Close To Torah

The name of an object or person describes its essence, and the names of the paryshiyos are no exclusion to this idea. Consequently, parshas Acharei-Mos is more than the beginning of the parshah, it is the nature of the parshah as well. The parshah begins with Hashem telling Moshe to warn his brother Aharon that he should not repeat the ways of his children who perished. Rashi explains that Rebbi Eliezar Ben Azariyah would compare this to a sick person who goes to a doctor. The doctor tells him that he should not eat cold food and that he should not lay in the mildew. Afterwards, another person comes to the doctor and the doctor says that he should not eat cold food and lay in the mildew so you do not die like the first person.  This additional explanation will inspire the second man more than the first person. Thus, Rashi concludes that this is why the Torah tells this to Aharon HaCohen; to teach him in a way that he will be compelled to listen. Let us take a step back for a moment and look back at Parshas Shemini where this incident occurred.

In Parshas Shemini, the karbanos are brought on the eighth day of of the inauguration of the recently erected Mishkan. The Torah then relates that two of the sons of Aharon HaCohen, Nuduv and Avihu brought their own ketores offering. They decided to do this independently  without any commandment to do so.  As a result, they were punished rather than praised for their actions. Chazal tell us Nuduv and Avihu sinned when they drank wine prior to entering the Beis HaMikdash. A question appears; why would the Torah punished the children of Aharon HaCohen when the prohibition of drinking wine in the Beis HaMikdash is written following their death? One possible explanation is that they were punshied for not being careful in something that they knew was wrong. You could ask, how could they have been careful…they didn’t know it was prohibited! The answer is that they should have known that it is inappropriate go into a place of kedushah in a state that is impure. Wine is something associated with temptation, and is often used improperly. For example, a nazir does not drink wine when he saw what happened to a sotah as a result of intoxication.  As with all aspects of our lives, it is our duty to take mundane items, like wine, and sanctify them through Torah and mitzvos.   Even within the 613 mitzvos the Torah still leaves room to take your life a step further.  And that step is  kedushah.

Although wine led Nuduv and Avihu to their sin, their actual sin was bringing a ketores without being commanded to do so. While they may have had great intentions of doing Hashem’s will, in reality they acted against it. What was so wrong about bringing something that wasn’t commanded? The language that the Torah used to describe their offering was “aish zaruh” or foreign fire. Their act was considered foreign  because it was not commanded. There is a great difference between acting in a way that is l’fnim mishuris hadin, or beyond the letter of the law. The Torah is complete and perfect in every way, therefore when one tries to add to it they will inevitably retract from it. In our Avodas Hashem, we must be careful to follow the actual obligations of the Torah and to not create our own interpretations.

Why must the great Kohen Gadol Aharon HaCohen need to have his own children die in order to teach him to obey the specific prohibition of entering the Kodesh Kadushim during the year!? We are talking about the brother of Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest man to ever live.  Now we may begin to understand the question we initially raised, why must Aharon HaCohen be taught such a serious lesson, wouldn’t telling him be enough?

Parshas  Acharei Mos, literally “After Death”, refers to the children of Aharon HaCohen, and perhaps contains a deeper meaning.  When people reach the end of their life, they engage in the deepest personal reflection imaginable.  Their life flashes before their eyes, and they examine their lives, their experiences, their relationships.  Indeed, our own mortality drives us to examine ourselves on a regular basis, lest we reach the end of days with no concept of who we are or what our purpose is.  It is this idea, the idea of deep reflection, that we learn from Parshas Acharei Mos. Aharon learned through the death of his beloved, holy children, the importance of learning from, and moving on from experiences.  We can be told the most important lessons from the most important people, but nothing teaches like Experiences.   And what better day, the day designated by G-d himself, to reflect, learn, and move on from our experiences but Yom Hakippurim.  That is why we learn Acharei Mos for Yom Hakippurim.  That is why Aharon HaCohen, and Klal Yisroel, needed this lesson.

