Sunday, May 29, 2005
Sparks From Israel
The Fires of Lag B’Omer
Lag B’Omer is a night where great bonfires dot the landscape. As I stood next to the largest bonfire I have ever seen it was as if I discovered fire for the first time. Huge streams of fire where rushing up into heaven and disappearing into sparks as they were swallowed by the night. Water also flows in streams downward to the sea, and is swallowed by the sand. The stream of water is constant and water makes up most of our being. Fire is unusual and man-made, but a large fire, has a current and flows like a raging sea upward and then just like the sea, it disappears into the air, as if it was never there.
The first fire they say was made by Adam after Shabbat, and this is one of the reasons we light the Havdalah candle. The ability to make fire is one of the things that distinguish man as Gods emissary here on earth. The soul of man is also like fire and we light yortzeit candles to commemorate the neshama, and invite the spirit to fill the room once again with their light. Our history is made up of great souls that reached for heaven like fire and brought heaven down to us like rain. The temple was destroyed with fire, and they say it will also be rebuilt with fire. But how does one rebuild with fire?
Just as there are currents in the sea that appear to have a form there are currents of time that are real and then swallowed by eternity. But the current of the sea brings something to the shore, as the current of fire brings something to light in the world. The wave of Jews that fill the kever of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai is a sea of elbows and arms that lifts you and carries you like a current that you are helpless to fight against. Inside, the current swells in circles as Jews lose their identity and become a bonfire reaching towards heaven in song. Each face is one face and the ‘one’ face has a multitude of variations.
Who was Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and why does this sea of fire continue to burn and to grow? He was the author of the mystical Zohar. But why was he the man to receive this most mystical book from Hashem’s secret library? Was he a man who sat in a study hall contemplating the universe? It seems that he was, but also much more than that. He was also a rebel, who like his teacher Rabbi Akiva, was not afraid of the authorities, but only of the higher authority of G-d. He, like his teacher, was engaged in the physical battle against the anti-Israel forces and the spiritual battle to bring the Melech Moshiach. He became a legend for evading the forces that tried unsuccessfully to put out his fire.
My friend Yecheskel pointed out that we can see how even a modern day cave dweller has become a legend among his people for humiliated his American captors by constantly eluding them. Shimon Bar Yochai became a legend for the Israelites by eluding the Roman authorities and continuing to fight the revolution of the Moshiach that according to some opinions say succeeded on the 33rd of the Omer, the same day of his yorzeit.
The same commentators say that the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died not by a plague, but in this war similar to the Macabees, who fought against forces a thousand times greater than themselves, and won. Although the victory was short lived, the battle continues, even into our own times.
Meron was not only lit with bright orange fires, but also with bright orange t-shirts, the symbol of Gush Katif. The battle for the Land of Israel is a battle for the soul of Israel, and throughout history, the battle always has had the same odds, a thousand to one. But our ‘One’ cannot be defeated, only refined.
The deepest mysteries of the Zohar are only given to those who build a fire inside for Hashem, His people, and His Land. Without all three, the fire doesn’t reach high enough. When it does, he may be entitled to a library card from Hashem’s secret library. The currents of time have brought the building materials to the shore, and the fire that needs to be kindled is increasing. It is the fire of sacrifice and devotion and love. This is the fire that will be kindled one day soon in the Beit Hamigdash.
The Fires of Lag B’Omer
Lag B’Omer is a night where great bonfires dot the landscape. As I stood next to the largest bonfire I have ever seen it was as if I discovered fire for the first time. Huge streams of fire where rushing up into heaven and disappearing into sparks as they were swallowed by the night. Water also flows in streams downward to the sea, and is swallowed by the sand. The stream of water is constant and water makes up most of our being. Fire is unusual and man-made, but a large fire, has a current and flows like a raging sea upward and then just like the sea, it disappears into the air, as if it was never there.
