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Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron

December 2, 2016 by admin Comment Closed

Do Good. Feel Good. Do Bad. Feel Bad. When we do something wrong, we not only violate our relationship with G-d and break a particular law but we also wrong ourselves and damage our self-esteem. Sin is an act of self-betrayal. The Talmud teaches that we cannot do wrong unless a spirit of insanity enters us. Indeed, we have to be out of our minds to transgress G-d's will; who only wants the best for us. Therefore, when we do wrong we have lost ourselves, at least temporarily. We become estranged from our Godly essence, and we are no longer at home with our true selves. After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, G-d asked them, "Where are you?" Likewise, when we do wrong we lose ourselves in our self-imposed spiritual exile; we become strangers to ourselves. When we transgress G-d's will, we violate our G-d-given potential. We experience a schism between who we are and who we ought to be; we...

Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny Freedman – Portion of Toldot

December 2, 2016December 2, 2016 by admin Comment Closed

Tibor Rubin was a Corporal in the Korean War when his battalion found itself ambushed by thousands of Chinese troops in the battle of Unsan, North Korea, in the fall of 1950. The Americans’ firepower soon dwindled to a single machine gun. The weapon was in an exposed position and three soldiers had already died manning it when Corporal Rubin took charge. He fought until his ammunition was gone. Badly wounded, he was captured and sent to a P.O.W. camp, but his bravery helped many of his fellow soldiers survive. And his valor does not end there. He spent 30 months as a prisoner of war in North Korea, and fellow prisoners later testified about his willingness to sacrifice for the good of others; what gave him the strength to do all this? Tibor was born on June 18, 1929, in Paszto, a Hungarian shtetl with a reported 120 Jewish families, to Ferenc and Rosa Rubin; his father, who had served in...

Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron

November 24, 2016November 24, 2016 by admin Comment Closed

Making Every Day Count The Key to Making Life Worth Living One day as I was waiting for a friend, an old woman sits down next to me. Suddenly she jumps out of her seat, turns to me and yells, "I should have never left Mexico!" I look at her and ask, "When did you leave Mexico?" "Thirty years ago!" she cries. "And I regret it every single day of my life!" You would think that after 30 years a person would finally get used to where they were. But people often live in the past. One of my students, age 28, told me that his father insulted him when he was age 12 and till this day he continues to feel hurt and angry. I explained to him that although his father hurt him when he was twelve he has allowed his father to continue to hurt him for another sixteen years by holding on to the pain and constantly remembering it. I suggested...

Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny Freedman – Portion of Chayei Sarah

November 24, 2016November 24, 2016 by admin Comment Closed

It had been a grueling few weeks. After almost thirty years in the reserves I was definitely getting too old for this. Midnight ambushes with 10-20 kilometer treks carrying heavy gear and wearing heavy bullet-proof ceramic vests, all day patrols in the hot sun, trying to stay alert commanding checkpoints in dangerous areas over the green line; we had been attached for this reserve duty to a unit of paratroopers most of whom were 20-25 years younger; it was all getting to be a bit much. We were three days away from finishing this stint of reserve duty and to be honest, I was counting the hours. I had come back from a late-night ambush and after trekking deep into a valley and having to come back on foot with all our heavy gear I finally collapsed onto my cot in the army tent, only to be woken a few hours later and informed I was the Officer on Duty for...

Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron

November 18, 2016November 18, 2016 by admin Comment Closed

Enjoying Heaven on Earth In this week's Torah portion G-d appeared to Abraham and yet He said nothing. "G-d appeared to [Abraham] in the Plains of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of the tent in the hottest part of the day. [Abraham] lifted his eyes and he saw three strangers approaching and ran towards them." Until now G-d appeared to Abraham to instruct, promise or bless him. The Talmud (Sotah 14A) comments that G-d was visiting sick Abraham who was recuperating from his circumcision. What does this mean? When you visit a person who is ill it is not in order to say something; your mere presence communicates your pure desire to identify with this person in his/her time of need. You go for the sole purpose of being there. So it was when G-d visited Abraham. For the first time G-d appears to Abraham only to be with him, identify with him and share this special moment. Sometimes the highest moment...

Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny Freedman – Portion of Vayera

November 18, 2016 by admin Comment Closed

I can still remember that ride; every minute of it, every time I took it…. Passing Agam Karun (the Karun reservoir), and then the road below the Beaufort fortress imagining what that would have been like if the PLO had still controlled that high ground; marveling at the insane bravery the men of Golani must have had to take that spot just the year before …. And then passing through Marja’oun and getting close to the border; you could taste it now; home was that close. It was always an intense ride in open safari trucks with all our gear on: flak vests helmets, webbing and gear and bullet in the chamber, never really sure if you would make it to the border; there were no shortage of stories of convoys being ambushed on this road and we were obvious targets in open safari trucks with no armor…. And once you’ve been through such an ambush you no longer focus on the...

Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron

November 11, 2016 by admin Comment Closed

Abraham: The Master of Personal Transformation In reading the Torah's (Bible) account of Abraham, we cannot but be surprised and disturbed by the obvious omissions. Abraham appears upon the stage of history as a virtually anonymous character, without lengthy introduction or background or any real character references. The Torah recounts his genealogy and the migration of his family from one Mesopotamian city to another. It mentions his wife Sarai (who is later renamed Sarah) and her barrenness. It also mentions the death of his father and brother. But these are all mundane vital statistics that do not hint at Abraham's spiritual status. Suddenly, yet in an oddly matter-of-fact way, the Torah relates a momentous revelation, one of the most crucial scenes in the entire Torah. G-d bursts into the personal life of this one man, calling to him, demanding of him a radical renunciation and promising that he will become prosperous, famous, the progenitor of a great nation which will be no...

Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny Freedman – Portion of Lech Lecha

November 11, 2016November 11, 2016 by admin Comment Closed

Why was Abraham the first Jew? What happened to Noach? Last week at Orayta, we met a living legend, who, less with his words and more by the glint in his eye, provided the answer. On October 6, 1973, Effie Eitam was a commander in the elite reconnaissance unit of the Israeli army, Sayeret Matkal. Known simply as ‘the Sayeret’ (recon unit), they were deployed along the line of defense in the Golan Heights and their mission in the weeks leading up to Yom Kippur had been to observe and report back on the obvious buildup of Syrian forces in the area. Hundreds of tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery guns, anti-aircraft and anti-tank units were observed, and with increasing urgency Effie’s unit was reporting back on the dangerous enemy buildup, but it seemed no one was listening. And then, late morning on Oct 6, 1973, to quote Effie Eitam’s exact words: “The gates of Hell opened up”. The Syrians unleashed an artillery barrage...

Emunah B’Iyun – An Advanced On-Line Course with Rabbi David Aaron

November 8, 2016October 23, 2017 by admin Comment Closed

Infuse new vitality and spiritual inspiration into your Avodas Hashem. Explore the profound meaning of Yichud Hashem. Master secrets to living a soulful life of devaykut. Get sophisticated sensitive answers to the most complex questions of life. (apply here) Rabbi Aaron probes the profundity of the essential sugyos in Emunah and offers systematic, transformational, yet down-to-earth clarity drawn from classical works of Sifrei Machsahava, Emunah, Chasidut and Kabbalah. This extraordinary course is available to Torah educators, Outreach professionals and advance students (men and woman with a minimal of 3 years study in Yeshiva Gavoah/Seminary) by application only. [complete application here] Course Fee: $799 Topics include: מגמת לימוד אמונה בעיון אמונה וקדושת הכפירה סוד שמות הקדושים יחוד השם אין עוד מלבדו סוד בריאת העולם ושליחות האדם הוא היודע הידוע והדעה שלמות והשתלמות צמצום יחוד קודשא בריך הוא ושכינתה These teachings enabled me to help my congregants and students develop a deeper and healthier relationship with Hashem and Torah life. What I have learned and shared from Rabbi Aaron has proven invaluable for both the spiritual seekers and those...

Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron

November 3, 2016 by admin Comment Closed

Are You Ready for the Ultimate Pleasure? The generations following the sin of Adam and Eve proceeded upon a path of moral degeneration. Cain, in a jealous rage, impulsively killed his brother Abel. In the next generation, Tuvel- Kain perfected the crime of Cain through manufacturing weapons. Then, Lemach boasted to his wives of committing pre-meditative murder. Idolatry flourished during the time of Enosh. Organized crime was established by a group of hoodlums called “The sons of Elohim.” Sexual perversion was rampant in Noah’s generation. Torah tradition teaches that there are three cardinal sins that a person should choose death rather than be forced to commit. They are: murder, idolatry, and sexual perversion. These offenses are the ultimate denial of G-d’s love and the values that make life worth living. They are a complete violation of living within the context of G- d’s oneness and love and therefore cut humanity off from the source and ground of life. In a span...

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