Why did I choose this video? Why didn’t I choose one of the big Torah scholars on YouTube? Why do I feel he articulates such a beautiful message, despite the imperfections in his enunciation?

Because “Words which emanate from the heart, enter the heart.”

Shabbat Shalom!

(source: Ohr Somayach)

Dear Rabbi,

While on a plane from Boston to Philadelphia two weeks ago, I happened to look at the cover of the book the man seated next to me was reading. On the back cover of the book, the following quotation appeared: “Words written from the heart, enter the heart.” As a scholar and professor, I was very moved by the quotation and wrote it down for my own keeping. The quote was attributed to “The Sages.”

I would like to ask: Where do these words appear in the vast writings of The Sages? I would be very grateful if you could find the time to provide me with an exact reference so that I might consult the entire text and see in what context the statement was made.

Dear Dr. C.,

“Words which emanate from the heart, enter the heart” is sometimes quoted in the name of “the Sages,” meaning that it is from the Mishnah, Talmud or Midrash. But the truth is that the source for this phrase is a bit of a mystery! Although it has indeed become an accepted Jewish teaching, it does not seem to appear in any of the above mentioned sources!

…

I would like to propose that the phrase is an application of the principle taught by King Solomon in Proverbs: “As water [reflecting] the face is to the face, so a man’s heart is to [his fellow] man.” Meaning that the human heart intuits the emotions of others, and thus if one speaks with an open heart, the heart of the listener will be open as well.

In the late 1800’s Poland issued a ban against shechita (ritual slaughter of animals). It is told that Rabbi Yisrael Meyer Kagan, the Chafetz Chaim, came before the Polish officials to plead for the rescinding of this decree which would cause tremendous hardship for Poland’s Jews. The Chafetz Chaim pleaded passionately, in Yiddish. When he’d finished and the translator began translating into Polish, the official said, “Stop. You don’t need to translate.” He was so moved by the Chafetz Chaim’s words, even though he hadn’t understood them, that he agreed to do all he could to help rescind the decree.

Sources:

* Tractate Berachot 6b
* Proverbs 27:19, see Metzudot David

(Source: BeingJewish.com)

(Please note that if your mother was Jewish before you were born, whether observant or not, then by Jewish Law you are also Jewish, and you do not need to convert. Please contact an Orthodox Rabbi for guidance.)

So, you want to become Jewish. I applaud your goal.

Becoming Jewish is, as you realize, a significant and life-changing event. It is not a small matter by any means.

But before you start, consider a few things. When a Gentile wants to become Jewish, the Rabbis are required to try to dissuade him. Only the very sincere make it through the entire process. And the process can take a long while. It may not turn out to be easy.

Becoming Jewish means that most of what you were taught about spirituality until now will be irrelevant, and in many cases wrong. You must drop the religious beliefs taught you by whatever other religion(s) you once followed or read about. People sometimes ask me, “Can I convert to Judaism and still believe in Jesus?” The answer is no. This is not something negotiable in Judaism. Jewish doctrine about G-d is core and inviolate. Non-Jewish beliefs about G-d invalidate a conversion (and Jesus is a prime example of a non-Jewish belief about G-d, no matter what anyone tells you). So this could be a major change for anyone contemplating conversion to Judaism. If this is difficult for you, then you should not be considering conversion at all.

You must also accept the fact that it is Hashem’s Torah that defines what is right and what is wrong, what is spiritual and what is mundane, what elevates a person and what lowers him. Human beings do not make those determinations, and every such decision that a Rabbi makes is based on Torah precedent, i.e., established Jewish Law.

Your life style will also change, as well as the way you think about many things. Even the meaning of some words will change, especially if you have been Christian: words like “confession,” “heaven,” “patrilineal descent,” “Messiah,” “savior,” and others.

It also means that your relationships will change. Not all your friends will be happy that you’ve become Jewish. Worse yet, your family members might disown you, as often happens.

When your parents, your siblings, even your children, sit down to eat a meal, you will often not be allowed to join them. You won’t even be able to attend some of their joyous occasions. It is forbidden for a Jew to enter most non-Jewish places of worship. If your own baby sister gets married in a church, you will not be able to attend. If you have non-Jewish children from before you converted, you will not be allowed to attend any occasion they make in a church or any religious gathering. (If this occurs, make sure to consult with an Orthodox Rabbi before making any decision. There may be a solution.) Nor will you be allowed to celebrate Christmas or Hallowe’en, or any other religious holiday except the Jewish holidays.

