The Eternal Jew

The Eternal Jew

byDov Ben Shlomo
I was there when Abraham argued for Sodom
I ached at the lash that bound Isaac to the alter
I struggled with the Angel that Jacob defeated
The Angel, who changed our name to Israel
I screamed as the blows of my brothers fell
And I was sold with Joseph, with his brothers, into slavery
An accident of disposition, position, revelation
Conflict Resolution.


I stood at the foot of Mount Sinai.
I waited with anticipation;
I saw the bush enflame.
Yet, I beheld it's preservation.
I was counted among the emancipated;
As I eagerly embraced the commanding Word.
An accident of chronology, history, legacy
Temporal Morphology.

I am a Jew
A Hopelessly, piously irreverent Jew
Standing in the face of death,
Affirming life.

I rejoiced when David captured Jerusalem
I sang at the building of the Temple
I wept by the rivers of Babylon
While I kept my faith,
my hope, burning.
I saw our return Home
And the rise of the Jewish Commonwealth
An Accident of emotion, connection, passion
Emotive Displacement

I stood helpless as Herod forsook his people
I was in ruins when the Temple fell
I died of hopelessness on the top of Mount Massada
Fearing for the future of my people.
I was banished from my home
Left to wander with each new expulsion
An accident of motility, mobility, futility
Compulsive Intransigence

I am a Jew
A lost, anchored and wandering Jew
Witnessing the slaughter
Bearing the Hope

I was at Buchenwald and Treblinka.
I witnessed the slaughter;
I saw the flames.
Still, I echo the cries of anguish
I am left to mourn their passing;
But, I remain to acclaim their existence.
An accident of geography, vicinity, locality
Empathetic Proximity.

I lived to see my homeland restored
I worked the land from dawn until dusk
I made the desert bloom
And, I stood watch as its existence was threatened
I beheld the miracles of Entebbe, Ethiopia, Russia
"The Temple Mount is in our hands! The Temple Mount is in our hands!"
A people restored to their future.
An accident of perseverance, persistence, resistance
Divine Devotion

I am a Jew
A stubborn, rigidly flexible Jew
Attesting to the brutality of humanity
Maintaining its Divinity.

I Believe
With Perfect Faith
In the Holiness of Humanity...
I Believe With Perfect Faith
In the Coming of the Mashiach ...
Even though he may tarry
I still Believe.


SHABBAT SHALOM!

Haftarah Noach

My love shall not budge from you...
Haftarah Noach

Yeshayahu 54:10  The mountains may move and the hills may collapse, but My love shall not budge from you and My Covenant of shalom shall not fail, says the Merciful One, HaShem.


Even if G-d's oath to Noach were to falter and the foundations of earth were to fail, His oath to the Jewish people will stand for all times and His love for them will transcend Creation.

Even if the forefathers' and matriarchs' merits have come to an end, G-d's love for His people will not cease - their own closeness to G-d will earn them His Covenant of peace.

Your suffering in exile was to bring you back to Him, so that He be called your Holy One.  He is your Master who provides all your needs, both the material and the spiritual - surely He will bring you Redemption!

[MeAm Lo'ez]

Parashat Noach

This is the sign of the covenant...
Parashat Noach

Bereishit 9:9-15  Behold, I am making a covenant with you and with your offspring after you.  And with every living creature that is with you, with the birds, the animals, and all the beasts of the earth with you, all who departed from the ark, including every living creature on earth.  I will keep my covenant with you, that never again will all flesh be cut off by flood waters, never again will flood waters destroy the earth.  Elokim said, This is the sign of the covenant that I pledge between Myself and you, and between every living creature that is with you, for the generations of all time.  I have set my [rain] bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Myself and the earth.  At a time when I bring clouds over the earth, the [rain] bow will be seen in the clouds.  I shall remember My covenant that is between Myself and you, and between every living soul in all flesh, that never again will flood waters destroy all flesh.


