Exodus Magazine - May 2022

#235 | May 2022 • Iyyar 5782

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May 2022 • Iyyar 5782

6

5

| JEWISH SOUL

Catalyst for Redemption

7

8

10

| JEWISH THOUGHT

Counting Time

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is the source of the revelation of the secrets of the Torah that will heal the divider separating the higher realms from the lower realms.

Within Judaism there are two kinds of time. The dispute is strikingly similar to the disagreement about the nature of light. Is it a continuous wave or a series of particles? The argument, however, goes much deeper.

— From the Rebbe's letters

— by Jonathan Sacks

6

10 | PERSPECTIVES

18

editorial jewish soul made you think jewish thought perspectives ask the rabbi our community simchas

| MADE YOU THINK

Change Inside and Out

Look Up

We are not victims of circumstance. Everything I was ever taught, all my training, causes my juices to begin flowing and my instincts to sharpen up, telling me that this attitude is wrong.

“They look down and become afraid. I only look up.” We have many emotional characteristics – love, joy, optimism. And fear, perhaps the least understood and least enticing to explore.

— by Simon Jacobson

— by Yoseph Janowski

7

18 | LIFE ON EARTH

| JEWISH THOUGHT

Man of War

What is Time?

It is a story of war, the eternal-or at least, the very consistent battle raging within every human being. In this story, the person himself is not the actor; he is the battlefield.

In a few cryptic lines from a letter written in 1947,1 the Lubavitcher Rebbe discusses the essential quality of Time. Tzvi Freeman attempts to clarify the core concepts, in simple and concise terms.

— by Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz

— by Tzvi Freeman

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If I were to take a journey into the mainframe of my mind, what would it look like?

Would I find the various components of the circuitry humming in harmony, or would I see a messy collection loose screws, stray wires and burned out pathways? Would the transformers all be in place, or have they shut down from lack of use? Would it even let me in, or would I be blocked by some firewall of trauma. And whatever it is I found in there, would I have the courage to confront it, or would I choose to replace the dusty cover and continue ignoring the problems until the entire system crashes?

The greatest obstacle I face in the pursuit of peace and happiness is that I am full of belief systems that govern the way I perceive my self, the world and my role in it. Prejudices about myself and others, conditioning that is the product of our education and upbringing and the intensity of life experiences and our reactions to them all contribute to the internal clutter. The question is how much I am aware of the effect these belief systems have on my daily life, and the extent to which they can manipulate me and even dominate me if left unchecked.

The counting of the Omer is a 49-step program designed to strip away the belief systems and figure myself out authentically. It is the ultimate system overhaul that systematically separates fact from fiction by exploring each detail and facet of my emotional and psychological make-up, to understand where I am and where I need to get to.

In the journey of life, most of us make the mistake of trying to find ourselves, even though intuitively we know that true enlightenment and happiness come from letting go of ourselves. You can’t lose yourself without knowing your self, but you certainly can’t lose yourself if you’re obsessed with yourself. The subjectivity of this approach is at best futile, or even maddening.

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Some of us somehow manage to avoid this mistake and instead seek the euphoria of an objective, omnipresent truth. But in the quest for objectivity we tend to lose sight of our place in all of it. In removing ourselves from the equation, the objectivity denies the significance of individual existence and providence. The balance then is to seek my own inner truth — one that holds true in both the objective and subjective realities, encompassing both who I am as an individual and how I fit into the cosmic master plan. By extension, everything that follows from this refined and redefined self is that much more truthful and sincere, making the self a fitting conduit for something greater than the self.

I usually like to think that my primary purpose lies in achieving something by harnessing and utilizing the strengths of my unique individual talents. Perhaps an even greater and less obvious purpose lies in confronting the challenges I face by pealing away the layers of falsehood, fantasy and disillusionment that clog each of the 49 components of my psyche until each one shines. And once the system is hacked, I can make it whatever I want it to be.

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jewish soul

Catalyst

for

Redemption

From the Rebbe's Letters

T

he concept of Lag BaOmer is explained in the teachings of Chassidus. It is identified with the Sefirah of Hod shebeHod, which represents an interruption, a barrier, and a “mound,” separating between the worlds of Atzilus and Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah and also an interruption, a barrier, and a “mound” between the levels above Atzilus and Atzilus.

Each one of these barriers blocks one of the two means in which the external forces derive energy: a) as a result of a multitude of contractions. b) from the sublime encompassing light.

On that level, the deeds of the beings of the lower realms are not significant and hence, all beings can receive influence.

For this reason, the students of Rabbi Akiva ceased dying on Lag BaOmer, because this barrier created a block between them and the accusing forces directed at them.

All of the above applies in the present era.

In the era of Moshiach, by contrast, when “I will cause the spirit of impurity to depart from this earth,” there will be a change. On the verse, “I struck down and I will heal,” our Sages comment (Koheles Rabbah 1:4): “The division that I established between the higher realms and the lower realms — that the beings of the higher realms live and exist eternally, while those of the lower realm die — I will heal in the Ultimate Future.” For the barrier of a mound will not be necessary at that time.

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the source of the revelation of the secrets of the Torah, refined this barrier (the fundamental revelation of his achievements will be in the Ultimate Future), because he illuminated it with the most complete light, the light of Moshiach.

See the discussion of these matters in the discourse entitled Eid HaGal and in its explanation in the Siddur Im Dach, Shaar HaLag BaOmer and sec. 25ff. of the discourse entitled Chayav Adam Livareich, 5638.

The manner in which the Jewish people will leave the exile and enter the era of Moshiach was already revealed by our Sages: “In the Future, Israel will taste of the Tree of Life, this book of the Zohar,

May 2022 / Iyyar 5782

through which they will leave their exile with mercy.” And Moshiach told the Baal Shem Tov that he will come when the wellsprings of the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings spread outward.

My revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, explained Moshiach’s response at length, saying: The teachings of the Baal Shem Tov are the vessel for the light of the revelation of Moshiach. The teachings of our Rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov, and the pure task of refining and cultivating our emotional qualities, will ultimately spread to people on the periphery and all will realize the truth. The selfsacrifice from their parents and grandparents will awaken even those who are found on the peripheries.

of his soul on Rosh HaShanah of the year 5507, and the talks of Simchat Torah, 5690.

We must all clearly know that each and every activity and each and every effort made to spread the wellsprings of Chassidus outward illuminates the darkness of the exile and hastens the coming and revelation of Moshiach. There are no words to describe how difficult it is to remain even one extra moment in exile and how precious one extra moment of the revelation of Moshiach is.

With the revelation of our righteous Moshiach, the Holy One, blessed be He, will heal the divider separating the higher realms from the lower realms, as explained above. Then “those who lie in the dust will arise and sing.” My revered father-in-law, the Rebbe,, who showed us the way and the path upon which we will ascend in our Divine service, will advance at the head — leading all of his students, his chassidim, and all of those bound and connected to him, taking us out of the straits and bringing us to the broad expanse of G‑dliness, in the true and complete Redemption. EM

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See the sources for the above: the Zohar III, p. 124b, the letter of the Baal Shem Tov to his brother-in-law regarding the ascent

5

made you think

Change Inside

and

Out

Simon Jacobson

W

hen I hear resignation, all my antennae go up. Everything I was ever taught, all my training, causes my juices to begin flowing and my instincts to sharpen up, telling me that this attitude is wrong. Absolutely wrong. We are not victims of circumstance. We create circumstances. No big feat to be riding high when everything is going smoothly and the economy is humming along.

The challenge is in rising to the occasion when things are not going that well, and overcoming the undercurrents of fear and weakness during those hard times.

This is the deeper meaning of Counting the Omer: That we have the power to change ourselves and the world. That we have the ability to refine the unrefined and transform the selfish into the selfless. That we can bring on a better world – a Messianic world, where people are driven not by self-interest and material gain, but by sublime and spiritual goals. A world where materialism is not an end in itself but a means to Divine knowledge – a world “filled with Divine knowledge as the waters cover the sea.”

And we therefore focus our refinement work in these days of the Omer on the ultimate refinement of the Messianic age.

Personal and global refinement may all sound so beautiful and glorious, however, these concepts are actually quite revolutionary. Let us study them a bit in more depth.

