New Beginnings: Part II

(courtesy of me )

Baruch Hashem, new beginnings seem to be a trend in my life at the moment. I thank HaKodesh Baruch Hu for blessing me with such a myriad of revealed Brachos for my entire family. My son was B"H born on the 10 of MarCheshvan and on the 17 of MarCheshvan (today) was his Bris. It was Baruch Hashem a beautiful event with a packed room. We named him Shmuel Elimelech in honor of some of the Chassidic Greats as well as my wife's fathers' father.

שמואל: Shmuel was named after my wifes grandfather Shmuel HaLevi ZT"L, the Rebbe Reb Shmuel Shmelke HaLevi of Nikolsburg ZT"L, and the Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch ZT"L.

אלימלך: Elimelech was named after the Rebbe Reb HaGoan HaTzaddik HaRav Elimelech of Lizensk.

These Tzaddikim have had and continue to have a tremendous impact on my spirituality and learning of Torah and I pray that in their merit my wife and I will raise our son and the rest of our iy"H future children "LeTorah Ulchupah Ulmasim Tovim!!!"

Machmer & Makel

(courtesy of Heinz.com)

When Hashem decided to have a Holy nation come from Avraham, he didn’t make a stale carbon copy Jew that lacks beauty and uniqueness. Yaakov had 2 wives and 2 concubines. 4 different women who in turn begot 12 different unique and beautiful sons. Our people come from this beauty and uniqueness. Judaism has 12 gates of prayer (as well as a 13 gate revealed by the Holy Ari'zal) as well as 13 ways of living life. Hashem gave us the Torah and gave the Rabbi's the authority and ability to understand what is expected of us as Jews.

Many FFBs as well as BT's are taught a certain way and this way is Emes of course and might work for them, but they fail to realize for one reason or another that this is not the only way. Anyone who learns Gemara knows that you can get through one daf of any masekta without 3 of our Sages disagreeing with each other, bring up a Barisa here and there and showing each other that R' so in so actually meant this when he said that. There are no superflous words in the written or oral Torah, and there is an important reason why the Gemara is written the way it is. I once ate by a Talmid Chacham of a Chasid for Shabbos in Jerusalem. He told me in Kollel they are learning the non-Pshat of the Gemara and this is showing them that they didn’t even know the Pshat to begin with. Another brilliant Chasid who was my Chevrusa in yeshiva said, "The easiest thing to understand is why the Rabbi who is right is right, the real point of the Gemara is to understand why the one who is wrong is actually right!"

*Note: This blog is a response to statements made to me and these statements are italicized in orange like this. These statements were made to be my Torah Jews searching for Emes and my responses are meant to show a bigger picture and not show them they are wrong and I am right.


There are many different ways in Torah Judaism and they all are Emes, they all keep in Halacha and they all are devoted to HaKodesh Baruch Hu. With that said, it is said by many great tzaddikim that just as it is bad to always be Makel on Halacha, it is just as harmful to always be Machmer on Halacha.

Haredi Judaism, especially Chassidus focuses at great length on the idea of "kadesh et atzmecha b'mutar lach" meaning that you can attain holiness by holding back from permitted things.

I was told a story of a Chabad Rav who said once in a shiur, "Just because there's Kosher L'Pesach ketchup doesn't mean you have to have ketchup on Pesach!" Meaning that, just because it's permitted doesn't mean it's something you "should do".

There are people that take issue with this idea. I mean if its Kosher than its ok, right? Wrong. I wish that in illustrating this issue they chose an example other than Pesach because this one my biggest issue in Torah Judaism. The Jews left Egypt with flat bread because they had to leave immediately. Do you think they had Kosher for Passover Ketchup? Or Kosher for Passover Cake mix? I hear people complain every year of how expensive Kosher for Pesach food has become and how the price raises every year. Newsflash!!! It’s Hashem raising the prices!! For one week would it be so bad to not eat processed food? Maybe eat fruit and vegetables for a change? All I ate for Pesach last year was raw foods. It was amazing, and when I saw that there are people whose daily living is eating raw foods, I figured for a week I could live. To be Machmer for a week, oy so difficult.

