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B”H
10 Heshvan
5770/October 28, 2009
Our Holy Friends and Family:
When you love somebody very much,
you think about them even when they are not there. Shlomo Carlebach, zt”l
For the next two Shabbats, the whole world will be celebrating the collective and individual
memories of our dear friend, teacher and Rebbe, Shlomo Carlebach zt”l. 16
Heshvan, 5770/ November 3, 2009 marks the fifteen Anniversary of his leaving the world.
Here is a little Shlomo teaching from former good days:
The month of Heshvan is the time when the effects of the great Flood began to disappear from the earth. The earth started to dry out and land started to appear. Shlomo taught, at this time of the year, we should be like Noach and come out of the
Ark. We should re-settle ourselves, be civil and not be afraid to share who we
are.
In our humble opinion, we always believed this is why Shlomo listened to every person no
matter how much time it took, or what the person’s platform was. He wanted
to give everyone the strength and courage to speak up. Everyone is valuable and has a song to sing, a story to tell.
There was always room for another voice, another melody; there was always room for one more place at Shlomo’s
table.
In the spirit of our beloved teacher, we are asking our family and friends to treat each
other with kindness and always listen to each other. This week, we bless all
our friends/family (bless us back) to tell someone you missed them and that the world would not be the same without them.
A special treat, Rabbi Marc Angel has written a Shabbat message to celebrate Reb Shlomo’s
Yahrzeit entitled Listening for Our Inner Song: Thoughts on Parashat Lekh Lekha. You
can access it at: http://www.jewishideas.org/angel-shabbat/listening-our-inner-song-thoughts-parashat-lek
It is beautifully written and captures everything we remember and miss about our Shlomo. Please pass it on to your friends and colleagues. Take a moment to comment on Angel for Shabbat—Lekh Lekha and consider signing up for IDEALS—Orthodox
Judaism that is intellectually sound, spiritually compelling, open to diversity and the challenges of contemporary society.
As the fall continues and we enter into the winter months, Everyone should Be Well!
Yosif and Tovli Simiryan
B"H
An essay by Tovli entitled Melodies from Old Women--Spirituality in Orthodox Judaism is appearing.
Enjoy! See you in Elul!
Tovli
Happy Pesach and Here Comes the Sun!
Shavuah
Tov to all our family and friends.
Pesah is getting close. We are cleaning, planning our seders and inviting our guests.
This year is a special year. April 8, Ereb Pesah—the day of the Fast of the First-born—is Birkat Hachama. On this day, we will recite the Blessing on the Sun. This
blessing is recited once every 28 years, when the sun reaches the point where it was at the time of its creation—at
the same time of day and on the same day of the week.
What an awesome opportunity. Jews all over the world will be blessing the sun. Every Jew—male,
female, old, young, observant, secular—an example that Ha-Shem needs every Jew!
Bnai Noach (non-Jews) are also interested
in this blessing—many are turning it into a time to “think green” and celebrate better uses of energy for
our communities.
G‑d made the two great lights: the greater
light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night .
. . And it was evening and it was morning, a fourth day.—Genesis
1:16, 19One who sees the sun at its turning point should say, "Blessed
is He who reenacts the works of Creation." And when is this? Abaya said:
every 28th year.—Talmud, Tractate
Berachot 59b
Click the link below
(Reb Zalman's picture) for a beautiful video:
A Happy and Kasher
Pesah to all our family and friends. This year let us free ourselves from all
forms of slavery and head for Jerusalem. See you there!
Yosif and Tovli
(“Yossie
and Linnie”)
PS. Here is a link to an awesome letter from Zeyde Zalman (R. Zalman Schactner-Shalomi—spiritual leader
of the Jewish Renewal Movement). Zeyde Zalman and our Rabbi Angel have been engaged
in a discussion at IDEALS.
Enjoy an interesting letter from our old friend and former teacher, Reb Zalman: Zeyde Zalman issues a challenge to the Modern Orthodox Movement.