That is truly the pasuk in the other parshah of this week, Parshas Kedoshim. The pasuk tells us “קדשים תהיו.” While there is a discussion as to what the specific mitzvah is, the basic idea is to make one’s self holy. A famous explanation of קדשים תהיו is that one should  מקדש עצמו במותר לך meaning to sanctify ones-self by that which is permitted to him. As was touched upon earlier this should never lead to one’s own interpretations of the Torah, only expressing great care in their observance to mitzvos. This idea of becoming kadosh is a deeply rooted desire of Klal Yisroel and it must be expressed through mitzvos. Otherwise it will be used improperly as we saw by the sons of Aharon HaCohen. These parshiyos are usually found during the time of Sefiras HaOmer, between Pesach and Shavuos. This is a time where we grow in preparation for the acceptance of the Torah once again. This is the time where we also observe mourning for the students of the great Rebbi Akiva whom were said to not have shown proper respect to one another. The greatest thing that we can do in this time in preparation for the acceptance of the Torah, as we grow from being like an animal (as the offering on Pesach is from food of the animals) to being like a Man (as the offering on Shavuos is from the food of Man) we should take extra measures to treat our fellow brethren with proper respect. The greatest chumros should be found in our Ben Adom L’chavayro as that is where we tend to lack. We think that the acceptance of Torah is just through our learning and davenning, it is also through the way we treat others. We should use this time to purify and sanctify ourselves before Yom HaKippurim where we come before Hashem. We should all be zocheh to grow in all ways through this period of time in our lives.

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The Big Picture

The notion of “what comes up must come down” can be a startling reality. Is everything bound by the rules of gravity pulling us down? Perhaps it is only things that don’t propel themselves. It is as the great Baalei Mussar suggest: if you are not moving up in spirituality then you are falling down! Life must be constantly driven as there are several forces that will bring it down. Not only are there forces that will compromise the intent but they will also cause a misdirection. Nothing is simply set into motion and forgotten about. There are always opposing forces ahead.

The observations we make within the physical realm are often adaptable to the metaphysical. We all have a trajectory that we are following, but over time we may shift off course. We must constantly evaluate and adjust to the conditions that we face in order to achieve our goals. There are times where our current speed and direction is not noticeable as we are slowly drifting off course. Such an acute shift may not be noticed unless viewed from afar. The misalignment is not visible and often neglected until due evidence is brought. The instruments on hand are only as good as the one who interprets them. Even poor instruments can suffice when you can keep the scale in mind. You finally made it right above your landing spot. Touch down softly and embrace the new discovery.

Take-Off

Unlike most take offs ours begins with the pilot sleeping. We aren’t cruising at a high altitude, and are not serving beverages. There really isn’t much going on. Why is it that our lives begin in such a state? Unable to function in the normal sense, unable to perform the mitzvos until later in life. It would seem to be a fair question had we assumed that childhood lacks the ability to carry out the will of Hashem. I always used to answer this question by making reference to the order of study that Chazal^[1]dictate. We are told that at the age of five one should learn the Written Code of Torah, followed by the Oral Law of the Mishnah at the age of ten. This Mishnah always seemed to perplex me as children are instructed to learn but alas they are not obligated to follow. That must mean that the level of understanding is enough to grasp something worthwhile but nonetheless not enough to be held responsible for. It may in fact go further than that. It is my belief that the younger years of childhood are there as a stepping stone in taking upon the tremendous yoke of the Torah. The Almighty wants us to follow His Torah perfectly and therefore gives us an opportunity to learn it without having to worry about its observance in our beginning state. This is a nice idea until I heard an answer from my great Rebbi, Rav Nochum Lansky Shlita. He said that what I said doesn’t fully answer the question, as a child does not learn anything prior to the age of three. As the Mishnah here says the age of five, but the Rambam does bring down that when a child begins to speak begin teaching him certain pasukim. My theory fails to explain the need for childhood prior to that age. My Rebbi made an interesting interpretation on the gemara^[2] says that Rebbi Akiva waited his entire life (כל ימי חיי) for the moment in which he would be able to carry out the mitzvah of giving one’s life for the glorification of the name of the Almighty. Asked  my Rebbi why does it say kol, meaning entire? He answered that even when Rebbi Akiva was a child this was his desire. He said this in contrast to some that would say that Rebbi Akiva was alluding to the time in his life when he was not a learned individual. When I asked what he were to answer in response to that he said that isn’t kol, it seems that for Rebbi Akiva to say all of his life must mean more than his adult past. What we learn from this according to my Rebbi, and even within my little understanding is that the small steps we take in the beginning carry great weight. I asked Rebbi what was it that Rebbi Akiva could have possibly done to express this idea, Rebbi responded by saying that the depths of your soul contain that special task. It is even at a young age when you are a simple creature you still emit this deep will that will eventually be the life force that carries you through your life.