And you will have to learn many rules. You will have to wear less revealing clothing all year round (which in the summer can make you feel hotter); you will have to be concerned wherever you go about the food you can buy and eat; you will have to make sure that you don’t carry anything in your pockets outside your home on the Sabbath, and many other considerations. You will need two sets of dishes, two sets of pots and pans (and at least one more set for Passover), and you will have to keep different types of food separate. You will have to wait six hours after eating meat foods before eating dairy foods. Judaism will guide your steps and your thoughts every moment of your waking life.

As a convert to Judaism, you will be a Jew — a full-fledged Jew. Think about the word “Jew” for a minute. It’s a title we bear proudly, yet it’s a word that comes from many mouths as a curse and insult. Of course, that’s silly. It’s like when a little boy thinks he’s insulting a girl by calling her “girl!” Not only is it not an insult, but it should be borne proudly and openly.

When I was thirteen years old, my friend and I were riding our bicycles through the side streets of Brooklyn, New York, when some Gentile boy (a little younger than us, it seemed) yelled at us jeeringly, “Jew!” I turned around and yelled back at him, “Thanks!” My friend almost fell off his bike laughing. I couldn’t — and still can’t — understand the attitude of that kid and people like him. I dress in what is an unmistakably Jewish style. I have noticeable payos (sidelocks, as per the Torah’s Commandment in Leviticus 19:27). I’m obviously not trying to hide the fact that I’m Jewish. Did he really think I’m embarrassed to be a Jew?

The answer is probably yes. Granted he was a kid, but it is a very prevalent attitude even among some adult groups. In the minds of many people who wouldn’t consider themselves racists or bigots, being a Jew is such a lowly thing that they are sure and positive that we must feel degraded about being Jewish. It doesn’t help to explain to them that we are proud of being Jews, because they can’t see any reason we should be proud of being Jewish.

These days most people don’t say things like that out loud anymore. But racism and anti-Semitism still exist, and Jews still suffer from it — especially converts. I have a friend who almost lost his job because he was a convert. No, it’s not what you think. His boss could never have gotten away with firing him because he had converted to Judaism. What happened was a coworker of his was a born-again Christian who felt that my friend should be punished for leaving Christianity to become Jewish. So he filed an accusation of malfeasance, or some such thing, and had my friend hauled before an inquiry panel, expecting him to defend two years’ worth of financial decisions from records and memory. This is no reflection on all Christians today. But bear in mind that there are some Christian groups (mostly fundamentalist Protestant, I am told) that work very heavily on missionizing to Jews, and I imagine that they probably dislike people they consider lapsed Christians.

This story is unusual only in the particulars, I fear. There are people out there (not necessarily religious people) who do not like it when non-Jews become Jews. And some of them may be close to you.

Anti-Semitism should not be considered dead at all. It still shows up in various forms and sizes. It doesn’t take a Holocaust to harm Jews. Lately the news has been buzzing with bigotry and racial incidents. Bigoted groups are growing in America. Some even call themselves “churches” and claim non-profit status. Many of these groups target Jews in particular.

When you join the Jews, you become equally responsible, and suffer with us together. When Jews have sinned, sometimes all the Jews take part in the punishment.

So, consider this: Judaism teaches that you do not have to become Jewish to go to heaven. The righteous of all nations merit a share in the eternal World to Come. The basics of it involve keeping the Seven Laws of the Children of Noah.

After the Flood, Hashem the Creator made a covenant, an agreement, with Noah and his children, involving seven commandments, along with details of the laws pertaining to those Seven Commandments. Those who keep the Seven Commandments and their details are Righteous Gentiles according to the Torah. Since they keep the “Seven Commandments of the Children of Noah,” they call themselves “Bnei Noah,” the Children of Noah. When a Ben Noah lives in Israel, the Torah refers to him as a “Gair Toshav,” a resident alien.

