21st Century Idol Worship

G-d commands Avrohom – Abraham - the first Jew “Leave your birthplace, land and fathers house to the land that I will show you.” Avrohom was not a youngster anymore he was in his seventies and his wife Sara was in her sixties.

What was Avrohom doing until now?

Avrohom found G-d when he was three years old. He was hidden in a cave to save his life, because of a decree for his death. On the birth date of Avrohom the king’s star gazers predicted that the child born that night will conquer the world. They misunderstood it as a battle for conquest, the reality was he would not battle their bodies but will bring the world to monotheism – a philosophical battle.
On his 3rd birthday he looked outside trying to figure out how everything came about realizing that the sun sets and the moon rises and that every physical creation has a limited life he understood that the creator is not something we can see or hear, touch or feel. It’s a spiritual power.

When Avrohom was 18 he destroyed his father’s idol shop. This was considered a great offence and he was punished by being catapult into a huge outdoor furnace. After coming out alive, the people of that time came to realize that G-d was protecting Avrohom.

At the age of seventy G-d revealed Himself to Avrohom and commanded him to move away from his past completely and this will change his Mazal to finally father children, who will later become the chosen nation of the world. The nation that will bring ethics and values, we will bring an awareness of goodness to the other nations.

Everything in Torah has a lesson for us in every generation. The concept of idol worship – bowing down to a statue – a piece of wood is something that is very primitive and difficult for us in this century to comprehend. However what if I we were to change the physical statue to a commodity, a business or even a Hollywood star this would be a 21st century idol. Thousands of people are “worshipping” blindly other people, money and power.

There are ways of doing business, following people’s views etc. that is part of life without it being “idol worship”. That is the message of this weeks Torah portion. Let’s not “worship” things in our life because that’s what the other guy has, or that’s the “in thing”.

Avrohom faced the world alone! That power is ingrained within every single Jew. That is Jewish pride. To do things that may be different to those around but its still the right thing and that is why we do it.

Rabbi Avrohom Winner
www.ChabadManhattanBeach.com

New Opportunities = New Responsibilities

The Talmud says about the nature of Man: “Yesh Lo Meah, Rotze Mosayim – when one made 100, they then crave 200.” Man was created to grow. Part of our DNA make up is the desire to have more, the NEED FOR GROWTH. We are never satisfied with what we have, which is a positive emotion if driven with the right intentions.

One of the three things that broadens the mind of man is a beautiful home. Our “nest” - the place we call home, where we feel comfortable to be ourselves, is something we constantly strive to make nicer, bigger and better. Its part of our innate being, part of our essence.

With a new home there are many Mitzvos one is obligated on keeping. The more known ones are putting up a Mezuzah. In this week’s Torah portion, however, "When one builds a new home, one is obligated to fence in the roof." Why?
Simple translation, that there shouldn’t be any blood on your hands if one was to fall off your roof.

The Kabbala and Chassidism gives a different view on things in life and on this mitzvah.

Man desires for more, ones portfolio and investments are not enough, ones small home has become too small and wishes to build a new home. Spiritually we all have “NEW” projects – “NEW” homes. With these “new” projects comes new challenges - new oppositions, physically this may translate as new worries, new responsibilities. Spiritually however, it’s new harassment from our very own evil inclination. The animalistic soul in us uses every opportunity to instigate and cause us to sin, especially at times when we reach new heights. When we acquire a “NEW” home – When we take upon ourselves a “NEW” Mitzvah, this is the “new investment” that we now have “new worries” about.

The Torah therefore tells us "When one builds a new home, one is obligated to fence in the roof." When one takes upon themselves a “NEW” spiritual home, a new mitzvah, another commitment for Yiddishkeit – for the Jewish community – one must fence themselves – brace themselves with extra protection against the opposition from the Yetzer Horah – the Evil inclination, that animal soul which is in every one of us, who will want to cool us off from the excitement of our “NEW” home – our new commitment.

This week my brother Rabbi Moshe Dovid Winner got married. For him and his wife Leah they are building a “NEW HOME” in every sense of the word, we wish them the best of luck, combined with health, wealth and G-d willing much Nachas.
Congratulations to my parents Rabbi Zushe and Esther Winner the directors of Neshama- Chabad Lubavitch of W Brighton Beach with long life and blessing in their holy work.

May we all share in many Simchas together.

Rabbi Avrohom Winner
www.ChabadManhattanBeach.com

A Spiritual “Retreat”

Today is Rosh Chodesh the beginning of the Jewish month ELUL.

This is the month right before Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur the holiest days of the year. Elul the name of the month is an acronym each letter represents a word, “Ani L’dodi V’dodi Li – I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me” this verse in Torah is referring to the connection the Jewish people have with G-d and G-d with us.

This month is the “preparation month” to the New Year. This is the time we are to calculate and take stock of what we did the past year and what is still on the “to do list”.

“If a person is chopping wood in the forest, says the Talmud and the head of the ax dislodges from the handle killing a passerby, the accidental “murderer” must flee for his life to one of the Cities of Refuge.” There is a mitzvah in this week’s torah portion to build six cities of refuge. These cities were dedicated for people who killed someone by accident, they can escape there protecting themselves from the hands of the closest relative of the deceased individual who may avenge his blood. This is a place of refuge until the issue is resolved and proven in court that it was an accident. If one murders intentionally escaping to the cities of refuge will only help until the court case. If proven guilty he is then executed if the court can’t prove it, G-d made a promise “justice shall be done” and that murderer will die of other means.

The Job of the court is NOT to guaranty that justice is done. That is G-d’s job! The purpose of the court is to be a conduit, a vehicle to do everything humanly, intellectually and physically possible to judge and rule justly and fairly. Ultimately G-d handles the REST.

This Month says Kabbala is a month of “refuge”. This is the month prior to judgment day, this is the time to run into a city of refuge and place where we can put ourselves on a different plane. Get involved in something positive thus blocking out the outside - the influences. When we decide to start a new mitzvah everyday or weekly or whatever makes one comfortable to handle, that is creating an atmosphere a space of “spiritual protection” – a city of refuge.

This is the time to take upon oneself a new mitzvah to begin keeping NOW in honor of the upcoming New Year.

According to Jewish law we begin wishing everyone from today on – “A Happy and Healthy New Year.” We also begin sounding the shofar until the day before Rosh Hashanah, we then skip one day and sound it again on Rosh Hashanah.

With Blessing for a Happy New Year.

Rabbi Avrohom Winner