exact
amount of dio remaining on the kalmus of Mosh Rabbinu. Since these drops were
‘left over’ because of Moshe’s sincere effort to maintain his sincere humility,
Hashem used specifically these drops of dio to anoint Moshe’s (metach) forehead
with the splendor of greatest and honor of the shine of the Divine radiance.
This then helps to explain a statement of the Sages: “That one who – barach –
flees  away from – coved – honor, – coved
– honor will – rodaf – pursue after him.” Moshe, our Shepard, teacher and
leader, deflected at every opportunity the receiving of coved and thereby
merited having – coved – greatness and honor imbue him with the – keren hod –
shine of the Divine radiance.  

                  May we merit to learn to
emulate this attribute of sincere humility thereby meriting the final geula
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

ANATOMY OF A SIN – UNDERSTANDING THE CHEIT HA’EGEL

                          

                                                                                                                    

             The cheit ha’egel continues to 
travel with us down the corridor of time, no less virulent  today than at its inception some thirty three
hundred years ago.   Today, as in
previous generations, we are compelled to insulate ourselves against its toxic
effects, but to do that we must first recognize its virulent potential.

In these
spiritually barren times, when science is preoccupied with things that can be
measured and recorded, we assume that we 
no longer need be  concerned with
the attraction that avoda zara, literally, strange worship, may
have.  That is, unfortunately not
true.  There is a resurgence of interest
among the non-religious – perhaps as a reaction to the very spiritual
barrenness we alluded to – in the pseudo-mystical and magical.  It has also most recently insinuated itself
into our lives by calamitously tainting the sheitels that are sold in
our communities.  Understanding the
spiritual underpinnings of this phenomenon can serve as our strongest defense
against it.

 

Three
Dimensional Sin

So, it is with
this goal in mind that we turn our attention to the cheit ha’egel.   Of all the cases of idol worship, the sin of the golden calf was the most
spiritually destructive.  It produced
seeds that continue to sprout in every generation up to and including our
own.  That is because this sin was the
result of three grave spiritual errors which affected all three of the
dimensions in which we live our lives and thus created spiritual blemishes
which implicated every aspect of life.

 

Untimely Sin

The first mistake
that prompted Klal Yisrael to make the egel was their
miscalculation of the time of  Moshe Rabbeinu’s
expected return to the camp after his sojourn on the mountain. The yetzer
hara
used the confusion engendered by this error to mislead us with the
illusion of Moshe’s passing and Klal Yisrael believed that Moshe
Rabbeinu, who faithfully served as an intermediary between Hashem and the
nation, had died.  This miscalculation
caused the mixed multitude to clamor for a substitute and accept the egel when
it emerged from the flames.

The miscalculation
which precipitated these events may well have been quite innocent and certainly
could have been corrected.  However,
prompted by the eirev rav, Klal Yisrael was willing to place too
much reliance upon their own calculations rather then to await Moshe’s arrival
with calm faith and sincere belief.  This
was culpable.

Then
as now, we had access to two separate systems for the measurement of time,
which unfortunately are not always synchronized. The first is the Creator’s
timetable that metes out the minutes, days and years of our lives in accordance
with His plan for the world.  The second
is our sense of time and of urgency, which causes us to set our clocks in
accordance with our idiosyncratic desires. The difference between them is the
measure of our impatience which in the case of the egel precipitated
this most serious aveira.  

This aspect of our
worship of the golden calf, was not only a sin of action but of  time, of choosing a replacement for Moshe at
a time when no replacement was necessary. By way of contrast, when a new
intermediary, a successor to Moshe Rabbeinu was actually required, Hashem chose
the time and guided the selection.  Under
those circumstances, the yetzer hara was not able to gain any compass.

 

Choosing a
Leader

Thinking their
leader was dead, Klal Yisrael reasoned that if even a person as
extraordinary as Moshe Rabbeinu could not survive such intense contact with the
Creator, certainly, no other human being could successfully replace him.  They, therefore, were willing to consider a
different, more durable, intermediary between themselves and Hashem.  

Chazal tell
us that in their search for a suitable replacement for Moshe, the people looked
to the symbolic images Hashem had designated for the four legs of His throne
(see Ramban Shemos 32:1).  They
understood that those prototypes represented spiritual forces of extraordinary
power: The (ari) lion, the (nesher) eagle, the (shor) ox
and the face of a person – Yaakov Avinu.

It is not easy for us to
conceive of an animal serving as a conduit for spiritual revelation, but we
must keep in mind that we are referring to a metaphysical concept and not a
physical reality. The four symbols the Creator has chosen to represent the four
legs of His throne are metaphors with profound spiritual implications.  To deepen our understanding, we can think of
these symbols as functioning, so to speak, like a computer.   The computer is actually an inanimate
network of circuits and wires. 
Nonetheless, when it is turned on, it seems to come alive with an
intelligence all its own.  In truth, it
is merely a highly sophisticated tool that channels the inventor’s talents into
a software program that animates it so that it is able to serve the user’s
purposes.  The Creator, whose control
over reality is absolute, can certainly “program” anything He chooses in order
to implement His will, be it human, animal, vegetable or mineral.  

