Bridge Building - I

We need to understand the value of meeting others within Klal Yisroel. These meetings are extremely valuable especially when they are between people of different religious groups. There is an inherent value  to developing a relationship with others, even before we start to speak of Torah and Jewish values. Creating a relationship between Jews, when the meeting is founded on a good attitude and a desire for closeness, has a great effect in heaven.

A pleasant meeting between two Jews is a manifestation of the idea of Upper Unity that brings forth blessing. A meeting of the minds brings forth an outpouring of blessing upon those who have met. There is a soul-level value for conversation between people when it comes with a good attitude directed towards creating closeness, and to dispelling distance and ignorance. When Hillel spoke of loving people and bringing them close to Torah, he was referring to two things that each have an intrinsic value. Loving people is one principle. It brings forth great Chesed from above rooted in the work of Avraham Avinu who lay the foundation of love in the world and unity in the Jewish Nation as we all come from one father. Subsequently comes bringing people close to Torah. The values of Torah are rooted in Tifereth that trait of Yaakov who fathered all the Shevotim.

Loving people has its own intrinsic value, and a meeting that is rooted in love for others is an amazing event that brings about great blessing. It lays the foundation for the next step of bringing them closer to Torah. The foundation of a connection to Torah is brotherhood in Israel. Similarly, prior to the giving of the Torah the people were "as one man with one heart" as they camped at the mountain. This shows us that the path to Torah is preceded by loving others, just as Avraham preceded Yaakov.

This is also the real meaning of the Torah, Toras Chesed, whose entire purpose is to increase peace in the world, that it should be filled with love, pleasantness, holiness and infinite blessing. One who comes to Torah after first loving others will be connected to its essential nature, the aspect of Chesed.
ה"ו רח"צ

Become Part of a Greater Whole

Perhaps the most important outcome of studying Kabbala is to imbue within oneself the understanding that each person is a part of the Schechina. When a person's grasp of the deeper portions of the Torah broadens and deepens there develops an internal revolution in a person's self-identity. He is able to experience an expanded consciousness which views himself as part and parcel of the Schechina, as part of a much greater existence. All of his desires, thoughts, dreams and ambitions then emanate from a deep desire to be incorporated in this precious source of life, the corporation of Israel (כנסת ישראל), and to work with all his might to improve it and to raise it to its fullness and destiny. This is the source of the deep-felt desire of the Tzaddikim for the rebuilding of the Temple, the glory of Jerusalem, the uplifting of the Schechinah and the perfection of Klal Yisroel.

This concept is the inner soul of the Torah and the sweet fruit of understanding and internalizing the Torah.

This is not achieved through the study of the revealed portions of the Torah, the portion that deals with actions. That subject matter is not aimed at this result. The Shulchan Aruch does not incorporate issues of the meaning of life and its purpose. Even though following the Shulchan Aruch is the only means of action through which a person can achieve his purpose in life. Therefore, by ignoring the inner Torah a person is going without any deep understanding or proper feeling for the path of Torah. A person's desire and intention when fulfilling Mitzvos is apt to be weak and dry, lacking powerful meaning. Similarly, the drive to toil in Torah and Mitzvos cannot reach its pinnacle, to reach places that are more valuable than the World to Come and reward in Gan Eden.

During the time of Exile we could not fully grasp the inner Torah, it speaks of a nation living in the light of the Schechinah and not of crushed bones. All that remained in Exile are the four cubits of Halacha. The world of deeper understanding it all its richness could not be revealed to the Nation except for a few holy individuals who could grasp it. They transmitted the teachings verbally to select students and wrote it in their works and so preserved it until the redemption.
ה"ו קע"ג

Unifying Klal Yisroel - V

We need to empty our hearts from all selfish interests and dedicate our hearts to being a dwelling place for the Schechinah, for the Jewish Nation. To be filled with love for every Jew is the true revelation of the Schechinah. To ask for peace, to chase peace, to love others with all one's might. To pray for one's brothers, his blood relatives. To distance from quarrels arguments and divisions, and to seek the complete unity among Jews. To feel that each Jew is one's brother, with no distinctions between black yarmulka and a knitted one, between a woolen yarmulka and someone for whom the sky is his kippah. With no distinctions between a black hat, a shtriemel or payos, between Sefardim and Ashkenazim. They are all children of Hashem, they are all beloved by Him, and he worries about all of them. He wants a relationship with every one of them...

Unity is the most important thing and is the root of all blessing for Klal Yisroel. We should not start a fight with any Jews no matter what, even if they are literally worshiping idols because as long as we have unity no nation can overcome us. Division and disunity are akin to idol worship as they cause division in the Unity of Hashem. The Unity of God and the Unity of the Jewish Nation are synonymous. We need to strengthen ourselves in this aspect. and ask forgiveness and have more patience for our fellow man, relatives, spouses, children neighbors and acquaintances. We should greet every person we meet, as the Gemara tells us that Rebbe Yochanan greeted the gentiles he met in the street. A person should be pleasant and loving, not get angry, or bear a grudge.

