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Shabbat Candle Lighting Times for
Moscow, Russia
Friday, June 17th
Light Candles at 20:58

Weekly Kabbalat Shabbat Services 20:30
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Shabbat, June 18th,
Shabbat Ends 23:00
Torah Portion: Naso

Always the Same

A New York radio host was reputed to have once observed; “I hate synagogue, it’s always the same. Kol Nidrei, Kol Nidrei, Kol Nidrei” and many people would sympathise with her.

Jews who don’t step foot in Shul from one year to the next cannot even imagine what those who attend more frequently actually do there. “You mean you just go there to pray? In Hebrew? The same words and paragraphs over and over and over? With no one forcing you? Why?”

Why indeed?

Why do we insist on turning the same pages over and over, repeating the same words and performing the same motions? Stand up, sit down, stand up, take 3 steps back, bow, repeat. Weren’t you standing in the exact same place yesterday, or last week, or last Yom Kippur; why repeat it all over again today?

Some people are natural believers; a deep pulse of mysticism and faith throb through their veins and the prayers percolate unbidden to the surface of their consciousness. Every single time they engage with G-d they achieve an identical ecstatic connection of unbridled Divinity.

I’ve never actually met anyone like that.

Most of us, by contrast, achieve different outcomes from our devotions each time we pray. Sometimes it just flows; the words we read in our Siddur actually make sense and we can honestly feel that prayer is making a difference to our lives. Other times it’s a much harder slog to get through the davening and we find ourselves easily sidetracked or lost in a fog of distraction. Every time is its own journey and every time is different.

We might be repeating the same words, but it’s a totally new prayer.

There is a very similar interface described in tomorrow’s torah portion. The first twelve days after the Mishkan was inaugurated the Princes of the various tribes offered gifts and sacrifices to Hashem. On the face of it, the text is boring and repetitive. Each leader bought an identical offering and the same 6 verses are repeated over and over, with only the date distinguishing one man’s offering from the next. It would have been so much simpler to just tell us the details once and then inform us that the same was done every day. The torah could have saved 66 verses and we’d all get to the Kiddush earlier.

But that the point the Torah is making. Doing the same thing over and over is not necessarily repetitive. Each day was its own journey and every man brought his own perspective to the play. The days were different because the person making the sacrifice changed and every time they went through the motions they realised new possibilities and achieved a different outcome.

Every time I pray is the first time. There was a different man standing in my place yesterday. He might have looked like me, stood like me, shuckled like me and intoned the same words with the same accent, but I’m a new me now and right at this time and place I have another fresh opportunity to daven and connect with Hashem

Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Yanky and Rivky Klein

This email is In Loving memory of my dear father
R’ Yerachmiel Binyamin Halevi ben R, Menachem Klein OBM

Shabbat Candle Lighting Times for
Moscow, Russia
Friday, June 3rd
Light Candles at 20:46

Weekly Kabbalat Shabbat Services 20:30
Shabbat, June 4th,
Shabbat Ends 22:41
Torah Portion: Bechukotai

Just Because
Think before you act.

I think that’s a good principle for life; it’s one I teach to my kids.

But it doesn’t always apply.

When I awake at night to the sound of my baby crying in feverish pain, do I pause for calculations? Do I weigh my options, balancing the inconvenient awakening with the distinct possibility that I may need this kid when

I’m a geriatric?

Nah. I just jump out of bed. Why? Just because.

Because I share a special relationship with my baby, a deep connection that defies description. When he calls, that extraordinary bond beckons, and I need to respond. So I jump out of bed, sans intellectual analysis. Just because.

Is it rational? Not really. But it’s not irrational either. Let’s call it super-rational.

I rationally understand that this relationship has tremendous depth.

My intellectual analysis confirms that this is a safe and intimate connection. When I genuinely feel safe in a relationship, when I can truly let my guard down, I can confidently move upward into the transcendent world of super-rationality, love etc.

The same applies to my marriage, and – perhaps in differing degrees – to any other deep, safe relationship.

I feel that way with G-d, too.

When I contemplate a Jewish practice, I want to understand its contribution to my life and my destiny; I want to appreciate how it elevates my consciousness and/or improves my day.