The first fire they say was made by Adam after Shabbat, and this is one of the reasons we light the Havdalah candle. The ability to make fire is one of the things that distinguish man as Gods emissary here on earth. The soul of man is also like fire and we light yortzeit candles to commemorate the neshama, and invite the spirit to fill the room once again with their light. Our history is made up of great souls that reached for heaven like fire and brought heaven down to us like rain. The temple was destroyed with fire, and they say it will also be rebuilt with fire. But how does one rebuild with fire?
Just as there are currents in the sea that appear to have a form there are currents of time that are real and then swallowed by eternity. But the current of the sea brings something to the shore, as the current of fire brings something to light in the world. The wave of Jews that fill the kever of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai is a sea of elbows and arms that lifts you and carries you like a current that you are helpless to fight against. Inside, the current swells in circles as Jews lose their identity and become a bonfire reaching towards heaven in song. Each face is one face and the ‘one’ face has a multitude of variations.
Who was Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and why does this sea of fire continue to burn and to grow? He was the author of the mystical Zohar. But why was he the man to receive this most mystical book from Hashem’s secret library? Was he a man who sat in a study hall contemplating the universe? It seems that he was, but also much more than that. He was also a rebel, who like his teacher Rabbi Akiva, was not afraid of the authorities, but only of the higher authority of G-d. He, like his teacher, was engaged in the physical battle against the anti-Israel forces and the spiritual battle to bring the Melech Moshiach. He became a legend for evading the forces that tried unsuccessfully to put out his fire.
My friend Yecheskel pointed out that we can see how even a modern day cave dweller has become a legend among his people for humiliated his American captors by constantly eluding them. Shimon Bar Yochai became a legend for the Israelites by eluding the Roman authorities and continuing to fight the revolution of the Moshiach that according to some opinions say succeeded on the 33rd of the Omer, the same day of his yorzeit.
The same commentators say that the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died not by a plague, but in this war similar to the Macabees, who fought against forces a thousand times greater than themselves, and won. Although the victory was short lived, the battle continues, even into our own times.
Meron was not only lit with bright orange fires, but also with bright orange t-shirts, the symbol of Gush Katif. The battle for the Land of Israel is a battle for the soul of Israel, and throughout history, the battle always has had the same odds, a thousand to one. But our ‘One’ cannot be defeated, only refined.
The deepest mysteries of the Zohar are only given to those who build a fire inside for Hashem, His people, and His Land. Without all three, the fire doesn’t reach high enough. When it does, he may be entitled to a library card from Hashem’s secret library. The currents of time have brought the building materials to the shore, and the fire that needs to be kindled is increasing. It is the fire of sacrifice and devotion and love. This is the fire that will be kindled one day soon in the Beit Hamigdash.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Sparks From Israel
Macabee did it again!
Tonight Macabee (Israel’s Basketball Team) won the European championship for the second year in a row. Within minutes Kikar Rabin (City Hall) was filled with thousands of people dancing wildly, beating drums, and singing into the midnight hour. The Breslov Trance-Music Vans were parked there and gave away their books and glow in the dark buttons. Vendors set up impromptu popcorn stands and candy floss machines. Everyone marveled at how little Israel once again conquered all of Europe.
Many say the victory was a direct result of the coach of the team who started to keep Shabbat a month before last years victory. This year he went to the Kotel and got a bracha from a Rebbe and gave away tzedaka before the final game. Only in Israel would you hear such a story and would the fans be cheering not only for victory of a basketball team but for our coach in Heaven who stands behind us.
Two days from now the Kikar again will be packed with thousands who will not dance but sit and mourn those who were sacrificed this year in battle or from terrorism. Yom Hazikaron is a solemn night where there are no vendors selling food, only videos on a large screen of parents and friends talking about loved ones who are no longer with us, mixed with live performing artists singing solemn ballads without applause at the end. It is a moment when the whole Nation cries together.