Be aware that any and all success in spirituality or the business world is dependent on love for your fellow Jew and the unity that you seek.
וקרא רנ"ח

Unifying Klal Yisroel - IV

All of these examples demonstrate clearly that the Jewish Nation is returning to Hashem. Their hearts' desire for holiness is growing stronger by the day.

Despite this being the atmosphere within most of the nation there are still a few people in the media and government who are stuck in a dream that we are still in the old state in which ideas of apostasy are in ascendancy. They transmit on a fake frequency on which the assumption is that religion and the country are in opposition, and that the desire for a Jewish identity for the State of Israel is a concern only of the religious.

As a result people who represent the dregs of humanity, who do not represent the will of the people, monopolize that media platforms and speak out of their microphones to the entire Nation. They present a false picture of the state of the Nation.

This attitude influences all of us, and results in our forming our perspective of others based on the message we are hearing. Unfortunately the only meeting place of the various factions is not in a place of truth, rather it is in the media. We assume that the media spokespersons are representing groups that stand behind them. This creates a situation in that if one person denigrates an entire other group in the media, the denigrated group hates not just that one person, but the entire group who they imagine he represents.

Media soundbites create a false impression of the attitudes of people, and cause that we each look at others with warped glasses, that are imposed upon us by virtue of our need for newspapers and radios. 

Unifying Klal Yisroel - III

We need now to focus on a very fundamental point. How do we form our view on the issues facing the Jewish Nation. There are within Judaism two opposite voices. On the one hand there is that which is heard from the media and politicians, and the second emanates from the spirituality that flows through the Nation. The gulf between them is very wide.

One who looks at the Nation of Hashem in our generation will see how it is walking forcefully towards Torah values. Whereas several decades ago there was an anti-religious atmosphere, this has changed for the Nation at large. At this time the clear direction of movement is stepping towards the wellsprings of holiness, to their Father in Heaven. There are countless examples, e.g. the numbers of children enrolled in religious educational institutions is increasing throughout the population in general. Most have Kosher homes. There are more and more Torah classes, and a great desire for Kabbalistic knowledge. Shuls and Mikvaos are being built in Kibbutzim, and theaters are completely filled with people davening on Yom Kippur.

If once upon a time people were embarrassed by their Judaism, today is it de rigueur for well known composers and musicians to  compose modern songs to the words of davening as well as songs that express a turning to religion, expressing Teshuvah and a desire for a relationship with Hashem. These songs, which become part of the popular culture are a window through which you can see the pure heart and spirit of the people. You can see what is really happening to the Jewish public at large.

Unifying Klal Yisroel - II

It is important to mention that efforts to create unity need not be established with fancy titles as attempts to unify different worlds. Rather, they are accomplished with very simple things, to feel brotherhood, plain and simple, with no ulterior motives. We are all brothers, one nation. We should feel this unity, because of its intrinsic truth and beauty, because of its power and blessing and not just because of the fruits that it will produce and how it will solve many issues.

We are brothers, and our brotherhood is stamped in our blood. Together we suffered through 2,000 years in Exile. We suffered together. We rejoiced together. We cried together and dreamed of the opportunity to return to Eretz Yisroel, and to reestablish and to raise from the dust that which we lost when we were exiled from our country and distanced from our land. Summer has awoken, we have arisen. We are here together free of the yoke of the nations, without pogroms and persecution. We should be happy and thank Hashem for this. We should be smiling at each other because of our physical and spiritual redemption,

So let's not get caught up in smallness. Let's not allow the separations to become permanent. Let us not be afraid of coming closer to each other. We will not be damaged or injured by that. There will never be any harm from unity in Klal Yisroel. Nothing will ever be damaged from all of the Jewish Nation joining together. The root and source of all great things are the small measured steps taken by each person with a heart to hear and feel that truth of these words. We need to life our hearts to give a gift to Hashem, to raise the pride of Israel, to reestablish the sanctuary of Jewish unity, which is the real basis for our glorious Bais HaMikdosh, the center of Jewish honor and Godly honor. the honor of Yerushalaim and the Schchinah.

Unifying Klal Yisroel - I

When we look at everything that is occurring to the Jewish Nation, one thing becomes very clear: they are all being orchestrated by Hashem in order that we become more cognizant of two fundamental points, the unity of Klal Yisroel and the movement of Teshuvah. This is the Mitzvah of our generation and it is very necessary. We cannot be lax about it. The pushes from Hashem are many, and are like labor pains to bring forth the child into the world. Rectifying these two areas will heal all the generational ills, all of the internal and external problems that are pushing us to graduate to the new paradigm that awaits us.