Setting the Destination

You are airborne. Do you know where you are going? Is your destination set? Is this a non-stop flight…or are you taking your time? In our lives, we only have a one-way ticket. True – with the great gift of teshuvah we are able to undo the past and preserve the future. Do we look at teshuvah as a modification of the past in which it opens the horizons for tommorow, or perhaps it is settings us back on the course that we are originally taking. What’s the difference you may ask!? The difference is do we look at teshuvah as remapping the past or simply correcting the future. It is my firm belief that it is both. As the great Rambam spells out to us that the process of Teshuvah requires both regret of the past as well as a decision to cease future occurrences of the “step in the wrong direction”. It is evidently clear that both are needed and that they are two distinct aspects. Honestly this requires its own discussion but I will simply say that even though the fixing of the future usually implies to regret of the past it is not always so. In fact the parable we looking at can bring out this concept. If we went one-hundred miles off course we want to get to the destination that we planned on, at our current location we can simply compensate for our mistake and change our direction to account for the error. In such a case it is possible that we didn’t care about the wrong doing we took in the beginning we only realized that we must change our course now. That is a lack of regret that is needed in the process of teshuvah.

The flight began and we are travelling at top speed. Trust me, auto-pilot isn’t a good idea. You are surely going to crash? Why? The computer knows where it is going. Our auto-pilot is made to train pilot how to pilot a plane, the pilot would never learn how to fly the plane if the auto pilot were fully functional, therefore we must set the auto pilot in a way in which the pilot must overcome it and direct the plane using his manual and map instead of relying on the on-board computers. You should be asking…why do we need to do that, if the plane can really fly well enough by itself why do we need pilots at all? The answer is because the head of the airline wishes to train his pilots to be able to control planes that malfunction. A good pilot will know how to respond to all conditions and accommodate for all failures. When things get really rough chas v’shalom he will be able to make a crash landing and evacuate the passengers effectively. We must always daven for protection from the worst and aspire for continued bliss. Set your course, grab a hold of your life and all those who are touched by it.

Staying on Route

Every plane is different. Different sizes, occupancy, features etc. Even within planes there are many different types for different purposes. There are prop planes, gliders, cargo planes, jet planes, drop planes, I don’t know so many but I’m sure there are many more. Each plane has a specific role, one that is befitting for one purpose may be a failure for another. It is likely that pilots also have their specialty. Without question there are discrepancies between the planes that would require specific training. Within the numerous factors involved in flying the slightest imperfection can have startling results. The performance of an aircraft is twofold; its upkeep and its piloting. You can have the best pilot in the world but there is not to much you can do if you are out of fuel. You are not the Maker of the aircraft, but you are currently responsible for it. Before every flight you have an obligation that you check your vitals and their functionality. If something is off, it must be fixed prior to take-off.

In order to reach your destination as efficiently as possible you must follow the quickest route with optimal speed. If your nose is angled too high you will experience air resistance causing turbulance as well as slowing you down. You must keep your self level, in touch with what lays below you as well as what hover above you. You must know your place and embrace it, not too high or low. In order to remain at the current altitude you must keep the pitch of the plane straight and balanced. The truth is that you want to constantly soar above avoiding all that lurks below. In order to do that you must keep your nose up and increase speed to accommodate to the change in resistance. Don’t jump too quickly as a change in altitude too quickly will disrupt the cabin pressure. The best advice to elevating properly is through steady constant elevation.

Suddenly Falling

Your  beacon is set, your coordinates are correct, altitude and pressure are fine. All looks clear and peaceful. Let go for a second it watch it all drop. The weather conditions change you must accommodate for them, quickly and cleanly, don’t rock the boat you don’t want to spill anything. The destination may be clearly set but sometimes your path is not as clear. Laying before you are two options how do you decide? A thought-out decision is a must, but both options have ups and downs. What do you do? You call traffic control, you ask for aid. Look up to the heavens, and ask the One who guides every inch of this world for direction. Your radio communications seem to be broke, you don’t hear a response. If you were truly desperate wouldn’t you keep trying? Hoping they listen. He is always listening…you may not see blinking lights but He is always listening. How will you know? He made the instruments well enough that you will be able to guide yourself safely under all conditions. Why put it past Him, it is his plane after all? So you can’t understand it…who made you an aerospace engineer…that’s what I thought. There are always possibilities that you didn’t consider and even if you did try again. In addition to asking traffic control for aid, you can radio your mentors, an experience pilot. One who had studied the ways of the heavens and below, one who helps others and has been in the same seat as you. Ask him, he is wiser than you and has learned from the best. Sometimes reading the manual yourself can help, but other times you will simply miss the point. Not everything is as clear as day, don’t expect it to be. Look for yourself, but when in doubt seek clarification…don’t just “give it a try”, you have an enormous responsibility in your hands. Your life is a given, but the entire crew and the passengers aboard, they are all at your grasp.

