Chabad of Southern Mississippi
  • Home
  • About/Staff
  • Contact
  • Donate
    • Donate Siddur/Chumash
  • Programs
    • Hebrew School
    • Classes
  • Holidays
    • Rosh Hashanna
    • Yom Kippur
    • Sukkot
    • Simchat Torah
    • Chanukah
    • Purim
    • Passover
    • Shavuot
  • Blog
  • Upcoming Events
  • Photo Gallery
  • Visitor Information
Contact us!

Holocaust remembrance program

4/28/2015

0 Comments

 
We gather today to recall those who lost their lives during the events in Europe from 1937-1944 known as the holocaust.
  Both Jews and those who are not Jewish may G-d bind their souls in the bond of eternal life and may their memory be for a blessing. May G-d Al-mighty bless the United States of America, its president, leaders and advisers and all those who fight for her. May our country continue to be a “medina shel chessed” a kind nation which peruses justice, protects those in need of protection and fights for morality. May G-d also open our hearts so that those things learned during today’s program will not remain academic or emotional, but will inspire us and encourage us so that those that gave their lives will not have died in vein,

   Many people ask “where was G-d in the holocaust? How could He have let this happen? It must be he wasn’t there or it must be there is no G-d!” G-d forbid! The Jews have been subject to persecutions for thousands of years including today. And never has our faith in G-d waivered. There are times a mother or father must act harshly with their child, at the time the child may not understand why their parent is being distant, even cruel to them! He may even cry. But when he has grown up he realizes that everything his mother or father did for him was only because they loved him and wanted what was best for him. Even though at the time he didn’t realize it. 
  
     It is the same with G-d. Who are we to understand G-ds actions? We know G-d  loves us, and even though now we can’t understand it, we have undying faith that G-d knows what he is doing. So I’ll ask the question again, “where was G-d during the holocaust?” He was there. In the ghettos, in the cattle cars, in Auschwitz, even in the gas chambers.
     
      This is not meant to release us from responsibility. It says in genesis that man was created “b’tzelem elokim” in G-ds image. What does this mean? Surely G-d doesn’t have arms and legs. It means we have been given the opportunity, the ability, to be G-ds partner in creating the world. Our sages teach that we must view the world as a scale. Perfectly balanced between destruction, and redemption. And our next deed will tip the scale in either direction. Man was created to toil to make the world a G-dly place. For those of us who are Jewish to live a life dedicated to Torah, for those who are not Jewish to live a life of morality, to be good people. As a speaker said today, “Somebody cannot do everything but everybody can do something. May it be your Will G-d that we all do our part perfecting the world and will come to the day when as the prophets say "Nation shall not lift up sward against nation neither will they ever again know of war." May it be speedily in our days.


0 Comments

Parshas Tazria/Metzora

4/24/2015

0 Comments

 
   Our Parsha this week discusses a mysterious and often misunderstood concept. If you open any non-Jewish edition of the “ Holy Bible”, you will see that this portion of the book of Leviticus deals extensively with leprosy. In fact, if you ask a random person off the street to give you some “Biblical vocabulary words”, chances are he will throw in ”leprosy” amongst others.

    Of course, there is a very real disease called leprosy, but clearly that which is described in the Torah is not the same thing, as the signs and symptoms are completely different. Even more striking, a person who is entirely covered  with this affliction is considered pure! Certainly, the malady mentioned in the Torah cannot be leprosy or else this person would be terribly contagious! (See below for an explanation why this person would indeed be pure.)

    Herein lies the danger when the Torah is not understood (or even translated) through the prism of our Oral Tradition.  This condition is more properly known by its untranslatable term, Tzaras. As the Talmud and virtually all of our commentaries explain, Tzaras is a purely spiritual disease, which occurs as a consequence of speaking negatively about others. As part of the process after a person has been “diagnosed” with Tzaras, he or she must live alone for a certain amount of time. Rashi comments on this by quoting from the Talmud (Arachin16b), “Because he, by his slanderous comments, separated a man from his wife and a man from his friend, so too must he be separated (from others).” This person, after being stigmatized, would be healed and purified from his condition, and would reintegrate himself with the Jewish people, with a more profound understanding of the dangers of slanderous and evil speech.