But this doesn’t really answer the question. Internet, Movies, TV, Concerts, these are what kadesh et atzmecha b'mutar lach is talking about. Each way of Torah Judaism is Emes, and I can’t stress that enough. Chassidic, Litvish, Sephardic, Modern Orthodox, Mizrach, Whatever you are, we all have one thing in common. We praise Hashem and we keep Halacha. Still different groups choose to hold different levels on different things and just because that isn't right for you doesn’t mean its not right for someone else. There is no internet connection in New Square and using the internet is Assur. Why? Because 80% of the internet is a Chillul Hashem of Sex, Murder, and Avodah Zara. The internet is a storage space for the 3 cardinal sins of Judaism. Now the other 20% what about that? Well the Internet is what Tanya would called a Klippas Nogah. Something that although can be used for evil can also be transformed into Holiness. That’s why the internet has been used by Chabad to bring thousands of Jews back to Yiddishkite in a way that without internet would not be possible.

Someone told me imagine you and 3 other people are walking and you see on the ground an object which has materialized from space. You have no idea what this object is but it seems to have some function. It's ownerless. What would one's gut reaction be before knowing anything: is this (brand new, never existed before) object mutar/permitted or assur? You have two ways to go about the research after this point, "It's mutar, of course, why should it be assur?" or "It's assur! Show me why it's mutar!" I started seeing far more of the latter in the Chassidish world than the former.

I’m not exactly sure what the former is, if this is the former Chassidic generation, then the answer is that there was less unknown things then than now. The Industrial Revolution has in 200 years accomplished more than it did the prior 5569. A Jews mission here on earth is to bring Holiness into the world by performing his Mitzvos. The question arises in regards to something being assur or mutar is, how will this help me reveal Hashem into the world and connect to him. Does watching TV do this? Going to a concert? Eating Kosher L'Pesach Ketchup? I’m not here to give my own opinion, in as much as I want people to get thinking and knowing that Yes, or No, neither violates Halacha but some people choose to go above the letter of the law.

Another person said to me:
Is abortion assur? I got shut down at a Chabad before even bringing up pro-choice opinions. Ask in the Chassidish velt if America should have gay marriage - who will mention Leviticus and who will mention the Gemara in Chullin, the source of the issur (for goyim, for Jews its the Sifri)?

This was kind of left field for me, because the discussion was about Chassidus and Modern Orthodox, and I was unaware that the Rabbinic leadership of Modern Orthodoxy said that Abortion and Gay marriage is mutar. I’m not really looking to discuss that as I don’t see a point, and this itself deserves its own blog and I’m not willing to waste time with such.

This was a rather surprising statement also said to me and I was very shocked to say the least. More so because I feel this person knows what he’s talking about and I cant image what less uneducated people might make of these types of experiences.

"Chassidus" is given as the reason "why" something is done I get furious. We do NOT pasken from Tanya. Or from the Kedushas Levi or any sayings of any other Rebbe except when said in a halachic context. Period.

First of all Chas V'Shalom we should ever be angry, because anger the sages say is equal to Idoletry. Secondly I can for a moment relate to this, but once its explained I can not relate to it. Something that used to bother me specificly in respect to Chabad is that they always say "The Rebbe said" and rarely sight an actual source. Then it hit me one Shabbos and I understood. I was learning Chumash with the Baal HaTurim's commentary and that same Shabbos someone said "The Rebbe said" and said exactly what I learned. I wanted to yell out actually the Tur says that and he is quoting Rashi, but G-d forbid I would embarrass a Jew publicly. A Rebbe and I mean any Rebbe of a Chassidic dynasty is a huge tzaddik and its safe to say they know the whole written and oral Torah by heart. Its also safe to say that the only thing that comes out of a Rebbe's mouth is Emes Torah. So most people arent learned enough to remember the sources the Rebbe used but if you ever watch videos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe its always "Its says in this Gemara this and it says in Shulchan Aruch that" and all of his Sichos have sources cited. So to say that you cant learn Torah unless you are reading straight Shulachan Aruch is absurd. As for saying you cant Paskin from the Tanya, this is true you cant. However the person that wrote the Tanya the Baal HaTanya was a Posek and codified his own Shulchan Aruch that many Chassidim hold by. It also is written in the beginning of Tanya that nothing the Alter Rebbe writes is new. Its all sourced and every other line is straight from the Gemara. I took the liberty of providing the sources for the 1st chapter of Tanya to prove this point. Every source on the 1st Chapter is from the Gemara. Niddah 30b, Berachos 7a, Bava Batra 16a, Bava Metzia 86a, Sanhedrin 99a. So you cant "poskin" a Shilah from the Tanya, but you can sure use it as a map to live ones life as a Torah Jew. I personally have never heard anyone poskin from Tanya because unless you are a Posek you cant poskin and some random Yid or even a Rabbi isn’t a Posek even if they try to derive Halacha from the Tanya.

