&quot;In this week&rsquo;s Torah Portion the Jews are charged with mission impossible: Build a finite home for an infinite G-d. Yet, G-d chooses to &ldquo;rest&rdquo; in this relatively humble abode, and most intensely in the Holy of Holies, the location of the Ark. The Ark was a gold-plated box containing the Tablets, the Torah, given to Moses at Sinai, and had two poles, one on either side which enabled the Kohanim, the priests, to carry it during travel. &quot; &quot;In this class, we will analyze the timeless spiritual meaning behind the enigmatic prohibition forbidding the removal or dislodging of the Ark&rsquo;s two carrying-poles.&quot;

48_48_beggar.ef49.jpeg

22_terumah.pdf

terumah_5769_revised.360p.mp4

terumah_5769_revised.mp3

torah

tabernacle

shavuos

poles on the ark

jewish homeland

jewish eternity

jewish continuity

israel

diaspora

dali lama

badim

jewish identity

galut

galus

jewish outreach

exile

The Secret of the Ark’s Immobile Poles: Seven Perspectives on One Mitzvah

What the Jews Did Not Tell the Dalai Lama

This class was presented on Sunday morning, 25 Tamuz 5776, July 31, 2016, at Ohr Chaimshul, Monsey, NY. It explains the reason the Rambam gives us an unusual history lesson about the Holy Ark in his halachik work. ​"W​hen ​K​ing Solomon built the Holy Temple, knowing that it was destined to be destroyed, he built a place in which to hide the Ark, [at the end of] hidden, deep, winding passageways.&rdquo; It was there that King Josiah placed the Ark twenty-two years before the Temple&rsquo;s destruction.
The Beis Hamikdash in Jerusalem was built by King Solomon in the year 2928 from creation (833 BCE), and was destroyed 410 years later, on the ninth day of the month of Av, by the armies of the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar. Seventy years later it was rebuilt; the second Temple stood for 420 years, until its destruction by the Romans, also on the ninth of Av, in 3829 (69 CE).&nbsp;
From the Rambam's words about the Ark we discover that the core of the Temple was never destroyed. What is more, it means that the first, second and third Temples are not three different structures, but the continuum of a single edifice. in this class we also discover why we allow ourselves to make such destructive mistakes. It turns out we are the ones who do this to ourselves for a very healing reason.

2876_img_7979.jpg

22_ac place of aron.pdf

21_rabbi_yy_jacobson_sunday_class_07312016_fixed2.mp4

21_rabbi_yy_jacobson_sunday_class_07312016_fixed2.mp3

holy temple

bais hamikdosh

aron

yosheyahu

the ark

destruction of temple

destruction beis hamikdash

The Core of the Holy Temple Was Never Destroyed 

The Subterranean Beis Hamikdash: Where Is the Aron?

Rabbi YY Jacobson delivered a lecture via zoom for Tomchei Shabbos of Toronto, Wednesday, 28 Shevat, 5781, February 10, 2021

7953_cupped_hands_colorized.bdd7.png

21_7953_the_power_of_giving_tomchei_shabbos_toronto_5781.1ee8.mp4

21_7953_the_power_of_giving_tomchei_shabbos_toronto_5781.1ee8.mp3

Why Does Torah Refer to Giving as Taking?

Tomchei Shabbos of Toronto

Pagan Idea that Crept into Judaism: If You're Happy G-d Must Be Miserable 

This weekly women&#39;s class was presented on Tuesday, Parshas Terumah, 4 Adar, 5781, February 16, 2021, live from Rabbi YY Jacobson&#39;s home in Monsey, NY.

7942_children_picking_fruits.5b3a.jpg

22_source_sheet_women_class_terumah.acef.pdf

21_7942_women_class_terrumah_5781.cc10.mp4

21_7942_women_class_terrumah_5781.cc10.mp3

bracha

blessing on food

When You Make a Blessing Over Food, You Reveal Its Divine Chemistry

Women's Class - Sefas Emes/Terumah

You Can Find G-d In Every Desire

Angels or Demons: The Secret of the Cherubs. Haman: A Psychological Profile

100_educationh.jpg

22_ac_terumah_5770-0.pdf

Truma5770.360p.mp4

Truma5770.mp3

tree of knowledge

purim

keruvim

haman

eitz hadaas

education

discipline

cherubs

hamin

Haman: A Psychological Profile

Angels or Demons: The Secret of the Cherubs

This class was presented at Ohr Chaim, Monsey, NY, on Sunday Parshas Vayakhel Pekudei, 21 Adar, 5777, March 19, 2017.

It is a strange story. Moses seemingly distorted what G-d told him, telling the craftsman of the Sanctuary to first build the furniture and only afterward the outer structure. It was Betzalel who reminded him of the simple truth that you first build a house before you furnish it. Upon deeper reflection, this incident captures the story of our lives.

Many great thinkers, writers, and artist, produced extraordinary works. Their content was great, their message potent, and their talent exceptional. What they lacked was the exterior structure for their souls lavish output. Sadly, in our world &ldquo;art&rdquo; needs a proper &ldquo;frame.&rdquo; Lacking the frame, the art may remain in its corner and melt into oblivion.