The next night, the square will again be overflowing with its citizens, this time dancing again and waving flags for Israel’s Independence Day. The greatest entertainers will fill the stage and perform in all their glory, one after another.
How can one describe this place called Israel that rejoices one day and mourns the next; that is constantly being destroyed and rebuilt? This tiny Nation that has such a vast history and such tremendous influence on the planet. In comparison the world seems to be hardly rotating. There is no moment wasted in Israel, nor day without meaning. It is an ancient country that grows younger each day as it continues to flower. I cannot describe the intensity of life here in Israel. All I can say is that whatever way you look at it, one cannot help but see the reflection of the Divine shining through it from every direction.
Israel - Fifty Seven but looks Twenty Five
Israel is not a Nation. It is a family that has become a Nation. In only 57 years there are huge metropolises exporting all the latest hi-tech inventions to the world and teaching other countries how to make deserts bloom and armies run more efficiently.
There is one area however, that although it has been exported over the years, will soon explode in a huge industry. Which industry do I speak of? The industry of light! The light of the Nation is growing and there is a growing thirst in the world to receive it. The light of the spirit, through words, dance, film, and especially through music is breaking into the world stage in a rapid pace.
Every year I go to Kikar Rabin to see the fireworks and hear some of Israel’s top performers. Every year I am more impressed than the year before. The world class bands are better than what I see on MTV with lyrics that are deep and come from Jewish souls dressed in many different colors. Israeli bands from Rap to Heavy Metal, to Reggae are touring the world and receiving standing ovations wherever they go.
Here in Rabin Square is the home they return to and the source of their inspiration. The music begins in the early evening with children running wild spraying their friends and the crowd with foam. There is so much foam that the streets are slippery to walk on and you see cute little kids that look like snowmen chasing after each other. The music is interspersed with sets of fireworks from the roof of City Hall. At midnight the mayor gives his blessing and the final round of fireworks goes on for at least 15 minutes.
This year the fireworks were set to Mizrachi/Ska music and Reggae Dub. When I lived abroad I used to see the world competition of fireworks each year, but I never saw fireworks orchestrated this well to music and with such spectacular design. Now I understand why the country is bankrupt. They spend all their money on fireworks.
The concert goes on far past the children’s bedtime as some of the top rock bands perform. I noticed in the crowd some people with orange shirts and orange kippas, a sign of those who support the people of Gush Katif. I also saw a chassid in a black hat dancing in the crowd. Although there are extreme divisions in our country, it doesn’t seem to stop us from dancing together.
Certainly there are deep divides within our Nation, and the next few months will be a big test for us. However, whatever side of the line one places himself, on the other side of that line facing us in a fur hat, an orange shirt, or dreadlocks - is a mirror. We are a Nation faced against each other and with each other and next to the window of Heaven this makes beautiful rainbows. Chag Somayach!
Macabee did it again!
Tonight Macabee (Israel’s Basketball Team) won the European championship for the second year in a row. Within minutes Kikar Rabin (City Hall) was filled with thousands of people dancing wildly, beating drums, and singing into the midnight hour. The Breslov Trance-Music Vans were parked there and gave away their books and glow in the dark buttons. Vendors set up impromptu popcorn stands and candy floss machines. Everyone marveled at how little Israel once again conquered all of Europe.
Many say the victory was a direct result of the coach of the team who started to keep Shabbat a month before last years victory. This year he went to the Kotel and got a bracha from a Rebbe and gave away tzedaka before the final game. Only in Israel would you hear such a story and would the fans be cheering not only for victory of a basketball team but for our coach in Heaven who stands behind us.
Two days from now the Kikar again will be packed with thousands who will not dance but sit and mourn those who were sacrificed this year in battle or from terrorism. Yom Hazikaron is a solemn night where there are no vendors selling food, only videos on a large screen of parents and friends talking about loved ones who are no longer with us, mixed with live performing artists singing solemn ballads without applause at the end. It is a moment when the whole Nation cries together.
