Breaking News: G-d is Homeless

A guy wanted to get into a shul on Yom Kippur, but realized that he was in trouble because at the temple near him, without a ticket they don't let you in.

He said to the doorman, "Look, I just want to give a message to a friend in there."

The guy at the door said, "Sorry, you can't go in without a ticket."

The first guy replied, "Just let me in for one minute, then I'll be right out."

"Alright," said the doorman, "but I better not catch you praying."

*

He was extremely wealthy, known the world over for his unfathomable wealth, philanthropic endeavors and piety. With mansions and dream homes in literally every country imaginable, he had to make a momentous choice: he had to decide which place to call home.

Should he stay in a beautiful penthouse atop a skyscraper in midtown Manhattan , or maybe the billion-dollar project in Vegas? Would it be an 80 acre plot in the Hampton , or perhaps a private island off the Italian peninsula?

After much deliberation, he made up his mind. So he called a news conference to inform the press of his definite-to-cover-front-page decision. Everyone waited breathlessly…

He unfolded his paper and began to read: "Dear friends, after much thought and contemplation, I am proud to announce the location of my new home. With your permission, I'll get straight to the point: my new home will be in the slums of the Bronx, in the basement of a two-hundred-year-old dilapidated building.

"I just hope that my new neighbors will kindly accept me into their neighborhood. Thank you all for coming."

To be honest, we hear daily of celebrities doing or saying crazy thing, but this? What did this outrageously-rich business mogul lose in a drugged and uncivilized society?

It may surprise you, but it just happens that this is precisely the story of G-d and this world.

In the higher realms of creation, there are an infinite number of worlds, planes of existence where spiritually is so much more real, dominant and powerful than in the physical, cruel and immoral universe we inhabit.

What a contrast; Angles proclaim G-d's greatness; we shout the praises of the sciences. Supernal beings totally nullify themselves before the Divine; human beings arrogantly cling to the belief that the world is a self-sustaining edifice with no relationship to an Infinite Creator.

Despite all the above, G-d picked our world as His home. And all He asks is for us to let Him in – to find space in our hearts, in our lives, and in the decisions we make, to allow Him to enter.

We find a hint to G-d's homelessness in the Torah portion of the week.

In the portion of Teruma, we learn of the Divine commandment to build G-d a home. G-d says: "And they shall build for Me a Temple and I will rest in them." The wording seems rather strange, referring to a Temple in the singular, but resting in the plural "them."

Our sages teach us that although there is only one brick Holy Temple built in Jerusalem, there lies a temple within the heart of every Jew. In this sanctuary, the Jew offers G-d real, personal sacrifices (his lusts and temptations,) lights the Menorah (shines and inspires the world around him,) and the Holy Ark with its Tablets (Torah learning) lay there.

Think about it. The Holy One, Blessed Be He, begs you, a finite little creature of flesh and blood, to build Him a home. Can we begin to fathom the irony of it? But that's the way G-d wanted it. How lucky we are! Let's get to work.

And you never know; one day, the Bronx may yet return to its forgotten days of glory….

*

I would like to dedicate this email to a very dear individual upon his fiftieth birthday, a person who, in his first fifty years, has built many temples for G-d.

Be it in his home, which, together with his special wife, he has built and filled with life, happiness and vitality, raising a dozen beautiful, healthy and dedicated children.

Be it in his tireless efforts to disseminate the light of Chassidism all over the world through the organization of Sichos in English which he is heading for three decades, or through his deep commitment in helping hundreds of people meet their Bashert and build their own temples. He is forever adding more spiritual light to this world.

Mazal Tov, Tatty! And lots of Nachas!

Are you a Slave?

As a result of an earthquake, an elderly Jewish couple were buried in a cellar.
A rescue command of the Red Cross raked out the ruins to release them. Only a wall separated them.

The rescuer knocked with the hammer against the wall to give a signal to the buried. "Who is there?" He heard a voice rise from beneath the rubble.
"The Red Cross."
"For the Red Cross we have already donated."