The great argument between Moses and Betzalel was which came first&mdash;the energy or the container, the vision or the structure? Moses was a visionary; Betzalel was a man of action. In conclusion, we discover, they were both right: In the world of thought and strategy, art precedes the frame; in the world of action and implementation, the frame precedes the art. In the world of light, vision takes precedence. In the world of shadows, your dreams must follow your actions, not the other way around.

The class continues to explore another perspective by Reb Tzadok of Lublin. Judaism consists of two components&mdash;what G-d gives us and what we give G-d. The Written Torah and the Oral Torah. One is Divine; the other is filtered through human creativity. But are they really different? Depends from whose perspective.

4152_shadow_sun.5451.jpg

22_ac_monsey_pekudei_5777_final.f7eb.pdf

21_rabbi_yy_jacobson_sunday_20170319.cc4f.mp4

21_rabbi_yy_jacobson_sunday_20170319.cc4f.mp3

terumah

sanctuary

mishkan

rabbis

bezalel

talmid chacham

betzalel

shadow

pekudei

What Comes First, the Frame or the Art? The Debate between Moshe and Betzalel

How Do I Know When to Trust a Rabbi?

The Jew and the General&nbsp;

A Jew ends up sleeping in the same cabin as a Russian General of the Czar's army. He tells the conductor to wake him up at 4:00 a.m. so he can get off at his stop. He is awakened at the proper time, yet due to the darkness he mistakenly puts on the cloth of the general instead of his own.&nbsp;&nbsp;

When he arrives home, his wife asks him if everything is all right with him. When he takes a look in the mirror and sees that he is wearing the general's uniform, he tells his wife, "It seems like the conductor woke up the general instead of me."&nbsp;

Three Arks&nbsp;

The holiest article in the Tabernacle that the Jewish people constructed in the desert was the Ark, which housed the Tablets of the Ten Commandments. In this week's portion (Terumah), the Torah commands the Ark to be made of acacia wood and to be covered within and without with gold<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref1')">[1]</a>.&nbsp;

To fulfill this stipulation the Jews made three boxes, tucked into each other. The larger visible box was made of pure gold. Inside it, they placed a box of acacia wood. Then a second golden box was made and it was put inside the wooden one. Thus, the middle wooden box was covered with gold inside and out<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref2')">[2]</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

But why did they need to build three arks in order to fulfill this condition? Why could they not build one ark of wood and plate it inside and out with gold?&nbsp;&nbsp;

Three Layers of the Soul&nbsp;

Gold is an inanimate metal, while wood belongs to the botanic world of growth and development. Yet wood has nothing of the brilliant glitter and splendor of gold. And while wood may be developed into a magnificent structure, it can also -- unlike gold -- deteriorate and rot.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The spiritual masters teach<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref3')">[3]</a> that the psychological structure of every human being consists of three strata, one "beneath" the other: The deepest, often invisible, stratum is the quintessential soul that may be unknown even to a person himself or herself (even if its impact is present in some form). Then there is the conscious personality -- including all of our instinctive thoughts, feelings, moods, instincts, and desires. Finally, there is the layer of behavior -- the active thoughts, words, and deeds we express and carry out during our daily lives and interactions.&nbsp;

The three arks that the Jewish people constructed three&nbsp;millennia&nbsp;ago in the Sinai desert represented these three dimensions of the human structure. The most inner ark, made of pure gold and tucked inside the other two arks, reflected the most inner dimension of the soul, which can be defined as "pure gold." This is the Divine, spiritual essence of our identity, displaying a brilliant luster of sacredness, integrity, and love. At the core, you are a "derivative" of infinite oneness, a manifestation of G-d's light in this world.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Just as gold coming from the inorganic world is not subject to real change, so too the golden essence of the human soul cannot be altered, tarnished, tainted, or compromised.&nbsp;No matter how much we were abused or we abused ourselves&nbsp;--&nbsp;the core of our consciousness remains a piece of gold. Just as G-d is indestructible, so are you. In that Divine space, you remain fully intact, full of confidence, fortitude, joy, possibility, love, compassion, and courage.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The middle ark made of wood reflected the more visible conscious personality of the human&nbsp;soul. Just like wood, our feelings and attitudes go through many changes during our lives. We may develop and refine our "wooden" character so that it becomes exquisite and beautiful, or our personality may experience decomposition. &nbsp;

Our "wooden" self may vacillate between extremes. At times we may feel idealistic, virtuous, and spiritual, but at other times we find ourselves consumed by bleak emotions, negative cravings, and dark ambitions. We feel rotten and decayed inside.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Finally, the third and outer ark, conspicuous for all to see, was made of pure gold. This reflected the Torah's blueprint for the most external stratum of the human structure -- a person's behavior.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Though we may feel our personalities to be torn inside, and at times even saturated with gloom and pain,&nbsp;we need not grant them&nbsp;permission to dictate our behavior. We need to remember always that even while our conscious moods may gravitate toward decadence, our essence remains pure gold.&nbsp;

This is Judaism's fundamental code of human behavior. Even while you feel selfish, unholy, and obnoxious inside, your behavior -- what you do, how you talk, and how you consciously think -- can reflect the beauty and splendor of your innate G-dliness&nbsp;and infinite holiness. You can feel your "wood" in all of its nuanced manifestations and then choose&nbsp;the golden path.