G-d promised Noach that He would never again cause a flood.  He now said to Noach, "I have already promised you this.  But now I will give you a sign to put your mind at ease, so you will not be concerned.  I will produce this sign when the Attribute of Justice denounces the world and argues that it should be destroyed once again, because people are wicked.  The world will then begin to be covered with dark clouds, and the skies will turn black.  Then, suddenly, the rainbow will appear.  The attribute of Justice will then remember G-d's oath never again to cause a universal flood, and this Attribute will remain still. (Rashi)

This sign of the rainbow is not one that is visible on a daily basis whenever there are clouds in the sky as the wording of the Torah might suggest.  The rainbow is also not visible on every rainy day.  However, in a generation which is guilty of sins it appears in order to remind people of G-d's commitment.  When a rainbow is seen, it is a sign that people are wicked, and deserve to be wiped out by another flood.

When one sees a rainbow, he should say the following blessing:

Blessed are You, O G-d our L-rd, King of the Universe, Who recalls the covenant, Who is faithful in His promise, and Who keeps His word.

 [MeAm Lo'ez, Rabbi Bachya, Rashi]

Parashat Noach - Noach built an altar to G-d

Noach built an altar to G-d...
Parashat Noach


Bereishit 8:20  Noach built an alter to G-d.  He took of all the clean domestic animals and of all the clean birds, and he sacrificed burnt offerings on the altar.

After Noach had completed the evacuation of the ark, and had arranged all things in their proper places, he began to think: "Why did G-d command me to bring seven of each kosher (clean) creature into the ark?  If it was only to replenish the world, a single pair would be enough. G-d's command indicates that He wishes that I offer some of them as a sacrifice. (Bereishit Rabbah 34).

He also learned this in another way.  At first the kosher animals came just like the others, a single pair.  Then G-d told Noach to bring an additional six pair of each kosher species into the ark.  These he was to bring in personally, with his own hands.  Noach deduced that G-d intended that eh should bring these additional ones as sacrifices.  G-d had therefore commanded him to bring them in with his own hands, that he have a portion in preparing for this important act. (RaMBaN on Bereishit 7:8)  Noach's sacrifice to G-d impacted on all of mankind.  HaShem gave His blessing to mankind after Noach's sacrifice.

Based on these first seven verses of Bereishit 9, is the existence of seven fundamental laws that apply to all humanity. These laws are called "Sheva Mitzvot B'nei Noach" - seven commandments given to the descendants of Noah.

Rabbi Joseph Hertz, in his commentary on the bible, suggests that these laws constitute what might be called "natural religion," because they are essential to the existence of human society.  These seven laws, in effect, constitute the Torah's concept of the minimal laws of civilization and humanity.

These laws are:

1. The establishment of courts of justice

2. The prohibition of blasphemy

3. The prohibition of idolatry

4. The prohibition of incest, adultery and other illicit sexual behavior

5. The prohibition of perception

6. The prohibition of robbery

7. The prohibition of eating flesh cut from a living animal

The seven laws teach that all of humankind must set up courts of justice and establish laws governing civil and commercial life.

Idolatry is prohibited because there must be no more than a single source of ethical truth for humankind. It is not so much the prohibition of worshiping idols, such as the sun, the moon or stones that is the issue, it is the need to recognize one G-d who established inviolate moral principles for all.

Blasphemy does not only mean not cursing G-d. It is any act that might prevent any person from worshiping in a monotheistic manner.

The prohibition of incest and adultery is essential to assure the sanctity of the human family, which is the basis of societal structure.

The prohibition of murder assures the sanctity of human life.

The prohibition of robbery assures the sanctity of property.

Tearing a limb from a living animal and eating it is one of the greatest barbarisms that can be afflicted upon an animal. If it were freely permitted, people would become even more cruel than they might be naturally.

Another remarkable, though uncomfortable, conclusion emanates from the fact that the seven Noachide principles truly represent the minimal acceptable standards for human behavior. Consequently, it is impossible to ignore the conclusion that there is a point where human beings lose their privilege to be considered "human beings" if they fail to abide by at least these seven Noachide principles.

[MeAm Lo'ez, Rabbi Bachya]

Shabbat Shalom! - Seventh Gateway

Shabbat Shalom!