Or when "Israel are compared to the stars of the sky" is given as the reason for why a Chabad Sukkah doesn't need to have the stars visible (real reason: multiway machlokes in the Shulchan Aruch, Alter Rebbe going in his usual derech of paskening, down w/the Magen Avraham )

I would just like to clarify if it isnt clear, that Chabad is a Chassidic sect but does not represent all Chassidim, so it makes me a little said when all Chassidim are judged on account of how Chabad holds (which is in most cases the opposite of general Chassidus). Regardless my reoccurring theme still stands, and that is that it’s ALL EMES and I pray my words arent taken as criticism of Chabad. With that said, the Alter Rebbe is quoted as saying "His only regret is that he didn’t poskin more like the Magen Avraham." The Magen Avraham was Polish and many Polish, Galicia, Ukranian Chassidim hold by him while Russian, White Russia, Luthuanian Chassidim (such as Chabad) don’t. I’m not familiar with this Chabad Minhag and my parents (who are Lubavitchers) have a sukkah that I see the stars just fine in. Regardless you said it yourself. Its a Machlokes in the Shulchan Aruch so that means more than one opinion and that doesn’t violate the Halacha.


One of the reasons I'm feeling myself drawn to the Modern Orthodox world is davka for this reason. Looking at halacha and seeing endless cases of "hey, you mean I could have been doing this the whole time?". Halacha based on people not seforim is the opposite of what I see in Brooklyn shtetlach based on my interactions with Chassidish Rebbeim.

As a Jew it is YOUR Job to learn Torah. It isn’t the job of any Rabbi to sit there and give you the 10 opinions brought down from the Shulchan Aruch. Its a big problem for people that become religious later in life, who go to Yeshivas like Mayanot, Aish, Ohr Somayach and they learn the way that group holds and they think that is the halacha without actually taking time to learn out the halacha from the Gemara or the Shulchan Aruch where they see that almost all Halacha has more than 2 opinions. They arent told that "This is how we hold, but there are other opinions" because that will confuse people and cause problems. If you hold by one Rav for one thing and another Rav for another thing what happens when you hold by something that goes against that Rav. That doesnt make sense. You are supposed to find yourself a Rav. It says it in Pirke Avos to make yourself a Rav. What does that mean? It means you must search to see which Rav's way of holding Torah suits you best. Whether its Modern Orthodox, Ultra Haredi Orthodox or something in between, you have to find a Rav and stick with what he says. You can play picksies and choosies when you don’t like how a Rabbi rules and find someone who rules like you want. That’s not how it works. You need to find a Rav and stick with him. If you want to find a Rav that is makel on most things that is fine, but you cant criticize someone who decides to be machmer and go above the letter of the law.

Conclusion:

The reason that there are so many ways of Judaism is because there is not just one way for Jews to reach their full potential. Not everyone should adhere to an Ultra Orthodox Standard of life, and some people should raise themselves up above an "Always Makel Stance" on Torah. Hashem knows where we should be so if we all learn Torah and search out for the Emes then we will all be put in the place we belong.

To say that Chassidim don’t follow Halacha is not only inaccurate but it is the anti of Emes. Not everyone is perfect but you judge a group of hundreds of thousands of Yidden on your or mine or anyones limited experiences is unfair and wrong.

Remember the Heilega Baal Shem Tov said, "When you see a fault in someone, its really a fault in yourself."

We should all merit bringing Emes into the world through our holy study of Torah and with that bringing Moshiach ben David through peace and not war, NOW. Amen.

We are all Angels: Yom HaKippurim

(Courtesy of wikipedia.org)

A women who was speaking to my mother after Kol Nidre said someone told her that she should be happy today and it really got me thinking. We learn from the Sfas Emes who gave over a maamar on Yom Kippur that this day is the happiest day of the year. Unlike the fast of Tisha B'Av which is fast of sadness and mourning, the fast of Yom Kippur is a fast of joy and celebration. Yom Kippur is know as the Shabbos of Shabbosim, and how could we as Jews that are required to be happy on Shabbos but sad on the Shabbos of All Shabbosim? The Sfas Emes gave a really amazing insight that not only gave me a great appreciation for this amazing day, but made it the most spiritual and fulfilling time in my life. Shabbos is said to be 1/60th of Olam Habah, so its only logical that the Shabbos of Shabbosim would be 1/30th of Olam Habah, and that is exactly what it was.
The Sfas Emes quotes the Gemara in Yoma that discusses the procedure of the Kohen Gadol before Yom Kippur. 7 days he separates from his wife and prepares for the one day. This is how the Sfas Emes connects Yom Kippur to being above nature Le'ma'ala min ha'teva, as 7 is nature, but 7 plus 1 is eight and that is above nature. How do we as Jews reach that level of Le'ma'ala min Ha'teva? The Sfas Emes says Fasting and Teshuva. Fasting because it is above our nature to not consume food and drink, and by doing this we are able to reach the level of angels, who not only do not eat, but do not want to eat. We wear white linen based off of Yehezkal's vision, we don't eat, and it is considered meritorious to stand as much as possible as the angels are incapable of sitting. Baruch Hashem I was blessed to stand the whole time except for the reading of Torah. We also become Korbanos as our bodies feed off of our fat and blood like that of the Korban of Yom Kippur.