*

Did you know that you have an animal inside of you? Let me tell you about it. Inside each and every one of us lie two souls, inclinations, consciousnesses, who are constantly fighting, each trying to pull us in their direction. One is called the G-dly soul, the other is the animal soul.

The G-dly soul rests in the brain, in logic, in sense; therefore it could be called the human soul. Totally objective, the brain let's us make honest and true choices.

The animal soul rests in the heart, in desires in impulse in gratification, hence the name animal, empty of common sense and human superiority. Totally subjective the heart forces us make wrong, egoistic choices.

An animal runs for food, and man runs to the movies or drives fancy cars, yet the difference is but in stage not in plane. If it's all about impulse, then we loose our humanity.

To say no to drugs is not slavery it's freedom, to say no to sin is not oppression of humanity, it's humanity at its best. For freedom doesn't mean to be free of convictions and slave to immorality, the opposite is true.

You might say that it's a tough freedom full of "do this, don't do that's", that's true.

But its like a prince, heir to the throne of a great land, who one day decides to leave his home of comfort and to become a baker in a small town. If in one word I could describe this move it would be "Disgrace". He lives a life below his dignity, underestimating his true worth, truly a waste.

So is the case for the one who chooses the path of indulgence; the human inside of him suffers and cries: please return home, to the palace, to yourself. You were born a prince, don't exchange it for anything. True you receive tougher discipline and harder studies – Torah and Mitzvahs, but that is because of who you are, son of the king, heir to the throne, to help you be the best you can.

A truly free man is someone who is a slave to his mind, who can live by the convictions he believes in, who masters mind over matter. Self discipline is of the greatest humanistic virtues, for that is what differentiates and puts us higher then all other creations.

So the next time your asked to practice who you are, be it Teffilin for men, or Shabbat candles for women, or a good deed for all of us, say yes to freedom and become just a small bit more human, more G-dly.

To live up to the title "Human" is a virtue privy only to a select few – the few who the rise of global freedom didn't mean the fall of their inner freedom.

*

Now ask yourself a few questions: is religion oppressive? Are those who live a fully observant life slaves? Is somebody who does whatever the heart desires a free man? Are we more in touch to our humanity when we live a life of pleasure, or when we live a devout life full of commandment and stringencies?

Please don't use the subjective heart to respond. Be objective, use your mind.

Do We Have a Strange Constitution?

G-d came down and first he went to the Germans and said, "I have Commandments for you that will make your life better."

And the Germans asked, "what are Commandments?"

And the Lord said, "Rules for living."

"Can you give us an example?"

"Thou shalt not kill."

"Not kill? We're not interested."

So He went to the Italians and said, "I have Commandments."

And the Italians wanted an example, and the Lord said, "Thou shalt not steal."

"Not steal? We're not interested."

He went to the Jews and said, "I have Commandments."

"Commandments? How much will they cost?"

"They're free."

"Good then, we'll take 10!"

***

We are told by our Sages that all Jews from all generations were present at the giving of the Torah at Sinai.

Now imagine your feeling standing there. For many months, you have been preparing for this momentous occasion. You have counted down the days breathlessly. This was to be a one-time event, never before and never after. To see G-d Himself in all His glory, what a sight to behold!

Finally, the day arrives. After three days of intense prayer and preparation, the moment has come. With lighting and thunder, smoke and fire, G-d makes his first grand appearance before his chosen nation. Awesome!

With a fast-beating heart and a mind overwhelmed with emotion, you stand there with your pad and paper ready to transcribe the constitution of the Jewish people.

BOOM! G-d's voice is heard throughout the universe: "I am the Lord your G-d that has taken you out of Egypt ."

OK, sounds fair. After all, He first has to introduce Himself! The second one, "Thou shall have no other G-d," doesn't raise too many eyebrows either; its common sense that one should remain loyal to his boss.

BOOM! "Don't use my name in vain!" The pad continues to fill up – no question marks, it's all totally logical.

The fourth clause changes direction. It is no longer about belief and respect, now it's about action: "Keep the Shabbat holy!" Wow!