There are seven gates to the soul-- two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, and a mouth. The Creator blessed the seventh day of the week and sanctified it.

It is therefore fitting that the mouth-- which is the seventh gateway-- give praise, through song, prayer and Torah learning all through the day.  [Rabbi Moshe Azulai]

Haftarah Bereishit

I, HaShem, have called you in righteousness...
Haftarah Bereishit

Yeshayahu 42:6-7  I, HaShem, have called you in righteousness and will take hold of your hand.  I shall watch over you, having appointed you over the Covenantal people and a light to the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to release prisoners from jail and dwellers in darkness from the dungeon.

It is HaShem Who has called the Mashiach to his great misson of returning the Jewish people to the Covenant.  To this end, G-d will strengthen him, "hold  his hand," and watch over him from all harm.

But his mission is not just to the Jewish people, but also to all the nations - for them, too, will he serve as a light.  He will enlighten, "open the eyes of," those who previously could not see G-d's truth.

42:10  Sing a new song to HaShem...   Let all nations sing to G-d for His opening their eyes...

Parashat Bereishit

G-d Saw the Light was Good...

Parashat Bereishit

Bereishit 1:4 G-d saw that the light was good, and G-d divided the light from the darkness.

The light that was created on the first day was extremely brilliant. We can have some idea of it if we imagine a small room filled with intense lights, illuminating it from all sides.

With this primeval light, it was possible to see from one end of the universe to the other. (Bereishit Rabbah; Tosefot, Shabbat 22) One could see not only tangible things, but even ethereal things, which are normally invisible. (Zohar 2; Moed Katan, Chapter 2; Chagigah 12a; Yad Yosef. Also see Zohar Chadash) This light was very fine, filled with glowing mental power. Through it, one could attain knowledge with which he could see to the ends of the world. (Bereishit Rabbah; Zohar Chadash)

Since human beings would be evil, such as those in the generations of the Great Flood, the Tower of Bavel, and the idolatrous contemporaries of Enosh, they were not worthy of enjoying this light. G-d therefore set it aside for the righteous in the Olam Haba. The light that remains in our world is merely a seventh of the light that existed during the days of creation. Some say that this primeval light was 60,075 times as bright as the light of the sun.

- MeAm Lo'ez - Bereishit

Bereishit - In the Beginning

To begin all over again!

What possibilities lie before us! What unforeseen potential awaits us!

We don't simply begin back where we started from one year ago, we begin all the way back at the beginning. The very beginning, the beginning of beginnings: That is, the book of Bereishit, Genesis, which is not merely an account of the beginning, a narration of how it went, but it is the very blueprint for the beginning that G-d Himself, as it were, consulted when He chose to begin the creation. Its letters, their shapes and sounds, and the words and verses that they form, are the very DNA of the world of darkness and light, day and night, rivers and streams and oceans and mountains, livestock and wildlife, fish and fowl, stars and planets, moon and sun, that we live in.

These letters are the stuff of our very souls, and to study, to examine, to ponder, to immerse ourselves in the depths of the Bereishit reality, is not only an immensely satisfying and gratifying endeavor, but it is part and parcel of the fulfillment of our purpose on this earth: to behold G-d's wonders and to praise Him and draw near to Him. [Rabbi Chaim Richman - The Temple Institute - http://www.templeinstitute.org/]

Rising from the Dust of Expulsion

I remember when I first heard about the dream community that would rise out of the dust and ashes of Neve Dekalim, the largest of the 22 Jewish communities destroyed by the Gaza "disengagement" of 2005.

It was in the cramped room occupied by Rachel and Moshe Saperstein on the 6th floor of the Jerusalem Gold Hotel. Along with hundreds of their former neighbors, the Sapersteins spent 10 months attempting to take the first steps in recreating a semblance of a normal life after they were forcibly removed from their home and the meaningful lives they had built in the Gush.