But that understanding and appreciation isn’t an absolute prerequisite. I feel safe enough with G d, confident enough in the rock-solid stability of our relationship, to do a Mitzvah ‘just because’. Actually, doing something for a loved one ‘just because’ (super-rationally as distinct from irrationally) adds a special flavor to the recipe of our relationship. It says ‘I trust you’. It says ‘I love you’.

Doing something for G-d ‘just because’ lays an extraordinary element to the bond we share. It says ‘I’m yours’ and ‘I surrender’.

So even when I can find personal benefit in my interaction with a loved one, I should always try to find a shining ‘just because’ at its core. Because commitment without a ‘just because’ is commitment of my mind and actions, but not commitment of my soul. For some relationships that’s enough, and for some relationships it isn’t.

Why did G-d create the world that way?

Just because.

Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Yanky Klein

This email is In Loving memory of my dear father
R’ Yerachmiel Binyamin Halevi ben R, Menachem Klein OBM

Shabbat Candle Lighting Times for
Moscow, Russia
Friday, May 27th
Light Candles at 20:37

THIS WEEK : Weekly Kabbalat Shabbat Services 19:00
Shabbat, May 28th,
Shabbat Ends 22:25
Torah Portion: Behar

Saving G-D

Human beings are vulnerable. By definition, we can’t control all the variables in our lives and that’s why we all need Divine assistance.

Some people may appear totally self-reliant and invincible, but if you scratch the surface we’re all defenseless at some level. It’s humbling, but it’s the reality.

So the dynamic seems clear: We weak humans need the help of the Omnipotent Divine.

Believe it or not, it works the other way too. Yes, G-d needs our help.

The Talmud tells us that when Moses went up on Mount Sinai for his historic interface with the Divine, he found G-d preparing the Torah’s deepest secrets. G-d asked him “Why don’t you help me out with this process of bringing Divinity into the otherwise shallow human experience?” Moses answered “What can a humble human being do to help the Infinite?”

G-d replied “you can at least offer me support and assistance”, to which Moses replied “May G-d’s strength be magnified and expressed in the human world, as You have spoken”
So, G-d needs US – frail and vulnerable humans – to implement His plan for Divine expression in the world. This seems counter-intuitive, so here’s an analogy found in Chassidic thought:

Imagine you have a very deep idea percolating in your mind. It’s a bit elusive because it’s so subtle, but you feel that it’s a valid thought. So you speak it out – you articulate it – to someone. As you speak, you’re actually thinking it through, because vocalizing the idea helps it gel in your mind.
What has happened? The person to whom you’re speaking has learned something new, but so have you. You have unpacked your own idea by fleshing it out in speech.

If you think about your own internal dynamics, you’ll probably feel that your intellect is a much ‘loftier’ dimension that your speech; your words seem to simply be the delivery mechanism for your ideas. At the same time, your intellect NEEDS expression; not just for others’ benefit, but for itself. The intellect develops through the verbal articulation.

This helps frame our relationship with – and responsibility to – G-d. We are G-d’s ‘speech’ on earth. We unpack the power of meaning and G-dliness in the world.
G-d needs our support. And it’s our honor to offer it.

Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Yanky Klein

This email is In Loving memory of my dear father
R’ Yerachmiel Binyamin Halevi ben R, Menachem Klein OBM

Shabbat Candle Lighting Times for
Moscow, Russia
Friday, May 20th
Light Candles at 20:25
NEW! Weekly Kabbalat Shabbat Services 20:30
Shabbat, May 21st,
Shabbat Ends 22:08
Torah Portion: Emor

OUR CHILDREN OUR TEACHERS

Here’s a home truth: adults hold grudges and children don’t. Honestly, as a parent, how many times have you heard, “Dad I hate you, I am not speaking to you again!” And within ten minutes your defiant little darling sidles up as your best friend? Or how about this one, “Mummy, I despise you, I wish I had a different mother!” And miraculously, shortly after, hugs are on the agenda and you are the best parent on planet earth!

On the flip side, adults announce that they will not speak to another person in their world and literally 15 years later this may still be the case. Paths may cross and yet even a polite Shabbes greeting is not forthcoming. Bar and Bat mitzvahs pass by with no reconciliation. Why? Oh, because years ago there was a bitter dispute.