The next night, the square will again be overflowing with its citizens, this time dancing again and waving flags for Israel’s Independence Day. The greatest entertainers will fill the stage and perform in all their glory, one after another.
How can one describe this place called Israel that rejoices one day and mourns the next; that is constantly being destroyed and rebuilt? This tiny Nation that has such a vast history and such tremendous influence on the planet. In comparison the world seems to be hardly rotating. There is no moment wasted in Israel, nor day without meaning. It is an ancient country that grows younger each day as it continues to flower. I cannot describe the intensity of life here in Israel. All I can say is that whatever way you look at it, one cannot help but see the reflection of the Divine shining through it from every direction.
Israel - Fifty Seven but looks Twenty Five
Israel is not a Nation. It is a family that has become a Nation. In only 57 years there are huge metropolises exporting all the latest hi-tech inventions to the world and teaching other countries how to make deserts bloom and armies run more efficiently.
There is one area however, that although it has been exported over the years, will soon explode in a huge industry. Which industry do I speak of? The industry of light! The light of the Nation is growing and there is a growing thirst in the world to receive it. The light of the spirit, through words, dance, film, and especially through music is breaking into the world stage in a rapid pace.
Every year I go to Kikar Rabin to see the fireworks and hear some of Israel’s top performers. Every year I am more impressed than the year before. The world class bands are better than what I see on MTV with lyrics that are deep and come from Jewish souls dressed in many different colors. Israeli bands from Rap to Heavy Metal, to Reggae are touring the world and receiving standing ovations wherever they go.
Here in Rabin Square is the home they return to and the source of their inspiration. The music begins in the early evening with children running wild spraying their friends and the crowd with foam. There is so much foam that the streets are slippery to walk on and you see cute little kids that look like snowmen chasing after each other. The music is interspersed with sets of fireworks from the roof of City Hall. At midnight the mayor gives his blessing and the final round of fireworks goes on for at least 15 minutes.
This year the fireworks were set to Mizrachi/Ska music and Reggae Dub. When I lived abroad I used to see the world competition of fireworks each year, but I never saw fireworks orchestrated this well to music and with such spectacular design. Now I understand why the country is bankrupt. They spend all their money on fireworks.
The concert goes on far past the children’s bedtime as some of the top rock bands perform. I noticed in the crowd some people with orange shirts and orange kippas, a sign of those who support the people of Gush Katif. I also saw a chassid in a black hat dancing in the crowd. Although there are extreme divisions in our country, it doesn’t seem to stop us from dancing together.
Certainly there are deep divides within our Nation, and the next few months will be a big test for us. However, whatever side of the line one places himself, on the other side of that line facing us in a fur hat, an orange shirt, or dreadlocks - is a mirror. We are a Nation faced against each other and with each other and next to the window of Heaven this makes beautiful rainbows. Chag Somayach!
Friday, May 06, 2005
Sparks From Israel
(at the Boombamela Music Festival)
‘How Goodly Are Thy Tents Oh Yacov’
I couldn’t help but think of this prayer when I attended the Boombamela Music festival during Chol Hamoed Pesach. Imagine a tent city of 20,000 people living by the seashore, with a shanty town built over night. In the evening bond fires, guitars and drum circles, as well as many stages of rock, reggae and world music. There is a place for those who wish to dress with fig leafs like the Garden of Eden and there is a place for the Dosi hippies who dress in biblical robes.
So this is what the bible must have looked like; Woodstock with both the Golden Calf and the Torah. A tribal multitude made up of the best parts of the whole world, connecting to each other in our collective path that leads in all directions. There are deep divisions within the body of the Nation, but this is counter-pointed with a love and responsibility for each other that we all feel, in different places in our hearts. It’s nice to have a tribe to come home to. Hine matov umanayim, shevet achim gum yachad.
