TEFILA: Blessing vs Magic

Rabbi Isaac Abarbanel (1437-1508. Tomorrow BH we will have a special column about him) explained that the concept of berakha (=blessing) must be understood from three different viewpoints. 

1. First and most importantly is the berakha that HaShem bestows upon us. His free blessings to us. Everything we have (most of it we take for granted!) is part of the berakha coming from HaShem.  The first example of this berakha is the blessing of procreation. When HaShem, after creating the first forms of life, established the mechanism of procreation so life perpetuates itself. "God blessed them saying: Be fertile and multiply...." (Bereshit  1:22 ).  The creation of life and life's ability to reproduce itself is part of HaShem's blessings.  The first type of berakha is ALL what HaShem gives or does for us.   

2. The second type of berakha is from us to HaShem. When a person recognizes, acknowledges and expresses that all what he or she has, comes directly or indirectly from Him. One of the best and most beautiful examples of this type of berakha is the Tefila of King David, which in due of its magnificence we recite everyday while standing (I Chronic. 29:10-13: "Vaybarekh David" . In this superb blessing David blesses HaShem, not by giving something to Him but by acknowledging that He is the Supreme Giver and the Master of the whole universe.   

3. Then there is a third form of blessing, a blessing from man to man. One of the best example of this type of berakha is birkat kohanim, the priestly blessing we read in last weeks' parasha. The Kohanim bless the people of Israel. But they don't bestow anything unto us directly, as if they would have some type of superpowers or magic abilities.  The Kohanim invoke the berakha of HaShem: may HaShem bless you and protect you. This type of berakha, when we wish someone to be blessed, never goes directly from man-to-man, but thru HaShem. By invoking His blessings. Not mine. 

(To be continued....)

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This is WATER  

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JEWISH THOUGHT: Why bad things happen to good people?

?למה צדיק ורע לו Last week we explained that Hashem's first commitment with the people of Israel is to insure that as a people we will never disappear.  We see that despite being the victims of the oldest and most widespread hatred in human history --anti-Semitism-- HaShem delivered His promise to us.  Now, what about each of us as individuals. Are we also individually under HaShem's permanent unconditional protection? Many rabbis and Jewish philosophers discussed this issue. Especially what is known in English as theodicy: when the wicked succeeds and the righteous fails and suffers. We kind of understand when bad things happen to the wicked and when God rewards the righteous. That is expected. But we also see that this is not always the case. Many times (too many?) bad things happen to good people.  The fate of an individual is definitely within God's control. The question then is the following: in light of God's Omnipotence (=God has control over everything), Omnibenevolence (=HaShem is all good) and Omniscience (=HaShem knows everything) how can we reconcile the suffering of the innocent?  This is probably one of the matters that drive many believers away from faith.  The first one to address this question was no less than Moshe rabbenu. The Tora says (Ex. 33:11) that Moshe spoke to God "face to face" which means that unlike all other Prophets who received a message from God while asleep or in a trance, Moshe spoke with God while completely conscious and alert. Among other things, Moshe's awareness provided him with an extraordinary opportunity. Within that non-virtual conversation with God Moshe was able to ask God a question.  What question did Moshe ask God? Perhaps on behalf of all humankind Moshe asked God: Why bad things happen to good people? (Ex. 33:18 , see Rashi) In the following weeks, BH, we will see what did HaShem answer Moshe, and how Prophets (Moshe himself!), Kings, Rabbis, Jewish thinkers and poets dealt with this sensitive issue.

WATCH, LEARN and ENJOY this RSA animate presentation The History of the Middle East Conflict in 11 Minutes

SHABU'OT: the most powerful segula

והייתם לי סגולה מכל העמים

As we have explained last week, when HaShem offered the People of Israel to enter into a covenant (berit) He described our role as  mamlekhet kohanim (a nation of priests, see here). 

The Tora (Ex. 19:5) also explains that upon accepting the covenant we will become God's  "segula".   What does "segula" mean? Indibre hayamim (I, 29:3) the word segula  indicates a treasure.  Addressing the people of Israel King David said that he had allocated the Royal reserves of gold and silver to build the Bet haMiqdash, and then he adds: "Besides [the allocated royal reserves], in my desire [to build] the Temple to my God I now give my personal treasure of gold and silver for the Temple of my God...". David donated also his private fortune to the Bet haMiqdash. That personal treasure is called in Hebrew: segula. 

'am segula means that we are God's treasure. His "private" possession. In other words, the first thing that God commits Himself in the covenant is to supervise us directly, and to protect us as a Nation in the same way a man protects his most valuable treasure.  The Jewish people, as a nation, will never disappear. Why? Because Israel is treasured directly by God

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Unlike other rights or rewards being HaShem's segula is not conditional to Israel's behavior. Illustration: HaShem gave us the land of Israel. The land of Israel, however, is a conditional gift. The Tora repeatedly tells us that as long as we keep His commandments we will live in the land of Israel peacefully. However, the Tora repeatedly warns us, if we disobey the terms of the covenant, the land will expel us, we will go into exile, and God will not avoid it...  

  

But as a nation, we will never disappear.   The existence of the Jewish Nation is guaranteed by Him. We areHaShem's segula. Unconditionally. 

SHABBAT SHALOM!

Candle lighting today in NYC:        7:49 pm

Shabbat ends in NYC:                        8:50 pm