Intriguingly, children are often labelled as immature and adults the opposite. So why do adults hold deep grudges and children shed themselves of these feelings mere moments later?

Well here’s why:

Children choose being happy over being right, whereas adults choose to be right over being happy.

We would (often unconsciously) rather be miserable and technically correct. So I won’t speak to my uncle, so I won’t speak to my brother-in-law or cousin for a quarter of a century. G-d forbid I should say sorry or talk it through. Instead, I will be vigilant and implacable because I am right – whatever the cost!
Well, negative energy is toxic.

This time of year, we reflect on the lost lives of the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva. The Talmud tells us that these students were too focussed on being right rather than accommodating any other views.

When Rabbi Akiva taught his students the intricacies of the Torah, each heard them in their own unique way. They insisted on forcing others to see it through their lens, their filter – hence the monumental bickering that ensued. They had lost their way.

If we broaden our minds, accommodate different views and travel down the track of heeding openness and understanding, our relationships will be fortified and our smachot will be celebrated in real harmony. You will skip in the sunshine, with a lightness of spirit you may not have felt for years.

Lets’ learn from our children and choose happiness, it may just be the smartest thing you ever do!

Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Yanky Klein

This email is In Loving memory of my dear father
R’ Yerachmiel Binyamin Halevi ben R, Menachem Klein OBM

Shabbat Candle Lighting Times for
Moscow, Russia
Friday, May 13th
Light Candles at 20:13
NEW! Kabbalat Shabbat Services 20:30
Shabbat, May 14th,
Shabbat Ends 21:50
Torah Portion: Kedoshim

Revenge!

Does that word sound sweet?

The craving for ‘justice’ seems like a natural –even primal – impulse. What else are you supposed to feel when someone cuts you off on the highway, or actually perpetrates harm (G-d forbid)? The universe seems to cry out for balance. We often can’t find rest until the perpetrator gets his just deserts and the victim’s welfare and dignity are restored.

At the same time, the Torah expressly forbids revenge. The Torah asks to us elevate our personal behavior, to rise above the impulse toward grudges and retaliation. So how should we respond to an injustice?

The Torah paints a fine line for us to walk (the judicial system and international military policy deserve their own essay; this piece is addressing challenges in our personal lives). When I experience an offense, I need to recognize it; I shouldn’t play the ‘see no evil’ game, because that prevents me from dealing with the problem. At the same time, I shouldn’t plunge into indignation and anger at the scoundrel who hurt me. Resentment tends to become very mind-consuming and self-destructive, so I’d actually be continuing my abuser’s evil work of damaging my life.

Instead, the Torah tells us to speak up, effectively, and call the violator’s attention to the wrong perpetrated. That means I should try to spark his awareness and recognition, which is beyond simply unloading my anger. I should wait until I’ve calmed down, and then speak with the wrongdoer to help him understand how anti-social and hurtful his behavior was. Maybe I can actually help him avoid repeating his negative behavior.

So the next time I feel that someone hurt me, I need to immediately get a grip on my emotions, staying calm so I can plan an effective response.

I need to acknowledge that I can’t undo the past. Yet, I can assess how to might protect myself for the future. And I can, hopefully, help the perpetrator recognize how hurtful he was.

But I should leave the universal justice to G-d. My wrongdoer will be responsible to G-d – if not the human judicial system – for his harmful choice.

At the same time, I accept that the pain on my end is something G-d has destined for my soul. I need to find a way to get to the other side while retaining my humanity, and perhaps even becoming stronger from the exercise.

Sweet? Maybe not.

Meaningful? I think so.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Yanky Klein

This email is In Loving memory of my dear father
R’ Yerachmiel Binyamin Halevi ben R, Menachem Klein OBM

Shabbat Candle Lighting Times for
Moscow, Russia
Friday, May 6th
Light Candles at 19:59
Shabbat, May 7th,
Shabbat Ends 21:31
Torah Portion: Acharei

For The Sake of Love

If you have a room that’s 50x50x50, and you fill it with an object that’s 50x50x50, how do you fit anything else in?

If G-d is Infinite, and fills every iota of every dimension of reality, how is there space for us?

But is this actually a question? After all, G-d is G-d; you can’t measure the Divine in spatial terms.