You might consider joining a group of Righteous Gentiles. There is a growing movement in the United States and other countries of what is called the Noahide or the Bnai Noah Movement. They have a presence on the Internet as well. You can find out more about them by visiting one of their web sites, at: Rachav’s Bnai Noah Page [and more at this links page].

There are many advantages to this approach. As a member of the Bnai Noah (a man would be a “ben Noah”; a woman would be a “bas[/bat] Noah”), you can be righteous and still eat pork. You can drive your car to the movies on the Sabbath; you can dress any way you want, and you won’t need two sets of pots, pans, and dishes. If you do any of this after you have become Jewish, you have sinned. And once you have become Jewish, the Torah says you are always Jewish, even if you stop believing.

…

The rest of the article is relevant only if you are still interested in conversion. iHeartNoahides.com is not qualified to encourage conversion. However, if you are so inclined, you can read the rest of the article here.

For more information on Noahides / Bnei Noach, see our Links section.

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Guest post by Reb Ari

I recently verified this story from the grandson of the couple involved.

My friend’s elderly grandmother, Miriam, remarried a number of years ago to R’ Shalom. They live in Jerusalem. R’ Shalom is now in his mid nineties and in his youth he studied in yeshiva in Mir in Poland and had the opportunity to spend a week at the home of the Chofetz Chaim (R’ Yisroel Meir Hacohen Kagan, zs’kl). A few nights ago, in the middle of the night he woke and told his wife that the Chofetz Chaim had appeared to him in a dream and simply said that Moshiach will be here soon. The Chofetz Chaim said that it is time to get ready and to spread the message. My friend’s father (Miriam’s son) asked his rav, Rav Asher Weiss if this is something to take seriously. His response was that we are clearly standing right before Moshiach, and it certainly should be taken seriously and we should undertake to do Teshuva.

The second story I heard directly from the people involved.

There is a young girl about eight years old who needs a refuah (אביבא מלכה בת לאה) - she is currently in the hospital with loss of vision. Please pray for her. She has been in and out of the hospital for chemotherapy, and she has had multiple complications. A few months ago she had been in a coma for an extended period of time. When she finally came out of the coma, one of the first things she said was, “Did I miss the weddings? Did I miss Moshiach coming?” Her two older sisters were not engaged yet (I don’t even know if Aviva knew they were dating), but both became engaged and were married over the following few months. I was at the sheva brachos (post-wedding celebration).

May Hashem heal Aviva Malka bat Leah along with all the ill people of Israel with the coming of Moshiach, Amen.

—————————————————————-
Reb Ari wrote a beautiful inspiring song about the coming of Moshiach: To listen, click here

Lyrics of “Finally Here”
As he walked home from yeshiva,
a sound reached his ears
clear and majestic, unmistakably near
Joy filled his heart
HE’S FINALLY HERE!!! Moshiach’s finally here!!!
He ran all the way home
said to his dad,
“Did you hear it - the shofar
or am I going mad?”
“Not now, my son,
can it wait ’til later, when the business news is done.”

CHORUS:
Where is our hope, our faith, our pride?
Where’s the desire, the love deep inside?
When we say we want Ben Dovid to come
We can’t fool ourselves or the Holy One.

She heard it, at first faintly
a note long and clear
steadily the sound grew
’til it was all she could hear
Joy filled her heart
HE’S FINALLY HERE!!! Moshiach’s finally here!!!
She rushed to the kitchen,
got on the phone.
“Sister, can you hear it
or is it me alone?”
“Can you call back tonight?
I’m facebooking now, so I hope it’s alright…”
CHORUS

When we finally hear the shofar
After all these many years
Our emotions can run deeply
moving us to tears
Joy will fill our hearts
WHEN HE’S FINALLY HERE!!! When Moshiach’s finally here!!!

We must strengthen our hope, our faith, our pride.
We can find the desire, the love deep inside.
When we say we want Moshiach to come
We can reconnect to the Holy One.

The Torah demands different things from Jews and Bnei Noach.

I recently read that according to the Zohar, when a non-Jew learns Torah in the same manner and depth that a Jews is obligated to learn Torah, great destruction is wrought - both on the Ben/Bat Noach’s soul and on the World as a whole.

Just as there are natural boundaries in the physical world, there are natural boundaries in the spiritual world.