How is Teshuvah above nature? The Sfas Emes explains that when we do something (like an averah) it becomes natural to us and very difficult to overcome. By doing proper Teshuvah we are able to raise ourselves above the natural process of everyday life. Hashem gives us the opportunity to obtain a higher level of spirituality on this day. This helps us with both these aspect of Yom Kippur and helps us in appreciating the importance of the day and the joy that these two elements should bring.

I held on to these ideas as I prayed to our creator and It was the most intense experience of my life. Not only did I completely ignore the Yetzar Hara who told my I was "starving", but I could have honestly fasted through the night until the morning. I was totally consumed in what I felt was proper Teshuva and striving for a connection with Hashem. There is something special about my parents shul, as its not a typical Chabad shul, its more like a Lubavitch Shtiebel. The Chazzan was a Rabbi from my community in Long Beach, and his voice is the sounds of a neshama trying to leave through the wind pipe. Im not so into the beautiful voice, I am into the powerful voice that cries when we pray that Hashem should have mercy and not take our lives before our time or when we speaks about the tragedy of the 10 martyrs.

Anu V'Ata was my climax, as that prayer gives me such intense concentration and passion. However the climax of climaxes was Shema x1 Baruch Shem x3 Hashem Hu x7. I lost my voice at Hashem Hu #7 and was shaking all over. We finished off right before the shofar with the Chabad Minhag of "the Victory March". Dancing Jumping Yelling around the Bimah I thought I was at a Breslov Shul for a moment.

I smiles, I cried, my soul was so joyful and I pray that my teshuva was sincere and accepted and that I can work to become a better Yid. Someone asked me last night if I made any resolutions. Jokingly I said, Yea not to make vows.

On a serious note, we should all focus on making our performance of mitzvos less routine and really pay attention to the fact that we are performing these mitzvos and although everyday, they are special and unique everyday. We should pay attention to our blessings over mitzvos and food and really be sincere. When someone does something for us we thank them and remember that. When we "forget" if we said a bracha rishon or achron, it is because we didn't properly thank Hashem for what he has given us.

May this year be the year that we grow and raise our spiritual level so that we can bring Moshiach speedily Amen!!!

Chasidim Dont Learn Chassidus Anymore

(Courtesy of www.derechhamelech.org)

*Update 8.28*
I realized after a day of thought and a response by a fellow Chasid that the blog wasn't really about the claim that Chasidim dont learn Chassidus, but I critical commentary on Chabad philosophy. My Yetzer Hara one uped me here because this is something I had told myself I wouldn't do anymore. Criticizing other derechs of Judaism does not further my pursuit or bring me closer to Hashem. So I rewrote the blog that ends with a question I hope non Chabad Chassidim who are allowed to use the internet can answer.

Darche Noam has an interesting Chassidic element to it. Three Rabbis who teach there are Chassidish and there are more than a few students inspired by them and the larger part of Chassidus. This is where I heard a most interesting statement made by a Lubavitcher Chasid that is a student at Darche Noam. He told me straight faced and serious that "Chasidim don't learn Chassidus anymore except for Chabad and Breslov." Flabbergasted, I said that it was simply not true and that many Chasidim learn Chassidus. He said to ask anyone and they will agree with his statement which he wishes wasn't true but is a reality none the less. The only Chasidim I am exposed to in Long Beach are Lubavitchers, Breslov, and my Rav who is neither of the two. He is a Polish Chasid, spodik and all. I learn Chassidius with him once or twice a week. I was scared and confused at his words. Does this mean I am a Breslover or a Lubavitcher since I learn Chassidus? Ok, I wasn't scared, I knew that this Baal Teshuva, just like other B.T's (including myself), sometimes believe what a certain person, Rabbi, or group might say and take this as the Emes of all Emes.

Even though I didn't believe him, I was on a mission to figure out if there was some truth into what he had said. First, I went to all the Chassidic Rabbi's who teach at Darche Noam. One is Vizhnitz, another Breslov, and the third seems to lean towards Chassidus in general. The Breslover laughed, the Rabbi who is a general Chasid was confused, but the Vizhnitzer had the best response of them all.