After
Klal Yisrael excluded a human intermediary, they then eliminated  the conduit represented by the lion,
recognizing  that its  positive attributes of strength and courage
were apt to be bound with arrogance – a highly undesirable and dangerous  trait.  
Similarly, they rejected the eagle although it represents the attributes
of inspiration and renewal because of its very independent nature which is
unsuitable for Heavenly service.   Ultimately, they concluded that the shor,
ox, the domesticated beast of labor, which exhibits the attribute of powerful
work channeled into developing Hashem’s world, and displays neither arrogance
nor obstinacy was the safest and most enduring conduit between themselves and
the Creator.

If this was their
intention, what then was their error and what was their sin?    

It is of course
understood that the Torah itself prohibits the creation of a graven image.  However, Aharon’s involvement in creating the
egel means that it obviously was not an outright idol. 

An answer to this
question perhaps lies in the fact that the Torah warns us not to do less than
it commands or more then it requires. When Moshe Rabbeinu, the most humble of
all men, served as the intermediary between Hashem and Klal Yisrael, his
ego-less service neither increased nor decreased the permissible connection
between Hashem and Klal Yisrael. 
Moshe Rabbeinu, who possessed no egoistic traits that could interfere
with his service of Hashem, was able to communicate with Hashem through a clear
vision.   Accordingly, under Moshe’s
direction, there was no hindrance in the communication of Hashem’s commands to
us.  Nor was there any diminution of Klal
Yisrael’s
capacity to proclaim Hashem’s unity and Absolute sovereignty
since Moshe Rabbeinu, representive of the human symbol on Hashem’s throne, was
inclusive of all the other spiritual forces represented there.

            When the golden calf was substituted
in Moshe’s stead, its service impermissibly subtracted from our required
service of Hashem because it represented only some, but not all of the positive
traits reflected by the symbols on Hashem’s throne.  Thus it provided too narrow a conduit to
accommodate our wholehearted devotion to Hashem. 

           

            Misplaced Focus

                  One of the holy names of the
Creator is HaMakom, meaning “The Place.” “The Holy One Blessed be He, is
the location of the world, but His world is not His location” (Bereishis
Rabba
68:4) meaning that Hashem’s Infinite Reality cannot be comprehended
or confined in any way by our finite minds in our finite world.   In creating the egel, an object that
took up space, the eirev rav, in an act of presumptuous egoism,
attempted to exchange the Infinite for the finite and limit Hashem’s presence
to one fixed place.  That was great
error.  This choice was Hashem’s to make,
not theirs. 

Here,
as in the choice of a successor for Moshe Rabbeinu, when Hashem deemed the time
and the circumstances to be right, Hashem created a place for His Shechina
to rest by commanding us to build the Mishkan.   In creating the egel, the eirev
rav
attempted to usurp that prerogative and in so doing committed a
grievous sin. 

 

Rectifying the Cheit
Ha’egel

The sin of avoda
zara
is one of the rare instances where thought alone, even without action,
is punishable on High.  The sin is thus
one of thought as much as of action and its rectification lies in our
attitude.  The cheit ha’egel was
committed because Klal Yisrael, through the instigation of the eirev
rav
had too much confidence in their own calculations and too little
confidence in Hashem.  Confidence in
Hashem translates into self esteem because those who have faith in Hashem and
understand that they are tzelem Elokim feel secure and achieved.  Yet, since they realize that their
achievements are a gift from Hashem, they have self esteem, but not
arrogance.  Those who think that it is
they who run the world and not Hashem, are at once frightened and insecure,
even as they build idols of gold and silver in a desperate attempt to create
order and control their destinies.

    In order to insulate ourselves against all
forms of  “idol worship,” we are best
served by acquiring an attitude that is both self assured and secure yet
humble.  This is not as difficult as it
may appear. The distinguished professor and the wealthy entrepreneur do not
worry about having to prove themselves. 
They do not need to flaunt their wealth or their knowledge to increase
their self esteem, because they feel achieved. Though we understand that
egotistical self esteem is hollow and false, we can adopt their attitude by
allowing ourselves to appreciate the fact that Hashem created us betzelem
Elokim
, in His Image and as a reflection of His will.  

The tzelem
Elokim
within us allows us to renew our battle each day against our selfish
and negative attitudes using the eagle’s qualities of inspiration and renewal,
the lion’s strength and courage and the shor’s submissive work.  Using these spiritual tools we can learn to
accept Hashem’s time frame and see His will in this world and thus fulfill our
role in creation. 