The power to change yourself; the power to change the world. These are not small statements. A scientific argument can be made that we are all hard-wired creatures, following the cardinal rule of “survival of the fittest.” Yes, personal refinement may be a very noble ideal, but humans like all animals on this earth are guided by self-preservation and self- interest.

If it serves their interests they can be very kind and sensitive; but if it doesn’t, all these aspirations are nothing more than highfalutin flights of fancy…

History is a brutal testament to the capacity of people annihilating each other. And we need not look far: In our own, so-called progressive times, we see the far-reaching effects of greed and self-interest on our economy and institutions.

To claim, therefore, that we can refine our emotions and perfect our personalities, can be simply dismissed as fantasy.

6

And yet, that is exactly what Judaism expects and demands of us: To go against the “natural” tide of self-worship and yes, refine our very personalities. You were born with certain personality traits and genetic tendencies – now go and work hard to discipline them, refine them, channel them, direct them to higher ends. You came to earth in a certain package; you have the ability – and responsibility – to perfect the package. Like raw material, we can polish, shine and transform the raw matter into a jewel. If you have a bad habit you can break it. If you have an evil streak, you can change it.

Bad can become good. If you are good you can become better. And when you become better, you can become even better than that.

The days of the Omer, are thus, days of majesty – a time when we celebrate the power of mortals to become something greater than their pre-destined natures.

“V’sefartem lochem,” and you shall count for yourselves: Sefirah (count) in Hebrew also means to relate, to tell a story. It also means to shine and illuminate (like the sapphire).

The additional word lochem, which seems superfluous (what would be missing without this word?), emphasizes the story and the illumination is to be directed “to yourselves,” in your material world and selfish involvements, and it is this world of (“your selves”) – your selfish emotions, drives and desires – which you must refine.

You shall tell a story to your selves, you shall illuminate to your selves – to your personalities – your ability to change; to refine and transform you very characters. This is a time when we must rise to towering heights of character development and personality refinement. A

period when we can and ought to change ourselves for the better. And in doing so, we tell the illuminating story, thereby illuminating a dark world around us; we demonstrate the power of the Divine in this world; the power to take a raw human being and transform him/her into a beacon of compassion and love.

We humans also have the capacity to dream and aspire to a more prefect universe. And it is this deep-rooted feeling that has actually driven human beings to improve their lives, through medicine, technology and above all (and the most difficult of them all) – in the moral standards of ourselves and our neighbors.

So, in addition to the focus each day on refining the respective emotion of the day, it is also beneficial to step back and concentrate on the overarching theme of this forty-nine day Omer counting period – how our work in personal refinement is infused with the overall Messianic refinement of the universe.

Take pride that you have chosen a path – the one less traveled – of believing and working on improving your character and bettering the world around you. Feel proud that you have chosen a life of vision where everything is possible.

Stand tall with the knowledge that your personal choices in how you will behave today move the universe to a better place; a step closer to Moshiach.

Go in and change yourself. Go out and change the world! EM Rabbi Simon Jacobson is the author of Toward a Meaningful Life: The Wisdom of the Rebbe and the director of the Meaningful Life Center (meaningfullife.com).

May 2022 / Iyyar 5782

jewish thought

Man

of

War

Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz

S

ince I began writing about the TanyaRabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi’s revolutionary work on Chassidus from the late 18th century-I have been asked many times about the connection of Tanya to Kabbalah.

First of all, one must be cautioned that speaking about Kabbalah does not refer to the numerous imitations being sold nowadays in the form of little booklets, red strings, and healing waters. All of these approaches take the name of Kabbalah in vain, for the utmost secrets of the world and the promise of eternal life, protective angels, and supreme devotion cannot be purchased for five cents apiece.

This type of commercialized mysticism is surely more propagated today than authentic Kabbalah and has the dangerous ability to deceive the masses into believing that they have discovered the essence of Kabbalah.

Kabbalah is-or at least has been for the last 500 years-the official theology of the Jewish people. It is the route to gaining a better understanding of the relationship between man and G‑d. Anyone who feels any sort of connection to G‑d should have enough sense to be interested in knowing G‑d. This is true about so many other things; for instance, if I love or admire somebody, I have a desire to know that person better and in a deeper, more intimate way.

As a genre of literature, Tanya is what one may call “applied Kabbalah.” It is not a pure theological statement rather, it is Kabbalah as applied to the problems of the human psyche and of human life.

The Tanya is clearly a book about morals and morality, a guide for those trying to find a way to reach higher and to become more refined spiritual beings. It is a story of war, the eternal-or at least, the very consistent battle raging within every human being. In this story, the person himself is not the actor; he is the battlefield.

In studying this struggle, it is of course important to identify the parties at war: What are these facets of man that are engaged in constant battle? Interestingly enough, the Tanya does not define the two sides as good and evil, nor as body vs. spirit. Instead, the Tanya calls it a war between two souls: the animal soul against the Divine soul, both of

May 2022 / Iyyar 5782

which reside in the heart of man.

Man is basically a materialistic, animalistic creature, but he is also created from a Divine mold. These two sides of humanity clash constantly over the question of identity: Who am I, and how can I be defined? Tanya seeks to clarify for its readers the distinction between the animal and Divine parts of man and to explain why they are an intrinsic-and unending-disagreement with one another.

In this book, the animal soul does not have the base definition that often comes to mind. The Tanya does not view the animal as the domain of the so-called carnal desires or physical needs. Rather, it speaks about the self, that level of man that views itself as the beginning of everything. No creature of zoology can really think about anything without using itself as a starting point: I exist, I am the center of everything, I am the purpose of everything, and from here I go on.

The essence of man’s purpose is this struggle to get out of the self, to break free of his animalistic confines in order to connect with the Divine.

While the description of this battle within

each human being is an important part of the book, the Tanya also tries to devise strategies to help people win this war. It teaches how one can do better and how one can give the side of the “good” some power to effectively overcome its opponent.

The study of Tanya is a demanding one, but it is perhaps one of the most approachable means to Kabbalah. Like many other pieces of Hasidic literature, the Tanya has taken some of the most grand and abstract notions of the world and put them in such a way that they become meaningful in life. In a very practical way, this book offers those seeking a more spiritual existence the formulas by which they can better know G‑d, and better know themselves. EM

Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz, of blessed memory, is internationally regarded as one of the leading rabbis of the last century. The author of many books, he is best known for his monumental translation of and commentary on the Talmud. To learn more visit his website, steinsaltz.org.

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jewish thought

Counting Time Jonathan Sacks

W

ithin Judaism there are two kinds of time. One way of seeing this is in a Talmudic story about two of the great Sages of the Second Temple period, Hillel and Shammai: They used to say about Shammai the elder that all his life he ate in honour of the Sabbath.

So, if he found a well-favoured animal he would say, “Let this be for the Sabbath.” If he later found a better one, he would put aside the second for the Sabbath and eat the first.

But Hillel the elder had a different approach, for all his deeds were for the sake of heaven, as it is said, “Blessed be the Lord day by day” (Ps. 68:20). It was likewise taught: The school of Shammai say, From the first day of the week, prepare for the Sabbath, but the school of Hillel say, “Blessed be the Lord day by day.”

Shammai lived in teleological time, time as a journey toward a destination. Already from the beginning of a week, he was conscious of its end. We speak, in one of our prayers, of the Sabbath as “last in deed, first in thought.”

Time on this view is not a mere sequence of moments. It has a purpose, a direction, a destination.

Hillel, by contrast, lived each day in and for itself, without regard to what came before or what would come after. We speak in our prayers of G‑d who “in his goodness, each day renews the work of creation.” On this view, each sequence of time is an entity in itself. The universe is continually being renewed. Each day is a universe; each has its own challenge, its task, its response. Faith, for Hillel, is a matter of taking each day as it comes, trusting in G‑d to give the totality of time its shape and direction.

The dispute is strikingly similar to the more recent disagreement about the nature of light.

Is it a continuous wave or a series of particles?

Paradoxically, it is both, and this can be experimentally demonstrated.

The argument, however, goes much deeper.

Much has been written about two highly distinctive forms of time consciousness.

