Chanukah and Purim differ drastically in their manner of observance and in the message that they convey. The Mitzvot of Purim revolve around the “physical” — we feast, drink, give gifts of food, and charity. The message is clear: they tried to destroy us, so we celebrate by highlighting our continued physical existence. There is only one unique Mitzvah of Chanukah: to kindle a light. Sure we have parties, eat latkes, and play draidel, but those are only customs. The only specific action mandated by Jewish law is to kindle a light, to publicize the miracle of Chanukah (we...
Posts Tagged ‘ spiritual energy ’
Elul – Getting Ready
A Chassidic story: A wealthy merchant would regularly visit the Baal Shem Tov and would donate large sums of money for the Rebbe’s charitable causes. Eventually his fortune changed and his business failed, leaving him nearly penniless. When he went to visit the Rebbe again the Baal Shem, undoubtedly aware of the man’s dire straits, asked him for a huge donation of 400 rubles to aid the victims of an earthquake in the holy city of Tzvat. The man left upset and angry. How could the Rebbe be so insensitive as to request such a huge sum from him...
Chanukah-Counting Money
In its discussion about the laws of Chanukah, the Talmud states that it is forbidden to use the light of the menorah to count one’s money, for doing so denigrates the importance of the mitzvah of the lights. This halacha teaches us a very deep lesson. Chanukah teaches us that miracles do happen. God is in control of our destinies, not us. Just the other night, sitting in front of the menorah, I started worrying about my own financial situation. How was I going to take control of my financial destiny? It’s all totally in my hands, right? Then...
The Spiritual Chamber
Last night, after visiting a new age type shop in Dizengoff Center (TA), I had an idea. Wouldn’t it be great if we had a room in the house that was totally decorated for “spirituality”? It would have candles and incense, hanging beads on the doors and windows, dim colored lighting, cusions on the floor for sitting, tibetan artifacts and music…use your own imagination to complete the picture. It would be awesome! A spiritual chamber from where we could beam ourselves up to the highest reaches of the cosmic universe. Then I realized that Judaism teaches something very different....
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