The Gift of the Tanya&nbsp;

This was one of the primary contributions of Rabbi&nbsp;Schneur&nbsp;Zalman&nbsp;of&nbsp;Liadi, known as the Alter Rebbe (1745-1812), in his classical Chassidic&nbsp;work,&nbsp;the Tanya (published 1796 in Russia). Generally speaking, the writings of ethical Judaism before the Tanya differentiated between the&nbsp;Tzaddik&nbsp;(the righteous person) whose heart and deeds were perfectly pure and holy vs. the&nbsp;Rasha&nbsp;(the sinful individual) whose heart and deeds were blemished and wicked. Many people, of course, were situated somewhere in the middle of the two extremes, always feeling unfulfilled because they fell short of reaching the state of the ideal human being -- the spiritually perfected&nbsp;Tzaddik.&nbsp;

In the Tanya, Rabbi&nbsp;Schneur&nbsp;Zalman&nbsp;placed as his ideal human being a new spiritual model&nbsp;whom&nbsp;he called "the&nbsp;Benoni," or "the possible man." The&nbsp;Benoni&nbsp;is a person whose inner character often resembles that of the&nbsp;Rasha, consisting of the good/evil dichotomy that is the original natural state of every human. But the&nbsp;Benoni's&nbsp;behavior can be as mindful as the&nbsp;Tzaddik's.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Rabbi&nbsp;Schneur&nbsp;Zalman&nbsp;taught that there is no need, nor is it even a possibility for most people, to have all of their three "arks" turned into pure gold. It is not tragic if our middle "ark" remains dichotomized. Having bad feelings, insane feelings does not make me a bad person. It just makes me a nuanced person, who has a lot "going on" inside. My innermost ark is forever gold, and my behavior, my active thoughts, words, and deeds, can reflect my innate and primal Divine love and goodness. G-d did not desire holy people doing holy things; He desired&nbsp;unholy&nbsp;people doing holy things<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref4')">[4]</a>.

In beautiful prose, the Alter Rebbe teaches us that in our service of G-d there is no need to "amputate" any part of our emotional selves, to repress any part of our internal experience, in order to be a good Jew. We can embrace every part of our identity, realizing that each one of our "arks" plays an indispensable role in our emotional and spiritual growth, and that even our most challenging and painful emotions and wounds are there to help us grow, attain self-awareness, and reach our spiritual destiny. The light of G-d can be found everywhere, even in our dark moments and gloomy experiences.

(The Tanya&nbsp;<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref5')">[5]</a> makes an important distinction between instinctive thoughts vs. conscious thoughts. While instinctive thoughts are beyond the control of a person, they are a mirror of my unconscious fears or primal needs, conscious thoughts remain under my&nbsp;"jurisdiction." While our instinctive thoughts may be painful, addictive, immoral, reflecting the good\evil dichotomy inherent in human nature, our conscious thoughts may always be fashioned of gold. It is the gift of freedom we each have to help our neural pathways construct new "highways.")&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Do not make the error of the Jew sleeping on the train. Do not confuse who you are with what you are wearing. It is a sad error to allow yourself to be defined by your external rotten mood in lieu of your inner golden self. Nothing and nobody can ever damage your gold.&nbsp;

____________

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn1')">[1]</a>&nbsp;Exodus 25:11. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn2')">[2]</a> Talmud&nbsp;Shekalim&nbsp;16b; Yuma 72b, quoted in&nbsp;Rashi&nbsp;to Exodus ibid. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn3')">[3]</a> See Tanya (by Rabbi&nbsp;Schneur&nbsp;Zalman&nbsp;of&nbsp;Liadi, 1745-1812) chapters 1-25.&nbsp; 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn4')">[4]</a>&nbsp;See Tanya chapters 1, 12-14; 26-27; 35.Ch. 12. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn5')">[5]</a> Ch. 12.

The Id, the Yid, and the Super-Ego - The Three Layers of Self

832_babushkas.jpg

aron/ark

identity

banuni

tanya

The Three Layers of Self

Essay Terumah

The Id, the Yid, and the Super-Ego

This class, presented to women on Parshas Terumah 5768 (2008), explores a majopr debate about the Cherubs hver the Holy Ark.
Foremost among the commentaries compiled by our sages on the Torah are those by Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, 1040-1105) and Nachmanides (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, 1194-1270). Rashi defines his goal by stating: &ldquo;I come only to explain the simple meaning of the verse.&rdquo; On the other hand, Nachmanides, a noted mystic and kabbalist, often uncovers a &ldquo;deeper&rdquo; stratum of significance in the Torah&rsquo;s words, exposing its students, as he puts it in his introduction to his commentary on Torah, to &ldquo;delightful things, for those who know and understand the hidden wisdom.&rdquo;
Rashi and Nachmanides often differ in their interpretation of a particular word or verse. One example of this is their different conceptions of the kapporet and the keruvim. Rashi sees the ark and the kapporet as two different objects. The Sanctuary contained various &ldquo;vessels,&rdquo; each with a designated function (e.g., the menorah, the altars); according to Rashi the ark and the kapporet are two different vessels&mdash;it is only that the designated place of the kapporet is atop the ark. Nachmanides, on the other hand, sees the kapporet as the cover of the ark (indeed, the word kapporet means &ldquo;cover&rdquo;)&mdash;as a component of the ark itself, rather than another of the Sanctuary&rsquo;s vessels. 
Another difference between the interpretations of Rashi and Nachmanides concerns the form of the keruvim. According to Rashi, these were two winged figures, each with the face of a child (a boy and a girl). Nachmanides is of the opinion that they were a representation of the celestial figures seen by the prophet Ezekiel in his vision of the divine &ldquo;chariot.&rdquo;
This class explores the underlying argument behind them, and their dramatic relevance to our lives today.

