בס״ד Too Much Sinai Thirty- interpretation of the verse: I shattering, awe-inspiring have given you much greatness experience, but of a Divine seven (See Seder Olam and reward for your having wisdom being implemented Weekly Rabbah, Devarim, ch. 10.) days dwelt at this mountain: you into daily life. before his passing, on the first made the Mishkan, understood that Sinai was July 19-25, 2020 day of the Hebrew month 27 - 4 Av, 5780 the Menorah, and the [other] spiritual bliss, but to fulfill the of Shevat, Moses began his furnishings; you received the purpose of creation, to connect final series of talks to his Torah: Devarim: Torah; you appointed heaven and earth, the Jewish Deuteronomy 1:1 - 3:22 beloved people—words of a Sanhedrin for yourselves, and people needed to follow rebuke, inspiration and hope. In captains over thousands and specific steps, they needed to Haftarah: this first talk, he related the captains over hundreds. (Rashi introduce measured, consistent Isaiah 1:1-27 story of their leaving Mount to Deuteronomy 1:6) Rashi spirituality into their lives. Sinai after being for almost a interprets the verse to mean, not Moses taught an important PARSHAT year. At that point, before the MATOT-MASSEI that the Jewish people had lesson. Yes, the occasional sin of the spies, they were spent too much time at Sinai, spiritually intense moment is We have Jewish headed straight for the land but rather, they had achieved critical. Yes, once a year we of Israel. Moses stated: The Calendars. If you much at Sinai. But what about need to experience a Yom would like one, L-rd our G-d spoke to us in the most important Kippur, a day on which we are please send us a Horeb (Sinai), saying, “You achievement? What about like angels in heaven. But that it letter and we will have dwelt long enough at this experiencing the Divine is not enough. The question we send you one, or mountain. Turn and journey, revelation? Moses himself ask ourselves is, not how often ask the and come to the mountain of

Calendars spends a good chunk of next do we feel as spiritual as we do /Chaplain to the Amorites and to all its week's portion describing the on Yom Kippur, but rather,

contact us. neighboring places, in the revelation at Sinai: For ask now what specific action will we

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Do you have family the lowland, and in the south were before you, since the day is imbued with the light of the

on the outside and by the seashore, the land of that G-d created man upon the Torah's teachings? (Based on struggling? the Canaanites, and the earth, and from one end of the the teachings of the , Please contact or Lebanon, until the great river, heavens to the other end of the Likutei Sichot, vol. 24, have them contact the Euphrates River.” heavens, whether there was Devarim, sichah 2) By Rabbi (Deuteronomy 1:6-7) G-d said, our office to learn anything like this great thing, or Menachem Feldman “You have dwelt long enough more about our were the likes of it heard? Did at this mountain.” In other Memory On family programs. ever a people hear G-d's voice words, “Enough already, the prior to Tisha You and they are speaking out of the midst of the you’ve had too much of Sinai.” fire as you have heard, and B'Av, the Jewish national day

Family Programs Family not alone, we are This seems quite strange. of mourning, we will hear the here to help. live? (Deuteronomy 4:32-33.) Wasn't the revelation at Sinai famous Haftarah (reading

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We offer free Grape history, the foundation of our depart the camp at the foot of the "Vision of Isaiah." And Juice and Matzoh religion and the basis of all of Mount Sinai, the people were on Tishah B'Av itself, we will for you to be able to the Torah? How can one have surely unhappy. They certainly recall the destruction of our “too much” of Sinai? What can make the blessings preferred to remain in spiritual Holy Temple nearly 2,000 be better or more spiritually every Shabbos. paradise, and they must have years ago by fasting and Please have your uplifting than camping at the feared the possibility of losing foot of Sinai? Sinai was a great mourning and the other chaplain / Rabbi inspiration, vision and spiritual place to be. The revelation at observances of the day. But contact us to enroll resolve. Moses reassured them. why remember? The world Sinai was the most formative He told them not to worry. He (available to all experience of our people. But cannot understand why we go

Grape Juice & Matzah & Juice Grape told them that after all the time prisons). there came a moment when on about the Holocaust—and spent at Sinai, they certainly dwelling at Sinai became a that was only 60 years ago! Hyman & Martha Rogal Center had the tools to continue their distraction. “You’ve been here For over 19 centuries, we have 5804 Beacon Street journey to the Promised Land. Pittsburgh, PA 15217 too long,” said G-d. “It’s time Therefore, when Moses been remembering and 412-421-0111 to face the real world.” It was enumerated the achievements observing this event and it has Fax: 412-521-5948 time to take the Sinaic at Sinai, he mentioned not the become the saddest day in our www.alephne.org inspiration and bring it to day- revelation itself, but rather the calendar. Why? Why not let [email protected] to-day life in the land of Israel. Menorah, the study of Torah bygones be bygones? It's Rashi, the primary commentary and the court system. These history. What was was. Why of the Torah, offers a homiletic were symbols, not of an earth- keep revisiting old and painful