Ancient civilizations tended to see time as a circle – cyclical time. That is how we experience time in nature. Each day is marked by the same succession of events: dawn, sunrise, the gradual trajectory of the sun across the sky to its setting and to nightfall.

8

The year is a succession of seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Life itself is a repeated sequence of birth, growth, maturity, decline and death. Many of these moments, especially the transition from one to another, are marked by religious ritual.

Cyclical time is time as a series of eternal recurrences. Beneath the apparent changes, the world remains the same. The book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) contains a classic statement of cyclical time: Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises . . .

All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full.

To the place the streams come from, there they return again . . .

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

In Judaism, priestly time is cyclical time.

Each part of the day, the week and the year has its specific sacrifice, unaffected by what is happening in the world of events. Halachah – Jewish law – is priestly in this sense. Though all else may change, the law does not change.

It represents eternity in the midst of time.

In this respect, Judaism did not innovate.

However, according to many anthropologists and historians, a quite new and different form of time was born in ancient Israel.

Often, this is called linear time. I prefer the phrase covenantal time. The Hebrew Bible is the first document to see time as an arena of change. Tomorrow need not be the same as yesterday. There is nothing given, eternal and immutable about the way we construct societies and live our lives together. Time is not a series of moments traced on the face of a watch, always moving yet always the same.

Instead it is a journey with a starting point and a destination, or a story with a beginning, middle and end. Each moment has a meaning, which can only be grasped if we understand where we have come from and where we are going to. This is time not as it is in nature but as it is in history. The Hebrew prophets were the first to see G‑d in history.

A prophet is one who sees the end in the beginning. While others are at ease, he foresees the catastrophe. While others are mourning the catastrophe, he can already see the eventual consolation. There is a famous example of this in the Talmud. Rabbi Akiva is walking with his colleagues on Mount Scopus when they see the ruins of the Temple. They weep. He smiles. When they ask him why he is smiling, he replies: Now that I have seen the realization of the prophecies of destruction, shall I not believe in the prophecies of restoration? They see the present; he sees the future-in-thepresent. Knowing the previous chapters of the story, he understands not only the present chapter, but also where it is leading to. That is prophetic consciousness – time as a narrative, time not as it is in nature but in history, or more specifically in covenant history, whose events are determined by free human choices but whose themes have been sent long in advance.

If we look at the festivals of the bible – Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot – we see that each has a dual logic. On the one hand, they

May 2022 / Iyyar 5782

jewish thought

belong to cyclical time. They celebrate seasons of the year – Passover is the festival of spring, Shavuot of first fruits, and Sukkot of the autumn harvest.

However, they also belong to covenantal/ linear/historical time. They commemorate historic events. Passover celebrates the exodus from Egypt, Shavuot the giving of the Torah, and Sukkot the forty years of wandering in the wilderness. It follows that the counting of the Omer also has two temporal dimensions.

On the one hand, it belongs to cyclical time.

The forty-nine days represent the period of the grain harvest, the time during which farmers had most to thank G‑d for – for “bringing forth bread from the ground.” Thus understood, each day of the counting is a separate religious act: “Blessed be the Lord day by day.” Each day brought forth its own blessing in the form of new grain, and each therefore called for its own act of thanksgiving. This is the concept of time as Hillel and R. Hai Gaon understood it. Count off fifty days” – each of which is a command in itself, unaffected by the days that came before or those that will come after.

May 2022 / Iyyar 5782

But the Omer is also part of historical time. It represents the journey from Egypt to Sinai, from exodus to revelation. This is, on the biblical worldview, an absolutely crucial transition. The late Sir Isaiah Berlin spoke of two kinds of freedom, negative liberty (the freedom to do what you like) and positive liberty (the freedom to do what you ought). Hebrew has two different words for these different forms of freedom: chofesh and cherut. Chofesh is the freedom a slave acquires when he no longer has a master. It means that there is no one to tell you what to do. You are master of your own time.

This kind of freedom alone, however, cannot be the basis of a free society. If everyone is free to do what they like, the result will be freedom for the strong but not the weak, the rich but not the poor, the powerful but not the powerless. A free society requires restraint and the rule of law. There is such a thing as a constitution of liberty. That is what the Israelites acquired at Mount Sinai in the form of the covenant.

In this sense, the 49 days represent an unbroken historical sequence. There is no way of going directly from escape-from-tyranny to a free society – as we have discovered time and again in recent years, in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Here, time is an ordered sequence of events, a journey, a narrative. Miss one stage, and one is in danger of losing everything. This is time as Halachot Gedolot understood it: “Count off seven full weeks,” with the emphasis on “full, complete, unbroken.”

Thus, both forms of time are present in a single mitzvah – the counting of the Omer – as they are in the festivals themselves.

We have traced, in the argument between the two authorities of the period of the Geonim, a deeper duality, going back to Hillel and Shammai, and further still to the biblical era and the difference, in consciousness of time, between priests and prophets. There is the voice of G‑d in nature, and the call of G‑d in history. There is the word of G‑d for all time, and the word of G‑d for this time. The former is heard by the priest, the latter by the prophet.

The former is found in halachah, Jewish law; the latter in aggadah, Jewish reflection on history and destiny. G‑d is not to be found

exclusively in one or the other, but in their conversation and complex interplay.

There are aspects of the human condition that do not change, but there are others that do. It was the greatness of the biblical prophets to hear the music of covenant beneath the noise of events, giving history its shape and meaning as the long, slow journey to redemption.

The journey has been slow. The abolition of slavery, the recognition of human rights, the construction of a society of equal dignity – these have taken centuries, millennia. But they happened only because people learned to see inequalities and injustices as something other than inevitable. Time is not a series of eternal recurrences in which nothing ever ultimately changes. Cyclical time is deeply conservative; covenantal time is profoundly revolutionary.

Both find their expression in the counting of the Omer.

Thus an apparently minor detail in Jewish law turns out, on inspection under the microscope of analysis, to tell us much about the philosophy and politics of Judaism – about the journey from liberation to a free society, and about time as the arena of social change.

The Torah begins with creation as the free act of the free G‑d, who bestows the gift of freedom on the one life-form that bears His image. But that is not enough. We must create structures that honour that freedom and make it equally available to all. That is what was given at Sinai. Each year we retrace that journey, for if we are not conscious of freedom and what it demands of us, we will lose it. To see G‑d not only in nature but also in history – that is the distinctive contribution of Judaism to Western civilization, and we find it in one of the most apparently minor commands: to count the days between negative and positive liberty, from liberation to revelation. EM Rabbi Dr. Sir Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, was the former Chief Rabbi of the UK and the Commonwealth and a member of the House of Lords. He was a leading academic and respected world expert on Judaism. He was the author of several books and thousands of articles, appeared regularly on television and radio, and spoke at engagements around the world.

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jewish thought

Look Up Yoseph Janowski

I

have a somewhat random yet interesting memory from my time as a boy in yeshiva in Montreal. For some reason, there was kind of a running joke with the caretaker of the yeshiva, a middle-aged man with a thick accent. The boys would ask him, “You afraid?” And he would always reply melodramatically, “Not afraid!”

It was a silly kind of exchange, yet somehow it remained fixed in my mind as a childhood memory. Quite simply and clearly, it captures a crucial choice of emotion that we all encounter, one that revolves around one of the central human characteristics explored in the teachings of Chassidus, the choice of whether or not to be afraid – and of what, in essence, we truly fear.

Later, during an "Encounter with Chabad" session, an event organized by yeshiva students for college students to give them an opportunity to experience Chassidic life and to hear insights from Chassidic personalities, the theme of fear pops up in my memory once again.

Dr. Yitzchak Block, a Professor of Philosophy and Chabad campus emissary at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, was a special guest speaker at the event. At the table, college students and yeshiva boys sat together, collectively listening to his wisdom, almost spellbound. At one point, a college student expressed his feeling that there was so much fear in Judaism; that people are so afraid of what might happen to them if they don't fulfill the Torah's commandments.

One rabbi sitting there answered, "But there is so much love," meaning that we follow the Torah's directives because we love G‑d.

Dr. Block interjected, "Let's talk about fear." First he related two stories, one about the Baal Shem Tov, and one about the Rebbe Rayatz, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe.