2695_kruvim.jpg

20_1az.pdf

19_ddd.mp3

teruma

A Debate On the Image of the Keruvim Mirrors Two Forms of Love

Does G-d Love Me Unconditionally?

The Smuggler

Tony comes up to the Mexican border on his bicycle. He's got two large bags over his shoulders. Joe, the border guard, stops him and says, "What's in the bags?"

"Sand," answers Tony.

Joe says, "We'll just see about that. Get off the bike." Joe takes the bags and rips them apart; he empties them out and finds nothing in them but sand. He detains Tony overnight and has the sand analyzed, only to discover that there is nothing but pure sand in the bags.

Joe releases Tony, puts the sand into new bags, hefts them onto the man's shoulders, and lets him cross the border.

The next day, the same thing happens. Joe asks, "What have you got?"

“Sand," says Tony.

Joe does his thorough examination and discovers that the bags contain nothing but sand. He gives the sand back to Tony, and Tony crosses the border on his bicycle.

This sequence of events is repeated every day for three years. Then Joe runs across Tony one day in a cantina in Mexico.

"Hey, buddy," says Joe, "I retired. I know you are smuggling something. It's driving me crazy. It's all I think about ... I can't sleep. Just between you and me, what are you smuggling?"

Tony sips his beer and says, "bicycles.”

Cedar Trees

One of the most employed materials in the building of the Tabernacle—discussed in this week’s portion, Terumah—was cedarwood (“atzei shitim.”) Much of the structure and many of the vessels of the Tabernacle were fashioned from cedar.&nbsp;

Says Rashi, quoting the Midrash:

How did the children of Israel obtain [cedar wood for the construction of the Sanctuary] in the desert? Rabbi Tanchuma explained: Our father Jacob foresaw with his holy spirit that Israel was destined to build a Sanctuary in the desert; so he brought cedars to Egypt and planted them [there], and instructed his children to take them along when they left Egypt.<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn1" name="_ednref1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref1')">[1]</a>

This seems strange. Why carry trees from the Holy Land to plant in Egypt for use in a building to be constructed centuries later? Surely, there is no dearth of wood in wealthy Egypt, and, in any case, it could always be obtained for a price wherever their descendants might find themselves. Even the Sinai desert was not far from populated areas from where the Jews could obtain cedarwood.<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn2" name="_ednref2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref2')">[2]</a>

From the day Jacob descended to Egypt till the Exodus, 210 years passed. In life, it is good to plan long-term. I know people who pack for a trip one week before the flight. It is not my style, but I can respect them. Yet to pack up 210 years before a journey, seems like going overboard. Did Jacob feel that he needs to prepare the cedar wood 210 years before it was needed? Could he not have told his children to obtain cedars in or around Egypt?

Imagine, a fellow by the name of Jacob Isakson (son of Isaac) is relocating from Russia to the US in 1810. He brings with him cedar saplings to plant in America. He tells his children that one day in 2020 they might leave America to go build a sanctuary in the desert and they will need cedarwood. It would be strange; we could buy the wood in America!

It is not like Jacob came to Egypt empty-handed, so he had nothing to take along, but some cedar trees. Jacob, at the age of 130, was relocating his entire life, family, livestock, and his enormous wealth, to Egypt. The last thing he needed to add to the wagons were cedar trees!

Finding Comfort

The answer to this question I heard from the Lubavitcher Rebbe at an address on Shabbos Parshat Terumah, 6 Adar, 5747, March 7, 1987.<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn3" name="_ednref3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref3')">[3]</a> I can still vividly recall the profound emotion with which the Rebbe shared this insight—and it moves me deeply to this day.

The answer, the Lubavitcher Rebbe suggested, is intimated in the name of the Sage who transmitted this tradition: Rabbi Tanchuma. As a rule, Rashi rarely quotes the authors of the teachings in Talmud and Midrash he quotes in his commentary. Here is one of the exceptions. Because it is the name of the rabbi who shared this teaching, Tanchumam which explains why Jacob would engage in this seemingly unnecessary toil, two centuries before his descendants would need the cedar.

The name “Tanchuma” means to comfort and console. Jacob our father knew that one day the very country which has been so hospitable to him and his family, the country saved by his son Joseph, would turn its back on the Hebrew tribe and transform their lives into purgatory. Egypt would impose one of the most torturous conditions upon the young Hebrews. Jacob knew that the people of Israel would need something to hold on to, something tangible to remind them that they don’t belong here; something concrete to imprint upon their tormented hearts that they come from somewhere else, and they will one day leave this hellish concentration camp and return home.

A promise? Yes. He and Joseph promised the family that they would leave Egypt one day. But a verbal promise is insufficient. People can’t live on words alone. Jacob needed to give them something tangible that could comfort them and offer a measure of relief as they walked in a valley of tears and watched their infants plunged into a river.

