Can we do תפילות prayers for:
Jon Erlbaum and Torah.org?
So that through them The האור Light, רפואה The Healing and The ואהבה Love of ישועת יהוה Yeshuath YHWH may come back to הארץ The Land of Israel?
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A Little Peace in Our Time
(Insights from this week's Portion: Naso)
Hi All – the title of this article is derived from my friend & partner Aryeh Cohen's beautiful, stirring song “A
Little Peace in Our Time” (not to be confused with the fateful, naively
optimistic words “peace for our time” by Neville Chamberlain, who –
notwithstanding his good intentions – somehow became convinced that he
had made a lasting peace with Adolph Hitler). During The Chevra's
Israel Trip in '07, while standing on a rock at a military outpost
overlooking Gaza, Aryeh resoundingly belted out this song towards Gaza
itself. I wasn't sure whether to run for cover or sing harmony (I think
I did both) – but I was sure that it was quite a powerfully moving
experience.
Have a Wonderful & Peaceful Shabbos! Love, Jon & The Chevra
♪“THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART1”♫
It's an elusive state of being, often yearned for but ever awaited:
Peace. It's as though peace in this world is only granted short-term
visitation rights, briefly blowing in with the wind but blowing away as
abruptly as it arrived. Judaism teaches that in one sense, the world
was naturally set up that way. In fact, as we see throughout Jewish
thought and Liturgy, the word “Shalom” (“Peace”) is related to
the concept of “Shalem” (“Completion”) – which is why the word “Shalom”
repeatedly shows up at the COMPLETION of our prayers and meditations.
Examples:
♪“CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON – THERE’LL BE PEACE WHEN YOU ARE DONE2”♫
- KADDISH: Which words do we find at the CLIMAX of the Kaddish (a fundamental Prayer of praise for G-d, often recited by mourners)? “Oseh SHALOM...” (“He who makes Peace...”)!
- SHEMONEH ESREI: How do we CONCLUDE the Shemoneh Esrei (the standing “Amidah”, which serves as the pinnacle component of our prayer service)? “Sim SHALOM...” (“Emplace Peace...”)!
- PRIESTLY BLESSING [ from this week's Portion]: And what is the FINAL WORD that represents the high point of the Priestly Blessing, which the Kohanim (Jewish
Priests) recite while positioning their hands in the configuration made
famous by Star Trek's Mr. Spock? Following the prolonged, hauntingly
beautiful melodies of the Kohanim is a single, long-awaited word: “...SHALOM” (“...Peace”)! Examples:
♪“A TIME FOR PEACE, I SWEAR IT'S NOT TOO LATE3”♫
King Solomon provides us with another well-known example of peace
arriving only at the very end, in his epic Biblical Poem from the Book
of Ecclesiastes. Adeptly adapted into mainstream music by Pete Seeger –
whose “Turn, Turn, Turn” was later popularized in the 1960's by the
Byrds – the wisest of men artfully illustrates the notion that timing is
everything. Through presenting the validity of contrasting behaviors
such as “a time to laugh” and “a time to cry”, he eloquently expresses
that character traits and actions must also be measured by how and when
they are brought into expression, and that even realities such as war
have their appropriate season and manifestation. But one penetrating
commentator [4]lets us in on a historical secret: that the Poem's
28-part list of “a time to” phrases is ordered in accordance with the
flow of history: from the creation of humanity to the culmination of history.
How does the poem begin? “A time to be BORN and a time to DIE...” The
commentator elucidates these words as referring to the beginning of
humankind (i.e. free-will based humanity): first, Adam and Eve were
BORN; and while the original intention was for them to be immortal, they
brought the reality of DEATH into the world through their early
actions. While the commentator also maps the other “a time to” phrases
to specific historical eras, let's skip to the relevant piece of our
puzzle. What are the final words of the Poem? “A time for WAR and a time for PEACE”
(or, if you'd rather sing along with the musical rendition: “A Time for
Peace, I swear it's not too late”). The commentator elucidates these
words as referring to the culmination of history: that prior to the Era of everlasting Peace would be the Era of escalated war. According to this order, we have clearly been laboring in the throes of the “time for War” Era for quite some time
now.