He is always articulate and has a smile for every person. Read and enjoy
by click ing on Rabbi Marc Angel's picture.
| l'kovid Reb Zalman... |
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| click on his picture and enjoy a Birkat Hachama video! |
| l'kovid Rabbi Angel and Ideals... |
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| click to read a challenge to modern orthodoxy from Reb Zalman! |
The Tenth of Tevet...
B”H
Hello
everyone—we hope you had, or are having an easy fast today.
Everybody
knows, the Tenth of Tevet has taken on a special meaning in modern times. Many
communities use this day to remember our sadness of the siege of Jerusalem in 3336 (425 BCE) by
saying special prayers and tehillim for the souls of our people who have died, but no one knew where their remains were buried.
Yosif’s mother, Ester (z”l) was especially careful to fulfill
this custom to remember her family members who were murdered in the Holocaust. Yosif
has also taken on this special custom to say prayers for his family members in Moldova whose graves have been destroyed due
to anti-Semitism.
The
Tenth of Tevet is a good day to say slichot, to repent and try and do better.
Sometimes, it is not possible to fast—health reasons, inconveniences of modern life and so on. But—approximations count. Maybe you can only fast until
noon, or will choose only bland/simple foods for this day. If you could
not fast today, tzadakkah is a good alternative. Whatever you spent on meals/food
for this day—give that amount to your favorite charity. Additionally, you
can dedicate a personal fast day sometime in the future. Some great causes to
dedicate a personal fast day: harmony among our people, success of our soldiers,
destruction of anger and so on.
This week especially,
all eyes are on our holy land and the war our soldiers are fighting. At this
difficult time, and to give significance to the Tenth of Tevet, we would like to offer some ideas to our friends and family
to support Israel and the efforts of the IDF:
Operation Tefillah,
Torah & Troops," which was launched by Rabbi Simcha HaCohen Kook, the Chief Rabbi of Rehovot, Israel, and the Bostoner
Rebbe (Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Horowitz) of Har Nof, Israel, partners people from around the world with soldiers in the IDF.
Each
person who takes part in "Operation Tefillah, Torah & Troops" is paired with an Israeli soldier, and is responsible to
say tefillot (prayers), learn Torah, and do special acts of chesed (kindness) on behalf of that soldier.
To participate
in "Operation Tefillah, Torah & Troops" and receive the name of an Israeli soldier who needs your prayers, send an e-mail
to the office of Rabbi Kook at maortlmo@gmail.com.
To request the name of a soldier by phone or fax, call the
National Council
of Young Israel at 212-929-1525 x100,
or send a fax to 212-727-9526.
Rabbi Pesach Lerner, the Executive Vice President
of the National Council of Young Israel, notes that every tefillah that is said on behalf of a soldier will make a difference,
regardless of where a person may be in religious observance.
and.....
Here is a way to show an IDF soldier or an Israeli
living in an area where rockets are falling how much we care for them and admire their heroism.
Write your thoughts to an IDF soldier, or an Israeli
living in an area and your words of encouragement and picture will be hand-delivered. Be there with them; hand in hand, providing
even more strength and courage.
http://www.chabad.org/special/gazawar/letter.htm
Wishing you in advance—a Shabbat filled with Shalvah!
Yosif and Tovli
B"H
Happy Hanukkah
From Yosif and Tovli
I saw an old friend last week. We had not spoken in several years. Life had been sliding
under our feet as though the air around us was a locomotive and we had been standing very still, gazing beyond a vague horizon. We congratulated each other that we both looked the same, but joked about wanting
to slow the world down.
This friend had become a rabbi. We all knew he would be a rabbi someday. In former good days there was a vast look in his eyes, a quiet solitude bordered with
humility and a desire to never stop learning. He was a hard worker and never
worried about where his next meal was coming from, or if he could pay the rent or support his family. G-d is not stingy—why should we be? Every piece of the world is steeped in abundance—there is enough for everyone. That was the mantra
back in those early and former good days.