Whispering Trees

Hence, the cedar trees. Jacob transported from the Land of Canaan young, tender saplings of cedar and lovingly planted them in the soil of Egypt, instructing his children, that one day, when they depart from this country, they must take these trees with them.

Jacob dies. Joseph dies. All the siblings die. Then all the grandchildren die. The first generations of Jews who still knew Jacob and his children passed on. A new Pharaoh began to enslave the young nation. Brutal labor and the extermination of Jewish babies began to become the Jewish plight.

And throughout this entire horrific ordeal, the crushed Hebrew slaves watched these cedars grow. And with it, their hope grew. They harbored the knowledge that long before their enslavement by the Egyptians, these trees had grown in the soil of Holy Land—the land promised to them as their eternal heritage. Each generation of Jews pointed out these cedar trees to their children, transmitted to them Jacob’s instructions to take these trees along when they would leave Egypt, to be fashioned into a Sanctuary for G-d.

And so, throughout their long and bitter exile, these cedars had whispered to the Jewish slaves: This is not your home. You hail from a loftier, holier place. Soon you will leave this depraved land behind, to be reclaimed by G-d as His people. Soon you will uproot us from this foreign land and carry us triumphantly to Sinai, where you will construct of us an abode for the Divine presence, which shall once again manifest itself in your midst.

These cedar trees stood as a permanent, tangible, silent but powerful, and tall symbol of courage, dignity, and hope in a bright future. They gave a nation of tormented, wretched slaves something to “hold on to” in a very concrete way, as they struggled under the yoke of their Egyptian oppressors. These trees offered the Jews some measure of “Tanchumah,” of solace and fortitude, during their darkest moments.

When the Jewish people held on to Jacob’s “prehistoric” cedar trees, for a brief moment, they felt free. And that’s what you need in order to endure. It reminded them that in their essence they were not slaves, they did not deserve to be beaten and oppressed; they were inherently free and one day they would see that freedom.

Staves of Faith

“The Tzaddik shall bloom as a palm,” sings the Psalmist, “as a Cedar of Lebanon, he shall flourish.”<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn4" name="_ednref4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref4')">[4]</a> Jacob planted cedars in Egypt, and G-d plants exactly such cedars in our midst throughout our long and turbulent history.<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn5" name="_ednref5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref5')">[5]</a> These are the Tzaddikim, the Rebbes, the spiritual giants, defined in Psalms as “cedar trees,” providing us with a link to the past and hope for the future.

The Tzaddik is a soul that towers above the transience and turbulence of exile; a soul that is rooted in Israel’s sacred beginnings and pointed toward the ultimate Redemption—a soul whose two feet stand on earth, but whose head touches heaven. When our subjection to the temporal and the mundane threatens to overwhelm us, we need only look to the cedars implanted in our midst. In these timeless staves of faith, we find guidance and fortitude, comfort, and encouragement. We remember who we are and what we are capable of becoming.

Above Exile

This is the function of every Rebbe, every leader among our people—and in today’s age, who of us is not in a position to influence one or more of our brothers and sisters. The Rebbe is the Jew who by his sheer presence and love reminds us that are we “higher,” that we must never surrender to a life of quiet desperation; that we are Divine ambassadors of love, light, hope, and redemption.

When we connect to a Rebbe, a Tzaddik, we too become, at least for a moment, free. We are all exposed to challenges, obstacles, and pressures; we must face trauma, darkness, pain, addiction, depression, disappointment, filth, and degradation. We can become apathetic, cynical, and indifferent. But when we gaze at the cedars in our midst, and at the cedar inside each of our souls, we remember that we are fragments of infinity, sent to this world to transform its landscape. We remember that we are on a journey from Sinai to Moshiach; that as beautiful as America is it is not our true home; it is but a temporary stop in our journey toward Moshiach. As comfortable as this great country is and as much as we cherish it, it is not the place we call home. A child who has been exiled from the bosom of his father, even if he is living in the Hilton, is living in exile.

That is the function of every spiritual “cedar tree” teacher in Judaism: <a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn6" name="_ednref6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref6')">[6]</a> To remind all of us that even as we are in exile, our souls can soar on the wings of eternity.<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn7" name="_ednref7" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref7')">[7]</a>

____________________

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref1" name="_edn1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn1')">[1]</a> Rashi to Exodus 25:6

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref2" name="_edn2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn2')">[2]</a> Indeed, this is the view of some of the commentators. See Divrei David (Taz), Ibn Ezra, Baalei HaTosfos and Chizkuni on the verse (Exodus 25:6).

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref3" name="_edn3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn3')">[3]</a> Part of the address was published in Likkutei Sichos vol. 31 Terumah pp. 142-148.

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref4" name="_edn4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn4')">[4]</a> Psalms 92:13

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref5" name="_edn5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn5')">[5]</a> The Hebrew word&nbsp;Nassi&nbsp;(“leader”) is an acronym of the phrase&nbsp;nitzotzo shel Yaakov Avinu, “a spark of Jacob our father.” The soul of every leader of Israel is an offshoot of the soul of Jacob, father of the people of Israel (Megaleh Amukot, section 84).