  This illustrates a very powerful concept in Judaism. Spiritual shortcomings do not remain abstract. What we do (or do not do) in our spiritual life, whether in our relationship with G-d or with others, has a real, direct influence on us. Although Tzaras does not manifest itself in our time, we see that Judaism does not differentiate between “religious life” and “secular life”.   Judaism, our relationship with G-d and with Torah, are not hobbies, or extracurricular activities that we engage in after work, or a couple times a year. Rather, we must integrate “G-d conscious behavior” into our daily life. When we strive to make ourselves more G-dly, G-d reciprocates by granting us a life of meaning.

  (As for why a person completely covered with Tzaras is considered pure, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch offers a beautiful explanation. Tzaras is a consequence for evil speech about others, and the separation the afflicted person must go through is a way to make him recognize and regret his negative behavior. But a person who’s entire body is covered with the disease is so morally corrupt, that he is too self-absorbed to consider changing his ways. There is no point in isolating him and we declare him pure. But by telling him that he is “beyond help”, the Torah is dramatically showing him to what depths he has sunk, and hopefully this will inspire him to better his ways.)

 

 Although we are still a little over a month away, the major holiday of Shavuot is just around the corner, on May 24 and 25. We will be offering some wonderful events for our community, so please mark your calendars now.

  Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom,

 Rabbi Akiva Hall

0 Comments

Passover 5775

4/7/2015

0 Comments

 
 Chag Sameach! I hope everyone had meaningful Seders and is enjoying the holiday. As we know Pesach, similar to Sukkot, consists of two full-fledged festive days at the beginning and end, with four semi-festive days in the middle when most kinds of weekday work is permitted (as long as the spirit of the Holiday isn’t compromised). During these days the custom is to wear our Shabbat clothes and to enjoy special foods (such as meat and wine) while of course refraining from eating any leavened foods. Many families use this time for outings or trips. But these days are also especially opportune for extra Torah study.

   Although sometimes overlooked, the last two festive days are rife in meaning and observances. The Seventh day of Pesach (Shv’i Shel Pesach) this year beginning Thursday night, is the day G-d split the Sea of Reeds and our ancestors truly achieved freedom. As the splitting of the Sea began at midnightand continued throughout the night, many have the custom after the festive meal to remain awake the entire night learning Torah topics having to do with the splitting of the sea.   

   The last day of Passover (Acharon Shel Pesach) is this Friday night until Saturday night. During the morning services on this day we read a special Haftorah (reading from the prophets) which discusses the future redemption of the Jewish people which will happen when the Messiah comes. For that reason, many Hasidic communities have a custom of eating a special meal in the afternoon, dedicated to discussing this topic.  At the conclusion of Passover, we make Havdalah. (although usually wine is preferable to use, after Passover many use beer, as we weren’t able to drink it the whole week, it is now more desirable to us than wine).

 If anyone would like to join us for dinner Thursday night, we would be happy for you to join us.  

This Saturday, we will be having Shabbat/Pesach morning services which will include Yizkor. Services will be at 10:00, and Yizkor will be at 12 noon, followed by a Kiddush lunch. We would love to see you! Please let us know if you would like to attend.

   Wishing you and your Families a Happy Passover,
Rabbi Akiva Hall
0 Comments

    Categories

    All
    Parsha
    Torah

    Author

    Rabbi Akiva Hall is the Co- Director at Chabad of Southern Mississippi

    Archives

    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

    RSS Feed

                                                                 Tel: 228-596-5755 ● www.jewishmississippi.com ●Email: Rabbi@Jewishmississippi.com