"First of all Chasidim learn Chassidus, there is just different opinions on how you learn Chassidus, when you learn Chassidus, and how often you learn Chassidus. Chasidus is the dessert of Torah. The Gemara is the Cholent. Some Chasidim eat dessert first and then have no room for Cholent. In Vizhnitz we don't learn Chassidus as much until you are older for this reason."


I'm not a Chabad Chasid or any specific Chasid but I try to learn Chassidus daily. If I am successful or not is another story. I know I'm not the only Non-Chabad Chasid learning Chassidus out there because I learn Chasidus with non Lubavitchers. Our last Shabbos in Eretz Yisroel was in Bnei Brak with an Aleksander Chasid who runs the Aleksander Shtiebel off of Rabbi Akiva St. It was one of the most amazing Shabbosim I have ever experienced and it will have its very own post, but I can tell you one thing about Aleksander Chasidim. They learn Chassidus. They learned Yismach Yisrael, by the second Aleksander Rebbe, Rebbe Yerachmiel Yisroel Yitzchok Dancyger after Shachris during Kiddush AND at Shalosh Seudos.

I am convinced that Chasidim are still learning Chassidus, but I wont be able to answer my own question until my wife and I get back to Israel to learn next year. Hopefully till then you can answer my question.


"Do Chassidim still learn Chassidus? and if they dont, what are they learning?"

Finding a Rebbe

Usually I attach a picture to my posts. It's a "minhag" I adopted from other Yiddishe Bloggers. I have no picture because I have no Rebbe. This blog stems from an experience I had this past shabbos washing my hands before prayer at my parents shul. I arrived late to shul which I do NOT like to do and this Lubavitcher strikes up a conversation with me.

Chabad made me interested in Torah Judaism but once I was exposed to the all the other types of Chassidus I realized that although learning and being close to Chabad Chassidus would always be apart of my life, I had no plans to become a Chabad Chassid. Like my Rav I wear a bekeshe, my payos are ever growing, and my wife bought me a Tallis like his. So I stick out at Chabad Shul and when people who haven't seen m come to my parents shul (they have only lived in this specific community for about 10 months) they are quite confused and some people question me.

So this Lubavitcher who i soon realized was a huge Meshichist asked me my name and if I was a Chabadnik. Regardless of peoples ideas it is still a mitzvah to respect your elders and ones more learned than you. So instead of laughing at him I smiled and said no. What I wanted to do was grab my payos and dance around asking "Do I look like a Chabadnik?" How rude of my imagination. I told him my Rav is a follower of HaRav Chaskel Besser of Radomsk. He asked me who my Rebbe was and I told him I don't have one. He asked me why "the Rebbe" wasn't my Rebbe and if I sent letters to the Rebbe. I told him Ive been to the Ohel and Ive left letters there. He said "No, No have you sent letters to the Rebbe! Have you used Igros Kodesh to speak to the Rebbe?" I said no, and being already late for davening I just kind of smiled, and agreed with him till I saw a window out.

That moment it dawned on me what and who a Rebbe is. A Rebbe is someone you latch onto. You do everything he does, because he is a Tzaddik and the only way that you can have even a drop of holiness in you, is to emulate the flood waters of holiness coming from a Tzaddik. How he prayers, how he speaks, WHAT he speaks, how he carries himself, who he associates with. All of this is the reason why hundreds of thousands of simple Jews flocked to the cities of Ger, Radomsk, Belz, and Lubavitch. They became _ _ _ _ _ _ Chassidim because of that Rebbe, because that Rebbe inspired them. Well I cant just read seforim and watch videos of a Rebbe. I need to see him. I'm to young in years and in yiddishkite to just sit down next to these Chassidim motzi shabbos and watch videos of Fahbrangens. They knew him and I never will.

I'm not going to find a Rebbe in Los Angeles, but this motzi shabbos the Pittsburgher Rebbe is coming to town. Hopefully he can give me some advice on what to do.

I learn a lot of Chassidus and what calls to me the loudest is the Chassidus of Ger. I'm not sure if they still emulate the lifestyle expressed in the writtings of the 2nd Rebbe the Sfas Emes but I truly feel close to Ger even though Ive never met any Ger Chassidim. If we can make it to Israel this summer G-d willing I would like to daven at their shul or something. I'm not sure how accepting they are of Baal Teshuvas. Especially ones that have tattoos from a past life.

I'm rather confused right now but I should problem be learning some Torah instead of worrying so much about this.