The Burger Ranch Rav
I was at my brother’s place during Pesach and asked him if he had any mustard in his fridge. He said that he couldn’t find any kosher for Pesach mustard in the ‘glatt- kosher’ grocery store. When I returned to Israel during Chol Hamoed I went for my special Pesach treat; a Pesach hamburger at Burger Ranch. I asked the burger purveyor for a package of mustard and she replied that she was sorry but ‘mustard is chumatz’.
Now I understood why we couldn’t find any kosher for Pesach mustard in the grocery store. Imagine learning this obscure Halacha from a 17 year old Burger Ranch employee. Only in Israel!
The Market
I live in a market place. All day you hear the vendors shouting their bargains and selling their wares. On the surface one would think that they are simple folk that work hard and at the end of the day come home to watch television and drink a beer. Maybe they do, but as the sun begins to set, I see many of these vendors in my local synagogue for the afternoon prayers. There are maybe fifty other synagogues in the immediate area as well.
Between the afternoon prayer and the evening prayer, someone will get up and speak a few words of Torah. The discussion between the congregants and the one leading the discussion I would compare to great rabbinical discourses I have read about in books. The level of their knowledge is astounding.
The next day as I questioned one of the congregants about a question he had asked, he clarified it for me and then pointed to the tomatoes. ‘Take four for 5 shekels, it’s a better deal’. He stuffed the tomatoes in my bag and continued shouting. Where I come from Torah is something studied in academies. Here it flows through the marketplace, where some of the greatest masters teach it while selling tomatoes.
(at the Boombamela Music Festival)
‘How Goodly Are Thy Tents Oh Yacov’
I couldn’t help but think of this prayer when I attended the Boombamela Music festival during Chol Hamoed Pesach. Imagine a tent city of 20,000 people living by the seashore, with a shanty town built over night. In the evening bond fires, guitars and drum circles, as well as many stages of rock, reggae and world music. There is a place for those who wish to dress with fig leafs like the Garden of Eden and there is a place for the Dosi hippies who dress in biblical robes.
So this is what the bible must have looked like; Woodstock with both the Golden Calf and the Torah. A tribal multitude made up of the best parts of the whole world, connecting to each other in our collective path that leads in all directions. There are deep divisions within the body of the Nation, but this is counter-pointed with a love and responsibility for each other that we all feel, in different places in our hearts. It’s nice to have a tribe to come home to. Hine matov umanayim, shevet achim gum yachad.
The Burger Ranch Rav
I was at my brother’s place during Pesach and asked him if he had any mustard in his fridge. He said that he couldn’t find any kosher for Pesach mustard in the ‘glatt- kosher’ grocery store. When I returned to Israel during Chol Hamoed I went for my special Pesach treat; a Pesach hamburger at Burger Ranch. I asked the burger purveyor for a package of mustard and she replied that she was sorry but ‘mustard is chumatz’.
Now I understood why we couldn’t find any kosher for Pesach mustard in the grocery store. Imagine learning this obscure Halacha from a 17 year old Burger Ranch employee. Only in Israel!
The Market
I live in a market place. All day you hear the vendors shouting their bargains and selling their wares. On the surface one would think that they are simple folk that work hard and at the end of the day come home to watch television and drink a beer. Maybe they do, but as the sun begins to set, I see many of these vendors in my local synagogue for the afternoon prayers. There are maybe fifty other synagogues in the immediate area as well.
Between the afternoon prayer and the evening prayer, someone will get up and speak a few words of Torah. The discussion between the congregants and the one leading the discussion I would compare to great rabbinical discourses I have read about in books. The level of their knowledge is astounding.
The next day as I questioned one of the congregants about a question he had asked, he clarified it for me and then pointed to the tomatoes. ‘Take four for 5 shekels, it’s a better deal’. He stuffed the tomatoes in my bag and continued shouting. Where I come from Torah is something studied in academies. Here it flows through the marketplace, where some of the greatest masters teach it while selling tomatoes.