Explanation

This is only a small explanation to this mashal. The truth is that a good mashal can have several understandings. If you have another perspective or other factors that I left out please let me know.

This mashal may or may not be clear to you what the nimshul is, and even it is not every single detail may be. I cannot possibly clarify everything as there is no end, but the big things I can. The plane is your existence. Your consciousness is the pilot. The journey is your Life. The head of the airline is Hashem. The traffic control is your tefillos to Hashem. Auto Pilot is your yetzer hara. The experienced pilot is a Rebbe. The manual is the Torah. The instruments are the natural wonderments in the world. The crew are the people directly involved in your life, aka your wife, family, students etc. The crew is Klal Yisroel, all that you do impacts them as well whether you notice or not.

1. Avos 5 21 [↩]
2. Brachos 61b [↩]

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It is an amazing observation that is so simple in its root. The things that show the greatest Yad-Hashem may be perceived as the utter lack of such. There are individuals who have a “healthy” mindset where they see the Yad-Hashem constantly in our everyday lives. Such people will always take the best of those events that occur in the world and respond accordingly. There are others who sees everything with a tinge of chaos, nothing is logical, nothing is fair – you get the point. The first group of people can accept those events that we don’t understand their source. The others choose not only to not accept but they go even further and say that things are unjust and asks questions that begin with “why” and end with “it’s not fair”. Such people are often miserable, and it is a real shame. It’s such a shame because the things that are here in this world for us to remind us of our mishaps are those such events. It is not by chance that catastrophic events occur in the world. It isn’t by some roll of the dice that certain groups of people are targeted more than others. It is not pure coincidence that the Jewish people are always in the center of the media. No, none of this is true. It is because this is for us to realize that something is wrong, very wrong. The scariest part is when we don’t even see the signs. We are so far aways that the signs to help us are foreign!

The Almighty made an amazing system in the human body. We have defense mechanisms in our nervous system that allows us to sense pain or extreme temperatures and react to them. The sense itself is only an indication for us to react accordingly. Meaning the sensation of agony that we feel when we touch something hot is to cause us to move our hand away to prevent any damage. The pain itself is minute in comparison to had there been no indication and the inevitable conclusion of severely damaging your hand chas v’shalom. If a person was about to walk in the street unaware that a car was approaching. In response to that another individual heroically pushed the man out of the way resulting in him falling to the ground and bruising his leg. The injured man begins getting hot and excited in response to the pain he is currently suffering. The hero says in shock, “I saved your life”. The injured man responds, “Yeah, but you hurt me.”. I don’t think anyone can honestly say that the injured man is responding appropriately. What a fool, I would say. Your live was saved what is a little pain?! My dear friends we do this everyday! We are swept out of the way from death and left with a mere paper-cut. What is our response? “Yeah, but you hurt me.”. Why do we do this? Is it because we don’t really sense the danger initially, or are we that sick that we cannot overlook the momentary pain!? I think we can gauge this by seeing our response in a similar scenario. If the hero saved us with not a scratch, how thankful would we be? I hope that we would be at least “very” thankful if not ecstatically thankful. Therefore you may conclude that the momentous pain is actually concealing this emotion and submerging it below. How can that be? Such an appreciation, why would it fall to this minute pain? The answer is because we let it. We have a tendency to lose sight of appreciating the gifts that we are constantly given. When the smallest opportunity comes to avoid having to feel appreciative to someone we will take it. This selfish nature is deeply rooted in man and is a very powerful force. The only way to treat such a great threat like this is with a secret weapon that the Chazal tell us.