The Baal Shem Tov, as a child, used to venture by himself into a nearby forest to contemplate and pray to G‑d. One time, a rabbi walking in the forest saw him. "Aren't you afraid to be in the forest by yourself?" he asked. The child replied that just before his father passed away, he told him that he

10

should love every Jew with all his heart, and that he should fear no one but G‑d. "Ever since then, I fear nothing, only G‑d."

When the Rebbe Rayatz was arrested by the Communists for his steadfast efforts to keep Jewish institutions thriving in the former Soviet Union, he remained defiant and unintimidated, refusing to cooperate with their charade of an interrogation, sign their fake “confession” document or name his “accomplices.” At one point, one of the officers pointed a gun at the Rebbe and said, “This little toy here has made many people speak.” The Rebbe quickly retorted, “The people who are frightened by this little toy have one world and many gods. I, on the other hand, have one G‑d and two worlds.

So this toy does not frighten me.”

Dr. Block then continued. "What are people afraid of? A child is afraid of a spanking. An adult isn't afraid of that. An adult is afraid of what can destroy him. A Jew who knows that his true essence is his

soul, is only afraid of what can destroy his soul."

Thus, a Jew who truly fears G‑d, is not afraid of what everyone else is afraid of. It was a stunningly convincing argument.

We have many emotional characteristics – love, joy, optimism – and fear, perhaps the least understood and least enticing to explore. When we utilize the wisdom found in the Torah, especially as illuminated by the teachings of Chassidus, to guide us, and to channel our emotions constructively, we gain powerful tools that give us the ability to transcend all limitations.

The Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, taught that the mind has the natural ability to rule the heart. During the conflict then between Russia and France, the Alter Rebbe felt that if Napoleon wins, it would result in devastating assimilation, so the Alter Rebbe sided with the Russians, and he even sent his disciple Rabbi Moshe Maizels to spy for the

May 2022 / Iyyar 5782

Russians. Rabbi Maizels knew French, so he offered to act as a translator for Napoleon's officers, thus being privy to French plans and battle movements, which he secretly relayed to the Russians, who used the information to their advantage.

Napoleon realized that classified information was being leaked. One day, he burst into the room where his officers were discussing strategy. He saw Moshe Maizels standing there and immediately suspected him. He rushed over to him, placed his hand over Moshe's heart, and shouted, "You're a spy!"

At that moment, Moshe later related, he remembered one of the central teachings of the Alter Rebbe, that the mind has the ability, from birth, to control the heart. So he remained calm by convincing himself that there was, in fact, nothing to fear. And with complete composure and his heart beating normally, he told Napoleon that he was simply assisting the officers by translating for them. Napoleon walked away.

There is a story that the Rebbe's mother once told. The Rebbe, as a little boy, was playing with his friends, as they attempted to climb a tree. The Rebbe's mother noticed that her son climbed much higher than the other boys. When she later asked him how he was able to climb higher, he replied: "They look down and become afraid. I only look up."

We could all use a healthy dose of “only look up” these days. The world seems intimidating when we look down at it, when we only experience it from within the details as they unfold. But when we look up, when we realize that G‑d is controlling everything, and that everything is part of His master plan, the fear and anxiety disintegrate.

Iran wants to develop a nuclear bomb, and the U.S. wants to make a deal which can fund Iran's terrorism. But we can look up and see miraculous Divine providence, as numerous developments have so far stopped the deal from being signed, and as there is now pressure on the U.S. government to provide Israel with advanced weapons to defend itself against Iran.

There is yet another wave of terrorism and violent tension in Israel. Many, including the

Rebbe, are clear that terrorism is motivated by promoting ideas such as “land for peace” that ultimately amount to capitulation to terror. But we can look up and see that Divine providence has orchestrated events so that Israel's governing coalition no longer has a majority, which has stopped all talk of giving away land.

For years, many movements and countries around the world have wanted to boycott Israel. But we can look up and see that Divine providence has made it impossible.

Countries around the world are benefiting from Israel's know-how in technology, medicine, agriculture, water distillation, and so many other areas that improve and enhance people's lives. With the present energy shortage (exacerbated by the war in Ukraine), numerous countries in Europe and elsewhere want very much to benefit from Israel's newly discovered energy reserves in the Mediterranean. Even Turkey, which decided to become a sworn enemy for political reasons, wants in on the action.

On Lag BaOmer we celebrate the life of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai who illuminated the world with his mystical teachings. Later, the Baal Shem Tov and the Chassidic Rebbes who followed him, further elucidated the esoteric teachings, and rejuvenated the Jewish people in teaching us that we each possess a Jewish soul, a veritable part of G‑d Almighty Who constantly creates everything and is One with everything, a soul which has the G‑dly ability to transcend limitations and to accomplish what many consider to be impossible – namely, to not be afraid of anything except G‑d. We should strive to love Him with all our hearts and to serve Him with utmost trust and joy, with optimism and confidence that very soon we will succeed in our efforts to reveal His presence in the entire world.

One day very soon there will be no more fear or war or hunger, when the world will be at peace, for “they will all know Me, from the youngest to the oldest,” and “the world will be filled with knowledge of G‑d, just as the waters cover the sea.” EM

Yoseph Janowski lives in Toronto, Canada.

future tense

MOSHIACH MUSINGS

Once there was a disciple of Rabbi Shimon’s who left the Holy Land and returned a wealthy man. The other disciples saw this and were envious and also wanted to leave. Rabbi Shimon knew of this. He took them to a valley facing Meron and said: “Valley! Valley!

Become filled with gold coins!” The valley started flowing with gold coins before them.

Said Rabbi Shimon to his disciples: “If it is gold that you desire, here is gold; take it for yourselves. But know that whoever takes now is taking his portion of the World to Come. For the reward of Torah is only in the World to Come.” (Midrash Rabbah, Shemot 52:3) The Rebbe explains the deeper significance of this story: The Torah is G‑d’s blueprint for creation, and the channel via which all of creation’s vitality and sustenance flows from Above. So everything in our world, from the loftiest spiritual blessings to the mundane wealth that comes in the form of gold coins, is facilitated by the Torah. But our world is an alma d’shikra, a place of concealment and deception. Things reach us but their source remains hidden; we see the result but have, at best, only a distorted perception of its cause. In our reality, it is possible that while Torah is the source of all the gold in the universe, one whose life is devoted to Torah may apparently suffer poverty, while one who abandons Torah may apparently acquire riches.

That is our world. The future world of Moshiach, however, is a world of truth. A world in which the hand is visible within the glove, the cause is evident in the effect, and the source of everything is revealed without distortion. In the World to Come, it is plainly visible that even physical gold flows from the headwaters of Torah.

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai inhabited that future reality.

ask the rabbi

Tefillin Time Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman

Q

Wy are tefillin worn only on weekdays (not Shabbat and holidays), and why only during the day (not at night)?

You are right that according to all opinions, tefillin are not worn at night or on Shabbat and festivals. However, there is a disagreement in the Talmud as to the reason why.

According to one opinion in the Talmud, not wearing tefillin at night is based on the verse in Exodus: “And you shall observe this statute in its appointed time, from day to day.” Rabbi Yossi Hagelili explains that “this statute" refers to the mitzvah of tefillin.

Accordingly, one who wears tefillin at night would transgress a biblical injunction.

Rabbi Akiva, however, explains that this verse refers to the Paschal lamb, not tefillin. Thus, he posits that, in theory, the Torah permits one to wear tefillin at night.

Nevertheless, the sages decreed that tefillin not be worn at night, lest one fall asleep in the tefillin, which is forbidden.

The ruling follows Rabbi Akiva, and not wearing tefillin at night is treated as a rabbinic ban.

Even Rabbi Akiva is in agreement that not wearing tefillin on Shabbat is biblical.

However, while Rabbi Yossi learns this law from the same verse above, Rabbi Akiva sees it in a different verse. The verse states: “And [the tefillin] shall be for a sign for you on your arm, and for a remembrance between your eyes, so that G‑d’s law shall be in your mouth; for with a strong arm G‑d brought you out of Egypt.”

Note that tefillin are referred to as a “sign.”

Now on Shabbat and holidays, we don’t require this extra sign, for the days themselves are signs of the covenant. As the verse states: “You must keep My Sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout the ages.” Since we have the sign of the day, the additional sign of tefillin is not required.