We need to listen keenly to all that occurs to us, whether it is in international relations, interactions between disparate Jewish groups, the inner workings of any particular group, or the life of an individual. All will demonstrate that all of the difficulties, the turmoil, and vicissitudes of life both internal and external are directed to encourage us to unite in love and to return to the source of life, to the study of the inner Torah and its light, and through this return to return to the Mitzvos as well.

We therefore need to abandon quarrelsome chatter, to let up on talk that divides, to melt the walls that create strangers and for people to become closer to one another. We will find great light in these endeavors as our souls are more than ready for national unity, for total brotherhood, for the Schechinah which wishes to find its place within us. As soon as we actually begin to meet each other, we will feel the waves of blessing that are bestowed upon us from above. There is a great thirst for this, and the connections of love and closeness between different groups and different people will be like cold water on a tired soul, Each person needs to leave his safe space and meet his brothers.

ה"ו רפ"ה

The Failures of Modern Chinuch and a Solution

We are witnesses to many failures in the Torah educational system. The root of these failures is not due to immaturity and a lust for the secular world, or a lack of interest in Torah study. On the contrary, it is because of their lofty souls which thirst for the the great light of Geulah. The only way to communicate with this generation is through the prism of greatness.

The simple fact is that when souls are cut out for greatness, they can only be satisfied with the light of greatness. It is the only thing that can fill their hearts with life and meaning, and can offer them the incentive to apply themselves to appreciating the waves of light and blessing. Because of this thirst for inner meaning they despise small mindedness and a poor and spiritually constricted educational approach.

The proper path of educating for greatness in this generation, that which will infuse life in the entire Nation, is that each person should feel that there is meaning in his actions; that what he does encompasses more than just his personal life, but influences the entire Nation, and has many other positive results as well. The inner feeling which is true and precise according to the Torah - that each person is very great and his actions have great influence - will inspire people to feel like a soldier on the battlefield whose heart is filled with a lofty life's purpose as he is connected to something much greater than his individual existence.

Even the lowliest Jew feels great inspiration when he fights in battle to save the Nation. He feels the significance of his mission. The same should be true of Jewish youth, those who have the souls of Eretz Yisroel, the souls of Geulah. Words of greatness that are drawn from Kabbalistic thought will fill them with a powerful sense of being alive; they will have a burning desire for Torah and Mitzvos when they recognize the great import of their actions. The holy meaning, the effect on life in general in both the physical and spiritual domains.

Kabbalistic thought demonstrates how serving God in one's daily life has ramifications for the entire world. The result of every good deed, from washing the hands in the morning to saying Shema at bed time is very powerful. Amazing things are instilled in every detail of Halacha and every Mitzva act that carried their blessing up to the heavens. This has all been publicized clearly in the works that discuss the proper Kavanos of davening and the conduct of man each day and throughout the yearly cycle.

Kabbalistic thought broadens the mind of a person until he understands that his actions and movements as he is serving God are like the actions of a spiritual soldier in the army of the living God. He will be powerfully inspired with great joy and a sense of purpose, rather than being depressed, inactive and lacking any inspiration from all the words of Mussar that are tossed in his direction which are taken from the mindset of Galus and cannot stand before the forces of lust and media influences of these times.

Through gradual influence that is drawn from the wellsprings of the secrets of creation, the nation will be given to drink, powerful souls will be educated from the dawn of their youth. They will be infused with the light and come, step-by-step to great depth of understanding, with powerful spirits, expanded minds that  fight and act, rejoicing in the Mitzvos of Hashem, and feel the pulse of life with its fullest meaning.

Helping Hashem

Hashem's most fervent desire is to shine good upon all of His creations, but the evil in the world blocks out the shine of Hashem. When one of His beloved children is inspired to honor his Father and overcomes his base instincts, he is increasing the level of holiness throughout Creation. He weakens the powers of evil permeating existence and causes holiness to spread. He causes great  נחת רוח (pleasure)  for Hashem, as he is increasing the outpouring of blessing and bringing the world closer to fulfilling its purpose. This is a fulfillment of תנו עוז לאלוקים, Give power to Hashem.

Why does this verse use the name אלוקים rather than the name הויה? This is because it is impossible to give power to הויה which is omnipotent and before which nothing can stand. It specifically uses the name אלוקים because this name represents the aspect of גבורה which forms the כלים, the vessels that can receive Hashem's infinite light. הויה represents the light itself, אלוקים, the vessels. The Klipos (forces of impurity) cannot affect the lights at all. Therefore the lights need no "help" to become more powerful. Only the vessels, the worlds that receive, can be affected by other forces, אלוהים אחרים, which can suck out every last bit of life in them. The vessels can be muzzled and stopped up to prevent them from receiving the light, and preventing the light from shining on the vessels. But this would not be because of any blemish within the light, but because of there not being any vessels ready and able to receive.

תנו עז לאלוקים, helping out Hashem is achieved by fixing the vessels, breaking the power of evil, the forces of אלוהים אחרים, the walls that prevent His great light from shining upon us.