We talked. We exchanged emails.
I sent him links to articles and short stories published in magazines that had developed reputations for being frum. See who I’ve become? I wanted to add, but never got the chance. Instead,
I received a response of only a few words—a Happy Hanukkah scream, I’d like to call it, followed by a plea for
intellectual restraint when tempted to stuff unsuspecting email boxes with traief material that might implode like a dirty
bomb in a reader’s brain once digested. He maintained I was assaulting
him with unnecessary propaganda.
I could not help but ponder the metaphor and visualized images of Pepto-Bismol
stained pages of Torah commentary ravaging unsuspecting Jewish digestive systems from one corner of the world to the other. But, it did not stop there. My intrigue
was merely a pause in time, opportunity to await the next epiphany—an onion being torn layer by layer to reveal truth,
or at least change. My friend shot a bullet over the bough of our out dated relationship: “Nice to hear from you, always. Sorry,
but I have no time to contemplate the thoughts of other Jews I have found disagreement with.
I know you will understand—please respect my ideals.”
It was very close to Hanukkah. And this Hanukkah was different than the
rest. A month earlier, both Chief Rabbis of Israel united and begged the world to fast and pray for rachmanis—to help
us survive the economic calamity and harsh shell the world was developing. I
am a little Jew, naïve as can be, but I did my part—I passed on the message. No
takers. My husband and I fasted alone and prayed in secret in America on Thanks-Giving.
The next day, Jews were murdered in Mumbai; a week later the entire Jewish
world was stunned by a financial scandal. And the month was not over!
What is it with G-d? I wanted to email my friend—but I was afraid. What if I offended him? My links—the
little blue underlined letters that would take him to my writings, the person I had become—was not of interest and might
offend. He might be accused of listening and embracing the thoughts of a different Jew!
Dangerous. Very Dangerous. And
still, Hanukkah was coming! We were polishing our Hanukiah! Searching for candles—oil anything that would burn bright.
One night, before the holy week of Hanukkah, I prayed inside my sleep. I
asked G-d if he’d become stingy and had infected the world in the process. I
asked G-d if one Jew’s voice was injurious to another, if they disagreed. While I was at it, I asked G-d what happened to Moshiac and Jews who sing every waking
minute beneath their breath. I woke before G-d could answer.
But the next day, we had a visitor. A Rabbi
young enough to be a grand-son—a little Chabadnik who smiled so thoroughly the world turned bright in his wake. He called from out of the blue and wanted to stop by to say hello—just for us—to
make us happy. He laughed, smiled
and talked about hope. The day after his visit, the local Rabbi sprinkled light
in his weekly letter—he talked about keeping the old ways and how a new song cleans the air. He made us believe in soft
voices again and it made us want to light two menorahs this year.
Finally,
it was the first night of our Holiday of Lights. We lit one Hanukiah for us and one for Mama who passed away in March—we
still needed her, especially at this Season. Our candles burned like nothing
I ever remembered and emitted a soft, orange glow, silent, without any flicker or threat of darkness.
That night I dreamed the world was warm and filled with
so much light we could not see our shadows. It was as if the air had become the
colour of sweet butter. In my dream, I expected G-d to talk to me and finish
our conversation; but it was Mama’s voice, singing about Latkes and Bimuelos and all I could remember her saying was
“hesed, hesed, hesed.”
Kindness? So
be it! Hanukkah is from the horizon—an army approaching, a victory to launch—let
us light up the world with hesed—simple kindness to each other! By the way, in my dream Mama was very wealthy and when I asked her to reveal her secret for success, she
smiled and revealed, “G-d is not stingy—there is enough for us all—fix your eyes and your hearts.”
Happy Hanukah from The Simiryan Family!
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AZAMRA!
Azamra means "I will sing" (Psalms 146:2)
"And the way to sing the song of joy
is by seeking the good in all people,
especially in ourselves. Each good point
is one more note in the song of life!"