Thus, according to the Code of Jewish Law, if one puts on tefillin with the intent of fulfilling the mitzvah on Shabbat or on a holiday, he both transgresses the prohibition of adding to the Torah’s commandments and is considered to have disparaged and

12

demeaned the sign provided by the Shabbat.

Many commentaries point out that the Torah refers to three mitzvahs as “signs”: brit milah (circumcision), Shabbat and tefillin.

Thus, they ask, if we are exempt from tefillin on Shabbat because we have the sign of Shabbat, then during the week, too, when we have the sign of circumcision, why the need for the sign of tefillin?

The commentaries explain that in Jewish law, we generally need two witnesses for testimony to be valid. Thus, we actually need two signs that testify to the covenant between us and G‑d. During the week, we have tefillin and circumcision as the signs, and on Shabbat we have Shabbat and circumcision. Having a third sign on Shabbat is unnecessary and undesirable, since it would indicate that the existing witnesses are for some reason insufficient.

Others, however, explain that what is needed is not just any sign or covenant between us and G‑d, but one that is specifically associated with G‑d’s taking us out of Egypt. Thus, in this context, only tefillin and Shabbat would be considered signs, since brit milah is not specifically associated with the Exodus (or, as others put it, other descendants of Abraham were also commanded to circumcise themselves).

Whether on Shabbat or a weekday, these visible signs of our connection to G‑d are of great significance. Our sages tell us that when we are meticulous about these unique mitzvahs, they serve as a powerful deterrent to any negative energies, causing the Divine Presence to rest upon us. We then merit a special portion in the World to Come. EM

Часто люди говорят: «Мы обратились к вам, чтобы получить мебель, продукты или другую услугу Центра. Для чего же вы запрашиваете информацию о датах дней рождения, именах родителей, детей и близких, их адресах и т.д.?» Рабби, что вы можете сказать по этому поводу? Ответ на этот вопрос очень прост. Любавичский Ребе послал меня в 1980 году в Торонто в качестве шалиаха (посланника), чтобы предоставить каждому еврею из бывшего Советского Союза возможность вновь обрести традиционные еврейские ценности, создать общину с насыщенной еврейской жизнью, оказывать помощь евреям во всех аспектах их жизни. За 41 год упорной работы, слава Б-гу, получилось создать Центр и развить многочисленные программы. Были созданы синагоги, в жизнь каждого еврея привносятся еврейские традиции: проводятся обрезания, Бар-Мицвы, Хупы, не дай Б-г, похороны. Мы предоставляем общине ряд социальных услуг. С этой целью был создан Furniture Bank – Банк мебели и разработана программа помощи с продуктами питания для нуждающихся – JRCC Food Bank – Продуктовый Банк. В рамках программы поздравления с днем рождения и днем свадьбы каждому члену общины мы посылаем поздравительные открытки с переводом дат на еврейский календарь. Таким образом, рассылаются тысячи поздравительных открыток. В дополнение к этому, ко дню рождения наши замечательные волонтеры всем евреям общины доставляют сладкий подарок – шоколадный торт. Кроме праздничных дат, мы вспоми- наем и про печальные - посылаем открытки с датами годовщины смерти ушедших близких...

The article above is excerpted from the Russian edition of Exodus Magazine. To subscribe, please visit exodusmagazine.org or call 416.222.7105.

Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman is the Senior Rabbi of the Jewish Russian Community Centre of Ontario. You can Ask the Rabbi at jrcc.org or fax to 416.222.7812. To meet with Rabbi Zaltzman in person, feel free to call 416.222.7105 to book an appointment.

Appointments are generally available on Wednesday evenings after 7pm.

Rebbitzin Chiena Zaltzman is also available for private consultations by appointment on Wednesday evenings from 9 to 10pm by calling 416.222.7105.

May 2022 / Iyyar 5782

‫ב”ה‬ ‫ב''ה‬

Our

MAY 2022 | SIVAN 5782

Community

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

PASSOVER IN PERSON

T H E M O N T H I N R E V I E W. U P C O M I N G E V E N T S & P R O G R A M S .

M A Y 2 0 2 2 MAY

2 IYAR FARBRENGEN

MAY

PESACH SHEINI FARBRNEGEN

MAY

LAG BAOMER CELEBRATION

02

15

19

MAY

18

MAY

19

JGIRLS EVENT

WOMENS COFFEE PAINTING

The Passover Seder is a universal Jewish ritual observed almost identically

by Jews around the world, regardless of their affiliation or level or observance.

It is the quintessential reliving of the quintessential Jewish experience. Over 500 people attended Community Passover Seders organized by the Jewish Russian Community Centre at all eight JRCC branches locations on April 15 and 16. The Seders provided people with the opportunity to experience a traditional Seder and observe the related mitzvahs and traditions – eating the matzah and recounting the story of the Exodus to our children – in a warm and welcoming environment with family and friends. The insightful guidance and explanations of the presiding rabbis enriched the Seder with added meaning and depth, while the camaraderie and singing enhanced the jubilant holiday atmosphere. In addition to the in-person community Seders, the JRCC also offered its Seder To Go option. Originally conceived during COVID, when restriction did not allow for in-person community Seders, the JRCC continued to make the service available by popular demand as a convenience for those who benefit from having their basic Seder needs delivered to their home.

POST-PASSOVER CHALLAH BAKE The longstanding custom of post-Passover challah baking known as Shlissel Challah, was celebrated simultaneously in eight JRCC Branches following Passover last month. Though communal Challah baking sessions are organized throughout the year, and are a tremendous source communal blessing for those in need, the post-Passover challah baking is known to be especially auspicious for eliciting healing energy and sustenance. The custom usually involved a key - according to some versions the key is baked into the challah, some pierce the challah with a key, and some bake a challah shaped like a key. They “key” connection is that the channel from which heavenly blessings flow is often referred to as a gate - such as, the gates of mercy, the gates of healing, the gates of forgiveness, the gates of wealth, etc. Since we are asking that the gates of blessings be open, we symbolically connect a key to the custom, as if to say that this challah will serve as a key to open the gates of blessings for the Jewish people.

11 NISSAN CELEBRATIONS

CANDLE LIGHTING TIMES Friday, May 6, 2022

8:08 PM

Friday, May 13, 2022

8:16 PM

Friday, May 20, 2022

8:23 PM

Friday, May 27, 2022

8:30 PM

May 2022 / Sivan 5782

On April 11-12, people around the world celebrated 11th of Nissan, the birthday of the Rebbe, who was born in 1902 in the Ukrainian-Russian town of Nikolaev and went on to spark the greatest renaissance in Jewish history that inspired millions. The entire Chabad movement today, including the JRCC, as well as the personal Jewish connection of countless people, are thanks to the Rebbe’s vision and tireless efforts. To mark the occasion, the JRCC held a farbrengen (Chassidic gathering) at the JRCC Concord.

Participants enjoyed an evening of camaraderie, infused with inspiring words of wisdom and soulful song, led

by Rabbi Avrohom Jacks. The JRCC also participated in a city-wide mitzvah tank parade in honor of the day, marking 120 years since the Rebbe’s birth. To learn more about the Rebbe visit jrcc.org/therebbe.

PRE-PASSOVER EVENTS FOR WOMEN The JRCC East Thornhill hosted a special evening of creative inspiration in preparation for the Passover holiday. The event revolved around a Seder Plate Pottery Painting activity, where each participant got to design, paint and take home their own Passover Seder plate. The evening also featured a trail mix bar, and women shared tips on making the Festival of Freedom stress-free and happy. In addition, several pre-Passover workshops that focused on the practical “how to” of getting ready to the holiday were hosted by several JRCC branches.

13

CLAIM YOUR

Photo of the Month

BIRTHDAY CAKE Members of the Jewish Russian community can drop by on their birthday month for a birthday cake.

Visit the volunteer lounge in Room 6.

More info: Hana Uralsky hana.uralsky@jrcc.org 416-222-7105 #291 ‫ב״ה‬

onNected

The coolest Jewish Club for young teens Wednesday, May 18 | 6:30-8pm

‫ב״ה‬

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h,C R O L L eeps mezuzah, that keeps d.