Rachel would sit on her bed in the hotel and tell anyone who would listen about the new community that would be in a place where their presence would make a difference; where ecological concerns would be paramount and all kinds of educational institutions would be developed to help preserve the values and lifestyle that marked Neve Dekalim. There would even be a hotel and spa, she assured me. By the time they finally left the Jerusalem hotel in June 2006 to go to their "temporary" pre-fab homes in Nitzan near Ashkelon, Rachel and her friends had already pinpointed the Lachish area as the place where they would put down their new roots.

Yesterday, the first step of that dream became a reality as hundreds of people joined the former Gush Katif pioneers in the laying of the cornerstone for the new community of Bnei Dekalim in the beautiful eastern Lachish area.

As the electrifying blasts of an over-sized shofar were sounded by Arik Davidov standing atop a Caterpillar earth-mover, the crowd hushed to take in the views over the rolling landscape that extend to the Hebron hills in one direction and down to Gush Katif and the Mediterranean the other way.

In the presence of a couple of Knesset members(Nissim Slomiansky and Tzipi Hotovely)a slew of rabbis and various members of the local regional councils, Minister Ariel Attias, Minister of Building and Construction told the crowd that the Gaza disengagement was a "mistake" and noted that his ministry had invested 170 million NIS in Bnei Dekalim.

Representatives of the neighboring local councils enthusiastically welcomed the development of the new yishuv and its potential to boost the local population of this sparsely populated area within the Green Line.

But it was left to Rachel Saperstein to relate in English a brief history of Lachish. Rachel explains that Lachish is generally regarded as the second most important city in the southern kingdom of Judah. It enters the biblical narrative in the battle accounts of Joshua, Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar. In fact, on the winding, scenic two-lane road that leads from the main Beersheva-Kiryat Gat highway to Bnei Dekalim, we pass the archeological site of Tel Lachish that is now surrounded by acres and acres of lush grapevines that belong to the small communities long the road.

Lachish was known as the defense center and fortress that monitored entrance into the Judean Hill Country from the west and southwest. Dating from between 598-589/88 B.C., the Lachish Letters, describing the Babylonian conquest of Judah, illustrate the kind of Hebrew used at the time of Jeremiah.

According to Walking in Their Sandals, "when Nebuchadnezzar established the Babylonian domination of Judah in 588-587 B.C., the southern outpost city of Lachish was one of the last remaining Judean cities to be taken (Jer 34:6,7). The Jews had arranged for relay communication between Lachish and Jerusalem by means of smoke signals at Azekah, fifteen miles from Jerusalem, and Lachish, thirty-five miles distant. Letter 4 of the Lachish Letters reads: "We were watching for the smoke signals of Lachish…because we do not see Azekah." This indicated that Azekah had already fallen to Nebuchadnezzar. Soon after this, Lachish would capitulate."

Rachel Saperstein closed her remarks by noting:

"The Kings of Israel built glorious cities here and Bar Kochba the revolutionary found refuge here..  We, the expelled people of Gush Katif will build in this grand tradition.  What an honor. Come and join us!"

There are already 60 families who will pioneer the new community. Eventually, 500 families will make Bnei Dekalim their home and become the center of the revitalized Lachish region, fulfilling the mitzvah of settling the land.

For Rachel Saperstein and her neighbors it's no longer a dream but the dawning of a new reality.
-------------------------------------------------------
-Judy Lash Balint, Jerusalem
Jerusalem Diaries II: What's Really Happening in Israel by Judy Lash Balint (Xulon) is available for purchase from www.amazon.com or by calling 1-866-909-BOOK (2665)

Netanyahu UN Speech

Stop President Obama

Stop President Obama From Putting Israel on the Chopping Block!