Chazal^[1] teach us: “חביבין יסורין עליך”, or “Love the suffering that befall upon you”. You may ask why in the world should you react that way? The answer is because all that happens to us is just and fair. It is needed for us and it is the best thing for us. The yisurim that we are given are compared by Chazal to the raw meat that is sweetened by salt. We all know that salt has a unique ability that it absorbs liquids, when raw meat is covered in salt the result is that the blood is absorbed into the salt. I thought that the reason why the Chazal compare the salt sweetening the meat because it won’t have any more blood. However says the great commentator the Maharshah that it is the entrance of the yisurim in the meat as opposed to the meat being sweet due to the absence of the blood. That means that it is two-fold, both the absence of the blood as well as the presence of the salt sweetens the meat. That is a comparison given to explain the relationship between yisurim with the avonos that we do. The yisurim absorb the avonos, but they also improve the individual as well. The yisurim brings you to a level that you weren’t at prior to the avonos. This is an understanding that can explain the statement of Chazal that a Baal-Teshuvah stands at a place that even a Tzadik Gamor stands. That is due to the acceptance of the yisurim that one experiences he returns to where he had before with an added sweetness to the Ribono Shel Olam.

These yisurim help rid us of our wrong, and give us a push in the right direction as well.  We have so much at our grasp! These words of Chazal are the keys to all the locks in our lives. The first step to getting in control is by seizing it! The tools are here, are you? We have the ability to change our focus and direct our attention on the aspects of life that are so much neglected. Realize that even the worst of times is really the best for you.

Now that we have an idea of how to look at things in a finer light. We can just briefly adapt this concept from a individual basis to a global one. As you may or may not know, the world was created for a purpose. The Jewish People are the head of the campaign of this purpose. We are the sole members who cause the success and failure of this campaign. Everything else in the world, are here to aid that purpose. They are essential for us to utilize but that is all. Therefore all of the events of this world are due to our actions, and that alone. The Jewish People are responsible for all the catastrophic events and all the wondrous ones as well. All of them are a result of our actions. This is simply the system of the Jewish People being treated like one body. This idea is something I hope to bring out in another entire article, but until then this idea is important to know. We are all one. That isn’t just a good line, but rather a truth to the deep secrets of this world. The People of Yisroel are one body. That single body is treated with the same system of yisurim as aforementioned above. We are given the opportunities as a community to see our wrong-doings and repent appropriately. That being a communal effort all are affected by it. The sinners and righteous are treated as one group^[2] therefore we must all act in response to those yisurim. Those of use who attempt to perform the Mitzvos of the Torah are not “as” liable for the yisurim but we are still of course responsible. For the very fact that we are obligated to see that others do not transgress as well!

When we see things in our personal lives, as well as our lives generally speaking. We should try not to focus on the “Why is this happening to me?” with emphasis on the “me”, rather focus the “why”. The answer will always be the same, because you need it. If not you yourself then you as a part of the People of Yisroel. If you are experiencing these events in your life that is the biggest reminder that you are the one that can help. If not why is it happening to you? It is happening to you so that you do something about it. Respond to the events in your life by taking action to fix, not to question. Don’t try to understand the “me”, sometimes not even the “why”. There are times we won’t fully understand at all, but always realize there is a reason. When all things look dismal – look up. This is your chance, right now. If not you then who? If not now then when? If there was ever a time where you are being given your chance to do something, it’s right now. When you are down. Keep looking up and realize the time is now, and I am going to take charge of my actions.f

1. Berachos 5, b [↩]
2. Though the Rambam in Hilchos Teshuvah states that the punishments are based on the majorities there are of course those who break free from this calculation [↩]

We have already begun to explore the calendar at large. We recognize that time is not simply here, rather it is a very special gift that we utilize every moment. The units of time are not simply units of measurements but separate vessels to fill. Just like you have different vessels for different needs so too you have different times for different needs. You wouldn’t begin your meal with a dessert spoon rather you would use a soup spoon. For each time of the year we have different forces to help us through the year. Without even one of them we would be unable to continue. Why is that so? You don’t hurt yourself if you eat your soup with your dessert spoon. In this parable we do at least see that you will take a very long time, and by the time you will finish your soup it will probably  be fairly chilled. We must use the right tools for the task. The Almighty with his great kindness provides us with the exact recipe for success on a daily basis. Not only do we know how to succeed from day to day, but even from year to year. We learn how to fix the mistakes of the past and embrace the open paths of the future. Let’s go across that bridge and take a step in the right direction, its easy. You’ll see.