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref6" name="_edn6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn6')">[6]</a> See Sichas Shabbos Parshas Shemos 5752, 1992—explaining why the first idea Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah said as a leader was that we are obligated to mention the Exodus of Egypt also during nighttime. This captures the role of the leader: To help people experience Exodus even when night prevails, and darkness overwhelms.

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref7" name="_edn7" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn7')">[7]</a> My thanks to Rabbi Yanki Tauber for his rendition of this address. I used some parts&nbsp;from his essay: <a href="https://www.meaningfullife.com/prehistoric-cedars/">https://www.meaningfullife.com/prehistoric-cedars/</a>

Why did Jacob, as our sages tell us, carry trees from the Holy Land to plant in Egypt for use in a building to be constructed centuries later? Surely, there is no dearth of wood in wealthy Egypt, and, in any case, it could always be obtained, for a price, wherever their descendants might find themselves?

The answer to this question I heard from the Lubavitcher Rebbe at an address on Shabbos Parshat Terumah, 6 Adar, 5747, March 7. 1987.

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A Father Plants Saplings 210 Years Early, Offering Solace to His Children

In a Dark Exile, Whispering Trees

In the Beginning

As a result of a near mutiny, the overbearing and arrogant captain was forced to see a psychiatrist by order of the Commodore.

As soon as the captain settled down on the couch, the psychiatrist began the session by asking: 

“Why don’t you start at the beginning?”

The captain said, “Okay. In the beginning I created heaven and the earth…"

Two Creations

At the beginning of Genesis, the Hebrew Bible devotes 31 verses to describe how G-d created the entire world. “In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth.” In striking contrast, the Torah portions of these weeks (Terumah through Pekudei) devote 371 verses to describe how the Jews created the Tabernacle, or Mishkan, in the desert. 

This seems profoundly strange.

The universe spans some 176 Trillion Billion miles&nbsp;and is an awesomely complex structure. After millennia of research, we have not yet scratched the surface of its untold depth and unbound mysteries. We have not even mastered the secrets embedded in a single cell. The Tabernacle, on the other hand, was around 150 feet long and 75 feet wide, and was a highly impressive structure, but essentially a small tent; a mini mobile "shtibel."

Why would the Torah be so expansive about the creation of a humble albeit splendorous tent in the desert and yet so terse about the creation of the cosmos with all of its infinite depth, majesty, and grandeur? 31 verses for creation of the world, and almost half the book of Exodus for the creation of a mobile sanctuary!

Mortality into Eternity

This strange contrast conveys something profoundly important about the Torah’s perspective on life. For an infinite G-d to create a home for finite man is not a big deal. But for a finite man to create a home for an infinite G-d—that is a revolutionary notion. It constitutes the essential revolution of Judaism that from the fragmented pieces of our hearts we can construct a home for the Divine; that the ordinary stuff of human life can be carved into a dwelling place for the Almighty; that G-d craves to dwell in the space we designate for Him in the barren desert of human consciousness.

The creation of the universe is G-d's miracle—the miracle of converting (spiritual) energy into matter. The creation of a structure to house the Divine in a desert is man's miracle—the miracle of converting matter into energy; the wonder of a human being surpassing himself, transcending his finite egocentricity and turning his life into a home for the Divine—that story is deserving of close to 400 verses!

This is the essence of the Tabernacle story, which occupies almost half the book of Exodus and on the surface seems so remote from our present lifestyle: that a human being, with his or her limited tools, through his or her minute and limited deeds, words, and thoughts, can create a home for G-d in his or her daily life; that a frail and vulnerable human being is capable of creating a space in his or her heart for the living presence of G-d. This is the miracle of Torah.

The Talmud says it succinctly (Kesuvos 5a):&nbsp;"The deeds the good people are greater than the creation of heaven and earth."

G-d transformed Divine energy into physical matter; we transform physical matter into Divine energy.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Half-Ness

This explains two enigmatic details about the Tabernacle story: 1) The obsession with details and nuances that seem irrelevant. G-d seems overly concerned with pegs, nails, beams, hooks, sockets, drapes,&nbsp;curtains, and bows.&nbsp;2) Most of the measurements are half sizes, not whole ones. Why not wholesome measurements?

Yet this captures the essence of the narrative. Our lives are defined by details, and most of them seem mundane. And we always do things in “half,” never complete, as we are fragmented creatures and there is always something left to do in order to complete the work. "No man dies with half of his ambitions fulfilled," states the Midrash. This, then, is the message of the story: our disjointed and fragmented lives, the many diverse details of our mundane life, can all become a home for the absolute and undefined reality of G-d. Infinite Oneness can pervade our consciousness--and the consciousness of the universe.&nbsp;

Standing Up to Evil

As we are all reeling from the shocking news of the Purin war on Ukraine -- it is time to remember and embrace our mission statement: To stand with all our might against tyranny, bloodshed, and abuse of human lives. To take a world so often divisive and fragmented, and reveal that we are all one.

75 years after the Holocaust, will world leaders again allow a KGB gangster to terrorize millions and get away with it? Will we Jews repeat the same mistake and worry about our own problems rather than ensuring each one of our brothers and sisters is protected?&nbsp;

(To help the fund I am overseeing,&nbsp;going directly to 17 Chabad Shluchim in Ukraine, for their communities and refugees, <a href="https://jewsofukraine.com/theyeshivanet">please click here</a>.)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

(This essay is based on the discourse Gedolim Maasei Tzadikkim 5685 (1925), by the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson&nbsp;(1880-1950)).

