From Darkness to Light

Very often in life, we face situations that make us question ourselves: Are we doing the right things? Are we behaving correctly? Are we treating others as we, ourselves, would want to be treated? What can we do better?

R' Nachman of Breslov equates the yetzer ha'ra or evil inclination, that inner devil within you who wants you to make all the wrong decisions even though the real "you" knows he's wrong, to one's imagination. Our imagination is capable of taking us to places we don't want to be. It can persuade us to make the wrong decisions, and focus our attention on the wrong things. It can be a very dangerous factor.

Some extreme cases of this phenomenon can be found in individuals suffering from paranoia and hallucinations. There are people who imagine that they're constantly being "watched" or "followed," or that there's a conspiracy against them. But these are the extreme cases. Everyone suffers from one sort of paranoia or another, however.

What helps?

For one, constantly being busy, working helps a lot. When one is focused on the imortant aspects of life, they forget about "finding the next date," or the latest sports or social media news.

Being focused on your goals goes hand in hand with working. When you're focused on what you want to accomplish either short--or long term, you forget about the meaningless chatter in your head.

And how do you go from being "down in the dumps," from constantly being depressed and laying around the house all day to being a productive member of society? It takes a lot of effort, a lot of perserverance, and a steady commitment. I've done it, you can too!

Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem: A Tale of Two Cities

I got up early Friday morning, attended the local Chabad morning prayers, and took bus 75 to the central bus station in Jerusalem.

I hurried to find my way. I’d been here many times before, and the Friday morning hustle was nothing new to me. I encountered a few beggars on the way. Jerusalem is host to an array of both needy people and those pretending to be poor and spending their time benefiting from the locals’ generosity.

There’s a wide range of stores, pharmacies, cafes, restaurants, and even a place to donate blood at the central bus station. At this particular time of the year, it’s teaming with tourists from all over the world. Many are Christian pilgrims who’ve come to Israel for Christmas. Some continue on a tour of the Middle East, while others prefer to stay in Israel and remain shielded from the perils of our neighbors to the East.

Nothing is Certain in this World and a Little Commentary on Parshat Miketz

We learn from the travails of our forefathers that almost nothing--perhaps with the exception of the Torah and its teachings--is for certain, and that we should always be happy with our lot in life.

We learn several important lessons from the story of Joseph the Tzaddik. There's a good reason he's the only person in the Five Books of Moses to carry the title of "Tzaddik" or "Righteous one." Joseph endures several monumental tests in his life, not the least of which is his being tempted by Potiphar's wife. Joseph is described as being "good of stature and good of look," in other words, a very handsome guy.

At the beginning of parshat Miketz, he's said to put a lot of effort into "making his hair." We can also make a reasonable case that growing up as Jacob's favorite son, he's very much "full" of himself to a point where he not only dreams of instances that clearly portray his superiority over the other members of his family, but even goes on to describe these dreams to his brothers and Jacob himself.

Joseph is able to overcome his main weakness and withhold himself from acting on his impulses. He goes beyond his calling, one may argue, by refusing to be taken in by Potiphar wife's incessant sexual appeals.

Message from Moshe Feiglin (Translated from Hebrew)

Part of an email I received from Manhigut Yehudit leader, Moshe Feiglin:

Early morning…I’m heading from Samaria to Gush Dan along the smog-filled highway. Another crazy day leading up to the Likud primaries is about to get under way.

The car phone rings. A young, confident voice from the other end: “Hi, XX speaking from ynet news.

“Hi there!”

“I’m preparing an article on donations made out to candidates in the Likud primaries, and just wanted to confirm something.”

“Yes…”

“I see that you received a donation from a woman by the name of Nitza Kahane.”

“And…”

“Is it correct that Nitza Kahane is the widow of Rabbi Kahane?

“Maybe I haven’t fully woken up yet; maybe this is the result of a lack of sleep and the amount of stress I’ve experienced lately, but the latest question raises my “politically correct” defenses.

Chess and Judaism (Based on the Learning at Aliyos Yerushalayim)

My chevruta today pointed out some interesting things from the book we were learning that got me thinking: Judaism--the practice, the laws, and the statutes that are a part of it make sense for the most part. There are some halachot (laws that make up the practice of Judaism) that are based on "sod" or the "secret" teachings that make up kabala/zochar, but it seems that a majority are derived from Gemora (oral tradition) and the Rishonim/Achronim (the greatest Rabbis from the times of the Second Temple to modern day).

I don't know exactly how to define "Jusaism," nor will I delve into this complex subject at the moment, but suffice it to say that the ancient way of life of the Jewish people makes sense. It's passed the litmus test of time, paving the way for generations of Torah scholars. It's met and exceeded expectations. Every obstacle on its path has been cleared one after the next. So Judaism is a logical practice. So's chess, possibly the most ancient "game" known to man.

There are questions surrounding whether chess is a "game" or a "sport." It's very difficult "pinpointing" chess. There's no clear definition just like there's no clear definition to "Judaism" i.e. are the Jewish people a nation or is being "Jewish" a religion? But it follows logic. So does chess. As a matter of fact, it's a game (let's call it that) that connects several worlds. One needs to have mastery of several senses to be a good chess player just like being a pious Jew takes more than just outwards appearance but also an inwards sense of self and a yearning to create a more just world (tikkun olam).

Another key point worth making is that an experienced chess player learns to "see" patterns. You begin realizing that every game you play is similar in certain ways, and start being able to notice signs. The same can be said of Judaism. Halacha not only makes sense, but after a while, you become alert to "patterns" that repeat themselves. I realize this is a very general statement, but I just can't think of examples at the moment. I'm sure my reader is wiser than me in this department and will be able to do so on his/her own...

I wouldn't go as far as saying that chess and Judaism are the same. There are many obvious differences, but I just wanted to publish the what I was thinking as I sat there in a cozy Jerusalem synagogue where the Rabbi is a man of great spirit and integrity who continues to inspire me on a daily basis.

I'm not an easy listener by any stretch of the imagination, and I'm not easy to please, but Rabbi Yitzchok Snyder has captured my imagination with his Torah drashot (lectures). Please tune in to the Rabbi and if you live in Jerusalem, feel free to join his study group (evenings 7:45-9:30pm)

Rabbi Snyder's Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/AliyosYerushalayim?feature=plcp