What a precious jewel we have here among us. You could be staring at a diamond right in front of you. So close that its under your nose. So close that you fail to notice it because you are looking so far forward that you missed it! Don’t worry, we’ll give you a second chance. This time we’ll get it. The great Bnei Yissosschar discusses the different months of the year and the attributes they personify. The months of the year numbers are twelve. These twelve periods are special and unique. They aren’t just a bunch of day one after the other. They are a different existence. Each and every month the will of Hashem is emitted in a different angle. Expressing a different aspect of the Almighty’s will. This will is shown through His holy names. These names contain the deepest pillars of the world. The existence of the world is built on different aspects of these holy names. Simply the names of Hashem can be ordered in twelve different combinations. These twelve different combinations express a different attribute. Along with the different combination are many other factors that are on a scale of twelve that change through the year. The study of these combinations are among the sacred teachings of our Torah. That which have been passed down from generation to generation of whom only a small number of people are zocheh to grasp these teachings. Without exploring this we can learn so much from the times of the year and their order. There is always so much more beneath the surface, but first we must start with the surface.

In our year there are two beginnings. One is the beginning of the Shalosh Ragulim where we go to the Holy Temple three times a year. This year begins from the month of Nissan. The other year which is the beginning of the year in reference to the the creation of the world. This first path of the year is associated with the Midas HaChessed, which is opposed to the other path of the year which is associated with the Midas HaDin. That means that the same month can be viewed from two perspectives. First how it correlates to chessed, and secondly how it correlates to din. There are really twenty-four different combinations to the Holy Names of the Almighty, two for each month. One associated with the Midas HaChessed the other with the Midas HaDin. That means that every month has a distinct duality that provides us with an environment for growth. That duality is something that we can take in to our lives. The realization that everything that we encounter has both a midah of din and chessed. That is a tremendous chizuk for us in our lives. We can look at every event with its response to our actions as well as being a pure expression of unconditional good-will.

The time that we have in this world is a great gift to us. It is the thing that enables us to become much better than we already are. I was once thinking about an aspect of what it means to exist beyond the realm of time. The Almighty is of course beyond the boundaries of time and we cannot fathom that existence. I realized at that point that I cannot understand what is such an existence rather what is not such an existence. That means I cannot understand a level that I myself and not close to, therefore I must realize to what extent am I constrained by time to realize that Hashem is not. From that point I asked myself a question that has always bothered me. What is the purpose of time, and furthermore for whatever its purpose may be why is Hashem not bound to it. It is obvious from the word in Hebrew שנה which means year which is the same root as שונה to change. Similarly the word שינה (to sleep) is the same root as the aforementioned. What is the reason for this? I believe that the nature of time is the ability to change. A year is the base unit of a complete change. Consequently the word שינה or sleep, is the absolute lack of change.^[1] The Almighty is perfect in all ways possible. That leaves time completely useless and unecessary to him. It is of course more than that, it is even a downside as if to say that the true perfection of the Almighty ever needed change chas v’shalom.

Let’s take a peak at the year ahead and the ups and downs it has in store for us. The year is a cycle not because it repeats as much as we repeat. We have our tendencies that find there way back again and again. The year is conducive to both break free from these tendencies as well as utilize them to the greatest extent. Let’s look at the month of Cheshvan. Cheshvan or MarCheshvan meaning the bitter month of Cheshvan is empty with no Yomim Tovim in the near future. We left the days of Awe after the Yomim Norayim then were pleased to that great joy of the chag of Sukkos. Now we are left no direction…where do we go? That is the moment that we must realize that we were given everything we need to shteig for the next month and so on until the upcoming chag of Chanukah. That void of Cheshvan is a time for great growth on the tail end of the high of Sukkos with a fresh start. As great as it sounds, it can be very lonely and empty. The long winter is ahead of us, with no break in between – what are we going to do!? That is the negative feeling of Cheshvan that you must avoid. Look at every moment and treat them as precious gems as they won’t last if you don’t tend to them.

Now this duality is present within every single day our lives. This seeming absence of direction is often the obstacle to jump up and grab it. With time we will go through every tekufah and its paths of wonder and slendor and its more scary bewildering caves. Let’s start the year of right and take every day as an oppurtunity for kedushah and a new oppurtunity to make something of yourself.

1. We find this in other places that the root or gematriah of something will actually be the total opposite. For instance עונג which means to have pleasure and נגע which means affliction. [↩]