Dear Friend of Jerusalem,
One would expect the President of the United States to stand firm against America's enemies and support its allies.
Today however, President Obama used the forum of the United Nations to abandon Israel and embrace the unfounded demands of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
President Obama became the first US President to refer to the territories that Israel won in the (defensive) Six Day War as, "Occupied Territory." This implies that Israel must retreat from its own land, return to indefensible '67 borders, divide Jerusalem, and capitulate to Palestinian forces bent on destroying Israel.
A few weeks ago, One Jerusalem sent out a Red Alert warning that Obama was going to ambush Israel at the United Nations. He did it, today.
Israel faces a real challenge with Obama. On the one hand, President Obama continually pressures Israel to give up its secure borders. On the other hand, Obama allows for existential threats to Israel, by refusing to engage the US in actively stopping Iran's nuclear weapons program.
One Jerusalem has been -- and will continue to be -- on the front lines, in defense of Jerusalem and the Jewish State of Israel. When Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu arrived in New York this week, we were invited to meet and strategize with him.
Now we need you to step up your efforts for the difficult months ahead. We count on you to make phone calls, sign petitions, and demonstrate in the streets.
We need each other now more than ever. Sign up!
Sincerely,
Allen Roth & David Goder
www.OneJerusalem.org

Shalom Aleichem Video

http://www.road90.com/watch.php?id=MaUHVQjzcV

Shalom Aleichem Transliteration/Translation:

Shalom aleichem, malachei hasharet, malachei Elyon, mimelech malchei ham'lachim, HaKadosh Baruch Hu

Shalom upon you, O ministering angels, angels of the Exalted One--from the King Who reigns over kings, the Holy One, Blessed is He.

Bo-achem l'shalom, malachei ha-shalom, malachei Elyon, mimelech malchei ham'lachim, HaKadosh Baruch Hu

May your coming be for shalom, O angels of shalom, angels of the Exalted One--from the King Who reigns over kings, the Holy One, Blessed is He.

Bar'chuni l'shalom, malachei hashalom, malachei Elyon, mimelech malchei ham'lachim, HaKadosh Baruch Hu

Bless me for shalom, O angels of shalom, angels of the Exalted One--from the King Who reigns over kings, the Holy One, Blessed is He.

Tzeit'chem l'shalom, malachei hashalom, malachei Elyon, mimelech malchei ham'lachim, HaKadosh Baruch Hu

May your departure be to shalom, O angels of shalom, angels of the Exalted One--from the King who reigns over kings, the Holy One, Blessed is He.

Shabbat Shalom! - This Day is Honored More Than All Other Days

This day is honored more than all other days

Because on it the Eternal rested

"Do your work for six days, and the seventh day is for your G-d"

You shall not do any work on Shabbat

Because He created everything in six days.

It is the first among holidays

A day of rest, a holy Shabbat

Therefore, let everyone make kiddush over his wine

And say hamotzi over two whole loaves

Eat rich foods, and drink sweet drinks

Because for all who adhere to Him, G-d will provide

Clothes to wear, portions of bread

Meat, fish, and all appetizing things

You should not lack anything during it

You will eat and be satisified and bless Your G-d, whom you love

Because He has blessed you among the nations

The heavens tell of His honor

And the earth is also filled with His goodness

See - His hand has created everything

He is the Almighty, and His works are perfect

-Yom Zeh Mechubad - Israel, based on Beytza 15b

Parashat Chukat-Balak

Bamidbar 19:1 - 25:9

Why is There Death in the World?

-Rabbi Ginsburgh

The Torah portion of Chukat begins with the commandment of the red heifer. When a cow that meets the intricate halachic ("Jewish law") criteria for a red heifer is burned as per the Torah's instructions, and its ashes are mixed with fresh stream water, the resulting mixture purifies a person who has come in contact with death. According to Jewish law, death is considered the "Father of Fathers" of impurity, and a person who has come into contact with death becomes impure. Spiritually, this contact with death means that the person has become affected by the law of entropy. At some level, he has integrated into his own soul that there is no eternity in reality, leading to inner, spiritual despair.

One of the most basic foundations of the Torah is that we must serve God with absolute joy. This can only be accomplished if one is released from the fear of death and all that it implies. What is the Divine power of the ashes of the red heifer that heals us from the despair of death?

Read more here

Shabbat Shalom!

A king built a bridal chamber, plastered, painted and adorned it.

Now what was needed to complete it?

Why, a bride!

So with the world, after the six days of creation, what was needed to finish it?