The Human Miracle - G-d Is a Great Builder; But It&rsquo;s Man&rsquo;s Handiwork that steals the show

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G-d Is a Great Builder; But It’s Man’s Handiwork that Takes the Cake

Essay Pekudei

The Human Miracle

The Jewish Future - Rebuilding. A live Broadcast by Rabbi YY Jacobson

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yitzchak david grossman

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How Reb Yochanan ben Zakai Defeated Rome 

Tisha B'av 5777 Lecture 

The Titanic and the Secret of Jewish Eternity 

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Crash Landing&nbsp;&nbsp;
An airliner was having engine trouble, and the pilot instructed the cabin crew to have the passengers take their seats and get prepared for an emergency landing.&nbsp;
A few minutes later, the pilot asked the flight attendants if everyone was buckled in and ready.&nbsp;&nbsp;
'All set back here, Captain,' came the reply, 'except one lawyer who is still going around passing out business cards.'&nbsp;&nbsp;
The Great Crisis&nbsp;
On the ninth of the&nbsp;month of Av in the year 70 CE – the month we are about to enter into --&nbsp;the Roman legions in Jerusalem smashed through the fortress tower of Antonia into the Holy Temple and set it afire. In the blackened remains of the sanctuary lay more than the ruins of the great Jewish revolt for political independence; it appeared that Judaism itself was shattered beyond repair.&nbsp;&nbsp; Out of approximately four to five million Jews in the world, over a million died in that abortive war for independence. Many died of starvation, others by fire and crucifixion. So many Jews were sold into slavery and given over to the gladiatorial arenas and circuses that the price of slaves dropped precipitously, fulfilling the ancient curse: "There you will be offered for sale as slaves, and there will be no one willing to buy" (Deuteronomy 26:68). The destruction was preceded by events so devastating that from an objective perspective, it seemed that the Jewish people had&nbsp;breathed&nbsp;its last breath.&nbsp;
This is what amazed a philosopher&nbsp;like Nietzsche, a fierce and fateful critic of the Jews, as it has so many other thinkers throughout the ages. In Twilight of the Idols and The Antichrist the German philosopher wrote: "The Jews are the most remarkable people in the history of the world, for when they were confronted with the question, to be or not to be, they chose, with perfectly unearthly deliberation, to be at any price&nbsp;... They defined themselves counter to all those conditions under which a nation was previously able to live&nbsp;... Psychologically, the Jews are a people gifted with the very strongest vitality&nbsp;... The Jews are the very opposite of decadents."&nbsp;
How did the&nbsp;Jews&nbsp;achieve this&nbsp;in indeed?&nbsp;
The Cherubs Embracing&nbsp;
The Talmud relates a profoundly strange incident that occurred moments before the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple:&nbsp;
“When the pagans entered the Holy Temple, they saw the cherubs cleaving to each other. They took them out to the streets and said: ‘These Jews&nbsp;... is this what they occupy themselves with?’ With this, they debased [the Jewish people], as it is written: ‘All who had honored her have despised her, for they have seen her nakedness<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref1')">[1]</a>.’”&nbsp;&nbsp;
The meaning of these words is this:&nbsp;The innermost chamber of the Jerusalem Temple, the most sacred site in Judaism, was known as the "Holy of Holies" and seen as the spiritual epicenter of the universe. Two golden cherubs – they were two winged figures, one male and one female -- were located in the "Holy of Holies." These cherubs represented the relationship between the cosmic groom and bride, between G-d and His people.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The Talmud&nbsp;teaches<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref2')">[2]</a>&nbsp;that&nbsp;when the relationship between groom and bride was sour the two faces were turned away from each other, as when spouses are angry with each other. When the relationship was healthy, the two faces of the cherubs would face each other. And when the love between G-d and His bride was at its peak the cherubs would embrace “as a man cleaves to his wife.”&nbsp;&nbsp;
Now, the Talmud is telling us, that when the enemies of Israel invaded the Temple – during the time of its destruction in the Hebrew month of Av<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref3')">[3]</a> -- they entered into the Holy of Holies, a place so sacred that entry into it was permitted only to a single individual, the High Priest, and only on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. There they saw the cherubs embracing each other. They dragged them out of the Temple and into the streets, vulgarizing their sacred significance<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref4')">[4]</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;
This seems bizarre. When the enemies of Israel invaded the Temple to destroy it, the relationship between G-d and His people was at its lowest possible point, for that was the reason for the destruction and the subsequent exile. The Jews were about to become estranged from G-d for millennia. The manifest presence of divinity in the world, via the Temple in Jerusalem, would cease; Jews and G-d would now be exiled from each other.&nbsp;
Yet, paradoxically, it was precisely at that moment that the cherubs were intertwined, symbolizing the profoundest relationship between G-d and Israel. How are we to understand this<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref5')">[5]</a>?&nbsp;
 Preparing for the Voyage&nbsp;
