Borders Made of Roses

The 5-minute lesson

Is the new weekly "5-minute-lesson" already on ?? Where ?

To Haim

Not yet, hopefully for next Sunday 9 AM.

why no mp3

can you please post the mp3
I like to listen to the lecture in my car.
Thank you

documentary

Many of these shiurim should be made into documentary style with images, re-enactment etc.

Youtube

With iPhone it does Not work!
Can you post it As Youtube ?

The Lesson of Borders Made of Roses

Unbelievable! An eye opener for all with so many pointers of instruction yet one powerful message for life delivered with the finesse of a teacher par excellence.
Thank you for this opportunity!

suit

nice suit!

פארוואס?

ישר כח פאר די שיעורים איך האב אבער ערשטנ'ס צוויי בקשות
א. ס'זיינען פאראן אזעלכע וואס קאכן זיך נישט אין ג' תמוז תשנ''ד וואס איז די מצוה זיי דאס שטופן אין פנים
ב. פארוואס פארגלייכן די אנדערע צוויי גדולי ישראל צום רבין? זייערע פשטים זיינען זייער פיינע און שיינע און מ'דארף עס טאקע חזר'ן אבער מ'דארף זיי נישט פארגלייכן צום רבי'ן אין זאגן אז ס'זיינען פאראן דריי פשטים. והמבין יבין.

הצלחה

infusing structure with infinity

The approach to Yiddishkeit that emphasizes maintaining structure as the goal makes Torah observance into something dry, repressive, and lifeless. When structure is seen as a way of containing the infinite, as a vessel for G-dliness, then Yiddishkeit becomes full of chayas, inspiration and simcha.

Some Are Not good with Simchas Torah

One of his main points was that Yiddin have 2 opposites going on. On the one hand, Shulcahn Aruch is very clear what has to be done and at the same time there is a yearning we have to hashem which takes us at times above the limitations of world.

So the 2nd warning was not to get lost in the Ohr of Hashem. Be involved in the physical and its limitations. At the same time , yearn for higher.

R. Wichnin once spoke about a certain idea and I remebered it when I heard the Dvar torah from R. Jacobson the other night.

Here it is how I remeber it. "Some people are tremendous with being Be-seder. They will go to bed 10PM each night and be on time for morning seder. Comes Simchas Torah , the same person says he can't stay up because he has to go to bed. Something is very odd about this."

from a personal note , I'm pretty good about staying up and being part of the Kedusha of Simchas Torah The last couple of years we spent Simchas Torah by my dauhter , son in law and grand kids in Pittsburgh. I can use a lot of work on going to bed the rest of the year at 10PM and being on time for the morning.

It is ingrained in me how Rabbi Wichnin would end Farbragens by 12 AM - 12:30 AM and remind us that the test of how good a Farbragen was , is that we needed to be on time for Seder Chassidus the next morning.

If u have that tape of the Farbragen Rosh Chodesh Adar 5750 in Kfar Chabad, he says it very clear.

Powerful message

The metaphor of "borders made of roses" is poetic and lyrical as is Rabbi Jacobson's wont. The strength of a barrier of roses is so much more powerful than barbed wire. The inclination not to step on roses is the only eternal deterrent to sin. Fear alone doesn't make it. If only educators would build relationships of roses with their students...there would be nothing to rebel against.
Thank you, Rabbi Jacobson and, as always thank you to David and Eda Schottenstein.

B”H
2. Questions and Exercises
1. G-d cautions three times, “Do not cross the boundary blockading Mt. Sinai.” Why do the borders around Mt. Sinai occupy such a major part of the story?
Summing up the great insight of this class we can see three types of boundaries:
1. Something physical and real for touch like a fence, a wall or a guard that suppose to serve for any kind of invasion of any kind of beings; 2. A set of laws, rules and code that regulate and conduct human society and human relationship. 3. Very subtle for comprehension borders that don’t allow a person to be alien of his or her earthy life in passion of reaching beyond threshold of perceptions…
2. Do you have absolute boundaries in your life?
SURE!
I have put absolute ban on loosing talks.
Do you sometimes cross your own boundaries?
NEVER EVER!
Just inquire if roses and lilies are the same type of vegetation?
Preventing person from fall, where should we place “Catcher in the Rye”?
How deliberately G-d was when set up his borders, first with time in Mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh, then in space with three types of blockages? I didn’t cross anything, right?
3. How do we teach our youth about “borders?”
Back to Russia, it was done through classic children literature and it had nothing to do with politics and ideology. Based on pure idealism and perfectionism it gave a child a taste of ethics even before he could talk.
American literature, with Mark Twain, O’ Henry, L. Frank Baum and of cause, J.D. Salinger... made its great contribution in this process. I don’t think it can substitute Torah studying, but as Josef Brodsky stated, all great poetry is nothing but far connotation of first letters of Bereishis.
4. According to the Ragatchover Gaon, what were the two differing perspectives of Moses and G-d?
As it was clearly explained by Rabbi Josef Jacobson, G-d could see people from farther perspective than Moses. He knew that we should not be deceived with temporary revelation when we are perfectly aligned with our inner nature. Time changes and great moments of revelation would be replaced with dichotomy of our mundane routine, when we would be in need of strong borders and deliberated Manual. Moses was more optimist than realist when he thought that reaching primordial stage of purity people would be able to stay at that plateau forever, so they don’t need any other cautions but their own inner condemn. His own innocence prevented him of seeing imminent possibility of Golden Calf…
5. Is Judaism about imposing borders on life, or is it about transcending borders?
Judaism is about transcending borders through imposing strong boarders on a person’s life. Only through following Manual strictly, one can achieve realization of his highest potential and transcend limitations.

Sorry for a mistake, I meant you, Rabbi Yosef.

The great paradox of Torah is that in order to transcend the physical realm and be elevated into the spiritual, there must be physical and material borders imposed on the Yid. For instance, eating kosher food or immersing in a mikvah, are examples of the imposition of physical restrictions. In order to get closer to the Infinite One a Jew must stay within the '4 cubits of halacha'.

containment

question: according to the opinon of the grand rebbe (im actually suprised you equate him to the others)i met you as a chasid of the rebbe please remain that way) why is god so concerned with thier desire to cleave and join the sweet bliss etc. cant he he just expand thier vesseles and secure they remain attached to the physical vessel? certainly god is not limited and can give the human the strength to reatin himself in the body is not the ultimate expiration of the soul dependent on god? please post, thanks seth uws, ny

To Seth

In the words of the Tanya (ch, 36), "G-d desired to have a home in the lower world," meaning that the human being transform the lowly reality of physicality into a Divine abode. This is the reason for the concealment of the Divine reality in our bodies and in our physical world. The objective of Torah was not to alter the state of the physical, but rather to infuse it and sublimate it.
So the body remains the body, the world remains the world, and the Jew is instructed to "keep distance from the mountain," which means to ensure that the energy is filtered within the sturcture of the physical. If G-d would expand the physical, it would not possess the properties of the physical which He so desired.

Thank You

Dear Rabbi Jacobson,
I can't begin to thank you for the powerful lessons you teach every week. I feel like I won the lottery each time. I thank Hashem for allowing me to have this weekly gift. My family and friends enjoy when I share with them.

May you be gebentched with unlimited revealed good.

Shiur

I like it very much it is very powerful thank you keep up the good work

Moshiach now