We cannot be subjective and say, “That doesn’t jive with me - I won’t listen to that.” That’s like saying, “Gravity doesn’t jive with me” and then jumping off a bridge.

Or as one of my friends said in an essay on avodah zarah (idol worship):

[A fence] keeps people on the outside from what they are trying to obtain on the inside. But on the other hand, a fence can be used to allow one to go further, allowing one to get as close to the edge as possible without falling over.

I will try my best to continue posting within the bounds of my current understanding of which type of Torah material will not damage the souls of Bnei Noach. There is virtually no limit to what can be learned and studied from within these bounds of Torah - this is G-d’s Torah!

But I do not want to be a stumbling block for the Bnei Noah who strive to live according to G-d’s Will and Wisdom — that is to say, according to Hashem’s Torah.

Excerpt from “The Path of the Righteous Gentile” (p. 41-42). The parts in square brackets [ ] are insertions for additional clarification:
(source: AskNoah.org).  The following are forbidden:¹

c. Studying those parts [and branches] of the Torah [specifically parts of the Oral Torah] that do not apply to [or enhance] the Noahides’ service of [and belief in] G-d.

(Note: A prime purpose of the Seven Universal Laws is to teach the Children of Noah about the Oneness of G-d, and therefore those parts of Torah that pertain to this knowledge [including many Chassidic teachings] are permissible for him to study. This includes the entirety of the twenty-four books of the Hebrew Scriptures. Also, the study of any part of the Torah that brings one to greater knowledge concerning the performance of the Seven Noahide Commandments is permissible. But Talmudic [study], or [in-depth] Halakhic [i.e. Torah law] study of subjects that pertain exclusively to the Jew’s service of G-d is forbidden [for Noahides].)

[In Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings, Chap. 10, Maimonides (the "Rambam") states that a Gentile is in general forbidden to be "osek ba'Torah" - which means to delve and strive into Torah learning in the manner that a Jew is commanded. A Gentile is however allowed to be "osek ba'Torah" in matters which relate to the Seven Noahide Commandments, but he is not commanded to do so.

Therefore it is very important to have competent Rabbinic guidance in choosing what to study, if one goes beyond the permissible text of the 24 Books of the Hebrew Bible and their basic traditional commentaries/explanations.]

Much blessings to everyone,

Daniel

This week’s parsha is parshat “Balak.”

The evil prophet¹ Balaam is summoned by Balak to curse the Jews.

Against Hashem’s desire, Balaam saddles his she-donkey and journeys to the land of Moav to curse the Jews. Hashem sends an angel to impede Balaam’s way.

If we pay attention to the order in which things happen here, we can get a sense of the infinite love Hashem has for all of His creations - even donkeys.

1. Hashem sends an angel with a sword (i.e. ready to kill them), but only reveals the angel to the donkey; Balaam doesn’t see the angel.

2. The donkey moves out of the angels way - Balaam strikes the donkey - the angel closes in.

3. The donkey moves out of the angels way again - Balaam strikes the donkey a second time - the angel closes in further.

4. The donkey moves out of the angels way once again, but is now cornered - Balaam strikes the donkey a third time - the angel closes in further.

5. Hashem causes the she-donkey to speak to Balaam, and the donkey says:
“What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?”

Balaam answers her:
“For you have mocked me. If only I had a sword in my hand, I would right now kill you.”

The she-donkey:
“Am I not the she-donkey that you have rode upon me from your youth until this day? Have I been accustomed to do such to you (i.e. to mock him)?

Balaam:
“No.”

And only now - after Balaam admits to the she-donkey that she did nothing wrong, does Hashem reveal the angel. And furthermore, the rest of the story revolves around Hashem defending the donkey before Balaam, the self-centered.

6. Hashem reveals the angel to Balaam, at which point Balaam becomes terrified and bows down on his face.

7. The angel of Hashem says to him, why have you struck your she-donkey these three times? Behold, I have come to impede your way because you have journeyed (to curse the Jews) against Me.

8. And the donkey saw me and moved out of my way these three times. Unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I would have slain you and saved her!