Then you hear the words "Honor your father and mother." You pause for a second. Did G-d have to come down to this world to teach us about honoring our parents?

But you ponder for only a moment, quickly reminding yourself of the confrontation you had but a few minutes ago with your mom. Yes! What a real challenge it is, to respect and honor your parents at all times, even when they say no!

You wait expectantly for the next set of five.

And then the big bang comes – "Don't kill!" You fall over backwards; all your journalistic training has not come close to preparing you for this one!

"Don't commit adultery!" For Heaven's sake, is that what you have prepared so long to listen to?

613 commandments were given to us through Moses. Weren't any of them more "Jewish" and G-dly than murder, adultery, theft, lies and jealousy that these needed to be included in the exclusively powerful Ten Commandments?

It takes sometime and, slowly, you understand. As you travel through history and meet the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Cossacks and, finally, the Holocaust, you understand that nothing is too obvious. Unfortunately, personal morality has too often failed humankind. Social norms are relative, and sophistication is no guarantee of peace. As world-renowned Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel put it, "Cold-blooded murder and culture did not exclude each other. If the Holocaust proved anything, it is that a person can both love poems and kill children".

Don't take anything for granted. Just look at the silence in the world against the backdrop of Hitler-sounding speeches coming from
Iran , and you'll admit it.

The only absolute morality is Divine morality – a code of law made for man, not by man.

Between me and you: G-d knew what He was talking about - and to whom.

Nu! Split the Sea Already

A boy decided that he wanted to become a rabbi when he grew up. So his father suggested that he go speak to their Shul rabbi to find out what the job entailed.
The boy went to meet the rabbi. "Ask me any question about the rabbinate," the rabbi declared, "and I'll give you the answer."
"Well, besides giving a sermon for about 15 minutes on a Shabbat morning, what else do you do all week?" the boy asked.
"You don't want to become a rabbi," the rabbi said. "With questions like that, you want to become the synagogue president!"

* * *

Ever felt you were all alone? Not lonely; alone. Alone, for you have friends, family and acquaintances that you love and spend time with, yet who do not share the same convictions as you. You want to make a difference and want to include all in your vision, your dream – but nobody cares.

Let me tell you a story of such a man.

As the Jews stood with their faces towards the endless sea, Pharaoh with his troops close behind them, the Jews, unsure of what to expect, split into four opinions (yes, more than one actually had the same view…)

Group One stood up and cried. "Guys, it's all over," they wept. "We have nowhere to turn and Egypt is out of the question. Let drown ourselves in the sea!"

Group Two said, "Ok, nice try, we all thought we could do the impossible and escape from Mighty Egypt; forget about it let's just return to slavery."

Group Three was comprised of men who were proud and firm. They were of the mind that they must fight the Egyptians.

And finally, Group Four, who were the most devout of them all, felt that the best solution was to pray to the Almighty for salvation.

Representatives of all four parties sent delegations before Moses: he would decide. Moses turned to G-d and asked Him to tell the Jews what they should do. And G-d's answer was clear: they were to walk into the sea. No suicide, no prayer, no war and no surrender. Just move on, go forward and let G-d take care of the Egyptians.

But the Jews just stood there, not ready to advance towards the sea. No one had the courage to actually walk into the fearsome waters; they just stood there waiting for developments. Then one man made a move.

His name was Nachshon, and he was a brother-in-law of Aaron, the brother of Moses. With full trust in G-d, he entered the water, trudging through as it got deeper and deeper. Nothing happened. The water didn't split. He continued until he was up to his waist in the sea. Yet the water did not budge.

Nachshon moved on. The water reached his chin – a few more steps and he would be submerged in the water. At that precise moment, the water split, to the relief of all the onlookers on the beach.

One man had courage. An entire nation was saved.

Most people would like to feel supported, encouraged, and accepted. Yet, friendships and connections notwithstanding, there are those times when we you have to stand alone. No one will back you; you are left to fight for your own ideals. But you stand strong, and you don't stand still.

You do this for the cause is right and you believe that righteousness must prevail.

And, because of you, it does.