It’s not what you know.

Volunteers help pack matzah packages at the It’s what you do.

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Monday, Mar 7, 2022 | 7:30 PM

WelL-ConNected

Monday, Mar 7, 2022 | 7:30 PM A M O N T H LY S E R I E S O F C L A S S E S F O R WO M E N

cover

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6/ THE KINDS OF KINDNESS

It’s not what you know.

It’s what you do.

6/ THE KINDS OF KINDNESS

THE KINDS OF KINDNESS

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RSVP at JRCC.org/jgirls

Upcoming

FARBRENGENS JRCC Rockford, 18 Rockford MONDAY, MAY 2 | 9PM 2 Iyar Farbrengen

Celebrating the birthday of the Rebbe Maharash, Rabbi Shmuel of Lubavitch.

JRCC South Thornhill,

28 Townsgate Dr. (Side Entrance)

SUNDAY, MAY 15 | 9PM Pesach Sheini Farbrengen “Opportunity strikes once - again”

Do Judaism’s cycle rituals not RSVP:JrccEastThornhill/rcs Monday, May 2, 2022 | life 7:30 PM

only mark our major milestones— but mold them too?

JEWISH LIBRARY

Monday, May 2, 2022 | 7:30 PM

WITH BOOKS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY CHABAD OF YOUR TOWN 1234 Yourstreet Ave Yourtown, AB 12345 • ONLINE PORTAL! www.chabadofyourtown.com • IN PERSON VISIT BY APPOINTMENT 555-333-3333

• CONTACTLESS PICK UP • MAILING OPTION CHABAD OF YOUR TOWN

14

In the backyard of 9699 Bathurst St. JRCC S Richmond Hill & Maple

soul through uplifting Close your eyes and the express your and soulelusive through language the upliftingof and prayer. elusive language of prayer.

M 7:30 PM

7:30 PM

IN HONOR OF LAG BAOMER Rain or shine

5 / Close P R AY Iyour T F O eyes RWA Rand D express your

d sacred.

ols and to discover

BONFIRE ‘N S’MORES

1234 Yourstreet Ave Visit ShloimelesLibrary.org Yourtown, AB 12345 www.chabadofyourtown.com 555-333-3333

JRCC S Richmond Hill & Maple

COFFEE PAINTING WORKSHOP For women in Russian

Thursday, May 19 6:30pm

JRCC S Richmond Hill & Maple 9699 Bathurst St.

$10. Limited spots.

RSVP: jrccRichmondHill.com/paintnight

May 2022 / Sivan 5782

Faces of the Community

BIRTH KIT

Valery Katz

PROGRAM

For all the newborn Russian Jews Did you just give birth?

Did you become a grandparent?

Do you know any of your friends who just gave birth?

JRCC is ready to deliver a baby package right to the house.

It includes: baby diapers, body suits, napkins, baby cream, kids cup, baby powder, shower gel, Jewish soft toy, blessing for a child and a mother, Jewish educational book, baby blanket.

Contact JRCC office for more info

416.222.7105 ext.245

Summer Womens Classes LEARN

PIRKEI AVOT EVERY SATURDAY

Check with your local JRCC branch for times and locations or visit

www.jrcc.org/WomensCircle

Please tell us about your family.

My grandfather, Berl Katz, was not just a religious Jew, he was a Lubavitcher Chassid from a long-time Chassidic family. He owned a shoe workshop in a Belarusian town, where all his five sons worked from childhood.

Later, one of them, my father, Gershon Katz, worked at the Kharkov shoe factory, and later the Party sent him, among the famous 25,000 people to create a Jewish collective farm.

My mother came from a family of a wealthy merchant of the 1st guild. They had nine children, and, of course, everyone spoke only Yiddish. The Soviet government deprived them of all their property, and they were exiled to the Crimea. Later, in Zhytomyr, my mother and two sisters graduated from Yiddish pedagogy.

I studied in the district town of the Jewish Autonomous Region not far from Birobidzhan.

By that time, the teaching of Yiddish was banned in Jewish schools. When I graduated from school in 1956, the 20th Party Congress was held in the country. It was a truly revolutionary event: Khrushchev made a report on the exposure of Stalin's personality cult. We were told to take our history books, and the final exam in this subject was cancelled.

You belong to the category of people who are called "children of war.” Please tell us a story related to the war.

For me, this story began in the Central Baths in Moscow, when from a nearby cabin I heard: "It's a well-known case - the Jews fought in Tashkent!" This common phrase was the reason for writing my story.

In the 80s I worked as a doctor in one of the Moscow hospitals. Once, my friend, the famous actor Vasily Livanov (the “Soviet Sherlock Holmes”), needed a medical certificate, and I turned to the deputy chief physician of our hospital for help. She wrote out the necessary certificate and asked me to convey greetings to Vasily from Volodya, which I did. “From which Volodya?” Livanov asked. "From her brother, Volodya Gall.” "Do you know who it is?!" shouted Livanov. I will tell you his story.

In May 1945, after the capture of Berlin and the signing of the surrender, the Spandau Citadel near Berlin did not surrender. Soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht, their families and civilians were hiding in it. The fortress was surrounded by an impregnable moat filled with water. The Germans watched the movements of the Russians from above. Our people were not mentally prepared for the assault: after the end of the war, no one wanted to die. A Soviet Major was sent to the square in front of the main gate.

He was accompanied by an interpreter, a young Captain. The Germans could have killed them in one burst, but they reacted to the white flag and threw a rope ladder from the outer wall, which the commandant of the fortress and his deputy descended. The conversation was short.

Soviet Major: “You have no chance. The capitulation has been signed, Berlin has fallen, no one needs victims. There are women and children in the fortress. If you surrender, your lives will be spared. There is no point in defending."

Germans: “We know nothing about surrender. We will pass on your conditions to the head of the garrison. Answer at 18:00.”

In the evening, the Germans replied: “The garrison will not surrender! The command does not believe in pardon, so we will fight.”

And suddenly the young Soviet Captain-translator unexpectedly took the initiative: "We must try to explain everything to them again." But for this it was necessary to climb the rope ladder and be in the fortress – and this is almost certainly certain death. As if to confirm this, the German commandant said: "We cannot guarantee your life." But the Captain was already rushing towards the wall like an arrow, and the Major had no choice but to follow him. A crowd of armed Germans, including SS men, gathered in the courtyard of the fortress. The Captain felt that the fate of the world was in his hands, and now, at this point, he could stop the war. He spoke to the Germans about peace, guaranteed the preservation of lives. At this time, the General who was standing in the group of the Nazis began to slowly deliver the parabellum. The air seemed to heat up from the impending tension. The Captain thought: "Is it really the end?" But the General, throwing his pistol on the pavement, headed for the exit. All the Germans followed him, throwing personal weapons to the ground…”

Twenty years later, the German screenwriter, director and writer Konrad Wolf made a film called "He was 19.” This episode was included there, witnessed in the last hours of the war by the author of the film, who was in the courtyard of the fortress among the German soldiers. All roles were played by German artists, and only a Soviet actor, Vasily Livanov, was invited to play the role of the Captain-translator. They also found a prototype of the hero, Vladimir Samoilovich Gall, who went to war from the third year of the Institute of Foreign Languages, Maurice Thorez. Gall, in fact, single-handedly took the fortress, and was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War for heroic courage.

By the way, the Soviet command fulfilled Gall's promise to save the Germans' lives.

The civilians were released immediately, and the military personnel in the mid-50s after captivity. The fate of the SS men is not known. And the last thing: Vladimir Samoylovich had never been to Tashkent, but heroically risking his life, he fought on the fields of war.

What are your plans for the future?

I am 83 years old, and I would like the Almighty to reward me with the opportunity to dance at the wedding of my wonderful grandson.

May 2022 / Sivan 5782

15

JRCC Directory

JRCC Program Spotlight

416-222-7105 | www.jrcc.org Jewish Russian Community Centre of Ontario

JEWQ INTERNATIONAL TORAH CHAMPIONSHIP Students of the Oscar Yolles JRCC

Roginsky, received trophies and

but also the privilege of participating

Hebrew School participated in

went on to participate in the Ontario

in the the CKids JewQ Shabbaton

the the JewQ International Torah

regional JewQ Championship, which

in New York and representing the

was hosted at the Chabad Israeli

region in the International JewQ

Championship, an engaging and exciting trivia competition that motivates and rewards Jewish knowledge.