The most daring explanation was given by the heir to the founder of Chassidism, Rabbi&nbsp;Dovber, known as the&nbsp;Magid&nbsp;of&nbsp;Mezrich&nbsp;(d. in 1772). Quoting the injunction of the sages that a man ought to consort with his wife prior to leaving home on a journey, the&nbsp;Maggid suggests that G-d, prior to His long journey away from home, expressed His intimacy with the Jewish people. Prior to the onset of a long exile, the cherubs were intertwined, representing the intimacy preceding the journey<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref6')">[6]</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;
What the Chassidic master was&nbsp;conveying&nbsp;through this dazzling metaphor – and it is&nbsp;a&nbsp;central theme&nbsp;in&nbsp;Chassidic thought -- was that it was at the moment of the destruction&nbsp;that a new relationship between G-d and His people was beginning to develop. The greatest moment of crisis was also a moment of intimacy. As the Temple was going up in flames, and with it so much of Jewish life and history,&nbsp;G-d impregnated (metaphorically&nbsp;speaking) a seed of life within the Jewish soul; He implanted within His people the potential for a new birth.&nbsp;&nbsp;
For two millennia, this "seed" has sustained us, giving the Jewish people the courage and inspiration to&nbsp;live and&nbsp;propser.&nbsp;Judaism flourished in the decades and centuries following the destruction of the Temple&nbsp;in an unprecedented fashion: The&nbsp;Mishnah, Talmud,&nbsp;Midrash&nbsp;and&nbsp;Kabbalah&nbsp;were&nbsp;all born during those centuries. The very tragic conditions of exile became catalysts for&nbsp;unparalleled&nbsp;rejuvenation. The closing of one door opened many more.&nbsp;
Many empires, religions and cultures attempted to demonstrate to the Jewish people that their role in the scheme of creation has ended, or that it has never began, luring them into the surrounding, prevailing culture. But the&nbsp;“intimacy”&nbsp;they experienced, so to speak,&nbsp;with G-d just moments before He "departed"&nbsp;from them,&nbsp;left its indelible mark. It imbued them with a vision, a dream and an unshakable commitment. Throughout their journeys, often filled with extraordinary anguish, they clung to their faith that they were in a covenant with G-d to transform the world into a divine abode; to heal a fractured world yearning to reunite with its own true reality.&nbsp;
Birth&nbsp;
This grants us a deeper understanding into the ancient Jewish tradition<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn7" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref7')">[7]</a> that the&nbsp;Moshiach&nbsp;(Messiah) was born on the ninth of Av. At the moment the Temple was about to be engulfed in flames,&nbsp;the dream of redemption&nbsp;was born.&nbsp;There was an intimacy&nbsp;in the flames and it produced a hidden seed that would eventually bring healing to a broken world.&nbsp;Think about it:&nbsp;The very possibility&nbsp;for the rabbis of those generation to declare that&nbsp;Moshiach&nbsp;was born on the ninth of Av, was nothing but testimony to the intimacy that accompanied the milieu of estrangement and exile. &nbsp;&nbsp;
Now we are&nbsp;finally&nbsp;ready for the birth<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn8" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref8')">[8]</a>.&nbsp;
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn1')">[1]</a> Talmud,&nbsp;Yoma&nbsp;54b.&nbsp;
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn2')">[2]</a> See Talmud&nbsp;Yoma&nbsp;ibid;&nbsp;Bava&nbsp;Batra&nbsp;99a.&nbsp;
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn3')">[3]</a> The 9th of Av is the date of the first and second Temple’s destruction, by the Babylonians and Romans, in the year 3339 (423 BCE) and 3830 (70 CE).&nbsp;
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn4')">[4]</a> Talmud Yuma ibid. The Ark of Testimony, with the&nbsp;keruvim&nbsp;atop its cover, were hidden in an underground chamber in the Temple 22 years before the destruction of the First Temple, where they remain to this day (according to most opinions). Thus, neither the Babylonians nor the Romans would have found the Ark in the Holy of Holies. The Talmud explains that the&nbsp;keruvim&nbsp;that were dragged out into the streets were not the&nbsp;keruvim&nbsp;from on top of the ark, but reliefs that decorated the walls of the Holy of Holies and which likewise acted as a “barometer” of the state of marriage between G-d and Israel.&nbsp;
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn5')">[5]</a> This question is raised in&nbsp;Maharsah&nbsp;to Talmud Yuma ibid
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn6')">[6]</a> Quoted in&nbsp;Benei&nbsp;Yisachar&nbsp;in his discourses on the month of Av.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref7" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn7')">[7]</a> Yerushalmi&nbsp;Berachos&nbsp;2:4.&nbsp;
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref8" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn8')">[8]</a> This essay is based on a discourse delivered by the&nbsp;Lubavitcher&nbsp;Rebbe&nbsp;on Purim 1984 (published in&nbsp;Sefer&nbsp;Hamaamarim&nbsp;Melukat&nbsp;vol. 2 pp. 269-270).&nbsp;
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Intimacy in Flames - As the Jewish future was consumed in Roman flames, G-d impregnated them with a seed

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moshiach

As the Jewish Future was Consumed in Roman Flames, G-d Impregnated them with a Seed

Intimacy in Flames

A speech given to mental health professionals at the Amudim Conference on February 18, 2015.

Empowering Victims of Abuse

How Do They View Themselves, Agents of Terror or Pure Souls?

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