9. Balaam finally repents, and only afterwards does Hashem commences with instructions for Balaam’s journey.

Hashem cares for the well being (and apparently the honor and respect) of all of His creations. Clearly, mankind who is made btzelem elokim - in G-d’s image - is paramount, which is why we use animals for food, medicine, clothing, or sacrifices.

But nonetheless, Hashem loves all of his creatures, for they are His creations. Therefore, we should act as Hashem does in whatever way is appropriate to each of us on our own situations.

Shabbat Shalom.

Many of the Torah’s prophecies have been reexamined in the context of our modern world - especially those relating to weapons of mass destruction and the Jewish People’s return to the Land of Israel.

But what about this prophecy from Zachariah:

Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, that they shall make themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations…
- Numbers 15:38

And then you start to see tzitzit everywhere…

Israeli soldier during Second Lebanon War 2006.

Ehthiopian Jews getting married in Israel, using the Tallit (tzitzit and garment) as their chupah.

Another wedding using the Tallit as their chupah.

Bloody tzitzit garmet in aftermath of the 2008 Merkaz HaRav terrorist attack in Jerusalem.
(Source: IsraelNN.com)

Jewish children, keeping the mitzvah of wearing tzitzit for generations and generations!

What are Tzitzit?

In part one of this two-post series we gained a better understanding of what it means to fulfill the mitzvah of Ahavat Yisrael - to love the Jewish people.

In this second part of the series, I want to discuss the basis and meaning that Ahavat Yisrael has for Jews and for Noahides.

The Jew’s Obligation to Love Noahides

One of the more shocking moments of my army service in the IDF was the reaction I received when I mentioned to my Israeli friend that one of my good friends in America is a non-Jewish guy who finds Judaism intriguing.

The Israeli friend of mine replied - “You have non-Jewish friends?! Whoa!”
- as if I had encountered some rare, exotic culture in a far off world.

And that’s when I realized:
in Israel, the only non-Jews that religious Jews ever meet are Arabs. And since Israel is in a state of war with her Arab neighbors¹, there is little to no interaction between Jews and non-Jews within the state of Israel².

So the question is, can a Jew love his fellow Jew - fulfull the mitzvah of Ahavat Yisrael - without loving his gentile neighbor?

To answer, Rav Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook zt”l says the following in a chapter entitled “Love”

1. The love must be completely full in one’s heart.

2. The love of the entirety of Creation comes before all else. Afterward the love of all of Mankind. And after the love of Mankind, the love of Israel, which is a love that includes everything above - since Israel are destined to rectify the entirety of Creation.

And all of these types of love must be practical love, to love them [the Creation, Mankind, and Israel -ed] to do for them goodness and to cause them to be elevated, and a love of Hashem will arise within them, which is love in action, love that has no ulterior motive whatsoever, only that which the heart is filled with from such love, which is the happiness/bliss exalted above all else.
(emphasis added -ed):

Rav Kook makes it clear. To love the Jewish people, one must first love the entire Creation AND Mankind AND the Jewish people.

What does it mean to love Creation?
It means to use them for spiritual ends and “cause them to be elevated”:
To use flowers to beautify the Shabbat home. To say blessings over the food we eat. To be thankful for the air we breath. To appreciate beauty itself, and incorporate that in our service of Hashem.

What does it mean to love Mankind?
It means “to do goodness for them, and cause them to be elevated” so that “a love of Hashem will arise within them.” What greater good can be given than knowledge of G-d Almighty. To me, this means to teach them - whether formally, or simply by example and through friendship³.

What does it mean to love Israel?
See Ahavat Yisrael part 1.

The Noahide’s Obligation⁴ to Love the Jewish people

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (Alter Rebbe) who lived from 1745 - 1812 in White Russia, was asked the following question by his students:

Which is the superior avoda (service), love of G-d or love of Israel?

And the Alter Rebbe responded:

Both love of G-d and love of Israel are equally engraved in every Jew’s [soul]. Scripture is explicit: “I have loved you [Israel], says the L-rd.⁵” It follows that love of Israel is superior - for you love whom your beloved loves.

“You love whom your beloved loves.”

What a statement!
The Noahide’s love for the Jewish people, it seems, is rooted in his or her love for G-d. Anything or anyone that Hashem loves should be loved by those who love Hashem.