Using

a

specially

designed book, each grade is

Community Centre. The beautiful event was well-attended by fellow students and family members who came to cheer on the competitors

Championship. The championship game show was a gala fair held at the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency in Princeton, New Jersey, and

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chapter

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of material to master, such as

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prayers, holidays, and Jewish

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practicing for the trivia fun and

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who qualified for the international

assigned

a

different

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Students are then tested, and each student who scores 70% or above is rewarded with a special prize.

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JRCC Hebrew School students attending the GTA JewQ Competition

who participated in a professionally produced, on-stage game show.

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participants

were

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competition.

The

JRCC

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Happy Holidays!

Rabbi Avrohom Yusewitz, Rabbi Avrohom Zaltzman, Rabbi Levi Mishulovin, Rabbi Chaim Hildeshaim, Rabbi Levi Jacobson, Rabbi Mendel Zaltzman, Rabbi Levi Blau, Rabbi Shmuel Neft, Rabbi David Davidov, Rabbi Yisroel Zaltzman

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17

life on earth

What

is

Time?

Tzvi Freeman

TIME AS MOVEMENT Generally, when Time is discussed in philosophy or in science—including the works of classical Jewish philosophers—it is understood as movement, or change. The movement of the planets, the ticking of a clock—as long as these things occur, there is Time. If they cease, Time also ceases. In other words, Time is no more than the occurrence of physical events.

In this paradigm, once we accept the creation of heaven and earth ex nihilo, it is a simple conclusion that Time began then as well—since Time is no more than the events of the cosmos. The fact that we cannot fathom an absence of Time is irrelevant. After all, neither can we fathom an absence of heaven and earth—in other words, of space and matter. In this way Maimonides and most of the classic Jewish philosophers determine, contrary to the opinion of Aristotle, that Time is a creation with a beginning.

TIME AS A PARAMETER OF EXISTENCE There is, however, a deeper understanding of Time, mentioned only vaguely by some of the classic Jewish philosophers: the essence of Time—generally known as “immeasurable time.”

All science deals with the measurement of things. Indeed, it is a wondrous aspect of our universe that by measuring its phenomena we are able to calculate with some accuracy their outcomes.

But there are several limitations to this ability of ours. Of course, there are the subjective limitations: the precision of the tools of measurement, the form of measurement chosen, and even the consciousness of the subject who is measuring. Measurement is not really telling us directly about the phenomena we are measuring, but about the tools of measurement and our own relationship to them.

But, most profoundly, even once we have all the measurements of any particular object, we still have not grasped that object itself. In other words, we can absorb and process information about the object, but our knowledge and the actual object remain distinct entities. Our measurements provide us with a working model to make limited

18

predictions, but the only true model is the thing itself.

The only true knowledge, then, is the knowledge of the Creator, who knows the object from its inside out, since the object is entirely one with Him. This is the knowledge that is contained in the Torah.

Just as any object is not known in its essence by its measurement, so too with Time.

Knowledge of change, movements, events— these are all measurements of Time. We could go even further: they are measurements of how things behave within Time. Time itself— Essential Time—is the parameter in which those events occur.

In this paradigm, Time is not dependent upon the existence of space and matter, but the converse: any event presumes the existence of a continuum of Time in which that event occurs. In fact, we can even extend this to the primal event, the initial emergence of space and matter: to say that before there was nothing, and then there was, already

implies the existence of Time. Thus, Creation presumes Time, and not the other way around.

IS TIME ETERNAL? The question can then arise: Is Time of G‑d’s essence? In other words: is Time an absolute given, like G‑d Himself, in which a universe occurs? Or is Time just another creation, as are space and matter?

Concerning this, there is some discussion amongst the classical Jewish philosophers.

In his Sefer ha-Ikkarim, Rabbi Yosef Albo interprets Maimonides in his Guide for the Perplexed as implying that this “essential continuum of Time” may be eternal and without beginning. The resolution of Kabbalah and Chassidism is that even this essential aspect of Time was created out of the void at the initial point of Creation.

The implications of this view are profound.

In general, when the Jewish medieval philosophers wish to logically demonstrate

May 2022 / Iyyar 5782

life on earth In a few cryptic lines from a letter written in 1947,1 the Lubavitcher Rebbe discusses the essential quality of Time.

Along the way, Einstein’s relativity is dealt with in critical terms. Unfortunately, due to the cryptic style of the letter and the assumptions of knowledge it makes, the letter has been misunderstood or misinterpreted more than once.

What follows is an attempt to clarify, in simple and concise terms, what this author believes to be the intent of this letter after review of the referenced material. Also provided are descriptions and elaborations of related comments of the Rebbe in other works

created, they could have been in entirely different forms. One plus one could have been three, or thirteen, for that matter. In the inimitable words of George Burns (playing G‑d), “Mathematics! Another one of My mistakes!”

that the universe began, they point to its essentially temporal nature. Everything is decaying, all systems work towards their own demise—therefore all things must have a beginning, or else they would have met their demise in the infinite past. This is similar to our concept of entropy and the current models of a temporally finite universe.

But in this paradigm, there is a question left over: What about those things that do not wither with time? Has the Pythagorean Theorem lost veracity since Pythagoras? Do Newton’s Laws of Motion weaken over time? Is the accumulative principle that 1 + 1 = 2 gradually decaying through use? If the answer is no, then the question arises: are these things eternal? Are they the necessary “ground of reality” like G‑d Himself?

Once we acknowledge that Time itself— the very essence of Time—is a creation, it becomes clear that all these things are also originated. Mathematics, logic—even Time and order—never had to be. Even once

May 2022 / Iyyar 5782

TIME AS ORDER But just what is this “Essential Continuum of Time”?

As we stated above, Torah, being neither an empirical science nor an intuitive philosophy, but rather a received tradition of divine wisdom, is able to discuss the essences of things. The field of Torah known as the Kabbalah provides insight into the essence of our physical universe by discussing how it exists in a far more abstract form in a hierarchy of higher worlds. Each higher plane of world has an increased affinity to the initial point of Creation, and so things exist there in a more essential form.

Time, as well, begins not as we know it in the physical world, but as an abstraction in the higher worlds. Essentially, it is “Order” (or “Sequence” or “Hierarchy”—in Hebrew, seder)—the concept that one thing comes in consequence of another. This is the form of Time to which Rabbi Yehudah ben Rabbi Simon refers when he asserts that “temporal order (seder zemanim) existed before Creation.” The many worlds that Rabbi Abbahu says were “created and destroyed” before ours existed in this form of Time— an entirely abstract form, which does not infringe even to a nanosecond upon physical time.

It’s worth emphasizing that although we say that this form of Time preceded creation of the physical world, its precedent is not in terms of physical time that has any form of measurement—just as we have no form of measurement of any of the higher worlds or the phenomena within them. Furthermore, this form of Time is also a creation, just as is all else within the higher cosmos. It precedes the creation of the physical world, but is not primal in an absolute sense. That is to say, the very concept of precedent and antecedent is a creation.

Time is also described in Chassidism as the flux of ratzo v’shov—a continual positive/

negative oscillation of creative energy that drives all phenomena of the cosmos. Just as hearts beat, lungs inhale and exhale, energy pulsates in waves, particles vacillate between negative and positive states, so too the very substance of the cosmos continually oscillates between a state of being and not-being. This oscillation, as well, “precedes” Time as we know it. The essential continuum of Time in our world is the eventual manifestation of this higher form.

Why does creation necessitate ratzo v’shov?

The standard explanation in Chassidism goes as follows: For anything to exist, two opposite processes are necessary. On the one hand, the object must be sustained by the will of its Creator. On the other, it must feel itself as a detached and distinct entity of its own. Ratzo v’shov is the artifact of this dynamic of conflict. In this way it is the glue, or intermediary, between the creative force and the created being. In the words of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (the “Tzemach Tzedek,” 1789–1866), Time is the intermediary between the cosmic soul and space. Time is the process of being, as opposed to the content of being.