The Shabbat!

-Ber. R., 10.9

Torah

One whose soul yearns to cleave to G-d constantly and desires that G-d’s presence dwell within him, let him commit parts of the Torah to memory so that it will be constantly with him.

-Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi

Havdalah

Havdalah (Distinction) is the ritual (using wine, multi-wick candle, and spices) marking the end of the Shabbat (and holidays) and the beginning of the rest of the week. It acknowledges the distinction between the holy and normative or the sacred and profane in time.

Corresponds to the Kiddush, which proclaims the holiness of Shabbat and festivals. Both are attributed to the Men of the Great Assembly, who functioned during and after the Persian period of Jewish history, about 500-300 before the common era.

The Havdalah, recited over wine, consists of four benedictions: over wine, spices, light, and the distinction between the sacred and the profane, between light and darkness, between Yisrael and the nations, between the seventh day and the six workdays.

In Talmudic literature, great importance is attached to the Havdalah: future salvation as well as material blessings are promised to those who recite the Havdalah over the wine cup.

"He who resides in Yisra'el, he who teaches his children Torah, and he who recites the Havdalah at the conclusion of the Shabbat will enter the Olam Habah (World to Come)" (Berakhot 33a).

Birkat Havdalah:

Baruch atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech ha-olam bore' peri ha-gafen
Blessed are You, Hashem, our G-d, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.

Baruch atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech ha-olam bore' minei vesamim
Blessed are You, Hashem, our G-d, King of the universe, Who creates species of fragrance.

Baruch atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech ha-olam bore' m'orei ha-esh
Blessed are You, Hashem, our G-d, King of the universe, Who creates the illuminations of the fire.

Baruch atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech ha-olam ha-mavdil bein kodesh lechol bein or lechoshech bein Yisrael la-amim bein yom hashevi'i lesheshet yemei ha-ma'aseh Baruch atah Hashem ha-mavdil bein kodesh lechol.
Blessed are You, Hashem our G-d, King of the universe, Who separates between holy and secular, between light and darkness, between Yisrael and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of labor. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who separates between holy and secular.

Havdalah is traditionally when three stars are visible in the sky, appoximately 20 minutes after nightfall.

Because they loath to lose their extra soul (neshamah yeteirah), many Chasidim put off the Havdalah ceremony as long as possible, sometimes until long past midnight. (There are even instances of those who extended the Shabbat until Wednesday, when they began preparing for the coming Shabbat!) Some interpret this 'second soul' as identified with the Shabbat Queen, the Shechinah, who is welcomed every Shabbat.

Technically speaking, the arrival of the end of the Shabbat is defined by the ability to recognize three stars, as stated in Mishnah Brachot 1:1. It is at this precise time that a Mitnaged would say Havdalah, but many Chasidim ignored the stars and continued to study Torah for several more hours, unwilling to let go of the spirit of the Shabbat that they so loved.

The below story indicates this interpretation of the Law was frowned upon by the Mitnagedim. And according to Rabbinic lore, those punished in Gehenna are set free during the Shabbat, but then is forced to return to Gehenna promptly at the end of the Shabbat according to the interpretation that person espoused while living.


Three Stars

The holy Reb Shmelke lived next door to a mitnaged, a fierce opponent of the Chasidim, who understood the letter of the Law in the most rigid way. Therefore he performed Havdalah as soon as three stars appeared in the sky. Reb Shmelke, on the other hand, continued to observe the Shabbat far into the night. And this bothered his neighbor to no end.

This neighbor took it upon himself to save Reb Shmelke from this transgression. So as soon as three stars appeared, he would open his window and shout: "Three stars! Time for Havdalah!" These shouts would disturb Reb Shmelke's reveries. Nonetheless, Reb Shmelke restrained himself and never said anything about it to his neighbor. Instead, he continued to savor the Shabbat for many hours after his neighbor had reminded him that the Shabbat was over.