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov
The Word Needs Light...
This week, while preparing for Shabbat Vayeshev...Follow
the Teachings of Rebbe Nachman and
Join the fight against depression!
"Nothing is more damaging than depression. Depression is the cause
of all kinds of ills, including sickness and disease. When you are happy, come what may, you are free. Your mind will be settled
and you will understand things clearly. Try to turn your very depression and worry into joy. If you really set your mind to
it you will find that even amidst the worst troubles and suffering there is an opening you can use to convert all the depression
into joy."
Here are
EIGHT SIMPLE WAYS TO MAKE
THE WORLD HAPPIER
1. Smile. Most people are full of pain and worry and
all kinds of troubles. But when you come to them with a smiling face, you can literally give them life.
2. Make it a habit always to sing a happy song. It
will send joy into your soul.
3. Judge others favorably. You may see much that is
bad in them. Still, search out their good points.
4. Judge yourself favorably. Sift through for your
good points and take joy in them.
5. Don't despair. If you believe you can damage, believe
you can repair.
6. Ask God to help you understand why you came into
this world and how you can fulfill your purpose.
7. Give some charity. Charity brings peace.
8. Tell the truth. Truth brings peace.
"And know that in life one has to
pass over a very narrow
bridge.
The main thing is not to be afraid."
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www.azamra.org
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Have you added new Mitzvoth this week? Visit www.chabad.org and pledge to perform a new mitztva!
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| Click on Photo to link to Chabd.org |
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| Rabbi and Mrs. Holtzberg--murdered in Mumbai |
Our hearts are broken! We are mourning the loss of friends--Jewish people
and others who were working to bring light and hesed into our world. We mourn the loss of Gavie and Rivkie Holtzberg
who were murdered in Mambai this past week.
In memory of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Holtzberg z"l and in honour of their holy son, Moshe, who, due to a miracle from G-d,
is alive, The Simiryan family pledge the following mitzvoth:
- study a teaching from The Holocoth of the Ben Ish Hai once a day
- focus on eliminating Loshon Hora from our community and world
- for the rest of the year and beyond we will focus on bringing more compassion and hesed into the world and
- do what we can to foster unity among our people.
Let all our efforts bring Moshiach--immediately--let this miracle be instantaneous!
To hear Rabbi Gaviel Holtzberg...click on this text
Mumbai Attacks--Described as a
Pogrom
From Arutz Sheva....
by Gil Ronen
Details of the tragic aftermath of the terrorist
attack in Mumbai's Chabad House have become available.
The bodies of Chabad-Lubavitch emissary, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg,
and kashrus inspector Aryeh Leibish Teitelbaum, were found in the Mumbai Chabad House library, with holy books in front of
them. According to ZAKA emergency service, the body of the Rabbi's wife Rivka was found covered with a tallit (Jewish prayer
shawl), which her husband had managed to cover her with.
The bodies of the two other women who were killed along with
Rivka Holtzberg were found tied with telephone cables. The women had apparently been bound before they were killed.
"After
security forces completed the takeover of the Chabad House, ZAKA volunteers undertook the task of locating and extricating
the bodies of the missing," ZAKA announced. "Six bodies were located and extricated during the course of the Sabbath. The
operation was undertaken among the ruins despite risk of life, and the danger from exposed grenades," the hareidi-run group
said.
ZAKA emissaries reportedly struggled through the Sabbath to prevent the bodies of the Jewish victims from being
taken by local authorities for autopsies.
The sole terrorist who survived the Mumbai attacks told police that the
attack on Chabad House was part of the squads' original plan. The terrorists planned to take hostages from the hotels and
Chabad House and then use them to bargain for safe passage out of Mumbai, according to the Times of India.
Israeli
officials said Saturday night that it appeared that Rabbi Holtzberg and his wife Rivka were killed during the first hours
of the takeover of Beit Chabad by terrorists.