♪“BUT YOU KNOW THE DARKEST HOUR IS ALWAYS, ALWAYS JUST BEFORE THE
DAWN5”♫
So when do we get to welcome the long-awaited Era known as “a time
for Peace”? The beautifully refreshing news is that we might be able to
usher in this Era at any time! As Crosby, Stills, and Nash craftily
point out to us (in Crosby's crisp vocal masterpiece “Long Time Gone”),
“the Darkest Hour is always, always just before the Dawn”. The last
century has had more than its share of darkest hours – the new Day can
literally dawn at any moment.
And from another vantage point, The Era of Peace is also described
as an Era of eternal Shabbos-like serenity, when super-Shabbos-like
energy will perpetually prevail. In that context, let us not forget
that we are allowed to bring in Shabbos early, as is commonly
practiced during the summer (except when someone is late in sending out
his Edutainment email!). May we be blessed to welcome an early Era of
eternal Shabbos-like serenity, and may we all be alive and healthy to
greet the long-awaited climax of our history! May this Era come soon in
our days – the time when we can finally greet a true and lasting “Peace
in our time”!
Have a Wonderful, Peaceful Shabbos! Love, Jon & The Chevra
EDUTAINMENT TRIVIA: can any of you name a Classic Rock common
thread linking the “Turn, Turn, Turn” quote to the “Long Time Gone”
quote? [The 44th person to email me a correct response would receive a
prize commensurate with what the first 43 would receive (i.e. a hearty
Mazal Tov!)]
1. From “The Waiting”, by Tom Petty
2. From “Carry on my Wayward Son”, by Kansas
3. From “Turn, Turn, Turn”, by Peter Seeger (later popularized by The Byrds)
4. The illustrious Vilna Gaon, Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna (1720 - 1797)
5. From “Long Time Gone”, by David Crosby
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Say Yes to Abba Yahweh and His Laws special in
this time when Abba Yahweh is 'testing' us:
Hab 1:12 Art thou not mikedem (‘everlasting’ also said of
Moshiach, indicating Moshiach’s eternal divine nature: Dan
7:14 And there was given Him
(Moshiach) dominion, and honor, and sovereignty, that all people, Goyim,
tongues, should pey-lammed-chet. [1](worship
as deity) (see Dan 3:12, serve, reverence as deity Him (Moshiach). His dominion
is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His (Messianic)
Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.]see Michoh 5:1[2]; Yahweh Elohai (my
Elohim) Kedoshi (my Holy One)? We shall not die. Yahweh, Thou hast appointed
them for mishpat (ordinance); O Tzur, Thou hast ordained them for reproof.
(Please read the whole book of HaNavi Habakuk)
Please take it serious what Abba Yahweh is telling us in:
Deu 18:15 Yahweh Eloheicha (your Elohim) will raise up unto thee a Navi
(prophet) from among thee, of thy achim (bretheren), kamoni (like me Exo
32:30 The next day Moshe said to the
people, "You have committed a terrible sin. Now I will go up to Yahweh;
maybe I will be able to atone for your sin."); unto him ye must listen;
Deu 18:16 According to all that thou
desired of Yahweh Eloheicha (your Elohimin) Chorev in the Yom HaKahal (day of
the congregation), saying, Let me not hear again the voice of Yahweh Elohav
(your Elohim), neither let me see this eish hagedolah (‘great fire’) any more,
that I die not.
Deu 18:17 And Yahweh said unto me, They
have well-spoken that which they have spoken.
Deu 18:18 I will raise them up a Navi
(prophet) from among their achim (brethren), like unto thee, and will put My
words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him
[Yn 10:18].
Deu 18:19 And it shall come to pass,
that whosoever will not listen unto My words which he shall speak Bishmi (in My
Name), I will require it of him.
Joh 8:28 Therefore, Rebbe, Melech
HaMoshiach said to them, When you perform the hagbah (lifting up) of
the Ben HaAdam, you will have da'as (knowledge) that Ani Hu [YESHAYAH
41:4; SHEMOT 3:14-16], and from myself I do nothing, but as HaAv (the Father)
of me taught me, these things I speak.
[1]
Dictionary of the Talmud. M. Jastrow p. 1178 פלח
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