Torah

In our previous article, we began exploring the deeper reason behind our desire to waste time and words. Chazal connect this strange desire to an important historical transition in history: the transition away from avodah zarah (idolatry), and our loss of n’vuah (prophecy). In the modern age, avodah zarah seems foolish, senseless, and pointless. We are no longer enticed by it, and we cannot even grasp how one could be. However, this inability to grasp the appeal of avodah zarah is not incidental. The world has changed, the very inner workings of the human consciousness have shifted, and we no longer crave idolatry. However, we no longer crave n’vuah and transcendence either, at least not to the same degree. Why is this? What changed?

As Shabbos enters, one can almost feel a wave of relaxation and reflection pass over the Jewish People. As human beings, we have the unique ability to step outside of ourselves and view our lives from an external, third-person perspective. While our default experience of life is internal and personal, we occasionally feel compelled to look at ourselves from an outside view and ponder the meaning and direction of our lives. In such reflective moments, we ask ourselves: “Who am I? Where am I going? Why am I living the life I’m living?”

Rabbi Amnon Itzhak Shlita will again be arriving in North America this week. After the huge success of the last two tours in the area it was decided to create a third tour. So far, a total of eight lectures have been scheduled for the region spanning from Toronto to Miami and from New York to Las Vegas. According to the planners, additional lectures are usually added during the visit of three weeks.

In our previous article, we began exploring the concept of brachah (blessing). We explained that brachah represents the transition from infinite oneness to particular twoness – the process by which Hashem’s divine energy (shefa) flows into this world. When we recite brachos and say “Baruch atah Hashem,” we are not blessing Hashem. Hashem, infinite and perfect, does not need our blessings.

We recently visited the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, and I parked my car a few blocks away on Weizmann Street. Not only is Rechovot Weizmann-focused, but over a dozen streets plus major institutions across the country are named in Chaim Weizmann’s memory. Let’s learn about Israel’s first president.

A hallmark of the Jewish experience is the myriad of brachos (blessings) intertwined into the fabric of daily living. From the moment we wake up (Al N’tilas Yadayim) until the moment we fall asleep (HaMapil), we recite brachah after brachah on every imaginable aspect of our lives: before and after eating, throughout davening, even after going to the bathroom. Every milestone of life is accompanied by a unique brachah as well: from the birth of a child, followed by bris milah and pidyon ha’ben, and subsequently to mark marriage and even death. Life’s milestones are marked and elevated through brachos.