Seeing that he had failed to convince Reb Shmelke to change his ways, the neighbor decided on a more drastic approach. As soon as the three stars appeared, he went outside, picked up some pebbles, and threw them through Reb Shemlke's window. One of those pebbles struck Reb Shmelke, tearing him from the arms of the Shabbat Queen. And Reb Shmelke not only felt the pain of his own loss, but knew as well that his neighbor had made a terrible mistake. And before many months had passed, the neighbor became sick and died.

Some months after that, when Reb Shmelke was sitting at the Shabbat table, about the time the three stars first appeared, he suddenly smiled mysteriously. And he mumbled the words "From below they look above, from above, below." None of his Chasidim understood what he meant, but Reb Shmelke refused to tell them until the end of the Shabbat. Then he said: "The soul of our neighbor was sent to Gehenna for his sins, where he is punished all week long but spared on the Shabbat. But as soon as three stars appear, the angels drag him back to Gehenna. And all the way there he shouts, 'But Reb Shmelke is still celebrating the Shabbat!"

(Eastern Europe: 19th century. This story is attributed to Miriam of Mohilev, the sister of Reb Shmelke, who is said to have told it to Reb Abraham Yehoshua Heschel, the Apter Rebbe).

Source:

Siddur - Nusach Ashkenazi, p. 618-621
Gabriel's Place - Jewish Mystical Tales, The Three Stars, p. 227, Howard Schwartz
Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer - Havdalah, p. 169-171, Macy Nulman
Encyclopedia of Jewish Concepts - Havdalah, p. 153-154, Philip Birnbaum

Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh Responds to Obama's Plans for Peace

(Renowned Authority on Kabbalah and Chassidut)

Rabbi Ginsburgh Website - Gal Einai

Bio for Rabbi Ginsburgh

Good Shabbos!

An artist cannot be continually wielding his brush.

He must stop at times in his painting to freshen his vision of the object,

the meaning of which he wishes to express on his canvas.

Living is also an art...

The Shabbat represents

those moments when we pause in our burshwork

to renew our vision of the object.

(Kaplan, The Meaning of G-d)

Midrash on Parashat Shelach

Challah - The Law of Separating a Portion from the Dough

While in the wilderness, Benei Yisrael did not set aside a portion from their dough. They became obligated in this mitzvah only after entering Eretz Yisrael.

From then on, whenever someone made an omer of dough (see note below) from one of the five kinds of grain (wheat, barley, oats, spelt, or rye), he was required to separate a part of the dough, termed challah. The challah was holy and was given to the Kohen.

The mitzvah of challah actually applies only in Eretz Yisrael at a time when the majority of the Jewish people is there. However, our Sages ordained that challah be separated even outside of Eretz Yisrael, and even in our time, so that these laws should not be forgotten.

Today, our challah has to be burned. Although we fulfill our obligation today even by separating a very tiny amount of dough, the minhag (custom) is to separate a kezayit of dough and burn it.

Someone who has prepared the appropriate quantity of dough, separates the challah and recites the blessing:

Baruch atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech ha-olam asher kid'shanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu lehafrish challah.
Blessed are You, Hashem, our G-d, King of the universe, Who commanded us to separate challah from the dough.

If one forgot to take challah from the raw dough, he must still take it from the bread.

Although anyone in the household may separate challah, this mitzvah was specifically commanded to the wife. She thereby amends the sin of the first woman, Chavah.

Our Sages term Adam, "the pure challah of the world." This means that he was created by Hashem completely pure, without evil desires. Chavah caused Adam to lose his former purity. After he sinned, he and his descendants were drawn towards physical desires (even if the fulfillment of these desires would harm them).

The mitzvah of separating challah has the potential to bring back the purity of spirit that was lost through Adam's sin. Hence, by fulfilling this mitzvah a woman rectifies Chavah's sin.

One should be careful to fulfill the mitzvah of separating challah. Famine is brought upon the world as a result of neglecting it, while its observance brings material blessing to the household.

For more information concerning the mitzvah of Challah follow the below link:

All About Challah

Sources:

Midrash Says 5 Vol. Set
Midrash Rabbah 6 Vol. Set
Soncino Midrash Rabbah CD ROM