In order to
realize the incredible potential that lies within ourselves, as tzelem
Elokim
, we can think of the word tzelem as an acronym:  The letter tzaddik of tzelem represents the tzaddik, a
symbolic reminder of our pure and 
righteousness souls. This is Person. 
The tzaddik with his great and ego-less soul is in opposition to the
narrowness of the egel.  The lamed of tzelem represents luach, the calendar of the Creator.  This is Time. 
The clock and calendar of the Creator teach patience, instructing us to
make our needs for gratification subservient to Hashem’s time frame. The mem
of tzelem is makom, Place, and is there to help us dissolve the
illusion of nature and see the presence of HaMakom in every aspect of
this world.  If we are able to keep in
mind at every turn that we are indeed, tzelem Elokim, we will have
learned an approach that will help to heal the spiritual wound caused by the cheit
ha’egel
.

With the
rectification of our consciousness in, person, time and place, we can truly be
prepared for the advent of the final redemption, 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

THE POWER WITHIN BOTH ADARS THIS YEAR

                                                                   “DE-FEETING” HAMAN / AMALEK                           

                  

                    Purim is the perfect time to invite guests who think that Judaism is stodgy and restrictive.   As we stomp all over Haman’s name during the Megilla reading, and then sit down to a meal that’s more liquid then solid, I most enjoy watching Purim dismantling all of their pre-conceived notions.   I don’t tell my guests (who are having too much fun to worry about it) that even as we do something that seems strange or unusual, we are making a powerful statement that reverberates through time in order to bring the ultimate redemption.

          Stomping Out Haman 

           The custom of stomping at the sound of Haman’s name begins at the feet, so let us take off our shoes and examine the bottom of our “soles/souls”.  Most of us have a live and let live relationship with our feet.  If they do not bother us, we don’t worry about them.  We don’t usually buy special vitamins or minerals to enhance their functioning and at best we notice them because we need them as a place to put our shoes. 

Our feet don’t seem to  “kick up” much of a fuss about this attitude because they are too busy either standing or walking.  Walking is an amazing process, that we take for granted, which involves the foot’s ability to be rigid and calloused, yet flexible and mobile:  taking steps begins with the foot in a rigid state, the heel  hitting the ground, it then continues  with the foot unlocking and flexing so the knee can pass over it.  Our weight is then transferred to the ball of the foot as we propel ourselves over the toes whereupon the foot again becomes rigid to provide the momentum for the next step.  Although small in comparison to the body, the foot is able to support its full weight using muscles, tendons sinews and interestingly twenty six bones. 

The feet are furthest from the head and seem to be unconnected from all the other organs.  Yet according to a fairly popular alternative medical practice called reflexology, applying pressure to designated points on the feet can restore health and well being to each part of the body for a wide variety of ailments. According to this system, there are said to be, even more interestingly, 7200 hundred nerve endings in the feet which connect to zones so that each part of the foot corresponds to some part or organ of the body.  For example, the various organs and systems of the body are represented on the sole of the foot while the big toe relates to the head.  The ball of the foot relates to the lungs while the heal of the foot relates to the small intestine and bladder are located towards the heel.  

The feet also seem to be the farthest removed from that which is holy and pure.  Yet, it would be very difficult to interact with the world in the fulfillment of many (mitzvoth) specific good deeds without their assistance.  And it is that interaction with the world that Purim is so much about as this holiday begins with an awakening from “below”.

Our generation’s place in history lies on that end of Hashem’s time line that is embedded deeply within a mindset that often connects itself to self gratification, that is at the bottom end of  the  fourth of our four  exiles, [1] yet, we play a “pivotal” role.  Like the “soles” of the feet, most “souls” today are distant from the achievements of earlier generations, yet it is our duty to lift ourselves up, “striding” ever forward bringing the knowledge of Hashem into the here and now – which time is referred to as the (ikvei) [heels] footsteps of the HaMasiach.  Although this last exile like our heels has become somewhat calloused it is precisely that quality that gives us the opportunity to illuminate this epoch in time so that the ultimate redemption can occur.

Interestingly, our feet play a crucial role in this epic drama. They serve as the liaison between our “souls” and the ground. By having “our feet on the ground” – ie. in this material world, we are vulnerable to the nefarious plans of (Haman/Amalak) those who personify evil, but at the same time this positions give us a solid “foot-hold” in this battle.

Although our physical “soles” are connected to earthliness, our holy “souls” are unified with the true Source of All.  We therefore literally have the power to “stamp out” the influence and memory of  Haman  and Amalek with each “step” bringing us closer to their “de-feat” and the our ultimate redemption.

 Purim samayach!!!

 

         



[1] The Ari Hakadosh teaches that the purpose of the four exiles was to repair the sin of Adam Ha Rishon, the first man, with each exile corresponding to the various parts of the Primordial Man. So the Egyptian and Babylonian exiles repaired the head, the Persia and Midai, the chest, the Greek exile was the lower part of the body and finally the exile of Edom was the feet.

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