Voice of Israel Radio reported that nine bodies were found in Mumbai's
Chabad House, and apparently seven were Israeli. Three have not yet been identified. Israel is sending a forensic pathology
specialist to Mumbai to assist in the identification.
Elul. The
special month. If Elul was a human being she’d be smiling; even in her
sleep. Tomorrow we listen for the sound of the shofar. I used to pretend the sound of the shofar on early Elul mornings was the sound Elul makes when she breaths
and blesses everyone.
So, we begin Rosh
Hodesh Elul by reciting Slichot each morning. Well, I guess that
depends which side of the Jewish tracks you are from—our family begin slichot the first days of the month of
Elul, along with special tehillim each morning. Some Jewish communities
begin saying slichot closer to Rosh HaShanah; and some set aside one special evening for saying slichot. No matter. Ha-Shem needs every Jew; every
tradition. Israel
needs every tear, every joke every method to bring peace to the world.
Now is the time for
every Jew to build each other up and offer a bracha to each person. During
the three weeks of mourning, we were very careful not to speak ill of each other. We
were very careful to invest in silence rather than idle talk that could inadvertently lead to gossip and loshon hora
(G-d forbid!). We have become strengthened by our ability to develop good manners
and new habits that are predicated on kindness and tolerance. Elul is a time
to celebrate this new found energy.
As Rosh Hodesh
begins, our eyes will twinkle with joy and there should never be a time when we do not seize the opportunity to build another
person up; bless them with only good things and challenge ourselves to become compassionate to each other from the inside
out.
Elul is a good time
to visit the miqveh. It is a good time to clean our souls; our attitudes and
strengthen our neshamas and the world. Our homes should be places
of joyfulness and celebration; our synagogues and communities should have opportunities for learning and performing mitzvoth. Each year at this time, we take on a new subject to study; or new mitzvoth to
perfect. It is time to start thinking.
“What will I make better about myself, my community, the world.”
This month is a time to embrace what you thought last year was impossible to achieve.
One Elul I was living
in Yerushalaem enjoying a cup of coffee and reading a story about the Baba-Sali. Rebbenu interrupted me and asked, “What is
your purpose; why are you here? What are you working on?”
I showed him my book.
“And what are
you getting out of it?”
“Rebbe, I’m
so far away from accomplishing anything. That’s what I’m getting
out of it,” I said with self pity rising from every pour in my body.
“Darling,” Rebbenu
responded, his eyes sleepy from reading; his voice soft from creating new melodies and singing them to the whole world as
well as Ha-Shem. “It’s the first days of Elul! Don’t you know? In Elul, everyone is top talmidah. Just change your seat; change your view. It is so simple. You need different eyes. All you need
to do to see the world as a joyful place of limitless success is blink your eyes and see things differently.”
Change your seat. It’s not such bad advice. But my real memory on that Elul in Yerushalaem so long ago was Reb Shlomo (z"l) giving me
a blessing. I carry it always. It
went like this: “My sweetest student, I bless you to find that place inside
your soul that has become so hidden, you’ve forgotten it was there. I bless
you to find that part of your soul that can not be expanded. I bless you to focus
on this tiny, microscopic place that can not be anything more that it already is and expand it; let the impossible part of
your soul, the piece that is impossible for you to ever perfect, explode into the world and you follow it like a holy little
rocket.”
Now, that’s
a bracha! As Elul begins, may we learn to bless each other. May we bless each other in such a manner that it will empower our holy brothers and sisters for the rest
of their lives and beyond. The world needs the joy and strength of Elul.
As we write our stories
this month, may our words bring strength, resolve direction and hope to the whole world.
Can't wait to hear new songs; new ideas, new stories, different ways of looking at each other....see you in the laughing
tears of Elul as she wakes us all with the sound of shofar!!
Leshanah tovah tikateiv veteichateim--"May
you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."
Tovli and Yosif
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