Going yet deeper, Time must be understood not as the order of things, or as the flux of creative energy that generates a world, but as the basic concept that renders this possible.

In other words: the order of things and the rhythm of existence is possible because there is such a concept as Time. They happen within Time, but they are not of its essence.

What is that essence? Like any essence, it can be described only by the events that occur within it, but cannot be known directly.

This leads to a fascinating and important point: When we say that Time begins, we do not mean that it is preceded by its absence.

The absence of Time also implies a concept of Time (and perhaps this is what is meant by “Immeasurable Time”). Rather, we mean that both Time and the possibility (at least conceptually) of its absence originated in the six days of Creation. To couch this in theological terms: We do not say that for G‑d there is no time. Rather, we say that for G‑d, Time and Non-Time are parallel fictions, both of His making (just like existence and nonexistence).

They are two sides of a single expression.

19

life on earth

What is significant is that this leaves room for the possibility of a convergence of the two: If Time were a necessary concept and not a creation, Time and Not-Time would be impossibly conflicted—you have only one or the other. Now that we see that they are no more than two modalities of a single Creator, as far as that Creator is concerned, there is no reason they cannot coincide.

The Rebbe demonstrates that within the realm of Torah law, such a convergence does exist. Shabbat, for example, is a day (time) of rest (cessation of time). In essence, the entire 25 hours of Shabbat are a single, indivisible point. A point is understood as an absence of any process, or time. This may help us to understand the Talmudic presentation of the seventh millennium as a “day which is entirely Shabbat (lit., cessation),” while also stating that “the world has six millennia and one desolate.” That millennium can be seen as a “period of time beyond time.”

The time of Yom Kippur is also a single point: one who becomes obligated in the performance of mitzvot in the middle of Yom Kippur does not have a biblical obligation to fast. According to several authorities, the entire 49-day period of Sefirat HaOmer is considered a single point.

These are all examples of a nexus of time and an absence of time, possible within the context of a divine Author who originates them both. Examples of some of the supernatural (and supra-rational) events mentioned in Torah may also be relevant in this regard.

TIME AND RELATIVITY As stated above, science is limited by its inherent reliance on measurement. The Rebbe points out that this limitation has real impact upon the accuracy of its theoretical conclusions, resulting in error and confusion.

This is what the Rebbe writes in the abovecited letter concerning “those who work in the field of relativity.” They deal only with

20

the first aspect of Time—the measurement of Time—“and consequently err, resulting in very strange conclusions.” What is significant about this statement is that it asserts that our phenomenological study of nature is complemented by our “inside knowledge.”

Even more so, that inside knowledge is vital in resolving the data.

Quite likely, one such “strange conclusion” to which the Rebbe refers is the well known “twin paradox.” In this mind experiment, one twin ends up older than the other because one is standing still and the other is moving at a speed approaching that of light.

The question commonly asked is: since all motion is relative—and therefore there is no way to determine which twin is moving and which is standing still—which twin will be older than which? Common logic would dictate that they cannot each be older than the other.

According to what the Rebbe writes in this letter, the paradox is easily dismissed. Events may be (relatively) accelerated by motion, and this would affect our measurement of time, that is, subjective time. But not Time itself. Within the essential continuum of Time itself, both twins would age at an equivalent rate.

In fact, the concept of Time as a universal constant is fundamental to the modern field of science known as cosmology. This field is based on the assumption that both space and time do not change regardless of the vantage point of the observer. That this appears inconsistent with Einstein’s Special Relativity is a well-known point of contention.

In a later letter, the Rebbe elucidates further the limitations of knowledge through measurement, this time casting aspersions on some of the most basic assumptions of relativity, including the absolute value of the velocity of light. To resolve the observations of “Michelson and others,” the Rebbe suggests the Lorenz-Fitzgerald contraction hypothesis is sufficient to explain this data

with a minimum of assumptions.

A similar approach could be applied to current confusion concerning the time of the six days of Creation: Certainly, measured Time would be different at the outset of Creation. Aside from the lack of a human observer to make these measurements, until the entire physical universe is in place, the cosmos would not operate in a form similar to today. However, the duration of those days are equal to our days in terms of Absolute Time, which begins at the outset of Creation.

This discussion on relative time and absolute time provides an excellent venue for discussion of a much larger issue: the necessity for an interface between physics and metaphysics.

The Rebbe has demonstrated that science faces an impasse in developing a cosmology when relying on material empiricism alone.

There is a need for “inside knowledge”— essentially, for the soul of the cosmos to speak for itself and reveal its true identity to Man. This is precisely our understanding of Torah, and more specifically, its esoteric teachings.

On the other hand, revelation is also in need of rigorous science in order to provide tangible knowledge within the realm of common human experience. Without that tangibility, the mundane physical world and the world of the spirit remain alien to one another. In order to reach the times when “all flesh shall see” and the physical world itself will reveal its Maker, there must be a convergence of the received and empirical forms of knowledge. EM

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, a senior editor at Chabad.org, is the author of Bringing Heaven Down to Earth and more recently Wisdom to Heal the Earth. To subscribe to regular updates of Rabbi Freeman's writing or purchase his books, visit Chabad.org. Follow him on FaceBook @RabbiTzviFreeman.

May 2022 / Iyyar 5782

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May 2022 / Sivan 5782

The word for “charity” in Hebrew actually means “justice,” for giving is not seen as an exceptional favour to the needy but a matter of simple justice: it is the just thing to do. The act of tzedakah brings so much positive energy into the world that it is equal to all other mitzvoth and brings the redemption closer.

For charity box pickup or drop off call 416-222-7105 or email jrcc@jrcc.org

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Еврейский Центр Русскоязычной Общины Онтарио • Jewish Russian Community Centre of Ontario

OSCAR YOLLES

PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR

JEWISH REFUGEES FROM UKRAINE ARRIVING IN ONTARIO

• Furniture • Kitchenware Packages

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER AT www.jrcchebrewschool.org 416-222-7105 ext. 225

• Gift Cards • And more Contact Jenny Shigorina ukraine@jrcc.org 416-222-7105 #293 www.jrcc.org/Ukraine EВРЕЙСКИЙ ЦЕНТР РУССКОЯЗЫЧНОЙ ОБЩИНЫ ОНТАРИО ● JEWISH RUSSIAN COMMUNITY CENTRE OF ONTARIO

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Have your teffilin and Mezuzah & Teffilin Checking mezuzot checked by by a certified scribe a certified scribe.

Price: $12 per mezuzah 1 $108 for teffilin If repair is required, only those costs will be charged Mezuzot, teffilin, talitot and other Judaica are available for sale at the JRCC Bookstore.

For more information call 416-222-7105 | www.jrcc.org/mezuzah Drop-off and pickup at 5987 Bathurst St., Unit 3 26

May 2022 / Sivan 5782

FIERA FOODS COMPANY IS HIRING! As one of North America’s largest, privately-owned large-scale bakeries, Fiera Foods Company and affiliated companies has an incredible history of expansion, innovation and quality over the past 30 years.

We’re looking for outstanding people to join our outstanding team.

• Production (Mixers, Scalers, Oven Operators, Production Line Operators,

General Production Staff, Forklift Operators, Shipper/Receivers); • Skilled Trades (Electricians, Mechanics, Refrigeration Mechanics, PLC Technicians) • Sales (Canada and US); • Management (Lead hand, Supervisory, Management, Project Engineers)

Our commitment to quality, excellence, and responsiveness are critical to our team and our success. Superior communication, teamwork and attention to detail are expected of everyone.

Please submit your resume and your compensation expectations to jobs@fierafoods.com or call (416) 746 1010 (ext. 258).

We thank all in advance for their interest, however only those selected for interviews will be contacted.

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CHABAD LUBAVITCH OF SOUTHERN ONTARIO

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In case of rain the event will take place inside the Schwartz/Reisman Centre.

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CHABAD ROMANO CENTRE

*FREE ADMISSION *Fees for food and carnival MORE INFORMATION AT:

PM 40062996 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE ITEMS TO: JEWISH RUSSIAN COMMUNITY CENTRE OF ONTARIO 5987 BATHURST ST., UNIT 3, TORONTO, ON M2R1Z3

WWW.LAGBAOMERFESTIVAL.ORG