So who thinks of G-d taking up space?

G-d is Infinite, filling all dimensions of existence, including space, time etc. So G-dliness, which is the powerful truth that “I, G-d, am the Creator, the Eternal Source of Everything” should totally overwhelm and eclipse our very existence. How do we exist as independently as we do?

Let’s go back to the beginning of time. Actually, let’s go back before the existence of time. Close your eyes and imagine: G-dliness fills every iota of every dimension of existence. There is nothing but G-d.

Now, a ‘desire’ arises within G-d. G-d wants something that’s not totally surrendered to the Divine Oneness. Something that feels independent.

Within that absolute Oneness reality, G-d wants to create people like us. G-d wants us to feel our own existence as absolute, with the ability to choose whether to allow Him into our lives, or even whether to believe He exists. G-d wants us to feel like we’re living in a ‘G-dliness vacuum.’

But can there actually be such a vacuum ? G-d is the very stuff of existence. G-d is reality, so He’s not going to remove Himself from Himself.

So, G-d does something awesome. While G-d’s essence stays put, He sucks in his overwhelming presence. Sometimes, you’re with a group of people and there’s ‘room’ for everyone to express themselves. Other times, someone’s expressing themselves in a way that ‘takes up all the space’, leaving no room for others’ expression. Well, G-d ‘sucked in’ His ‘expression,’ pulling back His overwhelming Presence and creating what we feel as a vacuum.

G-d made space for us. Why? So that we could – and would – voluntarily choose to have a relationship our beloved Creator. That’s the point of it all.

So take a step back and consider the drama that predates our existence. One partner decides to voluntarily make space for the other so that each can choose to voluntarily embrace each other and become one.

It’s all about the love
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Yanky Klein

This email is In Loving memory of my dear father
R’ Yerachmiel Binyamin Halevi ben R, Menachem Klein OBM

Shabbat Candle Lighting Times for
Moscow, Russia
Friday, April 8th
Light Candles at 19:03
Shabbat, April 9th,
Shabbat Ends 20:22
Torah Portion: Tazria

How To Grow In The Dark

Can people actually change?

We all have habits we could do better without, and shtick that gets in the way of a better life.
Inertia has a crushing, paralyzing effect on people, so the possibility of change can feel like an impossible illusion. Should we just shrug our shoulders and accept our warts? Or is there some way we can reach a better self?

Our Sages, connoisseurs of the soul and the human condition, have long told us that we can improve our personalities and behaviors. Provided that we really want to.

Our lunar calendar actually sends us a monthly message to this effect. Our daily calendar is in sync with the moon’s waxing and waning, reflects our own uneven struggle to live better lives. A fuller moon represents days in which we feel more soul energy, days in which we’re more connected to strongest selves. Waning reflects the opposite.

Once a month, there’s no waxing or waning. Just darkness. When the moon passes between the sun and the earth, the moon disappears and we have an opaque night. No moonlight at all. Yet perhaps counter-intuitively, that’s actually when the new moon is born; a time when our calendar takes a quantum leap forward into the future.

The Jewish calendar teaches us that sometimes we need to close our door and shut the lights. Instead of tweaking yesterday’s habits, it’s time to shut down yesterday’s system and decide who I want to be from now on. That’s darkness with a mission, darkness that can herald rebirth.

Rosh Chodesh is the term we use for the beginning of a new month, triggered by the birth of the new moon. Rosh Chodesh is an ideal time for this darkness/rebirth dynamic. And this coming Shabbos is Rosh Chodesh of the month of ‘Nissan,’ the month of Passover. Our mystical greats tell us that each day of Nissan has special rebirth potential; each day is like Rosh Chodesh. Each day reflects the Passover energy, the energy that once expressed itself in the birth of a nation, the energy that once gave Jews the power to ‘pass over’ – transcend – their slave mentality.
It happened once and it can happen again.

We’re heading into a month of personal rebirth. Rebirth which begins with the willingness to turn out the lights on one’s old self, and progresses with the genuine desire for –recreation.
It starts this Shabbos.

Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Yanky Klein

This email is In Loving memory of my dear father
R’ Yerachmiel Binyamin Halevi ben R, Menachem Klein OBM