IN JEWISH HISTORY visions? They say that Napoleon was once passing through the Sunday, July 19, 2020 --- 27 Tammuz, 5780 Jewish ghetto in Paris and heard sounds of crying and wailing Third expulsion from France (1322) After having been allowed back into France in the year 1315 (after the emanating from a synagogue. He stopped to ask what the expulsion in 1306 by Philip IV), the Jews were once again expelled from lament was about. He was told that the Jews were France by Charles IV, who thus broke the pledge made by his predecessors in remembering the destruction of their Temple. "When did it 1315 that the Jews would be able to stay in France for at least 12 years. happen?" asked the Emperor. "Some 1700 years ago," was the answer he received. Whereupon Napoleon stated with Monday, July 20, 2020 --- 28 Tammuz, 5780 conviction that a people who never forgot its past would be Passing of "Yismach Moshe" (1841) destined to forever have a future. Jews never had history. We Tammuz 28 is the yahrzeit of Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum (1759-1841) of Uhely, have memory. History can become a book, a museum, and Hungary, author of Yismach Moshe and patriarch of the Hungarian Chassidic forgotten antiquities. Memory is alive. And memory dynasties. Passing of Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried (1886) guarantees our future. Even amidst the ruins, we refused to Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried (1804-1886) was born in (Ungvar) in the forget. The first temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. As Carpathian region of the Habsburg Empire (now ). When he was eight they led the Jews into captivity, the Jews sat down and wept. years old, Shlomo's father, Rabbi Yosef, passed way, and Ungvar's chief rabbi, "By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept remembering Zion." Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh Heller, assumed legal guardianship of Shlomo. In 1830, he What did we cry for? Our lost wealth, homes and businesses? abandoned his work as a wine merchant and accepted the position of Rabbi of No. We cried for Zion and Jerusalem. "If I forget thee 'O Brezovica (Brezevitz). In 1849, he returned to Ungvar to serve as a rabbinical Jerusalem, let my right hand lose its cunning. If I fail to elevate judge. Realizing that the average Jew required a basic knowledge of practical Jerusalem above my foremost joy, then let my tongue cleave halachah, Rabbi Ganzfried compiled the Kitzur , an to its palate." We were not weeping for ourselves or our lost abbreviated digest of Jewish law. To this day, the Kitzur Shulchan liberties but for the heavenly city and the Holy Temple. Amidst Aruch remains a classic halachic work, and it has been translated into many languages. In addition to the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, he authored many works the bondage, we aspired to rebuild; amidst the ruins we dreamt including Kesset HaSofer, a halachic primer for scribes, and Pnei Shlomo, a of returning. And because we refused to forget Jerusalem, we commentary on the . did return. Because we refused to accept defeat or accept our exile as a historical fait accompli, we have rebuilt proud Jewish Tuesday, July 21, 2020 --- 29 Tammuz, 5780 communities the world over, while our victors have been Passing of Rashi (1105) vanquished by time. Today there are no more Babylonians and Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, known as "Rashi", passed away on the 29th of the people who now live in Rome are not the Romans who Tammuz of the year 4865 from creation (1105 CE). Rashi was born in destroyed the Second Temple. Those nations became history Troyes, France, in 1040. His commentaries on the Torah, Prophets and while we, inspired by memory, emerged revitalized and Talmud are universally accepted as the most basic tool for the regenerated and forever it will be true that Am Yisrael Chai — understanding of these texts for schoolchild and scholar alike. Numerous the people of Israel lives! I remember hearing a story of commentaries have been authored on his commentary. In his famed "Rashi a Torah scholar and his nephew who were in the Holocaust. In talks", the Lubavitcher Rebbe repeatedly demonstrated how Rashi's the concentration camp, they studied the Talmud together. "simple meaning of the text" style enfolds many layers of meaning, often They were learning the tractate Moed Katan, a part of the resolving profound difficulties in the text and presenting new, innovative Talmud that, ironically, discusses the laws of mourning. And interpretations with a simple word choice or rephrasing of a Midrashic when the time came that the uncle saw himself staring death in passage. the face, he said to his nephew, "Promise me that if you survive Wednesday, July 22, 2020 --- 1 Av, 5780 you will finish studying this book of Moed Katan." Amidst the Passing of Aaron (1274 BCE) misery, desolation and tragedy, what thought preoccupied his Aaron the first High Priest, brother of Moses and Miriam, passed away at mind? That the Talmud should still be studied. This was his age 123 on the 1st of Av of the year 2487 from creation (1274 BCE). This last wish on earth. Was it madness, or is it the very secret of is the only yahrzeit (date of passing) explicitly mentioned in the Torah our survival? Only if we refuse to forget, only if we observe (Numbers 33:38). Tisha B'av, can we hope to rebuild one day. Indeed, the Ezra Arrives in Israel (348 BCE) Talmud assures us, "Whosoever mourns for Jerusalem, will Following their long journey from Babylon (see Jewish history for merit to witness her rejoicing." If we are to make it back to the 12th of Nissan), Ezra and his entourage arrived in the land of Israel to Zion, if our people are to harbor the hope of being restored and be near the newly built second Holy Temple in Jerusalem. A relatively revived, then we dare not forget. We need to observe our small group came together with Ezra, the majority of Jews, including great National Day of Mourning. Forego the movies and the Torah scholars, choosing to remain in Babylon due to the harsh conditions restaurants. Sit down on a low seat to mourn with your people; that were then prevailing in Israel. and perhaps even more importantly, to remember. And, please G-d, He will restore those glorious days and rebuild His Friday, July 24, 2020 --- 3 Av, 5780 own everlasting house. May it be speedily in our day. By Rabbi Passing of R. Shimshon of Ostropolle (1648) Yossi Goldman R. Shimshon of Ostropolle was a saintly individual who was greatly revered both in his lifetime and beyond. It is told that an angel called a maggid would come and reveal secrets of Torah to him, and that he merited revelations from Elijah the Prophet. He himself records kabbalistic insights that were revealed to him in dreams. R. Shimshon authored Dan Yadin, a kabbalistic commentary, as well as numerous other unpreserved works. Additionally, many of his interpretations that were preserved orally have been collected and published.